An age of ancients, where mana ran wild. Millions of different paths, all converged onto one.
Two opposites, stood side by side against a powerful foe.
Aeveros, a well-kept man, with glittering purple hair. His eyes reflected light, the same way the skies above us did—yet he was no man. He was a demi-god, risen above the shackles of mortality. His figure changed, his hair glinting, turning a different color, and a different element surrounding him.
Well, mortality had left him long ago. And his eyes didn't reflect space… They reflected the void.
Around him, swirled enigmatic magic circles, and with each ebb of mana, released another spell to swirl around him.
When one became a mage, they would try and understand a single path for their mana to take, as it was generally assumed that working on your strengths was better than being an all-rounder… Yet he had understood everything about his mana. To the point he had started working on other types that he didn't even use, just to fuel his thirst for knowledge.
His presence seemed to break down the world itself—albeit not in a physical manner. It was mentally being turned simple, so nothing could be hidden before him.
And the woman by his side was no less strong.
Valeria, a woman with a captivating figure, stood with swords in both her hands and a storm of them floating behind her. Her chromatic hair seemed to change colors based on the direction you looked at her from, yet her sharp jawline and keen gaze cut into any observer. Her eye—the only soft part about her—scoured the land for any sight of their enemy.
And everywhere she looked, small cuts would appear, as her aura seemed to slash, and stab at the world around it—vicious, it wanted death.
When one made a sword art, they would have a single word at the base—essentially the heart of their sword art. And Valeria chose… Sword. How arrogant was it, to say your way of the sword, was the defining factor for the entire weapon? Yet no one could argue, her way truly was… flawless.
Both were behemoths, standing at a towering height, nearly a kilometer tall.
Yet despite their strength, how could their opponents be standing, if weren't equally as strong? And they were. Perhaps even stronger than the two of them, albeit in numbers greater.
And when Valeria spotted them, they knew. That this would be a fight, that would make, or break history.
Valeria crouched down, yet it wasn't to stay hidden—it was the opposite.
Aeveros quickly cast an earth spell, and for good reason. As Valeria launched forwards, she bulleted forwards fast enough to start burning up which would be a problem if she wasn't strong enough to resist. Yet every force has an opposite and equal reaction.
The ground cracked for miles around her starting point, as a shockwave strong enough to cover the world rang out.
Aeveros had already floated above this point, though it was certainly a sight to behold.
Yet their enemies weren't sitting on their hands in this short moment.
A man whose features looked as if he was multiple different people mashed together—like a Frankenstein with no stitch lines. His abhorrent figure weaved together a portal amid the chaotic mana, a feat nigh-impossible.
His eyes looked as though he was in constant pain… yet they held a conviction as if he didn't care for his monstrous appearance, for it was a sacrifice he made.
His… faces twisted together in a mold of focus, laboriously struggling to keep the portal together, as he stepped through.
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And he had a few companions. They each stood at nearly 500 meters tall, giants in their own right, though they were small compared to the two they were facing.
A man, with pitch-black skin. His slitted, white eyes bore a stark contrast to the rest of his figure. His hair looked like black flames, as crackles sounded around him—no, cracks. The space itself seemed to rip apart at his presence, rejecting him. Yet he stood, defiant to this world, which had thrown him away.
In contrast, a red man stood, his very being seemingly personifying… Rage. His breaths were labored, as if he was holding back from attacking his own companions, as his knuckles whitened from gripping his sword. His eyes were bloodshot, and the rest of his face was flexed in a display of anger. The world—like his companion—ripped apart near him… yet it wasn't the world rejecting him, it was him rejecting the world.
And finally… A blank slate. A stark white figure, vaguely in the shape of a man, who seemed to be one with the world, unlike the others.
And they attacked.
The void "being" of a man sent corrupting slashes their way, their jet-black color and crackling space around them making them quite menacing.
Yet Valeria retaliated, with something much stronger.
Her sword moved elegantly, yet with the most optimal route, and zero wasted movements. Her sword punctured the flares of abyssal mana, striking at their weak points, causing them to pop, and dissipate.
"Self-absorbed council," Valeria spat out the last part as if just saying their name left a bad taste in her mouth. "This ceaseless struggle will end. You won't win. If I have to bring the heavens down to kill you all… I will."
Aeveros didn't quite like quips in the middle of battle, but it was a deep habit of Valeria, and it didn't seem to hurt her. Though this was at the back of his mind—he was focused on the spell he was casting.
Due to his proficiency, Aeveros was able to cast every spell he knew with a silent cast, though if he made one on the spot, he couldn't. Or, if the spell was an incredibly strong one. And it happened to be the latter.
The star path of the space affinity, alongside gravity mana, produced an insatiable, ravenous object—a black hole. These forces of nature would consume all in their path, only feeling more hunger as they went.
And this bundle of destruction flew toward the four enemies.
Yet, the pure white person looked in the direction of the stark black, reaching out a hand. A voice came out, pure, and calm, despite his lack of a mouth.
The mana in the vicinity of the black hole scrambled itself, turning into various forms, and even putting the magic behind the spell in disarray, causing the black to to fizzle out, a weak end for such a strong thing.
And he decided going on the defense wasn't enough, he would send an attack back their way.
The mana above him turned into a rainbow mess of every mana conceivable, spinning… spinning until it reached a critical speed.
It rocketed out in all directions, assaulting the nearby landscape for dozens of miles, not just destroying it, but turning it into more chaotic mana.
As for Aeveros and Valeria, they had quite the trouble trying to fight against it. Since the mana was so difficult to work with, it was easiest to go down to their original form for as long as the wave lasted—a moment of weakness wasn't as bad as getting turned into mana soup.
Despite this, chunks of this chaotic mana lashed at Valeria's body, as she wasn't as versed as Aeveros at manipulating mana, causing hemispheres of flesh to be ripped off her, bleeding profusely for only a moment, before healing shut.
After the attack, Valeria went back to her original form, causing the world to warp around her, as she seemed to be teleported into existence.
Aeveros conjured a barrier around her, and a spatial coating on her sword to make them sharper.
Jumping up, she used her myriad of swords to unleash a hellish—or heavenly attack.
The swords behind her assembled into hundreds of pairs of wings, gaining a golden aura, before launching at their opponents.
The Frankenstein man attempted to teleport the swords away, yet due to their volume, he had trouble teleporting enough of them. Yet it eased the pressure. All the swords teleported behind Valeria, causing the barrage to slow down, and giving the enemy a bit of leeway.
And with that leeway…
The blank-white man shot a bullet, piercing through Valeria's chest, and the chaotic mana stopped it from healing. Her blood spilled out, bubbling, trying to reform into the flesh that was once there… though it was futile.
Aeveros teleported to her side, with an expression of pure anguish. His tears fueled the barrier to protect her, and the ugly squeezing of his face made him look pitiful, despite his strength.
Valeria's expression was somber, a happy smile contrasting with her sad eyes.
"We cannot lose now, my love." Aeveros spoke with a loving tone, knowing what had to be done.
"Will we ascend? I guess now is the time." She pulled herself up, kissing Aeveros.
Their bodies healed, growing wings, as lines sprouted from the heavens, pulling them up—For they had ascended, to godhood.
Yet their battle wasn't over.