Larian blinked as his eyes readjusted to the considerably less bright environment of the real world. Taking Null's hand had actually worked.
He searched his surroundings hurriedly. The princess was nowhere in sight. And neither was Null...
"Over here."
Larian's gaze shot to where the voice had come from. But there was nothing there but trees. The voice sounded like Null's and seemed to be moving. Every few seconds it called out again from a different position. Taunting him.
"You're too slow. How are you going to save your princess like that?"
Larian dropped down and placed both hands on the ground. He could feel the roots of all the trees in the grove pulsing beneath his feet. If Null didn't want to face him in the open, then he'd get rid of his cover.
"Fall."
With a single mental command he toppled over every tree in a three mile radius, turning the grove into a clearing.
Null stepped out into the open, arms raised. "Impressive. I was not sure you would actually be able to do that. Finding a different way to clear all these pesky trees would have been quite a hassle."
Larian could sense his armor as well, somewhere underground. It would take a few minutes before it reached him. He doubted he would have enough time to put it on anyway though. His sword would have to do.
He got back up to his feet slowly, keeping his eye on the harbinger. "Where is the princess."
Null shrugged. "No idea. She was gone when I got here. I just said that to rile you up."
He had wanted Larian to get rid of the trees. "Why do you want the trees gone."
Null didn't say anything, he just pointed upwards. Larian kept his eyes on him for a second, in case it was another trick, before following his finger toward the sky.
He took a step back. In the sky floated a giant red circle. No, not just a circle. Some kind of arcane inscription. It was so large it blocked out the moon.
"A transmutation arcanum," Null explained. "The trees were blocking the view you see. So thanks for that."
Larian gripped his swords hilt. This kind of magic required a blood sacrifice. And alot of it, for an arcanum this size.
"Can you feel it?" Null asked, stepping forward. "The blood of the townspeople seeping into the ground? Once the final pieces are in place it will be completed."
Larian didn't have anything else to ask except, "Why?"
Null pointed to the Moonglaive. "The rumors about its wish granting abilities are completely true. Except, just like everything in life, it comes at a price. The larger the sacrifice, the greater the power. You get it right?"
At this point Larian's armor was right underneath his feet.
"You, and your princess are the last pieces." Null continued. He shook his head. "If you had just left when I asked you to, you wouldn't have been caught up in this. But sadly, the ritual is quite specific. Everyone in the arcanum's radius needs to die for this to work."
Larian caught a flash of blue as Null brought out the strange dagger he'd had earlier. He flipped it in his hand. "It'll all be over soon."
Larian struck first. Vines shot up from the ground underneath Null's feet, grabbing him.
At the same time he brought out his armor as well.
But he only had enough time to put on his breastplate. Somehow Null had already gotten free of the vines. In a flash he closed the distance between them, aiming his dagger straight for Larian's head.
Larian didn't have enough time to draw his sword and parry. So he shifted his body so the strike would hit his breastplate.
"Your armor doesn't matter." Null exclaimed.
The dagger left a faint blue trail as it sliced through the air before plunging right through Larian's breastplate.
Pain shot through Larian's body as the blade pierced his flesh. Null pulled it out and readied for another strike but Larian jumped back. Putting as much distance as possible between them.
A trickle of blood escaped his lips, dripping down his chin. He gripped at where the dagger had gone through the breastplate. There was no puncture hole where he had been stabbed.
He studied the dagger gripped in Null's left hand, his blood still dripping off of it. How had it simply passed through his armor.
He released a few neurotoxins into his own bloodstream, to numb the pain. Then he pulled his sword out, pointing it towards his opponent.
Null tossed the dagger back and forth in each hand as he walked toward Larian. "You could just give up now. Save both of us some time."
Larian answered by dashing forward, sword first. Null blocked the strike with his dagger. Tiny sparks flying as the blades clashed against each other repeatedly.
Despite the difference in their weapons Null was able to stand his own quite easily.
In fact, Larian realized. He was gaining the upper hand. Another direct hit like before and even numbing his senses wouldn't help.
The spot where Larian had been stabbed throbbed with every meeting of blades. He couldn't feel the pain as much but he was still bleeding. He would have to do something about it soon, to avoid bleeding out.
"You don't look so good." Null remarked. His voice almost drowned out by the sound of the blades hitting each other.
Larian ignored him, trying to keep his focus.
But the neurotoxin he had used to numb the pain also made also made his movements sluggish.
He winced as Null's dagger sliced past his face, leaving a deep cut on his cheek. Close combat wouldn't work in his favor, so he'd have to pull back and put some distance between them.
Luckily his Virtue was well suited for combat at any range. He felt a grin growing on his face, blood from the cut on his cheek dripping past his lip. He licked it, a coppery taste filling his mouth.
Then he threw his sword straight at Null's head, distracting him for a second while he dropped both hands to the ground.
Null swatted the sword away, but he wasn't fast enough to stop Larian's next move. At this point the growing grin had covered Larian's whole face. It was strange. He was so close to death, and yet he had never felt so alive.
"Bloom."
The ground around them erupted, giant vines growing upwards. The first of them hitting Null square in the chest and carrying him along its ascent. Larian followed.
He fashioned a makeshift spear out of a vine as he ran up after Null, spinning it around.
Meanwhile Null was regaining his posture. He pulled himself back onto his feet on the still rising vines. Just in time to barely dodge Larian's spear. With a quick swipe of his dagger he cut it in two, the pointed half falling down to the ground far below.
He flipped his dagger grip, readying for a slash. Larian held the other end of his speak in front of him in an attempt to guard. But it didn't matter. Null brought the dagger down.
Larian coughed blood as he was slashed across his torso. He was still holding out half of the spear, it and his breastplate had not been scratched. Just his flesh. The vines stopped rising as he dropped to his knee.
"You look curious," Null mused, standing above him. "Shall I tell you, the nature of this dagger?"
Larian didn't answer, his blood dripping through his shirt and being absorbed by his vines.
Null continued anyway. "As I said earlier, your armor doesn't matter. Because this blade cannot be defended against. It cuts whatever I want it to cut, without exception and ignores any and all interruptions. So you see, as long as I have this you have no chance of winning."
Null couldn't see the smile on Larian's lowered head. By then his vines had already soaked up most of the gushing blood. He had also numbed his senses even more. He could barely feel his limbs now, but he could still move.
His Virtue, Death's Blossom, grew stronger the more blood he fed it. So the closer he was to death, the more powerful it got. But Null hadn't noticed it yet.
He also didn't notice the two thin vines creeping up from both his sides. They wrapped around his legs holding him in place.
Before he could cut himself free Larian lunged at him, knocking him down. He pinned the hand holding the dagger down and knocked it out of his grip. It flew off the side of the vine and disappeared.
"Thanks for the information." Larian answered.
Null grimaced slightly, but he hadn't stopped smiling. "Don't thank me just yet. I may have withheld some of it."
Larian found himself unable to reply, his mouth filled with blood all of a sudden. He gasped, coughing it out. It splattered on the side of Null's face.
Larian lowered his head shakily. Null's other arm, which Larian hadn't been pinning down, had been plunged into his chest.
"The dagger is just an extension of my own Virtue. I am the only one that matters, in the end." Null explained. Larian winced as he retracted his arm from his chest. Once again his armor was untouched. "Sorry for misleading you a bit. But you really should have seen it coming."
Larian's hands gave out and he fell limply onto Null, his face right beside his.
Null patted his back lightly before whispering into his ear. "It's quite a shame really. If you had been up against any harbinger apart from me, you just might have won."
All around them the vines began to shrivel up and die. And then they began to fall as well.