I placed a hand on Celos's shoulder, my gaze firm. "Celos, you've done enough. Leave the rest to me."
He looked up, breathing heavily, his form still glitching. "You sure? She's different. Her control over fate isn't just writing—it's warping reality itself. Don't underestimate her."
"I won't." My voice was calm, resolute. "I've got this."
The Weaver of Stories stood before us, a twisted smile curling at the edges of her lips. "Such confidence… Let's see how long it lasts."
As I focused inward, I felt the surge of power that had awakened earlier begin to build. The blue flame on my head flared up, growing larger and more intense. It roared to life, burning hotter than ever before. I could feel the energy coursing through my veins, pushing my limits far beyond what I'd known.
Suddenly, a searing pain shot through my hand, and a symbol began to form—a glowing cross, etched into my skin. The moment it fully appeared, my aura exploded outward, creating a shockwave that made the ground tremble beneath my feet. The air around me crackled with power, the very atmosphere vibrating with the weight of my transformation.
This was it— True Existence.
My senses sharpened, and I could feel everything around me, the flow of energy, the weave of reality itself. The cross on my hand pulsed with light, resonating with the flame above me. I could sense that this power wasn't just an enhancement—it was something deeper, something fundamental. This transformation allowed me to tap into the essence of existence, to resist and counter forces that would normally be unstoppable. When I had that outburst of power before, it was merely just the first stage of it.
As I stood tall, the Weaver narrowed her eyes, studying the change. "Interesting… You've unlocked a rare state. But do you truly understand what you've become? You're still bound by concepts—by rules. And rules, I can bend."
Her aura surged, and the space around us rippled like water. The ground beneath me shifted unnaturally, as though the very fabric of reality was distorting at her command. She raised her hand, and I could feel the pull—a gravitational force that bent space itself, attempting to crush me into nothingness.
But I didn't flinch. The cross on my hand glowed brighter, and with a single thought, I stabilized the space around me, nullifying her manipulation. My True Existence allowed me to anchor myself, to resist the shifts in reality she imposed.
The Weaver's smile faltered. "So, you can resist that? Impressive… but it's only the beginning."
She moved with terrifying speed, her form blurring as she appeared right in front of me, her hand glowing with dark energy. "Inevitable Demise!" she hissed, her voice carrying the weight of destiny itself. I felt her power surge toward me—an unavoidable strike, bound by the very concept of inevitability.
But something within me responded, a deep understanding that this transformation granted me the ability to rewrite outcomes—to challenge what was deemed unavoidable. The mark on my hand flared, and I caught her attack with my bare hand, the energy dispersing harmlessly.
"No!" she gasped, eyes wide. "That's impossible!"
"Not anymore," I said, meeting her gaze. "True Existence means I'm not bound by the same rules. Your inevitability doesn't apply to me."
Our battle intensified. She unleashed torrents of dark energy, her spatial manipulation twisting the battlefield, turning reality into a chaotic whirl of collapsing spaces and distorted landscapes. But with every strike, every shift in space, I adapted. My new ability allowed me to sense the underlying structure of her attacks, to see where reality was bending and to counteract it with precise control.
The flames around me grew fiercer as I pushed forward, the cross on my hand blazing with energy. I launched a flurry of strikes, each one enhanced by my ability to disrupt her reality-bending power. I could see her frustration mounting—she was losing control.
"Why?!" she screamed, her voice laced with desperation. "Why can't I bind you?!"
"Because I've transcended the limits you rely on," I said. "True Existence isn't just about power—it's about being free from the constraints you impose. I don't follow your narrative anymore."
In a final, desperate move, she raised both hands, gathering an immense amount of energy. The space around us rippled violently as she prepared to tear apart everything in one decisive strike.
"Enough!" I roared, channeling all my power into a single burst. The blue flames surged upward, and I felt the cross on my hand sear with overwhelming energy. In one swift motion, I unleashed it all, sending a wave of pure, destabilizing force crashing into her attack.
There was a moment of silence, a stillness as the energy collided, and then everything exploded outward in a blinding flash of light.
When the dust settled, the Weaver was on her knees, her aura flickering weakly. She looked up at me, disbelief etched into her face. "You… really are something beyond fate."
I stepped closer, looking down at her. "It's over. You've lost."
She grit her teeth, struggling to stand. But as she tried to rise, her body wavered, the strain of using her power taking its toll. The battlefield was littered with the remnants of her spatial distortions, but it was clear—her control had broken.
I turned away, the flames around me calming as I released the energy. "Let's move on. We have a lot more to face ahead."
A low chuckle escaped the Weaver's lips as she struggled back to her feet, her body trembling with exhaustion and pain. Yet there was a glint in her eyes—a spark of defiance. "You think this is over? You have no idea what I'm capable of when I stop holding back."
I narrowed my eyes, readying myself for whatever she was planning. Her aura began to shift, darkening as it spiraled around her. The air grew heavy, oppressive, like gravity itself had increased a thousandfold. The very fabric of existence rippled, and I felt the familiar pull of her spatial distortions—but this time, it was different. More refined. More dangerous.
"Fate has always been woven by a delicate hand, but now…" Her voice echoed through the warped space, laced with malice. "Let's tear those threads apart!"
The symbol on her forehead glowed with a sinister light, and suddenly, the world around us shattered into countless fragments, as if reality itself had been splintered into pieces. It was as if we were standing in the midst of a broken mirror, each shard reflecting twisted, distorted versions of us and the battlefield.
"Destiny Fracture."
With this ability, she didn't merely manipulate space or twist reality. She split reality into multiple parallel fragments, each one governed by a different set of rules, timelines, and possibilities. As the shards floated around us, I could feel the clash of conflicting fates—worlds where I had lost, where she had won, where everything had gone horribly wrong. The chaotic energy was overwhelming, pulling me in different directions, trying to tear me apart.
"What you're experiencing now," she said with a grin, "is every possible outcome of this battle all happening at once. Every decision, every moment is now layered, fractured, and intertwined. Can you keep up with all these possibilities at once?"