"What do you mean you can't stop it?!" Michael shouted at one of the Arena's employees.
They were inside the control room built under the spatial layers. Crowds of workers were running around, calibrating hundreds of parameters on computers filling the room, as well as monitoring the battle and the stage's stability through large screens mounted on the walls.
"W-we can't, sir!" The chief of the monitoring team raised his arms in defense. "The moment that the 'Echo' was summoned, the System lost control of it. And when we tried to take away its power source, it didn't do anything. T-that man… the… Kind Demon…" He gulped. "He incarnated a body made of flesh and blood! He's as living as one can be and only getting stronger!"
Michael clenched his fists. This wasn't even a matter of pride or honor. At this point, it was a matter of survival and nothing more.
"This can only be stopped if the 'Echo' is killed," the employee added nervously. "But… I don't think even Rakna Xiorra can do that. The scans just confirmed the Kind Demon's vessel has First-Degree Immortality…"
The nobleman gritted his teeth and calmed himself down with a deep breath. "…redirect all liquid mana reservoirs to reinforce the spatial layer. Make it as strong as possible. I don't care about the cost; just use everything we have."
"Y-yes!"
"And if Eternal Night reaches the point of 'Ascension', lock away the stage and banish it away, as far as possible. Trap it into a dimensional storm; I don't care. Get rid of it."
"B-but… we won't be able to retrieve the Beast Emperor…"
"Quiet. Your job right now is to prevent a disaster," Michael sighed and looked at the screens. "It is obvious at this point that Rakna Xiorra is indulging in this situation. If push comes to shove, I can ask his companions to pull him out… but for now, I'm not even sure they will listen to me over his wishes… Who is the Kind Demon to this boy?"
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Rakna's silhouette blurred out of view for a split second and his Guandao was swung twice. A burst of blood erupted from one of Arimane's shoulders as he gleefully deflected the second slash. In the blink of an eye though, the wound disappeared and he countered with Karma.
"[Fulgur,]" the dragon uttered and a bolt of black lightning descended along with his attack. Rakna silently turned Sonata into a greatsword and shielded himself with it. He was blown back by a few meters even when using Eye of Symphony to optimally reassign his attributes nearly every second.
Arimane furthered his attack and dashed forward, swinging his katana from above. Rakna parried it by switching to his twin daggers and the ground under them shattered loudly. The Kind Demon cackled and threw a kick at the therian's exposed ribs.
Rakna's figure once again blurred, but this time, his movements repelled Karma with just a nudge and he lightly stepped back to dodge the blow.
"Oh?" Arimane smiled and, almost impossibly fast, reached under his coat to draw something. He aimed at Rakna what appeared to be a double-barreled revolver. Red and black lightning began to gather in each barrel while the therian's eyes widened. "[Roar, Superore.]"
On cue, an opaque wave of red and black plasma boomed out of the gun and tore into the ground mercilessly, melting the crystal in its wake until eventually fizzling out miles away.
Sparks surrounded Arimane's hand after the shot and he lowered Superore. He looked up and saw his nephew appearing with a flare of star energy, his body showing signs of Ghost of Rupture and covered in purple flames and a black aura to protect him. Despite that, his left arm was singed and steaming.
"Karma, you can hold back a bit less," Arimane uttered and his sword responded by releasing an aura of its own. Then, with nothing more than a swing, the air distorted in Rakna's direction.
The therian widened his eyes and activated Sonata's Shield of Piety. The spherical barrier formed around him but was instantly broken by the attack, carving into his chest much the same way he had done on his uncle a few moments prior.
"You're learning, kid," Arimane said with a grin and lowered Karma. "You already applied the first lesson. You're starting to use your Internal Art to dodge and repel external forces. Good as always."
Rakna scoffed and flexed his injured arm, healing it in an instant. Allegro followed the example and regrew its missing sleeve. At the same time, the therian called to his hand one of the two daggers he had dropped when he was shot and silently reverted Sonata to a Guandao.
"Now, I already have some ideas for your third lesson," the Demon mused. "But well, I will only give you one directive to settle it. Overall, you're doing fine. But you're only trying to 'cut' me and the air in between. Think a bit more outside the box. Also, you're hesitating to use actual Obsidian Star spells. Is there a reason for that?"
'…he even noticed that, huh?' Rakna thought with a click of his tongue. 'I don't know how far I can push the Obsidian Star until I start losing control over it again…' He squinted. 'And to cut something that is not him…'
"I see," the therian uttered and swung Sonata, pouring his aura into it. But when the motion ended, nothing happened. But, for a short moment, the Chalice etched on his back glowed. Then, Rakna fed mana into his wings, pulling them out, and triggered Star Flare to close the distance.
Arimane scowled and blocked the attack. Since his torso was aligned with the edge of Sonata, he expected to be cut through his guard, but nothing of the sort happened. Instead, Rakna summoned a chunk of cold soul flames and shot it as a simple concentrated blast.
"[Pārkkāta Sṭārṭasṭ,]" the therian whispered and his uncle, who had retreated a few steps due to the impact, suddenly stuttered forward as if something had hit him from the back. Then, he once again was forced backward when a wound ripped his stomach out of nowhere.
"What…?" The dragon was genuinely bewildered until he was forced to block another attack from Rakna while his body healed the damages that seemingly had no concrete causes. Again, the slash from Sonata didn't 'cut through' as he expected and this time, suspicion grew in his mind.
They clashed weapons two more times until Arimane abruptly leaned to the side, avoiding a clear slash that bent the air; yet, Rakna's weapon was nowhere near aimed at that place. To be exact, he had slashed there two exchanges ago…
"I see," Arimane uttered and swung Karma, lightning following his movement. Rakna managed to block it but quickly relented on upholding his ground and jumped back when the Demon fired his gun at point blank.
When the two fighters had separated, Arimane ducked his head and a slash carved into the ground behind him. Then, he batted one more away with his sword but Rakna didn't move once.
"'Pārkkāta Sṭārṭasṭ', you said?" The dragon mused. "'Unseen Stardust', huh? Not bad. It's halfway to being a spell, but not quite either. It's closer to you imposing your magic into the world as a law of sorts… like an Origin Magic," he grinned.
"You cut how long it took for your attack to reach me. In other words, you put your slashes in stasis by transmuting time itself. Time is closer to a force of nature than it is a concept, that is why you were able to cut it. But it eventually wears out and catches back up. Thus, firing after a delay. I am impressed, kid. Truly."
Rakna huffed. "You were the one who taught me space-time theories in your ramblings."
"Perhaps," Arimane chuckled. "But I didn't expect that. When I told you not to cut me, my bets were on something more along the lines of this," he uttered and flicked his finger up and down. Thunder roared and a bolt of black lightning descended.
Without even looking, the therian used a hand blade to cut upward. "[Nirākarippiṉ Sṭārṭasṭ,]" he intoned calmly, and right before the lightning bolt hit, it was sliced in two, right down the middle, and proceeded to fade out of existence; neither exploding nor straying, silently vanishing.
"Exactly that," Arimane smirked. "And 'Stardust of Rejection', is it? I like your naming sense, kid. It might even be better than mine," he admitted with an exaggerated nod.
"…" Rakna deadpanned.
"…what's that look for?" The God retorted dryly. "Anyway, that's about what I wanted to see from your star. You transmuted the mana inside my magic formation into nothing. With that, you could potentially scatter people's auras and spells. Though the former would be more temporary than anything and the latter wouldn't happen every time, especially if the offending spell is of high tier, with a good caster and complex structure, and if you don't use enough energy in the slash."
"All in all, you exceeded my expectations," Arimane added. "I give you full marks," he stated with a smile that appeared a tad softer than usual, and perhaps even a little… proud. "All right. To end this lesson, let's give you a practical test. Come and use everything you can."
Rakna quietly transformed Sonata into twin katanas and his wings began to release silver dust as more and more mana was poured into them. Ghost of Rupture shrouded his silhouette and a rippling shockwave spread from under his feet as he disappeared.
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"What am I even watching?" Kaelith grumbled tiredly, keeping an eye on the battle in front of her with a mix of annoyance, awe, anxiety, and pure disbelief. "Wolfy is not even shape-shifting but his every action carries the weight of a Sixth Ascent Host…"
Kryas overheard her mutterings and momentarily froze at what she implied.
"Wait!" Zialtra was far less subtle. "Are you saying this brat has an 'attribute skill' he's not using?!"
"He technically possesses four," Ceresta suddenly said and everyone looked at her. She blinked and then covered her mouth. "I apologize… Should I have said that?" She deflated with a sad look. "Will Rakna be upset…?" She muttered pitifully and her friends felt like they had been stabbed.
Nyx glared at Zialtra, and any other person too curious, with the clear threat of 'Make her cry and you will die a painful death' being reflected in her eyes.
"It's okay, Ceresta," Evelyn soothed the dollish girl. "Rakna wouldn't blame you for something like that. You know him. In fact, at this rate, he might just reveal everything himself," the succubus said with a wry smile. "It looks like he's enjoying this fight more than anything else I've seen him do."
Ceresta nodded meekly and allowed a small smile to grace her lips. "You're right…"
Zialtra flinched at Ceresta's innocence and groaned. She looked back at the stage where she saw Rakna shoot some sort of bladed arrow with a bow, successfully making the equivalent of a small-town worth of terrain blow up and freeze over under turquoise crystal.
"This is ridiculous…" She shook her head. Even she felt defeated at the display. And she could easily tell that the Kind Demon was not even trying. Nox Aeterna was a magic heralded to consume the world in lightning and swallow it like a shadow. This was far from its true power.
Yet, Zialtra could not help herself. Much like Cura, who was intensely clenching his fists, there was no denying her mounting excitement, whether it was for Arimane Reigen Blade or Rakna Xiorra, her thirst for battle could barely be contained.
"Rakna is so strong!" Lanata exclaimed with sparkling eyes.
Flavia smiled at the sheep girl. "That, he is. This is the first time I see his magic in action… To think it can disturb time itself to attack. Even I, with the explicit elements of Space and Time, can barely do something similar. But to him, it looks like a pleasant byproduct."
"Young lady," Kara chuckled. "That you have those elements and can use them is nothing short of amazing as well. Time and Space Magic are some of the most complex elements, especially the former. You've only had them for a few months but can dilate time? Don't sell yourself short."
"Thank you," the Chaos Witch smiled. "But I cannot help but think that if Rakna had them instead of me, he would have already achieved much more."
"Don't compare yourself to the cheat," Allan snickered.
"If I may ask," Azheim raised his voice curiously. "The boy's wings… are they the same I saw on that video of Plateau Zero's liberation? Is he, in fact, related to that mysterious woman?"
At that question, Rakna's companions sputtered and looked away. Ceresta had a subtle realization of what he was asking and let out a smile that melted everybody's hearts. But she didn't answer otherwise.
"| So, kid, any girlfriend? |" They suddenly heard Arimane's voice through the recording spells used by the Arena and practically every girl vying for Rakna's affection snapped toward the source.
Kryas internally laughed. 'Our new Emperor is quite the lucky man…'
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"Huh?" Rakna uttered in surprise as he flew backward, casting Cataract with Neverwinter at the same time. The bombarding spell was launched like a shooting star but Arimane sliced the spell into pieces with a single swing of Karma.
"Come on, you must have one by now, right?" The Kind Demon teased even as a delayed 'Stardust' grazed his leg. He snapped his fingers and a hundred lightning bolts assaulted his nephew from all directions.
The therian grunted and he mumbled one word, "[Valkal.]" His Reverse Tails blocked a bolt each at the cost of their destruction but he instantly recreated them as many times as needed.
Meanwhile, the sound of hammering echoed and a black and purple barbed spear appeared in his hand. "[Gungnir,]" he uttered and threw the weapon at his uncle. It flew through the air in zig-zag patterns, chasing after the dragon until eventually exploding into a beam of obsidian star energy that absorbed whatever it hit and expelled it as raw pressure at the front.
"I don't see how it's any of your business, old man," Rakna uttered afterward, turning Sonata into a bow as Arimane soared away from the range of Gungnir, his hybrid draconic wings alight with red lightning.
"Please, I raised your sorry ass," the Demon huffed indignantly, sheathing his sword and lowering his center of gravity with his hand gripping Karma's hilt tightly. "You're too mentally peaceful right now not to have lost your virginity or something."
Rakna's eyebrow twitched, nonchalantly conjuring a Varunastra arrow with the Everfrost Star as if the current battle was an afterthought to their discussion. "What kind of bullshit are you saying to your nephew? Also, if I was not mentally sane before, doesn't that mean you're at fault for being such a failure at parenting?"
Unbeknownst to them, those words caused a large portion of the viewers to squawk in shock.
"Hell no, you were a lost cause. Don't blame me," Arimane complained and Aeter quickly shrouded the scabbard of his weapon. "[Iai – Aeterna,]" he chanted and simultaneously drew and swung his katana. A crescent-moon-shaped attack flew at the speed of lightning, rumbling like thunder.
Rakna let go of the taut string of Sonata's bow. "[Varunastra,]" he intoned and the arrow of storm met the Eternal Night God's signature attack.
Varunastra shattered on collision and released the sound of sea waves. Crystal emerged from the spell, filled with turquoise water that soon broke out as well, overtaking the sky. Shards of crystal rained and the water swallowed Aeterna before spontaneously freezing into glassy ice.
Yet, thunder still rumbled and a pillar of lightning smashed it all before dissipating as well.
Arimane swiped Karma as if cleaning it. "Just tell me, already," he grinned mirthfully.
"…" Rakna didn't say anything.
"What? You're embarrassed or something?" The Demon tilted his head. "Let's see… you don't seem to be going through a breakup. You don't seem shy about it either. But you're still too awkward to say anything," he recited to himself and then blinked. "A threesome?"
The therian did his best to maintain his expression and transformed Sonata into a greatsword. He held it high above him and obsidian sprouted on it until it became an even larger slab of volcanic glass.
"That reaction… Hahaha!" Arimane burst out laughing. "I got it right! Well damn! That's fine. If you got two ladies to share, then good for you," he chortled but quickly stopped when he saw another strange expression cross his nephew's face. "Wait… don't tell me… there's more than two?"
"[Naṭcattira Maḻai,]" Rakna uttered blankly and swung Sonata. The obsidian, however, shattered in the middle of the swing and separated into thousands of fragments. But instantly after, purple flames appeared behind each fragment and propelled them like rockets. All of them fell like rain at tremendous speeds, littering every corner of the sky and leaving trails of purple embers.
Laughing, Arimane crossed his arms with a grin and stood his ground as shards tried to dig into his scales and skin. All around him, finger-sized holes of unknown depths appeared one after the other at a rate very much similar to actual rain; terrifyingly fast and numerous.
Had it been anyone other than Arimane, this spell would have shredded them into unrecognizable gory messes. When it was over after two or three seconds, the Kind Demon lowered his arms, the traces of silver blood drawn by the fragments all over his body slowly evaporating like water.
"Damn, kid, a harem? Nice job. How many do you plan to add?" Arimane asked playfully.
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"Gosh… why is it word for word the same...?" Kaelith covered her face with her hands. Her face was flushed in a rare moment of intense embarrassment. Nyx was going through the same struggle on the side, though desperately trying not to show it outwardly… and failing, miserably.
"Let me guess, the threesome was with you two?" Azheim inquired mischievously.
"And let me guess something too," Allan added with a laugh. "You probably asked Rak what the old master would say to him about his relationships and he answered exactly that?"
Kaelith dug herself into her seat with a whine, "Shut up…"
"| Incidentally… tell me, kid, the girl with my 'Blessing' over there. |"
Arimane's voice sounded again, but this time, it confused the listeners quite a lot. Then, the Demon tilted his head and eyed the source of the bird view being broadcasted by the Arena.
In contrast with everyone else, Nyx froze. Those eyes felt like they were ignoring all targets but her and her only. She paled but couldn't tear her gaze away out of sheer pressure.
"| Is she called Nyx, by any chance? |" The Eternal Night God asked, his tone almost cold.
Rakna stiffened and furrowed his eyebrows. "| You sealed her away, |" he said with an accusatory stare. "| You took her powers away, ingrained fear into her soul, and to this day, haunted her with the magic she is forced to bear… You better be careful about what you say, old man. |"
Nyx felt her entire body grow warmer at the care the therian exhibited for her.
"| Heh, is she one of those two? |" Arimane snorted half-heartedly, as if he didn't want to joke about it, and sighed. "| What is she to you, kid? Just answer me that. |"
"| … |" Rakna fell silent and Nyx found herself holding her breath. "| She saved my life. Helped and fought at my side with honor. I admire her for surmounting you, of all people, and still offering me her trust with all her heart. I love her, there's not much more to it. |"
The Night Goddess was pretty sure she couldn't have been blushing harder than she was now. The others around her were either smiling or feeling envious, but nonetheless happy for her.
Kaelith pouted. "She gets a public confession. What about me?" She griped and Kara giggled.
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Arimane listened to the therian's unwavering conviction and smiled forlornly. "So, it is as 'He' said it would be, after all; she is crucial to you," he uttered and Rakna raised an eyebrow. "I'll be honest with you, kid, it wasn't my idea to do this to her. Originally, I intended to let her go free and unharmed. However, a certain 'universal meddler' whispered in my head and I complied."
"…that doesn't sound like you," Rakna retorted. "You don't obey anyone."
"Hahaha, true," the Kind Demon laughed. "But at the time, that same meddler, Krynox, made the very convincing argument that my actions would affect the 'future' of someone tied to me."
The therian expression minutely twitched, recognizing the name. It was mentioned by Wis twice and he called it the 'Will of Existence', claiming to be its 'cousin' and therefore capable of knowing the answer to all questions.
"The truth is, it wasn't exactly his idea…" Arimane continued. "He poured the information into my brain; it had been suggested by someone. When I learned who it was, it only made my choice feel even more justified. If there is one person in all Existence you should listen to, even if 'He' does things you cannot understand or accept, it's definitely 'Him'. That's how trustworthy the bastard is and I haven't even met 'Him' personally."
"And who is that?"
Arimane smiled. "Heh, who knows," he jested. "You'll meet 'Him' one day when it's time. After all, I did not know about this System when I sealed Nyx away. At best, what I did that day was wrap her up in my spell and throw it into a dimensional chasm. I never sent her to you, and an overfed sentient entity like Krynox certainly did not."
Rakna's eyes widened, realizing what that meant.
"But enough talking," the Demon rolled his shoulders. "Do you have anything else to demonstrate before I move to the next level?" He grinned.
"…" The therian gazed at his sole family for a short while and twirled his bow, switching it to a one-handed sword during the spin. "Old man… you wanted a proper spell instead of just some random cutting, right?"
Without elaboration, Rakna extended his left arm and pointed two fingers at Arimane as if he was designating him in some way. Flickering, soul flames crawled over his body and rapidly flowed to the tip of his fingers and formed an uneven sphere.
Then, crepitation noises like someone stepping over glass shards echoed, and the fireball began to darken; innumerable tiny pieces of obsidian mixing in with it. They formed a shell around the flames and purple light slightly shone through the millions of small gaps.
"I only saw it a few times, but it gave me an idea," Rakna said and Arimane raised an eyebrow. "This is another experiment, old man. Hope you like it," the therian jested and the granulated orb began to swirl, a dark purple color taking dominance until the obsidian and flames became homogeneous and stable.
"[Slātta Natcattira Raja.]"
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You have learned a new spell; Slātta Natcattira Raja!
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- Slātta Natcattira Raja (T.10 – T.0): Meaning 'Star King of Slaughter', this spell is a reproduction of the innate Nirvana Skill belonging to the race of predators known as Prowlers; Slātta Raja, King of Slaughter. It is an alternative using Star Energy and the Philosopher Flames of the Obsidian Star wielded by Rakna Xiorra Blade.
This spell can be used across all three stars at varying outputs but no matter which, the crystal shell corresponding to the used star will fuse with the Soul Flames and Star Energy. The effects will thus differ depending on the nature of the star.
The original Slātta Raja functions like an ultimate alternator. The Prowler's entire body is an organic magic formation meant to amplify mana, elevate it, bolster it, and expand the final result into ruthless and raw energy.
Slātta Natcattira Raja uses the Soul Flames as the control center for the mana to bounce in and out of the Obsidian Crystals to multiply in purity and intensity through transmutation. Raw Star Energy is then poured into the mix to homogenize it into a controllable energy, which can then be used like the original skill to both attack and defend.
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With a buzzing and crepitating sound, a dark purple wave of unrelenting power shot out from the small orb and expanded in size the farther it traveled. The crystal shards inside it were glimmering like the stars of a galaxy and the air around it was literally reduced into a vacuum. It was fast; much faster than any regular spell.
Arimane's smile twitched and he opened his mouth. "[Third Blue Art,]" the words felt ethereal and echoed as if time was being accelerated just to chant them. A cracked volcanic stone of which the fissures bled fire appeared at the tip of Karma's blade. He pointed it at the incoming spell and once again, moved slowly to the naked eye, yet appeared faster than the Slātta Raja.
"[Fragor Magnus,]" he whispered and the stone rocketed toward the incoming wave. Then, barely a meter before they collided, the stone rattled and shone brightly before exploding. The blast was loud enough to damage the crystal ground of the spatial layer and a sphere of crimson and bluish flames became the result of that detonation.
Arimane couldn't see what became of Rakna's spell through the flash and therefore, was taken off guard when the Slātta Raja punched through Fragor Magnus and continued its way toward him, albeit slower and weaker.
'Every spell…' He came to a realization. 'Every spell cast with the Obsidian Star is inherently blessed with Star Energy capable of inward transmutation. That means they're all resistant to other magics' interference. Not to mention that even if I tear past it, the millions of shards it carries will shred me apart even more viciously than the rain from just before…'
The Demon cackled, time almost crawling to a halt around him as if under his control. The scales under his clothes began to spread, crawling over his neck. A second pair of wings sprouted from his back and a reptilian tail followed. His bones snapped as they expanded and his teeth elongated into fangs.
'Then, Rakna, let me show you the true might of Eternal Night Magic.'
The Slātta Raja struck the landscape stridently. Shards of Obsidian screeched against the crystal ground and the accumulated force stolen from Fragor Magnus impacted the ground with crushing blunt force.
The scarlet crystal caved inward as if a meteorite had fallen and then a dark purple raging storm of energy swallowed everything around, breaking down the matter and cutting it apart at the same time.
Then, from the epicenter, the roar of a dragon thundered and a blanket of shadows was cast over the horizon. Crimson-outlined lightning crept from within as a giant form rose from the snuffed-out spell of the Obsidian Star. The Eternal Night Dragon… emerged from the darkness.