Seven pieces of rock, each the size of a small car, were up in the air.

And they were all being flung towards him.

Lukas looked at his sides, and found the floor had given way to great chasms, opening like the maw of a hungry shark, with tall, jagged, sharp spears pushed upwards like gravestones, enough to tear him a new one should he fall upon even one of them. Given Jegel’s skill and technique, it was not improbable that he could probably launch those spears at him from a distance. So the only way forward was to take the incoming barrage of boulders head on.

And no, Lukas wasn’t stupid enough to stop it. It was just too much energy, too much momentum. It would be like lifting a medieval shield to block a descending war maul. Or mauls, if you wanted to be precise about it. Sure, you could do it, but if you did, you’d wish you hadn’t. Besides, even if he managed to hit it right, the resulting explosion would have blasted him and his team to shreds.

And that was assuming he managed to hit all of them at the same time.

Heh! Lukas thought. So much for holding on to the next battle.

Arah— He called.

“Ask and I shall provide, Partner.” The Ifrit promised eagerly.

They wanted a show. Lukas decided. They have one.

He closed his eyes and felt the ifrit’s power rise within him. He felt Fire rise within him. Inanna had shared with him a little titbit about the nature of Fire. Like every other element, Fire too had a myriad of attributes and affected the inner and outer world in more ways than one could comprehend. Fire provided light, provided protection. Fire also purified and gave birth to civilization. Fire was a weapon, and it burned and scorched. Fire was energy, and most importantly, Fire was destruction.

Destruction.

That was the aspect of Fire that Lukas needed right now. It was also the attribute that Arah was personally an expert on.

His right hand went up.

And Fire answered.

“BURN!”

With a single slash of his arm, Lukas sent a wave of pure destruction out at the incoming barrage. It sliced through the rocks and trashed them down in every direction. The entire periphery of the Barrier Circle exploded into blazes of crimson light, with angry, vengeful flames climbing up its invisible walls in an attempt to tear apart its resistance and swallow the world outside. Fire leaped up into the air— ten feet, twenty feet, thirty feet until it was touching the very ceiling, encasing himself inside a dome of his fiery power, with himself at the very center.

Lukas stood amidst it, eyes still closed, his dark emotions brilliantly lit by the power of those flames coursing through him. He could feel the power rise within him, the darkness and the penchant for the destruction that characterized his primal mindset singing with the havoc that Arah’s power was wrecking outside. His body wasn’t being affected by the excess mana, but rather, it was opening as many outlets for the fire-mana to escape as he desired.

And then finally he opened his eyes and stared at Jegel, who looked at him with fear in his eyes.

It made Lukas smile.

And then he spoke.

“Your turn.”

Jegel staggered, taking a moment to stabilize his own emotions, before erupting a large chunk of rock into the air and hurling it—

Only for the boulder to be sliced into several pieces by tendrils of hot flame, swathing through it like a hot knife through butter.

“Try again!” Lukas offered.

Jegel stamped upon the ground to create a chasm, but more flames erupted out of it. It was like the entire floor had been infused with flames. For all Jegel cared, he could have been standing above a freaking volcano.

“Last chance!” Lukas advised, his voice a little stern. “If you fail this time around, I will have to punish you.”

"Shut the hell up, you condescending bastard!" Jegel snarled, his wristbands glowing mana began to spin around it at extreme speeds. Clearly, he was trying to pull off something extremely powerful, hoping to take him out with one hit. Not a bad tactic, considering his situation.

" Let me share an interesting fact about fire," Lukas replied conversationally, "Fire affects the emotions of the bearer. Makes them more prone to giving in to the darker feelings that people tend to hide away in the bottomless depths of their hearts. It is why fire-shapers are always a risk to work with."

"I know all that," Jegel retorted. The wristbands were still spinning with power. By all rights, Jegel should have already gathered enough fuel for his next attack. And yet, it seemed like he had ways to go.

Which was… expected. Though it seemed like Jegel had not realized it yet.

Too bad.

"Then let me tell you something that you probably didn't know. It's not Fire that has those dark effects. It's Fire mana. And within this Barrier Circle around us, we are in an environment saturated with mana."

He gave him a patronizing smile.

"Fire burns. Fire consumes. Earth might provide stability and strength, but Fire is expansion. Invasion. War. And the fires burning around us have laid claim to the mana within this field." He paused and gave him a knowing look. "Do you know what that means?"

Thin ribbons of crimson flame began to appear upon Jegel's wristbands. The Earth-Shaper staggered, and immediately cut off the power behind the attack.

Lukas watched the flames flicker out of existence as Jegel slowly dropped down to his knees, the truth of what had transpired finally hitting the man.

Lukas exhaled, and the flames all around the circle died, bringing everything back within everyone's sight. By the time it had passed, Jegel was down on the ground, shaking as he felt the effects of mana poisoning slowly take root within him.

"I win, " said Lukas softly.

"He's something, isn't he?" Tanya muttered, as she watched Lukas from the stands. “I was there when he subdued that ifrit into a Bind, but to see him use its power so casually is…”

“Not casual,” Olfric replied, gazing at the arena that had been engulfed in flames. “One cannot command fire by being casual. Make no mistake, that Outsider has iron-clad control over that ifrit, and I am not sure how, and it… it scares me.”

Tanya gave him a look of surprise. “Olfric Bergott giving an honest opinion about Lukas Aguilar? What is the world coming to?”

Olfric sneered. “I think Aguilar is a douchebag, demigod or not. I think Banksi will rue the day he decided to bring Aguilar into his plans, and I think Aguilar is too volatile for Banksi to risk so much on his shoulders.”

“But?”

Olfric looked at his own wristbands. Blue mana was beginning to churn within them. “But I know power when I see it. And skilled or not, Aguilar has tons of it. Maybe as much as any Lord in his Prime. Give a few years and he could probably be capable enough to risk a showdown with the Fire KIng himself. But that requires practice and training. Years of it. But this… show that Banksi has thrown in front of the Guild and the entire Kingdom, I fear it will probably have aftereffects that he does not anticipate coming.”

“Sounds like you’re almost afraid,” Tanya teased, but conceded that Bergott had a point. They had come a long way from the antagonism they shared before the Anomaly mission. There were some events that you just couldn’t cross together without developing a sense of camaraderie for each other. Apparently, trying to explore and destroy an underground Class-3 Anomaly was one of them.

“I am,” Olfric admitted. “Something about this entire thing bugs me.” He gestured towards the rising pillar of flames. “Aguilar is definitely throwing a show. But I think I see what’s beneath it. Aguilar is selling the idea that he has power, but almost no restraint. I think the truth is far stranger than that.”

That got Tanya interested. “What do you mean?”

“That’s…” He indicated at the rising flames, “that’s not normal. That strength isn’t normal. That restraint isn’t either. Contrary to Banksi, I do have some experience being in the presence of demigods. Our own Emperor is one himself, and I have been in his presence several times, courtesy of my father. Aguilar is… different. And not in a good or bad way. He’s just… different. And that scares me.”

“You think he is a danger.”

“I think he is a ticking bomb. One that would probably blow up in our faces if we are not careful.”

“You realize both of us have to face him next?” Tanya offered.

“Oh I know,” Olfric sighed in resignation. “I know my father. He thinks I will treat this as an opportunity to show my might before everyone. And to be honest, he is right. I have been itching to have a go at Aguilar from Day One. I’m just… wondering about the aftermath of it all.”

“You think he’ll go out of control.”

“Maybe,” Olfric muttered, shrugging his shoulders. “Worst comes to worst, I will have to unleash Meciel’s entire power. Given how she has been acting out lately, I’m not sure it will be nice.”

Tanya could agree with it. She had sensed the turbulence flickering inside Ezzeron. It was probably less than what Bergott was feeling, given Ezzeron’s nature as a Wind spirit. It was his nature to constantly be in flux. But yes, something had happened.

Out there.

And the kami were resonating with it.

And Tanya had a sneaking suspicion it had something to do with Lukas Aguilar.

She watched as the crimson flames climbed down and dispersed into nothingness, leaving Jegel on his knees. Shaking. Probably from intense mana poisoning. She saw Lukas standing in the center of the arena, his pose one of complete confidence and control.

Restraint. Tanya remembered Olfric’s words. Impossible restraint.

Her mind went back to the Anomaly, when Lukas had gone out of control because of a mind-fuck that the Anomaly had done to him. And the power he had been exuding back then was nothing, nothing compared to the one rolling off him in waves.

Just when and how did he acquire this restraint?

“Well,” She heard Olfric speak, “Jegel is down. That means we are down by one member. Guess who they are going to send in his stead?”

“That would be me,” said the voice of Zuken Banksi, who was slowly walking down the steps as he approached them, clad in combat attire. “I suppose it is poetic, in an ironic way. After all, all of this started when I challenged Aguilar to a duel in the first place.”

Tanya looked at Zuken, and then at Olfric, and then back at Zuken. Earth. Water. Wind. and… maybe Frost.

Against Lukas Aguilar and his Ifrit— a being of Fire and Spirit.

Poetic indeed.