The oppressive atmosphere in the inner sanctum of the Archmage's Tower thickened as the figure cloaked in shadows raised a gloved hand. With a sudden, sweeping motion, he gave the signal, and the Void-Touched and Voidlings lunged toward Ezra and his companions with ferocity.
But it was not just the lesser creatures they had to face. Behind the figure, three towering figures stirred, their forms rippling with dark energy. The Void-Raised, the strongest entities beneath the Void Born, stood poised to strike. These creatures were far more powerful than anything Ezra or his companions had encountered in this world, and they were prepared to fight with all their might.
The moment the Void-Touched and Voidlings charged, Ezra, Thalion, and Ardyn surged forward, the three of them moving in unison as if they had fought together for years.
---
Ezra vs. Korrath
Ezra's skill Voidbreaker shimmered with dark energy as he charged towards the first of the Void-Raised—a massive figure whose armor seemed to be made of shattered obsidian plates. The being's name was Korrath the Shatterblade, and his form oozed a terrifying aura of crushing force.
Korrath swung a massive sword forged from the very essence of Void, the blade crackling with destructive energy. As he struck, the air around him seemed to distort and fracture, creating shockwaves that split the ground beneath his feet.
Ezra raised his Aegis of Eternity, summoning a shimmering shield of light that absorbed the incoming blows, the shield flashing brightly as Korrath's sword made contact. But the force behind the strike was immense, pushing Ezra back several feet, even with the shield up.
"Not bad," Ezra muttered to himself, tightening his grip on his sword. With a fluid motion, he leaped forward with Celestial Leap, using the momentum to perform a devastating Voidbreaker Slash that cleaved through the air. The attack landed with a resounding crash against Korrath's shoulder, sending sparks flying.
But the Void-Raised retaliated with a roar of fury, swinging his sword in a wide arc. Ezra dodged just in time, but Korrath's sword left a trail of Void energy that scorched the air around them.
"Radiant Pulse!" Ezra called out, releasing a blast of light that surged forward, knocking Korrath off balance. Ezra immediately pressed the advantage, using Ethereal Bind to ensnare the Void-Raised in glowing chains of energy. As Korrath struggled against the chains, Ezra unleashed another Voidbreaker Slash, this time targeting the creature's exposed side.
The power of the Voidbreaker Slash combined with the Ethereal Bind was enough to stagger Korrath, leaving him vulnerable to Ezra's next strike. With a final cry of defiance, Korrath the Shatterblade collapsed to the ground, defeated.
---
Thalion vs. Vyrix
At the same time, Thalion, the Time Mage, engaged the second Void-Raised, a towering, slender creature named Vyrix the Soul Devourer. Vyrix's form was ethereal, his body shrouded in tendrils of Void energy that swirled and writhed like living shadows. His eyes burned with an unnatural hunger, and every movement he made seemed to twist the fabric of time around him.
Thalion raised his staff, and a temporal shield flickered into existence around him. Vyrix, however, did not waste time. He lunged forward with a burst of unnatural speed, his hand reaching out to drain the life force from Thalion.
"Chrono Shift!" Thalion cried, activating his Time Magic to momentarily accelerate his movements, sidestepping Vyrix's attack with ease. Thalion retaliated with a well-timed Time Collapse, freezing the Void-Raised for a split second.
Vyrix growled in frustration and countered with a brutal Soul Rend, a jagged wave of Void energy that tore through the air and tried to tear apart Thalion's temporal defenses. Thalion barely managed to block the attack with a Temporal Shield, but the force of it pushed him back.
Thalion grimaced but quickly regained his composure. "You're faster than I expected."
Vyrix hissed and struck again, this time slashing at the air with claws imbued with Void energy. Thalion deftly dodged and used Chrono Burst, speeding up time in a small radius around Vyrix, causing his movements to slow.
With the Void-Raised momentarily disoriented, Thalion cast a Time Collapse at full strength, causing Vyrix's body to buckle and slow to an agonizing crawl. Seizing the opportunity, Thalion stepped forward and unleashed a Chrono Burst directly into Vyrix's chest, ripping through the Void-Raised's temporal distortion.
Vyrix let out an unearthly wail before crumbling to the ground, disintegrating into Void energy, his essence scattering into the ether.
---
Ardyn vs. Zaalak
The third Void-Raised was Zaalak the Devouring Flame, a hulking creature whose body was wreathed in an ever-shifting inferno of Void energy. His skin was scorched black, and his fiery eyes gleamed with malevolent intent. Every time Zaalak moved, it was as though the very air around him ignited with Void-infused flames.
Ardyn, the Blood Druid, immediately summoned his Druidic Shield, wrapping himself in a protective aura that absorbed the heat and energy of Zaalak's fiery aura. However, Ardyn knew that his usual blood manipulation wouldn't be enough to stop a creature this powerful.
Zaalak raised his massive arms and slammed the ground, causing a shockwave of Void flames to explode outward. Ardyn gritted his teeth and leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding the infernal burst. He responded by summoning a storm of blood thorns to constrict Zaalak's limbs, but the creature simply wrenched free, roaring in fury.
"Inferno Roar!" Zaalak bellowed, unleashing a blast of Void fire so intense that the air itself seemed to warp. Ardyn barely dodged, but the heat singed his armor and caused his blood magic to flicker for a moment.
Ardyn's eyes narrowed as he tapped into his deeper reserves of druidic magic. He began to weave the natural energy of the world into his attacks, using the Nature's Wrath spell to summon roots that burst from the ground, binding Zaalak's limbs.
Zaalak, however, was relentless. He broke free and unleashed a Firestorm attack, his very body turning into a chaotic storm of flames and Void energy. Ardyn braced himself, using Earthroot Shield to protect himself from the explosion.
With the last bit of his strength, Ardyn slashed at Zaalak's torso with a series of Bloodlash strikes, the enchanted tendrils of his blood magic sinking deep into the Void-Raised's body. Finally, with a triumphant roar, Ardyn unleashed his ultimate technique: Boreal Wrath, summoning a powerful ice storm to freeze Zaalak in place, then smashing through the frozen body with a final, devastating blow.
Zaalak's body shattered into pieces, his flaming form extinguished in a single, violent motion.
---
The Aftermath
With the fall of the Void-Raised, the room grew deathly silent. The Void-Touched and Voidlings that had been assisting the figure began to dissipate, their energies draining away as the power of the Void seemed to ebb. Ezra, Thalion, and Ardyn stood victorious, though exhausted from the intense battle.
But the figure at the center of the room merely smirked. "You've only won a battle, not the war."
Ezra, breathing heavily but resolute, gripped his sword. "It's far from over."