Clang, swoosh, TONGG, doof! Asfodel crashed into the snowy ground. Nazeem fell from above him and snatched his robe by the collar, "C'mon God Killer. Show me more!" Nazeem threw him into the thicket of trees, sending him crashing through them. Nazeem dashed forwards, through dozens of trees, getting closer to Asfodel's body. Suddenly, they reached a cliff. Asfodel had flung off from the cliff, and Nazeem followed. He jumped just above Asfodel, and pulled up both of his legs, then sending them down into Asfodel's stomach, which shot him into the snowy ground below. DOOF! "Gyah!" Asfodel gagged, laying there, wincing in pain. Nazeem dropped down next to him, "What happened! Did my little spell really scare you that much? This'll be no fun if you don't fight back." Nazeem raised both of his arms, and slammed them into Asfodel's body. DOOF, DOOF, DOOOOF! "Belch… Gyah!" Asfodel spat out blood, as Nazeem continued pummeling him into the ground.
From above the cliff, Shyzen had walked to the edge, and was glaring down at the two of them. Asfodel's eyes were closed shut, but he managed to open them slightly and look up towards the top of the cliff. He noticed Shyzen's expression of disgust as Nazeem kept his onslaught coming. Asfodel gritted his teeth and began channeling mana through his body, "Lightspeed!" His body turned into light particles that sifted past Nazeem's body and formed back into Asfodel. He was now standing just behind Nazeem with his left arm raised past the right side of his head. Nazeem jerked his body backwards, but Asfodel swung his arm into him, sending Nazeem flying through trees. After he had cleared through hundreds of meters in just a few seconds, Nazeem planted his feet into the ground, skidding through the rough rock with a, KKSSHHH! His momentum ceased, and he dashed forwards, past the trees in search of Asfodel. Suddenly, a voice rang out from above him, "Seek through the deepest depths of my soul! Wring out my foremost desires…!" A bright golden light began to shine down from the sky. Nazeem looked upwards, but he was quickly blinded by the light. 'Shine down upon these impudent worms…!" A tremendous pressure began to push Nazeem into the ground so hard he couldn't move. "Divine Judgement!" SSSMMMMM, BBBBVVVVVV! Suddenly, a large beam of light shot down from the sky. Nazeem glanced upwards, noticing the giant pillar of mana hurling downwards towards him. He clenched his fists, slouched his back slightly, and screamed out, "Hyaah, Shockwave!" DOOOOMMMM! A wave of lightning shot out from Nazeem's body in an arc. CSHHNN! The arc of lightning clashed against the beam of light, creating a wave of mana shooting out in all directions. But the beam of light overpowered Nazeem's shockwave, and came crashing into him. PPSSSHHH! However, Nazeem managed to dash out of the beam's range just in time. He continued running through the forest, trying to escape. But dozens more light beams began shooting down from above him. Nazeem dashed left, right, right again, and then light once more. He jerked his body in nearly every direction trying to dodge all of Asfodel's attacks. And then, time seemed to have stopped, and Nazeem realized that everything around him had become much brighter. In slow motion, he looked around and noticed that hundreds, if not thousands, of light pillars were flying downwards around him, covering nearly every inch of the forest. Nazeem let out a deep breath. Small sparks spurt out from his mouth, and he whispered to himself, "Thunder." Just then, his body was completely enveloped in lightning, and he shot himself forward. ZZPSHHHHHH! In less than a second, he managed to escape from the forest, and Asfodel's attack, leaving behind a stream of lightning.
"Huff, huff… Jeez… that was tough. I've gotta take a break…!" Nazeem said, with his hands on his knees, and sweat running down from his cheeks, "...My mana's almost completely gone. I've got maybe one more spell left in me." "That's good to know!" Asfodel's voice rang out from behind him. Nazeem jerked his body backwards, but his eyes were met with the palm of Asfodel's hand. He grabbed Nazeem by the face, and dashed forward, bringing Nazeem with him, "C'mon kid! You talked so much game while I wasn't fighting back! Show me more!" Suddenly, he slammed Nazeem into a giant boulder. DDRRMMM! "Gahhh!" Nazeem screamed out in pain with widened eyes. He tensed his body, and arched his back backwards while in the air. Asfodel pulled his left arm back, and sent a fist hurling into Nazeem's stomach. DDRRCSHH! Nazeem flew back into the boulder, becoming stuck within a giant crater, "Belch." Nazeem coughed up blood. His eyes dimmed, and the sparks that surrounded him began to dissipate. Asfodel laid his hand on Nazeem's shoulder, "C'mon now kiddo…" His voice almost seemed soothing and calm, "...You've got this bud. Don't give up just yet…" He leaned his face closer to Nazeem's, and began to smile maliciously, "...I know you're not done yet." He placed his hand on Nazeem's stomach and began pressing on it. CSHH, CRSHH! The pressure began to crack the boulder even more, as Nazeem's body shifted even deeper within the crater, "Gaaahhh!" Nazeem yelled out in pain. He gritted his teeth, and shifted his eyes towards Asfodel. Suddenly, he slammed the palm of both of his hands on both of Asfodel's ears. Spurts of blood shot out from Asfodel's ears and he staggered backwards, holding his ears. Nazeem fell out from the crater, landing on his knees. He got up and dashed towards Asfodel, pulling his right arm back, "You want to see everything!? Well, here's everythinggg!" Nazeem planted his feet, and sent a barrage of punches hurling into Asfodel. His face shot from side to side, and shockwaves shot out from his body, as Nazeem continued pummeling him. DSHH, DSHH, DSH, DSH DSH DSH DSH! The ground around them began to crumble and fall apart. With each punch, blood poured out from Asfodel. His body had nearly gone limp. Nazeem pulled his right arm all the way back, and shot it forward, sending Asfodel hurling into the cliffside. CRRSHHH! Nazeem dashed forward and slammed his fist into Asfodel, creating a much larger crater into the cliffside. Asfodel winced in pain and gagged out blood, "Belch, Gyaaah!" Nazeem continued his barrage of punches, with each blow sending a shockwave through the entire forest. Nazeem's eyes had bags under them, and blood poured from his head. He was gritting his teeth so hard blood began to pour out of his mouth. Asfodel's eyes were shaking after each punch. His body was covered in bruises and his face was covered in an expression of pain and agony.
On the other side of the forest, above the cliffside and past the clearing, Nyleah was laying in the snow. Her eyes began to open slowly, as she regained consciousness, "Huh… w-what happened…?" She pulled her torso up and looked around, "...Crap, I was beaten by that God Killer guy…" She stood up and grabbed her bow that was next to her, "...I can't waste time." She ran off, looking side to side for any signs of Nazeem or Lura.
CCRRMMM, CRSHH, CRSH CRSH CRSH CRSH! Nazeem continued his barrage, leaving Asfodel barely conscious after each blow. By now, Asfodel's body was limp and his arms swung in the air with each strike by Nazeem. Suddenly, the force of each blow stopped, and Asfodel fell to the ground, limp. Nazeem took a few wombly steps backwards, before falling on his butt. He was breathing heavily while staring at Asfodel, who had regained consciousness and was trying to pull himself off the ground. His elbows were shaking, and he fell back into the snow. Nazeem put his left arm over his left knee, trying to catch his breath. "Hehehehe, hahahaha! How impressive…!" Asfodel began laughing hysterically, "...I knew you had more than you were letting on. I'm thoroughly satisfied now."
Just then, as if he was completely unhurt, Asfodel got up from the snow. Now, he was staring down at Nazeem, who was making a terrified look. Asfodel grinned, walking closer to Nazeem. But as he took a few more steps, ZZMMM! The right side of Asfodel's cheek was sliced, and a small stream of blood rolled down to his chin. His eyes widened with shock, and he glanced beyond Nazeem. Nyleah was standing nearly a dozen meters behind him with her bow drawn and aiming towards Asfodel. ZZMMM! She shot out another arrow, but Asfodel jerked his head to the left, dodging it. Suddenly, Asfodel disappeared. Nyleah took a step back, but before she could react, he had already closed the gap between them, and had his left arm raised up. Nyleah grabbed the dagger by her waist and lunged it towards him. Asfodel swung his arm downwards, and a giant beam of light surrounded them. A spurt of blood shot from his stomach, while Nyleah winced in pain from the surrounding light magic that was enveloping both of them. "That wasn't worth it girl…!" Asfodel began shouting out to her, "...You'll die soon." Nyleah furrowed her eyebrows and began glancing maliciously towards Asfodel. She dashed backwards, escaping from the beam of light, and drew her bow back, "Piercing Shot!" Mana surrounded her arrow, as it shot out towards Asfodel too fast for him to react. CCRSHHH! He was sent flying backwards with a spurt of blood flowing from his chest. CCRRRKK! He landed into a boulder farther away and winced in pain. Nyleah ran forwards, pulling out her dagger and charging towards Asfodel. He pulled himself out of the boulder and stood back up. Nyleah sent out a barrage of attacks towards Asfodel. TNGG, DMM, CRSHH! They clashed, sending sparks flying into the air. Nyleah was holding her own, even pushing Asfodel back slightly. But it was clear that he wasn't getting overwhelmed. His face maintained a grin as he stared back at Nyleah even while they pushed past dozens of trees and crashed through boulders.
Eventually, Asfodel planted his feet into the ground, completely stopping their momentum. This caught Nyleah off guard, and gave him an opening. Asfodel sent a fist straight into Nyleah's stomach, "Belch!" She was sent flying into the trees, eventually hurling into another clearing of the forest. She winced in pain, trying to get back up. But Asfodel appeared next to her, his hand pointed towards her with mana channeling through it, "You're a pretty decent close-quarters fighter, considering your main weapon is a bow… Golden Eradication!" Small strands of light shot out of Asfodel's hand. They began to envelop Nyleah, completely covering her. She shot her head side-to-side, trying to figure out what was going on. After a few moments, the strands of light had surrounded her, and were now growing in size. And then, the strands completely enveloped her, turning into a sphere of light that trapped her inside. Asfodel closed his eyes and turned around, "It seems this fight's over." And he started walking away.
The sphere of light that lay on the ground began to change in shape. Its shape began to protrude, as if something was poking at it from the inside. Protrusions began to pop up all over it, and a faint sense of mana began emanating from it. Asfodel stopped walking away, and turned around, "How odd. You should be dead right now." From within the sphere, a faint voice yelled out, "Combustion!" Suddenly, the sphere popped like a balloon, with spurts of flames shooting out into the sky. Nyleah was crouched down, with her arms planted onto the snow-covered ground. Her gaze fixated towards Asfodel, as she slowly began to stand up, "I'm not done yet, God Killer." Asfodel grinned, "Alright then… Let us continue!" The two of them dashed towards each other. Nyleah put her hand behind her back, and as they got closer to each other, a white stream of light shot out towards Asfodel's neck. Nyleah's arm was stretched out, and her dagger had plunged into the lower portion of Asfodel's neck. His eyes were wide from shock, as they slowly began to lower, until they eventually reached the sight of Nyleah's dagger. She swung her dagger out of his neck and dashed backwards, holding her stance and maintaining caution. Asfodel staggered backwards, and fell on his butt, holding his neck with his right hand. Blood began gushing out from his mouth and neck, as he tried to stop the bleeding, "Hea-belch… Crap." He tried speaking, but his words were drowned out from the blood. Nyleah pulled her bow from her back and drew it, "Piercing Shot!" Mana surrounded her arrow once more, and she released her grasp on it. The arrow zipped through the air, ZZMMM, THWOP! A spurt of blood shot out from Asfodel's head as it flung backwards, and his limp body fell onto the snow.
Nyleah's arms went limp, and she fell on her knees while breathing heavily out of her mouth, "Good thing the fight ended there... I can't move a muscle now, hehe." She smiled, and fell face-first into the snow.
Crunch, crunch, crunch. The sound of shoes walking over snow filled the quiet air around them. Shyzen was walking towards Asfodel with an emotionless expression. He stopped right next to Nyleah and glanced down at her for a moment before continuing over to Asfodel, "Oh dear… You had your hands full with three children? How pathetic, God Killer. Tch, don't make me laugh." He walked over to Asfodel and crouched down, placing his right hand into Asfodel's chest, "I need you alive idiot…" A bright green light began emanating from Shyzen's hand, "...Grand Healing." A gust of wind shot through the area, and Asfodel's wounds began to slowly heal. Asfodel's eyes slowly opened, "Eugh… What happened?" Shyzen frowned, "You got your ass handed to you. That girl managed to outspeed you for a moment and caught you off guard. Next time, don't play around with your enemies… Just kill them." Asfodel laid up and looked towards Nyleah, "That wasn't my fault. That girl is really fast. For a moment there I completely lost vision of her arm." "Then I suppose she's just a freak of nature. I had no idea someone so young could overpower you like that." Shyzen scoffed, and walked away. Asfodel lay there, staring at Nyleah's unconscious body laying in the snow.
After a few moments, he began standing back up. But just as he did, Nyleah began to mumble, "Grmh… Shit." She lifted up her elbows, trying to push herself off the ground. Asfodel's eyes widened with surprise, but he pointed his index finger towards her and shot out a beam of light. TSSHHH! Snow shot up from where he had hit. Nyleah's body fell backwards, landing in the snow on her back. She groaned in pain, trying to pick herself back up. But Asfodel walked over to her and bent over, grabbing her by the hair, "Don't struggle girl. I'll make this as painless as I can." He pressed his right hand to her stomach, and a bright golden glow began emanating from it. Nyleah clenched her teeth, trying to pull herself away from him, "Grmh… Haah, Fireball!" Nyleah sent out a sphere of fire into Asfodel's chest. He let go of her and staggered backwards a few steps. "Damn you girl! Stop resisting!" Asfodel ran forward, creating a sword of light and swung it towards her. By now, Nyleah managed to stand back up, and grabbed her dagger. The two of them lunged at each other, but this time, Nyleah stopped short and ducked to the ground, dodging Asfodel's strike. His sword swung above her, leaving his entire stomach open once more. Nyleah lunged her sword towards him, "Lightspeed!" But Asfodel's body turned to light particles and he flew backwards a few meters, reforming back into his physical body. Nyleah's attack continued on, as her arm landed into the ground along with her body shortly after, "Sigh… N-no… Not like this." She tried lifting herself back up, but once her body laid up straight, she couldn't move her legs as they began to wobble and shake.
Asfodel's eyes dimmed, as he stared towards Nyleah, "You've done well, girl. I hadn't expected an archer so powerful to be born in this day and age. Die with pride, knowing you are probably the strongest female archer I've ever encountered." He pulled his sword across his body and bent his knees. Leaned forward, and dashed towards Nyleah, preparing to cut her down once and for all. Nyleah closed her eyes tight, and loosened her entire body, "Dammit… I couldn't finish the job." Suddenly, time seemed to have stopped. Asfodel had closed in on Nyleah and was less than two meters away from her. The snow around the entire clearing evaporated instantly, and a faint wave of heat began emanating through the entirety of the forest around them. As time sped up, CLANGGG! The sound of two swords clashing against each other filled Nyleah's ears. And then, a nostalgic yet unknown voice called out from in front of her, "Sorry I'm late… Nyleah."