Jonathan blocked, parried and punched as he moved around his enemy, sending in powerful blows that were just barely blocked. However, he was still unable to land any telling hits on his opponent. Eventually, he found that he was draining his elemental energy stores at a precipitous rate in his usage of his aura, and was forced to withdraw it.
With a muffled laugh, the other fighter slipped his sword through a hole in space and into Jonathan’s side. Jonathan roared in pain as the weapon entered his body, but he did not let that deter him. Gripping the sword with his hand, he began to flood it with the power of the Void. The other man tried to pull it away, but Jonathan only increased the flow into the weapon of his opponent. He slowly pushed out the strange elemental energy that the man was using, claiming the sword as his own. In this world, elemental energy served as the means to do actual magic. Mana could work wonders too, but it was a far more austere form of power. The elements could actually control the function of the world around them.
From what Jonathan could sense as he warred for control of the sword was that his enemy used some sort of Dark elemental subordinate, which allowed him to manipulate space. Jonathan had learned from the diary that high level Dark elemental masters could control space, but for someone of this level to be able to do so meant that he had sacrificed the other powers of his element in order to be able to do this.
This standoff felt like it took minutes, but it was over in less than a second. The other man simply let go of the sword and then whirled around, kicking the hilt deeper into Jonathan’s body. However, that had been his plan all along. The weapon was not in a position where it could do fatal damage, and pain was inconsequential to someone like Jonathan. He whipped his hand out and grabbed the foot of his opponent, twisting with all of his strength. Something snapped, and the fighter bellowed in pain.
Jonathan pulled his enemy in, bit by bit, coating his hands in the power of the Void. The man tried to phase away, but he was unable to do so. With a brutal roar, Jonathan ripped the man’s foot off, using every ounce of his threshold enhanced strength. He leaped into the air, and then suplexed his enemy, breaking bones with the strike.
However, before he could finish off his enemy, the nearby Tier 2s made their move. A crystalline spear of power rocketed forwards, knocking Jonathan off of the body of his enemy. The man slowly crawled away, towards some sort of healer waiting on the sidelines. A perfect circle of calm had formed, its borders made from Tier 2 bodies.
Jonathan chased after his fleeing opponent, but a pair of burly Tier 2s threw themselves at him, knocking him to the ground. Jonathan shouted in anger and pushed them away, knocking his enemies to their knees. He rushed the retreating form of the enemy leader, gathering power in his hands. It seemed that this farce of a duel was almost at a close. It had only ever happened because the man in the dark armor had grown cocky.
The circle of Tier 2s began to close in, and a moment later, all hell broke loose. A hundred Tier 2s charged Jonathan in unison, causing him to lose track of the man crawling away from him. He jumped high into the air, gathering power into his fists. A corona of light blazed around his gauntlets as he came down, straight onto the heads of his enemies. Energy blossomed in a massive shockwave, ripping through the tightly packed Tier 2s. However, they were a lot more durable than most opponents that Jonathan had fought during his time in the Ash Heaps, and none of them died.
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As he landed, he was beset from all sides by a storm of blades and hammers, seeking to crush into the ground. Jonathan parried the blows to the best of his ability, relying upon his superior Dexterity to keep him ahead of the onslaught. Even if most of the blows were moving in slow motion, as the wielders were just fresh Tier 2s, it was still a bit disconcerting to be surrounded so fully by enemies of this caliber.
He returned the strikes that he took, sending his fists crashing into armor and flesh alike. With the effects of his natural treasure, his attacks were like pistons surging in and out, tipped with diamonds. Bones shattered every time he made contact with the enemy, and soon he was surrounded by a pile of broken bodies. Groans rose up from around him, and he grinned. This was no less than these foul people deserved for their crimes in the service of Granath.
Some of the Tier 2s began to back away, but not because of fear. The leader had been healed in the meantime, and now seemed to be back in fighting shape. His leg had regrown, and he was no longer bleeding.
“You are a great warrior, Jonathan Harlowe. I will do you the courtesy of telling you my name. I am Malachai Esterlyn, Lieutenant General of the Dread Legions. It has been some time since anyone has taxed me so in battle.”
“I don’t give a single shit what your name, or your title is,” Jonathan snarled. “You are simply an enemy. Besides, what sort of self proclaimed warrior uses the bodies of his subordinates as shields when he is overwhelmed? You are simply a coward, nothing more. Those accolades are hollow vessels, filled with lies.”
Malachai snarled, rage coursing through his veins. It had been a while since anyone had dared to talk to him like that. A haze of darkness rose up around him, the beginning of some sort of empowerment ability. The darkness sunk into him a moment later, causing his form to become somewhat incorporeal. This time, as he charged Jonathan, the rest of the Tier 2 fighters came with him.
Obviously, this was only a fraction of the total number of Tier 2s, as many had charged the city, but it was enough to be distracting in a fight of this level. Jonathan ducked and weaved around blow after blow, as Malachai drew ever nearer. The man paused a dozen feet away, and then gripped his sword tightly, before pushing off the ground.
His body cut through the air like an arrow, not seeming to meet any resistance there. Whatever skill he had used had made his body completely unfettered by the outside world. Jonathan suspected that if he was to jump up into the air, gravity would have no effect on him.
Two of the other fighters tried to grab Jonathan, holding him in place. He simply pulled them together, and smashed their heads into paste against one another. His strength was above and beyond anything that this rabble possessed. Jonathan coated his fists with the light of the Void, creating a haze of purple energy around each one. As Malachai neared, Jonathan punched forwards, expelling more of his elemental energy out of his hand. A mist of purple light rolled outwards, striking Malachai as he neared.
The warrior stumbled as the Void energy interfered with his skill, causing it to fail. Jonathan charged out of the mist a moment later, his fist cocked and ready. A devastating punch rocketed into Malachai’s face, sending a shockwave echoing across the ground. Another one hammered the man into the dust. Before any of the Tier 2s could do anything, Jonathan leaped into the air, and came down like a meteor, pouding Malachai’s head into a splatter of gore.
Essence rushed into him a moment later. Jonathan grinned wildly, and turned his sights to the Tier 2s around him. It was time to show these misbegotten fools how much of a mistake they had made in coming here.