28 The adveristy of battle

Tarrus would bring both of his giant axes down upon Riyku when Riyku was within striking distance; however, Riyku seemed to have sped himself up to avoid being crushed. The extra step also pushed him under Tarrus' legs. Cutting the flesh with his blades caused the minotaur to growl as he quickly turned around, bringing his ax around to smash it straight into Riyku. The male would kick-off of his feet to leap into the air and avoid the strike; however, he had not predicted a second strike. So the second ax would smash into his back forcing him back to the ground with a growl. Kissing his teeth he would kick off his feet, but instead of leaping into the air he would pivot away from the minotaur. Continually to leap back away from the minotaur even after evading another strike that was set to smash him into the ground. The male would eye his Shield Points which took a major dent from a single blow, yet his body remained intact. "You are quite nimble even with wielding such a large blade. I must say it is impressive, young one." Tarrus called out. Riyku would shift his glance back to Tarrus with a smirk. "I should say the same about you. Following up with a second strike right after the first was smart." Riyku would admit that the minotaur got him pretty good there, still, he could not lose here. Inhaling softly the male would exhale; all four jewels that were embedded into his armor set began to give off a gentle shine. A flare of wind would wrap around him, then a flow of water, and lastly an aura of fire. These three elements would continue to cycle around him until they fused into one which seemed to emit off of the male in the form of steam.

"Oh? What is this?" The minotaur inquired with intrigue as he prepared himself. Riyku once more dashed towards Tarrus; however, unlike before his speed rivaled that of an Olympic runner. Kicking off the ground, Riyku would lunge towards Tarrus; and with the side and the main blade in hand. Cutting through flesh as he passed by, but instead of simply dropping speed; he had planted his feet against some kind of translucent barrier. Kicking off of the barrier he would fling past Tarrus and clip his flesh again, only to repeat the process once more. "Faster..." Riyku muttered as he grit his teeth. The Jewel on his glove giving off a brighter shine as the male seemed to steadily increase speed, "Faster..." He added when multiple barriers began to appear one after the other. "I need to go faster!" He released a battle cry, and at this point, Riyku was flying past Tarrus like some kind of super fly. Clipping the skin of the minotaur each time he passed by. Tarrus could not even keep up with the speed, every time he tried to look for Riyku he felt pain engrave upon his flesh. Eventually, Tarrus tried to swing his ax at the male but only missed. Once, twice, thrice... again and again, Taruss would attempt to hit Riyku like a madman trying to swat a fly. Yet to no avail did Tarrus manage such a feat. Instead, Riyku had drawn the minotaur to his knees with a final bypass by cutting at the Achilles heel for who knows how many times it had been. Planting both swords into the ground to not smash into the wall of the box the male would grind up dirt while he slides back thanks to the momentum.

Tarrus looked at Riyku with a smirk and a glare all in the same. "You truly are not human." The minotaur muttered while keeping himself from falling over with his axes. Riyku would reconnect the blades into one while panting heavily. "I'll take that as a compliment." He would reply with a snicker before expending his free hand outward. The Jewel would burn brighter than before and he would glide the palm of his hand over his blade. The blade would soon erupt or more so flare out with clear flame. It was then that the jewel's brightness became dull once more and the male would grip the hilt of the blade with both hands. "Now, here's the finish." Riyku would bring the blade down from overhead which caused the arc of the flame to fly out towards Tarrus who smirked as if admitting his defeat. "Nooo!" Maulin would shout as she jumped in front of Tarrus with her arms spread wide. "Lady Mau!" Tarrus would attempt to shield herself but was currently unable to due to the immense amount of pain his body was going through. Riyku would narrow his eyes, "I won't make it in time. I don't have enough mana for blink..." He growled. Even though he was already racing towards Maulin for whatever reason, he was not going to make it for sure. "Damn it..." Riyku growled under his breath. It was then he felt something pulsate inside of him again. "Wha-what?" He would shudder when he felt it yet again. His body seemed to begin to distort rapidly before he completely vanished only to appear in front of Maulin and Tarrus. "You!" Tarrus exclaimed.

Bringing his Soluna Blade up with haste he would block the arc with the flat edge of the blade pressing his arm firmly against the other side of the flat edge while struggling to keep himself from flying back into Maulin. A painful growl would pierce through his gritted teeth. "Move already!" Riyku had called back to Maulin who was stunned in place for god knows why. Riyku would not let the arc glide past him since Maulin would not move, nor could he prevent himself from steadily sliding back either. A groan escaped the male as a black aura seemed to dimly leave the male's body. His eyes flared open when he felt a burst of power surge through him for a moment which allowed him to fling the arc off to the side. The arc itself seemed to explode when it hit the furthermost corner of the box meanwhile Riyku would collapse forward, using his blade to keep himself from hitting the ground. While he was panting heavily he noticed his Shield Point gauge had been emptied. His Mana gauge was also bare-bones and his Energy gauge was now around twenty-five percent full. "Ummm..." Maulin would call out softly to Riyku. The male would shift his glance towards the girl, the aura that was around him seemed to have exhausted itself long ago. "Thank you..." She appeared to be on the verge of tears. "Thank you so much!" She exclaimed while sitting on the ground. Riyku's brow rose before shaking his head, picking the blade out of the ground he would rest it against his shoulder. "Yeah..." Riyku appeared more exhausted than he should have been. Making his way towards the other side of the arena he would sigh heavily. "Looks like it is my win." He muttered and Maulin would nod softly. "Yes. We, Group Four B forfeit our match!" Maulin shouted which seemed to signal Riyku's win.

Tarrus would huff heavily before calling out to Riyku, "Thank you for protecting Milady Maulin. You do not appear as beast-like as your essences give off. So I thank you. It is indeed your win." Tarrus would state before his body slowly began to dissolve into particles of light and seep back into Maulin. By the time Riyku was already on the other side of the Arena, the next team was coming to take her positions. Kissing his teeth the male would shake his head, "I shouldn't be this exhausted." He seemed to complain.

'That is your fault Darling. You decided to be the hero.' Seraphina stated through their mental link. "Yeah. I should thank you for helping me back there. Giving me your power allowed me to make it in time and deflect the attack." Riyku stated which caused Seraphina to reply, 'I do not know what you are talking about. I did not lend you any power.' Seraphina stated which caused Riyku to raise a brow in confusion. "You sure?" He inquired to which Seraphina would insist. "Hey! What the hell are you muttering to yourself over there!? Did you hit your head!?" One of the guys on the opposite end would call out. Riyku would shake his head with a sigh, pushing aside the thought of who may have helped him. He would eye his status bar yet again. "I can't push myself anymore. I need to end this quickly." Riyku would dash towards the team and bring his blade around; however, the swing was slower than anticipated and the person seemed to evade the slash. "My attack speed has decreased!?" Riyku exclaimed to himself with an inner thought before attempting another slash, then another and another. Each one only seemed to slow down, and before he knew it he was surrounded.

"Haha! You must be exhausted! Let's get'em boys!" The guy commanded as the other two charged him alone with the first guy. Thrust from behind would cause him to step to the side which would lead him into a slash from above, this caused him to step forward away from this slash which only leads him to take a blade into his arm from a third attack. Kissing his teeth the male would spin on his heel once swinging his sword around him several times before the tip of the blade began to grind against the ground thanks to the momentum. The male panting heavily as he looked down to see an open wound on his arm. Thankfully, there was a light haze about which seemed to change the perspective of the color of his blood. So it appeared more marroon than black. "Damn it..." Riyku would growl as he gripped the hilt of the blade to bring it around to deflect a sword attack, only to flatter when another came from his side. Jumping back to avoid this one would lead him to take a slash at his back which caused him to stumble forward. "Damn it..." Riyku growled again, clearly, these three were in perfect sync with one another. It was like they were leading him around. Riyku already knew since he had exhausted all of his resources, he was at wits' end. His breathing was heavy now, and the look in his eyes was steadily turning dire.

"This is easy!" "Hell yeah!" "Let's finish this up!" The three guys cheered happily before darting around Riyku and leaping in to take strikes at him one after another. Riyku could barely keep up with blocking each side, that eventually his footing slipped from under him and he took several slashes to his arms and torso as well as backside. His armor had already been struck multiple times beforehand which made it easy to penetrate now.

[You are going to lose.]

A voice snickered into his mind which caused him to growl.

[If you rely on my power, you will die.]

The voice continued to edge him on.

[Even if you don't die, your life is forfeit unless you win.]

It continued, a sly smirk of Harvester's face appeared in his mind.

[Unleash it already!]

Harvester exclaimed.

"Enough!" Riyku would release a roar, the shadows around him spiking out several times as if to continuously push the three guys back. The foundation of the box shook to some extent. 'Riyku! Riyku!' Seraphina called out through a mental link, yet no response came from the male who was just standing there. The shadows would return to him and slowly slither up his body, closing out his wounds over time while the three guys took to caution while regrouping.

"What the hell?" One of the guys would squint their eyes at Riyku who held this flourish of blackening color skin. An eerie aura was starting to surround him. "Did he just power up? What kind of bullshit!?" Another guy exclaimed in frustration. "Dude, that's cheap. What is he, some kind of main character? This is rigged!" Another guy added. "Shut up! We can still win this. We need to focus!" The first guy shouted which caused his teammates to stop their complaining and focus now. The three of them taking to a guarded stance, each one was at the backside of the other as if to prepare for anything.

Off somewhere else in the waiting area were several figures gathered around. "So, he truly isn't human." A feminine voice called out from a pink-haired individual. "Well ma'am, what do we do? At this rate, he will tear through all who stand before him." One of the people inquired. "We stick to the plan. It is only a blessing that we are all in the same block." The pink-haired woman snickered. "I want all of you to exploit as much as this man as you can even at the cost of your lives. Otherwise... I'll be sure to take them myself. Of course, if you survive and fulfill your duty, I'll handsomely reward you." The pink-haired woman would express in a flirtatious manner. "Yes, Ma'am!" Everyone shouted in sync.

"Idiots..." A stern young voice of a male muttered. "Your highness, you should not give them such high praise. After all, they are mere scum." Another voice came out, one more sophisticated and feminine. "She is right. For what they did, they only deserve their deaths." The third member of the trio who was resting in a lone spot in the waiting area had agreed. "Regardless, this Ruthless King. May be who we face against in the finals, so you two better not underestimate him. He does not appear fully human, either." The male stated firmly. "For you to speak so highly, he must be quite the powerful foe." The stern voiced woman would state. "Indeed, but remember you are not fully human either, My Lord." The second woman would add and the male would nod silently.

Back to the match, well more so Riyku's sub-conscious Seraphina was calling out to Riyku continuously, yet no answer still came to her. "Damn it! What happened!? Why did you let it consume you!?" Seraphina shouted, though her answer was given when she heard the snickers of a familiar voice. "What did you do, Harvester!?" Seraphina growled out towards the abyss around her. "Nothing. I merely reminded him of who he is. Of what humans have done to him. I showed him the true nature of humanity." Harvester would call from the darkness around. "You bastard! You have no right! What you are doing is cruel! This is a chance for Riyku to become different. A chance for him to be free of those damned shackles! So why!? Why do you insist on making him suffer!?" Seraphina would seether with rage now. "Why? Because he is the trigger. He can not escape Fate nor Destiny. No matter where he goes, be it into the far future, or the distant past. Be it another universe, or another world entirely. He continues to be reborn, continues to live in suffering until he completes his task and triggers the end of all life." Harvester would state as he made his descent from the darkness. "You know that more than anyone. The Eighth must decide, Destruction or Salvation." Harvester narrowed his eyes at Seraphina to glared at him. "Then you should not be forcing him to pick one over the other!" Seraphina would try slash at Harvester with her claws. Though the man would evade backward to avoid the strike with a snicker. "I will always side with Destruction, Seraphina. After all, I am his true nature incarnate." and with that Harvester would vanish completely. Seraphina was left alone in Riyku's sub-conscious, "Riyku please!" She called out to him yet again.

"Dude, this guy hasn't moved yet. Should we just go after him?" One of the guys stated while keeping his eyes in front of him. "No. We need to remain cautious if he-- Shit! Where did he go!" The leader of their team shouted, which caused them to remain on high alert. Sadly, they would never anticipate that Riyku would rise from their combine shadows and split the three of them up. "How did he! GAHHH!" One of the guys cried their last breath which caused his teammates to look at him. The sight was both terrifying and rage engaging since Riyku had pierced the man's chest straight through. Holding the heart of the guy who was dangling around his arm. The heart still seemed to beat, but Riyku would crush it before tossing the corpse at the enemy team as a district so he would repeat the process to the second guy. Which left only the leader now. "Damn it... Damn you! You... you... Monster!" The guy cried out as he gripped his blade tightly.

No words parted Riyku, but instead, the male dashed towards the Leader.

'Defeat the Shadow King.'

A text box appeared before the Leader's face which would draw his attention away from Riyku for only a moment. This moment was critical since Riyku had reached the male's throat and slammed him into the ground. Raising him and tossing him into the air. "What the hell!?" The leader choaked out, but before he could do anything tendrils of shadow spiked up to latch against each limb. A scream of pain would pierce through gritted teeth as the sound of bones breaking and skin tearing echoed throughout the box and before long the tendrils completely pulled the body apart the moment Riyku snapped his fingers as if to command them to do so.

The winner was clear as day; however, Riyku would stumble around as the shade of black began to evaporate from his flesh and his eyes slowly closed. It was then that his body collapsed against the ground, "What..." Riyku would mutter just before blacking out completely.

"Bro, you gonna get up yet!?" A strong masculine voice called out which caused the male to open his eyes; however, the sight was different. The sky was visible clear with stars shining brightly overhead. When his body moved his eye shifted towards a young adult male; probably the one who called out to him. "What?" The male huffed as he sat up. The imagery was fuzzy in the sense that Riyku himself could not paint the picture of the male. "You have been sleeping all day man. I know it's your day off, but you should at least help out." The young adult male replied as he stopped next to the male. His hand moving to his head to scratch the back of it before yawning heavily. "Dude, seriously?" The guy called out to which the male finally sighed heavily. "Yeah, yeah. I'll be there. It's not like the festival is going to end anytime soon." The male would get up and dust himself off. Standing around the same height as the guy beside him. "Still, it would not be the same without you bro. Come on, let's go." The guy stated and both of them traveled down the hill to a festive looking village.

The sight went all black and moments later did Riyku's eyes slowly open to the sight of a white ceiling. "What?" Where?" Riyku muttered as he slowly sat up and looked around to an empty room. 'You passed out. Are you okay, Darling?' Seraphina's voice called from the mental link which caused Riyku to nod softly. "I am fine, but I don't understand what happened. I was being attacked by those guys, then Harvester started to... Wait, what happened to the match!?" Riyku exclaimed as he stopped his train of thought. 'You won.' Seraphina replied. 'Please, lay back down, Darling. You need to rest up. Right not everyone is going through cycles since you completed her five matches. Get as much rest as you can before your turn comes up again. You need to recover.' Seraphina stated and Riyku nodded before laying back down. His eyes staring at the white ceiling for a moment.

"Seraphina, Did something happen when I blacked out? I recall coming to a brief, moment but everything between the times of being pressured to that point is a complete haze." Riyku stated softly. 'Nothing you need to concern yourself please, Darling. Get some rest.' Seraphina stated to which Riyku would give in with a sigh of defeat. His eyes would close and he would relax his body before falling into slumber. 'I will protect you... I promise.' Seraphina whispered.

Meanwhile, it seemed things were heating up in all of the blocks. Teams were being dominated one after another. People being killed and some surrendering, there were a few who forfeited the battle before even partaking. A few hours had already passed since Riyku had finished his set. Several teams of all four blocks had been eliminated with how few people there were. Still, there were several handfuls left. It was finally, Kristen's turn. Lira and Vex would follow suit and they entered into the first block. The arena had been cleaned out to a crisp, and even the air filtered nicely. It was like brand new. The three girls glared at a group of roughish figures who snickered and laughed at them.

"We are being underestimated," Vex muttered with an annoyed expression. "Well, then why don't we show these punks what we are made up." Kristen would smash her gauntlets together. Lira taking up the rear would knock an arrow in place; though the arrows seemed to be made of mana rather than the typical ballistic style arrow. Vex would gripe the shaft of her staff in both hands with a nod. "Lira, cover me!" Kristen shouted as she dashed forward. Lira would adjust her bow into an angle where she would release the bolt high into the sky. Vex would proceed to do minor chants while waving her staff around. "Let's have some fun!" One of the guys shouted as he raced after Kristen, not paying any attention to the fact that Lira had fired off an arrow into the sky. The arrow would split into several arrows once it reached it's peak height and would descend towards the guy who charged forward. The guy would cry out in pain as he felt the mana arrows pierce through his flesh, "Thanks, Lira!" Kristen shouted as she darted right past the guy who has now been pinned to the ground thanks to the arrows that pierced his body. One of the second guys would proceed to unleash a barrage of ballistic arrows at Kristen; however, Vex had used her spell to morph the earth beneath that guy which pierced through his body, while simultaneously morphing the earth in front of Kristen to act as a shield for the arrows. Kristen would vault over the wall of earth that had protected her, "Thanks, Vex!" Kristen shouted before she chased down the final person who was running away from her. "Where you going!?" She exclaimed as she gave it one final push and tackled the sorry lad to the ground. Straddling the man before decided to pummel his face in with her gauntlets.

In truth, it was a short battle, but one that was won nonetheless. After all, they had four more battles to go. They knew they needed to end these battles quickly, so they could reserve their strength for their final battle. Which is why they wasted no time in taking out the enemy team even if it meant killing them. Just like how the medical team came up to clear out the bodies before, they did the same just now while Kristen would rejoin Vex and Lira. "Good job, girls!" Kristen expression with a warm smile. "You too!" Vex and Lira replied to Kristen. "Good job, Vex," Lira stated. "Same to you, Lira," Vex replied. The three of them giggled for a moment, before taking their position when their next set of opponents appeared on the opposite side of the arena.