Xenos, now leaning against a nearby pillar, crossed his arms.
"This'll be fun."
Arc, still beside him, nodded, and Eris's hum rippled faintly through his mind, pleased, while a ripple of murmurs spread across the audience of Disciples.
"House Hermes versus House Hades…"
"Classic match-up."
"Someone's losing a limb."
The Inquisitor dropped his hand.
"...Now."
The instant he dropped it, Ariadne flew back and snapped her whip forward.
The blade tip flashed, and before most could react, the air boomed beside Aspen.
Yes, a compressed pocket of air had detonated right where he stood, flinging dust and shrapnel everywhere, forcing several Disciples to duck.
Yet Aspen didn't even flinch as ice flashed across his forearms in jagged lines, the layer thicker than most armor, protecting him from the blast completely.
He stomped once, and a thin frost web spread beneath his boots.
Whoosh!
Aspen moved.
For someone his size and bulk, he was incredibly quick, a blur of frost and muscle that covered ten meters in a heartbeat.
He slid along his ice, swinging his greatsword in a wide, whistling arc that could've cleaved through stone.
Though it cleaved through nothing.
Dodging to the side, Ariadne twirled her whip, dragging air currents around her like a shield.
The impact scattered wind and ice in all directions, Elements spinning midair before vanishing into white dust.
"Already showing off~."
Xenos murmured, and Arc snorted while they both watched with obvious interest.
"Bastard's holding back!"
"Hm, he seems the type."
Aspen launched forward again, this time leaping up, only to quickly crash down with his sword.
The arena shook a little from the coming force, and yet Ariadne didn't retreat.
She snapped her whip downward as the air condensed instantly beneath her, exploding a fraction of a second later, propelling her backward and high in the air with a loud boom!
Easily dodging the sword, Ariadne landed gracefully, boots skidding across stone, whip retracted and glowing faintly pale blue.
"Cute trick."
Aspen's breath misted further.
"I wasn't trying to be cute."
Ariadne shot back, wings half-spread.
Before he could reply, another explosion resounded, or rather, tore through the air.
They originated from sickle-shaped slashes that flew out toward Aspen, visible even though it was nothing more than air.
He ducked beneath one, batted another aside with the flat of his sword, and let the third hit him head-on, preferring to tank through instead of dodging, knowing it'd leave him open.
The blast tore through the frost on his chest and shoulder, but he only grinned, feeling no pain.
In the same motion, his sword came up, and he slammed it into the ground.
Frost spread outward, chasing Ariadne across the floor.
If it wasn't obvious enough by now, the Gryphon couldn't fly much, only boost herself around, and Aspen was banking on that.
Still, she moved quickly, whipping her condensed air downward again, each explosion flinging her between gaps of rising ice, every impact thundering through the arena.
The Disciples began cheering despite themselves, pressing forward into each other.
"Damn—she's fast!"
"His armor is impenetrable!"
"She's going to lose a wing at this rate!"
And that last one was true, as the next strike nearly ended it.
Aspen caught her dodge, the tip of his blade slicing past her side, frost trailing behind it.
A shallow line of blood drew itself across her waist, but, of course, she didn't back off.
Instead, her eyes narrowed in anger, and she swung her whip upward.
The air condensed directly in front of her into a single shimmering sphere the size of her palm. She then twisted her wrist, the whip's edge snapping back down and right through it.
Boom!
A compressed blast of wind exploded point-blank, hurling Aspen and her backward.
He crashed into the wall far from the arena's stone, frost splintering around him.
For a moment, it looked like it was over, but then, the ice around his body cracked open...
"Ah, that was good."
Aspen stepped out, eyes glinting a bright blue.
"Careful."
He dashed forward again, skating on thin ice trails that formed with every step, each kick pushing him faster and faster until the sound of shattering frost filled the entire hall, and he was directly before her, looking down on her for one extremely short but long moment.
His ice circled both her right and left, forcing her to face him.
Ariadne's whip attacked his sword quickly in an effort to slow it down a tad.
That quick reaction was just enough for her to condense the air before its path, slowing it down further.
But yes, she only managed to 'slow it down;' she had yet to stop it.
There was only one thing left for her to do.
"Ha!"
Her wings went forth at an angle, attempting to deflect the sword.
And she succeeded; as though her wings cracked in, breaking, she was sent back, crashing roughly into the wall, but... alive.
Now her entire body trembled in both pain and from the sheer force against her.
Yet Aspen's attack wasn't over as he twisted along the sword's momentum, sending him into her.
Ariadne ducked his sword, and her whip lashed out, wrapping around arms.
She smiled confidently, wind gathering around her.
"Got you."
He smiled right back.
"No."
The ice on his arms exploded outward, shattering the whip's grip, freeing him.
That allowed him to drive a kick straight at her side, and the blow sent her flying.
But she twisted midair, caught herself with a burst of wind, and landed crouched.
From the stands, Xenos clapped once.
"Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!"
Arc looked over.
"You're enjoying this too much."
"Why wouldn't I?"
Xenos laughed loudly.
"They're doing all the work!"
Eris's giggle echoed faintly in his head.
Back in the arena, they were both breathing hard now.
Frost and feathers littered the ground, making it obvious how close a duel this was.
Aspen lifted his sword again, and perhaps for the final time, his feet rimed with ice.
Ariadne flicked her whip once, the sound echoing, and flapped her wings.
They charged.
Boom!
A single explosion of air and ice swallowed the center of the arena.
When the smoke cleared, Aspen's greatsword was poised above Ariadne's head.
Her right hand, however, was under his chin, a weaker point in his defense, glowing faintly, wind swirling sharp enough to draw blood.
They stayed like that for a few heartbeats.
"It's a tie!"
John's voice announced the obvious.
The crowd exhaled as one, cheers and gasps mingling soon after.
"Good duel."
Aspen stepped back first, lowering his weapon with a bitter smile.
"Acceptable."
Ariadne straightened, wings folding neatly, her expression calm but satisfied.
Xenos, still leaning against the railing, let out a low whistle.
"Not bad at all~."