Can you Fight a Hurricane and Win?
Just then, an explosion of crimson lightning tore between them as Creivolt grasped the air firmly and from his stance, he drew forth a form, silver in shape and with an onyx shaft.
Tearing it out from the violet void, the air around his weapon gave off a crackling hiss with the sight of a crimson stream around it.
"This my SoulArm. Ramiel, the Vessel of Disaster."
"SoulArm?"
"You look confused. Really, you should be excited. I am finally meeting your defiance!" Creivolt delivered an intense series of blows that bludgeoned his arms.
As Shynerai slowly tried to heal, the battle quickly erupted into a flurry of blows being exchanged. The pressure from the clash was more intense than what the witnesses expected as the two teachers kept moving from the stands to the arena.
The battle would continue to grow more desperate as with each exchange, the smears of blood and sweat riddled the arena with the two panting figures standing barely clothed in their tatters.
"Don't start tiring." He gestured towards him, flicking his fingers into the air and causing a scar to tear open from the earth, ripping into the air. Shynerai had mere moments to dodge it, though this also gave Creivolt the perfect chance to strike.
Grasping the top of his javelin, Shynerai moved desperately to get out of its way, but having been thrown off balance by his dodge, the force of the blow sent him tumbling with a thundering crash into the dirt.
The two teachers finally made it to the barriers of the stands, taking in the dust-filled arena, they puzzled between themselves what might be happening as the sound of labored breathing could be heard drawing near.
"Professor Ulrich and Professor Reiss, why are you here?"
"Ah... you, yes, student...what's going on here?"
"Oh for FAE's sake Reiss, forgetting your student's names. Malleus Donte, what's the meaning of this, explain yourself?"
"Sir, I can assure you everything is under control."
"You call an Arena filled with rubble and an unregulated explosion of magical energy on school grounds handled?"
"Wait, unregulated...does that mean?"
"Silence Reiss!"
"Sir, no magic was allowed to fall out of the stadium, precautions have been taken. What you saw, that emerald light...it's something else."
"Oh well then if it's contained by your flimsy ward then the western grounds of the campus are doomed." Reiss exclaimed as he stared intently at the clearing dust cloud.
"What in...What is the Vice President of the Disciplinary committee doing rolling in the dirt?"
"Reprimanding an unruly freshman sir."
"Hah, from up here it kind of looks like one of my students....hang on, that hair." The professor raged internally, harshly grasping the railing of the stands. Professor Ulrich grew despondent at the sight.
Below Creivolt refused to allow Shynerai a moment as he leapt towards him, clearing the plume of dust before delivering a strike that sent a ripple tidal wave of dust and wind into a violent maelstrom that took serious notice from Malleus forcing him to return his focus to maintaining the Ward around the Arena.
"How curious."
Creivolt tried to pry his spear loose but found it unable to give, the sound of shearing pieces of steel being the only indication that he could free it.
But Shynerai wasn't prepared to give it up, taking a step back, the SG was forced to stumble while Shynerai grip remained staunched, each step he took the sound of clashing metal was heard through the dust cloud. Until finally—
Enough of the lithic mist had subsided. The sight of an armored warrior vehemently gripping his javelin surprised him.
Unable to bring out the utterances of his confusion to mouth, he forced his way forward, trying to send his spear rending through the metallic demon, only for his attack to be effortlessly repelled sending him back in his stance before the metallic sheen of the warrior burst apart and began turning to ash.
Leaving the body of an exhausted Shynerai, each worn breath he forced into his body, inflamed his lungs and sent his heart into a frenzy just a bit, but all the same, he remained ready.
Taking in his final breath, the sound of its release was accompanied by the sight of the emerald light once more. Now the halo clad fighter was able to bring himself back to his feet with the bleeding from his head wound now closed, he wiped clean the blood. Managing his previously rattled senses, the two stared each other down.
Both sides now fully registering the other, threw themselves into battle.
Creivolt made no qualms about his desire to aim for his heart, as Shynerai moved desperately between the strikes, stepping through the attacks before leveraging a chance strike... delivering a fearsome kick to the back of his head.
The blow threw SG off-balance long enough for Shynerai to land another concussive strike, though it's one he narrowly defended against, blasting the earth between them apart.
Dashing forward, Creivolt began his unrelenting flurry with the sudden appearances of even more of the previous spectral scars, forcing Shynerai to retreat from his attack at the sensation of one of the attacks closing in.
Sadly time was running short for him, as he hadn't much time to gather enough physical energy after calling upon the power of the Gilgamesh Armour.
Still engrossed by the thoughts of his ticking clock, Creivolt halts his strikes for a moment, allowing Shynerai to step close enough for him to send twin ghostly slashes from his flanks, preparing to rend him in two.
The Daumier instinctively throws himself into the air mere inches from delivering his punch into Creivolt, but he narrowly missed the attack that went on to cut the wa8ll of the Arena in two, sending the stands above crashing into the field and further upsetting their new visitors.
As Shynerai was approaching the ground, he had lost sight of Creivolt, thinking to look above he was far too late, as the force of a monstrous kick sent him hurtling into the earth, though this time he tries his best to brace for the impact, carving up the ground and landing with his back into the wall.
The air ripped from him as his clouding vision fought the sight of the SG landing before flying towards him so fast that within a blink of an eye he was already in front of him.
Having no more time to attack, Shynerai tried lunging at him but Creivolt was decisive in his following strike...piercing his left hand and striking true into his arm, this secured win would be delayed as his unconscious reaction had him kick the unsuspecting Creivolt in the chest.
Losing his grip as the attack which threw him off his feet and far into the opposing wall, demolishing the structure, the stands above slowly began sinking into the arena as the stadium was shaking invariably at his point.
Creivolt laid underneath the rubble, while the javelin he had buried into Shynerai disappeared, vanishing into thin air.
Screaming enough to slowly choke on his blood, the trembling young boy tried to stop the bleeding before he stopped the attempt and resigned himself.
Sitting on the arena floor he tried to calm himself, breathing slower and more controlled as the burning sensation of his body grew and the throbbing he couldn't quiet, amplified, he continued breathing, watching his form and each breath he took until...slowly...the emerald light began dimming.
Fading ever so much, the vibrant glow became even more evanescent with each passing moment before the last of his haloes shattered and faded completely.
Leaving Shynerai all but unharmed, and dangerously fatigued.
"This...seems...like...as good a time...as any"
With his Will force drained, he tried lifting his left arm but barely managed to with all the strain and pain, but a look of relief could be seen on his face, as he thought to himself of whether or not the sacrifice was the right one, either way, his healing had stopped and the wounds were no longer gushing but he was still far from using his arm.
Shifting his gaze to the still active avalanche of rubble in front of him, he wondered if this would be it...
'I don't know what's next, I don't know what to do, do I...can I even fight anymore...my final test, will I fail, n...now, when it matters most.'
Noticing the pile of rubble quake, he knew that he was right, giving off a slight grin as he sighed, Shynerai asked himself how Shadow would react after seeing him like this, knowing he was finally on the path he had searched for...finally he had a way to save them...
'"Uncle...Sarah..." he blurted in a strained voice.
"Uncle Shadow...maybe this really is my final test."
His final thought ended with the rubble pile blowing apart sending the debris everywhere, while above Reiss took to drawing flame sigils that incinerated any that would approach them, leering at his partner in expectation of gratitude.
Ulrich merely scoffed at him before turning his gaze downwards.
Summoning his SoulArm to his side, Creivolt managed to prop himself to his feet, coughing up a considerable amount of blood as he did, he fell across his chest in an attempt to assess the damage.
Easily understanding his current condition, he realized that this fight was over, knowing full well his opponent would not surrender but believing him to be incapacitated.
The SG would not begin his celebrations when the shock of seeing the figure in front of him standing quickly turned into rage.
Barely holding on, and he looked to be reading himself, fully into his stance.
Creivolt's frustration did not prevent him from understanding the challenge.
Choosing to honor this battle and the will of the student, he entered his final stance.
"Reiss, prepare yourself..."
"Ulrich, are you certain?"
Ulrich continued staring at the students now with a more fierce expression.
"Uncle, I hope you're watching. First: I'll give it all I've got and then—I'll make sure I win."
"Not likely, this fight is over."
"Hmmm...Words of Power. Beowulf."
"Farewell, Astrapordt."
"Words of Power. Mark of a Beast." Shynerai roared.
"Soul Art. Varyon Qilish." Creivolt commanded.
The exchange of chaotic rage split the earth as a vortex of light appeared between them.
The storm of bloodied shadows and golden thunder tore at each other violently as the force the two called upon grew more and more fearsome, Shynerai felt the fire of Beowulf blaring and growing intensely, and for the first time, the flames were hot enough to hurt.
The glowing steel of his greaves and gauntlets slowly shifted and moved, creeping up and towards this body, with an unsettling hiss of steam shooting out from his encased torso as the boy grit his teeth—and lunged forward.
Vanishing into a beam of light, he shot through the Arena, and the blast from where he stood and rocked the stands with the force carving right through the walls.
Creivolt, bearing the javelin that was now steeped in the shimmering distortions of his magic, savagely ripping into the space around him, held steady, for the moment he saw his opponent had vanished—he stepped forward, and thrust his spear with everything he had…
With the approaching clash drawing near, Ulrich and Reiss made their move. Ulrich lunged into the Arena and phased through the ward that was placed, landing in front of Creivolt's unavoidable blow.
While Reiss witnessed his colleague's act and subsequently vanished in a plume of fire and smoke before emerging in the Arena, with something heading straight for him.
The two fighters used their might and in a brilliant flash of light, the ward was destroyed.
The pressure that escaped threw Malleus off the stands before collapsing the entire eastern portion on the roof onto the stands leaving the stadium barely held together, but as the brilliant radiance slowly died down, so too did the shaking until finally, the earth fell into a calm.
After some tense moments.
Malleus was once again conscious, finding himself under some of the collapsed stands but seemingly not mortally harmed, he moved out of the entombment before wandering towards what looked like an exit.
Stumbling through the debris, he made it to the light…
But it's not the exit, he'd wandered into the arena, the obvious give away was the sight of the Vice President, though he wasn't sure what the teachers were doing in the Arena.
"Huh…damn, it's always something with this kid" cried Reiss.
Ulrich reached out to the exhausted Creivolt, holding onto his spear and resting him atop his shoulder. Giving enough time to breathe slowly as he called to Malleus to alert Dr. Arturion of the visitors he would be having soon.
Ulrich asked Reiss how the other student was doing.
"Well, the thing just fell to the ground so… we might need the old man sooner rather than later."
"I'm alright sir, just a little shaken." Creivolt tried to get onto his own feet as he apologized for inconveniencing his teachers.
"Reiss, make sure he isn't dead, the doctor would be very displeased if any students died on our watch. Mr. Creivolt, if you can stand, await the doctor and the both of you will head to the infirmary. Once you have been treated, we will settle this matter."
"…Yes sir."
"What's wrong with you kid? Every time I see you it's the same story…and look, another coat, ruined."
"Are you still complaining, Reiss, have some tact, you're an educator…"
"Hey, if it was anyone else in my shoes, they would be talking with their entrails hanging out after that. Let me mourn my coat. I swear, this kid is gonna get it when he wakes up…well if he wakes up"
"Mr. Ulrich, Mr. Reiss, the doctor is on his way, I have some of the nurses with me. They're setting everything up."
"I wouldn't want to make any more trouble for Dr. Arturion…so I shall make my way—"
"Vice President, let me help, don't strain yourself."
"Thank you, Malleus." Creivolt made his way to the infirmary with Malleus help as the nurses moved in to inspect Shynerai's condition.
Unable to feel anything aside from the burning sensation all over his body, he vision slowly faded as it finally gave in to the gray abyss, the last thing he saw was the shadow of a figure looming over him before–