Zorrakir blurred forward, and Alistair quickly recognized what he was doing—his opponent had utilized his concept to deflect himself off the ground to forcefully propel himself forward. Alistair sidestepped, curious to test how advanced Zorrakir's movement skill was or if he was improvising.
His suspicion was confirmed when Zorrakir violently deflected himself off the air, redirecting his path to follow Alistair.
Their weapons collided with a bone-rattling impact, and Alistair tightened his grip, feeling the violent force surge through him as he absorbed the kinetic energy from the clash, fueling himself.
But Zorrakir wasn’t letting him gain an advantage. Using his concept of deflection, Zorrakir redirected most of the force away, refusing to be overpowered.
He’s trying to deprive me of energy, and his power is growing. A momentum-based empowerment skill? Alistair mused, noting how his opponent's movements seemed to gain fluidity with each deflection.
Alistair felt his own momentum powers being nullified. However, his enhanced mass strikes still gave him the edge in most of their exchanges, causing Zorrakir's barrier to flare with each impact, rattling the dragonkin.
Adapting quickly, Alistair adjusted his Aegis Stride to compensate for the lack of his momentum-robbing ability. This was invaluable practice, as fighting someone using the same momentum concept gave him valuable insights.
Zorrakir's power kept growing while his energy pools dwindled; Alistair wasn't sure if there was a correlation or if it was just that his opponent was racing against the clock to overpower him.
Alistair began to struggle, even as he poured more power and force into each strike. Without his usual momentum manipulation, absorbing energy wasn’t enough; he found himself being shoved around, though not as much as his opponent. Zorrakir’s barriers had faltered in a handful of moments, allowing Alistair to tear into the tough skin beneath, blood now staining the floor and splattering across his armor.
"I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the fact that you are not regenerating," Alistair remarked after deflecting another strike and shifting Zorrakir's mass just enough to make him stumble.
Seizing the opportunity, Alistair surged with more energy, empowering himself. In less than a blink, his poleaxe swung in a sharp, precise arc, the hammerhead slamming into Zorrakir’s side. The draconian's barrier tried to deflect the blow but faltered under the sheer force and kinetic energy. A sickening crack echoed as Zorrakir’s ribs shattered beneath his scales, sending him hurtling to the side. Alistair quickly followed up with a brutal overhead strike, intending to end it by caving into his opponent’s chest.
But before he could land the finishing blow, Alistair felt himself deflected—this time by the very ground beneath him—sending him hurtling toward a stone pillar despite his efforts to resist. He crashed feet-first into the pillar but absorbed the impact, using the momentum to push off and destroy the structure with the force of his boost.
Alistair grinned from ear to ear, thoroughly enjoying the fight. He knew he shouldn’t reveal so much of his prowess in such a public setting, but Zorrakir was a worthy opponent. Despite his lack of banter, the toothy grin he wore—even while enduring the effects of illusionary pain—was unmistakable.
Both of them shared the Primal Revelation title, and both reveled in the pure struggle of their battle.
Alistair sent a kinetic wave toward Zorrakir, which was promptly deflected away from the fight. It wasn’t particularly effective, but every bit of energy Zorrakir expended brought Alistair closer to victory. Their weapons clashed again, and Zorrakir attempted to deflect Alistair with a shield bash, but Alistair countered with his own shield, meeting the attack head-on.
Using his telekinesis, Alistair hovered just above the ground, denying Zorrakir the ability to deflect him and using the gained time to gather more momentum. While Zorrakir could attempt to deflect him through the air, it was a much more challenging feat, and his efforts were bound to fail against Alistair's resistance.
Despite Zorrakir's impressive momentum-based empowering skill, it was clear to Alistair that his opponent was running out of time. Zorrakir’s energy reserves were starting to strain, and while he had been playing for time to empower himself further, the window of opportunity was closing fast. Alistair's relentless onslaught was wearing down his defenses, pushing him to the limit.
Alistair lashed out, sending Zorrakir hurtling backward. Before he could recover, Alistair used his telekinesis to grab hold of him, pinning him in midair. The point of Alistair’s poleaxe hovered threateningly close as Zorrakir strained against the telekinetic grip, realizing his plan had failed. He gave one last attempt to break free but, seeing no escape, relented with a tired smile, acknowledging his loss and shattering the illusion.
Cheers and the occasional disbelieving stares greeted them as they exited the illusionary array, the crowd having watched their match with rapt attention. Alistair even noticed a few individuals exchanging currency, and he made a mental note with Akashic report of those who had bet on and against him.
"We should do this more often," Alistair said, extending his hand with a grin.
Alistair had genuinely enjoyed the match, and he could tell Zorrakir felt the same. The dragonkin flashed a toothy grin as he grasped Alistair's hand, though the gesture clearly wasn’t something he was entirely accustomed to.
"Indeed we should," Zorrakir rumbled, his tone carrying a weight of respect. "The Zondu Collective would be honored to call you friends and allies."
Alistair celebrated internally. Securing such a solid group of allies and being recognized as founders of one of the six major alliances formed during the gathering was no small achievement. The knowledge that their clan was now much safer brought a measure of relief, especially as the Coalition Gathering neared its conclusion, with many factions already departing.
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"Likewise," Alistair replied, activating the Private Sphere around them. The two delved into a discussion about their fight, exchanging thoughts on how it was the first time both had experienced their powers being partially suppressed by someone using the same concept in a similar manner.
As more combatants began arriving to use the arena, they decided to relocate to the Rysers’ chambers. Upon arriving, they discovered a small celebration already underway. The Beshin Clan and several prominent individuals from the newly formed New Light Alliance were present.
Alistair spotted Nessyra finalizing agreements with Xhec, the representative of the Krynera Republic, a faction mostly consisting of Satyrs like Xhec himself, who was haggling just as hard as the demoness.
Riseth joined him and Zorrakir as they settled on a nearby couch. They continued exchanging insights about powerful foes and concepts they had encountered, particularly focusing on their shared, linked concepts. Their lively discussion attracted attention, and soon, Esta and a few Beshin Clan members joined in, adding their own insights and sparking even more fresh ideas.
As their celebration began to wind down, Alistair relaxed with his arm around Riseth's shoulder, deep in conversation with Kujo and Nomura about a potential raid on a Syndicate shipyard. The Coalition had asked the Beshin to hold back for now so they could integrate the strike into their larger retaliatory campaign against the Blackmarket Syndicates. This approach would allow them to hit more significant targets without drawing too much attention from the Syndicate as a whole.
Listening intently, Zorrakir became intrigued by the idea. With their combined strength, they could strike at one of the Syndicate's vitally important sites. They began planning to inform the Aegis Coalition of their willingness to cooperate in the larger assault, confident that the Coalition could point them toward an even more strategically important target than the shipyard.
Their revelry and discussions came to an immediate stop as everyone received an emergency message. Alistair heard devices going off around him while others seemed distracted. Shortly after, a siren blared through the space station. Alistair was ready to jump into action when the siren abruptly shut off, and he watched as a mass of metal—nanotech from their hosts—shifted to form a screen on the far wall.
It flickered to life, displaying a massive space phenomenon: one of the bridges. The structure rippled wildly, the kaleidoscopic scene of stars, lights, and shapes swirling more rapidly for a brief moment. Two more screens formed, showing a similar sight of the other bridges; Alistair could sense the entire station jumping into a frenzy, many disembarking for their crafts and watching as people checked their devices, the tension palpable.
Are the bridges opening?" Esta asked, pulling out a device.
"They are," Nessyra replied, her expression grim. "The first wave is about to hit."
The Satyr, Xhec of the Krynera Republic, who had been talking with her just moments after signing the contract, took off, hurrying out of the chamber, only giving them a quick wave before vanishing out of the door.
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[ACUN] Urgent Emergency Message:
Title: The Bridges Are Opening
From: Aegis Coalition Headquarters
The three bridges at the edge of our universe are opening, and the first wave of invaders is about to breach our universe. All secondary Aegis fleets are en route. Do not jump to the bridges to offer support unless you have been officially greenlit by the Aegis Coalition, or you will be fired upon. If you wish to provide assistance, contact your representative or any available administrator. Do not fear, for we, the Aegis Coalition, will hold the line. May we stay strong in the face of adversity.
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Alistair read the message, his expression darkening, before noticing he had been granted access to camera drones positioned at the three bridges. Taking control of one, he directed it away from the main bridge already displayed on the large screens. His drone revealed an absolutely gargantuan fleet of ships surrounding the space phenomenon. He swiveled the view further, spotting a series of massive space stations—some still partially under construction—but from what he could tell, they were armed to the teeth. The same stations could be found at each one of the universal bridges.
He watched as flashes of light marked the arrival of more ships, warping in across the area. Some, lacking clearance, were fired upon almost instantly, obliterated in the blink of an eye.
The drone's enhanced magical visuals allowed Alistair to view the vastness of space in unprecedented detail, offering a much clearer picture of the approaching ships than would normally be possible. Around him, he noticed others doing the same—pulling up drone visuals and sharing them with those who had gathered nearby. The tension thickened as they all watched the unfolding scene.
One of the bridges spewed an enormous volume of asteroids, hurtling in every direction. The asteroids collided with previously invisible mines that had been strategically placed all around the phenomenon. Alistair watched as brief brilliant flashes blossomed across the void surrounding the bridge, temporarily splitting his attention. He glanced toward another bridge, where sleek, silvery ships slipped through, fairing far worse as they too were caught by the minefields and obliterated by the waiting ships and stations.
But the onslaught didn’t stop. More and more of the sleek ships poured through in an unending wave, getting closer and closer until they eventually reached firing range. Hundreds of thousands were decimated within minutes, but they kept coming relentlessly while the asteroid swarm continued to pour in from the first bridge, still being shot down by the defense fleet. The third bridge, however, remained ominously quiet, no activity visible—a fact that no doubt frayed the nerves of the fleet stationed there.
His amazement was cut short when Nessyra grabbed him and Riseth by the shoulders, putting a bit more pressure on them than necessary.
"I must apologize," Nessyra said, her voice loud and steady despite the tension. "We would love to stay longer, but we should all return to our homes and monitor the situation from there. But we'll stay in touch through the ACUN network." She addressed the rest of the room with a reassuring smile, though Alistair knew her well enough to sense the anxiety she kept hidden beneath her calm exterior shielded by a thick layer of aura control.
The rest of the room snapped to attention, suddenly aware they’d been too absorbed in watching the historic moment unfold. They scrambled to say their quick farewells, with Esta looking a bit torn, clearly not eager to part ways just yet.
"Go on," she said, forcing a smile. "We’ll see each other again soon enough, but with the war starting, I’ll be needed here for a while longer."
Riseth hugged Esta tightly, patting her back. "I'll miss you. Please try to visit us at some point. Just reach out, and we'll come pick you up."
Alistair smiled at their exchange before turning his attention to Kujo and Nomura, who approached him. He angled his arm, expecting the usual Oni greeting, but Kujo surprised him by opting for a warrior's handshake instead, clasping Alistair’s hand firmly.
"It was good meeting you, friend. We’ll be heading out now, but don’t wait too long to reach out. We have much to discuss and organize," Kujo said, his tone unusually serious as his eyes flicked toward the screen.
Alistair followed his gaze, watching as explosions filled the view and an incredible amount of debris began to choke the space around the universal bridge. His chest tightened as he silently hoped the Aegis Coalition would be able to hold the line.