Stars Collide

*I am once again asking for honest opinions on my writing for this chapter. I just feel like I somehow fuck it up. Please be honest. Thank you and enjoy. Peace out and Deus vult :))*

Her blue eyes were glowing in the light, the same color as the tattoo on her back. It slowly grew in intensity, matching Mark's crimson-red irises that coldly crawled into her soul. The battle was about to get serious, with both of them standing with their weapons gripped firmly, walking slowly in a circle. The crowd roared in the background, fueling the intensity of the scene. 

"Are you going to just stare and enjoy the view?" she asked, grinning from ear to ear, showing her fangs as they sunk softly into her lower lip. 

Mark's cold gaze studied her limbs, watching each movement and answering in kind. The smallest twitch of her arm forced him to prepare for a swing, ready to parry the war axe head-on. 

"Just bring it in, come on," he said, speaking firmly as he swung, continuing the battle himself. 

She met his strike directly, pushing the blade aside as it slid along her own weapon, coming closer for her. Mark let go of it, only after infusing it with energy and pushing it mentally, coming in low with an uppercut aimed for her guts. 

Feixiao brought her leg up, kicking at him before dropping low, fixing her war axe in the ground before sliding on the handle, keeping part of it against the sword while her body spun and brought a heel to Mark's face. He grabbed her foot, lifting her up in the air to toss her aside, and yet she curled around his arm, forcing her legs around his neck once more, just like that one time when she was trying to regain control of herself—but she was in control this time. 

Mark tried to slam her to the ground, and yet Feixiao slid along to remain on top, squeezing his breath out of him. Mark's breath was forced to halt, and yet the energy of Abundance in him seemed to keep him going, almost as if replacing the need for air. His mind, focused purely on fighting, didn't bother much with that information, instead focusing on finding a way to rid himself of her lock. 

"You sure love wrapping yourself around me like that," he muttered, the words coming out ragged and almost soundless, yet the forced mumbling was comprehensible. She grinned, forcing every muscle in her leg to squish his neck until he'd drop and accept defeat. 

"You also seem to enjoy tossing me around, you know? That's no way to treat a lady," she chuckled, but Mark simply thought of it, and the behemoth of a sword came spinning her way like the propellers on a helicopter. 

Her eyes went wide for a moment before she let go and leapt away, grabbing her own weapon from the ground, crushing it into the sword with enough power to send it flying back, only to then face off Mark, who came dashing her way in the blink of an eye, swinging punch after punch, mixing in feints in there as his feet slid on the ground, moving him closer and closer. 

His palms met the strong steel of her war axe, quickly tearing his skin on the knuckles, but he couldn't care less since the wounds were closing at an alarming rate, unfit for a human. She was pushed back as Mark kept attacking, with the sword moving in as a separate entity altogether, yet there was just one emotion on Feixiao's face: excitement. 

The crowd covered the sounds of the weapons clashing with cheers and shouts, while Owlbert had finally returned to his job as commentator. 

"What a heated battle! The tides keep changing on the go, but it seems that the Merlin's Claw is being pushed back! Is Mark perhaps the one to ruin her title as Lacking General?" 

The words didn't quite seem to reach him, but she laughed as the war axe struck with twice the power, sending the sword up into the air and away from him. He felt his hold on it weaken significantly, yet it was enough for him to try and keep it in the air, ready to return. 

"I guess it's time I actually put an end to this, don't you think?" 

He sighed, switching to the defensive as her strength finally came closer to her true power, something that she couldn't use without risking to hurt the public. Yet, there she was, willingly accepting that Mark was worth seeing more of her. 

"Sly, not using your all. I guess you take me for a joke," he mumbled, his eyes flicking around to meet each strike head on, pushing it aside while he retreated. 

"Don't talk as if you're not doing the same. Still, you're closer to your limit than I am, right?" 

Her tone was playful, mocking him subtly like one would a child. However, she was right. His upper limit was still far from an Emanator focused purely on combat, like her. The Stonehearts were weaker, or at least Aventurine had been thanks to the cracked Aventurine stone, but Feixiao was in full strength. He still didn't know for sure if each General was an Emanator themselves or shared the Marshal, but one thing was sure: they were strong. 

"I'm still far from beating one of them head on, but... I can win this one because it's not a battle to the death. One strike, it's all I need." 

With his mind made up, Mark took the approach needed. Visions of Acheron moving by his side at twice his speed despite his 50% output flashed in his mind. How much more would he have to let go of his humanity? 

Just as Feixiao swung once more, Mark stepped into the strike, once again going for the suicidal choice since she wasn't going to kill him. Thus, he glued his feet to the ground with a subtle layer of ice, reinforcing it as much as possible in that split second. Her eyes went wide as she found herself within his reach; her axe sank slightly in his left arm. From behind, his inhuman arm clenched tightly, the burst of energy within it enough to melt him. 

"Let's see how she likes a 57% output. This should be closer to her strength, right?" 

Once again, it was a moment of hesitation that would end up with her taking another hit. Mark's Will had done well in keeping it together, to the point his pain wasn't even felt. With one blitzing motion, his fist crushed against her stomach, going upwards. The crash was so strong and the energy released was so intense that the bang erupted with a shockwave so strong the Skysplitter was shook to the core, while Feixiao was tossed so high up in the sky that she vanished from view. 

"Maybe I went a bit overkill, but that shouldn't be enough to kill her," he whispered, finally calling his sword back down. It went neatly on his back, fixed with ice as the crowd was dead silent, with Owlbert breaking the silence. 

"WHAT A SHOW! MARK WAS ABLE TO WIN AGAINS THE MERLIN'S CLAW BY FORCING HER OUTSIDE OF BOUNDS! CLEARLY, THAT'S A SMART VICTORY AGAINST AN OPPONENT AS POWERFUL AS HER! LET'S HEAR A ROARING WAVE OF APPLAUSE FOR THE CHAMPION!" 

Mark couldn't care less, instead staring up in the sky. A faint blue light could be seen, which only grew more and more. The crowd cheered and clapped, whistling loudly, making as much noise as they could, still shocked by the power displayed in front of their eyes, but Mark knew it wasn't over. She wanted the last word—or rather, strike. 

"Owlbert," he shouted. "I suggest watching this. Time to witness a little bit more of a General's true power," he added, pointing up to the sky. The crowd followed his finger, watching the blue dot grow brighter and larger as it got closer. It was Feixiao, coming in with a powerful strike that could probably split the ship in half. It was an open invitation for him to showcase more of his power, and perhaps the test that Mark wanted and couldn't get. 

For a split second, excitement glowed behind his empty eyes, and his lips curled up. His eyes returned to normal, and it dawned upon him that his progress had been insane. The strongest member of the Astral Express was Welt—that much he knew, but perhaps, with him growing so fast, things could change. 

"It's time I'll see if I can pierce the Arrow of the Hunt," he declared, pushing his body to the upper limits. It was time to either die or gain more insight on his power and how much his body would have to grow. 

With his jaw clenched shut and the pressure in his teeth enough to make him aware of each one that was in his mouth, he allowed the Stellarons within him to flare up and pump him with more energy. 

"65% burst, that's what I'm aiming for. If my body burns up, I'll just let it fix itself, right?" 

His bones were once again strained to the limit, the muscle tissue tearing itself without him even moving. Just having that much energy inside was enough to turn it all into pieces, grounding his bones into fine dust. With his eyes fixed on the sky above, he bent his knees and jumped, cutting through the air before it could even react. He went up, the Fire of Will engulfing him in its protective cover, the gentle warmth familiar to him, a lingering feeling on his lips. 

His mind threw at him a simple image, that of a gentle face with lingering scars and soft burn marks, and the sight only fueled him even more. There was one thing he had to do, just one duty that nothing would stop him from reaching it: taking down the Aeons. With his cold gaze fixed up in the sky, the feelings faded. There was no pain from Acheron leaving him behind, no pain from Himeko's lingering self within the sword becoming one with his Will, no emotion from his friends going through his stuff to figure out whatever secrets he held. He understood it all, but did anyone understand him? 

"I'm the loneliest there is... but at least let me be lonely at the top." 

The Arrow of the Hunt, Feixiao, came crushing down towards the ground, her war axe pointing forward, while Mark took up to the skies, testing how far he's gotten on his journey. Nothing mattered in that moment besides his absolute goal and selfish desire—power. 

She could see him approaching, his speed enough to match her own when using the Flying Aureus, a spirit received from Lan of the Hunt. 

"What a beautiful sight," she whispered, smiling. "A human who managed to match power stemming from the very Aeons. Impressive, Mark. Truly impressive." 

The two clashed in the air, his fist thundering forward against the war axe, exploding upon impact, releasing the energy in a chaotic manner that painted the sky red. Fierce waves of energy traversed space itself, shaking the entire Luofu. Sparks of blue and red danced in the sky, painting a show on the canvas called sky. 

They came to a halt midair; his right arm completely disintegrated from the blow, while her war axe was cracked in half from a blow that couldn't even transfer the whole energy into it. She smiled, exhausted from pushing herself, yet compared to Mark, her state was as good as new. Meanwhile, he had a dazed look on his face, his missing arm not even an issue in the moment. The muscles in his body were torn, but he was glad since the pain would turn into more power as each time the muscle tissue is repaired, it grows stronger. 

"You sure are something else; I'll give you that, and yet you have a long way to go." 

She grabbed him and made sure to land safely with him in the arena, holding him from beneath the shoulder, supporting his pained body. He said nothing at first, but then spoke calmly. 

"Sorry for breaking your axe... but it means that I can pierce the Arrow of the Hunt... meaning that you'll never have to worry about them killing innocents again." 

The words left her stunned, and their little discussion went on without the public hearing since they were too busy going wild. 

"You... do you perhaps know of that?" she asked calmly, but the tinge of pain in her eyes was honest. He nodded, saying nothing more about it other than a short few words. 

"I'll make the Aeons pay." 

She scoffed slightly, helping him to the Alchemy Commission. 

"You can't even defeat me yet in an all-out battle, and you talk about taking on the Aeons? You're insane, kid." 

He chuckled, showing a hint of his usual side for a brief moment before closing his eyes and fainting.