The battle began with a deafening roar as Tiara launched the first attack. A concentrated beam of radiant plasma shot from her hands, its brightness overwhelming and its heat intense enough to distort the air around it. Asher sidestepped with uncanny precision, the beam missing him by mere inches and carving a molten scar into the arena floor.
Asher's scythe dissolved into crimson mist, leaving his hands free. His Blood Manipulation ability activated, and a crimson pool formed at his feet, spreading rapidly. With a flick of his wrist, the blood solidified into jagged spikes, shooting toward Tiara like a volley of spears.
Tiara spun, a shield of radiant energy forming around her. The blood spikes sizzled and evaporated upon contact, leaving nothing but faint steam trails in the air. "Is that all you've got?" she taunted, her voice echoing through the arena.
Asher smirked, raising his hand. The evaporated blood reformed into a thick mist around her, obscuring her vision. "Who said I needed to hit you directly?" he murmured. The mist thickened, and Tiara coughed, sensing the metallic taste of blood in the air. It wasn't just mist—it was infused with a paralytic toxin he had assimilated in his blood.
Tiara responded by releasing a burst of radiant energy, dispersing the mist in an explosive wave. "You'll need more than tricks," she said, her body glowing even brighter. She raised her hand, and dozens of plasma orbs formed around her, each the size of a basketball. With a motion, they hurled toward Asher in rapid succession.
Asher's movements were fluid as he dodged and redirected the orbs using tendrils of blood that emerged from the ground. The blood tendrils coiled around the orbs, absorbing some of their heat before they dissipated. But a few slipped past his defenses, and one grazed his shoulder, leaving a searing burn.
"You're getting serious," Asher remarked, his voice calm despite the injury. The blood from his wound dripped to the ground, but instead of being a disadvantage, it became a weapon. The droplets expanded into blades, floating around him like a crimson halo.
He thrust his hands forward, and the blood blades shot toward Tiara in a synchronized attack. Tiara leapt into the air, her speed blinding, and countered with radiant arcs of plasma that cut through the blades. But as she landed, she noticed the blades reforming, becoming faster and more precise with each iteration.
"You're persistent," she admitted, a hint of frustration in her voice. This chapter is updated by Novel~Fire. (n)et
Asher didn't reply. Instead, he clasped his hands together, and the entire arena floor turned crimson. Blood surged upward in a tidal wave, towering above Tiara before crashing down. She planted her feet firmly, her energy flaring as she unleashed a radiant explosion to repel the attack. The wave split, but Asher was already moving, appearing behind her as if stepping out of the blood itself.
He swung his hand in an arc, and the blood on the ground shot up, forming a whip that lashed toward her. Tiara countered with a radiant blade, slicing through the whip, but the severed pieces transformed into a net, ensnaring her momentarily. Asher capitalized, sending a stream of blood needles directly at her.
Tiara's aura flared again, burning away the net and intercepting most of the needles, but a few found their mark, grazing her skin and drawing blood. "You're getting on my nerves," she hissed, wiping the blood from her cheek. Her aura intensified, and her radiance reached its peak. The temperature in the arena skyrocketed as she summoned a massive sphere of plasma above her head.
"Let's see if your blood tricks can handle this," she declared, hurling the sphere at Asher with devastating force. The heat was unbearable, and the sphere's descent caused the ground to crack and melt.
Asher stood his ground, his hands outstretched. The blood beneath him surged upward, forming a massive shield. The sphere collided with the shield, the impact shaking the arena. For a moment, it seemed the shield would hold, but cracks began to form.
With a roar, Asher manipulated the blood shield to split the sphere in two, redirecting its energy to either side. The split plasma detonated upon contact with the arena walls, the explosion leaving the audience stunned.
Both fighters stood in the aftermath, panting but unyielding. Tiara's radiance had dimmed slightly, and Asher's usually stoic expression showed signs of exertion.
"You're tougher than I thought," Tiara admitted, her voice begrudgingly respectful.
"You're not bad yourself," Asher replied, a smirk tugging at his lips.
The battle wasn't over, It was just an warm up as they both begin to now charge up.
"The real fight is just beginning," Asher said, his voice calm but edged with anticipation.
"You made a mistake underestimating me earlier," Tiara shot back, her tone laced with determination. Her energy surged, a blinding aura surrounding her as glowing wings unfurled behind her. Above her, a radiant halo of light began to take shape.
"Starform Angel," she declared, her voice resonating with power as her transformation completed. Her body glowed with an almost divine brilliance. "Let's see if you can handle this."
Asher observed her new form with a raised brow. "Impressive. But don't think light alone is enough to blind me," he remarked, his tone unfazed.
Tiara didn't waste any more time. She condensed her radiant energy into a gleaming sword and shot forward with blinding speed. The ground beneath her cracked from the sheer force of her launch. In a blink, she closed the distance, her sword aimed directly at Asher's chest.
Reacting in an instant, Asher summoned a crimson barrier from his blood manipulation. The sword pierced through it, but the barrier slowed the blade's momentum enough for Asher to step aside, avoiding a fatal injury. However, a shallow cut appeared on his arm, glowing faintly as Tiara's energy seeped into the wound.
"Not bad," Asher said, his lips curving into a smirk. "But now it's my turn."
He raised his hand, and blood erupted around him, enveloping his body. The crimson liquid hardened into a menacing black-red armor, crackling with veins of crimson lightning. His scythe reformed in his hand, now infused with the same volatile energy, its blade glowing faintly as blood and lightning coursed through it.