A golden and a crimson tower faced each other in the white [Soul Battlefield]. Rays of light spread in all directions. When they met the red energy barrier, lighting erupted.
The continuous crackling was deafening to the ears.
Atop the towers Corian and Tepo stared at each other, surrounded by their imaginary chess pieces.
Finally, Tepo moved, connecting to the large gun fastened to a platform atop the tower.
A smile formed on Tepo's lips as he felt the familiar heat on his skin.
Let's see if your Tower of Radiance can block my Sun's Punishment!
Suddenly a blinding flame erupted from the crimson tower. With the heat of the sun, it carried the might to turn entire armies into ashes.
It bridged the short distance, engulfing the golden tower.
Immediately the light intensified. A golden barrier formed, blocking the flames.
Although Tepo was unable to replicate the real might of the Sun's Punishment, due to having fired it in reality before, he could unleash considerably more power than the conjured image of Varei's father, whom he didn't know at all.
The temperature around the Tower of Radiance continued to rise. The light was faintly pushed back.
But Corian, being familiar with his family heirloom, could still defend himself.
Suddenly the aristocrat waved his hand.
A wave of energy shot through the Tower of Radiance. The light bundled at its top. A miniature star formed, deflecting the raging flames.
Immediately four old men took the chance to leave the golden tower.
They traveled through the air, rapidly approaching the crimson tower.
Varei's father let out a load roar. Throwing his massive body forward, he blocked two of the old men.
But the others managed to reach the crimson tower. Raising their hands high multiple spells suddenly rained down on the energy barrier.
Tepo watched in worry as his defense wavered. The counterattacking lightning bolts didn't come far before they were destroyed by other spells.
Who are these people? Domain Lords? World Lords?
Tepo gritted his teeth as Vice-headmaster Porter and Vice-commander Tapharn appeared next to him.
Together with Quill and Anvil they left the tower, trying to entangle the enemy.
But the fight didn't go well as Tepo didn't know the forum's staff well enough.
One of the old men even managed to gain some distance and continued attacking the crimson tower.
Tepo narrowed his eyes as he pushed his Sun's Punishment to its limits, ready for a fight of endurance.
The Tower of Radiance was pressured by the continuous attacks.
Corian felt that it would soon run out of energy.
Even in the [Soul Battlefield] one couldn't surpass natural limits and conjure beings or weapons with unlimited energy.
Thus, Corian recognized that the situation wasn't going well for him.
"F*ck! Useless old fogeys!"
As Corian's mind moved, new figures appeared at his side.
If Tepo could see them, he would immediately recognize one of them as vice-headmaster Greencharm.
"GO!"
With Corian's shout the reinforcements suddenly left the tower. They took the long way around before suddenly attacking Tepo's side.
The crimson tower shook. Quill and Anvil let out loud screams as a massive block of metal fell from the sky at unbelievable speeds, burying them directly.
"F*ck!"
Even though Tepo knew that these weren't the real bodies of his friends, he still felt anger in his heart from seeing their deaths.
The situation on his side suddenly became dire. Even Vice-headmaster Porter wouldn't be able to hold on for long.
I don't know enough bigshots! Damn! Who can I use?
As Tepo's thoughts churned, more and more of Corian's helpers left the golden tower.
Although they were less powerful, their combined attacks could still threaten the crimson tower.
"Haha! Little worm, how is it?! As soon as your puny tower falls, this will be your end!"
The aristocrat's voice was grating to Tepo's ears but he wasn't wrong.
Keeping a calm mind, Tepo began to summon people. Wave, Team Seven Strikes, Team Blue Hyacinth, the hub city soldiers.
But this tactic was not hard to counter. Corian also summoned more and more help. Hub city soldiers and members of the aristocratic families filled the white void.
Soon, a large-scale war formed below the towers.
Trained solders and powerful warriors began to rip into each other as the two fronts met.
Summoning so many things in the [Soul Battlefield] quickly rained one's mental strength. Tepo felt some hope as the image formed by his [God's Soul] supported him, strengthening his soul greatly.
However, Corian had the advantage in high-ranked combat force. Leaders of many forces were mixed into his lineup, gradually diminishing Tepo's army.
Although Corian felt the strain, the young master held on, certain that victory was close.
Tepo on the other hand saw his chances dwindling. He knew that if they continued like this, the fight would soon be ending in his loss.
But as he crazily summoned people to replenish his losses, a man suddenly appeared in his mind.
Tepo's eyes lit up. With a grin on his face fog formed above the battlefield.
Gradually it revealed a human figure until a tall man with strange clothes separated himself form it.
A mysterious presence overshadowed the battlefield.
Tepo even went one step further and procured the Starlight World Orbs for him.
But at this moment something he never expected happened. A tinge of intelligence formed in the man's eyes.
The leader of the Shooting Star Tribe, Zorim Juar Fluvca Escolun, stood in the air, his calm gaze overlooking the battlefield.
After a moment he turned his eyes towards the golden tower.
Corian suddenly felt his body tremble. He involuntarily stared into these deep eyes, unfathomable like a universe.
It took all his efforts to extradite himself, or else he might have lost his soul directly.
Who is this?! Why does he appear so lifelike?!
As a horrifying feeling engulfed Corian's body, Zorim calmly raised his hand. The five Starlight World Orbs rose up, levitating around his body in perfect harmony.
Slowly the stars on the orbs began to turn. Tepo was instantly captivated, feeling as if those movements contained infinite secrets. They were deeply imprinted in his mind, lighting up the path ahead.
The mysterious spheres emitted a warm light, which fell on Zorim's hand, condensing into a tiny speck of dust.
With a light blow the tiny spark glided through the air towards Corian.
Tepo didn't have the state of mind to question why Zorim could perform attacks Tepo had never seen before.
His eyes were still staring at the beautiful stars.
Meanwhile, Corian fell into panic. All his attention was on the inconspicuous speck of dust, which gave him a feeling of imminent death.
The aristocrat trembled heavily. His mind turned chaotic.
"NO! Not like this!"
Corian Gold let out a crazed scream. Suddenly he reached out with his hands.
Instead of trying to defend himself he hastily prepared another attack.
"If I have to die, I will take you with me, b*stard!!!"
A strange energy formed in Corian's hand. It was translucent, carrying an aura of annihilation.
"DIE!"
Suddenly a translucent sphere shot from Corian's hands. It directly ignored everything in its way, only aiming at Tepo.
"HAHAHA! You take away my forbidden spell, so die to another! HAHA! You won't escape my [Soul Annihilation]!"
Corian's eyes were bloodshot. He raised his hands in the air as he watched the speck of dust reaching the Tower of Radiance.
The dust suddenly vanished as it touched the tower. It unleashed a gentle warmth, almost motherly, guiding everything it caressed to return to nothingness.
The wall of flames disappeared. The Tower of Radiance held on for a few moments before slowly vanishing. Corian and his protectors dissolved into the white void.
But at the same time, Tepo felt the threat of death all of a sudden.
His eyes fell on the transparent sphere aiming directly for him. A chill ran down his spine.
Abruptly one of the Starlight World Orbs appeared. It blocked the way in front of Corian's spell.
But to everyone's surprise the forbidden spell ignored it, directly passing through the artifact.
The same happened with the crimson barrier.
Tepo hastily flashed away, leaving the tower.
However, this action seemingly angered the spell. It suddenly sped up, shooting straight at Tepo.
Just as the sphere was about to find its target, with only Corian's head left on the other side, Tepo promptly made the right decision.
He canceled the [Soul Battlefield].
The audience were still looking at the arena in confusion. A few minutes had passed outside with both combatants lying on the ground.
But finally, a piecing scream echoed in the arena, carrying incomparable pain.
It came from Corian, who suddenly shot up only to fall unconscious directly.
The students couldn't even react fast enough.
"What happened?"
"Ah! My ears!"
"Did Corian die?"
Right at this moment, a pained groan could be heard. Tepo gritted his teeth as he moved his injured body, sitting up with difficulties.
Realizing the situation, the audience was just about to cheer when a transparent sphere suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Tepo stared ahead with disbelief as the forbidden spell shot into his head.
"AHH!"
The young man cried in pain. He held his head, his entire body trembling, veins plopping on his forehead, blood running out of his ears and eyes.