Elliott's breaths grew heavy, each one laced with frustration as the realization set in—Celosia wasn't just powerful; she was leagues above him in mastery. Though their abilities mirrored each other, her control and raw talent overshadowed his efforts entirely. Each clash of their blades had been a painful reminder of the gap between them, and it gnawed at his pride.
"She parries my slashes like I'm some novice," Elliott muttered under his breath, his grip tightening around the hilt of his blade. "It's like she's mocking me just by standing there. My power shouldn't be so far beneath hers."
Determined to change the tide, he took several measured steps back, spinning his blade in his hand as sparks of silver lightning danced along its edge. He locked eyes with Celosia, who stood motionless, her calm expression a stark contrast to the tension crackling in the air.
"Maybe it's time for a different approach," he said, more to himself than anyone else. His stance shifted, and with a resounding stomp, he channeled his energy into the ground. A thunderous quake erupted beneath his feet, splitting the terrain with veins of electricity that rippled outward in jagged arcs. The surge of power sent rocks flying and kicked up a cloud of dust around him.
In a fluid motion, Elliott hurled his blade forward with the force of a lightning bolt, the weapon spinning like a drill as it tore through the air. Its velocity crackled with raw power, creating a shockwave in its wake.
Celosia's eyes narrowed slightly, her calm demeanor unshaken as the blade hurtled toward her like a spear. For a moment, her attention locked on the incoming weapon, just as Elliott had intended. Using the distraction, he shifted into a streak of electricity, zipping sideways at an impossible speed before vanishing completely from sight.
But Celosia, ever composed, didn't flinch. Her glowing purple eyes tracked the faintest flicker of movement, her lips curving into a subtle smirk. Just as Elliott thought he had gained the upper hand, closing in on her flank, she vanished from where she stood.
Elliott skidded to a halt, his eyes widening in shock as he noticed her shadow materializing on the ground before him. His instincts screamed danger, but before he could react, a sharp pain exploded at the back of his skull. Celosia's boot crashed into his head with devastating force, driving him face-first into the scorched earth.
The impact wasn't the end of it. Celosia planted her foot firmly on his back, using his body as a makeshift surfboard. With practiced ease, she rode him across the jagged terrain, sparks flying from his body as it scraped against the rough ground. The sheer humiliation stung more than the pain as Elliott struggled to regain control, but her weight and momentum were unrelenting.
After several agonizing moments, Celosia flipped gracefully off his body, her black cloak billowing behind her as she somersaulted through the air. She landed lightly on her feet several meters away, her posture calm and unbothered as if the entire maneuver had been effortless.
Elliott, on the other hand, was sent careening into a nearby rock, his body slamming into it with a bone-rattling crash. The boulder cracked under the force, crumbling slightly as he slumped to the ground, groaning in pain.
Dust and debris settled around him as he shakily pushed himself to his hands and knees, his pride shattered even more than the rock behind him.
"You're bold," Celosia remarked, her voice cutting through the silence like a blade. "But boldness without precision is just recklessness. Are you truly ready to face a storm when you can't even handle its breeze?"
"Damn... it." Elliott's voice trembled as he pushed himself off the ground, every muscle in his body screaming in protest. Blood trickled from a cut above his brow, but he ignored the sting, focusing instead on the overwhelming weight of humiliation and frustration. Slowly, he stretched his arm outward, summoning his blade. The weapon shot back to him like a silver lightning bolt, snapping into his hand with a crackling sound that reverberated through the air.
He staggered to his feet, shaky but determined, and locked eyes with Celosia, his fury etched into every line of his face. "I see now why Yipsiv didn't waste you on the earlier fights. Why he kept you locked away like a damn secret weapon." His voice was venomous, dripping with defiance. "You're not insane like your sisters. Your power doesn't just break rules—it shatters the very fabric of reality."
With a roar, Elliott swung his blade outward, unleashing a crackling thunderbolt that screamed through the air toward Celosia. The attack was sharp and direct, its electric energy rippling like a predator on the hunt. But Celosia moved with effortless grace, tilting her upper body slightly to the side and letting the bolt pass by harmlessly, its energy fizzing out in the distance.
Her expression remained unshaken, calm as ever. She raised her blade and held it horizontally in front of her chest, her glowing purple eyes peering over its edge. "You misunderstand something, boy," she began, her voice cold but steady, each word weighted with menace. "Yipsiv didn't isolate me because I'm a weapon he feared wasting. He isolated me because my power is relentless, growing stronger the longer I exist in battle."
Elliott's grip on his blade tightened, his breathing heavy as Celosia continued. Her calm demeanor was unnerving, like a predator toying with its prey.
"My power," she said, her voice dropping into a chilling tone, "is not bound by limits. It doesn't merely destroy—it consumes, evolves, and dominates. Every attack, every step, every breath I take only amplifies its reach. And if I so choose..." She lowered her blade slightly, her stoic expression masking an overwhelming aura of dread that seemed to fill the space around her. "One strike from this sword can reduce an entire island to ash, cloaked in an eternal storm of thunder and lightning."
As if to prove her point, her blade crackled with violent energy, arcs of purple lightning spiraling outward and scorching the ground beneath her. The storm around her began to intensify, the once subtle breeze morphing into a gale that sent waves of dust and debris spiraling into the air. Thunder rumbled in the distance, as if nature itself was responding to her presence.
Elliott steadied his stance, swallowing hard as he realized just how outmatched he was. Despite his fear, he raised his sword once more, the resolve in his eyes burning brighter than ever. "So what?" he spat, his voice cutting through the chaos. "If your power grows the longer you fight, then I'll make sure this ends quick. You may be stronger, but I'm not backing down. Not now. Not ever."
Celosia tilted her head, a faint flicker of intrigue crossing her otherwise expressionless face. "Bold words," she said softly. "But let's see if your conviction can outlast my storm."
Elliott didn't hesitate. The moment her words ended, he lunged forward, his sword crackling with renewed energy. The electricity coiled around his blade like a serpent ready to strike, and with a powerful burst of speed, he closed the gap between them in an instant. He swung with all his might, aiming for her midsection, but Celosia moved with liquid precision, her blade meeting his with a deafening clash of steel and thunder.
The force of their collision sent shockwaves through the air, cracking the ground beneath their feet. Elliott gritted his teeth, pouring every ounce of strength into the clash, but Celosia's calm demeanor never wavered. She pushed him back with a flick of her wrist, sending him skidding across the rocky terrain.
"You're persistent," she said, her voice cutting through the thunderous roar of the storm. "But persistence alone won't save you."
Elliott snarled, his pride bruised but his determination unbroken. He planted his feet firmly, the ground beneath him scorching as his electric aura flared to life. "Then I'll just have to be more than persistent," he growled.
He raised his blade, lightning dancing wildly around him, and in a blinding flash, he unleashed a barrage of electric strikes. Bolts of silver lightning shot from his sword, crisscrossing through the air and converging on Celosia. The sheer force of the attack sent tremors through the battlefield, but Celosia didn't flinch.
With a graceful sweep of her blade, she deflected the bolts one by one, each arc of lightning dissolving harmlessly into the ground. Elliott's relentless assault continued, the air thick with the scent of ozone and the crackle of electricity, but Celosia remained untouchable. Her movements were precise and deliberate, each step calculated to waste no energy.
Frustration boiled over inside Elliott. He transformed into a streak of lightning, zigzagging around her at impossible speeds, his blade striking from every angle. He aimed for her legs, her arms, her sides—any opening he could find. But Celosia met him at every turn, her blade a blur of motion as she parried each attack with ease.
Suddenly, she shifted her stance, her sword glowing with an ominous purple light. With a single swing, she unleashed a wave of energy that rippled outward, forcing Elliott to retreat. The wave carved a deep trench into the ground, the sheer force of it nearly toppling him.
Elliott panted heavily, sweat mixing with the blood running down his face. His vision blurred, his muscles screaming in protest. He was fast, but she was faster. He was strong, but her precision and control made his attacks feel clumsy in comparison.
"You're reckless," Celosia said, her tone almost pitying. "You rely too much on power and speed, but you lack refinement. A warrior who fights like a storm can only destroy themselves in the end."
"Shut up!" Elliott roared, his voice raw with desperation. He gathered all his remaining strength, his body glowing with an intense silver light. Lightning crackled wildly around him, forming a massive spear of energy that hovered above his head. He grasped the spear with both hands and hurled it toward her with all his might.
The spear tore through the air, its sheer power warping the atmosphere around it. Celosia raised her blade, and in a display of almost casual elegance, she sliced through the spear, the energy dissipating into harmless sparks.
Before Elliott could react, she closed the distance between them in a flash. Her blade swung in a controlled arc, striking his sword and sending it flying from his grasp. She followed with a spinning kick to his chest, the impact sending him crashing into a jagged rock.
Elliott gasped for air, his body battered and broken. He struggled to stand, his vision swimming, but Celosia was already in front of him, her blade pointed at his throat.
"You fought bravely," she said, her voice calm yet firm. "But bravery without wisdom is a death sentence."
Elliott glared at her, his pride refusing to let him beg or yield. Instead, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to his knees, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. "I'm not done," he whispered, though his body betrayed his words, trembling with exhaustion.
Celosia lowered her blade slightly, tilting her head as if considering his words. "You have spirit," she admitted. "But this fight is over. If you continue, you'll die, and I'd rather not waste my blade on someone so far beneath me."
Without waiting for his reply, she turned her back to him and began walking away, her figure framed by the still-crackling storm. Elliott's hand twitched, reaching for his sword, but his strength gave out, and he collapsed to the ground, defeated but not broken.
From a distance, the rest of the crew watched in tense silence, unsure if they should intervene. Kyora clenched her fists, her frustration mounting. "We have to do something," she said, but Joker placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head.
"Not yet," he said, his voice uncharacteristically serious. "Elliott's not finished. He still has a spark left in him."
As if hearing Joker's words, Elliott's fingers dug into the dirt, his resolve unshaken even in the face of overwhelming odds.
To be continued...