The Phantom Riser

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX - THE ASCIENT OF 207 (2)

System Update

Victor Vaneki

Special Skill Move Activated: Fire Cloak (The user is cloaked in fire. This gives the user a chance to buff strength and speed; current buff percentage is set at 30%. The user is also capable of creating anything with fire with similar effects. Complexity of the creations is dependent on the user’s level. Each creation also has a chance to explode if dispelled; explosion chance is set at 70%. The fire cloak also reduces physical damages currently by 30%)

Time Limit: 00:30

***

Victor donned the fire cloak; Fire in the shape of a long jacket. The fire was a mass of compressed energy and it looked like it could explode at any moment. His eyes were yellow, like a calm flame and his hair was ablaze. The other parts of his body were covered by fire as well. He observed his cloak. It was his first time trying it out but somehow, he knew how to use it. It felt as though he was always aware of its presence, but he could have sworn he never knew of its existence until that very moment. Nuri hesitated. Every fiber in his body was screaming for him to run. While winning under these circumstances was definitely tempting, the amount of energy he perceived was far more than he had felt from anyone else. Except from Jovak of course. And the difference in their levels was immense. He was an Ascient no less, so these kinds of things were expected.

“That looks very impressive,” Nuri said. No matter how powerful his special ability was, it was for a short time. All he needed to do was to stall for time. If he could survive through it, he would win. Unless of course he had other things up his sleeves, which was very unlikely however.

But Victor paid no heed to him. “Hebi,” he muttered.

***

System Update

Victor Vaneki

Skill Move: Fire Snake Hold (a snake of fire binds its target; possesses burning effects)

***

A snake of fire sprang from Victor’s outstretched arm and straight at Nuri. Victor was calm. He was in control. The snake wrapped Nuri, who was unable to dodge it. It squeezed so tight that it cracked his energy shield. After a few seconds of struggling, Nuri finally broke free, but it took all the strength he had. Victor gave him no time to rest. “Ushi,” he muttered again.

***

System Update

Victor Vaneki

Skill Move: Fire Ox (An ox made of fire charges violently at its target. It is especially useful in taking down strong differences; possesses burning effects)

***

“Tori,” Victor muttered again.

***

System Update

Victor Vaneki

Skill Move: Fire Falcon (a falcon of fire tears at its target with its sharp claws; possesses burning effects)

***

An ox and a falcon of fire charged straight at Nuri. While it was easy to evade the ox, the falcon was a different issue entirely. It was exceptionally fast and reacted very quickly to Nuri. Out of desperation, Nuri randomly shot energy beams at the ox, the falcon, Victor, even Kiro and Karenia. He shot at anything his eyes came across. Victor easily deflected the beams with his hands, while the falcon evaded them and they bounced off the ox. Kiro easily protected Karenia and Azulon. His beams were nothing compared to Isaac’s. For someone who could manipulate energy, it was disappointing to see how poor his beams were. “So, you can only manipulate the energy within human bodies. I wondered why you weren’t just shooting lasers like a maniac. I guess you really are a one-trick pony, pony,” Victor goaded.

“Screw you! This is far from over!” Nuri yelled. He was in anguish from the impact he suffered from Victor’s animal attacks. The ox made a clean hit, shattering what was left of his shield. The falcon had proved the right bait to give the ox a clear run.

“Let me show you how it is done, seeing as you could learn from Isaac,” Victor said.

***

System Update

Victor Vaneki

Skill Move: Fire Beam (a thin, concentrated beam of fire is shot at its target; it is well suited to breaking through strong defenses)

***

Victor shot the fire beam straight at Nuri. He was already too weak to dodge, too tired. He hardened his hands and blocked the beam’s target. But it pierced through like hot knife through butter, piercing through the right side of his chest. Nuri fell straight to the ground. He coughed blood as he tried to laugh. A last resort to intimidate Victor maybe? A dying moment’s cry? “You missed. Weren’t you going to show me how it’s done?” he goaded.

Victor walked towards him. His fire cloak was gradually dying out. He bent over to him and held his face up. He wanted to look him in the eye and for Nuri to look at him right back. “If I killed you, how would you learn? You’re still alive because I want you to be.” – Nuri coughed out even more blood – “Now listen to me, I’m sure you can keep yourself alive with your energy manipulation. If not, how unfortunate. We are done playing Jovak’s game. Tell him that we are coming for him. And if you know what’s good for you, stay out of our way. It would be a waste to kill you after sparing your life,” Victor said before dropping his face.

System Update

Victor Vaneki

Special Skill Move Deactivated: Fire Cloak

***

The last embers of Victor’s fire cloak finally disappeared. Nuri tried a last-ditch attempt to attack Victor by shooting a fire beam, but Victor remotely brought up the ground beneath his hands, taking his aim wide of him and completely out of harm’s way. “Save your strength Nuri. You’ve lost. Accept it and leave. Don’t let me change my mind.”

Nuri bit his lips hard. The shame he felt. To be pitied… by him. It was unacceptable. Completely unacceptable! Nuri forced himself up. He was going to let it just end there. There was no way he would go back with is tail behind his legs. He knew what he was risking when he came. What he stood to lose. And he wasn’t going back empty handed after handed such a humiliating defeat. Jovak was going to kill him anyway, so why go back. If he was going to die, he would rather take them with him! He laughed hysterically as he tore away at what remained of his shirt. “You are all going down with me! See you all in hell!” he screamed. He amassed a large amount of energy in an attempt to self-destruct. “I will show you an explosion like no other!”

The only one who looked bothered was Azulon. Everyone else seemed to care less. Karenia sighed at how ridiculous Nuri looked. She moved in an instance to behind him and with one hit to the back of his neck, she knocked him out. “The fight was over long before it even started. You never stood a chance in the first place. You were just too blind to see it,” she said.