In the wait for Wintersteel, I made a fan fiction battle between Sophara and Eithan taking place in the final 8 rounds. It might not make sense, but I had fun writing it. Let me know what you guys think.

***

Fireworks spiraled through the air as the crowds roared. They cast red and green lights, rippling across the sea of crowds. Eithan walked among the noise. His blue robes had stars dotting them, and his blond hair was loose and blowing in the wind. He had his hands in his pocket, a smirk on his face. His eyes stayed on Sophara’s.

“He looks serious,” said Lindon back in the room with Charity.

Mercy stood beside him. “Looks like we’ll finally get to see him go all out.”

Pride sulked in the back; his arms were crossed. His tattoos writhed in agitation.

Sophara was already facing Eithan. Her golden scales draped down her back like hair. She was bedecked in golden robes, hinting at her true form. Her claws were scraping her arms as she had them crossed, though they did not pierce her skin. Her golden eyes glared at Eithan with such fury it was as if she was trying to develop a new striker technique from her eyes.

Eithan rubbed his neck as he cracked his head from side to side. Stretching on his tippy toes, he smiled over at Sophara.

“Sorry about this. Time to get serious.”

Sophara itched to tear his head off. This stupid clown and his personality irked her. He came from a Monarch-less faction. He was nothing. Eithan’s little glimpse of glory was about to run short here. And when Sophara won Penance, she would offer it to her master. She would bring glory to their clan as the Uncrowned King and would take revenge on the bastard who had killed her sister. In fact, she would send Lindon’s head to the Akura family directly. The thought made a purr vibrate in her throat.

Northstrider walked to the center of the arena, his eyes closed.

Eithan did not fail to notice the sandwich wrapping in Northstrider’s pocket. Eithan winked at Northstrider, who did not seem to notice.

“Ladies and gentlemen," said the Ninecloud Soul, "after that stunning display last fight with Yerin vs Ziel, we now come to a fight between two Overlords: Eithan Arelius representing the Blackflame faction and Sopharanatoth of the gold dragons.

The crowds got louder at the mention of Yerin’s fight. The Sage of Red Faith had gotten a little too excited during that match.

“Now everyone ready! Prepare your eyes, for we are about to witness two competitors who have managed to reach Overlord!”

Amidst the roar of the crowd, the Ninecloud Soul said, “We await Northstrider’s signal.”

Northstrider opened his eyes, his black scaled arms glittering in the sunlight. His clothes were old and dirty, and Eithan could not help but want to suggest more fashionable clothes he had stored. They had tiny cherubs and fairies on them, but maybe Northstrider had a soft spot?

“Begin.”

***

When Northstrider vanished, Sopharanoth flexed her Overlord spirit as she conjured soulfire. Her body transformed into a golden dragon, snake-like and with massive wings big enough to envelop her body. It was smooth transition, but Sophara wanted to make this flashy.

She stomped her feet, bared her teeth, and gave Eithan a wicked smile

“You’re mine.”

Eithan’s blue eyes seeming to laugh at her.

Sophara made the first move.

She tindered Flowing Flame in her throat and let forth her dragon’s breath. The golden liquid streamed through the sunlight rushing at Eithan like a five-foot tall wave.

Eithan walked through it.

Sophara blinked.

Eithan continued to walk forward.

Pure madra covered his body like a shell, his smile showing white teeth. Sophara leaped backwards, suddenly wary.

This man could not be sane. Maybe his overconfidence had some merit to it. If so, she should take this fight more carefully. She considered transforming back into her human form, where it would be easier to channel her techniques.

Sophara growled. Look at her, worrying about a stupid mouse. She let go of her cautiousness. If this fool thought all he needed to do was protect himself against striker techniques, he was wrong.

She flexed her wings and took into the air, sending EIthan’s robes fluttering. She flew over Eithan’s head, blocking the sunlight for him. As she landed behind him, her tail swept underneath Eithan’s legs.

They knocked Eithan over, and before Eithan hit the ground, Sophara dug her claws into his chest and ripped out his heart.

At least that was the plan as Sophara’s claws ripped into empty air.

Where had he gone?

Sophara spun around. They always appeared behind you.

Pain immediately crashed in her nose as Eithan’s kick smashed into her nose. Sophara did not budge an inch: she had a dragon’s body after all.

But the pure madra ran through her channels, canceling out her madra.

For a second.

But in that second Eithan snapped his leg back from the kick and his other hand pulled black ordinary scissors which sliced through the air. Sophara bent her body in half as his strike passed where her eyes had been a second before. Sophara balanced herself with her wings spread out and her tail. She smashed her wings up in an embrance to crush Eithan.

As Eithan stood over her with his black scissors extended, his other hand quickly swept from his pocket another pair of scissors: his Archlord weapon.

Sophara was forced to stop her attack and roll to the side as the Arhclord weapon transformed into a spear, its reach stabbing through the air where she had just been. All this occurred in less than a second.

As Sophara rolled away, shame and anger raged inside her. Eithan acted like he knew what she was about to do. His speed was incredible. This must be the bloodline ability of the Arelius.

Sophara sheathed herself in an Enforcer technique as Eithan retracted back to a ready stance, his spear transforming back into scissors.

Sophara crouched on the arena floor and roared. A massive detonation of flames consuming half of the arena. It was like half the arena had burst in a sea of churning molten liquid.

Eithan dashed out of the flames, his arms crossed in front of him, his icy eyes focused on Sophara with complete focus.

Against her better judgment, Sophara blasted backwards, beating the air with her wings as she continued to unleash golden hell on Eithan’s half of the arena. There was something about his eyes that scared her.

Eithan rushed at her, his hair streaming behind him, his blue robes singed.

But his pure madra had done the job as he sluiced through her technique. He began to point his Archlord scissor at her as he reached her.

Sophara calmed her thoughts: Eithan had no enforcer technique that could stand up to her. He really was insane. Her tail struck him first on the forearm.

Blue-white solid pure madra encased his arm, like knight armor.

Eithan smacked it aside, twisting his wrist to clasp her tail and hold it. Even so, he did not specialize in enforcer techniques and his arm was mangled. Eithan grimaced in pain, but he did not falter.

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With the other he threw his Archlord scissors up into the air, sending a ray of sunlight into Sopahra’s eyes.

Eithan sent out a pulse of pure madra that canceled all the flames. In an instant the golden inferno was extinguished.

Sophara again only had her dragon body to rely on. She let her reflexes take over as she slashed at him. Eithan, still holding onto her tail, blocked her slash with her tail. Her claws sent sparks flashing, and Eithan wrapped one of her arms in her tail and grabbed the other arm with his free hand.

Sophara roared, her strength overpowering Eithan as she attempted to rip his limbs off.

The Archlord weapon above her transformed into a massive guillotine blade and fell with high speeds, only two feet above her head. It would take her out before she could properly disable Eithan.

Normally Sophara would have taken the attack head on, but this was an Archlord weapon. Who knew what it would do if it touched her.

She threw Eithan up into the air to be cut in half with his own weapon. Timing it perfectly when her madra returned, she let forth a torrent of Overlord-level Flowing Flame that echoed across the sky, searing up into the sky and blasting the white fluffy clouds away like cotton candy swirling away in water.

To be even more careful, Sophara prepared another volley.

The technique died in her throat as she felt the pressure of Eithan’s pulse of pure madra stop her technique. The Flowing Flame in the sky parted away, letting sunlight pierce through again.

Glowing with bright light, pure madra encircled Eithan in a cocoon, dense enough to be so solid she could not see Eithan through it. The Flowing Flame madra had split apart when it had reached him, a furnace unable to reach him.

But he was still flying towards the guillotine.

Sophara jumped up, her claws looking to pierce through Eithan’s cocoon as her madra returned.

When the guillotine blade was inches away from Eithan, it changed again.

Eithan’s hand emerged from his cocoon, grasping the golden chains that smacked into his hand. The force of the chains hitting him sent Eithan blasting backwards away from Sophara, causing her claws to miss him as she passed through the air where he had been a millisecond before.

Eithan landed on the ground before her, his chains still elongating as it crashed down on top of Sophara. She flew out of the way as Eithan whirled the chains around, one of the links catching his non-Archlord scissors still in the air. He must have left it there before the chains hit him.

Forged stars appeared above Sophara and she prepared to meet them, remaining airborne.

As the non-Archlord scissors were caught in the chain links, Eithan’s cocoon opened up in the middle like a zipper and he burst out, flickering his chains underneath her and sending the scissors shooting up towards Sophara, who was still in midair.

Sophara snarled as she flew backwards, avoiding both attacks. Did Eithan really think he could corner her in the air?

The forged stars smacked into the scissors and careened towards Sophara. The scissors stabbed into the arena floor, point first.

At that moment Eithan jumped into the air, high above Sophara. The cocoon remained on the ground but began to dissolve, specks of pure madra attracted to his body like a magnet.

What had once been a cocoon of pure madra began to cover EIthan in visible madra, forming into samurai-like armor. His mangled arm seemed to be enhanced under the armor as the pure madra expelled out her madra from his body.

As Sophara smashed the forged stars aside with her left wing, Eithan’s armor completed forming in a mask that covered his face completely.

It looked like a lion’s face, its snout long and pointed. Its eyes had no pupils. Teeth snarled back at Sophara. With soulfire bursting at the armor’s seams, colorless flame flickered across the joints of the armor. To complement the picture, Eithan’s long hair floated outwards like a mane all around his mask. His hair rippled like water, waving in the air like feelers.

Sophara wondered if that mask was supposed to mock Reigan Shen. Before she could give it much thought, she landed on the ground as Eithan came crashing down on her.

Sopahra barley had time to block with her arms, preparing to overpower Eithan. Instead, he struck with such force she staggered backwards.

His golden chains wrapped around his chest and shoulders, slithering, and shooting off sparks of pure madra like electricity. Sophara blinked, and Eithan was upon her again. With every punch and kick, Sophara felt her bones shake. Eithan executed a series of punch and kicks that send Sopahra’s wrist flying aside, one of his strikes slamming into her throat with snake-like reflexes and cutting off her breath for moment. Her tail came up to smack Eithan’s face, but he slipped it and caught it. With inhuman strength he flipped her in the air and slammed her into the ground.

The chains. It was the Archlord chains that was enforcing Eithan’s entire body to match her.

Sophara summoned Ghostwater, knowing she had to finish this fight quickly before this monster enacted whatever master plan he was cooking.

Sophara flipped onto her feet, flicking her tail up to take Eithan off balance. Instead, Eithan backflipped. As he did, his chains burst from him.

They elongated into a spiderweb of chains, enclosing the arena in a dome.

Sophara jumped over swinging chains and flew down, zipping through a coiling nest of chains as she drew near the source: Eithan Aelius.

As the golden chains enclosed upon her, Sophara used her Ghostwater to see all the correct spaces to escape them. She reached Eithan easily, her nose glinting inches from his lion’s snout. Sunlight poured in through the chains, and his mane glittered.

Somehow, Sophara could tell he was smiling underneath his mask.

Forged stars shot out of his chains, crisscrossing, and screeching like fireworks. Sophara was forced to fly away, and she suddenly lost sight of Eithan. She looked around, dashing through, and dodging the chains and stars as she searched through the nest for Eithan.

Sophara’s senses saw him above her, running along the chains as if was solid floor. All the stars missed him, parting away wherever he went.

Sophara blasted upwards, roaring with defiance as she extended her madra. She focused on her Enforcer techniques, focusing her speed over everything else.

As Eithan reached the top, he jumped up into the air as Sophara followed him like a missile. Together they hovered over the nest of chains underneath them. Sophara saw the sea of chains covering the arena, looking like a mass of golden lightning.

She momentarily heard the Ninecloud Soul’s excited voice.

“The contestants have emerged!”

Sophara tuned out the screaming crowds as she flew at Eithan who hung in the air for a second, his arms flailing like he was trying to fly.

….Was Eithan mocking her? Sophara screamed as she dove at him. Chains extended up and above her, slamming against her back, and sending her careening down into the whizzing star-works below. Sophara overpowered her trajectory in midair with her wings and flew back up, making sure to pay better attention to the chains.

Eithan fell to her, but chains continued to offer footholds as he ran down to her. Suddenly all the Forged stars stopped below them, spinning in midair.

After a second of silence, the stars screamed upwards, an incredible firework display that illuminated the entire Ninecloud city and drowned out the Ninecloud Court fireworks.

The sound was like a giant explosion, shrieking with rage. Sophara was only able to evade them all with Ghostwater as Eithan ran underneath her on the chains. Sophara blasted downwards, a line of Flowing Flame following Eithan. The stars continued to shoot upwards, but she dodged them all.

Eithan suddenly kicked off from his chain and met her in midair, surprising her. Her claws reached for him. He had nowhere to go now, and her tail was ready to knock any chains coming from below that he could use as a foothold.

A chain flew up sideways and smacked Eithan to the side, causing Sophara’s claws to miss him. It opened her left side for an attack, and Eithan hung there for a split second, his mask winking in the sunlight. The chains on his body wrapped around his arm, spinning and shrieking sparks. He punched her ribcage with the power of the Archlord chains spinning around his arm.

Blood and saliva flew from Sophara’s mouth as her eyes bulged, her body thrust upwards. She cried out as Eithan was suddenly behind her, one of the chains having scooped him up and thrown him behind her.

He grabbed her wings, his armored feet slamming into her back. He stood over her, a rising sun as his hair matched the glow of the sun. And then he pulled.

The force of his kick sent her spiraling down, the Forged stars continuing to shoot past them so loud she could barely hear herself scream. The pain from Eithan riding on her back, pulling her wings, was agonizing.

She barrel rolled, trying to get him off.

In her distraction, more of the chains and stars were able to smack her as they entered the sea of chains. A mass of chains encircled around her legs, and she had to move quickly to avoid being snagged. The stars seemed to focus on her. Even the stars that just passed them began to fall like shooting stars towards her.

Finally, the pressure was relieved as Eithan let go of one of her wings. Sophara spun him off, only for Eithan to land on her scaled belly. She tried to claw him, but the chains prevented her as they plummeted to the ground.

Eithan punched her in the face. His armored fists did not do much damage, but some of the chains began to circle around his arms. Eithan let out another pulse of madra to inhibit any more techniques.

An Archlord-powered punch smashed her face. Sophara screamed and was blasted down, feeling a sharp pain in her back. What was that?

Sophara slammed into the arena floor, cracks emanating from the crash site. Her body weakened, Sophara rose to her feet as Eithan landed lightly.

Disoriented, she tried to fly away but realized one of her wings was missing. Eithan had grabbed hold of one of her wings before she had been blasted away by his punch.

She balanced herself, glaring defiantly at Eithan, shaking her blood off her body. A mass of Forging stars began to form above them in a whirlpool.

Eithan cocked his head.

“Surrender?”

Sophara roared at him. Only to have his chains wrap around her snout, slamming her jaws close. They wrapped around her head and neck, squeezing tightly. Sophara grabbed a hold of the chains and pulled Eithan towards her.

Eithan flew at her pull, catching her punch on a chain-wrapped forearm, causing the chains around her head to slacken. Sophara ripped them off.

“Enough.”

Eithan’s icy voice pierced her core.

As if in slow motion, his hands moved towards her. She tried to dodge, but he was too fast. He grabbed her jaws. He began to pull them open. Sophara was too weak to struggle as the mass of Forged Stars above them entered her mouth. It felt like swallowing coals. They detonated inside her stomach.

Smoke burst from her mouth as she fell onto ground, blood spilling from her mouth.

Eithan began to walk away. He walked over to the non-Archlord scissors that were still embedded into the arena floor. Then he walked back to her. His armor began to peel away.

“…I..will…punish your clan…you will pay for this….you...don’t know….who you are messing—.”

Eithan walked over to her, hooking his scissors under her chin. His mask seemed to laugh at her, peeling away to reveal more of his face. His blue eyes were glittering, and his voice was casual.

“Nah, settle your vendetta with my student first.”

***

“The winner has emerged!” The Ninceloud Court boomed.

Eithan looked over at the crowds as Sophara’s head bounced at his feet before dissolving to white.

The nest of golden chains dissipated, morphing back into his Archlord scissors. His armor faded away, and his hair stopped floating and fell back down to rest against this back.

“Lindon,” he called out, “Its your turn next time!”

***

In her room, Sha Miara cracked her knuckles as she watched Eithan win.