Mikoto clicked his teeth as he threw off a chunk of concrete from his body. Standing up, he glanced around the debris field area of what was once a building. Some mannequins and attire were strewn about; this was a clothing store, no doubt. But he ignored that for now as heavy footsteps approached him.
"Hm, I was hoping to finish you off with that," a gruff feminine voice uttered as someone stepped into view.
She was tall and muscular, with a tan complexion and long, wild, vibrant yellow-blonde hair that flew outwards. She wore a one-eyed patch over her left eye, and her other eye was a striking red.
Her attire consisted of a sleeveless, white, cropped top with an open front design showing off her abs along with a black, short, fitted top, and a layered, decorative belted jacket with black and gold orange accents. The jacket appeared to be layered over the white top and beneath the darker, mustard/orange-colored elements. Her lower body was clad in black shorts and thigh-high boots with white stripes contrasting against the black. A large, pale-cream-colored creature, resembling a stylized wolf or canine, stood idly to her side. The creature had significant yellow decorative elements on its face and head. It was stylized and vibrant; it was at least as large as a horse.
"You the bastard that sent me flying?" Mikoto questioned.
"No, that bastard would be Naga here," she corrected, her single red eye sizing him up, as the now-named Naga gave a fierce growl that resonated through the ruined space. "Look kid, I ain't really on board with killing a few people who can't even fight back. So if you retreat, I'll spare your life."
Mikoto found his brow twitching uncontrollably. "You'll spare my life?" Mikoto scoffed at the notion. "If I knew a clown was attacking today, I would have gotten some popcorn for the show."
At that, the beast Naga growled even more viciously, its immense mana spilling out. Mikoto took note of the properties of the mana; it was similar to Telluris's in a way. He could not ponder the matter further as the large woman spoke.
"Well, I like a confident man, I suppose," she flexed and stretched her arms in preparation. "Since I couldn't sense your mana, I gauged you were keeping it hidden, meaning you have quite the bundle of it. And my instincts tell me you're strong, and they've never led me astray thus far."
"Your instincts should also tell you you're about to get your ass kicked."
"Underestimating one's opponent is a sure way to defeat, boy," she warned casually. "Oh well, I am the Ancestor of Might, Britha. Prepare yourself, boy."
Britha locked an eye on Mikoto as she and Naga charged forward with eerie synchronicity. The ground trembled beneath their force, and a burst of sound erupted as they broke the sound barrier, a piercing shockwave radiating outward, sending smaller fragments of debris skittering across the ground. The moment seemed to stretch; Mikoto's instinctive reaction was one of caution as he took a step back to prepare a spell. He smoothly slid back, eyes narrowing beneath his helm, and braced himself, feeling the rush of mana whirl around him.
In the split second that followed, Britha thrust herself into action, launching from the ground with unparalleled force, feet trailing a phantom afterimage as she closed the distance in a heartbeat. Mikoto frowned; he sensed the enveloping presence of Naga accompanying her in a powerful leap. He focused, intent on conjuring a simple defensive spell. But luck took a twist—his foot caught on a jagged chunk of rubble concealed beneath the dust, sending him sprawling backward, arms flailing as he lost his center of balance.
"!?"
Time decelerated as he crashed onto his back. Just as he attempted to regain his composure, Britha bore down upon him, propelled by gravity and her own fierce force, closing the last of the distance in a blur of speed. Summoning all of her strength, she unleashed a powerful right hook. Mikoto, instinctively snapping his arms up in haste to block, felt the impact resonate through his armored forearms—not outright painful, yet undeniably forceful enough to send him soaring like a ragdoll into the air, his back arched as he flew.
In a seamless continuation of their synergy, Naga leapt powerfully alongside him. Its enormous form arced gracefully, the creature's jaw snapping open wide to create a fearsome image above Mikoto, ready to unleash a barrage of attacks that could crush even the most seasoned fighter. As they tumbled through the air, Mikoto grimaced, conjuring raw mana within his palm. A simple fire spell ignited with brilliant ferocity as he extended his hand, releasing a torrent of blistering flames aimed directly at them.
Yet, in a twist of luck, as the flames surged forth, everything shifted and missed; Naga collided into Mikoto with incredible speed. The impact was akin to that of a siege engine battering down walls, hurling him through the remnants of a nearby structure. Britha stood on the ground, watching him become a living projectile flinging through the air, engulfed in his own vibrant flames that spiraled into nothingness before dissipating into the aftermath.
As Mikoto crashed into the crumbling stone wall of the building, shards of architecture crumpled around him. Of course, he felt no injury; instead, confusion clouded his mind. Gritting his teeth, he scratched his helmet, dazed, and squinted against the settling dust that enveloped him. The calamitous energy of the encounter hung thick in the air, and for an elongated moment, Mikoto frowned as his eyes dissected his misfortune.
Of course his mind raced to piece together the puzzle of confusion and misfortune he had just endured. He quickly recognized the palpable energy emanating from Naga. ("That thing commands the very fabric of chance. What a nasty power.") With his Chthonia, capable of discerning the unseen currents of magic and more, Mikoto could all but witness the creature's probability manipulation in action. ("This will be a pain to deal with.")
Britha and Naga approached him once more, Mikoto's mind turned sharp as he met Britha's eyes, the intensity between them all but igniting sparks. "Tch, nifty trick. But are you just banking on your pet's luck to pull you through?" he taunted.
Britha remained unfazed, her expression unreadable. "You aim to undermine my strength with childish barbs, boy? I fight for more than mere victory." Her voice rang clear amidst the ruins, echoing with sincerity as she continued approaching. Mikoto envisioned the inner workings of probability, plotting to thwart Naga's influence. Yet, as Britha surged toward him with explosive speed once more, a mental fog suddenly clouded his focus. Just as he felt the counter spell slip from his mind, Naga flickered momentarily in his vision, its luminous form moving with a tantalizing speed.
With swift movements, Britha launched herself Naga mirrored her motion, powerful strides synchronized, as the probability of their successful assault on Mikoto coalesced. "Damn it!" Mikoto shouted, the confusion eating at him, fueling his annoyance so he improvised, sealing his intentions into a single surge of focused mana.
With a sweeping gesture, he summoned forth the chaotic glyph, a large circular symbol carving itself into the air beneath Britha and Naga. Runes etched and glimmered, vibrant with power, as brilliant crimson energy swirled at its core. The glyph pulsed ominously, a heartbeat of destruction waiting to be unleashed.
And then, at last, it happened: a resounding detonation erupted from the glyph, a towering crimson beacon erupting forth as a cataclysmic wave of mana roared outward, engulfing both Britha and Naga in a bright incandescent destruction that illuminated the ruin around them. The roar of magic consumed the air, reverberating off the remnants of the decaying structures, shaking the ground beneath Mikoto's feet. A blinding explosion blossomed, lighting the environment with chaotic abandon, and the destructive wave ripped apart the ground, splintering stone and debris.
As the mana danced, Mikoto stood among the destruction, confusion twisting with annoyance. There were no audible cries from his opponents; they were swallowed whole by the eruption, yet nothing
As the scorching beacon of mana dimmed, the arena transformed before Mikoto's eyes. Britha, unscathed and seemingly serene amidst the dissipating mana. The swirling mana particles danced gracefully around her, her form wreathed in a protective aura that glimmered with a faint bluish hue. The defensive magic enveloping her was a marvel.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Mikoto's mind focused, disassembling the blueprint of the magic with methodical precision. "She's enhanced her defenses to such a degree, adaptive no absolute defense..." he muttered, his eyes narrowing as he scanned Britha's body. But it wasn't just Britha—a nostalgic surge of annoyance washed over him as he focused on Naga, who remained undeterred, glistening in the aftermath with an almost playful smirk, unbothered by the destruction he had summoned. Mikoto understood his vision crystal-clear: he needed to shift the battleground away from the capital; he would not doom the people by allowing this conflict to escalate further.
Mikoto channeled raw magic into his limbs, preparing for one mighty leap. The air around him crackled with charged mana as he pushed from the ground, the force echoing through the city like a thunderclap—a sonic boom ripping through the tranquility of the ruined structures surrounding him. In an instant, he ascended into the sky, propelled by sheer power as he rocketed upward, a streak of light. The city below became a mosaic of shattered stone, shrinking with each passing moment as he soared higher, reveling in the crisp air that rushed against him.
As he climbed higher, Mikoto cast a furtive glance to his right, spotting Britha coiling atop Naga, who inexplicably began to grow in size. Its eyes locked onto Mikoto with predatory intent as it flew through the air. Britha, poised and regal within her companion's embrace. Mikoto flew further until he pierced the atmosphere, leaving behind not just the capital but the world below. Through the azure depths of the atmosphere, he ascended into space, an infinite expanse unfolding before him, eternal and breathtaking. He gazed out at the vastness of the cosmos—the grand picture of the solar system expansive and wondrous, speckled with celestial bodies glittering like gemstones. Planets of various sizes spun within their defined orbits, each an intriguing tale of beauty. The sun, a vibrant inferno, burned brightly in the distance, casting light that moved off the nearby celestial bodies—a vibrant display that was truly otherworldly.
As Mikoto hovered against the backdrop of the cosmos, he felt the pressure of space encase him. He simply created the needed oxygen to sustain himself via magic. A glyph glowed faintly around him, runes illuminating as they spun into existence, forming a protective dome of magical energy that allowed him to draw breath in this weightless isolation. Instantly, Mikoto felt the familiar sensation of air fill his lungs, with a simple thought the barrier became translucent.
Britha and Naga followed him up into the darkness, breaking through the atmospheric barrier as they neared his position. Naga, now a gigantic entity against the cosmos, its scales reflected myriad hues of star and nebula. Britha, regally seated upon Naga, her hair cascading like a comet's trail, surveyed Mikoto with interest gleaming in her eyes.
"Interesting place to continue our bout," Britha mused somehow unbothered by being in the vacuum of space. Naga's doing no doubt.
("That thing's probability control is absurd, it's going beyond the scope of controlling it. He can decide and alter it, what an annoying power. Altering the probability so they can survive here in space,") But Mikoto was not worried however as he merely smiled, "Familial Arts: Seraphic Chorus- Invincible Titan of Celestial Armies, Unrelenting Harbinger of Divine Fate, Supreme Executioner of the Heavens, and Indefatigable Champion of Order, General Magnus."