Chapter 233 - One Trump Card After Another

"Oh really? Then prove it," cackled Burt.

But Oli retorted, "No, you first."

"What's this? Our finalists are chatting with each other while going blow for blow?" Dramatizing the match, the ref kept a close ear on their conversation.

"Then how about this? If I can guess your trump card, then you have to use it?" 

Laughing at Burt's logic and not wanting to waste his essence in a dragged-out fight, Oli replied, "Then if you show yours, I promise not to forfeit."

"But how can you guarantee that?" laughed Burt. "Unless… You're about to ascend and were waiting for the finals to do so?"

"WHAT?! Has Oliver been holding back this entire time?!" the announcer shouted, getting the entire audience on the edge of their seats.

Laughing louder, Oli shrugged. "So what? That means nothing when you're likely doing the same, using the tournament to stimulate your essence and force a breakthrough."

"Then how about we both take things up a notch?"

Both young men separated again, this time creating a large gap between them as they stood on opposite ends of the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I can't believe this! Is this really happening before our eyes?!"

All of a sudden, the dark essence surrounding each contestant thickened as it violated danced around them. But there were some subtle differences between them. Burt's dark essence flowed upward and had a murky quality to it. Oli's dark essence flowed downward, trickling and swaying like a liquid over Oli's body. 

In under a minute, both young men stabilized their essence and smiled back at each other.

"INCREDIBLE! We've never seen anything like this, folks! For both contestants to ascend mid-battle… It's simply incredible!"

Ignoring the announcer's calls, Oli looked at Burt once again to reassess his unveiled strength. He even joked, "If you've got any more essences up your sleeve, nows the time to pull them out."

"Are you sure about that?"

"... What?"

"Are you sure about that?" Burt repeated with a cheeky grin, catching Oli off guard. "We've only just gotten serious and you already want me to end everything?"

"Wait, you seriously--"

"I would hurry up and prep your trump card because you've asked for this!"

Silencing the crowd, leaving everyone speechless, Burt took in a sharp breath and held out both hands, palms facing upward. Darkness gathered and thickened in Burt's left hand. But it was his right hand that left everyone shocked to their very cores. Cascading out of his right hand, a bright shining light appeared in Burt's palm, matching the way that Freele had charged an attack in Oli's last match.

"Hurry up, or it'll be over before you know it!"

Burt's laughter shook the spectators all the more, let alone his unexpecting opponent. Without waiting a moment more, Burt launched a beam of light with one hand and a plume of darkness with the other. Both rushed into Oli and ravaged the ground he stood upon.

"See…" Lizbeth sighed, glancing briefly at Hurman's shocked face. She then got on her feet and raised a hand. With a booming voice, she stated, "This match is--"

"The match will continue…" Another voice abruptly drowned out Lizbeth's. The crowd had suddenly been floored by Lizbeth's interrupting announcement, but hearing Dean Jarrit made it all the more jarring.

"This--"

"This match has only just begun…" A smile crept onto Jarrit's face. "Look…"

RRROOOOOOAAAARR!!

Everyone's attention immediately returned to the stage. The bestial cry stole everyone's breath as they saw something peculiar emerge from the plume of darkness that had crashed onto Oli.

Burt's eyes widened and his smile was stretched thinner as he hurriedly jumped backward. It was only after Burt dropped the attacks that everyone got a clear view of what it was that had made such a cry, and what had forced the confident Burt to jump back in hesitation.

A black claw crashed into the ground where Burt was standing not even a moment ago, created by dark essence armor surrounding a human arm. The rest of that body was now visible to everyone, leaving the crowd with nothing left to believe in, having their expectations constantly shattered.

It was Oli. But his stance was no longer that of an average human, nor similar to that of a gorilla. Now, Oli stood on all fours with plates of dark essence covering his entire body. Even Oli's head didn't seem too human, now wearing a helmet of dark essence with sharp horns and a massive jaw. A black tail of dark essence jutted out of Oli's lower back as well, going along with the four claws now covering Oli's hands and feet.

"I don't know what to say, ladies--"

"Rrooooaaar!" Not letting up one bit, Oli launched himself with all four limbs, charging into Burt with incredible speed. But as Burt evaded the dive and kept his smile, Oli shouted, "You wanted it, so here it is. Why waste time? Give me your best attack! I'll show you mine!"

In front of the entire crowd, a new type of energy began to gather around Oli's front claws. It was ethereal, nearly colorless and transparent. Many would call it white but only due to the energy's lack of color and shade, though it wouldn't become white even as it thickened. 

"Bring it on!" Burt shouted, cackling as he took out a weapon. Gripping the hilt firmly but not too tightly, Burt poured light and dark essence into his sword with each side of the blade pairing with one of the two energies

"I--"

"This match is over…" Jarrit sighed with his simple smile, interrupting Lizbeth's startlement and keeping her momentarily stunned. 

Before anyone would react properly, both Oli and Burt charged into each other with reckless abandon. One carried an intricate blade crafted by a master smith, wielding both dark and light. One brandished terrible claws with drops of dark essence dripping from them, also coated in a strange and ethereal energy foreign to most everyone. And their immediate collision was imminent.