Usually VoltenCrowns don't use burst that quickly. Most of the time VoltenCrowns just imbue their weapon manifestations to fight which is more than enough in most cases.
She's a different case though. Her weapon manifestation is a scythe, but with the way she's using her Burst she seems more like a caster.
Six out of ten casters, VoltenCrowns or humans use their arts itself instead of imbuing their power into their weapon, but if course their weapon are also compatible to it. Staffs, wands, magic circles etc.
Currently with my fight with Signe Ragnar, she's at and advantage by using her AquaBurst.
In order to avoid her quicksand, I'll just have to be faster than her.
Regulating my voltage, I started using my ThunderBurst arts.
Using my first skill, I dashed forward and accelerated at a high speed, using my whole body in order to slash Signe. Yet her faced remained almost expressionless.
I can't really get proper footing in this forest, I'm at a bad advantage...
Why did Jian have to exaggerate up the fight!?
Meanwhile what Jian was thinking,
"Ruven has power, and to nurture it he has to form it, give it shape, carve his mark on the power to truly make it his. If I or anyone else fought his battles for him, his power will just remain a concept."
Back to Ruven.
Ugh! I can't even put a scratch on her, let alone defeating her!
I gripped my sword tight, searching for a pattern between her slashes and her burst usage. She's a fine opponent that's for sure.
I stood quiet for some time, and so did she. In my moment of silence I extended my electrowaves to a large radius of the forest from where I stand.
I started resonating with the forest. Feeling the cold air on my face, I put up my guard again. I assumed a stance, bending my knees forward, holding my sword near my temple parallel to the forward seeing gaze of my eyes.
I was focused.
If I lose here I also risk the lives of many people. I will make sure that not one single individidual will face the same fate that I did. I will die trying if I have to. These people have lose their minds.
She wants this sword. If she's someone with influence in that family I absolutely cannot let anyone lay their hands on this sword.
From Jian's point of view,
The stance he took is a stance that the Aerogonians have developed, Ko Gasumi.
Kai Okada created this form in his younger days when he was still a trainee, in the year 315. This stance has been used across many different styles of Aerogonian sword styles. Mainly the classical martial arts.
It is a defensive stance, but it is also used to counter quickly. His form isn't perfect fow now. But I know exactly what I need him to do right now.
The sparks in Ruven's gaze grew stronger with every second passing by.
Signe looked below at Ruven from the fallen tree she was standing on. No doubt she was planning something big as well.
The leaves ristled as Signe took the first step. She lunged forward as she casted her "Concept 4" move as a two way attack. Ruven still held his stance.
When Signe attacked Ruven with her scythe, Ruven deflected it, and performed a riposte by slashing her once her shoulder. The move she casted was abruptly cut off, as if Ruven's counter was able to break her concentration of her attack.
Ruven took one step forward, kicked her in the shoulder where he slashed her, but Signe didn't just stand there and take it. She sent her scythe spinning in a circular direction.
"I see, you're not as weak as you look. I can see why you wield that sword. But I'll take it soon." She said.
"Why do you want that sword so badly anyways?" I asked. "It's not like it's anything special. Besides, what kind of image does that print for Aqueogon? Stealing a sword from a kid, that's so childish."
Provoking her may be bad for Ruven, but it might throw her off as well. I feel like something is missing. Adonis said there were 5 from the Ragnar, what about the others? I'll stay on guard.
I looked at Ruven, his hair covered his eyes. I couldn't tell what he was thinking, but his guard was fully open.
"Accelerate." He said, as he leaned forwards, increasingly speeding up.
He stepped on branches and retreated to the ground without a pattern. Signe started attacking, but she didn't seem to use her Burst attacks.
With every movement, Ruven kept speeding up.
Signe exchanged strikes with Ruven, inflicting some blows on him as well as taking it. Ruven didn't even flinch though.
With a swift slash of the scythe, Signe managed to inflict a deep wound on Ruven's chest, but he didn't stop.
"Ataraxia. Were you the ones who attacked it?" he asked as he retreated back.
"Hm? I seem to remember that name, but I don't know what it is. Is it a village? A town? Well, it doesn't matter to us anyways, we don't keep a count of what we destroy or what we don't.
We just need to achieve our goals. Eradication of the human race and taking control of the Pentagon cities so that we reign supreme, as we were always meant to be." She explained.
That's a little cliché, world domination huh? That's definitely not it.
"I see. I won't ask your reasons, but I found mine." He stated.
"Enough talking, the fight hasn't finished yet."
"Yes, it hasn't"
The look on Ruven's face remained unchanged again. He gripped his sword again, held his sword to his side on level with his eyes.
The blade faced upwards. He bent his knees and placed his palm at the pommel. I see, the stance from Tennen-Rishin style. He was emitting electricity out of his body and his sword.
He lunged forward with high speed from the energy he was accumulating with 'accelerate'.
He appeared behind Signe, almost striking her, but she parried him and leapt back.
"AquaBurst: Concept 0." She said, as water flowed from her palm and surrounded Ruven.
Eventually the water flooded and he was being waterboarded. He was drowning in the water. He tried moving his body, but he wasn't able to.
"This fight is over. You met your end at the hands of the Aqueogon, rejoice, for you have been freed." She said as she turned back.
Suddenly, Ruven started emitting stronger currents of electricity.
He stood completely still facing down, and emitted even stronger currents.
The sunray from the rising morning sun was suddenly blocked off by thunderclouds, as lightning striked multiple times on Ruven.
The water started evaporating. And soon enough, the water couldn't hold him.
"Aqueogon will fall, I will make sure of it."
He said.
With what happened next, I couldn't believe my eyes!
The current he was emitting formed around his head and for a split second a crown was seen.
Signe's and my eye's grew wide as we watched in shock.
He leaned forwards and appeared in front of Signe and started exchanging blows. She couldn't keep up with Ruven's attacks and suffered some blows.
But Ruven's strikes got sloppier the faster it went, and he had a lot of openings. He grabbed her and tossed her in the air, jumped and started fighting her in the air. He grasped the technique of "under-leg hardening" in which a VoltenCrown solidifies the air below their feet and stands on it.
The electricity being emitted grew stronger as they became lightning strikes, seriously, what did Ray feed this kid?! His voltage reserves are huge and his regulation is strong as well, couldn't you have teached him how to fight either?
But the electricity being emitted getting stronger is a bad thing. At this rate, he'll be in a state of overdrive and it'll be harmful to him.
I should step in.
Before I could, he held his sword up and stabbed Signe. Blood came out of her mouth when he did. His attack was fast, even I couldn't see it coming.
Suddenly, a shadowy figured leapt out from the trees and stabbed Ruven in the back, grabbed Signe and attempted to leave. But that was it, he attempted to leave, he couldn't do so, because Ruven grabbed him by his legs.
"I found you, unsolicited audience!" Ruven said as he grinned from ears to ears.
As I was about to jump in, the silhouette of a raven emerged from his back, transforming into his SkullCrown armor and slashing his hand off.
Atleast that's what it looked like. That person was clearly stronger than him and Signe.
But Ruven didn't let go, he concentrated all of his voltage in his one strike and successfully slashed his hand off, and fell.
I got a clear look at that man's face. It was Søren Ragnar, one of the 5 Magistrate candidates of Aqueogon, along with Signe Ragnar.
"Curse you Condemned One! I will have my revenge, I swear upon it!" he said, as he fled.
The clouds cleared up as the sunrays reached illuminated the land again.
Ruven was severly injured, thankfully he didn't enter overdrive and fry his voltage paths. Adonis and Octavia showed up along with a captive.
They also called the Carnekiss and we were back to safety again, for now.
Another new guest came along with us. The raven that emerged from Ruven, his pet Bobby.
"His wounds are serious, how could you let this happen Jian!? Any more and he would've been dead! My son would've been dead! It was a mistake thinking he would be safe with you.", a summary of what Ray and Evangeline said to me.
I can't even argue back, because the fault truly is mine... And again, we never expected them to show up either.
The information we received from the captive was truly useful though. It seems that the Terragon is working along with them, but just by giving them supplies and rare materials found there.
The Aqueogon will not be making a move until their army has gotten stronger. He didn't say anything beyond that, and stabbed himself with the weapon he manifested.
From the looks of it, they're going to be attacking Infernogon if they need to take over them and have more VoltenCrowns in their army. But they may be limited to that region.
They won't even attempt to attack the Electrogon, especially not when Sparkes Voltius, the current magistrate is still alive.
The VoltenCrown's greatest defence is Electrogon, but magistrates can't leave their assigned city or region unless a war with another race breaks out.
Our best bet is for us to go to the Infernogon and for Ruven to head to Aerogon.
It works out for us as well, we can assist them if the Aqueogon attacks and Ruven can train with them, since his sword technique is similar to theirs after all, it's better off if he gets strong there.
I'm still questioning if sending him alone is a good idea, but it's the only choice. I can send Adonis with him, but I need him for missions which require stealth. If I go along with him then nobody can lead this ship.
My best option is to contact that girl Ruven was with... Dawn? was that her name?
I'll train Ruven with Ruven for sometime and then I'll send him off alone. If all else fails, his SkullCrown armor will protect him, but I really hope he doesn't need to use it...
What if I forge him a new armor?