In the middle of the vast emptiness where only the glow of the Northern Crown Constellation can be seen, Z tried his best to resist the pressure of the crown. His skin started to tear apart as he continued to endure the power, but a pure glow radiated within him which helped him heal up.
The more time passed by, the greater the strain on Z became. Even the air around him got thicker, making it harder for him to breathe. The only thing keeping him alive was the pure glow of Arcane radiating from within.
'For how long should I endure this? Agh! Lumen is going to drain her powers. I will never hear the end of it from Umbra,' he sighed in his thoughts.
Meanwhile, it was not just him who was caught up in a struggle. Somewhere near the peak of the mountain, a familiar fanged man was grinning widely while facing Lea. His eyes were filled with bloodlust, slowly turning bloodier and bloodier as time passed.
"It seems like fate brought us here, Lady Lea. Care for a dance?" he said while leaping toward her.
[Oh, Great Big Dog Constellation, hear my cry! Assimilate!]
{Constellation: Canis Major}
As Arcane flooded toward him, his fang increased its size. A tail also grew on his back and his entire body became significantly more muscular than before. His nose also grew to that of a dog's, making his appearance odd and ugly. This form, however, granted him immense speed and sensitivity which allowed him to zap his way to Lea.
{Mythology: Plutus}
Lea was not a regular person, though. She managed to summon her constellation, albeit failing to summon a Stelle Beast to defend against the attack. With only her arms, she received the brunt of the damage dealt by Incor, causing her to get blasted away.
"Ack!" she cried as she vomited blood. 'I should really focus on strengthening my body,' she thought while summoning a bunch of different Stelle Beasts to fight for her.
"These are nothing!" Incor said with a wide smile, dripping his saliva uncontrollably. He swiftly dashed through the Stelle Beasts as if they were not even there and darted straight toward Lea, but a giant hand blocked his attack.
"This is not the first time people targeted me first," she said while standing up. Now, two portals were open near her where two hands larger than her are.
After she successfully repelled Incor, the flood of Stelle beasts immediately cornered the latter. However, this failed to remove the worry from Lea's face. She could only turn her head ever so slightly as she watched the bodies of her Stelle Beast summons get ripped to shred by the rabid dog that is now covered in thick blood.
The two of them locked eyes, causing Incor to put on a lustful smile wider than before. A great bloodlust and desire can be seen through his smile which made Lea shiver inside.
{Plutus: Minor Authority}
{Canis Major: Minor Authority}
While the battle between the two was heating up, another encounter was found on another part of the mountain. Ashe found herself trapped under a cage of thick forestry, staring at a man with a body similar to leaves.
"Ashe isn't it?" the man said. As he slowly approached, his form continued to change, revealing a human that closely resembled a tree. His skin became leaves and his hair vines, it was as if he was an empty vessel with nothing inside.
"Uquir, an Elemental from The South Celestial Academy. You came from the domain of The Rulers, but were unable to secure a spot in The Celestial Academy, thus coming to another branch under a Black Token," Lea responded as she radiated an intense amount of Tainted Arcane. Simultaneously, the Tainted Runes on her body glowed, causing Uquir to sneer in disgust.
"It seems like this Cursed Human knows a lot about me," he said before commanding nature around to coral Ashe. "You know, we are somewhat alike. Both of us cannot have an innate Celestial as the Starforgers do. Our powers mainly rely on our constitution. The difference is, I am loved by the Laws and you are repelled by it," he said with a sneer.
"Repelled, huh? It is more like, the Laws fear me," she said with a rare taunting smile.
Law Disturbance|
Tainted Runes flowed once more to the surrounding, causing the trees and vines controlled by Uquir to get out of sync. They seemed confused and lost, losing the ability to hear Uquir's command.
"Disgusting, indeed," he said while making Runes come out of his body that echoed Nature Laws. A battle of Runes reigned over the area as the Nature Runes resisted the effects of the Tainted Runes.
"It is quite a scene to see, right? The Laws cannot suppress the Tainted Runes, instead, they resist its presence. Like how a body fears disease," Ashe said in a sweet tone. If Z were here, he would be baffled by the change in Ashe's perspective as just weeks ago, she was shy about her heritage.
Other battles like this also occurred near the peak of the mountain. This was a common occurrence in the Celestial Selection as once the days increase, the greater the amount of chance the remaining climbers encounter each other. Although they cannot fight at the peak, they would most definitely want to take the competition out while climbing.
"Dexter!" Lea cried as one of the limbs of her dear Stelle Beast tore off due to the power of Incor who was significantly larger than before. His movements were nimble and fast, enough to move around Dexter who seemed like a helpless cub in front of the predator that was Incor.
"Hahahaha! Is this it? The pride of The South Celestial Academy? No wonder you did not manage to get a Black Token," Incor remarked which made Lea's heart falter.
'Tsk! If I was only as strong as my brother,' she thought in despair before snapping out of it. 'No time to sulk right now,' she braced.
With a great amount of willpower, she channeled the full extent of her authority and dropped two more Violet Arcane Crystals. She could clearly feel the Laws punishing her for the overuse of her authority, causing her skin to dry up a little bit and her to cough up blood.
{Plutus: Minor Authority II}
Wealth is Health|