Photon jumped backwards, as Aurora appeared in the skies, and several magical circles appeared around him, confirming Somnus"s suspicion that they could use their own Realize Area. The spell formations weren"t as large as what Somnus could create, but their complexity was extensive enough that Somnus could not read them in time.Then Photon did something with the spell formations that Somnus never saw before. The three spell circles crashed into each other, merging. The glowing, cyan symbols and lines became paler, fading out as they transformed at the same time into something else. The spell circle became larger and contained symbols Somnus never saw before either.
A beam as black as the abyss erupted from the transformed spell circle, and tongues of black lightning shrouded the annihilating energies. As the beam struck Aurora, in the sky, the energies struck a s.h.i.+eld in front of her and threw sparks off that flew in all directions.
At the same time, Baryon was leaping through the air, forelegs clad in a bright blue sheet of energy. As Baryon reached Aurora, he struck at her with his forelegs, leaving a glowing trail in the sky. At the moment of impact, a blue ring of energy blasted outward, shedding glittering dust and slowing down as it traveled. Baryon"s forelegs hovered just a few centimeters from Aurora"s head, prevented from decapitating her by an invisible barrier.
A pulse of energy exploded from Aurora, sending Baryon plummeting to the ground and pus.h.i.+ng back the last remnants of Photon"s beam.
Then Aurora disappeared from her spot in the sky, and Somnus could not tell where she was going - she had no movement line. She appeared next to Baryon, who was still falling, and slashed at him with a sword that seemed to be made of the night sky - pitch black with glimmering stars within the abyss. The blade carved through Baryon"s legs - left foreleg, and three on the right side - neatly severing them with incredible ease.
[System: Type a.n.a.lyzed: Stardust.]
As if to confirm Aeon"s a.n.a.lysis, Aurora pointed a finger at Baryon and exclaimed. "[Stardust Burial]."
A magical formation flashed behind Aurora for a split second, and the lights of the night sky brightened. A pitch black beam erupted from her fingertip, expanding from nothing to its full size, several meters in radius, and fell upon Baryon. Baryon quickly empowered his [Chaos Barrier] Arrays, forming a scintillating, colorful barrier in front of him which deflected the Stardust beam. Glittering dust fell off the beam - the t.i.tular Stardust - and sparks flew off the barrier. The beam, however, was deflected, and it curved away from Baryon and into the advancing enemy troops, before arcing skywards and obliterating the clouds that covered the moon.
Silver light finally fell on the battlefield and revealed the deeply scarred land that the battle so far has created. Once a flat plain, deep ravines and blasted hill mounds dotted the landscape.
The [Stardust Burial] had buried Baryon into the ground, as his severed limbs fell all over the point of landing - literally living up to the spell"s name. The burial, however, was premature. Light pierced the top layer of earth as Baryon charged a spell deep within the ground, and then a dozen flying tracers, like dragonflies, tunneled their way out of the ground and headed for Aurora. It was a rare technique in the world of magic, where the spell could create a physical, solid object; in this case, they were spiky spindles - Baryon"s version of missiles.
The dozen objects slammed into Aurora, moving at speeds well in excess of a Mach and flying in unpredictable patterns. Upon impact, they exploded, deploying a sphere of reality-denying entropy.
Aurora appeared on the ground, having crossed dozens of meters in an instant; her white dress slightly singed. In the moonlight, Somnus could clearly see her. She was a young human, with blonde tresses and amber eyes. She wore no armor, only a white dress with a modest cut, and a belt with an Argentmetal clasp formed of two crescent moons. A seemingly ordinary metal necklace rested upon her chest, but Somnus could tell that the ancient artefact was made of G.o.dmetal.
She wore an expression of sorrow and lament; she seemed so crushed in spirit that even Somnus felt a connection to it, through the inherent compa.s.sion of his form. She held that sword made of Stardust with hate, as if it was cursed - looking like she might throw it away at any moment.
When she took a step towards Photon, it was with both reluctance and decisiveness - like someone who was about to do something they did not agree with, but had to do it.
Then she leaned forward and was about to dash to Photon, when another figure joined the fray.
A ma.s.sive sword made of ash, easily twenty meters long and five meters wide, appeared before a shrouded figure and struck against Aurora"s invisible s.h.i.+eld. The ground around Aurora peeled back, forming a crater with a single spire in the middle - the spot where Aurora stood - and extended dozens of meters in radius, forming before their very eyes.
"Cursed creature," Aurora murmured to her a.s.sailant and gestured with a free hand, as if slicing the air in two. "[Lonely Blade]."
The s.p.a.ce around the shrouded figure warped, and a thin, brilliant white line appeared in the air and traveled through the figure and beyond, far into the distance. A mountaintop behind the figure fell off its base, severed. Then a blast of wind, more powerful than the strongest-recorded Hurricane on Earth, battered the surroundings, blowing away soldiers and horses, Deathbringers and Ashborn.
The shrouded figure distorted, its shroud flowing into a central point and into itself, before disappearing.
"s.h.i.+non, why are you here?" Somnus asked.
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The shrouded figure appeared next to Somnus. "I thought you might want my help, my Liege." A pause. "Unfortunately, that attack nearly killed me. I am afraid that I will be of no further use to you."
Somnus grunted, something between amus.e.m.e.nt and disdain.
"Watch," he said. "Hadron."
The original Abhorrent Weapon stepped forward when its name was called. It has become a true shadow in Somnus"s entourage, so much so that it began living inside his shadow. As such, what stepped forward was not Hadron, but Somnus"s shadow. No one noticed it before, but now that they saw Somnus"s shadow move, they realized that its depth was too great considering the darkness.
Then the shadow stood up and reformed itself into Hadron"s visage. The goblin, or at least its physical form, was dead. Somnus"s magics did not prevent the decay of its body. However, it was not rotting flesh and bones that made up the form of Hadron, which could be clearly recognized; It was darkness.
For every heart Hadron consumed, it drained of mana as if it was a Mana Reactor; With each meal, Hadron moved closer to something akin to a principle of Creation; death itself.
Several spell formations appeared between Hadron and Aurora, solidifying. Then Hadron jumped forwards, and as he flew through each spell circle, he became faster and faster. Finally, he became like a comet and slammed into Aurora with enough force to obliterate the single spire she was standing on, and the both of them smashed into the side of the crater, shooting up rocks and dirt, and cracking the ground like the aftermath of an earthquake.
s.h.i.+non made a disgusted face as he saw Hadron and his abilities - it was a mix of hatred and fear. What was Hadron, that even a Herald of the Destroyer would hate?
Photon took this opportunity to leap to Baryon"s side and drag his ally to safety.
The two armies had entered into an unspoken cease-fire; both lines continued their maneuvering, but no shots or arrows were fired. No decisive maneuver was made. The two armies simply moved in a deadly dance, positioning themselves for the eventual continuation of battle.
Still, the two armies could not afford to pay attention to each other, as Hadron shrieked, a sound so loud and powerful that it forced those closest to the origin to fall to their knees and cover their ears.
Then an arm went flying out of the crater and s.h.i.+non scoffed.
"It seems your pet was not up to the task, my Liege," the Herald said.
Somnus smiled. "Is that so?"
Aurora appeared outside the crater, dress torn at the hip, and holding the stump of her left arm - missing at the elbow. Her cursed sword hovered around her, truly, like a curse.
s.h.i.+non"s expression faltered. "How?"
Hadron appeared next to Aurora, flying just barely above her, and then darting downwards, knife-shaped hand sent towards her head. As if seeking its own death, Aurora"s sword interposed itself into the path of the strike and blocked it - edge first. Yet, it was not Hadron"s hand that was harmed, but the sword. The top of the blade exploded, sending glimmering stars and night into the air, followed by a cloud of metallic debris.
"[Solar Flare]!" Aurora shouted and an explosion of fire and plasma consumed Hadron as Aurora leaped backwards, gaining distance.
"I took thy name as mine own and blessed the contract," she said, with a chanting cadence. "I am the scales; the rain that heralds the spring. The wheel of cosmos turns and now, all things must separate."
She flicked a finger through the air, drawing a pitch black line in front of herself.
"Let all things with a beginning fall into the end. Cosmos to darkness, darkness to nothing. Let the candlelight flicker we saw then be captured one last time: the Aurora. Rend the universe, vessel of annihilation."
As she spoke the words, she reached into the rift and withdrew a sword that made Somnus"s hairs stand up. It was pitch black, and not much different from her previous one - but Somnus sensed something within it that chilled him to the core.
"[Calamity Blade]."