Fa Jin stands across from the young girl, surrounded by the endless seas of flowers giving of a pleasant, although synthetic, aroma of carried by a gentle breeze and a scorching sun above reminiscent of a summer's day. The aura of the realm seeming slightly different than in his fight with Ezra.

The petite lady stands in awe at the flowers, her gaze blank as she stares off into the empty space but a strong kick to her side knocks her out of her trance. She stands up a second after and runs off across the flower fields, following the flow of a river flowing throughout endlessly. Fa Jin calmly walks towards the flowing stream and touches the water.

"Magnetise." He commands and a type of electricity runs through the river. Fa Jin moves his hand and the water moves around the girl and restrains her, holding her in the air.

He slowly strolls over to her, his eyes still glow blue with Manna and a slight smirk rests on his face, he grows closer and closer, reaching out with his large curved sword and pressing it on her neck, "now talk." He commands sternly.

The girl squirms and moves around, unable to break free from the water that binds her in the air, not even answering his question as she grunts and groan, using her full power to splatter the water away, however, the water barely even ripples. Fa Jin stares at her with narrowed eyes and sighs, "speak, i will not ask again." He commands once again, now in a louder tone. The girl stops moving, a crimson aura surrounding her small frame while her Vanguard glows red along with her eyes. She suddenly looks down at him, her sclera dark as night while she clenches her fists and grits her teeth.

"Who are you to command me?" She breaks away from the water, scattering the droplets everywhere, making it rain for a moment before lunging forward and slashing with her sword. After getting dodged, she repeats but Fa Jin continues to effortlessly block and evade her attacks and they exchange blows, during their altercation, Fa Jin manifests blue markings on his eyelids and and the sides of his face in tandem with his glowing blue eyes.

"Her raw power is extraordinary, but she is simply striking so barbarically, no rhyme or reason to her strikes, just full power attacks without any defense, does she wish to die?" He thinks to himself as he blocks her attacks, using Soul Vision, a spell which allows him to see Manna itself directly, he gazes towards the girl seeing giant waves of Manna rupture around her like an crimson aura that tears through the air like thunder. He shudders at the power the small girl is able to unleash and the readies his blade.

Meanwhile in the courtyard of Astaroth's palace, Ezra stands across from another middle aged man. Both their weapons in their hands, the man wielding two bright blue scythes while Ezra is panting, trying to catch his breath. He looks around, looking at the man and then at his feet, on the grounds of the courtyard lay dozens of men, all lifeless.

"What is it, kid? Tired already?" The man looks at Ezra with a smug smile etched on his face, he points one of his scythes at his face. Ezra stands up straight and stretches, swinging the whip at the man who effortlessly dodges the chain.

"What... What is your name... Old man?" Ezra says, circling him like a predator watching his prey. He swings multiple times with the whip but is dodged just as easily.

"You can't hit me with those sloppy strikes." The man chuckles, his voice slightly deep and raspy, still standing in one place with a smug look, "oh, child, names aren't something that one gives out so easily." Ezra still persists, insisting the man give his name while continuing to strike with the chain-whip and the as the man dodges he refuses to give out his name, eventually, the man grows annoyed and blocks one of Ezra's strikes.

"Why is it that you wish to know my name?!" He yells slightly in annoyance.

"Is it not common courtesy to know the name of your opponent?"

"Opponent? This fight is far more one-sided than you make it out to be, child!"

The sound of yelling catches their attention, coming from the palace, although they ignore it and focus on their own fight. In the palace, however, Yue is still pointing the bow towards Astaroth and Azazel who stands unfazed.

"Come, Principle of Justice, let us settle this!" Qiang yells out again, Astaroth takes a mere step forward before being kicked out of the basement of the palace, a kick powerful enough to send him flying through the walls of the palace into the backyard. Qiang follows suit and jumps out, landing next to him.

"Your power is extraordinary... You must have a great sense of Manna to be able to enhance your body is such a fashion. Fine, then! I shall fell you, here and now!" He summons the sword of justice with the chant.

"Let us take this outside, woman." Azazel unsheathes his sword picking Yue up by the collar of her white robe and bringing her onto the roof of the palace.

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Helena stays in the basement in a fetal position, hugging her knees in shock at the events unfolding before her, while Ezra is still tirelessly fighting the old man in the courtyard. By now, the large, grand gate is in ruins along with most of the decorative objects in the courtyard. Both the old man and he are panting, trying to catch their breath, their weapons fading slightly due to a lack of Manna.

"Old man... Ready for the final blow...?" Ezra says, lifting the handle of his whip, standing up straight and trying to mask his exhaustion.

"Of course... I gotta say, it was fun fighting you, however annoying that is for me to say..." He chuckles and raises his dual scythes. They both rush at each other, the old man swings a scythe that passes right through Ezra due to a spell. Once he realises what happened, he turns and prepares a "flatus" but Ezra whip ends up searing him, branding the mark of chains along his left shoulder and back.

The man then swings with his other scythe to break Ezra's whip, Ezra steps back and sigh, his eyes glow and his hair flares up, he swirls around with the remaining chain and chants: "Manna output, one hundred percent!" He extends the whip with Manna mid-swirl, creating a maelstrom of golden light that reduces the old man into red mist, creating a crater following the attack's pattern.

The chain whip dissappears and Ezra sighs, falling to his knees with a weary expression. He looks forward at the palace and tries to walk forward but his legs give out completely. With a grunt of pain due to injuries, he crawls towards the palace, slowly moving on the ground, hearing the sounds of battle in the palace's direction.

In the palace backyard, Qiang readies his dagger and Astaroth his sword; and they both clash their blades, water surging around the both of them as they swing in unison. Helena sits couped up under a table with a fearful, traumatized expression on her face. On the roof of the palace, however, stand Yue and Azazel across from each other. Yue releases her bow string, sending an arrow flying towards Azazel who stands unfazed looking at her with an indifferent expression as the arrow melts down onto the ground and the air heats up around him and then burst aflame.

He swings with his katana, sending a slash of fire towards Yue who easily dodges. Astaroth down on the ground is continuing to battle with Qiang, but even with the sword of justice, the battle goes nowhere.

Astaroth huffs and jumps back, coating himself into a cocoon of water, Qiang stands confused, unable to see any Manna resonating from Astaroth anymote.

"Huh... What is this now?" He laughs, "i suppose you would have more tricks up your sleeve, Principle of Justice..."

The cocoom bursts open, revealing a slightly taller being, wings made of pearly white feathers on his back, clothes resembling armor with shoulder pads and a leather chestplate, his thighs having metal plates as well while on his head is a broken crown, on half missing and the other heavily damaged and on his wrist are golden scales, hanging from his wrist by rope. His face looks non-existant, instead, there sits a mask with no holes for eyes, nose or mouth. On the sides of his head, however, are two faces, on one side is a face representing sadness and on the other is a face representing happiness.

The happy face speaks, it constantly sounds as if it will burst into laughter any second, and although its mouth opens as it speaks, its eyes remain closed.

"How beautiful, a warrior like you is rarely seen, now i shall show you the true power of Justice!" the face laughs and the sword of justice is lifted high in the air and with a swing, water slashes towards Qiang who is ready to block the attack, Helena rushes in and blocks the strike with her wing, already in her true form.

The eyes of the two faces snap open as they catch sight of Helena, their mouths opening with a shocked expression and their eye sockets empty, only void behind them. They shout in a screeching voice "Sinner!". As that happens, Astaroth finds himself in a pitch-black place, a void that surrounds everything, and a loud, echoing voice is heard, a scratchy but dignified sounding male voice that seems to be telling him to let go, to relish control, a voice deep in his subconscious.

Helena and Qiang stare at Astaroth, seeing his faceless mask start to crack and shatter, revealing a face of a man i his twenties, a face with no imperfections, as if the most perfect being to ever live and the long hair that spread down to Astaroth's knees, which was pitch-black, becomes as pale as moonlight. Helena stands up straight and asks him who he is to which he responds "I am Astaroth." with that same dignified and scratchy voice as before, only now, as if three people are speaking at once.

The sound of the voice makes Azazel turn his head towards him, looking at him with wide eyes, "Ajax, you fool!" He yells and Helena looks shocked as well for a moment as she realises what has happened but her shock is quickly replaced by anger and resentment. She summons a blast of water from her palm that is deflected away with a single wave of Astaroth's palm, making it splatter across the ground and eat away at the grass and dirt like acid.

She makes her water form a shape of a giant sword that she casts down towards The Principle of Justice who dodges the attack with a side step. Once his feet make contact with the ground again he feels wetness surround his whole body, Helena had covered the ground in water and brought it upwards to eradicate him with a single attack. As the water covers his body and begins to melt and burn his skin, he doesn't let out even a whimper of pain and upon the water's dissappearance he heals all his injuries as if they didn't even happen.

Helena steps back in shock, "No Principle can regenerate from my water..." She says quietly, almost whispering which makes Astaroth laugh.

"Principle? What is that? Is that what that runt, Lucifer, calls you these days?" He steps closer to her, "and what was that about 'your power'? Don't provoke me, pretender!" He grabs her by her face and slams her into the ground, shattering one of her wings while she blast his chest with water, sending him back, forcing him to heal once again.

"I may not be at my full strength but this girl is an easy target still... But she is using my power from a thousand years ago... It's tricky to overcome..." He think to himself before the scales tied to his wrist tip to the right and he lifts his arm in the air, drops of blood falling onto the ground below as the chains of on his wrist tighten until blood bursts outwards.

"Authority of Genesis, Absolute Justice!"

TO BE CONTINUED...