The Ark Of Fourth Frame: Dungeon Of Tartarus

"After that short little introduction, let's continue. We have yet to reach our potential, right?" asked Duncan with a smile.

The Slayer backed up after hearing those words... This kid is going to the deep end the more he uses his powers. Mavislin was right; Duncan would be the most difficult to teach since his powers rely on the sheer terms of Death itself. If not trained properly, this kid could do mass genocide.

The twisted boy snapped his fingers, and the place rumbled. Out came several gravestones, which freaked Midori out. These headstones were empty and did not add to Duncan's powers except by decorating the playing field. But as Duncan neared a grave, something came up from the ground.

"This Frame is only meant to amp on the fun on this battle so that it may look a bit weak for now. But like I said earlier, the Fourth Frame is supposed to recreate the dungeon known as 'Tartarus,' a place where the wicked receive punishments for their sins. If I truly did hate you..."

Duncan then glared at his sister and cracked a horrifying grin while pulling out the mysterious weapon from the gravestone near him. Even the Slayer could not help but gulp in nervousness as he saw how the kid delivered the explanation.

"Then you would have your Elemental Core rot when you touched the blanket of darkness. This spell is meant to decay your sanity by forcing the emotion of 'Despair' into your very soul while the true power eats away your Elemental Core. And your power flows into me with ease."

Duncan's explanation made Midori's face twist with horror, while Bryan was interested in the radius of the boy's powers. This boy could bring down an entire village over a few minutes if used correctly.

"So... It almost works the same as my Aokigahara? I guess that would make sense since we are twins..." asked Midori, gripping onto Arondight.

"Nope, it doesn't. Your 'Suicidal Forest' sends the battlefield to an area where the physical world can not touch. That place is a perfect training area or murder ground since no evidence can be found in the real world. My 'Tartarus' changes the physical world, sucking all life from it."

"Don't fool anyone with that horrific expression because using Arondight on me is just as twisted as I am. The blade was gifted to the best Knight of the Round Table. The embodiment of the Lady of the Lake Light Elements, and you are cruel enough to use it against me..."

"How fascinating, dear sister..."

With no space to recover, Duncan went against his twin using nothing but his fists, striking Arondight's hilt directly and avoiding the blade. Midori was being pushed back as Duncan used the terrain to his advantage and quickly tried to end the duel.

However, his fists alone could not wound Midori's defense, and he needed a physical weapon to do the final cut. But what else did he have that wouldn't use more of the Elemental Energy he had been already used up? So he has to think of something before Midori gets used to the dark.

At this rate, the Ankou within his mind was battling to come out since Duncan was still at a severe disadvantage against Arondight. It will be ten times the pain from a regular slash if Duncan gets slashed by that sword. But it would be an ordinary wound if Midori gets cut by Duncan.

This reason begs the question; why won't the boy let the Reaper take over? Simple; he didn't want the Ankou to control his body. Duncan's thinking may not be in the interest of combat, but he did want to protect his sister.

Seeing how much damage his powers could deal against living beings, Duncan knew that using the Ankou's powers would be forbidden during a friendly duel like this. One should not jeopardize another's life to see who was the most powerful out of wartimes.

Duncan knew this duel fully well because the Founders wanted to see how the children would fare against each other and learn from one another, but he refused to unleash the Final Frame against Midori. But it wasn't a logical or compassionate reason that drove this choice.

Instead, this little boy's selfishness and uncaring nature decided not allow the Ankou to take over. The Grim Reaper could not help but throw his head back in laughter while sitting by a gravestone as he found out what was stopping him.

"I'm afraid if I laugh anymore... I might do myself an injury! That answer was why I'd chosen you, my precious little boy, to be my host. My, my... You are a handful to deal with, and I praise that Valkyrie for going through with such training sessions," laughed the Grim Reaper.