Do or Die

(-April 7, 2061/ 8:45 AM/ Current location: Demon King's forest-)

All of what Muto could see are sparks and trails left by their mana residue.

If Luthien could have fought like this before then why did she choose not to? (Muto)

He could not follow nor can his eyes keep pace on their battle without a magic spell.

Muto has been spending a lot of mana since he first set foot outside of the Kingdom. Roughly 2/4th of what's left. The Archaic piece has been monitoring his body since the beginning, assessing before making a report. He has fought the strong, Muto is yet to fight the fast and furious. He feels as though his power is not enough for his plans.

Both Lugh and Luthien seem to be equals. Lugh's style of fighting is relentless aggression that leaves him full of opening but his battle instincts keeps him from being wounded while Luthien's style hails from experience. Seeking and creating weak spots is its focus so within the duration of her battle, she is shooting her shots.

It's a battle of endurance. First one to slip or slow down will lose.

(W/N: The spell that both Luthien and Lugh used is {Tempastes Lorica}. The same spell that Raiden used in his battle against the Golem.)

One of them is bound to make a mistake.

Hitting and dodging again and again. Each move makes the tempo faster than it initially started with. Both are desperate for a solid hit.

Luthien starts to retreat. Going past Muto, his hair flutters back and, going past him in the process.

[Lugh: Get Back Here!]

Lugh blindly follows.

He passes as well.

Lugh is pushing himself to his max speed, so is she.

At the farthest distance that she can between herself and Lugh, Luthien stood on the ground and buried her feet though the soil. Lugh is unable to slow down due to him focusing on accelerating.

[Luthien: {Dryadalis Dominari arts, 2nd movement: Testa Tragula!}]

With both her hands, she strikes his stomach and his chest with full force. The impact sent tremors through the mountain and her opponent was pushed away like an explosion. Lugh began to cough out blood, as he was hurtling down the mountain a shadow was cast above him. Luthien's hands are locked together, almost like holding a hammer.

[Luthien: {Dryadalis Dominari arts, 4th movement : Clava Accudo!}]

Just as what Thor would do, Luthien struck him down as if light from the sun invited itself to the battle. She made him jounce to the ground. Any man and woman would be knocked out or have a faint left of consciousness. But Lugh, he's wide awake. He sacrificed his left arm just so he could fight some more.

His right arm is casting a spell and holding pebbles. The wind that assisted him had faded after he was forcefully pounded to the dirt.

[Lugh: {Hexa grade magic spell: Mystica Pyrobolum!}]

While he's still in mid-air after the bounce, Lugh's magic spell expels the pebbles in his hand like a shotgun would. The tree and everything else behind it, destroyed.

Unfortunately, what he attacked is not there but just an afterimage left by Luthien.

Something waned his conviction. A chilling yet fiery figure stood behind him. Everything felt as though all of his efforts were just an atom of what she has earned.

With her powerful magic and sturdy arms, she struck him every place that may impede his bodily functions. Muscle, bone, and nerves to name a few.

Until the last final attack where Luthien sent him down, eviscerating the ground with the force of a tank round. The droplets turned into mist and the trees bent facing away. As the cloud of mist faded, she can see clear as day that Muto has stopped her attack. Stopped by three cracked magic-made swords.

Just a few meters away, Luthien saw Muto walking towards her.

[Muto: You've proven your worth. It's time to stop.]

She stared at Lugh, debating to herself whether or not to spare him or spare his master trouble.

[Luthien: ...]

[Muto: Eh, why not? Kill him if you want.]

The blades faded and what remained is Lugh lying face first into the mud.

[Luthien: This kid... He's awake.]

[Muto: Oh. really now?]

Muto kicked Lugh's gut, making him collide with the tree and spit out blood.

He heard a faint voice come out of his mouth. Muto squatted in front of him, trying to hear his voice. It almost sounded like he's reciting something, but mana is not converging anywhere. As he listens, he hears rhythm and rhyme.

[Lugh: ʸᵒ, ʰᵒ, ᵃˡˡ ʰᵃⁿᵈˢ, ʰᵒᶦˢᵗ ᵗʰᵉ ᶜᵒˡᵒʳˢ ʰᶦᵍʰ. ᴴᵉᵃᵛᵉ ʰᵒ, ˢᶦⁿˢ ᵃⁿᵈ ˢᶦⁿⁿᵉʳˢ. ᴺᵉᵛᵉʳ ˢʰᵃˡˡ ᴵ ᵈᶦᵉ.]

Lugh continues to sing, his voice gradually increasing in sound and bass. The rain that bathed the land in moist and mud has stopped.

[Lugh: Yo, ho, all together. Hoist the colors high. Heave ho, kings and bearers. Never shall we die.]

"Tune of the Seven Seas". Back before his city was destroyed, Muto learned a bit of Magic and its functions. Magic spells have no limit to how they are chanted as long as the meaning, reason and intent stays the same. Anyone can chant magic spells using writing, poem, music or just stating their names.

One of those is the most beautiful way of chanting magic.

"Singing".

An universal act which breaks barriers of language, ethnicity and culture. Everyone enjoys listening to it.

Except it has a flaw.

It can be ruined.

[Muto: Mom's spaghetti. Knees weak, arms are heavy, there's vomit on his sweater already. Mom's spaghetti.]

An awkward pause. The moment of breakthrough was reduced into a joke.

[Lugh: You clever fuck.]

[Muto: As if I'm gonna let some Deus Ex Machina bullshit slide past me.]

He passes out.

[Luthien: Well that was easy. What now?]

[Muto: We climb further.]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

(- 8:50 AM/ Current location: The Pocket dimension-)

You're kidding me right? That actually worked? (Alice)

Mordred loses consciousness and falls face first into the floor.

His world breaks down.

The abyss-like ceiling shattered. The shards that fell down dissipated upon colliding with the ground. Slowly, the real world is revealing itself.

Don't tell me that he didn't even set up a domain characteristic to his Pocket dimension. No wonder it worked. Just what was this kid thinking when he sacrificed his Herrschermagius to create a pocket Dimension? Mordred could have used an invincibility characteristic or even an Anti magic area but there never was one. And what about those things that he has on the floor?... Welp, less thinking, more working then. (Alice)

The mark that she gave is glowing gold.

[Alice: This magic phenomena.]

Something is flowing out and it does not look favorable.

[Mordred: As if I can let you leave now.]

[Alice: You're Awake!]

His incomplete Intrinsic Aspect is functioning at an impossible rate.

(-W/N: "Intrinsic Aspect": A rare and most sought for in the modern Magic age world. Intrinsic Aspect is a passive phenomenon caused by the mutation of the user's magic. As a result, the user has an ability that is constantly active whether they want to or not. Just like super powers.-)

A garden of steel vines, roses stained in his own blood is flowing out like a flash flood.

Mordred is screaming in agony but the pain is a mere comedy against the anguish of losing the one he devoted his life to. He can't face her in the afterlife if he can't avenge her.

The rose and vines evolved into blades and fauna. Everything is turning into plants with only a single tree branch dragging him away to the edge of the Sky city.

Alice has expended most of her battle suit's energy and her own mana.

It's do or die for her.