Final Round: Match 2 - Elina VS Morgan
"Since we are both too familiar with each other's styles.... Let's just cut the warm-up crap and get to the fight, Ok?" Said Elina.
A small smile played on Morgan's lips before he replied.
"Fine by me"
Irisu flagged off the match and immediately Elina summoned her clones. At the same time dark blue balls of energy burst from Morgan's palms.
Elina mingled in with her clones and charged in to attack. Morgan sent the blue sparks straight at them and snapped his fingers. Immediately they fizzed more brightly and blasted into a wave of energy.
The girls were blown aside but before they could focus back on him, Morgan vanished.
"Where the hell did he go?!" Screeched a clone, the one who everyone had identified by now as the murderous clone.
Then a blast of energy hit her from behind and she started writhing around and screaming as blue sparks crackled over her like lightning.
"Lightning?!" Exclaimed Irisu loudly. She hadn't thought the power of the Magician was actually of a simple nature like that.
"So it appears.... But no." Replied Jolly.
"Then?"
"It is some sort of energy maybe. I doubt his arcana is simply for summoning lightning. It wouldn't explain the other tricks. Then again I doubt his ability is as simple as 'just magic' either.
And also, from my research, the ability to control energy forms is a trait of Judgement. "
Jolly stopped and looked at Irisu as if all this was very obvious.
"I wouldn't know. Sumire doesn't even use her arcana..." She replied.
Irisu processed the explanation again and asked "Why do you think his ability is more than magic?"
"Because.... One he hasn't summoned his arcana yet. Two if his ability was truly magic it would mean it is the most limitless and powerful arcana ever. Isn't that what magic is?"
Irisu looked back at the fight. Each of the clones were being picked off meticulously by the strange lightning. And there was still no sight of Morgan.
"He disappeared right? Oh..... I see what you mean.... It would be too broken if he can do anything with magic..... "
"Which confirms that though his arcana helps him to perform magic, many are still illusions.
This lightning is probably a supplementary ability though. Real but not a primary ability. Similar to how my arcana and Luca's help us with alchemy even though they actually have another unique skill of their own. "
"They? You almost speak as if the arcana are alive.... "
"Aren't they?"
Irisu fell silent. Philosophical discussion with Jolly was not a very common thing but for now she was more interested in the fight.
Elina had taken out her knife now.
"Hey Morgan! Try to avoid this!"
She twisted around and flicked it towards a spot. But at the last second she split herself into four.
Four blades flew off in different directions and fell to the ground.
Without hesitating Elina ran in one of those directions and threw a punch.
For a second it looked like she was punching at thin air but then everyone gasped in surprise as Morgan appeared at the exact spot and dodged hastily.
But Elina was a dirty fighter and reached out her leg and kicked him sharply.
"At least I found the right one" Said Morgan and twisted around at her with a punch.
Elina grabbed his arm and blocked it.
She then found herself standing there with just an arm in her hand.
"Aaah!! That's gross!!!" Yelled Luca in horror from the sidelines.
But Elina didn't seem perturbed at all.
"Tricks... tricks.... When will you realise your mind games don't affect me?" She said as she picked up her knife with a laugh.
Morgan appeared again, a little away from her.
"Well... I can't fight as well as you... I don't like to get my hands dirty. "
Even as he said this he held up his hands and made an odd movement with them. A ring of blue flame erupted around him, just in time to blow back the three clones sneaking up behind him.
"Ok... I see through your illusions... You see through my clones.... Let's just fight straight."
Morgan looked at the confident girl in front of him. What made him hesitate was that her confidence wasn't baseless.
It was as he had guessed. His mind tricks had very little impact on her when used so whimsically. The reason was because her mind was steeled for much greater stress.
To create those clones at her own will.... To control each of them as individuals.... And yet always keep her own sense of identity..... Her mind might have shattered by now if she wasn't capable of handling all that......
"Hey! Are you listening?!" Yelled Elina again.
Morgan knew that he was in a fix regardless of how they fought. Close combat wasn't his strength. And even if they decided to drop all illusions and clones, he didn't think either of them would actually fight so honestly for too long.
The difference being, his current tricks could distract, confuse and maybe buy him some time but Elina's clones gave her a real advantage of numbers.
Do I really care about this that much to take a risk..........
"Alright! Come at me!"
Morgan unsheathed his own dagger. He would have preferred another weapon but he hadn't planned on using any at all and hence picked this up randomly.
Elina flickered towards him. She had one aim. To take him out fast.
Because she was truly terrified of his illusions. Not the small time stuff like that arm. But she was scared of what he had done to Liberta in the last fight.
Though she had a strong mind even she wasn't sure if she could resist something like that.
Hah! I don't even know what Liberta saw! But whatever it was, it petrified him! I can't let that happen again!
Morgan met her incoming slash with his own dagger. He hadn't stopped using his magic though and caused two sparks of light to flash in front of him.
But Elina was extremely wary and squatted low to avoid it before jumping at him with an uppercut.
It connected and Morgan stepped back dazed. He dodged the fierce follow up but couldn't find a way to counter back.
"Why they hell would he engage in a form of fight he can't win?!" Said Jolly visibly annoyed.
"Maybe he isn't that bad! Also think about it..... Using your arcana even once for a small time drains you immensely right? How do you think he feels now after having doled out one spectacle after another in such a short time?!
Now he's even maintaining his illusions for all of our eyes!! Imagine the effort he's putting in!"
"Tch! But still...... " Jolly calmed down but still looked annoyed.
"Wow! You really got involved huh?!"
"Shut up Irisu."
"It's not a bad thing..... I kinda regret not being a part of this ....."
The two competitors darted around as they tried to catch the other off guard. Morgan couldn't pull off any tricks because of her swift attacks. But pure reflexes kept him on his feet.
Morgan moved back dodging another blow but realised a second too late that something was wrong.
He tripped over something behind him and he crashed to the ground his hands waving awkwardly in the air.
The next minute an all-familiar dense blue smoke started to swirl around them.
But Elina didn't care. Morgan was pinned down by the clone she had summoned sneakily during the fight. It was quite a dirty move but there were no rules in this battle.
She quickly summoned a few more clones and they ran at him in a haphazard manner.
Morgan glanced at Elina who was closing in.
One shot.....
Morgan kicked the clone next to him hard in the stomach sending her flying. He propped himself up and then snapped his fingers.
Suddenly a blue light erupted from the ground enveloping Elina who had almost reached him.
Slowly blue tendrils tightened around her and started to squeeze her.
Morgan stood up but had to leap back immediately as a dagger whizzed past, cutting his cheek.
Then a bark of laughter came from the smoke as Elina stepped out.
"Guess you didn't find the right one this time!"
Morgan glanced at the trapped Elina in shock. He had been so sure when he had targeted her!
"I've got more than one trick too!" Shouted out Elina with a laugh. "I knew this was your ace and I was prepared! Since I'm feeling nice I'll tell ya! With some focus I can swap places with any of my existing clones!"
Morgan's eyes widened in surprise at this revelation. Everyone else was equally shocked! Was this even the first time she had done that?!
Morgan silently counted.
Four.
Four Elinas including the trapped one and the original.
I guess that will do..........
The magic trapping the clone suddenly crackled and disappeared.
The smoke started to slowly disperse.
Morgan was surrounded by Elina and her three clones now.
"Surrender?" She asked, half-surprised and half-suspicious now at his silence.
Morgan took off his gloves. His hand that was still wounded from the previous fight was slightly shaking but he steadied it with some effort.
"I didn't really..... want to use it." He said quietly.
Elina blinked her eyes and immediately rushed in. Her clones followed suit.
Morgan's hands were now glowing with a blue aura and he said softly:
"Mossa del Mago"
There was a blinding flash of white light which stopped Elina in her tracks.
When she looked again after the light faded away the sight truly shocked her.
She saw four Morgans standing there.
"Wha-" It took another second for her to realise she was all alone.
Her clones had vanished and she was struck with terror when she tried to summon more and realised that she couldn't feel the power of her arcana.
Morgan or more specifically all four of them ran at her after flicking their daggers forward to distract her.
She dodged the knives but was immediately grabbed and overpowered by the four young men.
Just because Morgan didn't seem to like close combat it didn't mean he had no physical strength.
Moreover four of them made up for any possible gaps.
Elina bit them and tried to claw her way out. She was flung brutally to the ground and they almost suffocated her while pinning her down.
She writhed and screamed and finally felt their holds loosen. At the same time she felt something around her neck but ignoring it she quickly lashed forward hoping to hit any of them.
But there was no one there.
"Surrender?" Came Morgan's soft voice from behind and Elina felt something tighten around her neck.
A piece of rope.
Elina didn't need to look behind to know that it was Morgan who was holding the rope.
"I surrender. " She said.
The rope loosened and Elina scrambled away quickly. She looked at Morgan who was kneeling on the ground now. Though he had won he didn't look very happy. In fact he looked like he was badly shaken by the events.
"Morgan wins..... " Said Irisu awkwardly. What had happened in the end was truly strange and she finally realised what Jolly had meant.
"Good fight!" Said Elina as she helped Morgan up. "I guess you had another surprise too!"
Morgan looked up and saw that all their eyes were on him. To write it off as another illusion was probably a good idea but he realised that if he wanted to tell them the truth there was no better time to reveal it than now.
"That is.... the actual power of my arcana.... " He said.
"What?" Asked Elina, though she had an idea already about the terrifying power she had just witnessed and just wanted to make it clear for the benefit of everyone else.
With a faint smile, Morgan said out loud,
"The real ability of The Magician is to steal another arcana! "