"More and more people have reported sightings of a Remnant that retains their consciousness." The reporter on the TV gave a description and asked the viewers to report any suspicious personnel to the police.
"Well, that's intriguing." said Grog to himself while Barbados changed into his battle gear.
"What, the report?" Barbados asked as he ingested the mana crystals Grog had acquired for him.
"No. There is a higher number of people who have achieved their own phenomena this year than in the past." he said as he pointed at the newspaper.
"What about the report?" the Sinborn asked, confused.
"It's probably something to do with racism." Grog replied while flipping the page.
Barbados equipped the heavy chestplate, asking Grog for some assistance to tighten the straps around his wings.
"So…how does it feel to have the entire world watching this match?" asked Grog.
"It's pretty nice. I basically have an established following." he said while staring intently at Grog.
"What?" Grog asked, confused.
"Do you still feel proud insulting the leader of a faction?" asked the Sinborn.
"Oh shut it you bastard." he replied then laughing. "Don't you have a fight to attend to?"
"It's almost as if you want me to lose my life."
"Must be just your imagination." Grog handed Barbados a pen and paper.
"What's this for?" Barbados asked.
"Your will." the Wendigo replied with a wide grin.
"You lowly mortal. As if I would die."
For this match, the rules had to be changed slightly. The winner would be established if Erven was defeated, like being incapacitated, or if Barbados was to die once. Both fighters entered the arena as the crowd had doubled from the fight before. Cameras moved around to capture every possible angle.
"Phew," said Erven as he took an entire bottle of the mana pills, "This should be fun."
"HELLO EVERYBODY!" A familiar voice boomed and filled Barbados with a sense of nostalgia. "THE FIGHTERS KNOW THE RULES. YOU KNOW THE RULES. LET THIS BEGIN."
Erven was the first to attack. He chanted under his breath phrases that Barbados couldn't understand.
"A…star…weight…collapse…" he murmured as he conjured burning materials that homed onto Barbados. A storm of comets surrounded the Sinborn, approaching from all the sides. Barbados slammed the shield he held in his right hand and brought up a wall of rock to guard himself against the barrage of arctic blue streaks. He formed a hidden hole from which he dashed to try and strike Erven with his rapier but was stopped by a spinning crescent moon. The part the rapier had struck had formed into a miniature hole. Erven still chanted while attacking using sharpened crescent blades.
The blades seemed to have appeared in his hands and were coated in the radiance of the sun. They glowed brilliantly as Erven swiftly clashed with every attack Barbados used against him. Sparks flew as the metal blades confronted the rapier. Using his spare hand, Barbados equipped a blunt throwing knife, which he propelled into Erven's shoulder. The knife made contact, but it didn't cause him to drop the weapon. Erven broke the chant for the first time and looked at him.
"Heh. Sneaky move." Erven teased in his unnatural human voice. "Check this out."
Erven dropped one of the blades and unleashed a ray of burning embers from within his enclosed hand that began to melt the armour. The ray split into millions of colours as it bounced off the armour, forming a colourful collage of beauty and pain.
"Was that it? Fireworks?" teased Barbados back."
"You are in for a treat." Erven replied as he smiled. He used mana to pick the blade up and formed many more. He launched the blades into the air and they floated gently. "This is what you call a spectacle." he said to the Sinborn, acting like a child at the circus. Erven began spinning his hand like a conductor directing an orchestra, and with a glamorous gesture, he pointed towards Barbados.
The weapons attacked in a chaotic yet rhythmic style, some striking the armour and adding to the amalgamation of sounds. Barbados fended off the closest blades and launched a spear into the ground near Erven.
"Check this out for a change" the Sinborn said as he yelled, "Purge!" The spear acted as commanded and set off a shock wave, rendering the flying acrobats to mere toys on the ground. Barbados pulled back on the rope attached to the spear that was shaped like an enlarged needle.
"WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT FOLKS!" BARBADOS SEVERED THE MANA CONNECTION USING ONE OF HIS MAGNIFICENT WEAPONS, BUT ERVEN IS YET TO BE OUT OF TRICK!"
"How did you cut the mana?" asked the human intrigued by such actions. "Never has there been anyone capable of severing mana!" Erven's wonder grew.
"How did you duplicate the weapons and make them fly using mana?" asked Barbados.
"Touche." Erven clicked his fingers and plumes of gas formed in front of him, resembling the same colour palette of the sky on a cloudless night. Erven spun the gas around and pulled out miniature glowing marbles. Barbados could once again have attacked early, but he remembered Erven's words. "This is what you call a spectacle," he recalled.
As Erven formed the white spheres, Barbados brought out his own magical tricks. He put on an amulet that was made from a green gemstone and grew gigantic muscles in the span of a second. He put the rapier away and brought out a daodao sword that overshadowed the petite sword from before. The crowd gasped as they saw the ancient creature use their strange equipment.
"WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT! DO YOU BELIEVE HE IS OVERCOMPENSATING FOR SOME OTHER ASPECT?" The presenter laughed. Erven slowly pushed the marbles far apart and around them while Barbados shaped the armour to fit his new body better.
Barbados charged with his daodao sword, which was named "Slaughter". Erven pointed at one marble.
"Boom." he said. The marble suddenly gained size, and exploded, charring the Sinborn's face. Barbados was angered by the memories of a similar experience from not too long ago, but Erven was ecstatic. His fascination with the strange creature grew and wanted to push it even further. With a flail of his hands, he set off the minefield and watched as Barbados cut through the explosion smoke, his muscular body regenerating much quicker than before.
"What?" Erven was in awe. He wanted to overthink the situation but settled that thought for later. In reality, Barbados had used an elixir that would be the past's equivalent of steroids. The Sinborn charged at Erven and facked a swing of the blade, choosing to punch the human.
Erven was sent flying, but wasn't incapacitated. He looked at Barbados with a different emotion from before. A sense of curiosity that resembled madness seeped into his brain and his mana became a blank white colour.
"This shall be interesting," he said, "Watch as you will find out why I am called the strongest mage." Erven seized his mana and formed a larger ball of energy, but this time he kept enlarging the sphere until it towered over the two combatants. "Hehe, and collapse." As the words left his mouth, the star he formed had suddenly lost all colour, losing its very own shape and becoming the pinnacle of nothing. In the palms of a human being, there lay a small hole that ate away at the fabric of space.