Transcendence?

***Sphere of Sous***

***Ascathon***

“So weak!”

I shake the guy whom I am holding at his collar. He has foam at his mouth and his eyes are turned upwards. Even though I did my best, he doesn't regain his consciousness. After electrocuting him once more, which only resulted in a little uncontrolled twitching, I drop him to the ground.

Celestial appears at my side. “Our offensive power is very good.” She defeated her opponent first and assisted us just a little from that moment on. “But we should avoid splitting up like that in the future.”

I shrug my shoulders. “It was an opportune moment to do so. Their party members seemed very weak on their own. Breaking their teamwork and creating mayhem worked to our advantage. Most other teams seem to be balanced groups of fighters and supporters. We should have the advantage as long as we are able to create one versus one situations.”

Celestial nods while she watches Jazira's laser lashing wildly around at the horizon. It parted the clouds, then it swung down and parted a mountain the same way, turning it to lava. “I wonder how she does that. I would expect that a spell that powerful heats the air around it so much that it burns the caster too.”

The laser turns and draws a line of fire and molten lava over the ground while following a target which we can't see. I frown. “If it was a normal laser you would be right. But Jazira's version is a little more refined. She is generating a strong cylindrical magnetic field with her index finger as the anchor point. Then she ignites the air at her fingertip with a basic flame spell and pours all her mana into it. The created plasma is forced down the magnetic field and contained within it. Do you see how the laser becomes a little broader and less focused once it's about fifty metres away from her? It's more like a plasma torch than a real laser.”

Celestial's jaw falls open. “She does that with a basic flame spell?!”

I frown. “Did she strike you as someone who would use a complicated spell if she could go with brute force and rely on her mana pool instead?”

My wife snickers. “No, it's just...” She gestures at the ray of death, which catches up to a small black dot in the sky. The dot vanishes. “... no matter what you say! That's no basic flame spell which you learn in your first magical class!”

“But it is! A basic flame spell, combined with the creation of a magnetic field.” I answer with assurance. “She is casting two basic channelled spells at the same time, while pouring all her mana into it. That's all. You shouldn't complain! Your aura isn't very complicated either.”

Celestial gasps. “But it is! You have no idea how hard it is to control the mana within you while you fight. The constant movement makes it very hard! Why don't you do it yourself if it's that easy?”

Damn. “Fine. You have a point. Have you taken a look after Lidith too?”

In that moment Jazira appears in front of us with a delighted face. “I was good, wasn't I? My opponent ran and teleported faster than a bunny! But in the end I got him!”

“You mean you managed to point your finger at him!” Celestial retorts at Jazira, who drops to her knees. “It doesn't sound like a fight when you put it that way...”

“Back to the topic! There are no problems with her transformation. She had her opponent chained down with a light spell and was trying to rip off his arm. Probably she was trying to follow your advice.” Celestial answers with an uneasy voice.

I decide to investigate further. “She was trying?”

Celestial's licks over her lips while she searches for the right words. “Her half awakened state makes her stronger, but not as strong as before. She is still able to use spells though.”

I nod. “That makes her probably more dangerous than before. Now she isn't just a brute with too much strength, but strong with a working mind.”

Celestial shakes her head with a sad expression. “She was strong enough to break her opponents arm, but she didn't manage to rip it off. She was still trying to rip it off when I left.”

“We should take a look! The poor cute kitty. Maybe I can help?” Jazira disappears.

Celestial and I follow her towards Lidith's location. We find Jazira with furrowed eyebrows over the corpse of our fourth opponent. Chains of light are binding him to the ground. His left arm is detached from his body and a big puddle of blood is spreading from the wound.

What's strange though is that the area around the mouth of the corpse is covered with blood. It looks like he was eating strawberry marmalade and dirtied himself.

Lidith is crouching beside the corpse while drawing small circles onto the ground with her index finger. “I worked so hard, but it didn't come off...”

Jazira kneels down beside her and pats her shoulder.

“Then I twisted until I could finally detach it...”

Jazira strokes her head.

“Afterwards I tried to stuff it down his throat! But he didn't open his mouth...”

Jazira hugs Lidith, who doesn't resist.

“He died of blood loss before I could redeem myself. I was too slow...”

Then the world around us turns dark and I get the feeling of falling again.

We are back in the arena. Our opponents stagger out of the ring while the stadium is completely silent. I turn to a judge, but the guy looks a little absent minded.

“... Aaaand that's the first victory for -The four Pillars of Death!-. At first I had my doubts! But the Red hasn't lost her edge! It even seems like her new form makes her even more dangerous! I thought that her normal self wasn't capable of cruel acts, but that seems to be my mistake! She showed no mercy for her enemy. Instead of simply ripping it off, she decided to twist slowly, ensuring to inflict as much pain as possible! Then she actually tried to feed him with his own arm! Her new persona is even sicker than her transformation!...”

***

I lean back in my chair and enjoy the silence of our lounge. “This fight was mentally exhausting!”

“You have no idea. I am actually considering to have my memories erased.” Lidith wipes the tears out of her eyes with a handkerchief. “How could they misunderstand me like that!”

Celestial grumbles with a coffee-cup in her hand. “Why are you crying? Didn't you want to have a reputation?”

Lidith's jaw starts to quiver. Now she looks completely like a crying child. “Earlier I had a reputation of having an insanely strong transformation, even if I went into a mad frenzy. Now they think that I am some kind of Crazy Killer Animal! How can I face Gemesh now.”

Haah... I forgot that she is doing this to get the attention of her crush.

“It will work out!” Jazira encourages Lidith. “I'll root for you! And if he doesn't acknowledge you, we'll use force!”

Celestial frowns and takes a sip from her coffee. “Why don't you lock yourself with him inside a room and use a love potion on him?”

“Love?” “Potion?”

“Does that...” “... work?”

Celestial rolls with her eyes. “Of course! You just have to flip their switch. Men are driven by hormones after all!”

Two pairs of eyes wander in my direction. “Why are you staring at me like that? I get the feeling that you are pitying me!”

Our bickering is interrupted as the door to our lounge opens. Five people step inside.

It's Charon, Wynne and three other people. There is a small kid, not much bigger than a toddler. A woman with an insanely huge rack and rabbit ears! And a big thin guy with dark skin and a bald head.

The small kid steps forward. “I challenge you to a fight! The one who wins can stay, the loser has to leave!”

I snort. “Who are you? Leave where? This is our lounge!”

The kid turns red. “I am Aneth!”

.