"Can you think extremely fast?" The words of his master repeated themselves in his mind, he did not know if he had to reveal a powerful hidden card like enhanced cognition. But then again, she had already noticed it, it would only be a few more blows before she confirmed her suspicions.
"Yep, I can, let's continue." There was a hidden message in what he just said— don't pry into it... respectfully. The last part was a necessary procedure he had to undertake if he wanted to live peacefully— if he did not mind the occasional feelings of being a bird.
"Use your purple eyes, I want to try fighting against them. Both of us can learn from each other then."
"Hey I am your student, it is my right to be taught."
"Then listen to your teacher and use the purple eyes."
"..." Judge's mind paused for a moment, unsure of what to say. "I can't control it properly." He gave up on thinking of ways to hide it.
"It is okay, I doubt you would be able to beat me anyway."
Judge pursed his lips, it was unfair— being attacked both physically and mentally, but he had to endure. One thing Judge learned was that runes do not work inside the Studio unless he wants them to work. So he closed his eyes and focused on making them purple, which of course, did not work.
"I don't know how," He sighed.
"Try sending ether towards your eyes while not activating the cloud strider eyes."
"I tried, but it does not work."
"Hmm..." Seraphis twirled her blade, "do you know how you got those eyes"
"I usually have at least a bit of information on things that are relevant to me," He shook his head, "but sadly, I am just as confused as you are."
Seraphis was about to say something when Judge interrupted, "Wait!... I do know of something."
"The eyes, the cold and sinister feeling you get when looking at them, I have had the same indescribable horror, but on a greater amplitude when looking at someone else." Judge nodded thoughtfully, mostly to himself. "It was inside the dream, you fought that person, but you did not show any feeling of fear or being suppressed."
Seraphis nodded at his explanation, she had forgotten they were in the middle of a spar. "Who was it? We might be able to get clues on how to activate it."
"Tenebris..." Judge purposefully made his voice sound deeper.
"Tenebris..." he returned to being normal.
"No, I heard you the first time, who is this guy?"
"He is the god of night."
Seraphis froze, did he just say that I fought a god? I know I am powerful but isn't that a bit unrealistic? "So you are telling me... that I fought a literal god?"
"Thought so," She said in a disappointed tone.
"You fought his vessel for his descent, but let me try the eyes again, I might have a clue on how to activate it." He looked at his master, who nodded without saying anything.
The eyes, while do not have enough clues, they might be something connected to divinity. A god was able to have the same influence as the eyes, a person from more than two thousand years ago, during the Aetas Custodis era. And also, I have blessings from an entity that stands above these 'so-called gods', so it is safe to assume that these eyes are somehow connected to divinity.
Judge looked at his master, instead of circulating ether throughout his body, he focused the ether inside his eyes. Nothing happened, but he could feel something was amiss. If it was all normal he could easily draw out ether from his eyes, since ether is stored within the whole body of a person and not just inside some random organ that had an unscientific name.
He focused some of his ether into his eyes, but just as both his iris turned ashen white, he stopped the flow and started to draw ether from them.
This time— he succeeded, strange ether started to circulate throughout his body, filling him with vitality. He could feel his spirit, Solarae, who was asleep inside him churn in his sleep. But he could not come out because Judge did not let him.
Seraphis watched as her disciple's eyes slowly turned purple. She instantly froze, no matter how much she told herself that it was not dangerous, she could not make her body move. She even had the urge to prostrate in front of this diety. But all those feelings vanished as soon as Judge readied his sword, "I got a bit of control over it," He said as if he was driving a difficult car in a videogame.
Seraphis also readied her sword and lunged forward thrusting the weapon toward Judge's right shoulder. Her gaze was fixed on the two purple glows in her disciple's eyes.
Judge did not let his master get the better of him, he took the blow with his sword and tilted the blade slightly, redirecting the string blow to the side. He then reposted her thrust as he spun around in the direction he deflected her blade and swung the blade toward his master's neck from the right.
Seraphis avoided the blow by leaning back, Judge thought of punching her gut, but before he could do so— her legs raised and kicked his chin, doing an over-dynamic backflip and landing gracefully, and also knocking the poor dragon child over in the process.
Judge stood up from his ground-hugging and adjusted his jaw. Thankfully, he was a dragon and both were inside his studio.
Seraphis grinned and sprang again, faking a high attack before sweeping low. Judge dodged just in time by backstepping into the air, landing almost theatrically. He pointed Lament at her, with glowing golden runes on his blade.
He charged, careening in a loose zig-zag arc. Seraphis raised Ashen to block, but Judge paused and vanished, popping up behind her in a splash of crimson. His sword shot toward her side, but she whirled, parrying just in time, the impact of their blades echoing across the ethereal plane.
Seraphis jeered. "Nice trick," she said, breathing slightly harder. "But predictable."
"Predictable? I call it classic." Judge smirked.
They traded punches frantically, with each punch punctuated by a string of ridicule.
"Is that all you've got?" Seraphis called out, sidestepping an overhead slash.
"You're surprisingly chatty for someone who's losing," Judge retorted, dodging a red mist tendril that shot out from Ashen.
Duels became more intense. Seraphis's blows were precise and continuous; Judge operated on quick-footedness and uneasy feints. Every time it seemed as if Seraphis was going to come out on top, Judge would teleport or use the surroundings as leverage.
Once, Seraphis swung Ashen in an arc that broadened and swept crimson mist over Judge. He thought fast and pushed Lament into the ground, enveloped by the golden light exploding all around him and driving back the mist.
"Impressive, Seraphis said apparently enthralled. Did you program that into your studio?"
"Not exactly," Judge replied, continuing to draw his blade again. "More like a 'spur of the moment' kind of thing. Improvisational theater, but with swords and without the applause."
Seraphis laughed. "you are either insane or a genius. I couldn't possibly tell."
Once again their blades clashed, the force of the blow shaking the shadows. Judge suddenly sidestepped, letting Seraphis's momentum carry her forward. He raised his hand and the ground beneath her turned to slick, polished ice. She slipped but managed to catch herself with Ashen, stabbing it into the ground for support.
"You've been holding back on me," Seraphis said, her smirk returning as she stood.
"Just testing the waters, Master. I do not want to embarrass you too early."
Seraphis's grin grew wider, a dangerous glint filling her eye. "Good. Because now I won't feel bad about using this."
She held up Ashen and the scarlet veils deepened into what seemed to be vast, moss-covered claws to extend for arms behind her shoulders.
Judge blinked. "Ah. You have an Ashen-formed claw monstrosity technique. Very original. Did you come up with that name on the fly, or..."
"Shut up and fight, Judge!"
The claws thrust at him, and Judge barely dodged them. He called forth several shimmering, golden constructs in the shape of shields, blocking the relentless assault. One claw rammed into a shield, shattering it like glass. "Okay, I think maybe I underestimated you... a little bit though," said Judge, dancing between the strikes.
"You think?" Seraphis said, laughing low and little with amusement and menace. "I might as well remind you that I have not even gone into half the potential of my principle."
"Please, what could possibly happen when you use the full principle." Judge was purposefully acting like a spoiled brat in order to see his master's full strength, the strength he would one day achieve and surpass.
"You should try taking a job in the opera, you are good at acting. Very well, I will show you the full strength of my principle."
How could she read my mind, is that a skill of hers?