As Lust finished the countdown, the hailstorm began to intensify once again. Forbidden Nature created an air pocket around himself and Lust, shielding them from the jagged stones.
Eve did the same, creating a protective air bubble around everyone. The hailstones, diverted by the air pocket, flying away elsewhere if they got close, ensuring their safety within the bubble. The ground beneath Vulcan, Simon, and Mary shaked violently, threatening to split open and send them back into the first floor. Dodging the splitting ground, Vulcan, Simon, and Mary swiftly sidestepped the destroyed floor. However, their respite was short-lived as the powerful gust of wind regained its ferocity, sending massive trees in their direction.
Bard and Eve, found themselves in a similar danger, dodging the many pieces of debris and trees hurtling towards them.
Vulcan, Simon, and Mary found themselves unable to take any openings to counterattack, as they were with dodging the relentless assault. But just as they braced themselves for more of the attacks, Forbidden Nature changed his tactics. Lightning struck the trees, igniting them and hurling them ablaze in their direction. As they braced for another round of dodging, the trees suddenly exploded, their trunks and branches splintering into deadly projectiles propelled by the sheer force of the wind. Vulcan, Simon, and Mary were forced to shield themselves from the flying debris, their movements restricted by the tempest raging around them.
Some of the splinters managed to breach the protective barrier, causing them to grunt in discomfort as the sharp shards of wood pierced through the air bubble. The trees that remained intact were equally menacing, their fiery trunks and branches fatal if they were hit by the tree. Each flaming projectile flying towards them threatened to engulf them in a deadly inferno. Despite the unpredictable nature of the attacks, they managed to dodge each one, albeit with considerable discomfort. Forbidden Nature observed their ability to quickly adapt to his attacks and sighed. In the distance, the sound of a nearby building being demolished could be heard despite the gusts of wind.
Eve and Bard noticed that Forbidden Nature's shield appeared weakened, assuming that he might be vulnerable to surprise attacks when exerting himself and focusing on a particularly strong attack.
As Vulcan, Simon, and Mary were busy with evading Forbidden Nature's attacks, a colossal shadow casted over them. Behind Nature, a massive chunk of a building hovered, supported by the force of his winds. With a gesture of his hand, Forbidden Nature sent the massive chunk of the building hurtling towards the right side of the floor they stood upon. No one could maintain their balance as the chunk of the building tore completely through the right side. Without warning, another large chunk of the building hurtled towards them, this time aiming for the left side.
Struggling to maintain his footing, Vulcan managed to scramble out of the way just in time to avoid the flying chuck of concrete.
As the chunk of the building hurtled through the air, it to collided with an unseen force and was completely destroyed mid-flight. Lust let out a sigh, her posture relaxed as she remained firmly seated in the corner she had chosen. Her right eye emitted a faint glow. With the destruction of the right side of the floor and the instability of the remaining left side, the battleground had become even more dangerous. Going down the middle, surrounded by destruction on both sides, seemed to be the only viable path towards confronting Forbidden Nature.
The skies darkened swiftly, casting a shadow over the battleground as heavy raindrops began to fall down, drenching everything below. Soon after, the low growl of thunder echoed through the air, its deep rumble adding to the already tense atmosphere.
"It's our turn now," Vulcan remarked confidently, "he's the one who's going to play defensively now."
Both Simon and Mary looked at him and nodded in agreement. They were ready to stand their ground and face Forbidden Nature head-on, refusing to be overwhelmed by him. Eve and Bard quietly slipped out of the building, Lust watched them with surprise, her expression quickly changing into a grin.
"What you're doing is a fool's errand. What's to come is inevitable. Accept your fate, humans," Nature said, as thunder began to strike deafeningly in front of him, acting as a shield.
With each deafening clap of thunder, communication became impossible. Forced to rely on hand signals and instinct alone. Mary unleashed a blinding burst of light towards Nature, obscuring his vision. Unknown to them, he effortlessly tracked their movements using the Force of Nature, sensing the subtle shifts in their aerodynamic structure. As they began to charge forward, narrowly dodging the lightning bolts, Mary couldn't shake off her confusion. She had thought Nature was blinded by her blinding light, yet he seemed to anticipate their every move with accuracy.
In addition to the barrage of lightning bolts, massive chunks of the nearby building were torn from their foundations by the force of Nature's powers. These projectiles hurtled towards them with deadly speed and precision. Vulcan, attempting to dodge a lightning bolt, was caught off guard by a chunk of the building hurtling towards him. Despite his best efforts to shield himself with his spirit techniques, the impact was brutal, leaving him reeling and blood slowly trickling from his mouth.
Simon and Vulcan glanced back at him , but he signaled for them to press on. With a nod, they continued their advance towards Forbidden Nature. Simon tried to launch fireballs at Forbidden Nature, but each attempt was swiftly stopped and destroyed by the lightning bolts. Mary used her Light magic, summoning Michael's shield to surround her, providing a protective barrier against any incoming attacks. With each lightning bolt targeting her, the shield quickly shifted to intercept and block the attacks, its radiant energy pulsating as it absorbed the incoming strikes.
Vulcan used his spirit technique, offensive counter, level two. A shimmering barrier formed around him, designed to absorb incoming damage. With a focused effort, he redirected the absorbed energy, compressing it into a small, glowing orb of light meant to be launched back at Forbidden Nature; holding it in his hand.
The sudden surge of nature's power caused the once barren floor to transform into a lush garden within moments. Trees sprouted and grew rapidly, their branches stretching towards the sky as if reaching for the storm clouds above.The newly grown trees were quickly weaponized by Forbidden Nature. With a flick of his hand, he sent them hurtling towards Vulcan, Simon, and Mary, using them as deadly projectiles.
As they dodged the trees, they were startled to see sundews, carnivorous plants, growing rapidly around them. These sundews were unusually large, nearly the size of a human. The sundews attempted to ensnare them, their sticky tendrils lashed out, aiming to wrap around their limbs and immobilize them. Simon unleashed a torrent of flames, engulfing the sundews and reducing them to ash. However, the thick smoke that came from the burning plants quickly filled the air, obscuring their vision and making it difficult to see their surroundings.
As if the sundews weren't enough, now giant venus flytraps emerged from the ashes, their gaping mouths hungry for prey. With quick reflexes, Vulcan, Simon, and Mary dodged the snapping jaws, narrowly avoiding being crushed within their grasp. The already damaged floor deteriorated further, trembling under the relentless battle raging upon it. Each tremor seemed to bring the floor closer to collapse, threatening to send them plummeting to the ground below.
With a quick exchange of words, Vulcan told Simon his plan, who nodded in understanding. Simon immediately set about executing the plan, unleashing his flames that engulfed everything from the towering trees to the carnivorous plants, reducing them to charred remnants. Vulcan approached Mary and asked her if she can protect them with her light magic. Mary nodded in agreement, summoning Michael's shield, the magical shield floating around Vulcan and Simon in its protective aura.
Vulcan began to run forward, his sudden movement caught Forbidden Nature's attention, prompting a barrage of attacks aimed solely at him. Yet, Vulcan pressed on undeterred, his path ablaze as Simon incinerated the plant life and the lightning bolts blocked by the protective shield. With each step, he closed the distance, determination on his face despite the overwhelming odds stacked against him. With each swing of his sword and surge of his spirit techniques, Vulcan shattered the chunks of the building hurtling towards him, reducing them to mere rubble. As the debris fell harmlessly around him, Vulcan pressed onward as he neared his target.
Vulcan unleashed a barrage of strikes, swiftly cutting down the trees that sprang up in front of Forbidden Nature. Each swing of his sword was precise and powerful, slicing through the thick trunks with ease. As the trees fell, Vulcan locked eyes with Forbidden Nature. With a determined roar, Vulcan released the white orb of compressed energy, it lit the darkened sky as it streaked toward Forbidden Nature. The orb left a trail of blazing energy in its wake. As it neared its target, the orb seemed to pulse with increasing intensity, ready to unleash its devastating payload upon Nature.
The orb struck Forbidden Nature's magical barrier, shattering it into countless fragments. For a moment, Nature stood defenseless, exposed to the full force of Vulcan's attack. However, before any further damage could be inflicted, the barrier swiftly reformed.
"Farewell, Human..." Forbidden Nature's right eye began to glow brightly, a sense of impending danger filled the air, signaling the threat of a devastating attack.
"Now, Bard!" Eve's voice could be heard in the distance.
Lightning infused swords flew through the air, their blades pierecd Forbidden Nature in the back, sinking in before he could react. With a surge of energy, they unleashed a powerful shockwave that coursed through his body, rendering him momentarily paralyzed and vulnerable. With the surge of electricity coursing through his body, Forbidden Nature's magical barrier flickered and vanished once more, leaving him defenseless once more.
Vulcan tightly gripped his sword, "Spirit technique, level one, piercing thread!" The blade of his sword illuminated with a neon cyan glow as a surge of spirit energy propelled him forward. With precision, he aimed his strike at Forbidden Nature's chest, driving the sword deep into his body.
The effects of the Force of Nature slowly dissipated as Forbidden Nature gazed down at the sword embedded deep in his chest.
Lust rose from her seat, a quiet giggle escaping her lips as she observed the scene unfolding before her. She approached them, though it seemed she wasn't there to aid her ally.
"Game set!"