Artis stumbled back, his legs barely holding him upright as he gasped for air. His vision blurred as he managed to see Jaden's confident gaze that infuriated him that brought his vigor back.
The crowd murmured in excitement as they were discussing the duel and the powers Artis and Jaden were using. Artis clicked his tongue as he did his best to ignore those talking as he took back his stance and observed Jaden closely.
'Alright, that damn Archeologist can Phase Shift or something! How the hell am I supposed to beat that!' feeling a tinge of frustration, Artis continued to observe any weakness that Jaden might have in using that skill.
He took a deep breath as he closed his eyes and murmured a soft sentence, "...What would Alice do?"
Artis's grip tightened on his wand as his mind diverted to Alice's stern yet clever demeanor whenever she fought. Thinking about it, he couldn't help but smile as she always had a knack for figuring out her opponent's skills and weaknesses.
'Yeah, she would simply tell me to figure out his weakness! Think, Artis! What's the catch here? This guy obviously can't turn invisible or else even his translucent form wouldn't be visible. What's the catch here? If my attacks go through him then what can I do?'
His eyes snapped open, as he locked onto Jaden's translucent form flickering lightly as the energy around him rippled. Sensing what Artis was doing, Jaden took a stance and charged ahead aiming to finish the duel off.
Artis barely had time to think as Jaden closed the distance, as he jumped sideways to dodge the incoming punch which crashed into the ground creating a dent.
Artis clenched his jaw as he saw the devastating power that punch held as the crowd audibly gasped.
'Damn...he's not giving me a moment even to think!'
Realizing he couldn't engage in close combat, he created another layer of smokescreen to create a distance between them as he stepped back and kept observing his form.
'That form...he keeps flickering randomly at times. A pattern? No. It would've been too obvious. A rhythm? Let's try something out!'
Artis kept moving back, occasionally firing weak bursts of sparks towards Jaden, not with intent to hit, but to distract him and avert his direction.
But to no avail, it did not work because he dodged a few of those embers while the rest of them phased through him harmlessly.
'Alright...No rhythm either...Should I tire him out? Nah, his Gate is stronger than mine, I would be the one to lose the duel! So, now what!' Artis thought, frustration building. His eyes narrowed as he focused intently on the flickering.
Artis stopped in his tracks and took a deep breath. "It's definitely his Unique Skill that allows him to phase through attacks...Well, here goes nothing..." as he rummaged through his pockets and took out an item.
Turning around, he charged towards Jaden with the intention to attack as he jumped upwards to deliver a swift sidekick aiming at Jaden's temples. Jaden's expression hardened as the attack went through him.
As expected by Artis, he did not stop as he spun around to deliver a back kick which again phased through. Taking the opportunity, Jaden moved sideways as he aimed to deliver a straight punch right at Artis's face.
Artis barely managed to duck under Jaden's punch, feeling the wind from the strike brush against his hair. His heart pounded as he rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the strike.
As Jaden was about to land another strike, Artis took the opportunity of the gap created, and used the item he took out to create a solid flame burst aimed directly at Jaden. The flame burst roared to life, as a brilliant arc of hot and fiery energy completely enveloped Jaden as he focused on blocking the impact of the flame.
Artis leaned down as he aimed to deliver a punch to his face, which to his surprise Jaden managed to block. Jaden grabbed his arm, aiming to deliver a punch to his arm as Artis released another flicker of flame burst that managed to help him escape from him.
Both of them took deep breaths, Jaden, still recovering from the scorching flames, and Artis, on his knees wiping off his sweat, tired and low in energy as he gave a stern look, indicating that almost figured out the secret of his phasing.
Jaden looked shocked, his smirk vanished and was replaced by astonishment and amazement, "H-How did you do that?"
Artis smirked at that, as he answered in a mocking tone, "A magician...never reveals his secrets!" as he threw away the two matchsticks he held in his hand.
Jaden hearing that couldn't help but laugh heartily as his laugh echoed throughout the arena, "Sorry about that...Just got distracted there. You are a great guy, Professor! Definitely someone who will go far."
"Thanks for the compliment, Archeologist!" bowed Artis as he took his fighting stance back, "But, I have you figured out. Next clash will be the final clash!"
Jaden straightened up, rolling his shoulders and cracking his knuckles. "You're bold, Professor. I'll give you that," he said, his translucent form flickering erratically again. "But don't think for a second you've completely outsmarted me."
"Oh, I am counting on that!" chuckled Artis, "Don't want the crowd to think I had you beat easy."
Jaden chuckled as he said in a low and threatening voice in his own language, "Well, you asked for it..."
Without warning, Jaden surged forward, his translucent form a blur of energy. The air around him shimmered with intense heat, Artis's eyes narrowed, focusing on every flicker and ripple around Jaden.
'He's accelerating the frequency of his phase shifts,' Artis realized, his heart pounding. 'He's trying to make the intervals harder to predict. Clever...but not enough.'
Jaden's first punch came in fast, aimed directly at Artis's chest. Artis sidestepped, feeling the force of the blow pass by like a gust of wind. A second strike followed, this time a sweeping kick that phased halfway through Artis's hasty block, making him stumble back. The crowd gasped as Artis barely avoided the follow-up—a downward hammer strike that cracked the ground where he had just been standing.
Artis jumped back, using his wand to conjure a circular burst of flame around himself, momentarily forcing Jaden to retreat. He panted heavily, his grip on the wand tightening.
"You're faster than I expected," Artis admitted, wiping sweat from his brow.
Without waiting for a response, Artis slammed the wand into the ground, igniting a sudden surge of smoke and flame that obscured the battlefield. The crowd roared in excitement, their cheers reverberating through the arena.
Jaden slowed his movements, squinting through the dense cloud. "Hiding? Really?"
From within the smoke, Artis's voice echoed. "Not hiding. Strategizing."
Suddenly, a series of controlled flame bursts erupted in a circle around Jaden, creating a dome of fire that pulsed with rhythmic intensity. Jaden's form flickered as he instinctively phased, letting the flames pass through him harmlessly. But Artis wasn't aiming to strike—he was watching.
'Three flickers per second,' Artis calculated, his mind racing. 'A half-second delay before he goes solid. That's my window.'
Jaden, realizing the trap, leapt upward to escape the dome, but Artis was faster. A flaming projectile shot through the smoke, forcing Jaden to phase midair. As he landed, Artis was already upon him, wand glowing brightly.
"Checkmate!" Artis roared, thrusting his wand forward just as Jaden flickered solid. A concentrated burst of energy erupted from the wand's tip, striking Jaden square in the chest.
The force sent Jaden skidding backward, his translucent form dissipating as he tumbled to the ground. He lay still for a moment before coughing and sitting up, visibly dazed but unharmed.
"Three points for me! I win!" declared Artis as he raised his wand in victory.
Artis let out a sigh of relief, collapsing to one knee as the adrenaline ebbed. He glanced at Jaden, who gave him a tired but approving nod.
"You were right," Jaden said, his smirk returning. "Final clash...was the last."
Artis grinned, leaning on his wand for support. "Told you. Magicians never bluff."
"Well then, thanks for the duel, Professor. Even though I was stronger, you still managed to defeat me using your tricks and knowledge. I even had the advantage of phasing but I still lost! Damn, it stings!" grumbled Jaden as he gave his hand to support Artis.
Artis took the hand as he managed to stand up and cleared the dust stuck on his clothes, "Well, you certainly gave me trouble. It's all thanks to my sister who kept destroying me in fights whenever we argued."
"Hmm? That sounds like trouble..."
"Well, if you put it like that..." thought Artis as he remembered his moments with Alice back in Inloen, "She is nothing but trouble!"