I had never actually seen him, but after being him for a brief moment, I knew. I had inhabited that body, experienced his life, however fleetingly.
That was Kazriel.
He wore a flowing white robe that extended to his ankles, tied with a bright green sash. Unlike the phantoms, he was solid. A physical human, not a collection of energy.
And to my greater shock, he smiled.
"It has been a while since someone has been foolish enough to challenge me."
Not mocking. Just amused.
"Not only that, someone who lacks the Guidance of Ancestors."
The what?
His hand shimmered, and in an instant, a golden sword materialized in his grip.
"Are you ready?" His smile carried the weight of confidence, teetering on the edge of arrogance.
I summoned all my abilities. "If I said no, would you wait?"
He lifted his sword in front of his face, dividing his ancient, yet strangely young, appearance in two. Then he advanced. Not in a charge, but a slow, deliberate walk.
I braced myself. Then, to my absolute confusion, he started hopping in place in that posture.
For a second, I nearly laughed.
Then he glowed blue, snuffing out any thoughts of amusement.
His movements were unhurried. Then, one final smirk. "Don't lose immediately. It'll be boring."
I blinked. "AH!"
He was right in front of me, swinging down.
A second ago, he had been meters away. Now, I barely managed to raise my gauntlet in time, intercepting the strike. If not for my experience with Elric's shifting speed, I might have been a perfectly symmetrical corpse on the ground.
"I'm impressed. Hardly anyone is able to react to my special technique."
Him calling it that though, made it less so in my mind.
My arm rattled, vibrating from the impact. A low hum emanated from our weapons, two spiritual constructs clashing in their own right.
Then his free hand came from below, energy surging into a massive, glowing palm.
I had been watching for this. Precursor Sense flared, highlighting the arm in a pulse of red just before the force palm struck.
I reacted. My free arm slammed into his wrist, knocking it downward. The redirected energy exploded against the ground, sending water splashing into the air.
I shifted to kick him as he recovered his sword, but with a small hop… he vanished.
He was already away from me again.
"I didn't think, after so long, I would find someone who had carved their own path in cultivation. So few have gone as far as you… even fewer beyond that."
I took the chance to charge my attacks during his monologue, managing my internal strength into two separate techniques. A blasting wave in one hand and, in the other, a strand of energy extending from my body.
I wasn't going to bother with Swift Stride anymore. Either he was faster than I could track, or he was teleporting completely.
Either way, no point in trying to catch him with speed.
I walked forward slowly, mirroring his approach. "Yeah? Impressed?"
His smile faltered slightly, his grip on the sword tightening.
"Not yet."
Rather than teleport, he suddenly rushed forward, moving so fast I could barely follow. His sword sliced toward my side in a blur.
I ducked only to see a gleaming golden point aimed straight for my eye.
The wide swing was a feint. A trap.
I heard a light chuckle. "Got you."
I barely managed to circulate my remaining energy, shifting just enough that the blade grazed my cheek, sending off a glittering purple arc not-blood and a sharp burning pain. The strike didn't stop, continuing down toward my shoulder.
Both his hands were fully committed to the attack.
I retaliated, aiming for his legs as I fired a blasting wave at point-blank range.
Kazriel scoffed. "Unrefined techniques like that…"
Then he vanished. His cheat ability again, but I had expected him to retreat.
I had already lifted my other palm, aiming at the exact spot I predicted he would appear. The spot he went to before.
The strand of energy extending from my left hand, inspired by my Spiritual Weapon creation, had solidified.
I didn't use all my force of course, like I did for the weapon. And doing this during battle was only possible with my inner flame fueling my control.
A hardened needle shot forward with a whistling sound, slicing through the air at incredible speed.
The same shape I had made dozens of times.
Music to my ears rang out.
"AHHH!"
A sharp, pained cry.
Damn. I aimed for his head, but I guess his arm would do.
Kazriel's face twisted, his skin flushing red as his body scrunched in pain. His breath grew heavy, his body trembling as he bore the agony radiating from the clear hole in his left forearm.
Kazriel took one final breath before dropping the communal attitude from earlier, along with the confidence.
"I'll admit, your domain is really something. But I—"
"You know," I interrupted, "from your memories, you didn't seem like someone who liked the sound of their own voice during battle."
His eyes widened—not in anger.
Did he just… blush?
"I—I don't! I've barely said anything!" he shouted, and, honestly, he had a pretty good point.
But still. This was a battle. Even a couple of words felt like too much.
I noticed something else too. His voice… cracked?
Oh no. No, no, no, no.
I had been feeling so confident. My power had grown to the point where I couldn't even imagine my friends standing a chance if I went all out. But for how many times he had tried to act cool, it should have been obvious.
"H-how old are you?"
"WHY DOES THAT MATTER?!"
Shiiiiiiiit.
He was a kid.
The nearly untouchable, highly skilled, teleport-hopping swordsman was just a tall, long-haired, almost late-teenager-looking kid.
How the hell did he get so strong?!
"Over fifteen?" C'mon, save my pride.
He looked down. I swear if there had been a pebble, he would've kicked it in disappointment.
"...No."
He said it so quietly you'd think I had just asked him about some unbreakable shame.
Then he shook his head. "It doesn't matter! Let's continue! I was sayi—"
"At least fourteen, right?"
He didn't answer. Didn't even try to continue talking either.
Instead, he put his hands together, forming some kind of seal, like something straight out of a TV show.
The air shifted. Ripples spread from his still figure, and I refocused.
He might have been a kid, sure. But he was no joke.
Droplets rose around him. Then sparks. Energy manifesting to the naked eye.
I couldn't let him finish. I didn't know exactly what he was doing, but it couldn't possibly make this fight easier.
I immediately charged forward, activating Swift Stride and preparing another needle and a Silencing Current, hoping to knock him off his feet, break his focus, and hit him with another shot.
It was a long-range attack, and I was fast. So I closed the distance quickly.
I fired.
The needle wasn't as strong as the first, less time to condense it, but it still packed a punch. Too bad it was exhausting. No way I could fire another.
Then, to my shock, as soon as it got close to his chest, a bolt of lightning snaked around him, breaking off from the others and striking the needle mid-air.
Both the lightning and my attack disappeared in a sharp wave of golden light.
I pressed forward and released the Silencing Current, but just as my arm extended, an even greater force of wind slammed into me, knocking me back.
"AGHHHH!"
The tendrils of electric force encircling him surged inward, sinking into Kazriel's body, and with a single roar, a shockwave erupted, knocking me back.
His long black hair fluttered from the force before settling back onto his shoulders as I scrambled to my feet.
He hopped again just as a red glow flared in my domain.
I swung instinctively, meeting his blade head-on.
*CLANG.*
A sharp vibration rang out. He didn't feel any stronger, so... what had he done?
I threw an uppercut aimed at his gut, but Kazriel adjusted, shifting just in time. His blade swung again, a two-handed overhead strike crashing down.
I dodged or so I thought, but the blade followed me.
He switched to a slash across my chest, forcing me to retreat.
"Rrrg!"
A grunt escaped my lips as the saber carved into my chest, searing pain flaring through me, but Kazriel didn't let up.
He chased me down, swinging upward in a brutal underhand strike.
I barely dodged, immediately kicking out at his side but he kicked first.
A front kick slammed into my thigh, forcing my leg back down with a sharp numbing pain.
I couldn't help but notice my heavy panting.
Between juggling my techniques, maintaining my domain, and using my weapons, I was getting exhausted.
But without my domain, I would lose control, lose my perception over his movements.
That wasn't an option.
And as for my gauntlets… well, I wasn't about to try catching a sword with bare hands.
Kazriel pressed forward, relentless, giving me no chance to breathe.
I threw out another strike but before it could land, he hopped and disappeared.
As if… As if he already knew it was coming.
I had no time to dwell on the thought.
He reappeared behind me, blade mid-swing in a horizontal slash.
I did the only thing I could think of.
Run.
I ducked and dashed away, constantly shifting directions anytime my Precursor Sense pulsed red signaling his appearance.
Finally, he stopped.
And so did I.
Two figures.
Staring at each other.
Both panting.
"Is seeing the future that exhausting?" I asked.
Through heavy gasps, both of ours, he smirked.
"You—" he wheezed, but then, as if nothing had happened, he steadied himself, "—took long enough to figure it out."