[The World of Rahdiya.]
[The Battle at the Mountains in The Sky.]
[The Fall of The Exalted Ones.]
"Give up, Vatu. We both know there's no chance for you to win against me."
Up in the air, high above the clouds, a man stood on the surface of a mountain.
His gaze was calm, and his handsome face was set into an expressionless mask.
His name was Tiras Grant, and he was the strongest member of the Japhat race of Grand Humans and one of the Exalted Ones.
He was adorned with precious artifacts and a long garment crafted from the finest fabric. On his neck, he wore a golden necklace, and on each hand were fine golden bands carved with precious runes.
Around his body was an imposing aura of powerful mana that threatened to lash out angrily at anyone who dared to come close.
But his eyes were filled with boredom as he gazed at his opponent, and in his heart, he had no interest in the battle.
His opponent, Vatu, was also surrounded by an aura of power—although it was far less imposing.
And though Tiras showed no signs of exhaustion, Vatu was breathing heavily, and he was already on his last legs.
Vatu's mana had been depleted, and his display of power was only a show of false strength to preserve his dignity.
'How… pathetic.'
This thought passed through Tiras' mind as he stared at Vatu. Both of them already knew who had won their battle, but Vatu refused to surrender.
All around them, a massive battle raged continuously.
Beasts of various sizes and strengths clashed against each other from both sides, great earthquakes shook the earth, and ripples of power rendered the sky.
The mountains were destroyed, and the clouds were parted by the fury of the strongest of various Grand Human races.
The Japhat, with their strong affinity for all forms of elemental magic, unleashed waves of spells into the air, targeting the various defenses of their enemies.
The Yuvon, with their strong bodies and dragon companions, charged against the Japhat, sending high-level fire spells to counter the rain of attacks.
The Ulquira, with their high-level wind-based magic, disrupted the formation of the Japhat, creating confusion and throwing off their spells.
Great elemental serpents floated in and out of the clouds, dancing around the stronger warriors and taking large bites out of those unfortunate enough to be in their way.
Winged horses galloped across the clouds as their riders, the Blessed Knights of Heaven, unleashed their sword arts upon the Yuvon and the Ulquira.
In the center of the battle, where the fighting was most fierce, three beings battled against an army of thousands, showing off powerful skills and magic attacks that rendered their enemies helpless in their fury.
One of them, a knight in dark full-body armor who rode upon a terrifying black winged stallion, raised his sword in the air and unleashed his highest-grade Sword Art, sending a wave of mana that burnt the very existence of his enemies from the world.
Another one, a beautiful woman dressed in a long red gown that showed off her alluring figure, stood at the center of a giant magic circle that had been carved into the air. She raised her hand, and behind her, thousands of magic circles materialized in a display of power, unleashing thousands of magic attacks simultaneously in all four elements!
The final one, an assassin clad in black and wielding blades wrapped in the darkest shadows, vanished from the eyes of her enemies and appeared from their blind spot as she lashed out with powerful dark magic that withered, skewered, and cut open the enemies!
All these beasts and monsters of great power were subordinates of the two Exalted Ones. Their power was great, but they stood no chance before the might of their leaders, and that is why they had all given the powerful leaders a wide berth to ensure their battle was not disturbed.
Vatu raised an arm, summoning a cyclone from the air and gathering it in the palm of his hand.
Tiras waited calmly for Vatu's attack to be fully formed. There was no need to rush his defense.
After all, there was nothing Vatu could do to harm him.
Vatu unleashed the attack, and a wave of destructive elemental mana rushed out from a magic circle, sending a jet of wind towards Tiras. The air trembled, and hundreds of warriors were blown away from the shockwave alone.
Tiras raised a brow at Vatu for such a pathetic display before he sighed.
A magic circle opened beside Tiras, and from it emerged a black chain that rushed forward to intercept the attack.
The chain was as large as a mountain, and as the attack struck it, the entire sky shook from the impact!
But the chain did not stop!
It flew forward past all of Vatu's defenses and slammed into him!
Vatu was thrown back from the force of the impact, and he brought his hand up, summoning a defensive rune that created a protective barrier around him!
The chain wrapped around Vatu's form and whiplashed downwards, sending him into the side of the mountain below!
Another black chain appeared from a second magic circle beside Tiras, and both chains rattled excitedly as he stroked them in appreciation. They floated around him like snakes while waiting for Vatu to emerge once again.
Vatu shot out from the clouds with a golden aura that had been formed from another artifact now surrounding him.
He knew that his magic was weaker, so he was trying to even the playing field by utilizing the various artifacts and runes he had collected over the years.
Vatu tore off his shirt, exposing various runes he had carved into his body and activated them all at once.
The battlefield grew more imposing as great mana surged to life around Vatu.
Vatu was the most powerful of the Ulquira race, who were known for their powerful wind techniques, and Tiras immediately sensed that Vatu's next attack would also reach his allies.
He finally decided to act.
He brought his hand forward, and a large elemental magic circle came to life in front of him. The magic circle rotated clockwise as it was interlaced with another elemental magic circle, and then a third one formed over the two.
This continued until there were more than twenty magic circles spinning in the air in an impressive display of magic weaving, and as Vatu unleashed his technique, Tiras released his spell.
A hurricane began to form over the battlefield as Vatu's technique threatened to eradicate everyone in the area, but before it could cause any harm, the power from Tiras' magic circles eviscerated the wind and tore through Vatu's technique.
Vatu quickly tried to bring up a defense when he saw the attack heading for him but he was too slow and he screamed as the magic washed over him.
Boom!
Tiras brought his hand down and watched the explosion light up the sky stoically.
He had still not broken a single sweat, and Vatu hadn't even been able to make him move. He was still in the same position as when the fight started.
His chains danced around his body excitedly as they waited for his orders to lash out once more.
"My Lord, the enemies are running. Should we chase them to the parallel dimensions?"
Tiras turned.
Behind him, the woman wearing a long red gown looked up at him with the usual reverence that he had gotten used to shining in her eyes.
She had vanquished thousands of enemies in this battle, but she still could never comprehend the sheer power that Tiras possessed.
It was enough to make her think he was a god.
Tiras gently petted her head, and the woman felt a blush rising on her cheek when he spoke.
"Good job, Styr."
She looked away.
"You spoil me with your praise, my lord. I'm fighting for our home, just like the rest of us. This much is expected, at least."
She looked up at him, and he smiled at her before speaking.
"I always tell you not to call me 'lord'. I'm your friend, Styr. I'd prefer it if you went back to calling me Tiras like you used to."
Styr blushed at his words. How could she possibly call him Tiras after everything she had seen him do as a mage? Rahdiya chose him as one of the Exalted and he possessed more power than anyone in their entire race. It was only proper for her to call him by his title.
Styr was about to speak, but their moment was interrupted by the galloping of a horse.
The knight who had been using High-Grade Sword Arts against the enemies came down from his horse and knelt before Tiras.
"I have come to receive your orders, my lord."
Tiras sighed in exasperation as the knight referred to him as a Lord as well.
"Aragon…"
Darkness swelled from beside Aragon, and a figure emerged from within, forming into a female dressed from head to toe in pure black and carrying a pair of twin sabers behind her.
She also knelt before Tiras silently, and he smiled.
"Rivon… You've all fought well. Now that Vatu's minions are scattered—"
Doon!
Tiras stopped and turned around as he felt a sudden disturbance in the air.
He knew that Vatu was not yet dead, but from the limited energy he felt coming from Vatu, he could tell that the fight was already finished, and that was why he didn't pay Vatu any more mind.
But it was obvious that Vatu still had a few cards up his sleeve.
The burnt and injured Vatu slowly revealed himself from the clouds, and on his chest, a powerful magic rune glowed with a mysterious purple light.
The mana around Vatu began to swirl in great waves of gale winds that easily covered the entire length and breadth of the sky, and Tiras felt all his friends stiffen from behind him as they were oppressed by the might of Vatu's mana.
Vatu screamed towards the heavens.
"You think you've won, Tiras! You prance around with your magic, looking down on the rest of us from your pedestal! We were both chosen as Exalted Ones, so how dare you look down on me!? If I do not win, then everyone will lose! I refuse to die a silent death! I will rage against the heavens, and the genesis of the world shall know my might! Do you hear me!? I refuse to go silently!"
Great waves of mana rushed out from Vatu, and Tiras realized in shock that Vatu had just created a Binding Contract with the world.
Vatu was sacrificing himself to create an attack strong enough to erase everything in this part of the dimension, all in an effort to kill him!
The pressure from Vatu's attack was forcing the other fighters in the region to run away in fear! The great serpents dispersed and the soldiers quickly began to head to the closest Dimensional Stone.
They could all sense that the attack would be enough to kill them.
Tiras turned to his friends and told them to leave.
"Go on ahead. I'll come find you once I'm done with him."
Styr was prepared to argue, but the immense pressure from Vatu's magic prevented her from even stepping forward. Even though Vatu was weaker than Tiras, he was still an Exalted One and the only person capable of matching the strength of an Exalted One was another Exalted.
Tiras just smiled.
"Don't worry, Styr. I'll be fine. There's nothing he can do to hurt me."
Styr finally relented after seeing how confident Tiras was, and she allowed Aragon to lift her onto his winged horse so they could leave.
Rivon vanished into the shadows, and Tiras turned to glare at Vatu.
"You think sacrificing your life in a Binding Contract would be enough to make you win, Vatu? You're as foolish as the day I met you. But at least back then you weren't foolish enough to think you could beat me."
Vatu laughed as the power emanating from him grew in intensity! He propelled himself towards Tiras quickly as the mysterious light grew brighter, and Tiras raised his hand and summoned his mana.
But before Tiras could activate his spell, he felt a familiar mana signature appear from behind him, and he turned quickly.
"Rivon…"
SQUELCH!
A dark blade stabbed into Tiras' back, ripping through his chest and spraying blood across the air.
Tiras' eyes widened in shock as he wondered how the blade got through his magic defenses!
'That blade… it's a cursed artifact!'
Tiras coughed out blood and looked into Rivon's eyes, wondering why she had done this.
But right in front of his eyes, Rivon's face and mana signature suddenly began to melt away, leaving an unfamiliar face behind.
Tiras felt his body seize as the cursed artifact paralyzed him, and the woman smiled with blackened teeth as Vatu's suicide charge slammed into them!
Tiras grunted as all three of them were thrown back into the mountain. The impact caused the mountain to crumble and they began freefalling to the ground! Vatu grabbed a hold of Tiras as a loud, gut-wrenching scream tore out of his mouth!
Tiras quickly tried to call on his mana, but he realized that he couldn't even do that. His body and mana were being blocked by the artifact and even though he could break its influence, he knew he wouldn't be able to gain control quickly enough to stop Vatu.
Vatu was still screaming as the excess power ravaged his body, and Tiras' brain worked at lightning speed as he tried to think of a way out of the predicament.
The rampaging mana finally reached its peak, and Vatu's body unraveled into a million pieces before a massive supernova flew across the sky.
Tiras immediately executed his only option.
…
[A Binding Contract has been discovered.]
[The conditions for activation of the Binding Contract have been accepted.]
[Rahdiya acknowledges the completion of the Binding Contract.]
[Rahdiya thanks you for your sacrifice.]