Chapter 20: Fated Duel

"Have you seen her yet?"

"Y-yeah...But, is it really like you said? Is she really forced to be there?"

"But of course! Believe me, I've been in the battlefield long enough to recognize when someone's mind in under another's control."

"But how would they even do that?! Not even our research records have anything on mind control!"

"Well, yeah, but they have their precious Sage on their side. To him, it'd be cake to control her mind."

"I...still can't believe "she" would do allow something like that..."

"Well, it's a dog-eat-dog world nowadays. Can't censor her for resorting to those methods. If you ask me, it's a pretty smart way of getting allies. But enough chat. You're going to save her, right?"

"Of course I will! She's my ally and belongs alongside her family!"

"Wise words. Now get'em, Shining Knight."

"Yeah!"

...

...

"Man, what a dope. I can't believe they allow stupid people like him in their ranks. But, oh well, since I'm here...I'll check "him" out too."

*

If there was one good thing Lucy's battles had thought Noah, was the importance of opening gambits. If he could secure an early edge in battle, he wouldn't have to hurt Merceny as much. Good thing he was born under Tera, the Element most suited for that. He suddenly stopped his charge at Merceny and stomped the ground, making an array of rock hands lunge towards his opponent.

Merceny didn't even seemed to be surprised as he easily slashed the rock easily enough with his Blade, using the shattered remains as leverage as he jumped ever closer to Noah, nimbly destroying his gambit. After he was done destroying the last hand, he used his airborne condition to lunge at Noah, but he sprung himself backwards as Merceni landed and immediately after his feet grazed the ground, he sprung forward and slashed at his opponent with great strength.

But, despite Noah's agility, Merceny's focused expression didn't crack even slightly and he easily blocked Warrior's Heart. He pushed the boy back and the jet black fire he had used the day before sprouted on his left hand. He quickly stepped towards Noah and pressed his hand against his stomach and a black explosion propelled Noah back, his body crashing on the floor like a rag doll, but he used Tera to quickly regain his footing and run back at Merceny.

-Hmph...-Merceny mumbled before he extended his left palm at Noah and shot out a series of dark fireballs.

"So that's Merceny's Pyre? How freaky looking! I think it really suits him." the Academics would say in the stands. They never did see Merceny using his Element before, him being infamous for his swordsmanship alone.

If it wasn't for Mercedes' information Noah would have thought the same, that it was a abnormal strain of Pyre, but it couldn't be farther from the truth. That was one of the Legendary Elements,Darkus. Noah never saw himself facing such a thing, but it wasn't like it was the first uncommon adversary he ever fought. He had sparred with Lucy so many times, he had beaten Terri T. of the Order and even defeated Mercedes with her Lightus. Even if Merceni's attacks were filled with more malice that he had ever seen...

"There's no reason to be afraid!"

With those thoughts in mind, Noah lunged forward and used Warrior's Heart to slash through the fireballs and making his way to Merceny. Once there, they clashed Blades again, but no matter the angle Noah slashed from, Merceny easily blocked it. That was the Angel's Crow strongest pupil, all right. It looked like he was just playing with him...!

"I'll just get him with my good ol' trick!"

Noah smirked, but, at the same exact same time that he started summoning the usual rock fist from ground between them, Merceny nimbly stepped back, Noah's attack hitting nothing but air. Merceny shot him a lock of disdain.

-Hmph! You think a dirty trick like that will get me twice? You're more naive than I thought Eon. I've seen you fight against Lucy. I've studied your every move, every direction you swing your Blade at, every angle, every step of your clumsy footwork, every dodge and every block. You can't possibly---

He got cut off as Noah's smirk grew wider, as he used the still standing rock fist as footing and jumped towards Merceny, Warrior's Heart arched behind his back. Now he had the aerial advantage! Merceni was right, that rock fist trick wouldn't work twice, but Noah was one step ahead. He swung his Blade at Merceny. The distance between the two was just short enough to prevent Merceny from lifting up his Blade to block, so his only option would be to dodge backwards, and that would only serve for Noah to keep pressing his advantage.

"I got you now!"

When did he ever think life was that simple?

To his surprise, Merceny released Nightingale and rose his hands at Warrior's Heart 's blade and caught it, pressing it firmly with his bare palms!

"N-no! It can't be! He caught it?! At this range?! He's crazy!"

Jet black fire sprouted from Merceny's hands and it quickly made its way up Warrior's Heart and finally to Noah's hands. He was immediately forced to let go of his Blade, such was the intensity of that burn. The one he had on his stomach still stung alot, his ripped up shirt revealing his burned flesh. That fire ate its way through everything with much more intensity than anything else, and Noah was feeling its effects firsthand.

He managed to land safely on the ground but had to quickly roll away as Merceny nimbly turned Warrior's Heart against him and threw it like a knife at the boy. Luckily, it missed, but it stuck on the arena floor, too far from him to reach on his own.

Merceny didn't waste any time and summoned Nightingale again, running towards him. Noah was forced to summon more fists to try and slow him down but he slashed through them like he was just swatting flies, his pace not slowing down one bit. Noah looked over at Warrior's Heart, which seemed to be miles away at the time and an idea popped on his mind. It was a gamble, though. If it failed, Merceny would behead him right there. If it worked too well, though, Merceny would be the one to die right there.

Noah bit his bottom lip and prayed, summoning a hand besides Warrior's Heart,which picked the Blade up and swung it at Merceny's head, much like he had done against Noah seconds before. Luckily for him, the Mercenary stopped on his tracks and easily blocked the incoming projecting, making the Blade spin in the air, its forward momentum completely halted.

But before he could place his attention back on Noah, the boy shoulder tackled him, just as he was starting to retreat Nightingale back to its original stance, and sent him stumbling backwards. Noah quickly grabbed Warrior's Heart's handle and seized that chance to swing at Merceny. He had no choice but to sidestep to the side but the very edge of Noah's Blade grazed him, making a small cut on his cheek.

Noah quickly turned to him and prepared himself for a counter attack, holding the handle with both hands and pointing it at Merceny. To his surprise, though, Merceny didn't attack. He just stood there, looking at him, analyzing him.

-Just...who are you?-he asked.

Noah tilted his head, panting slightly.

-W-what...? I'm Noah E---

-That's the "you" Lucy created. I mean, who were you before you came to Soula?

-Please, if I knew that, it'd make things a ton more easy.

-Really? How can an amnesiac like you be so skillful with a Blade in the space of around 2 months? If you really did lose your memories, wouldn't you also forget how to handle yourself in combat?

-I...dunno. I guess my body didn't forget, I guess...

-Tch...That's why..! That's why I hate you, Noah Eon! You arrived here with nothing except all that talent, and you didn't even have to work for it...! I, on the other hand, had to train beyond my limits to get where I stand today! I have spilled more blood,sweat and tears than you could possibly imagine, but you, a worthless Academic with not even a name to call his own, is able to injure me with skill he didn't even deserve! You're just a boy who can swing a Blade nicely! You never felt the weight of death, of the responsibility of battle! You don't deserve to be called a BladeMaster, but you still manage to do this much against me?! Why?! Who are you?! And why can't it be me?! What did I do wrong to not deserve such strength?!

Noah stood silent, taking all those words in. So, that was the source of Merceny's hatred for him. Yes, it was something he couldn't control, but he could still understand his anger. He tried putting himself in his shoes, having been grown an orphan, with a whole town judging him and the only way to gain confidence in himself was to dive into the world of BladeMasters, were death and pain were afoot everyday. He certainly had suffered much more than Noah in order to get that strength, strength to defeat anyone who dared lay a hand on his loved ones and now some random guy shows up from out of nowhere, getting to fight the person he aspires to beat everyday, being able to defeat an Order Elite and even be neck-and-neck in battle with him...

-You're right,Merceny. if I were you, I'd be mad too...But still! That doesn't justify your blind hatred! You've always wanted to become stronger for the sake of protecting Mercedes, but now you even lash out at her! Somewhere along that righteous path you deviated towards something darker!-he exclaimed, in hopes of reaching him.

-Shut up!!! What do you know about me, huh?!- Merceny roared, balls of fire sprouting on each of his hands,burning with increasingly more intensity. Noah could feel the aura of malice getting thicker and thicker as the balls grew more and more in size. Merceni eventually smashed them together, fusing them, now forming a jet black sphere the size of him.- YOU'RE NOT ME!!!

And then he launched the sphere at Noah, the boy feeling the very air shaking around him, as the flames crept closer. He reached for the goggles Terri gave him and put them on,shooting a look of determination at the fire that threatened to consume him.

-You're right, Merceny! I'm not you! You want know who I am? Well,I'll tell you: I am...!

He released Warrior's Heart and arched his right fist back, his whole body leaning backwards to follow it,his left leg leg even leaving the ground. Slender rock hands curled around his right leg, just like in his battle against Mercedes and quickly pushed him forward. His left foot stomped the ground with enough force to shatter it as he threw his fist towards the fire with all he had.

-...NOAH EON!!!

The whole arena shook as an enormous fist, big enough to wield even the Titan's Sword emerged from the ground and crashed into the sphere of fire. Both attacks struggled to beat the other, but the arena was filled with a deafening "BUM" and a giant cloud of smoke filled the battlefield. When the dust settled Merceny's fire had been dissipated and Noah's fist was slowly crumbling, both attacks ending up in a tie.

Merceny's face was splattered with shock,but even more so as he saw Noah jumping onto the airborne fragments of his attacks and nimbly jumping his way towards the Mercenary, while wielding, not Warrior's Heart, but a strange two handed sword he had never seen before. Wait...was that the Gaia's Blade he had heard about? The weapon that defeated Terri?! But how could he have summoned that gargantuan fist and summoned such a powerful weapon so quickly?

No...when both our attacks clashed, he must have activated his Soul Crash! Was he already counting on a tie? How far ahead is this kid?!

Noah landed on the fragment closest and sprung towards Merceny like a bullet, arching Gaia's Blade to the side. Merceni didn't have much time to devise a strategy. He'd have to face Noah head-on. He quickly assumed his stance.

-Soul! Crash!

He quickly pointed Nightingale at his opponent and the black fire quickly coated the Blade and even beyond, making a sword shaped fire twice the original length of Merceny's Blade, which he swung at Noah, clashing with Gaia's Heart. The clash between the two powerful weapons, sent shockwaves across the entire arena, even reaching the stands. There, while Axel, Guy and Zeke loudly cheered for Noah, the Masters,Eldus and Terri discussed the battle between whispers, Mercedes remained silent, looking away from the arena and Lucy, on the other hand, observed the battle intently, analyzing every action of both her pupils.

The air around both BladeMasters was becoming distorted. On Noah's side, the schockwaves around him were becoming very visible, like threads of silk cloth zooming towards him, the area around where he was holding Gaia's Blade being the most wild, the sheer power of the clash giving him small cuts all across his body. On Merceny's side, the fire was spreading around him, but he managed to control the flames, making them diverge to both sides of him, forming a sort of safety cocoon around his immediate vicinity, the floor beneath him shattering the longer he tried to endure the clash. Gaia's Blade was a formidable weapon, but his will to win would be the key to his victory!

Suddenly, the shockwaves dispersed, the clash ending and sending the both of them flying back. But that was just the start. As soon as Noah landed on the ground and Merceni regained his footing, both warrior's zoomed around each other at incredible speed, the constant sound of the Blades clashing sounding more like an explosion than the contact between metal. It didn't matter if Gaia's Blade was an heavier weapon, Merceny had enough strength to be be able to easily parry it with the powered up Nightingale, its increased range allowing him to reach Noah faster. He obviously had more experienced with a longer weapon, unlike Noah who had only used Gaia's Blade twice so far. Merceny moved his longsword with deadly expertise, a trail of black fire left behind every movement of his Blade. The exchanges continued, until it reached a point where Noah could do nothing but block his relentless assault. He was starting to notice cracks along the Blade, meaning he didn't have much time until it shattered and with, his Soul Crash would follow. Even if both BladeMasters seemed to be evenly matched in speed and power, Merceny's longer battle experience was quickly getting the best of him. He was too close for Noah to summon a fist to disrupt his form and springing back would only make his opponent's nimbler footwork gain an even bigger advantage over him.

What can I do against such a powerful foe?! My Soul Crash will run out in a few seconds!

Merceny arched his Blade back and delivered a powerful blow, sending Noah back, his feet dragging along the floor. Gaia's Blade was filled with cracks. One more attack and it was done for. Merceny pressed his advantage and lunged towards him, thrusting his Blade at the disrupted Noah's chest.

"Can I really not win? Can I really not save him?"

...

...

"F...ig...ght..."

...

...

"Damnit! Mercedes, I'm sorry...!"

...

...

"F...ight...!"

...

"I...!"

"Fight!!!"

Suddenly, as that thought rose from within, something clicked inside Noah. He felt...strange, empty almost. His body suddenly felt alot lighter. He looked at Nightingale, which was still making its way towards him, but now...it was much slower! Wait, that feeling...It was familiar! Could it be...?

"To reach Astral Energy, you must empty your mind from all knowledge of your Elements. Only from there will you be able to reach its primal form...

The prime thought you must have in your mind is how to regress your Elements into simpler and simpler forms. An ocean becomes a river, a river becomes a puddle, a puddle becomes a drop. It is the essence behind the drop that you must understand, for that is the secret to reach Astral Energy: go back to zero...

You felt the intense need to save Mercedes that you discarded all your knowledge and focused on a single goal. Then, your soul responded as such."

That was it! That was Astral Soul ! Noah had figured out his secret!

I just have to focus on a single goal, a single thought, a single essence!

I have to save Merceny!

I have to stop him!

I have to fight!

Fight!"

-Astral...! Soul!- he exclaimed. A translucent aura erupted from him. He ducked under the incoming Blade and zoomed towards Merceni at an unbelievable speed. Merceny, surprised at Noah's dodge, jumped back and slashed horizontally at Noah. He quickly placed Gaia's Blade on his left hand and gracefully jumped over the Blade like some sort of pole jumper. Astral Soul made him feel so light, it was almost like he could fly..! Once over the Blade he threw a right hook at Merceny, a solid hit landing on his cheek. He dropped Nightingale, the fire coating disrupting as soon as the Blade hit the ground and he stumbled back firing an array of black fireballs at Noah, almost as an act of desperation.

Noah clutched Gaia's Blade with both hands and started slashing away at the fireballs, as he rushed forward towards the dazed Merceni.

-This is it! Ultima Soul! Gaia's Blade Rush!!!

Merceny kept firing and Noah kept slashing, Astral Soul making his arms move over twice as fast, smashing through the fireballs like a chef cutting vegetables with a knife. He got to a close enough to Merceny he arched his Blade back and unleashed his Ultima Soul's final blow, being careful to tilt Gaia's Blade , so only the Blade's side hit his stomach with incredible force, like he was hitting him with an oar.

A mix of blood and saliva left Merceny's mouth and he stayed still for a split second, before Noah did a final push to the Blade, sending him flying across the arena grounds, landing roughly on the ground, but not getting back up, his floppy body rolling on itself until it finally stopped, a trail of dust accompanying it.

Noah sighed in relief before an enormous weight crashed down upon his body, forcing him to drop to his knees on the ground. Both his Soul Crash and Astral Soul seemed to have ran out, both their tolls making it almost impossible to move. He had dropped Gaia's Blade, which shattered as soon as it hit the floor, leaving Warrior's Heart semi-burried under a pile of rocks.

The boy gasped for air and panted heavily. After a few seconds he managed to look over at Merceny. It seemed that he was still breathing,just unconscious,perhaps. He threw out a small smile, glad to have won without hurting Merceni too much.

-I...did it. Lucy...guys...Mercedes...-he grinned and lifted his goggles, looking at the stands, where his friends were sitting. Axel and Guy were going wild, whistling at him and throwing their arms up in the air. Zeke threw at him a sleepy smile and a thumbs up. Mercedes' expression lightened up slightly, placing her hands atop of her chest and letting out a big sigh.

But, on the other hand, Eldus, Terri and the Masters were still looking at the arena with tensed expressions. Lucy was observing the battlefield with an intense stare, her fingers intertwined in front of her face, like she was concentrating hard on a class. Noah gulped.

He had spent enough time with Lucy to know what that expression meant.

"It's not over yet. Not by a long shot."

He looked over at Merceny's direction but his view was instantly overtaken by black and incredible pain as he felt burning up from top of bottom. When the flamed dispersed, Noah keeled over, his hands on the ground and tried to look up again. There he saw it.

Merceni was standing up again, Nightingale again on his hands!

"But he dropped it! I saw it! I didn't damage it enough to force itself to disappear, so how did he manage to get it back?! Can he...release it from a distance and summon it back on his hand? T-that's impossible!"

Nightingale was pointed at the sky, a trail of black fire slowly fading away from the space where the Blade was. But Merceny didn't stop, he stuck his Blade's edge on the ground just behind his feet and quickly dragged it forward, a trail of black flames appearing right behind. He then lifted it up from the ground again,like a pendulum and the black coating jumped out of the Blade, forming some sort of fireball that dragged itself quickly across the ground and headed towards Noah. He tried to get up but his legs failed him, so he protected his face as the flames hit him again, sending intense pain all over his body. The flames faded out quickly, not even given time to consume his clothes but it still hurt like hell!

-I'll make you suffer, Eon!-he exclaimed- Take this! Darkness Wave!

He kept launching more and more of those attacks, Noah's feeble attempts of escaping only resulting in failure, Soul Crash and Astral Soul's tolls making him unable to move away as he got hit again and again with the fire. Merceny kept launching more Waves, moving Nightingale with as much mercy as an executioner, and Noah was forced to take it all. When Merceni stopped his assault, Noah was face first on the ground, struggling to move as every inch of his body was in pain.

"I have...I have to get up..! I can't give him another opportunity to hit me again, or I'll be dead for sure!"

-C'mon...-he wheezed- Astral...Soul..!

The translucent aura shone around him again, but much weaker this time and it only served to increase the pain even more. But, he felt light again, so he grabbed Warrior's Heart and managed to stand up, his legs shaking life leaves.

Merceny gritted his teeth.

-Just lay down and die already!- he coated Nightingale in flames again, transforming it into the longsword again and he performed the Darkness Wave movement again, but what came out was an even bigger Wave, making its way toward Noah even faster, seemingly all-consuming. Noah, on his end, pointed a trembling Warrior's Heart at it and braced himself for the worst.

"Boy, you're hopeless, aren't you? You get a tiny bit damaged and you're already out of juice? You really are a rookie, but somehow you've made this far without my help. Congrats."

Noah shook slightly upon hearing the all too familiar voice, although it was completely free of static now.

-You..! Who are you? You've helped me during the fight with Terri but how did you do it? Where were you?

"Tsc, tsc, tsc. Noah boy, I'm always closer than you think."

-That's not a real answer. Are you in Soula right now?

"In a way, yeah, I am."

-Why are you helping me anyways?

"Didn't I explain it to you before? If you die, I die too. So, I'll support you when you're struggling. Let us go,now."

-Hey, I'm not finished talk---

Suddenly, a huge burst of energy overwhelmed Noah. He felt more than light, he felt powerful, the pain being completely gone. He managed to straighten up and, like before, time seemed to be moving much more slowly until, it eventually stopped altogether, similar to a state of adrenaline.

"I've given you some help, so your Astral Soul must be at its fullest potential right now. But it still won't cut it against that guy's Darkus. We can't simply dodge it now. We must counter it!"

-"We"?! I'm sorry, but I don't feel like putting you in charge again.

"But how else will you win? My influence is the only thing keeping you standing and the only way you'll win is with my superior skill."

The voice laughed at him, a cold, dark laugh. Noah gritted his teeth.

-You may have helped me against Terri, but I won't let you do everything for me this time! I'll win this fight by myself! I've made a promise and I intend to keep it! So you can just stay out!

The voice stayed silent for awhile before answering with a sigh.

"How noble, Noah. Just like a true BladeMaster. Really admirable. Fine, I'll let you handle this, so consider my boost a little gift. But I must ask: what do you plan on doing?"

Noah smirked and looked at Warrior's Heart, Astral Soul's energy flowing right through it, similar to the darkness coating Merceni had applied to Nightingale.

-I'll do the only thing I'm truly good at: improvising.

With that, he lifted Warrior's Heart high into the sky, the translucent aura shining against the morning sun.

-The secret to control the Astral Energy in order to trigger Astral Soul is to focus on a single goal, right? But, what if I focus again in another goal and manipulate the Energy already flowing? For example, Merceny's Darkness Wave isn't a technique I can simply dodge by using Astral Soul's body strengthening powers, soooo... I'll just have to cut through it!

And, just like he predicted, the Astral Energy flowing around his body started moving towards Warrior's Heart, coating it with its energy until it began to grow in size, soon becoming twice the original size, then thrice, then four times, now becoming even taller than the walls separating the arena grounds from the stands. But, just like he thought, his body suddenly weighed like a ton and he struggled to keep standing but his strategy still stood strong, as Warrior's Heart was now completely coated with Astral Energy, all focused on a single point.

To anyone watching, it seemed like Noah just suddenly gained an unbelievable amount of power out of nowhere and created that coating in a blink of an eye. In the stands, Gee was pretty much about to jump out of the stands and onto the grounds, so excited he was that Rye had to hold him back, but he also was surprised.

-Rye, ol' chap! Is that what I think it is?!-he exclaimed.

Rye nodded,smiling.

-That Noah...it seems he has a natural talent to learn on the spot.

-Woo, boy! Go get'em,Noah!-the Master exclaimed.

In the grounds, Merceny was, in one second confident that his Darkness Wave was about to ensure his victory, and in the next one, shocked at the evolved Warrior's Heart.

"No..! What is about to do?! " he thought to himself.

On his side, Noah knew he had placed all cards on that gambit. If it didn't work, he would die, consumed by that black fire of hatred. But, for once, he was truly confident that it'd work, a big grin splattered on his face.

-Take this, Merceny! Astral Wave!!! -he exclaimed before swing his Blade in a downwards arc, it's edge sinking into the ground, releasing the Energy stored in it a translucent quarter moon shaped wave, that crashed against the Darkness Wave for a split second before slicing it in half. What was left of Merceny's attack quickly dissipated but Noah's Wave was still going towards Merceny with as much speed as in the beginning.

The Mercenary grunted in frustration and coated Nightingale, holding horizontally towards the oncoming attack.

"CLANG!"

Merceny's Blade clashed against the Astral Wave and the shockwaves it released distorted his fire just like in the previous clash with Noah but this time,his fire quickly thinned out, the coating around Nightingale disappearing in a matter of a split second and the Blade itself forcing itself to be unsummoned, letting Merceny to be hit with the full blunt of Noah's attack. For a second, a flash of light filled the arena, momentarily blinding the spectators.

For a fraction of a moment, Merceny gazed at Noah, who was still with his Blade sunk into the ground, looking straight at him. It could be his imagination but...

His right eye shone with a bright yellow, not the usual scarlet...

The wall of light suddenly faded out as quickly as it appeared, the result it brought being a collapsed Merceny, pressed against the arena wall, the section directly behind him collapsing and the spectators sitting in said section of the stands quickly jumping away before their seats also shattered and caved in, forming a pile of rubble behind the defeated Mercenary.

On his seat, Eldus sighed,looking at Lucy.

-You know, I should really invest in some protective barriers for the stands in this arena. It's not that complicated of a spell and even the Karash Grand Arena has them. I feel like second rate here!

Lucy simply nodded, sitting back and letting out a big sigh. Beside her, Mercedes also seemed like she was about to collapse from the sheer stress.

-So, what do you make of this duel?-the Sage asked.

Lucy turned to him, not with her usual goofy grin, but with a relieved expression.

-I'm just glad it ended without much bloodshed. Seriously, I hate fights between teammates like this...

Eldus nodded.

-Yes...Well, it seems like Noah is now the second strongest in Angel's Crow, right? Look at him: all tuckered out, but still standing.- indeed, the boy fell butt first onto the floor,panting heavily, Warrior's Heart releasing itself. Again, the tolls, and now even stronger.

But he still grinned.

-See? Take that Mr. Voice!

The voice chuckled.

"Yes, yes, quite entertaining. I can't believe you were able to figure out a way to counter and without my direct intervention. Kudos to you, Noah Eon."

-Thanks, I guess, but I still think you're a bad guy and still haven't accepted your help. Just who are you, anyways?

As it talked, the voice started fading away slowly, its final words leaving Noah with more confusion.

Noah Eon...You are simply the Alpha...

Noah tilted his head in confusion and called out to the voice. What the hell did that mean? The "Alpha"? What was that?

-Just as long as you stay away, you creepy guy...

On the stands Lucy rolled her eyes.

-Geez, it seems the weight of using that much Astral Energy at once made our lil' Noah a little crazy in head. Now he's talking to himself. Well, I'll tend to him later, I'll go check on Merceny. I'm sure he's still alive, but better check if he has any severe inju---

Suddenly the whole arena rumbled, the once clear morning sky darkening, but with no cloud in sight. It was like the night had arrived prematurely.

Lucy suddenly sensed an immense amount of soul energy.

-But from where...!- suddenly she saw it- No! Merceny!!!

The seemingly unconscious Mercenary was now standing, hunched over towards Noah, a thick wall of black fire covering his entire body. His eyes shone through the fire, though, filled with more hatred and malice than ever before. Noah froze in place.

-Eon...Eon! You will...you will...! NOT MAKE A FOOL OF ME!!!- he roared, the fire suddenly expanded and started changing shape, soon taking the form of a giant crow who cawed at the sky before taking flight,leaving even a trail of flaming black feathers, which would dissipate once they touched the ground. Once it soared high into the sky, above the arena, the Mercenary seemed to come out of the flames, but not falling somehow. His back was still merged with the black crow who spread its wings, casting its giant shadow on the arena grounds.

-I'll show you why they call me "Black Feather"! This is my Ultima Soul, Eon!!!

"Wait, what?! Darkness Wave wasn't his Ultima Soul?! D-damnit, I can't move!"

-Take this! Darkness...

-Merceny, no !!!- Lucy shouted.

From the flame crow's wings countless balls of black fire started shooting out at high speed towards Noah's direction like a meteor shower. The boy gritted his teeth. His only option was to guard himself. He tapped the ground below his an array of rock hands sprouting out around him, ready to curl up into a makeshift shield when...

"Noah, get out of its shadow !"

Lucy's voice reached him from the stands and only then did he realize that the ground itself was starting to burn up. From various spots across the crow's shadow, Noah could see even more dark fireballs sprouting out of the ground! He quickly tapped it again on instinct and a giant hand carried him out of the ground, but only then he realized his mistake, as he became trapped between the fireballs that rained down from crow's wings above and the fireballs that shot out from its shadow below!

-...Crossfire!!!- Merceny shouted, his trap complete.

What a fearsome Ultima Soul! Once caught in the shadow's grasps, there was no escape! It was a true crossfire, two attacks raining down from completely opposite directions and poor Noah was about to get caught in the coming clash between the two!

Was that it?!

Was that the end for him?!

-NOAH!

Lucy's voice called out for him from what seemed to be miles away as the weight of Noah's fate crashed down upon his little shoulders...

"Distortion Tornado!!!"

Suddenly, Noah felt himself being thrown to the side, his body flying out onto the stands directly to his right, out of the shadow's grasp. Despite his surprise he scarcely managed to summon a giant hand to catch him and hold him as he saw the events that unfolded in front of his eyes.

The thing that seemed to have pushed him was a semi-transparent orb, made up of violent swirls of what seemed to be wind. The orb only maintained that shape for a split second before it started to shake violently and exploding into a giant tornado that engulfed the arena grounds. The spectators screamed in panic as the weaker ones were started to get sucked into the tornado but various Tera users around the stands used their powers to create barriers to protect the audience and themselves. The tornado continued to spin mercilessly, as it started to absorb the fireballs coming from both sides, slowly becoming darker and darker until it had turned into dark fire tornado.

"W-what is this?! Merceny's Darkness Crossfire was about to kill me and now it's a fire tornado about to kill everyone?! How and why did Merceni do this?!"

But it seemed that Merceny was as clueless as he was as the fire crow started to be sucked into the tornado. It tried to struggle its way out but eventually it was also engulfed by the behemoth. It seemed it wasn't going to stop until...

Suddenly the tornado dispersed, sending its fiery swirls lashing out at the stands, people running from its wrath, until there was nothing left in the arena grounds. No tornado. No fire crow. Only the floating body of Merceny, which fell to the ground with a "THUD".

Noah was as surprised as everybody by that sudden change in scenario. Just who had created that tornado?!

It seemed like the answer wouldn't take long to show itself, though. As Mercedes and Lucy jumped down onto the grounds to help Merceny, Terri shouted to the skies.

-Who's there?! Show yourself!!!

Suddenly, a slender figure landed at the top of the arena walls, above even the stands. It wore deep blue and white armor boots, what seemed to be a deep blue gladiator skirt that ended on a white armor around his waist with a light blue cloth along it serving as a belt of sorts, two white and light blue gauntlets and a deep blue undershirt which seemed to merge with his scarf of the same color, which swayed in the wind. The figure also wore a deep blue hood and summoned a deep blue scabbard, attaching it around its waist armor.

The figure threw the hood away, revealing the face of a young man, his ocean blue eyes only being rivaled by his wavy blue hair, which was combed forward, making it similar to crashing waves in a beach.

"Man, blue, blue and MORE blue. Who is this freak anyways?"

As he wondered that, Noah looked at Terri, which had complete shock splattered on her face. Then he looked at Lucy, who also was as equally surprised.

-No! You're..!- Noah's protege started to say.

The young man spoke in a bright,loud and determined voice,pointing his thumb at his own chest.

-My name is "Typhoon" Sobek, of the 7th echelon of the Order Elite! And Terri, I am going to save you!!!