Chapter 21: The Judgment of a Bearer
Two flying spirits rushed into the sky and began fighting: biting, pecking, and lacerating each other.
“Dragon Spirit, Dark Grey Zen shot!” the old man shot a powerful Dark Grey Zen ray at the opponent.
“White Peacock Spirit, White Zen!” Edmund dodged the Dark Grey Zen and directed his White Zen at the enemy.
Winds and typhoons emerged. Riza hid behind her Orange Zen shield in order not to get hit by the strong winds. She couldn’t utilize her Fire at all, for the strong winds would put it out, or spread it and cause more disaster. She watched the fight and rooted for her Magister Edmund Jaeger, while her heart throbbed:
Go, Magister! I believe in you…
“Libra Style, Keeper Art, Judge Mode – Battler Art Mimics, White Zen Ray!”
Edmund shot a giant White Zen ray out of the White Peacock spirit’s core and blasted the opponent. The Dragon spirit covered himself with his wings, but still got hit and sent back into a wall. Marvin snarled:
“You can mimic the Battler Art as a Keeper, huh? I shall show you the true Battler Art! Aquarius Style, Battler Art, Emperor Mode – Celestial Typhoon!”
The Dragon spirit opened up its mouth and spat a typhoon which hit Edmund at full force.
“No!”
Riza got worked-up – it was one of the strongest moves of Aquarius, and shot from the Twelfth Ring Dragon spirit? Edmund wouldn’t withstand such a blast!
Edmund raised the White Peacock spirit wings but still got shot hard into a wall, making a crack in it.
“Ah, no! Magister!”
Marvin laughed with triumph:
“Serves you right, cocky brat!”
Edmund rose to his feet. He wiped the blood off his mouth, recreated his Twelfth Ring White Peacock spirit, and wove a two-finger hand sign:
“Libra Style, Keeper Art, Judge Mode – Singer Art Mimics, Peacock Chant!”
He opened his mouth, and his spirit followed after his movements. He let out a deafening squeal of a wrathful peacock. Marvin yelled and covered his ears – blood had begun to pour off them. Even the hall had begun to shake. Riza, on her part, had her ears covered with the Orange Zen power of the true Singer Art (that was the only reason she didn’t get affected by the squeal like her father – because her Singer Art was stronger than the Magister’s. Apparently, the Magister knew it well and had used the power due to that).
He… can mimic both the Battler Art and the Singer Art with his Keeper Art?!
Riza was astounded – generally, for a Keeper to mimic more than one type of art was a difficult task, thus a rare occurrence.
I had no idea Magister was so powerful…
Marvin was being tortured by the powerful squeal.
“Stop squeaking, you monstrous bird!” he wove a hand sign: “Aquarius Style, Battler Art, Emperor Mode, Final Craft – Blast of Uranus!”
Out of the Dragon spirit’s mouth, emerged a powerful light-blue-to-grey ray – the Ray of Uranus. Riza grew terrified – the blast of the respective planet was the supreme craft for any sign. As the Aquarius Celestial Lord, her father possessed the Blast of Uranus. It would surely kill Edmund, who was only Judge Rank of the Keeper Class!
“Edmund, look out!”
Edmund failed to cover himself with his Peacock spirit wings, so fast he got hit. His spirit vanished.
“No!”
Riza covered her mouth with her hands as she watched the downed young man, who had stood up against the Emperor rank Battler and the Aquarius Lord when he was not even a Sage rank, only to protect her.
“No… Edmund…”
She glared at her father with the eyes swollen with tears:
“You fiend!”
“That happens when you bring some lousy brats to stand up against me. I am invincible! This is the end. Now, obey me and give me your power!”
Marvin was about to grab her with his Dragon hand when a sarcastic chuckle came from the behind:
“The end, you say? But we’ve just begun…”
Riza and Marvin looked behind, to see Edmund stand up. His black costume was torn and his bare chest had shown up. He looked messy, and his glasses had broken and fallen to the floor. He had his eyes closed.
“Huh, just begun?” Marvin laughed, “You can barely stand, and you can’t even see!”
Riza grew worried:
“No, Edmund, you’ve done enough! Don’t push yourself! You can’t see!”
“Can’t see?” Edmund chuckled, “Those glasses you’ve broken, Lord Marvin, are not to amplify my sight, but to decrease it”.
“Huh? What are you babbling about? There are no glasses that decrease sight, that’s nonsense!”
“Only my uncle, Goatee, can make such glasses with his Builder Art. Since you’ve broken them, I’d be obliged to ask for a new pair… But before that, I’d like to punish the one who’s pushed me this far and the one who’s made my little Riza cry”.
Edmund began weaving a sign with his hands – a circle around himself with the White Zen. Riza couldn’t understand what he was talking about. What was he up to? Marvin watched him in dismay as well, but once he heard his incantation, he shuddered and even took a step back.
“Libra Style, Zodiac Art…”
“Zodiac Art?! Don’t tell me_”
“Bearer…”
“The supreme art of the Bearer…” Marvin grew terrified, “Don’t tell me, you are a Bearer? You – such a young brat?!”
Riza was stupefied – what was the ‘Bearer Art’?
“Bearer… of the Sight!”
Edmund reopened his eyes, which shimmered light blue, and pierced through Marvin’s very soul. Riza watched the scene in confusion and amazement:
Those eyes… Before, behind the glasses, they didn’t look this beautiful…
“Divine Scales Summoning!”
Edmund continued with his incantation. His eyes had locked on Marvin, who, much to Riza’s surprise, couldn’t move a finger anymore.
“N… No!”
He struggled to move, but couldn’t because the Bearer’s eyes were locked on him.
Once Edmund pronounced the Divine Scales Summoning incantation, giant golden scales appeared behind him. Riza now understood what it was all about:
He’s one of those legendary Libra who can summon their inanimate guardian – the Scales?
“Judgment”.
Edmund raised his hand towards Marvin, who was paralysed by his piercing eyes. The Golden Scales behind him glowed and shot a powerful golden ray. The strong light blinded Riza’s eyes, so she closed them. All she could hear was the blast and Marvin Wagner’s painful shrill.
It was over.