As the cryomancer began to prepare another icy deluge for him, Shinsou fought back the lethargy from the drain of his wound. He corrected his balance with just about the minimum level of coherence before the three new threats filled his vision. The Telgradian could practically hear them whistle through the crisp clearing air, and somewhere in the back of that muddled mind, he knew he had but a moment to react.

But a moment was all he needed.

The spellsword felt a crawling sensation as the jet-like amorphic crystal of his Aura Break slithered over his body, anchoring him to the frostbitten soil. It grew up over his face just as the three icicle spears were about to hit, and suddenly his vision was rendered into a hundred blurred shades of turquoise and oil. A muffled noise like three gunshots in quick succession rang into his ears as the ice thumped into the adamantine-strength barrier and shattered into a million shards, before, a few seconds later, he felt the surface of the Aura Break dissolving. Sloughing off of his pale skin in chunks, the protective ward he had summoned peeled away to reveal an otherwise unharmed Shinsou Vaan Osiris, and a bemused Rehtul Orlouge.

Mages of any kind were usually annoying to fight, even for a self-styled mage like Shinsou. It had gotten to the point that doing so almost boiled down to a simple formula of who got in closest, won. But this one? Orlouge was stronger and smarter than his average charge, and Shinsou found himself smiling as he emerged from the dark and icy debris of their magecraft around him, one hand clutching at the bleeding wound the cryomancer had dealt him earlier. Crimson continued to pour from the ravaged gash in rivulets.

For the first time in a long time, Shinsou Vaan Osiris was excited. This was the meaning of the Citadel. He’d fought here before and he knew that within the confines of these mystical walls, the monks of Ai’Brone could resurrect the dead and heal the wounded. But here, life was not what was at stake, and the mystics of Radasanth could do nothing for pride. In the absence of the fear of survival, that was the risk he took.

"You’re fighting hard,” The Telgradian spoke directly to Rehtul in the moment’s respite, “But, as you can see, you’ve still got a lot of work to do to go toe-to-toe with the likes of me. Strength isn't just a numbers game, kid. It would be wise to learn that.”

Shin no Kotei: 1st Grade

It felt as if the air around Enpera’s blade had solidified and shattered like glass on command as its seal was broken. Arcane energies surged like adrenaline from the sword and a taste of electricity hung on the day’s cool air. A second later, Shinsou’s physical form quickly darkened into night, melting into a thick liquid that pooled into a shadowy slick before disappearing entirely into the soil of the clearing. His keen vision had earlier spotted that the sun overhead had cast long shadows in every direction, offering him many options for a surprise attack, but as the pale orange orb traced across the sky an even better prospect had arrived. Rehtul’s remaining ice armiger of eight spears floated about two foot away from his body, orbiting threateningly, but inbetween the icy weapons and Rehtul lay the shadow of the mage himself.

A perfect spot to re-appear.

With a snake-like slither, the Telgradian’s shadow forged a trail across the floor and touched Rehtul’s own, allowing Shinsou to physically manifest between the cryomancer and his icy arsenal instantly. The cool wind flushed his newly manifested skin and, as the breeze wind beat about Shinsou’s matted chestnut hair, the Telgradian pulled his sword in a fierce downwards arc.

Dust erupted into the air as the force of the swing conspired to carve the plucky Rehtul Orlouge in half.