In a fraction of a second, before the fiery wave could make contact with Vespera, her physical form seemed to dissolve into nothingness. Aditya's eyes widened in astonishment as the brilliant crimson flames swept through the space she had occupied just moments before.
In the next heartbeat, she materialized seemingly out of nowhere, a good 300 meters away from Aditya. She had positioned herself atop the roof of a humble two-story house, looking down at him with a triumphant grin. "Your Majesty, you're simply not quick enough," she taunted, her voice carrying across the distance between them.
Aditya was struck by a surge of disbelief. 'How did she manage that?' he thought, his mind racing. His own speed was something he took pride in, and the thought that this woman could surpass it sent a shiver of apprehension down his spine. 'If she truly is faster than me, then I'm in deep trouble,' he mused, his mind already calculating possible strategies.
With a determined glint in his eyes, Aditya decided to switch tactics. 'I need something she can't outrun or dodge,' he thought, his gaze fixating on Vespera.
A loud, menacing rumble tore through the silence, followed by a swift, dazzling bolt of crimson lightning that plummeted down from the heavens directly towards Vespera. Yet, just as the electrifying attack was about to sear her, she vanished, her grin lingering in the air where she had stood. The crimson bolt hit the target point, instantly reducing the entire house beneath it to rubble and leaving a gaping crater behind.
'She dodged it,' Aditya thought, surprise flickering across his face. 'How?'
"Quite a show," Vespera's voice echoed from a distance. Now, she was perched atop another house, another 300 meters from her previous spot. "Go on, entertain me some more," she dared, her voice dripping with arrogance.
Taking her challenge, Aditya decided to unleash a barrage of lightning bolts from the sky, each aiming for Vespera. But each time, just as a bolt was about to make contact, Vespera vanished, evading the attack effortlessly. Witnessing this spectacle, Aditya came to a conclusion.
'She's not just fast. She's teleporting. But there must be limitations to this power.' Aditya was a firm believer that every skill had a weakness. No skill in this world was flawless. Perhaps her teleportation had a limited range, or maybe she needed a cooling period between each teleportation. There was also the possibility that she was using a magical artifact to aid her in teleporting. The potential limitations were endless, and understanding them would be crucial to countering her power.
Resolving to uncover the secret behind Vespera's mysterious teleportation ability, Aditya decided to keep her engaged in a relentless battle. He reached into his storage ring and retrieved his treasured Adamantite Doomblade, the familiar cool touch of the weapon's hilt grounding him. As he grasped the sword, his entire being was cloaked in a vibrant aura of crimson lightning that crackled menacingly around him, amplifying his formidable presence.
With a swift, fluid motion, he transformed into a bolt of lightning, closing the distance between him and Vespera in the blink of an eye. He executed a swift, powerful slash with his black blade, aimed diagonally at Vespera, his attack swift and relentless.
A resonating clang rang through the air as metal met metal, a shockwave of energy rippling outward. Vespera had managed to counter Aditya's assault, pulling a katana from her own storage ring to block his formidable swing. The sight of their blades clashing, sparks flying in every direction.
Aditya continued his offensive, lashing out at Vespera with a flurry of sword strikes. But each time, she managed to either skillfully deflect his sword or nimbly evade his attack. As he swung his sword downwards in a powerful vertical slash, she fluidly sidestepped to the right, avoiding the blow. Undeterred, Aditya swiftly changed his tactic mid-strike.
A surge of crimson flame began to spiral around his black sword, as if drawn to it, creating an impressive spectacle. Red lightning flickered along the length of the blade, further enhancing its lethal threat. As Vespera was recovering from her dodge, Aditya abruptly redirected his sword in a diagonal slash aimed directly at her chest.
Caught off guard by the sudden change in attack direction, Vespera barely had enough time to react. Aditya's sword sliced through the air, headed straight for her chest. For a moment, shock registered in her eyes. But then, she broke into a triumphant grin. Aditya watched in astonishment as his blade passed cleanly through Vespera's chest, as if she was an illusion.
Before he could fully comprehend the situation, Vespera surged forward and delivered a powerful kick to his chest. The force of the blow sent him hurtling backwards like a cannonball. He crashed into the stone wall of the public bath with enough force to cause it to crack like a spider web, the lines radiating outward from the point of impact. Moments later, the building couldn't withstand the impact and collapsed on top of Aditya, a cloud of dust and debris erupting into the air.
Bang!
With a loud bang, a wave of crimson flame suddenly erupted from the pile of rubble. The intense heat melted the concrete, creating a pathway for Aditya to rise into the air. Dust particles glimmered in the glow of the flame, while he floated above the demolished building.
'Is her power the ability to become intangible, to phase through solid objects and even living beings?' Aditya pondered, trying to make sense of what he had just witnessed. It was a power he had never come across in his years of training and battling, a skill that was both absurdly rare and incredibly challenging to counter. If his suspicions were correct, then landing even a single blow on her would prove to be an enormously difficult task.
'I'll have to time my attacks perfectly, strike her in the moments when she becomes solid,' he thought to himself. In circumstances like this, he found himself wishing he had abilities that could target the soul directly, like some sort of ethereal, psychic attack. Then he wouldn't have to fret about his opponent possessing the capability to phase through physical attacks. But wishes were merely that, and right now, he had to work with the abilities he did possess.
Aditya persistently launched one attack after another, with bolts of crimson lightning crackling from his palms. He tried to get in close, attempting to land a hit through direct combat, but each try ended in failure. He even attempted a distraction strategy, keeping her occupied with his physical attacks while summoning a barrage of lightning from the sky. But none of his attempts seemed to affect her. Vespera's unusual blend of teleportation and phasing abilities was causing him substantial difficulties in the fight.
What frustrated Aditya further was Vespera's lack of active engagement. She mostly defended herself, dodging his attacks, phasing through them, or simply teleporting to a new location when he managed to corner her. Her actions were forcing him to continually adapt his attack strategy, pushing him to his limits.
'Looks like I might have no choice but to use the 'Dragon Monarch's Domain'.' Aditya thought to himself, the realization slowly sinking in. He was hesitant to use the skill, primarily because of its extreme side-effects. Utilizing 'Dragon Monarch's Domain' would render him unconscious for several days, leave his body in a weakened state, and require a substantial recovery period. The last time he had used the skill, he had fallen into a deep sleep that lasted for a few days. Now, he found himself with his back against the wall, seeing no other viable strategy to overcome Vespera's unique powers.
Suddenly, Aditya's body froze as if someone had pressed a pause button. His muscles refused to obey his commands, and he stood there helplessly, completely immobile. He attempted to fight the paralysis, but it was as if his body was entwined in invisible chains.
'What on earth is happening?' Aditya questioned himself internally, his mind racing to find an explanation for his sudden immobility.
Vespera's figure materialized before him, her face a mask of grim seriousness. "The time for fun and games is over. It's time to conclude this," she announced, her voice echoing ominously through the still air.
In vain, Aditya attempted to respond, but his voice was trapped in his throat, his words as paralyzed as his body. Fear began to creep into his heart, as panic started to bubble up, clouding his thoughts. He was stuck, completely at the mercy of this enigmatic woman, and the vulnerability was terrifying.
As Vespera began to close the distance between them, Aditya's eyes sparked with an intense glow. His mind began to replay the events that had occurred so far, desperately seeking any kind of clue or loophole that he could use. His gaze swept over the surrounding area and a realization struck him like a bolt of lightning. Despite their fight taking place in the heart of the city, there were no citizens present. The city felt deserted, utterly devoid of life. His devastating attacks had razed numerous houses to the ground, and yet, the expected uproar of the crowd was eerily absent. It was as if the entire city had been mysteriously emptied.
When he extended his senses, trying to feel for any signs of life, he was met with an unsettling void. There were no people, no animals, no insects - nothing. His senses, usually so reliable, were now reaching out into nothingness. The city was devoid of life, a ghost town in the truest sense. Aditya finally realized what her true ability was.
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