Nightmare Challenge: Mystical Towers and that stuff

"A wanderer isn't always lost."

Deniel's Doppelganger sighed, in a bit of irritation to the obliviousness of his own "self." "It's time to fight as True Nephalem." Deniel narrowed his eyes, still quite unaware to what exactly his Doppelganger was referring to. The Doppelganger did exactly what Deniel would probably do in that situation, and give himself a facepalm. Deniel claimed to be a True Nephalem, and knew so much about himself, but he couldn't remember one of the most powerful things he was capable of. "Allow me to elaborate." His Doppelganger stated at first, and then briefly pointed his blade at Deniel. Then he brought it back, and lifted it up towards the sky with one hand on the blade, and the other hand on the wrist that held the hilt. "Execute, now!" The glow that was already present on his blade intensified, and a stream of yellow-orange Chaos Energy flew fourth from his blade to the two spirits planted on his back, representative of a Diabolos with a blue color, and an Arianna of a red color. The two spirits on his back said no words, and fiercely gripped their heads as the Chaos Energy flowed into them and gave them power. Diabolos, from his arms all the way up to his head, became corrupted with black scales--though their color was not visible--tattered wings on his back, a demonic face with sharp fangs, an extra pair of arms, and horns atop his head, one of which was ripped in half.

The mother, Arianna, on the other hand, had her body tightly covered with plated armor, forming a helmet atop her head in the shape of a dragon, wings on her back similar to that of a dragon, and gauntlets that gave her the shape of a dragon's claws. Overall, her armor made her appear like a dragon, but underneath she was still an angel. Once the transformation had been completed, the Doppelganger Deniel pointed his blade right at the real one, to which he found his real self crossing his arms awaiting the transformation to end. "Come on! Let the real battle begin." Deniel was more concerned with another fact about the entire process, "They didn't speak," he said, his gaze looking up at the two silent spirits on his back, looking monstrous, but not frightening to him. "...What are you talking about?" His Doppelganger lowered his blade, and Deniel kept his gaze focused on the fake spirits of Arianna and Diabolos. "The spirits on your back...they didn't speak."

"What does that matter...?"

Deniel finally looked back down at his Doppelganger with a frown spread across his face. "It means you are not a True Nephalem." The spirit on Deniel's back, the real one of the red Diabolos the Black Devil, had spoken in place of his son. Deniel, in agreement, only nodded. "Wh-....what are you talking about!?" The Doppelganger demanded. "You do not know him, or his nature. Nor do you know us." His Doppelganger took a step backwards, seemingly afraid of the two spirits, "H-how!? How can you speak? You're supposed to be dead." This time, Deniel spoke in place of them. "They are! And they always will be. But Arianna and Diabolos--mom and dad--they live on inside of me. And that is what you lack!" Deniel pointed his index finger at the Doppelganger, with Arianna and Diabolos mimicking his action, serious looks on their faces:

"You may steal our son's abilities..."

"His looks..."

"His passion..."

"His power."

Deniel once more drew Nidhogg from the scabbard which had laid dormant at his side, and the spirits at his back once again mimicked his exact motions, pointing their blade at the Doppelganger just as he did. The Doppelganger appeared to be retreating in fear, and the spirits on his back, mimicking his actions, further showed this fear. "But you will never be a True Nephalem! You can be like me all you want, but you will never have them! And I will defeat you without using that Technique, without transforming them to the monsters they once were!"

Notes:

Magic Power: 55/80
Take Over Energy: 8
The Nephalem Duration: 6/15
Regeneration of 25: 3/5
Omnislash Duration: 8/8
Energize Cool Down: 4/5
Greater Energize Cool Down: 4/5
Discord Mimic Cool Down: 2/4

"A wanderer isn't always lost."

Now his Doppelganger seemed to be more insulted than surprised that there was one part of Deniel he was unable to copy. The evil spirit had managed to do everything from Deniel's core abilities, to the passive ones, to his personality, swordsmanship, and even the biggest secret he carried within him. Yet for some reason, there was suddenly the confidence of victory--without actually having an advantage--that he could beat him? Just because they could talk? "Don't be ridiculous." He began, regaining his confidence and posture to match Deniel's once more, "A Nephalem versus a True Nephalem? Please...you will never win!" Deniel began his combat stance with his blade pointed right at the Doppelganger, and the creature matched its posture with the same manner. "That is exactly why I'll win. I...am the True Nephalem." This seemed to insult the Doppelganger beyond all belief in spite of him not actually being a Nephalem, but rather a copy of one. And he came straight for Deniel with a Nephalem Dash, and their blades meeting against each other. Deniel was now preparing for the complete and utter worse because he knew he was now at a disadvantage, but at the same time, he was ready for it to come.

Devil's Wrath. The blade used by the Doppelganger had the power of the Devil's Wrath behind it, as a result from the transformation into a "True" Nephalem. As a result, the blade wrought by it was much more powerful than Deniel's defense, and for the first time in the entire fight, one overpowered the other. Deniel had expected this to come, however, so he immediately used his Nephalem dash to go right backwards, only to have his Doppelganger use a Nephalem Blink to go right behind Deniel and give a cut straight for him. Deniel used a blink of his own, and appeared right above the Doppelganger. He activated yet another spell, Levitation, and threw his sword right at the Doppelganger. The clone parried the blade, but had to keep doing so as Deniel was now capable of attacking from afar. Both the blade and the scabbard was attacking the Doppelganger, much to his annoyance. Now he had more of a cocky advantage than anything, and knew that if he could just land one singular hit, then the fight would turn over in his favor more than anything, and victory would be within his grasp. So he decided to go for a reckless move.

Jumping straight for Deniel and leaving the both of them open, their blades met each other; not the blades themselves, but the bodies. Deniel cut straight for his Doppelganger, and the Doppelganger had managed to hit Deniel as well. For the first time in the fight, blood gushed out of the two wounds created, after having so much built up to it, the two of them had finally taken a hit for each other. However, the Doppelganger's confidence had a motive behind it. "Heh...DIVIDE!"

Notes:
Deniel's Health: 525/700
Doppelganger's Health: 565/700
Doppelganger's Chaos Stacks: 2/10
Magic Power: 55/80
Take Over Energy: 9
The Nephalem Duration: 7/15
Regeneration of 25: 4/5
Omnislash Cool Down: 1/10
Energize Cool Down: 5/5
Greater Energize Cool Down: 5/5
Discord Mimic Cool Down: 3/4
Nephalem Dash Cool Down: 1/1
Nephalem Blink Cool Down 1: 1/3
Levitate Duration: 1/5

"A wanderer isn't always lost."

Following the shout of "Divide," the actual effect had finally kicked in. Power was sapped right out of Deniel at a random important aspect, and the chosen one of the six this time was his reflexes and senses. It was probably the most obvious among them that was divided. Luckily, due to his power, the division of his statuses was not as harsh, but it still gave an enormous advantage to his opponent. Because now, Deniel wasn't his equivalent anymore, he was beneath him. And he would take advantage of every opportunity presented to him with it. The Doppelganger unleashed a sinister laugh, one that was not in the voice of Deniel; no matter what he did to his vocal chords, there would be no way Deniel could imitate that sound. It gave another indication that this Doppelganger was just another being capable of copying and mimicking any of its desired wishes on to an opponent. But due to the fact that Arianna and Diabolos did not speak, he was unable to change any part of the transformation...maybe he would after the fight finished? Or He simply chose not to. Either way, the battle was about to pick up some serious momentum. "And from this point on," the Doppelganger began, the two of them releasing their blades from the wounds they created, with more blood gushing from the wounds as they did so, "I take a victory."

The Doppelganger, on the tip of his finger, created a wisp of yellow-orange Chaos Energy that spiraled around his body, healing him thoroughly, and closed the wound Deniel had created. Deniel did the same, but the wound on his chest area did not close at all. Instead, he set himself up for something else by healing his Take Over Durability: victory. Once again their blades came together to clash right at each other once more, the Doppelganger much more swift and furious than he was before. No spells were used quite yet after the small exchange, and that's because Deniel's 'evil' self found no need to. With the division of Deniel's senses, one of the most primary things that kept the Doppelganger from hitting him, then it was only a matter of time until he had done so. Deniel, on the other hand, knew that if he ran away for even a moment, it would be more disastrous than it was ever going to be. Right now he needed to draw out the fight for just a little bit longer, so that his last push against the Doppelganger would be a certain victory. Certain spells were needed, and a perfect amount of Magic Power as well. He kept his still defense up as best as he could, using only his sword to avoid any other kind of spell usage. For if he had used anything else, then defeat would be imminent. That, or his victory would not be so guaranteed. By refusing to use the True Nephalem Take Over, he only had one shot at what he was planning.

Notes:

Deniel's Health: 525/700
Take Over Durability: 505/560
Doppelganger's Health: 655/700
Doppelganger's Take Over Durability: 355/560
Doppelganger's Chaos Stacks: 2/10
Chaos Stacks Duration: 2/5
Magic Power: 45/80
Take Over Energy: 9
The Nephalem Duration: 8/15
Regeneration of 25: 5/5
Omnislash Cool Down: 2/10
Discord Mimic Cool Down: 4/4
Nephalem Blink Cool Down 1: 2/3
Levitate Duration: 2/5

"A wanderer isn't always lost."

With his senses diminished lower than his Doppelganger's, it was seemingly only a matter of time until Deniel got hit. Yet in spite of that, his defense still seemed relatively solid, and that was because Deniel was relying on his quick reflexes and knowledge of himself to defend; not what he saw, but what he predicted. He knew himself well, and his Doppelganger followed his way of the sword, so he was able to make quick decisions and react accordingly. Even the Doppelganger became frustrated with this method of fighting, and failed to comprehend how come he couldn't land a hit on Deniel. The Nephalem moved backwards in his defensive position, regaining a bit of his strengths with a few heavy breaths. "Hahahah! Look at him! My son his fighting just like me!" Diabolos on his back seemed proud, particularly because he knew that Deniel was using the knowledge of himself to his advantage, something he knew Diabolos took full advantage of in their encounter when he was able to mimic the exact same cuts and movements the moment Deniel had done them. "Ehhh...what are you talking about? It's what he's always done!" The two parents on his back disagreed like they usually did, with Deniel attempting to ignore them once the battle with his Doppelganger resumed.

"Of course it is, but he's doing it better! Smarter... he's getting more like me." The Doppelganger and Deniel clashed blades, with Deniel looking back up at his father for only a brief moment, "Dad, the last person I wanna' be like is you..." Taking advantage of Deniel's distraction by his parents, the Doppelganger manipulated his blade away, and went for a clean cut across Deniel's chest region. Unable to react in time, or essentially do anything, the cut penetrated right into Deniel's skin and crossed with the initial one made, more blood coming out of his body. "Don't get so distra--" Before the Doppelganger finished, Deniel managed to give a jab of his blade right at his chest region, a little bit off to the center of it where his heart would be located. The Doppelganger was about to say 'distracted,' until that's exactly what he had become: distracted so that someone with a little of bit a disadvantage like Deniel could hit him. "Don't get so cocky..." Deniel warned against him, digging his blade out and ducking under the hit that came after him. He could have very easily blinked away, but used his Nephalem Dash technique instead. Now the two of them were still even in the number of cuts, but it was obvious that the Doppelganger still had the advantage in his health. The fight ventured on. "Who are you to tell me what to do!?" The Doppelganger demanded from Deniel as their blades met. Each and every movement they made had blood dripping out of their wounds, but their faces still hard and focused on the battle, seemingly ignoring the pain. Deniel was obviously in more pain, as the first wound from the Doppelganger was closed while Deniel still had two open ones, but he still seemed to be fighting with just as much as ferocity. "The real me. That's who."

Notes:

Deniel's Health: 285/700
Take Over Durability: 225/560
Doppelganger's Health: 475/700
Doppelganger's Take Over Durability: 175/560
Doppelganger's Chaos Stacks: 4/10
Chaos Stacks Duration: 1/5
Magic Power: 70/80
Take Over Energy: 10
The Nephalem Duration: 9/15
Regeneration of 15: 1/5
Omnislash Cool Down: 3/10
Energize Cool Down: 1/5
Greater Energize Cool Down: 1/5
Nephalem Blink Cool Down 1: 3/3
Levitate Duration: 3/5

"A wanderer isn't always lost."

In spite of the lack of words they expressed out loud, the minds of the family were all connected together along with the sword. So even though they didn't say much in their voices, the minds were connected and always racing in combat. For example, Deniel had already told his parents the plan for him to win, and they supported it completely. Dad, what do you estimate my current level of Magic Power to be at? Deniel inquired within his mind as he blocked another slash from his Doppelganger. Almost ninety percent I'd say. You're getting there. Deniel on the outside frowned, a little bit unhappy by the answer. He wanted a hundred percent. All of his Magic Power to be back so this finishing would be guaranteed and not a risk. If he wanted to end someone with his own powers, he would need as much of a victory as he could. He only had one shot. Don't forget, Deniel, you can always take some. Feast off of him with a weak spell. Deniel jumped back away, only to have his Doppelganger meet him within the air and their swords to collide once more. A series of slashes came from the Doppelganger with Deniel unable to counter attack or retaliate. His mind and his body, his Magic and his physicality, it was all going on so much that he could barely keep up. It was a miracle he hadn't made any mistakes yet.

Yeah, but how do I know he'll take the hit? He's just like me.

No Deniel, you saw it. He's nothing like you. He only thinks he is. Or whatever... IT is.

Take the shot and let him hit you. Land it, and victory is guaranteed to be yours.

Yes, but if I don't...

You will!

Both of his parents spoke at the same time inside of his mind, encouraging him to follow through with his plan and believe within himself. He never liked the two, ever. And had a hard time trusting them in spite of the fact that they were under his control. But right here, right now...the moral support and approval of his parents gave him the confidence he needed to follow through with what was next. Him and his Doppelganger landed on to the ground. The collided swords just a few more times before Deniel went forward and executed his plan. Activating one of his passive abilities, Feast, Deniel kicked the Doppelganger away in the midst of one of their sword clashes, and pointed out his left arm with his middle and index finger armed. He fired a single shot right at his Doppelganger, leaving himself wide open to the attack. The Doppelganger, drunk on his own power and confidence for victory, took Deniel's bait and went straight for the attack. The bullet hit him, but did not do nearly as much damage as the attack he gave Deniel. He stabbed Deniel right into his chest, where his heart was supposed to be, and would have killed anyone else. His Doppelganger, however, knew a secret Elyx and Ignite probably wouldn't, and that is Deniel would never take fatal damage from a stab into his chest. He, quite literally, lacked a heart. Though the damage was not fatal, it was damage nonetheless. And after the stab came a bunch, clear into Deniel's got, sending him flying off the white blade which became covered in his own blood, and right on the ground a few meters away. The Doppelganger swung the blade, knowing his opponent was not yet finished, but confident he was going to be.

Deniel placed his palms on to the ground in a struggle to get him, showing he was alive, and his Doppelganger slowly approached him with a chuckle. "It's over for you... should have taken my advice."

Notes:

Deniel's Health: 70/700 CRITICAL
Take Over Durability: 10/560 CRITICAL
Doppelganger's Health: 469/700
Doppelganger's Take Over Durability: 169/560
Doppelganger's Chaos Stacks: 4/10
Chaos Stacks Duration: 2/5
Magic Power: 80/80
Take Over Energy: 19
The Nephalem Duration: 10/15
Regeneration of 15: 2/5
Omnislash Cool Down: 4/10
Energize Cool Down: 2/5
Greater Energize Cool Down: 2/5
Levitate Duration: 4/5

"A wanderer isn't always lost."

Expecting resistance from the two bystanders, the Doppelganger stared in their direction. No movement from either of them. A smirk spread across his face as he looked down at Deniel below him. His sword was no longer in his hands, and now he simply struggled to stand up. It would be very easy for him to kick Deniel while he was down...but to him he had won. So he decided to savor the victory and watch him suffer while mocking him. "You put up a good fight, Nephalem...but as all Mages go, the one thing you can never stand up to is yourself." For a moment the Doppelganger glanced at the two spirits on his back, seeing them in their monstrous appearances, and then the human-like ones on Deniel's. "Though it seems you got a little cocky...refused to use your full potential. Pitiful. Undefeated until now, I take it...? Well, this will be your first and only. Prepare." Deniel was now fully on his feet, with a pool of blood developing beneath him with each and every drop. His head was held low, though for once his parents did not mimic him. They kept looking up, right at the Doppelganger, each of them had their arms crossed over their chests. Diabolos closed his eyes and shrugged as Deniel slowly lifted his head. "It's all over now." Diabolos commented first. Arianna followed up with a bit of a childish laugh, and held up a peace sign to the Doppelganger. "Nice knowin' ya'!"

The Doppelganger frowned at the two of them, and then looked at Deniel for a moment. The Nephalem finally lifted up his head entirely, and his eyes were closed. From his mouth came a breath, one that seemed to be within frozen air, as the exhaled gas could be seen coming right from his lips. "You dare.... mock me--!" As he was about to say "mock me" he raised his blade to finish off Deniel once and for all. Though as he brought his blade down, Deniel moved faster than he could even keep up with. In less than an instant, less than what time could record it seemed, Deniel's sword was in his hand from the ground, with his arm clasped around the wrist of his Doppelganger. Now he moved at a speed in which the Doppelganger could see, but not stop, and Elyx and Ignite could see. The blade swiftly let itself sever the entire arm--from his shoulder--of the Doppelganger and drop it to the ground. Jumping back with a screech of pain as his left arm grasped the open, gushing wound, the features of Deniel had begun to transform. Another cold breath escaped from his lips as both of his eyes began to glow into a purple color. From his wings, the same kind of dark color became an aura surrounding and emitting off of them. He seemed a little bit weak from the wounds on his body, but was nonetheless still in the fight. He did not utter a word, as he wanted all of his focus to be on the death of the Doppelganger, but instead let his parents do the talking for him.

"Witness the power..."

"Of Nephalem Genesis"!

Notes:

Deniel's Health: 70/700 CRITICAL
Take Over Durability: 10/560 CRITICAL
Doppelganger's Health: 250/700
Doppelganger's Take Over Durability: 0/560 BROKEN
Doppelganger's Chaos Stacks: 5/10
Chaos Stacks Duration: 1/5
Magic Power: 80/80
Take Over Energy: 20
The Nephalem Duration: 11/15
Regeneration of 15: 3/5
Omnislash Cool Down: 5/10
Energize Cool Down: 3/5
Greater Energize Cool Down: 3/5
Levitate Duration: 5/5

"A wanderer isn't always lost."

"MY ARM! YOU CUT OFF MY ARM!" The fact that Deniel was still capable of performing such a task in his position was still baffling to the Doppelganger, but it wasn't over yet. Now he was disarmed, and only had one limb for primary fighting. This put Deniel had an even larger advantage than he was ever at, but this was no where near the end of it for him. Another exhale of chilly air came from Deniel as he pointed his blade, covered in blood, at his Doppelganger. He said no words. "Allow me to translate..." Said Diabolos initially, his action mimicking Deniel's. "This is the end." And it was.

Finisher one:

Deniel had a series of finishers in mind, one that would bring about the ultimate punishment to the one standing in front of him. He might be dead long before he finished, but at least he would have the satisfaction. Standing in a much more elegant style than he did before, straightening his posture and holding his sword in a vertical style. Deniel dashed straight for the Doppelgangler, cutting with his sword once. The blow went straight through the flesh of his Doppelganger, but that was not the end of it. Instantly Deniel refreshed the spell he used, Nephalem Dash, and went the other way with another cut. Then he went up, and down, and right, and left, and left one more time. Until at last he held on to his sword with both hands, and gave one last cut square across the Doppelganger's body using both of his hands. "Overdrive!"

Finisher two:

Deniel launched his Doppelganger airborne with a single swift bunch of his fist, and followed him right up into the sky. He kicked him once, sending him flying in one direction, and before he even got that far, Deniel was fast enough to beat him there and kick him in the other direction. Then he went above him this next time, and smashed down on to him with both feet, driving his sword into him at the same time. Going back up to the air, Deniel conjured two orbs of Chaos Energy into his palms. They were a much darker purple, just like his eyes and wings. He threw the two orbs right at his Doppelganger, each one detonating in a powerful and devastating explosion that shook the structure of the entire room. Following that, Deniel already had a much bigger one in his palms, a Nephalem Meteor. This time he held on to it with both hands, high above his head, and it was quite significantly larger than he was. He threw that one down, and it had relatively the same effect as the first two, but to a much larger degree with its explosion. Once the Chaos had cleared, his Doppelganger was standing with his corpse crisp, his eyes completely white, and all of the blood annihilated out of them. Though in spite of his demise, Deniel was not yet finished. "Eat it!"

Finisher three:

"By my sword!" Deniel finally spoke while in this form his parents referred to as "Genesis," and engaged the final move. The Doppelganger was dead, but he wanted to see the body be completely eradicated before his eyes. He threw the blade Nidhogg at the Doppelganger, immediately returning it back to himself, and then took in a deep breath. Exhaling it with a shout of his own, similar to a slayer's Roar, the beam traveled for only a few moments before Deniel cut it short. Now his fist charged up with Chaos Energy, and he gave three punches right at the air, each one conjuring three small--but extremely fast--shots of Chaos Energy. "Know this pain!" In spite of him saying that, the Doppelganger was already dead, and there was no use. Still, it gave him satisfaction just to declare it. Around Deniel came the conjuration of ten spiritual dark purple swords, looking exactly like Nidhogg, except for the fact that they were floating and looked like ghostly blades. All ten of them launched right to the Doppelganger, impaling one at a time. At the same time, Deniel turned himself around, and charged up a spell in the palms of his hands. It only took a second or two, and once he did, he blinked right up above the Doppelganger, and fired it down. "Cease to exist!" The beam he launched down from his palm was narrow, and quite small, but the impact it made created by far the most powerful explosion Elyx and Ignite had witnessed yet. So large that it was just inches away from them, and the light of the room was in a dark purple color.

It lasted for only a few seconds, though once it was all over, there was absolutely no remains of the Doppelganger. Nothing at all. All that was left standing was a bleeding Deniel, his katana sheathing inside of his scabbard.

Notes:

Deniel's Health: 135/700
Take Over Durability: 10/560 CRITICAL
Doppelganger's Health: 0/700
Doppelganger's Chaos Stacks: 10/10
Chaos Stacks Duration: 1/5
Magic Power: 65/80
Take Over Energy: 0
The Nephalem Duration: 12/15
Regeneration of 15: 4/5
Omnislash Cool Down: 6/10
Energize Cool Down: 4/5
Greater Energize Cool Down: 4/5
Levitate Duration: 1/6

"A wanderer isn't always lost."

The first thing the bleeding Nephalem would do is drop his sword right to the ground, unable to retain the strength to hold it in his palm anymore, and go straight to his knees. A series of cacophonies came from his mouth as small bits of blood came out with the harsh sounds and coughs of breath. He clenched on to the wound near his chest, where the two cuts crossed with each other. Ignoring pain for such a large amount of time did take a hefty toll on his body, and he could feel his gaze becoming hazy. The mode of Genesis was still activated, but he was in no condition to venture on fighting even if he needed to, or if his life depended on it. Following a brief period in which he wasn't able to cough, the breaths he took were quite hefty, and sounded as if he was in deep pain. The entire fight itself took a toll out of him, one that he certainly wouldn't forget anytime soon. Perhaps he might even gain a few scars from this experience. With lazy and droopy eyes looking up, he saw his two job 'partners' approaching him, and though he couldn't clearly make out what they were saying, he was able to tell that they wanted to help him. And in spite of his pride speaking that he should ignore it or turn it down, he wasn't really in any condition to protest.

The blood wasn't entirely stopped from his own self-healing done by the attacks, but the edges of the wounds had already started to close. A grunt escaped him as he stared up at Elyx with a rather serious and furious look in his eyes, partially because he had to rely on the help of someone else, another part was that it made him look weak by barely being able to defeat himself, and finally because the whole thing hurt. Obviously. Though in spite of that, the wound on the very center of his chest closing up did help a lot in spite of the fact that there was no fatal damage. "Sheeeesh...you should take care of yourself better, Deniel. Baaaka!" The spirits of Arianna and Diabolos had temporarily disappeared from Deniel's back, though there were blue and red glows on their respective sides, but now the two of them had finally come out, their eyes on their wounded son. Diabolos seemed to disagree, having his arms crossed, "Hah. You don't need to baby him, Arianna. If he were a real man, he'd be able to take twice that much and keep going! he could face a thousand of himself." While the two on his shoulders were bickering like quite literally an old married couple--though their youth didn't wane with their immortality--Deniel managed to garner the strength to create a small wisp of Chaos Energy, just like his Doppelganger had done earlier. Using the spell on himself, it went from the top of his head all the way down to his heels, spiraling down as it went. The wounds on his chest almost intantly closed up as it passed by, healing him heavily in the process. "A real man could take on a thousand of him...? Baaaka. Last I recall you died to one." Diabolos seemed quite shocked and insulted by Arianna at the same time. "Hey! He used a cheap trick! If it weren't for tha--"

Deniel gave a wave of his hand to dismiss the arguing of both of them, and sounded stern in his voice as he finally stood up on his feet again: "Enough! Both of you! It's dead. That's all that matters." He wearily bent down and picked up his sheathed katana blade off of the ground, trudging a little bit to the nearest wall. Along the way he looked at Elyx for a moment, knowing that there wasn't really any way to get out of it: "Thanks for the help..." He went right over to the wall, and upon arrival he slumped himself right down against it, relaxing his body and his muscles after the exhaustion he went through.
"Baka..."
"Cry-baby..."

Notes:

Deniel's Health: 225/700
Take Over Durability: 10/560 CRITICAL
Magic Power: 55/80
Take Over Energy: 0
The Nephalem Duration: 13/15
Regeneration of 15: 5/5
Omnislash Cool Down: 7/10
Recreation Cool Down: 1/6
Energize Cool Down: 5/5
Greater Energize Cool Down: 5/5
Levitate Duration: 2/6

"A wanderer isn't always lost."

"Whatever...." Those were the only words that came out of Deniel's mouth in response to both Arianna and Diabolos. After that, he took a moment to rest his eyes and calm his body down, getting it out of the mindset that it was still locked in combat and that it was fighting for its very existence. Coughing one last time, Deniel opened his eyes and proceeded to use a small series of spells that he needed in order to get his health back up a little bit more. Using two spells he always did in pairs, Energize and Greater Energize, Deniel gave himself a small quantity of a very specific energy, Take Over Energy, that allowed him to refresh the Cool Downs of his spells if he garnered enough. Luckily for him, those two spells gave him just enough. Using the energy to instantly refresh the Cool Down of one of his spells, Deniel once again proceeded to gather a small amount of Chaos Energy onto his palm. Raising it to his head and letting it go, the wisp of Chaos spiraled down his body and further healed the wounds on him. By this time they were completely sealed, but some of the internal damage remained. Regardless, he was in a lot better condition than he was by the end of the fight. He estimated himself to be a little bit less than half...which for him was not bad. It was enough to defeat more than a dozen armies.

Slowly standing up to his feet once more, "I'm ready to go whenever..." Deniel had only taken a few steps before he was interrupted by the spirit on his back of his father, "Hold it, Deniel..." Stopping in his tracks, the young Nephalem sighed, and turned his head to his father. "What is it, dad...?" Instead of Diabolos answering, Arianna did, which showed that the two of them were thinking relatively the same thing. She crossed her arms over her chest, and her voice was much softer than it was during the fight. "Diabolos and I can feel it...the connection between the three of us is waning. This form's time will end very soon." Diabolos finished off Arianna's trail of thoughts, "That, and just one more hit on you will break it all. I suggest you deactivate this early, and find out what's best for the next fight." In spite of the fact that Deniel showed a bit of disgust or distaste for his parents, he seemed a little bit reluctant to obeying their command, and let them go for until he needed this form again. His sigh sounded quite mournful, and he did what his parents asked him to do. "Okay... it was nice fighting with you guys again." Deniel closed his eyes for a brief moment, and the spirits on his back along with his wings seemed to disappear right inside of his body, completely out of sight. And when he opened his eyes, both of them were back to their regular red color. In almost an instant, he was back to normal. "Alright. Now we can go."

Notes:

Deniel's Health: 315/700
Magic Power: 60/80
Take Over Energy: 0
Regeneration of 25: 2/5
Omnislash Cool Down: 8/10
Recreation Cool Down: 1/6
Energize Cool Down: 1/5
Greater Energize Cool Down: 1/5
Levitate Cool Down: 3/6
The Nephalem Cool Down: 1/20

"A wanderer isn't always lost."

"....." Deniel was silent for the majority of a minute or so. He didn't entirely know how he should carry on the next phase of everything...he certainly wouldn't let anyone get away with just talking to him like that, but at the same time, would it be too childish to get insulted that easily? Especially considering his position and the reputation he had to hold up and maintain. There was a lot of pressure to every last word he said. "Yeah..." he began, his eyes narrowing as he started to sound a bit more cold and annoyed than before. He wasn't going to let him get away with talking to him like that, that was for sure, "Though we also agreed, on your end, to concern ourselves with our own health. So you waiting for me like that instead of going ahead either means you're more concerned for me than you should be...or you're too scared to venture in on your own." He began to walk to the other side of the room, where the staircase lead to the second floor of the Mystic Tower. His footsteps were heavy, and echoed in the room... he noticed that for some reason the room appeared much less vast than before.

"I can take care of myself...I took those hits intentionally. And now I'm coming...so you have someone to hide behind." Realizing that for some reason his katana was not in his hand, he held up and opened his left palm, and in just a few short moments the sheathed blade, from wherever it was in the room, flew straight into his grip firmly. Sure you weren't too harsh...? Nidhogg, his blade, asked him in the mind-to-mind communication they had together. Neither of them spoke out loud. He asked for it. Was all Deniel told to his sword. And the conversation ended there. There wasn't anything else for either side to say; nothing for the blade to say in protest, because he did not care enough to do so. And nothing for Deniel to further establish; he had already made his point clear.

The next floor of the Mystic Tower was most likely the last. Upon entering, Deniel could feel an immense amount of Magic Power coming from something... it wasn't a Doppelganger like last time, no. It belonged to a Mage...somewhere in there. Now the entire mindset and guard of Deniel changed. He held his sword's scabbard with his left hand, and on to the hilt with the right hand. He took very slow, cautious steps, only stepping in slowly. And each step he pivoted around his body slightly so that he may be aware of his surroundings, and search for any signs that would tip him off to the presence in the room. The trick about it was the Magic Power was all around him, and not in a certain location. Therefore it made it hard for Deniel to be able to pinpoint the location, else he wouldn't have taken such caution. Keep your guard up. Your awareness up. And don't, for a single moment...freeze.

Notes:

Deniel's Health: 315/700
Magic Power: 60/80
Take Over Energy: 0
Regeneration of 25: 2/5
Omnislash Cool Down: 8/10
Recreation Cool Down: 2/6
Energize Cool Down: 2/5
Greater Energize Cool Down: 2/5
Levitate Cool Down: 4/6
The Nephalem Cool Down: 2/20

"A wanderer isn't always lost."

I don't think it's going to be that easy... Deniel remarked, though it was just to himself within his mind. A mere sweeping of the floor with bright colors probably wouldn't be enough to snoop out this foe that was hiding somewhere in here. It probably wasn't within the shadows, no... that was far too easy. Perhaps by some kind of Magical barrier, or cloaking device. Though at the same time, it would have to mask the Magic Power's source in some way. Whatever it was, it was a complex mechanism that certainly had more than one layer to it. Something that sight couldn't penetrate. The red eyes of Deniel moved from a frown to a complete scowl, which told him that something about this was not right. They were obviously walking into a trap, but the moment it could activate was a complete mystery to him, to the point where all he could do was wait for the trap to spring. There were no other options present to him. So he kept moving, one foot in front of the other, the sword from his scabbard still not drawn. He turned his gaze away from the fire and into another part of the room, and that's when the trap set for both Elyx and Deniel had been sprung.

The flame in the surrounding room suddenly ceased to exist, as if some sort of external Magic Power had destroyed its entire presence. And then, covering every inch of the room was an enormous white Magic Circle, illuminating the entire place up with a voice calling out, "Crash Geyser!"

"Hold on!"

Pointing his middle and index finger of his right hand at Elyx while simultaneously jumping straight for Ignite, Deniel tackled the She-Phoenix to the ground out of necessity than of his will. As the Magic Circle underneath them detonated into a bright white light filling up the entirety of the room, both Elyx and Ignite would be shielded in a dark red shield covering up their bodies. The only reason why Ignite had one was because the one Deniel had given himself was shared with her due to their close proximity. The white light remained for several seconds, the shield holding up until the bitter end. As the light faded, the shield had begun to crack, and both spells were erased at the same time. Deniel quickly pushed himself off of Ignite, and though the shields were gone, there was still something around the God of Ishval. A glow made up of the same red colors, though this one was much darker. So much so that the entire body underneath was shadowed by the light, and there was only blackness underneath. The God of Ishval quickly threw the sheathed katana blade into his right hand, catching it by the hilt, and it too became completely shadowed by the red glow. "Umbra Diaboli."

Deniel spoke in an accent, and in a tongue that would be very dissimilar to anyone who walked within Fiore. Long forgotten...never used around. And the sword within his palm had spoke too, "Hermagedon" As the energy surrounding the both of them dissipated, underneath each of them--sword and master--were changed. The blade itself became a large broadsword with a single sharp edge, curved and quite large in its size, with a central piece 'decorated' in demonic flesh and eyes. The wielder had become coated in black scales throughout this body, claws replacing nails, and fangs replacing teeth. And red replacing eyes.

At the far corner of the room, their opponent unveiled themselves, though at the same time he was hidden. All he wore was a black cloak covering him from head to toe, and a typical pointed wizard hat of a yellow color. "Impressive. You survived the first strike."

Notes:

Deniel's Health: 315/700
Magic Power: 30/80
Take Over Energy: 0
Regeneration of 25: 3/5
The Black Devil Duration: 1/20
Omnislash Cool Down: 9/10
Recreation Cool Down: 3/6
Energize Cool Down: 3/5
Greater Energize Cool Down: 3/5
Levitate Cool Down: 5/6
The Nephalem Cool Down: 3/20

"A wanderer isn't always lost."

"Not at all. Warriors survive, the best of them. In the end, they fall...and so shall you." His tone was blunt and quite monotonous, perhaps to match the mysterious appearance of him. In terms for a mage, Deniel though it was probably what came to mind in a person's typical imagination of a mage. The Black Devil, feeling just a little bit insulted, gave a light growl at the low point of his breath. The voice of Deniel was completely different, and he was shown to have more bestial qualities such as roaring and growling as he had done now. And when he spoke, his voice and way of presenting himself would be much deeper and a little bit more harsh, a voice that sounded very human, yet could turn savage at any moment. "You haven't the slightest clue what you're up against." With Ignite's attack coming for him, the Mage stood still and held up his palm, the strike going right against him, but disassembling itself before complete ceasing to exist. "Enlighten me." The Black Devil was already in the process as Ignite's attack proved to have no effect. And as the spell had finished conjuring after a few brief moments, the Black Devil took one step forward before letting loose his own creation of a 'roar' used by Slayers, his "Shout of the Devil". A beam of dark red Unholy Energy coming right from his mouth located from a created nucleus, it traveled straight for the unknown Mage with great speeds, reaching him in quite literally less than a second.

Rather than one hand, the Shout of the Devil required the effort of two hands for the Mage to block and erase from before. Though the ending was still the same with the Shout of the Devil being no more. Yet Deniel knew that it would have no effect, and merely used it as a means of distraction to close the gap between them. Already he was in front of the Mage, and swung the mighty blade Armageddon with only a single hand. The resulting shockwave was enough to give the room a light shake, and only could only imagine what greater strength and two hands could accomplish. Moving for the first time, the Mage took a step back away from the demon's attack, only to find himself being met by another strike immediately followed by a second. The first of them he dodged, but the second one he had to hold up his right hand, and from the imagination of his will, conjured a shield strong enough to withstand the force of Armageddon. The two of them were briefly deadlocked, to which the Black Devil asked: "Requip Magic!?" Even in his monotone voice, the Mage was still capable of laughing. And that's exactly what he did in response to the Black Devil, shoving his sword away. "Not even close!" Sensing danger and trouble, the Black Devil jerked its body away from the Mage's incoming hand, to which he had narrowly dodged a spell imbued within it, which revealed itself to be a powerful strike capable of destroying matter.

Giving a swift counter attack cut, the Black Devil only cut at the air with his opponent high above him in the air. He's strong...this won't be easy.

Notes:

Deniel's Health: 315/700
Magic Power: 30/80
Take Over Energy: 0
Regeneration of 25: 4/5
The Black Devil Duration: 2/20
Omnislash Cool Down: 10/10
Recreation Cool Down: 4/6
Energize Cool Down: 4/5
Greater Energize Cool Down: 4/5
Levitate Cool Down: 6/6
The Nephalem Cool Down: 4/20
Shout of the Devil Cool Down: 1/3