"What do you mean loved by mana?" Grim asked, staring at Astral with wide-eyed disbelief etched across his sharp, scaled features, his amber eyes flickering with a mix of confusion and lingering frustration amid the scorched remnants of their battlefield.

"It simply means what I have just said.

Let me show you first hand what I mean exactly," Astral replied calmly, his voice carrying an ethereal resonance that seemed to weave through the surrounding void like a gentle current, his azure eyes beneath the hood glowing faintly with unspoken power.

"Dominion of silence," Astral said calmly, his eyes looking beyond Grim, piercing through the immediate confrontation to encompass the broader expanse of space around them.

[Dominion of Silence]

Seize control of the surrounding mana field, suppressing all foreign energy and rendering only your own mana capable of functioning within the area.

His gaze was fixed on the mana swirling around them, like a devoted husband calling forth his beloved wife, the ethereal particles responding to his will with a subtle shimmer that distorted the air faintly.

"Enough with your shenanigans.

Surge Slash!" Grim said with finality, swinging his sword in a wide, sweeping arc, his muscles tensing under the dark scales that covered his lean form.

[Surge Slash]

Condenses water mana around both swords before releasing it in a sweeping arc.

The slash travels as a compressed water wave capable of breaking through barriers or destabilizing enemy balance.

"What's going on?" Grim asked, confusion written all over his face, his crests twitching involuntarily as he stared at his blades in bewilderment.

He had expected a surge of compressed water waves to erupt forcefully from his swords, cascading outward like a tidal onslaught, but it never came, leaving only the empty swing hanging in the air.

"Surge Slash!" He tried again, his voice laced with growing desperation.

But the result was the same, the mana refusing to heed his call, dissipating harmlessly before it could form.

Grim had a perplexed look on his face, his nostrils flaring as he processed the anomaly, before he decided to change tactics abruptly.

"Ripple step," Grim decided to go physical once more, attempting to channel the ability through his digitigrade legs.

But the effect was the same, the mana failing to respond, leaving him rooted in place without the rippling platforms he anticipated.

He couldn't utilize his abilities, the familiar surge of power eluding him like a phantom in the void.

"What did you do?" Grim asked, his rasping voice rising in accusation as he slowly suspected Astral to be the culprit behind his sudden inability to cast any spells, his tail lashing behind him in agitation.

Astral didn't bother answering Grim, his cloaked figure remaining impassive, the hood casting deeper shadows over his regal features.

To him, he had given Grim enough attention that the raptor didn't deserve even a fraction of, his focus already shifting beyond the trivial exchange.

"Mana Implosion," Astral said, his gaze lazily fixed on Grim, the words slipping from his lips with indifferent ease.

[Mana Implosion]

Inject an enemy with unstable mana causing them to implode from the unstable mana

"What do you think you are doing?" Grim asked, still waiting impatiently for the answers he demanded, his claws tightening around his sword hilts.

Grim was about to make a move, his muscles coiling like springs ready to unleash, but he stopped abruptly when he felt an excruciating pain blooming deep within his core.

His body felt like it was being pulled inward from all directions, the invisible force compressing his organs and scales, causing him so much pain that his vision blurred at the edges.

He groaned deeply, the agony intensifying with every passing second, waves of torment radiating through his lean frame like fire through dry tinder.

Grim stared at Astral with sheer horror contorting his narrow snout, his amber eyes widening as he finally realized his impending doom, the realization crashing over him like a relentless wave.

"Stop.

Please stop.

Don't—" Grim wasn't able to finish his words, his voice breaking into a desperate plea, as he imploded in a grotesque burst, his body collapsing inward with a sickening crunch, dying a pitiful death amid scattered remnants of scales and blood.

Astral had a disinterested look on his face over the death of Grim, his azure eyes unmoved by the gruesome spectacle.

To him, Grim was just an annoying insect that he had to deal with, a minor nuisance swatted away without emotional investment.

Astral looked around himself, staring at the isolated space he found himself confined within, the invisible barriers shimmering faintly under the strain of his presence.

His face remained expressionless under the hood, the silver locks framing his sharp features without a hint of concern.

"Mana Ignite," Astral said calmly, making use of another ability with effortless invocation.

[Mana Ignite]

Burn mana within a particular area, cutting off its supply to any existing spell or ability.

The ignited mana also burns off every irregularity within the area.

Within the isolated space, the mana aside from a five-meter radius around Astral was set ablaze, flames of pure ethereal energy erupting in vibrant hues that danced like spectral fires.

Mana was burnt off within the space until it was absent entirely, the fundamental essence evaporating into nothingness, leaving a void of depleted potential.

With no mana, which was the building block of all elements, the isolated space itself broke down, the barriers fracturing like glass under immense pressure, cracks spiderwebbing outward.

Astral stood composed, his cloak fluttering slightly in the destabilizing currents, as the last bit of the isolated space was broken down completely, freeing him to the outside world where the stars gleamed unhindered.

Riea stared at Astral with fear evident in her eyes, her tiny form trembling slightly as she hovered nearby.

She had watched the battle closely and realized just how terrifying Astral truly was, his dominance a chilling display of untapped power.

While the battles of the others weren't exactly too one-sided, showing moments of back-and-forth struggle, Astral's confrontation had been just that from beginning to end, an absolute mastery without contest.

And the crazy part was he didn't look like he even tried to fight at all, his movements minimal and his demeanor perpetually serene.

Astral flew toward Aaron in the void, his movement unhurried and calm, gliding through the expanse with the grace of a being attuned to the cosmos itself.

"My opponent is dead.

I guess that's all for the petty game of yours," Astral inquired from Aaron, after finally standing a few meters away from his throne, his voice steady and devoid of deference.

"Yeah.

That's about it.

I'm bored now thanks to you," Aaron complained lightly, not a fan of the one-sided domination that robbed him of prolonged entertainment.

"Then maybe next time you provide decent opponents for me.

Not some weaklings," Astral said with finality, his tone laced with unapologetic arrogance, a portal shimmering to life behind him in a swirl of azure mana.

"I don't expect to be called until you find someone more good enough to worth my time," Astral informed coolly, stepping through the portal without a backward glance, disappearing from view as the rift closed seamlessly.

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