Lucien's smirk deepened as he regarded Kaelith, his eyes glinting with the weight of absolute awareness. "You know, I'd hate for you to blame my void if things… get messy," he said casually, voice smooth like dark silk, "so why don't we go somewhere… more accommodating?"
Kaelith raised a brow, the faint red streak in his blue hair catching the light of the metaphysical energy around them. "Accommodating? You mean… a playground where you can actually show off?" he teased, already sensing the shift in Lucien's aura.
Lucien's smirk became a grin. With a subtle gesture, the very space around them warped. Dimensions began stacking, layer upon layer, each a perfect arena for combat. Some floors shimmered with molten energy, others rippled like water frozen mid-motion. Gravity twisted and reset as they moved, and the laws of physics bent into abstract, spectacular forms.
"You'll have all the space you need," Lucien said, voice tinged with arrogance. "And don't worry… I insist on style. We fight properly, yes? Swords, fists, skill."
Kaelith laughed, spinning into a ready stance. "I've been waiting for this."
They began with swords—Lucien's blade a shimmering extension of his essence, Kaelith's a sleek, metaphysical steel that flickered between dimensions as he swung. The clash sent ripples through the stacked planes: stone cracked, energy fields ignited, and every strike left sparks of fractured reality.
Lucien moved with a dancer's grace, a blur of light and shadow. Kaelith matched him perfectly, flipping through the layers, dodging, countering. Every impact resonated across the dimensional arenas, echoing as if each universe had its own pulse.
Sparks exploded as swords met, lighting the planes like tiny supernovas. Shockwaves hurled through stacked realms, toppling floating boulders and cracking shimmering floors. Soundless explosions warped the very perception of space, each impact leaving faint tears that shimmered like fractured glass.
Even in the chaos, there was a rhythm—Lucien's smirk never fading, Kaelith's grin just as sharp.
After several moments of dazzling swordplay, Lucien tossed his blade aside. "Enough theatrics," he said, almost lazily, and in an instant, his fists became the instruments of the storm.
Kaelith mirrored him, dropping his sword, and the two collided midair. The impact sent shockwaves through ten stacked realms at once, each collision a mix of martial arts precision and metaphysical devastation.
Lucien's fist met Kaelith's shoulder, cracking the air like crystal. Kaelith countered with a spinning kick, sending them both hurdling through multiple dimensions. Each punch and kick left fractals of energy, glowing briefly like frozen stars before fading.
Lucien laughed softly, a low chuckle that carried authority and amusement. "Honestly, you're not bad… for someone who thinks they can keep up with me."
Kaelith smirked, flipping backward midair. "I don't think—I know. Just… let me have a little fun before I get flattened."
They moved so fast that each strike blurred into a cascade of light and shadows. Planes twisted like ribbons, colliding and reforming with every kick, punch, and parry. A single hand-to-hand sequence spanned three stacked dimensions, each impact leaving shockwaves of energy that reshaped floating continents mid-combat.
Lucien effortlessly incorporated small quips between strikes, teasing Kaelith:
"Try hitting me, I dare you!" he said, sidestepping a punch that tore a fissure through a nearby layer.
"You talk too much!" Kaelith shot back, flipping over him and landing with a fist that cracked two realms simultaneously.
Lucien chuckled. "I like hearing you complain."
For a moment, they paused midair, suspended in a frozen arc of fractured dimensions. Lucien's aura shimmered like liquid white, Kaelith's like molten crimson-blue. The stacked planes around them had endured cracks, sparks, and bending of laws, yet none were destroyed—they adapted.
Lucien smirked, his voice carrying through the layered void: "Not bad… you've improved. But don't think I'll go easy just because you're fun to spar with."
Kaelith grinned, brushing dust off his suit. "Oh, I wasn't expecting easy. That's why I came."
The void itself seemed to hum in anticipation. Both fighters knew this was only the beginning—the real chaos, the real fun, was about to begin.