A serpentine body, sleek and powerful, covered in black and purple scales, coiling ominously beneath her.
The once familiar dragoness was now a monstrous fusion of dragon and serpent, radiating a terrifying, otherworldly power.
"It can't be... I thought you were dead... How could you still be alive?!" shouted Solaris, trembling as she tried to summon up a spell against the towering creature.
"I had always been alive. A small goddess such as yourself will never understand or come close to defeating me," boomed Mavislin, her voice sounding as sinister and venomous as Medusa.
"Small?! How dare you?!" roared Solaris as she jumped up to meet the giantess's face.
With her staff gripped tightly in hand, the Queen of the Sun launched an attack, only to be intercepted by one of Mavislin's massive hair snakes, which coiled around the staff in a crushing grip.
Solaris snarled and twisted her wrist, summoning a burst of flames that engulfed both the staff and the snake, incinerating the serpent in a fiery blaze. Frustration etched across her face, Solaris had had enough.
She leaped to the opposite end of the room, her eyes blazing with intent as she prepared to transform into her Guardian form.
Zenos, determined to prevent another situation of losing control like Celia, moved to intercept, but his path was suddenly blocked by another of Mavislin's giant serpents, its scaled body slamming down between him and the Queen.
Mattheos, undeterred, sprang over the snake with agile precision, landing just in time to raise his blade and shield against a massive wave of flames hurled by Solaris.
The searing heat crashed against him, but he stood firm, deflecting the inferno and holding the line as chaos erupted around them.
"Why have you stopped me?" yelled the Viceroy, seemingly upset at Mavislin.
"Quiet. Allow the rabbit to bite."
A shiver traced down the blonde's spine at the icy, commanding tone of his precious beast. He was uncertain if it signaled an awakening of something new within him, but the thought didn't unsettle him.
In fact, Zenos found himself drawn to it, even welcoming the change. However, he did note that this version of Mavislin seemed... More mature than Medusa.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Mattheos had been granted a clear mandate to halt Solaris' transformation. He swung his blade with precision, cutting through the flames that roared towards him.'
But as the inferno receded, he was immediately confronted by another onslaught of ribbons, their writhing forms reaching out with intent to ensnare him.
"Why does everything have to be so handsy!?" cursed Matt as he sliced through the ribbons with ease and disdain.
With a small murmur of another spell, Solaris then unleashed a massive wave of lava by swinging her staff at the busy rabbit. But Matt smirked, knowing exactly which Sin to tap on against the raging sun.
"Third Sin: Inferno of Avarice..." chanted Mattheos as his blade exploded in black and orange energy.
Solaris intensified her power, her aura flaring with raw energy. The heat from the lava surged, rising in temperature until it began to emit steam, swirling around her like a scorching veil.
The once molten mass bubbled and roiled, its fiery glow amplifying the oppressive heat that now radiated through the room.
"Beelzebub!" yelled the rabbit, unleashing his own wave of black and orange against the lava.
The two waves of mana collided in a blinding flash, their energies clashing violently for a brief, electrifying moment. Matt's wave, fueled by sheer determination, overpowered Solaris's, absorbing her mana and redirecting it back into his blade.
Without missing a beat, the rabbit slammed his foot into the ground, pivoting with practiced precision. His sword swept through the air toward Solaris, its edge gleaming with the absorbed power, ready to strike.
"Sixth Sin; Wildfire Shadows, Mammon!" shouted the rabbit as he made a beeline to Solaris.
Mattheos sprang into the air at the last possible second, twisting his body into a graceful somersault. As he spun, he unleashed a torrent of rapid, winding slashes that carved through the air like streaks of black and orange lightning.
The attacks spiraled together, forming a fierce tornado of blade strikes that tore through the battlefield. Mavislin watched in stunned silence, her eyes wide as she took in the spectacle.
Despite her reputation as the most agile of the First Seats, she had never seen a form like this. Mattheos moved with a fluidity and precision that challenged her own mastery, maneuvering against Solaris with an almost supernatural ease.
But then, a new pulse of danger swept through the air, sharp and electric. Mavislin's instincts screamed at her to pull her team back, to regroup and reassess.
She opened her mouth to give the order, but before the words could leave her lips, Zenos slipped from her grasp.