Mash’s magic seemed to retreat from the touch of the aspect. The darkness dissolved under the blinding light of his attack. Mash reacted though, pulling his hand out of the way as fast as he could. The heat from the beam scalded his hand all the same, creating large burns that ran up the length of his arm. He stared at his arm, stunned by an unusual sight. His blood clothes had burned! It had been a long time since something had managed to do that, and he stared at the missing sleeve for an instant.

Then the beam moved. He reacted, kicking off the ground and leaping away from the beam as the man moved his arm in an attempt to bisect Mash. The move almost succeeded, as the attack left more burns along his feet.

A grin crept across Mash’s lips as the thrill of the battle grew within him. Although a part of him took notice of all the pirates that fell victim to the man’s attack. Mash knew that most of the pirates probably deserved it, but it was still a gruesome thing to see. People’s bodies melted under the heat of the beam, and a truly disgusting smell began to fill the air. He shifted his focus away from the charred bodies and tried to figure out what aspect was connected to the man. It was surprisingly easy to feel the aspect. It was the ‘Aspect of Good,’ or something along those lines at the very least. Mash didn’t have the time to worry about it.

The wings he had grown earlier vanished from his back as he removed his forms. With it gone, Mash felt his connection to both his aspects solidify. It was as if he had wrapped the aspects around himself. Change and Freedom, the two aspects worked together well, and he felt their powers weave together as they touched him. Mash basked in the connection for a moment.

This would be his first fight between aspects, and he didn’t want to disappoint. Mash, with some help from Priscilla, was a quick study, and he saw how the unnamed man had used his aspect to influence his attack rather than the world itself. Mash had always thought of the aspects as bigger than they were. It wasn’t like the world would change if the aspects weren’t there. They drew power from an idea that already existed.

The man had been able to channel that power into his attack. And if he could do it, then so could Mash. With that thought in his head, Mash raised one arm toward the man. Both his aspects were dangerous, but ‘Change’ was volatile at the best of times. In a way, this aspect was made for destruction. What better aspect was there when he just needed it to do something?

He focused on his connection to his aspects, touching on the aspect of change and trying futility to attach it to his magic. Then he let loose a bolt of lightning that, the man easily blocked. A barrier of light shimmered a few inches from the man’s face as the bolt struck it. The lightning dispersed over the spherical shield. That shield had appeared and disappeared in an instant, only appearing to block the attack. There was no way. That had to be a reactionary skill or something since he doubted that anyone, even this man could block lighting that efficiently. Mash could probably block the attack himself, but it wouldn’t be as neat as that.

Also, he failed. His aspect didn’t so much as graze the magic. In the end, Mash’s attempt had done nothing more than waste an obscene amount of energy. If he were anyone else that might have been a grave mistake. He couldn’t imagine how he would fight if he ever lost his near-infinite reserves of energy.

He didn’t quite understand why an aspect like that had repelled his magic. Was it belief? The idea seemed ludicrous, but he couldn’t come up with another reason. His magic, or rather the one that Priscilla had constructed, wasn’t really darkness but just a variation of light magic. All ‘dark’ magic was just that, light but used in a different way. The only noticeable difference that might matter to an aspect was the meaning behind it. Light and darkness huh?

The man smirked as Mash’s magic harmlessly dispersed over his shield. Mash grumbled but decided to try again. The one advantage he had against most people was his energy, so he would use it liberally.

Mash lifted his other hand, building his energy for another blast of lightning. He focused on his aspects again, and this time he reached for freedom rather than change. The connection to this aspect felt more straightforward than change. He tried once again to fuse the aspect with his magic, but rather than simply attach it to his magic, he pushed his magic through the aspect, using his connection like a channel. This time he didn’t bother trying to mix any magic and just went with lighting.

As he used the magic, he felt something happen. The aspect pervaded the world for a moment, freeing his magic. The odd sensation made him release his magic early as if something had uncorked his spell. Overwhelming white light radiated from his hand like a second sun, changing the night today for an instant. The bolt of lightning that left his fingers was far thicker than his hand and shone brighter than any normal lightning could be.

The bolt widened and grew, but it didn’t split. It shot forward like the man’s beam had, but it crossed the world in an instant. The man’s shield didn’t or couldn’t obstruct the attack, and the lightning passed through it. It passed through the man’s shoulder and cut through the world behind him, punching through the fort behind it too. Mash couldn’t track the attack with his eyes, but his domain let him trace the mana. The color drained from his face as he saw the bolt pass through innocent people within the fort.

He tried shouting, calling out in warning, but it was pointless. The boom of thunder that followed his attack deafened any shout he made. The whole world seemed to shake from the noise as his attack went beyond the fort and cut into the night sky behind it.

The man turned around; his own face was now filled with fear. He hadn’t seen the bolt, but he could see what it had done. The man began tapping at his arm where the bolt had hit him. Realization hit the man and Mash at the same moment. His bolt of lighting hadn’t done any damage. The man seemed fine, and to Mash’s relief, so did the people behind him.

Mash sagged forward, surprised at how much energy the attack had taken. A quick check showed that he had used nearly half of his maximum energy. Even if it grew the more, he fought, that was an expensive bit of magic. His ears were ringing, and he had to blink away tears as the last dregs of the light dispersed.

The man didn’t attack, right away. Instead, he shouted something. Mash heard none of it. His ears were healing, and the man was over a hundred paces away. The combination of the two made the man’s words inaudible. Mash didn’t try screaming back, opting instead to walk forward and approach the man. It wasn’t that easy, as the man began back-pedaling. Matching Mash’s stride almost perfectly with his retreat.

What? Was he really not going to fight again? Mash knew that was probably for the best, but he couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. This man had to be over level 200 to have an aspect, and Mash really wanted to keep the fight going. What would a fight between aspects like this do? The man raised an arm palm toward Mash. The gesture had an obvious meaning, and Mash slowed to a stop.

The space at his side rent open as he opened a storage space. He quickly pulled out an odd-looking horn and raised it to his lips.

“Stop! I cannot fight you here. As monsters, our fight would threaten this country. I know this is selfish of me, but if you have any honor, you will fight me over the sea.”

This time, his words were loud enough, and Mash’s ears were mostly healed now too. In those words, Mash felt a spark of hope ignite. It sounded like he wanted to fight just not here. Mash's head began bobbing up and down eagerly. However, another voice cut his excitement down like an axe against a tree.

“Stop, Kaito! He is not our enemy, but our savior. Those pirates are his captives, and he was simply going to hand them over to us. It is them whom you should be fighting.”

The man, Kaito, as Mash now knew, turned his gaze back at the old guard that had approached him. His head swiveled back and forth a few times as if he couldn’t quite comprehend what the man was saying. Mash silently wished that Kaito would ignore the old guard’s words.

Kaito didn’t seem to share Mash’s desire, and the man fell backward onto his butt. He sat there staring up at the sky for a moment before breaking out in a loud laugh, that had no malice in it. Kaito seemed to trust the old guard completely and instantly gave up on the fight. Kaito spoke in a loud relieved voice.

"Oh, thank the empress! I had not expected you to be able to stop my mana like that!"

Mash's own words died on his lips as he heard that. What did Kaito just say that his attack had done? Mash definitely didn't expect his attack to block the man's mana, and he so dearly wanted to ask about it. Now was not the time for that discussion though. Plus, he didn't think it was a good idea to reveal that he didn't know what the attack had done, since it might've killed a bunch of innocent people otherwise.

Mash slowly walked forward, checking on the pirates with his domain as he did so. Kaito’s attacks, for all that he had wanted to spare the city, did not spare the pirates. The stars he had called down had decimated large groups of people, and the beam of light had turned a few bodies into little more than puddles. His stomach twisted at the sight, and he was quick to shift his attention away from those. As gruesome as his fights tended to be, there was just something gross about melted flesh.

Mash frowned, trying to maintain a stern expression while he approached.

“So that’s it? After you tried to kill me?”

Despite his words, Mash found it hard to be angry. That felt wrong. He had just been attacked with possibly lethal force. He had every reason to complain but just didn’t feel like it.

The older man stepped between Mash and Kaito, bowing his head in a practiced motion.

“I apologize for my son’s behavior. As an act of apology, let me tell you about his aspect. Kaito possesses a connection to the ‘Aspect of Righteousness’. It is because you strive for the same, that you are finding it difficult to maintain your frustration. However, I will be sure to recompense you in some way.”

During the old man’s speech, Lisa and the female guard walked up to join them. The two women were talking about something, though Mash couldn’t make out the words. Although their conversation ended as they got close.

Caught off guard by the old man’s words, Mash wasn’t sure how to respond. What did he even say? He didn’t really want to reveal his own aspects. He was saved from having to say anything as Lisa walked over to his side.

“Miss Opoah has offered us her home to rest and recover from the fight. I think we should accept.”

She whispered into his ear, which was odd considering Priscilla could convey any information telepathically. In fact, Lisa, herself, had the ability to send messages into his head. It took him a second to get that the whispers weren’t for his benefit. Even if that wasn’t the case, Mash was quick to accept her request.

Lisa was a good judge of character. A conversation was all she really needed to get to know a person, and the fact that she wanted to do this was enough for him.

“Sounds good. I’m starving.”