“You have no right to interfere in our sacred mission,” the figure declared while removing the cloak that covered their body. Standing before Sebas was a woman clad in a cybernetic jumpsuit that clung to her body like liquid metal. The sleek ensemble, forged from cutting-edge synthetic fibers, shimmered and shifted with the light. Its matte-black surface was etched with pulsing circuit patterns, while seamless seams and modular panels gave it an almost otherworldly precision. Strategically placed luminescent accents traced her form like veins, emphasizing every curve. A high collar seamlessly connected the jumpsuit to a matching helmet, crafted from advanced, lightweight composite materials. The helmet’s surface, detailed with intricate digital circuitry, glowed subtly in neon hues that echoed the suit’s design, and its integrated adaptive visor lent her an aura of formidable mystery.

  

  “For the glory of Briareos!” she screamed, launching herself toward Sebas. Although her initial speed lagged behind that of the first assailant, she accelerated mid-air with a ferocity that left little time for reaction.

  

  Sebas’s eyes widened as he noticed the suit’s lights flaring with each movement—Anima surged through the synthetic conduit.

  

  A synthetic Conduit

  

  A testament to humanity’s desperate attempt to emulate true conduits. These synthetic conduits were notorious for their unpredictable setbacks, often ending in disaster despite occasional success.

  

  In a swift, desperate maneuver, Sebas intercepted the woman, believing he had halted her advance. But before he could register his success, she had reached the center of the ominous eye structure. With precise, calculated motion, she snatched a device from her back and plunged it into the core.

  

  The room trembled violently, this time not from the erratic behavior of the eye or the crawling creatures, but from something far more sinister.

  

  "The Amrita here is being siphoned by that device," Mahvyr intoned in Sebas’s mind.

  

  Sebas’s eyes fixed on the pulsating device as he felt the draining pull of Amrita, a slow, inexorable force drawing everything in the surroundings towards it. He tilted his head with curiosity.

  

  How does that work? And why is that thing siphoning Amrita? What’s the objective?

  

  "What did you do?" he asked, with more curiosity in his voice than anything else.

  

  "An impure such as yourself has no business knowing," she spat, her tone icy as she stepped forward. "I’m going to purge that impurity and reclaim that Conduit relic."

  

  In an explosive burst of motion, the woman vaulted high, her body propelling upward as she surged along the stairs. In a blur, she launched herself straight for Sebas’s head.

  

  In the span of three heartbeats, Sebas reacted. He sidestepped with a fluid grace honed by relentless training. Yet, even his evasive maneuver couldn’t fully save him, a rather superficial cut sliced across his neck, and blood poured trickled out.

  

  "I see," Sebas murmured, his voice low and laced with grim satisfaction as he clutched his wounded neck. "Progress."

  

  The woman’s eyes widened in a mixture of shock and fury. "What do you mean?" she demanded.

  

  Sebas’s tone turned mocking. "Your conduit operates in the domain of progress, when you decide on a goal, and when you strive for said goal, there's always a process to follow. But you... you skip that process and leap straight to the end. Am I right?"

  

  Even if no one else could see it, her expression faltered, astonishment with a hint of fear mixed in her gaze as she realized his deduction was painfully accurate.

  

  Now emboldened by the clarity of his insight, Sebas advanced. "You may be an Adept, but I have a plan," he thought. He had observed, analyzed, and come up with what he believed to be the pattern: her ability recharged every three seconds, a predictable interval.

  

  As she surged forward once more, Sebas set his plan in motion. The moment she prepared to strike, his form flickered as if split in two, leaving a residual shadow behind as he moved. A vibrant green aura pulsed around him, an ever-shifting veil that followed him and that rendered him untouchable. No matter how fiercely she attacked, her blows passed harmlessly over his overlapping images.

  

  "How?!" the woman shrieked, her voice raw with frustration as she staggered. Her suit flared with intense, blinding light, showing a desperate, futile display of power. "I’m supposed to bypass the process entirely, I’m supposed to be able to reach the end! I’m stronger and with the great Briareos on my side!"

  

  Mahvyr’s voice cut through the clamor, cool and precise: "A clever use of Fractured Mirage. You’ve layered yourself in overlapping images, rendering your true form elusive. She cannot target what isn’t there."

  

  Sebas lips curved up and a smile showed on his face when he heard Mahvyr's voice in his mind.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  

  The realization that her efforts were futile struck her like a truck. With each missed strike and every deceptive step Sebas took, her confidence crumbled, leaving her momentarily vulnerable in the shifting tide of battle.

  

  Every heartbeat, every flicker of green light, deepened her insecurities. Sebas’s calculated movements and ingenuity turned the fight into a refined and delicate chess match, one far from the class of raw, unbridled power that she wanted.

  

  Seeing that her efforts were futile, she finally paused and glared at Sebas. Once, she had dismissed him as nothing more than an inexperienced child, nothing more than a mere hindrance to her ideals and ambitions. Ever since she had pledged herself to Briareos, she had devoted every ounce of her being to efficiency, bypassing the slow process of progress. Now, her hand was being forced; forced to confront the old ways, she clenched her fists and cracked her knuckles, she was frustrated, and she needed to allow some of that frustration to flow.

  

  "Fine," she spat, her voice dripping with resentment. "I admit you’re impressive, but still, nothing more than just a kid."

  

  At her command, her suit flared, and her arms transformed with mechanical precision. Two large, matte-black blades unfurled from her forearms, their edges glowing faintly in tandem with the suit’s pulsing circuitry, reminiscent of a predatory mantis.

  

  "Cybernetics," Sebas observed with a wry smile. "Quite cool, if I may add."

  

  The blades extended until they nearly grazed the ground, and she taunted, "I hope you didn’t think I only skip the process to reach my goal."

  

  Sebas’s smile broadened as he replied, "I merely said you can bypass part of the process. But thanks for doing that, you’ve revealed even more." His eyes gleamed with challenge. "I’m going to take another shot. You can hinder progress, right?"

  

  She crouched, letting her blades kiss the ground and sending sparks dancing in the dim light as she prepared to attack again.

  

  "You know, I've noticed something curious," Sebas continued, his tone equal parts genuine curiosity and mockery. "You always focus on me, it’s as if you can only channel your abilities onto what you see. That might work brilliantly on anyone else, but facing me? That’s the worst case scenario for you."

  

  At that, the woman lunged forward, her blades slashing through the air and leaving trails of sparks. Sebas smoothly repositioned, watching her advance. This time, he closed the gap with a swift punch aimed straight at her face. He had deliberately not used any of his abilities, he wanted to test something, as his fist approached the woman's face, he braced himself for what was about to happen. Yet, as his fist neared, it was as if an invisible barrier extended the distance between them, no matter how hard he tried, the gap stretched wider.

  

  "Incredible," Sebas murmured, a spark of delight lighting his eyes. This was his first real encounter with someone else's abilities interfacing with Amrita through their Conduit, and his curiosity surged. He allowed her attack to roll out, letting her power wash over him, eager to experience every nuance.

  

  Noticing his slight smile, the woman took advantage, delivering a fierce kick that sent him reeling and forced him back, creating a critical gap for her to press her advantage. But Sebas was not unprepared, he quickly regained his balance midair, summoning a mirage of himself that overlapped seamlessly with his real form. As he landed, he vaulted toward her, leaving behind a trail of bright green afterimages, an incredible shimmering tail that testified to his refined control over movement.

  

  Up until this moment, Sebas had been taking an active role in the fights, nor now, nor before not even against the creatures a while back. He had been mostly testing the waters and savoring the clash of powers.

  He had trained extensively in hand-to-hand combat, he knew that if a true confrontation erupted, he needed to take into account every scenario, that would be crucial to ensure his survival. In addition to that, the abilities Mahvyr had granted him were perfect for evasion and misdirection, but not for direct blows. So he had seen himself in the need of finding the right fighting style or styles to create a good synergy between how he fought hand to hand and the abilities he had been granted. That thought had led him to favor a nimble, agile style, a style that relied on precision and fluidity over raw, brute strength.

  

  Closing the distance, Sebas pivoted on his right foot and unleashed a rapid, calculated kick straight to her head. The impact was fierce, a perfect example that attested to his training and his mastery of the different tools he had available.

  

  The woman staggered, her blades clattering to the floor as the momentum of the battle shifted.

  

  Sebas regarded the woman with an unreadable expression, his face bore an expression that was at the same time blank and empty, as well as smiling and curious. Without hesitation, she sprang back into the fray. As she closed the distance, her blades whipped through the air with a slicing whisper, their speed slicing the wind growing more intense causing a howling sound. Sebas attempted a dodge, but one blade found its mark, carving a deep gash through his torso. Blood spattered in a chaotic arc, pooling at his feet.

  

  "It was only a matter of time before I learned how to hurt you," she hissed, droplets of his blood glistening on her armor. "Now, let me purify you."

  

  In a swift, lethal motion, she thrust her other blade toward Sebas's head. At that precise moment, a strange, black-green aura erupted around him. a shimmering distortion that seemed to bend reality itself around him. With a fluid, almost preternatural movement, Sebas sidestepped the attack. Seizing the opening, he countered with a rapid strike to her side, lifting her off the ground before following with a round kick that hammered directly into her head. The force of the blow slammed her body into the ground, fracturing the surface beneath.

  

  The impact shattered her helmet, scattering fragments into the air and revealing her battered face. Dark hair clung to her bruised, chiseled features, and a trail of blood ran along her cheek as she spat in defiance.

  

  "Three seconds," Sebas declared coolly. "Three seconds between each time you use your ability."

  

  "What makes you so sure?" she demanded, reassembling herself with a snarl.

  

  Sebas offered a wry smile. "That's the rhythm you've imposed yourself, probably to ease the strain on your Anima and mind. Oh, and I have to give it to you, that was quite the impressive way to get around to hit me again."

  

  Her lips curled into a sarcastic smile. "Oh, you think I did that on purpose?"

  

  "Of course I do, I’m well aware you are quite good at this. You forced yourself to split your focus, a clever solution, I hope you can repeat it," Sebas replied, his tone sincere, he was honestly praising someone who was trying to kill him and that confused her to no end.

  

  For a moment, the woman faltered, the confusion of the kid praising her combined with the dreadful realization that his observation was painfully accurate. She had indeed divided her attention between tracking his body and monitoring the pulsating lights that trailed him, a gamble and an effort that taxed her mental resolve and drained her Anima. Desperation flickered in her eyes as it downed on her that her current tactic might not hold for long.

  

  With no time to spare, she straightened up. Her suit flared with increased intensity, flooding the immediate area with blinding energy. With a sharp clap, the ambient light expanded rapidly, enveloping both her and Sebas in a searing cocoon. The ground trembled as it began to mend itself, and Sebas’s wounds reacted, just that in a much different way. The gash in his chest pulsed and widened, as if threatening to split him in two, while the wound on his neck expanded in a similar, horrifying fashion.

  Sebas quickly reached a critical point. With a sudden, explosive release of chaotic energy, his wounds exploded, blood, flesh, bones, and guts seemed to cover the whole room.