Chapter 39

This was their arena, Tergon knew, this was their domain, their realm and their game. He was fighting against a higher system, an evolved cosmic order and playing by their rules meant inevitable defeat. It was specially designed to make the weak fall and if he played like a weakling he was definitely going to fail.

"Are you hesitant for the third duel to begin ?" Tergon challenged, "Because I'm already battle ready."

"You are a goldsmith of words", the leader of the warriors remarked, "but do you still want to fight is as a group or individually ?"

"I might have allowed fury to have taken over my reasoning", Tergon replied, "but I'll be humble enough to admit my mistake - I'll take you all one after the other."

"But remember !", their leader warned, "just because you are a fighting us individually doesn't make it any easier. What happened earlier was simply a case of shared labor, making it easier to take you down. But against one, you unfortunately still don't stand a chance of winning."

"Who's coming first", Tergon called, "my arms are itching for a fight."

"And a brutal one you shall get", said another warrior for the first time, who stepped forward to confront Tergon, stopping a few inches in front of him, the warrior raised his sword, "Whenever you're ready you can come at me."

"What's stopping you from making the first move ?" Tergon dared.

"It's not in my nature to be the aggressor." He replied.

"This is their arena." Tergon reminded himself as he studied the stance taken by the warrior.

Tergon not only had to fight in a way that he had never fought before but also take his endurance beyond its limit. Something which he had never done before and was about to learn in this death gamble of a duel.

Unleashing a halo at the warrior who sidestepped the trajectory, Tergon made his move, charging at the warrior, he struck, the flares rising into the air as their swords locked. They drove each other back and forth as they both parried and slashed at themselves at the same time sidestepping themselves, they dodged the strikes of their opponent. From the start, they seemed to be evenly matched, but Tergon knew that this balanced state wasn't going to last for long and just as he had guessed, the warrior went into a frenzy of punches and stabs.

Tergon parried the fierce blows with his sword and shield as they sliced through the air, aiming at him, they drove him backwards like a hurricane. Tergon noticed the warrior's being blaze of emerald flames, which condensed, forming a burning shield which clung to his left arm. The warrior charged at Tergon, ramming his burning shield into him sending a dazed Tergon flying backwards. Tergon managed to keep himself standing, his left knee on the ground as he panted heavily.

Tergon rose like a wave of lightning to confront his attacking opponent who's blazing sword came furiously at him. Tergon's shield blazed with that clang after receiving that blow from the warrior's sword, the impact making his entire being vibrate, but he held on, willing that inner beast within to awaken.

Tergon countered and slashed continuously, making sure every move he made wasn't a flaw the enemy could manipulate against him. Pushing himself forward, Tergon blocked the blows of his opponent's strike with his shield, ducking from a second strike made by the warrior with his shield. Tergon took advantage of the warrior's open side. Striking, Tergon unleashed a blow which slashed his opponent across the ribs making him stagger backwards, but Tergon wasn't backing down yet, he brought another blow which slashed the warrior across the chest, then driving his sword forward to bore straight into his opponent's heart. Tergon instantly lifted his shield to deflect the halo which erupted from the warrior's enflamed being. The impact, fierce, sent Tergon skidding backwards, his metal boots screeching as they exhumed sparks from their burning soles.

Tergon's armour steamed as the skidding came to a stop but the fight was still far from coming to an end. He saw the warrior's being fray through the distance, heralding a bolt of lightning from behind, with the fangs of his sword aiming and hissing straight at Tergon. Their blades clashed again, this time, the struggle was more intense than before. It seemed that the warrior was enraged by Tergon's maneuver and having sustained injuries, wanted nothing more than to wrought vengeance on his opponent.

"It seems like you are gaining ground", the warrior's breath steamed with fury, "but don't expect me to let down my guard like that again !"

Tergon saw the wounds heal, their lips sealing themselves as they burnt of fiery green. Tergon at that moment knew, that he was about to fight against an enraged firewall, then he struck, the warrior's being setting itself ablaze.

Tergon's wrists shook as the warrior's fierce and lightning sharp blows struck his shield and sword. Tergon strained to counter every move made by his opponent and only took an offensive stance when the situation and timing was right. But his lagging tactics were soon going to be futile as the warrior became more enraged as the battle dragged on and Tergon successfully holding him back. The ground beneath them raved, with those fiery streaks erupting from its frozen and vitreous depths, burning their way, they climbed like flaring vines into the warrior's being, making him roar to the skies.

Tergon's instincts became double-helical, the time for parrying was over, he realized, and that a head-on assault was inevitable if he was going to sustain his stand against this being. Giving that sigh of steam, Tergon's once closed eyes tore open, unveiling that dense sea of fire and lightning. Those cracks erupted, trailing their way down his jaws, they raved, burying their fangs Into ever cell of his being.

Both forms of astral flames clashed, their swords clanging and their shields ramming into themselves, making the ether ripple. There was fury in their blows, with flames trailing the pathways of their swords, resulting in those waves of fire, erupting with each moment they clashed. Halos hailed like rain from their being with both fighters untiring and unyielding, they kept forging their way through the storm they created from their battle. Tergon's being felt like searing itself apart, it felt as though he was battling against an entire army instead of a single warrior. Knowing that he had to persevere in order to withstand the energetic storm of this astral being, losing this round wouldn't be a fantasy of he yielded to the tension butchering him within.

Their forms now infrared, they bolted towards each other, colliding within their burning core, their blades locked resulting in a tremendous blizzard of astral flames which transformed the arena into a negative scenery. The blizzard died out but their cores were still raging and both knew that neither was going to give in easily.