"[Veritable Sky.]"
A golden aurora overtook the Soul Marble. Tarnished Death barreled through the sky and dragged his double scythe along the streams of light. "[Dancing Heaven,]" he uttered and swung his blades in a circle.
The aurora eddied up and down, carrying with it a faint sense of death. It struck the ground and bounced like a pebble on water, shooting straight toward Lilith with an unclear trajectory.
Her muscles contracted and she raised Gān Jiàng above her left shoulder, angling her elbow right below her chin. At the same time, an Asura arm mirrored her from her Ring. There was no name attributed to her attack as she swung and shot a blade of green lightning.
It struck and dispersed the aurora with a loud thunderclap, right before it created a delayed blast in the ground below. She then leaned forward and kicked the air, her horns sparking with energy as she charged toward the Fiend.
Her sabers were resting along her body and as she closed in, the Agni coalescing inside her horns transferred to her eyes, which she opened wide. "[Krodhi Nazar Sanrakshak,]" she intoned and, in less time than she took to blink, a high-pitched booming sound resounded.
An invisible and short-lived concentrated burst of energy left her pupils and hit Tarnished Death's silver armor by her just looking at it.
It exploded into a flurry of green flames and lightning. At the same time, Rakna teleported above with all his tails charging a granulated orb of Obsidian Energy, combusting several kinds of powers inside of it, including a halo of Lunisolar Blaze.
"[Slāṭṭar Muttu,]" he chanted and fired the 'Pearl of Slaughter'. It pierced through the Agni of Lilith and distorted the space. At the same time, Rakna mentally guided his Soul Marble, and thousands of obsidian fragments promptly flew from all directions, encasing Tarnished Death in a box of dark crystal and purple flames.
The 'Fake Ten-Tailed Pearl' exploded within its confines and shook the Soul Marble in its entirety, causing Rakna to grunt as his consumption of soul power spiked to resist it. The impact rattled the flowers and spilled the water of the rivers running through the landscape.
But despite the power of the spell that had practically ended his spar with Arimane, Lilith was not stopping her advance, and neither did Rakna believe this to be over in the slightest. And on cue, to prove them right, the blast itself suddenly lost momentum.
The cage of obsidian was then breached from the inside by a giant summoned skeletal arm, which the Asura didn't waste time attacking with the power she had charged. Six arms of Agni burst out from her Ring and stuck to each other, wrist to wrist, with their palms facing forward.
Lilith struggled as she controlled the power shared by Rakna, and a perfect sphere of lime green lightning, plasma, and fire buzzed in the hold of her Asuran limbs.
"[Asuri…]" She spoke slowly. "[Agni…]" The sphere bloated to twice the size. "[Lahar!]" She yelled and her aura exploded. The sphere erupted into a massive unidirectional wave of Agni, grazing the ground and melting the soil without touching it.
The black petals falling from the sky turned to ashes and the wave crossed the distance to the Soul Sea, where it parted the waters and ultimately died down on the horizon.
Lilith exhaled tiredly, the arms fading from behind her. Slowly, the kilometers of terrain she had cleared began to be filled with petals once more. At an even slower pace, one could also see that the Soul Marble was passively rebuilding itself.
Tarnished Death was nowhere to be seen, carried away by the wave that could have easily crushed a planet to smithereens. But as the aftermath of the Agni began to dissolve, Lilith felt horror course throughout her body.
Before she knew it, a grid of solid magical energy had surrounded her. Each section of the construct stretched and shot toward her, forming a coral-like network. They exuded an ominous aura and as dozens were about to stab into her body, an armored figure teleported in front of her.
Rakna wrapped her around his wings and the silver mist released by his wings glimmered brighter as he repeated his Quantum Leap, retreating, but not without some piercing his back and arms.
He reappeared in the sky hundreds of meters away with a grim expression. He unwillingly let go of Lilith, letting her catch herself. The werewolf's eyes were firm as he hunched forward without being able to straighten himself.
"I told you…" A disembodied voice echoed and from the area where Lilith's wave had torn through previously, a rippling gate of silver light opened, transferring a humanoid shape, and then fading to reveal a completely unharmed 'gladiator'. "You know nothing of Corruption."
"…" Rakna narrowed his eyes at the Fiend. Pieces of his obsidian armor crumbled, detaching from places that had been impaled just now.
"How…?" Lilith muttered in shock as she spotted no damage on Tarnished Death's figure. It was as if her Agni hadn't even hit. She could understand if it was his previous body which could be made and remade. But she could tell with certainty that the 'corpse' he was using was tangible.
The demoness was startled out of her shocked state by the sound of glass shattering. She snapped her head toward Rakna and saw one of his wings break. Half of it reverted to its natural state while the obsidian that covered it fell to the ground and dissolved into colorless energy.
But, in fact, the most worrying thing was still the actual wing itself. The formerly black and silver appendage was being encroached by an ashen shade of white, rendering it inert.
It didn't take long afterward for the rest of the werewolf's armor to fall off, effectively ending the spell and restoring Rakna's appearance, only to reveal more overtaken spots across his body.
With a grimace, he flexed his numb arms to summon a crackling, invisible aura. The spread of the color stopped and started receding very slowly.
"You did well in protecting the Guardian," Tarnished Death commented. "Only a Nephilim such as you could hope to shrug off 'Death' so easily."
Lilith coldly looked at the Fiend. "What do you mean?"
"He killed parts of my body, that's what he's saying," Rakna answered in his stead. "That's what he has been doing since earlier. His aura doesn't corrupt; it applies a corrupted conceptualization of death," he scoffed. "He canceled my attacks that way. Ever heard of 'killing' momentum?"
"Huh? But that's—"
"Nonsensical?" Tarnished Death cut her off with an amused tone. "Believe me, in the vastness of the world, that is a comical word, alongside 'impossible'. Even after robbing a Principle of Death, I cannot even reach the ankles of some creatures out there who wield it… one of which happens to be a member of the Dreamer's Family."
Rakna's eyebrow shifted upward, but he tossed aside this information for now. Silently, he boosted his Sub-Path skills with Obsidian Points, the latent and yet unachieved power of the Philosopher's Stone.
He clenched his hands and grunted, finally recovering the strength to lift his wings and limbs that had been hanging inert.
"Hm, fast too," the Fiend remarked. "I have killed your spell. Will you cast it again?"
He most likely referred to his armor. Rakna could only frown at him in response. It wasn't like his Craft had been sealed forever, but the way it had been dispelled had caused quite a wound on his Magic Circuits. It was temporary, but even with the Full Moons, summoning the same type of spell would only harm him.
"Most importantly, how long can you keep this up?" Tarnished Deah mused out loud. He looked up at the sky of the Soul Marble. "To cast the Full Moon on yourself with your own Soul Marble is brilliant. But maintaining such a flow in a closed circuit… your body will eventually start rejecting Lunar Energy as a form of self-preservation. Even Nephilim have limits."
"Don't worry about that," Rakna retorted blankly. "You won't get to exploit those limits."
A quiet sentiment of amusement exuded from the Fiend. "Then, you better hurry and not waste any more time. The sand is ticking, so to speak."
Rakna glanced at the sky where the hourglass loomed. He had naturally tried to expel it out of his Soul Marble, but nothing worked on it. It wasn't even physical in the truest of senses.
"[…Comet.]" With a word, the werewolf turned into a flash of star energy. He blinked through the distance and swung Sonata at Tarnished Death with the full rotation of his Internal Art.
The undead gladiator moved just as fast and merely raised his arm to block it. The azure blade that should have an edge capable of splitting the toughest of materials was immediately halted by his armor. It did not even cause a scratch.
Rakna did not even blink at the result. He activated Crescent of a Falling Star at point blank and followed up with a Fist of Rupture that cracked space itself and sucked in all its energy into one single point.
But even then, Tarnished Death batted it away and threw a punch of his own, forcing the werewolf to cross his arms in defense. He grimaced when the silver gauntlet broke his arms apart into Star Energy and then sent him flying toward the ground.
Lilith intervened at that exact moment, slashing at the Fiend's neck with a bolt of green lightning.
"Futile," he didn't even bother to block it, nor did he use his 'Death'. The Agni thundered, striking his head without effect. He powered through the attack and grabbed Lilith's arm.
Hurling her aside, he pointed his palm at her and created a black magic circle. "[Tirītu--!]" He was sharply interrupted by his magic suddenly glitching out of existence.
A wave of soul power washed over the place and was traced back to Rakna's hand, "As long as you are in my World… don't think about using magic formations."
"Hmph," Tarnished Death snickered, magic circles fizzling in and out from around his hand. "That is certainly possible but… it will drain your most important reserves even more. Your mana capacity is phenomenal, but your soul power will run out eventually. Especially after giving your Egregore Entity so much earlier. Do not think I didn't notice."
Wordlessly, Rakna divided his mind to scan the outside of his Soul Marble. He couldn't exactly see much, but it was enough to look for Astraea's presence. He had given her a hefty amount of energy and based on what he felt with his Firmament title, she had summoned quite a mighty entity.
It barely lasted a minute, but he could tell that the Pasqat had been thoroughly eliminated. But not only was Bhumi still up and kicking; his instincts were screaming that an anomaly was occurring. The problem was that it felt multi-layered as if there were several sources of danger.
"…" Rakna remained silent as he took flight, avoiding a kick from Tarnished Death that blew away a chunk of his soulscape. He clashed weapons and clicked his tongue at the continuous nullification of his strength.
Deflecting the double scythe, the werewolf exchanged hand-to-hand strikes with the Fiend, half of the collisions canceling out and the other half flattening the ground right below.
Lilith patiently waited until there was an opening and launched an attack right as Rakna managed to thrust past Tarnished Death's defenses with his claws. The latter's eyes flickered under his helm and he temporarily dropped his staff, allowing it to float next to him.
Then, he raised his forearms to block both blows. The werewolf's claws exploded with Star Energy into his armor and the Asura's saber landed like lightning.
This time around, the momentum had not been 'killed' but despite that, no damage at all could be seen on the silver armor. Tarnished Death impassively received their attacks and countered in the blink of an eye, kicking a hole through Rakna's chest and backhanding Lilith, shattering her Asura Arms put up in defense.
Rakna gritted his teeth as he careened through the air. He forcefully altered the world inside his Soul Marble to negate the knockback and spun around, opening his eyes wide and drawing a full constellation with his Valkals.
"[Star Monarch – Overlay,]" he uttered and Sonata was shrouded in pure white aura alongside its transformation into a lance.
"[Riven The Sky, Soar Over Hel,]" he chanted and a circular wave made of peculiar energy expanded with Sonata as its source. It pushed everything in the vicinity, compelling Lilith and even Tarnished Death to ride the wave away from Rakna.
"This…" The Fiend narrowed his eyes. The spell that was being infused into the Guandao was very clearly an antithesis relative to himself.
"[Spread Your Wings, Cygnus!]" The werewolf exclaimed and threw Sonata like a javelin. With a majestic cry, a giant apparition of a beautiful golden swan enveloped the lance as it zeroed onto its target.
The light split the air and Tarnished Death raised one arm. "[Veritable Sky – Heaven's Seal.]" He firmly rotated his wrist and a spiral of gold and silver light materialized a round jade tablet carved with intricate patterns. It resembled a magic formation but felt completely different.
The Cygnus Swan struck against it in a cacophony. It burst with golden light and instantly cracked the defense. Sonata's own aura mixed into it, introducing a blue hue to the whole, before it reached a critical point and blew up with the jade tablet.
Tarnished Death slowly lowered his arm and quietly stared at the aftermath. But without warning, something pierced through the smokescreen with a loud cry. The golden swan flew fast enough to catch the Fiend off guard; its beak ramming into his armor.
"…!" The undead gladiator grunted and choked the bird's neck with his arm. He promptly lifted his double scythe and stabbed it, directly infusing his aura into it. It didn't take long for the phantasmal creature to 'die' and disappear into motes of light.
But right after, the familiar crackling of Rakna's wings resounded and the werewolf emerged from the Fiend's side. His body was drowning in star energy and distorted behind a blurry veil.
Tarnished Death's eyes widened as he sensed the transcendental flow of Ki and Intent. It wasn't as strong as before, but it undeniably was an attack that edged the limit of the werewolf's potential.
Rakna growled and moved his fist forward; it barely could be called a punch, after all. Just like what he had used against the Pasqat, this technique was closer to an evolution of the 'Ghost of Rupture', in the sense that it was a passive state.
After its activation, not only would it start draining the quasi totality of his internal force, but also make it extremely difficult to move even a centimeter. He believed that the day he was capable of fully utilizing his identity as the Philosopher's Stone, this martial art may just be strong enough to blow away a planet with the flick of a finger.
"[Ghost Star of Rupture,]" he gritted out and the 'pebble' was tossed. Ripples spread from his fist and for a moment, his very own attack splintered his Soul Marble, briefly creating windows to the outside world. A soft, chime-like noise echoed and Rakna's body reverted to normal.
Tarnished Death didn't crumble under the void transmutation like the Pasqat but the sheer impact was enough to break all forms of control physics had on him. In one instant, he was crossing his arms, and in the next, he vanished.
Far away, the Soul Marble was hit by a devastating 'projectile' that subsequently disintegrated the land around it, triggering a terrifying shockwave.
Rakna clicked his tongue as his arm lost its consistency; Voyaging Star struggled to repair it and defaulted to raw energetic manifestation instead.
"Did it work?" Lilith asked as she appeared beside him, Agni burning at her feet.
The werewolf squinted his eyes and his Soul Marble responded to him. "No," he said, and from the crater that had been filled up by the rivers' water, a silver-winged figure arose. It ascended slowly and then blinked out of view.
"Impressive," the Fiend's voice came from right next to them.
Rakna glanced at him and furrowed his eyebrows. The only evidence of his attack having landed was just a discoloration on the armor's chest plate; a spot that had been in perfect alignment with his fist. Lilith also became agitated at the sight.
"Whatever you are thinking, do not sell yourself short," Tarnished Death said. "The Heavenly Gladiator of the Immortal Temple… that is this body I possess. The Immortal Temple was a mighty group with few members, but unmatched prowess and each with a title of 'Immortal' in one way or another."
He raised his armored hand and clenched it. "The Gladiator was an Immortal too. And his own brand of Immortality was… indestructibility."
Rakna's expression darkened; he had already figured it was something like that but it didn't make it any better to hear it from the enemy's mouth.
"Naturally, this is nothing compared to his time in life. Otherwise, not even a hundred years of you freely attacking would have left a mark," Tarnished Death stated.
"You trapped us!" Lilith yelled as she realized the situation. "We can't 'draw blood' from you!"
"Oh, but yes, you can," the Fiend retorted with an audible smirk. He pointed his thumb at his chest where a white hue undulated. "You only have to strike my heart."
"…I used the full capacity of Rupture in that exact spot," Rakna uttered blankly. "Not even piercing damage can get through that armor and body. If you're trying to mock us, at least be honest."
Tarnished Death chuckled and in the next instant, the sound of a low-pitched gong reached every corner of the soulscape. The trio looked up simultaneously and saw the sand inside the hourglass had reached the half-point.
"Well, well, your time is running out," the Fiend commented.
"…Ranka," Rakna suddenly called and his Tenth Tail became pure obsidian before disappearing and transforming into the female form of his Doppelganger. Lilith immediately felt some power leaving her Karmic Bond.
Tarnished Death tilted his head curiously whilst the clone raised an eyebrow at her original self.
"Are you sure?" She asked and the werewolf nodded.
"Go help them. You sensed it too when my Ghost Star weakened the boundaries ," Rakna glared at the Fiend across from him. "Bhumi is about to overwhelm them, and this bastard used that window of time to cast something on top of that."
"Ah… so, you noticed," the gladiator lamented. "And here I thought I was being sly," he said with a tone full of satire. "By the time this marble collapses… I wonder if there will be anything left outside."
Ranka's expression was unmoving. She glanced at Tarnished Death, then squinted her eyes at Lilith, wordlessly communicating her encouragements, before she deployed her wings and blinked away in a flash of silver. A portal of purple flames appeared and she jumped through it.
"You didn't stop her," Rakna remarked.
"Why should I?" Tarnished Death retorted. "The battle outside does not concern me. The God of this planet is an exceptional material, I will admit. A pawn with great power. But nothing in this dream will last," he stated as the newly made exit closed. "My sole goal is your defeat. A goal you should inversely share. Don't get attached, wolfwalker. Their lives are evanescent."
The werewolf clenched his fists in response and Lilith shivered as the Neverwinter Star in the sky began to glimmer ever so slightly. "So is yours," Rakna coldly said.
"For now," the Fiend spoke ominously and raised his weapon, preparing for another round.