Through the Veil

Zechs stood in the vast fields, daring to cross into Zendikar territory. He stood with his arms crossed and his signature sword Arondight strapped to his side, accompanied by Durendal, hanging loosely on his back, the ends of his coat swaying in the wind, he knew who he was looking for would show up.

The winds picked up a bit, and he opened his eyes, sensing a presence in the general area. He tensed up a bit, but kept his composure, keeping his hand near Arondight's hilt "There he is.."
He would fight to the best of his abilities if battle broke out, but something inside told him.

This will be your last battle..

Xixas raced as the wind flew past his ears, the gale force whipping his cloaks around his body. Xixas fell to earth as incredible speeds into a sea of grass and earth. He pulled his legs in and his arms crossed in front of his body.

-There.-


The Kingdom leader slammed into the earth, his body striking like a meteor crashing to earth as a spray of dirt and grass erupted around him. Slowly, he stood.

"I can only wonder what brings you to my land, stranger. You are not of my Kingdom's kin". Xixas wiped his silken cloaks clean, and laid a hand lazily on the hilt of his massive scimitar which stretched over six feet behind him.

Zechs stood at the man before him, keeping his icy glare on him, slowly lowering his hood, revealing his bright white hair. "I am here.." Zechs grabbed the hilt of Arondight before speaking again. "To end war before it begins, by ending the cause right here!"

Unsheathing Arondight, showing its worn blade from countless battles, still reflecting the light of the sun. Zechs lowered the sword that was clenched tightly in his hands, the tip touching the grass just barely. "Do you accept my request for a duel.. Xixas Averall!?" He shouted as he raised the blade, pointing it toward the man before him. "One of us will not leave here alive."

Xixas slowly unlimbered his weapon, sliding an open palm against the cold steel of his scimitar. He pulled the hood from his head, and shook his ragged oak wood hair. He raised his own blade in suit, the eyes of a silver Sicarian literally peering at this man's soul. It was not that of a fool, nor a man blinded by duty. "I accept your bid to end your life, as I shall serve as your second. I commend you, wanderer. For choosing your death so well".

Xixas took an impossibly low ready stance, and kept one eye on his surroundings, wary of traps.

Zechs lowered his head and closed his eyes, gathering his power for when it was needed. "I am aware of who I fight.. But for the sake of the world! I will not fail the people!"
   
He looked at the dignity ripped sword he was given by his father as a sign of princehood and held it back. "On my honor!!" Zechs shouted as he darted at Xixas, realizing bit by bit of his inevitable demise, this was his last act as a Knight of Dyseria. He lowered Arondight down to his side, making an upward strike at Xixas, his rationality slowly dwindling.

Xixas responded immediately, activated his Fyre to increase his strength with 10% of pure Fyre, making his power nearly doubled. He slammed his blade downward to meet the claymore, his Fyre giving his body a glow as well as virtually doubling his brute strength.

Zechs was surprised by how fast his sword was brought to the ground, the impact leaving a crater. "Speed Excel!" Zechs pulled his sword away and jumped back, getting a running start toward Xixas with a strike from his knee, in his hand was an ice dagger he also plunged down toward Xixas, Arondight stationed into a defense position on his left side.

Xixas had sacrificed speed for strength in his Fyre, so dodging such an attack would exert too much energy, or not work at all. He raised his arms above his body, as if preparing to take the blow. However...

"Regnai Octulum! Sereptim!" Xixas' buckler on his right arm glowed silver, and projected a barrier around Xixas where anything in contact would be blown back.

"Tch.." Zechs braced for impact, although not sure of the outcome. The ice dagger he had in his hand was shattered when it hit the arm of Xixas, and felt a tremendous force sending him flying back.

Sliding on his feet, Zechs summoned water from his containers, and the shape of a dragon head made from the water formed around both of his arms, and the shape instantly froze.
By opening his hand, the mouth of the dragon opened, and he rushed back at Xixas, accompanied by Speed Excel, and shut his hands into a fist, and the dragon claws aimed to clamp down on the shoulders of Xixas.

Xixas immediately scanned the attack. He willed the Fyre to flow through his body, increasing his Speed to the First level in exchange for his body losing density. His body was faster, more agile, and devastatingly quick. He sprinted towards the ice dragon, and slid under the attack to roll, and immediately pull himself to his feet. He spun his body to throw a blistering kick to his opponent's side.

Zechs dug his foot into the ground, stopping his attack, unable to follow the speed of Xixas, but saw movement in the corner of his eye. Shooting a shield of ice from the ground, it gave him time to recover before the wall broke, and jumped away to gain distance from his opponent, knowing some of his capabilities. "His speed.. I couldn't keep up!"

Zechs clenched his fists, making the claws of his dragon heads shut, his breathing getting heavier by the minute. "What have I gotten myself into..?"

Xixas kept his face poised, as his body was moving with intense heat and silver energy. He leaned forward and gripped the energy inside of him, exchanging more defensive power for speed.

-Level Second...-


Xixas' body felt like gelatin for a moment, and then lightning and onto a fire. He was nearly a blur as he moved now, yet if he took one attack, it could do incredible damage. He shot himself forward, and aimed a horizontal slash at his foe from his own right side, blisteringly fast.

Zechs saw Xixas as nothing more than a blur, moving to his right side. Without hesitating, Zechs broke apart his right arm's dragon claw, morphing it into a round shield, blocking the strike from his opponent. "Solid Animation!" Zechs, with his left dragon claw, made an upward strike, but stopped his fist at a point, having the dragon claw shoot up at Xixas, keeping his defensive stance.

Xixas had decided to utilize the Seventh, as he shot towards his opponent. The dragon's claw, crafted from ice shot towards him with an unnatural animation but to Xixas' now incredibly enhanced perception and body, it was moving nearly sluggishly. Xixas was taking an incredible risk increasing his speed in exchange for defense but... He intended to either kill or severely damage his opponent in the next few seconds.


-Tier III...-


Xixas felt a shock throughout his body, followed by a rush of heat. His speed was again now above extreme, creating powerful winds as he moved. He was now a full blur of movement. He shot towards the ice dragon before it made itself two yards from his foe, and jumped right into the attack, then used the Sicarius quantize to vanish from existence and appear exactly behind the ice swordsman. In a blur, he had already changed his weapons to the daggers now in his hands, and stabbed both of them towards his foe's back with Third Tier speed of ridiculous levels, as well as the fact his foe would have virtually no way to guess his position after Quantizing.

A sharp pain suddenly hit him, his white coat slowly being stained with blood, his vision starting to blur from time to time. "Tch.." Zechs fell to his knees, a very cold energy started to swirl around him, soon he was engulfed out of sight by it.

"Daiguren..!" The energy slowly dissipated, and Zechs stood upright, but certainly in pain. His coat was soaked in blood, but on his back were dragon wings, dragon wings made of ice that emitted frost that slowly flowed across the ground.

"Hyourinmaru!"

Zechs shot up in the sky, the pain spreading across his body. Steadying himself in the air, he threw his right arm forward, shooting one of his dragon claws speeding toward Xixas. Opening his hand, the dragon claw fired a flurry of frost at his opponent. While he did that, he shot his left claw as well, and it came in from the side, aiming a bite at his waist.

(OOC: Dragon Claws: http://www.theanimegallery.com/data/thumbs/790px/0158/tAG_158083.jpg Just.. Ice)