[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.
[Third Person's PoV]
"It seems you've finally lost it, Ashborn," Antares sneered.
Cid placed a hand near his face, shaking his head as he chuckled. "This is the first time an opponent hasn't died in one hit from me. I'm relishing the fact that you can actually take a beating. So try not to die too quickly—keep struggling for my amusement."
Hate flashed across Antares' face as he trembled with fury. "For your own... amusement?" he repeated slowly, his voice shaking as he fought to contain the rage threatening to explode.
Cid took a step in the empty air and vanished. In an instant, he reappeared before Antares, a wide, manic grin on his face, his fist cocked back.
His fist gleamed black with Armament Haki, the color shifting as Conqueror's Haki crackled around it in a deep purple aura.
With a devastating strike, Cid's fist slammed into Antares' chest. The dragon's armored scales shattered under the impact, caving inward from the sheer force. The energy within Cid's strike surged into Antares' body, causing his lungs and heart to rupture and explode from the inside out.
Blood erupted from Antares' mouth, his ears, nose, and eyes leaking crimson. For a fleeting moment, he saw the eerie image of a skull looming behind him, ready to devour his soul. Then, Cid's voice echoed in his ears.
"Yes, my amusement."
BOOOOOOOM!
Antares broke through the sound barrier, his body a blur as he was sent hurtling through the air at breakneck speed.
Cid appeared above him, effortlessly keeping pace. With a cruel smirk, he raised his boot and slammed it down onto Antares' already-collapsed chest.
Antares crashed into the ground, an explosion of sand erupting upon impact. As the dust settled, his battered form was revealed—disheveled, but still burning with hatred.
His hand shot forward, gripping Cid's leg tightly. Sparks crackled at the point of contact as Antares' claws tried to dig into him, but Cid's Armament Haki held firm, preventing any penetration.
Yet, Antares was still a dragon—his raw strength far beyond any human's.
With a snarl, he lifted Cid's leg from his chest and roared, "I'll kill you, you bastard!"
With a powerful heave, he hurled Cid away before propelling himself from the ground with an explosive force. His narrowed eyes locked onto his opponent, flames seething at the edges of his mouth.
In a flash, he appeared before Cid, his claws igniting with blistering heat, distorting the air around them. With a deafening roar, he slashed at Cid.
Cid barely evaded, a red glint flashing in his eyes.
Antares thrust out his hand, and his sword flew through the air toward him. The moment it reached his grip, he roared once more—his blade erupting into flames. With all his monstrous strength, he swung.
Cid's arms gleamed with Armament Haki as he deflected the strike, redirecting the blade past his body. Where the sword struck, massive plumes of fire erupted from the ground, reaching unseen heights.
Then, Cid activated his God Rune.
Time itself froze around him. Ethereal markings illuminated his body as Antares came to a complete halt, his blade mid-swing.
Seizing the opportunity, Cid unleashed a relentless barrage of punches, each impact booming like cannon fire.
Yet, to his surprise, Antares' dragon eyes still followed his movements.
Then, without warning, a titanic aura of destruction erupted from Antares' motionless form, shattering Cid's control over time.
As the overwhelming energy surged, Antares' wounds began to mend—his ruptured heart and lungs regenerating in mere moments, his body restoring itself to peak condition.
He exhaled, smoke and embers escaping his lips, his gaze locked onto Cid.
"It seems you've picked up a few nice tricks along the way, Ashborn!" Antares bellowed before puffing out his chest. Flames flickered at the corners of his mouth, the air around him warping with heat.
Cid's eyes gleamed with a red glint, a clear sign of his Observation Haki at work. With a flick of his wrist, he conjured his slime sword, raising it toward the sky while his free hand supported his sword arm.
Channeling both Armament and Conqueror's Haki into his blade, Cid infused it further with his powers of Shadow and Death. He exhaled slowly, closing his eyes as black flower petals began to drift from his sword.
[Death's Serenade]
Antares unleashed a spiraling breath attack of fire and destruction, a raging inferno tearing through the battlefield. The very sand split apart, the ground turning a blistering red under the intense heat.
Meanwhile, Cid moved with an effortless grace, swinging his sword downward in a precise arc. A crescent-shaped slash of black energy shot forward, trailing black rose petals in its wake.
The two attacks collided at the center of their battlefield.
Destruction and Death clashed
.
The very space around them trembled, unable to withstand the pressure. Cracks formed in the fabric of reality, splintering outward from the point of impact. Then—
Shatter!
Space itself fractured like glass, shards of reality falling away to reveal the shining, multicolored cosmos beyond.
As neither force could overpower the other, they began to meld, swirling chaotically—before erupting into a massive mushroom cloud of purple and red energy.
The battlefield echoed with the sound of glass breaking, reality itself groaning under the strain. Amid the chaos, the drifting flower petals ignited, burning with red flames as they fell.
Antares blinked.
And in that instant—
Cid appeared before him, sword in both hands, moving past him in a single, fluid motion.
A flawless slash.
Elegant. Precise. Beautiful.
Cid slowly sheathed his sword into its slime-forged scabbard, black rose petals swirling from the exposed blade.
Then—
Clink.
Blood erupted like a fountain, gushing uncontrollably from a single thin line across Antares' torso.
He staggered backward, disbelief etched onto his face, before his footing slipped—
And he fell.
Right through the exposed tear in space created by their clash.
As he tumbled through the void, drifting amidst the stars, Antares pressed a trembling hand to his gaping wound. He could feel it—
Death.
The energy of Death was crawling through him, seeping into his body, tainting his very being.
These wounds…
They would never heal.
Cid's attack had forced him to witness an impossibility—something he refused to acknowledge.
For the first time—
Cid's blade had made him see his own death. His own mortality.
As Antares floated between the glimmering stars, his face twisted in a maelstrom of emotions—fear, embarrassment, and unbridled fury.
Then, his aura of destruction exploded outward, shaking the very cosmos. Distant stars caught in the shockwave erupted, going supernova as his power consumed them.
"I REFUSE TO ACCEPT THIS OUTCOME!!!"
Antares' body began to change.
A transformation.
His Dragonification surged forth—his body expanding, his form shifting to a massive, towering beast.
He dropped onto all fours, his neck stretching, scales cascading over his entire body. Massive wings erupted from his back, spreading wide like an eclipse. His tail grew longer, thicker—his very body pulsing with destructive energy.
Flames and raw destruction coursed through the cracks of his scales, glowing ominously.
Yet—
Even now, across his colossal form, a single thin slash remained.
A scar.
Blood oozed from the wound like molten magma, refusing to heal, a permanent reminder of Cid's attack.
"ROOOOOAAAAARRRRRR!!!"
Antares unleashed a guttural, world-shaking roar, the sheer force of it fracturing space itself.
And then—
Cid appeared.
He walked effortlessly through the void of space, as if it were solid ground. One hand rested on his sword, the other lazily picking at his ear.
"No need to cry, big baby. I hear you loud and clear," he said, blowing on his pinky. "Lucky for you, I have plenty of experience putting cranky babies to sleep."
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GOT IT