*BOOOOM* Lucillus was sent flying far back after being hit by the attack.
She had deliberately done that to ensure the others wouldn't be caught up in her battle with Lucillus.
The moment he was thrown back, she immediately chased after him, running on the air.
"Ugh!?" Lucillus, who had been thrown, quickly stopped himself using his twelve wings. He looked down at his abdomen, where the attack had struck, watching the wound regenerate instantly, a clear sign that he had fully absorbed Avatar's abilities.
"Well, well, so you're the one who keeps disturbing my darling." He heard a familiar voice and turned towards it.
"Djeet—Singularity Djeeta?" He hadn't expected Djeeta to appear in this timeline.
Her blue hair, the power flowing through her body, and the weapon she held.
"Boundary power? I see, it's that girl in blue doing."
"Yep, I'm here to get my Rei back, so if you don't mind, please disappear so he can return."
Without hesitation, Lucillus summoned the Sword of Repudiation and two floating Swords of Renunciation beside him.
"Not much for talking? Fine by me!" Djeeta unleashed her blue aura, gripping her sword tightly.
And then, they both charged at each other.
When their swords clashed, a deafening sound erupted, accompanied by a strong gust of wind. A storm of energy swirled around them as their battle began in full force.
Meanwhile, with Sandalphon:
"It's your FAULT!" Sandalphon continued to slash furiously at Belle with her sword.
But Belle had been evading all of her attacks, darting around and avoiding every strike.
"Woah, woah, calm down, Sandy! I didn't mean to make him remember his identity, it was just meant to boost his power, you know," Belle kept saying, dodging.
"Shut UP! Ain Soph Aur!" Six aura swords appeared again, and Sandalphon sent them all toward Belle.
Belle kept dodging, still refraining from attacking back. However, with Sandalphon now empowered by the Supreme Primarch's strength, a few of the swords finally struck Belle.
Meanwhile, Malluel and Halluel returned to the Grandcypher to inform the others of what was happening.
"So, Rei is losing control!? But who's that girl with the blue hair, then?" Vyrn asked them.
"That's Djeeta. I'm not sure why her hair is blue, but I'm certain that's her," Lyria explained.
"Djeeta? You mean that's my other self, the female version you told me about before?" Gran said, surprised.
As they were talking, a loud sound of clashing swords echoed through the sky, followed by the overwhelming impact of energy colliding.
"Whoa, what's happening now?" Io ran to the edge of the Grandcypher, looking toward where Lucillus had been thrown.
"That's where their fight is taking place... This amount of power, we can feel it even from here," Katalina said, sounding concerned.
"We should help her, then. We need to get Rei back!" Orchid urged them.
"But how? You saw their power and that attack earlier. We don't stand a chance against it," Rackam replied, concerned for their safety.
"And the Grandcypher definitely wouldn't survive being hit by something like that," he added.
Hearing that, they all fell silent, realizing that without the ability to fly, they couldn't help at all. Even helping Sandalphon, who was still attacking Belle, seemed impossible since Orchid was already exhausted.
"I'm sorry... I'm still not used to using primal beast powers on others. I can make myself fly, but I can't make others fly with Luminiera's power," Lyria said apologetically.
"No, that's not what we're thinking, my other self. But we probably should find a way to help Sandalphon first, and then she can assist Djeeta," Lyria² said to the group.
"...Do you want to use that, my other self?" Lyria asked her alternate self.
"Use that? ...You mean that!?"
"Yes, that. With it, we can help Sandalphon."
"...Oh well, whatever. Let's do it! I'm not sure if we can control it, but let's try!" Lyria² said, running over to Lyria.
"Use that? What are you two talking about?" Rosetta asked, confused by their plan.
"It's our combination!" Lyria and Lyria² said in unison.
The two of them then clasped hands to combine their powers.
The crystal in their chest began to glow, and their long blue hair started to shine and rise.
"Die, you fallen angel!" Sandalphon slashed at Belle once more, but this time, Belle decided to finally use her own power.
*Whooosh*—a sudden surge of pressure emanated from Belle, causing Sandalphon to halt her attack and step back to maintain a safe distance.
The wounds on Belle's body began to regenerate, though much more slowly than usual, thanks to Sandalphon's devastating strikes.
"Scythe of Darkherald," Belle summoned her weapon, immediately using it to counterattack Sandalphon.
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Clang—Sandalphon blocked the scythe, then relentlessly continued her offensive, parrying every move Belle made.
The two continued to clash, their weapons striking repeatedly, advancing and retreating, slashing and dodging—neither managing to land a decisive blow.
Both dodged and countered each other's attacks, Sandalphon unleashing her Ain Soph Aur, while Belle responded with Goetia to match the force.
"A Blaze of Carnage..." A voice suddenly echoed through the sky, interrupting their battle.
"Chiaroscuro Chaos, awaken it..." Both Sandalphon and Belle stopped mid-fight, looking toward the source of the voice.
"Rebirth and Destruction at our command, Rebirth and Destruction Awaken!" They both saw the two Lyria's, their bodies glowing as they stood hand-in-hand.
"What are they doing?" Belle murmured, confused by the sight.
Sandalphon, equally perplexed, had never seen Lyria use a power like this before.
"COME FORTH!" The two Lyria's raised their joined hands to the sky.
The crystals around their necks began to glow intensely, their light so bright it could be seen from afar.
From their clasped hands, a brilliant blue beam shot into the sky.
As the light ascended, it eventually stopped and began to take shape.
"ULTIMATE BAHAMUT!"
In an instant, Bahamut materialized from the light, but unlike the usual Bahamut that Lyria summoned, this one was colossal, completely unchained and far more powerful.
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*ROOOAARRR!*
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Meanwhile, Djeeta relentlessly clashed swords with Lucillus, their duel unceasing.
Even though Djeeta had successfully inflicted several wounds on Lucillus, each injury would regenerate almost instantly. But her goal wasn't to defeat him.
"One!" A spear made of her blue aura, adorned with stars, appeared in her hand, which she used to destroy the first Sword of Renunciation.
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Seeing Djeeta momentarily distracted, Lucillus commanded the second Sword of Renunciation to strike her from behind.
"Two!" This time, a bow of blue aura and stars materialized beside her, shooting an arrow of light to intercept the sword behind her.
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"Three!" The spear in her hand vanished, replaced by an axe, which she swiftly used to destroy the second Sword of Renunciation.
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"Four!" The axe disappeared, transforming into a blade, which she used to swiftly attack Lucillus.
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*Clang!* "Tch, damn Singularity!" Lucillus cursed. He couldn't use his full power yet as his body was still adjusting, and he needed to find a way to retreat and let the process complete.
"Haaahhhhh!" Djeeta pressed him harder, forcing him on the defensive until her assault caused his Sword of Repudiation to shatter. The pressure from Djeeta made Lucillus back off.
"Five!" The blade in her hand vanished, replaced by a staff, which she aimed directly at Lucillus.
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"True Big Bang!" A blue light emerged from her staff, launching an immense beam straight at Lucillus.
Lucillus raised both his hands to block the attack.
*BAAM* But the force of the blast was overwhelming, and he was pushed back.
"Six!" Djeeta suddenly appeared behind Lucillus, her fists now covered in gauntlets.
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"Haaahhh!" She unleashed a barrage of rapid punches on Lucillus's back.
"Arghhhh!" Lucillus roared in pain. Even with his incredible regeneration, the attacks caused immense agony.
"Haah!" Djeeta finished her combo with a powerful punch, sending Lucillus flying once more.
"Seven!" A sword reappeared in her hand, and in an instant, she appeared behind Lucillus again, using her blade to sever his twelve wings.
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"Aghhh!!!" he cried out in anguish.
"Eight!" With his wings gone, Djeeta summoned a katana, swiftly slashing Lucillus's body in an instant.
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His entire body was riddled with cuts, blood flowing everywhere, though his wounds, as before, began regenerating quickly.
"Nine!" A harp appeared in front of Djeeta, which she immediately strummed. A purple light encircled Lucillus, binding and restraining him.
[IMAGE]
"Ten!" A gun materialized in her hand, which she aimed directly at Lucillus's head.
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"Checkmate!"
Lucillus stared at Djeeta, her gun aimed directly at him.
He knew about boundary power, even before his reincarnation. He'd learned that his entire life was something featured in "video games," but he never expected this power to be so overwhelming. He couldn't do anything against such strength, especially with only half of his power as his body continued to adjust.
"Now, give me back my Rei!" Djeeta demanded.
"Rei... I don't understand why all of you are so attached to him. He's just a replacement I used so I wouldn't have to deal with mortals," Lucillus replied coldly.
"For you, maybe Rei is just a replacement, but for me, Rei is the best thing that ever happened in my life! Ever since I met him, my whole life changed. We've gone on adventures together, and I've learned what love is, what jealousy is, and met so many people!" Djeeta's voice was filled with passion.
Lucillus fell silent as he listened, unable to comprehend what she meant. Emotions? They were a waste of time in his eyes. Emotions wouldn't help him achieve his goal of creating a world where mortals were no longer dependent on omnipotent beings.
Suddenly, a loud roar erupted.
*ROOAARRR!* The powerful sound echoed through the sky, catching both of their attention.
Djeeta turned toward the noise and saw Bahamut, whose massive form was visible even from their distance.
Noticing her moment of distraction, Lucillus forced himself to use his power, breaking free from the binding that held him.
*BAM! * "Eh?" Djeeta turned back to Lucillus, but he had already gathered energy in his hands.
"Axion Apocalypse!" Lucillus unleashed the attack straight at Djeeta.
"Woahh!?" Djeeta quickly fired her gun in response, the two attacks colliding in midair before exploding, sending both of them flying.
Djeeta managed to stop herself in midair and looked around. "He's gone?" She couldn't see Lucillus anymore, nor could she sense him.
Realizing Lucillus had vanished, she nodded with satisfaction. "Good, first phase complete. Now, on to the second phase." Without wasting time, Djeeta rushed off toward where the others were.