Dark Magus Returns

The fight was quick to start as the Pagna warriors were fast on their feet, and the sound of clashing swords was instant. They roared like a thunderstorm. Large swings from each other's weapons were bashing into each other.

Two of the warriors' swords clashed as they used techniques from their clans that they had tried to perfect, the moves that they had practiced over and over again. Some were using fist techniques; others were using a wide range of weapons.

A member of the Dawnblade clan swung their glowing sword above their head, but a Pagna warrior was able to shift to the side using his footwork and went right in for the attack, only to be blocked by another sword from a clan member.

Everything was moving fast as the warriors continued to clash and use up their Qi in their attacks.

"This is completely different from a battle between mages; it's hard for me to even keep up," Raze thought as he stayed near the back.

He was just on the edge, not having thrown out an attack but always moving around the edge of the battlefield, attempting to avoid the conflict as much as possible and staying on the side of the Neverfall Clan.

"Their teamwork when fighting together is impressive. Everyone is covering each other, and although blood has been spilt, the groups are both skillful to the point where no one has died yet."

What he was also observing was the might of Beatrix, a Pagna warrior at the peak of the initial stage, a stage 6 warrior.

Dame's group were all focusing on her. All of them using a range of fist techniques, Kirk, Fixteen, and Carlson had gone in at the same time, with Qi-powered techniques, but with a single sweeping motion of her glowing sword, she had hit all of their hands and deflected them away.

A wave of energy had followed her strike; the Qi within it had pushed them back, but one person had gotten through, and that was Dame. As he planted his feet into the ground, he closed the distance instantly, almost disappearing from where he was.

He reappeared right by Beatrix's side, throwing out a fist, but she too held up the sword by the side of her head, blocking the strike. The sword started to light up, and the energy flashed outward, pushing Dame across the ground.

"It seems you haven't really gotten any better since the tournament. Even with the help of your friends, there is no chance that you can beat me!" Beatrix rushed forward, and she could see Dame's friends getting up off the ground.

Swinging her sword in their direction, the strike itself looked to have extended from her sword. The slash appeared, and all of them had to quickly move out of the way to avoid it.

When they did, it had hit some of the warriors behind them, leaving large bloody wounds on their bodies.

It wasn't quite projectile Qi; this was an attack of the Dawnblade clan who could strike in such a way with Qi that it would create a sharp wind current, hurting the user as if the blade had hit itself.

When Beatrix got close again, she then thrust the sword forward, and this time lifting both hands, Dame had blocked the attack but was pushed back across the ground once again.

"I wonder why he isn't using the effects of the gauntlets. Is he waiting for something?" Raze thought.

It certainly did appear that way. Because Dame and his friends were being more defensive in their attacks, meanwhile, the rest of the clan members were striking with everything they had.

In truth, the majority of the warriors that Beatrix had brought were better skilled than those they were going against, but the Demonic Faction was fighting rather widely. The fighting continued between the two groups for a while until Fixteen raised his hand in the air.

In that moment, nearly all of the Demonic Faction members took a step back, creating distance between those they were fighting against.

"What is this? I guess I must have missed the briefing," Raze thought. He soon understood though because in the hands of every member in the clan, they had a Qi pill.

Instantly, every one of them gulped it down, and they could feel their bodies reacting to the pills almost instantly. Feeling the change in their bodies, they went back to attack.

Those that were sore and injured felt some of their wounds healing, allowing them to fight better. Some suddenly got slightly faster in their attacks, slashing their enemies down with the increase in their speed.

While others, they swung their swords like they had just regained all their Qi back, overpowering their opponent. In that instant, the whole battlefield had changed; it was becoming extremely one-sided.

"What just happened? How could so much have changed, what even were those pills?" Beatrix thought; she couldn't quite understand, but it was clear that there was a sudden change. "You and your damn Demonic Faction and your crafty ways!"

The pills were extremely effective, but there was also something else going on. There was a placebo effect. The words spoken of how great they were, and the energy they felt when taking the pills, were giving the Demonic Faction confidence. Something that they didn't have much of at the start of the fight.

They somewhat believed Dame's words, but how were they meant to trust that these pills would be so effective without having taken them before?

Beatrix dashed to the side to help a fellow clan member, to stop one from being killed right in front of her. As she took a step through, from the side, she could see a ball of energy heading right for her.

She had no choice but to stop and slash down with her sword, cutting through the explosive Qi energy. She was looking at where it had come from, whether there was someone close to her or not, but she could only see Dame with his fist out, around ten or so meters away.

"How did you strike me from that far? But that's impossible!" Beatrix shouted. "Your clan has no such technique, and projectile Qi can only be achieved at the Deity stage, which you are not."

"Oh, really?" Dame smiled.

He rushed in again, and then when he was close, he disappeared. When he reappeared, he was still around five meters away from Beatrix. He threw out two quick fists, sending out two fists of Qi heading right for Beatrix.

She struck at them both, but right after, Dame was already right by her side. With a fist, he struck her directly in her side, sending her across the floor. She tumbled a few times before she eventually stood up from the ground and touched her side.

'Crap!' Beatrix took in a deep breath, trying to calm herself. 'Fist techniques are some of the strongest techniques out there in terms of power... but one loses their reach compared to a sword. But now he can fire out Qi from his fists.'

'Just how... how is he able to do this?' Beatrix was left confused. A fight that was meant to be a sure win for her was suddenly proving incredibly difficult.

"With that hit as well, you're locked on now," Dame softly said to himself. "Oh, Dark Magus, I wish you were here in person to see how effective your new weapon is."