[b][u]THEME[/u]:[/b]
[youtube]https://youtu.be/fYw1MDVWFN8[/youtube]

Talk about a high stakes Chess game. To those no doubt spectating from their lofty pedestals, the action had long since shifted into top gear with a lot having just happened in such a short time frame. Your average person would have lost track of things following that first volley of attacks, leaving most easily confused. But for these two, they were operating on a whole other level. For them, the world might as well be standing still, both demonstrating a mental focus transcending scientific understanding of the brain, two subjects who clearly stood as testament to the potential of their species. In a battle of this magnitude with opponents ranking at this caliber, all but a single millisecond can make all the difference. 

[b]Blink and you'll miss it.[/b]

Far removed from his own body, Dias' awareness had long since detached from its physical constraint since the beginning of the fight, before presenting the assassin with his own makeshift calling card. Like a puppet on strings, the warrior manipulated his body with a delicate touch and steady hands to apply surgical precision in every act. Absolute control over the body and the latent energy within, the contraction of each and every single muscle, controlled breathing and heart rate, the blood flow throughout the circulatory system. Of all the blades at his disposable, the sharpest and most daunting weapon he possessed was that of his mind...

But how long would it take the two of them to realize this about one another? Only time could tell. But the Reaper is not known for patience, and so it is that we continue onward down this path of destruction. The sight of which came in the form of bullets apparently as Dias observed the first payload of projectiles traveling through the air in slow motion trailing towards the wall of swords. Was his adversary a sniper? Regardless, the presence of firearms was going to make things tricky for the swordsman. Having realized this, the Narrian didn't hesitate to begin airborne evasive maneuvers shortly thereafter having launched up from the ground. Good thing too, considering his prediction of a continuous barrage seemed spot on.

As his control over the surrounding mass of raw Ether was tied directly to his imaginative thought, Dias could freely harness the metaphysical energy and make use of it so long as he maintained some form of contact. This also meant that he could perform actions independently without having to rely on physical movements such as with manipulating the floating weapons so long as they remained within his sphere. His initial dodge was another illustration of this as he merely ignited small portions of Ether in the space between his feet and the hard surface below, generating a series of controlled bursts directed away from himself so as to literally shoot his body up into the air. Making use of his old mentor's teachings on how to augment one's anatomy with spiritual power, Dias had already taken steps earlier to reinforce his body to withstand the strain and abuse he had a habit of putting himself through.

Another burst of energy was conjured, this time coming from his left side to abruptly alter his trajectory and interrupt the vertical ascension. Muscles locking and manually taking steps to guard against the violent momentum of his quick boost that quite literally threw his body out of the projectiles' pathway.

None of this would serve to impede the Narrian's prior counter, the several blades which were set to be shot allowed to continue without issue just as with the replacement for his discarded zweihanders proceeding to take solid form. The composition of the floating weapons were different this time around, instead of replicating more Adamantite metal which he had come across during his travels. Now they appeared to be forged of the same material used by the Aesir Empire, the mass produced sturdy workhorse of their military forces; Titanium-A32. Capable of resisting heat in excess of 6,500 degrees Fahrenheit and proving three times stronger than stainless steel, yet lighter in weight by comparison, while likewise being resistant to corrosive elements or powerful impacts. Their design had also been tweaked, now sporting two inch thick blades akin to the various BUSTER Sword models fielded by the SOF Crimson Knights.

Despite having already cleared the incoming bullets' line of fire, he calculated their speed and distance while timing his own evasion perfectly so that they would still enter into the distorted space surrounding him. The instant that each round made contact with the ninety foot radius sphere of raw Ether, a portion of the energy around their point of entry would instantly be triggered, turning unstable and causing an abrupt explosion being shunted outward in direct opposition to the two shots. Having been inspired by the concept of the empire's Reactive Armor, Dias purposefully set off an eruption of destructive force intended to render each bullet as little more than a paper weight falling to the ground, assuming they didn't just shatter from the pressure exerted upon them.

At first the meaning behind this action would seem almost pointless, no actual reason to it. At least that was how it would come off to the peanut gallery. But he had a feeling the message would get across to his opponent looking down on him. A firm statement that needed to be made loud and clear.

[i][b]That all you got?[/b][/i]

Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the area around the blue haired man begun to pick up speed at an alarming rate, reacting to the out pour of Air as the element was manifested from his mass of Ether to begin seeding into the environment with an ever rising temperature...