Machina Arcanis: Two Worlds Collided
Chapter 145. Orchestra of the Mighty

“Hell Rain!” Astrid threw her hands forward the moment the blaring horn ended. Her teammates in red began casting their spells, flames igniting in bursts.

“Friederich! Let me take her,” Zetius pleaded, turning to him as rampaging fireballs hurtled towards their location.

Friederich evaded with an elegant backflip before glancing back. “Understood!” he bellowed through the chaotic bombardment.

Zetius flicked two fingers forward and smiled.

A rain of hellfire crashed into the pavement, melting the floors and nearby ruins. The scent of sulphur and smoke grew overwhelming.

“Lampos!” Friederich summoned his blades into the air and manoeuvred with incredible agility, ricocheting from one blade to another before retaliating with a precise throw.

Anticipating it, three red mages stepped in, hands raised. “Phoros!” they chanted in unison, deflecting the Lampos.

“Damn it,” Friederich muttered, dashing sideways, drawing the barrage of hellfire his way.

Simultaneously, Astrid charged toward Zetius, who had been separated from his team.

“YAAAA!” she roared, her frame becoming a dark, hazy blur. Zetius’s eyes widened in shock as he scanned frantically for her position.

Cubie zipped past him, trailing a blue light. “Zetius!”

SLAM!

Astrid rammed her shoulder into him from behind, sending him flying into a giant pillar. Dust erupted on impact.

“Zetius!” Friederich’s eyes darted to his friend, but the red mages kept pressure on him, pinning him down with ranged spells. Their smirks revealed how well their strategy was working.

“Clever bastards. They knew range is my weakness,” he muttered, spinning and dodging another volley of fireballs.

Beneath the rubble, Zetius groaned, a numbing pain spreading through his chest.

“Zetius, get up now!” Cubie hovered protectively, her body shielding him from Astrid. The girl’s devious grin made her grudge against him painfully clear.

“What do you think I’m doing!?” Zetius whined, wiggling his fingers free and heaving a large block of stone off his body. His lungs expanded as relief washed over him.

“You’re weak,” Astrid sneered, staring down at him as whirlwinds of mana coiled around her like an aura.

Zetius sprang to his feet. “She’s getting to the point,” he muttered, bewildered.

Astrid lowered her head slightly, arms curling inward with full tension. “Dynamis~Adamas!” The ground rumbled beneath her, the air howling like a banshee. Zetius raised his arm to shield his face as even Cubie was pushed back.

In the stands, Aurelia gripped the handrail tightly, anxiety building. “Don’t tell me... that’s an epic-tier spell? Perhaps even mythic?! Gaia! I’m not sure if Zetius can win. His essence is clearly outclassed, and worse, he’s still recovering his mana.”

Zetius's morning expedition to find Frain backfired on him today. He would need to use his mana wisely.

“Nah, he’ll be alright,” Nyrethein chimed in lazily, resting her chin on the rail.

“Celestius!?” Aurelia gasped in surprise.

On the south side of the battlefield, Astrid opened her palms. Her eyes and hair gleamed, nearly blinding.

A golden scarab appeared in her left hand for endurance. A red scarab in her right for might. She crushed them both, absorbing the buffs. Her skin took on a sleek glow, her flaming hair whipped in the wind.

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She was the firestorm.

Then—

Her fiery fist struck Zetius from behind. He blocked with his arms, pain radiating from the impact. He grunted and swung his free hand at her.

But she vanished, only to jab him in the torso from another angle.

He twisted, her strike grazing his shoulder with searing heat. Zetius grunted, spinning around with a powerful hook.

Astrid crossed her arms expertly, absorbing the blow. She grunted softly, then pushed her weight behind a counterstrike.

Zetius arched back acrobatically, dodging, but overbalanced. “Shit!” he cursed.

“Idiot!” Astrid roared, twisting her arm into a hammering elbow that crashed into Zetius’s stomach.

“AHHHHH!” he screamed, saliva spraying from his mouth. His body crumpled on impact, slamming into the ground. His crested helm chimed, hairline cracks forming across the surface.

“Fall already!” Astrid bellowed, lifting her foot.

Zetius rolled aside just in time. Her stomp hit the pavement, shattering it and shaking the arena. A giant crater formed where he once lay.

“This is bad! This is bad!” Aurelia clutched her thumbnail, biting hard. The crowd, however, didn’t share her panic.

Nyrethein, beside her, cheered with a raised fist. “YEAH! Go get 'em!”

Elsewhere, Friederich wasn’t faring much better. Ten mages had pinned him down, barraging him with fireballs and holding him off with arcane barriers. At this rate, both Zetius and Friederich would lose unless they came up with a new strategy.

Visibly limping and exhausted, Zetius sweated heavily, droplets spraying the ground as he dodged Astrid’s sweeping kick.

Her grin widened. She was enjoying this.

Zetius scrambled back on instinct, but Astrid extended her two fingers.

“Empyrion~Fire!”

A beam of fire blasted him. He hit the ground hard, air knocked from his lungs. His vision blurred, pain searing across his shoulder.

Cubie’s panicked voice rang out. “You’re hit, Zetius!”

“I didn’t dodge it!?” he groaned, eyeing the hole in his arc coat. His suspicion was confirmed.

Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself upright, one arm clutching his shoulder. “Iasis!” he cast, feeling a soothing warmth dull the pain. It wasn’t full healing, but it kept him mobile.

Then came the chant.

“Astrid! Astrid! Astrid!”

Zetius glanced up. Across the field, Friederich was creeping toward him. Help’s on the way,

“Just give up already, Zetius,” Astrid taunted, bouncing lightly on her toes with her guard stance.

“Never!” Zetius roared, charging. He swung wildly, fists blazing like a bull in rage.

Astrid chuckled, parried, and countered with a left hook.

Zetius ducked as mana surged and gathered around his fist, just like the drills he’d practised with Aurelia over the past few weeks. His close-quarter combat had now improved exponentially.

“Empyrion~Fist!” His flaming strike slammed into her chestplate, sending a shockwave that fluttered her cloak.

The audience gasped in awe.

But Astrid barely staggered. She stood like a boulder.

“Impossible...” Zetius stared at her undamaged breastplate. Her face was flushed with fury. The crowd booed at him.

He tried to pull his fist back, too slow.

Astrid gripped it, twisting his wrist with ease.

“Zetius! Get back!” Cubie cried, helpless.

“How low of you, Zeta.” Astrid pulled her head back and smashed it into his nose. Blood sprayed as Zetius crumpled.

His vision dimmed. One eye fluttered, trying to remain open. A crack glowed across his helm. One more blow, and he’d be knocked out or worse, sent straight to Hades by this vicious girl.

“ZETA! GET UP PLEASE!” Aurelia’s voice echoed in his mind.

His eyes snapped open.

Her cry, raw and desperate, pierced something inside him.

“Heyyyyy!” Zetius exploded like a thunderclap as he surged upright. Fresh blood, stark against his silver hair, traced new paths down his temples. He tilted back his head, his crimson gaze burning into Astrid.

She’d spun, the thrill of perceived victory already curdling in her gut.

For there he stood, relentless. And worse, far worse, Zetius was grinning—

A slow, predatory curve of his lips that promised not just defeat, but torment.

A visible tremor shook Astrid. “That bloody smile…” she choked out, her face paling to a deathly white. “Just like… back then.”

The air crackled, the roles reversing with sickening speed. Before her, the hunted had become the hunter. Bloodied, yes, but terrifyingly unbroken, the prey had risen, and his eyes now thirsted for the predator’s fall for her fall.