Alexander couldn't describe what he is seeing. The fight between Shi and Dulio is beyond intense. It is a true battle between legends.
"[Freeze Crash]!" Dulio cries, summoning a massive iceberg above Shi's head.
"[War Lance of Du Lac]!" Shi stabs upwards with Rhongomyniad. A gigantic hole appears in the iceberg. With a crack, the entire iceberg explodes into tiny pieces.
"[Heat Wave]!" Dulio waves his hand, assaulting Shi with a blast of burning wind. Temperatures soar to hundreds of degrees Celsius. Alexander, who isn't the target of the attack, can feel the intense temperatures even through [Demise Manifestation]. Anyone of the receiving end of the attack would be seared from the inside out as the water within their bodies evaporated.
"[Flawless Shield of Galahad]." Shi murmurs. A blue shield envelops him, defending him from the heat. "[Pure Blessings of Guinevere]." Rhongomyniad flashes once. At the same time, Alexander feels his exhaustion and weakness flow away, replaced with pure strength.
"[Round Table]." Dulio is completely unaffected by the strain of using so many attacks in rapid succession. "Rhongomyniad's special ability. It allows the wielder to use the special techniques of every member of the Knights, as well as the King and Queen themselves. Truly both a powerful and versatile ability."
"Glad you think so." Shi also seems unaffected by the strain of using multiple abilities.
"But its weakness is the strain it puts on its user. The abilities are, after all, the strongest of their respective users. The fact that you had to use Rhongomyniad's healing ability already shows the amount of strain you're under."
"You know what-" Shi suddenly appears in front of Dulio. "-you talk waaay too much." Shi, faster than Alexander could even see, stabs Rhongomyniad deep into Dulio's abdomen.
"[Supreme War Lance of Du Lac]."
As expected of the [Joker] of the Angels, Dulio is incredibly fast. In the split second before Rhongomyniad activated its technique, Dulio throws himself backwards, escaping the lance, before throwing himself to the left. Alexander watches as Dulio's right arm is blasted into nothingness.
"May my spirit be reborn! Infuse my weapon with power!" Shi cries. Immediately, his battle aura flares even higher. "I, the [Swordsman of the Left], wager my life on this next strike!"
"Tch!" Dulio struggles to regain control of his body. Losing his right hand has effected his ability to fly properly.
"[The King's Final Slash]." White light pours out of Rhongomyniad. Alexander could feel the very atmosphere distort as Shi summons the power of Rhongomyniad. "The Ruler of England, bless my spear with your presence!"
"[Zenith Tempest], [Balance Breaker: Bringer of a Thousand Storms]!" Lightning immediately shrouds Dulio, creating an impenetrable shield. "[Descent of God!] The sky darkens and the acrid smell of ozone fills the air.
Alexander immediately infuses [Demise Manifestation] with all his remaining mana. There is no doubt in his mind that when the dust cleared, nothing will remain of the school.
3
2
1
Boom.
Outskirts of Kuoh Academy.
The old man had walked the same road every single morning. Around the block, past Kuoh Academy, then back to his house. A regular routine that the man enjoyed. Only this time, something different happened.
The old man had to admit that there had been some unusual people coming and going through the school. A red-haired foreigner and a grey haired maid could be seen every time there was a parent gathering. Occasionally, the smooth-talking salesman that the man's wife loved would be seen outside the school, conversing with students and being addressed as Sensei. The most unusual thing however, was the 20 something year old woman wearing a magical girl cosplay suit.
This was, however, the first time the old man had seen a column of light explode from the school and ascend into the sky.
As the man watches the solid pillar of light, he hears a crack. The school building's are cracking! As the man watches, the entire building begins to crack, before shattering into pieces. Behind the illusion is a wasteland of ash. At the centre of the wasteland, two figures are standing.
Kuoh Academy Ruins
Shi stabs the spear into the ground. His face, ashen and drenched in sweat, only shows the exhaustion he's feeling. Dulio on the other hand, is completely composed, with no sign of injury and strain, save for his missing right hand.
"You're something else." Dulio says. "Even when faced with my [Balance Breaker], you placed the safety of the others above your own."
"Ha-ha." Shi laughs weakly. "So much for my Unknown Hero attempt. But to think I'd spend all my power just to re-direct your attack upwards. [Bringer of a Thousand Storms] is definitely in a class in its own. As expected of the second strongest [Longinus]."
"But still." Dulio summons a sword. "Why didn't use Clarent during our battle?"
"Be-because." Shi pants. "I promised not to unless in dire circumstances."
"Is Clarent really as powerful as you make it out to be?"
"Yes." Shi answers without hesitation. "If I used it, this fight would have been a one sided slaughter."
"Interesting..." Dulio thinks to himself for a moment. "I would love to fight you again, but you're too dangerous to keep alive." A spear of light, many times larger than normal, appears in Dulio's hand. "It was fun while it lasted, Swordsman."
"Fuckkkkk." Shi groans, getting to his feet. "I guess I don't have a choice...sorry Daemon, but it seems like I can't keep my promise." Suddenly, Shi grabs Rhongomyniad and with one deft movement of his hand, crushes it. The resulting explosion of light sends Dulio, and Alexander's unconscious body, flying backwards.
"May war and hatred descend! Clarent, hear my cry!" Shi screams.
Dulio flaps his wings and rights himself. He hadn't expected Shi to destroy Rhongomyniad to buy himself time. It is rather impressive actually. "Huh. I wonder what surprise he has up his sleeve."
Dulio, being the [Joker] of Heaven, has access to the abilities of all the Holy Swords, including the Legendary blades Durandal, Caliburn, Clarent and Excalibur. But he is curious how Clarent's ability could be used effectively. The ability to cause magic to go berserk sounds like a double-edged sword. And yet Shi is considered to be among the strongest beings on the Earth. Dulio could feel his hair rise in anticipation of fighting against the Swordsman.
"[Havoc]." Shi's voice calmly says. Suddenly, a black sphere explodes outwards, immediately engulfing Dulio. Dulio braces himself for an attack, but it doesn't come. Instead, his surroundings turn monochrome, with everything being either black or white. A surreal battlefield. "Are you ready, [Joker]?" Shi's voice asks. Dulio looks at him. His entire body is composed of either black or white. In his right hand, Dulio can see Clarent. The blade is pure black, the purest, darkest black that Dulio has ever seen.
"Yes, Swordsman." Dulio replies, raising his hand to summon a sword. "I'm ready-" Before Dulio could finish his sentence, a gigantic sword 10 meters long suddenly materializes out of nowhere, far larger than then one Dulio had attempted to summon. Dulio, surprised at the sudden appearance of such a sword, loses his concentration, causing the blade to explode in a shower of light. Dulio, bracing himself for the drain of mana from such a large technique, is surprised when nothing happens. "What the fuck-"
"Feeling the strain?" Shi asks, his blade swinging downwards in a deadly arc.
"Kuh! [Wind Barrier]!" A blast of wind changes Shi's sword's course, causing the blade to narrowly miss Dulio's throat. At the same time, Dulio feels his mana plummet. "What-what-" Dulio pants. The [Wind Barrier] is a low level technique of [Zenith Tempest]. The drain of mana should be unnoticeable to someone of Dulio's caliber. And yet Dulio is already panting, his body taxed to the limits of his endurance.
"Huh. It seems like today isn't your lucky day." Shi spins his blade slowly in a circle. "Clarent doesn't seem to like you too much."
"This-ability-" Dulio coughs. The strain of [Wind Barrier] is a lot more than he originally thought. "-causes-magic-to-fluctuate-wildly?" Shi nods. Dulio laughs. "What-an-annoying-ability."
"You can see why I'm known as the [Swordsman of Love and Peace]." Shi places the blade of Dulio's throat. "Its through the [Fear] and [Chaos] generated by Clarent that I bring [Love] and [Peace]. After all, when faced with a force that can reduce your techniques to nothing, who wouldn't bow their heads in submission?"
"To rule with fear." Dulio laughs. Some of the mana he lost during the conflict has returned. But only marginally. Dulio knows full well that if he activates another technique, there is a chance it will kill him. The [Chaos] generated by Clarent is a powerful tool that sows seeds of [Fear] within its targets. But at the same time, it is a randomized process. So long as luck favors Dulio, it is entirely possible that Clarent would enhance the technique Dulio uses. "The method of Tyrants."
"In a world full of [Chaos], only the strong can win." Shi replies, raising the sword high.
"But everyone knows [Luck] favors the brave." With that, Dulio waves his hand. "[Gods's Great Lightning]!" Dulio feels the last of his mana leave him. He knows full well that only time will tell whether or not Clarent had decided to drain him or spare him. A massive lightning bolt falls from the heavens and strikes Shi, engulfing him in blue electricity. At the same time, Dulio braces himself for the drain.
It doesn't come.
The Dulio vs Shi fight is coming to its conclusion! Clarent's ability has finally been revealed!
Will a [Swordsman] or a [Joker] fall? I'll (probably) reveal this next chapter.
Thank you for your continued support!
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Daemon