Underneath the bushes, hiding outside of the residual smoke and trees, Murai was 4 meters away from the foes, waiting. The pair of messiahs didn't seem to sense the surrounding Mana all that well in their state of enchantments. They stood there, watching over the potential ambush with their readied swords and flaring mana that was quite threatening in power.
This very well might be power in the same proximity as what Acaman Golem possessed but in a different way. Theirs was the clever one, filling the air with the threat and dangers of any movement. Murai knew this was as important a moment as the first ambush.
Failure meant troubles, while success was dependent on what kind of move he would use.
Surrounding them were trees and bushes at all sides, while Lisa was eyeing Izik in her Vipera form.
Murai wasn't hiding, per se, just waiting for a chance. His Mana Detection was putting forth some Mana undulations for sure, making the potential of his discovery higher, but he didn't want to be blind.
Only when he came closer, towards the 3rd meter, was he discovered by Porik, who pounced forwards to the left side of the forest, opposite of the forest fire. Swiping his double-gripped blade widely, he cleaved at the bushes with a wide swing and slash that swiped 6 meters around him. Wind and sword strikes slashed down the trees and bushes alike in a horizontal slash, while his face was serious, thinking he had won.
Unfortunately for him, Murai was so small that the wide and hip-tall swipe that he slashed forward with, did nothing but show an opportunity. Porik was too hot-blooded in his current option, failing to gouge the situation better. He forced yet nothing things outside of what Izik wanted, but he was too late to act. Both of them were.
Pouncing forward, Murai used the temporary openness of fewer than 2 seconds that Porik had after the wide slash and jumped high toward his torso. Even though he was yet to regain full capacity over the injured bones in his legs, he didn't care.
They were like 80% healed, but what else was he supposed to do?
Carry on and act how a normal mage would?
He doubted he would fare well against these 2 with their decent-looking enchantment, equipment, and power. He wasn't that comfortable with the power of his magic, but he didn't need to be. His body was that of a magical creature anyway, so Murai clutched his beak tight and gritted his teeth. The pain subsided as many things in his Will, while Robust Spirit caused an unwavering sensation in his soul. It felt kind of good having this sort of opportunity to act with one Will.
At the moment, he was fine with having some trouble with his fighting choices, which was something similar, yet different than his almost healed body. His legs were fine. As for his wings, he did consider them as nothing, since flying was impossible, nor were they good at anything for him. In an actual fight, they didn't matter at all.
He needed more experience for that, or some brand new Evolution, or figure something else when he could. It wasn't like he could master the magic of levitation out of the blue. But they had at least one thing to offer. Adjusting the wings for balance and the push of force that he needed for the upcoming attack, he pushed forward like a raging bull.
His beak was forming bright colorful mana on top of his beak, creating dense power fluctuation that moved towards his beak. Murai was more of a physical guy than caring for being a mage anyway, albeit it was a bit counterproductive. Hitting enemies from a distance was always safer and more manageable.
Murai pounced at Porik with his Beak's Peak that he channeled before he even leaped forward. Porik was open for enough time to get past the 2-second channeling, giving the Beak's Peak more than 3 and a half seconds to charge with his mana and momentum.
There was something wild with this ability, but Murai didn't care. He didn't care how his neck screamed with the push of force that traveled from his core to his beak, nor how the Beak Peak's form winced, almost destabilizing. He liked the explosive power it created, while he found it quite nice to battle opponents with it.
Porik didn't expect a charging duck, nor did Izik think of such a direct confrontation. Thanks to the late notice and abrupt actions of Porik's attack, he was too far from him. This damned rookie was overly zealous and acted without the right intentions and teamwork. In fact, the whole swiping motion of his blade was a terrible idea, and Porik's blade was out of Murai's direction, and reach.
Momentum worked to his advantage, and now, Murai using it against him. Porik needed to return the blade fast, which was impossible to do since Murai was coming faster than before, jumping and flipping his wings behind him. The glowing beak was the most dangerous sight.
Porik saw it, and he could only swell his body and clutch his muscles, focusing on his enchanted defenses. The glowing beak hit him straight to his chest, causing mild, gradually widening cracks to spread over the thin layers of Minor Ward around Porik's front.
The defense vision of his enchantments did work the best as they could, spreading mana and forming protection against this powerful point-heavy force. Murai's attack was strange and unlike some sword attacks, or magic. In the best scenario, it was akin to a powerful stab of a spearhead, with the explosion of force right afterward.
Alas, seeing so many cracks appear, the momentum and strength from Murai's all-out Beak's Peak pushed through the enchantment, hitting Porik in the middle of his chest.
Defense, Vitality, or Strength, Porik's body was still that of a human. It was prone to core physical issues. in a sense, human bodies were weak, almost frail. Murai knew it. Muscles, the softness of certain body parts, organs, joints, and bones. They all created intricate masterpieces, but it can crumble in certain ways.
The momentum of the Beak's Peak pushed Porik dozens of meters away as if a bull smacked a child. Stopping by hitting a tree with his back, he coughed up blood and glanced up at his chest. Mana turned unstable, and the cracks of his enchantment revealed the cause of this trauma. Blood floated, from his nose and mouth alike, and he had no doubts that his ribs were crushed.
Putting a hand on a gushing wound on his chest, he saw a few broken ribs penetrating his skin and exposed flesh. It was considerable damage, and he didn't even take that attack head-on with his body. The use of Grand Enchantment, let alone the cycle of mana between him and Izik, should've made his defense better. They did, along with the enchantments on his body, but it wasn't as effective against the Beak Peak's high aptitude and hidden strengths that Murai was yet to know.
It was close to a lethal injury, and a handful hole was put into his chest, damaging his lungs which was quite a risky injury. He was out of this fight from this single exchange that even Murai didn't think would be so great.
At this point, after a quick change and ambush, Izik finally got his shit together. He long turned around, ignoring Lisa to attack Murai without hesitation. He noticed how wide-open Murai was, from his surprising push of force. Before, he wanted to use Porik as a platform to jump out, but he flung away so fast, he couldn't even touch him. Now, he wanted to go back to the ground but that can take a couple of seconds. So, Izik swiped his blade directly against him, cleanly and smoothly arriving at Murai's neck.
He was a small target, but one that was close to his quick arrival and placement of his sword.
“Fuck off!” Murai saw the blade and quacked in annoyance. Putting forth an attack, and not the defense, he decided to use the residual power of the Beak's Peak to clutch the blade's edge with his open beak. The Beak's Peak wasn't necessarily powering the offense alone, as it was encompassing his whole beak, channeling the mana all over it, or even within it.
The finest focus was on the tip, unsurprisingly, as it was the ending focus of the Beak's Peak. It was something sturdier and more powerful than the Beak's Fury which had a rather strange name and held a more flexible nature.
Murai figured there weren't just attacks that he can use with it. The Beak's Peak strength lay in many other things that Murai was yet to discover. Using the beak in another way than the attack was a possibility, because of his flexible neck, but it wasn't just there. It was an attack that channeled more things together, creating quite some force that he had to uncover by himself. Like many things in his mind, his Beak was a tool. A weapon, in some sense.
This, right there, was a precise situation where the experience with the ability can lead to drastic changes. Not necessarily in a good, or bad way. Comfortableness and confidence played an important part in this, yet Murai felt all the confidence in the world, even when he wasn't that comfortable with his body.
Beak's Peak's main strength lay in the dense power that will accumulate between halves of the beaks before coming outwards, focusing on the tip. Murai used that notion against Porik, but not against Izik. He let go of the wild demonic nature of this ability, which was a mixture of mana, and some wild momentum that Murai couldn't yet guess.
It was something of a demonic nature, stemming from his core. It was what made his Beast Core, a Beast Core. It was a state of mana but of different properties along with his body. It was something that made him different from humans, as he was no human, but a demonic beast.
Murai opened his beak, watching how the blade was coming for his neck, wanting to behead him like a chicken. Alas, as he wished, he clutched the upcoming blade with an open beak, eating this attack head-on, literary. The power of the open Beak's Peak clutched against the blade that Izik was strengthening with what he could master. Empowering a treasure blade with the power of his whole body, let alone the 4 enchantments, made this attack more than powerful. It was a lethal attack, outside of the range of level 30s.
It was way out of the Murai's reach, but unexpectedly, the blood wasn't shed, let alone the head flew through the air.
Smack!
Thanks to the posture of Murai's jump, Izik managed to smash Murai to the ground but he didn't pierce him, nor slash him in half as he hoped. Pushed to the ground with his back, Murai still clutched his beak with the blade in it. A quite ferocious glance was in his eyes, and he looked at Izik who had a surprised face.
Wincing his neck, and wriggling himself free, Murai wanted to smash this blade to smithereens, but he couldn't do so. Even when he tried his best, clutching every fiber of his neck and beak together, he held no power to destroy this sort of blade. But stopping it? Murai felt the powerful sword's momentum when he hit the ground, crushing at him like a tidal wave. It moved to his insides, straining him in a fierce attack. Most of it hit his head, neck, and spine, but it was way weaker than Razmund's hits, so he thought little of it.
His teeth were sharp and his beak was sturdy beyond anything regarding his body. Murai realized something. He believed his beak to be his highest treasured item. Unfortunately, it wasn't beyond a metallic blade of unknown rarity and power, much to his disappointment. It was enough to deflect and defend, which was at least something.
Izik was looking down, handling the blade's handle with both hands and trying to push it further. He put his whole body weight down, yet he was unable to do much as well.
This was a standstill, where neither opponent was able to do much.
“Fucking beast...Die! Die!” Izik said through gritted teeth and sweat fell off of his forehead, making him nervous. He felt the threat to his life when Murai glanced at him. The glitter in this duck's eyes was dangerous while stopping this attack was another thing altogether. He believed this sort of slash was something that would solve this situation.
His sword was excellent, and he still held full control over his enchantments, but there was a problem. With Porik gone to the far tree, the Grand Enchantment became obsolete, ceasing the advantage of having two times more mana to disappear. It made his attack weaker and less lethal, but it was still strong and should've damaged Murai for sure. It would, but the beak wasn't necessarily weaker than the sturdiness of this blade. In fact, it was much sturdier than it looked.
Thus, the standstill occurred, when the duel between Izik and Murai was reaching its conclusion.
Then, right as Izik was trying his best, he heard a strange sound coming from down below. It sounded bizarre as if some devil was clutching his sword, laughing and scrapping its claws or horns against the window. Murai was giggling, sounding quite strange when he had the sword in his beak.
“Beak's Peak, for the second time! Motherfucker, I will kill you too!”
Murai willed his intent forward, which amounted to nothing but calming his mind and making up his mind. He could continuously use the Peak, as long as his mana capacity was good, and nothing seemed wrong with his body or core. It didn't, even though his insides hurt from being pushed to the ground and going through that wild momentum of Izik's slash. Most of the sword's power moved through his beak, dispersing the majority of it within it, but it still hit him with part of that power.
Murai may overlook some momentary discomfort and even tinges of instability in his Beast Core. Now wasn't a time to be angry or upset, but be as decisive to the opponent as to oneself. So far, he was still unfamiliar with his mana pool, but he was sure of one thing. It was larger than what those two messiahs can combine together even with their Grand 2-way Enchantments and handling of the world's mana. They didn't even have cores of their own, so what else could he use, then exploit it to the moon?
Maybe it wouldn't be enough to do so if the 3 messiahs would be together, but in 1 versus 1, it was obvious how advantageous it could be. Against an opponent which had fear in his soul and hesitation because he was alone, Murai turned up his confidence to the maximum.
Another force of mana spread over his beak, becoming thicker and shimmering with small waves. It appeared within the Murai's Beak too, unlike before when he had it close. Clutching the sword, it was making Izik question reality. This mana was strange, and... he couldn't do anything about it. His sword was already losing some of the strength from the enchantments, but he clutched it tight to hope for the best. His whole body weight pushed down, but it seemed like he had a dagger to cleave a King Boar in half.
When his attack put Murai to the ground, the residual force of the Beak's Peak was lessened, causing Izik to feel comfortable with finishing the job. Now, that he was feeling this unnatural sturdiness from the clutch of his sword, he figured that the beak around the edge of his was the main problem.
Izik was wrong. It was everything combined. The mana and beak combined with the Anatidae. A fucking disaster.
With his life on the line, Murai would use what he could, even though he could've solved this dual in a flash. After all, the use of Robust Spirit's Identity would deal with Izik in a moment, but Murai didn't even consider it.
With the second Peak coming forward, Izik was unable to gouge what was happening, but the danger was down below. He could feel it as a long-time member of the Centralis Kingdom and as a messiah in general. When fear and context of this danger hit his mind, he wildly grimaced. He was unable to keep up with the rising mana requirements for all of these enchantments.
With Porik gone from his position, he was unable to retain the connection to the Grand Enchantment. it was their specialty. The power of cowards and people of lesser strength than the lofty powers that the Gifted and Blessed held.
The number was their power, so when alone, it was obviously a bad thing.
Bad? It was disastrous.
Izik gritted his teeth, forcing everything he had in his being onto the blade, but then, he decided on something else. He swung the blade away - towards himself - and not down. It was to his side, so the blade slipped away from Murai's beak, who clutched it close but it was unable to clutch this movement properly because it was like hanging onto a sword with scissors. One can't clutch it fine, since they would slip.
Then, as quickly as Izik could, he wanted to use this chance of a single second to slash this motherfucking duck into two halves. He swung his blade around his head, uttering a simple technique he had practiced for a long time.
“Focus Strike!”
The blade flickered, and mana smeared around the edge, making the sword seem like a wavy arc. The Focus Strike then appeared around the side of Murai's head. He was close to finishing the Beak's Peak's channeling, but it wasn't enough.
Still, he chose to feel the mana within the blade and was able to perceive its movements. It was coming right towards his head again, so by turning his beak sideways, alongside his body, he formed an angle with his beak's side. Since Izik was no longer forcing him onto the ground, he got plenty of room in this second to get some room to move.
Bang!
The metallic sound echoed, and banged between the two tough forces, leaving Murai to travel for about 4 meters along the ground, unhurt.
He emerged fine, thanks to a split decision. In the end, the second use of Beak's Peak was kind of a dumb idea, since it needed channeling, and Izik used that chance to strike him down. That was almost a fatal mistake, but it wasn't one that happened.
In duels, such things happened a lot. Murai knew it. A mistake can cause death, while a moment of hesitation would create opportunities.
Izik looked forward and was unable to suppress his surprise. What kind of beak is it? Is it really normal? Even with the demonic beast and Anatidaes combined? Dear gods... No wonder the executives were so insistent on being careful and gave us all so many treasures, he wondered to himself, yet he was unable to notice Lisa from behind.
She was watching him for a long time by now, and strands of shivering particles moved from him to her. Izik didn't feel a thing, because it wasn't a physically based thing, nor something he would notice right now when his mind was preoccupied with Murai alone.
Turning his blade forward, he steadied his mana in the last stand that he should retain. He was already feeling unsteady in his steps. This blade... It was feeding on him like a wild river, enabling him to get an increased power level, but its requirement was at least 3 people in formation. 2 for a limited time and if alone, it would work for less than a minute. It required mana and the strength of a person. Izik felt the drain of this sword, but what was before him was that enticing to put everything in line.
How much time had passed since the start of him, being alone? He was closing on his limit, with the minute flowing around the corner.
Izik was a zealous devotee of the Centralis Kingdom, and rules were the rules. He will follow them to the very end and try to catch the prey or kill it instead.
He pointed his sword forward and lowered his posture. Bending knees, his face turned solemn and sword pointed forward with both hands on the handle.
A thrust? Murai thought, forcing himself back to his feet. His beak's Peak turned up to be dispersing already. The channeling took some effort, but if stopped before unleashing it, the Peak would disperse. The strength of the Focus Strike left his beak kind of numb but his deflection of that strike was successful. He was pretty much fine in the body, and no amount of dizziness in his mind would cause him to be in shambles. His neck was a bit strained too, and his beak was numb, but so what?
His steady mind and soul were an advantage he had from Soul Force and Robust Spirit seemed to be much stronger than he thought. That, or his Will, and Soul powers in this life were much better than he thought? Murai can't get used to these systematic things and the catering that the Battleworld was giving him. This whole concept of borrowed power and achievement was lackluster and sounded like a recipe for a disaster.
It was giving things of incredible value for cheap, almost in an insensible nature that shouldn't happen according to the thigns he perceived from the universe and his Cursed Living. It did give him a tremendous boost. That much, he acknowledged. Any new thing pertaining to the Soul was like a sculpting tool. The kind that was shaping Murai's powerful soul with new things.
In a sense, Murai was wrong. It was no borrowed power since he was strong in the soul aspects from the very beginning. He was always like that, but the majority of the worlds wouldn't give him the sense of direction that the Battleworld did. A proper gist of such things at the start of this new life was unlike his usual approach to thigns. Thus, he was confused over many things and it made less sense the more he tried to ponder about it.
Murai didn't uncover anything new about this in the last week, but he could tell the course of his soul in this life was unlike the previous ones. It wasn't so apparent in the past, so why it was the case in this one?
That sort of question appeared in his head a lot of times, but he wasn't sure of the answer. He definitely didn't want to look for such a thing at the moment.
With his pair of 3 little fingers in his tiny legs clutching the dry soil, Murai felt good. Facing Izik who wanted to kill him with his best and most likely, last attack, this was a proper duel right now. It was obvious from his gaze alone that he was confident. Izik radiated killing intent, but also calm recollection. He no longer seemed like before ~ afraid, shocked, and hesitant.
Murai was familiar with such gazes in many of his life. It was a look of decisiveness, greed, and desire to kill, but deep down, there was a speck of surprise and fear. The pain was in there too, among other things.
Huh... Soul Read seems like a better ability than I thought. It can read emotions and feel the soul itself, enabling me to feel the person without even knowing them... How strange, Murai wondered, finding the current situation kind of peculiar. It wasn't as if he could look at the soul directly, and read them like a book. But the overall feel of the person was much more distinct and emotions played a lot of parts in one's action. It was honest as emotions were something the soul perceived at all times, and none would think of them as something bad.
Murai raised his beak, feeling the situation with his body. Seventh Death Forest was a dull place, and for some reading, this whole situation made him calm. He didn't get any message from the Will of the Battleworl as he usually did with the battles. He wasn't sure if what was happening was normal or not, but when fighting for one's life, nothing mattered more than being a victor and not a loser.