Chapter 267 Dual for Dominance
Van watched his opponent closely.
Zariel was a tall and willowy woman. With black hair with a few strands of red in it. She had larger-than-average fangs, and her eyes were a mix of red and gold. She carried a spear and large shield, with a segmented sword on her left hip and a wicked looking ax on her right. Her armor was form fitting and scaled in some areas, with harder plate to protect the more important places, and hard leather in others to maximize both defense and mobility. It was given a gothic appearance and the armor was smoothed to give it a more aesthetic pleasing look without losing protection. It didn’t hurt that it also revealed her full figure either.
“This is going to be tough… This woman is stronger than Aldina and though I have trained a lot since that match. That doesn’t mean I can beat her so easily…” Van took his stance, waiting to see what move his opponent would make.
The two stared at each other for a good long minute before Zariel made her move.
Like a comet she shot out towards him with unnatural speed for someone carrying such a large shield. But he was prepared and swiped his blade from its sheave in one smooth motion deflecting her attack. The strike of which was enough to bounce her off.
Zariel flowed with the counter, her feet gliding on the ground as she used his attack to swerve to his right. Forcing Van to reposition himself, she then followed up with a flurry of jabs from her spear, creating space between the two.
They then stood still once more. Neither side had yet used their aura. Both of them were testing each other's skill.
“...You're a greater vampire… Aren't you?” Zariel asked after a moment.
“...I am… And you must be one too?” Van returned the question, eyeing his opponent carefully, never letting her out of his sight.
Zariel smiled. “Not at all… Let’s just say… I’m more pure blooded than most…” Her smile revealed her fangs. “You know… Unlike most houses, even in the east. My family still holds to the ancient ways of doing things.” Suddenly starting a conversation with him.
“Oh? Such as?” Van asked, wondering where she was going with this.
“Such as actually drinking blood…” Zariel then used her aura. It was a purplish deep red filled with bloodlust that made Van’s hairs stand on end. “You’d be surprised by how powerful you can get by drinking blood. Of course you have to drink a lot. Though I will admit we aren’t so barbaric as to actually drink to the point of a person’s death. But doing so has allowed us to acquire the true power of our ancestry… If you're good… You might see what I mean…”
Van tightened his stance, eye narrowing as he brought up his own blue aura. “Bring it.” Coming to the conclusion that Zariel was talking to intimidate him, but also realizing that this wasn’t some idle threat either.
Zariel’s smile widened. “Yeah… I really like you.”
She then shot forward like a streak of shadow, spear aimed straight for her target. It then seemed to multiply with dozens of afterimages, all aimed for Van.
Van moved quickly, sword like a blur, striking and defending against the onslaught of thrusts with all his might. His body tense and his veins popping as he tried to follow the pattern of attacks with strained eyes.
He then took one step back, brought out his second sword, and began to dual wield his way through. Now aiming for counterattacks.
But Zariel would always defend with her shield, it was practically immovable, no matter how he tried to push her off balance, or try to make a break for any slight opening, it was always there to stop him.
“Damn. I can’t break through her shield! Despite being in close quarters with a spear, she’s somehow zoning me out and defending herself perfectly every time I try to capitalize on an opening. I simply can’t get close enough!”
Zariel danced an odd dance with him. Everytime he tried to get close she would back away. Everytime he tried to get some distance she would close the gap.
Van tried to flicker step, but everytime he was just about to, he would freeze as a premonition of death would force him to discard that idea. Looking into those predatory eyes, his instincts made it clear that she would be prepared for him the second he tried, and it would end with him taking far more damage than dealing. Her aura moved like a complete sphere around her, the second something tried to enter her killing zone, was the second she became aware of it.
“Shit! I literally can’t get closer to her than I am already!” As if proof of his thoughts, the second he thought he found an opening, his blade a mere inch away from the aura surrounding Zariel’s body, she reacted defending that place.
“Not bad.” She commented, “But you're going to have to do better than that.”
She then unleashed a wave of her aura and changed up her style of fighting. Instead of simple thrusts, she moved her spear around like a halberd or staff. Soon, runes formed up on her spear creating mana blades in the shape of a halberd. Now she played a different dance, one where she moved her weapon in wide ranging arcs as well as thrusts and slashes. Despite this she wielded her spear as if it weighed no more than a mere toothpick, all with one hand…
Van in turn poured aura and mana into his blades to strengthen them. He was pushed back onto the defense, each clash creating ripples of power between them. But both never flinched or turned away from the small explosions being made.
“Enough of this! I’m a mage! Not a swordsman!” Van took a large leap back, Zariel quickly followed after.
But it was too late. Shadows swirled around him in movement with his body. With a slash, he sent a wave of them right for her, allowing him to put even more distance between the two of them. “If it weren’t for the freaking cap, I would have summoned my wolves and just overwhelmed her… I’m going to have to think of something else…”
He tried to use shadows to bind her, but she simply shrugged them off. He tried to send cracks of earth to unbalance her, but her movement never wavered, dancing on the edges of jagged rocks with grace. He tried to blow her away with storms of air and thunder, but she stood her ground. He sent waves of mana arrows, but she deflected them or shielded against them.
“Come on! That can’t be all you have!” Zariel yelled, eyes craving more. “What about that strange technique you used in that arena match? Go on! Show it to me!” Craving more conflict and a feral smile on her face.
Van snarled. He hated being underestimated, but she might have a point, so far nothing he was doing was partially effective, her raw strength and power simply shrugged off all his attacks. But what she didn’t know was that the technique she was talking about didn’t simply increase his overall physical power…
Soon his sclera turned black and his eyes red. Tattoos of power began to form on his body as he began to pump aura and mana into his veins. The power was beginning to reach a critical point, where the sheer energy of what he was doing began to ripple off of him like waves. He was going to push this technique further than ever, and he could already feel it straining his body.
“Yeah… That’s what I like to see…” Zariel said. Her sclera began to turn black and her aura began to deepen and grow.
Van wasted no time, he struck with a massive three layer aura blade. The attack cleaved the ground as it sliced through the air creating a mini sonic boom.
But she was already gone. Zariel didn’t finish at just deepening her aura or letting her eyes go black. She weaved shadow across her body and grew shadowy wings. She looked like a dark valkyrie.
“I hope you don’t mind…” Van said, glaring up at her. “But I’m going to need someone's help for this part.” He then called on Azra too and she came, climbing up his back and extending her wings to allow him to fly.
“That’s fine, I'll just do the same with mine.” Zariel’s shadow tiger then charged forward and jumped toward her mistress. It then formed with the shadow being weaved and a shadowy armor was created that covered her and increased her power further.
“Interesting…” Van commented. Then raised a hand, letting the mana flow through him, giving him quite the high. At first he created a small shadowy ball the size of his fist. But then it grew larger and larger, until it was bigger than the size of his own body by at least twice.
“Well… That’s worrisome… But I hope you're not a one-pump chump…” Zariel commented in turn. Worried that Van was flinging all his power at once.
“Don’t worry… This isn’t even a fraction of what I'm capable of.” Van responded. He then flung the giant sphere of shadow towards Zariel.
She easily dodged the attack, wondering if that was all he had. Only for her eyes to widen when it exploded massively into hundreds of smaller balls of shadow that floated around. Those shadows began to home in on her, and wherever they touched her they clung to and began to eat away at her own shadow armor. She then began to duck and weave through the many balls of shadow.
But Van wasn’t done. He created more giant spheres of shadow, and began to fling them haphazardly while laughing. Watching with some measure of joy as she began to fly around like mad.
She then switched tactics and dive-bombed right at him like a comet. Forcing him to bring up a shield to defend himself. The two then began to fight in mid air. Clashing against each other over and over again.
Zariel hefted her spear, charged it up, and flung it towards him. It zipped like a thunderbolt. Creating a sonic boom that he was just barely able to deflect. He returned the attack with bolts of black lightning.
He sent hundreds of bolts of mana at her, using his floating mines to also bounce attacks and get at her from unexpected angles. She in turn would fly faster, dancing through his attacks with grace and sometimes just barely avoiding his attacks by mere inches.
They would clash, and then they would break up. Only to clash once more, flinging long-range attacks before going back to close quarters. She brought out her segmented sword, which also acted as a whip, trying to cut him up. But his mana shield protected him, and he countered by creating dozens of shadowy swords that attacked and defended him at the same time.
“I’m not going to lose! Not this time!” Van screamed internally, his anger reaching a fever pitch. He then brought his hands together and began to create a condensed ball of shadow, almost like a black star.
“Dark Nova Bomb!”
He shot the mini star out towards Zariel who, while not understanding what such a small attack could do, knew enough to dodge it.
But…
The miniature star went off with a massive detonation. It really was like a miniature sun going nova. The explosion not only drained him greatly of his mana reserves, but created a shockwave so large that even those on the ground could feel it, knocking a few soldiers from both sides down.
For Zariel, it was like someone threw a stick of dynamite in a lake and she was a fish. Except in the air. Even though she wasn’t that close to the explosion, the massive air pressure knocked her around and sent her flying.
“Don’t think I’m done with you!” Van’s anger was still high, though now that he was a little tired he was worried this next attack might actually do real damage to her despite the shielding. He could only hope in the school's magic and their infirmary.
“Dark Nova Bomb!”
Once more he sent a miniature star at Zariel, and once more it created a massive explosion that knocked everyone around, this time even going so far as to destroy a few buildings with the wind pressure alone. Van was left panting and heaving after that second one. The attack was just too draining.
Zariel was now on the ground. Eyes dazed, she had narrowly avoided the second attack, but doing so had also forced her to draw on her reserves. Her shadowy armor mostly dispersed.
But the fire in her eyes had not left yet. Slowly she got up on her wounded legs and wiped a small smudge of blood from her lips.
The two stared at each other panting.
Van brought his hands together for one last time. His body was shaking from being drained so thoroughly, but he was determined to continue.
Zariel saw that. Raised both her hands and said.
“I surrender.”
Leaving Van to think he must have just misheard her.
But no, she really was giving up.
The fight was over.
He had won.