Zu Mari stepped forward, then came to an abrupt halt. The world behind him remained frozen like a painting in amber. He knew that if he tried to retreat, he would encounter a solid wall made of nothing.

“It is my duty to inform you that this is the nineteenth time you’ve restarted this loop,” said Heart of Fire and Spirit of Twilight Death, with an air of weary resignation.

Zu grinned. “I know. Thank you. Your task is done.”

“Finally. If I’d known I was such a multi-purpose weapon I’d have suggested stabbing yourself ages ago.”

“I would never have done it without the knowledge that the loop would revert everything to the way it was.” He remembered the calm peace of his soul dissolving into nothing, and shivered. There was a faint ache of longing for that peace to return, but he knew it was not his to claim. He was meant for greater things. He would rule the heavens! Not die and be forgotten like any mere mortal!

“I did feel bad for killing you,” said Heart of Fire and Spirit of Twilight Death. “I worried that destroying your soul may have meant you’d be gone for good. But the loop pulled you back just before you could disappear completely.”

“That’s both reassuring and deeply concerning.” If even his soul was trapped here, perhaps it wasn’t a trial that could be passed. Perhaps it was an eternal prison, designed to seal him away forever. Zu clenched a fist. He would not remain sealed here. Whatever it took, he would escape. It was his destiny to rule the heavens, not rule a tiny bubble of looping time.

A spear slammed into his chest, tearing a jagged hole through his stomach and taking his core with it.

“Oops,” whispered Heart of Fire and Spirit of Twilight Death sheepishly, as the subsequent shockwave obliterated Zu Mari’s body entirely. “I probably should have reminded you about that."

Zu Mari stepped forward, then came to an abrupt halt. The world behind him remained frozen like a painting in amber, and he knew that if he turned back he would find only a solid wall of nothing which could not be passed.

He turned back anyway. Though he’d tried pressing against it before, he hadn’t truly tried to break through. He had given no thought to retreat when arriving for the first - or eighteenth - time, but now that he understood this to be a prison rather than simply a boundary wall he felt no honor would be lost by assailing it.

Heart of Fire and Spirit of Twilight Death gleamed a deadly hue of purple and red. Zu slammed the blade against the solid nothing holding him in. The sword bounced off without leaving so much as a scratch.

“I will not be stopped so easily!” He slammed the blade against the edge again and again. Then a spear slammed into the ground just before him. The shockwave slammed him into the edge and dropped him, stunned, to the ground.

“No, I will not be stopped,” he growled, rising to his feet. His muscles tensed as he prepared his qi, then, “Striding Wind Sustaining!”

The wind gathered beneath his feet, not lifting but supporting him. He stepped forward and upward, and the wind held him steady in the air. He rapidly climbed up until he could climb no higher, keeping one hand on the inside of the frozen-world dome. He pressed against the empty sky but it was as smooth and solid as the rest.

“You should get on the ground,” whispered Heart of Fire and Spirit of Twilight Death. “Your nemesis is a very good aim with his spears if you have nothing to hide behind.”

Zu deactivated the technique immediately, falling until he neared the ground, then reactivated it just long enough to run down the last few meters to control his momentum before diving to the ground. He lay flat, hidden by the bushes.

“Who is this nemesis? I’ve not seen him.”

“He’ll be here in a minute.”

Zu stared out across the dome. It wasn’t circular, distorted into a wobbly bubble elongated to cover the entire border of the Chartreuse Cougars’ territory where it intersected with Mari Clan land.

“What exactly is happening here?”

“Everything that is done within this closed-off section of the world physically resets to its initial state whenever you are killed. Damage to the ground is undone. It seems that our opponent is also unaware of the loop’s existence, but his actions have been slightly different each loop. He fights on the same level, but depending on what you say and do the actual combat plays out differently each time.”

“That doesn’t make any sense at all.”

“I agree. I have seen this technique only twice before in all my existence, and never was it used except in direst need. The cost of such a power is too high for a mortal soul to sustain for long.”

“Are you saying… this trap was created by an immortal?”

“If it was, then you and your opponent are entirely inconsequential to whatever is actually happening here. And, there he is.”

Zu looked up. A huge man with even more muscles than he himself stood there. Though they were of a height, the newcomer was much wider and bulkier, without Zu’s lithe perfection of form. He looked almost grotesque in comparison to Zu, who was certainly the paragon of manly strength.

Zu leapt to his feet. “I challenge you, gate-ward of the Chartreuse Cougars! I am Zu Mari, strongest heir of the Mari clan and I demand to be admitted to your land!”

“Mari? Hah! You may be the strongest your puny clan has to offer, but everyone knows the Mari clan is only still alive because no one can be bothered to take the time to exterminate them. I, Xashu Cougar, will today correct that oversight!”

“You dare insult my clan this way? I will make you regret your words!”

Zu’s grotesque adversary spat on the ground with a wicked sneer. “Go ahead and try. Your greatest strength is as nothing compared to me!”

Zu burned with fury, his inner Phoenix demanding retribution as vehemently as his pride.

“Here we go again…” Heart of Fire and Spirit of Twilight Death muttered.

Zu did not waste another moment with words. He drew his sword and aimed it straight at the enemy’s heart. Heart of Fire and Spirit of Twilight Death ignited with its usual flames of purple and crimson.

For a brief instant the two combatants stood, weapons ready, watching each other. Then, with a shout, they both sprang forward in the same moment.