While Sandalphon continued to clash Paradise Lost with Lucillus, Halluel and Malluel brought Djeeta into the barrier created by Lyria.
After entering, they gently laid Djeeta down.
"How is she doing?" Gran and the others asked with concern.
"She said she's just tired and wants to rest a bit, so let's give her some time," Malluel replied.
"I see. At least she isn't too injured, but her power really is incredible. She's been fighting for so long," Katalina said in admiration.
"Do you think Sandalphon can hold out just as long? She has the power of the other Primarchs, right?" Vyrn asked, looking up where Sandalphon and Lucillus continued their battle.
"Definitely," Halluel answered. "She now has the power of the Supreme Primarch, combined with the strength of the other Tetra Primarchs. She'll be able to hold her own for a long time and even drain more of Lucillus's energy."
"Good, but if she still isn't enough, then it'll be our turn," Rackam added.
"Yeah! Even if we're not as strong as Djeeta or Sandalphon, don't underestimate us," Io said enthusiastically.
"We'll both support everyone as well, so don't worry," Halluel and Malluel said together reassuringly.
Meanwhile, Orchid, Lyria, and Lyria² kept their eyes fixed on the sky, their focus unwavering.
"What about it, Lyria? Can you feel any connection to Rei?" Orchid asked.
"No... I still can't feel anything," Lyria replied, her voice tinged with worry.
"I just need a small connection to Rei. If I can sense him, then I can forcefully connect my power to him and pull him out."
"Let's wait a bit longer and conserve our energy. We'll need it," Lyria² advised.
This was also why neither of the Lyrias could use their power to heal Djeeta right now—they were saving their full strength for the critical moment when they'd try to retrieve Rei.
For now, all they could do was watch the battle and hope that Lyria could re-establish her connection to Rei.
---
Up above, Sandalphon and Lucillus continued their intense aerial duel. Each time their swords clashed, the sky itself seemed to tremble with the force of their power, and the echoes sounded like thunderous explosions.
"What's wrong? Is that all you've got, Lucillus? Even Rei could handle your power better than you," Sandalphon taunted, her eyes gleaming with defiance as she clashed swords with him.
Hearing Rei's name only further enraged Lucillus. During his fight with Djeeta, she too had taunted him, saying his other self was better than him.
Fueled by his frustration, he unleashed more of his power. Sandalphon could see the purple aura leaking from his body as he pushed her back.
But instead of frustration, Sandalphon smirked, allowing herself to be pushed back.
*Clang* Lucillus finished his assault with a powerful kick to her stomach.
"Hgg!" Sandalphon grunted as she was pushed backward, clutching her stomach. But then, to Lucillus's surprise, she chuckled.
"Haha... Is that it? That barely even hurt," she sneered, clearly mocking him.
"Are you really in that much of a hurry to die?" Lucillus's voice turned chillingly cold.
With a slight movement, he dismissed his Sword of Repudiation and adjusted his stance.
"Seven Trumpets," he muttered, generating a spherical barrier of iridescent colors surrounded by arcane circles, which orbited around him.
"His power… it's rising," Sandalphon murmured, sensing the barrier's energy as Lucillus's power surged.
"Cast away that flesh, onward to the next dimension… fall into the abyss of chaos… become an offering to the apocalypse!" Lucillus's voice echoed with a dark intensity. With every phrase, his power continued to rise, the aura around him becoming almost unbearable.
Not long after, the barrier surrounding Lucillus vanished, and Sandalphon could finally see him, with twelve dark wings spread wide and his entire body enveloped in a menacing, dark aura.
"Die," Lucillus said coldly, raising his right hand. In an instant, his Sword of Repudiation materialized in his grasp.
"Phosphorus!" He swung his sword with terrifying speed, aiming directly at Sandalphon.
"Selas Arche!" Sandalphon quickly gathered energy from her wings, imbuing her own sword with a brilliant golden aura.
"Ecliptica!" She met Lucillus's attack head-on, their powers colliding in a massive explosion.
*BOOOOM*
"Woah, look at that battle! It's so intense!" Vyrn said, awestruck as he watched the clash.
"Lucillus is starting to unleash more of his power," Halluel observed, turning to the others.
"He is? Then that's good; everything's going according to plan," Rosetta said, her gaze still focused on the sky above.
The plan was to push Lucillus to use his full power, forcing him to exhaust his energy in a way he couldn't afford right now. Since Lucillus had only recently emerged, he was still likely using his power to keep Rei trapped within himself, unable to fully erase his other self's influence.
Rei currently possessed the power of other primal beasts within him, as well as the protection of the Supreme Primarch's strength, shielding him from Lucillus's attempts to suppress or erase him. This meant Lucillus couldn't easily delete Rei's personality, even if he tried. By making him drain his own power in battle, they hoped to weaken his grip on Rei, allowing him to break free—or, at the very least, enabling Lyria to sense Rei's presence so she could help bring him back.
"Ughh..." Sandalphon struggled to hold back Lucillus's attack. His strikes were far heavier than before, and they seemed almost equal in strength now.
But that was fine—if she could make him push his power further, she'd use everything she had to fight back.
"Haaaahhhhh!" With a surge of energy, Sandalphon unleashed her full force, shattering Lucillus's attack with her own.
Not stopping there, she immediately launched a counterattack, her sword still glowing with a powerful golden aura. Lucillus dodged her first slash, but she redirected her swing, managing to land a hit. She continued with a series of swift, relentless slashes, cutting him repeatedly.
"Take this!" Sandalphon finished with a blast of her aura, striking Lucillus with enough force to send him flying backward.
"Ssshit...!!" Lucillus was thrown back, finally stopping as her attack dissipated.
"C'mon then, Lucillus! Fight! If that's all you've got, this fight is over!" Sandalphon taunted, pointing her sword at him.
Then, in an instant, she made her sword vanish, and her wings shifted, radiating a pure, vibrant green.
"Simeon Rush!" Her twelve wings pulsed with the power of the Wind Primarch, surrounding her with a fierce, chaotic green wind.
The intense wind whipped around her, making her hair swirl wildly as her aura grew even stronger.
Lucillus looked down at his Sword of Repudiation before gripping it tightly.
"Evangelist's Blade," he murmured. The sword responded, its energy flowing into him and being absorbed into his body, vanishing as his power surged.
Now in a combat stance, he locked eyes with Sandalphon. Without hesitation, they both launched themselves forward, closing the distance in an instant. They clashed, fighting with only their hands and feet, the raw force of their strikes shaking the air around them.
-----
The fierce, unrelenting battle continued for so long in mid-air as Sandalphon and Lucillus exchanged a flurry of punches, kicks, and close-combat abilities. Their movements were fluid yet brutal, each dodging and countering with calculated precision. Sandalphon's wings radiated with the Primarch power, while Lucillus's entire body and wings glowed ominously, empowered by the absorbed energy of his sword.
Each clash left new wounds, and though they both possessed regeneration abilities, the damage was accumulating too rapidly for their bodies to fully recover.
"Iscariot!" Lucillus's hands pulsed with aura as he blocked Sandalphon's punch, countering with a powerful, straight strike to her stomach.
"Gah!" Blood splattered from Sandalphon's mouth as the force of his punch reverberated through her.
But Lucillus didn't stop. While she was still reeling from the blow, he grabbed her head with both hands, driving his knee into her face. The impact sent her hurtling upward, but before she could regain her balance, he caught her leg and threw her toward the ground.
Sandalphon crashed into the ground with devastating speed, obliterating the ground upon impact.
Hovering above, Lucillus raised his hand, gathering a swirling mass of Chaos energy. The power grew larger and more menacing by the second.
"Archenemy!" He summoned the full strength of Avatar's chaos energy, forming a colossal sphere above him, its ominous size reflecting his intent to end this battle decisively.
"Hey hey, this is bad! That power's off the charts!" Vyrn exclaimed, his voice filled with alarm.
"Io, it's time!" Rosetta said, moving behind Io.
"Yes!" Io responded with determination as she synchronized her mana flow with Rosetta's. In a burst of light, Rosetta's fused with Io, transforming her.
A rose bloomed atop Io's hair, its roots flowing through her now-smooth, free-falling locks, creating a mesmerizing floral cascade. Her twin tails loosened, and her eyes opened, now glowing an intense green with the power of Rosetta, the primal beast Rose Queen.
"I'm ready!" Io declared, her voice carrying a newfound strength.
Not only Io, but everyone began channeling their primal beast and Tetra Primarch powers, their bodies enveloped in a mix of vibrant red, blue, green, and brown elemental auras.
"We're ready too!" Katalina said, turning to their Captain.
Gran drew his sword with resolve. "Alright, let's go!"
"I'll support everyone!" Orchid added, focusing Luminiera power to summon wings of light on their backs, enabling everyone to fly like when they faced Avatar.
"We need to cancel Lucillus's attack! Give it everything you've got!" Gran reminded them as they all ascended swiftly, heading toward Lucillus and his gathering storm of energy.
"Cough cough" Sandalphon struggled to stand, her entire body throbbing in agony. Each movement was torturous, yet she couldn't afford to stop—not with the chaos energy Lucillus was gathering. She could feel the overwhelming power radiating from him, a force that would destroy everything if left unchecked.
But her body was trembling uncontrollably, too damaged to move properly. She needed more time to heal and recover her strength.
Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw five figures flying toward Lucillus: Gran, Katalina, Rackam, Eugen, and Io. She sensed the power of the Primarchs and primal beasts flowing through each of them.
Lucillus glared at the approaching group, visibly frustrated that he hadn't completed gathering his energy yet. But he wasn't defenseless. "Orbital Blackness," he intoned, summoning a sphere of darkness with his free hand. The sphere expanded, forming a barrier of shadows around him—a protective shell to ward off any interference while he finished his preparation.
"That sphere's going to block our attacks!" Rackam shouted as he took in the wall of darkness surrounding Lucillus.
"Leave that to us!" Io replied, determination blazing in her voice as she flew ahead of the others.
Raising her staff, Io began twirling it rapidly, drawing upon the energy of Rosetta and the Rose Queen's power.
"Elemental Evolution: Rose Explosion!" Io unleashed her spell, channeling the combined power of Rosetta and her own magic. She stopped spinning her staff, pointed it forward, and cried, "FIRE!"
A massive surge of mana gathered at the staff's tip, growing rapidly before blasting toward Lucillus's Orbital Blackness. The spell struck, consuming the dark sphere in an explosion of light that obliterated it instantly.
"Good work, Io! Now it's our turn!" Eugen called out, seizing the opportunity with the others to launch their attacks.
"Rackam, let's do it like the old days!" Eugen said, gathering Leviathan's and Gabriel's power at the tip of his rifle.
"You mean that? It's been ages since we pulled that off—don't slow me down, old friend!" Rackam replied, infusing his own rifle with Tiamat's and Raphael's powers.
"Naval Strike/Die Bandekanone!" they shouted in unison, firing together. Their attacks collided directly with Lucillus, pushing him back, though he struggled to maintain his hold on the gathering energy.
Seeing the chance, Gran and Katalina closed in on him in an instant.
"Katalina!" Gran called out.
"Yes!" Katalina responded, her rapier glowing with red and blue as countless ethereal blades—drawn from her own aura and Michael's—appeared around her.
"Frost of Fire!" She struck at Lucillus repeatedly, each thrust infused with the blazing intensity of her combined elemental powers.
"Haaahhhhh!" Katalina unleashed a final barrage, launching her aura-forged swords straight at him. Explosions erupted as fire and ice clashed over Lucillus, consuming him in a plume of smoke.
"Captain!" Katalina shouted.
Gran, his sword blazing with a green aura, swung it fiercely. "Tempest Blade!" He slashed at Lucillus multiple times, leaving him struggling to defend and making it impossible for him to gather energy. Lucillus's body staggered, worn from the relentless assault.
For the final blow, Gran gathered his energy into his sword, shouting, "This is for our friend Rei!" The green aura surrounding his sword intensified, and a faint trace of blue joined it. He struck hard, sending the aura surging toward Lucillus.
"Ugh!?" Lucillus was left critically wounded, barely holding himself together after the onslaught.
But it wasn't over.
"CHAIN BURST!" they all shouted together.
"ASCENSION!" Their combined energies converged, creating a radiant light within Lucillus, culminating in a massive explosion.
*BOOOOOOOM*