Chapter 11: The Duel's Conclusion

Chapter 11:

The Duel's Conclusion

Cygnus, creator of stars, became a constellation of energy. His body shone blindingly to the point where none in the audience, save for the guildmaster, could see what was going on. But Xinyu did not need her human sight, for she could see with a certain third eye. Erlang at her side, she witnessed each star that made his body and readied herself. One that shone brightly in his head, his heart, his legs, his arms, and his all-encompassing soul. He was mightier than most mortals, and thus Xinyu decided that if he wanted to use the might of the cosmos against her, so should she.

“Chang’e,” Xinyu chanted. “Graceful starlight, under thy radiant moonlight, let white glory never yield. Goddess of the moon, give me your grace and love!"

Xinyu illuminated in equal bright light, parallel to her opponent. Celestial bodies - one of mythic legend, the other observed by man - prepared their ionizing bodies to engage in one final clash.

Xinyu and Cygnus sprung at each other like geysers of lava, spiraling into a collision of clenched hands that detonated between the sun and moon. Like comets of pure power, their fists met once, twice, then several dozen in a barrage of perfectly swung and deflected hits. Xinyu swung left, but Cygnus dodged right. Cygnus flung his right up, but Xinyu redirected it with her knee. Cygnus tried the kick he’d initiated the battle with, but it was met with Xinyu’s punch. Xinyu countered with another punch but Cygnus countered that. This vicious cycle continued on and on and on and on.

With each punch that cometted through the nothingness between reality, the atoms of oxygen and other fundamentals were chased away by the propulsing vacuum created from the savagery of man. One dozen, two dozen, three; the speed which drove wall destroying balls was unseeing to eyes, rapidly increasing in temperature until the souls of the fighters could bear it no longer.

How incredible this man is, Xinyu thought. It is people like him that remind me that this world is so pretty!

Before anyone could even blink, Cygnus and Xinyu both coiled their knuckles back with all their strength and might. They threw them forward, knowing this was the final strike, and met at the center between their hearts.

Unexpected to both of them, the impact of their fists released a sparkle of whiteness that expanded rapidly and threw both of them back.

As they landed on their feet, the two were left standing in a strange world of only a bright, eternal whiteness. It seemed to be a room that expanded forever in warm light created by the energy of Xinyu’s god magic and Cygnus’s star magic colliding, though Cygnus could only theorize upon that notion.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

In the strange dimension undiscovered by anyone else, it was just the two of them in a sea of whiteness. The atmosphere was sultry and wept away worries, and neither of them questioned where they had been wisped away to or why, simply because of the tranquility the emptiness brought. Perhaps they would learn of the significance of the white dimension one day, but in the present, they could only connect their souls in a way no one else could.

“Young lady, forgive me. I’ve forgotten to properly introduce myself,” Cygnus spoke. “My name is Cygnus Rift, I am a scholar and head researcher of the Westland kingdom. How might I know you?”

“Hailing from a nameless village in the east, I am the daughter of poor but happy merchants!” Xinyu said. “The name that I carry with me is Xinyu Ma! Fortune to have found you!”

She clasped her fist with her hand and bowed.

“What an odd gesture,” Cygnus said. “Still, I’d like to know… what do you think about the world?”

“I think it is beautiful!” Xinyu said.

“And it’s people?” Cygnus asked.

“They are so pretty! Especially when they smile!” Xinyu said.

“Such unwavering optimism... you remind me of a certain old king,” Cygnus mused, pleasantly reminiscing in his thoughts. “Say, Xinyu! Do you know what science is?”

“I fear I do not,” Xinyu said. “But please tell me!”

“Science is…” Cygnus said, pausing for a moment. He closed his eyes and thought about his father and the village he grew up in. “Science is a legacy. It represents thousands of years of learning, and thousands more of discovery. It creates new things that help people live better and brings joy to the world! And perhaps the most benign thing about science is that, as long as even just a single human remains, it will never die out!"

“Hao! Science sounds incredible!” Xinyu exclaimed.

“Indeed it is,” Cygnus said. “But it seems that world is destined to end soon. I do not want everything we’ve worked so hard to build to come crashing down simply because fate willed it. With that, I ask you, with the mighty magic you wield and your steadfast resolve, will you help me save it?”

Xinyu looked at him and smiled.

“Only if you help me destroy it first!” she said. “There is no future in the world we live in now, so if we want to move forward, we must gather our hearts, and burn down everything from the heavens to the earth. If fate has destined our end, then we must destroy it all, fate and all, and create something new. Only then can we pave the path to a new place.”

“If only it were that simple,” Cygnus chuckled.

“It is that simple!” Xinyu declared with her face shining radiantly from the white glow of the infinite room.

The greatest scholar of the west and the merchant of joy walked towards the center and took upon each other's hands. More than a gesture, their intertwined palms represented purpose, and the goal to pave a path forward.

When they shook, the strange room vanished and they were suddenly back in the center of roaring crowds. Nobody understood what had happened the instant they disappeared, and quite honestly, it left something to be desired for the heaps of people who were expecting a longer fight. But alas, Cygnus had gotten his answers and was finished with the matter.

“This battle is over, for I concede!” Cygnus announced as he fell to his back. He could no longer move his tired muscles, save for one. The one that was his grin, which stayed upon his face even after he had collapsed from exhaustion, his magic completely depleted.