The crowd roared so loud the barrier shimmered from the soundwaves alone. The fight between The Lone Nomad and Vilythe Ahmose Rameses had escalated far beyond expectation.
The ground cracked under Vilythe's feet as she blurred again. black lightning flaring so bright that even the air rippled from the heat. Her movements transcended simple speed. Phaser shifted slightly. The seven void needles floating behind him began to tremble.
And then, he vanished.
The crowd gasped. Even Vilythe lost sight of him for half a second until dozens of afterimages appeared around her, forming a massive circle that spanned the entire arena. Each illusion ran, darted, and changed direction with perfect sync, like ghostly shadows of him sprinting through overlapping time.
"What the hell..."
Vilythe muttered, her eyes darting around as lightning flared around her. She could feel him moving but there were too many signatures. There were too many faults. Every time she turned, another afterimage passed by, each with the same grin and energy signature.
"Trickster…"
He struck.
A sharp impact to her left side. Another to her back. She twisted, reacting on instinct, blocking one strike with her sickle but her other hand was open. A void needle sliced the air. It stabbed into her hand. The crowd gasped as she dropped one sickle. It clattered on the cracked concrete floor.
"Gah—!"
She clenched her teeth. Phaser reappeared in front of her, his body twisting fluidly as he cocked his arm back, his fist engulfed in silver Xana before he could land it, Vilythe dropped low, performing an impossibly sharp 180° split. Her entire torso folded down as her leg shot out from below like a whip, her fist driving upward.
Her knuckles collided with Phaser's chest.
The sound cracked the barrier. Phaser's body was lifted off the ground, his feet leaving cracks as he shot backward and flew several meters into the air.
"SHE LANDED ONE!"
But Vilythe wasn't done. She crouched, black lightning roaring from beneath her like an eruption, and launched herself upward with a sonic bang. Her knee hit his back in midair, flipping her above him. She twisted, inverted, and drop-kicked him square in the chest with both feet.
Phaser slammed into the ring so hard that concrete chunks shattered outward like bullets. Dust clouded the field as Vilythe landed gracefully, one hand pressed to the floor. The crowd was beyond ecstatic.
"VILYTHE'S TURNED THE TIDE!"
"THE LONE NOMAD IS DOWN!"
She didn't waste a second. She bolted forward, black lightning trailing from her feet, her sickle raised high, only for the ground around Phaser to warp. A void dome erupted around him, absorbing all light and sound. It expanded like an inky hemisphere.
"Shit—"
Vilythe hissed, flipping back. The moment the dome's edge touched the air near her, it ate it, leaving behind a faint vacuum pop. She knew better than to test it. She retreated, panting, lightning flickering around her shoulders. The dome pulsed once before it imploded. From its ashes, Phaser emerged.
Blood dripped from the corner of his lips, his breathing rough, his right arm slightly twitching from impact. He straightened, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, and smiled faintly.
"You're fast. But not fast enough."
Vilythe frowned. "What?"
She looked down at her palm, the same one that had been stabbed. Her eyes widened.
The needle was still there. Except… it wasn't there.
It was intangible, phasing slightly through her skin like smoke, yet solid enough to make her fingers tremble. It hummed with Xana, its presence sinking into her nerves.
"Wha—how—"
Phaser exhaled, flexing his fingers.
"You didn't think I'd leave that in for free, did you?"
He twisted his wrist slightly wnd the needle moved. Vilythe gasped as her body jerked forward, dragged by an invisible pull. Her boots scraped across the concrete as if a rope had been tied around her hand, yanking her toward him. The crowd gasped, the cameras zooming in.
"He's pulling her without touching her!"
Phaser's fist cocked back again, Xana spiraling around it. Vilythe saw it. She knew that if this punch landed, it'd knock her out cold, maybe even worse.
She had one choice left. Her irises flared with static. The entire ring went white.
A beam of lightning erupted from above, crashing onto her. It split the air with a roar so deafening that the entire barrier around the ring warped from energy feedback. Phaser shielded his face instinctively as the beam struck her, his void barrier shuddering from the sheer power. The needle in her hand disintegrated instantly, vaporized by the raw voltage.
The audience rose to their feet, screaming.
"What is happening?!"
The lightning storm dispersed, and through the glowing mist stepped Vilythe Rameses, transformed. Her hair floated weightlessly, sparks arcing off every strand. Her skin glowed faintly with streaks of radiant white light, and her eyes were no longer black. They were pure white. Each movement she made distorted the air like heat haze. The concrete under her feet melted slightly with every step.
Phaser's smile faltered slightly.
"Well shit."
He knew what Augere did. It pushed a Fluxer beyond their limits, using Xana to amplify their physical and Flux attributes exponentially. The the price was severe exhaustion… or worse. His odds just dropped.
"Damn. Thirty percent chance of surviving this one."
Lightning coiled around her arms as she raised her sickles again. Her voice was calm, but her tone was dangerous.
"You've forced me to this point, Lone Nomad. You should feel proud."
Phaser smirked faintly despite the blood at his chin. "Pride's for winners."
He inhaled deeply. His silver Xana surged. His breathing steadied, his body lowering into a stance that felt almost primal. He activated Roborare. His skin shimmered faintly with a silvery glow.
For a moment, the world stood still.
And then, they clashed.
Lightning and Void collided with apocalyptic force.
Every strike from Vilythe was a blur of light and sound, each slash cutting through air and energy alike. Phaser countered every blow with razor-sharp precision, his needles spinning around him like orbiting satellites. Sparks flew, shockwaves erupted, and energy ripples tore across the ring.
In that chaos, both of them smiled.