Noah's eyes moved rapidly as he easily kept up with the streak of light letting out valiant cries in front of him. The streak of light seemed to be fluid at times and extremely rapid a second later, causing the state of a battle that was filled with unpredictability.
When the battle began, the thought it would be a simple spar that would allow a junior disciple to learn the ropes of the abilities, but he found the pace becoming faster and faster as this Athena seemed to be enjoying herself after a while!
His own body was rapidly adapting to the feeling of strength that the close to 10,000 Fate Lines provided, going with the flow as he gradually added Skill Points into [Empyrean Guard] and [Empyrean Armament] to match the pace of the battle.
After placing three Skill Points into [Empyrean Guards], the summon limit was increased to 4 as he then cast [Empyrean Armament] to take on the form of resplendent being covered head to toe with a golden armor and wings of golden light that he had only seen on Athena!
He could feel his body buzzing with power as he sensed a unique form of strength being released from the numerous Fate Lines now surrounding his body, confirming that the energy required to cast the skills under the [Fate's Guardian] skill tree were extremely minimal, with their power being higher than any skills at the same level!
He finally understood why the Celestial Disciple Drax at the Transcendent Rank could match those in the Saint Realm, and how Athena so effortlessly matched an Infernal Aberration that was stepping into the Soul Forging Realm.
Their techniques that utilized fate were simply that powerful, with much less energy being required for use while their damage was great, only increasing the more Fate Lines one held.
BOOM!
A clash occurred yet again as Noah found himself slowly on the losing ground, this woman in front of him long forgetting this was supposed to be a spar as he could see her figure expertly predicting his next moves with ease, dodging fluidly as she then counterattacked aggressively!
'Alright then.'
An imperceptible smile appeared on Noah's lips as he looked at the many Skill Points he had with, adding full points into [Empyrean Guards] and [Empyrean Armament] as the two skills were maxed!
[Empyrean Guards](5/5) :: A guardian is called forth to defend you and stand against your enemies. The Empyrean Guards are capable of healing and offensive magic, their strength only increasing depending on how many Fate Lines the user has. Current Summon Limit: 6
[Empyrean Armament](5/5) :: The user is covered with the brilliance of the summoned Empyrean Guards as every point in their body gains extreme boosts. +30% Soul Damage, Physical Damage, Speed, and Defense for every Empyrean Guard absorbed.
His body dodged the oppressive attacks of Athena as he looked at the expanded boosts of the two skills after their Skill Points were maxed, feeling his body trembling with power as he already had +120% Soul Damage, Physical Damage, Speed, and Defense for the four Empyrean Guards he had already absorbed through [Empyrean Armament].
Now, he could summon two more, something that he hadn't even seen Athena do while battling with the Aberration. His smile only became wider as he knew he was about to do something that would most likely surprise the watching Grandmaster and the valiant Athena.
But since he had planned to show off a talent unlike any other in the eyes of the Celestials, he would go all the way and show exactly what genius was!
RUMBLE!
His essence moved as he summoned two more Empyrean Guards in the skies, his senses observing the Grandmaster standing up with his calm gaze changing as Athena's eyes bulged out from the thin slits of her golden helmet.
They observed the summoning of 2 more Empyrean Guards, something that they knew to not be possible as even the most proficient users of [Fate's Guardian] could only summon 4 Empyrean Guards, no matter their level!
They watched as these extra two Empyrean Guards turned into streaks of light and attach onto Crixus's body, a transform they had not come across before occurring as it went past the simple full body armor and golden wings.
From Crixus's back, the wings of golden light became more physical as they began to observe with stupor the appearance of brilliant white-feathered wings that expanded magnificently!
The metal looking battle armor covering his body dissolved as what replaced it was a regal golden robe that dr.a.p.ed over him comfortably, a s.h.i.+ning golden sword with a sharpened edge and a brilliant golden s.h.i.+eld filled with numerous runic inscriptions appearing on his two hands as he floated grandiosely in the skies.
His image shone with l.u.s.ter as when one looked at him, they would find themselves saying- 'This was what a true Fate's Guardian looked like!
Noah had pulled the abilities of [Fate's Guardian] to the extremities with the use of Skill Points, bringing about a transformation that those who handed him this technique did not even think to be possible.
Grandmaster Vredral's face gradually returned to calmness as a peering gaze stayed on Noah, his aged heart that was always calm feeling ripples as this new recruit he took in simply had too many surprises.
Athena looked on with s.h.i.+ning eyes towards Noah's transformation as her gaze was one of brilliance, wanting to try this new technique with her own body as she fearlessly rushed forward with her hammer in hand!
Noah felt the abundant strength flowing through him as the s.h.i.+eld to his left hand made him feel like he would never be harmed, the sword on his right hand making him feel like he could bring judgment and cut down all those he wished.
His languid gaze landed on the rus.h.i.+ng Athena as he swung the sharp sword from right where he was floating in the skies, not even moving an inch. But the result was stupendous as the rus.h.i.+ng Athena foresaw an attack smas.h.i.+ng into her a millisecond later, an attack that even though she knew was coming, she could not evade it!
BOOM!
PAH!
An explosion resounded first, with the sound of a body smas.h.i.+ng to the ground hitting later as Noah stood stably in the skies, the figure of Athena smas.h.i.+ng into the ground and causing a crater to form.
"..."
Silence reigned briefly as the scene cleared, Noah's gaze piercing through the dust and seeing the figure of Athena standing stably at the center of the crater.
RUMBLE!
Her helmet was split apart as it broke in two and began to dissolve into particles of light, her hair that was tied up in a ponytail swinging wildly as tens of thousands of Fate Lines became visible on her body. A domineering aura erupted forth as a smile that could shatter the hearts of men appeared on her now bronze figure, the color of the sky gaining a hue of gold!
"Stop."
A resonant voice of a happy Grandmaster resonated out as a man with a grand celestial appearance of a guardian of fate looked down from the skies, the War Princess looking from below as her gaze longed for another battle!