"Didn't he ask for help?" Silas asked as he continued to peer from behind the backstage of the theatre curtain.
"Bitch, do you think we can do anything. I can't interfere with Sheek's magic because it resets every time he slows down time… so I'm useless and well… you're useless as well. No magic, no chance at doing anything," Emily swiftly replied, also peering from behind the tattered theatre curtain.
I'm sure you were wondering where these two were. Well, they admitted defeat before the fight could even reach its climax. They weren't loyal enough to lay down their lives in this fight between super soldiers.
Okay, now back to the fight.
Different paths of magic consume different amounts of mana with each attack. Stronger and more broken abilities such as the ability to wield time consume much more mana than the ability to wield water.
So, when a time wielder starts using his mana, he has to finish the fight fast otherwise he'll be empty before the fight can even get halfway through. This is shown through Sheek capitalizing on the situation. Using his advanced time manipulation, he sped up the temporal flow, turning seconds into blurs. He moved with unparalleled swiftness, closing the distance to Glover in the blink of an eye. His blazing attacks, enhanced by the effects of the temporal bubble, continued to pummel Glover, the speed and precision of his strikes leaving the Pyronetic Ashbringer reeling.
Glover, with ash swirling around him, launched himself forward with the ferocity of a maelstrom. He executed a straight kick with such precision and speed that the tip of his foot left a trail of sizzling sparks. Sheek responded with a side kick, his leg a blur of movement as it met Glover's attack. The two kicks collided with an explosion of energy, and the shockwave sent debris flying in all directions.
Sheek, having predicted the outcome with his Precognitive Refinement, flowed seamlessly into a jump spin hook kick. His foot sailed toward Glover's face like a guided missile. Glover, however, summoned a pocket of dense smoke with his Ashen Volley just in the nick of time, obscuring Sheek's vision and forcing him to halt his assault.
As the smoke cleared, Sheek performed a spin hook kick that sliced through the air with almost musical grace. Glover responded with his own spectacular technique—a spinning heel kick that swirled like a tempest. The two kicks clashed, each combatant demonstrating their unrivaled spinning kicks.
Glover then transitioned into yet another downward roundhouse kick, slamming the top of his shin into Sheek's thigh. Sheek's resilience was admirable as he parried some of the attack with a downward elbow, striking Glover's shin with a devastating counter. Both fighters felt the pain but remained unwavering in their resolve.
Sheek's mastery of time manipulation came into play once more. He created a momentary Temporal Bubble, slowing down time around Glover. In this brief stasis, he performed a well-practiced downward roundhouse kick that used the top of his foot instead of his shin. Glover, now moving at a fraction of his original speed, found himself in a sticky situation.
Yet, Glover was not to be outdone. He had predicted the usage of the temporal bubble and just before its activation concentrated an Ashen Cyclone. This was naturally used as soon as the temporal bubble hit him, creating a swirling vortex of ash and fire around him. The vortex shielded him from the incoming kick, trapping Sheek within the fiery maelstrom. The intense heat and turbulence of the Ashen Cyclone battered Sheek, forcing him to retreat and withdraw his temporal bubble.
"Huff… huff… huff… fuck… you genius bastard…" Sheek spits out a mouthful of blood before seeing Glover turn into a blur. But it wasn't because he was super fast nor was it because Sheek was slow… in fact, it was the ash that had infiltrated his lungs and sinuses, blurring his sense of balance and ability to think.
"I guess we both have gotten rusty," Glover laughed just as he conjured another attack.
With the technique of Ember Sage, he kindled his inner fire, bolstering his mental and physical capabilities. His movements became more fluid, and his attacks more precise. He deftly performed a Reverse Turning Kick, unleashing it with such precision that Sheek had no time to respond.
Upon being slammed in the temple, Sheek grits his teeth before executing a swift jump spin hook kick that met Glover's chest just as he had been kicked. The collision produced a shockwave, sending ripples of energy through the theater's charred remnants once again.
The fight reached its climactic point as Glover, utilizing the smoky terrain, began to outsmart Sheek. With the ash swirling around him, Glover's eyes gleamed with cunning intent. He beckoned Sheek forward with an almost mocking wave of his hand, goading his opponent into a reckless attack.
Sheek, fueled by the flames of determination, lunged forward with a jumping-flying sidekick, intending to put an end to this duel. His temporal bubble had instantly enveloped Glover, but as always, he was one step ahead. With a cleverly timed Smoke Surge, he created an even denser screen of smoke, hiding his precise movements.
VWOOM
Sheek had predicted this. He wasn't about to fall for the same move twice and used an attack that had only been displayed prior to the fight. Due to its high usage of concentration, he had been unable to produce it until this very moment when his precognitive refinement calmed his tension and allowed him to really think.
His hand, vibrating at supersonic speed, cut through Glover's torso, piercing his left lung. But to Sheek's astonishment, Glover disappeared from view, and a moment later, the smoke around him erupted with explosions of fiery ash. The Ashen Cyclone he had conjured earlier reached its peak, becoming a relentless storm of fire and ash, its vortex tightening with each passing second. Sheek was caught within this inferno, his vision obscured, and his surroundings ablaze.
Glover, hidden within the protective shroud of the cyclone, moved like a phantom in the smoke, perfectly attuned to the chaos he had created. However, due to his life-threatening injury, the pain forced him to take fewer risks and wait for an opportune moment.
"COME OUT YOU COWARD!"
Upon seeing it, he delivered a precise and powerful shin kick. It struck Sheek with unerring accuracy to his throat, sending him sprawling to the ground amidst the blazing tempest.
With Sheek momentarily stunned, trying to suck back his lost breath, and overwhelmed by the intense heat, Glover knew it was his chance to end the confrontation. He raised his hand and prepared to unleash a final, devastating attack, combining his mastery of ash with the fiery remnants of the cyclone.
But Sheek, displaying wisdom and self-preservation, had no choice but to recognize that he was outmatched. The threat of Glover's imminent assault was enough to make him see his inevitable death. So, with a heavy heart and a burning desire to live and fight another day, he enacted a hasty and brilliant maneuver.
In a potentially deadly series of temporal bubbles, Sheek launched himself out of the blazing cyclone and retreated, squeezing out the last bits of his mana in order to make an escape, disappearing into the surrounding darkness. The cyclone's intensity gradually waned, and as the ash settled, Glover stood victorious amidst the scorched theater.
He had outsmarted his formidable opponent and emerged as the undisputed victor of the battle. As he watched the remnants of the cyclone dissipate into the air, Glover couldn't help but click his tongue at the disappointing outcome.
"Tch… man I've gotten old…" Glover coughed up a mouthful of blood before taking a knee.