Aydin had beco more than just an irritation, he was now a full-fledged burden strapped to Aldrich's side, one the latter couldn't cast off no matter how badly he wanted to. And to the LORD's did he want to. Desperately.
Commitnts like this had never been Aldrich's forte. He'd never thrived under obligation, and dragging Aydin along was beginning to gnaw at the very edge of his patience. He needed to find a way to ditch him urgently so he could provide support to Valeria and Opius, who were currently clashing against Saldrich and Fiona.
But first, this.
Aldrich summoned the four of the five primary elents one at a ti in his battle with Aydin. He manifested them with effortless control. Each elent crackled and shimred around him, elevated far beyond novice proficiency.
Aydin responded swiftly, countering each with its natural opposite. Fire t water, earth t wind. He held his ground, deflecting the assault with steady precision.
None of it worked.
Aldrich observed sharply. Without mystic abilities, Aydin was little more than a paper wall, easy to shove aside. But when his mystic prowess flared to life? That's when you had to watch out. That's when Aydin Astravon beca soone worth fearing.
Strangely enough, pride swelled within Aldrich. Yes, it annoyed him that this fight had dragged on so long, but there was also a fierce sense of admiration. Aydin wasn't a pushover. Not anymore.
But that was precisely why it needed to end.
Ti wasn't on Aldrich's side. Regretfully, he would have to bring this duel to a close, no matter how satisfying it was to see Aydin rise to the challenge.
They charged.
Fists collided with thunderous force, each trying to overpower the other. Locked in deadlock, they used the rebound to propel themselves apart, sliding backwards across the battle-scorched ground.
As Aldrich skidded, he slamd his fingers into the floor, halting his movent with a screech of grit and friction.
At that very mont, his clover eyes rotated and then split into two.
Two-leaf clover.
"You're getting serious now, huh?" Aydin smirked knowingly.
He recognized what that ant. For Aldrich Aldaman to reveal the two-leaf clover, it wasn't just an ordinary power boost; it was a declaration.
"Then I guess it's ti I returned the favor."
For a brief instant, satisfaction flickered in Aydin's chest. Aldrich had deed him worthy enough to use his trump card. It ant he was no longer seen as weak, no longer an afterthought.
But that fleeting sense of validation wasn't why Aydin had co.
He wasn't here for pride. He wasn't here for recognition. He ca to conquer Aldrich. To shatter him and reclaim the honor that had been wrenched from him. To rewrite the narrative Dante Pendragon had painted, where it said that Aldamans stood above Astravons.
That's why he would show no restraint.
With a sweep of his arms, Aydin conjured several blazing chains, each licked with roaring fla. They surged forward like hunting serpents, aiming to coil around their prey.
Aldrich leapt, dodging. The chains gave chase, their numbers and ferocity multiplying by the second.
Still suspended mid-air, Aldrich's twin clover eyes shimred. He brought his palms together calmly, as though preparing to ditate atop a mountain's peak.
"Wind Art: Wind Wave Palm!"
Though not his by ownership, Aldrich had learned enough to wield the advanced technique with command. A shell of whirling air erupted from his body, surrounding him like a barrier of slicing gales. Every chain that dared approach was blasted back, scattered like leaves in a hurricane.
Wind Wave Palm is a versatile Art with both defensive and offensive rits. Against Aydin's flaming chains, it was almost perfect.
"Twin Lightning Reverb!"
He wasn't done.
Electricity surged to life, two lightning bolts spiraling around one another in a dazzling corkscrew. The technique tore through the battlefield, aid directly at Aydin.
Aydin reacted instinctively, dodging with a leap, exactly as Aldrich predicted.
And just as anticipated, Aldrich was already there, waiting for him at his landing point.
But Aydin wasn't so easily fooled, not anymore.
As his feet touched down, Aldrich reached to strike but found himself frozen.
His eyes widened.
Beneath him, carved into the ground, was an inscription glowing with vibrant runes. As he struggled, the sigils burned brighter, responding to his effort with defiance.
"Can't move, can you?" Aydin chuckled, pride thick in his voice. "It's a sealing Art. Learned it back when I was still taking private lessons. Perks of being an Astravon."
To him, it ant everything. A declaration. A revelation. A rebuke.
Astravons train early. Astravons excel first. Astravons rise higher.
Aldrich understood what wasn't said aloud. Aydin wasn't just fighting to win. He was fighting to prove sothing. Sothing petty. Sothing personal.
"Body Bind… A trap set in advance, triggered when soone tried to sneak behind you. And you Aldrich Aldaman, fell right into my trap when you snuck up on ?" He said with a satisfied laugh.
Every step had been calculated. From the lightning distraction to the leap, Aydin had orchestrated the entire sequence to lure Aldrich into his own downfall.
And it worked.
"I've got you now, Aldrich Aldaman." Aydin's voice was thick with triumph. "Now do you finally see the gap between us? Between our nas?"
He stepped closer, the flas from his conjured chains dancing in his eyes.
"You and that Dwayne guy, both of you act like the Aldaman na is carved in divinity. But it's not. The Astravons have always been superior. We are the peak of mystic lineage. It's ti you acknowledged that."
Aldrich, despite being restrained, remained silent. But within, a storm churned.
So that was it.
This wasn't about the duel. This wasn't about growth, strength, or even personal pride. It was about so statent Dante had made, so baseless declaration of Aldaman superiority that had festered in Aydin's mind ever since.
How ridiculous.
He was here to prove his worth. To test himself. To rise above limits.
And Aydin? He was here clinging to words spoken in passing, trying to rewrite social standings with chains and fire.
It was pathetic.
Truly, utterly disappointing.
Aldrich's gaze sharpened.
Enough.
He had indulged this battle long enough. Let Aydin cling to his imagined slights and buried rivalries, Aldrich was done playing along.
This ended now.
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