Chapter 82: The power of one dipped in divinity

Asaun, clad in his now battered armor, stood atop a small, destroyed building, his sword at the ready. Below him, the demon Asmodai seethed with malevolent aura, his eyes blazing with a ferocious intensity.

Asmodai raised his hand, and a bolt of crackling lightning shot towards Asaun. The knight reacted with lightning-fast reflexes, leaping off the rooftop to avoid the attack. The lightning strike hit the ground mere feet away, sending a blast of energy that ripped through the surrounding buildings and sent debris flying in all directions. The very air was charged with electricity as the storm raged on.

Asaun landed gracefully on the snowy street, his boots sinking into the powdery surface. He charged towards Asmodai with fierce determination, his sword glowing with a wave of green mana. The demon, unfazed by the knight's sudden attack, dodged to the side with eerie agility.

Asaun recovered quickly and launched a swift slash at Asmodai's exposed flank. The demon's eyes flickered with surprise, but he was too quick to avoid the blow entirely. The blade bit deep into his arm, leaving behind a trail of smoldering green magic.

Asmodai reacted swiftly, erecting a shimmering barrier of mana around himself to defend against further attacks. Asaun didn't hesitate, following up with a powerful slash infused with even more mana. The attack was so potent that it shattered Asmodai's barrier and sent him stumbling backward.

Seizing the opportunity, Asmodai unleashed a wave of fire that would have incinerated any ordinary foe. The flames engulfed the surrounding buildings, reducing them to ashes and sending plumes of smoke into the frigid air. Asaun leapt high into the air to avoid the inferno, his movements fluid and effortless despite the danger.

As he cleared the flames, Asmodai sent another attack hurtling towards him – a piercing mana beam that threatened to incinerate the knight on contact. Asaun dodged again, this time mid-air, using every ounce of skill and agility at his disposal to twist his body out of the way.

Finally landing back on the ground, both warriors paused. Another tremor assaulted the earth, some buildings toppling over as a result.

"What monsters are the cause of these tremors?" Asaun frowned, but he kept his eyes on Asmodai. "At the rate they're fighting, they no doubt destroyed an odd village or town. Though morbid, it's fortunate the towns down that side were run down by the cultist. Even so, should that monstrous battle continue, Emberreach is at stake."

"Seems that arrogant prince found himself a suitable playmate," Asmodai mused. "But I must say, even I would not want to face a monster capable of satiating his thirst for battle." The demon shook his head as he focused his attention back on Asaun. "But still, I find it surprising that one loyal to Verdantis would disclose the secrets of ascendance. You do realize there is a chance that girl would participate in that festival, a spawn of Isadora with a spawn of Octavia plummets your chances at victory."

"Mayhap, but there is no secret to ascendance," Asaun stated with a chuckle as Asmodai furrowed his brows. "Agatha was always going to be an Inheritor, the same goes for that princess. Though there is no harm in telling you, all Inheritors have a distinctive mark to their mana. And it is impossible to detect if you are no knight, despite sacrificing the use of magic, we are far more in tune with mana. It's how I distinguished young Agatha and Mirabella."

"So what you were spouting to that girl was naught but rubbish?" Asmodai frowned. "No, it was a guide all the same."

"Mayhap, but Isadora no doubt heard Agatha's pleas. The Goddess will help her, and once the young lady reaches ascendance, she'll make short work of you," Asaun confidently stated. He had witnessed the power Inheritors wield, so he was sure of his own words. Asmodai scoffed as his tone lowered.

"It will not make a difference. I've walked this star for eons upon eons," he declared. "I've fought numerous battles, and I shall not be done in by rabble like yourself."

"Then it is a good thing I am here to assist," Asmodai's gaze sharpened as his eyes snapped to the side to see a figure emerge from the darkness.

"Ah, Isabella dear. Right on time," Asaun greeted as the figure of Isabella became all the more clearer. She walked to his side, her resolve steeled.

"Apologies, sir Asaun. I know I was ordered not to engage in battle prematurely, but I cannot stand by while this city is directed to ruin," she stated with steely determination in her eyes. Asaun merely smiled.

"Worry not, Isabella, your determination is admirable," he complimented. "Yet I fear even with your help, this foe will not be bested. However, we can hold him off. Young Agatha is set to undertake the same journey you did, our efforts hinge on her." Isabella, momentarily surprised, quickly shook it off as she prepared for action.

"Understood, sir. I'll support you as best as I can," she declared with conviction. "Arcane Ascendance: Serenade of the Harmonic Essence."

Channeling the depths of her magic, Isabella invoked the ancient ritual of Arcane Ascendance. Mana surged around her in vibrant tendrils, weaving lines of energy that shimmered with ethereal hues of blues and purples. The air crackled with power as her form began to transform.

Isabella's silhouette expanded, her body elongating as if being stretched by unseen forces. Her eyes blazed with a radiant salmon hue that seemed to dance like flames. Her simple garments shimmered and morphed into flowing robes adorned with celestial patterns, each thread woven with whispers of forgotten spells. In her hands materialized a harp of pure light, its strings humming with a melody that resonated with the very fabric of reality.

From the ground beneath her feet rose a pillar of mana, swirling and pulsating with the intensity of a supernova. Isabella ascended upon it, her presence now towering over the battlefield like a benevolent deity descended from the heavens. Her eyes, now glowing with an inner luminance, locked onto Asmodai with unwavering resolve.

Asmodai's eyes widened as Isabella's transformation reached its climax. The very air seemed to shimmer and dance around Isabella's new form, as if reality itself was bending to accommodate her newfound power.

"Such mana, such pure power," he was momentarily left stunned. Asmodai watched as the semi-deity began to move.

The harp strings sang out, and an exhilarating energy coursed through Asaun's veins. He felt his strength surge, his senses heightened to unnatural levels. With renewed vigor, he charged forward, his sword flashing in the pale moonlight. Asmodai raised a hand, summoning a barrier of swirling mana to defend himself.

The two clashed in a blur of speed. Asaun's sword sliced through the magic barrier with ease, striking against Asmodai's arm. The demon howled in rage as his limb severed at the elbow, falling to the ground with a sickening thud.

Asmodai's face twisted into a snarl as he launched a wave of destructive black fire at Asaun. The flames engulfed the warrior, but Isabella's music fell silent, and a soothing hum was heard as the song imbued him with an unnatural resistance. The fire danced around him, burning away at the snow and debris surrounding them without touching Asaun.

In that moment of protection, Isabella's music fell silent. The black flames continued to rage on for several heartbeats before finally dying down, revealing Asaun standing unscathed amidst the devastation.

Asmodai's eyes narrowed as he turned to Isabella.

"Seems I have to deal with you first!" he spat, his voice dripping with malice. "You meddling...!" He took a step forward, only for Asaun to seize the opportunity.

With unseen speeds, Asaun closed the distance between them. His sword sliced through Asmodai's other arm with deadly precision. The demon stumbled backward, one arm already severed at the elbow and now another at the shoulder. He began to retreat down the street, but Asaun moved to pursue him. Just then, he glanced back.

Isabella's transformation began to wane, her ethereal form dissipating like mist in the morning sun. She collapsed to her knees, exhausted from expending all her mana in that spectacular display. Arcane Ascendance really did burn through one's mana.

Asmodai's gaze lingered on Isabella before focusing on Asaun once more. His eyes blazed with malevolent intent as he began to chant an incantation. Dark mana coalesced around him, pulsing with dark energy.

Asaun knew better than to underestimate his opponent. He sprinted toward Isabella and yanked her back onto her feet just as she was about to fall completely limp from exhaustion.

As they stood together once more, Asmodai unleashed his spell. A blast of energy shot toward them, but Asaun was ready. With Isabella clinging to his back for support, he launched himself and Isabella to the side, avoiding the blast of energy that shot through multiple buildings, bringing them down as if they were naught but building blocks.

"A mere five minutes, hm?" Asmodai noted as in a morbid display his arms regenerated, starting from the bones to each muscle fiber and cell to eventually his flesh. The demon smirked as he watched the now unconscious Isabella clinging to Asaun's back. "And how surprising, it was thought there were only five Inheritors: the Fire Goddess's spawn, the two of the Times God, one for the Lord of all that lies in the darkness, and the spawn of the God of Strength. To think Verdantis had a sixth Inheritor."

"Arcane Ascendance truly is a trump card that should only be used as a last resort," Asaun frowned deeply. "Most of our Inheritors could only use it for about ten minutes. It burns through mana and makes it impossible to fight afterwards. Even the spawn of Octavia can only manage thirty minutes." But even when the situation was tense, Asaun smirked.

Behind him, a beacon of blinding light sprang forth, engulfing buildings and stretching high into the air, piercing the very atmosphere.

Agatha had succeeded.

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