Chapter 267 - Starry Night

"Fai. Don't insult me." 

The muscular, exhausted otherworlder could only watch as Avdima curled his digit before unleashing a flick against the wall of solid fire, shattering it completely. 

"...Is it insulting to expect you to follow the rules of normal people?! You're too strong!"

Though Fai was trying to joke around to alleviate his thumping heart, he wasn't lying. Before the Argonaut revered as a prodigy among prodigies, resistance felt like an exercise in futility. 

I can't let him get to Charlotte. Summoning all of those creatures has been taking a toll on me...Besides that, I'm still feeling the effects of his attacks. I might have to use that. With that, I can for sure get him away from her, Fai thought. 

Taking a stance as he spread his feet evenly apart, he dropped his arms limp at his shoulders as releasing the rigid tension of his body for the first time brought the aches to the forefront of his mind; wincing as he pulled himself into focus. 

I was saving this for a rematch with that lightning bastard--is what I'd like to say. Truth is, it's still incomplete, and more importantly--a danger to myself. Still, there's no chance in hell I'm going to be able to stand up to Avdima unless I put everything on the line, he thought. 

The breath he drew into his lungs was transformed into fire the moment it entered his throat. Guiding this natural flame through his body, it ignited within his bowels like a roaring engine. 

"Show me something exciting, Fai." 

With pleasure! This is my ultimate magic; the peak of flame-wielding! The pinnacle of strength! The summit of Zhurong! He thought. 

Steam fled from his pores in place of sweat as his body reached a rising heat, his skin shifting into a flame-born crimson as the hot winds began to leave even his eyes, ears, and nose in abundance. It was a slow, methodical movement; raising his arms in a circular motion before placing his palms together as if praying. 

In the world of magecraft, it is a feat that stands above all. Lifetimes can be spent in an attempt to gain it, but for most—it'd be a life wasted, he remarked. 

His hazel locks erupted into flames, but it was a natural occurrence—it was as if his tied-up hair had been transformed into the burning element itself. The same effect scaled over his figure; flames guided themselves around his body, pouring from his pores, before it became complete. 

"Zhurong: Apex."

As he spoke, his words left as flames, his eyes now harboring the chaotic nature of fire itself as the burned brightly like the sun. Even as the orange, hissing inferno scales his body, his baggy, sable pants remained in tip-top shape. 

The air surrounding Fai became distorted by the heat waves emanating from his form; raising those blazing irises to meet with Avdima's own—who patiently waited for his opponent. 

"Come—"

Before the challenge could fully part from Avdima's dry, scarred lips—a fiery elbow found itself lodged against his nose. An endless, boundless power concentrated itself on his face, a blow so sharp that the pain followed far after the impact. 

Such speed, Avdima thought, something about it—I couldn't follow him. 

The harsh, steaming and flaming elbow sent Avdima back as his nose became warm and numb. It was a much different level of strength than expected; the speed that carried the Argonaut through the woods flung his body through oak and stone alike without fail—as if he was shot from a cannon. 

Watching the ceiling of leaves up above with only brief glances of the stars—he saw it; the reason he couldn't track the movements of the otherworlder. 

By all means, his form wasn't physical; Fai traveled along the length of the tree in pursuit of his foe—moving as a sentient flame. 

If my body itself becomes fire, I can exceed my limits! Without any real mass, it's only up to how much mana I can release! Fai thought, it's a pain like nothing else--I feel it in every cell of my body; burning, aching, throbbing. It's the price of temporarily becoming an element itself! 

Spinning in the air rapidly with his weightless, elated form of controlled blaze, his flame-formed foot was brought down on Avdima's chest while the man was still in midair, crashing down with a violent, high-reaching axe kick that brought the Argonaut down in an explosion of brilliant fireworks. 

The world croaked beneath the fervent, rampant power, trembling as the soil caved in, if not burnt away into ash within the fiery radiance of Fai. 

Still, even with a foot lodged against the sternum of the black-haired, pale Argonaut--Fai watched as the man still held eyes that inhabited no fear. It was in those eyes that he found his inclination to dodge, just before a retaliatory spell was launched in his direction. 

Despite his looks, he's a damn tank! I'm hitting him with the intent to kill, yet he makes it look like we're just sparring; I'd never live this down if I brought any pride with me into this bout, Fai thought. 

Evading the unrefined blast of darkness, Fai charged at the man once more with his body formed of blades, watching as Avdima kicked himself up from the crater formed in the forest's meddled soil--cracking his neck both ways with little difference in his obsidian eyes. 

That kick seemed to do something, at least, Fai remarked. 

The portion of Avdima's figure that his flaming boot met with had the somber fabric of his uniform burnt away—beyond that, there were clear marks present on the Argonaut's previewed chest from the impact.

He's not invincible. That much is certain now! He thought. 

Dashing forward with his form that held onto no single shape; his body of flames constantly shifting itself, the abnormality of this form seemed to throw Avdima off who responded at the last moment with a straight jab of his own.

To the rare surprise of the sleepless-looking man, his hand didn't meet with any solid surface, instead passing right through the fiery essence of Fai, who grinned wide as this was revealed to his opponent. 

You're mine! Fai thought.

For the first time in the daunting battle, the advantage was in the blazing hands of the Outlander, who spun his entire body weight into a high-kick that had every intention of beheading the opponent before him. Even in the precarious situation with little time left to react, Avdima managed to raise his arms in a guard in an attempt to guard against the incoming kick--once again learning that fire itself can't be blocked as the flaming shin of Fai collided against the side of his head. 

With a kick launched so passionately backed with such rigorously obtained power, the resulting collision roared through the thick bounds of the forest before the Argonaut was flung once more. Though this time, it seemed Avdima had enough of letting his foe have his way: as he traveled backwards through the air, he planted his foot down harshly as it cemented itself into the soil, completely halting his travel as he came to a stop. 

"Nice kick."

Avdima muttered as he wiped his cheek with his thumb, flicking the steaming, crimson essence from his digit as his eyes seemed to hold some level of quiet rage within them. 

This time, it was the man as pale as snow who took the initiative, even catching Fai off-guard with the movements that looked like a shadow danced around each corner, groove, and inch of the forest--appearing directly in front of him as he sprouted forth from the somber darkness. 

"You're not the only one who can embody their element."

With those stoically spoken words, Avdima managed to grip onto the forearm of Fai--to the surprise of the blazing man. 

Huh? It feels like he's grabbing my actual body, but how?! He thought. 

"Any mage worth anything knows how to counter this; otherwise it'd be an invincible spell. All it takes is an abundance of mana to interfere with the element." 

As if displaying this reality to the man, Avdima raised Fai by the arm before slamming him down harshly with an impact fueled by the dark-boosted strength of the Argonaut. Before Fai could counterattack, Avdima followed up once more, flicking from his fingers as he stood away from Fai a murky, lightless energy before it began unleashing what looked like a six-pointed star of darkness. It extended each point into pillar-like legs, etching itself into the ground as it encaged the fiery Outlander with a form that resembled a birdcage. 

Fighting against a mage who was capable of casting spells without an incantation was a grandeur task for Fai, unable to properly react before being enclosed within the boundaries of the abyssal cage. 

"What is…?"

Fai stood himself up quickly, attempting to break free from the hold of the shadowy cage with a kick that accomplished nothing. 

"Erebus: Starless Night. Anything caught in there will die within one minute; simple but powerful.. It's not a poison or curse you can defend against; it enacts the concept of death on whoever is caught in its bounds."