Axé's shaped spear pierced the air. Nyatui even felt a little pleasure when he saw his opponent's head disappear. The ex-sage supported the inert body. He frowned. Although it looked decapitated, there was no blood present.

"Stop joking, you're not injured."

"Unhnhunhunhun, I didn't want to spoil your mood, old man. With my Quantity Alteration: Absolute Refraction of Light, I can become invisible."

Luena's head became visible again. In an inhuman way, she threw her head back. The joints in her body had been remodeled with advanced biotechnology, allowing her to make movements impossible for other human beings. The Phalanx was the most transhuman military force in the world.

"Only cowards need to hide during combat."

Annoyed, Luena made her laminated wings sever her opponent's arm. She propelled herself backwards to escape his grasp. Nyatui maintained physical contact between the two by slamming his shoulder into her belly and uttered:

"Measuring Value: Evaluation."

"Damn you, back off!"

"'Negation of Value'."

Nyatui's arm regenerated completely as if it had never been injured. She used the handle of her spear to strike her opponent. Luena escaped by refitting her laminated wings. She flew away, hid in the shadows of the crater's ruins and used an Quantity Alteration, becoming invisible.

The ex-sage didn't wait for a new attack to begin. He performed the Ofó Superhuman: Break of Values. With this charm, his physical strength and speed multiplied. The Axé penetrated his muscles and bones, increasing the durability of his body. It was a technique that demanded a lot from his physical conditioning.

Nyatui was unwilling to let General Luena go after his companions. Under the circumstances, it was possible that the military woman would join forces with the Circle of Sages to defeat Fadala and capture Akachi. It was a war, and when you're in one, there's no time for moral reflection. Common enemies temporarily join hands.

The master of suspicion held his spear. He sharpened his hearing. Insects and rats crawled through the broken pipes. Small rocks were breaking off from the crater walls. A loose wire sparked electrical sparks.

What are you doing, you idiot, open your eyes!

Sometimes, Mr. Dalji, I wish I'd chosen a less talkative Ori Guardian.

If it hadn't been for me, you would have died a long time ago.

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That's true…

Nyatui tried to memorize every sound in the room, the rhythm at which they occurred. He heard a sharp, cynical laugh coming from the opposite direction.

"It's hard to fight what you can't see, isn't it?"

"Actually, it's simpler than you think."

Stlinz, Luena's blades came down like rain from above. A curtain of dust and debris rose from the ground. The general launched herself at him, aiming to deliver a deadly attack. She stopped halfway, the enemy hadn't fought back, hadn't even moved.

"What's wrong? Come on, I'm waiting for you."

Nyatui was on his feet, unhurt. The spear slung over his shoulder showed his nonchalance.

"Well, if you're not coming, I will."

Vum! With the wave of his spear, he set off a current of wind that kicked up the dust in front of him. The debris collided with something standing in the way. Nyatui struck with his spear from above. Luena dodged, leapt towards the nearby wall, gathered momentum and lunged at him.

The medium dodged. With a thrust of his spear, he hit his opponent in the back. She fell to the ground. Nyatui raised her weapon and tried to drive it into her opponent. The soldier attracted her laminated wings and covered herself with them as if they were a shield. Electric sparks dissipated on contact between the blades.

The blows followed. Luena was buried in the ground, trapped, unable to fight back or evade. A stray blade had been left behind, and she mobilized her wing to distract the enemy. The blade hit her opponent right in the neck. It didn't hurt him, but it was enough to knock him down.

"There's no point in hiding, is there?"

"You're the enemy who made me go further. Killing you is a matter of honor now."

Luena stared at her opponent. The guy seemed invulnerable in her eyes. He was no ordinary Ofó. She thought there would be major side effects from that concentrated accumulation of Axé in his body. She narrowed her eyes. Nyatui's hair was graying. It used to be just her temples, now her whole head was turning white.

Finally, she understood the sacrifice he had made. It was a double-edged technique: at the same time as it strengthened him to superhuman levels, his life was consumed. Considering his determination, he was willing to die in that fight.

What a man! He's already given up his life to face me. Too bad his sacrifice will be in vain.

Nyatui no longer had the patience to wait for her enemy's initiative. She ran, scraping the ground with her spear. Very close to the attack, she turned invisible and reappeared in another direction, next to a part of the ceiling that was still standing. The old medium didn't give up. He advanced against it. She made several vertical cuts, knocking down the rest of the structure.

Luena continued her tactic of defending herself with invisibility and retreating to attract Nyatui. Her powerful spear attacks shattered and increased the width of the crater. The fight was already becoming tedious for the spearman.

She's just playing with your face.

Very rude! I'll correct her.

At no point after activating his Ofó did the master of suspicion slow down Luena. On the contrary, he held back his power to match her and make the fight last longer. After realizing that she had been intimidated by him and was wasting his time, he decided to take action and make things more interesting.

"All right, little girl. I'll get you back into the fight. Transvaluation: Rupture of Values."

General Luena's eyes widened. The color and shape of the shaped spear had changed. It was as if its blade pulsed with Axé particles. Fearful of what might happen, she decided to flee the crater and change the combat scenario. She jumped through the rubble of the structures and climbed in desperation.

Nyatui laughed. Seeing her run made him happy. It was like an attestation of weakness. He raised his head and calculated the path he would take from the ground to the mouth of the crater. It would be a single cut, clean and dry. When the soldier reached the area near the edge of the pit, the medium jumped off the ground, vumping.

The spear cut her right arm in two. General Luena let out a shrill scream. The wound wasn't bleeding, but the pain was excruciating. As both fighters fell, she grabbed him by the neck with her free hand. As they fell, she realized that her opponent had already consumed the rest of his Axé.

They got into a grapple. But at that moment, the military woman had the upper hand. Even with just one hand, she managed to force Nyatui's body down. He would support the fall of both of them. The ex-sage tried one more blow to decapitate her enemy, but she used her laminated wings to protect herself. The pair fell to the ground, generating a thunderous roar and dust.