Chapter 284: A Heart Rending Ending?

The clone didn't want to get up. What for, exactly? Only to get pummelled back onto the floor and hear the words 'Absolute Reversal' again?! It had invented the thing but bloody well never wanted to see heads or tails of it ever again! It would go back in time and undo the entire timeline to rid itself of this entire situation if it could. Alas, it could not and Dominus was still hovering over the clone's body with a mean smile and patting his knees, treating the clone like some kind of dumb pet.

"Come on cloney. Who's a good cloney? Get up cloney! I'll give you plenty of pats, cloney!"

Why on earth, or rather how on earth, was it possible that Ares had somehow gotten even more annoying?! The clone wanted nothing more than to punch this bastard in the face but it would only wind up being its own face that got a knuckle sandwich if he dared to try it. Ah but if he sat here forever then 'Ares' would just go kill Mako, right? This fight was doomed but the clone got up anyway, ignoring the hand Dominus was offering to help him up, and wasted no time in throwing what looked like a simple palm at the annoying revenant. Dominus could see what this shmuck was trying to do but he chuckled and played along anyway, responding in kind with his own palm, because he was having fun at the clone's expense. As Dominus' palm neared the clone's, the clone chanted an art that it had secretly been channelling the mana for ever since it launched the strike. "Echo." Bait. That was what the palm was. The clone had been hoping to dupe Dominus into underestimating the attack before throwing another layer onto it right at the end that he couldn't react to. It looked like the clone had succeeded as Dominus made no effort to avoid the attack presumably because he was aware it was too late to but, unfortunately, that wasn't really the case at all. Dominus clapped his palm against the clone's and felt the Echo travel through his wrist and arm, creeping into his upper body before looking to bounce around and cause problems.

"Echo."

There was nobody familiar with the Echo art that wasn't utterly baffled by the strange declaration that came out of Dominus' mouth. Sure he just chanted Echo but did he not realise there was already one inside of him?! He surely had bigger problems right now!?.. Didn't he? Why wasn't Dominus being injured by the Echo right now? Though the answer was simple actually performing the trick needed to make what Dominus was doing work was impossibly hard for most people without a ton of practice. Echo was an art that dislocated body parts to create noise, that noise was then merged with mana and fired off through a body part nearby where the Echo was created. What Dominus had done was take in the Echo, use it as the base of his own Echo, and was now about to fling it right back at the clone back through his palm. The clone's Echo had been guided around through Dominus' body, without touching anything, while being merged with his own mana to fire it off in retaliation. Essentially, Dominus had just absorbed the opponent's Echo, empowered it, and then redirected it straight back to where it came from. While Ares was internally taking notes, because he had zero idea this was even possible but was interested now that he'd seen it, the doubled up Echo was being transferred back across the interconnected palms and blasting the clone across the floor, leaving him on his rear once more with a broken, bloodied, and twisted hand.

It knew it shouldn't have gotten up!

While the clone was wishing it could just lie on its side and go to sleep, fully ignoring the current situation, anyone and everyone who'd learnt the Echo art, or wanted to, made note of what happened here, much like Ares, as this would be an important trick going forward. What started off as some random art Ares invented for convenience was rapidly spreading and becoming a common art that would one day be seen frequently on a domain wide scale. It was usable by even the most beginner of beginners in the cultivation world, it was highly effective, had a close and ranged variant in-built, could be used aggressively and defensively, had room to play around with on an expert level, and could even be combined with divine sense and pressure. And that was all just at a base level to boot. It was simple to learn, simple to master, and only really complex to alter but that was mostly irrelevant. This was essentially an art similar to water bullet that was extremely easy to wield but the major benefit was that it was a technical, available to everyone thanks to it being from an open pillar. For upwards of 90% of cultivators, there was zero reason not to learn this and everyone who'd come from abroad to watch the tournament had been doing their research into the art and trying to find tomes of it and / or the pressurised version.

The sect had decided to sell such tomes, as it would no doubt leak out eventually anyway due to the extraordinary interest in it, and were the first to capitalise of its popularity. Part of why they were so busy as of late was because they were handcrafting multiple tomes of this art to make a profit before some shady black market profiteer did it first. So why was this all relevant? Well, given its popularity, it was only natural to want a counter method to deal with the art. Much like how Ares first sold Shock Beads and then the Block Rocks to deal with them later, what Dominus had just done was an excellent showcase on how to beat Echo, an art that was about to become very commonplace. Sure it required, ironically, learning Echo in the first place to counter itself, but being able to do so safely and effectively was a pretty massive benefit and so the spectators, and the expert cultivators amongst them, swore this was one of the first things they would do in their spare time after this fight. It was imperative to learn such things quickly as there was a non-zero chance it would come in handy rather soon.

If they got into a brawl before leaving Red Sun, which was entirely plausible if they were trying to suck up to Ares, by beating up troublemakers in the local area, and get in on the Red Sun hype train to follow him around like Hans had been subtly implying to the general public, there was maybe upwards of a 70 or 80% chance the trick they'd just witnessed would come in handy. The number of people learning Echo was rising to ridiculous levels already. It was an incredible art created by a fundamental champion after all, who wouldn't want it? 

As an aside, this was a phenomenal development for the Heaven's Path, name change pending, as they were now selling the poison and the cure simultaneously. Even those who had no initial interest in Echo would now be more inclined to come and make a trade for a tome so they could defend themselves from it, even if learning the Dominus trick would take some tie given how hard it was, massively boosting the sect's sales. They'd raked in a crap ton of stardust already but it seemed like even more was in the cards for them. Plus sales of the pressurised version would also rise, as it was likely harder to counter without also knowing the pressurised version, so Dominus doing this was a colossal win for their sect overall. Not that it was why Dominus did it, he didn't care about such a trivial thing as stardust and that was doubly true when he was freeloading in someone else's body anyway. He just really wanted to experiment. He'd seen the art enough, via Ares, and now wanted to see if his method of suppressing the art was functional. Sure he could have guessed horribly wrong and been struck point blank by the art but he had confidence in his own abilities and the objective assessment of them. Even if he only just invented such a method now he'd invented far more complicated things in the past and could accurately predict the outcome of this one in particular as it was easy in comparison. Echo wasn't a very complex art either, in fact this was why it was so great, so making assumptions was a relatively simple affair as its not like he was dealing with rocket science or anything.

As for the Ersatz clone it had shut its eyes and was taking a pleasant nap, pretending it was anywhere but here. As long as it kept its eyes firmly closed it could be at a sunny beach for all it knew, basking in the rays of the sun and free from this purgatory. It didn't really need to worry about defending Mako because it was pretty obvious who Dominus was rudely gunning for right now. The world just sort of stopped as long as the clone lay on the floor and refused to move and that was nice. It could take a couple of well deserved breaths and relax for a spell after everything it had been through... The clone inhaled the fresh air one final time before it peeped the cruel, outside world with one eye open and instantly spied Dominus standing above and behind him, looking down with a polite wave.

"Absolute Reversal."

The clone shut its eyes again and decided now was as good a time as any to go to sleep for real. if Dominus wanted to Reversal it again then he could wait until the clone had gotten its forty winks... Or so it though but it could feel Dominus lifting its body with telekinesis. There was no escaping this obnoxious idiot, other than death, so the clone made a vow to either kill his opponent or be killed by them in the next minute or two. This had gone on long enough and it wanted to go back to being mana particles, floating carefree through the air and minding its own business somewhere Dominus couldn't hurt it anymore. Being sentient sucked! There was a level of irony here because Ares didn't exactly treat his summons incredibly well. The Adaptive Shot eagle and Rox had been summoned to their deaths on more than one occasion and he didn't typically bring them out much outside of fights. Technically 'Ares' was now experiencing something similar even if it was just his clone. Karma had come back around to dole out punishment and hit the wrong person! The clone sighed and accepted that this was just how things were going to be so it opened its eyes properly, hopped off the rocky slab that Dominus was raising him off the floor with, and raised its fists to prepare itself for another showdown. It could have brought out a weapon, as 'Ares' was allowing it to, but the clone didn't care about that. It felt comfortable with its fists so it would stick with them from now on and try and win this way. It might pull out a sword later if it felt there was a good reason to, as that was equally as familiar a weapon in terms of proficiency, but until then it was going to make sure it punched this douche in the face at least once before it bit the dust!

Dominus gave the unwilling clone a thumbs up for entertaining him before doing... Nothing. Same as before, he was just waiting for the clone to make a move before he countered it appropriately. The clone could do whatever it wanted, Dominus would prevail and that was his guarantee. The clone wanted to test this bold narcissist so it threw a right hook and... It was lying face first on the floor before it even knew what hit him. Dominus had dodged under the punch and shoulder thrown the clone, making it eat dirt. It wasn't injured, just thoroughly disgraced. It seriously wished Mako would get up and do something because this was not looking good right now. Mako could probably chuck more rockets but, after last time, he was aware that it wasn't a good idea to do so. Mako seemingly wasn't in a position to cast arts so any physical objects he summoned were liable to cause more harm than good right now and he was restraining himself so as not to give Dominus any more ammunition with which to cause trouble. By the looks of things, he was using the clone's final efforts to heal himself up for one last showdown with Ares. Maybe Mako could get one more art out if he passively rested so he was clearly expecting little out of the clone at this point in terms of bringing home a victory.

Between being put in the dumpster by 'Ares' on repeat, and this lack of faith from his summoner, the clone was annoyed! It had done pretty well all things considered and it was still just in its infancy so it had most definitely exceeded expectations. It wasn't its fault that Ares was mostly borderline immune to his magic! It wasn't his fault he didn't have Ares' numerous bloodlines! It wasn't his fault he didn't own all those swanky treasures! And, although it wasn't exactly fully aware of the situation, it wasn't its fault it didn't have an ancient weapon master supreme hiding away inside him! It was already arguably the best clone in all of existence, if looking at sheer capabilities relative to its cultivation level when compared to the original, so asking for that much more out of it was just unthinkable. And yet the clone couldn't help but feel aggrieved at this whole mess. Why 'Ares' had hit the gas as of late, and dialled things up to eleven out of nowhere, the clone didn't know but surely it could do the same if it just tried hard enough? They were one and the same, right? It was grasping at straws here, and might have been more lenient on itself if it was aware of the current scenario involving Dominus, but it was managing to encourage itself to get back up and keep trying. So what if it was being toyed with?! One hit was better than giving up at zero! Screw this damn revenant!

"Absolute Reversal!"

Was this fucker a mind reader?! Dominus could have used that art at any point but he just so happened to use it the second the clone wrestled back its motivation from the jaws of despair! What was that atrocious timing?! Whatever! Screw it! The clone didn't care and ran up to Dominus while launching a kick at his waist. In response, Dominus raised his hand to grab the clone's ankle but that was when it made a sneak... Attack? Counterattack, more like, as it chanted "Absolute Reversal" itself! Counter the counter! It had no idea how to counter whatever was coming but the clone was going to do it even if it had to work things out on the fly! Dominus grabbed its ankle and the clone made use of it by lifting its other leg and having Dominus effectively carry it in the air by lifting up its foot for him. The clone swung its free foot to boot Dominus in the jaw but he simply lowered his neck and dodge the swipe before raising it again and chasing after the foot with his head. The clone wasn't sure what this wretch was up to but, when 'Ares' sunk his teeth into the clone's ankle, it realised it wasn't going to be anything good. This shit hurt! Just as much as having the knife limb on its foot did! Dominus was like a mangy mutt mauling his ankles right now and it was hurting like hell. None of that was a bigger issue than the fact that the clone was now falling with both its feet in Dominus' grasp, however, as that could only ever end poorly. As if to prove that very point, Dominus yanked the falling clone towards him and raised his foot, bringing it back down on the clone's wounded stomach, as he let go of the clone's legs, and slamming it down towards the floor.

Stomp

The clone coughed up blood all over itself and had to gasp for air while trying to stand up again. All of its attempts at fighting back were going poorly, hell poorly was the understatement of the year, but maybe one such try would manage to catch a lucky break at some point? The clone didn't entirely believe the lie it was trying to sell itself but it kept morale high enough to keep striking at Dominus so who cared? "Absolute Reversal." The clone had become numb to those cursed words and decided to simply ignore them from now on, treating them like irrelevant bits of thin air. He was either going to win or lose, Dominus using the art for his own amusement didn't matter. The clone threw a left hook and Dominus swatted it to the side while poking his finger into the clone's rib cage. The clone staggered sideways but was still mostly fine so it threw another punch. "Absolute Reversal." Dominus pushed his palm forwards and met the fist head on, deflecting the attack right back towards the clone who was made to accidentally punch himself in the chest. It didn't hurt much but his pride had definitely taken the biggest hit here. Again, though, the clone was good to keep attacking so attack it did by trying to stomp on Dominus' foot with his own.

"Absolute Reversal."

It was like a never ending nightmare, and the clone wanted to tear its hair out, but it stuck to its plan of not caring in the slightest and charged forth with the stomp regardless. Dominus raised a small arch of earth above his foot with telekinesis, blocking the stomp without moving while also creating a foothold for the clone's shoe to rest on. It looked like the clone wanted to maybe try and leverage this foothold but Dominus had already acted first by firing a ranged Echo at the clone's other foot that was still on the floor and swiping it out from under him with a bang. With the lower foot taken out, the position his raised foot was in meant it couldn't support the clone properly; this forced him to slip forward and right into the loving embrace of Dominus' waiting boot, netting the clone yet another kick to the face that sent it rolling backwards along the floor. The clone groaned and tried to sit up but that was when it noticed Dominus Double Jump into the air and start a dive kick towards him.

This guy wasn't waiting until he got up anymore!

Was 'Ares' bored or just messing with him in some new and annoying way?! It was impossible to tell but the clone had no choice but to play Dominus' game and, so, it raised its palm to try and catch the incoming foot, only to hear the two words it was starting to get really sick of hearing. "Absolute Reversal." IT DIDN'T EVEN MAKE ANY SENSE! How on earth was 'Ares' using Reversal if he was the one launching an attack?!... Ah. The clone realised far too late that Dominus wasn't launching an attack at all as he landed softly on the clone's upturned palm and treated it like a platform. He'd baited the clone into giving him a landing spot that wouldn't injure the clone if Dominus was careful with his fall, which he'd slowed thanks to the Stygian Zephyr's ability to hover, but the hand had also been trying to grab Dominus so it was considered an attack from the clone's perspective. The only person here trying to assault anyone was the clone so the Reversal was very much justified in a cruel and twisted way. Dominus used his free foot to boot the clone in the face again and punt it further across the arena as it wallowed in shame.

The clone was getting closer and closer to Mako with every beating but he didn't want to see the elf right now! He'd been abandoned and didn't appreciate it in the slightest! He did not want to look his summoner in the eyes right now so he got up with his back turned to him and rubbed his jaw while trying to put it back where it belonged. The clone stopped on the spot, and had to take a moment to itself, when it saw 'Ares' pull a plain looking sword out and start wielding it as this was a pretty clear indicator he was done playing around. Little did the clone know but Ares was rushing Dominus along as he'd had his fun and now was a good time to end things. Plus the duration of Dominus' takeover was starting to run out and being left high and dry, in an awkward situation after changing back, was something Ares wanted to avoid at all costs. He would rather not get the full duration of the takeover if it meant being thrown back into the driver's seat at a terrible time. Having Dominus duck out early while leaving Ares in a winning position was what he was after so he gave Dominus the full rundown on his plan, about how the match was going to end from here on out, and let the guy do his thing. He also promised to let him come out more in the future and play around with Sadie, Rox, Absolute Reversal, telekinesis, and annihilation pressure to his heart's content. Dominus might not have shown it but, inwardly, regarding the latter three, he was really enjoying all these cool tools that he would have absolutely killed for if he were in his real body. And then there were his newest disciples who he hadn't bossed around and put in their place recently. Before Ares left for the Freeride Federation he would have to let Dominus sort them out and give them some pointers for them to practice on or around while he was away.

The clone pulled out a sword itself as this was looking to be the final confrontation, irrespective of who won, and so now wasn't the time for fisticuffs. Both Dominus and the clone slowly walked towards one another but their pace was quickening with every step, eventually breaking out into a full blown sprint wherein their last attacks would meet in the middle and decide the outcome. Strangely enough, Dominus wasn't using Absolute Reversal here and, although the clone couldn't fathom why, it was more than happy to not see that damn art again for once! Maybe it actually stood a chance of winning this joust? A clone could dream (actually most couldn't but this one could if it wanted to) and so it decided to facilitate that dream by going for a straightforward lunge with the sword. Nothing complex was needed so long as he could pierce 'Ares'' heart as that would be more than enough to win the fight for Mako. Ares would either get killed by the elf afterwards, while he was immobile and about to die, or he might even just outright die to due the severity of the wound when compiled with all the blood he'd lost until now. The clone was ready to sacrifice itself to make this attack a success by turning its final moments into a suicide pact with the opponent that had given it such a hard time. The clone wanted payback and, oddly enough, it was looking like it was going to get it...

Inexplicably, Dominus was mimicking the clone and preparing himself for a straight thrust with his own sword, one also aimed at the heart. Was he trying to trade blows, kill the clone, and wobble over to Mako to kill him afterwards?! Why go for such a risky strategy in the first place? The clone wasn't able to make any sense of this mess but the one thing it did know was that 'Ares'' chest was unguarded and so he could pierce it and wriggle the sword around inside his heart to finish the job here and now. A rough start but a well executed landing at the end! Maybe after pulling this off Mako could work on his Ersatz magic and grant the clone some more privileges that the real Ares' had. Even just some better weapons and pseudo versions of the treasures the real Ares wielded would be enough! The clone put that thought to the back of its mind as it wasn't relevant right now. All that mattered was him, his sword, and the heart in front of him that he was tracking through Dominus' chest.

Dominus and the clone reached a range in which they could both strike each other, which happened to be identical to one another thanks to their exactly similar bodily proportions, and they both lunged at their opponent as they completely disregarded their own safety. The suspense in the crowd piqued as this would be a match defining moment and, not even a second after both attacks were launched, a conclusion had been reached...

...

Ares, the real one, had been handed back control of his body now that the sword in his hand was lodged deeply inside the clone, cementing its death with absolute certainty. The light in its eyes was already fading and it wasn't long for this world... And yet, it seemed happy enough. Happy to be saved from the Absolute Reversal hell, sure, but perhaps more so satisfied because it didn't go out without a fight. Even as the clone slumped to the floor and started to fade away, it proudly held onto its last achievement, the sword buried inside Ares' chest that had dug as deep as the clone could push it. The clone was dead but, unfortunately for Ares, if the attacks were truly the same as one another as they appeared to be, that meant he was about to follow in the clone's footsteps shortly. Had he just lost? In such a weird way? Had Dominus betrayed him? Or was there more to this situation than it seemed? Nobody in the crowd could tell from this awkward angle, all they knew was that Ares hadn't yet moved and the sword that was stuck inside him disappeared along with the clone that had more than done its duty. Was this fight over? Did Ares really fail to cross the final hurdle? Victory was no more than a few feet in front of him in the shape of a slumped elf, barely able to raise a hand, and this was it? Could he not just take those few steps in spite of the injury he suffered? He hadn't yet collapsed, which was a miracle given the degree of harm that must have befallen him, but he wasn't moving from his spot either... Ares' death was imminent and unavoidable...

But perhaps not for the reason everyone thought...