Mars's brows furrowed as he swung his grimoire open wider, pages fluttering in a violent gale. The golden glow of his crystal magic flared, jagged shards sprouting from the floor and walls, cutting through the chamber like a blooming cage.
"You…" Mars's voice sharpened, eyes darting between Yuno and Dave. "This isn't just wind. Someone else is tampering with me."
Yuno narrowed his gaze, sweat running down his brow as his wind tore through the rising crystal blades. "So you noticed." His tone was flat, unwavering.
Dave stepped forward, calm as ever, his grimoire hovering at his side. "You're strong, Mars. But your flow is sloppy. Two magics pulling in different directions. It makes you predictable."
Mars scowled, his aura swelling. "Predictable?" His voice dripped venom as more crystals erupted, fusing into massive blades that glowed with oppressive mana. "I'll crush both of you. Then you'll see how predictable I am!"
He thrust his hand forward, and a barrage of crystalline lances shot across the chamber, each one aimed to skewer them from every angle.
Yuno's grimoire snapped open—gales of cutting wind spiraled into a shield, intercepting the storm. The air screeched as crystal and wind clashed violently, shards scattering across the ground.
Dave raised his hand, muttering softly. A faint distortion bent the mana of the incoming lances, knocking several just off target. They shattered harmlessly against the stone instead of piercing through Yuno's defense.
"Your control is impressive, but brute force won't be enough here," Dave said coolly, his eyes never leaving Mars.
Mars clenched his jaw, veins bulging on his temple. For the first time, his rhythm was breaking. His dual magics, usually overwhelming, were slipping under the subtle, constant pressure Dave applied.
Yuno seized the moment. He condensed his wind into a razor-sharp arrow, his voice calm yet fierce. "Pierce through—Wind Magic: Swift Gale Shot!"
The arrow tore through the air, striking Mars's shoulder before he could fully guard. The impact staggered him, his crystals cracking under the pressure.
Mars hissed in pain, clutching the wound, but his eyes only burned brighter. "You'll regret that." His mana spiked again, oppressive enough to shake the chamber.
Dave finally let his smirk slip. "So this is the real Mars. Good. Show me what you've got."
The battlefield was shifting again—Mars ready to unleash his full fury, Yuno bracing with every ounce of skill he had, and Dave preparing to tilt the scales just enough to make the difference.
The fight was far from over.
The ground rumbled as Mars slammed his palm against the stone floor. His grimoire flared with golden light, and jagged pillars of diamond erupted upward, sealing the chamber into a fortress of glittering, unbreakable blades.
"Diamond Magic: Soldier Creation!"
From the shards around him, a hulking figure formed—an armored giant of pure diamond, its polished surface gleaming under the flickering light. Its eyes glowed with lifeless menace as it stepped forward with thunderous weight, raising a jagged diamond blade as wide as a boulder.
Yuno's eyes sharpened. "A golem…" Wind coiled tightly around him, pressing against his skin like a storm preparing to break.
Dave didn't move, only tilted his head slightly. "So you're done holding back."
The diamond soldier lunged, its blade crashing down with earth-splitting force, sending tremors through the chamber. Yuno darted aside, his wind catching him like wings, but the shockwave still rattled him. He countered instantly—Wind Magic: Gale White Bow!—a volley of cutting arrows howled into the soldier's chest. The strikes chipped fragments from its body, but the diamond immediately reformed, cracks sealing as if nothing had happened.
Mars sneered, clutching his shoulder as glowing diamond spread across the wound, knitting his flesh back together. "I don't fall so easily. No matter how many times you break me, I'll regenerate and keep coming. That's what makes me invincible."
Yuno's jaw tightened. "Regeneration… damn it."
Dave finally stepped forward, his calm voice cutting through the chaos. "Invincible? No. Just stubborn." His grimoire pulsed faintly, a distortion rippling through the chamber. The mana threads inside Mars's spell flickered, causing the diamond soldier to hesitate for just an instant mid-swing.
Yuno seized the opening. His wind erupted in a cyclone, smashing into the soldier's chest and blasting it backward into the altar. Shards of diamond exploded across the chamber, though Mars's magic was already pulling them back together.
Mars glared at Dave, eyes narrowing. "It's you. You're the one interfering with my magic."
Dave smirked faintly. "You're finally catching on. Took you long enough."
Snarling, Mars extended his arm. Diamond spikes erupted in a brutal barrage toward Dave. But before they could land, a sudden gale knocked them off course—Yuno, covering him without hesitation.
"You focus on me," Yuno said coldly to Mars, his wind roaring with intensity. "I'll defeat you head-on."
Dave's smirk widened. "Heh. Fine by me. I'll keep his rhythm broken. You just keep pressing forward."
Mars's mana exploded again, diamond walls rising, cracking, and reshaping as his soldier regenerated, larger and denser than before. The chamber trembled violently, dust spilling from the ceiling as Mars bellowed his rage.
Yuno and Dave stood shoulder to shoulder—wind spiraling, distortion humming—as the reforged soldier charged forward, Mars's killing intent saturating the air.
The diamond soldier thundered closer, each step cracking the stone floor like brittle glass. Its immense blade gleamed, the air itself seeming to bend under the sheer density of mana packed within its form.
Dave's eyes narrowed faintly as the hum of distortion around him deepened, threads of mana quivering like taut strings ready to snap. He glanced at Yuno, voice low but sharp enough to cut through the roar of Mars's magic.
"You know," Dave said, almost too casually, "I could end him in one second if I stopped holding back."
Yuno's brow twitched, his wind swirling tighter around his frame. For a moment, his concentration faltered as he glanced sideways at Dave, searching his expression. He sensed no arrogance, no bluff—only cold certainty.
"…Tch. Don't joke at a time like this," Yuno muttered, though his voice carried a thin edge of unease. His instincts screamed that Dave was telling the truth, yet he refused to let it derail him. His eyes snapped back to Mars, hard as steel. "Doesn't matter. I'll defeat him head-on."
Dave gave a faint, knowing smirk, his gaze never leaving the raging Diamond Mage before them. "Suit yourself. Just don't collapse before you prove your point."
Mars's killing intent surged, his mana flaring in golden waves. The diamond soldier roared with lifeless fury, blade raised high as it came crashing down again.
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