Blue magical energy began raging across the battlefield. Slowly, the winds began howling, interrupted by the sheer magical energy Isval Il Opache was emitting. He opened his mouth and began roaring at the sky. At that cue, Thalamik understood that a gruesome and cruel attack was about to begin. No, perhaps not just an attack, but a frenzy of fatal advances.
The roar that echoed throughout the battlefield wasn't a mere roar. It was some sort of magical spell that could make anyone feel genuine fear. Such an attempt would have been quite futile if aimed at a normal Thalamik, who wasn't easily intimidated. Yet, with his 'Determination' incomplete, he was now deeply affected.
Droplets of sweat began dripping from his body.
Uncontrollable shaking made him lose focus on gripping Blastar.
How? How is this making me shake...
He gripped harder before lifting his chin to look at Isval.
Blue magical energy crawling over his body sharpened his overall aura. It twisted around the blackened skin of his arms.
His claws dug into the ground while he kept on roaring as tendrils from his back burst outward.
I won't lose!
Thalamik raised Blastar by instinct.
Thalamik's Mana Field expanded in front of him, successfully holding back the first wave of tendrils. But the second wave followed immediately. Then the third. Then the fourth.
The barrage of tendrils did not stop.
Eventually, cracks began to appear on Thalamik's mana field.
CRACKKK!! CRACKKK!!!
This is bad... there are too many. If I don't push now—
Then the unthinkable happened. Isval wasn't only using his tendrils; his main body also charged along with them. His expression was still that of a predator attacking with everything he had.
"Dunkel Rush!"
Blue magical energy coated Isval's body, along with the tendrils he possessed, as it fully broke through Thalamik's Mana Field. The tendrils previously held in place continued their movement.
"KAI."
Mana surged into Thalamik's body.
Looking at an open space, Thalamik evaded using his own technique directed at himself. "Push!" He pushed himself away from the tendrils' trajectory. Isval and his tendrils, which didn't hit Thalamik, crashed into the colosseum's empty audience seats, making a hole through the colosseum.
"Oi, Nemain, is there no arena?"
Nemain appeared to answer the question. "There are no arenas. All this time, if you wanted, you could even fight in the audience seats. This 'World' is the arena."
This world is the arena.
The thought that the arena was just for show and only the starting place of the fight hadn't occurred to Thalamik yet. All this time, he was sure that the arena had a ring-out mechanic. But now that he remembered, there were no rules mentioning the arena.
"Dunkel Rush!"
Isval charged again with his tendrils.
"Push!" Thalamik pushed his body into the sky, evading Isval's attack.
"Momoka and Linon, get away from here as far as possible now!"
Thalamik looked at the two, only for his eyes to twitch. He saw Momoka and Linon in genuine horror, trembling uncontrollably as they helplessly watched Isval crash into the other side of the colosseum benches.
"Push!" Thalamik pushed Momoka and Linon farther away from the arena, screaming, "RUN!"
SLASH!!!!
"What?"
Thalamik didn't expect a hit. Now that he looked, tendrils were directed at him. Isval's second charge used his body in the front while his tendrils were directed later.
Isval<---Tendrilwave<---Tendrilwave<---Tendrilwave<
So even if Isval and the first tendril missed, the last tendrils could still be controlled to attack.
"I GOT YOU!!!" Isval screamed.
Then another tendril stabbed into his thigh. Another wrapped around his arm and slammed him back to the floor. Thalamik crashed onto the colosseum floor body-first.
"Push!" He pushed the tendril wrapping around his arm and performed a recovery backflip.
But Isval was already there behind him. He swung Blastar straight at Thalamik. All Thalamik could do was guard against his attack using Blastar.
CLANG!
The force of the intertwining blades made a crater on the floor of the colosseum. Thalamik was pushed down by Isval's Blastar. Not stopping there, Isval also called his tendrils back as they aimed to puncture Thalamik's back.
STING STING STING STING!
Numerous tendrils punctured Thalamik's back. He gagged, spewing blood from his mouth, while Isval laughed maniacally.
"DIE DIE DIE DIE!"
Then a flash of purple magical energy appeared in Thalamik's eyes.
"DARN YOU!"
"PUSH!"
Different from his usual push, the mana field acted somewhat erratically. It effectively blew Isval away from him.
Thalamik put up his hand sign, taking a deep breath before saying, "Alterity Shift."
***
"This isn't like Thalamik," AA said to Veuz inside the Principal's office.
"Something's bothering him. Staying one year inside there really did torture him mentally," Carmilla said. "Not only that, I can feel he isn't as focused as he used to be. Even his magical energy control has begun to flutter. The color is no longer blue."
In just three hours, Trish, Besitulars, Dwargo, and Carmilla managed to put a 'Repeater' device onto the signal jammer that Zuatha Il Zikmel used to close communications inside United Front. With that, AA had managed to take control of and redirect the purpose of the jammers into firewalls.
"Firewall system online. Commencing transmission on standby."
"Nice work, AA. Continue analyzing nearby attempts on the transmission link," Veuz said in a calm tone. "Also scan for a possible connection from Morgwynevere from the Arctic."
"Roger that!"
"That 'Morgwyn' is the leader of the High Humans?" Dwargo asked Veuz.
"Yes. In this situation, she is our best hope for reinforcement, as it is unlikely any Demon Lord Envoy will go there due to how strong she is. But, per AA's information, a Demon Lord Envoy reading was also shown in Canada?" Veuz ordered, but still asked for clarification.
"That is true, Grand Saint. Yet, I agree with your judgment. Based on known information, Morgwynevere's parameters are too high to be taken lightly. I suspect she is comparable to Demon King Ars himself," AA said clearly.
"Wow, you both have outdone yourselves by making such a smart one like AA," Trish complimented.
"Though we both programmed her, her drive comes solely from herself to consume information and learn. So we both owe it to AA herself," Veuz said, nodding proudly at AA.
"Yahoo! I got a compliment from my Mother!" She stuck out her tongue goofily. Veuz put her hand on AA's head, patting her head as she said, "My smart girl." She said it smiling.
"Big Bro Thalamik will lose..." Besitulars, who had been quiet the whole match, suddenly declared. "His determination is no longer unwavering like it always is. Something 'broke' inside him." Besitulars said it while gritting his teeth.
"Hey, Wolf! What are you saying?! Don't just blabber your mouth like that. Thalamik's still fighting." Trish cut off Besitulars' comment.
"I hope I am wrong," Besitulars said.
***
Alterity is the ability Thalamik abuses second most, the first being his Fiends, which have malfunctioned ever since he went inside this place. His Alterity, however, is still possible to use. The main problem with it is that it can't last long.
Inside an Alterity, casting another Alterity is risky.
Because it's inside another Alterity, the stronger Alterity will slowly break the weaker one.
Due to it being inside another Alterity that already has a barrier, the latest Alterity can never possess a barrier.
Unlike Raymed's Alterity, which focuses on utility and has a fast duration, Thalamik always uses his Alterity for offensive or defensive capabilities. Coupled with already being inside another Alterity, this has shortened his duration to only 180 seconds before breaking due to how powerful Blastar's Alterity is. His maximum range also decreased to five meters.
Slowly, mana roots, magical energy shaped like roots, began extending from where Thalamik was standing. He implanted his will onto his 'Alterity' as the ground his feet touched turned into a grassland. As usual, he chose to replenish his magical energy infinitely using his Alterity.
Taking a breather, he began healing himself using a basic healing spell he learned from Momoka. "Rejuve," he chanted, regenerating the damage dealt to him by Isval. However, he wasn't as skilled as Momoka; therefore, the healing process was slower.
"GRUAAA!!" Isval charged again but halted, as if there was an invisible wall separating him from Thalamik. He slashed the invisible mana field over and over again, but this time to no avail. Thalamik gripped Blastar as it began emitting blue magical energy. Magical energy coating Blastar extended the blade's length in the form of magical energy.
"Sky Piercing: Dragon Slayer!" As he said it, a mirage of Cobalt appeared beside Thalamik.
->Lulu: Cobalt?!
->Trish: How can?
->Carmilla: AA, analyze!
For a split second, everyone watching him saw him move, mirroring Cobalt's mirage. Slowly, the mirage and Thalamik became one, as if his soul was assimilating with that of Cobalt, the original user of Sky Piercing.
With the extended blade, Thalamik thrust with Blastar in rapid-fire motions, puncturing Isval's body at extreme speed before finishing with a large energy blast from his blade.
BOOM!
Isval crashed into the audience seats once again, slowly recovering as he began to roar once more.
"Sky Piercing: Pegasus Kick!" Thalamik launched himself with fiery mana coating his body. Directing his feet at Isval, magical energy extended like legs as it hit Isval, pushing him farther away and out of the colosseum.
BOOM!
Isval crashed to the ground but slowly recovered by using his tendrils to break the momentum. He roared once more, searching for Thalamik. But he couldn't seem to find him.
Up in the sky, Thalamik aimed at Isval. A mirage of Istar appeared beside him. He gathered light magical energy from around him, conjuring a bow with Blastar as its arrow.
-> Trish: That's Istar's!!
-> Lulu: Go, Thalamik!
"The light of the stars — be my arrow of destruction. Follow my command as I strike down my enemy." Light energy began enveloping him almost instantly. The mirage of Istar assimilated with Thalamik as he aimed directly at Isval. Sensing the magical energy, Isval jumped into the sky, chasing after him.
The one time Istar used this spell, she had to waste a lot of time. But due to Thalamik's unlimited magical energy, he could do the same faster. Thalamik had closed his eyes as if meditating. "Bursting Destruction! 100% Spirit Burst!"
With a flick, the tip of Blastar released a luminescent magical arrow like a wave of photons — a beam that destroyed everything it touched.
BOOM!
Thalamik dropped down after seeing Isval's figure fall from the sky, crashing to the ground and creating a huge crater in the forest area near the colosseum. "Isval..." He stretched his hand out, still afraid of hitting too hard. Somehow, even after all that, he still hadn't made up his mind.
He still wasn't 'determined'.
Isval charged again, slashing Thalamik's mana field repeatedly, but it did no damage. He looked like a berserker trying to breach the mana field without much care or strategy. Until he finally backed down, performing a flip and regaining his position. Thalamik looked closely at Isval, who had multiple holes in the chest of his deformed body. Yet, he still moved without much care. The tendrils he possessed covered the holes as if they were strings meant to close them all up.
Isval roared once more as his black visor began to glow. Blue magical energy emitted from his body as if he were charging an attack. The magical energy was shaped into a sphere directed at Thalamik.
"Finsternislaser."
A laser-like magical beam crashed onto Thalamik's mana field. The impact lasted for a few seconds, but it never managed to breach Thalamik's mana field. But something felt wrong.
"What the?"
Thalamik trembled as Blastar began to slip from his hand.
'Determination'
He could hear the word whisper in his ears.
He finally noticed that his mana roots had turned black.
That attack wasn't damaging. It was a debuff.
He targeted my Mana Roots specifically, but how?
This is bad!
The mana roots slowly cracked as Thalamik's Alterity finally broke apart, destroying his Mana Field. The Alterity that was supposed to last 180 seconds was reduced to a mere 90 seconds.
At this rate, I will lose.
Even with a hole puncturing through his chest.
He didn't even show signs of growing any weaker.
'Determination'
It was then that Thalamik understood. The one keeping Isval alive was his own determination, which was responded to and awarded in kind by Blastar. A determination so strong that he could 'cheat death'. But what was the source of that determination? What made him so strong to the point that he could cheat death?
"I WILL KILL YOU, THALAMIKKKK!!!!" Isval roared, opening his mouth, which was filled with blood and dripping saliva.
Thalamik felt his heartbeat jump.