William surged forward toward the gauntlet-wielding Atlantean, whose crustacean-like weapon shimmered with a deep blue hue, distorting the surrounding ocean with its power.
A red blade clashed against the blue gauntlets, releasing a violent surge through the water. A deep gash began to carve its way along the rugged, carapace-like surface of the gauntlets.
Arcing backward with fluid precision, William narrowly evaded the shattered remnants of the trident as it streaked toward the monk-like Atlantean.
BOOM!
The trident struck the thick gauntlets with immense force, embedding itself in their armored exterior and forcing the Atlantean monk's arms to swing backward despite his determined resistance.
BLOOOOSH!
With explosive force, William surged forward once more, grabbing the now disarmed Atlantean by the collar of his armor, his grip leaving dents in the previously pristine plates.
BOOM!
Using the dragoon's body as an improvised missile, he hurled the Atlantean toward the recovering monk, whose heightened reflexes flared just in time to intercept the incoming figure. The monk slid back several feet from the collision, struggling to counter the sudden momentum, but soon spun on his heel and came to a complete stop.
The two exchanged a brief, tacit understanding before the monk-like Atlantean spun again, launching the dragoon toward William with blistering speed before propelling himself into the chaotic fray.
William charged forward, his fist surging with force aimed directly at the dragoon. However, the Atlantean deftly dodged, using William's outstretched arm as a springboard to vault himself away. This acrobatic maneuver sent William hurtling past the dragoon, unable to connect his strike, straight into the monk's waiting gauntlet, glowing with an immense, bone-shattering power.
BOOM!
The impact launched William backward like a cannonball, blood streaming from his mouth and dispersing into the water, mingling with the cloudy remnants of his slowly healing wounds. His body spun uncontrollably in the ocean, twisting violently before crashing into a shattered obsidian column jutting from the seabed. The sharp edge of the column splintered under the tremendous force, shattering like fragile glass upon contact.
Despite the intense pain radiating through his ribcage, William grinned.
Blood swirled like smoke from the corner of his lips, and his eyes burned, not with fear or despair, but with an undeniable thrill.
He rose.
The monk and dragoon advanced in unison now, a synchronized force of devastation. The monk spun with lethal precision, both gauntlets arcing toward William for a crushing blow, while the dragoon, wielding a trident forged from spectral, writhing scales, unleashed piercing bolts of pressurized water.
William stood unwavering.
Extending his hand, he summoned his sword, which floated nearby in the arena. The blade, as if answering his call, quivered before rocketing toward him like a projectile.
CTCH!
WHOOOSH!
The sword erupted into flames, the fire burning defiantly even within the water. With immense strength coursing through him, William swung the blade downward with ferocious might.
RUMBLE!
A massive wave of crimson and orange fire shot forth from the blade, hurtling toward the monk-like Atlantean, who was unable to evade due to his forward momentum.
BOOOM!
The arena fell into silence as a fiery explosion enveloped the monk, a brilliant eruption of energy radiating outward from the point of impact.
The water surrounding the explosion churned into a chaotic vortex of steam and embers, casting eerie, flickering shadows across the ocean floor. The shockwave tore through the coral-encrusted pillars of the arena, hurling the dragoon backward through the roiling currents.
Amidst the kaleidoscope of heat and light, something began to awaken.
The monk emerged, his once-pristine chest plate now blackened and fractured, with cracks spiderwebbing across his gauntlets. Steam hissed angrily from his damaged limbs, his battered form barely able to stand. The calm, collected composure he had exuded was gone, replaced by a raw expression wavering between awe and terror.
William's eyes burned like twin suns, their radiance piercing through the murky depths as he propelled himself toward the dragoon with lethal precision and unerring grace.
Before the dragoon-like Atlantean could mount a defense...
Jab.
Cross punch.
Hook punch, followed by another cross punch, left the dragoon reeling, unable to protect himself as the relentless barrage continued.
William's fists blurred through the water, each strike driven by unrelenting fury and determination. The dragoon's helmet began to splinter under the ferocious assault, cracks spreading like shattered ice across its surface. His eyes, visible through the growing fractures, darted in fear.
With a snarl, the dragoon retreated, spinning his trident in a desperate attempt to summon a whirlpool as a shield. But William anticipated the move, slipping beneath the vortex with fluid precision and emerging on the other side.
CRACK!
A thunderous uppercut smashed into the dragoon's jaw, sending him hurtling upward like a missile. The force obliterated the remaining fragments of his helmet, and ribbons of blood trailed behind him in the water.
The monk roared, intercepting William in mid-motion with a devastating flying kick that fractured the seabed and slammed both combatants into the jagged trench wall. Coral shattered into shards, and a cloud of silt and debris enveloped them.
But William pressed on.
WHUMP!
His knee drove into the monk's abdomen, cracking armor. THUMP! His elbow crashed into the Atlantean's shoulder, dislocating it with an audible snap. Fueled by adrenaline and pain, William's mind burned like a raging inferno.
The monk grimaced, spitting blood into the water. "You are strong... but unfocused."
William's eye twitched. "You've never seen focus."
FWOOOSH!
Twisting mid-strike, William barely evaded the dragoon's returning thrust, the spectral trident slicing through the water with deadly intent. The two Atlanteans regrouped, battered, bleeding, but undeterred.
The dragoon coughed through broken mouthgear, his voice strained. "He bleeds as we do… but he doesn't break…"
The monk's voice was a growl. "Then we make him."
In perfect synchronization, they launched forward, their gauntlets glowing and trident gleaming. William dodged the gauntlets and deflected the trident with the flat of his blade, but the sheer force drove him hard into the arena floor. The seabed trembled beneath the impact.
William hissed through clenched teeth as blood oozed from a fresh wound in his side, the crimson staining the water around him like a spreading cloud. His hand briefly pressed against the injury, his gaze fixed on the dark red haze enveloping him.
With a steadying breath, his resolve hardened.
His eyes flicked to the two warriors circling him, their movements calculated and predatory.
He straightened his posture, standing taller, his presence intensifying.
A grin broke across his face.
"I was holding back..."
The Atlanteans froze, their forms rigid with unease.
The ocean quivered.
A deep, blood-red glow ignited in his chest, throbbing in unison with the beat of his heart. The water churned and twisted unnaturally around him, bending under an immense and raw pressure.
FWWWWOOOOOOM.
A violent vortex of crimson energy erupted outward as William raised his hand with deliberate slowness. The wound at his side began to emit a fiery glow, not ordinary light, but something molten, seething, alive. It radiated rage, determination, and an unearthly power.
"Morrigan..."
The call was answered.
A whisper reverberated through the ocean depths, a spectral cry of blood and fire, fury and unyielding purpose.
SSSSCHING!
From William's outstretched palm materialized a weapon born of chaos itself.
The Phantom Blade: Morrigan.
The sword shimmered into existence, its blade nearly transparent, like liquid blood frozen mid-flow. Its edges distorted the water around it, refracting light like fractured glass. The obsidian-black guard pulsed rhythmically with his heartbeat, and at the pommel, a blazing orange gem erupted with heat, releasing flickers like volcanic embers.
It emitted a hungry, feral howl.
The oppressive heat boiled the surrounding water, sending streams of bubbles racing upward as the entire battlefield warped in its presence.
The blade extended.
SNAP! With a flick of his wrist, Morrigan's edge transformed into a whip-blade, its segments of blood-glass linked by delicate veins of burning plasma, writhing like a living serpent.
The dragoon froze in shock. "That weapon… it's alive—!"
CRACK!
Morrigan lashed through the water, twisting mid-spin, and SLAMMED into the dragoon's midsection, hurtling him into a coral wall with such force that the entire structure crumbled upon impact.
CRACK-CRACK!
A second strike whipped across the monk's face, shattering half of his helmet and carving a deep crimson gash across his cheek.
William twirled the blade with precision, its tip glowing with energy as it solidified once more into a rigid form. Advancing with unyielding speed, he had become the predator.
The monk wiped away the blood trickling from his eye, his legs trembling but his resolve unbroken as he held his ground.
Without hesitation, William snapped his wrist, and the whip-blade hissed to life, segments of shimmering blood-glass snapping together like venomous fangs through the water.
With a feral cry, he lashed out, the whip slicing through the turbulent currents toward the monk.
The monk twisted just in time, the whip ripping through one gauntlet, splintering armor and sending shards of blue crustacean shell scattering like deadly shrapnel.
The dragoon rose from the wreckage, breath ragged but eyes blazing with renewed fury.
"Your fire burns bright, but the sea will extinguish it."
He lunged, his spectral trident a blur of jagged light, stabbing through the water toward William's chest.
William ducked beneath the strike, the whip snapping upward to coil tightly around the dragoon's wrist, sparks and droplets exploding as metal clashed with fiery plasma.
The dragoon howled, twisting wildly, but William tightened his grip, wrenching the weapon free with a violent pull that sent the trident clattering against the coral floor.
"Not today."
The monk charged again, fury igniting his battered limbs, swinging his remaining gauntlet in a sweeping arc.
William spun, Morrigan snapping back into sword form with a fluid motion, parrying the crushing blow that sent shockwaves rippling through the water.
They circled each other, eyes locked, predator and prey both, testing strength and resolve.
In the pressurized silence, William's mind echoed with memories of pain, loss, and unyielding determination.
This fight is mine to win.
With a roar, William surged forward, Morrigan blazing with molten light as he drove the blade through the monk's defenses, the obsidian guard gleaming like a star swallowed by darkness.
The monk grunted, staggering back, but refused to fall.
William's blade sliced through the water with a searing hiss, the molten edges of Morrigan blazing like a comet streaking through the ocean's dark depths. The monk faltered, his battered frame swaying under the relentless force of William's strikes. Yet, even weakened, the Atlantean fought with desperate ferocity.
Blood streamed from the gash on the monk's cheek, mingling with the rising bubbles as he glared with eyes as sharp as obsidian. "You… won't break us… not so easily."
William's gaze burned brighter, the fire within Morrigan feeding on his unwavering resolve. "I'm not here to break you. I'm here to end this."
The monk lunged, one gauntlet raised in a final, crushing attempt. William intercepted the blow with Morrigan's obsidian guard, the impact reverberating through his forearm and sending tremors along the whip-blade's plasma veins. The collision sent ripples through the water, coral shards spiraling around them like deadly confetti.
Meanwhile, the dragoon, bloodied but unyielding, groaned as he struggled to rise from the coral rubble. His cracked helmet lay discarded, revealing a face streaked with salt and bruises. With a guttural growl, he charged, trident aimed to pierce through William's defenses.
William twisted, Morrigan snapping back into whip form with a crack. The segmented blade lashed out, coiling around the dragoon's wrist in a burst of fiery plasma. The dragoon howled, thrashing against the burning chains as Morrigan tightened, wrenching the trident from his grasp.
"Not today," William said icily, yanking the weapon downward with brutal precision. The dragoon crashed into a coral pillar, which shattered with a bone-rattling impact. He slid down the debris, choking and gasping for breath.
The monk howled in a mix of rage and desperation, propelling himself forward like a torpedo. His remaining gauntlet collided with William's side, unleashing an earth-shaking force that sent shockwaves rippling through the seabed and drove William back. Pain ignited in William's ribs, sharp and burning, but he held his ground, teeth clenched against the agony.
"You're strong," the monk growled through gritted teeth, his voice laced with fury. "But this ends now."
William's grin was feral and unyielding. "I'm just getting started."
With a roar, he surged forward, Morrigan shifting back into sword form mid-strike. The blade sliced cleanly through the monk's gauntlet, a cascade of sparks and shattered shell fragments erupting from the impact. The monk screamed in pain, staggering as blood seeped from his wounded arm.
William pressed his advantage, relentless in his assault. He drove the hilt of Morrigan into the monk's chest plate, forcing the warrior backward until he slammed against a jagged coral spire. The monk gasped for air, his legs trembling under the strain, his breath ragged.
Across the arena, the dragoon struggled to rise, blood spilling from his lips as he fought through the pain. His eyes burned with defiance, but his strength was ebbing quickly.
William pivoted smoothly, sending the whip-blade arcing toward the dragoon's chest. The weapon hissed through the water like a striking serpent, its plasma edge tearing into the dragoon's flesh and leaving a searing trail of agony. The dragoon crumpled to his knees, choking on saltwater and blood.
Turning back to the monk, William found him slumped heavily against the coral spire, his armor cracked and leaking dark streams of blood. The remaining gauntlet hung uselessly at his side, his chest heaving with labored breaths.
"Yield," William commanded, his voice cold and steady.
The monk lifted his gaze, his eyes flickering between defiance and resignation. "You… have earned this moment."
With a slow, weary nod, the monk relinquished his gauntlet.
William exhaled deeply, the radiant glow of Morrigan fading as the weapon reverted to its dormant state. The surrounding ocean calmed, the once-turbulent currents subsiding into a tranquil stillness.
He moved toward the fallen dragoon, kneeling beside the warrior's trembling figure. The dragoon's eyes flickered weakly, their strength utterly spent, replaced by profound exhaustion.
"Rest now," William murmured softly.
The monk collapsed onto his knees as well, blood seeping into the seabed beneath him. With a quivering hand, he reached toward William, who responded with a solemn, understanding nod.
In the heavy silence that ensued, only the gentle bubbling of the water and the faint sizzle of fading embers broke the stillness.
William's chest rose and fell heavily, the crimson glow dimming from his form, though the unyielding fire in his eyes remained.
He had emerged victorious.
But at what cost?