Ozania Odyssey

Chapter 12: Magic Vs. Fire! Seiju Vs. Denkei Part 1!

A few minutes after Miri and Astran's battle, Denkei and Seiju practice in the arena to prepare for theirs. Seiju practices by executing practice shots with his bow, feeling the tension as he draws back the string before releasing a few practice shots. "Man, I wish those hotties were here to watch me wipe the floor with this guy. It'd sure as hell help motivate me to beat this guy," Seiju thinks to himself.

"So he's a long-range combatant that uses a bow and arrow. I need to keep him on his toes at all times, and I can't allow him to get into a rhythm when he fires his shots. I also need to be careful. If one of those arrows hit me, I'm done for," Denkei thinks to himself.

After the warm-up time concludes, 499 teleports into the arena. "Before the match begins, I'll reiterate the rules once more; No Killing one another during this fight, and if you fall out of the arena, we will consider it a loss. If you feel you cannot continue, raise your hand. Any more questions before you fight?"

"…"

499 raises his hand into the air and drops it. "Begin!"

With the battle underway, Seiju summons a Flame JōKai from his bow and releases it, sending a wave of heat across the battlefield. "Flame Bow: Flame Shot!"

Denkei rummages in his pocket, pulls out a coin, and tosses it in the air. As the coin hovers in the air, he twirls his fingers in a circular motion. "I call upon the forces of Size Alternation. Magic Spell Alchemy: Gigantic Expansion!" The coin expands, creating a shield for Denkei that guards him against Seiju's arrow until the arrow vanishes.

Seiju's face contorts in frustration as he utters an exasperated grunt. "I've never been in a fight with someone who uses Magic. This will be challenging," He summons two Flame JōKai arrows with a blazing flame, notching them into his bow. "Maybe if I attack him with two arrows, I can catch him off guard," Seiju pulls back the bowstring and releases the two arrows, the flames roaring as they fly toward Denkei. "Flame Bow: Double Flame Shot!"

As the flame arrows fly toward Denkei, the arena floor blackens and cracks beneath them. "Two arrows this time?" Denkei sidesteps the first arrow, but the second arrow still heads toward him, and he tenses his muscles as he notices he's in a bad spot. "Shit, I can't dodge it," He whirls around, the fabric of his robe rustling as he uses it to shield himself from the flame. As a result, the residual wind from Seiju's attack rips the robe off his body, and it floats in the sky.

"I almost got him that time around. I'd have hit him if my aim was just a little better," Seiju thinks to himself.

"As it stands, he has too much freedom in this fight. I need to keep his movements limited since his archery requires him to be in place to mount a good shot. I got an idea," Denkei feels through his pockets, the fabric soft against his fingertips, and finally pulls out an eight-inch wide metal disc.

As Denkei still fiddles around in his pocket, Seiju's face lights up with a sudden realization. "Wait, a second. If I were to hit while he attempts a spell, I could prevent him from performing one," Seiju shoots a flaming arrow, but, Denkei disappears just as the arrow almost hits him.

Seiju glances around the arena, his eyes scanning the area. "What the hell was that and where in the hell did he go?"

Seiju spins around, and his eyes fall upon Denkei, who clenches his fist to complete his spell. "Magic Spell Alchemy: Object Frenzy!"

Seiju leaps back, avoiding the disk as it whizzes around the room, clattering against the walls. "Shit, he used the remaining heat to create an illusion of himself. I should have been more careful," Seiju evades the disk's erratic movements, frequently weaving from right to left. Seiju lands as soon as the disc appears out of range, and with a single gesture, he summons a Flame JōKai arrow in his bow. Once again, Seiju sees the disc approaching him and leaps backward to dodge it. "Shit, this disc is making it hard to get off a shot," He jumps from side to side in a desperate attempt to avoid the disk, but the disk cuts him on his side, causing him to fall. While on the ground, he looks up to see the disk hovering above him, the wind from its spinning blades blowing against his face. "Woah!" Seiju avoids the disk with a swift duck, hearing it whiz past his ears. Seiju audibly sighs, his exasperation apparent. "It's hard to get an attack off right now, especially since he has this disk flying all over the place. Maybe if I were to…. that's it!" Seiju channels a fire arrow onto his bow and pulls back, feeling the tension of the string against his fingers. After studying the disk's movements and calculating the perfect moment to shoot, Seiju releases the arrow and watches as it soars through the air and strikes Denkei's disk. Seiju then summons a larger trace of Flame JōKai, and a searing heat fills the air as he releases it toward Denkei. "Flame Bow: Flaming Blaze!"

"This is troublesome," Denkei's fingers twitch and weave. "Magic Spell Reversal!" The disc disappears in a flash, but the "Flaming Blaze" attack still hangs in the air, its presence foreboding.

"I got you where I want you!" Seiju nocks three Flame JōKai arrows onto his bow, the feeling of the bowstring tensing beneath his fingers. "Flame Bow: Tri Arrow Shot!" Seiju pulls the string back, sending his arrows careening toward Denkei, leaving a smoldering burn mark on the arena floor. Once the attack lands, a thick smokescreen billows up, engulfing the area. Seiju glances at the smoke billowing in the sky, awaiting Denkei's battle outcome. "Hopefully, those attacks were enough to defeat that guy," Once the smoke clears, Denkei appears, unscathed by the attack. Seiju's nostrils flare as he growls in rage, his knuckles whitening. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me! How in the hell did he dodge that?!"

Denkei shuffles in his robes, and his fingers brush against a blue gladiator figure before he brings it out. Denkei positions the figurine near his mouth. "I call upon the forces of miracles, Magic Spell Alchemy: Breath of Life!" Denkei takes a deep breath and blows, and the figure erupts in size, towering four meters tall.

The figurine stares at Denkei. "So, I take it you are the prognosticator of this spell?"

Denkei's head bobs in agreement.

"Very well, I shall let you know that you only have 5 minutes to use me before I return to my inanimate form. Be wise," the figurine shifts its stance and glares at Seiju. "Is this my opponent, sir?"

"Yes."

"Very well then, I shall attack him for you," the figurine charges forward, readying his blade in a stabbing motion.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," says Seiju.