As Ares was undergoing his change to Dominus, a quick process but a process nonetheless, Onno was tapping into the anti-magic pillar while the Lighter Duo unleashed an art of the reading rites pillar.


    The anti-magic pillar was referred to frequently as the ''fun killer pillar''. Like the reading rites pillar it only had two aspects underneath it, ''mobile denial'' and ''lockdown''. Lockdown arts created stationary zones with various anti-magic effects that lasted for various periods of time. You could create them in advance and trigger them as traps or summon them on the fly like Onno was doing but there were restrictions to the latter approach. The shape, size, and various extra effects of the magic were determined by the art. A zone that slows targets in addition to preventing chants? A triangle anti-magic zone that constantly zaps anyone in the centre? A zone that creates anti-magic tendrils that attempt to keep the target within? If you wanted a ''zone'', lockdown was probably the correct aspect for the job. When paired with runemancy, which could add all manner of devastating attacks into the mix, it became an extremely annoying aspect. Innumerable cultivators had been taking strolls when they stumbled into lockdown ambushes and died without ever being able to fight back. It was the proverbial ''cheap shot'' aspect. It wasn''t as pesky as mobile denial, though. Generally, if given a choice, 8/10 cultivators would rather put up with lockdown magic because at least it could be escaped from by moving away from the zone. Mobile denial arts were smaller but, as the name hinted, they could move. Firing off anti-magic bullets, creating anti-magic summons, attacks that drained the target''s mana, and even the ability to make magic go haywire. These arts required good aim to utilise properly but were incredibly strong. For a pillar that was generally useless against melee fighters, it was utterly detested by a large percentage of all living creatures that relied on magic. It shut down so many tactics, combos, and options in combat. Anyone without backup plans would just crash and burn the second this pillar reared its troublesome head. The worst part was that even if the cultivator themself was weak or had a low cultivation realm / stage, like Onno, it didn''t really matter. The nature of anti-magic was such that it inherently beat out almost every other kind of magic. There were very few aspects, if any, that it outright had trouble against. These arts cost a lot of mana, and each aspect had very clear drawbacks, but that didn''t stop weaker cultivators complaining out their ass about the pillar. Ultimately, it was just particularly good at ruining plans, forcing close quarters combat, and stomping amateur cultivators who weren''t anything special to begin with. As for the art Onno was chanting, Blip, it summoned a simple anti-magic square at the targeted location for a couple of seconds. This was the most basic of basic in regards to the lockdown aspect. The duration scaled with the cultivator''s strength so someone like Onno could only muster one for about two seconds, but that was enough to prevent the mimic from Blinking out of its current predicament.


    Then there was the reading rites pillar. A bit of strange one because the magic under it, like the bestowal aspect tied to treasures, was really quite varied. Access to this pillar offered pseudo access to most others because what truly set this pillar apart was the chant length and strength of the arts, nothing else. Yes the Lighter Duo opted to create a unique art that utilised their specialties, lightning and water, but it wasn''t even remotely necessary. Contractual convoking is an aspect used for summoning entities. Some people, such as Astraeus, preferred to simply refer to it as the ''contract'' aspect because the word convoking implied the summoner held more power in the dynamic. There were certainly some situations in which monsters and people were beaten to within an inch of their life and forced to sign a contract with atrocious terms but, mostly, that wasn''t case. Contracts were usually fifty/fifty in the give and take department, made between two willing parties. Some even saw the summoned entity as the one with power, lest it wouldn''t have been summoned in the first place. All of this aside, the ''contractual convoking'' aspect was its correct name. As long as the person, or thing, in question could sign a contract, it could be summoned. There were restraints regarding distance, size, etc... But that mostly depended on the strength of the two individuals making the contract. As for the chant, each one was usually different, so hearing the same chant twice with this aspect was rare, unless you were fighting the same person over and over again of course. Even Ares could technically be summoned if he signed a contract and he too would have his own unique chant. The chant could also occasionally change depending on the summoned person''s status. For instance, becoming a God meant your summon chant would always include the ''lord of … rule'' segment. Astraeus was the lord of planetary rule, and Terros was the lord of foundational rule. Long story short, it was wise to check in with your summon occasionally and see if anything new had happened on their end. There was a warning system that notified you your contract / chant needed updating, but it was best to keep an eye out regardless. As for the summoned entity, it was worth nothing that they would, A; have their strength lowered to match the summoner''s rough power level and B; they would be returned to their original location when the summon ended no matter where they were prior so it couldn''t be used to escape rough situations. The second aspect was named ''long form'' and didn''t summon anything, but rather launched deadly arts that were almost always top of the lethality charts. Bombardments, artillery, precise death dealing, and mass infliction of harmful effects; all of the above were possible. The Lighter Duo''s art was an excellent example of this as the art they casted had formed a whirlpool that covered the entirety of the ground and left no room to escape it. The art wasn''t even half way formed yet and it was already this massive. Normal arts could never match the power of a long form art but they were also infinitely quicker. Flamethrower, although arguably quite long even in and of itself, came in at three syllables. This was decent enough considering how much power it could pack and how versatile the art was. It had good range, could burn the opponent, melt flesh, and was good against a large number of other arts and aspects. Then you had the Lighter Duo''s art...Summon The Sea, Summon The Thunder, Unleash The Beast That Will Drag You Under. Come: Seashock Atrocity. Even calling it a mouthful would be an understatement as it was a whole whopping twenty-six syllables long. A normal cultivator could cast flamethrower eight times over with room to spare in that time frame. To rub salt in the wound, for the most part, you couldn''t move while chanting long form arts either otherwise they would go caput. There was supposedly an enhanced dedication manual that could rectify this particular downside, but where exactly that was was anyone''s guess. Some people with enhanced dedication cultivation methods would pass it on or make it public but this was one of the ones that hadn''t become normalised yet so the pillar was that much harder to get into and use properly. There were some truly dedicated weirdos that would cast arts up to and even over a thousand syllables long. These fabled arts were said to have wiped out armies and even entire planets.


    The Lighter Duo''s art drenched the floor and the pull of the whirlpool passively dragged everyone towards the centre where a lightning storm was brewing. Long and thick, curled lines of lightning were barely visible underneath the surface of the water and a dark shadow rapidly swelled at the point at which they all congregated in the middle. Something ominous lurked below and its ascent to the surface brought a degree of pressure with it, enough to tingle a person''s spine. Ares was immune to this, but he could tell the incoming magic was at least as powerful as Yggdrasil and couldn''t be underestimated... Still, it wasn''t going to be his problem to solve, so he paid it no mind and finalised the temporary body swap as he shut his eyes.


    …


    Phew


    With a deep sigh, Dominus'' eyelids sprung open and Omniscience danced in the wind. Dominus raised his hand and circulated destruction magic through his body. He balled his hand into a fist and squeezed it tight before loosening his grip and repeating this pattern two more times. He dismissed the trio moving towards him and eyed up the mimic as he''d been curious about this fellow ever since he first saw him. A mimic with this level of potential was unfathomable even to Dominus himself as he''d never seen a creature like this in his long life. The ability to replicate open pillar arts and its strong affinity to space-time aspect were one thing but the degree of sentience was astounding. It wasn''t just ''mimicking'' or trying to put on hollow costumes, it was actually becoming more and more like the person in question; the risky gamble it pulled off earlier was proof of that. It seemed as though Sadie wasn''t the only person around here that interested Dominus. Speaking of Sadie, Dominus had glanced at her and assessed her overall form in the split second his eyes passed over her. Sadie felt a chill as if every secret she had was exposed and she could instinctively tell that Dominus was back again. He had a different feel to his presence. It was like an adult toying with a child, that was the impression he gave. Still, this time the adult was somewhat satisfied as Sadie had made O.K progress since he last saw her. She wasn''t slacking off and her training was likely taking a whole new direction. She didn''t look frustrated like she''d hit a wall or forlorn over option paralysis, so Dominus could concentrate on this fight in peace. If Sadie had disappointed him, he probably would have tried to kill himself to escape the Training Field and smack some sense into her. Ares probably would have stopped him though... Back to the mimic his attention drifted and, when he saw the mimic undergo changes in real time, he couldn''t help but applaud the creature for taking a vital step in its own evolution. This was just the kind of existence Dominus was. He''d elevated Sadie through teaching and the mimic simply by existing. He was curious if the mimic understood why this was even happening, if it knew Ares was replaced and he was experiencing something most ordinary people would kill for. The mimic had essentially just downloaded a cheat sheet for how to be a weapon''s master straight from the brain of an unrivalled expert. The mimic was limited, certainly, but with its newfound expertise, combined with Ares'' open pillar arts, it would likely become the second strongest combatant in this Field. If the ranks were adjusted to account for the mimic, it would be in contention for one of the spots in the twenties at minimum; potentially even pushing Enyo or Bellona down a spot. Ares had found an unbelievably fascinating pet in this thing and Dominus wanted to do his usual. He wanted to poke his nose into volatile situations and light a fuse. He wanted to know how far he could push this mimic. What if he could take it to higher domains and cram knowledge from countless experts into it? How bottomless was this creature and how much could it learn? For now, just Dominus was enough to last the mimic however many hundreds of thousands of years. Dominus either didn''t realise it or didn''t care, but his actions were slowly creating an army of weapons exemplars in the making. He''d been like this before too but he didn''t have enough exposure to people to really have it occur this frequently. He mostly stuck to himself and trained or killed himself. Now that he was let loose in the open world, his presence, the presence of an unfathomable genius, would seep into everyone around him. And this wasn''t an ordinary time for this to happen either... It was a generation of geniuses he''d poked his head into. The results of his intervention would certainly have a profound impact on a number of people going forward; and it seemed this mimic here would be number two on his list of ''students''.


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    The mimic could see it all. Everything around him seemed slow, like time was being altered. He could take in so many new sights, sounds, and smells he never even knew existed. His senses were elevated to a level it wasn''t aware even existed, let alone was possible to achieve. The assassin behind him, the three Wind Mines in front of him, the exact timing of the Pound Down above. The mimic could see it all as though his vision was all encompassing. Solution after solution to his current predicament popped up in his head like lanterns during a Shangyuan Festival. All the angles of attack, how to repel anything and everything, how to kill everyone with the tools at its disposal. All of it was so simple it nearly allowed its own death to happen as it was busily engrossed with the possibilities before it. It could even see how its options slowly dwindled as he sat there in stunned disbelief. Even sentience couldn''t have prepared it for the information it was perceiving right now. Brand new arts to play with littered its brain and combat styles were burned into its muscles.


    Aejaz'' Acrimony came lunging at the mimic''s back but it avoided the stab with a simple twist of its body. Not a drastic turn, but a measured lean as if it barely even moved at all. Aejaz'' missed attack resulted in the mimic grabbing his outstretched arm and throwing him over his shoulder. The acrimony was dropped to the floor as Aejaz was sent crashing into Wind Mines.


    BANG


    The detonations battered his back and flung him straight up into the sky where he was now face to face with the Pound Down that eviscerated him on the spot before disappearing. His body was sent crashing into the ground where the mimic slowly walked up to him and kicked his head.


    Crack


    Aejaz died a swift death as his neck snapped with a fully broken and scarred body. He would be revived outside the Training Field in tip top shape but this new experience of death, and a rough one at that, would be a stark reminder he wasn''t invincible. He couldn''t dodge everything and his talents with daggers was still in its infancy. He had work to do if he didn''t want to get pushed around like that in the future.


    ROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR


    A pillar of water jetted out from the whirlpool and the silhouette of the monster hiding beneath the waves could be seen behind a curtain of water. Its size was massive, like that of a skyscraper, dwarfing everyone else and making them feel like ants crawling before a goliath. The pillar of water crashed back down into the whirlpool revealing its form, that of a ginormous, gelatinous, light blue jellyfish floating in the air.


    ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR


    It''s roar, no longer bound by the layer of water, was twice as loud and deafening. Every decibel of it was now audible and rumbled through the ears of everyone, shaking them to their cores. It''s tentacles, previously resting beneath the whirlpool, whipped upwards and created violent splashes wherever they surfaced. Tens of flexible tentacles, each crackling with lightning dangled above the battlefield as the jellyfish hovered in the sky. Within the umbrella shaped bell, two stormy clouds formed a pair of glaring, yellow eyes that peered down on the two ''Ares''.


    While the mimic was distracted by the new arrival, Esme tried stealthily attacking it from behind with a blast of wind magic. She didn''t know any chant-less arts so, to keep quiet and not give the game away, this was her best bet. It was slow, and not the most powerful thing ever, but hitting the mimic with it would create an opening for the seashock atrocity to use whatever devastating means it had at its disposal to take out the mimic for good. Esme knew that, now that the jellyfish had been summoned, her and Onno were relegated to supporting it. That thing was not something that could be taken out by anyone who wasn''t ranked twenty or higher, and even then it would be a slog, so Esme gave it as much of a helping hand as she could. Unfortunately, although the mimic was distracted, it was still mimicking Dominus right now. Had it been copying Ares, this would have been successful but something not a single person spectating could ever possibly understand happened next. the mimic reached backward with its open hand and rotated it as the wind blast smacked against his palm...


    …


    …


    …


    HE CAUGHT IT? Esme almost had a heart attack and everyone watching was stunned silent. Catching magic was... Impossible? It should be? not even Sadie had seen something like this before. Hell she hadn''t even seen anyone use magic to assist in catching magic, let alone doing it barehanded with no mana whatsoever. This mimic had learnt something completely non-standard from Dominus and was utilising it to its fullest.


    Clap Clap


    "I''m very impressed. You''re more talented than Sadie by a country mile." Dominus clapped his hands and doled out praise on the mimic who went above and beyond his wildest expectations. Even Dominus wasn''t sure how the mimic learnt such a tricky move because it was a move that required an immense amount of training and practice to pull off even at the basic level the mimic was showcasing it. This was something Ares hadn''t even learnt yet and that was saying something because he had Dominus in his body, and thus the conditions to learn it were actually in his favour. Based on what Dominus had seen while he was riding shotgun in Ares'' conscience, Ares would learn it soon but... To think the mimic beat him to it? It was hilariously tragic to Dominus. There was something ironic about the clone outdoing the original. Still, this mimic was fantastic. Dominus praised Ares'' keen eye in not disposing of this creature when he had the chance. off on the side, Sadie was miffed about Dominus'' last comment but, seeing whatever it was the mimic had done lit a fire underneath her ass that compelled her to learn and practice harder. She couldn''t deny that some mental accumulation monster had outdone her and learnt something she couldn''t even fathom.


    The mimic wasn''t done just yet though, as he still had the wind magic nestled neatly in his palm. What it correctly perceived as a Doppelb?nger came charging at him from the side so it dodged the fist that swung at his head and retaliated. The blast of wind in its grip was pushed onto the clone''s stomach, sending it flying backwards on contact and smacking it into the ''real'' Onno. The Doppelb?nger exploded into poison sludge and covered Onno but the mimic didn''t let up because it could tell this wasn''t a real Onno either, it was another clone. With an all new level of perception it knew where the real Onno was hiding but still opted to propel the fake into the other fake because its plans went above and beyond simply making the ''correct'' decision. It had learnt the same thing Sadie had learnt and was putting it into full effect. Dashing up to the fake, poison coated clone, the mimic used Double Jump to leap on its head as the clone turned red and heated up to a terrifying degree. With a swivel, the mimic turned on its heel on top of the clone and changed the angle of its body, allowing the mimic to be launched in the direction of its choosing by the fiery burst the clone created as it detonated. With an explosion in its wake, and fire trailing down its leg, the blast propelled the mimic straight towards the real, hidden Onno who was shitting himself in fear. The mimic twisted its body mid flight and performed a spinning roundhouse kick using its blazing leg to blast Onno''s head into smithereens before landing with a slide, the momentum of which it used to take off running towards Esme as the seashock atrocity behind it finally took action. Ten or so tentacles came darting at the mimic as it ran towards Esme who also took off running away from the dangerous monsters heading in her direction. The mimic used its new trick to slap away the magical tentacles while avoiding the ones that tried to sweep his legs from under him. The mimic ran directly into the Wind Mines Esme placed as she fled, using them to propel himself by intentionally stepping on them at specific spots to alter the course of the blow back. Doing so allowed him to push his body around at speeds it couldn''t normally reach to avoid the horde of tentacles stabbing at him. Spotting an opportunity ahead of it, the mimic aimed at a series of four Wind Mines and flicked three echoes that knocked the second, third, a fourth furthest-away Mines into the air by chipping at the ground underneath them. The mimic hopped slightly over the first Mine, allowing his heel to clip it upon landing which then sent him blasting forward. The mimic twisted its body to connect his foot with the three other mines as he passed by them, boosting his speed until he became an invisible blur that parted the wind as he sped towards to Esme. Esme came huffing and puffing to a halt when she felt the inevitability of death come creeping and brought out her fan treasure to try and defend herself from the incoming attack. The plan failed miserably as the fan crumpled before the mimic that shot straight through it while chanting an art.


    "One Flaw Five Strikes."


    The mimic''s fist connected with Esme''s chest and her body exploded in several places. The mimic''s version of One Flaw Five Strikes contained Echoes that, when combined with the ferocity of the Mach ten punch, literally turned Esme into chunks of scattered meat instantaneously. What was really incredible about this, though, was that Dominus didn''t know One Flaw. He was familiar with the art but had never opted to learn it as he had other tricks up his sleeve he preferred using instead. Ares didn''t know One Flaw either... It became apparent that the mimic had evolved to a point it was now absorbing the open-pillar arts of everyone around it, not just its chosen target. It had copied Li Li''s art while simultaneously applying its own learned knowledge to raise the quality of the art. It was discovering and combining arts, developing its combat prowess rapidly on the fly in a high intensity battle, and Dominus couldn''t be more proud. He had simply given the mimic a nudge and it was already overperforming compared to what it should have been able to do. Using opponents attacks against themselves, combining arts, analysing situations and choosing less optimal routes intentionally to throw off the opponent... This mimic was good. Dominus wanted to go and play with it but, first, he had a couple issues to deal with. The mimic was impressive but it wasn''t going to be dealing with the jellyfish anytime soon. Plus the Lighter Duo, Dirk, Bellona, and Enyo were still hanging around. All trifling matters for Dominus, mind you, so he decided to get rid of them first before experimenting with the mimic. The poor mimic had been ''experimented'' on with the real Ares back in the tomb and was now destined to be experimented on again by a fake Ares. Fate was playing a cruel joke on the mimic but it wasn''t complaining because it too had benefitted massively off these opportunities. It had been given a second chance at life and was ascending to a whole new level. Even calling it a ''mimic'' was disingenuous because there was no other mimic quite like it. Ares, who was sitting back and relaxing inside his own head, decided to name the fellow because it had effectively become its own person already and deserved it. Henceforth, the mimic would be known as ''Rox'' in honour of the definition of the word Xerox, referencing its ability to copy.