Shinra lifted his hand, directing it at Alackster.
With a single pull, dark mana wrapped around Alackster, drawing him closer with breathtaking speed.
However, mid-flight, Alackster got a hold of himself, shaking off the paralysis. His instincts kicked in with brutal clarity. Although he was still scared, his mind resolved itself.
'I will not lose to a person weaker than me!'
His body twisted, breaking free from the dark mana's grip through sheer force of willpower.
"Don't underestimate me!" Alackster's voice resounded off the blackened field. His mana exploded outwards in waves, shaking the entirety of the ground beneath them.
He released every ounce of power he had. He didn't know why he did it, but it felt right to do so.
He already felt the presence of Acheron change. Maybe she was hiding her powers? He didn't know. But what he did know was he must win at all cost!
Shinra tilted his head just slightly. Amused, he chuckled. "That's... reassuring. Going down without a fight would dull my mood."
Alackster began casting, reforming his mana into compressed wind spheres. He threw them all at once.
Shinra raised a finger, dispersing the spheres.
'The hell?' Stunned, Alackster waved hand signs at an incredible speed. "Wind wail... Tempest dragon!" His grimoire opened, glowing with light.
A massive wind structure formed above Shinra. It was shaped like a dragon as it let out a loud roar.
Shinra looked up and smiled.
Roar!
The dragon descended directly at him.
Crash!
Shinra's aura disappeared.
'I... won?' Alackster thought as he curved a smile on his face.
Then a shadow blurred behind him. He knew instantly, turning to dodge.
✷ "Is this your peak?" Shinra's voice crept into his skull. "Boring..."
While Alackster was still caught in slow motion, Shinra swung his hand slightly. The strike connected with Alackster's ribs and sent him crashing into the rock, which shattered into pieces.
"Gak!" Alackster raised his head, blood dripping from his mouth. He quickly moved away as another attack came, barely avoiding the dark mana that scorched the ground where he'd been lying.
'She's not even giving me time to breathe... what kind of monster is this?' he thought, panting.
Shinra walked slowly towards him, like a predator cornering its prey. He did it with a malicious smile. A demonic smile. A hateful smile.
'I can't lose... I... can't!' Alackster increased his power level and cast multiple enhancement spells on himself.
At this point, he had enhanced his body past the point of physical peak. He glowed in a bright color, everchanging. His eyes glowed as well.
His robes fell out with his hair flowing to the back even though the concept of wind movement was shattered.
This form was called... Fate of Divinity.
A stage where a mage or a knight reaches a power higher than their own in terms of physical prowess. They surpass their fate.
Alackster had achieved that stage, and now he charged again.
This time, his attacks had weight, his movements were even more precise, and he fought using a combo of long and short range attacks.
Shinra did not think much of it. He still matched Alackster's speed and strength... although he couldn't overpower him.
So he yearned for more power... more strength!
Then the system panel came up at his will of desire with a notification.
[Summoned entity: Shinra Boshamon]
[Current manifestation: 1.0%]
[Increasing power output...]
[1.1%]
Shinra did not know for sure, but he felt the spirit of his summoner synced with the screen popping up all the time. Like a comical representation of her will guiding him.
The dark mana around him disappeared completely, causing a new wave to emerge.
This energy was pure, white and majestic... wrapped around Shinra like armor as he transcended mid-air in the skies. The light overshadowed everyone and everything.
Alackster was standing on the ground, unfazed by his transformation, but in his mind, he thought:
'She's getting stronger...'
…
[♟ Nieves POV...]
Walking around the back of the main academy building, Nieves did not see any student noble lurking around this area as on a normal day, there would be tons of students.
Wondering where they all went, she went inside the building. From afar, she saw a huge crowd, cheering while some were disappointed.
She immediately scurried out before she was seen, then went around to the open field.
There she walked a long distance before everything went black around her.
She went for her weapon, unsheathing her blade halfway as she looked around cautiously.
'What the hell is going on?'
Ahead, she saw two being clashing and twisting in the sky. The impact on their attacks sent waves as far as to where she stood.
She had not seen such a high level of battle before... they were not fighting like human beings at all.
Clashes of wind and dark magic created a new form of explosion. She stood her ground, blocking and parrying all the aftereffects of their attacks.
Then a divine light that shined so bright she covered her face to protect her eyes.
Even with her eyes closed, she parried continuously, relying solely on instinct.
Shinra turned towards his left slightly, from afar, he saw a little girl, from his perspective, trying to withstand the impacts.
he smiled, trying back to face Alackster.
…
Alackster strengthened his resolve and poured everything he had into one attack. His grimoire flipped rapidly through the pages in quick succession.
"Spirit of the gale... I call upon thee, let my enemies be reduced to dust... Emonion Barrage!"
A thousand wind arrows formed around Shinra, each one condensed so deeply, it could kill an elephant in an instant.
Whoosh!
They all launched simultaneously towards Shinra in a devastating assault that would level the field.
Shinra coiled himself around his armor, taking in all one thousand arrows at once... and still, he wasn't damaged in any way.
Alackster didn't pause. 'Son of a b-'
Cr-Crack!
BOOM!
A series of spells launched from all angles as Alackster kept closing in on the summoned entity.
Alackster got close once more, but this time, he performed a barrier spell. "Ares no van... leviathan!"
At once, a red barrier swallowed Shinra, trapping him inside.
'This is a...' Shinra looked up and then down. '... complex domain...'
'Impressive,' he said aloud.
The comment was not in any way mocking Alackster, but seeing as such words came out of his junior's mouth... rage filled him and he lost his cool.
"Don't mock me!" Alackster screamed as he began pouring more mana into the barrier, condensing it tighter and tighter around Shinra.
To him, this wasn't a battle of revenge for his grimoire or the way he was disrespected. He viewed the battle as a duel to the death. Even though Shinra had never been serious the whole fight.
The barrier condensed closer and closer, shrinking in on Acheron's fragile body.
Bending his head, Shinra thought of all the moments his lover would hug him tightly when he went to hunt.
His lips began to move slowly.
✷
"D
O
O
M
E
D
F
A
T
E"