[TTIABAD] Chapter 119: Fire Mage VS Lightning Mage

Riary was struggling. She had been hailed as a genius from an early age, something she had taken pride in, something to keep away the worst of her anger at her darkest of times. And yet Tyler had thoroughly destroyed any notion of that. She had watched as he had grown to unbelievable heights in such a short time. She hadn’t known his secret at that time, but she had still pushed as hard as she could to match it. Even when she did find out his secret later, the boost from him being a True Hero… it didn’t matter. It had been long engraved that she may be a genius but some people were just better.

She could accept that but in her heart she never wanted to. She would try harder, she would keep up, she would be his equal. It had nothing to do with her feelings of love, she just… couldn’t accept him always being a step ahead.

Then came Derek. And the same situation had played itself out again. She hadn’t seen him in months and he had grown so much. In those night time spars during their caravan trip, she could tell. Seeming him for that brief instance as he battled with his trainer, she had felt fear and revulsion, being so thoroughly reminded of her past. It was only as she fought with him against the T-Rex she truly realized just how much he’d grown. And that she’d seen it before. That it wasn’t just his latent racial biology coming into fruition, that it was something more. And she’d been right.

So Riary was very thoroughly aware that despite being a ‘Genius’... there were so many more above her. Beyond her. If no one else, that Bitch that had… raped her mouth… had taught her that. When she’d been her most helpless.

This situation reminded her a lot about that.

“Come on! Show me your potential! Show me the future S Rank Mage!” This new lightning bitch screamed.

Riary grit her teeth, as an unending storm of bolts rained down upon her. They flared through her fire, carving into it, as speeds that only the thickness of her flames could stop. The lightning mage was older than her, much older. More experienced, more practiced, more skilled, and worst of all, an entire rank above her. It was not a battle she could win but one she had to fucking figure out somehow. Blow after blow rained down into her fire and she to fall back on physical manifestations, directing her arms up to fully control the pure amounts she needed. At the same time, she was controlling the floor of flames beneath everyone, keeping the assassin from murdering them all. It was… not easy.

The lightning bitch was going to be a fucking problem. Every mage acknowledged their magic differently. It was unique to them, personal. Her fire was the flames of Retribution but it was more than even just that. It was art. Paintings made whole. And her the artist. Her flames were the paint, her the artist wielding the brush, and the world her canvas.

Lightning Bitch was an onslaught. Literally. A never ending rain of blow after blow, over and over and over again. Riary could practically taste that definition in the air, that dominance of a never ending, well, onslaught. When the dragon of lightning came at her, she practically felt it fit perfectly for the level of dominance the mage was showing.

Riary pushed, her own flame coming to life, changing, morphing, as she created a dragon of her own. Magic was, well, magic. It didn’t follow the strict rules, unless you were a fucking wizard, and those types were so stuffy it hurt. But the weakness of mages was apparent too. It was almost all about feeling in a way, conceptual almost. She had to form a dragon because otherwise the damn lightning dragon would have shredded right through her flames. This way it had to battle her fire rather than strong arm it’s way right at her. The lightning mage could still do that, still would do that, but it was like a slap to the face. Annoying. And the lightning mage seemed all about fun.

“You’re going to have to do better than that!” She screamed out, as her damn lightning dragon began to cleave away at hers.

Riary’s eyes lit up, as she forced more power into her flames, more magic. Changing them, altering them, and what once was a dragon made of red fire, evolved into a blazing inferno dragon made of a riot of colors. Orange fire of the body, with scales of burning red and burning blue, yellow eyes and white teeth and claws, biting and fighting the lightning. Coursing through it with a riot of blue wherever it bit, slowing it down, pushing it back.

“Ohoh! Nice nice nice!” The lightning mage yelled and then everything changed. The dragon grew bigger, faster, attacking relentlessly and her flames began to come apart. Riary growled, before she threw her arms apart, and the dragon burst into a thousand flaming burning spears, impaling the dragon causing it to slow and burn.

“Huh?! Ice? Multi conceptual?! Nice! Wow! Too bad though.”

Lightning was fast and fire was hot. Simple things, but her fire slowed. Elements did not have to do anything more than what they were, but they always could. They could do so much more. Magic was beautiful and amazing and followed only the rules and parameters people set for themselves. She hadn’t been terribly impressed with the lightning mage’s speed yet though.

And she nearly paid the ultimate price for that.

Faster than she could blink, faster than she could think, all the lightning she had been attacking consumed her. If she hadn’t been ready for it, she would have died then and there. A cocoon of flame surrounded her, burning blue, thicker than a meter around her. The lightning washed over her, but she had been stupid, expecting that she’d get that moment to deploy it. She did, but some made it through before it had flashed around, slamming into her body.

Her muscles seized, her heart nearly stopped, and her thoughts nearly shorted out. It was only her magic that prevented her from instantly dying. It was one of the rare times the magical nature of an element was less dangerous as an attack than the real thing. After all, it had to contend with her own magic.

But that small little bit left some of her internals scorched and she grit through the pain. She was going to Burn this bitch. She connected deeper with her flames, feeling them, and tsked. That attack from before wasn’t all spears. She’d tried to aid more in the battle around her. Tyler and Konohora were still fighting that fucking mountain and Derek had fucked off with that fairy of all things. Good goddess… but anyway, she tried to attack the healer.

It had not worked. But she’d gained valuable information as she saw a barrier spring up around the man. That was a massive relief. Priests had two abilities, always, but they could always learn more. But the wells only went so deep. Your path could only be so wide. There’s a reason Tyler was taught Aura before he was even ranked, it was to slow his growth. Divination, barriers, healing. Maybe some basic combat but it was extremely unlikely he had any more tricks. The problem was, he was probably really good at at least two of those. She was hoping it was barriers and divination.

At that moment, as the barrier of flames around her kept out the lightning and she once again prepared to attack, she nearly had a heart attack as a massive amount of energy summoned all at once. The fairy’s magic was… even calling it magic was wrong, because it wasn’t. Like all fairies, it was, well, unique to the race. They called it Ki. But she could feel it with her magical senses and see it with her fucking eyes, as a massive amount like a second sun, as tall as a five story mansion, suddenly sprang into existence.

It came down farther away and her heart lurched. Could Derek survive that? Maybe… time was running out. Live or die, without Derek distracting the Fairy, they were all dead. The lightning bitch stopped trying to fry her brain and chew through her flames for a second… to gloat.

“Ha! Seems the little demon really made Rinkaru go all out. That was impressive! Too bad though, I wish I could have seen it!”

“Are you always this much of a bitch?”

“Eh, you live long enough, you pick up a few quirks! Who doesn’t love a good battle every now and again?! Besides… it’s a demon and you all are apparently traitors to your race. It’s hard to feel bad about exterminating you all.”

The absolute worst part about that was the Riary of only a few months ago would have felt the exact same but with more hatred. Now… well… she agreed with Derek. No point in wasting breath or energy, sometimes people just had to die, regardless of circumstances. She sighed, getting ready for the fight of her life to resume when-

A massive blast of energy, like one of the horrifying beams from earlier, but as massive as her body, came barreling through, nearly striking the divination mage. It carved a line that seemed never ending as it destroyed everything in its path, sending shivers up Riary’s spine. The ground, the air, trees, stretching to damn near infinity, as it was gone as quick as it came. She could visibly see the rush of air created to fill the void from where it had eradicated everything in it’s path.

She was absolutely positive… not a single damn one of them could survive that. Not her, not Derek, not that barrier mage, no one here could take that, no matter what. The look on the lightning mage’s face changed dramatically, to one of fear, realizing that beam might have hit her. The divination mage looked visibly horrified, being even closer.

“W-W-Well… looks like… your friend was even more-”

A beam, a series of them, began to break through the treeline and Riary’s mind practically stilled to a stop. She knew what that meant. Everyone seemed to realize what that meant. Derek had survived. He had survived that and was still fighting.

“Impossible!” The lightning mage screamed out, realizing the same thing.

But Riary… Riary knew what it really meant. The only way Derek would have survived both of those massive blasts of energy. He had broken through. He must have. Something dark and angry and bitter, but more than anything, competitive roiled inside her.

She was being left behind. Out paced, out done, by a demon. Fuck this lightning bitch, fuck the armored bastard, fuck the cowards in the dark and in the barrier. She was losing. She could practically feel it in her chest, that sensation of hatred she still had, would always have for Derek. She could stomach him, could get along, could aid and fight with him and trust him… but she refused to be weaker than him. Not like this.

She’d been weaker than demons before. Never again.

The burning rage in her heart flared and the lightning mage was no longer a person, no longer a threat, no longer an obstacle. She was just food. Wood. Fuel.

And she would Burn.

Her flames came together, melting, swirling, burning each other as she remade them. Not just within the air, but within her body, over and over and over again, pouring out her rage into it. Her fears, her anguish, her discontent, her frustration and anger. But she poured more into it, her love of fire, the warmth of Tyler’s body, the fierce flames of competitiveness, and even the burning freeze and chill of death. But more than anything, she poured in more of what made her flames hers and no one else’s. Herself, her passion and love, and her guarantee to the world that if it fucked with her, that if it got in her way…

Then it would Burn.

A new paint was made as Riary felt herself smashing through the barrier in her way.

“Whoa!” Lightning bitch said, as Riary began to paint. As flames in a myriad of colors of blue and red began to rain down upon her. Riary’s entire body lit aflame as her eyes burned, literal flames replacing them for the moment.

“Get. Out. Of. My. WAY!” Riary roared.

An onslaught of lightning met her flames of retribution…

And broke.

The lightning mage screamed as Riary and her flames roared.