The shiny granite pillars were turned to rubble. The exquisite-looking floors were now covered in dust and the massive room was filled with smoke. The building was slowly crumbling as it could no longer support its weight.
Floating in mid-air were the two who created this product. Though one fought to protect while one fought to conquer...The one who fought to conquer had just claimed victory as he held the current king by his face.
[" MOVE!!! I NEED TO MOVE!"]
His body wouldn't respond, it was like he was paralyzed. Tsuckos glowing right hand slowly grew brighter and brighter, and Ichi slowly felt numbness spread from his face to the rest of his body.
"Clang!"
His grip on the sword was lost as it fell to the ground echoing throughout the room. The building continued to crumble around them but Tsucko wouldn't move, his only expression being a pleasant smile as he seemed to relish in the moment.
[" WH-WHATS HAPPENING TO ME!"]
All of Ichi's limbs dangled as he lost all control over them. His arms and feet dangled helplessly as Tsuckos smile grew wider...Before suddenly breaking out into cynical laughter.
" HAHAHAHA!!! To think you would...HAHAha!....Fall for simple replication magic!!"
[" Huh!?"] Ichis eyes widened. A terrified look was within them at the realization of how truly strong his foe was...and how utterly pointless the entire fight was.
[There's no way...The mana wasn't any weaker than what I was sensing up till then...Replication magic is based on how much mana you pour into it to determine how believable it is. No one can create a perfect replica of their body or mana."]
Tsuckos mana had been relative to Ichis the whole fight, meaning he couldn't have created a replica that held the mana he had at that moment without completely burning himself out...Unless he is massively holding back.
["There's no way...To create that replica...He would have to be at least two times as much mana as I initially thought...He'd be two times stronger than me,!"]
" I thank you," Tsucko spoke retaining the same smile. " You pushed me further than anyone in this kingdom has thus far...For that reason, I'll make your death as painless as possible."
Tsuckos grip tightened around Ichi's mouth who could do nothing but await his death. Tsuckos right hand is a bright yellow now as it seemed to stop getting brighter...Suddenly, Ichi watched as his skin, muscles, and even bones began to flake off and turn into dust.
" This is a cast I've been working on, you'll be the first of many who will parish to it...Increasing your age at a speed faster than sound your body begins to decompose from the inside out...Until it is turned to dust."
[" That's what happened to my wrist guard, then it works on material too--"]
The light began to fade as Ichi lost consciousness...He couldn't see it but half of his body from the chest down had already been turned to dust, his internal organs had already been destroyed...He had lost.
" All it takes is the activation. If I touch any part of your bare skin. Within a second I activate the cast and the process starts...You luckily had that wrist guard earlier or else this would have already been over."
Ichi couldn't hear him as his ears had been blown away. Tsucko let go of his face and watched it flake and vanish before it could hit the floor...His sheath of his back then fell landing next to the sword it held.
The storm outside had grown much more violent as the fight progressed. The wind was raging outside and the raindrops flooded into the building through the hole in the roof making a constant tapping noise that seemed to match the sound of Tsuckos feet hitting the floor.
[" This sword"] He reached down and picked it up along with the sheath. [" He broke the deal of the ritual, meaning that ability has been cast away."] With a click, the sword was returned to its holder. Tsucko strapped it around his waist using mana to create a bind between him and the sword meaning it could only be lost if that bind was broken. [ " I can still find a use for it."]
"BANG!!!"
A thunderous crash shook the building which was already unsteady...A piece of stone came falling for Tsucko who cast his mana wire and cut it into tiny pieces scattering it on the floor.
" What was that?"
The sound of swords clashing cut into the sound of raindrops. Screams of pain and gasps of air could be heard from the outside. Seeing as there was only one other person here willing to fight an army.
" Kalci...Of course."
Tsucko walked to the door with a couple of threads of mana wire connected to his right hand in case of falling debris. The clashing of weapons began to grow more fierce and the groans of the wounded grew louder and louder.
The door was blocked by rubble. Tsucko with the flick of his finger cut the rubble and the door horizontally causing it to fall outside revealing a most enjoyable sight for Tsucko,
Kalci was standing surrounded by bodies of swordsmen and true mages. A group of swordsmen had surrounded him and were actively engaging him. Though Kalci's skill had grown a great deal since his battle with the Aces guards. So these men were no problem.
" SHING SHINK"
With two swift swings of his blade, he cut two of them down. Then jumping over another who charged at him he landed a kick sending the soldier barreling into the others. With a quick reaction, he then dodged a swing and impaled a man through the chest, and followed up by slicing another soldier across the stomach.
" RAH!"
" BOOM!!"
Then a man dressed in white and black knight armor leaped into the sky and descended a great sword onto Kalci...The sword resembled the one of the Aces guard Tsucko had killed but with a black middle and red edges.
Kalci leaped back avoiding the attack, but the man with incredible speed charged ahead swinging at his legs...Kalci leaped over again and landed a blow with his sword across his back, but the armor was thick, and took the strike with no problem.
[" That's the general of the military garrison..."] He could tell due to the patch on his left shoulder. An Aces playing card but instead of holding a shield...It held a sword.
Kalci blocked a strike and dodged getting to the back of the general. Landing another strike across the armor doing little damage at all. In return, the general swung his great sword in an upward motion clashing against Kalci's sword, but the weight differential was too great and lifted Kalci off the ground toward Tsucko.
Kalci seeing Tsucko approaching flipped in mid-air and slid to a stop next to him...The general with all his troops then looked to Tsucko with a surprised faces...Some seemed to immediately know what this meant, while some seemed to refuse the reality.
"You are the general. Right?" Tsukco locked with the ferocious eyes of the heavily armored general who seemed to grow angrier every second he looked back at Tsucko. " Stand down," Tsucko spoke with a commanding tone.
" Ha!" The general shifted his weight in preparation to charge. " Why the hell should I listen to you...You piece of human garba-"
" SHINK!!"
The general felt a sharp pain across his right knee. He attempted to still take a step but immediately collapsed...Looking down he saw a pool of blood seeping from the bottom of his armor....A long horizontal cut at the knee.
Faster than he could react Tsucko sent a thread of mana wire at the general cutting straight through his armor and shredding the inner muscles of his right knee causing him to collapse. The man looked up to the raging blue resembling ocean waves during a bad storm. And with an emotionless face, he parted his lips.
" Stand down. Your king orders it."