Chapter Nineteen: Nova Burn: Part Two
Yozora gripped Star Gazer tightly, his eyes glowing a fierce, blood-red hue. With a cold breath, he whispered, "Star Gazer Fumi: Form Five—Dani Phantom."
From the shadows, ghostly reapers began to emerge, their forms barely more than wisps of darkness given shape. Each figure was cloaked in ragged, ethereal robes that flowed like smoke, the edges dissolving into nothingness, as though their very existence was only half-bound to the physical world. Their faces were hidden beneath deep, shadowy hoods, but the faint glow of hollow, spectral eyes flickered from underneath—cold embers burning in the void. They wielded scythes forged from the same dark essence as Yozora's Star Gazer, their presence filling the battlefield with an ominous chill.
The ghostly reapers stood silently, awaiting Yozora's command, their scythes shimmering like death’s promise.
“T, nock Dilation arrows,” Yozora said, his voice calm yet commanding.
T.LAC grinned, already prepared. He drew back his bow, nocking dozens, then hundreds, of Dilation Arrows in a single move. The arrows rained down on the battlefield, embedding themselves in the ground. The moment they landed, the air warped, and the enemies found themselves trapped in a time distortion, their movements slowed to a crawl.
Yozora’s red eyes gleamed as he raised his hand. "Phantoms, Hell’s Harvest."
At his command, the phantoms surged forward, their spectral scythes cutting through the air with deadly precision. They moved like shadows, silently reaping the slowed enemies, turning them into dust in a matter of seconds. No scream or cry could escape their victims as they vanished into nothingness.
Above, Mara hovered, pouting with frustration as she watched the battle unfold below. She crossed her arms, feeling as though she was missing out on all the fun. "Come on, Zora," she muttered to herself.
On the ground, the surviving enemies began to regroup, scattering into smaller formations. Wards, the enemy’s defensive mages, raised shimmering energy shields, attempting to protect their dwindling numbers from the relentless phantoms. The battlefield shifted as the enemies tried desperately to hold their ground, but Yozora remained calm, waiting for the right moment.
He gave T.LAC the signal.
T.LAC’s grin returned as his excitement bubbled over. “Finally!” he shouted. “I’ve been waiting for this!” He drew his bow once more, his energy surging through him. "Keijo Fumi: Form One—Crimson Burst!"
His arrows, now imbued with Hell Fire Hindo, flew across the battlefield like a storm of burning meteors. Each arrow exploded on impact, sending waves of fiery destruction through the enemy ranks. Bodies disintegrated, and the hellish flames spread rapidly, igniting anything they touched. The battlefield turned into a chaotic web of explosions, the fires spreading like a virus through the enemy forces.
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Before the enemies could even think of escaping, Yozora’s cold gaze swept over the battlefield. His voice, icy and commanding, cut through the chaos. “Mara, you can cut loose now.”
A grim smile stretched across Mara’s face as if possessed by a sudden, wild energy. Her body ignited, flames swirling around her like a blazing inferno. Her hair and eyes burned as bright as the sun, her power building to an uncontrollable peak. "Keijo Fumi: Form Six—Nail of Apollo!" she cried out, her voice filled with fiery passion.
In a flash, a gigantic flaming nail, glowing with the intensity of the sun, materialized in front of her. With a wink and a playful kiss, she fired the nail straight into the heart of the battlefield.
The colossal nail slammed into the center of the enemy forces with devastating force. The heat was so intense it scorched the earth itself, turning everything in its path into ash. Enemies vaporized in an instant, reduced to nothing more than shadows in the inferno. The battlefield, once teeming with foes, was now a wasteland of scorched earth and blackened remains.
Mara hovered in the air, her flames slowly dissipating as she admired her handiwork. “That was fun,” she said with a satisfied smile.
Yozora scanned the battlefield, his sharp eyes taking in the scorched earth and the blackened remains of what was once a sea of enemies. The eerie silence that followed the destruction confirmed it—all clear. His scythe, Star Gazer, dimmed as the red glow faded from his eyes.
“It's over,” he muttered. “Let’s close this gate and go home.”
Just as Yozora, T.LAC, and Mara moved toward the portal to seal it, something changed. A shift in the air—a sinister presence that hadn’t been there before. Yozora’s body tensed, the fine hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. He sensed it immediately, a malevolent force emanating from the portal.
His eyes flashed with urgency. “T, Mara, step back! Now!”
Before they could react, a voice hissed through the gate, dripping with malice. It was a voice that chilled them to the bone, as if it were carried on the wind from the darkest corners of the universe.
“Oh, did you really think it would be that easy?” the voice sneered, echoing in the cavern like nails scraping against stone.
Out from the swirling depths of the portal stepped a figure cloaked in shadow and menace—a woman, her presence commanding and dark. Her long, flowing robes billowed around her like smoke, and her piercing eyes glowed with an otherworldly light. The very air around her crackled with malevolent energy, as if the universe itself recoiled from her power.
The Witch Circe, an Alpha-level threat—a being far more dangerous than anything they had faced before. Her lips curled into a wicked smile, her voice a snarl as she addressed them.
“You poor, foolish children,” Circe said, her tone mocking. “Did you really believe it would be so simple to close this gate? You've only scratched the surface of what’s to come.”
The ground trembled beneath her feet as she stepped fully into their world, her eyes gleaming with cruel delight. Dark energy swirled around her like a vortex, distorting the air and bending the light as if the very fabric of reality warped in her presence.
Mara, her face pale, hovered back, her fiery confidence replaced by a rare moment of apprehension. “Zora, this... this isn't normal. How is she here?” she whispered, eyes wide as she gripped her fist tightly.
T.LAC, typically cool and collected, clenched his jaw, his usual cockiness gone. He nocked an arrow in his bow, but his eyes betrayed the uncertainty he felt. “Zora, orders?”
Yozora, though calm on the surface, felt the weight of this new threat bearing down on him. He could feel the power radiating from Circe, stronger than anything they'd encountered. His mind raced, calculating their next move.
“We’re going to have to take her down,” Yozora said, his voice steady despite the tension. “Stay sharp, keep your distance, and don’t underestimate her. Circe isn’t just another enemy—she’s Alpha level. We can’t afford any mistakes.”
Circe’s laugh echoed through the cavern, dark and taunting. “Oh, you won’t get the chance to make any mistakes, little Tuner. I’m going to end you all here... slowly.”
The battle wasn't over—it had only just begun.