As this battle was going on, in the corner of the room, Elektra was crouched beside Morgana, who was barely conscious. The young girl's wolf-like ears twitched weakly, and her golden hair stuck to her face that was soaked in sweat.
Elektra quickly hugged the girl, using Magic to create a protective barrier to stop the shockwaves for further injuring Morgana, "Hang in there, kid," Elektra said, her voice uncharacteristically soft.
She glanced at Ayame, worry flickering in her eyes as she saw her best friend losing ground rapidly and being toyed with by Lucius, her mind couldn't help but wondering if this would be the end for them, "Come on, Ayame, don't do anything stupid."
However, Ayame definitely couldn't hear her. As the battle raged on, Ayame could naturally feel the tide turning against her. The attacks of Lucius were relentless, she felt as if she could feel the gap between herself and Lucius.
He was older, most experienced, more powerful, and every attack that hit her, Ayame could feel that gap. Her chest heaved with effort as her glowing aura flickered with exhaustion.
Lucius meanwhile just laughed as he sensed her exhaustion, "This is the best you can do? How pathetic."
Ayame's grip tightened on her fans. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, drawing in a deep breath. When she opened them, her gaze was sharper, more resolute.
"Then I'll go beyond my limits," she whispered, almost to herself.
Akeno's ears flattened, and it turned to her, alarm flashing in its golden eyes, "Ayame, don't!" the Spirit's voice echoed in her mind.
But Ayame ignored the warning. Her body glowed brighter, the golden light intensifying to an almost blinding radiance. Her foxfire burned hotter, the flames tinged with white as they danced around her.
Lucius's smirk faltered as he felt the shift in her energy. "What are you doing?" he demanded, his voice tinged with unease.
Ayame didn't answer. She surged forward, her movements faster and more precise than before. Her fans cut through his shadows like paper, forcing him to retreat.
Lucius's Demon Ghoul screeched, sensing the imbalance, but Akeno intercepted it again, its form bolstered by Ayame's burning lifeforce.
Elektra looked up, her eyes widening as she saw Ayame's blazing figure. "What the hell is she doing?!" she yelled, her voice frantic.
Akeno's voice echoed urgently in Elektra's mind, its usual playful tone replaced by panic, "She's burning her lifeforce and soul power! It's a Forbidden Spell."
Elektra's blood ran cold, her eyes snapping to Ayame's radiant figure. "She's what?!" she yelled, her voice cracking with disbelief, "That'll kill her!"
"If not worse," Akeno replied grimly, its golden eyes fixed on Ayame as it dodged another attack from the Demon Ghoul, "Even if she survives, the after-effects will strip her of everything, even in death. Her Soul might perish, eternally!"
Elektra clenched her fists, her heart pounding. She glanced at Morgana, who was barely hanging on, and then back at Ayame, whose blazing figure seemed more divine than mortal.
She knew Ayame was trying to protect them, but the cost, "Dammit, Ayame, you idiot!"
Lucius, now visibly uneasy, snarled, "A Forbidden Spell? How desperate can you be?" Despite his taunt, his movements became more defensive as Ayame's attacks grew more powerful.
Previously, he was just toying with the Superhero, but now he had to be serious. He didn't want to get injured by loosening his guard against an obvious crazy woman gone wild with power.
The chamber became a maelstrom of Akeno's FoxFire and Lucius' dark magic, with Lucius slowly beginning to be forced backwards due to Akeno's attacks.
However, Elektra could see the cost, Ayame's movements were becoming more erratic, her aura flickering like a candle about to go out. Each burst of power came with a visible strain, her body trembling under the weight of the spell.
"Stop this!" Elektra shouted, her voice breaking with desperation, "You don't have to do this, Ayame! We'll find another way!"
Ayame didn't respond, her focus entirely on Lucius. She spun her fans, creating a massive vortex of white-hot foxfire that roared toward him. Lucius barely managed to dodge, his coat catching fire as he snarled in frustration.
"She can't hear you," Akeno said, its voice heavy with sorrow, "The spell consumes everything, her strength, her mind, even her connection to me. At this point, I doubt she can be saved."
Elektra's eyes burned with tears she refused to let fall. She wanted to rush to Ayame, to stop her, but Morgana's fragile form in her arms reminded her why Ayame was doing this.
Lucius, now visibly injured and furious, growled, "Enough of this farce!" He raised his hands, summoning a massive sphere of shadow magic that pulsed with malevolent energy, "If you want to die so badly, then let me grant your wish!"
Lucius hurled the massive sphere of shadow magic at Ayame with a roar, its dark energy crackling ominously.
Ayame responded, spinning her fans with what strength she had left, unleashing a devastating wave of foxfire to intercept. The two attacks collided midair, creating an ear-splitting explosion that shook the chamber violently.
Rubble crashed onto the floor, dust kicking up as many parts of the chamber were completely destroyed. When the dust finally cleared, Ayame was still standing, just barely as her body trembled, her FoxFire outed.
Lucius emerged from the smoke unharmed, a smirk of twisted delight curling his lips.
"You've got spirit," he sneered, stepping forward, "but it's over."
Ayame lunged forward again, summoning every ounce of strength she could muster. Her movements were erratic but filled with desperation. She slashed at Lucius with her fans, the foxfire sparking feebly with each strike.
Lucius blocked her effortlessly, his shadows coiling around him like a living shield. He retaliated with a brutal strike, his shadows forming a jagged spear that pierced through her defenses.
Ayame cried out, the impact sending her sprawling across the chamber floor. Her fans clattered away, her blazing aura extinguishing entirely as her once vibrant aura was replaced by an eerie deathly emptiness.
"Ayame!" Elektra screamed, her voice cracking.
Lucius loomed over Ayame's collapsed form, his icy blue eyes glowing with malice, "You were entertaining, but this is where it ends," he said coldly, raising a hand to finish her off.
At the same time, the Demon Ghoul finally landed the finishing blow onto Akeno, sending her ethereal body crashing into the floor alongside the dying Ayame.
"Ayame, Akeno!" Elektra screamed, rushing toward them with Morgana in her arms as tears streamed down her face, hugging Ayame's body as she shook her.
Lucius just patiently watched all of this go down, his smirk widening as he watched the last of her life-force fade away, her once golden aura now fractured as Ayame's life was coming to an end.
"Such a shame," he drawled, his voice coldly amused as his eyes portrayed mockery, "She was quite the beauty. But the Forbidden Spell…" He reached out, brushing a strand of her sweat-soaked hair away from her face. "It's already crippled her soul and ravaged her body. She' got maybe ten seconds left. What a waste."
"Ayame! Wake up! You can't leave us like this!" She shook her friend gently, tears streaming down her face, as she continued, her own body trembling as she realized what was happening.
"Ayame, please!" Elektra sobbed, her fingers gripping Ayame's limp hand, "You can't die! Don't leave me!"
Lucius straightened, his expression growing bored, "Touching, truly," he sneered, dark energy coiling around his outstretched hand. "Let me end your little moment." He aimed his attack directly at Elektra and Morgana, his shadows crackling with malevolence.
Elektra didn't move, her head bowed over Ayame's lifeless form. She closed her eyes, bracing for the end.
Just as Lucius unleashed his spell, a deep, commanding voice boomed through the chamber:
"STASIS."
The entire room froze. Lucius' attack halted midair, its dark tendrils suspended inches from Elektra and Morgana. The swirling debris and flickering embers of Ayame's extinguished foxfire hung motionless.
"What?!" Lucius snarled, his head snapping around in shock. He tried to move, but his body felt sluggish, as though the very fabric of time resisted him.
A deafening explosion rocked the chamber as a section of the wall shattered inward. Dust and rubble filled the air, and a figure emerged from the smoke.
Arthur stepped through the opening, his eyes scanning the scene with icy precision. He picked up on the magic particles in the air, the various auras as he scanned the room.
His gaze landed on Elektra and Morgana, recognition flickering in his eyes as he saw Ayame's crumpled form, immediately recognizing the effects of the Forbidden Spell on her body.
His attention then shifted to Lucius, immediately knowing who he was from Sylvia's descriptions. As an Elf, he hadn't changed in appearance at all since Sylvia knew him, so he was easily recognizable.
Lucius glared at the intruder, his arrogance returning as he barked, "Who the hell are you to interfere?" He gestured sharply to the Demon Ghoul. "Kill him!"
The ghoul lunged at Arthur, its grotesque form towering and radiating malice. Arthur didn't flinch. He simply turned his gaze to the creature, his eyes locking onto it with an intensity that made the air grow heavier.
The lights dimmed, and the entire aura of the room became more oppressive, more depressing, as if Arthur's stare was changing the rules and order of the world within the room.
The ghoul froze mid-charge, its glowing red eyes widening in terror. It dropped to its knees, its skeletal form trembling as it bowed low before Arthur, emitting a pitiful whimper.
"What… what is this?!" Lucius stammered, his confidence shaken as he watched his strongest summon cower.
Akeno, her fading form flickering weakly, whispered to Elektra, "His aura… it matches the one we noticed on our search. He must be the Spirit Contractor."
Arthur's voice cut through the tension, low and firm, "I am not a Spirit Contractor." His gaze shifted to Lucius, who instinctively stepped back, his bravado cracking.
Arthur uttered a single word, his tone cold and final:
"Delhaze."
The moment the word left his lips, every trace of Lucius' magic vanished. His shadows dissolved, the oppressive aura surrounding him evaporating in an instant. Lucius staggered, clutching at his chest as though something vital had been ripped from him.
"No… no! What did you do?!" he gasped, his voice trembling with fear and shock as he stepped back in horror, ripping his hair and screeching in horror as he searched for any shred of magic power he had remaining.
Akeno's eyes widened, her voice a whisper filled with awe and terror, "That word… it's in the Primordial Ancient Spirit Language. Lost for millennia… He's not just powerful. He's a Spirit. An Ancient One."
Arthur stepped forward, his multicolored aura flaring briefly as he raised his hand. "You've done enough." He didn't shout, didn't even raise his voice. Yet his words carried the weight of an absolute decree.
Lucius barely had time to scream before his body disintegrated into dust, leaving nothing but silence in his wake.
Elektra was still shocked as all of this was going down. To her who was a Mortal, seeing a Spirit in action was shocking. Even compared to Akeno, Arthur was on a completely different level. Just a word, a SINGLE WORLD, and he had killed Lucius.
Suddenly, Elektra felt Arthur's gaze locking onto her. Her body trembled as she wondered what his goal was, but Arthur just knelt next to her, taking Morgana from her arms.
The Half-blood girl just whimpered softly, instinctively curling into his chest as his aura surrounded her in a soothing warmth.
Elektra collapsed to her knees, her voice cracking as she pleaded, "Please… you have to save her. Ayame… she's dying. You're the only one who can help her. I'm begging you!"
Arthur studied Ayame's lifeless form, contemplating the effects of the Forbidden Spell. She was basically on the brink of eternal death, and saving her would be tough.
Still, his expression was unreadable before he finally gave a small nod and said, "I'll do what I can."
With a wave of his hand, the chamber dissolved into light as Arthur teleported them all away, leaving the ruined battlefield behind.