Chapter 259: The Clash Between the Cream of the Crop Commences

Overcast and gloomy. It was going to rain today, it was just a matter of when and not if. Of all the days for the weather to turn sour it just had to be on the day of the final tournament match for the outer court disciples. Typical wasn't it? The grey skies were foreboding and prophesizing a match between two expert cultivators that would rend the earth and tear the heavens and Ares wasn't convinced this was a good thing for him. If Mako could cast any electric arts via Alpha And Omega then Ares was already at a disproportionate disadvantage because of this troublesome day. Maybe his Prowler could be a tad bit more effective due to the darker atmosphere and scenery but that was a thin hope compared to the simplicity of shocking a person in the rain. Destruction, bested by rain drops! How tragic this whole affair was. Ares needed to consider creating a disintegration art to deal with stuff like this, or maybe even an art capable of creating its own immediate biome and altering the weather within. Cloudy with a chance of explosions! Disintegration rain, anyone? Random tears of void through space that could Shift people about whether they wanted to be dragged kicking and screaming through shattered space or not? Ares liked the sound of it but creating such an art was a tricky thing and not something worth dwelling on right about now. He had a more pressing issue in the form of his upcoming match against Mako which was due to start in about an hour. He was inside his house, looking out the window while everyone else was lounging around behind him playing board games. They had it easy! Then again, up until now Ares had it pretty easy and so he wasn't in a position to talk. He'd played hard for most of the tournament and now it was time to work hard as this would undoubtedly be his hardest fought battle yet since becoming a cultivator. For all his poking fun at Mako the guy was going to be strong. Or rather, if a fundamental was ever weak then Ares might even be disappointed.

Ares was ready. All his tricks that he'd honed over the course of his cultivation journey this far, and even some he had yet to test out, where all neatly tucked away in his proverbial back pocket, ready to take Mako by storm. To finish off his preparations, he made everyone a decently sized early lunch so as not to fight a hard battle on an empty stomach. Still, nothing too heavy was made otherwise that would cause problems as well so some warm sandwiches were in order! Enyo also joined in and took some of the burden off Ares by making her trademark toasted pitas which he was grateful for. Bellona also eventually got off her lazy ass and made some drinks for everyone as well.

After the food was devoured rapidly, as the number of greedy gluttons in this house was astronomical, it was time to set off but it had already started drizzling lightly outside and everyone other than Ares was wearing some proper clothes to block out the rain. He wanted to maintain his mobility and so being fashion forward or wearing clothes that were tailored for this kind of weather right now wasn't in the cards. Mako wouldn't do it either so he couldn't afford that small handicap just because it was going to be a bit chilly and he might get wet. Even if he got ill afterwards, for his recklessness, it was still worth it in the grand scheme of things to take a small hit here to increase his odds in the fight. Plus he was a cultivator so the rain wouldn't be too devastating. Of course if it got bad for whatever reason then Ares was now in possession of various measures that could counteract it to various degrees and he wasn't too worried about it. Again, his preparations for any storms that might come his way, in this case literally, had done him wonders and his mind was relatively stress free. Or as much as it could be given the situation at least.

It was time to head out so the large group all left the sect to the sound of cheers from the fellow disciples who were seeing them off and / or following them to the coliseum. Regardless of the outcome today, the Red Sun team had done immeasurable good for the reputation of the sect and they were basically already heroes in everyone's eyes. The least they could do was give them a proper send off and wish them good luck in their plight, although it was mainly Ares that received their blessings as what was going to happen today revolved around him primarily. It was pretty much known to everyone watching the tournament that a duel was taking place and, although the C.O had been tempted to intervene and demand a team vs team battle, it ended up being solidified via public preference. The C.O understood where the hype lay in the upcoming finals so they opted not to be heavy handed about things and ruin it. Any other year they would have been on the finalists' backs like a ton of bricks and threatened them with serious punishments for disobeying the rules but the whole fundamental thing had thrown everything out of whack and special circumstances required special handling.

This was a fantastic money making opportunity too as even people who never watched the outer court matches, sticking to inner court or core matches instead, had heard enough about the two fundamentals to at least be curious and come check things out. A lot of spare seats near the upper floors were going to be chock full today, instead of mostly empty, and there might even be some people on the top floor other than the matriarchs and their kin due to the nature of the match. The C.O were pulling out all the stops and setting up magic barriers to prevent the rain from disturbing the top floor guests and everything.

Today was a big deal and the vibe throughout town mirrored that. People were rushing around everywhere, trying to get small and menial tasks finished so they could hurry over to the venue. This was especially true of the locals who were praying for Ares to come out on top for the glory of this place... Although there had been some strange rumours floating around about what he intended to do with it! Hans' work had already started and he was making decent headway on that front so a lot of people were giving Ares double and triple glances as he was potentially their ticket to an infinitely better life. What he could offer them, just by passively having them exist on his floating makeshift planet, was not small. Even if they remained mortals their lives would improve considerably if Ares did well in his cultivation journey. Everyone was going to be tied at the hip to him but given his display in the international thus far, as well as his reputation prior, they felt confident that the old bandit brother who helped maintain the peace could become something more for this town and really send it to the stratosphere! Literally! Ares wasn't the underdog here as he was competing in his own hometown so the wind was at his back while Mako was facing a strong headwind. Every little helped.

The Red Sun team arrived at the coliseum and separated from the large crowd that gathered behind them. They were ushered into the standard waiting room for what would inevitably be the last time this year and politely asked to wait while the crowd was riled up outside. Would the competitors here be back next year? Honestly, none of them knew. The cultivation world was a busy one and guaranteeing their participation was impossible. Ares might even be running the sect by then and he would almost definitely be required to compete in the core tournament if it was even possible for him to register. Of course this was all predicated on him not being whisked away on some whacky adventure on the other side of the world at the time it was being run so who knows if he'd compete again? Not that the tournament couldn't keep being run after that as Ares could take the international to new heights via his Red Sun abduction. The tournament, the original one, would be dragged into Vraizon at some point so Sheryashka would need to find a new venue to host their own tournaments from now on! Bhorashka apparently had a pretty decent stadium within the jungle near their main city so it could be held there as it was still within the confines of central land which was key to enabling consistent international attendance.

Putting that thought to the back of his head, Ares started wondering about something else instead... Should he whip out the scythe this match? He was leaning towards no for various reasons but this would be as good a chance as any to practice with it... Sort of, anyway. Mako wasn't really a close quarters combatant so if Ares was in range to swing the scythe at him then that would be a pretty big miracle. Plus, at that point, he'd rather just have a weapon he was comfortable with to get in some damage that actually meant something rather than flail around with the scythe. Still, if he never took risks then how was he going to improve with it? Decisions decisions... It wasn't an easy choice as Mako's magic would be hard to stop if Ares was messing around with the weapon, and he wouldn't prove to be a valuable foe up close either, but this was a rare opportunity Ares would be missing out on if he declined to use it...

Ares would wind up fighting Mako multiple times throughout his journey; that just seemed like the kind of relationship they were going to have with one another as they bounced off each other and improved at roughly the same rate. Tournaments, random disagreements, fighting over resources. This was going to happen more than once but maybe not again for some time in the near future. They were still establishing themselves in this wide world and so, at least until they escaped the Primordial barrier, it might not happen again. Ares would have other notable enemies to swing his scythe at but not Mako, he was off the table for him after today... but logically he should start with weaker humans and monsters to work his way up to a grand opponent like Mako! Ares sighed to himself and eventually chose not to use the strange weapon unless there was a clear opening he could exploit freely without being punished. It was cowardly but also the smart choice here and he didn't want to let his team down because he was being obstinate over something stupid like this. The scythe wasn't being put in the icebox but it wasn't looking like it would make an appearance today either. Ares other weapons though? They were ready and waiting! Spears, hammers, axes, etc... Ares had them on standby and he would pull them out whenever it was appropriate to do so.

Ares looked up as it was finally time to face his new rival as the Red Sun team was being called out into the arena. It seemed like, even though they weren't competing, the rest of the team would get to sit around inside the arena and watch from close up. Given the scale of the fight, Enyo might need to summon barriers for them occasionally to protect them from wayward attacks or large, devastating arts that encompassed a wide area. Ares would NOT be protecting them as he was going to be busy beyond belief dealing with his own issues and his team were very well aware of that. They would all rather die to a haphazard attack from Mako, or even friendly fire from Ares, than have him stop what he was doing and lose momentum mid combat. They weren't going to be able to contribute to this fight so they didn't want to be a detriment to the person who they were reliant on. That's not to say Aejaz and Enyo couldn't possibly get involved but, seeing as how both fundamentals wanted this one on one, they were fine with letting it happen. Besides, they both trusted Ares to win anyway. Ares had always been the indomitable big brother to Aejaz and the unstoppable menace husband to Enyo so, even if they were a tad blinded by familial love, there was a great deal of respect for Ares as a powerhouse cultivator within them. Ares cracked his bones and rolled his neck as he walked down the long hallway. It was long normally but today it's length had seemingly doubled and the crowd's cheering was oddly muted... Were the nerves actually getting to him? This was a strange feeling... He'd never been anxious like this before! It wasn't really out of fear or anything, just some serious excitement! He'd never had an opponent as worthy as this, he'd never been spectated to this degree before, and the pressure to perform had never been so dauntingly massive. It was rather surreal to him.

He walked outside and into the roaring applause, getting a little wet in the process what with the rain crashing down from above. He'd gotten wet on the way here, as the abundant roofs had quelled some of the downpour, but here? Here out in the open with no roof overhead he was going to be getting the rain straight to his dome. The same seemed to be partially true for Mako but he just pulled out a hard hat and put it on his head for now. He'd likely take it off before the match started but, until then, he had something to keep his noggin dry. Now whether he always had that on him, or he just created it out of thin air, Ares didn't know. Honestly. it was probably the former; this guy was working on something big in his spare time if Serene's occasional hints during pressure training were anything to go by. His fundamental pillar-related special treasure was a biggen and he had to use scaffolding and proper tools to work on it. Having a hard hat wasn't all that surprising. Actually, now that Ares thought about it, common appliances were basically free to Mako right? He never needed to use stardust on day to day needs because he could just create whatever he was lacking on the spot! Lucky bastard... Some people had to pay for crap around here! Although, then again, Ares had a stardust generating method in his future, via Garmr, so he couldn't really complain. Also, he could create tasty food! Mako would probably be able to whip up food out of nowhere but would it taste good? If Mako was always happy to have his mother's cooking then the answer was probably no. Then again, the quality of the taste might improve over time to match his cultivation but whether or not Mako would ever stop having his mother's soups was pretty doubtful. He was secretly a momma's boy and nothing was ever really going to change that. No matter how much he tried to wriggle out of Serene's grasp, due to his mountain full of pride hiding away within him, he never really hated it.

Ares was staring down Mako and the reverse was equally true. They'd tuned out the miscellaneous shouting in the background and were entirely focused on each other and the upcoming match. According to shithead Lex the rules were slightly different compared to usual. The talisman was gone, basically, and it was now just a contest to see which team could kill the other first. Although it wasn't a declared rule, it was expected that the side with the losing fundamental would just surrender after either Ares or Mako went down. It was technically a one vs one but the team was still permitted to keep fighting even after the duel if they wanted to for whatever reason. There was also a non-zero chance that the two fundamentals might tie and kill each other at the same time which meant the teammates could decide the result of the match themselves, not that it wasn't extremely apparent which side would win should it come to that. Mako's teammates were nothing special and that was doubly true when they were measured up against Enyo or Aejaz. Still, the rules were basically the same as before minus the talisman and timer stuff.

There was no longer a way to lame out the other team and hide behind barriers for the duration of the match but there was also no longer a duration at all. The five minute timer was also gone so Ares and Mako could take as long as they needed to finish off each other. The C.O had to hope they wouldn't pull some stupid half truce and waste everyone's time with extremely slow and methodical fights but they felt confident that wouldn't be the case given how the two's matches had gone this far. Ares only long match was a direct result of him dicking around with the scythe so, provided he didn't pull it out again, things ought to remain speedy throughout. The fight would still probably be long, yes, but it would be action packed and not some dull, tedious, poke fest wherein nobody committed to anything. The match would still be a hectic one.

The rules were explained in full to a silent crowd and now everybody was getting in position... Well the relevant position anyway. They weren't on the starting line, save for Mako and Ares, because the eight other people were all hugging the walls at the opposite ends of the arena from one another. They were trying to stay as far away from the action as possible so this was the best place to stand. The Red Sun team felt a lot more comfortable right now though because Enyo had kindly set up an array of multiple barriers. She might need to re-summon them, or create more, down the line if things got out of hand but it was still way better than having nothing to defend themselves with. As these barriers were irrelevant to the main fight, even though the match hadn't started, the C.O permitted Enyo to summon them early. Mako's teammates looked incredibly jealous right now and some of them were even considering kiss assing Enyo to get her to summon some for them as well. Unfortunately for them Enyo would not be doing this and the match was literally starting right now anyway. Lex had just swiped his hand vertically downward and the horn...

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

... Signalled the start of the final showdown! The crowd fell silent once more and all eyes were on the two combatants to see what they were going to do. For now, they were strafing around each other and having a silent discussion via their gaze on who was going to make the first move. Ares wanted to close the distance so he activated his annihilation enhancement and carefully took some steps forward. Mako had to be careful here but so did Ares. If Ares blindly charged forward and Mako cast a defensive art he would run headfirst into a trap. If Ares took things slow like this he would be able to react while closing ground. In other words, it was up to Mako to decide what to do next and the mind games had already begun. Yes he could cast a defensive art but he should really be aiming to cast an art that would benefit him long term right now. A defensive art would be overcome and Ares would be steps closer to him but if he went for anything more complicated Ares would get to close the distance safely... It was already a problematic start for Mako but that was just the result of him dedicating all of his effort towards his magic and letting his physical side of things fall behind.

As things currently stood, his creation magic would long outlast and overcome Ares' destruction magic. Ares would not be able to destroy at the same rate Mako created because Ares' magic had fallen behind slightly but the same was not true of their bodies. Ares' adept trait was holding him back but the pressure stuff was unmatched regardless. This all meant that Mako's advantage was that he was way slower and weaker up close but hit harder at longer ranges and could keep Ares at bay, stuck outside the range he wanted to fight at if he got an opening. Given all of that, it was no surprise the start of the match was like watching two snails having a staredown. Things would speed up explosively the second a proper move was made, it was just a question of what Mako would go for exactly and how Ares would respond. Terros was by Mako's side too and could maybe be a small nuisance before he was summoned properly via the contract, although he couldn't do anything so major, so both parties had to take that into consideration but the reverse was also true. Now that the match was upon them, Ares not having his God by his side and out in the open was worrying as Mako and Terros still had no clue who it was. Ares was hiding it well and that was going to be a real hassle later on for sure. Still, no one was summoning their Gods in full just yet, they were still in the early stages and that shit show could wait 'till later.

"Golem Proving Ground!"

Based on the name of the art alone, this was probably the art Mako used against the Umbra lot that ended their fight in under a minute. His prompt pocket watch must have given him enough mana reserves and cultivation to be able to cast this art and, clearly, if those restrictions were anything to go by, it was a powerful one. Still, it wasn't a defensive art so Ares was good to go and started dashing at Mako immediately to try and punish him for using it. The ground underfoot was rolling in waves as it slowly sectioned itself into blue hologram cubes but Ares ran over the rectangular and square-ish bumps with finesse as he darted towards the defenceless Mako in the hopes he could get a good hit in.

Ares managed to make it to within a couple feet of his target so now it was a question of whether he could breach whatever last minute blocks Mako could throw up. As Ares threw his punch the little floating rock, Terros, managed to raise a small earth wall in front of him. It wasn't a big deal and Ares was still expecting to be able to hit Mako after he tore through the wall... But as it turned out, it was just barely enough to give Mako the time he needed to raise his own wall. Even then Ares thought he could break through that as well and still hit Mako but the Proving Ground was up and running now so that was a no go. Although Ares' fist had broken through two last minute walls, the third to block his path finally prevailed as the ground rose up and formed a neon, rectangular wall in front of Ares that was hard as steel, if not even harder than that. This art did two things. First of all, the floor could be freely controlled and raised / lowered at Mako's discretion to form a maze and / or attack foes with quickly rising pillars. The walls could also block heavy attacks so it was a solid art overall that covered a wide area and was highly versatile. The second effect was where the Golems came in as Mako could summon an endless swarm of the giants from the floor. It took a bit between each summon, and there was a limit to the amount he could have out at once, but if Ares tried to sit there destroying them one by one he might actually be here until the end of time.

Ares had to hop back from the neon hologram wall as a cube rose up near his feet like a pillar piercing the sky and almost ran Ares through his stomach. This happened multiple times in a row, forcing Ares to lose the ground he'd just gained, sending him back to his starting point disappointed and with nothing to show for his earlier advance. Not only was he denied a hit in exchange for letting Mako cast this art, the Golems were now spawning continually and they were going to be troublesome to navigate. Throw in Mako being annoying at the back with whatever he was creating to chuck at Ares from safety and this was a poor start for Ares. He looked to be in a dominant position earlier but that poxy wall Terros summoned ended up making all the difference. Terros couldn't do much in this form but, evidently, he was still an invaluable asset for Mako... If only that stupid lizard Ignizz were here! Ignizz could have dealt with that wall without hassling Ares to do it, drastically changing the outcome of that last interaction! Ares was going to wrangle that dumb reptile's neck when he finally found him!