Chapter 163: Chapter ??? : Star (Part 2)

In the Mesorosa Ocean, just north of the equator, the island of Badoush stood all alone, far from any other landmass. The small island was an amalgamation of rocks, and ordinary rocks at that. This make-up gave Badoush an overall brown appearance, with the only exception being the green moss which decorated its coasts.

Given its lack of mineral value and distance from other landmasses, Badoush joined a long list of islands that saw little to no visitors during the year. Of course, today was an exception; on this rainy day, it would play host to an epic battle between two of the world’s strongest fighters.

Though, this would only begin in ten minutes. There was still some preparation to do.

‘U-Unbelievable…’

Under his umbrella, Choi had been in a state of shock for the last five minutes. He had managed to keep his mouth from gaping, but couldn’t stop his eyes from widening and sparkling.

Before filming anything, Astra had forewarned him that he would experience some crazy things during their time together. He took this warning to heart. He had lived a pretty colourful life and experienced many crazy things but this didn’t make him overconfident.

The world had several layers to it; he knew this well enough. The top layer, to which he was a stranger, which Astra was a resident, was surely very different from his own. This intuition turned out to be on the money. In the last two weeks, he had witnessed no shortage of incredible sights, with the current image reflecting off his pupils being the latest one.

‘A Demon Lord…an actual Demon Lord,’ he thought with a shiver as he took in the figure in the distance.

Choi’s reaction to Ares wasn’t out of place on the set. His viewing team and the high-level psionics who had been tasked with protecting the crew, all held some trepidation at the aresian’s presence. Their reactions were justified, the War of the End, while named that, hadn’t reached a conclusion after all. On paper, the two species were still at war.

That being said, Choi and the others couldn’t muster any strong feelings of fear or disdain for the aresian. While anti-demon sentiment was alive and well, the three centuries of separation from them had cooled it down significantly. It helped that the aresian in question was nothing like the tales they had heard. He was calm, poised and interacted with Astra and Sigurd cordially.

The unexpected appearance of the latter and his reaction to the aresian had baffled the film crew; the Psionic Association Head traded words with the aresian as though old friends.

Watching the trio of Ascendants interact ended up calming Choi and the others, enough that they could focus on their respective roles without issue.

Taking breaths, the famed director found his composure. Switching gears, he focused on a question that had sprung up upon capturing the aresian.

‘Hmm, are our textbooks lacking? Or is he an aberrant or mutant?’

Taking in Ares, the question was to be expected. In many ways, he was very different from your usual brand of aresian.

Aresians had four pure races, which were conveniently differently coloured. Besides their colours, each pure race had a defining feature (s).

Red aresians, besides being various shades of red, had reptilian-like tails. Blue aresians were tail-less but had a single small horn protruding from the middle of their foreheads. Purple aresians were a ‘best of both’ situation, having both a horn and a tail. They were rarer than Blue and Red aresians and boasted the best physical stats of the pure races. On the other end of this spectrum, were the White aresians. They were the albinoes of aresiankind. They fared better than human albinoes but not by much.

Out of the four races, White aresians bore the closest resemblance to humanity, in a bad way. They had no tails or horns, and their physical stats were comparable to humans too. In the cut-throat might-makes-right aresian society, these attributes didn’t do them any favours, resulting in very few numbers.

Outside of these four races, there were the aberrants, who had mismatched skin colours, features, or entirely unique features on their person. They were a fairly large group; still, the common feature of red eyes remained a constant for all aresians.

Ares was one such aberrant.

His red eyes weren’t the usual crimson but a few shades brighter, appearing as fireballs. His smooth skin was the colour of ash, as though burnt by the flames originating from his eye sockets, and his full head of shoulder-length hair was the colour of falling snow.

He lacked a horn but bore a thick and lengthy dragon-like tail, which had been swaying gently through the air for the past few minutes. Features and colours aside, the man cut a rather handsome visage, even to Choi and the others. Not only that, he exuded an overwhelming power, akin to that of a dormant volcano. The golden aura the other emitted helped the notion, but even without it, Choi and the rest of the film crew wouldn’t be fooled into thinking he was anything other than an elite powerhouse.

Ares’ frame was large and muscular, standing tall just shy of two metres. While his mannerisms and demeanour hadn’t been what Choi and the others expected from a Demon Lord, Ares’ get-up hit all the right notes in their books.

He had come dressed for the occasion, donning an ancient-looking black armour set, which covered everything except his head. It wasn’t all black, red decorated the armour here and there, appearing as crystals or lines in the grooves and on the few pieces of fabric present.

Even when polished and cleaned, signs of use could be seen on it, from the cracks and tears, betraying a history of hard-fought battles. It inspired awe in the surroundings.

Done examining the armour, Choi’s eyes moved to Ares’ forehead to capture the last item of interest, the other’s silver circlet. Design-wise, it was simple; lines and circles were etched into the inch-wide band, giving off a subtle noble sensibility. At the centre of his forehead, where a horn would be, a diamond-shaped crimson-coloured crystal was fixed on the circlet.

The crystal shone in a bewitching light. The exterior was noteworthy but what drew Choi’s gaze in was the lattices and patterns within. Looking at them, he got a strange feeling. He had believed that it was a ruby or a monster crystal, but as he continued to stare, he felt that this wasn’t the case, that the crystal in question was something more, something special…and he would be proven right in a few minutes’ time.

‘Ah? What am I doing? Gawking from afar, I should be ashamed. That’s enough. Demon Lord or not, an enemy of humanity or not, right now, he’s an actor…and this is no way to treat one.’

Having the string of thoughts, Choi’s body ceased its vibration as he entered work mode. He was a human, but before that, a professional. Becoming serious, he took his first steps forward, approaching the other to introduce himself.

The trio of Ascendants noted the Onic’s approach and Sigurd and Astra moved to the side to welcome the director.

“Greetings, gentlemen and Astra. Sorry for the delay, needed some time to process things.”

Astra smiled. “No problem, perfectly understandable. It’s not every day that you get to meet an aresian after all.”

“Yes, indeed,” Choi nodded before turning to Ares. “My name is Choi Ching, the director in charge of this project, nice to meet you,” he said, extending his hand out.

Ares’ eyes dropped to land on the hand in question and…then extended his own hand to grasp it. The act sent a wave of relief through the director’s body, having just conquered a giant huddle.

“My name is Ares, nice to meet you too, Choi Ching…or should I call you Cha Ching,” the aresian said with a slight smile, causing Choi Ching’s eyes to light up.

“Y-You’ve heard of me?” he asked in a shaky voice. ‘Cha Ching’ was Choi Ching’s nickname in the industry, due to his movies’ monetary successes.

Ares returned his hand to his side and nodded. “More than that, I’m quite the fan of your work. I’ve seen pretty much everything you’ve done.”

Choi Ching’s mind blanked at the words. Sigurd and Astra found his reaction most amusing, smiling and chuckling respectively. The mental cogs had frozen in the Onic’s mind, but Astra wasn’t satisfied yet. Wanting to see them unbuckle completely, she added more fuel to the fire.

“Don’t be too shocked, you’ve heard nothing yet.” Astra moseyed over to Ares’s side and placed a hand on his shoulder. “You see, this guy, he’s actually the mysterious Mars Red.”

“Mars Red?!”

Not only did Choi Ching recoil in shock, but the filming crew in the distance did so as well.

“Really?” Choi asked as he directed a wide-eyed look towards Ares.

“...Yes,” the aresian admitted with a wry look.

“Yes, it’s true,” Astra followed up in a cheerful voice. “And not only that, but he’s the Dragon Prince as well. The novels were just a colourful autobiography.”

“Ah…”

Hit with shocking revelation after revelation, Choi Ching’s thoughts and expression became as Astra wished, completely chaotic. She ate up the sight as she burst into laughter. Ares was less than amused but bore with the extra attention well.

It was all temporary after all.

Everyone here, besides Astra, Sigurd and the Natural doing the recording, would have their memories altered by him to erase his existence and what happened here. Choi Ching and the others weren’t ignorant of this process; Astra had mentioned the possibility of having their memories wiped during the weeks of filming and they accepted it as part of the job. As for the Natural doing the recording, they were part of the Adventurer Association higher-ups and were privy to Ares’ existence.

“Ah, it’s a shame I won’t get to remember any of this happening, “he lamented out loud. “Oh well, at least I got to meet one of my inspirations. I’ve been a big fan sinc - mmm,” Choi stopped himself as he realised an oddity. “Wait a minute, if the Dragon Prince novels are an autobiography, what about the third book?” he asked, remembering the world-altering events of the novel’s plot.

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Ares turned bitter at the question. “That…let’s just call it a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

Seeing resistance to the subject, Choi dropped it entirely and instead moved on to the reason they were here in the first place.

“I’d love to chat, but I’m also eager to see you two in action. Astra kept me in the dark about your identity but not your entertainment value. She praised your abilities and skills repeatedly over the last few weeks, saying that you were among the strongest fighters to ever walk the planet.” he said, Ares shifted his gaze to Astra, while she shifted her gaze to a rock tower in the distance. Sigurd and Choi smiled at the pair’s silent exchange.

At that moment, the telepathic link Choi was connected to flickered, informing him that everything was in place.

He clapped in approval. “Okay, everyone else is ready, what about you two?”

“Ready.”

“Set,” Astra followed up.

“Go…od to hear,” Choi couldn’t resist, but still blushed. He did a fake cough before continuing. “Anyways, we’ll be starting with some light sparring. I’ve seen a bit from Astra already, so really I’ll be observing what type of fighting style and techniques you employ, Ares. Try to be as varied as possible. Even if it’s not effective in battle, just go for it. The flashier the better.”

Ares sent a knowing nod.

“Excellent. You two, your starting positions are those rock formations over there, under those Psi beacons. Choose whichever you want. Just go until I say stop. It shouldn’t take more than ten minutes to map out a fight sequence. Okay, now off you go.”

The two fighters moved obediently, both taking flight and heading to their respective rock towers. Telepathic tethers were sent out, connecting their minds to Choi and the rest. The various ‘lenses’ took their assigned positions and Choi and the more delicate staff members took solace behind sturdy Psi barriers.

Sigurd decided to offer his services and threw his Psi into the fray, an act that was much appreciated by Choi and the others. The director gave his last instructions to the fighters and then, a minute later, the signal to fight was given and the two fighters jolted into action.

***

*Boom* *Boom* *Boom*....

Shockwaves resounded without pause as the two fighters went at it. The chilly rainy vista was long gone, replaced by a world torn asunder by fire, and swirling with gales and lightning. The pair moved and destruction followed, akin to paint brushes painting scenes of the end times.

Badoush was shattered into fragments and reduced to a bubbling cauldron of magma and blackened rock. From it, columns upon columns of darkened smoke rose, obscuring much of the island from view. Only after leaving it in this molten state did the Ascendants move the battle to the open ocean.

Ares ceased his dogged chase. High in the skies, his golden aura flared like an inferno as he prepared to launch his next attack. He set his sights on Astra, who appeared just a moment ago, a hundred metres away, slightly above his position.

To her cheeky smile, he couldn’t help but squint. This wasn’t the first time they sparred, so his helplessness against her came as no shock or surprise. Still, he was a warrior at heart and being below someone - anyone - didn’t sit right with him. This frustration all but materialised itself in his next attack.

Ares’ palm thrust toward her. Onki and circlet working in perfect sync, a fireball the size of a beach ball materialised in an instant. Blinding white with a golden outer shell, the sphere burned in the hundreds of thousands of degrees. Air and newborn lightning screamed at its mere presence. Ares wasn’t satisfied though. He inflated the sphere until it was five metres in diameter and many times hotter. Only then did he send it on its way.

Fwoosh!

Racing at hypersonic speed, it closed the distance between him and Astra in but a moment. But…this was more than enough time for the Unique to react. She flickered out of existence before reappearing above the torrential ocean. Her stay was brief, as a second fireball came rushing in.

*Boom*

Missing its target, the fireball took out its frustration on the ocean; upon making contact, a several-hundred-metre wide spherical chunk was torn from it. Waters that were spared the fate of being vaporised in an instant became mist, which was then ravaged by the cutting winds and pelting rain.

False Flame: Fireball! False Flame: Fireball! False Flame: Fireball! …

Stationary in the air, arms folded before his chest, Ares unleashed a barrage of fireballs. Fiery spheres of various sizes materialised around his figure, a dozen at a time, before blasting out in all directions to form a bullet hell of sorts. Even so, Astra remained untouched.

When she wasn’t seemingly zipping in and out of reality to avoid the projectiles, she would zigzag at ungodly speeds through the narrow gaps, herself leaving a trail of flames in her wake.

Ten seconds in, Ares upped the ante with an addition. Unfolding his arms, he pointed ahead with his right hand. His fingertip glowed in gold and white as Onki gathered at it.

A moment later, he captured Astra’s form and…

False Flame: Dragon Ray!

Taking the form of a narrow beam, the high-hypersonic plasma cut through reality to reach its target. Astra teleported away in time, leaving an afterimage to tank the attack.

False Flame: Dragon Ray! False Flame: Dragon Ray!...

Ares continued firing away. Astra dodged beams and fireballs alike without issue. Flickering speedily, she left countless afterimages. Ares’ beams seemed to phase right through her…and on some occasions, they actually did.

She proved this fact with her next sequence of moves. Drawing lines in a place no one else could see, she suddenly appeared some fifteen metres above Ares. Striking a pose, she pointed down.

A small spatial rift appeared just off her pointer finger and from it, Ares’ fiery beam, previously swimming in Endless Expanse, flashed out. The aresian dealt with it expertly though. A smooth golden shield was conjured up and intercepted the projectile, diverting most of the plasma while tanking the rest.

A back and forth between the two fighters followed, Ares remaining in his spot in the sky while Astra zipped about and occasionally took shots at the aresian, which were all blocked without trouble.

Their exchanges heated up with the passing seconds. The sea turned into a sailor’s worst nightmare as the hungry flames gulped more and more water, leaving it rowdy and restless. Earth wasn’t spared nor was heaven. Without any intention to, the pair riddled the heavenly blanket repeatedly until it was no different than a grater. It did make for a spellbinding scene though; rays of sunlight tore through the openings and illuminated the world below.

‘...That’s about enough.’

Thinking this, Ares toned down his attacks. He ceased firing Dragon Rays and drastically reduced the heat and speed of his fireballs, though maintained their visual flare. While doing this, he pooled up his aura and fended off Astra’s occasional ranged attacks.

Ten seconds later, he exaggeratedly brought his hands together to form a clap before his chest. Such gestures were unnecessary but he did them anyway, for effect. His armoured hands glowed as the gathered energy rushed to them. Then, a second later, he undid his clap and flung his hands out to his sides. At the action, all hell broke loose, literally.

False Flame: False Sun.

True to its name, the technique all but summoned a star. With Ares at the centre, flames exploded out in every direction, forming a massive sphere. Three hundred metres in diameter, the ball of swirling flames lit up the world in dazzling bright lights of various colours.

Lightning trees sprouted from it, going from seedling to withering in the span of a blink. The sloshing ocean below was bitten into again. The fire and lightning raised the water’s temperature to near-boiling, causing the sea to bubble and steam to rise in mass.

The false star lingered for five seconds before dissipating appropriately, in an explosion.

Flames clearing, Ares’ figure came into view. Wrapped in a layer of gold, he floated in place, arms crossed before his chest. Not a single singe could be found on his person. He eyed the fiery aftermath with a blank look, frustration and satisfaction having reached a stalemate in his heart.

He didn’t linger on the spot much longer - nor could he. Powerful as he was, he still needed to breathe, and he had burnt away all the surrounding oxygen. He glanced up to meet Astra, who had long escaped the blast zone. He gave her an upward nod to signal his intention before flying skyward. False Flame’s fire acted as thrusters, joining his telekinesis to transform his speed from hypersonic to high-hypersonic.

Rocketing up, he broke through the tattered blanket that was the clouds. Astra did the same a moment later, choosing to leave a flaming spiral in her wake before making the ascent.

Beyond the clouds, the two fighters continued their clash, bright flashes and sonic booms betraying this fact.

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