"What is a Mystic Soul?
As referred previously, an Ultima Soul is a technique a BladeMaster can use once Soul Crash is active, that can allow him or her to unleash a devastating force of his or her Element, allowing a huge turnabout in most battles, due to the uniqueness of each Ultima Soul. Usually, a BladeMaster only has one Ultima Soul, but there are rare examples of BladeMasters possessing various Ultima Souls, such feat only achievable by an incredibly strong soul.
A Mystic Soul, likewise, is one of the Ultima's variants, which consists in two or more BladeMasters unleashing a joint technique in tandem. Mystic Souls are incredibly rare,due to various reasons: for one, coordination between the BladeMasters is key, as they need to have a deep understanding of each other's powers in order to succeed in this ordeal; secondly, their Elements. Many Mystic Souls consists of its users being born under different Elements,which can create many problems. The reactions between different Elements are varied and unpredictable, so the interaction between the Elements in the Mystic Soul can easily backfire on the users. The safest bet for a Mystic Soul would be its users being born in the same Element, but with the various prisms a single Element can have from BladeMaster to BladeMaster, this task is never easier. Again, coordination and planning are key in the Mystic Soul but many veteran BladeMasters struggle with it even so due to these differences in the Elements' interactions.
But even so, there's alot of BladeMasters who can work as a team, who can coordinate each other's singular abilities and Elements perfectly, Attila's Order being the prime example in these times of war, but even then, Mystic Souls can be out of reach. But why so?
One mustn't forget: just like Ultima Souls and Soul Crash, the human soul needs to be adapted to achieve the Mystic Soul. This technique's power lies deeper than simple teamwork. It boils down to the very being of each BladeMaster. The joint desire to achieve this power might not be enough to unleash it, the souls of the users must be...attuned, per se, towards a single thought, a single state of being.
I, for one, have never been able to achieve a Mystic Soul in my days as a BladeMaster. It was not because I didn't have allies who shared the same values and goals as me, but because I lacked someone whose soul was attuned to mine, with whom I could enter a state of deep understanding and transcendence. Well...at least not at the time and certainly not anymore.
But even so, I've been able to figure out the path to the Mystic Soul, from an academic standpoint. It all boils down to what makes a soul powerful in the first place, what will allow it to reach further heights.
Bonds."
"Secrets of the BladeMaster" by Eldus Egas.
*
"I just had to really want to improve, heh? Tch, it was so damn obvious. I might just die from embarrassment!"
With those thoughts, Axel fell to the floor, the adrenaline running out and his entire body hurting immensely from the wounds Sobek gave him. But he was still alive. And Sobek's body lied on the wall floor, defeated. He looked at Zeke and Guy, both pretty exhausted too, but with smiles on their faces. With a grin, Axel allowed himself to breathe easy, staring at the sky.
"But that voice...it was a god, right? Just like Guy...I was approached by one of the Elemental Gods? I never believed that they were capable of doing so, but..."
He looked over at Raiden, which he still clutched on his hand. He could feel the faint electric current going along it, so it most certainly not a dream.
-So...we won,right?- Guy could be heard saying to Zeke.
-Somehow...I certainly didn't expect that we could pull of that Mumbo-Jumbo Soul thingy at the last minute, but I guess good things can happen to us Terrible Trio sometimes.-he answered
-But seriously, Zeke, I've never seen you so pissed off before!- Guy laughed.
Zeke scratched his head, with an annoyed expression on his face.
-Ugh, don't remind me...Now I'm wide awake, which puts me in a terrible mood. Yo, Sleeping Beauty, let's just get Teri and get out of here,OK?
Axel slowly rose up, a flinch here and there, and nodded.
-Yes. Let's. The sooner we get out of here, the better.
-Um...but how about Sobek?- Guy asked, pointing to the Order Elite- We can't just leave him here, or he'll run away.
Zeke groaned.
-Ugh...What if he wakes up and starts slashing us to bits again? I really want to keep my gorgeous face intact, thank you very much.
Axel got up and made his way to Teri's body, the bubble around her having dissipated after Sobek's defeat.
-I don't know which is the biggest fallacy: Sobek getting up after a Mystic Soul to the face or you being gorgeous, but I digress.- he said with a snarky smile as he picked up Teri's body. She still hadn't woken up and her expression was peaceful. He blushed lightly upon realizing he was carrying the infamous Titan in his hands like some princess. Gods, would she get mad if she woke up right there...
-Oh, I'm glad to see Burn King Axel sits still on his salty throne.- Zeke said.
Axel snapped back and looked over at Zeke. He was about to answer back, but he simply laughed instead.
-Thank you...Guy, Zeke.-he suddenly said.
Guy tilted his head in confusion.
-For what..?
-Well...let's say you two helped me realize something important.- he smiled.
-Ugh, I can already see this taking a creepy sappy tone.- Zeke interrupted- I'm getting out of this wall before I end up being on a bed that isn't my own.
-Well, that too...- Guy said, walking towards the edge of the wall, the streets below being frighteningly away from him - How exactly do we get down?
Axel looked around. He didn't know either.
-There must be a staircase somewhere...
"Oh...I know of a much better way for you to get down."
The fourth voice startled the group and they quickly turned back to its source. But there was nothing there.
Including Sobek's body.
-Soul...Crash..!
-Up here!
The trio looked up and, to their shock, Sobek floated above them in a wounded mess, but his stare still determined. He was cupping his hands, holding a sphere of air, just like the ones he had shot at them before but this one was more wild, violent-looking. Even Axel could feel the incredible pressure coming from it. It seemed somehow familiar...
Wait..! Isn't that's the same sphere that created that tornado at the arena?! No way, is he trying to---
-Distortion..! - Sobek said
-GUYS, RUN!!!- Axel shouted.
-...Tornado!- and the Elite launched the sphere at the ground.
Axel's world went blurry as the sphere came in contact with the wall's floor and unleashed its power. Axel felt his body being jerked around like a rag doll as he felt his feet drag on the floor before being thrown back by the amazing force, tumbling on the ground. He clutched Teri's body close to him, but holding her meant that he had no way to easily grab on to something.
Meanwhile, the nearly airborne Zeke summoned Waterwheel and pointed its edge to the ground.
-Oh no, you--- -with a grunt, he lunged the weapon with both hands and stabbed the blade into the stone, it dragging for a bit before stopping. Then, drops of water started to form around the fissure the blade created and coated the steel in a watery veil - ---don't! Flash Freeze!
The veil turned into a ghostly white as it froze, the ice creeping its way to the Blade's shaft and around Zeke's hand, making him somewhat fixed to the wall. Zeke held on for dear life as the rest of his body flopped around like a sheet. Upon knowing that he was safe, Zeke turned his gaze back. He spotted Guy, who also had stuck the Dragonic Blade on the floor but was struggling to keep it so. Zeke reached out to him.
-Guy, grab on!!!- he shouted. Guy nodded and dragged himself towards his friend. He grabbed his hand and a veil of water formed around it, which also froze.
Zeke gritted his teeth in pain. It certainly wasn't the most elegant solution, but it was the quickest. Now, he only had to save---
-AXEL!!!- he screamed. To his horror, his dumbfounded friend, that upon realizing Zeke's scheme, had reached out to him, was now completely airborne and flying out of the wall's edge!
No, no, no no no no NOOOOO!!!!
Axel screamed to himself as he felt himself floating away from the wall, on to the certain doom below him. He had been pushed back by Sobek's power with such force that, after a few fractions of a second, he was far enough away from the structure to be able to witness that nightmare.
The previously cheery clear sky was now dark as night, thick clouds converging around the battlefield, where now a tornado had popped on top of the wall seemingly out of nowhere, this one much bigger than the one unleashed at the arena. It easily tore through the rock of the structure, quickly making its way to the ground like a giant drill. The sound it made was so loud and dreadful you'd swear it was the howling of the hounds of Hell and its cone shaped form was so thick it seemed like gray cotton candy. Axel couldn't seen his friends nor Sobek through it. Then, like the world was in slow motion, he looked down at the streets of Soula below him. He could see the tiny people running for their dear lives from the tornado, the houses being torn apart and its pieces converging towards the giant mass of power.
Then he felt himself being pushed down, the brief fantasy of flight being brutally stolen from him as he begin to fall to his death, his eyes being pulled like they were magnetized, until they were locked again to that nightmare. He tightly held Terri against his chest.
No, it was not a nightmare. For that he'd have to asleep.
That was reality. The cold, hard reality.
That was the world he was living in right now.
A distorted world.
*
...
...
...
"Astral! SOUL!"
For a second, he heard a "BOOM" coming from below him and suddenly he felt himself land on top of something. No. he hadn't landed on something. Something had caught him. He looked up.
A grizzly gray beard and smirk greeted him. It was Master Rye! But how?! He was about question that, when Rye spoke.
-Brace yourself for a rough landing, kiddo!
Then, Axel felt himself going down again. Somehow, Rye had managed to fly towards and catch them, but they were still falling! Axel did what he was told and held on tightly to Terry while curling up against the Master's chest, closing his eyes in panic. Then, he felt himself almost being thrown off of his arms as they crashed to the floor. But then...nothing.
Axel opened his eyes and saw Master Rye's face. It was red and veins were bulging out of his temple. His breathing was ragged and his teeth gritted. Axel looked down and saw the Master's bare feet firmly planted on the ground, which had cracked beneath them.
-W-what?! First, you jumped up so high to catch us and then you just land on your feet from such a big fall?! What in the hell are you, Master Rye?!- Axel's face paled in shock. Rye grunted and placed him and Teri on the floor, before sitting on the ground, panting.
-Didn't I tell ya? Astral Soul can create layers of energy that strengthen your body. I just used it to cushion the fall...somewhat, my feet still hurt like hell. And for the flight, Gee over there boosted me up.- he pointed back and Axel saw Gee running up to them with a frankly worried expression.
-By the gods, are you ok---
-Yeah, I'm ok, thanks- said Rye and Axel at the same time.
- ---my sweet Teri?!
He then knelt next to Axel and grabbed Teri's body from his arms. He shook her around.
-Oh no, she's not opening her eyes! Damn that Sobek! Look like I'll have to use mouth-to-mouth resuscitation!- he said, leaning in towards Teri's face.
Before he could lock lips with her, a hand clutched his entire face. Teri's hand. Axel's eyes widened and saw the Titan keeping Gee away with a scary expression on her face.
-I appreciate the sentiment, Gee. But I'd much rather have Axel or Rye do it than your perverted ass.- and with that, she pushed him away, the Master landing butt-first on the ground.
-Owch! What's the matter with you? I was just trying to help! Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation isn't pervy!
-Except when the person doing it tries to cop a feel. I've heard the stories from Lucy and others.
-Ok, that was just one time and she was wearing a cleavage up to her neck! Who the hell wears that kind of dress,especially for New Year's Eve party at the guild?!
-It's sick.
-You're sick. Rather, it makes me sick how you're still single, but ya know, semantics...
Rye sighed.
-Can we just focus on the problem in front of us, namely, the tornado on top of the wall?!
Axel looked over at the wall. The tornado was still going, spinning mercilessly.
-No!- he shouted- Zeke and Guy are still in there with Sobek! And how about the other people close to the wall?!
-Don't worry, Axel, everyone's been moved to the arena area and we don't seem to be missing anyone.- a voice sounded behind him. He looked back and saw Mercedes, Lucy, Noah and Eldus running towards them.
-Guys! Wait, where's Merceny?- Axel asked.
-Resting at the arena. Still knocked out.- Lucy added.
-Yes, but he isn't too injured. Lucy and Noah have already rested too.- Eldus said- And might I am pleased to inform you that the person Gee tried his loose methods on was a drunk Lucy.- he looked at her with a mocking grin.
She huffed.
-Must you keep bringing that up?! I'm of age, I'm young, I'm drop dead gorgeous, just lemme drink all the wine I want.
-You had to go to the hospital due to alcohol poisoning..!
-I've went to the hospital so many times after a mission that there's a bed reserved for me! What's the difference between that and then?!
-Well, for one---
-Can we just focus on the Elite Order that just launched a tornado on Soula?!- Mercedes shouted and Lucy and Eldus dropped their fight to look at it. Eldus then went over to Terri and placed his staff near the injury on her head, a green light coming from the crystal on top of it.
Gee helped Rye up and they looked at the tornado.
-It doesn't seem to be moving. It's making no efforts to try and advance to us.
-It's probably not an offensive technique, then.- Lucy pipped up- It's more like...a shield. With Zeke and Guy inside, he knows we won't attack it head-on, in fear of hurting them, so he's just bidding his time until he finds a chance to just bolt out of Soula and return to Order HQ.
-Hey, how can Sobek, Zeke and Guy be inside the tornado?- Noah asked- Wouldn't it just blow them away?
-Not if they are in the eye of the storm.- Eldus answered- The middle of a tornado is unusually calm, like a hollow cone but it you leave that immediate area, you get blown over to the spiraling walls. But still, there's the risk of debris from outside coming in and hitting them and it should be incredibly tough to breathe inside. If he's planning to bide his time, that's a very risky method to do so...
-That's because it's Sobek's tornado. His Distortion Tornado.- Axel said, turning to them, as Eldus had finished treating Teri and had moved on to him, the green light coming from his staff giving him a comfortable feeling and he felt himself regaining his energy, such was the power of a Sage- Remember when he unleashed it at the arena? Noah was blown off but Merceny, who stood at the eye didn't get hit with the rubble from outside or even move an inch. That tornado is making use of Sobek's power of air distortion. I'm guessing that, just like he did constantly to our attacks, he has created some sort of barrier or coating around the eye of the tornado in order to make it so that the area was completely fine while the tornado raged outside. That way, he could stay inside as long as he liked and make sure Zeke and Guy couldn't fight back.
-Ok, so it's not a tornado, it's a super tornado. A "Sobeknado". Awesome, so how do we get inside, genius?- Gee asked.
-I'm no genius...I dunno. Your Astral Wave, which was so sharp, was easily repelled by a simple barrier, so we can't attack the barrier of barriers with brute force or concentrating our attacks in one point, it just wouldn't work that way against something like that. We have to counteract his distortion somehow, but...
-Leave it to me.
Teri got up and rotated her arms in preparation.
-T-Teri?! But you're still hurt!- Axel shouted.
She looked back at Axel with a severe expression.
-Psh, there's no way in hell I'm playing the role of a damsel in distress anymore, boy. I'm Terri T., the Titan of the Order, not some dumb and delicate princess! You want that tornado destroyed?- she cracked her knuckles- Consider it done.
With these words she took a deep breath, letting out a grunt. Axel felt a sudden surge of power coming from her.
-Wait...you entered Soul Crash?! Like that?! But without the Attilian method, it won't last ten seconds, Teri!- he protested.
She looked back at him with a determined expression and summoned the ELX Sword.
-I'll only need ten seconds.- and with that, she leaned in and blasted off towards the wall.
*
Teri ran towards the wall, the raging winds threatening to pull her in. She would only have one shot at this. If it worked, she'd create a window of opportunity for the others. If it failed, she'd get pulled in, probably towards certain death. She pulled down her goggles and stuck her Blade on the floor as she kept running. That was going to hurt. Alot.
"Damnit, Sobek. You're always acting like a little kid, always hiding behind shields, not wanting to face others when the tides aren't going your way. You're always too afraid to admit your own feelings and that's why you didn't take Lucy's offer. You knew of Balthazar's intentions, and you had the prime opportunity to rebel, but you chickened out. Even now, with Soula's best not even close to their full power, you don't have the balls to come and face us like a man. Looks like I'll have to wake you up and punish you, like always."
With a groan she pulled the Blade's shaft towards her, the ground for several meters behind her shattering in a straight line as her sole shot for hope rose up.
-Here! We! Go! Ultima Soul: Titan's Sword !!!
With an herculean shout, Teri shifted her grasp so that her arms wrapped around the thicker hilt and rose the gargantuan sword up, it rising above the nearby buildings, taking chunks of them with it. Once it was completely vertical, it stood at the tornado's level and so, she used her remaining momentum to swing it down with all her might and both clashed together.
The howling could be heard all across the city as both forces of nature came head-to-head, battling for supremacy. The Sword slowly started to sink in to the wall of wind, the wall at the point of contact beginning to dissolve, but it was not enough. Terri could feel herself getting dragged away. She gritted her teeth and roared, placing her right hand on the back of the pillar-like hilt while her left hand grasped the bottom of it and pushed forward, giving the Sword one last push, which made it slice through the barrier of wind in one go, gravity doing the rest of the work, the tornado being cut clean in half. The outside of Soula could be seen behind the slit on the tornado. Terri grinned as she flinched in pain and fell down. The Sword started crumbling too, its shattered pieces falling on the floor or letting themselves be sucked in on what was left of the tornado. Teri knelt down, panting. She knew it wouldn't last long. She could see the wall beginning to reform itself. The others would need to move fast to take advantage of the window she had opened.
-It's all up to you now...Truesdale. No...Axel.- she muttered.
*
The rest of the group watched in awe as Terri's Titan's Sword cut through Sobek's tornado.
-How...how did she do that?! I thought you said that brute force wouldn't be able to destroy it!- Noah said.
Axel looked up at him.
-They must've...counteracted each other...
-What? What do you mean?- Noah tilted his head in confusion.
-Teri's Titan's Sword is not simply a giant rock sword. It's also coated with a barrier of shockwaves, at least that's what you've told me. But if you look at it, Sobek's whole style of fighting is similar. He distorts the air around him, much like a shockwave does, but unlike Teri, he uses it in a defensive manner, not an offensive manner. Teri's shockwaves clashed against the barrier Sobek had placed around the eye of the storm and they must have...rejected each other. That's why Teri was able to cut the tornado, but that's also why the Sword quickly crumbled. It didn't have the extra layer of shockwaves around it to keep it together.
-But she couldn't have possibly guessed that both powers would behave like that. They could have just fused together and the Sword would have been sucked in the Tornado, becoming a part of the barrier. Teri must have know for certain that Sobek's distortion acted that way and her shockwaves acted an opposite way. But Sobek wouldn't just reveal a secret like that to anyone...- Eldus wondered.
-Maybe they both knew? Maybe Teri stole an idea from Sobek's book in order to coat the Sword in shockwaves? Or, most likely, he taught her that? Maybe she was like "Yo, Sobek, I wanna become stronger! Help me improve my Titan's Sword !" and then Sobek taught her how to do it, how to distort the air?
Everybody looked over at Lucy, who shrugged.
-I dunno, it's just an educated guess.
Mercedes sighed.
-Either way, that doesn't matter now. Look! The Tornado is beginning to reform itself! Teri's attack wasn't enough to completely destroy it! We have to act. Now. - she said.
Everybody looked over and could see that, in fact, the two halves of the tornado were slowly fusing together again. It just a matter of seconds before it was closed again.
-Ok, what do we do?- Eldus said- Someone has to go in the tornado through the space Teri created, into the eye of the storm and fight Sobek!
-Ok, I'll go!- Noah said.
-No, Noah, you're still too injured. I'll go - Lucy said.
-No, you both are too injured. I'll go.- Mercedes pipped up.
-You kidding?!- Master Gee interrupted her- Me and Rye can g---
-I'll go.
Everybody turned towards Axel, who was getting up and facing the Tornado.
-Axel, you---
-Don't try to stop me, Noah. This is...a fight I have to finish. Please, I have a plan to do it, too.- he plead, closing his fist into a ball.
Nobody said anything, but then Lucy walked towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Ok, not placed, more like smacked.
-Ya know, you sound really different from that kid who was trapped under that shelf years ago. Did something happen on top of that wall while we weren't looking?
Axel smirked, looking up at her.
-I guess I've just become a bit more...romantic.
She smiled.
-Oh, you boys. Fine, let Axel do it. Rye, Gee, help him get there in a jiffy.
Both nodded and stood on each side on Axel. They picked him up by the waist and, at their orders, Axel held on to their shoulders. They placed one hand on one of his soles each and aimed towards the tornado.
-Astral Soul!- they shouted and the translucent aura surged from them.
-Ok, there. You. GO!
With that, they pushed his feet and rocketed him off towards the tornado at an unbelievable speed! Axel gritted his teeth, the skin on his face flapping like jello, but focused on the objective ahead: the tornado. Like a bullet, he reached it and zipped right through the space on the initial wind wall. For a split second, looked around, but saw only thick gray walls. It was unlike any fog he had ever seen. It was like swimming on the stuffing of a teddy bear. But, soon, he was able to break through and reached an empty area. A giant crater could be seen and, on each side, stood the broken halves of the Southern Wall. Two small dots could be seen on the middle of the crater. Could it be Zeke and Guy?! But Axel didn't have time to check.
Right in front of him, floating in the air and sporting an alarmed expression was his target.
-SOBEK!!!
Axel roared and leaned in head back and, as soon as he was about to crash into Sobek, he launched his head against his, giving him the headbutt of a lifetime. That stopped his momentum entirely and Axel felt himself fall down while Sobek was dragged back, recovering from the attack. Axel looked down at the ground and swiped his hand horizontally. He had much more stamina than before, so a veil of air formed under him and slowed down his fall, allowing him to safely land on the floor. Finally, his blood was good for something. His quick learning had allowed him to, after observing Sobek's movements while fighting him with the guys, to somewhat copy his aerial maneuverability. It was also useful to protect himself, so he had created a veil of air around his skull before he bashed it into Sobek's, similar to Zeke's ice armor.
Beside him lied two bodies.
-Guy! Zeke!
Axel ran over and knelt down besides them. Their chests rose and fell, so they were still alive. Axel looked up at Sobek. But he wasn't able to ignore the scenery: it was like he was in a different world, the massive, thick walls of the tornado spinning even faster than on the outside, small tornadoes forming alongside them, lighting striking occasionally. He couldn't see the sky, the top of the cone only revealing dark clouds. But he didn't feel any wind at all. It was deadly calm inside it because of the barrier Sobek created, but that didn't stop the infernal howling of the winds. He turned back at the space the Sword had created as it slowly closed entirely, leaving him with no way out.
Then, Sobek's voice could be heard, ringing across the space.
-Well, I wasn't expecting Teri to do that. Fortunately, I was able to dodge her strike and save the kids from the rubble. Like I said, I don't want to kill anyone.
-But you've still made them your hostages!- Axel shouted back.
-Please, I wasn't planning on killing them. I just want to get out of here. This wasn't supposed to be like this! I was tricked!
-Tricked..?
-Yes, by that fucker Tal! He told me that you guys had brainwashed Teri, and that he could get me to Soula in order to save her!
-Brainwashed? Are you serious?! We would never do that!
-I know, but...I was stupid and, before I knew it, she was in my arms and I was flying out of here. Damnit, I knew it...he just wanted an excuse to come here and find this...this "Alpha" something Balthazar has been talking about! He was never planning to save Teri or even help me get out! I bet there isn't even a getaway ship! He betrayed me!
"'Alpha'? What does he mean by that? Wait...Tal did say something like that. That he was here to kill the Alpha. But what "is" this "Alpha"? Is it a thing? A person?"
-But now...I know I can't win against all of you. My only chance is to get away from Soula as fast as I can. Then he'll get what's coming to him...
-Sobek, stop! You can get him after you join us and after the rest of the Order is saved!
-Saved ?! Are you crazy?! You expect me to join you and live in Soula, and act like I'm a good guy?! People in Karash hate us and you expect me to deliver myself to the hands of my enemies?! I don't know how you got Teri to agree, but I won't do it! I..I can't! If I betray the Order, Balthazar will kill me!
He then pointed the Aegis to Axel.
-So, I will escape! Even if I have to kill you to do it!
Then, he floated back towards the walls of wind and suddenly vanished.
Axel looked around frantically. Sobek was nowhere to be seen. For his plan to work, he would have to have him in plain sight.
"Damnit, where did he---"
Suddenly his feet were swiped off, making him lose his balance. But before he could react, he felt himself being being struck on the back and thrown high into the air. But Sobek was still nowhere to be seen. He felt his stomach being struck, launching him to the side. Then his back again. Then, he was clobbered on the head. Then his side. Then his stomach. And then his back. He coughed out a spurt of blood, but he still couldn't see his target.
"No, no, no! He's even faster somehow! I can't predict his trajectory!"
He then got struck by another array of attacks, making him still airborne and at the mercy of his enemy.
"Don't panic, Axel! I have to focus! I have to. If I can pull off just one parry, I can throw him off balance for enough time to execute my plan! I have to...I have to SEE HIM!"
Suddenly, a strange sensation overcame his body. He felt...light and suddenly filled with energy. His eyes darted around. The spinning of the walls of the tornado. Seemed...slower..! And then, he saw it: the blue blur circling around the walls. He focused his eyesight.
With a hand placed against the wall of wind itself, Sobek literally surfed along the tornado, Aegis turned around on his hand, looking for an opportunity to strike.
Axel was stunned. Not only on how Sobek managed to do that, but at the fact that he could see it happening. But only the latter had an immediate explanation: he had achieved Astral Soul. He smirked. Step one of his plan had been concluded and just like he thought it would.
When watching the fight between Noah and Merceny, when the mercenary had launched his Darkness Wave, Axel had thought: "The simple solution for Noah to overcome that attack would be to cut through it, but how will he do it?". And then, Noah had done just that with the Astral Wave. When the Masters had said that, to achieve Astral Soul, one needed to reduce all thought to a single essence, he didn't realize that it was quite literal. One concept on his mind. It was all he needed. One word, and his soul would pick up on it and go past its limits to achieve that enhanced state of being. Axel wanted desperately to see and his soul had responded to such.
Now he could react. Sobek launched himself towards him and slashed his Blade, but Axel quickly summoned Raiden and blocked it, making Sobek bounce back with a surprised expression on his face. Axel smirked, but before he could rise his Blade to the Astral Wave, Sobek had flipped back and flown towards the wall, surfing through it and launching another attack, which Axel, unfortunately, had to block.
This kept going for awhile. Sobek would get blocked, fly back to the wind, surf around the eye of the storm, jump back, Axel would block his attack and the cycle would repeat itself. The boy grunted. He wasn't fast enough! Astral Wave's positioning took too long! Sobek would run away as soon as he was parried, so Axel could not attack! He could not reach him! Or else, Astral Soul would run out and he'd be dead!
But he still had to try! When Sobek lunged at him, he blocked it and Sobek, like usual, flew back towards the wall.
"I have to reach him! Take this! Astral! WAVE!"
He quickly slashed his Blade in the air, in a downwards arc.
But nothing came out. The crescent wave of energy was nowhere to be seen.
His eyes widened in terror.
He had failed...
*
Sobek, on the other hand, smirked. The pattern had been broken. Axel had stupidly tried to counter-attack, which had been what the Elite had been waiting for. Now, with his Blade down, the boy was wide open!
He landed on the wall, making sure to coat his feet and hands in the distortion currents, in order to not get sucked up in the tornado. Then, he leaned in and rocketed towards Axel. He leaned the Aegis behind his back and was prepared to slash when...
*SHINK*
He felt a hot sensation. He looked down and saw a cut on his shoulder, blood pouring out of it. He grunted in pain and rolled to the side, zipping past Axel and back to the wind.
"What was that?! I didn't...see him make a move! But...I still got hit!
How?!"
*
Axel was just as confused as Sobek. Astral Wave had not come out, but Sobek had been hit all the same! Did he do it and he just didn't see the attack? Or...was it something else? Suddenly, an idea popped in Axel's head.
"Concept...
I must have...not had the right concept in mind when I attacked. The Astral Wave needs you to want to"cut", but...was I thinking about wanting to do something else. Think, Axel...what were you thinking?
...
...
'I have to reach him!'
I have to reach...
Reach...
Reach!"
Axel was suddenly struck with adrenaline. Sobek was thrown off and that was his cue. He quickly formed a veil of wind around him and shot back to the ground, where he landed softly.
But now, he was safe on the ground. Sobek was right where he wanted him. He leaned Raiden behind his back and waited until the Elite lunged at him again.
"Reach!"
With that word screaming on his mind, he slashed the air. Again, nothing came out.
But then...a miracle happened. Again, Sobek was hit! Suddenly, a cut could be seen on his arm. He flipped back and looked at him with an exasperated expression.
-What...what are you doing?!
Axel smirked.
-I'm going beyond your speed, Typhoon.
He slashed again. Now he could see it. Well, not "it". "Himself"! Another him had appeared before Sobek! But it was strange. That Axel was like a ghost: translucent and wavy. Then, the other Axel slashed his Blade exactly like he had done!
Sobek's eyes widened and he quickly slashed at the figure. It appeared like he could also see it now. But his Blade went through the figure, making it dissipate.
-What? Clones?!- he gritted his teeth and shot back at the wind, circling around Axel. But it was useless. Every time he attacked, Axel just slashed the air, making another him appear before Sobek, making him halt his assault and go back. Now he was stuck in Axel's loop.
"No...it's not a clone, Sobek. I got how it works. The energy Astral Soul is letting out is making another me that copies my last attack! It doesn't seem to matter where my target is: if I can see it, I can transmit the energy in a flash and create another me! The counterpart is that it can easily be dissolved. It's more of a...projection!"
Sobek roared and shot towards Axel. Axel slashed two times this time. Sobek saw the projection, and quickly shot it down with an air blast but was then hit by a sudden second projection!
"A projection can only copy one attack, but if I attack more than once, multiple projections will appear! It's amazing! It completely covers the distance between me and him, allowing me to "reach" him and the multiple attacks makes it look like I'm splitting myself in multiple Axels! It's an authentic..."
-Astral Split!!!
With that shout, Axel slashed the air repeatedly, and countless projections left his body, making their way towards Sobek. He tried his best to block the relentless assault, but everytime he tried to put up a distortion shield, another projection would strike him from another angle and hit him!
Now he was on the ropes! Axel kept slashing and the projections kept pilling on the Elite, who was overwhelmed.
But then Sobek threw his hands out.
-Distortion Burst!
A sphere of air formed around him, dissipating all the projections. Axel gulped. The Elite's expression was livid as he panted.
-I'm not...going to be defeated here. I'll finish you...now...This is my...last stand...Axel!
He roared and shot back at the tornado. Then, the part of the walls he rode on started to become coated blue. He was spinning at an even more amazing speed! How fast could he get?!
-This is it, Axel!- his voice ringed on the eye of the storm.- I'm switching over to fifth gear! I hope getting hit by an attack faster than the speed of sound was in your plans today! Because you're about to experience it!
Then, from top to bottom, the blue blur began making the tornado disappear. It was like one of those cotton candy machines, but in reverse. Wherever the blue passed by, that portion of the tornado disappeared. The blue kept spiraling up towards the dark clouds above. And then...
Sunlight blinded Axel for a second. He looked up. Sobek was no longer there. Only a giant blue aura. Somehow, he had managed to store up all the distortion energy of the Tornado into his Blade. With that amount of power...Anybody hit by that attack would be reduced to bits!
A voice ringed across the sky as Sobek zoomed down, holding Aegis over his head, like he was about to chop a log.
-Ultima Soul...Distortion...END!
Then, the blur shot down at Axel, a giant ripple-like pattern forming in the blue sky with a "BOOM". From any other point, it had seemed like it had been there for a split moment and then vanished.
And then, a giant vertical fissure opened up where Axel stood. Zeke and Guy's unconscious bodies were thrown off to the side, narrowly escaping the attack. But not Axel.
Then, Sobek suddenly appeared before his opponent. He was kneeling down, panting. He looked at Axel with a relieved smile. Bastard had been cut clean in half from head to toe.
The thought of regret popped up in Sobek's mind. Regret on killing such an amazing opponent, and a child at that, and the fact that he should have landed farther back. Now, was going to get his clothes covered in the coming torrent of blood from the Academic's body.
"Here it comes...
Here it comes...
Here...it comes..?
Huh?!"
Sobek was dumbfounded. There was no blood coming from the boy. But then, his confused expression was replaced by one of terror.
As Axel became translucent and dissipated.
-You asked me what I'd do when all my strategies came face-to-face with an impassable wall.
It was a projection.
He was right behind him.
-Then I ask: what would you do against someone who manages to break through the impassable wall?
Sobek didn't have time to even gasp.
-Soul! Crash!
He felt himself being struck to the air. Axel stood behind him, launching countless projections towards the Elite, who was bounced further and further up in the sky, with no ability to respond.
Now's my chance! he thought and blasted towards on the halves of the Wall, who rose above him. With Astral Soul he easily jumped many meters in the air, landing on the Wall's side, slightly above Sobek's level and jumped again towards him. When he reached just above him, he put Raiden back on its scabbard, placed it to his waist's level and began spinning horizontally upon himself, holding the Blade's shaft firmly on his hand. He was like a top or a saw, spinning at a deadly speed. Then, a trail of lighting surged from him as he approached Sobek, who could do nothing to escape. Axel pushed the shaft of his Blade at a slight upwards angle, with the thumb of the hand that held the scabbard tilting the hand-guard up slowly revealing the katana's silver sheen.
-See you in the next world, Typhoon ! Ultima Soul! Cyclone Slash!!!
-NOOOOOO!!!
Sobek's scream of terror filled the air. After a few moments, Axel landed on the ground, Sobek's body landing behind him. Axel turned back, to see Sobek with his teeth tightly gritted in terror, before he realized that he was still alive. He felt the area on his chest that Axel had attacked to find a bright red bruise under the clean horizontal cut on his shirt. Axel had hit him with the Blade's scabbard.
-You...didn't kill me?
Axel shook his head. A tired smile formed on his face.
-I'm not that heartless. It's not in my blood, I guess.
Sobek sighed.
-You gave me one hell of a fright. You could have cut me clean in half like I almost did. But you didn't. You spared me. I just...can't understand why you'd do that to someone...as awful as me. Who hurt your friends and endangered your townspeople's lives...
Axel sighed and looked up at the sky. A slight breeze caressed his cheek. It was so delicate and fresh that he could have sworn it was someone's hand. Maybe...Mistral's...
-I guess. But, in the end, isn't it more dramatic this way?
*
Up above the pair, the strange white dove with wings grazed black landed on top of one of the halves of Soula's Southern Wall. It stared at Axel and his defeated opponent: Sobek, the Typhoon. But now, it seemed like it wasn't alone. Another dove landed beside it. It wasn't white like it. Nor black. It didn't have color, in fact. It seemed to be made of glass. Water dripped down from its wings, landing on the rock surface. It stared at Sobek.
*
Somewhere else:
A chilly breeze slapped the sitting figure on the face. But it was used to it. It had lived there for long enough to get used to it. That environment was necessary for its training, which was all it usually concentrated on. But now, it's attention was solely focused on the defeated Order Elite.
It tsked.
-Another one down...How many more must you strike down before you're satisfied...
"...Angel?"