Sorcerer… Cyborg???

Chapter 176: Fire and Light(2)

A blanket of silence fell over all those watching the battle unfold in the skies, the people of Aznur watched on, hoping in their hearts that the flaming demon that had come to attack their home had been extinguished, while Anteris' men hoped desperately that their leader would keep fighting.

As Anteris continued to fly through the air, his wings of flame trailing behind him, like a meteor arcing down toward the ocean.

But then, Anteris' wings snapped open, and he flew upward, rising up into the air, an enormous ball of flame clutched in his left hand.

He had used the time that he had been  flying through the air to channel a spell, and the Emperor's respect for his opponent grew, the man he faced was truly worthy of his power, he had the mind to match his prowess.

Anteris paused in mid air for the slightest moment, his wings beating mightily to stop him from going hurtling backward as he blanched the enormous ball of fire forward, into the air between him and the Emperor.

The Emperor looked on as the ball of fire flew lazily through the air toward him, moving far too slowly to have any chance at hitting him. Underneath the lion's head helm, a flicker of recognition appeared in the Emperor's eyes, and was replaced by a sense of urgency right after.

In his years fighting against the arena, he had gained a wealth of battle experience, and had faced many similar spells before. 

As the Emperor was desperately channeling a  spell to respond, the ball of flame reached midway between the two combatants, and then, it exploded.

A deafening explosion rang out as the ball of fire exploded violently outward, filling the air above completely with a sea of fire. A powerful shockwave thundered out alongside the explosion, sending many of the onlookers sprawling for cover, and knocking many unexpecting individuals down.

The sky now a sea of flame, and their Emperor nowhere to be seen, it looked to the people of Aznur that the tables had turned. 

However, Anteris had yet to let down his guard, he looked straight on into the sea of flames, towards where he could feel the enormous reserves of mana that was the Emperor.

As the flames subsided, a shining orb was revealed, the Emperor had cast his Light Barrier just in time, defending himself from Anteris' all encompassing attack.

But this was not to say that this was a wasted attack, at this level, the combatants' control over their mana was to a degree that ordinary civilians could not imagine. 

And there were gasps of wonder and sighs of amazement, as the sea of flame, rather than dissipating as most spells would, converged toward Antlers, who had switched his halberd to his left hand, and held his right arm high up, as if holding an invisible javelin.

The flames all converged above Anteris' right hand, forming into the shape of a lance, but far larger than any lance that humans typically wield, an enormous spike of flame forming within Anteris' grip.

But this was no respectful exchange of attacks, where the combatants would wait for the other to launch an attack before answering in turn, for as Anteris prepared his Fire Lance, the bright light around the Emperor only grew brighter and brighter.

Until it was as if another sun had appeared in the sky, shining far brighter and closer than the sun in the heavens above.

Anteris grimaced as he watched the Emperor grow brighter and brighter, he could feel the sheer power of the mana that the Emperor was building up, and though he knew he could not gather the flames any faster, he urged himself onward.

A sinking feeling was very quickly developing in Anteris' chest, he had expected to face one of the famed Storm generals, and had been sure he would be able to hold his own, at the very least, but against the Emperor, he was quickly beginning to realize that he was outmatched.

The light around the Emperor grew to a blinding intensity, a brilliant flash of light beaming in the sky, all focused on the straight long sword that the Emperor pointed straight at Anteris.

Anteris, in desperation, threw the enormous Fire Lance at the Emperor, but it was far too late.

The Emperor stabbed outward, many times in succession, and though the pair of them were separated by hundreds of meters, brilliant beams of light, originating from the Emperor's sword, stabbed out, first toward the rapidly approaching lance, then at Anteris.

The lance was quickly reduced to nothing but wisps of flame, and then Anteris desperately manipulated his Aura enhanced halberd to block beam after beam of brilliant light.

It seemed as if the Emperor could stab out indefinitely, and Anteris was a moment too slow in blocking one of the beams.

Anteris felt an intense stabbing pain in his left shoulder, as a beam of light shot clean through his Aura, blasting clean through his armor and halfway into his shoulder before it lost its power.

Tam could watch no longer, letting Anteris come to any more harm would be the same as dooming their mission, and he let loose the mana he had been holding, ready to go at a moment's notice.

Tam shot upwards, a brilliant blue glow surrounding him, forming the shape of a ferocious hawk, becoming more and more clear as he flew upward through the air.

The Emperor stared in shock, his sword falling to his side, as he watched the glowing blue hawk fly up from the ships below.

By the time Tam had flown to Anteris' side, the hawk was fully formed, and had become distinct to a degree that it was as if an enormous hawk had suddenly appeared in the sky.

Anteris hung his head in shame, while Tam shot a fierce glare at the Emperor who floated across from them, his face hidden behind the lion's head mask.