Danson sighed so heavily he couldn't stop his chest from heaving. He looked at the two would-be attackers and only saw the shortest time it took for a detour to become a battle. To the right was the bulkier of the two. His upper body strained the fabric of his shirt, making the elf wonder if he chose a size too small or simply trained until they could fit no more. The swordsman was a beast of a different nature though, slim like the blade he carried, body giving off the same impression of something that'd slice the air. With their masks that was about the most he could make of them, but the mask itself made his eyes linger. While demonic there was an artistry to their design, less about any idea of intimidation and more about the idea of…beauty? They were blue and porcelain. One horn stuck out from the center of the forehead, clear except for the bits of light it caught from the red paint around the eyes. There were no eye holes that he could discern, telling him there was something magical to the masks too. So, they were magic users, at least to some degree, but the elf couldn't sense a drop of mana coming off them. He shook his head, that wasn't a surprise. The masks had already told him they had demonic powers and that magic was beyond his perception. Still, nothing said they had the luxury of making this a long ranged fight. He sighed again and shrugged.

"You might not have been looking for Keigo, but in a moment you're going to wish you found him." He laughed. "Of the people you could have met, you found the two that'd make this the most painful. I mean, at least Kiara might fry your nerves. Keigo would have made it instant, but us?" He touched his chest.

"Serpent tongue elf, but it doesn't look like your friend can match its speed." The swordsman said.

Danson's face scrunched. "She's the one you need to worry about the most!"

"You sure?"

Danson hadn't noticed before, but he could feel Diana standing behind him. He turned just enough to keep the men in his line of sight and she let out a shriek as if she were startled by his sudden movement.

"What are we going to do! These guys look like trouble!" She whimpered.

"Who are you?" He tilted his head.

"That one has a sword too! We can't take on someone like that!" She quivered.

"Seriously, who are you!" He barked.

"I just don't know what to do. If I rush in, it'll be my fault if something bad happens!"

The elf sighed again. "This is about the bet, isn't it?"

"I don't know what you mean." A smirk almost broke Diana's facade. Danson almost missed it.

"Fine, we can say I chose this fight if it makes you feel better."

"Deal?"

"Deal."

The smirk got through and then came the thunder. Danson's immediate surprise made him turn to their foes, certain they'd be further blown away. Diana's glowing leg swung up with a vicious arc! Thunder came again, but the bulkier of the two stood his ground, blocking the leg with his arms held up. Diana's feet flew—a barrage of spears! The man matched her speed, arms blurring to knock them aside. Her face scrunched as she stepped back, confusion holding her long enough for him to throw a punch. Danson conjured a platform, sliding her back to his side. She looked at him and then back at the man, taking a quick breath as he settled his stance.

"What just happened?" She said to the elf.

"I can only explain the magic part." He was just as surprised. "It's some form of demonic power. Whatever he's doing made your Striker's magic worthless."

"Yeah, but how did he block all of my attacks?" Diana glared. "I know I shouldn't be surprised but you know how this usually goes, right?" She gave Danson a quick look. He nodded.

"They truly know nothing about us." The swordsman said.

"Shame. Sounds like they're out of fresh luck." His allied replied. "I am Mokube, Disciple of Yoshiki Baroq."

"And I am Norio, Disciple of Yoshiki Shiomi."

"Yoshiki?" Diana repeated.

"Oh!" Danson gasped. "Disciples…these guys are with a demon's sect!"

"Oh…" Diana nodded. "I guess that explains the Yoshiki then. But how bad is a Sect?"

"It's certain death for you two. Those who challenge the Yoshiki Sect's plans cannot be allowed to go free." Norio drew his sword, running fingers down it.

"Sects gain their magic from the demon they worship." And they had no clue what this one's power was.

Suddenly, Diana pushed Danson, throwing herself back too. Something unseen tore the grass between them, flying as Norio slashed. He came at Diana like an arrow, cutting down, swinging around as she stepped aside. She ducked and his attack changed on the fly, falling after, stabbing as she leaped back. Her leg flew up, knocking the blade high, stepping in with her fist aglow.

"Striker Crack!" His head moved but didn't quite snap back. Diana's eyes widened, and his blade disappeared.

"Hunting Hawk." The air around him went sharp, drawing a line across her face as she leaped. Norio chuckled as she brought a finger to the wound. "You're fast on your feet, and your instincts are good."

"But you're outmatched, right?" She waved the finger. "The problem with not going down on the first hit is that I get to hit you more." She tightened her fist.

"Will either of those hits matter enough to save your friend?"

Diana didn't look, but a part of her mind did drift over to Danson…

Danson stood a distance away from Mokube. As Diana's fight ignited the two stared each other down, deliberation clear in the silence between them. Danson wondered if he should use Wys eoda Nevas, and Mokube let his chest roll with a laugh, pulling the elf out of his mind.

"You probably think you're safe over there." The man said. Danson shrugged.

"It seems likely. I'll admit I would never try to block Diana's kicks, but if that's what you can do then it says you're great at melee range."

The man chuckled again. "Shiomi teaches in the way of the Weightless Blade. Can you gather what Baroq teaches in?"

"No, but that's a pretty interesting name. Yoshiki is an east triumvirate, but Baroq is what… Dark Lands? You don't usually see names meet quite like that."

"East Wing, and no you wouldn't, but my master was brought to the Triumvirate as a prized fighter. He was given the best to train with as he progressed through the Battle Mountains. Joining the Sect was the next step in his growth."

"A gladiator then…" Danson smirked. He had a theory, now he just had to test it.

"Yes, and he saw the peak. Be they near or far, there was no opponent my master couldn't beat." The air around the elf suddenly grew dense. "Iron Bell." Mokube punched, knocking Danson back as something struck his face.

The elf's head spun, but he held on to his spite. He didn't like when he was wrong, and he liked it less when being wrong hurt. The density went up again and he cast ice across his body. Shards sprayed off from several places, one punch turning into many. Mokube stomped into a powerful finisher, breaking all the ice from Danson's chest. The elf's eyes went blank, and the disciple tightened his stance.

"In the history of the mountains, no mage has ever seen the peak."

Danson coughed the air back into his lungs. "Of course not, I've never been there." He wheezed as he lifted a finger. "Liwo eoda Nevas." And pins of ice made a line up Mokube's right arm. The man's eyes bulged and Danson smiled. "Gladiators prefer aura techniques, right? I wonder how much you'll like getting my mana mixed in with yours."

Diana smiled, ducking a quick fury of slashes. Norio swung with both hands and grass tore off a bridge in the distance. Diana whistled as she barely dodged it. Her right hook flew and Norio brushed it aside. He stabbed for her chest and she swept low. He hopped back and she came up fast, thrusting her palm out.

"Striker Spray!"

Norio's blade moved, cutting the spell from the air. His stance became defensive as she nodded, confusion escaping from under his mask.

"In the Green Lands there's this fighting style called The West Field Aura Technique. It's named for a battle that took place out in one of the valleys. A group of spell casters thought they'd topple the kingdom, but soldiers trained in this technique took them all down."

"Your life must have flashed by if you're recalling history lessons." The swordsman replied.

"Hardly! You haven't gotten that close to killing me yet. But you did block my spell, and that matters! I know my spells hurt. My favorite part is when people go flying, but you and your friend both shook them off. It took me a moment to realize why."

"What good will knowing do?"

"A lot, because, you see, I've been training to use Gyo. No one in the Green Lands knows about it, so West Field is still pretty rare. Still, everybody knows it beats magic, and do you know why?" Norio added nothing this time. "It's because a well-trained aura can break apart any spell! You guys aren't using some sort of invisible magic, you're just using magic on your aura!"

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"Again, what good will knowing do?"

"Like I said, a lot. For instance." Diana felt the aura around her arms as she tightened her fist. It was the most she could do with it so far, but it took strides just learning how to consciously move it. From that feeling she pulled her aura flat, congealing it into unseen gloves. Magic seeped in beneath it, making her arms sparkle as they glowed. For a moment, she thought about what Keigo taught her.

"Apart of Gyo is training to increase the size of your aura. The more of it there is, the more you can do with it. That opens the door for Tou, but we're not going to get into that right now. All you need to know is this, building your aura helps, but the denser it is in one place the thinner it is in another."

In other words? It was time to find his weak point.

Diana blasted forward, her arm a piston turning into a punch. Norio pulled back just enough to dodge it and lights crashed into his jaw. The aura clearly dulled it but he still stood surprised. Falling from her dodged blow into a flip, Diana launched a kick. The swordsman swung and she kicked away from the severing slash. Light smashed into his face again, however, and Diana hopped behind him. Through wincing eyes he followed; cut! And Diana jabbed for the stomach, missing as the man slipped further away. This time his blade stopped the following light, but he struggled against it, unable to tear it apart. Knocking it wide instead, he thrust-stepped back in. She met him with a charge, holding his sword aside with one arm as the other fist flew. His leg buckled as thunder sounded, her feint revealed as she kicked his knee. He stopped himself from dropping to the ground, but that proved to be the least of his worries. A shining knee knocked him up, into a left hook and then a right. A spinning kick made him teeter back, and two thunder steps put her behind him.

"Striker!" Norio braced himself. Diana grinned. "Drumming!" A light crashed into his chin, his right cheek, his left. A blow to his stomach knocked him off balance and that's when her fist flew. "Striker Crack!" It sent him flying from their bridge to one a couple of miles below. Diana turned to give thumbs up to Danson, making Mokube stop and stare on.

"Aen sif Sisos." Danson wrote a line across his mask. The man turned back to punch, throwing a fury as the elf slid away.

Their battle was no longer a long-range bout. After Danson's first spell, the disciple quickly acknowledged his foe. As he tried for his second Iron Bell, Danson slid away. He tried again, pushing his aura out, and the elf slid once more before the bell closed. On the third failure, Danson leveled a bow and plucked the string. Aen sif Presi followed, pushing a small arrow into Mokube's hand. He crushed it with a closed fist and rushed in. The elf fled back and an Iron Bell closed around him. Mokube punched shattering the ice on Danson's arms. The strike, however, was meant for his chest. He swung again and Danson jerked his head. He twisted his body into the next one, and an ice shield grew out, breaking against the blow. The elf laughed as the mist flowed around him.

"Although there's a way to use your aura for long ranged attacks, your extending yours instead. You make a link between us, then send your blows down it like a pipe. Getting closer means you don't have to extend it as far, but the extension is still a part of it." Everything was clear in his eyes.

That's when Mokube heard the thunder and saw Norio go flying. The elf cast his spell, Aen sif Sisos and ice drew across the mask where his nose would be.

"The longer we're connected though, the more mana I got to move." The mist flowed around Mokube as well. "I bet this all has you a little heated, so how about I let you cool down?"

"The Elven word for burial is, Duast!" Diana called over.

"Duast eoda Nevas." The elf called and the ice on Mokube's nose spread to cover his body. With the new sculpture in front of him, Danson looked passed it to Diana. "Who taught you that word?"

She snickered. "Keigo and I have been looking them up. We were trying to guess what you'd name your new spells."

The elf frowned. "Which one of you guessed Duast eoda Nevas?"

"He did! He's going to be so mad he missed it."

"How did you know I was going to use it?"

"I thought about what I would do if I had your magic. It was right there!"

Danson sighed once more. "Well, you might have predicted it, but this disciple wasn't as quick."

The ice cracked.

Danson jumped back, conjuring a sword. Diana turned to face him too, only for something to tear above her. She looked and found a rain of woven grass chunks falling like rubble. A breeze behind her made her turn, finding Norio sliding his blade back into its sheath. She kicked into a charge and the floor fell apart beneath her. The rain fell, and she disappeared into the cascade to the stream below. An aura pushed through the cracks around Mokube, visible even to Danson with its deep blue glow. The ice faded, and Danson sucked his teeth as Mokube turned his head slightly.

"We're far enough to get authorization?" He said to Norio.

The swordsman nodded. "I requested it while I was below. Ayaka will block the power; Yuzuko won't be bothered."

"Then that just leaves the elf and reporting to Miki."

"But at least Shiomi and Baroq aren't here, right?" Danson smiled. He didn't think they did the same under their masks—masks that had changed slightly, the red eyeshadow falling like tears down their cheeks.

The air grew dense around him, thick like humidity after a summer rain. He tried to move his mana through it, but this aura wasn't just visible, it was entirely different. Mokube punched and the elf went flying with his eyes going white. He let the feeling of mana shape the world around him, forming a bridge, sliding away from a crash. His sight came back just fast enough to see Norio flying at him. With a cage of blades, he blocked myriad slashes, only for the air to thicken again. Mokube kicked, breaking ice, almost breaking ribs.

"Aen sif Paraf!" Danson huffed out as Norio slashed again. His wall was diced but he survived, swiftly sliding away. He tossed his sword over the side of the bridge, letting his mind enter his ice skin instead. "Aen sif Tanaes Sadant." Birds erupted off him, freezing everything but his foes.

"Your magic can't reach us, elf." Mokube said as Norio sheathed his sword.

With a draw and a spin, the ice was blown away, even the bits that covered his body. Like that wind carried a message, Danson knew what he was facing.

"You can change the density and volume of your aura, on top of changing its shape. Of course, my magic can't reach you, there not even human auras anymore!" And his mind went further, back to the masks. The tears running down it, he could see it now. Even though he couldn't sense it, he could see the breaking of a seal. That's how their auras completely transformed. His spells would never touch them again. But there was only one way things could go this far.

"Are you two currently possessed?" And that would mean the demon they worshiped was nearby. What would a demon be doing in a Spirit Domain? What would a demon be doing on a tether between the realms?

"The gears are moving, Mokube, but he truly doesn't know how much of an error he's made." Norio's aura coated his blade until the steel glowed. It'd let him cut through any defense the elf made. Mokube's relaxed stance said as much.

Danson laughed! "Yeah. I don't truly get it, but I'm glad I messed up. Humans can really do anything, can't they? They can train their auras to syphon demonic power through a seal. They can go to battle with an elf without giving their source of power away… almost. You guys are working on something dangerous here, and you can't have any witnesses."

"It sounds like you're surrendering, elf. Though it won't save your life."

Danson honestly considered it. If he had to explain it to a human, sensing magic was a lot like understanding a song. Normally, all spells made some sort of sense; each element of mana its own little instrument. When he recognized the mana he knew the precise key, but some kinds could only be noise. Demonic Power might as well be a busy kitchen, loud with shouts and metal banging without rhythm. He knew what the sound of one was, but could never play within it. Against it, he was easily drowned out. Against it, surrender sounded best.

He sighed. "Yeah, I made a mistake. I was pretty confident at the start of this fight, but now I see I'm wrong." He gave them a mournful shake of his head. "I'm not the mage who'll see the peak of the Battle Mountains."

"What?" The men barked back.

"She is." Danson pointed, finger rising as Diana rose behind them with his sword in hand. She read the words upon its blade and tossed it aside. "Wys eoda Nevas." Danson cast. Snowflakes appeared on the backs of her hands; the light on her arms turned into frozen gloves.

She dropped to the ground and blasted forward, ducking as Norio's blade sliced. A right jab knocked the air from his lungs, leaving a snowflake on his chest, glowing with a red dot.

"Winter Ringing!" She called and his chest froze and caved in.

"How!" Mokube unwittingly took a step back.

Diana laughed. "A spiritualist is teaching me how to use Gyo."

"What?"

Keigo explained the difference in their first day of training.

"All right, this is the last time I'm going to ask if you really want to go through with this." He started after she dragged him outside.

"It's the same answer I gave before we met up. Why are you asking again, anyway? All I hear about this technique is how awesome it is."

"Gyo is definitely awesome, but it's not about Gyo, it's about the person teaching it to you. Gladiators train their Gyo to be denser, almost physical. The best can break blades and bones against their skin. Eisuke used to tell me about some of those fights. At the Peaks, fighting is about your ability to absolutely concentrate. It's the difference between a light blow and a blow that'll turn your bone to dust."

"And?"

"And it's worthless to a Spiritualist. The Gladiators picked it up from us, but Gyo was originally taught as a means of protecting yourself from malevolent spirits. We didn't practice for martial arts, we practiced for the Spiritual Arts. Sealing. Exorcising. Channeling."

"So you're going to teach me one of these instead of what they learn in the mountains."

"It won't be as good for how you fight, but you're a combat monkey, you'd find a way to make it work."

"Sealing is when you use your aura to restrain. Exorcising is when you use your aura to sever. Channeling is when you use your aura to draw the power in," Diana raised her arms.

"Exorcising is a lot harder than it sounds, and since you can't sense spirit energy, channeling is going to be mostly useless. You might find Sealing interesting though. You have to be skilled for a seal to stick, but even if it last for only a few seconds, it still seals a bit of them away."

At that time, Diana's eyes lit up. At this time, she could see the light of dawning horror on Mokube's face. She sealed Norio's aura, leaving a spell where he was unprotected. Combining Danson's ice with her magic just made it worse. Each blow was devastating, and she was the only one who could deliver it. Mokube's eyes shot to the elf, wondering when he placed the pieces of this plan.

"You're looking at the wrong person." Danson shook his head. "She's the one who grabbed my sword, all I did was learn from you guys how she could use it."

Diana rushed him!

As he did before, Mokube showed no trouble blocking the redhead's blows. For each swing his arm was already moving, softening the strike, driving its power away. He even got some hits in himself, broad knuckles leaving welts, but still, Diana attacked, dotting him with little snowflakes. Making a huge leap back, she landed on a platform.

"Winter Festival!" She called, and bright lights burst across his body. He stood there stunned, fighting cold and bitter pain. Leaping from the platform, she crashed into him like a meteor. He went flying as a larger snowflake marked his chest.

"Winter Memorial!" Diana called. A jagged pillar rose. It froze through to the other side, pinning the disciple to the wall.

"For the record," Danson came up to her, waving his fingers to remove the ice. "That type of thing would only work with someone like me." He warned her. She beamed.

"The important part is that it worked!" Diana looked at their fallen opponents. "We should probably hurry after Keigo and Kiara, right?"

Danson followed her eyes. "Yeah, and we should make it quick. These guys were just henchmen, and it sounds like there's worse out there…"

[Chapter 36 ends…]