Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After a cat and mouse game lasting several minutes, with Jack almost wholly on the defensive, it was beginning to seem like Theo would actually come out on top. Her strength had already made a deep impression on every member of the audience, and, though none of her moves were flashy or over the top, the entire arena had been turned into a field of fiery brimstone by the mere act of her jumping around. This made it a lot harder to see what was actually going on, but, whenever she and Jack would trade blows with each other, visible shockwaves would slam into the arena’s barrier and cause the surrounding temperature to increase slightly.

As the person on the receiving end of Theo’s onslaught, Jack knew better than anyone else just how powerful she had become. He had even sustained a number of internal injuries from the blows that had managed to slip through his guard, and, if he lost focus for even a moment, it felt like his body would be fragmented and burned by what he had dubbed ’Earth-Fire Ki’.

Though infusing elemental energy into Ki wasn’t particularly rare, it typically required a combination of hand seals, talismans, and special techniques to manifest it externally. During this process, the Ki would be converted into the elemental energy, and, though it was still considered a Ki-based attack, it would be more accurate to call it Ki-fueled. Keeping Ki infused in the attack would generally cause it to dissipate, so, unless you were already at the level of a Master, externalizing an attack that used both Ki and elemental energy was exceptionally difficult.

Theo had obviously reached a level that qualified her as a Master, but, while her attacks and combat style were highly refined, Jack was able to sense that she wasn’t proactively fusing elemental energy into her Ki. Instead, her Ki seemed to inherently possess both Fire and Earth Elemental Energy. This was surprising on its own, but, even more so was the fact that the energies didn’t conflict with or try to devour each other. The two worked in perfect concert with each other, and, as a result, Theo was able to both ’petrify’ and ’burn’ targets using otherwise normal attacks.

While her attacks were troublesome in their own right, the most troubling aspect of Theo’s Ki was the influence it had on her surroundings. The ground where she walked would dry up in an instant, and, if she stood in one area for an extended period of time, it would even begin to crack apart and produce strange yellow flames. These flames not only caused the temperature to skyrocket but, as their name, Earth-Fire, implied, they had the ability to dry out and ultimately petrify even the water molecules within the air. This caused a phenomenon similar to ’ashing’, and, though his own aura was able to stave off the effects, even Jack’s skin had become rough and coarse due to prolonged exposure.

Needless to say, Theo had become terrifyingly strong in an inordinately short period of time. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, as she was clearly in control of her actions, but, depending on how it was used, such extreme levels of power could easily become a corrupting force. This was especially true when the weilder was still young, so, while he felt proud of Theo’s growth, he couldn’t help but curse Vahn for bestowing so much power on an innocent and outgoing young girl...

Blocking another one of Theo’s strikes, resulting in his palm nearly turning to stone, Jack released a paradoxically appreciative yet tired sigh. His serious look rapidly relaxed into a magnetic smile, and, though his eyes continued to blaze like tiny suns within the shadow of his seemingly indestructible bandana, their light appeared more caring than fierce. This caused Theo to lose the momentum she had been building, but, instead of dropping her guard, she used Shundo to open up a gap before asking, "What’s gotten into you?"

Before answering Theo’s question, Jack stared at the cracked skin of his palm before gently shaking his head and saying, "It’s nothing. Just know that I’m proud of how strong you’ve become. It would have been better if you obtained this power when you were older but I guess we don’t always get a choice in the direction of our growth..."

Hearing Jack’s rather melancholic remark, Theo scrunched up her face slightly as she said, "You’re acting weird, Jack. This was the path I chose by myself, for myself. I’m not sure what you’re thinking, but I can’t help feeling as though you have misunderstood something. Though I absolutely received a number of blessings during my training, I’m here today because of my own efforts. I trained hard every single day to exceed my limits, and, no matter how far I lagged behind everyone else, I never gave up pushing myself in order to reach my goal. It made me happy to hear you say you’re proud of me, Jack, but, as this is a power I obtained through tireless effort, it’s painful to hear you speak as if I didn’t earn it..."

Seeing the dispirited look on Theo’s face, Jack’s smile became a little awkward as he found himself at a loss for words. Her mention of lagging behind others rung a lot of alarm bells in the back of his mind, but, knowing he had wronged her, there were more important things to worry about. Thus, in an effort to make it up to her, he adopted an actual stance for the first time, a battle-hungry grin on his face as he said, "Sorry about that, kid. I’m just being a little sentimental. You’ve really grown a lot since the last time I saw you...now, show me the limits of your power!"

Immediately following his outburst, a massive crimson aura erupted from Jack’s body like a raging inferno. All the blood that had caked his body seemed to evaporate in an instant, and, though his natural regeneration had always been high, even his thumb began to heal at a noticeable rate. At the same time, his spiky hair became even more pronounced as the long bangs that usually framed his face began to flare upward against the pull of gravity.

Theo knew Jack had been holding back since the beginning of the battle, but, feeling his aura up close, most of her fighting spirit dried up in an instant. His figure seemed to rapidly increase in size, and, before she realized it, he seemed to be towering over her like a mountain. This nearly triggered her fight-or-flight response, but, after facing even greater auras during her training, she was able to remain relatively calm as she roared, "Sound the Call for Battle! War Goddess’ Herald, grant me the Greatest Output! Vis Maxima~!"

Though it didn’t stand out quite as much as Jack’s, Theo’s aura made it appear as though her entire body was wreathed in peculiar yellow flames. Fortunately, elevating her presence even above that of the Legendary Hero, the smoldering fires throughout the arena seemed to awaken in response to her call. Several pillars of Earth-Fire spontaneously erupted into existence, and, though it wasn’t obvious to the average onlooker, the more perceptive members of the audience noticed an earthen layer slowly creeping across the surface of the magical barrier...

Being the most perceptive in the entire Coliseum, Jack quickly realized the problem of a prolonged engagement, so, before the barrier could be compromised his aura surged even more as his figure vanished from view. At the same time, seemingly echoing through the void itself, his voice could be heard uttering, "Rakan Impact!" as he reappeared behind Theo. A combination of magic and ki had been forcibly amalgamated into a rudimentary sphere in his right hand, and, though it wasn’t a true fusion of the two energies, the destructive potential contained within was monstrous.

Surprised by Rakan’s imperceptibly fast Shundo, Theo barely even had the time to widen her eyes as a feeling of weightlessness preceded an excruciating amount of pain. It felt like all the nerves in her body were screaming out in protest, and, following the massive explosion generated by Rakan’s trademark ability, Theo found herself buried beneath several tons of rubble that had been formed from the 300m long trench carved by her body.

Rakan wasn’t sure about the threshold of Theo’s defensive abilities, but, based on his prior analysis, she was at least durable enough to tank the main cannon of an Air Whale. This was comparable to the output of his Rakan Impact, so, while she was bound to suffer a few light injuries, it shouldn’t be enough to take her out of the fight. Thus, before she could emerge from the trench, he leaped high into the air, demonstrating remarkable flexibility as he arched backward and roared, "Rakan for the Hell of it Right Hand Punch...!"

Following the rather comical outburst, Rakan threw what appeared to be a normal punch toward the ground. In response, a pillar of dirt more than 100m tall erupted from the ground as both the barrier and the Coliseum itself visibly shuddered. When the dust began to settle, the outline of a fist could be seen imprinted into the arena floor, extending nearly ten meters into the durable surface material. At the very center, Theo could be seen holding up her arms in a crossguard, and, much to the surprise of everyone present, she appeared to be virtually uninjured.

Having felt the feedback of his attack, Jack knew Theo hadn’t come out unscathed. He wasn’t sure why she appeared uninjured, but, having felt her bones strain under the force of his blow, he knew she wasn’t indestructible. Instead, she seemed to possess an ability that provided both durability and near-instantaneous regeneration.

Deciding to put his theory to the test, Jack bolted forward the moment Theo rolled to her feet and attempted to create some distance between them. She actually managed to react to his speed this time, releasing an explosive burst of Ki from her palm, but, like an emboldened youth spitting into the winds of a hurricane, her attack shattered instantly as a bit of the explosion rebounded and hit her. At the same time, Jack grabbed her outstretched wrist, his eyes seeming to turn into brilliant stars as he shouted, "Rakan Mega Wild Throw...!"

Like a dreidle released from its string, Jack spun around at several rotations per second, creating a literal vortex among the dirt and debris in the surrounding. Then, at the exact moment Theo’s body slackened from the centrifugal force, the momentum of his spin was converted into pure downward force as he slammed her body into the arena hard enough to send a visible ripple through the floor. As a result, the entire arena seemed to descend a few centimeters as Theo, displaying the blacks of her eyes, lay embedded surprisingly shallow in its surface...

Though it seemed like he had won, Jack didn’t lower his guard for even a moment. This ended up being the correct choice, as, in the blink of an eye, Theo regained consciousness, her dislocated shoulder instantly setting itself as she attempted to grab his wrist.

Realizing the only way to end the fight was to either capture or completely overwhelm her, Jack evaded Theo’s attack by leaping upward once again. Then, accounting for the fact she would try to avoid, a serious glimmer flashed across his eyes as he shouted, "Rakan Ten Thousand Simultaneous Strikes...!"

While far from ten-thousand blows, Rakan released a series of punches so swift that his upper body seemed to twist and distort due to the warping of Space and Time. At the same time, similar to his previous ’Rakan for the Hell of it Right Hand Punch’, pillars of dirt and debris seemed to erupt from the arena floor. Instead of one, however, the entire arena seemed to ascend as literally hundreds of pillars were created in the exact same moment. There wasn’t a single gap within the attack, and, in the aftermath, roughshod buildings located kilometers from the Coliseum began to collapse from the tremors generated.

As he was beginning to become familiar with the threshold of Theo’s durability, Jack knew his rather showy attack wouldn’t be able to defeat her. He just wanted to pin her down in preparation for his next attack, as, unlike his Ki-based abilities, his Magic took a considerable amount of prep time.

Though few people associated him with anything even remotely resembling a Mage, Jack had been recognized as one of the Top Ten Mages in the entire world by the Imperial Court Mage. This wasn’t due to proficiency with magic, however, but the result of his truly monstrous reserves and his ability to seemingly analyze the structure of virtually any spell. This had allowed him to defeat several opponents using their own magic against them, and, though he might not be as proficient as the original, he could make up for it through sheer volume of magical power.

Accounting for the Earth-Fire that would emit from Theo’s body the moment her aura recovered, Jack began performing a series of poses in mid-air as he chanted, "Yo, wake up you lazy Undine. I need your help in dealing with a troublesome opponent. If you don’t come out, I’m going to give you a spanking the next time we meet! Rakan Style Water Binding...!"

As the intent and structure of a spell were often more important than the chant itself, Jack liked to add a bit of flair to the spells he had copied. He always enjoyed seeing the vexed and vengeance-filled expressions of the arrogant Mages whose spells he had bastardized as, not only did it reduce their focus, it was a rather vicious blow against their ego. Too many Mages enjoyed flaunting their abilities over ’normal’ people, so, whenever he got the opportunity, Jack liked to take them down a few pegs...

Following Jack’s chant, a phenomenal amount of water seemed to appear out of thin air, swirling in the center of the arena. It eventually formed a bubble more than twenty meters across, but, despite being nigh-incompressible in its normal state, Jack was able to forcibly shrink the size of the sphere by cupping his hands together in a crushing motion. When everything was said and done, the size of the sphere had reduced to around twelve meters, forcing the trapped Theo into a fetal position as runes began to emerge across the surface of the water.

Though it was still in a liquid state, the runes surrounding the sphere caused it to behave similarly to a solid. They had the effect of literally stagnating time within the sphere, so, from the perspective of onlookers, it appeared as if the interior was moving in slow motion. This had effectively brought an end to the battle, as, even if Theo had the strength to break out, it could be argued that Jack had ample time to simply ’kill’ her if he really wanted. This was one of the advantages of using sealing magic in the Coliseum, as, the moment you effectively trapped your opponent, it was considered a victory by default.

With that being the case, Jack quickly dispelled the sphere to reduce the risk of Theo suffering any ill effects. Magical energy and Ki could mitigate even the pressure differential in outer space for a time, but, depending on the circumstances, people could still be affected by chemical imbalances and the internal conversion of both gases and liquids. There had been numerous cases where the target of a sealing spell ended up dying from decompression sickness hours after the battle had come to an end. This was another reason why sealing magic was recognized as a victory condition, as, on occasion, it was effectively a death sentence...

Understanding the rules of the Coliseum better than most, Theo couldn’t help but release a slightly disappointed sigh once the sphere of water dispersed. She never expected to win against Jack, but, from the moment he stopped holding back, she couldn’t even defend herself. He was considerably faster than she expected, and, though she had seen his attacks from the perspective of an onlooker, experiencing them directly completely shattered her expectations. It was almost like being hit with a literal mountain, and, even if she wanted to dodge, the pressure released by the attack made it feel like she was training in the special chambers created by Vahn. There, the density of Space could be adjusted to suit the needs of the user, and, though it didn’t exactly affect gravity, it made even the most basic movements feel as though you were moving through a pool of mercury...

Remembering how easily both Vahn and Asuna could move within the super-dense Space, Theo quickly recovered from her brief melancholy. One of the first things her Master had taught her was that there were no actual limits to a person’s growth. There were various things that could prevent them from reaching the pinnacle of their potential, but, so long as she never recognized setbacks as an excuse to justify slacking off, she would continue to grow exponentially stronger. Her four years of hard training had proven this, and, though she had a lot of help in overcoming her bottlenecks, it was still her own willpower and resolve that allowed her to reach her current level.

With this in mind, Theo surprised Jack quite a bit by spontaneously pointing her finger towards him and boldly declaring, "You won this round, Jack! Next time, you might not be so lucky! The moment you start slacking off, I’ll leave you in my dust! Consider that a promise from the future Empress of the Hellas Empire~!"

Having noticed Theo’s depressive state, Jack had been intending to try and console her. As a result, he was slightly taken aback by how quickly she bounced back her to usual self. Even her horns had started to gradually retract, and, as if she hadn’t been fighting like a demon mere minutes ago, she had a smile that perfectly encapsulated the tomboyish princess beloved by the Empire. This caused the crowd to explode into a truly thunderous applause while Jack, the target of Theo’s bold words, just smiled as he said, "Guess I’ll need to work harder..." before adding, "It seems the future of the Empire is in good hands..."

(A/N: Alternate Titles: ’When burning just isn’t enough’,’Serious series...’,’Defeat is just another step on the path towards true strength’)