Chloe and James arrived in a desert, the sun scorching the ground beneath them. They separated and walked roughly 10 yards away from each other (about 9 meters). Chloe began to circulate her mana on a different path than usual. It was a variant of the normal [Mana Circulation] skill. If it had to have a name, it would be called [Battle Mana Circulation]. Instead of improvement of mana, this circulation path focused on efficiency and power; it forsook steady improvement for a relatively short burst of power meant for defeating enemies. The glow of mana in her eyes dimmed slightly, and the flow became subdued, like it was being frozen.

Chloe constructed spells inside her body, ready for them to be released at a moment’s notice. The small amount of Gate energy in her body spread thin on her muscles and skin. Her mana circulation sped up, finishing the spells that were being constructed. With her preparations complete, Chloe moved into a speed-focused stance. Across from her, James finished his preparations as well, already in a stance. For a moment, they sized each other up, the previous warm mood they had now gone with the wind. A tumbleweed passed by, knocking a rock off a cactus, making a small sound as it hit a larger rock. The two bolted at each other, becoming blurs.

A deafening boom sounded as their swords met each other, the ground beneath them cracking and depressing. A huge wind pressure blew away everything within a hundred yards of them. They momentarily tried to overpower the other with their strength, but James, seeing he was at a slight disadvantage in strength, casted a high-level spell. Chloe countered with an efficient defense spell, but was blown back multiple yards. Rolling midair, Chloe regained her balance and landed on the ground, the inertia pushed her back a few feet (1 foot = ~ 1/3 meter), her feet gouging grooves into the ground. Flicking her sword to her side, Chloe sped to her right.

James shot high into the air, gathering his mana into a large, unattributed ball. Most spells have attributes, like fire and water, but unattributed is when a spell caster uses mana not influenced by an attribute. Only people with high insight into magic can cast unattributed magic. Unattributed magic is renowned for it’s raw destructive power, with a mid-tier spell able to obliterate a city if loaded with lots of mana. Using such a spell now, it means that James wanted to finish the battle as soon as possible. Most likely, he does not have the endurance to pull off a long battle.

Chloe’s pupils shrunk at the size of the ball. A ball that big would require all the mana of 10 level 75 mages. James’ mana was at least as much as a level 150 mage, otherwise, he would be unable to even come close to creating a ball that large. If he dropped that thing now, it would destroy an area of 150 square miles; worthy of the name “City-Destroying Bomb”. If that thing touched the ground, this place would become something close to a radioactive wasteland.

“ARE YOU INSANE?! DROPPING THAT HERE?!” Chloe demanded hysterically.

“STOP IT IF YOU CAN!!” James returned, throwing the ball at the ground.

Chloe’s heartbeat sped up, her mind going into overdrive. Back in Ionis, Gate energy would prevent the place from turning radioactive, but on Earth, there was none of the omnipresent Gate energy. Other than Area 61, nowhere on Earth had Gate energy. That meant that this land would be uninhabitable for many years, and it would be all Chloe’s fault. Of course, it would be doubtful it anyone would actually ever care about the middle of the desert, but Chloe would still feel guilt for being the cause.

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In a slight panic, Chloe released all her offensive spells she had been saving at the slow-moving ball. They did nothing, as they simply were sucked into it without effect. Chloe gritted her teeth and gather all her Gate energy at the center of her chest. Her mana circulated even quicker, her veins beginning to show outwardly due to the strain. A trail of blood dripped from the corner of her mouth, a result of the speed of her mana circulation. Her Gate energy boiled as she activated her [Worlds Skill], [Sins].

“[Sins: Sloth]!” Chloe screamed.

The mana threads in her eyes became alight with gray fire. Her legs, hair, arms and feet also erupted with pockets of gray flame. Her appearance resembled a demon from a fiery hell. Gray fire licked at the handle of her sword, a spark hitting it. From the spark came a white flame that spread across the blade of her sword. She spread her legs and crouched. She moved her arms in front of her, sword pointed upwards. With a glare full of madness, she stared at the ball of death. Her form was unclear as the ground beneath her sunk in, cracking into different pieces. She shot directly at the ball of death, disappearing inside it.

James grinned smugly, believing that Chloe had foolishly killed herself just to save this small patch of desert. Unattributed death balls have quite the reputation back in Ionis, ones of death and destruction, so it made sense to assume that she was dead. However, the death ball stopped midair, and Chloe’s body shot out of it’s top, shooting towards James. Behind her, the death ball exploded, a spherical shockwave covering all directions as it created a ginormous crater on the earth below it. James hurriedly raised Brisinger to defend himself, but he was still blow hundreds of yards away. He was pulled down by gravity, the impact of his body hitting the ground causing him some internal injuries.

James staggered to his feet, his vision blurry. When it cleared, his heart began to palpitate, and his pupils shrunk. Chloe was trudging towards him, the humongous crater engulfed in flames her background. It was an extremely cliché and frightening image. James waved Brisinger in front of him, clearing his head of distracting thoughts. His internal injuries diminished his combat strength, but if he was willing to, he could go all out at the cost of worsening his injuries.

Chloe raised her sword, now devoid of flames. Gripping the handle with both hands, she sprinted to James. James defended himself desperately. He was already weaker physically than Chloe before, now he hardly stood a chance. Their swords repeatedly collided, but without the earth-shattering power they once had. Chloe continuously pushed back James, forcing him to be even more defensive than before.

With a roar, James went all out, disregarding his internal injuries so he could kill Chloe. Now, it was Chloe’s turn to be pushed back. Dyryndal, as a Lonakor weapon, was able to withstand his attacks without a scratch, but it also had another feature. If it was just a good weapon with infinite durability and strong attack, people wouldn’t freak out too much. However, people went absolutely ballistic over these weapons, even sacrificing all they had so they could get it. Just what made this weapon so attractive to these people?

“Yin-Yang Clash!” Chloe shouted while jumping back.

The black and white on Dyryndal began to wiggle wildly, not staying in one place. Within milliseconds, the sword’s color conflict had been contained to just the tip, the other parts now evenly divided into black on one side, white on the other. James tried to stop himself and jump away, but it was already too late. The two colors clashed one last time, before a black and white beam shot out of the tip, which was pointed at James. James used all the defensive spells he knew, but they were all unable to stop the black and white beam as it tore through his abdomen with ease. From his waist to his chest, a large semi-circle of flesh was missing, only a small amount of flesh still connected the two parts of his body. He was nearly bisected, but Chloe’s aim was slightly off, leaving just that small part of muscle on his right side. His body flopped to the ground, all life having left him instantly.

Chloe lowered her sword, her hands shaking. Her grip loosened, and her right hand let go of Dyryndal. The mana in her eyes was nearly gone, and that which remained were no longer glowing. The Gate energy in her body had been expended greatly, only an iota of it left. Stumbling forward, she knelt next to James’ body. She gripped his head and sent as much mana she could muster into his body. With a bit of searching, she found plentiful Gate energy in his body, which she absorbed all of. Satisfied, she stood up and walked away. Within a few steps, she fell to the ground, unconscious.