Chapter 53: The Mightiest of all Melee Weapons: The Bow

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Just as Sadie began to give up and assume all hope was lost, the black void was blasted away by a colourful light show courtesy of Ares being electrocuted by the Training Field. His time with the spear was up and he'd been too busy playing with his food to notice, giving Sadie an out. She'd unsheathed her sword a few seconds after Ares took up the spear, meaning she could still use her weapon for a little longer, and this was a golden opportunity to sneak into close proximity while he was being zapped. Hopefully, from there, she could finish him off in one fell swipe and end this duel she couldn't quite wrap her head around. Ares had displayed an unprecedented level of skill and she had questions that needed answering, so she shelved her bewilderment and rushed Ares down. She thrust her sword straight and true to pierce through and stop Ares' heart but, when the shocking suddenly stopped and Ares smugly grinned down at her, it was her own that stopped… He baited me? 

Who was Dominus exactly? Some chump who would leave such an obvious gap? Never. Not a chance in hell. Dominus, like Ares, or rather Ares, like Dominus, liked to leave 'openings' for desperate combatants to cling to, only for them to realise they were now dangling over a pit of spikes and in an even worse position. If Dominus were to conveniently 'forget' about the Field's shock punishment, giving Sadie an 'opportunity' to close the gap against a spearman, then it was painfully clear she would take it without hesitation to escape her previous dilemma. Intentionally keeping the weapon so he could discard it after the shock, instead of before, to bait Sadie was proof enough that he was simply on a different level compared to her. It wasn't even a matter of him having more options as a revenant as this was something anyone could have done, he was just playing 4d chess while Sadie was stuck in checkers mode. Of course this didn't change the awkward situation he was currently in what with Sadie's sword charging straight towards his heart, but Dominus had planned ahead and left his spear in a very specific position to counter it. The spear was resting neatly on his left shoulder and his left hand was slightly underneath it near his collar bone. Dominus imbued the spear with disintegration magic through his shoulder and flicked upward with his forefinger, creating an Echo that pinged the spear and sent it twirling around his neck in a transition from stillness to a neck wrap. Neck wraps were typically performed with a staff but Dominus was Dominus, and Dominus didn't really care what weapon he had in his hand. If he wanted to use a technique, the weapon in his hand would do it regardless of whether it wanted to or not. Dominus leant back to accommodate the swinging spear as it rolled around the back of his neck before swinging back to his front with perfect timing to deflect the tip of the sword. The disintegration magic attached to the spear created a mini-cyclone around Dominus, cleaving the sword tip and obliterating it.

Sadie was lost. Ares defending himself from that atrocious position while simultaneously destroying her weapon was unfathomable to her and her cognition almost just shut down on the spot, refusing to partake in this farce anymore. Still though, Sadie wasn't some random no-name pushover, so she managed to ultimately keep her wits about her and move on to the next step in her crumbling plan; dropping her broken weapon. Her time with the sword was nearly up and she had no desire to be willing shocked like Ares, so she opened her palm that was clasped around the sword hilt, and yet…

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Through the bright sparks and the all-encompassing pain ravaging her body, Sadie could just about discern Ares' spear tip pinning the hilt to her hand. As she let go of the sword, Ares caught the spear rotating on his chest and thrust it upward from a low angle to push the sword hilt firmly against Sadie's open palm, preventing her from dropping it even if she technically wasn't 'holding' it anymore. If anything, Ares was the one holding it for her via the spear, but that wasn't what mattered. The weapon was touching her hand and her time was up, thus she was treated to electroconvulsive therapy which, if anything, just made her even more depressed. Sadie couldn't fathom what was happening to her in this fight. This wasn't just any old loss, she was being hopelessly outclassed like a blind toddler in a boxing match against a roided heavyweight. And yet, Ares still didn't kill her. While she was being shocked, Ares raised her chin with the tip of his spear so she could see his smug grin widen condescendingly. 

Dominus retracted the spear and buried the tip in the ground as getting zapped again wouldn't benefit him this time, plus, there was a treasure trove of weapons here and he wasn't remotely done having fun yet. 

As he sauntered over to a nearby bow, whistling all the while, Sadie had transcended surprise, despair, confusion, and agitation, putting her firmly in rage territory once again. It was no longer a matter of understanding what was happening in this duel, she didn't care, she just wanted Ares dead.

As Dominus picked up the bow and a single arrow to go along with it, he glanced over at Sadie as her cultivation rose from 1st stage to 8th, an entire ten stages / single realm above Ares. And yet he didn't care. He fully dismissed the berserk instructor who was menacingly advancing upon him, making the ground tremble with every step, opting instead to inspect the arrow he'd chosen to make sure it was of acceptable quality. If he was going to ridicule Sadie by beating her with a single arrow, he needed to make sure it wasn't going to break on him after all!

Sadie opted to bare knuckle brawl for the next fifteen seconds as she wanted the smackdown to be personal so she could enjoy every second she spent pounding raw flesh and inflicting pain. Deep down she knew she had no right to be mad after what she had subjected Ares, the real one, to earlier, but then again she was the one with the higher cultivation! She made the rules here, not Ares! If she was agitated and wanted to smack him around to relieve stress, then he was going to be a good little punching bag for her!

Dominus had lived for millions of years so he could discern Sadie's intentions easily as he simply shook his head while chuckling to himself. I was young and overzealous once, but I actually had the talent to back it up. Come on amateur, show me what you've got! Dominus lifted his left foot and took a single step back, planting it firmly as he took aim with the bow. 

A sculpted statue? Sadie almost did a double take when she saw the beautiful stance on full display in front of her.

Poised to pinpoint perfection and presenting a peerless projection of envisioned precision made-manifest. 

With equally as much technical flair as the sentence prior, Dominus readied a surgical shot. His flawless from and steady breathing gave rise to imagery of a refined angel draped in cloth and surrounded by peaceful animals, it was as though he were one with both nature and the very essence of the hunt. If there were any animals present, they would undoubtedly lie down, expose their underbelly, and go willingly into the afterlife for Dominus, perhaps even going as far as to bite their own tongue so he would never have to release the held arrow and, thus, his magnificent stance.

Even Sadie was perplexed as to how exactly she was supposed to approach this situation. She felt pinned down. If she took a step forward he would retreat and shoot. If she moved back he would chase and shoot. If she breathed even a single breath it would certainly be her last. She could feel the onset of death as it lingered in the air, caressing the spot on her chest that held her wildly beating heart within. Sadie almost made the unwilling decision to stand still for the rest of eternity before she caught a glimpse of, you guessed it, the exact same smug grin that had been tormenting her since the start of this duel. "DAMN YOU TO HELL!" Like an enraged bull, Sadie charged dead ahead with no regard for the arrow. Although every fibre of her being was screaming at her to just run away and give up so that this nightmare could end, she powered through with indignation fuelling her frenzied rage. Whatever was left of her rational brain sent countless warning signals to her as she threw a punch at Ares who was still stood completely motionless. Something was off. Why isn't he firing the damn arrow?!

Dominus gazed calmly at the fist coming toward him. A punch of this calibre was less effective than slapping an explosive on a tortoise and having it try to run him down. Dominus ducked under the punch and moved forward while throwing the bow straight up into the air.

FUCK! WHAT'S HE DOING NOW?! Sadie was beginning to understand that, every time she was unable to comprehend what Ares was doing at the current moment in time, she was in a losing position regardless of whether or not she knew why. 

Dominus spun the arrow in his palm before gripping it like a dagger and lunging upward to pierce Sadie's unguarded neck.

Sadie had no choice in the matter, she had to lean back and dodge it. Her free hand wouldn't make it in time and a kick would be too slow. It was when her stomach was stepped on and used as a platform that she realised, once again, she'd been lead down a single path into a dead end. Ares had baited her into an attack that would leave her in a disastrous position with only a single out that he could then freely exploit. She'd fallen for the same trick, even if it took a slightly different form from last time, again and, now, she was going to pay for it again. 

With one foot firmly planted on Sadie's stomach, Dominus lifted himself and swung his other foot, brutally booting Sadie in the chin while simultaneously converting the momentum of his kick into a backflip off of Sadie's falling body. He caught the bow upside down in mid-air and twisted his body to fire a shot from a ludicrous angle. 

Gasp

Sadie was winded as the arrow pieced her abdomen, pushing her all the way down and pinning her to the floor in a similar fashion to what she'd done to Ares before with the Aletheia. Instinctively, she reached to grab and remove the arrow both so that she could heal the wound and also to crush the arrow. It was painfully obvious to Sadie that Ares was trying to beat her with this arrow alone so, if she could crush it, then this would be her first small victory of the fight. Sadie was grasping at straws here but it was either that or surrender and Sadie was not the giving up type. Then again, no-one in the Legion clan was; they were all stubborn as mules. Her hand fumbled around until she eventually realised the arrow was already gone. Lifting her head of the floor, she caught sight of the Stygian Zephyr racing away from her with arrow wrapped inside of it, bringing it back into Ares grasp. Oh… Right…

Sigh

Despondency was the new emotion in play as Sadie realised she'd forgotten completely about the stupid treasure Ares was carrying. Even this one, tiny, minute, pointless win had been stolen from her as she was left lying on the floor with nothing. Hitting an emotional low point was like a trigger for Sadie though as, every single time without fail, that gloominess would transform into irritability. This time was no different. Wrought with wrath, and not fear this time, her fist were once again trembling. As Ares caught the arrow returned to him via the Zephyr, Sadie's fist banged against the floor.

Thud

As Ares crouched before leaping into the air, Sadie's fist struck the floor again but with enough impact this time to shatter the base of the building underneath her hand.

THUD

And finally, as Ares expanded the Zephyr, forming a pair of wings to glide with as he aimed another shot at Sadie, her fist violently lashed downward at the floor, causing a monumental impact that shook the entire building, knocking everyone else inside off their feet.

THUD

The force behind the third strike was enough to push Sadie off the floor and into a standing position, putting her directly in front of a defenceless Ares who, like Icarus, had glided a little too close to danger. Assured of her imminent victory, and relishing in the thought of the excruciating tortures she was going make Ares suffer from after she grabbed him, for the first time in this duel, she smiled. It was not angelic, warm, or friendly, but rather an evil smile, born of dreams of acts of savagery and barbarism. Unfortunately, Sadie was not the only one smiling. As she realised this, she shed a single tear. It's not fair… 

Ares having a way out in this situation was simply beyond Sadie's computational faculties. Sadie could not imagine how on earth he could possibly reverse the present scenario and parts of her brain felt as though they were breaking as they attempted to figure it out in real time. Not once did she ever even think he was bluffing though, she'd been through enough today to know that was definitely not the case. She knew it was fruitless, perhaps even detrimental, to continue along her current trajectory. She knew that it was just going to result in more pain, more humiliation, more sadness, more anger, and more perpetuity of the cycle this duel had irrevocably fallen into, but she didn't care. She truly believed that maybe, maybe, if she could just swing a second faster, if she could just grab him, if she could just touch him, then she could claw out a pathetic victory from the rubble of this disastrous fight. Resolving herself, she tried to reach out and grab him. Move your hand faster, Sadie. Don't let him escape. Don't let him do whatever he wants. STOP HIM, SADIE! Sadie pushed herself mentally but, as she was already aware deep down, it was all irrelevant. All the effort, all the hope, everything was meaningless before the inconceivable existence that was the Ares before her. 

Dominus willed the Stygian Zephyr's right wing to extend downward and pierce the floor, anchoring himself. As a follow-up, to escape Sadie's grab, he willed the right wing to yank him down, pulling him to the floor and out of harm's way as he, once again, threw the bow into the air. With the speed gained from the Zephyr dragging him out of the sky, Dominus converted his fall into… a dance move? Dominus breakdancing and performing a 'windmill' mid fight might have appeared strange, but actually there were a few weapon experts at Dominus' level that opted to study dance for the sake of their footwork. Very few of them ever combined actual dance moves into their combat, however, but Dominus in particular was a revenant which meant he was essentially obligated to do the weirdest thing available to him at any given moment. It also clearly worked for him as the windmill became a sweep that that knocked Sadie off her feet and made her fall backwards again, putting her in the exact same situation as before. Dominus used all his momentum to throw himself sideways out from underneath Sadie. As he rolled away, he reached out with hand gripping the arrow and buried it onto the floor. He gripped the arrow tightly, causing his rolling body to be swung around the central point until he'd pulled off a U-turn. From here, he thrust his weight upward, pushing him off the ground slightly so that he effectively threw himself over Sadie's falling body. He yoinked the falling bow out of mid-air and, in a situation that mirrored the previous one down to a tee, twisted his body to fire a shot a Sadie, pinning her to the floor in the same fashion with the same arrow in the same place.

Before Sadie could even address her emotional state's instability, as it had invariably changed once more, she could feel her body rising off the ground for some inexplicable reason.

Dominus had landed and used the Zephyr to pull hard on the arrow in Sadie's abdomen while also planting the heel of one of his feet on Sadie's navicular bone, both of which allowed him to forcefully raise Sadie off the ground.

Twang

As Sadie's world was spinning from being knocked down and thrown around like a ragdoll, she heard the tell-tale sound of an arrow being fired but felt no pain. Wherever that arrow had gone, thankfully, it hadn't hit her. On the subject of things Sadie couldn't see, Ares, who had just been directly in front of her, vanished.

Dominus, after lifting Sadie, covered the arrow in disintegration magic and fired it directly up. The arrow pierced through the roof of the training building and went soaring somewhere into the sky beyond vision. He then treated Sadie like a jungle gym and adeptly climbed around her by holding onto her shoulder. After making his way behind her, he put his other hand on her other shoulder and lifted both feet, putting all his weight on Sadie which caused her to bend backward slightly. Dominus kicked out with his feet, striking the backside of Sadie's knees, making them buckle which bent her even further backward. 

With a fully broken posture, her back parallel to the floor with Ares hanging off it, and Ares' feet lodged in her knee pits, the most Sadie could do was strain her toes and upper torso to keep herself from falling back onto the floor again as that would be quite disastrous. As she struggled to remove the pest clinging to her, she finally realised where the arrow went and, more importantly, where it was returning from. Given her current position, she could see very clearly the hole the arrow had made directly above her. She could also faintly see the arrow descending back down towards her at a frightening rate.

Tsk

Sadie opted to use an art to escape the predicament which frustrated her as this was supposed to be a duel focused on the use of weaponry and she was technically cheating. She didn't have any room for such trifling scruples though as, and she really hated to admit this, she was getting absolutely demolished. As for the art in question, she decided Overheat, an art of the conflagration aspect under the fire pillar would do the trick. It would create a fiery pulse that knocked away nearby enemies and burned them depending on how close they were at the time of activation. As Ares and Sadie were pretty much entangled like they were playing a game of 'twister', this was her best option right now.

"Overheauuuuuugggggghhhhhh."

Sadie could feel the bowstring around her neck, choking her. Ares had imbued the string with mana to prevent it from snapping which was a fairly common practice for beginners. More experienced bowmen wouldn't need to do this as their bows would likely be treasures instead of plain weaponry and treasures were extremely difficult to break or damage via conventional means. Finding use for a beginner technique in a fight between experienced weapons experts was something Sadie would have otherwise complimented if it weren't for the fact that she was currently on the receiving end of it. Not that Dominus wouldn't have laughed until tears came out if he was aware that Sadie considered herself a weapons 'expert'. She might be in comparison to the other chumps around but she was nothing in the grand scheme of things; a proverbial frog in the well.

Euagghhh Aghhhhhhhhhh

As Sadie was being choked, she had time to realise how screwed she was yet again. She didn't know any chant–less arts so this situation wasn't something she could brute force her way out of either. With the arrow on its way to kill her, Sadie realistically only had two options available to her; pain or death. If she did nothing, she would die; that was fairly simple. The other option was to slam her back down onto the floor. Why would this cause her pain and not Ares? Well, one of Ares' Zephyr wings was positioned off to the side and buried in the ground. As soon as Sadie tried to slam him into the ground, the Zephyr would just pull him to the side and it would be Sadie hurting instead. If she wasn't forceful enough when slamming down, Ares just wouldn't move and she would die struggling aimlessly. Sure she was stronger than him thanks to her cultivation, but the advantageous position Ares was in was one that didn't really require strength to be effective, he was using his body as a means to lock up Sadie's. It wasn't a matter of strength, but one of technique; and Ares was leagues above Sadie in that regard.

In fact, funnily enough, Dominus had noticed a short while into the fight that Sadie was actually using the basics of his own techniques! Small world, eh? Then again, Dominus was world renowned. Even if you utterly despised the guy, which was a fairly commonly held opinion by anyone who'd ever met him, not learning from the best of the best was stupid. For better or for worse, Sadie was currently learning a very hard lesson.

Sadie steeled herself and bit the bullet, banging her spine on the floor as Ares swerved out of the way.

CRACK

As Sadie's cultivation was lowered, she was in some serious pain right about now, thanks to the cracked bones in her back and the holes in her abdomen, and was seriously regretting battering Ares before. She wasn't aware this had nothing to do with that, but that would be a problem for real Ares when this was all said and done as he was absolutely going to pay for this. As Sadie lay on the floor about to roll out of the way of the arrow, sighing to herself all the while, she sequentially came to two different conclusions. One: if she lost with the next weapon, she was going to surrender. This had gone on for longer than it needed to as Ares' point had already long since been proven and there was no reason for her to keep getting kicked around like this. Two: Even though she hadn't been here that long, like Rud…

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She really fucking hated Ares sometimes.