Such terrifying speed, I know he is close but I couldn't observe enough. I can only make the assumption that we are inside his condensed field at the moment. She let out a sigh, her gaze steadily fixed on him still.
"Sighs suit you not. You almost sound reminiscent." A loud thud accompanied his words. "Who could have guessed that pure iron was heavy?" A large chunk of metal lay on the ground. A flat cuboid, (0.3×3×5) m, in measurement.
"I almost believed that you were gone. Imagine my disappointment," Anemone added. Her words, but a simple jest to lighten the mood. Though, ring true they did.
"Wow, you are cold. Normal people say something like "I am glad you are okay" in these kinds of situations."
"Then go find those normal people," her gaze grew vacant. Her eyes shrouded in greenish-yellowish aura. She closed her hand, "It looks like this will land."
Twenty blades emerged from the tree below him, forcing him to jump. He evaded them. When he looked down, he saw them shift, adjusting to match their target's current trajectory.
Alexander stared at Anemone, watching her ever rolling eyes struggling to keep up with their target. "Did you have that set up from the beginning?"
"Not exactly, I was originally planning to use them to deal with someone else but he just happened to be a more pressing matter. You should probably get ready, I am about to launch my actual attack."
Her blades scattered, surrounding him from all directions. Thank you for going up, there isn't life up there to interfere with this art. "Wind Art: Rampaging Blades; Spirit Zephyr!" she exclaimed. Her Rampaging Blades releasing, several gusts of wind. She began panting as she felt her chest tightening. The most prominent property of Spirit magic that makes it my favorite would have to be the fact that, as long as your target can't use it, the gap in power doesn't matter. They can be up to two times stronger and its efficiently won't lessen by much.
The winds were blown back, forcing her to withdraw her blades. He blocked that!...She stood in all awe, wondering what next. The only advantage she thought she had snuffed out in mere moments. Blocking her could have only been possible if he too wielded spirit magic.
Alexander jest, a light statement to relieve a situation that had only become more dire. Though, he was glad for it. For the fact that her attack had just failed. "Wow, he had you. I almost thought he was going to man handle us." Let me see it…the vacant gaze LL told me about. The one that only appears when you are truly immersed in something.
"I must have been too hopeful." If spirit magic won't work, then we are honest to goodness outclassed in every way. The speed of his projectiles are too fast for me to track efficiently. The fact that Alexander didn't dodge means even he is slightly weaker.
"Darkness can become darker still," she whispered.
"What is it, Ane?"
"I was just thinking about someone. They could have fit this situation so profoundly."
"Really now, so they are like a tool. You are really more screwed up than I gave you credit for."
"He is not a tool." Why is it that whenever he says something about my thinking. He seems to believe that I just want to use people. I am nothing at all like that. But, why? Why are his stupid words bothering me so much?
"You really wish that were true," he aimed his hand forward. Setting his target on the man who descended slowly from the sky. It was as though he was floating. Alexander then chanted, "I am the earth, an unbreakable wall. Through me, life is born. And through me, it shall inevitably end. Now, Earth Art: Roaring Column; Earth slicer." A giant rock materialized above him before it shattered to smaller rocks. Thin sharpened rocks. The rocks projected themselves forward.
The clanking of metal echoed through the forest. He had put up a wall of metal in front of him upon touching the ground. His vision was obscured by the wall. He couldn't see what Alexander and Anemone were up too. He heard a knock on the wall, accompanied by a voice. "This thing is pure metal. Nothing at all like how sand feels. Earth Art: Roaring Column; Seismic Reverberation." The metal bent inward, pushing him back. He had no idea what Alexander had just done. The sound of revolving blades echoed against his ear which forced him to look back.
There, Anemone stood. Blades revolving beneath her palm. Seven blade alignment. "Wind Art: Rampaging Blades; Spiraling Zephyr." His hand became coated in a yellow aura before it solidified. He blocked the blades, before grabbing her hand and flinging her. He tossed her toward the trees. Before she could crash into them, she released gusts of winds to stop her.
She wiped the sweat that ran down her face. That was crazy. Not only did he react to Alexander's Art but mine as well. The fact that his defense didn't even weaken when I pressed him by surprise is crazy.
Alexander ripped the metal wall out of the ground before saying, "Are you the one they call the Iron fortress. I mean your constructs are all made of pure iron."
"What is it to you? It matters not what they call me. What does though, is how on earth did you do that. That intense vibration akin to an earth quake."
"Did I pique your curious? It's a shame. Revealing that will reveal my other capabilities. I want to hold off on doing that." He walked close, staring him down before he received a right hook. Then uppercut. He was grabbed by his shirt then slammed to the ground.
Alexander coughed before he grabbed his hand, "What the hell? Haven't you ever heard of classic standoffs."
"This is a fight, that garbage has no business here."
"Spoken like someone with no love for the game."
"Why do we need love when we are about to kill each other?"
Alexander let out a sigh before adding, "For simplicity's sake, I will call you metal. Earth Art: Roaring Column; Revolving Sand Bullet." Sand gathered behind metal when he replied, "Metal; it's rather simple. Metal Art: Structural Amorphi; Copper silicate."
The sand bullet projected it self to the back of Metal's neck when it was bounced off. A complete deflection. Shattered crystals fell to the ground liquidating as soon as they touched it. Alexander raised his legs, wrapping them around Metal's neck. A triangle submission. Metal began raining down lefts, barely missing the now pinned Alexander.
Just have to roll him…ah! Screw it. Revolving Sand Bullet. A sand bullet materialized, barreling itself against Metal's cheek. Shit. From that simple moment of hesitation, he was able to drop him to the ground. Extend his arm, transitioning into an arm bar.
He stretched the arm when he felt metal slither to his mouth. It began forcing itself through his nose when he released him and jumped back. He covered his mouth before coughing it out.
Metal grabbed his shoulder, before, stretching his arm. A blue metallic goo dripping from his right hand. "You almost had me." Revolving blades could be heard when he felt them slash his back. "When did you?..." She stood behind him, gently placing her hands against his back.
"You left yourself open," Anemone's eyes widened. Crap! I still see the point of origin. Everything she saw glitched out before her environments blurred. She felt her chest tightening, her breath run short. She received a crescent kick, sending her crashing into the ground. She forced herself back to her knees when she felt goo crawling up her arm.
She aimed her left hand at it, "Sudden Impulse." The wind ripped through the goo, transforming into a yellowish aura before dissipating. Thank God, spirit magic actually works on physical constructs.
When she looked up, she saw a foot heading her way. Instinctively, she directed all her blades to intersect in front of her. Shielding her. They were scattered from the impact of the kick, cutting even her. Her cheeks, arms, ribs, obliques. Even thighs.
The goo solidified, forming a hammer. A hammer descending straight for her head. Pillars of stone materialized right beside her, stopping it in its track. When, Metal received a hammer fist to the back of his head. This sent him flying.
Alexander panted when he gazed at Anemone's startled expression. She has been out of it for a quite a while. For the past three weeks I have been with her, she keeps zoning out. She did the same just now. She is actually scared. Her hands are trembling but her gaze remains vacant still. It's like possession. Is she actually immersed like LL and I saw that day?
"Ane…can you keep going?"
"Of course…I can keep going." She nodded her head, gathering her wits about her. Crystalis is solidification of aura. Metal art category, Structural Amorphi. It wasn't for long but I saw the point of origin. She smiled.
"Out with it…what have you noticed?" Alexander asked before reaching out his hand.
She grabbed hold of it. "The goo…it's metal."
"Of course it is. He is a metal user, what else should it be?"
"Don't be funny." She halted before proceeding, "It's a copper silicon hydrate compound."
"So, why should that matter? I could tell when it caught me. Sand does typically contain some manner of silicon. Though, it's in compounds."
"It matters because of Amorphi. Amorphi is derived from Amorphous, which means irregular atomic arrangement. That compound can't preserve it's form because of the irregular, or varying atomic arrangement I think. That's why its liquidating.
It solidifies when he turns it into Crystalis." Kano told me once that Crystalis though appearing to be an entirely different construct. Branches from the element its born from. It will always obey the rules the original compound is subject to. But, unlike the original, it is solid. Always. "So he is switching between Attribute style Elemental magic and solidified magic concepts in the spectrum of the alpha series."
"This just got unnecessarily theoretical." He sighed, "You picked that up from that brief moment of contact?"
"Yeah, I was in direct contact with that stuff so it's data flooded into me when I thought of using distortion." The expansion was too fast though. One moment was the metal the next the whole point of origin. I couldn't even determine just how strong he is.
"Your unique ability is amazing, is that why it doesn't have a name?"
"How hard did you hit him, Alexander?"
"Hard enough to make his ears ring right now. But he has been awake though. Just laying there and listening to your theory. I think he is finally starting to get what I met by the love of the game. Isn't her mind brilliant, Metal?!"
"Don't ask me stupid things. She froze up when it was time to strike. Truly pathetic." He sat up.
"Metal…I asked about your thoughts, not feelings, Okay?"
"Those were my thoughts." The goo wrapped itself around his neck when he said, "Why are you like this? You went to Ent Magic Academy, Right? You there, Alexander was it. People called you by a different name. No wonder I could not tell. But no one can mistake that strength enhancement. The current head of the Silverettes, Alexander Silverette."
"I am pretty honored. But, no full names. That's much too formal. We belong to the same generation. The people rumored to soon surpass the Crescents. Damon, you, I and who was that again. His name always slips my mind."
"What are you two talking about?" Anemone asked, her fingers twitching.
"It's just random trivia, Ane. It concerns you not." What I want from you is just to see it. That golden gaze that enchanted me all those years ago.