> Metal body, Sharp mind. Reckon with a force greater than thee.

Noot flying with his wings, hands in pockets, and looking down to the floor below him, with a bombastic destruction of a celestial body occurring behind him.

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Noot’s charge was still very much midway, as his form rose in luminosity, heat and conflagration amidst his closed eyes.

And with a gradually widening beam did Maxï watch on, with great interest, and growing anticipation.

In an instant, Noot eyes were opened.

And expunging from out of his body was a great surge of energy in the form of a yellow-orange all-directional explosion.

A blast of destructive nature so tremendous it completely eradicated much of what was in its path, and even pushed away a grunting Maxï with great sinew.

And one that would have caused the entirety of the platform to have been destroyed had it not become billions of times larger than before.

The explosion eventually concluded, leaving behind only its aftermath.

Maxï slowly got up, though with struggle, whereas Noot with a now less vigorous fiery semblance simply examined his actions.

“The power of a sun just expunged from thee…” He said with intrigue, combined with a shell-shocked expression.

“The Gift of Solaris!!? (Such a rare power even?)”

But an analytical and watchful Fighter did not agree completely as he overlooked from where he sat. No, that's not all to it. There's something more.

“Why, yes. Well, not exactly…” Noot responded, drawing in both figurative and literal raising of eyebrows.

“It's…not directly of the Meridian.” Words that would leave Maxï dumbfounded.

And even stun a majority of the audiences, from its sheer near-improbability and the manner of its reveal.

An Archeyptical Solaris?!, thought David in utter disbelief.

Maxï began to ruminate, and attempt to understand the situation. I fail to comprehend…

If that is the Gift of Solaris, how hast he been able to acquire it beyond the Meridian? And withal, how hath his form undergone little change?

"It’s as a result of the two classes of abilities within all reality,” said Noot, gaining Maxï's attention. “Hm?” “...I'll just run through it quickly.”

“The first; the Powers of the Meridian. Gained through an individual's connection to the Force, fixed and set from the time of the lonesome of concepts.” He stated with one finger lifted.

“And second; the Powers of the Archetypes. Those derived from but not directly of the Meridian. Gained through other sources, like heritages, existence and various acquisitions.” He continued, lifting up another finger.

"So thine own Solaris is an acquired…" Maxï added, slowly grasping the very nature of this power.

Noot nodded in confirmation. “Mhm. From one of its very guardians.”

“And regarding why it's so differential from the standard, it's just a little editing here and there.” “Editing?” Maxï questioned, slightly puzzled.

“Like a self-induced semi-photosynthetic effect for constant access to sunlight. (Since I can't access the ability outside such yet.). And doing away with the rather redundant psychological effects via genetic and metaphysical modification. And shifting the grotesque musculature into another power of mine…”

“Thy genius truly knows no bounds,” stated Maxï with a head bowed and eyes closed, chuckling in complete astonishment.

“Next thing thee shalt state shall be that thine Meridian gifts have underwent the same reformations!”

“I actually did...” Noot stated rather casually and abruptly, drawing from all a mass reply of shock to his words.

That's insane! David thought with genuine tense. Remodeling Meridian Powers? Such is the equivalent of a self-decreed death sentence!

"Manipulating Meridian Force Powers?," questioned a perplexed Adashu.

"Always sensed something off about that faw…" Wok said, just as he entered the seating of the next round.

"Huh…,” mumbled Drizzled with a casual look. “How?,” questioned the baffled Huo who sat aside him.

Maxï just kept looking at Noot, stunned by his proclamation.

"You can do that?" Probacon inquired in viable astonishment. "Well…most can't,” responded Fighter. "Not him, however."

"I never believed such even remotely possible. Yet here we are." Adashu added whilst analyzing Noot with activated Reflection Eyes.

"Not to mention, he didn't change anything ‘major’, so…he's really done no wrong,” said Couch in clarification.

"Whatever it is…Noot is something, that's certain.” Fighter stated.

Back in the main Field, Noot and Maxï would still exchange gazes, in preparedness and observation.

"So, what are we looking at now, Son of Thor?" Noot asked.

Maxï grinned ever so unwaveringly.

And from nowhere he would launch a colossal pillar of ice diagonally en route to Noot.

The latter would just easily fragment it all with a single strike from his heel.

That much stronger!?, wondred Maxï, as Noot once again took to the skies.

He'd send blasts of flame in his path, which had enough puissance to incinerate worlds.

Noot swiftly avoided them with his speed, readying his blade for a counter.

~Moon Style: Moon Spirit Hell Typhoon.~ Noot would create multiple curved slashes layered over one another, creating a rising vortex of sword slashes and crescent moon blades.

The vortex headed towards Maxï, who managed to escape it with speed alone.

But it was once again another distraction, where he would appear behind Maxï from nowhere and released an electromagnetic pulse from a strange small metallic rod with a glowing bullet-shaped bulb atop it, a thinner center of a caged central cluster and dispersed petals, and a wider handle with gray “cracked” theming with an activation button, resonator cage, dials, and a varied pommel with an octagonal cutout at its base. The pulse would knock Maxï away, but not necessarily harm him.

“Good old Polyphaser.” Noot mouthed, preparing for something else as he kept the device away.

With the current opening, he lifted a hand to form a miniature sun which radiated immense heat.

This is–!, thought Maxi.

"You wanted to see power? Well, do you see this?” Noot asked, drawing Maxï's notice.

“This. Is. Power.”

Maxi prepared his defense, great wall-like structures of ice greater than Jovian planets in size.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"~Ra.~"

Noot causes the sun to burst in an immense radiation of heat, melting all the structures, but not carrying any inherent danger to living organisms.

But, Maxï was not wisened to this, so he attempted use of his flame as a form of protection.

"Strange strategy…”

“Seeing it acted as a double-edged sword.” Noot stated, in view of some burn scars Maxi had procured from his own flame.

"True…" Maxi responded.

He then stayed silent for a while, before smiling.

"~Meridian Technique: Unending.~"

Suddenly, Noot felt it, as though an indeterminate distance had suddenly arisen between him and his opponent.

He tested his theorem by stretching his right arm to try and touch Maxi, but the closer it got to him, the more it seemed to go farther away.

…Infinite distance…, just like Wok's. He thought, as he retracted his hand.

"Have our roles been exchanged, Ärctikas?" Maxi smugly inquired of the Arct-nix.

Noot simply sighed, looking back at his opponent.

"Then…I suppose we end it.” he said, flicking his hand.

Suddenly, the Field became exponentially increased, taking the form of a hemisphere.

This cannot be of good occurrence …, Maxi thought.

Suddenly, he noticed he couldn't move anymore. I am unable move!?

"Ah, it happened again. The bending of the laws of tìme and space to a nix's whim. And now it seems…that Unending of yours, is now a prison,” disclosed Noot, leaving Maxi and many of the audience dumbfounded.

"All I must do now…is cut through that infinite distance…,” said Noot as he looked at his sword.

He then lifted it in the air, proceeded by a bright white light shining from it.

Maxi did his best to shield his eyes.

His eyes would widen in shock at what he saw next.

It was Aen, The Grand Celestial Sword, in its true form. A cylindrical "blade" with a dull tip and independently rotating segments with lithographs of scarlet and white, while Noot brought it down to a more proper position, ready to end the battle. "You know how this ends…"

Maxï himself took upon his face a smile of excited worry.

He then pointed the weapon to the sky, amidst its separate sections beginning to rotate at rapidly increasing speeds.

He began chanting. “O divine ones, cast to the abyss. Let heaven lament, and earth submit. The forging power, the eternal light of creation. The great distortion, form forth a path anew!”

"~Abzu…Annunaki!~" He exclaimed, pointing the weapon towards Maxï, as it released a powerful vortex of energy while twisting, compressing and intertwining air.

The attack headed towards Maxï, distorting and traveling through the infinite distance of his ability. I’ll just simply bypass Unending with this…and then redirect the beam at the last second whilst throwing in that to conclude this battle.

Such was Noot’s plan. It would not come to fruition however, as just as he redirected the beam through the ring, Maxï jumped right back into its path, desiring only to face it head on.

“NO!!!,” exclaimed the Arct-nix.

It would connect, causing catastrophic damage, which destroyed just a hundreth of the large platform, even more than Noot's prior attack.

All looked on, in question of Maxï's survival.

As the platform settled, he was seen lying, bloodied and brutally harmed, seeming on the brink of death, leading to widespread panic.

But Noot floated down towards his opponent. “Oh, you Asgardians and your codes…”

He'd touch his chest, beginning a healing process for most of the damage on Maxï's body. “Well, it's not your time just yet, friend …”

The crowds cheered this act, with Noot being announced as the victor of the bout.

In the meanwhile, some members of the alliance, namely Umbra, Yurupt, Kai and a newcomer, who was a pale-skinned petite female Shinigami and friend of Kuroko's, with short black hair in a well-kept bun and with center-split wavy bangs and two longer locks, irides a tone of a purplish-gray, a young-looking diamond face, and slender figure in Shinigami uniform, similar to Kuroko's, though with more white in some areas, bridal gauntlets of a claret hue, and her pants tucked into her tabis. The group walked down some area within the Coliseum.

"Uhh…what are we looking for again?,” asked a weary, bored and detached Yurupt.

"Hints, Meme Warper. For the perpetrator's motives and such.” The female Shinigami responded with a very gentle sounding.

《Retsu “Purogu” Emuan. Shinigami. Age 152.》

"It's soooo boring though…" He complained. "Are agendas like this supposed to be jovial and cheery?" Umbra asked in disappointment. "Uhh…" "Just stay calm.” Kai interjected, leading the group as they continued their search.

A search which went on for a while, but with barely any progress.

"It's like a wild goose chase…" Kai murmured in frustration as they took rest. "IT IS A WILD GOOSE CHASE!!!,” shouted Umbra, whose impatience grew greater with each passing moment. "See? Told ya it'd be boring,” commented Yurupt, eating an apple.

"And I never enquired of your input here, Fool!" Umbra retorted.

"Hey, don't be mad at me, 'kay? I'm only here ‘cause David and the cute chick asked me too." “Excuse me?!” Purogu interjected in baffled fashion.

"Why, you!"

"COOL…IT!,” exclaimed an irritated Kai, causing Umbra and Yurupt to back down for a moment.

"We're getting nowhere with this…" He said, still frustrated.

"Don't be de-energized yet! There must be something…,” said Purogu, attempting to encourage the group.

"Ohh! I know!" Yurupt exclaimed, bringing the attention of the others to himself.

"Maybe we can use ‘The Dark Knight’ here as a form of decoy. Oh! We could make him a piñata!"

In anger, Umbra kicked Yurupt against the wall much to everyone's shock, causing him to fall onto one knee.

He rubbed his hand across his lip, to check for any bleed, staring at Umbra with a more stern demeanor than his usual self. “Hey now…a way too aggressive reply for a joke, don't you think?"

"The only joke here is you.” Umbra retorted, prompting Yurupt to firmly clench his fist.

The two rushed at each other, ready for a scuffle if anything at least.

But Kai intervened by warping the space around them all with a burst.

"ENOUGH! I won't stand for any…" He shouted, before being swiftly interrupted "Kai!" Purogu shouted, gaining the attention of all of her allies to a certain position.

She stood before a rift in space, which had a strange appearance, as each individual was seemingly enchanted by it as they looked. "What…is that?" She asked.

"Leave it to me, sweet thing,” said Yurupt, as his irides turned fiery, and he looked at the rift.

His eyes widened and shook as he gasped.

He took a few steps back as well.

"Yurupt…,” said Kai with concern. "What…did you see?" Umbra asked.

"Uhh…let's-let's not…" He said ominously, performing a cutting gesture with his hand to emphasize his decision to ignore whatever this was.

Meanwhile, in the Field, Probacon had been transposed onto the platform once again, ready for his round two battle.

And there with him was a Kujijin, with one antenna cut off, black irides, a fairly muscular build, and wearing red gi and an orange scarf. He kept smiling at Probacon, which creeped out the Djin.

"In this corner, everyone's favorite Djin. The Golden-Eyed Djin; The Pure One, Djin Pro!!" Dgiag announced

The crowds cheered in response.

"Get 'em, Pro!,” cheered Kuroko.

"And in the other, with a powerful connection to the Meridian, and a love for numerals. Figure XX, Cheftic!"

《Cheftic. Numeric Kujijin. Age 35.》

Cheftic also got some reactions from the audience.

"Show your respects.” Dgiag beckoned to both, and they did as commanded.

He teleported out of the Field.

"BEGIN!!!"

Probacon rushed to Cheftic at full throttle, catching the Kujijin by surprise of the highest order.

《A sharp charge.》

And with his right arm, he would deliver a solid strike to the jaw of the latter.

The punch flung Cheftic through large rock formations in an uncontrolled manner.

Cheftic rose up, beholding his opponent in pure astonishment.

"After the last battle…it's like what I can sense has grown greatly. I can even now tell just how strong you are from the get-go." He stated.

"Hm. That's good, Djin Pro. Against someone of my stature, such development and decisiveness matter greatly.” He stated in high interest as he brought his thumb just beneath his bottom lip, beginning to activate his Meridian Powers.

If I remember correctly…he's just like Wok…, mentated Probacon, keeping a keen focus on his opponent with a serious expression.

Cheftic prepared a vast multitude of abilities, all with the pure aim to take charge in this rather intriguing contest. An All-Meridian user!...

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