[Third Person's PoV]
As their armies flew and charged toward one another in a frenzied clash, Cid and Antares remained still, simply staring at each other with narrowed eyes.
Explosions erupted around them, but the chaos faded into the background as they locked gazes.
Cid flew upward and extended his hand. Antares did the same. The moment their hands met, both vanished from where they stood.
They reappeared in the middle of a vast desert, far from their armies. Spinning through the air, they crashed into the sand, skidding to a halt.
"It appears we had the same idea, Ashborn!" Antares roared with a grin. "To separate each other from our armies!"
Cid glanced around, inwardly noting how the scene reminded him of Jinwoo's penalty quest in the desert.
Wasting no time, he appeared in front of Antares, his fist cocked back. With a thunderous punch, he struck Antares across the face. A sound like a cannon blast erupted as a shockwave rippled behind Antares' head.
Yet, Antares barely flinched. Instead, he grinned, grabbing Cid's extended arm. He retaliated with a devastating punch to Cid's gut. The same deafening boom followed, a shockwave exploding behind Cid. But like Antares, he remained unfazed.
Their fists became blurs of afterimages as they exchanged blows at lightning speed. Each strike resounded like an explosion, sending shockwaves that kicked up massive waves of sand.
A black and purple aura began to surge from Cid, while a red and purple one radiated from Antares. Both warriors grinned fiercely as they rose higher into the air, their relentless blows never wavering.
Their fists clashed more frequently, each searching for an opportunity to counterattack.
The battle raged like a violent storm in the empty desert. Their auras clashed, sending waves of power rippling through the air. Every strike carried enough force to shatter mountains, yet neither yielded an inch.
Cid's eyes gleamed as his fists met Antares' with earth-shaking force. Their knuckles collided midair, creating an explosion that flattened the surrounding sand dunes.
Antares bared his sharp teeth in a grin. "Not bad, Ashborn! But let's see if you can keep up!"
With a sudden burst of speed, Antares ducked under a punch, twisted his body, and lashed out with his tail, its tip glowing with draconic energy.
Cid barely had time to cross his arms before the attack connected. The impact sent him hurtling through the sky like a meteor.
BOOM!
Cid crashed into the desert floor, sending sand and debris flying into the heavens. A massive crater formed beneath him, cracks spreading like a spider's web.
Antares didn't relent. In an instant, he appeared above Cid, his claws glowing red with destructive energy. He slashed downward, releasing a massive arc of crimson power.
Before the attack could land, shadows erupted from the ground, intercepting it with an explosion of energy.
Cid shot through the aftermath of the blast, a sword in his hands. He swung it downward with enough force to distort space around the blade, the air itself seeming to warp under the pressure.
A black arc of energy slashed across Antares' armor, sending sparks flying. Though the strike failed to pierce Antares, its sheer force sent him hurtling toward the ground.
BANG!
Antares crashed into the desert, kicking up a massive sandstorm. He barely had time to recover before Cid came plummeting down, sword poised for another strike.
TANG!
Metal clashed against metal, the impact so immense that the ground beneath them shattered. A powerful shockwave blasted the sand away, exposing the solid earth beneath.
Cid landed and launched a flurry of slashes, his blade cutting through the air with terrifying speed. Antares met each strike with his claws, intercepting the attacks in a furious exchange.
The battle showed no sign of slowing. In fact, the intensity increased tenfold.
Antares' armor extended up his neck, covering the sides of his face with white plating, and a crown of horns materialized soon after. With a swift spin on his heels, he launched a powerful kick toward Cid's side.
Cid raised his sword in defense, blocking the strike, but the sheer force sent him skidding backward.
Red flames ignited in Antares' palm, coalescing into a massive, crimson greatsword. He sneered, "What happened to your daggers, Ashborn?"
"Who said I only use one weapon?" Cid countered, shifting his stance. His sword morphed, elongating into a sleek, intricate spear.
The spear's black shaft contrasted sharply with its glowing purple blade, which burned with black and violet flames. As Cid infused it with both Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki, the weapon crackled with black lightning, distorting the air around it.
Without hesitation, he cocked his arm back and hurled the spear like a javelin. The sound barrier shattered repeatedly as the spear tore through the air, transforming into a streak of pure devastation.
Antares' eyes widened briefly before a feral grin split his face. With a roar, he raised his flaming greatsword, bracing himself for impact.
BOOOOOM!
The moment the spear struck, an explosion of black, purple, and crimson flames engulfed the battlefield. The shockwave flattened dunes miles away, and even the sky seemed to tremble.
Antares skidded backward, carving deep trenches in the scorched earth. Though he had blocked the attack, a jagged crack ran across his armor. Smoke curled from his hands as he sneered.
"Hah! That actually stung a little," he growled, rolling his shoulder. "Not bad, Ashborn, but I hope you don't think that's enough!"
Without missing a beat, he swung his greatsword, unleashing a devastating crescent of red flames. The sheer force of the attack made the air tremble as it roared toward Cid.
Cid didn't move. He simply extended a hand.
Shadows erupted from the ground, forming a dense barrier. The attack slammed into it—and dispersed instantly.
Antares barely had time to react before Cid was suddenly upon him, moving faster than even his heightened senses could track. His spear materialized in his hand once more, and he thrust forward.
Antares twisted his body at the last second, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow—but the spear still tore through his side, leaving a gaping wound that leaked molten energy.
"GRHHH!" Antares gritted his teeth and retaliated, swinging his greatsword in a wide arc.
Cid ducked under it with inhuman grace, spinning mid-air before delivering a brutal kick to Antares' ribs, launching him backward.
But Antares was no novice in combat. Adjusting mid-air, his wings flared open, halting his momentum. His aura erupted outward, the sheer pressure cracking the earth beneath him.
Then, he raised both hands, gripping his sword tightly, and roared.
A storm of flames and destruction whirled around the blade. He swung with all his might, and space itself shattered, the very fabric of reality trembling under the force.
For a brief moment, his Observation Haki sharpened to its peak—
SLASH!
"Ughh!!" Cid gasped as blood burst from his mouth. A deep, diagonal gash tore across his torso.
The desert was utterly transformed. A massive scar stretched for miles, as if an invisible blade had erased a chunk of the land. The surrounding sand had melted into glass.
Cid staggered, his hand pressing against his chest. When he pulled it away, his palm was smeared with his own blood.
Antares' eyes gleamed victoriously. His attack had pierced through Cid's armor—breaking past even his precognition.
Then, to his utter confusion…
Cid laughed.
A low, chilling chuckle at first. Then, a full-blown hysterical cackle.
His lips curled into a wide, almost demonic grin, far more unsettling than any expression Antares had ever seen.
Cid lifted his bloodstained hand to his mouth—and licked it clean.
"My own blood~" His voice was trembling with excitement. "I haven't seen my own blood in so long~"
His grin widened unnaturally, sending an unfamiliar shiver down Antares' spine.
Cid's body shook with laughter, his head tilting back in pure exhilaration.
"Hahahaha… HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
His manic laughter echoed across the battlefield, reverberating through the scorched wasteland.
His pupils dilated, his aura exploded outward—and for the first time in his existence, Antares felt something strange.
Not fear. But something close.
Never in his long life had he felt more perplexed than he did in that moment.
[Third Person's PoV]
"BOSSU!!" Delta roared in worry as she saw Cid vanish along with Antares.
"Calm down," Alpha said, her voice steady as thick roots erupted from the ground, impaling multiple enemies at once. They hung suspended as their magic and vitality drained away, turning them to dust. "There's no need to panic. Why are you freaking out? You know our husband will return victorious."
"Oh, right," Delta muttered. Her expression instantly shifted back to normal as she casually ripped the head off a demonic being.
Dropping to all fours, her white hair rose into the air, muscles in her powerful thighs tightening. A wild grin spread across her face. "Then that means Delta gets to have fun until Bossy returns!"
The ground beneath her shattered as she launched forward like a missile. Within seconds, the Monarchs in her path found themselves slashed apart, their bodies splitting into multiple pieces before they could even react.
Delta roared with laughter, exhilaration coursing through her veins as she tore through the enemy ranks. She leaped high into the air, leaving a crater behind. Spinning rapidly, she extended her leg and descended like a meteor toward the torso of a towering giant.
Her kick landed with a sickening impact. The giant doubled over, vomiting blood before being blasted backward, turning into a blur from the sheer force of her strike. When its massive body crashed to the ground, it crushed a significant portion of the Monarchs' army beneath it.
Without hesitation, Delta shot toward the next giant, her fist cocked back. She delivered a devastating punch across its face, causing its skin to ripple and teeth to scatter like shrapnel. The behemoth tumbled backward, its skull caved in from the blow.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! BRING IT ON!! BECOME DELTA'S PREY!!" she howled, eyes burning with a feverish light.
…
Above her, Gamma soared through the battlefield on her broom, gripping it with one hand while holding a small wand in the other.
She weaved between the flying dragons as they rained fire upon the Shadow Army below. One dragon, noticing her intrusion, turned its head and unleashed a torrent of blue flames in her direction.
Gamma remained unfazed. She pointed her wand at the incoming inferno, and a black hole materialized at its tip.
A powerful suction force erupted, warping the very air around it. The dragon's flames were sucked inside, disappearing into the void. With a flick of her wand, Gamma redirected the black hole, sending it hurtling toward the beast.
The dragon roared in defiance, flapping its wings to escape—but it was futile. A massive chunk of its body was devoured by the black hole before the anomaly finally disappeared into the distance.
Gamma puffed out her chest in pride.
Then, she smelled something burning.
Her nose wrinkled slightly as she reached into her witch's hat and pulled it off, holding it in front of her. The tip was smoldering. She pinched it between her fingers, extinguishing the ember, but her gaze remained fixed on it for a moment.
That brief distraction gave the other dragons an opening.
By the time she looked up, they had surrounded her.
Her expression turned to ice. Her pupils shrank into thin slits as she trembled, unleashing her own version of [Dragon Fear]. Mana surged outward in a crushing wave. Shadows obscured her face, except for the eerie glow of her piercing blue eyes.
The dragons faltered mid-flight, hesitation gripping them.
Gamma slowly raised her wand.
"I'll exterminate your kind until there's none of you left, you scaly bastards..." she whispered coldly.
Gamma raised her wand, and another black hole emerged.
The dragons roared in fury, unleashing torrents of flame toward her, but before the fire could reach her, it twisted in midair, drawn toward the singularity. The black hole pulsed and expanded, feeding on the energy it consumed.
"Become my nourishment," Gamma commanded, her voice laced with authority.
With a flick of her wand, she directed the growing singularity toward the dragons. It was a swirling vortex of darkness, ringed by a white aura with red-orange streaks spiraling around it. As she swung it through the air, the force of the black hole intensified, pulling in the surrounding dragons. Their bodies crumbled under the immense weight and pressure of the singularity, their roars turning to distorted cries before being swallowed whole.
Gamma soared through the battlefield, expertly maneuvering on her broom as she wielded the black hole like a weapon. She swept it downward, dragging it across the battlefield before unleashing it forward. The sheer force of it tore chunks of earth from the ground, ripping monsters from where they stood and pulling them into the void.
Suddenly, a cloaked figure streaked through the sky, their black robe billowing tightly around them as they descended. Landing in front of the rampaging singularity, the figure stood unmoving as it continued to devour everything in its path.
Then, with a snap of their fingers—
The black hole exploded into a swarm of writhing insects, worms, and other grotesque creatures.
The explosion sent a powerful shockwave through the battlefield, and the hood of the figure's cloak was blasted away, revealing the face of an old man.
Gamma's eyes narrowed. "Yogumunt… The Monarch of Transfiguration."
Yogumunt's lips curled into an eerie smile. "Oh? You know of me? And here I thought I wasn't well-known among the Monarchs."
"You aren't. The only reason I know of you is because of my husband," Gamma said, her expression filled with contempt. To her, anyone who stood against her husband was an enemy worth despising.
Yogumunt sneered in return. "Ah, right… Ashborn and his disgusting habit of mating with inferior species. Oh, how the mighty have fallen~"
Gamma remained calm, her voice steady. "I can tolerate insults directed at me—they are of no consequence. But slandering my husband? That's where I draw the line."
She raised her wand threateningly.
With a flick of her wrist, multiple orbs of violet gravitational energy materialized around her before launching toward Yogumunt. He effortlessly weaved through them, dodging with calculated precision. Each time an orb struck the ground, the earth caved in violently, leaving massive craters far larger than the projectiles themselves.
---
Meanwhile, Zeta sprinted up the remains of a collapsing structure, her sword gripped tightly in her hand. She reached the top with a powerful leap, spinning in midair before crashing down toward Tarnak, the Monarch of the Iron Body.
Tarnak met her strike with his arms crossed, his grin unwavering. Zeta pressed harder, her strength causing cracks to spiderweb across the structure beneath them. Within seconds, the platform crumbled under their combined force, sending them both plummeting.
Zeta didn't hesitate. She twisted in midair, adding more momentum to her next attack. As they fell, she aimed her blade directly at Tarnak's chest—
Sparks exploded on impact.
Her blade failed to pierce him.
Tarnak smirked, his hand shooting forward to grab Zeta by the face. In one swift motion, he slammed her into the ground, the force of the impact sending tremors through the battlefield.
"You're going to need more than that if you want to pierce my body~" he taunted.
Zeta let out an annoyed grunt before sinking into the shadows beneath her, vanishing from Tarnak's grip. She reappeared behind him, her sword instantly shifting into a massive axe. Without hesitation, she swung at his neck—
CLANG!
The blade shattered on impact, chunks of metal flying in every direction.
Zeta clicked her tongue in frustration.
Above them, the skies were filled with streaks of light and the sound of massive wings flapping. The Virtues had arrived—celestial warriors weaving through the battlefield, each one engaging the ancient dragons and giants in aerial combat.
The battle was only just beginning.
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GOT IT