Transcendental skirmish

Renai ran across the sand, so fast that his feet seemed to be floating as the sand beneath his feet melted into bubbling molten magma with every step.

Every high-ranking member of a well to do faction had an enchantment that allowed them to hover, not quite fly. Renai had one, and he was sure Persia did too. But when a proper fight was about to take place, the ground was needed as a leveler to gather enough force to…

Renai struck Persia with a fist wreathed in roaring fire. The impact was cataclysmic, the earth cratering beneath Persia's feet, and a shockwave erupted outward. Still, Persia's feet held fast. The flame intensified into a conflagration, engulfing Persia.

Renai leaped back a few steps, evading a swift fist as he momentarily admired the damage he inflicted.

The flames died, leaving only thick wisps of smoke. Persia stepped out of the pool of cooling magma beneath him, emerging from the smoke not only unharmed but seemingly refreshed.

It wasn't just his skin, it was the fact he came out unscathed, not even his armor seemed ruffled.

"Physical manifestation of anger… impressive," Persia said, nodding for emphasis, then continued.

"But it's going to take more than that to break me."

The smoke didn't even affect his voice, or expression

Renai's respect for the man surged. No matter how strong someone was, taking that kind of direct hit should have at least shifted their position. He must have been rooted to the ground somehow. Plus, there was no rage in his mind. He was calm, but not quite as still as a Sentient could achieve. He must be controlling a form of calmness. He was calm but you could still sense the intense interest he had for the opponent.

"I'm just getting started myself," Renai remarked.

Wisps of smoke billowed from his head as his hair actually burst into flame.

Then they both moved.

Renai unleashed a volley of fireballs, each of which Persia swatted away with contemptuous ease. With every step, Persia's feet hammered into the ground, the vibrations shaking the air.

The initial clash was devastating. The impact of Renai's flaming fist against Persia's rock-hard one unleashed a maelstrom of dust and heat, which left a burning sensation.

Renai felt his bones rattle from the force of the blow. Persia was throwing his body into every attack, fighting with reckless abandon as if convinced of his own invulnerability.

Maybe he really was invulnerable, but Renai wasn't. That was not to say that he didn't have his very own advantage, he could dish out long-range attacks, flood the entire area with his flames and transform it into his domain.

Fire and flying fists filled the battlefield. Persia kept raining blows down on Renai, but Renai surrendered himself to the flames, allowing them to carry him away from the deadly path.

A darkened fist came inches from his face, then another. He dodged both with casual ease, and his fist connected with Persia's face. The gale from the impact swept the flames back for a moment.

Knowing the fist wouldn't do much damage, Renai directed two thick streams of flame through Persia's nostrils, hoping to scorch his brain and daze him, or destroy what was hidden beneath his persona.

Whether it worked, Renai never found out, as Persia was upon him in the next instant.

It seemed the bastard was tempered to the core!

At that moment, Renai felt a flicker of embarrassment.

According to how he pictured the battle, he was supposed to be the aggressor, while Persia would be on the defensive, too busy trying to keep him from getting to the Convert.

But the reverse seemed to be the case.

Maybe the bastard really is trying to kill me, Renai thought, but then he dismissed the idea. He knew the man wasn't nearly as powerful enough to deal him even a fatal blow. Maybe if he was careless and pro…

Renai was jolted from his thoughts as Persia slammed into him with the force of a battering ram, his shoulder digging into Renai's abdomen as they rocketed through the air, fueled by Persia's staggering momentum.

Seizing the opportunity, Renai retaliated, hammering his elbow against Persia's spine. The impact resonated through Renai's arm, a jarring reminder of his training days spent shattering dense metal.

After a heart stopping aerial dance, Persia crashed them back to earth, continuing his relentless assault, blow after punishing blow battering Renai's face.

"You…fucking…bastard!"

Renai managed to choke out, each word punctuated by the brutal force of Persia's strikes.

Persia's response was a guttural snarl, "Die!"

Just as Persia's fist was about to connect, Renai unleashed a torrent of flames from his mouth, engulfing Persia's face. The stoic warrior stood firm, unyielding even as the inferno blackened his skin with soot. With a chilling display of control, Persia inhaled the flames and swallowed it, smoke coiling from his nostrils and mouth like a steam powered engine.

Renai was momentarily stunned, a grudging respect flickering in his eyes. But he hadn't been idle.

While engulfed in flames, the ground beneath them had liquefied into molten magma. Renai seized his chance, diving into the searing liquid and resurfacing behind Persia, the hardening magma hindered Persia's movements, but Renai was hot enough to melt the sand all around him as he swam.

Now it was Renai's turn. With fists ablaze, he pounced on Persia and unleashed a barrage of fiery blows.

Bracing himself for the inevitable counterattack, Renai prepared for a final, devastating strike that he believed would shatter Persia's stoic facade.

But instead of blocking the blow, Persia willingly met Renai's fist with his face. A metallic clang reverberated through Renai's arm, yet Persia remained unfazed, not even a trickle of blood came out of his nostrils.

With unnerving calm, Persia pushed Renai back and drove his fist deep into Renai's stomach...literally

A jolt ripped through Renai as Persia's fist plunged into his abdomen, but it wasn't made of the flesh or bone he expected, but a tempestuous storm of magma that coursed through his veins.

This time...Persia's arm actually got burnt

Both fighters retreated, their bodies radiating heat, giving each other a few meters distance.

Renai regarded Persia for a moment, the air was still burning and hot, so was his hair. Oxygen was scarce as most of it had burnt off. 

They were both heaving heavily, well not so much for Renai since he was already used to it. 

Persia was the first to speak.

"I can do this all day," Persia rasped, his voice rough and strained. "Bring it on."

Renai tilted his head, a faint smile dawning in his eyes. He had assessed the situation.

Technically, they were at a stalemate, each blow met with equal force and that doesn't seem to be changing anytime soon.

But in reality, Persia had already won. His objective wasn't to defeat Renai, but to protect the Convert. Even if Renai fled, Persia would have achieved his goal. And if he continued to fight, and they kept on exchanging blows like so, he would still have achieved his goal as long as the convert remained unharmed.

It was just a big waste of time actually, he only began fighting thinking he might have the upper hand.

Well, at least Renai would have a few new scars to tell a story with.

"I can't," Renai said, replying to Persia's last sentence. He then floated into the sky and prepared to leave

Pausing for a moment, he looked back at Persia, a hint of challenge in his voice,

"We'll meet again, Persia. I'm sure. And trust me…things will turn out differently."

With a final burst of speed, he vanished into the night.

As Renai disappeared from view, Persia spat a mouthful of blood into his palm and rubbed it through his tousled hair, a quiet acknowledgement of the damage he had sustained.

Thankfully, his hair didn't burn off.

"To think that bastard actually injured me," He murmured to himself, then turned his gaze to Derek, who stood transfixed in the distance, watching through a hole in the building he hid.

With a sigh, Persia turned and floated away, leaving Derek alone in the desolate wasteland.