Chapter 218: Battle Overturned by a Phoenix
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The world hummed with the energy of a demonic dimension. "How unsightly," Ai mumbled.
Beside her, the other nine girls shared the sentiment. The North Pole was disgusting.
This side of the pole was currently going through the continuous darkness, known as the Polar Night, that lasted half a year. Everything was eerie and dark but not in the usual sense. The celestial anomaly of the endless night had been grotesquely distorted by the towering structure known as the Blood Tower, spiraling towards the heavens, its peak piercing the sky.
The ominous tower bled a deep, malignant red, casting an unholy light that reminded one of the twilight of an eternal eclipse. Where once there had been the pristine beauty of ice fields reflecting the moon's endless gaze, there now lay a ghastly scene.
"It sure looks gross," Ruby agreed with her mother. The snow, tainted by the tower's malevolent influence, shimmered with a crimson hue as if the ice itself bled underfoot. The air here was thick and oppressive, a stark contrast to the crisp.
"It pains me to see my creation in this state," Galaxara mumbled.
Ruby, Tsubasa, Ranefer, Xenovia, Irina, Jasmine, Galaxara, Auriel, and Kalawarna were all there beside Ai. They left Asia behind in the base since, although she was strong, she wasn't strong enough to matter.
"At the very least, there doesn't seem to be any minion demons here since we cleared most of them in the last few days. Instead, the main bosses are waiting, it seems," Tsubasa pointed a finger toward the peak of a red mountain ahead. Three figures, standing at the peak, were staring at them and waiting for them to take action.
"We've taken care of all the smaller monsters of this region, they have no choice but to engage in this by themselves," Ranefer added. "Not gonna lie, that phoenix guy smells like bad news."
"Scared already?" Ai raised an eyebrow, curling up one side of her lip. The phoenix devil ignored her. Ai chose to move on too, nodding. "In any case, we can't be taking this lightly. We'll go all out from the beginning. Since I was having a hard time last time in this character template, I should use a greater one this time."
Everyone looked at her as she closed her eyes. Her clothes shimmered and changed. She was adorning the clothes of Goddess of Light from Avatar 5, but she had barely won against Vortigern, the Abyssal Warlord, using it last time. Since there were two other enemies, it was better if she used a greater source of power.
Her clothes transformed into the robes of a mage, that of a captivating sorceress. Her divine outfit transformed into robes of midnight blue, trimmed with intricate silver patterns, emphasizing her curves. A wide-brimmed hat tilted to cast a shadow over her gray eyes. With ears pointy, her blonde hair transformed into dark, curly hair that framed a lovely face, with sharp eyes gleaming through a silver-rimmed monocle.
As the Eternal Sorceress, Ai Hoshino faced the Demon Gods' gaze with a glint in her eyes. "It is meaningless to waste time diddling here," she said, the tone of a medieval scholar laced in her voice. "Let us move." Then, she blasted forward at the speed of light. The others followed her lead.
****
"They're coming," Just as Ai jumped, Ignaroth, the Demonic Phoenix, God of Destructive Flames, announced to his fellow Gods of Atlanton. "That woman is peculiar. Her entire power-set just changed."
"How bothersome," Zarthak, the Tumultuous Stormbringer, cracked his neck. "I'll take her on. Since Vortigern lost to her before, he should take on someone else."
"Be careful, she's strong," Ignaroth said, and Zarthak laughed.
"Heh," the sky rumbled, the clouds crackling out laughter. "Unlike you two, I still have my Avatar. The entire sky is my domain since she has merged with the clouds and snow. I'll be fine."
"In that case, I'll take on this world's Goddess and her minions." Vortigern was wise to swallow his pride and said. "Naturally, that means Ignaroth is going to take on that woman with Phoenix aura around her."
Those three were the strongest in the group. The others could also be dangerous if they weren't careful, but it was unlikely.
"Yes, that was my plan too. Then, let's not hold back," Ignaroth said, and the sky exploded with… three Icons.
This world's forces showed no signs of an Icon, rushing toward the Demon Gods, who defied the universe's will to tap into part of their true power. The earlier expression of the girls contorted.
****
The sky tore open with the blooming of Icons, shock spreading across Ai's face. She was too close to the enemies for a tactical retreat, all of them were.
The [Tortoise Icon] hummed like a bell.
The [Phoenix Icon] shone overhead.
The [Storm Icon] did the same.
She was right in front of the Demon God wielding the Storm Icon, Zarthak, who wielded shimmering whips on his hand that he slapped the air with.
The raw power of the Icons swirling above was concerning, but retreat was no longer an option. Everyone had already begun to engage, as did Ai, mumbling spells under her breath.
"Argh!" A sharp groan tore through the air, drawing Ai's attention briefly. It was Ranefer, scuffling with Ignaroth.
So the Dark Phoenix picked his opponent already, Ai wondered, while a secondary line of thought in her mind began to weave spells. As the Eternal Sorceress, she could divide her thoughts into multiple lines.
"You're not focusing on me, how bold," Zarthak chuckled, throwing whips at her that she blocked with two shields of magic circles. Her eyes remained on Ranefer to make sure this wasn't a one-sided massacre.
The clash was ferocious—more so than anything Ai had witnessed before. She hadn't seen Aqua and Thor clash, but from the turmoil that she had felt in the air back then, perhaps this was a battle on that scale. Gods against Gods; although Ranefer was a devil.
The usual teasing and chatty Ranefer was nowhere to be seen. Her composed and untouchable face wrinkled with rage as she growled, rising from where she had landed after the punch, her form shimmering orange.
She tapped into her phoenix form. For the first time since she woke up, Ranefer tapped into her hybrid form.
"Haaahhh!" The air boomed with energy as blood-red flames erupted from her back, unfurling into two massive, translucent fiery wings. Her entire body was covered with a bright and translucent sheath of fiery feathers, painting the night sky with a red light.
"Oh…" Ignaroth paused at that, his black flames pushed back by the red ones. "How beautiful. I wish we could have met in another setting, fellow phoenix," he said and then rushed at her like a falling black star. The sky exploded.
The battlefield became a canvas of red and black as Ranefer and Ignaroth exploded into their flames. It was as if hell had befallen upon this world, the heat of the atmosphere rose by miles.
"Huh, she'll be fine. I think." Ai noted and turned to her enemy. "I should deal with you first." With a snap of her finger, she called for spells of mass destruction over the Lightning God, who matched her ferocity with a crackle.
****
Dammit. On the side, Ranefer and Ignaroth continued their match. Each attack from Ignaroth was met with a fierce snub, their powers clashing and sending shockwaves that tore the ground asunder. Ranefer's new form seemed to level the playing field, evaporating clouds, and melting mountains with waves of her hand.
Her flames grew ever more intense with each beat of her fiery wings. Yet, Ignaroth didn't show any sign of weakness.
Oh, fuck, this isn't looking good. At this rate, I'll have to use True Transformation. But if she did that and he countered with a similar form, it'd be over for her. Both of them were now gauging each other's limits, and Ranefer had a sneaky idea who was stronger.
Based on that [Phoenix Icon] in the sky, something she didn't have, she knew she wouldn't attain victory. The best she could do was hold him off.
On another front, Vortigern's heavy, tank-like presence clashed with the metaphysical palm techniques of Galaxara, backed by two archangels, as well as her hero, Jasmine.
"Tiny Goddess, resistance is futile!" the big god announced with the voice of a lion, slamming his fist against the flying palm techniques. Their techniques clashed and dissipated. They were more-or-less evenly matched.
"You're not that strong, are you?" the Goddess said, and it wasn't even a taunt. She was just saying what she thought, but that pissed off Vortigern.
Being one of the four heavenly beasts, the Black Tortoise, Vortigern was ranked 4th among the Twelve Gods of Atlanton. However, he focused on leading an army rather than personal strength, like a moving force of an indestructive fortress. He was stronger the more minions he had.
However, he couldn't bring his army into this world on such short notice. The best he could do was bring his Avatar, but… his Avatar had been killed by some sect leader not long ago. He was alone here, and so he couldn't display his full power.
Vortigern found the situation unfair. However, he didn't know that the Goddess had lost many of her divinities in her battle against the Phoenix last time, as many of her Archangels had died. So she was far from her prime self as well, even if she had healed her injury and regained a considerable amount of power thanks to Aqua feeding her divine treasures.
If she went against Ignaroth again, she'd lose, she was sure. However, against Vortigern, it was doable. Supported by Kalawarna and Auriel, Galaxara managed to hold her ground quite well. She alone, however, wasn't in a shape to win, at least not so fast. This would be a long battle.
"Die, you tiny wench!" Vortigern's attacks were relentless, a brutal series of blows that shook the very reality around them. Galaxara's response didn't do much damage to him, although she remained harmless too by dodging. The Evil God didn't bother to dodge, he had great defensive properties, after all. That [Tortoise Icon] was powerful.
"Haap!" Thankfully, Kalawarna wielded a God Killer weapon. True Longnius swiped through the air, nudged by Vortigern's shoulder, creating cracks in the barrier that shimmered around his body. She had risen to the ranks of Archangel, although she originally only managed to attain 10 wings, holding the True Longius rose her to the state of 12 wings. She wasn't weaker than a High-ranking God back on Earth.
"Annoying! A mere angel dares to point a spear toward me?" Among the three Gods, Vortigern seemed to be the weakest. Yet, he was the loudest. He growled, jumping at Kalawarna as his skin grew thicker and darker, but then the Hero came to her aid.
"Your opponent is here, Evil God," the time paused as Jasmine swung her sword forward with the wrath of an Empress. "Vagabond Style, Form Three, Sword that Beheads the Sun!"
Although she couldn't use it perfectly, the power of a nuke still fell upon the pole. The God held against the force with gritted teeth, a translucent turtle shell forming around him.
On the side, Galaxara tapped into her Divinity of Void—Death, Erasure, and Decay—as a purple aura enveloped her. The battle against the defensive God grew.
****
As the three strongest members of their group clashed against the malevolent gods above, confusion swirled among the non-divine individuals.
Ruby, Tsubasa, Irina, and Xenovia exchanged uncertain glances, each weighing where their efforts would be most needed. "Should we assist Ranefer? She seems overwhelmed," Ruby pointed out.
She and the other three girls had their eyes drawn to the fierce battle in the distant sky where fiery explosions painted the night with a brutal ballet of red and black.
Irina frowned, unsure what to say. "Ranefer does seem to be having a hard time with the Phoenix God, but are you sure we can help in a battle like that? She's holding her ground."
"She's not, she's going to lose at this rate," Tsubasa said, already in her hybrid form, her Gold Sign, the White Tiger transformation.
The last of them, Xenovia, also agreed with Tsubasa. "Goddess Galaxara and her team seem to be doing well, and we don't even have to worry about Ai. I think we should help the Goddess finish the enemy first so that she can help Ranefer. We by ourselves might not be very helpful."
"Hmm," Tsubasa wondered with a hum. "Honestly, that's not a bad idea. Then let's not waste any time. This battle is unlike any we've faced, be careful."
"Haah, alright then." Irina nodded, the votes were not on her side.
With their resolve set to help Galaxara fast so that they can help Ranefer next, the girls prepared to take off into the air.
But right then, the entire world shook. Pangeal trembled.
The ground beneath them betrayed their intentions; with a violent shudder, the soil exploded, sending showers of snow and debris into the air. The shockwave knocked them off their feet, and as they tried to regain their bearings, the landscape around them morphed, pulling them deep into itself.
They suddenly found themselves far from the battlefield. They found themselves in a cave of ice and snow, surrounded by walls.
Ruby grumbled, throwing Nine-Colored Qi around to clear the snow around her. Pushing herself up, she found a labyrinth of illusions and snow-laden traps surrounding her.
"What the fuck."
"Stay on guard, cough." Tsubasa coughed out snow as she too stood back up. The other two girls trembled in the cold, tightening their grip around their swords. "There are monsters around."
Indeed, monsters lurked in the shadows. Beads of blue eyes looked at them, waiting for them to let their guard down so that they could feast on these girls' dead bodies. Monsters made of snow and lightning sizzled in their wait.
Ruby confirmed their presence with a scan of her Nine Colored Eyes, "Ugh, who's this now? We need to clear these monsters, and fast."
"Hehe," a voice startled them. Looking around, they found nothing, until the face of a woman morphed in the snow. "My my, girls. You want to escape? Not in my watch. My lord, Zarthak, wishes you a pleasant death." The Avatar of the Storm God said.
Ruby scowled, Nine Colored Qi sprawling out of her. "Annoying woman, prepare for death."
"Lady Ruby, stop," Irina said, putting a hand on her shoulder. She looked at Xenovia. "We two will take care of her and the monsters. You two push through and go out first," she said and Xenovia nodded in agreement.
Tsubasa nodded out as thanks. Ruby hesitated but Tsubasa looked at her, "They'll be fine." As if to confirm her words, the two girls chose to unveil the full extent of their transformation.
Taking a deep breath, they tapped into the power they had received from Aqua.
– Shingg!
With a radiant burst of light, wings unfurled from their backs—grand, powerful, and majestic. A wave of divine energy spasmed out of them, signaling their evolution into beings of higher celestial order.
In DxD, humans could use Brave Saint cards, similar to the Evil Pieces, to become Angels. Aqua had taken that concept with the help of Galaxara, granting these two girls an angel transformation.
"...In that case, be quick and join us!" Ruby said before blasting forward with her Nine-Colored Qi. Tsubasa followed her with the flash steps of an Overlord.
They flew across enemies who tried to stop them and were intercepted by the two angels. Tentacles of snow and spikes of ice tried to slam into them, but a wave of Nine Colored Qi, and a punch from Tsubasa, shattered them into pieces.
The two girls soon returned to moonlight a few minutes later, bursting through a wall of ice. The Icons above, ominous as they were, now shimmered even brighter.
The earlier clash of fire in the distant sky seemed too one-sided now, and not in their favor. It was swirling with black flames, with the only red flames being Ranefer, in the form of a fiery phoenix, larger than the Clock Tower.
Despite being in that fearsome form, her flames paled against the black phoenix much larger than her. The maw of that demon god was ghastly.
"That doesn't look good…" Tsubasa looked worried. Naturally so, as the wings of the black phoenix cut against the red phoenix's body, earning a groan of pain and frustration, while flames of darkness exploded behind each attack.
The situation totally looked one-sided. The losing Ranefer mustered her last ounce of strength in a desperate attempt.
She screeched like a bird, Her red flames exploded one last time, a brilliant surge that lit up the night sky. "Kreaaachh—!!"
Besides the [Phoenix Icon] of Ignaroth, another [Phoenix Icon] half materialized, shimmering with the potential to turn the tide.
"....!" Ignaroth's eyes widened as he recognized the implications of this new development. What a dangerous foe. With no choice left, he acted swiftly.
He growled and exploded toward her, leaving a trail of black flames behind, and slammed his talons into Ranefer's chest.
She gasped, the air knocked from her lungs, and her expression twisted in pain. As her breathing faltered, the Icon that had begun to materialize flickered with uncertainty before it vanished completely.
The flow of the battle had been overturned, the brief hope sparked by Ranefer's final effort extinguished as swiftly as it had flared.
The massive body of the red phoenix fell from the sky. Her wings didn't move to save her as she crashed into the snow. Her wounds didn't heal as she lay there, silent.
"Grhh," Ignaroth had won the battle.
The first victory ought to change the tides of the other battles. The war's result might just as well have been decided.
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