Zan, a nation known for being one of if not the most battle-tested people around. Due to their position as the most hated nation, there had only been a few times when the Nation of Zan wasn't in a war. Yet still, the people live in relative luxury, due to the fact that if any nation points a blade at Zan, they would have to meet their soldiers; people willing to fight till their last breath for their Empire.
The deep murky waters of the Dark Swamp were parted as Rico and the merfolk swam through them with blazing speed. Using a light, the Zanian merfolk managed to traverse the dark waters, while being protected by mages up on the trees. In their hands were bows, and on the other, arrows; and with them, they terrorized the invading Huldian pirates as they would launch themselves up from the water and shoot before going back in.
Although numbering fewer than fifty, the merfolk's hit-and-run tactics had the Huldians covering themselves, gaining no ground on the offensive front. Those who tried to attack the merfolk were shot down by the archers; and those trying to protect both from the sky and the waters by forming shield walls like that of a turtle, were bashed by the beast assisting Zan.
The Huldian pirates had no answer to the sudden attack by the Zanians, their strategists tried to quickly make a plan to retaliate. But while this was the state of the infantry battlefield, it was different with the champions.
In a single ship, over ten champions battled hard for their side's victory, especially that of the two sides' leaders. Rapl and Dyrin began to trade hits, with the Lich apprentice landing punches toward Dyrin's gut and the Pirate leader slicing Rapl's body, it was looking like that of the first fight. But as they clashed kutha again, Dyrin had felt that the big lightning attack Rapl hit him with at the start was getting to him.
"Slowing down?" Rapl taunted, also knowing how much damage he actually dealt. But as to shut him up, Dyrin's knife began to ignite with a raging blaze.
"FLAME DANCE!!" He chanted, lunging at Rapl; the lesser Lich tried to defend himself but Dyrin managed to land two swings with his blade and a punch, cutting and bruising Rapl, "Now you're talkin' huh?" Dyrin replied with his own taunt as he kicked Rapl in the face.
Rapl foreseeing this, pulled his head back as he prepared a punch. Dyrin seeing it, decided to clash with him, Dyrin's blade and Rapl's fist both connected, sending both of them back a few feet. A lull came over them as both tried to make up plans to defeat each other, "Master told me to conserve my All-Seeing-Eye uses, but this guy is relentless and throws each attack with full force, I might have to focus more mana into perception."
Dyrin was also talking to himself, "If I can keep up with my constant attacks I'll force him to overuse his gift like I did last time… but he's smart, and I reckon he'll not make the same mistake he did last time." But in the middle of Dyrin's thinking, Rapl suddenly appeared right in front of him, panicking he cast an Aegis shield to block an attack from Rapl.
But Rapl's figure then dissolved as Dyrin realized that it was all an illusion, and Rapl hadn't even moved from his starting position. Using an Aegis takes a lot more mana than using an illusion, so Dyrin quickly figured out what Rapl was trying to do; so as he stared at Rapl who was still standing still about forty feet away from him, he didn't get to see the punch coming to hit at full force.
The real Rapl landed a direct kutha punch on Dyrin's jaw, causing Dyrin to recoil, but he then used that momentum to turn and try to hit Rapl. But using no gifts nor mana, Rapl dodged the attack, and dodged the incoming two-hit combo, "You're getting predictable now?" The lesser Lich continued to taunt as he weaved and dodged most of the attacks, only using his gift when he didn't know how to dodge a certain attack.
But as Rapl dodged, he began to counter, landing small tight hits in the middle of Dyrin's big swings. After missing ten shots in a row and getting punished for it, Dyrin decided to change up plans. As he threw a punch at Rapl, he stopped mid-way, so as Rapl tried to dodge, he continued his shot, and due to Rapl already setting himself down, Dyrin managed to land cleanly on Rapl.
"He's adapting," Rapl thought as he was hit again by Dyrin. Fearing that the momentum was changing, Rapl tried to start using more mana in his shots to make Dyrin more cautious.
"IGNIS!!"
"FLAME SHOT!!"
But as if Dyrin predicted this would happen, he perfectly timed Rapl's attack with his own, causing both to take damage. Although they equally did as much damage to each other, Rapl knew that because of Dyrin's durability, he would be the one who would lose, just like last time, "He wants it to be a brawl, I can't let him have that." Rapl made distance again, but Dyrin didn't stop attacking, constantly pressuring the lesser Lich into exchanges where he knew he would win.
But as the leaders were fighting, Dyrin's second-in-command and Rapl's swordsman were also going toe to toe. Ja'Klei and Bok battled in a close-range fight, with the wind swordsman creeping up on the orc mage as Ja'Klei used Aegis to block and spells to counter. But Bok mostly used up his body's energy instead of his mana, "You can't block forever mage."
Ja'Klei scoffed at Bok's taunt, "Fire Serpent!" He cast, producing a serpent-like beast made of flames that hunted Bok down like Sevi's Hundred Fireflies. But as Bok was distracted by the beast, Ja'Klei prepared his staff, "FULCRUM!!" And with a loud voice, he began to cast a wave of flames towards Bok, forcing him to also cast a spell.
"Splitting Gale!!" With a swing down, Bok launched a slice of wind toward Ja'Klei, and unlike his regular Rend attacks, this one overpowered Ja'Klei's spaced-out mana, causing the orc to get cut on his arm and shoulder. But it was all part of Ja'Klei's plan, for as Bok cut through his spell, the orc's Fire Serpent got enough time to bite down on Bok's shoulder.
And as Ja'Klei felt his mana entering Bok's body, he pointed his staff at Bok yet again, "SHOCK!!" A current of electricity burst inside Bok's body. But even with his entire body moving and shaking, aching from the pain of the lightning, the swordsman stomped down on the ground, and launched himself towards Ja'Klei, still with the Flame Serpent on his shoulder.
The orc expected this, in their battle outside Krome's walls, the Zanian swordsman walked through so many of his spells, spells that would've killed many normal people. As Bok lifted his blade to cut down Ja'Klei, the orc lifted his staff and it began to ignite with flames.
"FULCRUM!!" He yelled, pushing Bok's blade back as the unending fire was too strong for his body.
"CRUSHING DRAUGHT!!" At least that's what Ja'Klei thought, but Bok's blade began to be engulfed in a forward force of wind. A wind that was so strong some pirates in the boat got thrown off, a wind so strong it caused the other ships to be pushed back, a wind so strong it parted the canopy of the swamp, revealing the light of the night.
"WHAT THE!!" Ja'Klei expressed as he used his free hand to cast a wind spell to move him away from the shot quickly, and as he stopped using Fulcrum and moved away, Bok's Crushing Draught was so strong it broke a part of the first floor of the boat and caused it all to shake.
Everyone in the boat turned towards Bok, surprised at the power he carried. But their expectations were further surpassed as the swordsman continued to pursue Ja'Klei. But as he was about to pressure the orc again, Ja'Klei took a deep breath as he looked at his opponent with a serious expression, "Alright, let's stop messing around."
Instantly, a bolt of lightning fired from the skies, something Bok barely dodged, but what came next was something he knew all too well.
"A Hundred Fireflies." Bok prepared his blade as he got ready to block every flame spark there was. But as he lifted his blade, a figure of a serpent in flames met it, and it was strength that brought his blade down; and seeing that he was open, Ja'Klei commanded all the sparks to hit Bok all at once.
Bok felt flames swallowed up his body as all the sparks hit him. Trying to escape from the serpent's grasp, he tried to use his mana. But the second his blade began to swirl with wind, a bolt of lightning came upon him, and again, and again. Bok was taking so much damage that he felt his body shutting down. Then, after the fourth lightning strike, Ja'Klei saw the body of Bok was smoking, and eventually, he saw his body go limp as it began to fall to the ground.
But before his face could hit the shattered wooden ground, his legs came back to life, lifting his figure straight back up as his sword raged with an unrelenting wind. Bok's lip began to bleed as he bit it to stay awake, "DO NOT THINK I FALL THAT EASILY!!" Bok stated with a loud voice, lifting his blade, decapitating the flame serpent, and overpowering the lightning coming at him.
Ja'Klei felt a sweat go down his face, but the excitement of a real battle consumed the fear in his body, "I DIDN'T THINK SO!! IT WOULD BE BORING IF THAT WOULD HAPPEN!!!" Ja'Klei shared Bok's intensity as three fire serpents infused with lightning came out of his staff, hissing at Bok's roaring blade, wind began to envelop his body, spraying the blood from his shoulders everywhere.
The champions and soldiers in the boat began to cover themselves as the two warriors' magic was overwhelming. Ivor, who was battling the swordsaint, looked upon Ja'Klei's smile with shock, "I have never seen him that excited ever since he beat Verti for Dyrin's second-in-command position." But Ivor being distracted for a few seconds cost him as an arrow ripped through his metal-cladded body, piercing deep within his flesh.
Ivor grunted in pain, an expression the swordsaint observed. Like a shark to a bleeding prey, the swordsaint rushed towards Ivor, intending to disable the champion giving him the most trouble out of the group. But before he could stab Ivor, one of Dyrin's champions interrupted him, shoving his shield to redirect the swordsaint's thrust.
"IVOR WE CAN'T AFFORD TO LOSE OUR CONCENTRATION!!" The champion yelled, but as quickly as he warned Ivor, he fell. Turning to him, Ivor saw that the champion had his arm sliced off, only living that long via adrenaline. Rage filled Ivor as his muscles tensed up; with all of his might, he swung his hammer towards the swordsaint.
Knowing it would hurt him, the swordsaint dodged, "QUAKE!!" But as he did, Ivor stomped the ground hard, rocking part of the boat. But since his perception was heightened, the swordsaint already knew there was going to be an attack, so he decided to trade, swinging at Ivor as he fired a rend.
The swordsaint only got a bit rocked, but a massive gash appeared on Ivor's chest. Other champions engaged with the swordsaint yet again, while Ivor once again got shot from the trees. It was too overwhelming, the might of the swordsaint combined with the constant pressure of the champion up top on the canopy was too much for the champions of Dyrin.
The infantry of Dyrin on the ship could only hopelessly watch; it is a rule in warfare that if there is a champion present, enemy champions cannot attack normal infantry, unless, the infantry attacks the champion. The soldiers wanted to help their champions so badly, but doing so would subject them towards the swordsaint, and the demon raining down arrows below the canopy.
With Helga, it wasn't looking good either, she had suffered a massive burn scar on her shoulder, and her ear and cheek were frost-bitten. Her pack of champions had landed pretty good shots at the two mages in front of them, but they all knew that they would eventually lose.
Although not as strong as the swordsaint, Sevi and Alex were still two demons to anyone who faced them; individually they were terrifying, and together they were a nightmare. Sevi's speed and destruction meant he protected Alex while she was doing her spells, and Alex's defense and hard-hitting spells meant she protected Sevi's more reckless moves whilst being able to cast her own.
Dyrin's champion group of Ja'Klei, Helga, Ivor, and seven others were struggling against Rapl's lesser few. Two champions from Dyrin had even died in the clashes, so as the fate of Dyrin's group was looking bleak, they hoped something would come to turn things in their favor.
Leena, who had been terrorizing the champions of Dyrin from above, looked on with confidence, seeing no escape from Dyrin's side. As she shot another arrow, she fell another one of Dyrin's champions; seeing that the swordsaint, Sevi, and Alex were getting tired, she upped her pressure.
But as she pulled her bow back again, her perception caught something. In the nick of time, Leena dodged a pulse of wind coming at her, and as she looked towards who did it, her confidence faded a bit, "I thought something was fishy with this area, guess I was right."
"Looks like the whole Zanian champions are here, too bad we couldn't carry Frieda to make it a whole rematch." Dyrin's ears perked as his smile grew, he turned to see two figures descending after making a gap in the canopy.
"Would you look at that? The two psychopaths." Rapl, Bok, Leena, Sevi, Alex, and the swordsaint all looked on with worry, as when Tuck and Verti landed on their ship, they realized the favor of the champion battle had just turned away from them.