As the bell rang, Loretta radiated fury, the air around him shimmering like heatwaves from a raging fire. He held his sword to his chest, inhaling deeply as wisps of flame danced from the hilt. With deliberate grace, he unsheathed his blade of pure fire, "Sol." The weapon, forged entirely from Essentia, burned with a heat that seemed to distort reality, its edges sharper than steel. The scabbard crumbled into ash as his grip tightened.
His eyes swept the battlefield, first locking onto Kaku, already locked in combat, before landing on Nala. She was some distance away, positioning herself to aid Kaku, but Loretta saw an opening, a chance to reclaim his pride through revenge.
Without hesitation, he surged forward, moving with a speed that left scorch marks in his wake. Waves of flame erupted from his blade as he slashed, each one arcing toward Nala like a fiery serpent. She reacted instinctively, "Heh," she exclaimed loosing arrows in quick succession to intercept the incoming fire. But each arrow disintegrated before reaching its target, consumed by the inferno.
"What the hell..." She muttered
Panic flickered in her eyes as she ducked to evade a wave of fire. Before she could recover, Loretta closed the gap, his boot connecting with her skull in a brutal kick that sent her sprawling across the arena. Her body tumbled like a ragdoll, skidding to a halt only for Loretta to reappear behind her in a flash.
"Heaven..." he whispered, his voice cold against the roar of flames. His blade ascended in a fiery arc, cutting clean through her as a red-hot line seared across her body. The force of the strike launched her into the air.
As she plummeted, Loretta muttered again, "And Earth..." An upward slash carved through the air, flames trailing like molten ribbons. "Slash." His final word echoed with resolve as his blade struck true, engulfing Nala in a burst of searing fire. Her scream pierced the arena, a sound of agony that barely registered to Loretta as he extended his palm.
Without hesitation, he unleashed a barrage of fireballs, each one erupting in a cacophony of destruction. Some streaked wildly across the battlefield, others honed in on her falling form, leaving trails of smoke and fire in their wake.
In an instant, the arena around them shifted, the floor around them cracking and shifting as pillars of rock shot out of the ground, and heat enough to make you see mirages.
Though, the fighters paid it no mind.
As the flames dissipated, Nala clutched her chest, her breathing ragged. Her charred clothing clung to her, and ash smudged her trembling hands. She poured her remaining energy into her bow, the weapon growing larger and more jagged with every surge, each pulse of Essentia.
With a determined leap, she took to the air, firing a volley of oversized arrows, each one tearing through the air like a meteor. Loretta moved with precision, slicing through them in rapid succession, his blade leaving fiery streaks in its wake. When the last arrow reached him, he caught it mid-flight, his hand engulfing it in flames before hurling it back like a spear with unnerving force.
Nala gasped and propelled herself off the air with Essentia-coated feet, narrowly dodging the returning projectile. "How the hell are you doing that?!" she shouted, desperation thick in her voice.
Loretta didn't answer. His gaze locked onto her, unblinking, his silence louder than any words. Nala landed softly, retreating step by step, her mind racing. One mistake, one wrong move, and it's over.
Her thoughts spiraled. "He wasn't like this during the beast hunt. What the hell happened to him!? You cant grow this much in such a short amount of time, only a monster could do that!"
That is exactly what he is.
Loretta moved forward with the steady inevitability of death itself. Each step felt deliberate, each closer than the last. Raising his blade to the heavens, he exhaled deeply, his voice like a low growl. "I call on thee, enter my hands and erase those before me."
"Excalibur!"
The Essentia composing the sword erupted like an untamed wildfire, crackling and surging with power. Flames licked at the air, carried by invisible winds, while Loretta's hair whipped around as if alive. The jagged edges of his blade melted into a sleek, blindingly bright longsword that seemed to burn with the intensity of a star.
Panic surged through Nala. She turned and bolted, her feet covered in Essentia as she propelled herself across the arena. The air blurred around her with speed, but it didn't matter. Loretta's pursuit was relentless. He closed the gap with terrifying ease.
Ryai crashed to the ground in front of Loretta, his battered form sprawled across the arena floor. Loretta didn't even glance at him. His focus remained unshaken, his footsteps echoing toward Nala.
Her bow flickered and warped in her hands, unstable and incomplete as her fear disrupted her focus. She couldn't concentrate, couldn't form a solid weapon, panic had taken over. Before she could think of an escape, Loretta was upon her.
His hand shot forward, grabbing the back of her head. With a deafening thud, he slammed her into the ground, the impact sending cracks spidering across the arena floor. Nala's mind reeled as she felt the cold, sharp edge of his blade press against the back of her neck. She froze, her breath hitching, as terror gripped her.
"Why did you do it?" Loretta's voice was cold, commanding, a demand, not a question.
Her thoughts scrambled, searching desperately for a way out. Words tumbled from her mouth, shaky and broken. "H-he paid me!" she stammered.
Loretta's eyes narrowed. He knew exactly who she meant: Kaku Roux. The name rang bitterly in his mind, he never trusted that serpent, from the moment he saw his face. Perhaps, like the pale man Sorin they had encountered before, Kaku harbored his own grudge against The Order.
Loretta pressed the blade down, the tip digging into the back of Nala's head. Her screams echoed through the arena, raw and desperate. "Please, stop!" she begged, her voice trembling with fear. But Loretta didn't flinch. No plea could reach him now.
Suddenly, the air shifted. A piercing chill swept through the arena, freezing the very marrow of those who felt it. Vision fled from every pair of eyes, the world consumed by a black void. It was as though the grim reaper himself had shrouded them in his cloak. The cold was suffocating, crawling into Loretta's bones, but he remained unmoved, his grip on the blade firm. "Not even death will keep me from passing judgment," he growled under his breath.
Yet when he pressed the blade further, there was nothing beneath him. Nala had vanished in the darkness.
Loretta stood, his teeth clenched in frustration. Gripping his wrist tightly, he muttered with a hint of desperation in his voice, calling out to the unknown "Sol, if you're truly here to help me, then tell me where she went." Silence greeted him. His snarl deepened, anger seeping into every muscle of his body as he steadied himself, searching for her presence in the void.
A sharp burst of energy hit his chin, snapping his head back. Another struck his liver. Blow after blow rained upon him from unseen angles, forcing him to brace against the unrelenting assault. His frustration boiled over, and with a primal roar, Essentia exploded outward in a fiery wave, burning away the suffocating chill for a moment.
But the attacks continued. He could hear the hiss of arrows flying through the air, each one grazing him or missing by mere inches. He focused, searching for patterns amidst the chaos, until he noticed it, a counterclockwise rhythm in the attacks. A wicked grin spread across his face. "Got you, you damn rat." he muttered.
He drove his blade into the ground and swung it in a wide arc, unleashing a massive wave of fire. A scream cut through the darkness as the flames struck. Loretta lunged toward the sound, his hand outstretched, aiming to grab her by the neck. But she wasn't there. His fingers grasped at empty air.
Breathing heavily, he stilled himself, sharpening his senses. The hum of Essentia reached his ears, faint at first but growing louder with every draw of her bow. There. He was adapting by the second. He began dodging with ease, swaying his head and body just enough to avoid each arrow. Slowly, deliberately, he advanced, his steps light and measured, his focus unbreakable.
Then, as suddenly as it had come, the darkness lifted. Sight returned to the arena, and with it, Loretta's rage reignited. His blade flared to life once more, roaring with intensity. He spotted Nala darting between towering pillars, using the transformed arena to her advantage. She leapt from one to another with practiced agility, her bow flickering but still functional.
Loretta raised his free hand and hurled fireballs at the pillars, each explosion crumbling the structures into heaps of ash and debris. One by one, the pillars fell, their destruction closing off her escape routes. Loretta's fiery aura surged as he advanced, his expression cold and unyielding.
Erenyx landed heavily beside Loretta, her twin axes gleaming under the flickering firelight as she yanked them from the ground. Her sharp eyes assessed him, unease creeping into her expression. "You look like you're trying to do more than just eliminate her," she said cautiously.
Loretta didn't bother looking at her, his focus locked on Nala. Fireballs continued to rain down, each one more concentrated, faster, and more destructive than the last, but his hands trembled. "What, you've been watching?" he asked, his voice dripping with disdain. "This is what they both deserve, and you know it."
Erenyx felt a chill run down her spine at his words. She raised an axe just in time to deflect one of Nala's stray arrows but barely flinched, her focus remaining on Loretta. "Loretta," she said firmly, "you can't just go around 'passing judgment' on people you think deserve it."
His head snapped toward her, eyes blazing. "And who's going to stop me?" His iris shook unnaturally in his eyes and the venom in his voice was palpable, cutting through the air like a blade.
Before she could answer, he launched another fireball, but she responded swiftly, driving a sharp kick into his back. Loretta hit the ground hard, but before he could react, Erenyx slammed her axe into the ground beside his head, the blade embedding deep into the floor. Her voice was cold. "You really aren't who I thought you were." Her voice was saddened.
Loretta's hand shot up, flames crackling at his fingertips. "You don't know me at all," he growled. A burst of fire erupted toward her, but Erenyx stood her ground, her axes encased in thick rock that absorbed the flames with ease.
"Grow up," she snapped, her voice tinged with disappointment. Stomping her foot into the ground, she unleashed a pulse of Essentia, binding him in place with earthen restraints. Without another glance, she turned her focus to Nala.
"Don't leave me here dammit!" Loretta screamed, but his fire was only absorbed by the earth bindings trapping him.
Erenyx charged, zigzagging through the arena to dodge incoming arrows. As Nala fired another shot, Erenyx leapt into the air, slamming her axes down with incredible force. The attack missed its mark, but she quickly followed through, planting her axes into the ground to stabilize herself. Using the momentum, she spun her body and swept Nala off her feet, sending her sprawling onto her back.
Nala's hand instinctively fired a volley of arrows straight into the sky as she hit the ground, her breath coming in short, panicked gasps with a slick smile on her face. Erenyx's fist began to glow as she raised it with an azure aura that deepened into a vibrant pink. "Butterfly Jab!" she roared, launching a blindingly fast punch toward Nala's head.
The strike barely nicked her cheek, leaving a shallow cut that dripped blood. Erenyx's eyes widened as she glanced up, realizing the purpose of the arrows Nala had fired. The projectiles rained down around them like a deadly storm. Acting quickly, Erenyx grabbed her axes and dashed away, narrowly avoiding the deadly barrage as the arrows shattered into the ground like glass. "Tricky bitch," She muttered under he breath.
"Don't ever run out of tricks, do you?" Erenyx spat, twirling her massive axes effortlessly. Her tone was sharp, but her eyes gleamed with a competitive hunger.
"When you hang around Kaku, you learn a thing or two," Nala shot back, forcing herself to her feet. Her bow hummed as its Essentia hardened once more, her confidence returning with her focus.
Erenyx's lips curled into a smirk. "Don't get cocky. I'll beat you worse than he did." With that, she slammed one of her axes into the ground, dissolving it into a rippling pool of water. "Flash!" she shouted, stomping into the puddle. A surge of electricity shot through the water, striking Nala.
Nala shrieked in pain as her bow flickered, the surge momentarily disrupting her Essentia. Erenyx wasted no time, closing the gap with a brutal gut punch. Her fist flared with energy just before impact, unleashing a second wave of force that sent Nala flying across the arena.
Erenyx chased her relentlessly, weaving through the flurry of arrows Nala loosed in desperation. As Nala landed, Erenyx spun and slammed her axe into the ground, summoning a massive earthen spike that shot toward her opponent. Nala barely evaded the pillar, her movements sharp despite her pain.
But when Nala's palm brushed the earthen spike, the hum of her Essentia shifted subtly. Erenyx's sharp instincts caught the change, and her body tensed. From across the arena, Nala unleashed another volley of arrows, each one encased in hardened stone.
Erenyx reacted swiftly, slamming her axes into the ground and summoning a sturdy earth wall to shield herself. The arrows shattered against the barrier, splintering into harmless fragments.
As the dust settled, Erenyx leapt from behind the wall, her axes nowhere to be seen. In their place, glowing azure butterfly wings, crafted from pure Essentia, unfurled from her back. Energy surged down her leg as she fell from the air with incredible speed.
"Butterfly Blow!" she roared, her heel crashing into Nala's body with devastating force. The ground beneath them cracked and caved, sending a shockwave rippling outward. Erenyx grinned, a fire igniting in her eyes. The thrill of the fight was awakening something primal in her, a hunger for battle she couldn't suppress.
Nala groaned, her body aching as she struggled to rise from the crater Erenyx had left her in. Her legs wobbled beneath her, but she managed to stand just in time to dodge a kick aimed at her head. The attack whistled past, grazing her cheek.
Erenyx's strikes were relentless, each one carrying a raw physicality that eclipsed Loretta's power. Nala's breath hitched as she dodged another kick, her mind racing. If too many of those land, I'm done for.
Nala's eyes lit up as a plan began to form. She moved cautiously, her steps measured to avoid alerting Erenyx to her intent. Raising her bow, she exhaled slowly, steadying her aim.
"Art of the Archer: Six Arrow Volley," she whispered.
The single large arrow on her bowstring split into six smaller ones, each pulsating with the same concentrated energy. She loosed the arrows, and they whizzed past Erenyx, who spun around, startled. Her eyes widened as she realized the arrows were aimed at Loretta, still bound by her earlier attack. The projectiles streaked toward his restrained limbs, threatening to free him.
Erenyx cursed under her breath, slamming her foot into the ground to reinforce the binds around Loretta. "Not on my watch dammit!" she growled, dashing toward Nala. Ducking under a hastily fired arrow, she closed the distance in a flash and delivered a brutal uppercut. The impact lifted Nala into the air, her head snapping back as her vision blurred.
Erenyx didn't let up. Leaping after her, she unleashed a relentless flurry of punches, each strike reverberating with raw power. Nala's body hung suspended in midair as Erenyx's assault continued, every hit releasing bursts of energy that crackled like distant thunder. With a final, devastating blow, Erenyx slammed Nala into the ground, the arena floor cracking beneath the impact.
Panting, Erenyx staggered back, her chest heaving. She glanced at her trembling hands, realizing how much energy she had poured into the attack. "Damn… got carried away," she muttered, shaking her head to refocus.
A deafening roar shattered the moment of stillness. Erenyx's head snapped toward the source as Loretta tore through the restraints, his muscles bulging with uncontrolled Essentia. His eyes burned with a wild, unstable light, darting around the arena before locking onto her.
"Ah, shit," Erenyx muttered, her grip tightening. She turned to face him, her stance firm despite her exhaustion.
Loretta stepped forward, his voice trembling with urgency. "I don't want to fight you, dammit! Move, Nyx!" His tone was almost pleading, a stark contrast to the fury emanating from his aura.
Erenyx hesitated for only a moment. "You know I can't do that." She clapped her hands together, forming a sharp hand sign. "Zeus! Come on!"
With a crackling roar, the thunderbird materialized behind her, its eyes glowing with electric intensity. Lightning coiled around its body as it spread its massive wings, illuminating the arena in a dazzling display of power. With a screech, Zeus propelled itself forward, a streak of lightning hurtling toward Loretta.
Loretta braced himself, raising his arms just as Zeus's wing collided with him. The impact sent a deafening boom across the arena, the air rippling from the sheer force. Sparks of electricity danced across Loretta's skin as he held his ground, his teeth clenched in defiance.
Nala staggered to her feet, her lips curling into a smile as her ploy succeeded. She raised her bow, her fingers releasing a rapid volley of arrows aimed at Erenyx. The arrows whizzed through the air, but Erenyx barely flinched, her irritation palpable as she swatted them aside like gnats.
"You bore me already," Erenyx muttered, her voice sharp with disdain. Stretching out her arm, she clenched her fist, and the ground beneath Nala began to ripple. From the shifting earth, her Great Serpent Shiki emerged, its shimmering form coiling around Nala before swallowing her whole. The serpent slithered back into the ground, its essence dissipating as quickly as it had appeared.
Erenyx turned her attention to Loretta. His sword flickered with erratic energy, its hum discordant and unsettling. She narrowed her eyes, recognizing the weapon's influence. "Zeus! Aim for the sword!" she commanded, her thunderbird responding with a piercing cry. Lightning crackled across Zeus's wings as it soared toward Loretta.
Before the strike landed, the arena shifted violently. A burst of steam enveloped them, obscuring their vision as volcanoes erupted around the battlefield. Magma pooled beneath their feet, the heat suffocating. Across the field, an icy tundra loomed, a stark, surreal contrast.
Erenyx didn't falter. She vaulted off a nearby volcanic rock formation, electricity surging around her arm. Her speed increased as she charged Loretta, who was still fending off Zeus. With a powerful forearm strike to his neck, she slammed him into the ground. Zeus followed up with a massive lightning bolt, striking Loretta's arm and forcing him to release the blade. His body spasmed as the weapon clattered to the ground.
When the lightning subsided, Loretta's wild eyes regained focus. His breath was ragged, but his gaze was steady, no longer erratic. The shackles on his right wrist reappeared, their chains jingling faintly. He cursed under his breath, his voice low and bitter. "Dammit, Sol. I trusted you too much."
Erenyx tilted her head, her curiosity piqued. "Talking to yourself now?"
He shook his head and began to stand. "Nah. I'll explain later."
Before he could say more, a familiar force tugged at his body. Loretta's eyes widened in alarm. "Dammit!" he yelled, moments before he was yanked across the arena. A heavy fist collided with his face, a brutal downward right hook from Sorin. The impact sent Loretta crashing into the ground, the earth beneath him splintering from the blow.
Sorin loomed over him, his expression cold and unyielding. "You didn't think I was done with you, did you, Ra?"
Erenyx closed the distance quickly, her body glowing with Essentia. She leaped into the air, her leg descending in a powerful downward kick aimed at Sorin. Without flinching, Sorin raised an arm to block. The collision echoed through the arena, the force pushing Sorin further into the arena floor but he wasn't fazed. His gaze shifted to Erenyx's eyes, his voice flat. "You don't interest me yet."
With a flick of his arm, he sent her flying into the air. "Osu," he muttered, turning his attention back to Loretta.
"You wield Sol's Shackles, a legendary artifact, yet you succumb to her temptations so easily." Sorin's voice was steady, his words sharp with disdain. "I could see you weren't worthy from the day I laid eyes on you, on the day you slaughtered my family."
In the heart of the Stadium, amidst the chaos of battles raging on its edges, stood Agheel. His posture was relaxed, his ever-present smile as sharp as a blade. Beside him, a towering giant loomed, his shadow stretching across the cracked ground. Perched on the giant's shoulder was a child, his unnervingly playful demeanor accentuated by a mask that caught the sunlight, reflecting an unnatural glint.
Agheel's gaze remained fixed on the pair. "So," he began, his tone almost jovial, "for what purpose did you come this far?"
The child swung his legs lazily, his voice light and teasing. "Well, you'll find out soon enough!" His feet tapped against the giant's shoulder, the sound echoing faintly in the still air. Yet his carefree tone only served to deepen the unease in the space around him.
Agheel's smile didn't waver. "I don't have time to play these games, World." His voice dropped slightly, tinged with a rare seriousness as his eyes locked onto the child.
The World, or TW as he was often called, ceased his swinging. His aura shifted, the playful air around him dissolving like smoke. A deep, unsettling voice emerged from beneath the mask. "And yet, you have no choice but to watch our requiem commence."
The weight of his words pressed into the air, thick and suffocating. Even the giant seemed to stand taller, its presence amplifying the tension. TW's voice carried an unnatural resonance, deep enough to send chills through anyone who heard it. Yet Agheel's expression remained unchanged, his smile refusing to falter.
"That's the TW I'm used to," Agheel said lightly, his tone contrasting sharply with the oppressive atmosphere.
Meanwhile, back amidst the fighting, Erenyx froze mid-motion. A shift in the air sent a shiver down her spine. Her gaze darted toward the center of the Stadium, her senses attuned to the sudden emergence of a powerful Essentia signature. This one was unlike any she had felt before. It was melodic, almost hypnotic, as if the energy itself sang a haunting song.
"It isn't coming from them, then who the hell is that energy!" She muttered as she looked around frantically, a chill colder than no other darting down her spine.