“Someone kill him! I want him dead now!” roared Gaizeal, enraged that he was being bested in a three-against-one battle. His rage had bubbled over and he was starting to lose his sanity as the fight dragged on. Cypher smiled as he realized that his plan to enrage him had worked.
He examined his centers of power again and decided to end the battle while he still could. The boost he was receiving was incredible, but he had no idea if it was permanent or if it would suddenly end at a crucial moment. It was best not to draw things out while his new powers remained untested. The two acolytes were easily in the peak of the third rank, perhaps even the bottom of the fourth.
They were injured, but if Cypher suddenly lost this power boost, it wouldn’t matter, they would kill him in only a single exchange. That was to say nothing of Gaizeal himself. Cypher had no chance against him without this boost since the man was in the upper tier of the fourth rank.
Cypher commanded Spark to move back and then he sent all the energy he could into the tip of his father’s saber. with the waves of power shooting into the weapon, it began to glow and shine with bright light. With a final flash of energy, he began to slash as fast as he could in their direction.
Waves of Zight arched out from each swing and began to form a deadly sharp net of magickal blades. The attack was so sudden that Gaizeal’s men couldn’t react properly in time. They fell to pieces as the razor-sharp net passed through them, and Gaizeal grunted as his remaining arm was ripped to shreds as he used it to block.
The net faded away as the energy was spent and large cuts had been created in the ground all around Gaizeal. The man let out a loud pained roar of anger and his aura exploded outwards. However, after a moment, he managed to compose himself.
“Incredible. Truly incredible. I really must commend you on your power and wisdom in battle,” grunted Gaizeal as the pain washed over him and blood spurted from his new stump. “It has been a long time since I fought this seriously. The reports about you were obviously incomplete. You’re much more powerful than we first thought, but this is where it ends boy!”
Gaizeal let out a chuckle and glared down at Cypher. A wicked smile spread across his face and he shuddered under the pain of his injuries, “You wanted my rage to cloud my mind? You thought that if I was distracted by my own wrath I would be put to task. Well, it won’t be that simple.”
Cypher gritted his teeth as Gaizeal spoke and the man smiled wider, “Oh yes, I easily figured out your scheme. You aren’t the first one to try and take advantage of my short temper. Well, if it’s rage you want, then rage you shall have!” he finished.
A small oval-shaped black object appeared from within Gaizeal’s dimensional pocket. Dark words fell from his lips as a slot opened up on the backside of the object. “Grinzephylo lunaseta sarrin! Grundus ke arnenta zegah! Ioie Orh Kaizaia!” the black object shot into Gaizeal’s shoulder and his aura condensed down in a dark mist that swirled around his body.
His flesh and crystal-like armor began to ripple and twist as his spell and the power of the item took effect. Sharp horns and thick coarse fur began sprouting from his neck and shoulders, and it traveled all the way down to his back. His missing arms were replaced by shimmering steel arms crisscrossed by straps of pure Zight.
Bulging veins could be seen pulsing beneath the metal flesh, and rows of spikes now jutted out of his body at odd angles. His back arched, and his feet became hooves as he planted his new steel hands on the ground. His whole body shook and a tail sprouted from the base of his spine and cracked through the air like the very whip he wielded.
His face became elongated and his appearance became like that of a large crystal Bull. Smoke trailed from his nostrils filling the area in a light haze with every breath. Cypher and Spark could only look on in horror and disgust.
Cypher spat and said, “You want to defeat me so badly that you would alter yourself in such a way? You can never go back to how you were! Why would you choose such a path?”
Gaizeal bared his teeth, his eyes glowing a bright red, and responded, “Oh how little you understand boy! It doesn’t matter anymore! As long as I get to kill you I don’t care what form I have to take! You might have stood a chance against me and my men before, but now that I’ve used this Zweicore your life might as well be over!”
Cypher recalled Spark back into the orb and put it back inside his ring. This was a battle that even the enhanced Ceraunus couldn’t handle. Teaming up against Gaizeal now would likely only result in Spark’s death, and Cypher needed a clear head if he was to win this struggle. The other opponents might be dead, but this battle was about to take a turn for the worse, and sharing his energy with Spark would only weaken his effectiveness.
Magickal transformations were quite unpredictable. Most of the time they were only used for slight cosmetic changes. This, however, was on a completely different level. Something like this was wholly different from the usual standards and while Cypher didn’t completely understand, he could still infer some things. Gaizeal’s entire body had been altered instantly.
Normally, such transformations would eventually drain the user of their life force and cost them their Orrium. However, even the drastic transformations Cypher had read about in his library back home were nothing quite like this. Gaizeal’s new form seemed different somehow. It was like something sinister had crept inside him and changed the very nature of his existence.
Cypher was reminded of that time back in the ruin when the shield-bearing Order member had become that undead abomination. At the time, he had used a similar black object. However, that transformation had been highly unstable. That had been a terrifying situation, but luckily, it had worked out for them. This time was different. This man that stood before him seemed to be perfectly stable and in control of his new body.
That item, the Zweicore, was what triggered the transformation in both instances. Whatever it was, it was dangerous beyond anything Cypher had seen before in magickal items. Cypher could only assume that it was some kind of Order of Eternal Night invention meant to bolster their troops. However, from what he had seen, the risks and drawbacks were quite costly. Was such power really worth it?
“GRAHH! TAKE THIS!” roared Gaizeal as he began to charge at Cypher. The ground shook with each thunderous step as he charged forward on all fours. Gaizeal lowered his head, and his long, curved horns almost impaled Cypher. However, he was able to jump up and over Gaizeal, and Cypher tried to behead him as he soared overhead.
Cypher’s saber made contact with Gaizeal’s neck, but it bounced off the diamond-hard crystal that covered the area with a grinding sound. If his saber hadn’t been so heavily enchanted it would have broken right then and there. “Nice try, but that won’t work on me now!” Gaizeal reared around, sliding against the ground, and came at Cypher again.
Cypher held his ground and ducked under the horns. With a grunt, Cypher delivered a punch to Gaizeal’s jaw that sent him spiraling through the air and left his knuckles throbbing. Gaizeal slammed into another building across the square, and the roof collapsed on top of him. With another roar, the hulking beast of a man rose to his full height and seemed to tower above Cypher. Bits of the roof slid off his imposing form and dust began to settle all around him.
Gaizeal reached into his chest and pulled forth a new whip, leaving a small indentation in the crystalline flesh. He was once again using a weapon to fight against Cypher. Cypher grimaced, he had no delusions that if that thing hit him, it would do serious damage.
Gaizeal swung it with precision and it was all Cypher could do to fend off the attacks. Each blow took all of Cypher’s concentration to parry. A single mistake would cost him dearly and Gaizeal knew it. The Order Captain’s power had now fully stepped into the fifth rank, and even with the boosted stats, Cypher wasn’t sure if he could win anymore.
His mind flashed to Syntinnial. If he showed up now, this wouldn’t be much of a problem, but for now, he had to bide his time and wait. Survival was the name of the game at this point. Each of Gaizeal’s attacks came closer and closer to hitting Cypher, and he deployed the Duality Shield and drew it in around him. That of course also required a great amount of focus, and Cypher could feel his mental energy slipping away in large quantities.
The Duality Shield now clung to him almost like a new layer of skin, but this kind of control required lots of concentration and only stressed his mind even more. This was all he could do, however. Every other option he had was expended or useless. Only a strong and focused defense could save him now. Hopefully, Syntinnial would arrive soon, because if he didn’t, Cypher’s life would end here.
