Back off!

With a malicious look at Saik, Alaric asked, "Can you tell me what harm this juice could do?"

"Does my answer really matter?" Saik responded provocatively.

A faint smile crept onto Alaric's lips. "I'll answer that myself!"

He threw the cup of juice into the air, and with a swift hand gesture, shouted, "Shattering Fragments!"

The liquid mid-air instantly transformed into sharp, slicing fragments of energy. With quick movements, Alaric directed the slashing shards toward Saik. Reacting instinctively, Saik raised his right hand, yelling, "Vivid Barrier!"

A tangible barrier of energy rose from the ground, intercepting Alaric's attack. The clash between the energy shards and the barrier created a high-pitched sound that echoed through the plaza.

Suddenly, Saik sensed a presence approaching rapidly.

"Him!" Saik thought, looking up to find Alaric leaping over his barrier.

"Why are you hiding in there?" Alaric shouted with crazed enthusiasm.

Still mid-air, Alaric sought to keep Saik on the defensive. "Sin: Fragmentation! Ground!" he declared, and immediately, the ground beneath Saik's feet began to break apart.

"Come on, giant, I could use a hand right now!" Saik muttered, touching the disintegrating ground.

The vivid energy flowing from his body sank into the ground, quickly forming a massive hand of tangible energy that lifted Saik out of harm's way. The hand launched itself upward, carrying Saik away from the crumbling earth below.

"Now that's different!" Alaric remarked, grinning madly at Saik's maneuver.

"Saik…" Koji thought, concerned, as he watched the fight from a distance.

Though Saik had escaped the breaking ground, Alaric wasted no time and said, "You better pay attention."

Saik turned to see another wave of sharp energy fragments heading his way.

"Move, hand, now!" he commanded.

The energy hand swerved just in time, dodging the shards. But suddenly, Alaric appeared in front of Saik, mid-air, hands together in a threatening gesture, shouting, "Take this!"

"Oh, crap!" Saik cursed.

Hundreds of sharp fragments rushed toward him, and Saik swiftly raised his right hand, calling upon another defense. "Reinforced Barrier!"

At first, the initial shards were blocked, but as the barrage continued, the barrier began to show signs of weakening, threatening to shatter at any moment.

Unexpectedly, Saik heard a familiar voice in his mind.

"Saik, you're a fourth-class wielder now. Don't you remember your technique evolved?" It was Elátos, the demon of his pact, residing within him, a constant presence, but rarely intervening directly.

"Elátos?" Saik replied, surprised, trying to focus on Alaric's attacks. "Yeah, I remember. I just used the Reinforced Barrier."

"Okay, but why not use the other two abilities you gained?... This is a good time."

"Right… Perfect timing, huh?"

Without hesitation, Saik released a massive wave of vivid energy from his body, amplifying it until the barrier shone with intense, pulsating light.

"Directional Projection!" Saik exclaimed.

The accumulated energy in the barrier focused into a single point, unleashing a powerful blast against Alaric's energy fragments.

Brram!

The impact was immediate. Saik's energy tore through the air, dissipating Alaric's sharp fragments in an instant. Alaric's eyes widened slightly in surprise as he watched his attack get neutralized.

"Now things are getting interesting!" Alaric said, clearly excited by the challenge Saik posed.

Saik wasted no time. Swiftly, he channeled tangible energy into his hands, forming two sharp blades of pure energy. He charged at Alaric, who quickly retreated, using Fragmentation to break the ground at his feet.

"Push him back!" Alaric shouted.

Even with the ground rapidly disintegrating beneath him, Saik pressed forward, leaping over the expanding fragmentation.

"Damn it!" Alaric muttered with rage and frustration.

In a blur of agility, Alaric dodged to the side just as Saik nearly struck him. Now mere feet apart, face-to-face, Saik saw an opening.

"Hand-to-hand combat doesn't seem to be his strength," Saik thought.

Alaric extended his right arm, opening his hand, and shouted, "Gas Conversion!"

Immediately, Saik halted as the gases in the air transformed into razor-sharp particles that floated and gathered momentum.

"What? Even this?" Saik muttered, stunned by Alaric's ability to seemingly convert anything.

With a sweeping gesture, Alaric sent the gaseous shards flying toward Saik. Realizing how close they were, Saik knew he had little room to maneuver.

"Damn it! I'm way too close!"

On instinct, before the shards could pierce his body, Saik unleashed more vivid energy into his arms, launching an explosive wave of energy forward, sweeping across the battlefield toward Alaric.

With a wild grin, Alaric touched the ground with both hands, shouting again, "Fragmentation!"

The ground shattered beneath him into a thousand pieces, allowing Alaric to sink into the earth along with the crumbling debris. He narrowly avoided Saik's powerful energy wave.

The fragmentation stopped, and Saik cautiously approached the opening in the ground.

"Where the hell did he go?" he wondered, peering down into the chasm.

"You're tougher than I thought!" Alaric shouted from below, his voice taunting.

Meanwhile, a woman with gray hair, cold eyes, and a stern, functional outfit in dark tones observed the battle from the top of a seven-story building.

"Alaric, you fool. What are you doing?"