It was a barely perceptible shift, but Harvey fe it in the soles of his feet: a low, resonant rumbling, the distinct tremor of magic coursing through the floor. He knew an attack was coming and instinctively leaped back. The action saved his life. A massive beam of concentrated energy ripped through the space hed just abandoned, creating a smoking, direct hole through the ceiling and the layers of earth above.

So, my reputation has grown quite a bit, hasnt it? Harvey asked, his voice deliberately steady beneath the folds of his masked robe. This special garment, standard wear for those in the Dark Guild, sealed his identity. However, subtle adjustments in the material marked his rank, meaning those within his own organization could easily recognize him.

The Masked Man descended, hovering directly over the newly blasted hole. The man with the Dark Puppetmany people in the city above claim that you are truly the one pulling the strings of the entire Dark Guild, not the Dark Magus himself, he stated, his voice cool and unnerving. That curiosity makes me wonder who the man behind your mask really is. If you people truly believed in your cause, would you really need to hide your faces behind the mask of a common criminal?

Without a word, Harvey and his puppet pressed down on the compromised roof. The entire structure instantly began to crumble. Both figures plummeted through the collapsing floor. As they fell through the void, Harvey channeled and cast a surge of Black Magic, compressing the dark energy into a focused blast. It slammed into his targets chest, pushing the elite warrior backward and sending him crashing violently right through the reinforced wall of the neighboring building.

What the heck is that hypocrite talking about hiding identities for, when he has a mask on himself? Harvey muttered, pushing off the ground.

A powerful beam of golden light shot back through the new gap in the wall that Harvey had created. It was too fast for him to completely evade. His only option was immediate defense: he commanded his puppet to shield him. The puppet instantly expanded its arms and curled up, surrounding Harvey and taking the full, immense blow of the light attack.

As the persistent Light Magic hammered the puppets thick coating of Dark Magic, the defensive energy began to rapidly fade. Soon, the raw rock structure of the Underside was visible, then the Light Magic started relentlessly digging into the stone itself. It was only a matter of seconds before the beam would break through the final defense and strike Harvey directly.

Your attacks might land, but they arent hurting me one bit, the Masked Mans voice echoed, completely unfazed by the damage. Our divine duty has always been to carry the light and purify the world of pervasive darkness. We of the Cerberus Guild are the light, shining brightly on the people of Aerian, clearing up all of the spiritual and physical mold that sets into society.

He took a deliberate, powerful step forward, the earth shaking slightly with his movement. You are merely a stubborn piece of mold that has now managed to spread its corruption. Light will always prevail compared to Darkness.

The moment the Masked Man took his step, the ground next to his foot erupted, and Harvey burst right up from the earth. He had traveled through a tunnel, and his hands, clasped together, shot out a concentrated Dark pulse. It hit the Masked Man squarely in the chest, sending him flying across the street and creating yet another hole, this time tearing through the side of a wider wall.

While the puppet had encased Harvey to protect him from the initial beam, Harvey had utilized the time out of sight perfectly. He used his innate Earth Magic to quickly create a narrow, strategic tunnel, allowing him to bypass the enemys defenses and make his way to the new location of the Masked Man.

You think we are the darkness? You assume you have an advantage because of our attributes? Harvey yelled, charging out of the tunnel mouth. Our Dark Magic is precisely what is purchasing our freedom, and I will use it to vanquish your hypocrisy!

The Cerebus member swooped back into the fight on his energy wings. Two palms of blinding light crossed each other, rapidly condensing power. A large, volatile orb of energy formed between them, which was then immediately hurled onto the ground. A huge, concussive explosion occurred, sending Harvey flying high and fast from the blast radius.

He himself broke through the roof of a house as he flew, but his quick-thinking puppet managed to grab him mid-flight, softening the impact. From there, the puppet began to carry him swiftly through the city, and the desperate, high-speed fight between the two continued.

There was a constant, exhausting back and forth, as incredibly powerful spells were unleashed between them. They were constantly in motion, a whirlwind of light and shadow tearing through the Undersides structures. The central issue remained: even when Harvey managed to land muiple hits on the Masked Man, the enemys body was still healing. Despite the continuous fighting and the energy he was forced to expel, it didnt appear as if the Masked Mans Light Magic reserves were diminishing at all. This suggested a fundamental, terrifying difference in the source of their power compared to the other mages they had fought.

I need more absolute powerthe power to annihilate him in a single, complete move, Harvey thought, his brain racing to find a solution. That would make it impossible for him to regenerate from nothingness.

His mind immediately flashed to the legendary Eclipse Strike that Raze could produce. He reasoned that if the attack was powerful enough, hitting his opponent entirely and completelyreducing him to less than dusteven an immortal body couldnt regenerate.

But the question was, how would he achieve that necessary level of catastrophic power?

A sudden blast of golden energy hit Harvey cleanly. The puppet, milliseconds too slow this time, couldnt intercede, and his body was chucked violently, crashing through another building wall and skidding to a ha.

He could instantly hear the terrified screams and a loud number of hurried voices as he pushed himself up off the ground. He looked around and noticed the dense gathering of people where he currently was.

These people… theyre the citizens of the Underside, Harvey realized, looking at the large, huddled masses of non-combatants. Ive crashed directly into one of the designated sheers.

****

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