Al stepped out of the towering entrance of the 23rd Supreme Ring, greeted by the biting embrace of the cold desert night. Overhead, a celestial quilt of stars stretched across the vast expanse of the sky. Wrapped in the cloak gifted to him by Elissa, his Stubborn Will leaked into it, camouflaging him within the sand surrounding him.
His mind rehearsed the vague details of his mission. His target is an Immortal Spirit of a Dark Acolyte resembling a jackal. Oddly, the image of his target stirred a sense of déjà vu within Al, though the origin of that familiarity remained elusive. The only direction in the details was to look toward the northeast.
Al glanced back at his steps, which were leaving faint imprints on the dune's surface. He pondered the visibility of his footsteps, thinking, "They might give me away," his thoughts trailing like a lone traveler in the vast expanse.
The occasional scorpion or beetle crossed his path, fellow nocturnal wanderers. The desert's symphony was woven from the hushed susurration of the wind, its tender fingers brushing the dunes' ancient contours.
"Silence... stillness... a cavern without walls," Al murmured, a whispered temptation to drop to the sand and begin cultivating right then and there, yet he pressed on. Yet, he resisted the temptation, resolute in his purpose, and pressed on.
At the furthest reaches of the desert expanse, the sky colored by violet night began transcending to a magenta pink pierced by streaks of bloody red. The morning sun had been born, casting its tender rays upon the land, transforming the darkness into a serene azure embrace. The sand released its clutches of the cold from the night, making his skin feel alive.
Under the watchful eye of the sun, Al forged onward. With a note of sarcasm, he muttered to himself, "Does she expect me to keep wandering until I hit the Red Sea?" Just then, a lone figure, swathed in dark robes, caught his peripheral vision, traversing the desert expanse in solitude.
"Not the typical appearance of an Immortal spirit, but a person walking alone in the heart of the desert? Suspicious." Al thought, allowing a wry smile to crease his lips as he decided to trail the enigmatic figure. He maintained a discreet distance, ensuring his footsteps remained veiled from the stranger's notice.
It wasn’t long before a dark, shimmering, wavy film could be seen far in the distance. The shimmering film transitioned to a lush green land with palm trees and a small lake. The figure headed directly towards the oasis, with Al trailing behind. Next to a palm tree, Al noticed a tall, dark shadow that seemed human-like.
Maintaining a cautious distance, Al observed the meeting between the robed figure and the tall shadow. Unable to discern the features of either of them, he inched closer, the cloak camouflaging him with the golden sand.
As he approached, he recognized the tall, shadowy figure. It was not only his target, but he had fought it before and was the one who reduced it to an Immortal Spirit. It resembled a tall, bald, jackal-like humanoid.
"So, it is him. Destiny reunites us, though Midnight Abyss no longer stands by my side." Al pondered. Yet, at that very moment, the Immortal Spirit turned its gaze squarely towards him. Despite Al blending with the sand, his concealment was far from flawless.
Al ignored the eyes on him and stood motionless, refining the cloak's camouflage. He observed the Immortal spirit conversing with the robed figure, who eventually turned in Al's direction. Suddenly, the figure's robe unfurled, unveiling a woman's figure with fiery red hair, four brown wings spread wide, and monstrous claws adorned her hands.
She scratched the wind with such devastating force it exploded into a powerful force aimed directly at Al. His mind homed in on the name for a magic spell 'Flash-Denial'. His Stubborn Will surged, concentrating and flooding both blades, rendering them almost indestructible for a fleeting moment. In that fraction, Al's blades cleaved through the oncoming assault, and he surged toward the winged enemy.
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Upon realizing that an unexpected figure had emerged, tearing through her assault, the avian-like Dark Acolyte took flight. Simultaneously, brandishing a malevolent dark katana, the Immortal spirit surged towards Al.
Meeting the force head-on, Al's scimitar clashed with the Immortal spirit's blade, but the katana was no ordinary blade. It sliced through Al's scimitar.
Al evaded the katana's deadly arc with nimble agility, his body spinning away from the lethal strike. In this crisis, he summoned the power of his signature magic spell, 'Perfect-Revert.' Astonishingly, the fractured piece of his scimitar hurtled back, and the sword was made whole once more as if the damage had never occurred.
Before the Immortal Spirit could complete its slashing motion, Al harnessed the momentum of his spin and swung his blade. His scimitar sliced into the Immortal Spirit's side, followed by his longsword poised for a piercing strike. But the Immortal Spirit, shocked by his opponent's instincts, countered with a powerful kick, sending Al hurtling through the air, out of reach.
The events unfolded in a chaotic blur. Al ricocheted across the dunes like a skipping stone, crashing to a jarring halt. Ignoring the pain coursing through him, he willed himself back onto his feet, only to be met with a barrage of feathers, their serrated points stabbing deep into Al. One cruelly pierced his right eye, leaving him with a blinding void.
There was no time to extract the embedded feathers. A shadow in the shape of a crescent moon was shooting towards him. Al knew it was a diversion to cause an opening for the Immortal spirit to cut him down. Al enacted 'Flash-Denial' solely around his longsword in a desperate gambit. Then, with every ounce of strength, he hurled it toward the approaching crescent shadow, closely following behind.
Empowered by 'Flash-Denial,' the longsword cleaved through the deceptive shadow, revealing the Immortal Spirit poised for a deadly strike. Despite the blinding pain in his right eye, Al stood resolute, his scimitar ready to strike back.
With a surge of determination, Al invoked 'Flash-Denial' once more, empowering his scimitar to withstand the deadly edge of the dark katana. Both blades came to a momentary halt, "You ran away from me," Al taunted, causing the spirit to falter in recognition momentarily.
Al manipulated the blades to seize this momentary lapse, creating a tangible opening in the Immortal Spirit's defenses. Just as victory seemed within his grasp, searing pain erupted from his right side as massive talons pierced through him.
The bird-like woman lifted him into the air, her cruel grip digging into his shoulder. Al's arm wielding the scimitar was rendered immobile.
As they soared through the air, a calm settled over Al's mind. The interference, though infuriating, fueled his resolve. They circled back, the bird woman intent on delivering him to the waiting blade of the Immortal Spirit to strike while he remained helpless.
As they descended, the feathers that had pierced Al's body and taken his right eye ignited in a sudden blaze. Right after, the bird woman herself became engulfed in flames. Her anguished cries pierced the air, and she began flying erratically.
In her fiery torment, her grip on Al slackened, allowing him to swing his scimitar and sever both of her left wings along with her left arm. They left a smoky trail as they crashed into the sandy expanse.
Moments after the brutal collision, the world around Al plunged into darkness. From the shadows, ethereal katanas materialized, thrusting toward him. In a desperate bid for survival, Al enacted 'Flash-Denial,' this time on himself. The spectral blades shattered upon impact, as did the spell that had ensnared him.
Al stood amidst the desert, where the earlier clash had brought him down. The Bird Woman, no longer ablaze, crawled away, her form battered and scorched. The utilization of 'Flash-Denial' had drained a considerable portion of Al's Stubborn Will, necessitating intense concentration and expenditure.
The once-piercing feathers that had inflicted him were now reduced to mere ashes, but his healing process had considerably slowed. Without sufficient Stubborn Will to fuel it, his regeneration struggled.
Across from Al, the Immortal Spirit appeared equally worse for wear. Under the harsh gaze of the high noon sun, the use of its magic had evidently demanded a significant exertion. Both were looking at each other; both knew the next attack would seal the fate of one of them.