Garden Of The Abyss

It was a true test of his trigger discipline, standing in the lonely, cold mist—unable to see even a few steps in front of him as all he could hear was the distant battle between the other two combatants. Within the environmental spell of everfrost, the environment itself was his enemy. The fear and paranoia of at any moment a lance of ice rising from the frozen soil below him, or the mist shifting into a rain of blades, set into his mind as he held his finger firmly against the trigger.

He couldn't imagine a reason why his opponent was hesitating while holding such a distinct advantage. There was no doubt in his mind that Donatien knew exactly where he was within the cold fog, watching his every movement.

As he released the captive breath within his lungs, it marked his foe's next move as the rumble of rising ice filled his eardrums.

Tristan watched as a massive pillar of ice rose into the air before crashing down towards him.

"That's the downside of his "Ice Age", he may not need to use incantations within it—but in exchange, the spells he can cast are basic."

Lifting his gun to match the trajectory of the barrel to the incoming hostile frost, he finally pulled the heavy trigger as a deafening blast screamed through the frosted valley.

Even with his powerful reinforcement that protected his body, the recoil from the Rail form made it feel as if every bone in his arm had been struck with a war hammer.

It took nothing more than the shockwave released by the shot to rid the area of the unnatural winter that cursed it, shoveling away ice and snow as even the bitter fog made its leave.

"It seems I underestimated the raw firepower of the Rail form you possess."

As a downpour of hail showered down upon him, mixing into his neat, navy hair—Donatien stood there, caressing his ear after experiencing the ear-piercing shockwave.

"I guess those glasses aren't for show then. You can catch on."

Tristan's amethyst gaze looked as if he was watching paint dry, devoid of liveliness as his weapon shifted back into its natural form.

"I thought at least you would be above low-blow insults like that—" Donatien paused for a moment before following up with a single word, "Chav."

A visible eyebrow twitch came from Tristan as the unlikely insult came from the stoic ice Outlander.

"So that's how it is. Tell me, how's Paris? That's where you're from right, Baguette?"

Returning his opponent's crudeness, a smile formed across Tristan's pale complexion. A moment of tension came between the British man and the Frenchman before they both let out a slow, quiet laugh that rose into a crescendo of joy.

As soon as their mutual laughter quelled, without a moment's hesitation—they clashed once more.

Sending a purple lance of lightning from his fingertips to the vibrant mirror in front of him, Sirius clicked his tongue as he watched the impact be completely absorbed into the reflective material.

"Come on! Come on! It isn't fun if you go down this easily."

With his arms decorated in artistic ink crossed against his chest, the silver-eyed Fai continued with his relentless taunting.

"—The second I get out of here, I'm ripping that dangling ponytail right out of your head."

"I'd worry more about what's in there with you. My Xiao doesn't know how to play gently."

It wasn't a bluff, as the words that sounded more like a bloat came out as a warning as Sirius sensed the impending doom that was the invisible gorilla's fist closing in on him.

The subtle winds generated by the incoming fist brushed the minuscule hairs on his neck, giving him ample to react as he countered.

"Ba'al: Heavenly Pincer!"

A pair of jagged bolts of energy discharge bit into the unseen primate of fire.

"Got him!"

"Not exactly."

The second Fai corrected his incorrect celebration, the massive invisible fist slammed against his cheekbone directly, knocking him against one of the mirrors.

"How do you like it? I just mastered this spell not too long ago."

"Can't say I'm too fond of it. Me and your gorilla pal seem to be getting along just fine though."

Sirius responded with a dry chuckle as his eyes darted from mirror to mirror, watching the orange ape drag its knuckles around inside the mirror world.

"The power of the Ten Divine Mirrors rivals great magic. As soon as you let yourself be surrounded by the mirrors, your loss was all but set in stone, Sirius."

—He's not joking. This definitely is on par with great magic, even surpassing it in some areas. All that means however...is that there is a glaring weakness within the spell—something that will completely shut it down.

Coming up with a solution to the puzzle that was this spell wasn't an easy task, as the astral ape hardly gave him any time to think.

Watching the mirrors closely this time, something had caught his eye. The fiery ape left the mirror realm before preparing to attack him, causing the clear glass to shift into a solid orange before turning to its normal state.

—That has to be something.

He could feel the stinging, heated breath of the ape, even when lacking a visual form, it's immense presence could be felt as if gravity itself had doubled.

"Bring it on, you smelly ape!"

Filled with a new drive to test his theory out, Sirius smiled as he flipped into the air to avoid the intangible fur-clad hammer.

—One to three hits max then it disappears into the mirrors again. I don't sense it any more—that should be the green light.

The hall of looking glass spun around him in an attempt to disorientate his vision before he locked onto the single mirror that inhabited a pure stain of orange.

"—Bingo!"

Adopting the trait of the lightning he controlled, he crashed his electric-coiled fist into the selected mirror, shattering it into a gust of flames. In response, the rest of the mirrors followed, dissolving into nothing but defeated embers.

"—"

Fai watched as his mouth was left open, shocked as his opponent managed to escape the hold of the spell he held utmost confidence in.

"Not so threatening once you figure out the trick."

Stretching his arm by rolling his shoulder, cracking his stiff neck side to side, Sirius turned to his friend with a smile.

As the two battle-loving friends collided, fist to fist, knuckle to knuckle, man to man—the winds caved under their power, releasing an overpowering shockwave that disrupted the slumbering forest. In a battle of martial arts, even Sirius knew challenging Fai was a risky move.

Attempting to circumvent this difference in close-quarters prowess, Sirius used his lightning-like speed to drop down, sweeping his leg like a whip towards Fai's calf. It managed to connect, letting out a sharp crackle from the stinging impact. Veins bulged across Fai's skin as his complexion briefly took on a reddish tint from the harsh attack, but he managed to hold in the pain through a swift exhale.

Before Sirius' own eyes or mind could obtain this information, his instincts urged him to "move". Still low to the ground, he barely managed to move himself by spinning on his wrist, pushing himself backwards just before something had collided against the brittle soil below.

It was a sensation familiar to him, a vibrant, elegant energy that emanated from the fire-wielding martial artist. Different from the fiery magical aura he hosted, a subtle orange cloak of flowing energy stretched across Fai's body, amplified on his fist that had struck the ground.

--Ah, this bastard really isn't playing around, is he? Fai's own unique usage of mana--"Qi". Developing it first on Earth, once he was brought here, where actual magic presides--it manifested itself into something formidable.

Using his qi, Fai's platinum eyes took on an almost ethereal glow, the air around him contorting subtly as if heat was parting space. There wasn't any telegraphing to his movements, moving several meters without having taken a single step--all within a singular moment. Sirius was well-equipped to handle such speed however, as he countered Fai's flicker-like agility with a snap of his fingers, unleashing a bolt of lightning that required no utterances.

In a contest of swiftness of the highest caliber, time itself seemed to become but a suggestion for the two rivals. The bolt of lightning took on a shade of purple, carving through the air with a flash as Fai's pupils locked onto the approaching spell.

To any who would've spectated this exchange that occurred within the span of less than a second, it would be impossible to decipher what had happened. The snap that unleashed the bolt already occurred with breakneck speed, yet it disappeared as quick as it came.

However, Sirius witnessed what had happened with his own two eyes. If he had lost his focus for even the smallest fraction of time, he would've missed it. It was Fai's index finger--the ponytailed man condensed his qi into that one, minuscule part of his body, able to focus into it a heightened level of both strength and speed. A brush of his qi-clad finger against the line of lightning was enough to disperse the erratic energy with his own refined power.

It wasn't a battle that would be able to be won by playing around, Sirius knew that much, heightening his reinforcement to several degrees beyond what was previously wielded. The winds hissed at the newly born sparks that emitted from his mana, brushing against the watchful trees as they danced to the whims of the air.

A single step was enough to blink into Fai's blindspot, raising his leg into the air to prepare for a devastating axe kick. Even this level of speed wasn't enough to eclipse his opponent, as Fai raised his arms as a shield, coating them with armored, fiery plates conjured by his mana. There wasn't enough time to create a stronger defense, that much was realized by Fai as the impact of Sirius' thunder-enhanced kick crashed down against his arms with enough force to cave the ground beneath the soles of the man's feet.

It was a concept exclusive to only those possessing strength of the highest level in this world--combat without the usage of incantations, manifesting their affinity as a natural extension of their own being. For Sirius, this style had a name of its own.

"Self-Embodiment of the Sky."

The raw strength behind the kick pounded against Fai's forearms like a smiting from the heavens, finding it hard to bring out his complete strength as the static emitting from Sirius' body tampered with his muscles, causing them to twitch uncontrollably.

As swift and full of strength as lightning, as ferocious as thunder, ever-present as the clouds above--this was Sirius Federov, the man claimed to be the strongest of the Outlanders.

Fai found himself having to grit his teeth to handle the overwhelming strain from the continued pressure released from Sirius' kick, only to find that the lightning-mage had vanished before his eyes, leaving only purple sparks in his place.

"Ba'al: Divine Divergence!."

It was said so calmly that it didn't register in Fai's mind as words of malice, turning around a moment too late to witness Sirius launching his open palm directly towards his chest. As soon as he felt the chill skin of the man's palm press against his exposed torso from his opened vest, a subtle pulse traveled through every inch of his body.

That was only the sensation of the spell starting up, as the next wave of energy that radiated against him came with such power that he was launched from the ground. For a moment, it felt as if his entire body had turned into a gelatinous form, succumbing to the overpowering pulse that rippled through his body. Before he knew it, Fai was rocketed backwards through the air by the force of the shockwave, finding his bodily functions temporarily seized by the foreign electricity.

Moving his arms was a battle against his own spazzing muscles, finally managing to palms together and force the desired words from his mouth, all while continuing his unwanted flight through the air.

"--To me, Roc!"

Fai called out with everything he had, summoning forth a giant puddle of abyssal liquid that formed on the ground below. Rising from the pool of darkness was a winged creature, flapping its colossal, far-stretching wings that conjured a gust that could be mistaken for a storm. The amber-feathered aerial creature let out a screech that echoed through the valley, swiftly rising into the air before catching Fai upon its back.

The enormous bird took a swift turn with its conjurer now on its spacious back, setting its sights on the lightning mage who awaited the return of his opponent, holding an excited smile across his lips as strands of lightning coiled around his raised fist.

"You've got some balls using an inhabitant of the skies against me. I'll give you a glimpse at something real special."

Sirius spoke with a voice only he could fear, standing in the field desecrated by his previous usage of great magic as he watched the Roc approach with another echoing screech that met his ears sharply.

Feeling the sudden climb of magical energy from Sirius, Fai stood himself up, planting his feet down against the bird's back for stability--inhaling soothingly.

--Even if it's just a game, I can't help it. This guy is just too much fun! I'll use it, I'll trust that he can handle it!

Sirius wore a grin that hid none of his overwhelming joy from the battle, brushing the soles of his boots against the ashen soil, manifesting sparks that emitted from his body, protruding from his fingertips, causing his hair to stand itself up from the static.

The air itself became replaced by electricity, creating a zone in which life could not be sustained. Slowly raising his arm from his side, chains of erratic energy attempted to anchor his limb to the ground before pointing towards the clouds, allowing a waltz of lightning to dance around the battlefield itself.

Witnessing just the preparation of the spell itself, more than enough to end lower level combatants, Fai found himself flickering between fear and excitement.

"Zeus: Cataclysm of The Paramount King!"

A flash of maroon filled the surrounding area, even briefly catching the attention of the two other Outlanders combating elsewhere--listening as a massive roar unleashed from the source of the bright, purple light.