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Book 5 Chapter Twenty-Two; the Final Twenty

  DING!

  CONGRATULATIONS MAKING IT INTO THE LAST TWENTY!

  NOW SINGULAR BOUTS WILL BE HAD, TO REDUCE NUMBERS DOWN TO TEN!

  …

  ALL FIGHTS WILL HAPPEN AT THE SAME TIME!!

  PLEASE BE AWARE THAT AS SOON AS YOU ARE TRANSPORTED, THE BOUT WILL BEGIN!

  …

  SURVIVING THIS ROUND WILL SOLIDIFY YOUR CHANCE AT MAKING IT TO THE SEMI FINALS!

  …

  “Good luck everyone.” Jazmel said as glowing golden light covered everyone and they all vanished to go to their fights. Jazmel moved at the same time, and he appeared atop a platform just big enough for two people to fight. Looking across he saw, what he had expected. The dragon skill user.

  Dragon Fang!

  His scathing Mana burst across the platform at Jazmel.

  Flaming Evisceration!

  Skills met, oddly like for like. red burning Mana and blue frost fire met, clashing, and maxing out. Exploding and combusting. In the flash of light and Mana, Jazmel darted forward, his eyes fine in the brilliance.

  He struck with his sword, Yoru No Tsubasa a deathly cold blade. Scarring the scales of the dragon armour the man was wearing.

  “So the coward isn’t a weakling.” He said and Jazmel kissed his teeth, trying to bite down the irritation he was feeling. The man wasn’t particularly strong, but he thought he was stronger than Jazmel.

  “Let me show you what I can do.” Jazmel said and he swung his sword, every step was firm; every strike confident. He chipped away at the man’s defence and almost had him disarmed had he not used another skill.

  Iron tail!

  He struck the ground with the tip of his sword and Mana burst outward. A mushroom cloud of Mana burst and Jazmel had to jump back to not be caught in the blast radius. As he backed away, he watched curiously. The man took a red liquid out, its vial stoppered. He cracked the lid and drank the contents of the vial. The Mana inside exploded, bursting as it expanded, and the man dropped his sword. his cloak brooch broke, his plate armour burst from the clasps. He grew in height and size, spiralling horns appeared on his forehead.

  A long tongue snaked from his mouth, and he hissed at Jazmel, now his Mana overpowering and his stature overbearing.

  “Let me show you what a dragon can do!” the man shouted and Jazmel realised it must have been blood that he had drank.

  Sunder!

  The man blocked with his forearm, some of the scales cracked and he looked at Jazmel with surprise, then hate. Jazmel noticed the cracks and realised he would have to break this man down to defeat him.

  Raven’s cleaving descent!

  Sunder!

  He bounded forward and as his sword sung down to crash the black Mana into his foe. He switched, adding sunder as well, the black Mana became riddled with red tinged power. The strike was much more formidable than Jazmel had anticipated. He cut through the forearm, deep enough to hit the bone. But the dragon man hybrid was only in pain, he kicked out. His enlarged foot hitting Jazmel full in the chest and sending him reeling. The air kicked from his lungs.

  “How dare you!” the man hissed and shouted at the same time. Jazmel rose up, crawling to his feet slowly. The man cast Yoru No Tsubasa from the platform and sneered at Jazmel. But Jazmel simply drew another sword. Daishinkan appeared, he freed it and actually put the sword between him and this man.

  Sunder

  Raven’s cleaving descent!

  He used the same skill together, partnering well he swung his sword about. Striking through the guard and cracking the stomach scales where they wore. The man launched forward snapping with his snout. Jazmel turned his hilt upwards, bucking the man in the mouth, two teeth flew from his mouth and blood and saliva spilled.

  Dragon fang!

  The man yelled, clawing with both hands, but Jazmel bore the brunt of the strikes. Pushing forward Jazmel parried one hand. Then let the other stab deeply into his shoulder. He grunted from the pain, but he was too focused.

  Flaming Evisceration!

  He struck with his both blades and he cut through the forearm. The man howled, roaring with pain. But Jazmel was already moving, he twirled in his spot and when his back was to the man’s chest. He stabbed down with both blades. His swords stabbing into either thigh. The dragon man screamed, but he was stricken from the pain. He fell to his knees, slumped from the continued blood loss from his stump.

  “Do you see now, what I can do?” Jazmel said, as he recovered both blades and decapitated the dragon head.

  The body disappeared and Jazmel stood there, in pain. A little bruised and busted from his battle. Jazmel waited to move on, but to his surprise. He didn’t, or he wasn’t moved on. No instead he waited and when a few more people had survived fights. They were brought together, their platforms colliding and connecting. The first two were so injured and wounded from their first fight, both forfeited when they realised they would not be able to gain any respite.

  The platforms fell away, rotating and allowing Jazmel to move closer, so he could see other battles happening.

  Sadé was fighting Rana, they were going Mana for Mana. Sadé had hidden her tails and was only using three tails, but now. Now before Rana she had released all six tails, and her thunder crown was shining atop her head. The girls were really going at it, Sadé had something like six thousand Mana points. But Rana clearly had more as she beat her. To Jazmel’s surprise she knocked her off the platform.

  Rana was strong and he didn’t realise how strong she was. He followed the platforms and could make out Bannerman winning, Katie had just strung her opponent up. Causing them to forfeit, Tera Nema was fighting against Eleanor with her black hat and was struggling against the abundance of Mana.

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  The bout didn’t last for long, Eleanor won out. Her skills just too big and AOE for Tera Nema to counter or comprehend.

  The ever-changing platforms moved again, Jazmel had rested. Shifting his platform over he appeared before a man who simply drew his sword and charged. Jazmel could see the Mana in his sword, so he could judge its trajectory. He slipped past it and with a quick movement. He struck the man and sheathed his sword, in one fluid movement. The man fell to the ground and disappeared quickly. Jazmel turned to see Rana fighting Bannerman, Eleanor fighting Katie and Jazmel’s own platform ended up connected to that of Katie’s.

  She smiled and letting her chains spool out. She waited for him.

  “Fancy seeing you here.” she said, she was whirring her chains about her. Expertly, Jazmel had seen her do these tricks before, but this was to make everyone laugh, a joke for her as she showed everyone just how agile and deft she was. But now, as he stood before her and her pressure. He knew she had been going easy on most people, something she never made a big show of.

  “I didn’t want to fight you.” He said and sighed, drawing Daishinkan from his belt.

  “It’s just a spar, whatever happens. We are still friends.” She said but she now had a maddening glint to her eye as she stalked towards him.

  Chain spikes!

  Her skill ripped through the platform as spikes appeared across the ground. As her two chains appeared rigged with sharp edges too. He skipped past the ground and leapt over her chains; he wouldn’t make it this easy for her.

  Raven’s cleaving descent!

  Sunder!

  He shattered the ground beneath him; where more chains were coiling beneath his feet. She was fast, but he reacted quicker. His eyes being the difference once again for him. His skill burst again, the two skills merging and becoming one. The explosion blew them both backwards, Jazmel having to block with his sword. Whereas Katie had to retract and spur a shield out of chains. Jazmel hadn't seen her create something like that before, but here she was showing how adaptive her chains actually were.

  Chain fang!

  Her chains lashed out, trying to tear his flesh. But he was made of sturdy stuff, he was edging in. Moving closer and closer to where Katie stood, trying to back her into the corner.

  “Oh so you want to fight?!” she shouted, realising what he was trying to do. She retracted her chains, coiling them around her fists and rushing in. She began to rain blows down on him. A fist to the gut, a punch to the ribs and a knee to the face; he managed to block that. But he felt cumbersome, pulling his swords into his rings. He began to fight back, a solid punch that she blocked. But it made her stumble back, he grabbed both her wrists. Pulling her in and he punched her kidneys and when he felt her breath explode from her mouth. He went to clinch her, but she was moving already. Snaking upwards, she jumped at him. Clambering up his limbs and trying to get him in a choke. But the Tyrant tempered body was indomitable. She was stuck, trying to get him in a hold, a lock that she was trying to choke him in. But he was greater than that. She had positioned herself to be along his arm, but flexing his muscles he could bear her entire weight.

  “If you drop me from here, I will never forgive you.” She said, suddenly realising her situation.

  “Forfeit or I am going to have to throw you from the platform.” He told her, the sounds of the audience were almost drowning him out. She was cross, he could tell. But she was also aware she was beaten. She wasn’t stronger than him, she could do more damage to him. But he would respond in kind.

  “Fine, I forfeit.” She said and immediately she was pulled from his arm. He flexed his shoulder, rotating it to make sure he was still flexible.

  DING!

  THE FINAL WILL NOW BEGIN!

  DO YOUR BEST!

  …

  The platforms all appeared again, and a wide floating space was presented to Jazmel and rana. She stared at him, watching him. They were able to fight, but for some reason she was allowing him a moment.

  Song of Mana

  She uttered, the ambient Mana surrounding them sharply changed. Before it moved about like a constant wind, but now. Now in front of his very eyes, he watched as the Mana surrounding them both began to seep towards her. She was collecting all the Mana around them, and it was already adding to her extremely high Mana build.

  Great rumbling dragon!

  Flaming Evisceration!

  He struck while he could, he wasn’t going to wait for her to get to him. His Mana was quite high himself, but he knew he would reach his end before she ran out. So we went big, after all. Go big or go home.

  His dragon created from sheer Mana rushed forward. Flying towards her, for a split second he thought she would consume that too, but it was his Mana. Locked with his skills, she would have to know exactly how he used his skill to take it over. So instead, she pulled a dome over herself, and his Mana dragon burst against it, both erupting in a crescendo of Mana. she quickly had to form a shield as the scathing flames of his second skill rushed through the cracks of her dome.

  Mana spark!

  Bolts of Mana rained down from the sky and razed the platform. Jazmel had to literally slice and strike the bolts he couldn’t dodge. But for each blow that he dodged, and the other he countered. Two struck him somewhere. When the Mana sparks stopped their raze, he was lowered down. Crouching and trying to get his breath back.

  DING!

  STATUS CONDITION!

  …

  …

  HEAVILY WOUNDED!

  …

  HEAL NOW

  HEALTH BELOW 20%

  …

  He could feel it, even now his tyrant tempered body was trying to knit itself back together. But he wasn’t done yet. He had gained something in his fight with Katie. Something about his skills, how they knit together.

  He raised his sword, as he shuffled and stumbled back to his feet. His clothes and been all but shredded, clinging to him. Mana repair was always an option, but he didn’t have the Mana to spare.

  Sunder!

  Raven’s cleaving descent!

  DING!

  …

  IN YOUR CONTINUED BATTLES!

  WAGING WAR AND RAISING YOUR SWORD!!

  YOUR SKILLS HAVE GAINED AFFINITY!

  YOUR SKILLS HAVE FOUND HARMONY

  WILL YOU SUNDER THEM AND MERGE THEM?

  Y/N?

  Mid battle? Oh for sure! Let’s do it, he accepted, and the system grabbed at his will.

  RAVEN’S CLEAVING DESCENT AND SUNDER HAVE BEEN SUNDERED!

  …

  …

  SUNDERED SKILLS ARE NOW MERGING!

  …

  …

  …

  THERE IS HARMONY, SKILL STRENGTH WILL BE ENHANCED!

  …

  …

  SKILLS HAVE BEEN MERGED!

  CONGRATULATIONS

  …

  …

  SKILL COULD NOT RETAIN TIER!

  …

  RAVEN’S CLEAVING DESCENT AND SUNDER HAVE MERGED SUCCESSFULLY!

  SUNDERING RAVEN SKILL HAS BEEN LEARNED! (TIER I)

  …

  In the split seconds that he had spent glancing at his system screen. It seemed rana had undergone the same situation. She used a skill he hadn't seen her use in all the rounds and bouts.

  Mana maelstrom!

  She called, a cloud appeared, darkened and grey but rippling with blue Mana. from above, bolts of Mana rained down, while great arcing lights of Mana struck randomly also. He rushed through, trying to flee the bombardment. He rushed towards her she brought up a shield, but it wasn’t enough.

  Sundering Raven!

  His new skill formed, from the tip of his sword a black raven with blood red feathers appeared. It soared above and then divebombed towards rana. It struck her shield, her dome of Mana. When the raven made up of black and dark red Mana struck. Its Mana popped and enveloped her dome as it withered it away. Corrupting her Mana and destroying it. She yelped in surprise and before she could cast her skill again something strong struck her storm.

  Gilgamesh

  A single strike burst her Mana maelstrom skill.

  “Enough.” A voice said, drenched with authority. It silenced the entire colosseum, Jazmel and rana were both filled with adrenaline, fuelled by it. Jazmel bared his teeth and raised his sword tiredly, wondering who this new foe might be. But the system chimed and Jazmel watched the screen.

  DING!

  THE LIGHTNING LORD OF TITANIA HAS SEEN GREAT COURAGE IN YOU

  BOTH HAVE GARNERED AN OPPORTUNITY!

  BOTH WILL BE ALLOWED AN AUDIENCE WITH THE LIGHTNING LORD!!

  RANA AND JAZMEL HAVE BEEN LABELLED VICTORS OF THE CLIMB OF THE TITAN!

  …

  DING!

  +5 VIT

  +5 STR

  100 PLATINUM COINS!

  …

  CONGRATULATIONS!

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