The Game Before the Fall

Chapter 63: The world between us. (Part 2)

**

Zen:

Zen was impressed. The man before her, Arvel, an Ardent from another universe. Though their battle had just begun, he was strongest fighter she had faced. In terms of just strength, Callous was greater but Arvel's technique grew beyond simple muscle. Each movement flowed into the next and struck with tremendous force. He fought like Ardent did but with vastly more confidence. It was the martial arts of someone who had been pushed to their limits and forced to fight further, dancing with death and violence and unlike the Ardent Zen knew, it was solemn, lonely even.

Zen deflected the fist that came towards her but before she could counter, a kick struck to her head as Arvel span his entire body's weight and energy. She bore the brunt of the blow on her arm, gripping his leg in reply and aimed to hurl him into the floor only for him to slip loose.

Arvel bounced back, "So, should we stop playing around and take this more seriously?"

"If you'd like," Zen grinned, the experience of fighting a strong opponent was making her blood boil with energy. So far they had just tested each other with regular Aura and now in sync the spiritual organ within them bloomed. The energy filled the air around them, Aura and mana mixed together.

"I'm getting excited," Arvel laughed powerfully. "I've never been able to fight the Hero Zen before."

"Hero?" Zen chuckled and shook her head. "I'm no Hero. You have more experience with my technique than I do. I will however take Witch!"

"Witch?" Arvel looked at her surprised but didn't have the time to contemplate as Zen suddenly burst towards him, her fist surrounded in the spiralling energy she had created. He dodged back but despite avoiding her fist, still took a significant blow from the sheer pressure surrounding it.

Arvel replied as he twisted his body and skimmed across the ground, throwing his weight behind his own hand and thrusting his palm forward. Zen caught the hand with her own and the room shook. Arvel tumbled back unable to compete in strength.

He croaked, "Well damn. You mind if I throw in a few more tricks?"

"If that helps you," Zen stood confidently, a literal beacon of strength.

"Then I'll go ahead," he breathed and as he released, the energy in his body escaped before focusing into a thin armour binding his arms and legs. Upon his back, short wings of sparkling light sprang out.

"That's new," Zen noted.

"Yeah, I learnt this one from another Ardent," Arvel grinned and charged. Where his feet hit the ground, the light of his mana remained. The two collided and Zen smirked. He had overcome the difference in their strength and now it was more than just a melee. She kicked him away only for him to throw a dagger and appear beside her. When she pressured him, the floor erupted with magic, binding her movements and assaulted her with lightning. When her hands finally reached him, his body flared releasing waves of fire and heat. When she tried to retreat, bindings of electrified wire wrapped around her. He came at her from the air, standing on solidified mana, appeared behind her from loose bits of cloth and at times vanished entirely only to appear far away with a rifle pointed. Still Zen remained strong, bathing in the experience and tackling each of his tricks with adamant excitement.

Finally, however Arvel hit the floor, soaked in sweat, he could no longer move. He laid on his back and laughed, "I was right. I couldn't win against you."

Though Zen was still standing, she was breathing raggedly, "Thank you, I learnt a lot from this fight."

"No problem," Arvel raised himself, a dent in the floor from where Zen had thrown him down. "I learnt from you in the first place. So, in a way, you're just learning from yourself."