Back in the arena, the crowd's cheers were deafening, filling the coliseum with anticipation. However, my mind remained distant, still tethered to the chaotic realm where I had faced that dark entity—a reflection of my own powers gone rogue. I could still feel the faint echo of that battle, the clash of reality-bending forces that pushed me to my limits.
But the War Games didn't wait for introspection. The moment Brianna and I materialized back in the center of the arena, the announcer's voice boomed through the space.
"After an unprecedented interruption, we're back! And what a spectacle we have ahead! The next match promises to be the most intense yet!"
I quickly scanned the arena, noticing the subtle shift in the atmosphere. The competitors who had survived this far were no pushovers. Their eyes held a dangerous gleam, each one focused on claiming victory at any cost. But amidst the crowd of warriors, one figure stood out—a calm, composed presence radiating an overwhelming sense of power.
This wasn't just another opponent. I could feel it. This one was going to be different.
Brianna sensed it too. "That's the one, isn't it? The one you'll have to go all out against?"
"Yeah," I replied, my gaze locking onto the figure. "This is the turning point."
The announcer continued hyping the crowd, but all I heard was the steady rhythm of my heartbeat as I focused on my opponent. He stepped forward—a tall, lean man with silver hair flowing like liquid metal. His armor was simple yet regal, and his expression was one of calm indifference. In his hand, he held a shimmering spear that crackled with energy, its presence warping the very air around it.
"So, you're Sion," he said, his voice carrying a hint of amusement. "I've heard quite a bit about you. Reality-warping, conceptual materialization—you've got quite the skillset. But let's see how well you fare when faced with someone who's mastered counteracting those very powers."
I narrowed my eyes. "And you are?"
"They call me Celos. My ability? Anti-concepts." He smirked as he twirled his spear, the air distorting around it. "I don't just counter abilities like yours—I erase them entirely from existence."
My instincts screamed at me to be cautious. Celos' aura was like a void, sucking in everything around him. His power wasn't just opposition—it was the absolute negation of anything I could create or imagine.
The arena transformed as the battle began, the ground splitting apart into floating platforms surrounded by swirling energy fields. Brianna stayed back, ready to support but fully aware that this was a fight I had to handle on my own. Celos' presence dominated the space as he moved with fluid grace, closing the distance with blinding speed.
I barely had time to react as he thrust his spear forward. I instinctively conjured a barrier from my imagination to block the attack, but the moment the spear connected, my barrier shattered as if it never existed. My eyes widened—his ability was real. He wasn't just countering my powers; he was outright deleting them.
I quickly adjusted, summoning several swords with varying elemental effects, launching them at him from different angles. But as each blade approached, they flickered out of existence, swallowed by the void-like aura surrounding Celos.
"Is this all you've got?" he taunted, his movements a blur as he closed in. "You rely too much on your powers. What happens when they're meaningless?"
I gritted my teeth. He was baiting me, trying to force me into relying on my usual strategies. But I wasn't going to play into his hands.
"Who said I'm relying on them?" I shot back, shifting my focus to the battlefield itself.
Celos lunged again, aiming to pin me down with his spear. This time, instead of meeting him head-on, I warped the terrain beneath us. The floating platforms tilted and rotated wildly, creating a chaotic environment that disrupted his footing. He responded by stabilizing the space around him, nullifying the shifts in gravity I had created.
But I was already moving, using the split-second opening to close the distance. I didn't need reality-warping for this—just pure, raw speed and precision. I launched a flurry of punches and kicks, each strike aiming for weak points in his defense. To my surprise, he blocked them with ease, countering with swift strikes of his own that forced me to stay on the defensive.
This guy was no slouch in close combat either.
As we clashed, I noticed something peculiar. His ability had a range—a sort of aura that extended only a few feet around him. The closer I got, the more my powers were negated. But if I could keep my distance and hit him with something he couldn't predict, I might have a shot.
I quickly leaped back, gaining distance as I formulated a plan. Celos watched me with an amused expression. "What's the matter, Sion? Losing your edge already?"
Ignoring his taunts, I focused on a new strategy. My reality-warping was limited at close range, but I still had tricks up my sleeve. I visualized the entire arena and summoned a storm of spectral swords above us, each one radiating a unique energy signature. They hovered in the air, waiting for my command.
Celos' eyes narrowed. "You think more swords will change anything?"
I didn't respond. Instead, I altered the properties of the swords, imbuing them with concepts that were more abstract—things like inevitability, persistence, and entropy. These weren't just weapons anymore; they were ideas manifesting as blades.
With a thought, I unleashed them. The swords rained down like a celestial barrage, targeting Celos from every conceivable angle. He swung his spear, erasing several of them from existence, but he couldn't counter them all at once. The blades that represented persistence regenerated each time they were erased, coming back stronger. The ones embodying inevitability adjusted their trajectory, homing in on him no matter how he dodged.
For the first time, Celos' composure cracked. He spun his spear in a desperate attempt to clear the air, but he was overwhelmed. The swords began landing hits, small cuts appearing on his armor as he struggled to keep up.
"Enough!" he roared, channeling his power to unleash a shockwave that disintegrated everything within his range. But I was ready for that too.
I warped the space around me, teleporting above him. Channeling all my energy into a single strike, I conjured a sword that embodied the concept of dominance—an attack designed to overwhelm and suppress. I brought it down with all my might, aiming straight for his exposed back.
Celos barely had time to react. He twisted, raising his spear to block, but it was too late. My sword shattered his defense, slamming into him with the force of a collapsing star. The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the arena, shaking the very fabric of the Nexus Realm.
Celos staggered, dropping to one knee as blood trickled from his mouth. He glared up at me, fury and disbelief in his eyes. "You... you shouldn't be able to..."
"You underestimated me," I said, breathing heavily. "You thought nullifying my powers would be enough, but there's more to me than just skills. My power isn't just in concepts—it's in how I use them."
With that, I drove the point home. The swords hovering around us dissolved into particles of light.
Celos coughed, wiping blood from his lips. His grin was wide and manic, his eyes gleaming with excitement despite the damage I'd inflicted. He looked at me like a predator who had found its match.
"Hah… I didn't expect this, Sion! You actually managed to push me this far. No one's ever made me feel this thrill in ages!" His voice was tinged with both admiration and madness. "But do you think this is where it ends?"
Celos took a deep breath, and I could feel the shift in his aura. It darkened, deepened, and suddenly the void around him expanded tenfold. The arena quaked as raw power poured out of him, threatening to tear the fabric of space itself.
"You think those sword can rewrite the rules? Then let's see how far we can push those limits!" Celos declared. He raised his broken spear, and it reformed, this time crackling with void energy that defied even the Alzatch Blade's light. The air grew cold as reality itself trembled before his power.
In that moment, I realized Celos was holding back all along. The fight had only just begun.