<
Merlin's words echoed in my mind the moment the Soul Domain started forming.
The creation of a territory was akin to bringing to reality the characteristics of one's mana, of course, if the mage was able to succeed.
A warrior however brought forwards a soul domain, but it wasn't one's soul to determine the domain and its effects.
<
That was the base of a soul domain. The semisentience of Aura.
And inside a soul domain, a weapon never misses its mark.
"Now, how shall I dispose of my lovely queen?"
We were fucked.
Once the domain was completed there would be nothing we could do and we needed to keep our mana protecting our bodies unless we wanted the enemies aura to invade us.
None of us was at a stage where we could repel that bastard's aura.
Fuck. Think Dimitris.
<
This bastard uses a claymore, there must be rules to exploit.
<
For the first time, I wanted to curse skipping the basics of basics. But it was true that swords were largely used and that the rules of swords were easy to understand.
"Hali! The rules of a sword!"
"That bastard is using a claymore, they are two different type of weapons!"
Fuck.
Odysseus didn't waste any time.
"Dimitris, can you protect me with your mana?"
"Yes, but only if you stay near me."
He sat cross legged and gestured for me to spoon him. I was speechless, but complied nonetheless.
If there was someone here who had a chance at saving our asses here, it was without a doubt Odysseus.
______________________
-Odysseus' POV-
I opened my eyes and was surprised at the efficiency that Dimitris' Archana enveloping me was working.
He clearly has more mastery over Archana than me.
I was in awe, his thick muscles wrapping me, reassuring me, but now it was time to prove myself.
The rule of a claymore is one and one only: weight.
That was why I sat down, to diminish the effect of the domain, lowering my weight to the ground.
"Hahahahah! Are you accepting death so easily oh mighty king Odysseus?! Splendid!"
Fool.
I started placing circles everywhere around us. [updraft] a simple spell to create a gust of wind.
Magic truly depends on the mage.
"You are a stain to nobility. Either way, bring it on."
I mocked him, I may have been restricted to the 3rd circle as of now, but experience and knowledge don't just disappear.
"Gladly."
Our enemy brought his hand forward and made a simple descending line. At the same time I activated my spells.
"Uh?"
Hali too was confused and I felt Dimitris body tense.
Why is he tensing?
"It's weight! The rules of this domain it's weight!"
He's so hot. As soon as he recognised my spell, he was able to determine the rule of the domain.
However the noble bastard didn't seemed to be fazed.
"So what? Even knowing the rule, you can't just break the domain. Here my sword will always struck. I just need to come there."
"Hahahahahahah!"
Dimitris was laughing wholeheartedly, he was genuinely happy.
"Remove the spell babe."
He kissed my cheek, but I was in utter shock and unable to think properly.
Babe??????????
He nudged me and I removed the spell, but electricity was running around all three of us. Even Hali had a confused look at this point.
Why isn't the domain effecting us?
Dimitris' eye were glowing like emeralds. He looked at our foe and we followed his gaze. That's when we realised why the domain wasn't effecting us.
It was because the enemy was being distracted.
What spell is that?
Red beams were falling on the bastard continuously, but upon closer inspection I realised I was wrong. It wasn't beams, but petals.
Petals falling like rain, but enhanced by the soul domain in speed. If the rule was active, the Dimitris' magic would fall even faster.
"Where I'm from, people use water at extreme speeds to cut down diamonds. What would happen if that speed was given to this [rain of ashen bloom]?"
The bastard was engulfed in a dance of parries and deflection with his claymore, but the more he fought, the more he realised the weight of his domain was a bad match against Dimitris magic.
The petals hitting the aura engulfed claymore were easily dealt with, but the number and speed of the attack was truly impressive.
"BASTARD! HOW LONG DO YOU THINK YOU CAN KEEP UP?! AS SOON AS YOU RUN OUT OF MANA, YOU ARE DEAD!"
That was also true, this spell might be taxing on Dimitris and he was probably able to keep it up only because of his spirit circles.
"What are you even talking about?"
Dimitris, although visibly strained by the spell, answered as he was talking to an idiot.
"There's someone else here beside me."
Fuck.
He was right, I watched as Hali had already taken out her sword and immediately, slashed down an aura slash towards the bastard.
Oh, hell no.
Wind blade.
Tens of wind blades were released against him, ready to cut him down, but all of our attacks were met with parries or deflections.
"HAHAHAHAHAH KEEP IT UP YOU FOOLS, STRUGGLE AS MUCH AS YOU WANT."
I looked at Dimitris, his focus unwavering while he continued to mutter in… elvish?
What is he doing?
The rain of red petals continued to hit together with our wind blades and aura slashes. It all seemed too useless. Despair was starting to cling to me as the unavoidable death was approaching.
I could feel my own Archana dwindling, I couldn't imagine what Dimitris was going through, but then I noticed something strange was happening.
At first it was basically invisible, but after 3 full minutes of relentless onslaught, the true effect of Dimitris' spell showed a reaction nobody could imagine.
That's why it's called [rain of ashen bloom], Merlin really taught him a frightening spell.
I was aware that nature magic was terrifying, but since mastery over a single element was extremely rare writhing nature mages, none of those spells really held strength.
He is different.
Every time a petal hit the aura coating the nobleman's claymore, an almost imperceptible amount of Aura was transformed into ashes.
And after much time, even the bastard realised what was happening.
His hand covered in ashes finally picked up his interest.
"WHAT THE FUCK? MY AURA?!"
A surge of sure shot to the borders of the domain, effectively destroying Dimitris' and mine spells while shattering Hali's aura slashes. He brought his hand forward.
I noticed how blood was flowing from Dimitris' nose, he too was barely hanging and this mad man was about to unleash his rule once again.
Then everything happened in the blink of an eye.
As he was bringing his hand down, the ashes scattered all around shot themselves to Dimitris and formed a jade bow.
At the same time he blinked up as high as possible.
He drew the string and released it the moment the rule effect took in.
Once again he blinked above me and Hali and none of us wasted time.
The arrows multiplied while falling, Hali created as many waterway as she could and I casted just as much updrafts as her to save the free falling Dimitris from certain doom.
On the other side of the battlefield, the noble warrior was prepared to intercept the arrows, or so he thought.
The moment the first arrow made contact with his claymore, the sword shattered sending aftershocks into his bones. We weren't exactly spared, but thanks to Hali's waterways, the shock was reduced.
BOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Explosions upon explosions. A cacophony of sheer violence was marching into the ground. Etchings its place into the body of our enemy.
He used elven incantations… can I also?
Thinking of how I too possessed elven circuits, the possibility was high.
While thinking of the possibilities in front of me, Dimitris was trembling in my arms. He had completely exhausted his Archana.
I knew mana exhaustion was terrible in and on itself, but what would happen if one was completely devoid of Archana?
"Odysseus, he's not dead yet."
Those words woke me up into another nightmare.
I stood up shielding Dimitris, but the enemy in front of me was not something we should have been afraid of.
Sprawled on the ground was a man missing both his arms and arrows piercing everywhere on his torso.
His breath ragged, blood oozing, but he managed to talk nonetheless.
"Fucking…. Bastard… coff coff!!! In- cantations…"
Hali moved forward, her sword in hand and looking down on him.
"You… bitch. You brought… an elf…. Shameless."
Hali looked at him and with the most freezing look I ever witnessed, spat on him.
"Don't you dare talk about my brother. He is the most human of all humans. He is just better than all of us."
She didn't wait for an answer and simply decapitated him.
At the same moment a shattering sound reverberated through the domain.
The dome was breaking and reality was coming back into view.
_____________________
-Dimitris' POV-
I couldn't feel anything.
I opened my eyes, but all I could see was darkness. Then slowly I started to feel my body once again.
Where am I?
I started moving, walking aimlessly into this sea of darkness. Time was flowing strangely, I could feel something was happening but I wasn't sure, exactly what.
This is strange, where am I?
"Dimitris."
I turned and as soon as I did, the scenario changed completely.
Gone was the darkness.
A golden expanse of grain in front of me and serenity engulfed me at once.
Haaaa…
"Dimitris."
The voice called again, this time right beside me and when I turned, I found myself looking at me.
"Dimitris?"
"Haaa it seems I'm in time."
How is he here? Wasn't this something that belonged to me?
"I'm sure you have a lot of questions, but I don't have much time. Daddy underworld only gave me a little chance before… either way."
He looked into my eyes with his own hazel ones, the only difference between us.
"Dimitris, you need to know 2 things."
"Go ahead."
"1 - Never, ever pick a sword."
That's ominous.
"I mean, sure… But what if I'm in an extremely specific condition and can only use a sword to defend myself?"
He looked at me sternly and I knew this was non negotiable.
"Fine, never picking up a sword. I like the spear better anyway."
"Good. Now for the second thing: we are one."
What the fuck?
"Dimitris, remember: we are one, the conditions have been met."
"The fuck does it mean? How can we be one? We clearly have 2 egos!"
"Dimitris, don't forget."
He disappeared just like that, leaving me with more questions that answers.
Never pick a sword and we are one.
Isn't that a stupid thing? If we really are one, that bastard had already used swords.
I was ready to burst into the underworld myself and beat the shit out of the bastard.
If we truly are one, you sure as hell know imma beat your ass.
Darkness engulfed me once again, a different kind of darkness.
The one that can be easily dispersed.
I opened my eyes.