This is not good… never did I think that he had the powers of the Altima in his arsenal.
This is not going as intended…
I got up and equipped Osiris but in the process, I received a sharp blow across the face and the next thing I knew, I was flying in the air.
Crack!
I shook my head and my sense came back to me. As I landed, I felt the left side of my face sting and as I touched it, it stung even more.
The Altima… once one takes on the form, their bodies are literally wrapped in an aura of divine energy. If I had taken the hit directly, I would've been dead already. Luckily, Celestia's barrier managed to suppress some of that damage and Osiris' mask, as well. However… I don't think that my mask will be able to take another hit, and that goes the same for Celestia's barrier.
Damn it… if I had known, I would've been more cautious, but I was overconfident and swallowed in my own rage.
If this is the case, it seems I'll just have to let loose.
No… it is the case!
Fuck it!
I returned Osiris in Ethos Arsenal and activated both Angel's Crimson Hand and Devil's Azure Palm.
Sizzle~
The injuries that I had received began burning as energy began violently circulating through my body.
[Mana: 545,602,817/1,560,000,000]
Crap, with that amount of mana, the best I can do is fire off two Piercing Reds.
But if I don't use my Warlock abilities, then I'll just be treated like a fool.
I felt a blade thrust through my stomach and when I blinked, there was nothing piercing my body.
Seems my Premonition ability is working now. It's a good thing too… because I can't seem to read his movements.
I aimed in front of me and fired off a force of Oppression. Deroc appeared and was hit by the force, however, all that seemed to do was tickle him.
Shit!
I used Breakneck Movement and managed to dodge his attack. When I appeared behind him, I fired off another force of Oppression.
"Fool!" He spoke, his voice sounding almost angelic, "Such tricks won't affect me."
"Oh? So are you saying you can take on my attacks head-on? Do you want to test that out?"
"Go ahead. You won't be able to scratch me as long as I am in my Altima."
"Then…" I said, pouring energy into my left hand, "Swallow this."
I aimed my index and middle finger at Deroc and he tilted his head. When he realized what was about to happen, his eyes widened and he turned to jump, but it was already too late.
"Piercing Red."
Crak!!
From the end of my fingers fired a violent red beam which zipped its way towards Deroc. Deroc panicked as he was unable to avoid it in time. So what he did instead was he quickly brought up his sword, deflecting Piercing Red. The ray ricocheted off his blade and pierced his left shoulder.
I stared at the noticeable hole in his left shoulder. The hole was almost comparable to the size of a baseball. I hoped it would be bigger, but it seems that that is all I can do to someone in Altima form, and that is all I need.
I may not have mentioned this, but there are two variations of Piercing Red. The first one is the regular version where it immediately penetrates anything it makes contact with as long as it is able to do so. The second variation is when it is able to rebound off certain surfaces, specifically the ones it can't penetrate through, then penetrate when it hits the intended surface, in this case, a living being. These two can be differentiated by their sounds.
Deroc who was staring at the hole in his shoulder was still in awe. As he was distracted, I charged up another Piercing Red and this time, aimed it at his head.
"Die," I said before firing Piercing Red.
Bang!!
Deroc clenched his teeth before shifting towards me. As soon as he was about to be struck, he brought up his blade and the next thing I knew, the force of piercing red was absorbed into Deroc's sword. As a result, his blade began glowing with red energy.
"What the-?"
"Impressive, right?" Deroc said, "In my Altima, I have an ability which allows me to absorb the attacks my opponents throw at me."
"So that means-?"
"Yes. Now that I know what this 'Piercing Red' of yours does, it's about time I… fought back."
I shook my head and attempted to fire another Piercing Red until-
[Mana: 453,190/1,560,000,000]
Crap… I've run out!
Bang!!
Suddenly, I felt something penetrate me and when I looked down, there was a small hole in my abdomen.
Deroc approached me and put his hand on my shoulder.
"There is more where that came from."
He then thrusted his sword through my chest. I could feel my entire body, my skin, my flesh, my internal organs burning as his sword sank deeper into my chest. I noticed that the hole in his left shoulder was closed up.
Tears trailed down my eyes as he put on a sadistic smile.
"Even the powers of a Warlock is no match for the Altima. If only you had possessed the Altima, then this fight wouldn't have been so one-sided. Well, not that you could possess it anyway since you are weak to divine energy. If you hadn't evaded my strike before this fight of ours, then I wouldn't have guessed you were… so weak to divine energy."
He shoved his sword once more until his entire blade was through my chest.
It hurt… really hurt…
Fuck…
I grabbed him by the shoulder but I was too powerless to do anything. The pain from divine energy… it was too much for me to bear.
"That's enough!" Celestia yelled as Deroc was teleported away with his sword.
I looked down at myself, my vision blurred, I had countless burn marks across my arms and my body. Eventually, my legs gave up and I fell towards the ground. Luckily, Celestia managed to catch me before I fell.
"Hmph, guess this means I win," Deroc smirked as he exited out from Altima.
Celestia glared at Deroc before closing her eyes and casting a healing spell on me.
"Nero… I did warn you."
"Well then. Celestia, I believe you know where to be with Katrina the day after next week." Deroc's grandfather said to Celestia.
"Just go!" Celestia yelled and the Margos disappeared.
"You'll be fine, Nero," I heard Celestia say as I felt the pain in my body subside, though barely.
"N-Nero, I'm sorry," I heard another voice, this time it was Katrina's.
My vision eventually got too blurry for me to recognize anyone's face and a few moments later, I passed out.
…
…
…
***
I woke up with pain all over my body. My body was covered in bandages and my vision was a bit blurry.
"I warned you."
I turned to Celestia who was sitting in a chair, reading a book.
"How long was I out?" I asked her.
"Not for long, it's already the next morning."
"What about the girls?"
"They are fine. Unlike you, they weren't in any fatal conditions. Well, it took a while for Kiyomi to breathe normally again as she was struck directly in the lungs."
"So I'm the only one who hasn't recovered fully."
"Yes."
I took a deep breath and sighed.
Damn it… if I just kept my cool back then, this wouldn't have happened.
"The duel between Katrina and Deroc will be held next week."
"Where?"
"Fortunately, I am forbidden from speaking of the location. If I do, you'll just come and interfere."
"What?"
"You already lost once. I know you will come and interfere to fight Deroc again."
"Bullshit!" I yelled. "I can take him! If I had more mana I could've taken him down!"
"Even if you did, you would've lost. Did you not see what he did to your attacks? He evaded and parried your attacks when your Great Thunder Temple was active. He dispersed Shadow King Domain with divine energy. Piercing Red? Well, you already know how that turned out."
"I still have more in me. I just nee-"
"No Nero. You will rest and recover from your injuries. I don't know how but you manage not to fade away with two holes in your torso."
I put my hand over my chest and took another deep breath. Damn it… I can still feel it, the sword sinking into my chest. I would've died if it wasn't for Celestia.
I was at a total disadvantage after Deroc had activated his Altima but my downfall was also my fault. To think that he was able to absorb my Piercing Red…
Damn it… damn it all… if only I had more power...
...
"Nero…"
There was a voice at the door and I shifted my eyes. Katrina stood there worryingly.
"Hmm, I'll leave you two at it then," Celestia said before disappearing into thin air.
I turned my attention back to Katrina who sat in the seat Celestia was sitting in. She shifted around shyly and opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.
"It's not your fault," I began. "I was too arrogant to face him. Normally I would let my opponents attack me first, but… I succumbed to my own temper."
"I… I've never lost my temper before," Katrina said. "But… my mother told me that if I were ever to be provoked, I need to free my mind of any thoughts."
"But you can't... right? Because you fear that you won't be able to protect others."
"Yes, if only I was able to have the strength I needed, then I could repay the favor to grandpa. If only..."
Katrina didn't know what to say after that so she just stayed quiet. I sighed and shook my head before slowly closing my eyes.
"Stop worrying about others and worry about yourself. Become selfish, care only about yourself, your ego will be the only thing you will worry about. Though eventually, you will discard that selfishness without even knowing it."
Katrina tilted her head in response to my words, "What?"
"I'm getting tired. Perhaps we can talk another day. For now, let me sleep."
"Oh... I see. Then I will take my leave."
Katrina got up and approached the door. Once the door closed, I opened my eyes and got out of bed.
***
"Settle down Francis, otherwise I won't be able to heal you," Celestia said, gripping his arm.
"No need to worry about me, I'll be—ough, ough!" Francis was interrupted as he coughed into his handkerchief.
"No, you are not fine."
Celestia would cast an elven spell on him. She had been doing this for almost a week now ever since Francis had secretly been bedridden. Francis had been stricken with some sort of rare heart disease. Even the strongest of fighters can be killed without fighting.
"It's no use, Celestia," Francis said before coughing a few more times. "I thank your efforts, but I only have about ten days left. Soon, we will have to tell Katrina about my conditions."
Celestia closed her eyes and shook her head.
"No, that will not even help her. Her duel with Deroc... it will end in..."
Francis looked into Celestia's eyes which were burning with anger.
"Celestia, keep your cool. I believe... she will be alright. I believe in her."
"I know... but that is not why I am angry."
"...is it... him?"
Celestia gulped and nodded. Francis chuckled as he lifted himself and fixed his pillow.
"That boy... do you reckon we should tell him?" Francis asked.
"No, it is not the righ-"
Suddenly, a maid barged in and Celestia turned to face her.
"Bad news!" She said.
"What is it?" Celestia asked her.
"He... he's gone."
"Nero!?"
The maid quickly nodded her head as Celestia rose her voice.
"That idiot, what is he thinking!?"
.
.
.