The dry wind of the Tenebris continent continued to blow across the sand dunes, carrying with it the persistent sll of scorched dust and rotting flesh from the many students who had perished during this little war between factions.
In this desolate setting, silence didn’t really exist. In the distance, muffled explosions still echoed, accompanied by flashes of light and stifled cries. Yet here, in this portion of the desert, everything seed frozen.
Kris Donoghan stood straight, his spear firmly gripped. His hand trembled slightly, but it wasn’t from fear. His amber eyes were fixed on Kaiser, filled with a cold and burning hatred at the sa ti.
Kaiser stood there, hands nonchalantly buried in the pockets of his black coat, a mocking smile stretching his lips.
A little farther away, Olivia Dantalion maintained constant pressure on her brother Adrian, dominating him thanks to her temporal magic.
Kaiser let out a small provocative laugh while smoothing his silver hair back. He took a slow step to the left, lifting a thin layer of dark sand under his boots.
"So, the prince’s little guard dog finally made his entrance?" Kaiser asked in a slow, contemptuous tone. "Did you co here to die in the dust, or do you really hope your sense of justice will be useful... for your sister’s death?"
"Shut up, Kaiser!" Kris shouted, advancing with a brutal step as his voice echoed against the rocky walls of the nearby canyon.
"You’re nothing but a manipulative vermin... Everything you did to Neon, and I forbid you to speak of Isabella’s death... I’m going to make you pay for every drop of blood!"
Without waiting, Kris pushed off his legs and charged.
The sand exploded under his feet.
Vivid orange flas burst along the shaft of his weapon, enveloping the tip in an intense halo of heat.
The heat slightly distorted the air around him. In a fraction of a second, he was already in contact.
His spear sliced straight through the air, aid at Kaiser’s heart.
But at the last instant, Kaiser simply raised his hand.
An invisible wave exploded.
The spear veered sharply to the side, grazing Kaiser’s coat without touching it. The shock lifted a perfect circle of sand around them.
Kaiser pivoted slightly and slid to the side, using the montum to pull away.
Kris didn’t stop. He planted his spear in the ground to steady himself, imdiately pivoted, and launched another horizontal attack.
Kaiser leaned back. The blade passed a few centiters from his face. A lock of his silver hair was cut and carried away by the wind.
’He’s still as impulsive... An open book,’ Kaiser thought.
"That’s all?" Kaiser taunted, raising his hand slightly as if asuring the distance between them. "Even the half-beast Kitsune you almost bought as a slave had more fight in her than you during the exam."
A sudden gust of wind fanned the fire contained in Kris’s spear, suddenly shutting Kaiser’s mouth.
Boom
A conical explosion of fire appeared, pushing the temperature to extre limits while debris flew everywhere.
A dense layer of aura covered Kaiser, protecting him from the flas that nearly roasted him alive.
Kris tightened his grip on his spear and charged again, without waiting. The sand exploded under his feet.
He thrust forward.
Kaiser deflected with his right blade, but this ti Kris didn’t retreat. He pressed forward. His spear slid against the sword, then jerked upward toward Kaiser’s face.
Kaiser tilted his head at the last mont.
The tip passed a breath from his cheek.
Without losing a second, Kris spun the shaft of his spear and attempted a horizontal strike at rib level.
Kaiser blocked with his second sword.
The two remained locked for an instant, weapons clashed, then...
Kris pushed forward.
Kaiser retreated half a step, then abruptly released the pressure. The imbalance was imdiate.
He entered Kris’s guard.
Too close for the spear.
Kris reacted quickly. He released one hand and attempted a direct punch.
Kaiser twisted his torso slightly to dodge, then countered with a headbutt.
Kaiser’s forehead slamd violently into Kris’s.
Kris staggered but didn’t fall.
He gritted his teeth and planted the butt of his spear into the ground to regain footing.
Then he yanked sharply.
The shaft shot upward violently toward Kaiser’s chin.
Kaiser pulled back just in ti.
Kaiser’s gaze changed slightly...
’He’s beco much stronger.’
Kris gave him no respite.
The flas burst again.
Each movent flowed into the next. His spear traced arcs of fire through the air, forcing Kaiser to keep moving constantly.
Kaiser blocked a first strike. Then a second. On the third, he didn’t block. He deflected and slid to the side.
But Kris anticipated.
He pulled the spear back toward him and followed with a knee strike.
Kaiser raised his arm to take the hit.
The impact made him retreat.
He spun around and tried to sweep Kaiser’s legs with the shaft.
Kaiser jumped.
But Kris was already waiting.
The spear tip imdiately rose toward his torso.
Kaiser crossed his two swords.
The clash was so violent that sparks flew instantly. For a long second, they stood face to face, only a few centiters apart.
Suddenly, Kaiser pushed and broke contact to enter Kris’s guard again. His swords ca alive for a low attack, forcing Kris to pull his leg back just in ti. A high attack followed imdiately, forcing him to raise his spear to block.
However, Kaiser abruptly changed rhythm and struck with the poml of his sword, directly into Kris’s ribs. A sharp crack rang out, and Kris grunted as Kaiser imdiately followed with an elbow strike, then a quick slash across the forearm. Blood spurted.
Kris retreated one step, then two. His breathing grew heavier, but he didn’t let go. On the contrary, he planted his spear in the ground and pulled on it to propel himself forward, delivering a shoulder charge.
"Fuck!" Kaiser said, caught off guard and hit full force. They both rolled in the sand, and Kris tried to gain the upper hand by raising his fist. Kaiser blocked with his forearm before using his legs to push him away. They separated brutally, but Kris rose first, grabbed his spear, and without waiting, attacked again.
Flas burst in all directions, but this ti Kris didn’t stay at a distance: he entered with them. The fire tendrils forced Kaiser to defend, but Kris used the opening to strike directly. A first spear thrust passed that Kaiser barely avoided, but the second connected. A gash appeared on his side.
’Now I see his level... He’s roughly equal to in terms of raw strength and close-combat technique. Ti to get serious...’
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