*BOOM*
The flame dragon- or at least what was left of it- crashed into the seventh and last wall. Despite looking dispirited and far dimmer than it was before, the majesty of a dragon was exuded from its being. Although summoned from the flames, the fire dragon gave off the aura of a real dragon. The seventh wall faced the same fate as its brothers before- destruction. Yet it had served its true purpose, for the flaming dragon was almost extinguished, its light diming very quickly. As the flames slowly died out, Abe could finally make out Mane's figure from across the field.
The blue haired boy looked visibly exhausted, even more than he was. His face and clothes were drenched in sweat. Though it was hard to say what caused the sweat. After all, he had literally been playing with fire all along. Across the grounds Mane smiled at him. It was a smile filled with pride. Abe noticed that Mane's pride was not for himself, but for his friends. The blue haired boy was very impressed that his friends had pushed him so far.
He saw Mane slowly raise his right arm. The blue haired boy cocked his arm as though he held a gun. His fingers were balled into a half fist, with only the index finger pointing towards them. Although they weren't close, Abe could still hear Mane's words thanks to the little bit of inner energy that remained.
"Draco...deus…tormento" Mane's words were slow. His voice like a soft whisper. Exhaustion had overcome every fibre of his being, yet he didn't give up. He was still capable of one last stunt. One last act. He knew this. So did Abe. And so did Jake.
Seeing him mumble some words in that strange language once more, Abe turned a bit pale. He had his doubts. After all, Mane looked so worn out that it would be a miracle if he could walk, much less use that strange skill of his. Yet his careful self didn't allow him to relax. He turned towards Jake to instruct him, only to see that the fire half of the hydra twins had drawn his bow further, clearly intending to release the arrow that was screaming in excitement.
"Go. Heaven's arrow."
*scree*
Like a slave set free, the arrow escaped the bow at breath-taking speed. It screeched in excitement, just like a playful little boy.
The flames that were dying out slowly seemed to come back to life. They gathered together even before Jake released his arrow. They gathered into a round ball that was about 20cm in diameter. The flames burned brightly like the sun. The moment the arrow was released, it also took off, almost as though it was annoyed by the challenge. The two rivals met at the centre of the field, their speed similar to each other's.
It took less than a second for the two to meet. But for the spectating opponents, it felt like centuries. Anxiety griped the hearts of all three, none of them knowing who will truly come out on top. For Mane, this was the first time he had ever felt so anxious. This was the first time he had wanted to win so badly. This was the most competitive match he had fought in a very long time.
"We should do this more often" he thought silently to himself as the two forces clashed, temporarily blinding all on the duel grounds.
*BOOM*
After the blindness came the thunderous explosion. The ground trembled and swayed, bearing witness to the sheer amount of power that had been unleashed. Even for peak profound realm experts, a battle of this scale was amazing. And yet its instigators weren't even in the profound realm (since Mane was fighting as a non-wielder).
This was the first time Abelard and Jake had seen Mane so anxious. Their friend was always so composed, never once losing his cool. Almost all the time he seemed to have everything figured out, with nothing escaping him. Not this time. Their friend looked human now. He looked alive.
"So, you can also feel this way. To push you to this extent, is something to be proud of" Jake thought silently, pleased that they had pushed Mane so far.
It took Abe about five seconds to finally regain his vision. The light from the explosion had robbed him of his sense of sight and hearing. Although he could finally make out the figures of Jake and Mane, his ears were ringing so badly he was certain that there was a pixie hidden in it. A mischievous one that clanged two loud cymbals together continuously, without any regard for his wellbeing.
The others weren't feeling any better. Jake was in a half crouched position, shaking his head in a bid to reorient himself. Mane was worse off. Their captain was sprawled on the ground, his limbs spread apart in sheer fatigue. Abe smiled upon seeing Mane's figure on the ground. They had finally knocked him down. He could tell that Mane was still conscious. But he wasn't able to move a single muscle. All they had to do was get to his position and demand his forfeit. He turned to look at Jake. The young boy obviously knew this as well. He climbed to his feet with much difficulty and began a very slow march to Mane's position. He held onto Abe, and Abe held onto him. Together, they walked across the battlefield in what was their longest trek ever.
"To think we could be this powerless." Jake said bitterly. Abelard smiled gleefully upon hearing his words, "Yes, we are worn out. But we won. We beat Mane!" Their positions were switched. The normally excited Jake was the calm one and Abelard, who was on any day a serious boy, was the excited one. He had been chasing after Mane all this while. Although he hadn't reached his level yet, this victory brought him much closer.
"What is that?" Jake pointed at the formerly bright sky which was now covered with dark clouds. It wasn't strange to see rain. However, a few minutes prior the weather looked nothing like this. And even stranger was that the dark clouds blanketed the region of the duel grounds only.
"Draco deus tormento. It means 'dragon god's cannon'. Do you know why it has such a name?" The formerly silent Mane had a serene smile on his face as he addressed his friends. He needed no reply from them to continue.
"It is a technique that was created by the spiritualist, 'Basileus The Great'. He made it after observing the lightning dragon for three days and three nights. The lightning dragon was of the lightning element, yet it had the inherent ability to summon a fire ball technique. But this wasn't just any fire ball. Upon exploding, this fire ball was able to temporarily summon rain. You see, as powerful as a dragon is, it still has limits. This technique was meant to use the lightning that was generated, without expending any inner energy. It took Basileus days to understand the essence of the technique, and years to master it. Have you ever wondered what my bloodline glow was?"
Abe and Jake were only a few metres away from Mane, yet they felt victory slip from their fingers. What was formerly so close was now so far away. They stopped in their tracks to observe the sky. A thick bolt of lightning descended and struck Mane with incredible speed.
*BOOM*
NAME: Mane
AGE: 10
RACE: Supreme
LEVEL: Profound Stage 8 (Level 48.15)
SPECIALTY: Strength, Intelligence, and Speed
BLOODLINE GLOW: Son of lightning. Description: Under the storms, I have no equal.
Abe and Jake watched in horror and amazement as the formerly paralysed Mane stood uninjured before them. A huge smile adorned his handsome face as bolts of lightning danced carelessly around him.
"Finally. I get to use my first glow."