Joseph felt the surge of power coursing through his veins, his body vibrating with the intensity of his Dominating Energy. His breath was ragged, his muscles aching from the clash with Seraphina. But there was no room for weakness now. Not with what he was about to attempt.
Seraphina stood a few paces away, her dark eyes trained on him, filled with a mix of fury and determination. Her stance was still strong, but Joseph could see the slight tremble in her hands, the subtle exhaustion setting in after their relentless battle. Yet, she showed no signs of surrender, and Joseph knew he had to end this.
"I'm giving you one last chance," Joseph called out, his voice carrying a rare edge of seriousness. "Walk away now, and we don't have to take this any further."
Seraphina's laugh was sharp, almost mocking. "You think I'm afraid of you, Joseph? You're just a clown with tricks. I've fought gods, stared into the abyss, and you think a few glowing fists will scare me off?"
Joseph's eyes narrowed. "You've never seen a trick like this."
He closed his eyes for a moment, centering himself, feeling the energy flow from deep within. His hands began to glow brighter, a deep, pulsating violet that seemed to draw the very light out of the room. The air around him grew colder, the ground beneath his feet vibrating.
"What are you doing?" Seraphina demanded, her voice betraying a hint of uncertainty.
Joseph's eyes snapped open, now glowing with the same violet energy. He spread his hands apart slowly, and a faint, swirling mist began to form between them, twisting and turning like a small storm contained within his palms.
"Dominating Energy: Voidwalker's Banishment," Joseph intoned, his voice echoing with a strange resonance, as if a thousand voices spoke with him.
Seraphina's expression shifted from confident to wary. She tightened her grip on her blade. "You're bluffing," she hissed. "Whatever you're doing… it won't work on me."
Joseph's smile was grim. "That's where you're wrong."
With a swift motion, he thrust his hands forward. The swirling mist between them erupted outward, expanding rapidly into a vast, dark vortex that seemed to absorb all light and sound around them. The vortex twisted and turned, a void of nothingness that seemed to stretch infinitely in all directions, its edges crackling with dark energy.
Seraphina's eyes widened as she felt the pull of the vortex. "What… what is this?" she shouted, struggling against the force drawing her toward it.
Joseph's expression was focused, intense. "This is the Void Nexus. A place between dimensions where time and space mean nothing. A place where even light cannot escape… and neither can you."
Seraphina's face paled, her confidence waning as she felt her feet sliding toward the growing void. "No… you can't do this! You don't have the power!" she screamed, panic seeping into her voice.
Joseph's hands trembled as he maintained the connection with the vortex. Sweat beaded on his forehead, his muscles straining with the effort. "You underestimated me, Seraphina," he muttered. "That was your mistake."
The vortex expanded, its gravitational pull intensifying. Seraphina tried to anchor herself, plunging her blade into the ground to hold her position, but it was no use. The force was too strong. Slowly, inch by inch, she began to slide toward the void.
"Stop! Joseph, stop this!" she screamed, fear now fully evident in her voice.
Joseph's gaze remained unwavering, though his face was contorted with concentration. "I gave you a chance, Seraphina. You didn't take it."
With a sudden burst of energy, the vortex grew even larger, its edges rippling with chaotic force. Seraphina's blade slipped from the ground, and she stumbled forward, unable to resist the pull.
"No… no!" she shouted, her voice growing faint as she was dragged toward the dark maw of the Void Nexus. "I won't… I won't go like this!"
But it was too late. The vortex had her now, its tendrils of darkness wrapping around her body, pulling her closer to the center. She struggled, fought against the inevitable, but there was nothing she could do.
Joseph watched as she was pulled into the center of the vortex. "This is where it ends, Seraphina," he whispered, his voice tinged with regret. "You forced my hand."
As Seraphina reached the heart of the Void Nexus, her body seemed to shimmer, her form distorting as if being stretched and pulled in multiple directions at once. She screamed—a sound that pierced the air, filled with agony and fear.
And then, with a final, violent pulse, the vortex contracted rapidly, closing in on itself. There was a blinding flash of violet light, and a deep, resonating boom that shook the very foundations of the earth.
For a moment, there was silence. Then, the vortex imploded, collapsing into a single point before vanishing completely, leaving behind only a faint wisp of smoke where Seraphina had once stood.
Joseph staggered, feeling the drain on his energy. His legs wobbled, and he fell to one knee, gasping for breath. His whole body felt like it was on fire, every muscle screaming in protest.
He closed his eyes, steadying himself, and when he opened them, there was no sign of Seraphina—no trace of her existence remained. The Void Nexus had consumed her entirely.
Joseph let out a heavy sigh, his body trembling from the exertion. "You left me no choice…," he muttered to himself, his voice barely above a whisper.
He stared at the empty space where the vortex had been, feeling the weight of what he had just done. The power of the Voidwalker's Banishment was not meant to be used lightly; it was a technique that demanded a steep price, a toll on his very soul.
Slowly, he got to his feet, every movement a struggle. He knew he had to move, had to keep going. There was no time to dwell on what had happened. He had a mission, a purpose, and he needed to keep his mind clear.
But as he turned to leave, a faint whisper seemed to echo in the air around him—a whisper that sounded eerily like Seraphina's voice, carried on the wind from somewhere far away, as if reaching out from the depths of the void…
Joseph shivered and shook his head. "No turning back now," he said quietly, walking away from the ashes of the battle.
He left the remnants of the fight behind, his steps heavy but determined, knowing that he had crossed a line today—one he might never be able to uncross.
The space around him grew silent once more, the only sound the distant echoes of the Void Nexus' explosion, reverberating like a whisper in the fabric of reality itself.