Chapter 56
"You wish to be the one who destroys the Tempestas?" Solis asked as he swung his greatsword in consistent strikes at his enemy.
Yukann displayed exceptional agility as he dodged the attacks while being very light on his feet. "Well, yeah. Somebody has to do it, and if I do it, I would gain great renown all over the world. I might even become the Alpha one day."
The swordsman smiled as he continued his assault, "Well then, I would hate to discourage such delusions of grandeur. If you manage to defeat me, I give you my blessing. However, if you asked for my opinion, I would estimate the fight to be over at the first blink of your eye."
The Imperial deflected the last swing with his bare hand and began his own series of attacks. Solis dodged and countered as he watched for insight into the man's abilities.
Yukann's face illustrated a slight disbelief at his opponent's words, "Oh come now! I'm pretty strong, I think you'll be surprised. Can he really be that much better than me?"
Solis jumped backward to put distance between himself and his enemy. He placed the two-handed sword back into its scabbard. The Imperial stopped in his tracks, his curiosity got the better of him.
The lighthearted swordsman became conflicted, "There are rare moments when words fail to achieve their purpose. Allow me to broaden your perspective with a demonstration." Solis raised his hand. "Watch closely." His arm glowed brightly, then in a flash, it struck downward. A blade of pure light cut through the space between them very nearly rending his opponent into halves.
Yukann narrowly evaded. His body moved on its own without thinking. His lifelong search of power kept him in battles since he was young. His battle senses sharpened his instincts saving his life in many situations. However, he considered this moment to be the closest he had come to being killed in a great while.
Solis responded to the look of surprise on his enemy's face as though he actually asked the question he seemed to be thinking. "As I presume you are aware, my nature is sun-based. The sun's light is unique to other elements. It does not travel through space as other attacks must. Instead, it creates its own path, essentially cutting out the space between us altogether. You have done well to escape it, there are few who have. Now-"
"I get it, I get it," Yukann interrupted, "You're saying that he could dodge it, right?"
Raising his eyebrows, Solis laughed as if his opponent were clearly joking, "Half-asleep and not paying attention, yes, he could evade it easily." The Imperial narrowed his eyes as he contemplated the possibility of the statement actually being true. Then, the swordsman raised his hand, "One moment, do not get carried away before I finish. His abilities have always been far superior to mine, but I am speaking of before his ascension. He has become the Tempestas. I have no comprehension of the heights of his power at the moment."
Yukann nodded, "Impressive. It will be interesting to see which of them is stronger. It seems they have both reached another world of power."
With nothing left to discuss, the two warriors prepared themselves. Seeing that his opponent never drew a weapon during the beginning of their battle, Solis pulled out two large daggers which were hanging from his belt. These daggers were only slightly bigger than his hunting knife and not as long as the ones he kept under his jacket. He knew he would not need extra reach since he wouldn't be deflecting any blades, and he couldn't fight successfully with anything shorter than these as the balance would be too different for his fighting styles.
Watching the swordsman change out his blades, Yukann decided to activate his ability. He knelt to one knee and placed his hands on the ground on either side of him. As he bowed his head, a bright white energy appeared under his palms. The light then flowed up his arms and stopped at his shoulders. He stood to his feet and regained his attack stance.
As they engaged in battle, Solis quickly realized the purpose of the light covering the man's hands. It had a hardening effect which allowed him to deflect sharp blades without a scratch. The first time it happened, it surprised him for the briefest moment allowing his enemy to land a solid blow to his jaw. The execution boasted fine technique and it held impressive power. However, the effectiveness against the natural defense of the Primis made the other factors unimportant. The punch had little effect on its target and soon Solis even slashed his shoulder.
They each took a step back as they surveyed their injuries. The only significant one showed itself on Yukann's glowing shoulder. A line of blood appeared beneath the white energy.
"I do not see the full benefit of your ability," Solis said. "Is there more that I am not seeing?"
"I'll show you."
Yukann held his arms out, they glowed brighter for a brief moment. Immediately, he rushed forward punching Solis twice in the abdomen. Then, he took advantage of his reaction moving around to the side. He landed three more jabs into his ribs. He distanced himself again.
"Did you notice anything different?"
Reaching down to feel his side, Solis thought to himself. Then, he said, "If I am not mistaken, you just moved faster than before. Your attacks became more powerful as well. I estimate you gained an increase of almost half your physical prowess."
The Imperial laughed, "Those eyes really do see everything. You saw right through the attributes of my energy only seeing it once. Needless to say, you are correct. My energy comes from my lineage. It is called the Blessing of the Ancestors. I come from a line of natural-born warriors who initiated a process for all who follow in their footsteps. They created this link you see before you to aid in the process of becoming a warrior without equal. The blessing acts as a sort of storehouse. Every enemy I defeat while wrapped in this light, I permanently gain a small percent of their physical abilities. That is the part you have already seen. That coupled with the experience gained from a lifestyle of constant war has given me the strength to become a Beta. But, that is only a part of it, the other part is more dramatic. While the blessing is active, I will gain an increase of half my original physical strength and speed every time I strike successfully."
Solis couldn't believe it, he would never have considered such a thing to be possible, "Those attacks..."
"Now you're getting it." Yukann said with a smile. The light on his arms glowed brightly once again. "I've landed six successful strikes on you. That means I currently possess four times my original power. Do you think you can keep up?"