Makarov Zugnav

"Looks like I'm in."

Dignitas' eyes widened momentarily as he stared at the environment he had been put into. If he were to describe it in two words… it would definitely be "flaming hot."

The arena itself was not much different from the one in the Academy's Colosseum. It featured a wide square platform raised in the middle that could change depending on the battle type.

As of now, it was set to be the spitting image of Ghrigan, the arena the fire elementals boasted about as the hottest. And indeed they were right.

The sky had decided to take on a different color today. Painted a fiery orange-red, the shade made it look as if it was literally on fire. The surrounding area around was no different, either, as flames of all sizes endlessly burned in every nook and cranny.

It reminded Dignitas a lot of Hellscape, Midania's equivalent of the Underworld. Even the smell was intoxicating, as the fumes from the hungry flames were continously emitted without regard for the air.

Ghrigan was no less fiery. In the middle, small, miniature volcanoes had risen from the ground and took to spewing fire on the arena, which surprisingly took it without any complaints. If that wasn't enough, lava lakes ran the entire perimeter of the arena, taking away what little space there was that wasn't already rock.

Digniras walked through the arena for a short while hoping he'd find the person he was looking for. The reviews about Ghrigan had also mentioned how Makarov was inside the world for more than twenty hours a day. Quite an excessive amount of time, and would most definitely cause him some health problems in the long run.

As the author skipped, jumped, and leapt across the many hazards the arena had to offer, he suddenly stopped when the figure of a tall man showed through the smoke.

It was but a mere silhouette, but Dignitas quite literally recognized who it was the moment he saw it.

"Makarov Zugnav. Care to tell me why you've holed yourself up in this world?" He shouted loudly.

"Huh?! Who're you to tell me what to do?"'

The voice replied no less than a second later, echoing back even louder somehow. It was then that the figure started to approach, and Dignitas placed his hand on Dainsleif's handle.

"Huh? Who're you? If you ain't Curie, get out!"

"Your Curie obsession has gone far enough, Makarov. I'm taking you in to for an interrogation."

"Just try it if you can, shitface! No one's going to stop me from meeting Curie!"

Without warning, Makarov burst through the screen of smoke charging. His speed was surprising, but nowhere near what Dignitas couldn't perceive.

In response, he too charged forward, planning to meet the brawler on his own terms. With Dainseif tightly held in his hands, he swung it down.

Ting! The sword's red blade clashed against the metal gauntlers Makarov wore. With a grunt, the blondie forced Dignitas back with a low kick.

The author retreated backwards and raised his sword in response to Death's Vision's foresight. A moment later, Makarov came crashing against him like a cannonball.

Wasting no time, Makarov got to his feet and continued his tireless assault on Dignitas.

"Whoa, you're stamina is something else." He praised the brawler.

Without even taking a moment for a breather, Makarov had already started throwing his fists at him once again. Dignitas kept up with each and every single bit thrown at him and diverted them with Dainsleif.

Sparks could be seen as a result of the two metals meeting each other. Without warning, Makarov lunged forward and grabbed ahold of Dignitas.

"Shit, it didn't work." The author cursed as Death's Vision failed him. Instead of another hit, Makarov had feinted and wenr for a grab.

Dignitas wasn't able to get the blond to release his grip when he suddenly got lifted into the air and thrown in the direction behind his opponent.

As he flew through the air, Dignitas displayed a calm sense of mind. Instead of panicking, he began to pour mana into his sword, before slashing it into a square.

"Reality Construction: Platform."

The drawn shape manifested itself into existence, and the author placed his entire body weight onto it as he began to near the ground.

Donk! He landed on top of a rather sizable pool of lava roughly. The lava bounced accordingly, splashing a few drops on his platform. The structure itself wasn't as soft as what Dignitas wanted it to be, but his drawing skills wasn't that good yet.

Tuk, tuk, tuk. The sound of Makarov's footsteps closing in on him rang through Dignitas' ears. His reaction time was an uncanny speed, almost as if he was perpetually in a state of enhanced senses.

"Curie, Curie, Curie…"

"Did Lorelai really sound like that while I was gone? Now, that's actually pretty hot."

Thinking quickly, Dignitas slashed another platform into existence, which he used as a foothold to get away from the lava puddle.

Makarov was already sweating even before Dignitas was here, but he didn't seem like he was going to get tired soon.

The blond's neverending display of stamina continued. This time, he made sure to fuse his mana into his fists, making each hit deadlier.

Ah, but the form his mana took on… it couldn't be mistaken as anything else. Fire in a fiery environment.

"So that's why you're so damn lively. This here's your mana home, you cheater."

Dignitas now understood why Makarov seemed to have no limit to his attacks. His mana Affinity was Fire, and the area they were in was practically bursting with that type.

"I guess that's why so many people lost to him. It's not like Makarov himself is bad, but at this point in the story, I can think of a few people who might be able to give him some trouble. Provided they fight in a neutral environment, of course." Dignitas said to himself.

"Well, it's not like I can change it. I'll just have to beat him."

As Makarov's attacks on him continued, Dignitas slowly but surely began infusing his sword with mana.

Then, the moment the blond threw out his next set of fists attacks, Dignitas sheathed Dainsleif.

The very next instant, he unsheathed the sword in an arc, and the area in front of him seemed to remove itself from reality. One could, if they listened hard enough, could hear a subtle crack sound, the same one that would resound if glass was shattered or broken.

"He dodged Distortion Slash, the hell?"

Makarov had managed to barely keep himself out of the way of Dignitas' attack by uncharacteristically bending himself almost ninety degrees downward.

Even the latter found it hard to believe that spines could bend that far back. Shaking his head, he focused on the attack. It would be his turn to overwhelm Makarov now.

"Time to say goodnight, Makarov. You'll see your friends again."

Without another word, Dignitas simply raised Dainsleif, before stabbing it into his waist. Blood spurted from the wound, but it wasn't anything he wasn't used to at this point.

Having activated his adrenaline rush, Dignitas made it an effort to use as much strength as he could within the short time it was effective.

As his body had already understood that these small injuries he caused himself weren't fatal unless aimed at a vital organ, his response to it naturally weakened.

It became harder to enter his rush form if the wound inflicted wasn't something large. When put this way, it really did sound like he was a drug addict.

Still, the rush worked its magic and Dignitas' speed and strength entered the next level.

"Hello," He said as he appeared directly in front of Makarov. With a smile, he swung Dainsleif sideways, leaving the blond with a shallow cut in his chest.

As this place was a world created through Illusion Magic, any wounds received would be removed upon exiting. The only thing that would remain the same was the user's mental state.

Indeed, it was the perfect environment for Dainsleif, a sword who inflicted wounds that could not heal.

Dignitas' increased speed caught Makarov off guard, who just barely met the sharp edge of Dainsleif with his gauntlets. Even then, his fists were shaking as he put up his resistance.

Death's Vision: Self showed Dignitas that he would attempt to dodge a hit from Makarov and fail, and so he instead decided to meet the blonde's retaliation head on.

"Ah, you're so slow." He remarked as he brought Dainsleif in his swing direction even before Makarov's arms began to move.

"And… show's over." Meeting Makarov's fist with his blade, Dignitas kicked the brawler backwards and used him as a foothold to leap back himself.

Then, he closed the increased distance between them within the blink of an eye, and with one quick sheathe-unsheathe, he released Distortion Slash on the helpless Zugnav, who fell to the ground with a thud.