Spirit Taming

The sudden laughter all around them seemed to have a slight effect. Some of the tree branches and roots brought up by the fallen dryad were trying to attack the sounds around them. This meant that the beast still relied on the sound of the tamer it was fused with. But the laughter had also affected the glacial serpent.

"That is one of my beasts, stay calm and begin the attack." Clark’s calm tone made Illia able to release her own worries that this was another skill from the enemy they were facing.

With this in mind, Illia gave the order for her glacial serpent to begin trying to freeze everything even more. The more of the tree that the dryad had just brought up to take over the arena that was frozen the better it was for the glacial serpent. It did best in the colder environments. Unfortunately, the dark moss that was slowly covering the ground was eating away at all the ice that was formed.

"If you can increase the cold in any way, it would do us better. I can only do so much with the environment here." Clark wasn’t trying to make any misgivings about the situation. This demonic fallen dryad had a major advantage with the area of effect skills it had. Not only was it able to attack with the plants it was creating, but it was able to take over an area. This entire arena could be its home ground. That was a scary thought since it meant an enemy was all around.

"I can, but it won’t leave me in a good state." Illia knew that the match between Nebula and Nova was already done. They had never truly been fighting in the first place. Especially after the first match with ethereal academy finished. Priorities had been set and they were following them closely.

Nebula had no intention of letting Ethereal academy win at all. For this, they were willing to give up rewards and some fame to Nova academy which had already proven that it was well above the norm of this year’s first year students. Especially since they were able to defeat the first academy they had battled in the first round of the tournament. It was well worth the loss for the respect that they would lose if ethereal academy stomped on them.

"I will defend you then. Devil, show your true strength at everything you have. Crimson, defend Illia from the growing moss. Shyama, start using all that energy and cause our enemy some chaos. This is your first battle." Clark’s voice seemed to hold a strange power. A mixing of deeper energies that made even Illia wonder what he was doing and who he was.

Not many people had been able to do something like this at such an age. So young but able to mix the energies of multiple beasts without issue within their body and to further use it within their very words to spur their partners on.

Without hesitation, Devi showed himself. His size had been growing. The form of the cute round white ghost with glowing eyes and sharp dark mouth had long changed. Clark had been aware of it but he had been used to it, but as the audience saw the beast they had never even heardof, they were shocked.

Devi’s arms stretched out as he activated the spirit drive skill to utilize all of his energy. But the slightly skeletal shape that revealed itself through the transparent white fog that seemed to be his body made them all shutter. The dark flames glowing in his eyes and the endless void that seemed to be passed his teeth could make anyone that looked within it feel as if they were about to be lost to the endlessness of death.

A large laugh escaped Devi’s mouth making everyone’s skin crawl, even the tree branches and roots from the demonic fallen dryad shrank away due to the sound. The spiritual, death, and strange ghostly energy permeated the arena suppressing all the other energies around. However, the roar from Crim that came next just further pushed everything down that opposed Clark.

A dragon’s roar was nothing to scoff at. It was something that would make many people wonder just hoping they would survive an encounter. Yet, when Crimson showed that he had been minimizing his size and was actually larger than he had shown, the audience was shocked. Clark had not expected this to a degree though. He knew that Crim held himself together well, but seeing that Crim was larger made it clear that he had been carefully absorbing energy at all times to grow more and more to keep up with Devi.

The claws formed by Crim cut in to the arena as he stepped forward to defend Illia. Every step seemed to radiate more undead and dragon energy. The hints of elemental energy that radiated off of Crim even made others wonder just how many energies made up his body. What kind of dragon died and became this slime dragon that could wield such a powerful roar?

"You two have held back long enough. This is our statement to the world and those corrupt bastards that are watching us here. I guess this is the first step of war." Clark’s blood seemed to boil while he prepared the black lightning spear. Even the spear felt full of energy and ready to attack at any second.

"Oh... I was going to lose even if I fought him after dealing with ethereal academy..." Illia had not fully grasped just hope far behind she was compared to Clark. She had trained very hard under her mother’s guidance. Many people had come together to give her the best materials and allowed her to train in the harshest ways. But none of that could match the tenacity she felt from Clark. There was a single value driving Clark’s strength. It was somehow more pure than what Illia could feel from what drove her. Whether she wanted to accept it or not, she knew she was well under what Clark was capable of.

"I will do my best then." Illia’s words were not heard by anyone but herself. However, when she wrapped her whip around herself and placed her hands on the glacial serpent. She started to show the vast reserves of ice energy that the two had long stored up. What all her training had been dedicated to.

The icy coldness that spread around Illia froze the very air that the branches tried to reach through. Illia was surrounded by a newly frozen bubble. A mist that seemed to be fighting the growing moss perfectly. The multiple branches that attacked out were turned in to a perfect frozen statue. The trees couldn’t even eat away at the ice any longer. It was frozen down the very core of its being and shattered away.

The glacial serpent lashed out with its tail causing even more waves of ice to grow and cut through the moss on the ground. When the roots struck out, Crim leaped out and spit small bursts of flames causing the moss to become ash which was in turn frozen again. The small bursts of flames were tiring but more manageable than a large flame breath that Crim Had used before. He could easily create multiple small bursts instead of one large wave of flames.

This sudden change made the tamer and fallen dryad begin to act oddly. The entire audience could see that the tamer’s fused body was stretching and trying to inject itself in the ground even more. Roots and tree branches were spread right out of the tamer’s body and the face of the dryad had appeared on the side of the tamer’s arm. Everyone could see that this was no longer a human in any form or fashion but someone that had truly given themselves over to being a monster.

"What? Have you realized that you are going to lose?" Clark had moved at a speed most people would never expect of him even after seeing that he was already faster than many at his age. But he had again, blown their idea of him out of the water.

The next move of his falling moon pierce shocked them more because it had stabbed and cut off the ethereal academy tamer’s arm in a quick and precise strike. But what remained was just a darkened bone that seemed to wriggle with tree roots. Clark had no choice but to retreat as more roots attacked around him and slashed at the arena causing large cuts and gashes to appear. It was clear that his opponent wasn’t holding back and was letting everything run wild.

"This controlled bastard." Clark gritted his teeth and watched for an opening. He was only able to defend and slash away at the roots for now. Every bit of energy adding to the growing stockpile within the black lightning spear. The energy that Clark was waiting to be ready for a major attack to completely burn away the monster before him.