"Candy, you're getting me excited. Don't regret this!" Ares could feel his blood pumping the more he looked directly into Candy's stunning eyes.

Candy gave a wordless response, taunting Ares further with a small giggle and and a blown kiss. This was a woman who would watch the world burn for her own amusement. Hell, she was so far from innocent she would be on the list of suspects who doused everything in gasoline prior to the sea of fire. Ares also wouldn't be surprised if this woman carried a lighter around in her pocket for no reason other than that she could.

The trial could go screw itself right now. Yes Ares had to be quick in his conquering of the pagoda to get Candy out safely but there was still time yet. This fight was a bonding experience! Just two terrible people duking it out and throwing everything they had at one another. Well almost everything, the restrictions in place for Candy would hit her hard. Still she was definitely stronger than Ares currently even with the pagoda's interference. Ares was mostly doing this because it was too fun of an opportunity not to. If Candy was showing Ares her despicable self then he would so the same.

A few of the anti-magic blobs were shot at Ares with lightning quick acceleration. One second they were deathly still, the next they were inches away from Ares' head. They were tricky balls of magic as they were lethal but also possesed anti-magic qualities and would beat out defensive magic with relative ease. With his Omniscience, Ares pinpointed the cores of each shot heading towards him and he deflected them with pressure. For a trick he'd just learned he was able to apply it quite well in a combat scenario. Of course this was still easy mode and he would need a lot of practice to scrape by in the real trial when it came to that but after just a quick test Ares was satisfied with the results. The anti-magic blobs went spiralling off into the distance, crashing somewhere beyond view in the white room.

Ares flicked a few Shock Beads at Candy and started running after them. If she blocked them the golden smokescreen would pave the way for him to sneak up close to her where he could use his potent disintegration magic. He could tell she about to fire some anti-magic blobs at the mystery Beads so he took preventative measures to keep his approach method intact. "Not Even Light!" Ares' splayed hand became the catalyst for the good old trusty black hole to spawn into reality. It appeared ahead of the Shock Beads, acting as a wall to enable their safe flight. Candy's blobs were all hoovered up into the black hole which caused her to let out an elongated 'hmmmmm?' as she looked at the magic in wonder, even going as far as to stick her hand in it and let it tickle her. Anti-magic losing to magic was enough to spur Candy into taking this fight a bit more seriously because this was something new! How long had it been since Candy had seen something incomprehensible? How long had it been since she wanted to explore the unknown? While she was pondering these questions the Beads came sailing through the black hole unimpeded so Candy threw up a wall of anti-magic around her. As the pagoda was weighing down on her she couldn't really manage to use any big arts and, for the most part, basic magic would have to suffice. That was her drawback... Well, there was still one art she could use to torment her favourite little cutie...

BANG BANGGGGGGGGGGG BANG

The Shock Beads rocked the room and created a golden dome that covered Candy from head to toe. Ares could tell she was still safely hidden within her anti-magic barriers but that was fine because he'd never intended to harm her with such a weak offensive. The Beads were excellent traps and sidearms at best but they were only really 'weapons' against weaklings who couldn't hack Ares' explosive onslaught to begin with. "Black Blossom." Not waiting for the gold to fade away, Ares activated his next art and charged headfirst into his lingering magic. It could no longer hurt him so he was unphased by the daunting golden swirl before him as he barreled inside where he found Candy yawning in an exaggerated fashion. Ares knew she was lying, he knew she was loving every second, she was simply trying to draw more entertainment out of him. He could see the sparkle in her eye as the disintegration-coated sword came swinging at her.

The Black Ice Bane sliced through the anti-magic barrier like it was made of paper and pushed onwards towards Candy's grinning face. Ares could see a Blink on the horizon so he raised his own hand to stop it in its tracks. If Blink was the only art she was capable of casting then Ares was about to give this smug fox a rude awakening. As Candy channeled the Blink Ares clicked his finger. Candy's eyes widened as she felt a wave of destruction mana come surging at her as if it were homing in on her. She quickly realised it was tracking her spatial magic so she ditched it completely, which saved her hide from a brutal battering, but left her in a predicament of still having to deal with Ares. She wore a 'scared' expression outwardly but Ares could see the ruse. That same expression would become a feral one as she tried to claw his head off the second he took another step into the rune trap she'd cunningly placed underneath her. He didn't get a good look at it, so he wasn't entirely sure what it did, all he knew was that it would shock him to his core at bare minimum. This tricky vixen was luring him in to his demise like a landlocked siren. He wouldn't fall for it though. He may not be able to reach her from this far without stepping into the trap but he didn't need to, not with this art anyway. He followed through with his slow swing, that fell short of hitting Candy, and simply let the ensuing chaos from the Black Blossom draw a response out of her. Before she could make her move though, Ares activated Voidwalk in case she tried to retreat so he could chase her down and swing again.

ROAR

The disintegration tear burst and countless petals were blasted towards Candy. The fox had the nerve to pick out a petal before she was drowned in them and inspect the thing in detail despite it burning her fingers. With a radiant smile on her face she rubbed it between her thumb and her index finger until it was snuffed out. Her face was soon covered up, however, when her tails formed a protective circle around her as the petals drowned her in a pitch black swarm... Or at least that was what she wanted Ares to believe.

Ares, not falling for her schemes, wasted no time in turning around and launching a "Grand Annihilation!" as fast as he could. Candy wasn't in the petals at all, that was just a ruse. She'd cleverly used her tails to obscure Ares' Omniscience and prevent him from noticing her channelling a Blink. Omniscience didn't grant him x-ray vision so he couldn't see through the tail and observe the mana flow in her body this way, making countering Blink a much harder process.

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Milliseconds before Candy's hitherto unseen large and sharp claws could pierce Ares' eyes, his magical bombardment retaliated and pushed her back. Ares could faintly here an ominous laughter from inside the magic so he dove in. Inside he caught sight of Candy spinning merrily with her lab coat fluttering amidst the explosions. She was actively inhaling the magic she was dancing inside while enjoying its spectacle in peace thanks to a coating of anti-magic. The way her pink hair trailed behind her ethereal form was mesmerising. She was fascination personified and Ares watched in silence. Candy danced her way over to Ares and kissed him on the lips before disappearing backward into the sea of gold and gesturing for him to chase her.

Ares' determination soared and he swore to himself he would hunt down this fox like a bloodhound if it was the last thing he did. Ares whipped out the Biome Eagle and shot an Adaptive Shot straight into the air. This eagle was one of nothingness so its deep red, pulsing feathers stood out in the white hall. The eagle ascended and took stock of the situation before finding the fox he was sent out to hunt. He committed to a low rush at his target by swooping low and casting a shadow underneath him as he sped along the ground. As he drew near, from out of the shadow lept Ares who had used the Nyxian Prowler to attach himself to the eagle and stealthily hitch a ride. He'd been hidden by the remnants of the Grand Annihilation so his presence here was unexpected.

Ares Shifted forward and lunged at Candy with the shadowy Prowler. She dodged to the side and came face to face with the screeching eagle but that didn't encounter last long as Ares swapped places with it and struck out at her again. This time he swiped diagonally down but still she avoided it by slinking out of the way. Candy was even more nimble and proficient at dodging than Ares himself and maybe even Aejaz. She clearly specialised in hit and run, and was quite the expert, but that meant little to Ares who had already foreseen this. As Candy lunged towards Ares' throat with her bare fangs the Stygian Zephyr came swinging over Ares' hunched back. Ares' free left hand also went swinging upwards creating a difficult trap for Candy to navigate.

"Annihilation Echo."

Candy dodged backwards to avoid the dangerous fist but now she was stuck. Ares' failed uppercut was converted into him grabbing the swinging Zephyr which he then whipped at Candy after imbuing it with disintegration magic. Thanking her lucky stars she was a flexible fox, Candy managed to bend a full 90 degrees backward and watch the Zephyr pierce the air above her head. Ares wasn't done yet though as he flicked his arm and sent a normal Echo through the Zephyr. Candy's lab coat wasn't just for show, however, she was well studied and had an inquisitive nature. Even after only having seen Echoes once or twice she already understood how it worked so she grabbed the cape and held it firmly in place. The Echo's journey was cut short and the sound wasn't transmitted, meaning Ares was forced to detach the cape and give up on that plan of attack.

He paced sideways as he reforged the cape and decided on his next strategy. Candy was good at counter-attacking so if he didn't have multiple layers to every plan she would tear him to shreds. She was mobile and hard to hit or track down and, even when you thought you had her, Candy's anti-magic would protect her well. Sprinkle in some deadly runes set as traps here and there and Candy was a real menace to fight as she poked away at you constantly. Not to mention most of her offensive arts were probably sealed thanks to the pagoda. If she could use them Ares would be having it rough right now. And yet, if this were a real fight he would be winning. His Grim Cessation would put this slippery fox on a timer. Naturally Candy was unaware of that art so it was unfair to a degree but, then again, all was fair in love and war. Ares wouldn't hesitate to use this art no matter how 'cheap' it was. Well he wouldn't use it here anyway. Her mana reserves outclassed Ares' by a wide margin thanks to her cultivation and besides, Ares wanted to play her game. She'd told him earlier that she wouldn't make him chase her but that was a lie! She'd lied as easily as she breathed! Although, to be fair, it was as if the Candy from back then and the Candy in front of him now were two entirely different people so not upholding that promise was to be expected. The Candy before him would shatter all promises without a second thought and even take joy in watching Ares' face as she did it. Candy absolutely wanted Ares to chase her, even to the extent that she wanted to kill him and push him out the pagoda, making him wait in line just to see her again. She was a wily and snide vixen for sure but Ares kind of liked it. It would make cornering her that much more satisfying.

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To Ares' surprise, Candy started things up again with a Blink in full view. She made no effort to hide her movements or her mana flow as if she were encouraging Ares to break reality again. Ares saw no reason not to oblige so he clicked his finger and prepared himself to watch the fireworks... But they never came. Ares was aware this could happen... He knew it was possible to beat out his nothingness with an overwhelming amount of spatial magic but he had yet to see anyone actually accomplish such a feat. Well he had now! There went Candy, Blinking around without a care in the world as she smothered his nothingness with space magic and refused to be stopped in her tracks. Ares couldn't stop her from teleporting around anymore and she was making full use of that, jumping in and out of portals and parading herself around the room. Ares didn't even bother trying to cancel the teleports anymore because it was apparent to him he wouldn't be able to... But he had to do something. Like an invisible ghost, Candy was hovering around him and giggling in his ear, leaving single scratches on his body before disappearing and repeating the process. She even hugged him at one point, kissed him on the cheek, and whispered 'cau~ght you cu~tie!' in his ear. Every time Ares spun to defend himself the fox was already gone and all he was left with was a scratch mark to prove she'd even existed at all. The wounds were increasing steadily in number and Ares could feel some anti-magic seeping into his veins. She was trying to shut him out by stifling his mana. If she could do that then Ares wouldn't be able to convert it to disintegration and remove it in the first place. It was a good solution to deal with his magic but Ares wasn't going to let it happen without a fight.

THUD

Ares stamped his foot to the side, clenched his fists, and roared with all his might at the ceiling as he unveiled the full extent of the pressure residing within him. He let it all out and forced Candy to retreat lest she was caught up in the golden, volcanic eruption taking place around Ares. He was like a golden God surrounded by mirage like pressure that distorted his raging appearance behind a fragile reality, tearing at the seams as the omnipresent weight bore down on it. The crushing presence was enough to give Candy jitters to an extent she'd never felt before. Even the anti-magic God was nothing more than pauper before the regal splendour of the walking calamity shaking the entire pagoda. The once white room now had golden, pumping veins growing out if it as though Ares' pressure had breathed life into the walls, turning this room into a God's personal domain. Each slow step of his, as Ares waded through the golden miasma, thundered and rang out with a heavy sound that was no different from crashing waves or blitzing thunder. Even outside the pagoda a small, localised storm of golden clouds had formed overhead. Once more the entirety of Red Sun was bathed in pressure but this time a tinge of gold brightened up the city. If it weren't for the containment of the pagoda Ares' pressure would have spread across the entire planet with ease. Ares was the ruler of all things gold and or touched by the colour and he dominated the very air everyone breathed. His position and station above all were irrefutable and undeniable. This was simply the calibre of existence a fundamental champion should strive for and Ares had achieved it with flying colours.

Candy was awestruck but also a tad worried... After all, this was her opponent! The pressure was directed at her and she was struggling to stand let alone run away from this distance. At this rate, he was going to just walk up to her and catch her! Luckily, she still had an ace up her sleeves so she played her card by accessing the runes buried deep in the pagoda. With a bit of know-how she was able to loosen the restrictions on herself somewhat and give her a bit more mana to play around with. She really shouldn't have done this but who was going to punish her exactly? They were her runes and she could do with them as she pleased! Plus what was happening in this room was way too fun to let end just like this! She gathered all of the mana that had been withheld from her and it flowed freely through all nine of her tails, allowing her to use one of her unique arts. Its power wasn't to the same extent she would normally be able to muster but, for now, this would do! "Come Play, Fizzy!"

Candy threw up her arm and black and white magic flowed out her pointed fingertip. It rolled around on the floor before forming the silhouette of a gigantic fox. Its lines that defined its shape were bubbling and crackling away like erratic lightning making the fox's tempestuous appearance blur at irregular intervals. Its seemingly random form was hollow but it packed a degree of power that commanded respect. It may have been anti-magic but it carried a threat non-magical organisms would have to be wary of too. Ares could tell this thing was roughly as powerful as his Perish Wheel but that made him all the more curious. Could it withstand a Perish Wheel? Would it win? Would it lose? A tie? His mouth twitched and curved on one edge forming a menacing smile as curiosity took over his sense of reason. Casting a Perish Wheel in this pagoda would cause untold havoc but this enticing fox just kept pushing him to play naughty and break the rules!

As Fizzy took off with a sprint, rampaging through the pressure and shrugging it off like an unpleasant breeze, Ares brought out his ultimatum. This fight would come to an end and this would be his closing statement to wrap up everything that had transpired during the hound and fox playdate. "Perish Wheel!" All three aspects of destruction melded together to form the strongest tool in Ares' current arsenal. He was unperturbed by the fox drawing ever nearer as he had a solution brewing in his hands that he was assured would put the animal down. Ares lifted his creation above his head before tossing it out by leaning his full body into the throw. His magic tore through the air and picked up some lingering pressure along the way. His Perish Wheel looked like a planet with an orbiting ring of golden pressure as it collided with Fizzy.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

The rotating blades and the crackling anti-magic wrestled against each other for dominance as they scraped away at the existence of their magical foe. Fizzy bit into the wheel and ripped out chunks of the blade while the disintegration magic chewed out the fox' lower half and severed its legs. The clash of titans came to a head when the Perish Wheel couldn't sustain its current form any longer and detonated with a spectacular explosion.

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

Ares could see nothing but gold as his vision was dyed in the colour of his own magic. The room had been a seemingly infinite expanse and yet, right now, it was filled to the brim with annihilation magic and golden pressure. The Perish Wheel's explosion was still rocking the pagoda and causing its foundations to quiver in fear at the base thanks to the havoc taking place on the fourth floor. Outside onlookers were floored when a hole was blasted through the pagoda and a beam of golden light shot diagonally upward into the sky, piercing the golden clouds. they tried to look inside but all they saw was a wall of pure white obscuring their vision. Inside, Ares strolled peacefully through his raging art until he found Candy lying on the floor and breathing heavily. The anti-magic barrier, formed by the remnants of Fizzy's existence, was doing its all to save its master but complete protection simply wasn't in the cards. It looked like Candy was going to have to be revived by the pagoda because the barrier was slowly fading away, exposing her to the Wheel's deadly explosion. She wasn't in pain but was struggling to move as using Fizzy had knackered her out. All of her energy had been depleted due to the pagoda restraining her again. The limitations were too all-powerful to rebel against and now she'd clearly lost. She was quite stubborn about it though, as she still tried to crawl away with a smirk on her face when she saw Ares standing above her. She didn't want the chase to end. Ares chuckled as he saw this and decided to end the fight once and for all. He opened a portal to the void underneath Candy and jumped in after her.

Candy had a silly smile on her face as she tumbled aimlessly through the void, floating upside down and losing all sense of direction. She clawed at the void around her out of sheer curiosity and got lost in the dimension of nothingness. Ares popped up in front of her so she playfully swiped at him but her hands went straight through him as if he were merely a projection. He smirked at her and poked her nose. "Candy, I'm basically invincible here. You know what that means, don't you?"

Candy chuckled as she tried to nibble Ares' finger. Something strange happened though and her body was split into five different pieces. Her head was rolling around and bouncing of her body in the void but it didn't feel any different from normal. She hadn't been attacked or inured, it's just that all of her body existed everywhere at once. She could see her own head off in the distance and when she moved her hand she could grab her leg that had drifted miles away. It was like being surrounded by thousands of angled mirrors. It simultaneously made an incredible amount of sense and none at all. Ares was like a million separate beings, appearing everywhere and nowhere, completely untouchable in the present even though it felt like he was living in the future; extending a hand back through time to the past to mess with her. He was upside down, sideways, defying gravity, existing in multiple timelines, and touching every inch of her body despite his distance from her. She was fully intertwined in his grasp and she couldn't move nor could she escape. It was the opposite of infinity. Candy was so unfathomably close to Ares she could feel every ounce of his flesh and his warm breath tickling her skin. He could rearrange her body, resize it, age or reverse age it, and even stroke her face all without moving an inch. There was nothing he couldn't do within the confines of this void because there was nothing stopping him. No time or spatial constraints to hamper his desires. He drifted freely with a wonderful smile on his face that took Candy's breath away as he came before her and gripped her chin. His cocky smile was engraved into her memory and soul as he kissed her passionately on the lips. After he separated from her luscious mouth he whispered gently, "Caught you," and grinned without pause as Candy did too. They smiled like fools at each other as they gazed into each other's eyes all by themselves in a world of nothingness. The world may have played them like a fiddle and run them ragged, testing the limits of their wills and their mental fortitude, but they could persevere knowing full well that, if nothing else, they would always have each other. On that note, that meant there was only one thing left to say now that their game of tag had come to a satisfying conclusion, so they said it in unison with one another without missing a beat.

""I love you.""

The two kissed again, melting in each other's embrace as they enjoyed the moment. It was tough knowing their future together was still on the horizon, just barely out of reach, but the memories they made would keep them going. Love was a powerful motivator and it was the promise of more that allowed them to return to the confines of the white room and prepare themselves for the real trial. When Ares passed he wouldn't get to see Candy again for a while... And that stung... But he knew that he would meet her again one day. Until then he had a duty to raise his name and reputation to keep Candy safe. His claim to her needed to be backed up by his deeds and the threat of his existence. He needed to be feared by anyone who considered aiming for Candy to the point they would feel a compulsion to back away and steer clear. He would do it, though. If it needed to be done, he would do it without question. Candy was family now and there were no lengths Ares wouldn't go to to ensure his success. His actions would send a very clear message in the future, and that was that Candy was his wife and he wouldn't tolerate anyone or anything that wanted to come in the way of that. Defying Ares was not an option for anyone without a death wish, Ares would make that very clear.