Akash's body warped and stretched, becoming something that didn't even look anything like the alien I had come to know and regard as a friend over the past week. 

An ability that was considered taboo among the Eldrani, purely because of how it ripped through the trees in the natural ecosystem to fuel its power. How much strength could Akash leverage with that many resources behind him?

He grew and grew, body parts merging together into something completely unrecognisable. He had four legs and a wide platform-like body. There were visible gun turrets across almost every surface, swivelling on ball pivots to sight in on where Klatissi was standing. In the center of the platform were two thick vines, much bigger than anything I'd seen Akash produce before. 

This was it, Akash's ultimate form. A state that I couldn't imagine anything standing up to. 

<There are downsides to transformations like this, beyond just the fact it was taboo in his civilization for one Eldrani to use up so many resources,> BB said, though he couldn't keep the awe out of his own voice. <This is going to be putting a massive amount of strain on his body and his manna channelling, he'll need to finish this fight quickly or he'll simply overload himself.>

In other words, if Klatissi was going to have any chance at winning this, even with their incredibly powerful water power armour, they were going to have to try and wait Akash out to the point that he depowers himself. Somehow, I didn't think Akash was going to let that happen. 

In what was an almost classically stereotypical Akash move, the two massive vines that were hanging from the sides of the platform sprung into action, whipping out across the battlefield in Klatissi's direction, one from the left and one from the right. 

The two vines collided with one another in the lagoon, sending water spraying in every direction, which was exactly what Klatissi used to get away from the attack. They were somehow able to slingshot from even the smallest pieces of water, without changing any of the trajectories of the droplets, which meant that they had slung themselves high up into the air, above the mobile weapons platform that Akash had been transformed into. 

But that may have been the tree-like alien's plan all along. 

The ball turrets all locked onto the fleeing form of Klatissi in an instant and simultaneously started launching their projectiles. 

I wasn't sure, exactly, what the guns were using as ammunition, but whatever he was using was playing some serious havoc with Klatissi's watery armour. The shots hadn't been designed to damage the other alien, it seemed like they were only meant to penetrate the surface layer of the armour and then clog it up. After all, if you fired a bunch of absorbent materials into a set of armour made entirely out of water, then that water was going to get all clogged up and, eventually, drained away completely. 

Seeing what was going on, Klatissi abandoned their water armour, dropping out of the back and diving back down into the waters of the lagoon as the armour was peppered with even more of Akash's shots. 

Unfortunately for Klatissi, it seemed as if Akash was expecting that as well. The massive vines lashed out again, striking out across the battlefield. 

But Klatissi was faster than Akash had realised. With a burst of manna they caused the water of the lagoon to lift them up and over Akash's attack, depositing them directly on top of the bulky vine. 

Klatissi took off at a sprint and attempted to dart up Akash's vine arm to reach the rest of his body. What they were going to do there I had no idea, and I'd never find out. Klatissi hadn't realised how adaptive Akash's control over his form actually was. Thousands of smaller vines ripped themselves out of the larger one and wrapped themselves around Klatissi, binding the alien tight. 

They fell off the vine and back down to the ground, unable to move. Klatissi struggled as hard as they could, going as far as manifesting two gigantic saw blades made of water to grind against their wooden wrapping, but nothing they did could get them free. 

"While Klatissi is still conscious, it is clear that they are unable to break free from Akash's trap, and so Akash is our first Initiate making their way through to the finals!" Belana's voice finally called out, putting an end to Klatissi's fight. 

With the outcome of the fight confirmed, the wooden structure that Akash had constructed began to melt away into golden motes of light, eventually leaving the base form of the tree-like alien standing tall in the decimated arena. 

It had been a hard fight, but he had managed to come to a win. 

The familiar white flash of teleportation magic consumed both Akash and Klatissi, but only the former reappeared in the medical bay of the Initiate's room. That left only the three of us, Akash, Yr'Arl and me. We'd all managed to make it to the very end of the tournament. 

But which of us would actually make it through to the finals? 

Would I be able to take on Yr'Arl in his super-powered spectral battle armour, or would I be batted around like a ball of string by the feline alien? 

I only had to hope that I had what it took to get through to the finals, to lure out Lara, and then… to put her down for good. 

"We will be taking a short break to repair the stadium, and to add some extra layers of manna-resistant shielding to those in the stands, it has become quite apparent that our usual levels of protection aren't quite sufficient for the power levels that are being thrown around," Belana said, "But, we'll be back right away with the next Semi-Final fight… and then the finals themselves!"

I took a deep breath. It wouldn't be long.