Before Leo could even take a few seconds to process what the Old One had said, his sister rushed forward.

"Screw you!" Lily shouted as she stopped at the edge of the crater. "Take that offer of yours and shove it deep into your arse, you bastard. Leo isn't going anywhere with you!"

Maybe if the situation wasn't so dire, he would have chuckled at the fact that his sister just told an ancient god to shove it. However, laughter was the last thing on his mind now, though his mouth definitely lifted a bit into a tiny smile.

"Well, well, well. And who do we have here?" Geron said, clearly unbothered by what he had just heard. "Yet another result of Nikra's machinations... And I had so many great plans for you, Lily Hale."

"Nikra?" Leo muttered before he could stop himself. Was she the one to interfere in Lily's evolution? How?

"Oh, you didn't know? Now that's interesting." The Old One chuckled. "My sister really is unpredictable... Not that it matters now, of course. Only your choice does, Leonardo. So what will it be?"

Lily spun around at those words and gripped Leo's hand. "Don't you even dare to think about it," she hissed. "We're not losing you just because of some half-assed offer. He is probably lying anyway. Do you really believe he will let Nyx and me leave? I'm his failed experiment, and Nyx is a part of you. What about Adam? If you go, he dies too."

Leo closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. "I know... I'm not dumb enough to trust the words of a professional manipulator. I just have no idea what to do. We can't run—"

"Then we fight," Lily cut in, gripping his hand even tighter. "This is just an Avatar, a manifestation of some kind. We can win, the three of us together."

"He is still a god," he stated, feeling like he had to point out the obvious before they made what could be the final decision in their lives. "Not all of us might make it out alive."

"So be it," Nyx said, also coming closer. "Hunter died protecting you from Nikra. If it's my fate to fall here so that you can live, then I will accept it with a smile on my face. Let's finish it, once and for all."

Could they really do this? Defeat a being that once ruled over a part of this Multiverse?

Leo didn't have an answer to that, but what other choice did they have? Not for a single moment did he believe that Geron would leave the duo by his side alone once the Old One got the shard. Yet, the thought of giving in and taking this gamble lingered in his mind.

No. He shook his head. I haven't come this far to give up now. I promised I wouldn't do that again... Forgive me, father, Nick, Ava. We might join you soon.

Leo turned his gaze toward Geron, his eyes narrowing. "Lily, you're our air support. Hit him with everything you can the moment you see an opening. Also, shout if you notice something we don't... Nyx, your job is to distract him when he and I clash. We can't give him even a second to breathe."

They both nodded. "What if it becomes a battle of affinities?" his sister asked.

He smiled wryly. "Then we pray to all the gods we know and do whatever we can to survive."

Lily snorted. "So, pretty much what I thought. Got ya."

"I see you have come to a decision," Geron's voice once more filled the area. "Even though I predicted this, I'm still disappointed... What a shame. You all could have been great if not for those unfortunate circumstances." He sighed. "Well... you won't be the first talents snuffed out before you could bloom... Now come! Face me!"

The moment the Old One said those words, an invisible force exploded behind Leo and the duo beside him. It knocked them into the crater, sending them tumbling down along its wall. A second later, the earth shook again as light burst out of the crater's edges. It climbed higher and higher until a golden half-dome formed, trapping everything within it.

"Not the best of my creations, but it should do for worms like you." Geron chuckled. "There will be no running. This is your graveyard."

"In your dreams," Leo growled as he stood up. Nyx joined his side while Lily spread her wings, claiming the limited air space for herself.

"Oh?" The Old one raised an eyebrow as swords of pure light formed in all of his four arms. "Come then. Show me the power Nikra gave you."

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This time, Leo held nothing back. Reinforcement, Limit Break, and Relentless Hunger activated within a blink—all pushed to their limit from the beginning. At the same time, he reached deep into himself and pulled on a tiny bit of his soul shrouded in shadows. It resisted for a moment, but with another tug, it surged out, melding with his body.

Instantly, shadows exploded all around the crater, rushing towards him as he ran at Geron. They slithered along his body, covering him in a layer of armor that grew thicker with every millisecond. His extended blades also grew longer and sharper.

"Hmmm, an elemental manifestation," Geron muttered as he blocked Leo's first slash and then another and another. The golden being didn't even flinch and simply raised his swords as if to swat away a fly. "Intriguing. Most have to work for a long time to obtain this form. You have done well, but this isn't going to save you. It's my turn."

And just like that, their roles had swapped. The Old One struck like an enraged tiger, only much faster and with more precision than an animal could ever achieve. Then there was the fact that the golden man hit as hard as a truck with a jet engine strapped to its back.

Each block or even deflected strike forced Leo to take a step back as his arms trembled from the strain. If not for his Manifestation reinforcing his limbs, he would have fallen after the first few seconds of their exchange.

Thankfully, before his arms could go numb, a rain of golden arrows descended on Geron. At the same time, the ground underneath him erupted, forcing him to jump away to avoid getting skewered by shadow spikes.

"Of course..." The Old One sighed. "You can't even let me enjoy my first martial fight in eons. I shall get rid of the ants first, then. Try to survive this, Leonardo. Or don't. Either is fine for me."

While three of his arms continued to defend from the incoming attacks, Geron plunged a single sword into the ground.

At once, the entire crater's surface lit up with a golden glow. Leo quickly stopped his assault and jumped away as the earth beneath him erupted, releasing a thick pillar of light that reached the dome above.

It didn't stop there, and the eruptions continued happening everywhere. They had no pattern, and only speed and good reaction time could beat them.

'Leo, we got to stop this!' Nyx shouted over the link. 'I'm relatively safe thanks to my smoke form, but you and Lily can't do this forever. She already has a hole in one of her wings.'

I know! Leo gritted his teeth as yet another beam grazed a few of his scales, melting their outer part with a single touch. Without his Manifestation armor, it probably would have been much worse. I have to get close to him, but it's pretty much impossible now.

'Figure out something! Fast! He isn't bothered by the things I throw at him, but he also seems much slower. Most of his focus is probably on the technique. This is our chance.'

I will be there soon. Leo vowed and forced more Essence into Reinforcement, pushing the skill way past its limit. Next, he called on his second affinity and continuously fed it into his shadow armor. They didn't mesh well, but he didn't care about that.

Let's go.

Instead of dancing between the eruptions around him, he turned and ran straight at Geron. He avoided most of the pillars, but some still managed to strike him before he could pull out of the way. Thankfully, just like he had hoped, the Ruination flowing within the armor absorbed most of the light's power. More of his scales still suffered, but at least it wasn't as bad as before.

Got to work on this if I survive today. He noted as his gaze zeroed on Geron not that far away. But now... Blink!

With a surge of Essence, he appeared behind the Old One, his blade going for the being's neck.

As expected, Geron still managed to turn despite having one of his swords buried in the ground. His other blades rushed to defend, but they weren't ready for what Leo planned next.

A second, maybe less, before they clashed, he pulled on the sea of Ruination Essence within his armor and directed it into his blade. A massive arc of red and black crashed against the golden swords, cutting through them only after a bit of struggle.

Geron's eyes widened as the wave hit him head-on. It flung him to the opposite side of the crater, canceling the battlefield-wide technique.

Leo instantly followed with multiple Blinks, this time trusting his shadows as dozens of Eruptions raced toward the Old One. However, a discharge of light exploded out of Geron when he crashed into the ground, stopping the assault before it could even begin.

Leo paused, Nyx reforming beside him as they waited for the dust to settle—or at least that was the plan.

Multiple streaks of light dived out of the cloud. Leo moved on autopilot, raising his blades just in time to deflect three glowing swords that flew at him. Meanwhile, Nyx's tail lashed out, knocking two more projectiles like this out of the way.

"I will say, I underestimated you, child," Geron's voice boomed around them, returning their attention to the settling dust. "I saw what your power did to my host, but it never crossed my mind that this affinity of yours could even touch me." He chuckled. "A mere mortal with such strength... It's unimaginable."

Finally, the Old One stepped out, and Leo's eyes opened wide at what they saw. He knew he packed a lot of Ruination Essence into that last attack, but he didn't expect this...

For one, Geron's upper left arm was gone, leaving behind a rotted stump that refused to accept the Old One's light. Yet, that was nothing in the face of what happened to the being's head.

About a third, maybe more, was gone, obliterated by Ruination. Leo's technique cut on a slant, leaving behind only a single eye, a bit of the nose, and most of the mouth. Just like the cut-off arm, the skull's insides also remained exposed, already partially corrupted by the Void's power.

Bloody hell... Leo gulped. So Payne's body was always beneath this energy shroud. A host indeed...