As Selene raced towards him, confident in his physical advantage, Adam's copy conjured grey constructs. They appeared around his body, forming a menacing horned helmet and gauntlets with sharp blades extending from the elbows. Solid boots encased his feet while a large armor laced itself over his chest. Behind him, a beautiful blue cape fiercely billowed as if rearing to confront the elf.
"Your affinity boosts your might? So what?" The man snickered, controlling the mana armor to move his right arm to intercept the descending blade. If his physique proved lacking, he would compensate with mana. After all, he was a mage!
Under Selene's astonished gaze, his tensed muscles trembled upon impact with the bladed gauntlet. Unable to push onward, he retrieved his arm, shifting his position to let the first sunlike ball collide with his adversary.
"Let me guess. You first thought you had the advantage in casting. Next, in melee combat and finally, in affinity. Let me dismantle your beliefs," Adam's copy added, taking pleasure in provoking the arrogant elf.
Then, he moved his glowing mage hands' to intercept the meteor-like balls, bringing the saying "fighting fire with fire" to life.
Simultaneously, he raised his arms above his head, taking a battle stance Selene had never witnessed. With the man's slightly raised left leg and open side, he squinted his eyes at the flawed posture.
The clash of hands against his projectiles unleashed deafening explosions, filling the citadel with unbearable heat as the man made his move
With a forceful forward step, the wind howled behind his turning hips. His right leg shot out like a whip, aiming at an unconventional spot.
Unfazed by the low attack and believing it wouldn't leave much damage, Selene's right arm came to life. His mighty swing, accompanied by searing heat, precisely closed on the man's left side.
A horrible cracking noise echoed as the copy's kick collided with the elf's calf.
"ARGH!" Selene roared in pain as his ethereal left leg flew before his widening eyes. Gritting his teeth in understanding, he glimpsed at the sharp blade covering the man's greave hatefully.
Fortunately, the pain didn't alter his movement's course. If losing a leg to win was all it took, he would gladly accept the trade. Determination surged in his glowing eyes as victory poked its nose amidst the chaotic explosions covering the sky. Time slowed to a crawl as his scorching white blade closed in.
Fully grasping the opportunity, he poured a large quantity of mana into his weapon, causing the air to evaporate and the ground to melt in its wake.
The loud noise of mana colliding engulfed the dark citadel.
The image of his triumph vanished from the elf's mind as the man ejected himself from his armor. At this moment, he understood. He understood he would lose if he kept fighting like that. The man used his strengths to predict and counter his moves three steps ahead to humiliate him. Unfortunately, his realisation came too late.
His overwhelming spells could contend against archmages but consumed too much energy for an arcanist. "If I was under the sun," he muttered, controlling the balls in the sky to return to him to recycle them.
Meanwhile, Adam slid on the ground for a few meters, smirking despite the glistening sweat covering his head. 'Is it time to end things?' He thought, willing to continue. Yet, the high temperature affected him. His drenched clothes with sweat stuck to his body, and his throat was parched.
"I'll admit defeat if you can endure this last strike!" Selene exclaimed, closing his palms on the gathered sunlike orbs. His clenched fists trembled, his ethereal veins bulged, and his mana circuits went into overdrive as a blinding white light engulfed his body.
The temperature exploded as the oxygen disappeared from the air, leaving stifling heat in its wake. Next, the bright elf lifted his palms towards the sky, a fierce determination burning in his eyes as he prepared to unleash hell upon the citadel. With a roaring declaration, "I'm the SUN!" Selene summoned the full force of his power.
Simultaneously, the mysterious man shrugged dismissively. With a wave of his hand, the Manacore Heartgem glowed with mysticism as he mobilised the unlimited mana it contained.
A surreal scene followed as a torrent of pure affinity-less mana collided with the elf's figure, overwhelming his spell before he could launch it. Worse, he felt the energy infiltrate his circuits, deactivating them inside his own body against his will.
His features distorted into an ugly grimace as his light dimmed for the first time against an enemy. Unwillingness filled his heart as he yelled, "If not for that gem, you would have lost! Fight me outside if you dare!"
Under the sunlight, he could replenish his mana. With his understanding of the man's fighting style, he had no doubts he would emerge victorious in a rematch.
"Time for the last slap, I guess," the copy's voice echoed emotionlessly in the citadel as the unmoving armored guards came to life. Their dim eyes glowed with grey energy as they jumped from the ramparts, filling the ground with a sea of fighters.
Simultaneously, he walked on a mana stair, towering above everyone before saying, "I can play with heat too, you know? Atomic blades."
Echoing his words, a torrent of shimmering blue energy coalesced into nine floating razor-sharp blades of pure light. Scalding sparks danced along their edges as the air trembled and cracked under the spell's appearance before they gently hovered behind his back like a halo.
Upon seeing them, an icy shiver ran down Selene's spine. 'He toyed with me!' He screamed inwardly, realising the man didn't use spells to confront him at all! The hands and armor were mere constructs anyone could build with enough control. But the most appalling thing was the citadel's defense. Any capital fortification would have melted into puddles of steaming liquids against his strikes.
Yet, except for the ground, the constructs were spotless.
However, to his shock, the man pronounced words any earthling would dread to hear, "Nuclear fission!"
As the words lingered in the air, mana violently surged for his extended finger. His powerful energy smashed with the molecules of nitrogen and oxygen contained in the air above the citadel. With each collision, bonds strained and broke, releasing bursts of shimmering light and crackling energy as the air molecules underwent a metamorphosis.
A devastating explosion blasted the air in a twelve-kilometers radius. Reaching several million degrees Celsius, Selene's eyes widened in disbelief.
Despite his affinity, he knew he didn't tap into the sun's heat's full potential. From his understanding, he could go up to six thousand degrees, reaching the surface's temperature. Yet, the detonation proved much hotter and more destructive than what he could do, forcing the realisation, 'He doesn't need the gem.'
"I told you. Your little warmth annoys me," the man said, his arrogant words making sense after displaying his spells. "Now, kneel or die," he added from his vantage point, his playful voice dripping provocation.
Despite his trembling hands and blazing eyes, Selene felt his pride crack as he failed to find words to retort. No matter how many times they fought, he would lose the moment the man turned serious.
AN: Bonus chapter to thank everyone for the Find your next favorite novel on NovelHub today! :D