Randidly studied the phenomenon of the merging images for several seconds. It wasn’t something that he had ever seen before, not at this level. Then he shifted his focus toward the Nether coming together in vast quantities due to the achievement; part of the reason that Tykes could destabilize space with his image right now was the surging current of Nether beneath all of this. There was a great deal of weight to Earth seeing this method of utilizing images for the first time.

Randidly smiled rather innocently as he casually touched his woven Nether. Yes, it was definitely worth it to host this tournament.

Then the combatants moved and he refocused on the match below.

On that endless reflective surface, the combined form of Dinesh and Tykes moved with brutal speed. Each step flung them across a vast distance, but the touch of its feet against the surface only released the smallest of reflections. Tykes was a freight train of significance, trailing distorted space like a freight train puffing out smoke.

Paolo glanced at Kayle and then studied his wounded right hand. “Don’t cut the image until I’ve had my chance to smash it to pieces.”

“Don’t just go smashing things until I’ve had my chance to cut,” Kayle replied with just as much charged excitement. Then they both blurred into motion, following an unspoken communication. They split sideways as Tykes arrived and smashed his iron ball where they had just been standing. Then they were pouncing back on each side of them.

They’ve fought each other so much that their teamwork is uncanny, Randidly observed.

But both Kayle and Paolo’s faces quickly twisted into a grimace as they moved to attack. The waves of ambient image that their opponent’s combination unleashed slowed down their movements. The distorted space was thick and unpredictable. When their movements impeded, Tykes could simply spin around, smashing Paolo backward and then raising his iron ball to crush Kayle directly.

Kayle flexed his fingers. “Sever.”

Tykes twitched to the side and then ignored the blood spurting out of his bicep. The image around them didn’t even waver from the Skill. Then Tykes flung his iron ball backward at Paolo who had just regained his feet and threw a punch at Kayle. An electric shock seemed to run through Kayle’s body, his eyes beginning to glow. The sense of sharpness around him intensified to the point that his smile gleamed like a barred blade beneath the mon.

But before Tykes completed the motion of his punch, he abruptly became Dinesh. His hand opened and he unleashed a burst of orange smoke that completely covered Kayle. Then his body was Tykes once more and he simply slammed his hands against the ground. Unlike the soft ripples that he had produced when he walked across the ground, this slam generated a two-meter tall wave that knocked the coughing Kayle away.

Paolo slowed down in his advance at Tykes as the man turned slowly around to regard him. The spatial distortions were growing more frequent; Tykes’ body seemed to be constantly buzzing. Grimacing, Paolo flexed his right hand and slapped it with his left. The bones ground against each other painfully, but the strike knocked the knuckles back into place. “Heh, you two have grown strong. This is the Ghosthound, halo, huh…?”

“...But your basic Skills lack bite,” Kayle heaved himself to his feet after finally recovering enough to cut the wave that was suppressing him. There were strange orange spots on his face, but he still grinned over at Tykes and Dinesh. “Your image is broad, yes, but even the small things deserve love and attention.”

Dinesh and Tykes didn’t reply. Two bodies mirrored across the surface simply glanced at the two of them while slowly pulling the metal ball back into Tykes' hand. Then they began to gather their Willpower as they adjusted the image in the surrounding area. Randidly’s blinked and then began to laugh; they were using Tykes' sense of momentum to increase the difficulty of shattering Dinesh’s control over the surrounding space. No matter how long Paolo and Kayle stalled, if they couldn’t shake the effect now, they likely wouldn’t be able to do it at all.

“Fine then, let’s do this the hard way,” Paolo announced, but it was clear from his expression that he was greatly looking forward to the experience. Once more through an unspoken communication, Donnyton’s greatest rivals dashed for Tykes across the featureless reflective surface. Each step left large ripples that clashed chaotically against each other.

This time, they didn’t hold back on using their images at all. Although Tykes and Dinesh continued to maintain the strange, isolated world, that didn’t stop Kayle and Paolo from manifesting the power of their images in this place. Once more, Kayle’s body gradually disappeared as he began simply a manifestation of a life-thirsting blade. Paolo seemed to grow imperceptibly, becoming larger than life as he rushed toward the conflict.

Paolo smashed his fist downward and met the Tykes’ swing of the metal ball directly. Even with the increase in size, Tykes held a power advantage in this form and knocked the man backward.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

But then Kayle was there, spinning like top garnished with butcher’s knives. The attacks inflicted small flesh wounds onto Tykes which were completely ignored. It was only when Kayle adjusted his stance and unleashed a thrust that Tykes became Dinesh, who then immediately became Tykes again as Paolo bounded forward with both hands above his head and smashing brutally downward.

Tykes eyes didn’t waver as he considered the two attacks heading toward him. He let the iron ball fall to the side and spread his hands wide. “Endure.”

The bone of his left arm shattered with an audible crunch as he simply stood there and allowed Paolo’s punch to brutalize his body. Kayle’s palm drilled into his side, probably eviscerating one of his kidneys.

Tykes trembled, then he was a completely fine Dinesh, who flicked his fingers. “Reflect.”

Kayle’s arm snapped and blood began to gush from Paolo’s side. A wounded Tykes snapped back into existence in Dinesh’s spot and raised his head to roar in pain. Then he reached with his good arm and picked up the iron ball.

Rather than seeming worried about the wounds, Kayle and Paolo simply grew more focused. They didn’t slow at all as they moved in unison to strike again. Kayle slashed and Paolo smashed. Tykes Endured the slash and brought his iron ball whipping upward to smash Paolo backward.

Then, ignoring Kayle’s continuing barrage of attacks, Tykes pursued Paolo. Paolo flipped up to his feet and settled into a fighting stance. Then he took a sharp step forward and shifted his weight. “Haymaker.”

Tykes took the strike to the jaw without blinking and a millisecond after impact, Dinesh was there once more. “Reflect.”

Kayle grunted and spewed blood behind the fighting as he endured the force of Paolo’s punch. Then Tykes was back and he brought his left arm around to strike Paolo’s cheek with a backhand blow. Paolo barely even stumbled. His eyes were bright and focused as he whipped his head back around and grinned at Tykes. “Maybe against someone else, this would have worked.’

After spitting out another mouthful of blood, Kayle straightened and nodded. “...but no one has taken each other’s blows more than us. Do you think you can last long enough for this damage to matter?” Sever.”

This time, Kayle’s image flared powerfully to life. Their continued sparring in the area had helped acclimate them to Dinesh’s reflected world. So before Tykes could dodge, he staggered and then fell to one knee as Kayle tore open his back like it was a colorfully wrapped package on Christmas morning.

Paolo didn’t bother with small strikes with this opening; he simply lowered his shoulder and tackled Tykes. But to his surprise, when he hit Tykes, he sluggishly moved through the destabilized space and then rebounded. In terms of weight, the energy holding the surrounding image in place was completely based in Tykes' body. Even Paolo’s image couldn’t compete directly with its heaviness.

Tykes didn’t miss this moment of surprise. His arms snapped out and seized the stunned Paolo’s head and brought the brawler back for a brutal headbutt. The strike was so sudden and vicious that Paolo's hands subconsciously loosened on the practically useless long knives that he held.

After their heads cracked together the first time, Tykes pushed Paolo back and then pulled him back in for a second blow. But Paolo’s hands whipped forward. He dropped the daggers and caught Tykes' head with his own hands, the two straining against each other in a bloody embrace.

“Heh, that’s my win,” Kayle gloated with genuine cheer.

“I just dropped them coincidentally,” Paolo hissed through his gritted teeth. “I’ll pick them back up-”

“Too late, the winner was decided,” Kayle remarked. When he raised his hands, he was holding a long knife in each hand. “Endless Quick Slashes.”

In a way, Kayle’s Skill resembled raindrops. Rather than being able to view a single one, you could only be aware of the raindrops by letting the focus of your gaze recede and by taking in the unending torrent that Kayle unleashed. It was a force of nature that gradually overwhelmed the destabilized space and struck at Tykes’ flesh.

While held in a strained embrace with Paolo, Tykes could only ignore the wounds as Quick Slash after Quick Slash carved off the flesh and muscle of his body and left his bone bare to the air. Even Randidly couldn’t help but wrinkle his nose as he looked down at the gore of the fight below. Chunks of viscera seemed to fan outward as Kayle continued to accelerate in his rhythm.

Then, between strikes, Tykes became Dinesh and glanced over his shoulder. “Reflect.”

Paolo’s back exploded like someone had buried a grenade there and then pulled out the pin. But also in that split second, Paolo exploded with force once more. While Tykes was his equal in Strength, Dinesh was nowhere close to being able to slow him down.

This time, Dinesh was on the losing end of a domineering headbutt. Their skulls connected. The surrounding image shook. Kayle ceased his Endless Quick Slashes and stabbed forward, his long knife slid into Dinesh’s side, but suddenly Dinesh was Tykes again.

Before Kayle could respond, Tykes slammed his fist against Kayle’s face in a brutally quick left straight.

Kayle crashed against the far wall of the arena, but Dinesh also was unable to maintain the image. Once more they were back on the marble platform and the roars of approval from the crowd were deafening.

“Ha! You knocked him out!” Paolo said as he stood. At first he swayed, but then he raised his hands. The crowd's volume seemed to be rapidly healing all the damage he had taken. “Thanks for that.”

Tykes looked down at Dinesh, who was pressing his hands to his side to stem the blood from the wound Kayle inflicted. Even now, Tykes could sense Kayle’s image remaining in the wound and continuing to tear into Dinesh’s body. He glanced over in the direction he knocked Kayle, then looked back up at Paolo. Although one of each of their duos was knocked out, with the roars of the crowd, Paolo’s image…

Paolo licked his lips. “But now its time I pay you back that headbutt earlier… with interest.”