Manarox raised one fist, far faster than a man of his bulk should have been able to, and caught the strike. However, it was not merely a contest of physical prowess, and Sam’s hammer blow detonated its energy payload, fracturing the bones in Manarox’s arm. Manarox grunted and then swung his sword up towards Sam, catching him midair.
The blade seemed to grow heavier as it traveled through the air, and when it struck, all of the air was driven out of Sam’s body. He coughed up blood as he flew through the air, and summoned another portal, this time coming towards Manarox from the front. It was a seemingly foolish maneuver, but the other man would be expecting an assault from behind.
Sam appeared in front of Manarox, and as expected, the hulking general swung to the back of his body, leaving himself open for an attack. However, Manarox was no novice in the arts of war, and he quickly reversed his strike upon seeing Sam’s actual position. By that point though, it was too late.
Sam layered his two Daos into his hammer, containing the energies with a sheer force of will. They did not want to exist within the same space, but he was the Dao Incarnation of Existence, and his will was supreme. The red and blue energy mingled within the head of his hammer, and as he drove it into Manarox’s chest, they detonated, eagerly escaping their bonds. A shockwave of power raced out of his hammer, blasting apart the ground for thirty feet in every direction.
Manarox took the brunt of the blow and his armor cracked on the front, as he was knocked off his feet, even with his weight enhancing ability. Sam was caught by his sword on the return swipe however, and it impacted his helmet, cracking his teeth and nearly breaking his neck. He was sent up a dozen feet into the air, but luckily his own attack had knocked Manarox back far enough to be safe from the alien general’s attacks.
Sam spat up blood and broken chunks of teeth, his mouth burning with pain. His neck felt as if it had been twisted almost to the breaking point, but he was still in the game. He landed a few seconds later and raced forwards, trying to capitalize on Manarox’s distraction. The other man set his sword into the ground and panted heavily, spitting up great clumps of congealed blood. He rose fully a moment later and lifted his sword high above his head, staring at Sam imperiously as he did so. Rampant energies swirled around the blade, and Sam saw that the man was charging up a powerful attack, one that had not been leveled in this fight yet. Well, that was fine. Sam had one of his own.
Dao energy coursed down his left arm, mingling with his elemental energy to create a rocky lance that dropped into his hand. He kept charging it with power, causing the skill to glow with a blinding light. As Manarox brought his sword down, Sam launched the lance.
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“Conqueror's Due!” Manarox screamed as he loosed his attack.
“Sky Splitting Wrath!’ Sam replied as he let loose his own attack. Yes, it was a bit childish to scream out the name of his technique, but sometimes it just fit.
An arc of pure white power sped across the ground towards Sam, cracking the earth below its path. A lance of pure power rocketed towards the arc of light, tearing through the air around it. A moment later, the skills slammed into one another, and the world broke. Cracks raced across the ground, spreading for hundreds of feet in every direction. The earth began to shake as the two attacks clashed, and gusts of hurricane force wind blasted out from the epicenter of the blast, causing Sam to take a step back. The nexus of energy grew brighter and brighter as the skills pressed into one another, and a sense of utter danger made itself known to Sam a moment later. He teleported away, but it was too late.
The cracks in the ground pulsed with light and then the entire field below them exploded, blasting Sam off his feet. A mushroom cloud rose up into the stratosphere as the blastwave shot across the ground, tossing Sam higher and higher into the sky. It seemed that his new skill had found its match. His bones shattered before the almighty force of the explosion, and his flesh would have been stripped off of his bones if not for the armor that he was wearing. As he flew, Sam only felt satisfaction at the sheer power that he had contributed to. It was awe inspiring.
“No, it is beautiful,” he thought a moment later, watching the roaring streams of power tear through the air. Then he hit the ground a few seconds later, and the pain hit.
Sam screamed in agony as he jarred his broken bones, but he forced himself to his feet, keeping himself standing with his enhancement skill. He had no doubt that Manarox was still in the fight. Sam ran forwards, keeping his speed lower than it normally was, and saw the hulking figure of his opponent staggering out of a cloud of dust. The lizard man looked haggard, and his left arm was hanging limply. In addition, his armor had cracked further along the place where Sam had struck it, and he was bleeding heavily. He was surrounded by a crackling red aura, likely a skill to do with how damaged he was, and he held his massive sword tightly in one hand.
“You are impressively strong, Sam Atlas. The first man to tax my skills like this since my brother and I warred for the position of Emperor. However, this is a battle of attrition now, and the one thing that my people excel at is endurance. Let us see how well you stack up.”
Manarox charged without any further preamble, and he raised his sword high, sending energy pulsing along its length. Sam roared, and charged too, using his enhanced intelligence to keep his skill active in such a way that all of his bones were supported equally. Using this, he could fight as if he had not been injured, although it was quite painful. However, he could not give up now for such a mortal concern. Anyone who dared to challenge the universe would have to be able to take a little pain.