Erenyx was on her knees as she watched Inferno Storm melt her fortress into a puddle of red-hot metal, and Meera couldn't be happier. Heaven's Wrath had been pumped with so much Mana that Meera didn't even need to control it. The bolts did their work beautifully, pockmarking the once dreadful fortress and paving the way for Inferno Storm to finish the job.

It was splendid.

Erenyx shrieked when Inferno Storm moved through the portion that held the Shadowsteel Warlord's throne room. That must've been the heart of her power because it looked like it actually pained her.

She turned her bloodthirsty golden eyes towards Meera. She breathed heavily as she stood. The shadows on her armor were going wild as if they wanted to escape the fury of the Cosmarian.

Erenyx tightened her grip on her swords and lunged, not for Meera but for the Blazers. They were winded and as out of Mana as Meera after that insane attack.

Her astonishing speed took the first two by surprise. It was something indeed. The next three tried to put up a good offense, but they met an equally gruesome fate. Meera could only watch as the Blazers were cut down one after the other.

Meera's eyes turned towards Lexa, who was no doubt Erenyx's next target.

"Lexa, get out of here!" She shouted.

"You sure?" Lexa asked.

"I'll be fine. Just go and check on Melas and Dirik. I fear the worse might have happened if she is here."

"O-Okay." Lexa nodded uncertainly, stood on shaky legs, and ran off into the woods. She pulled out a Mana potion and drank it while she ran.

Erenyx was just done cutting through the Blazers. The only Blazer who gave Erenyx some trouble was the last one, but after a slight exchange, he went down, too. Meera noticed the shadows on Erenys's armor burn away as the Blazer managed to land a few hits.

Meera quickly downed another Mana potion, and her Mana refilled. Her other stats were looking good, mostly.

Stats

[Health: 2054/2270]

[Stamina: 2103/2350]

[Mana: 2481/2610]

She had more than enough to take her on. Erenyx huffed, bathed in the Blazer's hot blood, looking like a wild animal. Behind Meera, the lightning storm was coming to a close, having done its deed, but the Inferno Storm still raged. Fire and lightning reflected as utter rage on Erenyx's face.

Meera pulled out two of her level 2 chakrams and another four using her Mirror Wing. She made the first move by launching all four at the enemy. Erenyx parried all four like they were nothing and kept her eyes on Meera, which was her first mistake.

Meera brought them back using Mirror Wing, but right when they were about to cut her arms off, Meera pulled back. They weren't Erenyx's arms but Narikas's, and she needed him alive as he hadn't told her where his brother had gone to get the Miravane fixed.

But there was another reason. Ever since Narikas had told her what he had endured for the past ten years and of his dream…she couldn't help but feel bad about him, and if she could help him achieve his dream, she would. After all, it would be killing two birds with one stone.

Erenyx laughed. "Getting sentimental, are we? You destroyed the fortress I've worked on for the past five decades. Do you know how long it took to convince these idiots to make this stronghold? How many dreams it took to plant the idea into their heads that this fortress would be the best thing for their kingdom? And you…"

Meera smirked. "And I killed it with two attacks. Must not have been that strong of a fortress then?"

Erenyx gritted her teeth, and veins bulged out on her neck. "I am not going to kill you like the dear Narikas so badly wishes…no, I am going to keep you alive and strip you apart piece by piece and unleash untold horrors upon you daily as I rebuild my stronghold. Once my fortress is back to its former glory, only then will I allow you to die."

"You know, that was quite a descriptive threat, I'll give you that. Didn't think you could put so many words together?"

"Shut up!" Erenyx charged, practically frothing at the mouth. Meera blasted out mirrors from her armor and moved aside at the last moment, but Erenyx turned instantly, bringing her steel sword in an arc. Meera deflected with her chakram and parried her shadow sword with another chakram. She was about to bring around her four chakrams that were still hanging in the air, but Meera made a mistake.

Erenyx used a blast-like attack that she had used before. Small spikes of shadowsteel blasted outward in all directions. Meera used Mirror Step, but she was too slow and got pelted with the spikes.

She winced as she appeared some distance from her. She had a few holes in her armor. Her defensive skills and armor had protected her from the spikes reaching her internal organs, but the wounds still bled some. She activated Vitalize right away.

As her wounds healed, she focused on her enemy, who was spinning her blades in an arc and creating a vortex of shadows. Meera did not want to be on the receiving end of that. She almost coated her chakrams using Shadow Coating, only to remember that the last time she tried that, Erenyx had tossed them aside. She could control any shadows around her.

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She is really frustrating to fight. Then, an idea struck her. Maybe I need to be equally frustrating as well.

She switched a couple of skills and activated Mist Concealment, a skill she hadn't used in quite some time. She filled the area with mists and dashed away for the cover of trees. Erenyx frowned, and her attack stopped midway. As Meera ran, she littered the area with mirrors. She took cover behind a tree.

She quickly checked her notifications. She skipped all the level-ups—her class hadn't evolved, and she didn't care about the other skills right now. She went straight to the skills she had stolen from Erenyx, or would that be Narikas? She wasn't sure, but she needed something to defeat her. Something that would give her the edge over the Cosmarian spirit.

*ding!*

[Class Ability Activated. You have stolen the skill Eclipse Armor. You can conjure a darkened armor made of Shadowsteel that not only provides formidable protection but also enhances agility in the shadows. Would you like to acquire the skill?]

*ding!*

[Class Ability Activated. You have stolen the skill Spectral Dominion. You can exert absolute control over shadows, transforming them into ethereal entities that converge upon enemies. Each entity wields a deadly Shadowsteel weapon, creating a haunting and unstoppable force. Would you like to acquire the skill?]

Meera thought about this one. Neither was immediately obvious or would give her the edge over Erenyx. The armor would give her more defense and agility in shadows. She wondered if this was what the armor was that housed the spirit of Erenyx. But Meera had her mirror armor, which was better attuned to her abilities.

Then there was Spectral Dominion. On the surface, it sounded great. It let her create a venerable shadow army with shadowsteel weapons, but Meera felt that Erenyx could easily dispatch them as she had all the other skills that Delkoris and Hilnoa had thrown at her.

Meera took a quick peek through her mirrors, and Erenyx was swinging her swords through the mist, trying to catch Meera, which meant she did not know where Meera was.

Meera sighed in relief and racked her brain to see which skill she should pick up. One was defensive and from what she had seen, an immaculate armor, and the other was an army of shadows. Both had their uses, but what could come in handy?

Meera gasped as it clicked, and an idea took shape in her head.

*ding!*

[You have acquired the skill Spectral Dominion – Level 1]

Meera gave up the Decay Bite skill, which was practically useless and had only been used once. Without thinking much, she activated Spectral Dominion and called forth three shadow warriors. Three tall specters melded out of the tree's shadow. In their right hand, they all held a dark steel sword that could only be Shadowsteel.

She pointed to the one in the middle. Go attack Erenyx.

That's all she had to say as the shadow warrior ran into the mists and headed straight for the possessed prince. Meera figured if she could see through the mists, then so could her warriors.

The shadow warrior's heavy footfall alerted the Cosmarian. She turned in time to clash her blade against Meera's warrior.

Erenyx's eyes widened. "How…This is my skill…" She said in almost a whisper, then shouted. "How did you get this skill? Not even the Shades know it. How?"

That is my secret, lady.

Meera prodded mentally for her warrior to amp up its attacks, and it followed her command. Meera couldn't help but grin. This was even better than her Mirror Phantom skill. Her phantoms faded at the first touch. These warriors fought like they were flesh and blood.

They exchanged blows, but Erenyx was faster and stronger. Her shadow warrior didn't last long against the mightier Cosmarian. Meera ordered the other warriors to dash for the enemy.

They fell upon Erenyx as soon as the first one dissipated. Meera created two more shadow warriors and sent them to support the others. The five she had created absorbed almost a fifth of her Mana. These things drank Mana like a thirsty camel. She hoped these four could keep Erenyx busy while she created her Ultimate weapon.

She looked at the two level 2 chakrams in her hand. Please work.

Her idea was simple. If she could perform chakram fusion on her regular chakrams, then why not fuse two level 2 chakrams and create a level 3 chakram? Nothing stated she couldn't do that.

She touched the edges of the two chakrams and sent Mana to them. They resisted at first, almost repelling each other. She dumped more Mana, and the resistance decreased. Her hands shook as the chakrams really did not want to fuse.

Come on. Please.

She poured so much Mana into the two chakrams that they began to glow. She feared she was giving up her location, but she had to do it. The chakrams' resistance decreased slowly to the point that they finally started to go into each other. With more Mana and a mighty push, the chakrams finally fused.

Yes! Meera internally cried, while externally, she was huffing and sweating like a pig. The effort had caused her to use up two-thirds of her Mana to create just one chakram, leaving her barely any Mana, but it had been worth it.

In her hands, she held a chakram that was as wide as her chest and glowed with starry light.

*ding!

[Congratulations. You have successfully forged Chakram of Echoes - Level 3. Due to its unstable nature and the lack of proper stamina supplied during its creation, it can only be used once before it separates into its original components.]

Are you kidding me? Meera shouted internally. How much more Mana did it need? It drank me dry.

But it wasn't the time to complain. She peeked around the tree and found Erenyx had cut down or dissipated three shadow warriors, with the last one giving her a good fight. She put a Death Mark on the armor, as Erenyx was busy with her shadow warrior. Then she quickly chugged her last Mana potion and hid her level 3 chakram in her Dragon Hoard Belt.

She created a Mirror Phantom and sent it around the tree.

"Stop," Meera's phantom commanded, and her shadow warrior stopped its attack.

Erenyx frowned and looked in the direction of the phantom. Meera waved a hand, and the phantom followed suit. The mists dissipated.

"The lamb has come to the butcher willingly." Erenyx grinned.

"No, I've come to kill you." The phantom disappeared and reappeared beside the warrior. "With this."

The phantom mimicked Meera's action of taking out the level 3 chakram. Meera's heart thumped so loudly that she feared Erenyx would hear it. This was the final gambit. The final play. She would only get this one shot.

Erenyx's eyes widened. "Now, that is a pretty thing, but it won't be enough."

"Attack!" Phantom Meera shouted.

The shadow warrior and the phantom both attacked simultaneously. Meera herself used Mirror Step and appeared behind Erenyx as she was mid-attack.

Meera shot Vampiric Chains, entrenched the Cosmarian, and slashed at Erenyx's back vertically. The chakram split into two level 2 chakrams right away, but it did its job. It left a single, deep line that shone brightly on the armor, dividing it into two.

Erenyx gasped loudly. A scream built in her throat as all the wind rushed into the armor.

Shockwave exploded outward, blasting Meera back. Her phantom and warrior both were dissipated into the wind.

Narikas or Erenyx—Meera couldn't tell who was in control—were on their knees. She teleported to the other side. A tense moment passed. Despite the sun's warmth, all Meera felt was the chill in the air. The shadows on the armor squirmed and pulled away as if they were trying to free themselves, but something was holding them back.

With a gasp, the shadows escaped into the air, and the broken armor fell off Narikas's shoulders.