Resuming the stand-off between Laurence and Yuso, we can observe as the two stood silently, gazing at each other analytically.
Yuso was acutely aware of what the Torikesa Reta Tokken could achieve. Rushing the elderly man head first, as he did with Gabriel and Rosaline, would be foolhardy. In this instance, the redhead had to be cautious.
Narrowing his eyes, Yuso decided to make a quick observation. With a vibrant red glow from within Yuso's palm, he reeled his arm back as he launched three separate pentagrams flying at the elderly man, spiraling through the air recklessly.
In retaliation to the sudden assault, Laurence tensed the muscles in his hands as he pushed his arm out, aiming his palm at the incoming pentagrams. Laurence's entire arm began to illuminate in a bright blue color. Each line that marked his body shimmered vibrantly.
"That won't work!"
*VROOM!*
With an intense force of magic leaving Laurence's palm, the incoming pentagrams that Yuso had thrown previously began to fade, dissipating into a swirl and eventually dying off completely.
Watching his pentagrams get absorbed, Yuso watched as the blue glow on Laurence's body dimmed, the elderly man standing tall once more.
'The Torikesa Reta Tokken…' Yuso thought to himself, 'A curse that enables the host to absorb all types of magic and use it for themselves. A curse that rivals even my own Shirugeto. However, instead of their eyes being altered, a mark resides in their chest.'
Laurence cracked his knuckles, breaking Yuso out of his thoughts. The elderly man breathed in as he then spoke, "I suppose that this fight shall begin," Laurence announced, "don't lose your edge, devil."
Yuso mentally scoffed at Laurence's words, focusing all of his attention back on the situation before him. Yuso only had one thing to do, and he had to do it right…
…Aim for the chest. More specifically, the heart.
Pushing his arms to the side, Yuso created a plethora of pentagrams—ranging from around fifteen to twenty in an instant. He then flicked his hands, sending each red circle of magic flying all around Laurence, seemingly leaving the elderly man surrounded by walls of pentagrams.
"Try absorbing all of those at once, old man." Yuso mocked, standing stationary, waiting for Laurence to react.
Laurence huffed, his eyes locking on Yuso momentarily. With an abrupt emission of glowing blue glimmer's encompassing his body, Laurence slowly took a heavy intake of breath. His elbows tucked into his waists as his chest expanded, his cheeks full of air.
*PHOOO!*
Laurence then blew out violently, sending mass amounts of magic outward, reaching every single pentagram in the vicinity.
Yuso's expression suddenly hardened, storing his legs with his Aura Sense as he proceeded to break out into a full-on sprint, dashing toward the elderly man. Every pentagram that his magic touched began to fade and get absorbed into his mouth, giving Yuso the chance to strike while he's vulnerable.
With a stone spike protruding out from his palm, Yuso shoved his right arm forward, hoping to reach Laurence's heart. However, before the redhead could reach the elderly man, a hand grabbed onto Yuso's wrist.
"I will admit; you almost got me."
Yuso wasn't quick enough as Laurence managed to grasp the redhead's wrist, preventing any lethal strikes to his aged body. But, Yuso's strength quickly turned out to be overwhelming for Laurence as the redhead pushed forward, poking Laurence's chest with the tip of his stone spike.
Laurence grounded his teeth together as he tightened his grip on Yuso's wrist. His arm began to shine once more, eliciting a sudden sound of pain from Yuso.
"You have a frightening amount of magic inside you. I dare say more than that damn Kangae. However, the Torikesa Reta Tokken could even extract all of the mightiest warriors in history's Aura Sense!" Laurence proclaimed with a cry, watching as Yuso started trembling.
Yuso could vividly feel as his Aura Sense began to drain, all of it being absorbed into Laurence's hand.
Suddenly, Laurence flashed his free hand, jabbing his palm into Yuso's face, making the redhead's eyes widen as he released a powerful blast of blue magic—*BOOM!*—sending Yuso flying backward, landing in a pile of fallen trees far away.
"Taking the amount of magic I felt inside him into account, he most likely lived from that blast with little-to-no injury." Laurence examined the area Yuso was shot in, lowering his hands as the light on his body dimmed once again.
True to Laurence's words, an explosion of red aura blew from the pile of fallen trees—the aura resembling vapor being emitted from the ground.
Laurence slowly came to the realization of how potent Yuso's Aura Sense was, observing the absurd amount of magic rising from the ground.
From within the cloud of red aura, Yuso walked into view, glaring at Laurence with his Shirugeto. His red aura was expelled from his body in the form of vapor, clouding all around Yuso. So much pent-up magic is stored in one person… Truly, a terrifying revelation.
Yuso's expression resembled pure anger, a scowl on his face as he wiped a small drop of blood from his chin. Yuso started losing it after being in pitiful fights with Gabriel and Rosaline. They dragged it on to where Laurence got his chance to fight. Fighting people with tenacity enraged him, Yuso concluded. They were too full of their own ignorant ideals, preventing Yuso from completing his mission. Just like the people from Ryakudatsu.
"I..," Yuso breathed, "... am ending this!"
*SHING!*
A flash of red flickered in Yuso's right hand, magic piling up in his palm—forming a Genso-Kyu. The vapor-like magic surrounding Yuso was being consumed by the Genso-Kyu, seemingly fueling the large, magical attack, as the red orb grew brighter and larger by the second.
Laurence's eyes widened at the sight. He couldn't possibly absorb this attack—his body would falter under serious amounts of pressure. However, thanks to Laurence stealing some of Yuso's Aura Sense earlier, he had some magic stored up. It might cause some damage to his body, but not as prominent as the Torikesa Reta Tokken.
*SHING!*
In Laurence's own palms, he formed a blue Genso-Kyu, the ball of magic gradually expanding the more magic he put into it. Through the glow of their magic, Laurence and Yuso both glared at each other, leading one another into a stand-off. Or, more specifically, a stand-off that will conclude the fight.
"—RAAH!"
"—RAAH"
With the battle cries of both opposing sides—*BOOOOM!*—two humongous beams blasted out of their respective hosts, both aimed to collide against one another.
The two beams destroyed the ground as they traversed through the air, the red and blue beam's crash becoming nothing short of inevitable.
… Or so it was believed to be.
*FWOOSH!*
Just before the beams could collide, a barrage of fire intersected the two beams—canceling out Laurence and Yuso's magic instantly. The fire soon dissipated, clearing the air of any magic or fire immediately.
In the middle, a figure could be seen. They wore a long, black cloak with red lines striped down the sleeves. The cloak was open down the middle, revealing a chainmail shirt underneath. The newcomer's hair was dark as night, with red sideburns traveling down his cheeks.
Imawashiki has joined the fray.
Upon seeing the intense fire seemingly come out of nowhere, to then see Imawashiki standing between him and Laurence nonchalantly angered the redhead even more.
'Him… He's the one who stole my target!' Yuso noted mentally, retracting his arm that previously held his Genso-Kyu.
But, as for Laurence, he appeared perplexed when looking at Imawashiki. Confusion adorning his visage. He had no clue as to who this stranger was—but they felt so familiar. And that fire… It felt like déjà vu.
Imawashiki grinned toothily, turning his head toward Laurence. His dark hair swayed in the blowing wind.
"Good thing I was here before it was too late," Imawashiki announced, his eyes concentrated on Laurence.
However, these next few words made all the hairs on Laurence's neck stand up. Fear struck across his face.
"... Isn't that right, Father?"
XXX
Dun, Dun, Duuun! Imawashiki has arrived! And he came with some surprise! Will Father Laurence recognize Imawashiki? What will Yuso do? What has happened to the others? Stay tuned for more!
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_