As his attack barreled towards her, Mars watched, intrigued eyes trained on the opponent he had deemed worthy of his interest and time, as the slayer roar slammed into the bizarre shield that had formed before her, as expected, destroying the puny attempt at defense in an instant. These mortals were truly weak creatures, but ... they had their uses. Still, as much as Mars had expected the fact that the girl would be hit by the roaring explosion of twilight, the Lord of War was surprised when she suddenly switched positions, not only not perishing from the attack, no, also continuing her assault on the Second Seal. The everpresent grin on his face broadened. Perhaps this girl was even more promising than he had initially thought? Mars could barely hold still with gleeful excitement. Maybe ... maybe, he thought, it was okay to stop playing around and start fighting? Would she be able to withstand that as well? After all, there was nothing more the Second Seal loved more than an entertaining duel ... and a worthy opponent.
Regardless, the girl began the relentless onslaught of attacks once more, another spinning spike of metal shooting at him at blinding speed. A speed that was slower than himself. In an instant, the skin on the Lord of War's right hand and arm gained a silver colour as it changed into what appeared like metallic scales, Mars raising the extremity to deflect the attack lazily. Sparks were scattered about as the metal hit metal and the projectile shot off into the distance ineffectually, it's trajectory changed by the Second Seal's defense, the skin on his arm returning to normal. It didn't seem to end there, however. The girl seemed keen on retaliating in kind, inhaling deeply in a similar way to the Seal just moments earlier before unleashing a powerful, spinning whirlwind towards him at extreme speed. Mars, however, stood still, raising his hand once again, his open palm facing the rose-haired slayer. Before himself, with a quiet hum, a disk of kinetic force built up in an instant, acting as a shield that would deflect the attack. Countless undoubtedly sharp and jagged metal fragments and shrapnel washed over his defense along with the hurricane-like winds of her spell, sparking off in all directions before, finally, the attack stopped, revealing the still unharmed and unmoving Seal. It seemed like now it was time for Mars to return the favor.
"A fine technique", the deep, distorted voice complimented, the demented grin defining his expression once more. Though, despite her efforts, it wasn't enough to unnerve the Lord of War, who shook his head in a playful, almost childlike manner. "Let's see how you enjoy this then ...", he spoke once more as he took a deep breath, the crystal-like halo of pure, negative energy appearing around his head, the still open wound in his shoulder along with several bruises and cuts sustained throughout the fight healing in what appeared like an instant. Within moments, the runes that lined the vessel's skin had begun to glow in a vibrant sanguine hue, the scripture expanding, bending, digging across his flesh and they spread, slowly creeping their way across his form. Without delay, a massive, ever-rotating magic circle would appear, expand out beneath the vessel's feet with the heavy toll of a bell. "Rejoice, girl, for you are among the first to witness-", the Seal was interrupted mid-sentence as his limbs seized up, one of the vessel's eyes returning to a state of normalcy. "If you use that spell against the girl, Mars, I will personally rip you from this body and lock you away once more. Do you understand?", the voice of the Vice President echoed within his thoughts as the Seal shook his head, the magic circle that had formed, along with the runes on his form slowly fading away. "Relax, old man, I was just joking anyway, tssehe ...". The God of Ishgar had his doubts about that. This was the second time Mars had taken things too far. He closed his eyes, the build-up of magical energy within him dispelled, his form returning to normal, the only indicator that he had fought the girl just a minute ago his now somewhat stained shirt and the marks their spells had left on the flat, grassy ground.
"Apologies, Sivvy, I went too far and overstepped the boundaries. This duel is over", he would state simply before continuing "Before anything else, though, let me congratulate you. You have passed the test, and you are easily qualified for employment with the West Fiore Trading Company". The man used one finger to draw a magic circle of runes into the space before himself, opening a small portal before reaching in and pulling out a jacket, taking off the formerly pristine, now bloodied, shirt and dropping it in. "I can take you to Tolgalen to show you around the Headquarters today if you so wish. I imagine you have a few things to deal with first, packing et cetera, so just let me know where and when and I'll make sure to be there". Before he would forget, there was one more thing, however. "Before anything else, though ...", Joh reached for a small satchel at his side, opening it before pulling out what appeared like a small vial of blue ink "... I believe you have earned your guild mark. Where to you wish to carry it?".
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Word Count: 911
Word Count Total: 7.796 / 7.000
Thread Word Count: 13.442 / 14.000