The Arrogance of Humility 6

Malus and Lance were four steps away from each other with their bodies full of wounds, but Lance’s wounds were more severe.

Malus pointed his scepter to Lance and channeled his alchemy magic through the wand while Lance threw the flask in front of Malus.

After fighting Lance for a while, he suspected the content of the flask might be dangerous for him, but in this condition, he took the risk as there’s no turning back.

“From this range, my azoth will be a sure hit and kill even if it’s weakened!” he thought as the tip glowed, and he muttered, “Dark Matter; Gaap!”

The flask was one step away from reaching Malus, but a black azoth sword formed and launched towards Lance, cutting through the flask. There was nothing inside the flask, much to everyone’s surprise.

Lance smirked as he moved back two steps and threw the black flame charged azoth dagger, but it missed and hit the ground instead.

Malus smelled a stench of gasoline from the destroyed flask. The moment he noticed, it was all too late; a black flame explosion happened right in front of him. In reflex, Malus shielded himself using his robe as he couldn’t jump from his current position. Sadly, his scepter didn’t share the same luck as the explosion broke it into two.

His dark matter broke as he stood and removed his damaged sage robe, revealing black markings on his body. He looked at his destroyed scepter oozing black azoth.

“Damn him!” he thought as he tried to control the liquid to shape the liquid but he lacked the energy to do so as it broke. Without energy, magi were but a defenseless target.

Lance shambled towards Malus with a broken flask containing a clear liquid and thought, “I just need to throw this to him… Victory… is… mine!”

“Tch! I can’t outrun him. If I tried to jump back, I’ll risk myself if I slipped and fell,” Malus thought.

“I’ll admit…” Malus said to Lance as his breath became heavier. “You’re the strongest man I’ve ever faced. Lancelot, is it? I’ll remember your name… In the tombstone!”

Malus bit his thumb to draw blood and let the blood drip onto the ground.

“Victory is everything in combat. No matter how dirty it is…” Malus thought.

The blood on the ground turned black, and the markings on his body glowed. A black hexagram sigil appeared, surrounding him.

“Amaymon,” Malus muttered, and the black liquid from the ground mixed with his blood. The sigil vanished, and the markings stopped glowing.

“His blood…” Lance muttered in shock. “It substitutes azoth?!”

Lucy and Gina saw what Malus did and recognized what kind of magic that was.

“Lux! It’s… It’s Maleficium, isn’t it?!”

“It is—”

“Then why are you staying still? Maleficium is forbidden! We have to cancel the fight!”

“This battle… I can’t do it…”

“Are you insane—?!”

Gina noticed that Lucy’s body was trembling in fear. She looked anxious as her limbs went cold.

“Lance would never forgive me if I dare to step in. I have to believe that he would win...” Lucy said as her lips quivered. “After all… He promised, right?” Lucy nibbled her right thumb anxiously.

“Lucy…”

Both of them watched in silence and believed in Lance. The black liquid turned into spikes in front of Lance, piercing Lance’s legs and shoulder and mixing into Lance’s blood, causing the painful sensation both Iggy and Celina felt.

“Lance!” Lucy shouted.

“Agh!” Lance coughed blood as his veins darkened and bulged,

“Now, fall!” Malus shouted as the black spikes pierced through further.

“Fall?!” Lance thought. “I will never fall in front of her!!!”

Lance took another broken vial containing alkahest mixed with the cryogenic liquid from the explosion and drank it. The pain in his body amplified, but the spikes piercing him dissolved as the black liquid oozed out from his body. Lance felt his throat burning and his blood boiling.

“It’s… Painful…!” Lance thought as he forced himself to move forward.

“He’s insane…” Malus thought, surprised.

As soon as Lance was one step away, he threw the clear liquid to Malus, but Malus formed a thin and deformed wall from the impure dark matter to block the flask.

“Futile!” Malus said aloud.

Lance punched the dark matter wall along with the flask using his right hand. As soon as Lance’s skin touched the wall, the flesh and the skin of his right hand decayed, almost revealing the bones.

“You lose—” Malus muttered too early, and Lance’s fist broke through the thin dark matter wall, catching him off-guard. The alkahest had mixed into Lance’s blood. When Lance’s right hand rotted, the alkahest-mixed blood dissolved the wall, causing Lance’s fist to go through.

“I-Impossible!” Malus said under his breath as his eyes opened wide and the flask and the liquid reached Malus’ face and neck.

Lance retracted his right hand and fell on the ground flat. His right hand’s fingers and skin rotted and charred black.

The liquid melted Malus’ skin and flesh on contact. Malus fell on his knees and screamed from the pain. He held his wounded face before falling to the ground.

“Agh!!!” Malus writhed aloud in pain.

“I… I did it…” Lance thought. “I won… I kept my promise…”

Everyone stood from their seats and got closer to the arena to see who won. By default, the first who fainted would lose. Everyone expected Lance to win, but after a minute, Lance fainted and Malus was the first to stand.

“Lance… lost?” Lucy muttered as her tears flowed, devastated.

Malus removed his hands from his face with his body tattoo glowed dimly, revealing that his wounds recovered already. Malus smirked and limped towards Lance. His breath was heavy.

“You failed,” Malus said to Lance.

“No way! No magic could recover such an injury in a minute!” someone said aloud in the crowds.

“Lucy... What Vitae was that?” Gina asked. “Malus should haven’t enough energy to heal himself…”

“That’s no Vitae…”

“W-What?”

Malus knelt and looked down on Lance.

“No mercy… No survivors, only victory,” Malus muttered as he bit his thumb to draw blood. The blood dropped on the ground and turned into a black liquid. “Corson…” he muttered as the dark matter liquid around Malus gathered and surrounded Lance, forming a hexagram sigil.

Before the sigil was completed, Lucy rushed and stood in front of Malus. She pointed at the sigil with her right hand and muttered, “Corson Antistofi.”

Lucy’s face was dead serious and cold, giving an unnerving vibe and pressure towards everyone. Her eyes were set like a wolf on Malus.

A pentagram and hexagram sigil appeared, overlaying on the top of Malus’ sigil. Malus’ sigil broke while Lucy’s sigil stayed. After a second, the sigils disappeared and Lucy’s right arm turned pale white and limp like a corpse’s.

“You…” Malus muttered. “You sacrificed your own arm for him? That’s cute. Now step aside!”

“It’s enough. The win is yours.”

Lance opened his eyes bit by bit and saw Lucy standing in front of him. His entire body was in pain as he couldn’t move even an inch.

“Lucy…?” he thought as he saw Lucy from behind. “Did I…?”

Lance looked at who stood across her; it’s Malus, much to his surprise, which also meant Lance lost the battle.

“I lost…?”

Lucy pointed at the center of the arena with her left hand, and a level twelve magic sigil appeared surrounding the whole arena.

“Heal,” Lucy muttered.

The wounds from both Malus and Lance’s body regenerated rapidly. Malus and Lance felt his energy returning to him, while Lucy’s started panting as she used half of her energy to heal both of them completely.

“Oh? Thanks for the charity,” Malus said. “Looks like you are eager to face me in my prime tomorrow—”

“There’s no tomorrow,” Lucy answered. “This ends today.”

“You are challenging me in your weakened condition? You’ve got a death wish, woman.”

“You have your death wish granted the moment you dared to conjure Corson and sacrifice Lance to heal.”

Lance tried to stand, but he fell on his knee.

“Lucy…” Lance muttered. “I—”

Lucy hurried and helped Lance to stand.

“Don’t move too much,” Lucy said. She looked at the spectators and told them, “Five minutes recess!” She brought Lance to the spectator’s seats and let him rest there.

“I’m sorry, Lucy,” Lance said as he closed his eyes in shame. “I—”

Lucy dug into Lance’s pocket and took the now broken azoth necklace and wore it.

“But Lucy... I lost—” Lance muttered.

“No… You’ve won,” she said as she discarded her serious and cold attitude for a moment and smiled sincerely for Lance. “And for that, I’ll wear this for you.”

She removed her sage robe and wore it on Lance. With her serious attitude back, she stood and walked to the arena to face Malus. Lance looked at Lucy’s corpse-like right arm and stood, worried.

“Your arm… what happened?” he asked aloud.

“An arm for an arm…” Lucy answered.

The students had repaired the arena with their magic and returned to their seats. Both Lucy and Malus arrived at their respective side of the arena.

“You’ve kept me waiting,” Malus said as he drank some blood-restoring tonics. “Whatever, your loss is guaranteed.”

“I hope you hold on to those words because I have given you handicap.”

“Tch. You’ll regret that.”

From the spectators’ seat, Gina’s hands couldn’t stop shaking in fear as she saw her best friend face to face against a monster like Malus.

“Lucy… I hope you know what you’re doing,” Gina thought anxiously. “That complete healing magic for two should have consumed most of her energy!”

Without further ado, they began their battle with Malus taking the first lead. He pointed forward, and three level-five magic sigils appeared in front of his fingertip.

“Dark Cyclone! Umbral Chains! Dark Lightning” he said aloud, and a black raging cyclone, chains, and thunder stormed towards Lucy. But Instead of running or seeking cover, Lucy did nothing until the second before she got hit.

“Absorb,” she muttered, and countless tiny sigils appeared covering her. As soon as the magics touched her, the sigils drained them and vanished after.

“Tch! What an annoying spell! But there’s a limit magus could absorb. I just need to bombard more until she can't absorb any more!” Malus thought as the sigil expanded and split into five level 10 sigils. “Let’s see if she could handle this!”

Before Malus could use any magic, five level-10 sigils appeared, overlaying his sigils. The sigils broke and vanished. A level 6 sigil appeared below him, covering Malus’ side of the arena and catching him off-guard.

“Light Pillar,” Lucy muttered, and a thick column of light appeared from the sigil, obscuring the view from the inside and outside. It was too fast that Malus had no time to dodge.

Malus felt like his body was ablaze as he screamed in pain. After a minute, Lucy stopped her magic, and Malus fell on his knee. His breathing was heavy, and his body was in pain.

“Stand,” Lucy said to Malus. “That wasn’t even lethal. Why are you panting and whining?”

Malus clenched his fist and stood.

“She’s taunting me!” he thought as he pointed forward and a level 10 sigil appeared under Lucy.

“Abyssal Anchor!” he said aloud, and countless black and rusted chains appeared, constricting Lucy. The chains pulled Lucy to the ground causing her to fall on her knees, but her eyes were still dead set on Malus.

“She will try to absorb it… I’ll never give her the chance!” Malus thought as another level 12 sigil appeared above Lucy.

“Abyssal Inferno Rain!” he said aloud as the sigil rained black flame, lava, and brimstone on Lucy. Suddenly, a level 20 sigil appeared covering the arena.

“World Tree,” Lucy muttered as roots and woods sprouted wildly from the sigil. The roots broke the chains and kept growing, forming a single tree twice the height of the academy building.

The spectators couldn’t see what’s happening on the top as it was too tall and far from their seats.

“Lucy… Whatever happens, please be safe!” both Lance and Gina thought.

At the top, Malus stood on a thick branch while Lucy sat on another branch across him.

“So, she’s been absorbing my magic to unleash the World Tree,” Malus thought as he looked at Lucy; she was panting and barely had enough energy to stand up. “This magic must have drained her.” Malus bit his thumb and blood flowed, drenching his right arm. “Since no one couldn’t see what’s happening here, I can use this!”

“Amaymon; Clasialabolas,” he muttered, and the blood turned black, forming a wolf-like head covering Malus’ right arm. He walked closer to the trunk and touched it with his right arm. The wolf's head bit into the trunk, and the top started decaying rapidly.

“Now, what shall you do?” Malus thought as he looked at Luxianne.

Luxianne pointed at Malus, and the branches moved, speeding towards him.

Malus released the black wolf head from his arm and dodged the oncoming attacks by moving back. The black wolf's head was still stuck on the trunk.

Lucy looked at the wolf head and noticed that it’s draining the energy from the tree to restore Malus', but since Malus detached it, the wolf head drained the energy to form a body of its own; the body resembling a big winged wolf or dog.

A hexagram sigil appeared below the wolf, and the wolf changed shape into more demonic; It grew horns and multiple tails while the wings shaped into more bat-like. It stopped biting and flew near Malus.

“What do you want?!” the wolf spoke to Malus in a deep and aggressive tone accompanied by some barking and roaring.

“Feast upon her corpse, Clasialabolas,” Malus said as he pointed at Lucy.

The demon wolf grinned creepily and opened its mouth wide like a crocodile.

“Bon appétit!” the wolf shouted as it flew towards Lucy fast.

Lucy moved her arms forward to the demon, and the sharp branches and twigs pierced and stopped it, but the branches and twigs decayed rapidly on contact.

“It won’t be enough. I can go all out when no one could see me,” Lucy thought as she stood and stabbed her right arm with a small sharp twig. Her blood turned black and soaked the branch where she stood, forming a black hexagram sigil.

“Asmoday,” Lucy muttered, and a demon manifested from it. The demon appeared as a mass of burning brimstones and assumed Lucy’s appearance, but with rooster legs.

“Hm? What is it?” the demon asked. It spoke using Lucy’s voice, but more playful and teasing.

“Stop Claisalabolas!” Lucy ordered.

“Oh? Don’t forget to pay the price,” the demon said as it caressed Lucy’s cheek and groped her breasts.

Chains appeared from the sigils, constricting and pulling Asmoday away. Asmoday revealed its true form; a terrible demon with the head of a bull, body of a man, legs of a rooster, and tail of a serpent. It had a high-pitched tone of an insane man.

“Straight to the point, eh? Very well. I don’t disappoint my conjurer,” Asmoday said as it faced Clasialabolas. “Pardon, brethren.”

Clasialabolas broke free from the branches and flew towards Lucy. Asmoday summoned a black bident made of bones and fended Clasialabolas. Clasialabolas bit the bident and broke it with raw power.

“I don’t disappoint mine either,” Clasialabolas said before trying to bite Asmoday’s head.

Asmoday called another bident and pierced Clasialabolas’ body.

“No hard feelings!” Asmoday said aloud as it pierced and forced Clasialabolas up to the sky.

Now, the demons were busy fighting. It’s the chance for Lucy to face Malus with no hindrance left. She lifted her hand forward and forced the branches to constrict Malus, but Malus pointed forward, and level 6 sigil appeared in front of his fingertip.

“Inferno Pyro Blast!” Malus said aloud and a black fireball appeared, turning the branches into dust and setting the tree ablaze.

The flame spread quickly, but Lucy forcefully removed and destroyed the burning parts to prevent further destruction. The burning parts turned to dust before hitting the ground, not harming anyone.

She forced and bent the tree to form an open spherical dome with half the size of the arena at the tree crown, trapping both Malus and Lucy.

“Now, you can’t run anymore,” Lucy said as she pointed forward.

“Run?” Malus chuckled as he pointed forward. “You’re one to talk.”

A level 10 sigil appeared in front of Malus while a level 3 sigil appeared in front of Lucy.

“She’s using magic weaker than mine?” Malus thought as both of them went silent for a second.

“What is it?” Lucy taunted. “Afraid? I even showed you clear that I’m using a level three magic.”

Malus looked at Lucy’s sigil pattern and color; he never saw anything like that before.

“What kind of magic is that?” he thought as he observed.

Lucy waited until Malus called his magic, but he didn’t, causing a stalemate.

“You’re making a lady waiting,” Lucy taunted after ten seconds had passed.

“Why don’t you make the first move?”

“You must be bad when dealing with girls.”

Malus sigil expanded and split into three sigils, and two more sigils appeared on the top and below Lucy.

“This is complete lockdown and annihilation,” he thought before using his next magics.

“Tri Absolute Inferno Pyro Blast! Dual Absolute Umbral Chains!” Malus uttered; three black flame balls launched towards Lucy while pitch-black barbed chains caught and pulled Lucy, preventing her movement the slightest.

Even though her concentration broke, the sigil remained. Lucy’s sigil broke and the black flame engulfed her, but Malus heard no scream from her. The flame spread, burning the crown and the middle of the giant tree. Malus forced himself to see what’s beyond the raging black flame. Behind it, no one was there; not even a strand of Lucy’s hair.

“No way… When and how did she escape?” Malus thought as he realized that he’s now trapped within the burning dome. “Damn. If I don’t get out fast, I’m dead!”

The top of the dome closed, and the dome kept shrinking, preventing any movement. Malus tried to use magic to help himself but he lacked the energy to do so; he fell into Lucy’s trap and provocations. He pierced his arm from the upper parts to his wrist to draw as much blood as possible.

“Amaymon…!” he muttered in pain as the markings on his body glowed. The blood turned black. “Bathin!”

The black liquid covered Malus and turned into a black fog. The fog tried to find an opening but found nothing.

Meanwhile, on the top of the tree. The demons were still fighting fiercely. Suddenly, Claisalabolas stopped, sensing that its conjurer was in danger. The demon flew to the dome where Malus was, but Asmoday threw the bident to Claisalabolas, hitting its wings, causing Claisalabolas to lose its balance in flying.

Claisalabolas arrived at the top of the burning dome and tore the burning woods and branches to make a hole. Malus found the opening and escaped while the black flame consumed Claisalabolas. The black fog flew to the arena’s ground, and Malus appeared.

“She’s not here,” Malus thought as he healed his wounded arm.

Tiny sigils covered and absorbed the black flame and the tree, leaving a shallow crater in the middle of the arena. Lucy stood in the middle of the crater unharmed. Malus expected to see either Asmoday, but it was nowhere.

“Hmph, she must have withdrawn Asmoday before the tree disappeared,” Malus thought as he pointed forward at Lucy, and two level-four sigils appeared in front of him.

“Twin Dark Lightning!” he uttered, and the sigils called bolts of lightning towards Lucy.

In response, Lucy summoned two bone bidents on her hands out of nowhere and charged forward.

“Wait, Lucy’s right arm has recovered?” Gina thought. “And did she just summon those things out of nowhere?”

“What the…? Let’s see if she could dodge those!” Malus thought.

Lucy’s movements were insanely swift, almost inhuman as she dodged and even outran the bolts of lightning. Malus tried to dodge, but the bident grazed his right shoulder and punctured his right leg.

He pointed at the ground below Lucy and used Abyssal Chains to bind her left leg, stopping her. He moved back and healed his injuries.

“What’s with her all of the sudden?” Lance thought as he looked at her face.

Malus looked at Lucy’s face. Her expression seemed off as she looked like an insane maniac. She was grinning creepily while her eyes opened wide.

“That’s not that damned woman!“ Malus thought as he knew what’s happening. “That’s Asmoday!”

Lucy threw one bident towards Malus and tore the chains using the bident. She then dashed and jumped high, ready to impale Malus.