Aren closed the distance in a flash, lightning snapping beneath his feet as he drove straight into the Defiler’s face. The man barely had ti to react before Aren’s gauntlet ca crashing down right on top of it.
With the man dazed and swaying, Aren followed up with more strikes. One to the chest, another to the shoulder, and the last combo straight into his gut.
The last punch sent the man flying backwards, flopping on the ground as he stayed silent...and unmoving.
Then he twitched. It started from his fingers before running down his arms and slowly to his body. The joints in his shoulders cracked softly as he pushed himself upright, as if the previous blows had done nothing but inconvenience him.
Aren slowly looked down on his chest to see...all the blows he’d driven into the man had slowly patched themselves up.
Wh—what the hell is that? It’s like his skin is trying to glue itself back together?!
"...Heh. That tickled."
The man rolled his neck once, letting out a low chuckle just to prove the point. He was completely unbothered.
"Seems like it’s my turn?" the man grinned, sothing dark accumulating within his hand.
"Aren, get back!" Luna yelled from behind him.
Aren imdiately stepped back as a barrage of ice spears rained down on the Defiler from above, trying to stop whatever he was doing. But suddenly...a dark fla roared, swallowing the projectiles whole before dissipating back into black smoke.
Aren made it back to Luna, but her mouth was already open. "No—no way..."
"What? What’s going on?" he asked, already glancing toward the guy.
Luna’s breath hitched, eyes narrowing as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing.
"He...he has both the Fire and Ice Elents."
For a brief mont, the cavern grew still. The Defiler exhaled slowly as he lifted his hands once more, this ti, doing a small hand signature.
Aren recognized it instantly. So Mystics have certain rituals or routines they’ve ingrained in themselves to make it a habit and train their muscle mory.
And from everything he’d seen so far—
This was it. He was finally calling his Bloodline.
"Shit, get down!" Aren scread.
The pressure hit like an ocean wave breaking over them, swallowing the cavern whole as it slamd into Aren’s body and forced him down a step. His chest tightened, breath catching as the sheer weight of it pressed against him.
Even from here, Aren could barely see the shape, but it was enough to disgust him.
It was like sobody dissected the Bloodline right down the middle, into an abominable shape with two heads and two tails. On one side, was the Blazing Mane Lion, while the other was the Frozen Mountain Goat...both occupying one body.
"...What the hell..."
Having opposing elents was already near impossible under the Fundantal Law of Evolution—
But this wasn’t even that.
This was like the man had taken half both Bloodlines and jamd them together with brute will.
And sohow...it worked.
Aren didn’t take his eyes off the thing forming behind the Defiler, but his mind was already moving ahead, trying to piece things together.
There’s no way that could be stable...There had to be so kind of weakness that allowed this to happen.
Look, Aren...maybe it drains his ether faster...or his attacks are weaker...
But that was when he saw it. The elents clashed constantly, grinding against each other like two forces jamd into the sa space without truly becoming one.
It was like blending oil and water together. They’d mix temporarily, but eventually separate once more. Now all he had to do...was speed up that process.
"Luna," he said, lightning charge running up his arm. "Put on the pressure, don’t give him any breathing room."
She answered without an ounce of hesitation.
"...Got it."
The mont Luna answered, Aren was already sprinting towards the man. The pressure hadn’t eased, but he pushed through it, dodging side to side as the man launched orbs of dark fla at him.
The man crossed his arms above his head as Aren t it from the top.
BOOM!
The impact rang out, forcing him back a step. Aren twisted, following up with other smaller jabs toward his body. The man dodged and weaved, occasionally blocking his shields of black ice and retaliating with dark flas that almost managed to singe Aren.
But that was when Aren ducked to the side, revealing Luna with her hands outstretched. Behind her, countless spears of ice ford one by one as they hovered in the air, ready to fly.
"Hailstorm!"
They launched imdiately, cutting through the air like bullets being fire in quick succession. With the Defiler occupied, it looked like a sure hit.
Yet...
With a swipe of his hand, a dark blaze roared outward, expanding like a flaming shield. One by one, the ice constructs vanished into the fire before they could even reach him, dissolving into steam that hissed and scattered through the cavern.
Aren’s eyes narrowed.
Shit...even that didn’t work?
Seeing that none of their attacks was having any effect, the Defiler’s smile returned.
"You’ll have to do better than that."
Aren sensed the attack coming and tried to pull back, but he was too slow. Black frost spread across the ground, climbing up beneath his feet and locking into place before he could fully disengage.
The cold bit into his skin even through his pants, creeping up his legs and causing his muscles to spasm instantly.
Wha—what the hell is happening to my body?!
Before he got the chance to break free, the man’s arms, wrapped in dark fla, descended straight toward Aren’s center.
He just barely managed to twist with what little room he had, barely managing to avoid the full strike. Even so, the edge of the flas managed to sear him, turning the skin on his arm black within a matter of monts.
"—Gghh!" Aren winced as he surged electricity into his legs.
The extra power finally snapped him out of the hold as he fell back onto his back. One thing was evidently clear now...
They were outmatched entirely.
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