"You two go help defeat the twin-tailed kit. Master won't be able to get his revenge if it interferes. Meanwhile I'll uh...avenge?.... Zorpa, yeah." The teen tells the others.
The darker skinned woman and dusty blonde man beside him roll their eyes. Namdol just wants to see how strong this child is as a protege himself. When he wins he'll continuously brag to Zopra about it later. Still, he is the second in command in this mission so they can't exactly ignore his orders.
Namdol cracks his neck and pops his fingers before vanishing from sight. He drops down onto Tara with a jumping ax kick, sharp winds shooting out in every direction as Tara barely dodges. Namdol laughs as he throws a series of punches that Tara blocks and returns with own strikes.
This kid is definitely stronger than her last enemy. With Zorpa for every three hits he traded, Tara would retaliate with two of her own. Now, she is lucky to return one hit back for Namdol's every two. Not only does he display more speed and strength, his physical control and Wind handling are on an entirely different level.
He hits her square chest with a Wind covered spear hand, dispeling her light woven disguise as he pierces her aura. If not for the extra protection from Energy Weaving, it might have pierced her armor as she's shot several feet on her back. Tara does a midair tumble to regain her balance as she skids on the landing. Her weapons' passive effects are not showing similar results because of the gap of strength.
"A combination Hufang Combat Arts, Riversword Blade Play, and numbing physical strength well beyond your age. Why, you must be the Tiny Knight, Eightsword's Star Serval!" Namdol shakes his hand out as if hitting her really staticed him. He's grinning but Tara feels chills run down her spine as he deduces her identity from a few rounds.
"It's been a while since I killed a student, especially once so high profile. While I'm a genius, you're being called a talent of our time." There's anger and jealousy in his voice as he brandishes two scimitars.
"I appreciate the compliment. Is there any chance I could get you to back down?" Tara pleads, but keeps her tone steady despite the fear of death.
He sneers at this with Wind pooling at his feet before darting forward. He spins like a top to create a dervish of attacks. Tara parries and deflects, launching a hook kick at one of his weapons once she finds an opening.
"C'mon this can't be all that you have! Show me what you're hiding!" His voice rings as now Lightning and Wind envelope his swords. Tara offsets it with Magma Energy in her own strike. A rippling sound echoes as an explosion rips through the area. Tara escapes the resulting smoke looking worse for wear.
Tara inhales deeply and then exhales. For the first time she actively uses Solar Recovery with Lunar Stability to heal her body and refresh her mind a little bit. She quickly flashes Moon Cleaver, the three crescent arcs imbued with Sever Moonlight for three mind attacks, in Namdol's direction through the smoke. Tara then circles back around silently using Lunar Mist Walk, both daggers glowing with Lava Claw and Blizzard Fang.
Namdol easily angles Moon Cleaver's wide attack above him. The Lunar energy of Sever Moonlight immediately travels through his blade to his mind. Tara can't have known that his mental defenses were so strong that he shrugs off one of the attacks! But it's enough to stall him as Tara stabs her blades into his back.
Tara also uses Rend Sunlight upon contact to make three physical strikes against Namdol's stronger black colored aura. The combined elements create another explosion and this time as the mist fades it's Namdol who's looking ragged. He's breathing heavily with a visible wound from Tara's barrage.
Just as Tara thinks he might fall, instead the ragged breaths turn into a bubbling raucous laughter. The swirl of electricity and wind that covers Namdol's body is a reaction from his aural energy meeting the world. This changes to a slow pulse before ultimately vanishing completely. Tara's intuition tells her things have shifted for the worst.
"I must thank you, Tiny Knight. Though I am my master's favorite disciple, the fastest of them to reach the very peak of Marrow Sparking, there has been this wall. It didn't matter who I fought or killed, they never lasted enough to give me the inspiration to break through."
Tara pales in fear as she finally processes what he means. Sure, she felt as if she was growing while fighting him.
Her ability to read bodily telegraphy plus weapon trajectories, her timing of physical tension, and her connectivity of her movements had all evolved in the scant few minutes of fighting. This is why people in both virtuality and the natural world's martial arts scene sought out stronger foes to quicken their own growth.
He turns around to face her looking relieved as he takes a stance. Though Namdol's aura is no longer wild, his presence is unsettlingly different. Tara hadn't thought she'd be someone's breaking point into the next level, especially Navel Enshrouding!
Instead of dread in the pit of her gut, Tara feels the familiar nudge of ancient energy passing through her body. The ancient spirit realizes the threat before Tara with wishes to help her host. Only half of a technique is revealed: six weapon trajectories, three for the Sun and three for the Moon. Another suggestion by the spirit is also impressed upon Tara with a warning of a massive backlash.
She doesn't really have a choice though. Tara uses her healing abilities once more time as she sets her feet apart. A look of shock and surprise forms onto Namdol's face as two unrecognizable energies surge from the young girl's body. He's fought hundreds of aurators of every element, from hard to find Light or Dark wielders to rare dual affinities like Wood or Poison. Right now he's witnessing something brand new.
Amber and turquoise light wraps around Tara's body like a cocoon before bursting apart. Her long braided hair is now a swirl of cyan and crimson. Her right eye glows with the colors of the arriving sunrise; her left gleams with the shades of the turning moonset.
Instead of any of the prismatic elements displaying from her explosion of power, a giant display of a lutescent half circle and a caerulescent half circle float behind her.
The atmospheric phenomena causes the other fights to pause and turn their attention to the two youths. One of Namdol's allies is under Smur's foot while another is dead some distance away. Only Rabi and Carim who joined in recently were relatively okay.
Ganesh had placed a barrier so their fight wouldn't kill everyone. As Navel Enshrouding and Eye Illuminating mid stages, just the shockwaves at their full strength might heavily injure others. Despite this, the boundless energy coming from Tara was able to pierce some holes in Ganesh's barrier.
Kavros immediately notices Namdol has stepped into Navel Enshrouding, his elements not reacting at all with the world energy. However, any pride Kavros feels at the moment is snuffed out by Tara. Her overbearing presence daunts even him.
"What a curious light show. But that alone won't be able t-" Namdol starts to say before Tara returns an earlier favor by leaving his perception. It's only at the last second that he twists his body to block her strike from Moon Fang. His swords, carved from the bones of an Echo Rhino, are whining under pressure of their two clashing strengths!
Tara raises Moon Fang again, the dagger blazing with cobalt and turquoise, as she brings it down with the first offensive trajectory. Sun Claw aims for Namdol's side with the second offensive trajectory and they're both enough to break his defensive stance.
Namdol easily recoups his balance but the Lunar and mind strikes from Sever Moonlight take their toll. His aura flickers as his mind rattles and his soul shakes! In this state all of Tara's Twin Sphere techniques and effects have tripled in strength. Even a newly awakened Navel Enshrouding can't shake off these types of attacks.
Tara follows up with a roundhouse kick, her strength and speed whipping up rocks, towards Namdol's sternum. Wind and Lightning cover his hand completely as he grabs her foot and tosses her away. He chases after her, boosting his movement with Sound energy.
Tara turns her daggers in a circular formation; this is the first of the defensive trajectories. Namdol's hands truly go static this time as their blades collide! He grits his teeth through the numbing sensation as he fires off a Sound based move at close range, the darker orange color coating his twin scimitars.
Tara waves her hands in a Z, the second defensive trajectory, while using Reflect and Rend Sunlight! Namdol can't help but gasp at the sounds of cracks appearing at the point of impact on his swords, stumbling three steps. Desperation and fear that he could lose to an Academy brat who hasn't even taken her first life grips his heart.
"Die for me! Quaver Hammer!" He throws away any technique or finesse, pushing his aural energies and elemental manipulation to the limit. He bends his knees, pushing off and leaving a sonic boom behind him.
Tara wheels through four of the trajectories before kicking off. Feeling that not only her special state is nearing its end but aural energies are being burned through quickly as well. This would be the last clash between them. Though he had seen through her Combat Arts and shrugged off Tara's weapons effects till now, there is one other new technique she is waiting to use.
The faint ding of a notification reaches the back of Tara's mind. Out of the corner of her eye there hovers a translucent screen. But right now she has to focus as Illusionary Circle Step summons two dozen afterimages!
Even Namdol's senses can't immediately figure out the true Tara. He gambles and spins to strike behind him because that's what he would do. Unfortunately, though this Tara finishes with the third defensive trajectory, it's a fake. His opponent is more straightforward and earnest than he is.
The real Tara rushes forward to his back finishing her motions for both sets. The Sun trajectories for her final attack and the Moon trajectories in case he retaliates. She pours all of her energies into a last use of Rend Sunlight and Sever Moonlight along with Sun Piercer and Moon Cleaver for an extra boost.
Namdol gives a roar of defiance as amber and turquoise engulf his entire body as his black aura.
Tara sways uneasily before falling to her knees, absolutely exhausted. She can hear Smur shouting for her but darkness takes her the moment she relaxes. The only thing passing by her fluttering eyes are the previous notification and a new one.
[Bestowing Second Crossover Title: Defender of the Banished Gate]
[Bestowing Third Crossover Title: Sacred Beast Slayer (Lower Elements)]
[Bonus Task: Defend the Entrance to Avezil with Smur and their teacher! Complete!]
[Bonus Reward Shall Be Given After Update!]
[Chain Quest Complete! Tallying Rewards!]