*BOOM*
*BOOOM*
*BOOOOM*
The sound of the fire dragon crashing into the walls was deafening. The fire dragon spear had already destroyed four walls, but it wasn't without cost. The flames were dimmer than before. The previously unbearable heat wave was now much more tolerable. Abe and Jake noticed the change. A change that was very much to their delight. Mane noticed it as well. After all, they were his flames. The walls had successfully taken off half of the heat the dragon carried. Though the next few walls were not as tall as their destroyed compatriots, their shorter height made them sturdier. They had lower centres of gravity, hence were more difficult to destroy. Abe knew this. And so did Mane.
The new information had Abe reassured of his victory. He was certain that the walls would be destroyed. But their destruction would mark a successful completion of their goal- cancelling out the flames. Once the flames were dealt with, Abe was sure that Mane would be too exhausted to deploy any more lethal moves. Meaning that even if Jake utilised 'that' technique, the results will be positive. Abe didn't know how Mane was able to control the elements without any inner energy. But he was certain that the mental exhaustion associated with employing these bizarre skills was extreme.
"Mane must be at his limits. You must ready yourself." About twenty metres away from the last line of defence- the very sturdy looking earth wall- Abe gently pushed Jake away as he plumped himself onto the ground. He had reckoned that twenty metres was a safe enough distance to avoid the debris form the explosion to come. He had been carried here by Jake. It had taken them less than four seconds to get so far back. Although Jake was carrying an extra person, it had barely affected the boy's speed.
"I know". Although Jake wasn't as bright as Mane or Abelard, he was still an intelligent child. He didn't need Abe to say what he already knew. For although he wasn't as smart as the two, his battle awareness was impressive. He didn't know this, but the masters had praised him, telling Mane that Jake and John had the next best battle sense in the team. And that they were so much better together, their unity more than enough to rival Mane. That was one of the reasons Mane was so pleased that John had been knocked out. In a way, the twins working together with Abe, Frederick and Selina had been more disadvantageous than it was advantageous. This was because there was no chemistry between them. Working with Abe reduced their battle skill, but it wasn't by a large margin- about a 10 percent decrease at most. Unfortunately, the addition of Selina and Frederick had increased that percentage to 50 percent. If Mane had fought against just those two, and only those two, a defeat may have been the only possible outcome!
*BOOOM*
The sound of the sixth wall being broken through wasn't as ear-splitting as the previous demolitions. This was an obvious sign that the flames were far weaker than they were before. Jake readied himself, planting his right leg behind him and his left leg before him. He took a drawing bow stance and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, and then opened his eyes. His pupils flashed a pale yellow colour for a spilt second.
"Heaven's bow", his soft mumble produced a bright light in his left clenched fist. It was his bow wielding arm. The light spread in a half circle, producing a bow made entirely of fire. The temperature of the bow was quite high, the uncomfortable look on Abe's face saying it all. Jake had a look of pure concentration on his face.
"Heaven's arrow", the bow was drawn in full stretch. Just like it, the arrow that had been conjured was also made entirely of fire. Only it was a bit different. These flames were not golden yellow, but crimson red. They gave off a higher temperature than the bow did, and by a few notches too. This technique Jake was employing was also gifted to him by Mane. It was called heaven's armour. Do not be fooled Jake's creation. It wasn't a long range technique. It was a fire based technique. That much was true. But the crux of the technique was to create something that the user was comfortable with. Upon comprehending the first stage of the technique, one could create a primary weapon. A sword user would have fabricated a fire sword, an axe user an axe. Jake was a bow user. His brother John was a gun master. In fact, they both knew how to use guns and bows. But each had their specialty. Though the common knowledge in the academy was that they were both gun masters. Few were aware that Jake was better with the bow by a large margin. As for John, fewer had seen him fully utilise his true level of skill with the gun.
Jake had summoned a bow because that was where his expertise lay. The strange colour of the arrow explained that Jake's comprehension of the fire element was greater than most.
"I hope this works", Abe mumbled softly. Though his confidence had been elevated after witnessing Jake's technique, he would be a fool to believe that it was an assurance of their victory. That wouldn't be confidence, but arrogance.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
"To think he can manipulate chaos to such a high degree. He is indeed a Supreme." In the mind space, the 6th commented softly.
"He has inherited the legacy of Basileus. It is like looking upon the face of the great magician himself. If the Great Magician could see this, he would be very proud." The 1st said with a tinge of remorse.
"Don't look so glum. He may not be alive in the flesh, but his spirit is with us still. He lives in the boy. The boy is Basileus." The 3rd stated.
"A bit of an understatement there, don't you think?" the 2nd commented, not entirely agreeing with the first.
"Oh? How so?" the 1st asked, curious to know what the 2nd was thinking.
"Basileus is a legend. There is no doubt about that. But to inherit his legacy is incredibly difficult, especially when he isn't around to tutor his legacy disciple. Mane is using only his diary to follow in his footsteps. Even a spiritualist like Basileus would be amazed by this feat"
The 1st acknowledged the truth of her words, and so did the others. He sighed softly and said, "If only he was here".