The fight started as the blast hit the stone floor and Max was already flying back. He'd been hit by aura blasts shaped like fists.
How are they so fast? Max thought, panicking. The aura from Risant blitzed him with its insane speed.
Max rolled on the ground and got up fast but Risant was already onto him. He threw super fast punches at Max, intending to overwhelm the player. He was then stunned after Max managed to evade one of his punches. A lightning strike hit him and paralyzed him. It was Max's new ability. The player dashed back and whipped him with his new wave blade.
Risant flew twenty meters sideways and landed expertly, recovering from the zap. Max sent an aura slash from Virtonia, which was sidestepped. Then he leapt into the air, predicting Max will pressure him. Max slashed at air, while Risant blasted him from above.
Max's hands hit the ground and he rolled away from the falling opponent. Risant landed and hit stone with his fist, which dented. He followed Max who was getting up, about to kick him in the helmet.
Max used Mighty Push, sending Risant back. He then whipped at the opponent, who quickly dashed in to not get hit by the end of the whip which was by far the most powerful part in a swing.
Max dashed sideways and Risant followed him, striking his helm once and his body twice. Max then used Phase and evaded a flurry of powerful, fast blows until the cooldown for Darting Zap ended. Risant was zapped after Max ducked under a roundhouse kick to the head.
Max dashed back, and as he did, he sent out two aura slashes from Virtonia which caused an explosion upon hiting the opponent.
Vulnerable and on one knee, Risant looked at Max, not moving, as Max sent out a powerful whip. The whip that dents boulders simply went through the opponent. It's not that it penetrated and damaged Risant, it's that he never got touched by it. It's like the weapon went through air, or smoke.
Max, briefly surprised, received a blow to the head. His strong helmet saved his life. How? What happened? Max was stunned. He was running, moving. Thinking.
He got hit by something he didn't see. There was nothing to see. It was an invisible strike. But how? Risant was on one knee, distant from Max.
An illusion? Ability?
It seemed that Max couldn't rely on his vision. The player was dashing across the arena, running from something he couldn't see. He got hit in his side and got sent flying fifteen meters. Risant was still unmoving.
Eyesight manipulation? Max asked himself. The player then remembered he had something he could use.
[Super Echolocation]
An ability that used sound, air and vibrations to perceive. It is so advanced that it is like a third eye to Max. The player closed his eyes and used the ability. A whole new world of perception arose. He perceived movement in the air, dodged a punch and blasted the enemy away. Then, he sent a couple of aura slashes. Risant dodged the first but was hit by the second.
Max could "see" him without his eyes. He could also perceive the screams of the people watching in a new way. They didn't interfere with sensing Risant, because their screams produced sound which bounced off Risant. It was like sunlight bouncing off shiny steel armor.
It came easy to him. This was the power of Abilities. Techniques required training and mastery, but Abilities were different. They became second nature to players. Automatic and easy to use. However, Max did experiment with it, against ordinary monsters, before reaching Kasia, to get a feel for it.
From the point of view of the audience, nothing was out of the ordinary. Only Max's eyesight was affected when it came to perceiving Risant.
Risant slowed down, trailing Max, moving across the arena with him. They watched each other briefly. Then the fist fighter punched air, sending an aura fist the size of his body.
The speed of the aura was astonishing. Max barely dodged because he preemptively dashed to the right when he noticed Risant's arm moving. A loud explosion occured behind Max as the dark aura collided with the arena's metal wall.
Risant then rapidly punched twice, left jab and right punch, sending two blasts at the player. Max again evaded. Then the opponent caught him with a hook that swung at air which sent out another dark blast as Max's dash slowed down. The aura hit Max and created a small explosion. The armor held but Max lost health. He was sent back flying. Another blast hit him as he was flying back. His left hand sword was dropped. Now only Virtonia was in his hands.
The blade shone with purple light that contained a swirling rainbow of colors. Max landed perfectly, feet sliding on the stone until he stopped. Risant was following him, fast.
As the opponent dashed in to attack Max, which Max predicted, he was hit with a two handed, powerful swing of Virtonia. Risant blocked the swing to the head with his gauntlet. The sword and the aura coating it blew into the gauntlet that shielded his helmet. The force of it spun Risant around and cracked his gauntlet.
Max followed up with a powerful overhead strike. Risant blocked it, his gauntlets damaged and his knees bent. The blade bounced off the opponent, still above Max's head. Risant stepped inside to catch Max with a left hook, but the player moved left and spun as he did, then he sent a horizontal slash at the fist fighter.
Risant leaned back, the blade passing in front of his face. Max then held Virtonia in his right hand, left foot now forward. Risant stepped in, but Max, as if doing a straight punch, rotated his legs, hips, shoulders, and moved his head left, striking with Virtonia in a stabbing motion. The point of the blade hit Risant's stomach, whose punch missed Max's head, and aura discharged from the blade.
The powerful Aura Stab blew into Risant's armor, cracking it. He slid back across the ground, bent over and reeling from the strike.
Max started running towards Risant, but his head hit something like a wall. However, there was nothing in front of Max. The player extended his left hand in front of himself, feeling something solid and invisible stopping him from advancing forward.
"You couldn't see that, could you?" said Risant.
Max blasted the barrier with aura and tried moving forward. Once again, he walked into the invisible wall. The aura hit the wall and dispersed, but did not break it.
"It's an invisible maze only I can see."
Max turned off his Echolocation and opened his eyes. He could see Risant who was fifteen meters away from him. The opponent circled Max.
"Which means, I can get to you, but you can't get to me."
This motherfucker's a whole boss fight, Max thought. His mind raced, trying to think of something.
The player held his left hand out, palm open, and clutched Virtonia in his right. Seconds passed. Risant walked around Max.
Now! Risant punched the air twice, sending fast, powerful blasts at Max, who intercepted them with his own. Black and blue aura exploded on contact. Max dashed towards Risant, who retreated into the maze.
If he could blast me from there, that means I can get there, Max thought.
The player then followed Risant's path that he took in retreat, and approached him. Risant sent another blast at the player who intercepted it with his own, then Max swung his sword downwards diagonally which Risant noticed. A diagonal rainbow aura slash beamed from the player, but the opponent jumped to his right side, just above it, his feet landing on the invisible maze wall and then he burst from the wall towards Max.
The player rolled on the ground, barely dodging Risant, who got zapped again, then he sent another aura slash behind him, hitting the opponent.
Max summoned something in his left hand. It was red, glowing and smoky. He threw it at Risant who was staggered and a bright flash happened. Max's opponent was covered in bright red fire. The player used the flash to hide himself, then discharged 15% of his aura in an explosive dash. He rammed the blade into his belly, discharging even more aura in the stab.
Risant's armor shattered and he flew away, burning in red fire. Max followed him.
The blonde knight hit a maze wall, breaking through it. His flight slowed down and he landed on the ground. He tried to get up, but Max kicked him in the helmet.
"That's enough!" The announcer who also seemed to be the judge yelled. Max froze, staring at his unconscious opponent. The maze shattered like glass around Max.
"The winner of this battle is Max Veritas!"
The stadium erupted in screams and cheers. The explosion of voice lasted a dozen seconds. Max and the announcer looked towards the emperor's seat in the Imperial Box.
"Now, will His Majesty spare the defeated's life?"
A flash of golden light appeared from the Emperor's right hand, a signal to spare the defeated's life. People cheered once more.
His hands shaked a bit and his heart pounded. "Ugh... Forget the prince. You're the strongest of them all," Risant said while coughing. Max looked at his fallen opponent in silence. "It was a good fight," said the lying fighter. Max nodded. People in white clothing ran past him, towards Risant. Medics. He was carried away on a stretcher.
Max walked towards his whip blade, breathing deepy. He picked up his blue sword and sheathed it along with Virtonia. A surge of emotions rose within Max as he stood victorious, smiling as he gazed out at the roaring arena.