Kronos blinked against the harsh light that pierced through the darkness of unconsciousness. His head throbbed while he tried to gather his bearings, a familiar voice echoing in his mind as he did.

Get up, Kronos. If you won’t fight, I will.

There it was. The voice that promised strength but also chaos. He could feel its impatience, ready to break out if he remained still.

"No," he murmured to himself, shaking his head as if to dispel the voice. "Go away.."

Oh, but you have no choice. You’re pathetic. Get up, or I’ll seize the moment for myself.

"Fine."

Kronos couldn't help but just want to go back to being knocked the hell out. He looked back up at the cloaked opponent he'd now be forced to face, cursing this damn journey as he brings out his comically large aura knife from his back. A pang of white appearing across the front of his bangs like a viral infection spreading through a host's body, and the glowing between his pale eyes slowly flickering to red.

Taking one last sigh knowing he was going to hate what was about to happen, taking out a deep glare at his one new opponent. Fuck, he was so tired.

"..To hell with this..."

He waited for Lyra to try anything but came to a realization that she was awaiting his own input. He raised a hand and created a rainstorm of jagged and pointed bones right on the ceiling pointing downward, letting them fall in an absolute bullet hell. As the projectiles fell into the concrete below he followed after, jumping on the bones that had piereced the floor and stuck inside like thumb tacks.

Jumping off one finally to raise himself up in a dive attack aimed at Lyra, falling down with a slice that cut across Lyra's chest.

But before he could savor his moment, she immediately threw punch that landed with bone-crushing force. The strengthened blow seemed to target his very heart, unable to miss as it sent Kronos backwards.

Kronos recognized the technique all too well. The annoying power Cameron had stolen through conversion technology: an ability that tracked its target

"I will shoot myself," Kronos vowed to himself. He now had the disadvantage.

Zero darted forward as his flames began spiraling around him, and with a flick of his wrist, he released a stream of searing flame toward Andromeda. It rushed at her with the force of a tidal wave, completely intent on consuming her in one go.

Andromeda remained calm. She raised her hand, and in an instant, her mana flared to life. A slash formed in the air, and she swung her arm forward. The mana slash tore through the air, becoming a larger, crescent-shaped slice that grew the more it traveled, barreling toward Zero. The attack cleaved through his flames effortlessly, forcing him to leap back. His feet skidded across the ground as he dodged, barely avoiding the slash's deadly edge.

Zero was quick to send another burst of flames in her direction, but Andromeda sent a chain of more slashes in response. One after another, they flew at Zero, cutting off his chances at advancing.

Andromeda's final slash came with a sharp, echoing whirl. It was larger than the others, almost twice the size, and it traveled through the air with horrifying speed. Zero barely had time to react, feeling his chest tear open as his body felt like it was thrown onto the floor. He felt the warmth trickling down his chest, and realized the rest of his crew were being toyed with.

Shadow evades each Savage dawn falling from the sky as he glances at Helios, the same guy he was beating with ease is somehow getting stronger the longer the fight goes on.

Is that his Daystar blood or is that his never give up attitude? Regardless, he continues to surprise me.

Shadow finally reveals another ability in his set as he lifts his hands in the air charging a full blast before tossing it in the center of a Savage Dawn causing an implosion as the pair get launched back.

"Sol, your father was wrong about you."

Helios clenches his jaw when he hears Shadow mention his father. The pair never had a good relationship, he was always so busy in his work that he never really was there for the family. It's one of the many reasons why Helios dislikes him and disrespects him any chance he gets, the only reason why he still listens to his command is because of Arya, his mother.

"...Whatever the old man said, I don't care."

"Oh, but you do. You wouldn't be getting mad if you didn't."

Their fight had been evenly balanced, but in a heartbeat, the tides turned. To Helios' surprise, Shadow began to wield Helios' very own ability.

Anything Helios did, Shadow mirrored stronger. It was a mirror match and the only other Light Manipulation user Helios ever faced was his mother & Eris, you'd think he'd be used to someone using his ability…but Shadow was on an entirely different level.

The battle got to the point that Helios started sweating bullets.

Helios pants as he creates space once more between him & Shadow, a sweat forms on his forehead as he wipes it off glaring at his opposition. There's literally no way he can win. Shadow has a similar ability to Eris, where it has something to do with copying an ability. But Shadow somehow adapted at each & every single one, and is even using Shadow & Light Manipulation amongst the Grenade ability, even though Victor has been dead for a long time.

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Helios backflips away from Shadow who's following close.

A smug grin appears on his face as Shadow continues his hunt before Helios pierces him with a beam of light, staining his coat with the color of his blood.

"There's no more space for you to run"

As Helios says this, he shoots beams from his fingers covering the entire area in light. Shadow seems unimpressed by the technique as he looks around seeing himself being trapped in a cage of light that'd burn upon contact, only for him to end up shaking his head instead.

"...You think this is enough to stop me, Sol?"

Helios eyes widen as Shadow disappears from sight once more before he senses a speeding light charging at him from above, avoiding the beams of light skillfully like an acrobat before appearing once more in front of Helios as he slashes at him. His attack fades away as he drops to the ground, blood dripping from his shoulder while he drops to his knees as Shadow hovers over him. He was outclassed and Shafow hasn't even shown his true power…but this is what he wanted him to as he looks up noticing a Savage Dawn falling from the sky.

"So you let yourself get hit, huh? I didn't expect that from you, Sol."

Helios smirks as he watches a distracted Shadow contemplate on what to do, jumping back towards the others as he hovers his free hand over his shoulder as his wound begins to knit shut while Helios is still on his knees.

"Sorry man, you should’ve known to expect the unexpected."

As Savage Dawn plummeted toward him, Shadow raised his hand, as if preparing to catch the sun itself.

"You think your light will burn me?" Shadow said softly, his voice cold, taunting. "Then let me show you what real darkness looks like."

Shadow's hand clenched into a fist, and the shadows around him exploded outward. The darkness knits itself around his arm, swirling violently before compressing into a sphere that mirrored Helios' sun. But instead of burning with light, Shadow's orb devoured it. A sun of darkness, formed from unifying the two abilities of Light & Shadow Manipulation. Selene and Helios had once combined their abilities in a single attack to win their battles, but Shadow did it single-handedly.

And like tossing a toy, he threw his technique toward Savage Dawn.

"Dark Sun."

The two forces collided mid-air with a deafening boom. For a moment, it seemed as though Helios' Savage Dawn would hold, the radiant light pushing against Shadow's Sun. But slowly, inevitably, Shadow's power began to overtake it.

The darkness spread, creeping over the brilliant light, consuming it piece by piece. Shadow's Dark Sun swallowed the light whole, suffocating the last flicker of its dying embers.

Helios staggered back, his eyes wide in disbelief as his own creation was devoured just like Cerberus did a mere week ago. This was the second time that his unsurmountable attack was defeated. Shadow turns to Helios after surpassing his signature attack with ease.

"Get stronger, you're going to need it."

And then the Dark Sun prepared to detonate.

Orion stares at Midir, remembering he's one of the few people they have zero intel on. She glances as Cassiopeia attacks Zero, Shadow on Helios, and Lyra on Kronos. With them all having an equal opponent, it left herself with Midir.

Orion jumps high in the air almost floating, swinging down a blade at Midir cutting his face a bit as he avoids near death.

Midir, his grip reversed on his weapon, turns instantly as she lands and drives his blade toward Orion's nape. A drizzle of sparks fly as she blocks the blow, but the sheer force sends her unexpectedly skidding back a few meters.

Curses. I tried to end it right there.

"Guess your imitation of Fortuna's flow isn't so bad experiencing it first-hand."

Orion remains emotionless as Midir mentions Fortuna. Shadow mentioned that group to her and the others before but he never explained why he knew about them, just said it was one of the many loose ends his father had.

"For someone without an ability, you move quickly. You knew mine was one that could enhance and dampen mana circuits nearby, but not my own. That's why you chose me."

Midir immediately lowered his stance and darted forward, his blade piercing through the air as the thrust stabbed through Orion's stomach. Blood pours out of her mouth before grinning, she grabs ahold of his blade, head butting him to stun him momentarily and then kicking him in the gut.

"Your team's dwindling, Midir. Helios is barely holding on, and the others? They're falling, one by one. The artifact will be ours."

She sneaks a glance at Shadow who has Helios on his knees, Kronos & Lyra, and then Zero against Andromeda. Orion smirks to herself before she raises her hand out to impale him in the spine.

Midir suddenly parries her strike effortlessly, his serious demeanor unshaken. "Helios isn't the one that everyone is counting on."

Just what's up with that face? He's not intimidated nor worried in the slightest.

"If not him, then who? You? I'd be disappointed if that's your play. We've already taken out most of your team. You're running out of time, Midir."

"Time's exactly what we have, Orion. You're too focused on the present fight, on what you think is the obvious path to victory. But you've missed something vital." He parried another strike towards his arms, the clash of their weapons shaking the air as their two blades attempt to overpower eachother in a lock.

"You're too arrogant to realize that the real game is already in motion. You've been fighting in the wrong place, against the wrong person. Your real challenge is about to begin, and it’s not me--or Helios. Your eyes should've been on him more than anyone else."

Orion paused for just a second, her blade stilling as realization began to dawn. She glanced past Midir for a heartbeat, then back to him, confusion crossing her face. Midir tilted his head slightly, stepping back to give her space, his sword still at the ready. "You're about to find out."

Helios crashed against the floor after the Dark Sun's detonation, his body now limp and heavy from the exhaustion burdening his weight. There wasn't much more pain he could endure after being struck by showers of powerful blows repeatedly. Droplets of sweat continued to hit the floor, mingling with the small puddle of blood beneath him, all while heavily panting which anyone near could hear. Shadow approached Helios, his blade ready to end the struggle of life. However, Shadow was suddenly interrupted as his senses finally picked up something.

Everyone in the vicinity of the warehouse could smell it.

The foul, heavy stench of iron.

An even more disturbing silence deafening all, as those who had met a blade recognized the smell from a mile away. It wasn't just the smell of blood; it was the stench of bodies.

"Yo."

Among the Nebula members, each of them were about as strong as each fighter from the main crew. And yet, three were assigned to face off against Akihiro. That same three, Aquila, Cassiopeia, and Draco, were all now piled on his shoulders as he entered. Like a brutal skewer, the blade pierced through all of the three bodies, each impaled like pieces of meat on a barbecue stick. He swung his katana downward, throwing the limp mounds of flesh to sprawl across the floor, the nauseating, metallic scent of metal growing only heavier as blood continued to spill from their wounds.

"Thank goodness, there's still more for me! The ones I fought felt like puppets."

Akihiro's childish smile unsettlingly vanished immediately after, his silver-colored eyes now sharply gazing to Shadow through the rippling waves of blood from his fallen servants.

"So you're the one in charge of this fare."