Scythes were categorically weird. They were long reaching but essentially were never used as thrusting weapons like a spear. They were weapons to be primarily swung horizontally, almost like a chain, but, due to their sharpness, packed more lethality. They sat comfortably in a position not many other weapons could be used in, specifically long range slashing. Often, when used for cultivator violence, scythes would be designed to be heavier than most other weapons so they could retain some force near the tip instead of losing it all mid swing because of the distance between it and the firmly held handle. They were unique weapons that not many people dedicated a significant chunk of time too, because they were seen as unwieldy, and, as such, the number of people wielding them, and / or familiar with how to actually fight back against them, were infinitesimally small. The aevysquall Ares picked a fight with was not one of these people. Dealing with the odd angles at which the scythe came barrelling towards his skull was ever so tricky and the struggle was great. He couldn''t block attacks near his head unless he blocked the tip of the scythe. If he blocked any lower on the weapon the tip of the scythe would just curve around his guard and stab him in the brain. This meant that, if he wanted to block in a way that was easy, the aevysquall had to block at longer ranges to prevent this. In turn, this forced him to retract his weapon every single time before he could swing it properly, which delayed his return fire, and basically meant he could never actually start any kind of offensive. Plus, being forced into long range fights against a weapon with more inherent range advantage was disastrous. The aevy couldn''t win at this range but he couldn''t escape it either as every step he took was matched by Ares who''s footwork was immaculate.


    It had been a while since Ares actually had an ''even'', ''fair'' fight with somebody so his footwork had been on the back burner as of late. It bared reminding, though, that it was arguably his strongest trait that he himself had developed without external aid. All the time he spent scurrying around the back alleys of Red Sun had honed his impeccable movement in and around a fight. He knew where he needed to be and was able to get there whenever he wanted so staying in perfect, parallel, face-to-face lockstep with his foe was an effortless task. He could do it without having to dedicate any brain power to it so his scythe wielding was his main focus right now. It also helped that this wasn''t the first long-ranged melee weapon he''d picked up before so a few similarities between it, and other weapons like the spear, meant he could function at the bare minimum level needed to shut out his opponent whenever he wanted to make some breathing room.


    Ares danced forwards and backwards, perfectly maintaining his current distance to the poor aevy who was being bombarded by simple but effective slashes from Ares and couldn''t change the situation he was stuck in no matter how hard he tried. Ares swung diagonally down and to the left but got blocked so he, instead of trying to clash with the sword head on, allowed his scythe to rebound off the weapon. With the momentum of the scythe aiding him, Ares changed his grip on the scythe and swung diagonally down and right this time to put even more pressure on his foe. His blows were heavy so every time he struck, the aevy recoiled slightly giving Ares more room to swing again and again. The aevy tried to retreat backward but Ares was having none of it and dashed after him with the scythe resting firmly by his side, ready to swing as soon as the aevy gave up on his foolish escape ''plan''. Trying to run away had only made the situation worse as, now, the second the aevy halted in place, he would be met with a two-handed, full-powered bash from the scythe of which there would be no blocking unless he wanted his hands to twist out of their sockets, breaking his wrists.


    Although the crowd were unaware, Ares was actively lowering his cultivation right now. This was why nobody realised he was in sensory enhancement because he didn''t look like he was nor was his cultivation giving to understand as such through his strikes and general aura. Ares held back to make the fight more interesting but he was still handily winning without any kind of trick up his sleeve. No enhancement, no full use of his entire cultivation base, no treasures or artifacts. Nothing, just plain old swinging a ''normal'' weapon. This led the spectators to believe the aevy was incredibly weak but the truth of the matter was that Ares was just being Ares. He was also having a field day right now. Of all the weapons he''d messed with this had to be one of the more fun ones. There were limits that he really didn''t quite appreciate, such as the slow swing speed between individual slashes if he didn''t masterfully weave his momentum from place to place, the heaviness of the weapon, and the awkwardly specific range, but overall he was really pleased with this thing and would be sure to use it more often. What he really needed was someone who could mount a decent string of attacks attack against him and actually put him on the back foot. The scythe would inevitably have a difficult time defending due to the bulk of it being located so far away from where Ares was holding it. He could place it in front of him and have the snath block attacks from the front but anything more complicated would be complex to navigate. Sweep attacks from the side, for instance, would be tricky to block as the force was harder to disperse. Ares would have to lean away from it in order to get a good angle on the block but that would just make things even worse as his less grounded position would struggle to absorb the force of the blow evenly. Blocking thrusts would also be a pain due to the thinness of the weapon so there were a lot of things Ares wanted to experiment with as he learnt how to handle this bizarre weapon.


    For now though, practicing his swipes, slashes, and general swinging of the weapon at a basic level was good enough. He didn''t need to do anything fancy like interchangeably swap between the sharp and blunt ends of the scythe nor did he need to start twirling it around like some kind of street performer. He could, and would, do that all later when he''d gotten this stuff down pat first. It was like trying to learn how to do a barrel roll in a jet before you even knew how to take off safely. Putting the cart before the horse, as it were. Maybe Ares could have skipped some of this if Dominus had more information and knowledge at his disposal but, for various reasons related to the reaper, that was not the case.


    Also Ares was just having a jolly time.


    This was the first time he''d ever learnt how to fight with something from almost the very beginning. Dominus'' guiding hand did little more than tell Ares how to hold the thing and how to swing it without throwing your back out, twisting your wrist, or losing power mid swing. Things like angle of attack, situational awareness, adaptability of your strikes and so on were all being learnt on the fly and he was doing it well. With every swing, the next one in line would be that much smoother and that much quicker. It would take Ares countless millions of swings to become the expert with this weapon he wanted to be but that was part of the process he wanted to experience in full. Being given everything in life, from his pillar, to his race, to his weapon mastery was convenient but it didn''t leave him feeling much of a sense of pride and accomplishment. He hoped this would be the change in that specific status quo that he was looking for. At the very least, at the end of his cultivation journey, if nothing else, he could look back and say that the scythe mastery was his own doing and not a result of any freebies. Would that stop people from labelling him as someone born with a silver spoon in his mouth? No, and they weren''t necessarily wrong either, but who cared? He was doing this for his own personal satisfaction and enjoyment, not any kind of recognition.


    Eventually the aevy ran out of space to continue fleeing and was forced to confront Ares. He could have attempted to fly away but that would be a mistake and he knew it. If he flew, Ares would disregard the scythe and use whatever means he had to just kill the bird. There was little Ares could with a scythe against a flying opponent, other than maybe chucking it directly at him, so the aevy was making the lowest risk play here by not forcing Ares'' hand. He was clever in that regard but, unfortunately, the lowest risk play didn''t boost his chance of success in any way because it was zero regardless of what choice he made. Still, at least this way he could get out of this fight what he''d really come to this tournament for, experience! This aevy was one of the few contestants that knew what the real goal of attending something like this event was and was making the most out of the thrashing he was receiving. He even considered himself somewhat lucky to be going up against Ares because A; everyone else had been indiscriminately murdered instantly and, B; Ares was the strongest opponent in this tournament... Other than potentially Mako, yet to be determined, but Mako would not be doing this right now. The elf would have just mercilessly obliterated everyone but Ares, even if for selfish reasons, was holding back a hefty portion of his power right now. This aevy considered himself to be the luckiest person in the tournament and he''d already learnt a lot just from these few exchanges. The importance of footwork that he''d neglected, the dynamic between weapons with varying ranges, how to exploit any holes in the opponent''s defences, and how to handle a scythe wielding foe. He even realised the magnitude of his mistake running away from Ares as it gave the pesky revenant full control of the flow of the match now. This aevy was a person who would make great strides taking in everything they''d experienced so good for him... Although that didn''t change the fact there was absolutely no way in hell for him to win this.


    After catching up to the cornered aevy, Ares leapt into action, literally, as he put all his body weight in a sideways slash. The aevy gulped and nervously sweat buckets as he raised his paltry weapon in a hopeless gesture of defiance and, sure enough, he was swept of his feet a second later. Ares scythe had clanged violently off the aevy''s sword as he went tumbling across the arena before finally rolling to a halt on one knee. The aevy looked up, dazed from the roll, and had to instantly react to Ares who was poised to swing the scythe at his neck. There weren''t many options here as, every time the aevy considered a different dodge path, he realised they were all foolish. The scythe would come in from a low horizontal angle and would catch him if he moved in any direction other than straight forward or straight backwards. If he moved back he would have to throw himself on the floor again in a bid to put as much distance between him and Ares as possible... But that would just be handing Ares free reign to keep bullying him at the optimal range, letting him set the pace of the battle yet again. On the other hand, Ares looked susceptible to getting rushed down right now.


    Ares'' scythe was raised over his shoulder so the entirety of his front was unguarded. Even if Ares brought the weapon down quickly its troublesome shape meant the tip of the scythe could almost never reach anyone who was inside Ares'' personal space. It was too perfect an opportunity and this raised doubts in the aevy''s mind but, regrettably, he didn''t have enough time to make a well-thought out decision. It was do or die and so he went all-in, balls to the wall, and charged at Ares with his sword at the ready. If Ares had a way out, then the aevy would learn the hard way about what scythes could do under these circumstances. If not, then the aevy wouldn''t complain about being handed a free strike to put him in a better position for the remainder of the fight. After all, it''s not like stabbing Ares through the heart would kill him outright. Fighting against a revenant was a slow burn so the aevy didn''t get greedy and opt for a decapitation. Had he done that, he would have left himself exposed as well during his assault. Another low risk decision but, as he felt his consciousness briefly fade upon closing the distance with Ares, he realised he made the right choice. His vision returned shortly after and he was barely in time to block another strike from Ares. As he clashed against Ares, and fought a losing battle, he recalled the details of the prior incident and ran though it in his head.


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    What had happened to him before, all of which he just about caught sight of before blacking out, was that Ares had intentionally held the scythe aloft in such a vulnerable manner to lure him in. By partially letting go of the scythe it had slid down Ares grip and, now, he held it closer to the ring whereby he could leverage this grip to beat people with the bottom end of the weapon. Afterwards, Ares used the butt of the scythe to smack the aevy right on the dome. He''d planned on poking the desperate aevy in the brain from the start. He put the guy in a position where he had to make an important choice, left an enticing gap, and then struck while the iron was hot. It wasn''t a technical display of mastery, as this was incredibly easy to pull off, but it was a clever showcase that took advantage of the weapon''s primary weakness. The obvious flaw of being terrible at closer ranges was made to look exploitable and then, in an ironic twist, exploited by Ares. If the aevy had gone for a decapitation he wouldn''t have been able to react to the follow-up strike at all after regaining his vision and that would have been the end of this fight then and there. The aevy had been smart in his already doomed approach which net him a bit more time against Ares in the arena.


    A lot of the spectators judged the aevy for his lack of decisiveness earlier but were now eating the words they almost spat out of their mouth. This incident had exposed a number of people''s lack of knowledge on how a scythe wielder fought as both ends of the weapon were used in tandem with another frequently. Anyone who was familiar with the weapon knew this and, in fact, a lot of scythes were customed designed to have a spike on the end for scenarios exactly like this. It was actually one of the more well known aspects of scythe wielding so not even knowing this, or being able to take a guess that it was a relevant element, meant the spectators were both combat illiterate and completely ignorant of unique weaponry. They couldn''t make predictions based on the current state of a battle and the calibre of their opponent. Mistakenly believing a winning move had not been made was one thing but disrespecting Ares, of all people, by assuming he unintentionally left such a massive gap was imbecilic to say the least. Thoughts like that were precisely why these people were up in the stands and not competing down below. As an aside, the aevy''s reputation had gone up a bit since the start of the duel because people were realising he wasn''t the issue. He''d done everything right there was just no room to do anything more and turn this situation around. It was not his fault in the slightest, he was just hopelessly outclassed here!


    Ares had gone a little overboard and extended beyond the basics of scythe wielding but, really, he''d only gone slightly over the limit or what could be considered a ''beginner'' move. Using the butt of the scythe was probably the first thing any scythe wielder would be taught after getting the hang of swinging the weapon so, though he jumped the gun, it was only by a fraction of a second and was a hardly noticeable skip. Despite it not being a problem, however, he inwardly reprimanded himself for prioritising fun over training and swore not to do it again. For the rest of the fight he would only use the bladed end of the scythe!


    For the first time during this fight, Ares gave a vertical swing a go. He could gain way more force behind his attack this way but it made it pretty easy to dodge so it wasn''t as generally useful. All the aevy had to do, and did do, was sidestep it and then Ares would have to take some steps back to compensate for the ground he lost as a result of his overcommitment. Why''d he do it, then? Well it''s because he wanted to miss. Ares wanted nothing more right now than to practice blocking attacks with the scythe so, when the aevy came at him once more while he was still reeling the scythe back, he got his wish! No messing around with the butt of the scythe this time, Ares just raised the snaff and carefully, calmly resisted the repeated sword swings. He tracked his opponent''s sword, and the angle of its approach based on the start-up of the swing, and reacted accordingly. Ares'' guard was so beautiful it almost looked like he was the one offensively stuffing out his opponent the second he dared move his sword even an inch. This was mostly a result of Ares'' sword expertise, as he could tell from a mile away what the aevy was planning, but he was still doing it with the scythe so it was impressive nonetheless.


    When Ares felt comfortable in his safe, by the book blocks, he went for a higher risk manoeuvre and swung the scythe to try clashing directly with the sword. This was hard to pull off consistently as he wasn''t talented enough with the weapon yet and, also, the tip of the scythe was so tiny that accurately hitting the rapidly moving target with it was a problem in and of itself. He could take the easy way out and clash with the length of the blade rather the tip but the reduction in force he could apply in that way would cause rough sailing after and he might actually lose the interaction by being blown away. It wasn''t a terrible idea but he needed to learn to partially deflect strikes with the weapon before he made the length of the blade his primary form of defence. Ironically, even though clashing the tip of the scythe against the sword was way harder, it was still the safer option right now. Ares prayed to God (himself) and swung with conviction. If he was going to miss, he was going to miss with pride!... As long as you ignored the fact that he shut his eyes at the key moment in time because getting sliced in half would be more tolerable that way...


    Clang


    Oh sweet mercy! Ares breathed a sigh of relief and opened his eyes to see the aevy stumbling backwards into the wall. The downside to what Ares attempted was that it was an immense test of talent, the upside was that pulling it off was very rewarding. Pretty much all the force of his swing culminated in the tip of the blade so landing this would inevitably squash the opponent''s attack due to how heavy the scythe was. Well normal scythes weren''t but combat tailored ones were, that was for sure. The only reason Ares'' scythe was heavy at all was because of the merging he''d done beforehand with whatever metals he had handy. Actually, seeing as how this scythe could barely even be considered heavy compared to a proper one, the result of the exchange almost made Ares drool. He''d gotten that much space off one small exchange... One that could be made even easier to pull off if Ares utilised any of the abilities he had up his sleeve. Annihilation enhancement would improve his speed and power, making lining the heavy weapon up in time simpler. Omniscience would lay out the opponent''s weapon''s orientation, path, and speed so predicting its due course was simplified massively. Echoes could be used to subtly readjust his aim mid-swing if he was off by a little... Considering the sheer number of tools he had that could help him land the tip of the scythe consistently, and the amount of tools he had that drastically improved the power behind the strike, Ares could become a highly proficient counter machine. He didn''t even need to initiate or aggress. All he would have to do is wait for the opponent to launch an attack, deflect it with the tip of the scythe, and then strike the reeling foe before they could recover from having their weapon blown away! It wasn''t the proper way to go about winning with this weapon but, while he was still in the learning process, he could use it as a crutch whenever he needed to. Sure he could also just swap weapons but forcing himself to use the scythe at all times would net better results in the long term. Knowing he had an effective strategy to win in his back pocket meant he could take a few more risky moves throughout a fight which would enable him to learn at a faster rate. This was a good discovery!


    Ares went for a low sweeping attack to force the aevy to respond because he no longer had any room to retreat. The aevy had been pushed up against a wall and now the threat of a sweep had multiplied so, naturally, Ares didn''t hesitate went for one right out the gate. No beating around the bush, he was putting the aevy on the hot seat. The aevy could either block it or go for a hero play and jump the attack. The latter option might even win him the fight and, for the first time, he really should have gone for the risky play. Unfortunately this was one area he needed to improve himself in, as like Scar he was relatively passive, so he simply blocked the sweep at a bothersome angle. He had to almost bury his sword into the floor just to anchor himself in place but, even then, the power behind the sweep caused him to stagger to the side. Ares wasted no time in taking a step forward and kicking out with his foot, bashing the aevy against the wall and pinning him there via his gut. The aevy looked up in time to see the scythe slice his head clean off, ending the match.


    Ares learnt that, if he kept an enemy at range with his foot, he could lean back a bit and the foe would be at the perfect range for the tip of his scythe to come bearing down on their head. It was a highly specific situation but fights were just a series of unpredictable events that threw you into highly specific scenarios anyway. Also, this knowledge wasn''t restricted specifically to pinning an opponent to a wall. If Ares, for instance, threw his foot backward like a donkey and kicked an opponent out of mid air he could then 180 and decapitate his opponent mid sneak attack. His foot was a valuable way of keeping his foes in check and maintaining the ideal range for his scythe so using it regularly was just a good habit to develop. It meant that whenever he wasn''t using his masterful footwork to alter his own position, he would be using his feet to alter the enemy''s position by kicking them around. This was a lot of energy he was going to have to waste, as he would be permanently on the go with his legs, but it seemed like the kind of thing that would be highly effective if he got it down pat. All in all, Ares only planned on getting some first-hand experience with the basics but he''d learnt a lot from all this. It was such a short fight, and arguably boring compared to the usual stuff he got up to, but such was the nature of a person''s first steps in a new field. He would become a manic scythe specialist in due time but the learning curve could not be skipped so easily!


    Now that the match was over, and the Training Field was lowered so everyone could leave, Ares begun heading back over to his teammates... But something felt off. As someone who''d competed regularly down in the arena, the movement of the spectators up above seemed erratic compared to usual. It was like a co-ordinated effort to scramble in multiple different directions at the same time and it gave rise to a gut feeling in Ares'' stomach that something strange was going to happen in the coliseum today. To verify his thoughts, he looked over at the one man likely to be responsible, or at least partially, for all this... And yep, Lex was derisively grinning at Ares who simply sighed to himself. Apparently, today, the circus was coming to town... Unfortunately for Lex, and whichever cronies he''d summoned, Ares was the ringmaster of Red Sun and they were the clowns. He hadn''t invited them to put on a show but, if they were here and willing, he would put them to task as was only appropriate.