*
Oppression, despair, the weight of the world, the curses of the unfortunate, the cries of the doomed... All of it bears down on Ledia. This was a smidgen of the conceptual authority bestowed upon Arasovi by her second skill.
Ledia closes the distance, gritting her teeth as she resists the pressure bearing down on her body, soul and heart. She conjures the universal bombs with swift talent and launches them at Arasovi with an accompanying punch. The punch... Missed. The bomb erupts, clouding her field of vision. Her body floats aimlessly through the dust clouds, disoriented and struggling to regain her sense of balance. The momentum born from the explosions continue pushing her body backwards, driving more distance inbetween the two, but also...
Depriving her of a sense of balance, the incessant floating in the air caused by her own bombs present a large opening for Arasovi.
"Fu~ enough playing around. Just be swallowed up and die! [Premonition of destruction]!!!" (Arasovi)
A purplish black light consumes the entire world at once, rushing towards Ledia like an endless pitch dark storm. Earlier, she had used her skill [Absolute adornment of an auxiliary quietus, fula fati miseria]. Rather than any specific magical concept, it was easier to describe it... As an inherent authority she had over the world itself, an indispensable law that was the result of nature, something like gravity or the speed of light. The law's effect... Was the redistribution of misfortune, or the antithesis to fate.
Within the maelstrom of this Belligerent force, the potential that Kaori deduced in Ledia would never arrive. All the luck, the fortune of breaking past her limits and arriving at a better future has been sealed off. In a simplistic manner, the sequence of misfortune that be fell Ledia and caused this current situation was a mere side effect of Arasovi's authority.
The world painted in black threatens to consumer Ledia all at once.
"Hah~... Why should you decide the end of all things? What makes you think you could end everything by yourself, when there's an individual here that could start anew.
Face it, the moment I got my hands on her, you have lost. Potential isn't something you can seal off and call it a day, it's an inevitability that... Will...
Keep moving forward, because [Idealism of a magical maiden's transient heroism: panta rhei]. " (Kaori)
Dispelling a sigh, she stands inbetween Arasovi and Ledia. Her pose dignified and her voice clear as a pure lake, nothing could prevent Arasovi from hearing her voice and the atmosphere of elegance it exuded. Like an annoying zit that she can never get rid of, like a destined ending, a constant treadmill of events she can never step off of.
" You...! The attack is supposed to be instant, I didn't give anyone time to monologue?! "(Arasovi)
She lashes out. Time has lost all meaning the moment the fight began. Reality exists at the moment the light is about to erase Ledia, but... The time isn't moving forward. Both sides are continuously surpassing infinity without end. Even as the attack speeds up, it has to catch up with their perception speed.
" When your stats are infinite, I merely have to surpass your infinity with my own. See? Even you, are talking faster than your own magic now. " (Kaori)
The moment she snapped her finger, her magic activated. The destruction magic unleashed by Arasovi was drawn into one spot. As if there was an invisible vacuum sucking all of it into one spot.
" Ledia, switch in. We'll exchange enemies." (Kaori)
A simple solution for an absurd new problem. If Ledia couldn't deal with Arasovi's authority, then Kaori will. The endless flow of misfortune, then redistribution of sin and fault, Arasovi's antagonistic authority against destiny... With her final skill available, Kaori can recognise all of it as gradients... And move them away. In an instant, her rapier had been materialised and was slashing mercilessly at Arasovi, whom dodged at the last moment by twisting her neck and body back. The tip of her rapier almost caressed her neck as it carved the air apart with great force.
Kaori's expression remained monotonous, unlike the cheeky ridicule that she displayed for Kaori alternative earlier. Her eyes were cold and her ears discerning, there was no pulling punches with Arasovi's foreign authority over her destiny. In a simplified way, her second skill was simply to give the opponent bad luck, but the bad luck was just the side effect. The magic as a whole, was able to mess with destiny and magic that dealt with related concepts. It was in essence, a defensive skill that could also attack.
"So something like [Hollow calamity] then." (Kaori)
She subtly released her soliloquy, but everyone being a god... Meant that nobody could have misheard that. There was no point to whispering, this was a display of her hubris. Arasovi's veins popped up at her temples, but her composure remained as cool and sharp as a blade's edge. Kaori swung her rapier, it swiftly bent around her head and protected her back. Arasovi appears behind her with a fist coated in black light, without hesitation her fist had already plunged in before anyone could notice. Her fist struck the blade, protected by her own magic from its edge, the two contest in strength behind Kaori's back.
"..." (Kaori)
"..." (Arasovi)
Even. Not a single one of them budged, despite the awkward angle at which Kaori held her rapier. This was the consequence of fighting infinity with infinity, both their strength and magic was continuously growing without an end in sight, yet it completely match one another the entire way.
Why did neither of them give an inch? Moving back and retreating to make some distance would have been fine to get rid of the deadlock, but this was the certain result anyway. After all, it was a battle of egos. Waving her left arm, multiple rapiers materialised in mid air and shot at Arasovi like spears, the dark light that was just conjured around Kaori's head shatters like glass. When both are infinite, the 'bigger' infinity wins. Kaori learnt this in the battle with Zedicia and Hikari, that's why she let her ego loose. In a battle between gods, it would most likely become a battle of egos once both mastered combat in the realm of gods.
With her shooting off her rapiers, Arasovi finally jumped back. Kaori spun around, rapier in her right hand, she closed the distance immediately, ready for the next engagement. Flicking her wrist, her blade crashes straight onto the centre of Arasovi's head, colliding with her last minute shield of destruction energy. She made the shield small and thick, successfully fending off the rapier's assault, causing a loud collision.
"What happened to your authority? Aren't you going to use it?" (Kaori)
She displays an off putting smile while swinging her rapier as she spoke, throwing two over head swings followed by a roundhouse kick, she took advantage of Arasovi's choice to conjure a shield. Arasovi's hands were tied up with holding the shield as a result of the concentrated attacks against her. Kaori taunted her, knowing full well that Arasovi's authority was forcefully being dispelled by her final skill, but Arasovi continued to use her authority knowing it was futile... Because it was similarly holding up Kaori's final skill's function.
"Tch, Oblivion Magia! Deprivation of the saintess world." (Arasovi)
"?! Oblivion Magia, Hallowed bridal judgement." (Kaori)
Her Oblivion Magia shares the same name as her current combat dress, a regal attire befitting a holy bride of unrealistic proportions. Her fingers supple as cotton and pale as snow point downwards, as if marking her territory. At this stage, a God's Oblivion Magia was practically an entire alternate universe rather than a small space fit for combat between magical girls. Their respective worlds clashed violently as they vyed for supremacy, vigorously clawing at the other to leave a rhythm of constant combustion and violence, like a pair of chainsaws tearing each other down.
The noise slowly grew until it rose out of the human range of perception. The world dyed in supernatural silence felt like it was still screaming at the 2 who stared down the other as their territories kept expanding until it was devoid of a boundary. Kaori drew her rapier closer, advancing without fear. Arasovi wielded her greats word, also approaching the boundary of the clashing dimensions. With a single wave of her rapier, the Veil of Determinism crashed onto Arasovi, a black pillar of light crushes her body into the space below.
Kaori was sure now, it didn't take much to convince her when the Veil easily dissipated. There was no chance Arasovi would needlessly expand her Oblivion Magia without reason, like with any other magical girl, they can choose to include or exclude any of their skills from their own Oblivion Magia...
Arasovi wants to use her final skill to finish off Kaori under the guise of her Oblivion Magia. That's why Kaori also expanded hers immediately, to counteract Arasovi's Oblivion Magia. At present, she had absolutely no idea what Arasovi's final skill did, it was suicide to go into her territory. That's why it was best to attack from a distance, even if she there her veils at Arasovi in vain, there was no reason to enter her Oblivion Magia at all.
Pointing her rapier at Arasovi from within her own Oblivion Magia, Kaori commanded numerous Veils to crash onto Arasovi. These Veils were strong enough to break space apart, only those who could time travel could traverse the broken space as they were moving across a different exist and planting themselves there, like teleportation. The veils crash against the boundary, swallowing up the ensuing conflict of the 2 dimensions... And rushing past the border, they approach Arasovi.
They could crush the boundary of dimensions... Nonetheless they are now within Arasovi's territory, so they will be subjected to her magic.
"The power of Calamity... Is perpetual motion, a darkness with no end in sight, no light at the end of the tunnel...
Then destruction... Will be the eradication of everything that is dear. The inevitable law, an inescapable march towards non-existence. An end to all existences, first skill... [Premonition of destruction]. " (Arasovi)
The veils that fly past the air like inbound missiles weren't protected by Kaori's final skill like she was, Arasovi's authority caused them to miss their target and her primary skill erases them without a trace. An end to existence, that was the essence to destruction. A simple yet dreadful delete button. But it isn't as if there is no hope, with Ledia's hope, there are finally more options, more possibilities.
Yet at the end... It only summoned enough for them to 1v1 each of the 8 remaining destroyers. These allies were deemed sufficient by Ledia's final skill, or maybe... There was a limit to her final skill and this was the best it could do. What exactly happened in the original timeline?
What was impossible to achieve then but not now? What was the difference? Did the option of getting help simply slip Kaori's mind? The end of their world should be reason enough to convince everyone to cooperate, everyone here was strong in their own right, strong enough to obliterate the dimensional masking in their own and fight on equal footing with the destroyers... Then... Just what was lacking before Ledia arrived?
"... Hope? Calamity drives away hope with its perpetuity. Is that why?" (Kaori)
Was it so disgustingly simple? She just lacked hope? Or... She didn't have faith in anyone but herself, and took on all of the destroyers at once... And survived. It was incomprehensible, but also a psychological bottleneck that she trapped herself in. If Kaori couldn't do it, then who can? Was that the only reason why she didn't think about getting allies to make the numbers even? Did she really have no faith in anyone...? Or...
Was she affected by Arasovi's authority? The weight of the world's sins and punishments would be unbearable, her authority would impart this sort of pressure onto its target. Why did she run? Why did she rely on someone like Ledia? Was it just because her hubris was hurt? Just because she couldn't 1v8? Then this situation would be a result of her bruised ego.
'Why did I run?
Why did I regret it? Why have I forsaken it all?
Was it really so dreadful back then? The difference between then and now is too drastic.
' (Kaori)
***(?)
"Are you aware of your status as calamity?" (Himei)
"Of course..." (Kaori)
"I see... You are at least aware of it... But that doesn't mean you accept it. The cause of The Great Disaster in every dimension is caused by the 'true' Disaster, Hikari. But it could also be described as a calamity, an apocalypse that affected all of humanity.
You who govern over calamity, is intrinsically and unequivocally tied to it. " (Himei)
"... I had a feeling that such a thing was the case...
[Hollow calamity] and ascension to godhood... It's too much of a coincidence. It simply meant I may be an incarnate of the god of Calamity, one of the many countless reincarnation in mythology. But... I failed to govern, I failed to prevent The Great Disaster. I can never fix that. " (Kaori)
For too much time had passed, and new life had been born. It was not fair to those who would exist because of The Great Disaster, to simple erase The Great Disaster just to reverse the catastrophic casualties. Then what can she do now? What can he... Do now...?