The plan was simple, fill the sky with flames carrying his intent, using the flames to dull Kael's senses to the approach of his spear.
Hulio was sure the man would pick up on the danger before it hit him, but he also knew that, caught off guard, he would waste a ton of essence to hastily put up a viable defence.
Hulio expected damage to be done, but something that would make Kael rage was out of the question.
Quickly reaching into his back, Hulio pulled out another spear and, getting into a stance, he looked up, waiting for the retaliation he knew was coming.
A flash of blue from above put his senses on full alert, his muscles tightening.
Hulio kept his eyes peeled open, tracking Kael's descent, and when the man was some meters above the ground, he had his intent bloom, invisible spears firing from above him into the ground.
His intent shot up into the air, but before it could meet its target, the man moved.
Hulio blinked, and the next second, he found a hand on his shoulder, a fist driving for his gut.
Bam!!!
Hulio's body folded inward, his breath ripped out of him, the air behind his back blasted apart.
His body wanted to move, to succumb to the momentum that had been transferred to it, but the bloody hand on Hulio's shoulder kept him in place.
Bam!!
Bam!!
Hulio's vision swam, blood flying out of his lips, his spear dropped to the side, and thankfully, just before the third blow, his shoulder was released.
Like a bullet, Hulio shot away, and with a bloody arm and chest, Kael, standing still, followed his flight.
Half of his clothes had been destroyed, a large part of the skin on his left side damaged, looking ground away and burnt by fire, and on his back, one of his wings was shattered.
Fury poured through Kael, not just at Hulio but also at himself. He had gotten too confident.
Hulio's trick had been clever, but the damage he had suffered exceeded what it should have been.
With that blessing from Prince Asgarthi, it was an embarrassment for Hulio to draw even a drop of blood from him, but here he was, covered in blood.
The fury in him boiled to the top once more, and he shot forward.
Still speeding through the air, his vision spinning, Hulio's expression darkened when he saw Kael appear above him, a kick falling towards him.
"My arms feel so heavy."
Hulio's intent bloomed, compressing defensively over him, and then Kael's feet connected.
Without delay, Hulio dropped down from the air and slammed into the ground, a crater forming around him.
Kael dropped down beside him, but before he could make any move, a hail of invisible spears began firing at him.
With a blue light flashing over his bare hands, he slapped the attacks away, his face twisted in fury, but the hail was a storm, one Hulio committed all his will to producing.
Within the field of Hulio's intent, Kael was assaulted by a nonstop barrage of invisible spears, and as he took several steps back, he fended off the attack.
"Come on, get up."
Aware of the little window he had, ignoring the excruciating pain going through him, his insides feeling like they had been torn apart, Hulio screamed at himself to move, and when his fingers twitched, he slammed the ground and pushed himself to his feet.
A burning sensation hit Hulio in the gut as he stood, his vision blurring, but he quickly reached for his back, pulling out another spear.
At the same time, a blue light from afar shot towards Kael, his blade appearing in his hand, and then the storm in front of him blasted apart with a swing.
Gripping his spear, Hulio rapidly retreated, but there was a flash, and Kael stood in front of him, his sword falling.
Hulio's spear rose to the challenge but failed to make it in time.
Without hesitation, Hulio jumped backward, his form blurring in a hasty retreat, stumbling halfway through, nearly crashing to the ground.
Landing on one knee, a mouthful of blood erupted from between Hulio's lips, and he stared across at Kael, who held his blade in his right hand and a fleshy object in his left.
Hulio's gaze moved to his left, his eyes falling on the stump that now replaced his arm, blood spurting out of it.
"I surrender."
The words had barely left Hulio's mouth when Kael appeared by his side, sword swinging towards his neck.
A red light appeared just before Kael's sword could touch Hulio, and then from the light, the blade was repelled.
Kael stumbled back, his expression twisting in a frown, but before any further thought could cross his mind, there was a flash, and a mature blonde woman in a white coat wearing heels appeared beside Hulio.
In an instant, all the pressure from Kael on the arena and spectators vanished, and his essence, for a second, stalled within him.
Still in battle mode, his heart thundered within him, his reflex ready to flee at a moment's notice, but the woman didn't even spare him a glance.
Immediately falling to her knees, the woman placed her hands on his back, a green light spilling from where her palms made contact.
Kael gritted his teeth at this, but in the end turned and began walking away.
"Leave the arm," the woman suddenly said, looking up at Kael, her black eyes carrying a calm that contrasted the chaos around.
Kael stopped and turned to her, his instincts telling him to do as she said, but he fought against them and straightened his back.
"Make me." A grin spread on his face.
Both man and woman stared at each other for several seconds, then with a sigh, the blonde looked away, focusing back on the body beside her.
Kael's eyes moved to Hulio, whose gaze was lost staring ahead, and he turned and resumed walking.
Hulio registered the conversation that happened between the two but was in no condition to care.
His focus was instead on the chaos within his body, the foreign energy that had seeped in and was rampaging within him, bringing forth a darkness that sought to consume his sight.
"I lost."