[i]This farce is over, time to shake loose the rust...[/i]

[b]THEME:[/b] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15q22JJv9fo&t

Shin had made a series of fatal mistakes, his pride and all too obvious superiority complex serving as his greatest downfall. Just another example of someone having grown too big for their britches. This entire time he had been played for a fool, the battle decided the very moment he had decided to charge forward at an opponent he had no knowledge about in the least.

From start to finish, Dias had been manipulating the entire situation in his favor. Like any other game of Chess. Did his opponent really not stop to consider the possibility that he wanted to be where he was or register that age old notion of "this all seems a little TOO easy"? It was rare for anyone to willingly allow the Narrian to get this close to them, outside of being suicidal.

But even then, all those tactical oversights alone. The spine bit that had been ejected from Shin's right forearm to use as a silly anchor in the ground to stop himself, something he had seemingly neglected to bother retracting this entire time? The clumsy handling of his sword, used as a tail guard like some sort of amateur who didn't actually know the first thing about legitimate swordsmanship? The fact he was actually planning to strike at someone who was using an 8 foot long scythe with the blade already bearing down on the nethers, with a friggen AXE no less that didn't even have the ability to reach its target without Shin himself having to move even closer?

THIS is what passed for competition in a tournament these days? Really must be getting old... Still, this worked to get the fire stoked again, at least.

Now it was time to illustrate just what Shin was actually up against here.

[i][b][color=blue]The feeble attempt to hook his Straight Sword between the Scythe's blade and the shaft itself failed utterly, the red hot blade cleaving through the creature's crotch like a hot knife through butter. The pelvis would be torn apart, left with a gaping cauterized hole with muscles and tendons seared and traumatized. It would be a wonder if his lower lumbar was even still properly held together at that point. Dias had just bestowed upon him the gift of knowing what women have to go through during child birth, though in this case it was more like the cheapest abortion you would ever see with the least gentle touch imaginable.

It persisted further, getting up into his intestines and carving out the colon to travel upwards. Of course, that wasn't all. The weapon itself ignited, responding to its master's will as the entrenched blade instantly flared up and erupted with a crimson radiance. The chain reaction would see the blade turn critical, mounting in an explosion like some suicide bomber gone horribly wrong.[/color][/b][/i] 

No doubt by now at least one of those voices in his head would have realized just how boned he was, especially upon realizing that Dias was already gone like the wind. Literally. A tremendous release of force had ignited in the air to his side, launching the Narrian to the far right safely out of Shin's striking range before the poor guy could even be given the opportunity at some sort of kneejerk reaction payback.

Step One. Get in close.
Step Two. Force your opponent's action.
Step Three. Counter while pulling back.
Step Four. Don't forget to smile.

And with Dias being shot sideways like he was, thinking two steps ahead, the Narrian was planning to just release his grip on the weapon in the event of it being snagged at all by anything, the fatal blow having already been delivered at that point.

Not like it would have mattered much, after an attack like that the scythe would just end up shattering regardless and turning into sparkling dust dissipating into nothingness, having burned the ether in it now. Only the SoulLink which Dias still carried sheathed at his hip could handle the power of an Azure Child, while any other weapon was fated to break afterwards.

Ether Burn was a unique ability that harnessed the true potential of humanity's creative mind, capable of unleashing destruction with a mere idea. Combined with all his mental training and focus, this made Dias a dangerous threat to anyone as his unpredictable nature had become an actual weapon, honed and sharpened over the years by his talent for brutally picking apart and dissecting every single flaw in an adversary, personal or otherwise.

Even then, however, he remained attentive to his opponent. Had that actually worked? You never know with these hogpog sorts. Dias had already thought up twenty additional moves to come right back at this guy if he was miraculously still standing after all that. It wouldn't be the first time his opponent required being damn near vaporized in order to actually be killed... Yeesh...

Moral of the story; [b]DON'T UNDERESTIMATE HUMANS.[/b]

Class is dismissed.