Chapter 68: Sparring Match
The following morning, the couple woke to the soft golden light filtering through the curtains of their villa.
The birds were singing in the garden. The fountain bubbled gently. The world outside was peaceful and still.
But inside the master bedroom, there was a different energy.
Gabriel stretched, his muscles flexing beneath his golden skin. He turned to look at Lilith, who was already awake, her crimson eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"Ready?" she asked, a playful smile curving her lips.
"Yes, babe," he replied, eyes finally with anticipation, after yesterday surprise they were in for another one.
They had decided the night before—a sparring match. No holds barred. No holding back. Just the two of them, testing their limits, pushing each other to new heights.
They dressed quickly in simple, flexible clothing—Gabriel in a dark, form-fitting training suit, Lilith in a sleek black outfit that allowed for maximum movement. They grabbed their weapons—Gabriel summoned his golden spear, Lilith her bastard sword—and stepped out of the villa.
Naturally, they fight in the underground training place they created, the couple did not want to destroy their new home.
Instead, they traveled to a remote mountain range just outside Tokkarion, a place of jagged peaks and deep valleys, far from civilization. The air was crisp and thin, the sky a clear, endless blue to anyone to enjoy.
Gabriel found a suitable location—a wide, flat plateau surrounded by towering cliffs. The ground was solid rock, perfect for a battle. He raised his hand, and golden light emanated from his palm, spreading across the plateau.
Temporary runes carved themselves into the stone, creating a reinforced stage that would contain their power. Barriers of light rose around the edges, shimmering and translucent.
Lilith watched, her arms crossed, a smile on her face.
"Fancy," she said.
"Only the best for you," Gabriel replied.
He stepped onto the stage, his golden spear materializing in his hand. The weapon hummed with power, its surface covered in ancient runes that pulsed with light.
Lilith followed, her bastard sword appearing in a flash of purple lightning. The blade crackled with energy, its edge sharp enough to cut through reality itself.
They faced each other across the stage, the mountain wind whipping around them.
"Take good care of me today," Gabriel said, offering a formal greeting.
Lilith’s smile widened. "I always do."
Without a clear signal, they moved.
Clangs!
Fist met sword. Gold met purple.
BOOM!
The clash sent a shockwave rippling across the stage, the barriers straining against the impact.
Gabriel spun, his spear arcing toward Lilith’s midsection. She twisted, the blade grazing her waist, and retaliated with a sweeping kick aimed at his head.
He ducked, the wind of her kick ruffling his hair, and used the momentum to drive his shoulder into her chest.
She stumbled back, but recovered instantly, her sword flashing in a diagonal slash.
He parried, the clash of their weapons echoing across the mountains.
They exchanged blows—fast, precise,yet brutal. Gabriel’s spear was a blur of golden light, each thrust and slash aimed with deadly accuracy. Lilith’s sword was a storm of purple lightning, each swing carrying the weight of her demonic power.
They were testing each other. Feeling each other out. Learning each other’s rhythms.
After a few seconds of intense exchange, they created distance, their chests heaving slightly.
"All warmed up?" Gabriel asked.
Lilith rolled her shoulders, a predatory gleam in her eyes. "Are you?"
The warm-up was over.
Gabriel’s golden wings unfurled, their runes blazing with power. Lilith’s tattered dragon wings spread wide, her crimson robe materializing around her.
They charged.
Gabriel created a Blade of Light—a condensed spear of pure radiance—and hurled it at Lilith. She didn’t dodge. She raised her hand, and a spatial rift opened in front of her, swallowing the blade whole.
She closed the rift and sent the blade back at him.
He deflected it with a sweep of his spear, the energy dissipating harmlessly.
"Nice trick," he said.
"I have many," she replied.
She lunged, her sword covered in Hellfire—black flames that burned with the intensity of a dying star. Gabriel met her charge, his spear wreathed in temporal energy that slowed her movements, just slightly.
She noticed.
"You’re using time," she said, her voice carrying a note of annoyance.
"You’re using space," he replied.
They clashed again, their powers intertwining. Gabriel’s temporal manipulation slowed her attacks, giving him precious microseconds to react. Lilith’s spatial manipulation warped his movements, making him stumble, miss, overextend.
They were equals.
Fist against fist. Blade against blade. Light against darkness.
Gabriel created a temporal bubble around Lilith, slowing her to a crawl. But she shattered it with a spatial rift, the fragments of time scattering like broken glass.
She created a spatial cage around Gabriel, compressing space to crush him. But he froze the cage in time, stepping out of it before it could collapse.
They were pushing each other, testing each other’s limits.
But it wasn’t just elemental powers.
Both of them had knowledge from Earth—martial arts they had learned in their previous lives, techniques that had been honed over countless hours of practice.
Gabriel shifted his stance, his spear disappearing. He raised his hands, palms open.
Lilith recognized the stance. "Wing Chun?"
"You know my love for it," he replied with a grin.
She laughed and shifted her own stance—a low, wide position with her hands open.
"Jeet Kune Do?"
"Adaptation is the key," she said.
They moved.
Gabriel’s fists were a blur—fast, precise, economical. Each strike aimed at Lilith’s center, each movement flowing into the next. He didn’t waste energy. He didn’t overextend.
Lilith was equally fluid. She weaved between his attacks, her movements relaxed and responsive. She struck when he was off-balance, retreated when he pressed forward.
They traded blows—fist against palm, kick against block. The mountain echoed with the sound of their impacts.
Gabriel used the Flame of the Sun God, his fists wreathed in golden fire. Lilith used the Darkness element, her palms shrouded in black energy.
Their techniques clashed, fire meeting darkness, light meeting shadow.
Gabriel created distance, his hands glowing with golden energy.
He had an idea—a technique he had been working on, inspired by the anime and fantasy books he had consumed on Earth. He would create a sphere of concentrated light and time, a small sun that would trap Lilith in a temporal loop.
But she was faster.
She stomped her foot, and the ground beneath Gabriel erupted—spatial rifts opening in a cascade of purple energy. He leaped, but the rifts followed him, trying to swallow him whole.
He created a temporal bubble around himself, freezing the rifts in place. He leaped out of the bubble and hurled the sphere of light at Lilith.
She opened a spatial rift and redirected the sphere back at him.
He froze it in time and shattered it with a punch.
They were evenly matched.
Both of them were running low on mana. Their breathing was heavy, their bodies covered in sweat.
Gabriel looked at Lilith. She looked at him.
They nodded.
This was it.
Gabriel poured all his remaining power into his spear. The golden blade blazed with light, temporal energy crackling around its edges. He raised it high, ready to strike.
Lilith gathered all her remaining power into her sword. The purple lightning intensified, spatial energy warping the air around her. She raised her blade, ready to meet his charge.
They moved simultaneously.
A basic straight punch—no, a thrust. And a basic vertical slash.
Their techniques collided.
KRAKOOOM!
The impact was cataclysmic.
The barriers shattered. The plateau cracked, fissures spreading across the stone. The mountain itself trembled, rocks falling from the surrounding cliffs.
When the dust cleared, Gabriel and Lilith stood facing each other.
Gabriel’s spear was pressed against Lilith’s throat, the tip just barely touching her skin.
Lilith’s sword was pressed against Gabriel’s chest, the edge just barely touching his shirt.
They were both frozen, their eyes locked.
A draw.
They lowered their weapons simultaneously, their faces breaking into wide grins.
"Not bad," Gabriel said, his voice hoarse.
"Not bad at all," Lilith readily agreed.
They collapsed onto the cracked stone, their bodies exhausted, their breaths ragged.
The mountain wind cooled their sweat-soaked skin. The sky was still blue, the clouds still drifting lazily.
Lilith turned her head to look at Gabriel. "That was fun."
Gabriel turned his head to look at her. "It really was."
She reached out and took his hand. "I love you, Gabriel."
He squeezed her hand gently. "I love you too, Chelsea"
They lay there on the ruined plateau, their bodies aching, their hearts full.
The mountain was scarred. The stage was shattered. But the bond between them was stronger than ever.
They had pushed each other to their limits. They had tested each other’s power, each other’s will, each other’s love.
And they had come out even.
They stayed there for a long while, watching the clouds drift by, their hands intertwined.
Soon, they recovered and were eager for their new adventure, by now that man must have sent a message back. He couldn’t wait.
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