Chapter 297 Determination To Protect

Ice poured out of the blade as Ritsuka jumped backwards.

"Ritsuka has unleashed an offensive enchantment rune!" The announcer shouted. "Now, we should probably go through enchantment runes. Like you saw just now that's an attack-type rune. It's fully offensive and has specific restrictions on it. In this case, Ritsuka has to strike someone with his sword and speak the incantation to trigger the effect.

"If you rewind back a bit Lee Seng used Barrier, a defensive enchantment rune, that negates an attack! Offensive, defensive runes, is there anything else? Glad you asked! There's neutral enchantments. These are your Physical and Magical defense boosts. These are highly suggested so you don't get hurt! I can't believe these young men have done their homework!

"But enough about enchantment runes! What's Kaleb doing? He isn't responding to his ally being slightly frozen in place. Is he planning something?" The announcer hyped the match up.

Lee Seng started forward as Kaleb's grin grew wide.

"Too late, Chang!" Kaleb laughed. "You're way too late to do anything! Chain of Magma: Expansion!" Kaleb swung the nunchuck from right to left, a huge ball of flaming magma growing as it began to extend outwards.

"You'll never survive this!" Kaleb laughed as the flaming magma ball burned everything in it's path.

"Oh shit!" Ritsuka and Jake shouted. Lee Seng continued forward, splitting his attention on the huge magma chain coming straight for him and everyone else on the field. Jake started to panic.

"Kaleb! You weren't supposed to hit me, too! That wasn't the plan!" Jake screamed. He tried to pull himself out of the pillar of ice holding him in place.

Lee Seng sucked in a breath and gripped his sword tighter. He bounced forward, increasing speed. Time slowed. He could feel himself progressing faster than what was happening around him. The immense heat scorched him as he grew closer to Kaleb.

Gold and silver flickered off the Sun & Moon enchantment.

'I knew it.' Lee Seng thought. 'The blade was dormant all this time because I needed to go off the Earth Realm… I wonder if this will work in English.' Time picked up as Lee Seng came to a halt, raising his katana above him as he slashed diagonally.

"Rippling Tendrils." Lee Seng whispered. The gold-black metallic blade lit up in silver and gold. Lee Seng watched as tendrils of light escaped the blade. The tendrils whipped in all the directions as Lee Seng carried the stroke all the way.

Tendrils pulled the flames in as an after-effect shot across Kaleb's body. Kaleb watched as his armor immediately was cut off, blood spraying as he flew backwards into the wall.

The flaming ball of magma tanked backwards as the tendrils began to slice at everything around Lee Seng.

"W-what was that?!?" The announcer shouted. "It looks like Lee Seng used some sort of enchantment rune! I've never seen this rune before! It seems like it's eating at the magma ball and tearing everything apart around it!"

The tendrils whipped and slammed against the wall, creating holes everywhere it went.

Lee Seng turned the blade and swung at the magma, severing it in half. Heat and flames erupted out of the condensed energy, scorching away at everything in it's path.

Lee Seng flew backwards, gold and silver energy pulling the magma towards the katana as it clanged across the ground. Lee Seng slammed into the wall, vision blurring.

"Kaleb has been taken out! Was the move too much for him? It looks like something's happening with Lee Seng's sword and the magma! Will Ritsuka and Jake be able to save themselves from it?"

"Shit." Ritsuka leapt backwards, dodging a lone whip of magma as it splattered across the ground. Jake hollered in pain as magma and flames landed on him. Ritsuka turned and moved towards Jake. The pillar was melting enough that Jake could wiggle himself free.

The magma splattered across his leg, forcing another howl of pain outta him. Ritsuka slid to a stop to the right of Jake. Jake's cries of pain grew louder as Ritsuka held his position. He began to slash towards the magma. He would feed it ice as much as he could.

"Go!" Ritsuka shouted.

"My leg!" Jake cried. He fell into the floor, trying to clutch his burnt leg. "I… I can't!" Ritsuka's face scrunched as he tried to negate the magma and flames.

"It looks like a real emergency is happening!" The announcer shouted. "The condensed magma energy is going to destroy both sides and the surrounding area if we aren't careful! Barriers are trying to fend off of the attack but we're not sure how long it'll last!"

People were screaming. They were panicking and running. Lee Seng groaned as he shook his head. His blurry vision refocused. He saw Jake on the floor with a burning leg. His sword was still sucking in energy but it wasn't doing it nicely.

"We can't use our powers because of the nanos. How am I gonna be able to absorb this?" Lee sneg muttered.

"I've been told the DM Nanos has been deactivated! If you can use your powers and somehow get to safety and/or negate the magma, do it! Help is on the way" The announcer shouted. The doors to the arena opened, oxygen pushing outwards. Flames began to fly straight for the open doors, immediately roaring an attack at the helpers.

"Ritsuka, you can absorb it with Angerfang," Lee Seng told him.

"But this is too much energy! I'm never gonna be able to take it all!" Ritsuka shouted. Lee Seng darted straight for his katana.

"Just do it. I'll absorb energy from my side, too."

"Are you sure? You might be found if you do that?"

"They think it's apart of my abilities. I won't do anything too weird."

Ritsuka grunted as he slashed, releasing the katana. Black smoke flew across his body, Angerfanf appearing in his hands.

"Gluttony?" Ritsuka slashed at the magma, pulling in the energy. Ritsuka grunted as he tried to hold himself together. He needed to protect Jake from getting even more seriously injured.

Lee Seng slid on the ground, dodging a loose magma blast as he neared his katana. His body erupted in pure sweat as gold energy swirled around him. He grabbed the katana, instantly feeling the immense heat as he poured his energy into it.

'Absorb it all!' Lee Seng grunted as the blade lifted upwards, pulling him up. The magma flew straight into the blade like it was a vacuum. Lee Seng's hand smoked and burned as he forced his other hand onto it.

Golden energy erupted out of Lee Seng. It spread like a flame throughout the entire arena. The vacuum vortex absorbed the magma, pulling everything away in a flash. The burnt flesh and wounds instantly disappeared from Jake, Ritsuka, Lee Seng and Kaleb. Sound snapped. Silence filled the air for a moment. The sound of Lee Seng sucking in a breath broke the silence. Sun tattoos flared across his body. Lee Seng's vision blurred and his body became stiff.

'Shit, I did it too fast.' He could feel his body moving forward. Gravity would pull him straight to the ground.

"Lee!" Ritsuka released Angerfang as he ran straight for Lee Seng. Lee Seng hit the ground with a loud thump as Ritsuka slid to a stop. Ritsuka's silent screams echoed through the arena as he dropped to his knees. "Lee Seng!"

Footsteps pushed through the arena. The burning heat was making it really hard for Ritsuka to focus. His head was pounding as he turned Lee Seng around. He moved his ear towards Lee Seng's mouth.

"Thank god." Ritsuka sighed in relief. He straightened himself out. His vision blurred.

'Shit. This heat…'

Liz paced the halls between Rooms 243 and 245. She tapped the phone in her hands. Footsteps echoed down the hall behind her as she turned around. She looked up.

"What the hell happened?!?" Manny's panicked voice shouted. A disheveled Manny, Olivia and Evan came to a stop a few feet in front of Liz. She had a serious expression.

"What happened to them? I thought powers weren't allowed?" Olivia asked.

"Enchantment runes were still available for use." Liz sighed. She was trying to let out the stress but could feel her worrying grow. She felt like she was gonna cry from everything she witnessed. Liz had gone to support Lee Seng and Ritsuka. She found out before the match had started Manny, Olivia and Evan were finally discharged from their quarantine. It was a day sooner than she had guessed, but she was happy.

Liz: When the boys when, do you guys wanna surprise them with dinner?

Olivia: Oh god, I would love to eat something that isn't hospital food!

Evan: Same!

Manny: We'll hopefully be back before six.

Manny: Korean BBQ?

Liz: We'll meet at the same place and surprise them?

Olivia: LOL, this feels sneaky. I love it.

Evan: They're gonna freak out!

Liz looked at her three other friends. Her throat kept twitching. Manny understood and grabbed her and hugged her. She began to sob. She began to say something but her loud sobs made it impossible for her to let a coherent word out. Olivia and Evan looked at each other and then to the doors.