The forest clearing stretched wide beneath the dawn, nestled at the edge of Asmaphaeri's upper highlands, not far from the cliff side mansion the Seventh Enlightenment currently called their temporary home. The early morning fog had begun to burn away under the rising sun but the trees still held dew on their leaves.
Vastarael stood tall in the center of the glade. Elyonari stood a few meters opposite him, her arms crossed loosely under the flowing fabric of her nightgown, her emerald irises glinting faintly under the golden rays of light cutting through the trees.
"Before we begin, there are rules."
Elyonari cocked her head to the side.
"Rules? Since when did a spar with you have limits?"
"Since I became a Divine And since you became one too, we have to be careful."
"I sense a boring preamble coming."
"No Pinnacle or Base Tethers. No Divine techniques, no enchantments, no mystic power, just martial skill and weapon discipline. We're still inside the city's land area. If either of us releases more than a fraction of our true power, we could kill tens of thousands."
Elyonari blinked, half amused, half skeptical.
"Come on. We're not that strong."
Vastarael turned his body slightly and then, without warning, stomped. The sound thundered through the glade.
From beneath his heel, a wave of smooth sapphire energy erupted outward like a frost storm unfurling from the deepest ocean. The crystalline sheen spread across the soil, racing across the clearing in every direction until the entire kilometer radius around them was encased in a layer of semi-transparent sapphire. Even the trees had caught it, their bark reflecting the soft hues of blue. A perfect circle of combat 1,000 meters widen was made without a single flaw.
Elyonari let out a breath, a whistle sliding through her lips.
"Okay. Maybe we are that strong."
"This is the maximum radius of my Control Circle without layering runes or feeding it with Divine Energy. Stay inside it. No collateral damage will occur at this range."
"You talk like I'm the one who'll go overboard."
"I've fought you before. You forget I've been incinerated by your vines."
"That was one time—"
He raised a hand and in one graceful, almost reverent movement, summoned Calimostria. But it was not the double-bladed glaive a lot of enemies feared.
The weapon shimmered into existence with a single elegant blade on one end. It was sapphire blue with runic etchings spiraling along the haft. Elyonari narrowed her eyes, not wanting to be outdone. With a flick of her wrist and a ripple of emerald light, her staff materialized in her hand before transforming into a long, ornate bow of whitewood with a golden arc of energy as its string. She didn't nock any arrows.
"I was tempted to use the staff but let's keep it elegant."
"Good choice. You're graceful with it."
"Flattery won't save you."
"No. But neither will bravado."
They began to move, circling one another within the confines of the sapphire ring. Their weapons stayed low but ready. Their eyes locked, shoulders rolling, their feet sliding softly across the icy ground.The trees whispered in the background. The wind dared not intrude. Vastarael's white hair billowed behind him as he shifted his stance, lowering the glaive slightly. Elyonari cracked her neck and twirled her bow, flipping it in one hand before settling into a defensive stance.
They didn't speak again. No words were needed.
The first motion came without warning.
Her right hand yanked the golden bowstring taut and reality responded. The air itself shivered, condensing into dozens of arrows that shimmered into existence along the string as she drew it. There was no physical quiver.
The first arrow split the air. Then the second, third and ten more. Vastarael's eyes didn't widen. He didn't flinch. His body moved before his mind gave it permission. The first arrow ricocheted off the haft of Calimostria. He deflected two more, twisting his wrist so elegantly it looked like art.
The arrows moved at the speed of sound, each one causing a sonic boom as it zipped through the sapphire air. Shockwaves erupted across the field, sending gusts of wind roaring through the trees, only to be caught and muted by the radius of Vastarael's sapphire field. The glass-like dome flickered, absorbing the kinetic energy. Without it, the tremors would have already cracked half of Asmaphaeri's forests.
Elyonari rotated like a dancer, sliding across the sapphire frost in graceful loops. Each step was placed with the precision of a bird diving mid-air. Every time she pulled the string, arrows formed from the power of the bow. No energy was used.
Each spin of Vastarael's glaive carved an arc in the air. He didn't step so much as glide. His motions weren't aggressive yet. They were defensive, honed and minimal. He was studying her, his eyes not even narrowed, just passively observing as if her storm of arrows was a complex puzzle he was learning to dismantle.
A flurry of arrows came from the left.
He sidestepped, spun the glaive behind his back and swatted four in a single flick without even looking. Elyonari narrowed her eyes. She grinned.
"Don't get too cocky, Veneri."
She slammed her foot into the sapphire floor and jumped. Arrows materialized in mid-air as she flipped, pulling the string sideways in a reverse grip. Nine arrows appeared in a radiant fan and she let them fly in a spiral trajectory meant to confuse tracking.
They hit like bullets.
Vastarael growled as he spun Calimostria in a full circle, creating a temporary cyclone around him. The glaive's sapphire edge sliced the arrows into splinters but the impact sent real pressure up his arms. For the first time, he stumbled back slightly, his boots screeching across the crystal. Elyonari landed like a leaf and immediately let loose again, releasing three rapid shots from different angles.
The third one nicked his collarbone. Vastarael smiled.
Then they both exploded forward at the same time.
Vastarael blurred, the glaive dragging behind him before whipping upward at an angle. Elyonari dove beneath it, spinning mid-air and snapping her bow back into staff form, using it to vault herself over him. While in mid-air, she kicked downward at his shoulder. He caught her boot, twisted and slammed her into the sapphire floor.
The sapphire cracked but held.
Elyonari coughed, rolled sideways and kicked off the ground into a cartwheel, spinning her staff defensively to create space. Vastarael pursued, Calimostria dancing from hand to hand. For a moment, it almost didn't look like a spar. Elyonari circled again, breathing hard, her smile fading slightly.
"You've improved."
"So have you," Vastarael replied despite his shallow breathing. "Your arrows are faster now. They're harder to predict."
"And your defense is lazier but stronger. You're letting me get close."
"I'm calculating. I only need one clean hit to change everything."
"Oh?" Elyonari spun her staff again, twirling it behind her back and re-gripping the ends. "Then let's see you try."
He vanished through sheer speed.
Elyonari saw it in the last moment. His glaive came in from the right. She jumped, the blade grazing her nightgown-turned-combat-wrap. While in mid-air, she twisted her body, used her staff as leverage and brought it down toward his head. Vastarael raised his right bionic arm. He grabbed her mid-air, spun and tossed her across the field. Elyonari landed like a cat, dug her heels into the frost, and looked up, panting, her eyes wide.
"You—!"
He raised a hand. "Sorry."
She grinned, heart racing. "You're lucky I like you. You had killing intent!