It was bright. Very. You would think that the highest level amongst the Gursers, a group of bone, death, flame, and sword-wielding menaces would live in the dark.

Wrong. The boss's great hall was well-lit. Chandeliers dotted the ceiling. Fire bowls sat at different locations. The ground was a cracked gray marble. Marble now dulled and had less of a shine.

The walls now faded and lost. Burnt so much that even vines and weeds couldn't grow.

At several points stood half-charred armors of knights. Each one a depiction of past splendor, an edict to glory once held but now lost. A painting ripped and torn lay to the side. A depiction of a body on its withered canvas but an absent face. Sliced and ripped off by a deadly and accurate slash located just at the neck of whoever was on the painting.

Pillars separated the hall into three as all halls should be. A walkway in between. The path led to a grand flight of stairs that attended up a throne mounted atop an equally faded marble dais. A throne currently occupied by the boss.

A boss that was nothing I expected.

"An elf".

Indeed. The pale almost gray skin resembled one of a dead or dying man. Hollow eyes lacking eyeballs and sunken cheeks. A silver crown with a red jewel within its center. White robes that shone like a dull star.

None of which hid the inconspicuous pointy leaf-shaped ears that were very popular.

Like my voice called to it the head which had been lowered in what I doubted was slumber rose. Its hollow eyes stared into me from across the room.

I only noticed two things then. One was the black long sword stuck halfway into a stone at the center of the room. Or was it blue? No red. Its colors seemed ever-changing. Almost like the blade itself was unsure of what suited it best.

'Sword in the stone, really. With the rainbow effect too' I appraised.

Next was the growing wisps of embers that ignited within the elf's eyes.

"You came!" he spoke. His voice was raspy, dry, like one who'd gone a long time without even a drop of the life-giving liquid.

"You finally came". he muttered. More to himself than to me.

"A thousand years of madness and finally one shows up. Ah. It seems the times are changing. Or worsening" " He rambled, a finger tapping his chin.

"Still. savior. I hope you succeed. I really hope you do". His words coincided with the tale of the Unborns yet even as he made that last statement I felt something wrong envelope the room.

The embers in his eyes were now a full-blown red flame.

Only then did I realize what his earlier look had been. Pity. The elf had pitied me. A Creator. Why?.

The answer came the next moment and I was certain I didn't even have to ask. His languid body rose from the throne weakly stepping off the dais and onto the stairs. He moved down sluggishly till he reached the sword on the stone.

The elf placed his feet on the stone and the color mirage slowed down. Each step made a color pause, each step slowing down tbe speed of the color change. As his hands grabbed the sword handle the color change halted.

The sword twisted transforming into a macabre red steel with a black handle. Its guard turned a bright blue and its pommel gold.

With ease, the sword was pulled out of the ground and placed on his right shoulder whilst he turned. The elf barely gave it any attention, focused more on getting off the stone and sauntering to me.

It's steps tired. It's gait bored. A pressure loomed over and threatened to get me to bend the knee.

Preposterous. Powerful or not. I was a Creator. The elf was not. The very thought rose a feeling of pride within me that I was certain I lacked just a few seconds ago.

With pride rising in me I felt my will push out with my divinity aiming to make my desire and intent known. It flared out in all its glory, A bright simmering haze of golden and white in front of me that clashed savagely against the red and black energy of the elf.

'Hilde will not bend the knee' my thought pushed out like fuel for my aura spiking its pressure.

Both fought, the ground strained beneath their feet and cracking as the auras pushed against both it and the walls.

This was my first aura clash and it was nothing like I had expected or even thought of. It was like an invisible mountain kept attempting to press itself on me. My aura was like an immovable wall holding its ground while slowly inching its way forward. Slight flickers of sparks barely noticeable in the shimmering air.

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The aura amplified by the Crown of the Supreme pushed more and more. The ground suffered as it was pressed down from the immense weight of two divine beings' auras.

Finally, the red and black aura dissipated and I slowly reeled my will and divinity back to me. It was almost difficult, like pulling in pasta with a rubber spoon. Aggravating.

The elf stood unmoving. Its once hollow eyes which were now filled with the fires of the unholy flame that tortured him gazed at me. It was unnerving.

"I wish you victory". His words were filled with sorrow and unhidden desire. But it didn't halt the viciousness with which it lurched forward.

I barely reacted before the sword appeared over me slicing down with a flaming streak straight at me.

Reflexes kicked in as I raised my shield arm. Knees bent and feet braced catching the blade with a screech of sparks.

Our gazes locked as I pushed his sword back. A frown on my face and a tired smile on his.

Pushing off the ground with my feet kicking off I jabbed at him with the spear and he simply leaned away. I moved back from our lock whilst watching him following my movement with fiery eyes. The elf stood watching a slight creepiness to his gaze.

I ran around him in circles while sending the Spear back to inventory and feeling the familiar grip of my chakram appearing in its place. Nothingness Saturation melded into its blade.

Even as I moved away from the line of sight the faint tingle of being watched didn't leave my bones.

The chakram clinked as it was separated and the wind whistled as both rings flew through the air in different directions. The elf's head shifted slightly making me frown at his absurd reflexes. Or was it perception?

It was obvious that the plan wouldn't work. Bane of Heroes appeared and a quiver weaved onto my back strapped to me and shielded by the Cloak of the One. An explosive arrow notched unto it and instantly I filled the strings with divinity, the bow wood with will. The very arrow itself I flooded with nihility. Drawing hard I aimed, then fired.

The elf jerked to the side whilst his sword slashed in an arc from down going up to his right. The first chakram blade whizzed past, the second struck away by the sword.

A boom sounded as he spun and clashed his sword against the arrow creating a shockwave that made him take a step back. His sword was okay. He was okay. Somehow unaffected by the nothingness.

'Not even a scratch'. Definitely, the flames doing.

I was already at his side with a blur of movement the Primordial Spear aiming for his neck. A quick side step and a twist of the head moved him out of harm's way.

The sharp movement was followed by the flash of metal which I found snipping a strand of rebellious hair that abandoned the gathering in my helmet to hang outside. The hair fell just as the blade struck off my helm amd saved my cheeks. Then it returned downwards, the pommel smacking into my collar with a numbing pain as well as sending a jolt down my right arm.

A foot followed kicking my right leg and sending me down to a knee. A whimper left my lips right as the elf's blade made another return. Raising my shield the sword flashed into a different hold and smacked it aside before returning just as ferociously fast and carving a straight line sideways through Vulkan's Prize and on my torso. The quiver strap cut, gold ichor sprayed and a scream tore out my mouth right as a Spartan kick to the chest sent my body flying back to the door.

The sound of spear and shield dropping to the floor, mixed with the rattle of wood and then marble as I hit the door and then crashed down to the floor joined the dissipating echo of my scream.

A mental curse flashed through my head as pain flooded me. The elf just like the Gursers before wasn't even strong. But comparing it to First was as insulting as comparing copper to gold.

One was just better.

First moved with a skill born of precision. The Elf? He was more than precise. He was deadly.

Engaging him was suicidal. Yet I knew that I had to fight. Especially when long-range attacks had shown a lack of damage against him. Barely able to even faze him. Knife play was beneath him. I didn't even know how to use a spear properly.

'Need that combat training'. It left one thing.

'Well. It's the best I've got'. I thought raising myself with my hands that were stained with the ichor leaking from my body. Divine purity was already working to heal the split flesh.

[Bleed effect - 3 health/sec]

I winced at the abating pain my eyes seeking the Primordial Ice Spear. With a glance at the elf who stood waiting, I raised a hand dragging the Ice Spear back to me. Simultaneously I pulled out my chakram again, separated, and threw it his way before catching my spear.

The chakrams were both evaded and then struck the wall and rebounded. Right above his head both conjoined and struck down.

The elf moved his sword ready to strike the chakram away. I moved once more ignoring my throbbing upper body and appearing before him in a flash as I sent my will grasping and pulling the chakram apart with a clink. The sword passed between the divided ring of blades.

'Caught you' My right hand flashed out my spear digging through flesh between his neck and shoulder. The cracking of ice as it crept up his shoulder was ignored as I spun letting go of the spear and with my palm open smacked the elf's jaw from under. My left hand followed already, fisted up, and smashed into his side just below his ribs.

The elf doubled over to the side still feeling the first strike. Unbothered, I grabbed my spear and pulled it while kicking his chest. Spear free, I turned quickly letting the long ice weapon cut through the air and back. It almost smacked his head but the Elf got down fast.

I let go of the spear just as he rose and grabbing his right arm I used the over 200 points of my strength to flip him over my shoulders and smash him into the ground. Once, twice, left, right. I raised and flung him to the center of the room. All of this within less than 5 seconds.

'Earth!' Akasha shouted in my head showing me an idea.

The chakrams entered my grasp just as my eyes flared bright green. The floor of the great hall shook. The ground rumbled and the stones dislodged rolling up to me as I urged. Each broke into smaller pieces and segments that compressed till they were flat and then slapped onto my body. Clicking and joining up as they covered inch by inch until the earth reached my head.

It slowly formed itself around my head as I guided the still-arriving earth pieces to join the rest careful to not hit myself hard or blind my eyes.

The last piece clicked itself in place and a green thrum spread through my exoskeleton as it lit up, the same green light as my eyes running through the visible joining and segments that held the entire thing together.

This time though I ignored the words of the system that tried to make themselves known to me. I only had one thought in mind.

'Akasha!. Help me kill this guy'.