Their first attacks hit with so much force that trees went flying. The ground split open where Vell's weapon struck the leader's chains, and bright flashes lit up the dark forest.
"That's quite a weapon," the leader said, pulling his chains back. "But it can't keep eating up energy forever."
"Want to find out?" Vell kept grinning.
The leader shot three chains at him from different sides. Vell's weapon changed shape, splitting apart to block each chain. The weapon glowed brighter with each hit, soaking up the power.
"My turn now." He fired back all that stored energy in one blast. It should have torn through anything in its path. Discover exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire
But the leader's mask glinted as the attack disappeared into nothing. "Looks like we both know how to steal power."
'This might actually be fun,' he thought.
[Master, we're pushing the first limiter too hard.]
'That's the idea.'
The forest around them was ruined now. The ground had turned to crystal that kept breaking and reforming. Jolly tried to watch them fight but they moved so fast she could barely see them anymore.
Chains burst from the ground like snakes trying to bite Vell. He dodged between them, moving smooth and quick, but each dodge seed to be taking him exactly where the leader wanted.
"I've seen this trick before," he said as he spotted the trap forming. The chains made a big cage of light all around him, getting smaller by the second.
The leader's mask cracked more, showing a bit of his real face. "Since you are alive, it ans you haven't seen it done right."
The trap closed in with crushing force. Everything went quiet.
Then Vell started laughing.
His laugh echoed through the barrier. The leader's eye got big as cracks spread through his perfect cage. "That's not possible. This trap could hold-"
"Hold what?" He wasn't playing anymore. "So god? So demon? Think bigger."
[Master, the first limiter's about to break.]
'Good.'
The trap exploded apart. The leader had to step back from the wave of power that ca off Vell. His codex glowed so bright it hurt to look at, and the air felt thick and heavy.
"Let's get serious now," he said. His weapon changed into sothing strange that seed to bend the light around it.
The leader's chains started glowing white-hot, burning the air itself. "You really are different." His mask fell apart completely. His face looked young, but his eyes were ancient. "It's been ages since anyone pushed this far."
Crystal spikes grew up from the ground toward the sky. Energy jumped between them like lightning, making walls to keep their fight contained.
"Jolly," he called without looking away from the leader, "find so cover. Good cover."
She ran behind the thickest crystal walls she could find. The air felt so heavy now it was hard to breathe.
The leader lifted his hands and all his chains ca apart, each piece shining with enough power to break a mountain. "Ready to see what we can really do?"
Vell answered by breaking his first limiter completely.
The blast that followed made their whole fight so far look like nothing. Trees vanished. The ground turned to dust. Even the crystal walls cracked.
But neither fighter moved an inch. They stood in the middle of all that destruction, sizing each other up like they were eting for the first ti.
"You've been holding back more than I thought," the leader said. His chains floated around him, moving like they were alive. Each one glowed a different color now.
"So have you," he said. He rolled his shoulders like he was just warming up. "Those chains of yours - they're not weapons, are they? They're seals."
The leader smiled. It wasn't a nice smile. "Just like those things on your hands."
"Fair enough." His weapon pulsed, sending out waves that made the air ripple. "Should we stop pretending then?"
"After you."
They moved at the sa ti. This ti when they clashed, reality itself seed to protest. The crystal walls shattered and reford over and over, trying to contain their power. The ground couldn't decide if it wanted to be solid or liquid.
Jolly watched from behind her cover, heart pounding. She'd seen Vell fight before, but never like this. He wasn't just strong - he was enjoying himself.
The leader's chains whipped through the air faster than eyes could follow, each strike aid to kill. But Vell t every attack, his weapon changing shape to match whatever ca at him. Sotis it was a staff, sotis a sword, sotis things that didn't have nas.
"You adapted to my power drain," the leader said between strikes. "Not many can do that."
"You figured out how to counter my absorption as well," he replied, launching an attack that split into dozens of smaller strikes. "Not many can do that either."
The leader's chains ford a shield, blocking most of the hits. But so got through, leaving small cuts on his face. He touched one, looking at the blood like he couldn't quite believe it.
"Been a while since soone made you bleed?" He asked.
The leader's eyes narrowed. "Longer than you can imagine." All his chains started glowing brighter. "I suppose I should take this more seriously."
The air got even heavier. Jolly found herself gasping for breath despite being so far from the fight. The crystal walls grew thicker, trying to protect everything outside from what was about to happen.
"Last chance to send the girl away," the leader said.
"She stays." His voice left no room for argunt. "She needs to see this."
The leader studied him for a mont. "You're training her."
"Sothing like that."
"Then let's make this educational." The leader raised his hands and his chains shot straight up into the sky. They spread out like a web above them, each link blazing with power. "Lesson one: true strength isn't about how much power you have."
Vell smiled as his codex started glowing brighter. "It's about how well you use it."
The leader nodded. "Exactly."
Then they both moved, and the real fight began.
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