Lokan who had transformed into a yellow winged serpent swallowed Cykrus' armour in one go, he was dwarfed in terms of size.
He was steering his form straight down, back towards the peak; with a loud boom the creature's head collided with the ground first and disappeared on impact, its entire body and finally tail followed, shaking the mountain, the tremors spread all the way down to the foot-soldiers who were waiting at the base.
All they could see was a lightshow, and the faintest of auras, not knowing how the fight was progressing, they were tense and tightly gripping their weapons.
They were prepared to lay their lives down for the family, even though their sacrifices would amount to nearly nothing if they were pitted against a mage, especially one from a family they had been enemies with for more than a hundred years.
Another dust cloud covered the peak, up above it stood Lokan, using a spell to create a foothold, he glared down, both impressed and annoyed at the same time, "Still alive?" he shook his head as the dust settled, "I don't know what is stranger, the durability of your armour, or this mountain?" Lokan looked around the peak, this place had managed to withstand all of his fearsome attacks, there wasn't much of a dent or a hole, nothing that could compare to the size of the pit at the centre, where the rusty and broken sword was stuck.
The armour that was housing Cykrus lay flat on the earth; Vivienne's fingernails would dig into her skin if it weren't for the gauntlets she was wearing, 'This is it Cykrus, right? There is no more strength left in you? This is the moment for me to step in?'
She took a light breath, then raised her hand- but stopped mid-motion, like he had heard her thoughts, Cykrus struggled to his feet again.
'Just stay down! What are you trying to prove?!' she was cursing his tenacious spirit in her mind, the longer this fight dragged on the greater the chance of lasting injuries, but no matter how concerned she was for him, she did not move to interrupt their duel, knowing full well that Cykrus would try to stop her for as long as he was still conscious.
Lokan sighed as he saw Cykrus' final struggle, he hated the man for taking his arm, but that was only because he himself was lacking, there was no need to lose even this much if he had taken proper precaution from the start, "A shame, truly a shame. The more I see of you the more I regret that we are going down this path. You could have become someone great Lord Aventia, forget the Ironhoof family, even those at the very top would come to fear your name and strength. And all that went down the drain because of your choice. I don't even know if you can still hear my voice, my words, or if your body is operating on its own merely moving through sheer will."
"Heh. Even that is impressive. Many lives were taken by my hands, too many cowered in fear in their last moments, but not you. You are going down the way the proud and honourable should, fighting until all your reserves are spent." he added.
Cykrus stood on his feet, his head and upper body were bent forward, looking like he was barely holding himself up, though whatever expression he made was still concealed by his armour.
He feebly lifted the lance, preparing his body for a throwing motion, "A last ditch effort? Let's see it then." Lokan commented, he steeled his body to receive one last attack!
Cykrus drew on his entire strength, he flung the lance, and watched it travel, breaking through the wind on its way towards the rank three lightning mage.
Lokan stepped out of the lance's path, full of apprehension he turned to Cykrus below, expecting some kind of follow up strike... but he ended up glaring at an unmoving Cykrus, 'Is that all?' he was confused, the opponent he thought so highly of, the last chance to defend his life, he wasted it by throwing away his weapon, the only thing that had been able to threaten Lokan's life.
"You are truly-"
But Cykrus was looking beyond him, at the lance he had thrown, tuning out the man's arrogant words, he watched it burst apart silently, scattering into hundreds, if not thousands of tiny blobs of earth.
Simon's expression turned to one of horror, "LOKAN! BEHIND Y-!" he was unable to finish his sentence before the blobs had been able to touch their target, tightly clinging onto him.
The lightning mage gulped; a strange possibility had entered his mind for the first time...
He instantly tried to destroy the things with an electrical net, but he was unable to conjure up a strong enough spell with the remaining particles he was surrounded by, and they began to show their intended effects!
From one moment to the next, Lokan's weight had multiplied by several times, and gravity did its work, effortlessly breaking through the foothold he had conjured for himself, he nosedived towards the peak.
A boom echoed down the mountain at the impact, Lokan was tightly pressed against the ground, unable to even raise his hand, fear gripped his heart for the first time in forever.
It had been countless years since he felt this kind of helplessness, usually it was him who stood over people, high and mighty, but as the golden armour stepped closer to him, and he watched as another lance formed in its hands, he couldn't form a thought in his head.
Simon on the sidelines too understood the situation... none of this should have happened, Cykrus was meant to die at Lokan's hands, and the prince that backed him was supposed to cover and even aid them in acquiring his lands... so why was it that a new lance was forming in his hand... wasn't it an artefact?!
"You-" Lokan stared at Cykrus dumbfounded, "The armour and the weapon, they are both spells?"
The Lord of Aventia chuckled at his question, "Surprised?" the sound of his voice conveyed the wicked grin that hid beneath his helmet, "You are a tad too late."
Cykrus pressed his boot against Lokan's back, "Where is that attitude of yours now? You were so full of yourself, and suddenly you are all quiet."
Lokan clenched his teeth, he could barely feel Cykrus' foot from all the pressure that was already exerted on his body, "How?! It's absolutely impossible! You were stuck at rank two for all your life, you are even rank two now!"
"Haha... are you sure?" he sneered at how simple-minded his opponent was, he lifted his foot off Lokan's back and stepped aside, then reached for his upper body.
As his gauntlet touched the golden chest-piece, the metal bubbled, then made way for his hand.
He reached inside, then pulled out a round necklace, with an empty bit near the centre, that was as dark as the abyss, it felt like nothing special to the three mages around him, but since he was putting on such a show, it must have been an artefact.
Cykrus pulled on the necklace until it was taut, then he tugged harder, until the chain broke, and the chest-piece returned to its regular form.
The Lord of Aventia stood there, holding the black amulet in his hand, and those around him sucked in a breath of air, as they observed his aura rising, reaching the upper end of rank two, then seamlessly passing over to the third rank.
"It seems your knowledge is rather shallow, if a simple artefact is enough to fool you into underestimating your enemy. Not even the Ironhoofs were stupid enough to come and try their luck, even with their number advantage when it comes to rank two and rank one mages, though they were probably just afraid of the royal family, since they had no justification thus far, right... Simon?" Cykrus turned towards his family's long-time foe, who took a step back.
Simon was feeling incredulous, with their only card defeated, what else was there to stop Cykrus, now that he had revealed his real strength?
"You don't look so good Simon, wait a moment and I will come and lend you a hand." Cykrus smiled at him, "But first I should tie up this loose end." he raised his lance above Lokan's head.
"WAIT! Wait! Wait... L-Let's not do anything hasty!" Lokan spoke up, fearing for his life, "Lord Aventia, nothing good will come out of killing me! My master will be sure to retaliate! If you allow me to go, then we can just forgive and forget about this grudge between us."
Lokan swallowed the saliva that was building up in his mouth, "Since you already took my arm from me, I believe that should serve as payment for my foolish actions!"
"You bastard!" Simon shouted, "Have you no shame?! Do you think you can just worm your way out of this?! Take responsibility for the mess you caused! Don't forget that we have a deal!" he was secretly anxious, that prince was their only hope to stand against Aventia now, and yet this guy was trying to make peace with Cykrus? Unbelievable!
"If that assassination attempt of yours hadn't failed, then we wouldn't even be in this situation!" sweat was running down Simon's back, even if it wasn't the truth, the least he could do was drive a wedge between these rank three mages, hoping to further alienate them from each other.
Lokan's eyes went bloodshot, 'This guy-!' he looked to Cykrus full of sincerity, "Lord Aventia, don't listen to that man's nonsense, I have absolutely nothing to do with such an event! I am willing to stake my other arm that what I am saying is the truth!"
Cykrus tilted his head, "If I kill you here, then the prince or princess you are loyal to will try and pay me back for this offence..."
"That's right! Thank the gods you are a sensible man, haa..." Lokan exhaled.
"But if let you go-" Cykrus continued, "Then you will come to forget the words we exchanged today, and you will try to mess with Aventia one way or another."
Lokan shook his head, "You are wrong! I wouldn't do such a thing, today's battle between us will spread, there is a level of honour I must uphold-"
"What honour? You did not even reveal your name to us." Cykrus looked at him strangely, it was Simon's mistake that revealed this information.
Lokan racked his brain, the way things looked his death was all but certain, he had very little particles left to use, so even if he managed to break free, there was no chance he could beat an earth-mage in such a disadvantageous place...
His eyes trailed towards his last option... Baron Simon Ironhoof.
He took a deep breath, causing Cykrus to squint his eyes, had he resigned himself?
But the next moment his mind jolted, "Baron! Now!!" Lokan urged, shouting loudly to make it clear that this was the last chance they had to try anything.
Vivienne and Cykrus turned to face him, both preparing for anything as their auras flared up.
Simon raised his hands, his face flushed with panic and confusion, he didn't know what Lokan was referring to, but not just Cykrus, but Duchess Vivienne also prepared to intercept him!
Simon stammered to get some words out, and Cykrus swung his lance downwards, feeling that it had been a ruse, but as his lance scraped by the ground, he knew the slippery lightning mage had taken this opportunity to escape.
Vivienne could still see his figure just a short distance away from the peak, Lokan was rushing off in the form of a serpent, his figure flickered, like it was about to vanish, making it obvious how limited his spell's supply was.
She raised her hand, stretching it in Lokan's direction, then slowly closed her fist.
The air around her began to tremble, visually distorting, sending shivers down Simon's spine at the sheer force she was exerting onto her surroundings!
However, Cykrus grabbed her wrist and looked into her eyes, his golden armour was disappearing, starting with the helmet.
Vivienne held his gaze for some time, then exhaled and lowered her arm again, "Are you sure about this? We both know that his master won't let this slide."
Simon looked at her, then at Cykrus, that awful feeling of dread continued growing, 'What is their relationship? Why is that Duchess acting all familiar with him?!'
Cykrus shook his head, a small smile creeped onto his face, "There is no need to stop him. Actually, I want him to report every single detail."
Vivienne bit her lip as he let go of her wrist, "You deceived me. Not only did you not use any of the artefacts I gave you, but you didn't even need them in the first place."
Cykrus nodded, he walked towards the shivering Simon, "You aren't the only one I hid this information from... no one knew; but let me take care of this matter before I formally apologize to you." he brandished his lance, causing Simon to back away.
"Killing me won't change a thing Cykrus." Simon spoke, "You may not be aware, but I am nothing more than a-"
"A figurehead." Cykrus interrupted him, "Trust me, I am painfully aware. Don't you worry your empty head. If I were to compare your family to a snake, then you would be its tongue. Not the most vital organ, but when exterminating beasts, you've got to start somewhere."
"Hah." a mix of emotions spread over Simon's face, it ended on regret, "What I wouldn't give to see the end with my own eyes." then he rushed at Cykrus, fire gathering at the tips of his fingers, forming into a fiery claw, that extinguished just as quickly as the golden lance pierced through his skull.
Simon's eyes dimmed, and he dropped to his knees, before collapsing onto the ground, fresh blood flowing out of the wound.
"You were so keen on starting this war… I'll end it." he sneered at Simon's body, then gestured with his hand, causing an earthen pillar to rise and launch the corpse down the mountain.
The foot-soldiers below were waiting in silence, the battle above had ended, they held their breaths, doubt settled in, if their master had won, why hadn't he declared their victory yet…?
Then a shadow appeared, blocking out a part of the sun, it fell at a tremendous speed, and splattered upon impact, the disgusting sight was accompanied by an equally disgusting sound, whoever these remains belonged to, it was an extremely disrespectful way of treatment after death.
They looked up, their eyes full of expectation, but their Baron did not show himself… instead, a strange noise was approaching from behind them.
Cykrus looked in the same direction, his expression wavered, and the beating of his heart became irregular, Vivienne walked next to him, noticing the twitching of his fingers, "Who is that?" she asked while observing a raging snowstorm moving in their direction, crossing right through the many lines of soldiers with ease.
"The person that scares me the most, more than the Ironhoofs and the royal family combined." Cykrus drew in a cold breath.
Vivienne raised her eyebrow at his statement, but soon she glimpsed upon a vaguely familiar person, hovering at the centre of the storm.
The foot-soldiers below were ravaged without a chance to resist, turning into frozen statues, then shattering by the spell's might, an army of hundreds of trained humans, wiped out in seconds, and all that was left behind was a trail of snow and ice.
Agnes gracefully set down on the peak of the mountain, her gaze washed over the place, then moved onto Vivienne, and finally Cykrus.
Cykrus struggled to show a smile, he was happy to see her, more than he could ever express, but the way she looked at him was terrifying, she appeared unnaturally calm, "Agnes… you've reached rank three! What an incredible feat, I-I am so proud of you." he stepped closer, feeling the aura that radiated off her.
Agnes seized him up, from top to bottom, "You too. Cykrus." she noticed the chaotic state the particles around her were in, "The Baron is dead then?" it was obvious a fight had taken place, but her master looked perfectly fine.
Cykrus stepped even closer, reaching out and placing one of Agnes' hands between both of his, "I… am not sure where to start."
He lowered his head and sighed, "I am so sorry."
"For?" Agnes averted her gaze, her words sounded cold.
"For lying to you." he tightened his grip around her hand, "I was afraid of telling anyone, because I didn't know who could possibly eavesdrop on us. If my rank had gotten out, then I couldn't have created such a perfect opportunity to deal a major blow to the Ironhoofs, and surprisingly, one of the possible inheritors to the royal throne, in one go."
"How much of this was part of your plan? Sending Frey into the competition, me heading into the Land of Fog? Was it all as you envisioned?" she asked, her mouth quivering.
Cykrus lowered his head, "I made him my disciple, but I couldn't bring myself to trust him. If things had gone differently, perhaps I could have taught him stronger spells, but I couldn't. I am not as compassionate as you. There are few people that hold any value in my heart, like you."
"You leaving for the Land of Fog, it was a gamble. If something happened to you while you were in there… I don't even want to imagine such a thing. But more than that, I was afraid of the chance where I am the one losing this duel, and you end up alone to suffer the wrath of the Ironhoofs, as the only remaining part of the Aventia family." hearing his words Agnes looked his way, he sounded genuine, she could read him that much.
"I almost lost you once." he involuntarily thought back to his first and last encounter with Hodwan, the Ironhoof agent, "I don't want to face the risk of that happening again."
"Can you… find it in yourself to forgive this fool?"
Agnes clicked her tongue, "You know damn well that I can't be angry with you for long."
Vivienne coughed and cleared her throat several times, reminding the two that they weren't alone on this peak.
Agnes' mood worsened again as she glared at the remaining person, "And what is she doing here?"
Cykrus let go of Agnes' hands and rubbed the back of his head, "Well, it's a long story…"
Agnes smiled at him, her eyes half-closed, "Oh, I have time."