After the combined Paradise Lost attack from Rei and Sandalphon, everyone watched the smoke surrounding Avatar with a mixture of wariness and hope, praying that the attack had been enough to defeat it.
But of course, "It's still alive, Rei. I can feel it," Sandalphon said to him, her voice tinged with concern.
"I know!" Rei replied, before suddenly letting go of Sandalphon's hand and soaring toward Avatar, which was still engulfed in smoke from the explosion of their attack.
"Rei? Where are you going?" Sandalphon's voice called out from behind him, but Rei didn't have time to respond.
Just like before he was certain that Avatar would attempt to regenerate its body again, and he couldn't afford to waste a single second. He flew directly toward its core, the true source of its power, determined to end it once and for all.
"That's it!" Rei's eyes locked onto the core inside Avatar's shattered form as it trying to rebuild itself.
In an instant, his Sword of Repudiation materialized in his right hand, its blade surrounded by his dark aura. His wings shifted, turning dark once more, reflecting his growing intensity.
Without hesitation, Rei prepared himself and unleashed his next move. "Phosphorus!" he shouted, aiming his sword directly at the exposed core, ready to deliver the final blow.
"Do you think I'm going to let you destroy my opportunity?" Lucillus's voice suddenly echoed in Rei's mind.
Suddenly Rei's sword vanished from his grip, his outstretched hand now reaching toward the core of Avatar. The core, pulsating with the power of countless Primal Beasts and Primarchs, seemed to call out to him.
Rei's eyes, once sky blue, shifted into a deep, unnatural purple as his fingers made contact with the core. The overwhelming energy surged through him, and with a single word, Rei commanded, "Absorb."
"Roooaaarrrrr!" Avatar let out a terrifying roar, its colossal form convulsing as it felt its essence being pulled toward Rei's hand. The immense Primal Beast's body began to disintegrate, its power drawn toward the figure before it, unable to resist the pull of Rei's command.
The core followed suit, its glowing mass slowly being absorbed into Rei's body. "That's it..." he whispered, feeling the raw power of Avatar flooding through him, mingling with the forces already within him.
As Rei continued to absorb the core of Avatar, the primal beast's form began to deteriorate rapidly, dissolving into streams of pure energy. The immense power swirled around Rei, coiling into his body like tendrils of dark light. Each pulse of energy caused his wings to flare, shifting from dark to deep black as the aura surrounding him grew darker and more oppressive.
The once-massive form of Avatar shrank, its terrifying roars fading into an eerie silence. Its essence, the culmination of countless Primal Beasts and ancient powers, funneled into Rei's outstretched hand, disappearing into him like it had never existed.
Rei's body trembled under the immense pressure, the overwhelming surge of energy causing his form to flicker. His eyes, now glowing a vivid purple, gleamed with a power beyond comprehension. The ground beneath him cracked, and the sky darkened as the air thickened with chaotic energy. The core of Avatar, the final piece of its existence, entered Rei, and as it did, a violent shockwave erupted from him.
Suddenly, Rei's entire body seized up as he felt something begin to take over. The dark aura surrounding him intensified, becoming unstable, swirling faster and faster until his figure could no longer be seen. The energy spiraled into a dense, chaotic mass, forming a cocoon of pure darkness around Rei, enveloping him completely.
Sandalphon, watching from the sky, gasped in shock. "Rei...!" she whispered, her voice trembling. The sight of the dark cocoon pulsing with energy left her speechless. It was as if the darkness was consuming him, transforming him into something entirely new—or something far more dangerous.
The cocoon throbbed ominously, crackling with the raw power of the absorbed core. And there, within the dark prison of his own creation, Rei was completely hidden from the world outside, his fate uncertain.
"What happened, Sandalphon? Avatar's power is suddenly flowing toward Rei!" Halluel appeared beside Sandalphon, staring at the dark cocoon with wide eyes.
"Is that where Rei is?" Malluel asked, equally concerned as they both focused on the ominous energy radiating from the cocoon.
"I don't know," Sandalphon replied, her voice tense. "He said he was going to destroy Avatar's core, but then his sword disappeared, and... he touched the core instead."
The three of them could only watch in silence, unable to intervene, afraid of what might happen to Rei inside that cocoon. The dark aura emanating from it was oppressive, filling the air with dread.
Suddenly, a void gateway opened nearby, catching their attention. Belle stepped out, holding something in her hand, a mischievous smile on her face. "Hmm, looks like I'm not too late~" she said, her gaze locking onto the cocoon.
As Belle moved toward it, a flash of light sliced through the air, forcing her to step back. "Woah, careful there, Sandy! You almost sliced me in half," she teased, glancing at Sandalphon, who had just attempted to attack her.
"You!? Belial?? What are you doing here!" Sandalphon growled, her grip tightening on her sword. Halluel and Malluel quickly moved to her side, ready to defend her.
"Is she the one who attacked you before?" Malluel asked, her eyes narrowing.
"Yes. Even though she's using a different body, the energy is the same as a year ago!" Sandalphon answered, her focus never wavering from Belle.
Belle tilted her head slightly, a playful smirk on her lips. "Oh, Sandy, you seem to be getting quite comfortable with Lucifer's powers, huh~?"
"Shut up! What are you doing here?" Sandalphon demanded, her patience wearing thin.
"Me? I'm just delivering a little present for everyone~" Belle giggled, pulling something out from the item she was holding.
When the trio saw what Belle was holding, their expressions turned to shock.
"That's—!" Halluel gasped in disbelief.
"Rei's head!?" Malluel exclaimed, her voice trembling.
"No... that's Lucillus' head!" Sandalphon recognized it instantly, her voice filled with shock and horror.
Belle lifted the severed head of Lucillus with his eyes closed. "Surprise~," Belle said mockingly, swinging the head playfully.
Without hesitation, Belle threw Lucillus' severed head directly toward the dark cocoon where Rei was trapped.
"She's throwing it!" Sandalphon shouted, her instincts screaming that something terrible would happen if the head touched the cocoon.
Without wasting a second, Sandalphon launched herself toward the head, desperate to catch it before it could make contact. A gnawing sense of dread filled her—she knew this was dangerous. But Belle, not intending to let her succeed, quickly unleashed her power. "Goetia," she muttered, summoning a spear made of magenta energy and hurling it toward Sandalphon.
Halluel and Malluel acted fast, deflecting the first spear, but Belle continued bombarding them with more spears, pushing them to their limit. Struggling under the relentless attack, they eventually created a barrier to shield themselves from the barrage, giving Sandalphon just enough of a window.
With the assistance of Halluel and Malluel, Sandalphon managed to snatch Lucillus' head from mid-air just before it could reach the cocoon. Relief washed over her for a brief moment.
However, as she began pulling her hand, trying to distance herself and the head from the ominous cocoon, a sudden cracking sound filled the air. The cocoon began to split open, dark energy surging outward. From within, something reached out—shadowy tendrils coiled around Lucillus' head, pulling it from Sandalphon's grasp and dragging it into the cocoon.
"No!" Sandalphon cried out, watching in horror as the head was consumed by the darkness. The cocoon sealed once again, pulsating with even darker energy than before.
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"So, what do you want this time, Lucillus?" Rei asked, staring at Lucillus, who was casually sipping his coffee.
"Just waiting," Lucillus responded simply, without much care.
"...Alright? Why do I need to be here?" Rei pressed, clearly confused by the lack of explanation.
Lucillus didn't answer and continued to sip his coffee in silence.
"Why are you suddenly into coffee anyway? Didn't you always say it tasted bad?"
"Tasted bad... I never said that to you."
"What?"
As the two of them talked, a loud cracking sound echoed above them. The ceiling split open, shattering like fragile glass, and something fell through. Lucillus stood up from his seat with a satisfied look.
"Finally," he muttered as the object landed heavily on the table between them.
"Lucillus' head? Why is it here?" Rei immediately recognized what he was seeing—the severed head of Lucillus from this timeline. Lucillus had willingly decapitated himself when Lucifer sealed him away millennia ago.
Even without his body, Lucillus had survived, biding his time until Belial would kill Lucifer and steal his body, so Lucillus could place his head on it.
"But why is it here now?" Rei wondered aloud.
Suddenly, Lucillus' severed head opened its eyes. His sky-blue gaze locked onto Rei, sharp and analytical.
"So, it's you," the head began to speak.
"Whoa, this is... really weird, watching a head talk like that," Rei muttered, trying to process the bizarre situation.
The head of Lucillus continued to stare at Rei, as if studying him closely.
"I don't know what happened in my future, but seeing you... I really want to kill myself," the head remarked dryly.
"What?? Well, I'm not you! You can tell that to the other Lucillus over there." Rei pointed at the Lucillus sitting across from him, still holding his cup of coffee.
"I don't even know why I'm using your body since I woke up in this world," Rei added, his tone exasperated.
"There is no one here besides you," Lucillus' head said bluntly.
"What? There's *you* over there, drinking coffee." Rei pointed at the Lucillus seated across from him.
"...If I wasn't just a head, I'd kill you myself," the head muttered, sounding irritated.
Rei was utterly confused. How could he can't see the other Lucillus? The one drinking coffee seemed real enough, yet this severed head was insisting there was no one else here. He turned his gaze back toward the Lucillus sipping his coffee.
The seated Lucillus smiled, stood up, and calmly placed his cup down.
"He already said it, so let's get this over with," the Lucillus drinking coffee spoke, his tone shifting from casual to unsettlingly serious.
"It's sooner than I expected, but oh well," he added before disappearing in an instant, reappearing directly in front of Rei.
The sudden movement left Rei no time to react.
Lucillus stared at Rei, his smile cold and knowing. "It's time you remembered who you really are," he muttered, stepping closer to him. Without warning, Lucillus reached out, placing his hand on Rei's chest.
Rei felt a sudden jolt of energy coursing through him, overwhelming his senses. His mind raced as images flooded back to him—memories of a past life, a different time, and a truth he had long forgotten. Lucillus wasn't just some enemy he encountered. He was Lucillus.
"You've always been me," Lucillus whispered, his voice echoing in Rei's head. "From the very beginning. You were never separate."
Rei's eyes widened as the realization hit him. He wasn't merely possessing Lucillus's power or inheriting it. His very existence was intertwined with Lucillus from the start. He had lived his previous life as Lucillus, and now, in this world, the truth was breaking free.
Before he could react, Lucillus's body began to dissolve, becoming streams of light that wrapped around Rei. His form was pulled into Rei's, merging with him. Rei could feel the power, memories, and essence of Lucillus fusing with his own being.
"No..." Rei whispered, trying to fight it. But the memories were undeniable. He was Lucillus all along—reborn, fragmented, but never separate.
As Lucillus fully absorbed into him, Rei's body began to shift. His wings flared out, darker than ever, enveloped in a chaotic aura of power. The darkness swallowed him whole, cocooning his form in a twisting vortex of energy, until all that remained was a dark, pulsating cocoon.
Rei had become Lucillus—fully awakened.
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In the same place, Rei(?) was standing still, staring at his body.
"Looks like you just separated your memories during your reincarnation," Lucillus's head spoke after understanding what had happened.
"While you lived in your mortal world, you created a new personality so you wouldn't get involved with mortals."
"But that new personality somehow changed, influenced by mortal emotions, and now it has become the being named Rei."
"Are you going to keep talking, or should I do it myself?" Rei(?) suddenly said, without even looking at the head.
"...just do it."
Without wasting any time, Rei(?) grabbed Lucillus's head and absorbed it, causing the energy within his body to increase exponentially.
Meanwhile, outside the cocoon, Sandalphon, Halluel, and Malluel were being pushed back by the cocoon, which was emitting an extremely powerful energy, along with fierce winds.
The sky twisted violently, shifting from a serene blue to a blinding, fiery orange. The very atmosphere trembled as the cocoon pulsed with overwhelming energy, distorting everything around it as if reality itself was being torn apart.
Cracks began to form around the cocoon, dark light seeping through the gaps, flickering like tendrils of darkness. The cracks multiplied, spreading rapidly until the cocoon suddenly exploded, shattering into countless fragments.
Halluel and Malluel immediately summoned barriers to shield themselves and Sandalphon from the violent shockwave, protecting them from the destructive force.
At the same time, the Grandcypher was violently pushed back by the immense wind pressure.
"What the hell happened??" Vyrn shouted, gripping Gran's clothes tightly to prevent himself from being blown away.
"Hold on, everyone!" Gran called out to the crew, steadying the ship.
The chaos passed in moments, and they could finally see what had transpired.
"Is it just me, or did Rei's clothes suddenly change?" Io asked, squinting at the figure ahead.
[IMAGE]
"Yeah, his clothes... really weird," Katalina mumbled, eyeing the transformation with confusion.
"That's not Rei!" Lyria suddenly spoke up, her voice filled with unease.
"What?" Gran responded, looking to Lyria for clarification.
"I can feel it! His energy... it's completely different. Darker... more vicious!" Lyria exclaimed, sensing the change.
"Then who is that!?" Gran asked, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the figure in front of them.
Rei(?) stood, his twelve black wings unfurled, dark energy radiating from his entire being.
"This body is stronger than I had calculated..." he murmured to himself, his voice deep and cold, the power emanating from him unsettling.
"Lucillus!" Sandalphon stepped forward, her sword raised.
"Ah, Sandalphon..." The dark figure smirked. "I haven't forgotten about you. Even if you're a different version from the one I fought before, I will still erase you from existence."
"What are you doing?! Where's Rei?!" Sandalphon demanded, pointing her sword at him.
"Rei..." Lucillus lifted his hand, eyeing her. "You'll meet him soon enough."
A dark, foreboding energy started gathering in his outstretched hand, crackling with destructive force. Lightning arced and surged around him, as if the very air was being torn apart by his power.
The sound became deafening, the air itself trembling under the weight of the energy that was now rampaging around him. The tension in the atmosphere was unbearable, as if the world was on the brink of collapse.
Lucillus, with an almost indifferent expression, manipulated the chaotic energy in his palm, slowly condensing it into a dense, swirling ball of power. He raised his hand upwards, the energy growing in intensity until it was nearly incomprehensible in scale.
"Chaos Legion!" he roared, his voice reverberating through the sky, and the ball of energy expanded, its size growing beyond what seemed possible—until it reached a colossal, monstrous size, a swirling mass of pure destruction.
Sandalphon, knowing she needed to act fast, summoned her own power. "Ain Soph Aur!" she chanted, and dozens of energy blades forged from her own strength appeared around her, glowing with a brilliant white light. With a decisive motion, she hurled them at Lucillus, each one cutting through the air like a star falling.
But to her shock, the swords that collided with Lucillus immediately shatter into nothingness. Not a single blade landed a blow. The immense dark aura surrounding Lucillus absorbed and destroyed them before they could even touch him.
"Wh-what!?" Sandalphon gasped, staring in disbelief at the destruction of her own power.
Lucillus, with a cruel smile spreading across his face, didn't waste time. Without any hesitation, he unleashed the full force of the Chaos Legion.
"Die!" he shouted, and the massive energy ball in his hand was hurled into the sky, releasing torrents of dark energy across the battlefield.
The sky trembled as the energy orb scattered throughout, hurtling toward the Grandcypher and the others like deadly meteors. The air was thick with destruction, and the very ground beneath them seemed to quake as the chaotic energy unleashed its fury on everything in its path.
Sandalphon, Halluel, Malluel, and the others could feel the overwhelming pressure—this wasn't just an attack; it was an annihilation. They had no choice but to brace themselves for what was coming.
But suddenly everything started moving slowly.
Sandalphon, Halluel, and Malluel, who were moments away from being hit by the attack, Grandcypher trying to escape, the wind blowing, and the pulse of energy from the energy ball—everything slowed down.
"Puhh, everything is just like Future Lyria said," a woman's voice suddenly echoed from another direction.
"Eternal Ascendency!" The woman, holding her Seven-Star Sword, began slicing through the Chaos Legion.
[IMAGE]
With every slice, she absorbed the energy through the sword until the entire attack disappeared at an incredible speed, as if she had moved in an instant.
Once the attack was gone, she turned her gaze toward Rei, wanting desperately to hug him and kiss him, now that she had found out he'd been away for a year.
But she had to hold back because the being in front of her was not Rei.
She immediately activated her power, her hair turning blue as her entire body was enveloped in a strong blue aura.
Around her, ten Eternal weapons formed from her blue aura.
She then raised her hand, and all the weapons moved toward her, merging into a sphere of energy in her palm.
She immediately released it toward Lucillus, and everything resumed.
*BOOOOOOM*