WHOOSH! CLANG! CRASH!
Alister weaved through the barrage with ease, his movements almost taunting. Each projectile missed him by inches, smashing into the surroundings and adding to the growing destruction. Sparks flew as he slapped a chunk of debris aside, his golden eyes gleaming with amusement.
“Is this your limit… Guildmaster?” he teased, brushing some dust off his shoulder.
Anya gritted her teeth. Her mana surged again, her purple hair glowing faintly as she extended both hands toward the largest object in sight: the crumbling remains of a two-story building. The structure rumbled as her mana enveloped it, crimson mana crackling along its jagged edges.
“You talk too much, Alister,” she said, straining as she lifted the massive structure. The ground beneath her cracked under the pressure as the building rose into the air. Dust and broken glass rained down, the air vibrating with the sheer force of her effort.
RRRRUMBLE!
With a fierce shout, Anya hurled the building at Alister. The massive chunk of rubble cast a shadow over him as it hurtled forward, tearing through the air with a deafening roar.
THOOM!
Alister didn’t flinch. His eyes narrowed, and he calmly raised one hand. A faint ripple of golden mana formed around him whirling in the air like heat waves.
“Void Rend,” he said.
He waved his hand casually, and the building split cleanly in two mid-flight. The halves crashed to the ground on either side of him, the impact shaking the earth and kicking up an enormous cloud of dust and debris.
BOOOOOOOM!
The shockwave from the collision sent loose gravel and bits of metal flying, but Alister remained unfazed, standing tall in all the destruction. His golden eyes could still be seen glowing through the haze, locking onto Anya.
“You’re strong,” he admitted, his voice echoing. “But strength alone won’t win you this
spar.”
Anya’s breathing was labored, sweat dripping down her face as she glared at him through the settling dust. She wasn’t done yet. Her eyes darted to an old water tower teetering on a rusted platform nearby. Without pausing, she sent a surge of mana toward it, snapping its supports. CRAAACK!
The tower toppled, the massive tank plummeting toward Alister, water spilling from its sides.
Alister narrowed his gaze as he looked at the falling water tower, like he did with the building hurled at him earlier… He simply pointed out a finger towards it as did a little slash in the air. “Void Rend.”
WHOOSH!
A blade like beam of golden mana shit fiwaed splitting the structure in half, water sprayed out grim it in a big…
SPLAAAASH!
Alister redirected his gaze towards Anya. “Creative,” he said, “but still not enough.”
Anya growled, clearly frustrated as she wiped her face. She extended her arms toward a line of abandoned, completely rusted-out vehicles nearby. With a roar, she flung them at him in rapid succession, each one crashing toward him like a meteor.
BOOM! CLANG! CRUNCH!
Alister dodged the first two, then caught the third mid-flight. The old car creaked loudly as he swung it away, hurling it back at Anya with incredible force.
WHOOSH!
Anya dove to the side, the vehicle smashing into the ground where she’d been standing. The impact left a deep crater, sending shards of glass and metal flying.
“Is this all you’ve got, Guildmaster?” Alister called out, his smirk widening. He stepped forward, his aura flaring brighter. Golden sparks flickered in the air around him, and the ground beneath his feet cracked with each step.
Anya pushed herself up, determination blazing in her eyes. “Don’t count me out yet.”
Night had now fully fallen over the ruined city, and the moon hung high in the sky, casting its pale silver light over the battlefield.
The air was thick with dust and the lingering echoes of mana vibrating the atmosphere.
Anya stood, her chest rising and falling heavily, her energy drained but unwilling to back down.
The moonlight caught her purple hair, now damp with sweat, as she fixed her gaze on Alister.
“I’ll win,” she said.
“No matter what.”
Alister, standing amidst the rubble, tilted his head slightly, his golden eyes gleaming. He raised a hand to interrupt her.
“Are you done?”
“Or should we still continue?”
Anya froze at the sudden question, her words caught in her throat. She stared at him for a moment, then a sly grin spread across her face.
“Of course we continue, but it seems I’ll have to return to relying in you old approach.”
“And that is using these fists of mine.” she said.
Taking a deep breath, Anya shifted into a unique stance, her feet firmly planted as she began channeling her mana. Her aura flared, and her right hand started to glow with an intense crimson light. The mana condensed and crackled around her fist, forming a vortex of raw
energy that whipped up a gust of wind around her.
“This… this was a technique my father taught me. It’s meant to take down powerful
monsters.”
Her eyes locked onto Alister’s. “And since you seem to be a monster in your own right, I’ve decided to go all out.”
Alister’s lips curled into a faint smirk. “Is that so?”
Anya’s aura surged as she gathered every ounce of her remaining mana into her fist, the crimson energy solidifying into a massive, tangible form. It towered above her like a giant
mana fist, pulsating with power.
With a massive roar, she pulled her arm back and then swung it forward with all her might.
“I’ll make sure to blow you away!” she screamed.
The crimson fist shot forward with explosive speed, tearing through the air as it headed toward Alister. The ground beneath it cracked and crumbled from the sheer force, and the surrounding debris was blasted away by the shockwave.
WHOOSH!
Alister’s eyes widened briefly, the first touch of genuine surprise appearing across his face. The glowing fist roared toward him, a destructive force capable of leveling anything in its
path. But then, his expression changed. He looked calm… confident even.
He raised his hand, waving it in a wide arc, and said softly, “Void Rend.”
His golden mana surged like liquid light.
The golden energy shifted, forming a blade-like arc that cleaved through the incoming crimson fist. The giant construct shattered instantly, the two halves splitting apart and disintegrating into harmless sparks that scattered across the battlefield.
BOOOOOM!
The residual force kicked up another wave of dust and rubble, but Alister strode forward, his golden eyes gleaming through the settling haze. He was calm and composed, despite all the destruction surrounding him.
Each step he took was measured and majestic, his presence exuding a calm yet overwhelming
aura.
Anya, now exhausted and struggling to stay on her feet, watched in silence. She was stunned. Her breath hitched as she saw him emerge unscathed from the remnants of her strongest attack. The way he moved… so effortlessly, so elegantly… caused her heart to flutter for a
moment.
She shook her head quickly, trying to regain her composure. “You’re… really a monster,” she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. “How can you just—”
Before she could finish her sentence, Alister vanished from his spot, moving with blinding speed. In the next instant, he reappeared in front of her.
BOOM!
His leg shot forward with devastating force, slamming into her abdomen with a massive…