Sorcerer… Cyborg???

Chapter 242: Ascendant

Qh'mros was tightly wrapped around Xurha, using its claws to rake all over his body, as well as the serrated edge of its wings. At such close quarters, the difference in their domains was clear, Qh'mros was easily tearing through Xurha's domain, as Xurha was forced to evenly distribute it around himself.

Golden sparks flew into the void as Qh'mros' claws and wings scraped across the dull black armor, but even so, Xurha didn't even try and defend himself, only staring daggers at Qh'mros, his head still free of the encirclement.

Qh'mros was confused, Xurha's domain wouldn't be able to hold off its attacks for much longer, but the relatively weaker Ascendant still didn't move, had he given up?

Qh'mros found that hard to believe, especially with how passionate Xurha had been when they had started to fight.

But concealed by the coils Qh;'mros shining green scaled body and tail, Xurha's armor was shifting, as all of his muscles swelled up, the veins becoming swollen as his blood surged to his muscles.

This was because for Xurha, his domain was only an extension of what had allowed him to rise to being an Ascendant, rising to his position through his will for violence and physical prowess. 

The bare minimum requirement for one to be an Ascendant was the ability to tear through space itself, with or without a domain. 

Xurha was one of the rare few who had achieved this feat utilizing only pure physical ability, only manifesting his domain of violence after slaughtering entire plane after plane.

One's will was what allowed their domain to exist, but for Xurha, unlike many Ascendants, his will was far more valuable in battle than the relatively weak domain.

[Graaaaaaaahhhhh!] Xurha let loose a yell filled with fury, and with one of his trapped arms, he clutched his axe tight, and used it to lever Qh'mros coils away from himself, using his will to force his body to its very limits. Meanwhile, Xurha's other arms wrenched Qh'mros' coils apart on the other side, forcing an opening large enough for Xurha to start swinging.

Again and again, Xurha swung his axe at the coils that were wrapped around his torso, one arm holding the axe away from himself, and the other swinging the axe like it was a twig.

At first, Qh'mros ignored Xurha's attacks, writing them off as the struggle of a dying Ascendant, desperately clinging on to his life.

But then, it began to feel the extreme rush of stabbing pain, though Qh'mros' domain was blocking the red domain surrounding Xurha's attacks, the repeated blows were so focused, that they were forcing their way through, and eventually,  Xurha's axe just barely touching Qh'mros' green scales.

[Krrrraaaaaaah!] Qh'mros screamed out in pain, even with its vastly powerful physical body, it was unable to resist the effect of Xurha's weapon, which, like all weapons of the Aemos, had been crafted to elicit the greatest possible amount of pain, even with the slightest of touches.

For even though Ascendants were vastly [powerful, able to tear through space, pass through the void and dominate entire planes, they were still flesh and blood creatures.

Feeling the stabbing pain of Xurha's axe, Qh'mros coiled body rapidly untangling itself from around Xurha, its amber eyes filled with rage and confusion.

How was this puny Ascendant continuing to harm it? It should have been a straightforward battle, utilizing its vastly superior domain to overpower the upstart invader.

But Xurha was not like other Ascendant, he was not fighting a battle of domains, of comprehension of whatever realm of the natural world that an Ascendant was seeking the essence of. 

Utilizing their will and power over the world around them to erode the other's control.

No, Xurha was simply fighting for victory by any means, fighting in the same way that he had been forged, for victory, and for the joy of violence.

Qh'mros had retreated away from Xurha, now unwilling to engage in close combat, realizing that with his extreme physical prowess, Xurha would be dominant, even though he would be considered the weaker Ascendant by most.

Xurha had essentially dragged Qh'mros into a battlefield where he would be the victor, and Qh'mros, had first been damaged for the first time in hundreds of years, not hurt, though, only an injury to its pride as it lost the tip of a horn.

But then, to add insult to injury, Xurha had actually been able to cause it to feel pain.

Now, Qh'mros tried to utilize its domain to tis fullest extent, turning into a sharp green blur that flew smoothly through the void, circling around Xurha, sending attacks filled with blades of wind toward Xurha.

But even as attack after attack flew at Xurha, he ignored them, and turned away from Qh'mros, for while Qh'mros had retreated from close quarters, Xurha had a way to draw it back in.

Xurha raised his axe, and sliced into the substance of the void, tearing open the space, opening a window that lead back to Eclat.

[No!] Qh'mros yelled, rushing toward Xurha, it knew that Xurha didn't care in the slightest for the lives of his own people, let alone the lives of all the people of Eclat, and if the battle between them happened on Eclat, countless individuals, those of Eclat and the Aemos, would die in the process.

Xurha grinned as he saw the enormous guardian beast flying toward him, Qh'mros was so fast that Xurha could have spent all his energy on trying to catch it within the void, and failed.

But if he knew exactly where Qh'mros was going? That was a completely different story.

Once again, Xurha's axe was surrounded with a gleaming red light, as it readied it to swing, aiming for right in between Qh'mros' eyes, aiming to kill it with a single blow.

By the time Xurha's attack had been readied, Qh'mros was mere meters away, and it seemed as though Xurha's attack would land, cleaving right through Qh'mros' defenses, and splitting open its enormous skull.