Nothing existed but the duel. John simply had to believe his allies would protect him if there was some form of interference. He had reasons to believe the Empire of Elements might be so underhanded… though they hadn't made any sort of official agreement to begin with.

From the very first exchange of blows, John felt something strange about Aldara. Aside from her very existence, of course. A full cycle of elements had been referenced only as a theoretical cultivation path- and a risky one. After all, to do so properly one had to place themselves in an unbalanced state by the Soul Expansion Phase.

She didn't fight like John's disciples. A number of them were core cycle cultivators- any on the path of the full cycle hadn't reached prominence yet. John was willing to support them, but he tried to steer people away from it. It had been a foolish choice, but by the time he understood cultivation well enough it was already too late for him. He was lucky that he seemed to have some level of talent… and of course sufficient support as he started out.

Every element John used in his attacks Aldara could counter with a dominant element… but she didn't always do so. Sometimes she matched him with the same elements. Every once in a while, she coated her spear in an allied element- air or fire, water or earth. And light and darkness with those same pairings. Her moves always made sense… but John was most surprised when she used a weak element.

His sword slashed with the power of air. Not just gusts of wind, but also trails of vacuum like the Breathless Plains techniques. Air was dominant over water, yet Aldara deflected his attacks with her spear and shield without seeming to be concerned over the issue. That told John she was extremely familiar with all combinations of elements… as any full cycle cultivator would have to be. They had to erase every weakness from their style, or they would never make it to the end of the path.

The Exalted Soul Phase was a dream even for single element cultivators with a straightforward style. Was there any point in attempting a full cycle if you never reached it? John imagined he would be stronger if he only cultivated a core cycle or allied cycle. Even now with a full portion of light inside him, he was slightly off balance.

Except, as they fought, John found his flow of energy improving. That wasn't unreasonable… in different circumstances. Cultivators would spar with others to learn. In a battle to death, a few insights might be gained in the moment- the rest would be meditated upon later by the victor.

Yet each time John's sword brushed past Aldara's hair or her spear came for his throat, he felt just a little bit stronger. One would have presumed that if his feelings were true he would be victorious in a short time, overcoming her skill. Yet Aldara continued to match him.

It didn't make sense. Surely she couldn't be growing at the same rate. But the only other option was that she was holding back from the beginning. Even though he knew instinctively that it was not true, the thought that she might be holding back infuriated him even more. Yet his anger didn't control him. Astrid's death was a perfect reason to kill Empress Aldara already, more than enough to drive him mad. And yet, his mind focused on the task at hand. Every emotion was pushed away, the battle becoming a pure test of cultivation.

Waves of lava crashed towards him from the right as part of the island came from his left. Aldara stood with her spear in the middle, light and darkness swirling around her. John never even considered withdrawing in the opposite direction, but instead moved to meet her directly.

Starting on his left, fire. It swirled clockwise around him until it became water after it passed by Aldara. With that, he suppressed earth and fire, but it continued. Air matched air- it had been propelling the rolling earth from inland- then earth crashed against water, which was all that remained of the Molten Sea incoming.

Light and darkness clashed, John's sword sliding off of Aldara's raised shield. He grabbed the hilt with his left hand as well, turning the thrust into a twist that caught the incoming spear, raising it above his head. Mutually destructive elements dispersed harmlessly as both cultivators flawlessly controlled the area around them.

Once before, John had been close enough to Aldara to sense her energy. Her presence had been obvious, but he wasn't surrounded by the right group to face her. But maybe he should have done so anyway. Astrid would be alive.

But such dark thoughts faded rapidly. John didn't really think about much of anything for long. Instead, he just fought. In turn, Empress Aldara did the same. Their eyes were locked on each other. Her expression was unreadable for the most part, but John sensed at least one thing. Frustration. Confusion. No doubt she expected to have won already. John was the same.

There was something more. Something John didn't want to acknowledge. Familiarity. So he didn't, instead redoubling his attempts to kill her. But any time he seized an advantage, her defensive measures would prove superior. Yet when Empress Aldara tried to kill him, John found it perfectly natural to resist her attacks. He understood the flow of the elements, they both fought with it. Neither was any better than the other. Perhaps this battle would last forever… or at least until they exhausted each other's spiritual energy. In that case, John might have the advantage of a slightly stronger body- unless she too had undergone advanced body tempering. Considering she was said to be one of the great prodigies of the Empire of Elements, going back many generations, John wouldn't be surprised anymore.

They could fight until they were out of spiritual energy and then anyone in the surroundings could kill either or both of them. Or at least, that is how it should have been- yet John wasn't feeling tired but rather invigorated. Perhaps it was a mistaken feeling… but Aldara appeared the same.

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As they continued to clash, the world disappeared from John's eyes for a moment. A technique? No, Aldara had hesitated at the same moment. She came back into focus similarly off balance.

John stepped in, swinging his sword. He slashed down, and she retreated half a step. His sword rebounded, but her shield was ready. Her spear stabbed towards his heart, but his free hand reached out to grab it behind the head.

It wasn't even clear what sort of spiritual energy they were using any more. Elements blurred together into indistinct masses. Light and darkness mixed with the core elements, creating a harmony that could have been immensely destructive… but under their control was also the perfect defense. Their energy mixed together, and John felt himself falling. But she came with him.

He was disoriented for a moment, arriving in a world without his body. Yet he couldn't fail to recognize somewhere so familiar. The sea of spiritual totems. But he wasn't alone. Aldara was there. If she had eyes, perhaps she would have been looking at him. Either way, their perceptions crossed.

John didn't know why they would have fallen into the sea of spiritual totems except… it was instinct. He felt it calling to him, his chosen totem. But he wasn't ready.

No, he hadn't been ready. Yet over the course of the battle, that had changed. He had more flashes of insight in that single battle than he'd had in the last decade of war. Most likely, it had been the same for Aldara.

They split apart, going in opposite directions… yet they were never further from each other. Instead, it was more like they stood across from each other as the sea of spiritual totems moved around them. John was blinded by the totem behind Aldara for a moment- until his eyes adjusted. Then he felt the weight of darkness as she covered the light. An all-encompassing shadow.

Darkness from light.

John turned, if such a thing had any meaning in a place without bodies and without true direction. He focused on his own chosen totem. So long had he thought about light totems, trying to pick out what was perfect. Growth… might still matter, even starting at the sixth rank. Mostly, it needed to be able to balance light and darkness.

John hadn't actually been planning to advance. Not for a long time yet. But his choice had been rather grandiose. The Exalted Soul Phase deserved it. The totem she chose wasn't just light casting shadow, even if that was its core. John might have hesitated more for his own choice if she wasn't already bonding with her totem.

He should leave the sea of spiritual totems behind. John looked at the black hole in front of him. It was just a representation. Perhaps only as strong as his own imagination and insights. But it drew him in. He couldn't leave if he wanted to. He would just die.

And he didn't want to. This was his chance. He reached towards the black hole- and the theoretical object paired with it. A white hole, where no matter could stay. John had no idea if it was an accurate appearance- to him, it appeared much like an orb of pure light, as if such a thing could exist.

He reached for it too. Regardless of what it was, the pairing was a single totem that John knew fit him. And he couldn't delay, or he would be struck down by an Exalted Soul Phase cultivator without even fighting back.

The power was… heavy. But it naturally sank into him just as easily as he sank into it. It was placed inside his dantian, infinitely far from everything else. A constant source of light and darkness, keeping them in balance. Spiritual energy nearly exploded out of him as he felt the changes it brought.

He returned to his body just in time to deflect a spear. Spiritual energy exploded from that point, blasting away the dirt of the shore and the lava of the sea. For a single moment, John was aware of the observers as they overlapped with his spiritual energy. They were withdrawing further from the duel.

John felt amazing. Yet at the same time, he wasn't able to relax. He still had to kill Aldara. His eyes locked onto her. She furrowed her brow.

"What is my name?" she asked.

"Aldara," John said. His sword slashed horizontally. She leapt over the wave of destruction. At this point, John wasn't sure he could even say what elements he used. He just used everything. He barely even thought about it and achieved a perfect harmony.

His sword strike cut down a watchtower on the corner of the island. Aldara flew high into the air, only to drop down like a meteor. Her spear blasted apart a section of the island as John withdrew. "That's not it."

"Empress Aldara if we're being formal. But you're not my empress," John commented.

The space between them was a whirling storm of spiritual energy. They picked up the material around them without doing so consciously. John had thought part of an island and a huge mass of the sea would be heavier, but it was light as a feather.

"Still not it," Aldara commented. "What is your name?"

Was she trying to be annoying now? This wasn't a time to talk, but to fight. He threw a dagger that cut through air, land, and sea. He couldn't actually see his target with everything in between them, but he could sense her presence. It was far too familiar. "You already know my name. John Miller. You killed my wife."

Aldara apparently wasn't planning to stop fighting either. She blocked the dagger with her shield, energy spraying everywhere. She raised lava beneath her, riding it forward. "Yes. Do you have another name?"

How did she know? No, it wasn't that strange. He hadn't hid it. But… "Fortkran Tenebach," John said.

His sword shattered her shield. But she caught it between her fingers. Meanwhile, her spear was clasped firmly in his hand as he looked her dead in the eye. He had never seen these eyes before today, but he recognized them nonetheless. "That's it too. What is my name?"

No wonder she felt familiar. John had no idea how to react, so he didn't. He just shut down, except for one final word. "Matayal."

She nodded slowly. "That sounds correct. I thought you seemed familiar. That is why I sent Roi to contact you. And why I tried to chase you down."

Her expression was no better than his- a mess of confusion. Perhaps less anger… but more sadness. That, at least, he could feel.

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