Ch 23: Magician's Duel

Bella has been cursed by Loth'nex, and time is not on her side. Rallying everyone together, Andy leads the charge. Can Gibolu snap Mythra out of her stupor?

            Turning to Loth’nex with rage in his eyes, Andy said, “You… As a knight of chivalry, I will never forgive you for subjecting such a fair maiden and dear friend to this kind of atrocity!” Glancing at Mutzy and Gibolu, Andy said, “Mutzy, Sir Gibolu! We must join forces and defeat him before the curse finishes!” Readying his claws, Mutzy nodded with a grunt. Withdrawing his card deck, Gibolu said, “I will show him how a true practitioner of the noble art of magic handles such an impudent cur!” Transforming his right arm into a long steel blade, Andy raised it at his side and said, “Now! For Lady Bella! Up and over Mutzy!” 

Quickly Mutzy leaped up onto his bladed arm, and as Gibolu began to strafe around Loth’nex hurling cards, Andy flung Mutzy into the air above Loth’nex before charging in as well. Deflecting cards with his rapier, as Mutzy landed behind him and struck out with his claws just as Andy charged from the front with his bladed arm, Loth’nex grabbed Mutzy by the arm with his free hand and blocked Andy’s blade with his rapier. Clenching Mutzy’s arm tightly, Loth’nex said, “I will burn your soul!” As his hand began to blaze with white fire, Mutzy began to howl in pain, and in concern Andy exclaimed, “Mutzy?!” Suddenly overpowering Andy, Loth’nex shoved him away and hurled Mutzy at him as though he were a rag doll. Bowled over as Mutzy plowed headfirst into his chest, Andy groaned and raised his head to look over at Loth’nex, who raised his hand at them. Gritting his teeth in frustration, Andy thought, “That didn’t go as planned…”

            Just as he was about to use a spell, Loth’nex turned to deflect another card. Looking over at Gibolu, he called out, “Your cards are useless even if they strike me. You have horrible aim as well, half the cards you threw have missed me by far.” Glaring back at him, Gibolu said, “Why would you use forbidden magic? Are you such a fool as to sacrifice everything for meaningless power?!” Laughing, Loth’nex said, “Meaningless? Thanks to that forbidden magic I have become immortal! I don’t need the concern of one who gave up on the same path just because he lost a couple of limbs.” 

Drawing another card with his floating hand, Gibolu quietly said, “I learned my lesson before it was too late, which is sadly more than I can say for you. There are things in this world we are not meant to tamper with, and even if we fail to punish you, rest assured your punishment WILL come!” Holding the card before him, as he channeled magical power into it, Gibolu said, “You say my aim was off? That depends on what I was aiming for!” In surprise, Loth’nex said, “What?!” Hurling his card so that it stabbed into a point in the ground around Loth’nex, Gibolu shouted, “Cage of Hearts!” All the cards Gibolu had carefully arranged around Loth’nex glowed, and a line of red magical energy shot from the final card and linked all the cards together, forming the shape of a heart. As Loth’nex found he was suddenly unable to move, he exclaimed, “Impossible!” 

Looking over at Mythra, Gibolu called out to her, “Now Mythra! We must strike together!” Rising to her feet, Mythra stared at Loth’nex hesitantly. Drawing a card from his deck, Gibolu shouted, “Get ahold of yourself! Do you want Bella or Ms. Blossomheart to die?! The Mythra I know is the Spellweaver, the unrivaled master of the magical elements, user of the legendary Devia Lotus, a woman who never gives up no matter what the odds!” Clenching her teeth, Mythra opened the Grimoire of the Spellweaver and willed the crystals of her Elementum Orbis around her. Using her foot to flip her broom up off of the ground and into the air, as it came to hover before her, Mythra leaped onto it and rode up high above the battlefield as she began to read from the grimoire, thinking to herself, “Getting told off by that wonder nut, I’m such a joke!” As arcane stars formed in the air above Loth’nex, Gibolu hurled more cards into position around Loth’nex, and turning to Andy, who was lifting the unconscious Mutzy onto his back, he shouted, “Get Mana and Bella and take cover! Quickly!” With a nod Andy carried Mutzy off.

            Drawing the final card just as Mythra was in position directly above Loth’nex, Gibolu hurled it into place and shouted, “Firestorm of Diamonds!” The cards created a second diamond shape around Loth’nex in addition to the Cage of Hearts, and at the same time, Mythra pointed her wand down at Loth’nex as her violet eye glowed furiously. All the stars of arcane power gathered at the tip of her wand as her seven glowing crystals gathered around it as well, and as three great rune circles formed from each crystal, overlapping each other due to their close proximity, Mythra snapped her grimoire shut and shouted with all her rage, “Spellweave! Ultimate Arcanum and Ultimate Barrage, take shape as the Ultimate Breaker, Spark of the Spellweaver’s Might!” 

Shooting down on Loth’nex from the rune circles and from the tip of Mythra’s wand, twenty one elemental beams and one massive beam of arcane magic raged forth, so close together that they seemed like one titanic beam. At the same time, the ground within the diamond shape traced by the cards erupted in a fiery explosion. Then as Mythra’s Ultimate Breaker struck, Loth’nex disappeared beneath its might as the combined explosions echoed across the mountainside with resounding intensity.

            Looking over the rock they were hiding behind as the powerful gust of wind from the explosions subsided, Mana wondered aloud, “Did they win?!” Looking over at Bella and seeing her still writhing in agony, Andy thought, “The curse persists?! How could that demon possibly be alive after all that?!” Floating down next to Gibolu and hopping off her broom, Mythra stared into the aftermath a moment, smoke billowing in the air from out of the massive crater made by their attacks. Then she quickly flipped open the Grimoire of the Spellweaver, reading from it as Gibolu asked, “Do you think he is defeated?” Mythra’s violet eye glowed, and as multi layered rune barriers folded themselves around her body and became invisible, she grimly said, “Not a chance in hell…” 

Suddenly low, eerie laughter filled the air, and after a moment Loth’nex’s voice called out, “Let me show you the futility of your efforts. Mors Scintilla!” Quickly Mythra shoved Gibolu out of the way and then leaped out of harms way herself as a massive beam of dark magic blew away the aftermath of the explosions and shot out at them, carving a scar across the mountainside. Rolling back to her feet, Mythra’s eyes quickly searched for Loth’nex, and then went wide as she realized he stood right behind her. His deep growling voice said, “An array of multi-layered rune barriers? Interesting, but that won’t stop me.” Mythra turned to aim her wand for a point blank attack, but swiftly Loth’nex struck her with a powerful swing of his rapier. A barrier layer shattered instantly, and as Mythra staggered back, Loth’nex raised his hand and said, “Obscuro Imperium!” An orb of dark magic shot out from his hand at Mythra, and passing through her barriers seamlessly, it seemed to dissolve into her body. Feeling at her chest, Mythra fearfully wondered, “W-what did he do?!” 

Loth’nex raised his hand, and Mythra suddenly rose into the air, pulled upwards by an unseen force. As she hung there in the air, unable to move her arms now, Loth’nex’s forehead jewel glowed brighter as he said, “Death has only granted me more power!” Appearing in the air around Mythra, seven orbs of white flame began to swirl around her, and then one by one they shot at her, exploding and shattering more of her barriers. As the last one destroyed what was left of her barriers, Loth’nex released Mythra and she fell to the ground. Losing hold of her wand and grimoire as she landed, despite the pain she rolled over and struggled to crawl over to the wand. Loth’nex simply raised a hand at her and said, “Libo.” Bursting from the ground, chains of dark magic wrapped themselves around Mythra’s legs, and suddenly her wand and Elementum Orbis disappeared. Feeling weak, Mythra thought, “The chains... they’re sapping all the strength I have left...” As she struggled feebly against the chains, Loth’nex said, “Watch closely, I will destroy your friends and renew your hatred…” Having been nursing a bruised forehead he’d suffered from being pushed over by Mythra, Gibolu rose and dusted himself off as he withdrew a second deck of cards and muttered, “I’m not out of tricks just yet…”

            Facing Gibolu, Loth’nex channeled power into his forehead gem. Withdrawing a card from his deck and channeling magical power into it quickly as well, as a beam of white flames shot out of Loth’nex’s jewel at him, Gibolu hurled the card into its path and said, “Wildcard Defense!” Growing absurdly larger, the card stopped in the air and blocked the beam like a solid wall. Seeing his attack fail, Loth’nex stared at the cloud of smoke from the blast and muttered, “Just who is this strange man? His magic is… unconventional. My mastery of forbidden magic allows me to enhance my spells with my spiritual energy and use minimal incantations, but he uses no incantations at all!” Then as it came bursting from the smoke, Loth’nex watched as a whip formed of the cards of Gibolu’s card deck all linked together with magic wrapped around his wrist. Loth’nex started to say, “What-” Suddenly Gibolu whirled him about with unexpected strength, shouting, “Shuffle Toss!” 

Tossing Loth’nex high into the air, Gibolu retracted his cards back into his hand and took off his top hat. Holding it up so that the bottom of the hat faced up at Loth’nex, Gibolu poured magical power into it and shouted, “Secret Hat Trick!” Shooting out of the top hat, sparkling, multicolored birds of elemental magic poured out at Loth’nex, flying and swerving through the air like they were really alive. Using his powers to stop his fall and hover in the air, as Gibolu’s magic birds closed in, Loth’nex muttered, “Not bad…” As she watched Loth’nex disappear in blast after blast of multicolored magic, Mythra thought in disbelief, “What the hell?! Since when can Gibolu do all this?!” Still hiding behind the rock, Mana cheered, “Go ringmaster!” Watching as well, Andy glumly thought, “Quite the light show, but their first attack was far stronger.” Looking over at Bella, who had finally passed out, he thought, “If this drags out for much longer, Lady Bella will be…”

            Panting, Gibolu put his top hat back on and muttered, “I didn’t think I could still fight like this!” Reaching into his sleeve, Gibolu withdrew a very large sheet of red silken cloth as he thought, “But as Mythra said, there’s not a chance in this wide, wide world this is over that easily! It’s as though his body cannot be damaged by any power of this world. Is there really any way to fight against one who is already dead?” Suddenly a storm of dark magic bolts shot from the smoke as Loth’nex emerged unharmed yet again. Yet expecting the attack, Gibolu flung the silken cloth over himself, and as the cloth obscured Loth’nex’s view of Gibolu, he heard him say, “Hidden Ace!” 

As the dark magic bolts struck and erupted in violent blasts, Loth’nex stared down at the aftermath as he hovered there in the air. Then the card whip wrapped around his ankle and Loth’nex was pulled from the skies towards Gibolu, who had appeared behind him. Leaping into the air as Loth’nex was pulled in by his retracting card whip, at Gibolu’s command, his whip released Loth’nex and became a card sword as he said, “Try my Shuffle Slash!” Loth’nex raised his rapier to block, but the force of Gibolu’s strike knocked him back to the ground. Managing to land on his feet, as Gibolu landed and slashed at him again, Loth’nex blocked with his rapier and said, “You waste your efforts!”

            Noticing the powerful energies gathering around him, Gibolu jumped back just as a pillar of white fire engulfed Loth’nex. Shooting from the flame pillar, balls of white fire rained down across the battlefield randomly. Dodging and deflecting any that came at him with his card blade, as Gibolu saw one of the fireballs head towards Mana and the others, he drew a card from his sleeve and flung it in the fireball’s path, shouting, “Wildcard Defense!” His card increased in size and stopped the fireball, but Gibolu barely had time to react as Loth’nex’s rapier suddenly shot out of the flame pillar, coming at him blade first. Knocking it away at the last second, as it sailed high into the air, Gibolu looked up at it in confusion and thought, “He threw his weapon?” 

Suddenly the rapier turned in the air and shot back at him blade first, and as Gibolu stepped aside it stabbed it’s blade into the ground and a blast of white flames erupted from beneath Gibolu. Blown flying into the air, as he tumbled up through the sky, Loth’nex appeared above him and came down with his open palm crackling with white fire. Grabbing him by the head, as Gibolu cried out in pain from the burning white flames, Loth’nex whirled him around and hurled him back to the ground with crushing force. His body making a crater in the ground as he hit, he laid there too badly injured to get up. After a moment Gibolu, merely laughed weakly and muttered, “I’m simply out of my league… Nothing I do has any affect, and my body isn’t reinforced by EDE the way it is for an energist like Mythra…” 

Seeing him lying there defeated, Mana moved to go to him as she shouted, “Ringmaster!” She quickly stopped as Gibolu commanded, “STAY BACK!” Starting to tear up, Mana thought, “Some legend! All I can do is watch!” Aiming his hand down at Gibolu, as dark magic gathered in his hand, Loth’nex said, “You were worthier than most. I’ll end you properly…” Struggling to lift the hand holding his cards, Gibolu thought to himself, “If he is protected by forbidden magic, then perhaps only forbidden magic will be strong enough to harm him. Forbidden magic is a mysterious type of magic created through dark magic, yet still separate from all the rest. Few understand it and even fewer dare use it. The loss of my arms finally made me realize it was a force we are not meant to tamper with... yet now I have no choice but to use it again!” Channeling magic power into his deck of cards and tossing them into the air above him, Gibolu shouted, “Sleight of Hand!” Dispersing in the air, the cards formed a floating card circle around where Gibolu laid. Withdrawing a final card from his sleeve, Gibolu held it between two fingers and raised it up at Loth’nex, and both the card in his hand and the cards floating in a circle around him began to glow with dark magic.

            A hazy, dark mist covering the skies above her, Bella lay collapsed in what looked like an illusory copy of the mountain where she had been. Her strength gone and her mind blank, briefly a cry from somewhere far, far away reached her ears. “Ringmaster!” Struggling to get up, feeling as though she had to hurry somewhere, Bella found herself weighed down by illusory chains. Then a voice suddenly said, “Those’d be your regrets sunshine. Considering you wound up like this right after acting all tough, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re pretty heavy.” Suddenly the air before Bella rippled like water and a woman she did not recognize appeared from nowhere. She wore a blue fox mask and had short blue hair. Seeming to stare down at Bella through her mask, she said, “I warned you, but you just ran to your death. Don’t worry though, it looks like your friends will be joining you soon enough.” 

Confused, Bella merely uttered, “Huh…?” Shaking her head in disgust, the woman said, “Jeez, and she entrusted my kitsune ball to you?! Is this really all you’ve got?! I mean, you had so much potential, and now I gotta…” Then with a sigh, the woman muttered, “Whatever!” Blue flames starting to flicker in her hand, the woman formed a scythe made of blue fire and said, “Nothing personal, this is my job. Name’s Mai, a Yugure here to claim the soul of the deceased. That’d be you.”