"Yoltri Orlith Meras."
It was a spell incantation that signified the beginning of things. Orin Lodda had done it. He had imbibed the alchemical concoction, and now, he feels an immense amount of mana flowing through his blood vessels.
He can hardly contain himself from the influx of strength that he now feels, his body squirming in delight while his mind makes sure that he isn’t overwhelmed. His body feels far faster than it did before. Fast enough that he can compete on an equal stage against his current opponent.
Normally, he would not make the choice to activate this spell. This magic is something that can give him energy for less than a minute before his body starts failing. Within that minute, he would have speed and agility akin to a heroic noble’s. Due to the special flame nature of the spell, fire would fall from his skin like sweat.
He would be able to breathe it and its heat would do no damage to his body, inside or out. He would be able to walk in it and alongside it as its brother. He would be able to bask in its warmth without any worries.
Yet normally, after 40 to 60 heartbeats, he would lose the ability to feed the spell with his mana and his body would suffer the effects of extreme mana depletion. Against his current opponent, that outcome is unacceptable.
However, due to the potion he had drunk from, the special fire bomb tincture, he can maintain his fire-body enhancement spell for long enough to kill his current opponent five or six times over.
Ajax is staring at the flames filling the hallway, all the pain in his body leaving him. He can smell the smoke, the thick scent that when inhaled would make a normal human feel lightheaded. However, Ajax's body cannot be harmed by what he breathes in anymore, not even carbon monoxide. Even if he were vulnerable in that manner, he can simply stop breathing indefinitely.
Ajax raises his hands out to the hallway and extracts a great deal of the heat energy permeating the air. The fire makes the air warmer and he can absorb this warmth, turning it into his own energy. He takes in a couple deep breaths as the temperature of the hallway reaches the freezing point of water.
Within moments, the bright red fire that had been trying to spread through the hallway dissipates.
Red flames still fall off of Orin's skin as if his body were a fountain of it. Yet, mere inches off the surface of his skin, the fire disappears, unable to survive on even flammable surfaces due to the cold in the hallway.
Whatever clothing and armor that Orin had been wearing earlier is slowly burning, melting off, and falling from his skin. He was wearing a layer of thin armor under his clothing to protect from hidden attacks, but he simply picks off the melting armor pieces without much difficulty. Yet, even he can feel that the ground is freezing.
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Meanwhile Ajax's skin and clothing forms a thin layer of frost as the hallway's water vapor condenses onto him. His hair turns crystal-like and white and the walls nearby become as cold as the inside of a freezer. The air has gotten so cold that Ajax can see Orin's breath and it still continues to get slightly colder.
Ajax doesn't like to use his power to change the temperature of his surroundings in this manner because of how hard it is to control and get right. In exchange for his invulnerability to all manner of heat and cold, he cannot feel changes in temperature for himself. If he absorbs too much energy, he might turn everything around him solid.
He might freeze the air and make it fall to the ground as snow. He might even freeze others solid from a distance without meaning to or being aware of it.
Currently, he has to control his power precisely because of everyone still inside their apartment units right now. He cannot absorb too much nor can he absorb too little, lest Orin’s flames spread. However, he knows what he needs to do in order to better protect the apartment building's residents.
Ajax breathes in deeply as Orin tries to comprehend how Ajax could freeze his surroundings without speaking a magical incantation. He starts to worry about whether Ajax is actually a noble with powers beyond his commoner imagination, rather than some self righteous brat in way over his head.
Ajax shouts at the top of his lungs.
"Fire! There is a fire in the building! Please, don't leave your apartment units! I repeat!! Don't leave your apartment units!! Stay close to your windows and balconies! Don't breathe in the smoke!" Ajax shouts.
Orin covers his ears quickly. Ajax's heightened physical strength also means that he can shout far louder than normal humans can. His voice isn't so loud that it can make Orin's ears bleed, but it is loud enough that Orin has to brace himself.
If the building's residents listen to him, they will be less likely to venture out into the hallway where Ajax is crafting his own slice of winter in order to overrule his enemy’s slice of hell.
Orin looks at Ajax cautiously as his hands covering his ears drop to his sides. He is fully naked right now and the floor within a small radius around his body is still burning even with Ajax's ability to lower the hallway's temperature. Orin had purposely emitted hotter flames from his feet to counteract Ajax’s influence in this small area in his domain.
He would not allow himself to walk on frozen ground, it would feel as if he was losing an early small battle against his opponent.
Still, Orin doesn't look naked, he looks more like he's wearing a cloak of fire, one that covers his entire torso, hips, thighs and upper arms in fire.
The blonde man starts to laugh, a wide smile on his face.
He's going to try to enjoy this fight. He's finally able to go all out against a beast who can give him a real thrill. He had been worried about Ajax when he met him while walking with Karise. He had refused to fight an opponent who would simply kill him in that position. Now however, he's in his own state of ascendancy, he has nothing to fear from this ice mage welp.
He only hopes right now that his opponent is truly able to match him. A boring fight is not something he would enjoy.
"I really do hope you're not all talk or intimidation, boy. You may have killed my incompetent subordinates, but you're about to fight a real warrior. Are you ready? My name is Orin Lodda. No need to give me yours, your luck is about to run out right here, right now."