The most anxiously awaited battle of all-Atenyos against Mantrey and Arkinos. As everyone gathers at the field, the air acquires electricity, and very quickly, news spread not only within trainees participating in joint training but also to others in the Terram guild; this was just not a friendly sparring bout, as this would eventually show. It was the real fight to begin with-an opportunity to find out whether this mystery man recruit was a one-hit wonder or has a real deal.
Kantara stepped onto the sidelines where Atenyos waited. His face was somber, his stance tense. He stretched forth and rested a firm hand upon Atenyos's shoulder, speaking in a low serious voice as he bent in to talk quietly yet intensely.
"Look, I know you want to prove yourself, and I know you're capable of great things, but this match is dangerous. It can only end when one side gives up. I'm powerless to intervene. Be.... wise, Atenyos. Don't push yourself beyond your limits."
Kantara's frustration was obvious—not only at the match but with the game and matchup in general. Atenyos, still discovering his powers, was being set up against experienced fighters who had gone through battles and even fought against the Witnesses. Their combat experience was leagues ahead of his own. Kantara gritted his teeth, well aware that raw talent and power were not enough to guarantee victories against such prowess.
But Atenyos did nothing more than raise an eyebrow. His eyes shone with enthusiasm, a quiver of pride dancing upon his lips.
"Believe in me, Kantara," he said, quiet, sure. "I've still got one or two cards up my sleeve."
Kantara watched him a moment longer, gnashing his teeth in exasperation. He hated this helpless feeling. He nodded grudgingly and tapped Atenyos on the shoulder, heading off with his head hung low and his shoulders tense.
Moments later, Kantara summoned all three fighters to the field.
"Wait!" a sharp voice cut in, cutting through the clamor of the crowd. Lutens took a step forward, eyes glittering with eager intent. His Blue hair flapping about the glow of the dying sun, and on his lips danced an inexpressible excitement like a child.
"Here, Atenyos," said Lutens to him, as he motioned his hand with the invitation.
Atenys agreed. But now an incalculable fragment of puzzlement wreathed around his face, he asked. "Yes?
"If you can't control your lightning," Lutens said with a smirk, "don't use it." Before Atenyos could reply, Lutens gave him a light shove, sending him back to the field. Atenyos's expression shifted from confusion to pure focus.
Walking to the middle, Lutens amplified his voice. "This contest only ends with a resignation. For Lland's guild, both of them must surrender before the match concludes. If just one of them surrenders, he has to go off the field, and this battle will proceed. And certainly, I will not have any third-party interference."
His tone turned sharp, and his gaze bore down on Klmatra, who flinched but remained still. Lutens's cheerful demeanor faded, replaced by an icy seriousness that suffocated the field. The shift in pressure was heavy, a reminder of the power he wielded.
"Lastly," Lutens added, his smirk returning, "Mantrey and Arkinos, you cannot surrender. That's an order."
A stunned silence fell over the field. Pale faces, fearful and concerned, now stared in stunned silence. Fists clenched at his side, Kantara's anger sent waves out, like an approaching storm.
But... Atenyos? He laughed.
It began with a soft chuckle and built up to loud resonating echoes on the field. He spread one hand across his face, and arched back, basking in his psychotic grin. Stunned silence watched him as they all did so.
"He is insane," somebody whispered.
"What sort of lunatic laughs in a situation like this?"
Only Ipsum seemed unaffected. He let out a soft, amused laugh of his own, shaking his head. "Classic," he muttered under his breath.
Mantrey and Arkinos locked eyes with Atenyos, their faces hardening in anger and determination. Lutens stepped back, his devilish smile wide.
"Begin!" he declared.
Unbeknownst to the audience, another watched the match from on high. Seated on the roof of the guild headquarters, Iruim crouched low, eyes keen and focused on every movement in the field below.
The match started.
Atenyos charged up, his lightning marks growing more than ever before. Grew around him and the black and white sparks crackled violently, filling the air with static. His dark eyes turned completely black, and the circles around them darkened ominously. Without hesitation, he launched himself toward Mantrey with startling speed.
Mantrey barely had time to react, activating his power just in time. His blades shimmered with an unbreakable sheen, their edges sharp enough to slice through solid steel. Arkinos moved in tandem, touching Mantrey's blades to activate his own ability, turning his skin into solid metal. The synergy between them was seamless, their experience evident.
But Atenyos would not be stopped. He struck with almost professional precision, fluidly weaving between the attacks. When Arkinos lunged, Atenyos blocked his strike effortlessly and countered it with a punch that cracked across Arkinos's metallic exterior.
The crowd gasped. Mantrey and Arkinos quickly put space between themselves and Atenyos, backpedaling to recharge. Arkinos leaned on Mantrey's blades to regenerate, his breathing heavy.
Atenyos looked down at his side and saw a shallow slash from one of Mantrey's earlier attacks. He smiled, unconcerned. His movements were perfect, his strikes calculated, and his defense impenetrable. He had minor injuries but fought as if nothing had occurred.
Blow after blow was exchanged, the combatants moving in a deadly dance that left the spectators in awe. Atenyos's fighting style was unlike anything they had ever seen—fluid, almost graceful, yet devastatingly effective.
As the fight raged on, Atenyos's body began to show signs of strain. His breaths grew heavier, and his lightning marks pulsed erratically. But his smile never wavered.
"You're not bad," he said, wiping blood from his nose. "This is fun."
"You're nearing your limit," Mantrey retorted, his tone sharp. "Don't get cocky."
Mantrey and Arkinos exchanged a glance. It was clear that they couldn't break through Atenyos's defenses with their current approach.
"Let's end this," Arkinos growled.
The air around them shifted as they powered up, although maybe not known by even them their combined killing intent slipped for a moment and it sent a shiver down the spines of everyone present.This is supposed to be a training match, yet being shoved in a corner with no clear end to the fight made them want to end it one way or another.
Kantara stepped forward instinctively, his protective instincts kicking in, but Lutens stopped him with a single word.
"No."
The weight of Lutens's command was suffocating, and Kantara froze in place.
The air around Atenyos shifted abruptly, a tangible tension enveloping the arena. His smile faded, replaced by a look of unyielding determination. His dark eyes, which were once like two black pools, now had streaks of radiant white flashing within them like lightning trapped inside an endless storm. The faint sparks that once danced across his body now surged into violent arcs of energy that crackled and flashed with a ferocity so intense that they could silence a field. Each iota of his presence screamed that something extra was about to unfold.
The lightning grew—not just in size, but in dominance. Black and white bolts lashed out from him, carving faint scorches into the ground. The energy spiraled outward, twisting the air into a vortex of sheer power. His marks, once confined to his arms, began to spread, glowing vividly as they climbed his body like veins pulsing with raw, untamed electricity.
Moments before, Kantara was wracked with worry. Now, he froze in awe. His anxiety turned to an almost reverent fascination. He did not want to interrupt, no longer seeing Atenyos as just an inexperience recruit, but as something far greater—something yet to be understood.
Ipsum sat. He was the first to stand up. His smile widened as he leaned forward. His eyes fixed on his comrade. "What is this?" he whispered in himself, all excitement in his voice. He clenched fists with thoughts of how far Atenyos could go.
Even Lutens, never fazed and always so collected, rose to his feet, the play upon his face replaced by quiet seriousness. His keen, grey-blue eyes flickered with intrigue and anticipation. He could feel it-this wasn't just power. This was evolution, the kind of awakening even emperors would take notice of. "So, he decided to use it," he muttered under his breath, his fingers twitching slightly.
The arena was stopped dead in its tracks, and all eyes were drawn to Atenyos. For a second, it seemed like time itself had stopped as everyone held their collective breath in unison. The silence was deafening with only the crackling lightning and low hum of energy emanating from him.
"Yeah," Atenyos muttered, his voice low and steady. "Let's finish this."
The final collision was cataclysmic in every sense of the word.
Atenyos charged forward in a blur. Mantrey and Arkinos charged as well, their two strengths focused in one devastating blow.
But Lutens watched it closely. There was something odd there. Atenyos did not hold himself back. Lightning surged uncontrollably, spirling into chaos around him. As the distance between them was closing, Atenyos concentrated all of his power to his fist.
The moment they collided—
BRRRAK-KOOM!
The field exploded with energy. Dust and debris filled the air, obscuring the battlefield from view. The sheer force of the clash sent shockwaves rippling through the crowd, who shielded their faces against the blast.
As the dust began to settle, a figure emerged.
Lutens stood in the center of the field, his right hand gripping Atenyos's fist, his left holding Mantrey's weapons and blocking Arkinos's strike. Lightning crackled around Lutens, his face calm but his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"The match is over," Lutens declared. "A draw is concluded."
Atenyos..... let out a small smile.
Though Atenyos's attack had come with strength in power, even Lutens didn't get the time to guard against it. In every throb of heartbeat, he felt pain running through his right hand as though his bones were broken; the shuddering in his body caused from the impact of the blow. Lutens clenched his jaw but as an emperor he disguised his pain under a smile.
The onlookers murmured out in shock upon this instance.
Lutens released his grip, stepping back. He hid it well, but there was a faint tremor in his right hand—the price of stopping Atenyos's unrestrained power.
Author note: This Chapter concludes the end of this arc, the story will continue on with the next arc starting two weeks from now.
Next chapter will be released on 9th of February 2025