The intense force of the collision sent Atticus and Ae'ark shooting back in opposite directions. Both regained control over their bodies, their gazes flashing with determination.

They performed mid-air spins in unison, their legs skidding across the hard ground as they landed.

Their gazes collided in the air, and the whole world seemed to slow as if anticipating the power about to erupt.

Atticus abruptly sheathed his katana, leaning forward into a stance, his hands poised on the hilt.

The moment Ae'ark saw the stance, he wasted no time before acting.

Ae'ark's right leg stomped forward, knee slightly bent. His back leg straightened as his body leaned forward.

Both his arms held his spear tightly, one near the butt end and the other closer to the middle, the spear tip aimed directly at Atticus. His entire figure coiled like a serpent, Ae'ark's gaze narrowed and fixed itself on Atticus.

Their attires billowed as though caught in an invisible breeze, the surrounding area utterly silent. In that exact moment, neither one of them saw anything else.

A moment of time passed, and they both muttered in unison, their cold and serene voices mixing:

"Transcendent Slash: Godspeed Grace."

"Celestial Thrust: Dragon's Wrath."

In the blink of an eye, Atticus's form seemed to blur and contort, an ethereal flash of movement that almost defied the laws of nature.

His figure erupted forward like a streak of blue light tearing through the air with blinding speed. It was as if reality itself struggled to keep pace with him, the surrounding space warping and bending in his wake.

However, Ae'ark's movements were just as deadly.

With a calculated calm, Ae'ark's muscles coiled and tensed, ready to spring forth. His eyes narrowed, focusing intently on the oncoming strike. Ae'ark's body surged forward, his spear becoming an extension of his will.

The air around him crackled as his thrust shot out with blinding speed. The speed and power of the attack were such that the spear appeared to vanish and reappear in an instant, leaving a trail of yellow light in its wake.

For a moment, time seemed to stand still. The katana and the spear, both enveloped in blue and yellow glows respectively, collided in a dazzling burst of energy.

Blue light stood firmly on one side, with yellow on the other, energy radiating outward and imploding the platform in a 200-meter radius, with the duo at the center.

The ground shattered and crumbled beneath the immense pressure, fragments of concrete disintegrating into dust.

Both sides stood firm, neither willing to give in, their gazes locked in a fierce battle. The energy crackling between them grew more intense, a storm of raw power swirling around their forms.

The sheer magnitude of their clash distorted the air, creating shockwaves that rippled outwards, obliterating everything in their path.

Suddenly, both sides erupted in force, their energies converging into a single point. The resulting explosion was akin to a nuclear detonation, a blinding flash of light and an earth-shaking roar.

The shockwave expanded outward, annihilating the remnants of the platform and sending debris flying in all directions. The ground quaked and the sky seemed to split, a maelstrom of force radiating outwards.

An insane amount of dust engulfed the whole area, obscuring the view of everyone watching the battle unfold.

It lasted for less than a second before the will of powerful entities in the air cleared it instantly. The eyes of the baffled spectators landed on the scene below.

The sheer power of their confrontation had left a deep crater where the battlefield once stood. The blue and yellow auras flickered and dissipated as the seconds passed, the air thick with the remnants of their energy.

Both Atticus and Ae'ark floated suspended in the air amidst the devastation, their weapons held tightly in their hands, trembling with intense force, their gazes locked.

They had both just shown an incredible amount of power, one that youths their age should never dream of displaying.

Power took time, patience, and talent to achieve. This truth was known and accepted by many.

However, how overwhelming must the talent of both these monsters be to achieve such magnitude at their young ages?

It was scary, so scary. Many of the crew members watching the battle couldn't help but gulp. They weren't sure if they would have been able to survive that attack!

That attack was well into the Master+ rank! At this point, each of them simply watched silently, refusing to be shocked once again.

Youths as young as the duo currently battling weren't supposed to be able to display even Intermediate+ rank power, but they had not only crossed that thresholdthey had far surpassed it.

The sturdy hard ground that had once filled the space remained nothing other than rubble, its form replaced with a large and deep crater.

Despite the complete and utter devastation, both Atticus and Ae'ark seemed to completely ignore it as they scrutinized each other with intensity.

Atticus's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, his head blitzing and thinking with speed. He would have to be a complete and utter fool not to have been able to tell.

The move Ae'ark had just used wasn't any normal art; not even a Paragon rank art could be so powerful at their stage! There was only one explanation for that power: it was a life weapon's art!

Atticus had questions, so many questions. Did the other races have life weapons too? Was it a normal thing in their race or was it very rare? Was Ae'ark the only life weapon user or did the other apexes of the other races each have one?

They were each important in their own right, questions that Atticus wanted nothing more than to get answers to. As he fixed his gaze on the smile on Ae'ark's face, he couldn't help but suspect that the boy knew a lot more than him.

'Now's not the time,' Atticus reeled it in completely, removing every shred of hesitation from his thoughts.

There would be time for questions later, but now, now he would battle.

Atticus's gaze flashed, the smile on Ae'ark's lips widening.

Both Atticus and Ae'ark's figures suddenly erupted in a dazzling display of red and yellow respectively, their forms releasing sonic booms in the air as they closed the distance between one another, a torrent of slashes and thrusts meeting.