He had just achieved what no one in the history of Eldoralth had ever achieved before, and yet, there was no hint of excitement in Atticus' gaze.
The core floated back into his stomach, his cold eyes fixed upwards at the bright crimson skies. He had to resort to tricks in order to escape the demands of the other races.
Weakness. He hated that feeling with his entire being.
'That's a good mindset to have,' Ozeroth's voice sounded in his mind.
'But it's not enough.'
'You're wrong.'
A bright light ignited from Atticus' chest, and in the next instant, the miniature figure of Ozeroth appeared. His overly-sized eyes fixed themselves on Atticus.
"Look at me."
Atticus sighed and turned his gaze reluctantly towards him. Despite his petite size, Ozeroth still looked tall. His entire body radiated a bright purple glow, and his well-trimmed goatee and flawless body showed how much the prideful and egotistical spirit cared about his looks.
Ozeroth locked eyes with Atticus.
"Mindset is everything. It is the foundation of power, the difference between those who wield strength and those who are consumed by it. Power without the will to control it is nothing but chaos."
"You can trick your enemies, outrun their demands, but until your mind is as unyielding as your blade, you'll always taste the bitterness of weakness."
"Settle your mind, bond. Everything is a process. As long as your mind remains strong, you will reach the end."
Atticus gazed at Ozeroth seriously for a few seconds. But then, a crack appeared in his expression. His lips twitched, and before long, he burst into laughter, cocking his head back as if the world's gravity had momentarily let him go.
"You sound like an old ancestor giving a speech at a funeral," Atticus wheezed, clutching his stomach. "Next, you'll be telling me to respect my elders and eat more vegetables."
Ozeroth's oversized eyes twitched, the glow around his body pulsing erratically. His smug expression morphed into fury. Slowly, his purple hue deepened into a vibrant crimson, like a kettle ready to boil over.
"RESPECT?!" Ozeroth bellowed, his tiny frame trembling. "This is what I get for trying to grace you with my wisdom? I am not some ancestor, I am OZEROTH!"
His voice, despite his size, boomed like thunder, echoing inside the training room.
Suddenly, Ozeroth's miniature form began to expand, his once-petite figure growing larger until he reached his original size.
Atticus' laughter stopped, raising one eyebrow. Experience tales with My Virtual Library Empire
"Let's see if you can laugh while I'm pounding that smug face of yours into the dirt!"
Atticus' figure blurred, appearing in the distance like a blip.
BOOM!
His gaze narrowed as an explosion erupted from where he had been earlier, making the entire training room tremble.
'Looks like I went overboard,' Atticus thought with a wry smile as he withstood the shockwave that hit him with force.
His gaze sharpened, landing on Ozeroth, who now looked like a walking volcanic eruption in miniature form.
Spiritual energy spewed from his body in wild, chaotic bursts, like a kettle left on the stove for far too long.
Each of his steps sent small tremors through the ground.
"I will turn you into a stain on this floor!" Ozeroth growled, his voice rising with every step. "And then I'll mop you up with what's left of your ego!"
Both their figures blurred, vanishing into streaks of light and shadow.
BOOM!
They clashed, and the air itself seemed to rip apart, sending out shockwaves that activated the protective runes on the reinforced walls of the training room.
Each collision echoed like thunderclaps, bursts of azure and purple energy exploding with every strike, lighting up the space like a series of nuclear reactions.
Atticus felt his entire body shudder, as though his bones rattled with intensity, teetering on the verge of shattering.
'He's strong!'
This thought had formed in his head from the very first clash with Ozeroth. Atticus had always known the spirit was strong, beyond even him. However, because of their bond, Ozeroth's strength was supposed to be limited to whatever Atticus could muster.
Yet, Atticus couldn't help but feel like this was beyond him. It was like punching a swung sledgehammer.
Atticus' gaze sharpened, his perception peaking. He took in everything. And as he did, it was as though his mind exploded.
It was perfection in its entirety. Ozeroth's fighting style was artistic, beautiful, efficient.
To any onlooker, it might appear erratic, like he was randomly stepping and swinging his punches, but Atticus could see beyond that.
There was not a single wasted movement. Ozeroth's body was adjusting in real-time to every move he made. Yet, his footwork, stance, and technique remained flawless.
Just observing it, Atticus felt enlightened. However, Ozeroth was not a person to fight with split attention.
A blow impacted Atticus' face with the force of a wrecking ball. An intense shudder traveled all over his body before he was sent hurtling away like a ragdoll.
Atticus' brain rattled in his skull, his eyes seeing stars. He shook his head, his vision clearing just in time to see another massive fist splitting the air with intense momentum.
His expression shifted violently. Mana and spiritual energy erupted from his figure like a nuclear blast, his speed and strength peaking.
His mind regained clarity, his fist moving upwards to intercept.
Fist met fist.
The explosion detonated between their fists, a blinding flash of light and sound that ripped through the air like the world itself was splitting apart.
Atticus' body was hurtled deep into the ground, the earth cratering beneath him. Dust and debris shot skyward, but before the tremors even settled, he shot back up, an azure blur against the shattered backdrop.
His leg sliced through the air, aiming straight for Ozeroth's chin like a missile locked onto its target.
Ozeroth's head snapped to the side, evading by a hair's breadth, his glowing form twisting mid-air with inhuman agility.
His heel swerved in a sharp arc, snapping toward Atticus's torso with the force of a battering ram.
Atticus's eyes sharpened, his instincts flaring. His outstretched leg came down like a hammer, as if gravity itself had multiplied, smashing into Ozeroth's incoming heel.
CRACK!
The collision ignited another explosion, a shockwave so fierce it obliterated the air between them, sending both figures spiraling through the sky like comets.
But they didn't stop.