Ether focused more of his energy onto the Goliath. He gritted his teeth as his body swelled with unrivaled heat.
The sky around him became nearly uninhabitable, forming miniature ghost Weavers. Each creature growled lowly, trying to merge into a bigger Pyroatic Weaver.
Ventelu felt his heartbeat in his ears. Sweat piled up on his forehead, while his Sky Beast became feeble. It screeched labored breaths, trying to protest death.
"It - it's okay... girl... I uh... w - will call you back when I... manifest... myself a - again. But... one last ride, o - okay?" Ventelu turned to Vhul-Adune. "To victory..."
Vhul-Adune ceased the sandstorms, choosing to cause sand particles to erupt out of the ground. It geared them to latch onto organic life and melt away their bodies.
Nestres summoned a staff before him, it ignited with a mystic blue hue. Sigils embedded on the metal body, dating back to his Will Power.
Several sigils appeared around him in a specific order. Then they disappeared, only to reappear for a second time. Unlike the last, this one was permanent.
Hylo and Fruzzy huddle together, embracing before being consumed by the molten sand. Yet an indestructible barrier appeared over them.
"I can sense our presence has died down a little. Odds are, one of us died, and another is soon to follow," Nestres commented.
"What? No, no, no! Ether's out there - is he - is he protected by this dome, too? Will he be okay - what's happening?" Hylo frantically asked.
Nestres remained silent, keeping his eyes on the Zesher and rider. He watched Venetelu release one final volley of jade arrows. They froze portions of the sand in place, before turning on his beast and overloading it with his Will Power.
Together, the duo charged right into the Goliath. A massive blinding explosion rocked the region. Trees leveled away from the blast, even dislodging massive crystals within Uvurim.
Ether gritted his teeth, not wanting to let up. "Mmm... Star Devourer's Maw!"
A glimpse of a massive entity whizzed past his eyes. It opened its mouth, then he cut back to real life. Vhul-Adune roared as massive chunks of its body transformed to molten crystal.
Gatruda unleashed another volley of geomagnetic darts. Unlike the previous assault, this one severed Vhul-Adune's connection to the rest of its body.
"Ruda -"
"Ruda, Ruda?" Ruda replied.
"Vhul-Adune is weaker now. This is your opportunity to sing it away," Gat ordered.
In response, Ruda began chirping blissfully. He dashed towards the goliath with a massive smile on his tiny face. The destruction surrounding him seared away in torching heat.
He jumped up to the Goliath, then began singing. The waves struck down several arms , leaving only the vessel that Vhul-Adune made for itself.
Which was a giant Yinmar. Unlike a traditional Yinmar, this one had two arms for tusks. The sight reminded Ether of the Light Legion and the dark memories during that war.
Causing him to lose focus and get caught by a rogue gust of powdered glass. Which dug deep into his raw skin. He gritted his teeth and cringed from the pain.
It felt like getting a thousand needles stabbed into his right knee and stomach. Each one bringing a large share of lethality to put him away for good.
"Oh no, no, no! He's injured! Save him!" Hylo cried out. She felt powerless, even with all the training she received. "Please, do something - anything!"
Fruzzy kept her eyes locked on Ether has he tumbled right out of the sky, even when Nestres ordered her to push forward and end it.
"I see a weakness right..." she manifested her throwing lance into her palm, while manifesting her throwing shield on the other. "There..."
She tossed her shield right into the core of Vhul-Adune's vessel. Scattering the protective barrier placed to shield it. Her lance quickly followed.
It boomed and flashed like a meteor breaking orbit, until it digged deep into the glowing white sphere. This caused Vhul-Adune to lose all control for several minutes.
Ruda continued to sing, washing away all sand and cleansing it of their paranormal origin. He danced and cheered, blissfully ignoring all the negativity and desperation.
"Yaaah! Abbah, abbah! 'Vohc me shtey?' Ohm, me shtey!" Ruda sang.
Gat helped destroy the vessel with her own geomagnetic darts. Each one slightly less powerful than the previous to not disrupt the barrier between realities.
She kept her stare clinical, not wanting to celebrate early. This was the same mistake she and Ruda made when they were both alive.
"Fruzzy, gather Ether's body and retreat with Hylo," Nestres ordered. He gripped his staff tight, then narrowed his eyes on the fading vessel. "I'll clean the rest up."
Hylo tried to follow Fruzzy, but Nestres' staff blocked her way. She desperately needed to see her father, especially after such a nasty hit.
Yet being denied that right felt like a spit in the face. One she didn't take kindly to. Yet she was powerless against an Heir.
So instead of protesting, she collapsed into tears. The salty droplets washed down her cheeks, turning the little particles of harmless sand into mud. Staining her precious face.
Nestres spun his staff around, causing more energy to pile up around it. He began chanting something in ancient Thawed tongues.
What little Hylo understood was a single word: "rejection."
Before she could make sense of it, Fruzzy scooped her up on one arm, then ran away from Nestres. She hurried to the rift leading to a random part of the city.
Hylo caught a small glimpse of Nestres tearing what remained of Vhul-Adune apart. The world looking like golden rain as sand slowly trickled down .
"We've won. Come back to me, sweet Ruda!" Gat celebrated.
"Ruda, Ruuudaaa!" Ruda cheered.
Nestres' mind connected with Gatruda's, ready to give them a new order. "After each war, one side needs to clean up - usually the role of the victor. Gatruda, please assess the damage done to Uvurim."
Gatruda giggled to themselves, overjoyed of being united once again. "On it."