After the conversation with Oscar, Ayomide and Myra's parents entered a serious discussuon on how to handle the situation.
"For this to still occur even right under our noses and to this extent. There is high chance that someone notable is backing them up." Duke Gerard stated, getting an affirmed response from his father.
"We should act in secrecy as we deal with this." Duke Gerard's wife, Esther reinforced his statement.
"I'll have my 'specialized knights' take care of this. If anything comes up, I'll inform you." Emeritus Ayomide replied, stating what he had in mind.
The specialized knights he was talking about were his own private force of dark mages. Even the emperor wasn't aware of this, it wasn't a crime for a high noble to possess a private force but for someone like the him, who personally train them, It was threatening to say the least.
*****
At another section of the Iyun manor, two individuals gazed at each other with serious expressions.
"I don't intend to pull back my attacks." Myra said.
"Neither do I." Oscar replied.
They both stood at relatively far distance from each other, with about one hundred and fifty metre away. This action surprised Myra as Oscar's know combat style was at close range.
"Surprised?" Oscar softly chuckled.
"A little bit. Talk is cheap, let's see what you got." Myra took a stance, getting ready to start the match.
The mood became intense as Myra was the first to initiate an attack using a dark magic spell, she cast a dark cloud over his head.
This cloud spell cast an eerie twilight over the scene of their battle. It's purpose was to weaken and slow down the opponent.
Oscae on the other hand, was calm his body, coated in flames flickering, his eyes glowed with intent, the air around him was also affected by the radiation of heat he was emitting. Myra's spell did nothing to weaken him.
'What kind of skill is this?'
From the distance, she could also feel the rise in temperature. She had sparred with fire mages before, none of them made the air shimmer in heat.
He was about to send out a flame fist when Myra acted again.
She didn't fret as she continued to attack, creating tendrils of dark mana coiling around his feet, affecting his movements, the flame fist he had sent veered off in the wrong direction due to her spell.
Oscar didn't let on as he threw another flame fist, this time it was precisely heading in her direction but before it could reach her it dissipated, sucked into the darkness.
"I'm a dark mage. Do I need to remind you of the powers I possess." Myra grinned as she changed her stance, amping up her attacks in the process. The tendrils hold on Oscar grew stronger, the strange thing of it all was that the more mana he used, the stronger the tendrils became. It was at that moment that he realized.
'Fuck! My mana is getting sucked up.'
Redirecting his path of attack to his feet, he sought to destroy the tendrils, he blew them off but they regenerated a second later. He struck them off again and switched his position, jumping away and escaping the entrapment.
Before he could regain his footing, his chest was blasted with another spell.
Myra didn't stop or hold back as she attacked Oscar consecutively bombarding him with attacks. Leaving him with no time to dodge or counter. She had the upper hand.
Suddenly, a torrential downpour of flames were unleashed at her position, yet Myra stood unmoved, her arms covered with dark mana, she created an impenetrable wall of darkness swallowing the attack whole.
More attacks were launched by Oscar trying to tear down her defense and land a hit. Myra extended her attack outwards, every spell she used to attack him either fed off on his mana or drained him of it.
This was the reason why dark mages were considered terrifying, they either used your mana against you by feeding on it or sucked you dry. Either way, you will be rendered useless.
The entire field was shrouded in darkness, Oscar's whole body was restrained by chains of dark mana, only his head was free.
"I thought you were stronger, maybe it was just your physique because in terms of fighting with magic, you are still lacking. It's best if you admit your defeat now." Myra spoke as she stared at Oscar.
"Oh Myra, it's far from over." Oscar voiced out, his eyes gleaming with battle intent.
"It's time to turn it up a notch." Oscar's expression turned serious as he said this.
The air crackled with energy, the heat intensifying, Oscar narrowed his eyes, controlling his breathing he let out a turbid air, the colour of the flames around him changed from a reddish-orange to a vibrant yellow.
A vast body of flames was sent Myra's way, threatening to swallow her whole, she used her dark magic to counter but all attacks failed to stop it, only speeding it up as it came closer.
Her last wall of defence which she had held up was broken, the fire broke through instantly.
Myra shrouded herself in a dark mist and appeared several paces away from the attack, successfully dodging it.
"Have you been holding back all this while." Myra asked almost agitated.
"I wouldn't say that, more like I was gauging your strength. You might be syne two but I have fought mages stronger than you." Oscar answered.
"So what are you saying, that I am weak."
"No, what I am saying is although we called this spar but we aren't going to get anywhere like this."
"What do you mean?"
"Come at me, with a stronger intent."
"Stronger intent? Do you mean to kill?" Myra's expression was one of bewilderment.
Oscar shrugged in response. Neither accepting nor refuting the meaning of his suggestion.
"That forest really did a number on you huh."
"You say that like it's my fault."
"Well no one told you to go get lost in a forest."
"True, but that venture made me realize a whole lot of things."
"Like what?"
"I don't like sparring if there's nothing serious involved."
"Are you planning to kill me?"
"No of course not, it would be hard to do that in one shot anyways."
"What?" Myra's brows were raised in response to his statement.
Oscar calmly walked forward as he talked.
"Listen, if you were in syne one, I would never have accepted this spar. But knowing your strength and the strategy you put behind your attacks is why I suggested it in the first place."
"Okay, I understand."
"Good, now come at me with the intent to kill and I will respond in kind."
Accepting the new factor they have set to their spar, the mood changed.
Oscar started, his eyes displayed a relentless resolve as he controlled the flames, shaping into orbs above his head. He threw them at Myra, the orbs were raining down like firey meteors. Causing damage as they hit the ground with explosive force.
Myra countered this move by casting a whirlwind of shadows with herself in the centre, it destroyed the orbs, leaving only remnants of dark mana in it's wake.
Once again, Myra sent tendrils of dark mana snaking across the ground reaching for Oscar and wrapping around his legs, but his legs emitted a burst of flames burning the tendrils away before they could fully latch onto him.
Oscar then channeled his mana all to a specific path releasing a powerful attack, the heat was so intense that even the air was distorted. Myra's figure was momentarily lost in the flames.
However, Myra came out from the centre of the firestorm, she wasn't unscathed though, a bit battered but still in a condition to continue the fight.
Myra raised her hands, casting another spell. She extinguished the flames around her the darkness kept spreading. Oscar shifted back trying to get farther from the area of her spell but as if it was locked onto him, it kept moving forward.
Every spell he shot was consumed by the darkness. The training grounds was plunged into darkness once more, almost dimming Oscar's flames completely.
Myra was about to recite the last parts of her spell but he didn't let her. He ignited the air with flames all over, Myra tried to suppress it but was knocked back by the heat of Oscar's flames.
She almost fell but regained her footing at the last point, she succeeded in reciting the last part of her spell. However, Oscar's wall of flames was also incoming.
"Boom!" A brilliant explosion resounded in the training grounds. The air was dyed in smoke and ashes.
The smoke cleared up in a few seconds leaving one person standing and the other on the ground, tired and weakened.
"Are you okay?" Oscar asked as he walked towards her lending her a hand.
"Ugh, yeah. Yeah I'm okay." She grunted in displeasure. Mostly from losing the fight than from getting hit.
She looked at Oscar who held his hand out for her.
"..."
"???"
"..."
"???"
After staring at each other for a few seconds, Oscar decided to inquire.
"Myra what's wrong?"
Raising her arms she said.
"Carry me."
"???"