CHAPTER 80: BATTLE CAGE

"Topple the church?" He chuckled. "Did ascending to stage 9 boost your ego to this extent?"

Merlin shrugged. "Mock me all you want, but my goal will remain the same. After I topple the church, I will build a new institution from within its ashes. An institution that holds no regard for those asinine commandments."

"Hmph." His sword was flooded with cosmic force, like a tsunami. "Such nonsense. The Monarch established those commandments for our own good. Your ideals are based on mere selfishness."

She chuckled. "I see... Mere selfishness, huh?" With a gentle wave of her staff, she dispersed ethyria in delicate lines, ready to transform into the next spell. "If those commandments are so important, how is it that the church seems to always find ways to break them?"

Andre moved his sword into a guard stance while narrowing his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean. Did you really think that I wouldn't be able to find out what Emperor Rudwell's domain is? He was an outsider himself; a celestial of the War domain. And yet, no one in the church ever questioned this. I wonder why...."

He grit his teeth. "Witch, your accusations are baseless. What proof do you have for this ridiculous claim of yours? King Rudwell the Great was a proud warrior who belonged to the Stars domain!"

A smirk took over her face. "Yes, that's what the official narrative is, after all. As for proof? I don't have any I can show you. Even if I did, would you believe it?"

"..." His silence was enough of an answer for her.

She sighed. "Let's just get this over with. Come at me."

At her beckoning, any semblance of hesitation evaporated from his mind as he surged forward toward Merlin, his blade cutting through the air, trailing phantoms of light in its path. Merlin noticed his approach and smiled. She effortlessly pivoted on her body's axis, dodging the edge of his blade. Shockwaves formed as Andre's sword sliced through the dense ethyric miasma blanketing the entire [Battle-Cage].

In the wake of her evasion, Merlin waved her staff. Three orbs of void-like blackness were swiftly conjured in the air, each rippling like flames. "Here's a fun combination, Fire magic plus darkness magic!"

Andre's eyes widened as he watched the flame orbs of darkness form only a few meters away from his body. Their hues were darker than the deepest void. With a casual flick, she hurled the darkened infernos towards him. Andre clenched his sword and summoned his [Sensory-Boost] and [Fatal-Strike], dissecting the spell's form to uncover its points of weakness. Then he pushed his feet against the air, taking a massive leap backwards while infusing his blade with the light element. With his sword primed, he cleaved through the air, sending an arc of luminescence trailing toward the ominous flame orbs.

His strike pierced through the shadowy flames, slicing them all in half. The now fractured abyssal orbs lingered in the air for a few seconds before dissipating completely. Relief was about to wash over him when he detected an unsettling warmth creeping over his armguards. Glancing down, horror struck as he saw his limbs consumed by the black fire.

In desperation, he wove light ethyria around his hands, battling the flames. Yet, as he neared success, his [Sensory-Boost] screamed a warning. To his left, shadows solidified into menacing tendrils, hurtling towards him.

Almost instantly, they wrapped around his arms and legs, trapping his movement. Frustration boiling over into rage, Andre let out a deafening roar, followed by him invoking his dimensional suppression over Merlin, undoing the spell. Her ethyria trembled, fighting to maintain its shape, until they all crumbled inward. The black flames that devoured his limbs persisted, though with a noticeably subdued intensity.

Merlin clicked her tongue and activated [Force-Barrier] and immediately flew backwards, creating more distance between them. As she retreated, she weaved her ethyria, casting an arsenal of spells from Ice Spears to Fireballs, not omitting Darkness Arrows, all aiming to halt Andre’s advance.

Navigating through a storm of spells, Andre closed in on Merlin. Just as her demise seemed imminent, she vanished, reappearing above him to unleash a spatial distortion aimed directly at his neck. The sheer amount of cosmic force weaved into her 'Spatial Slash' was enough to create a small fracture in the spirit world itself.

Andre clenched his jaw as the warning from his [Sensory-Boost] ignited a rush of adrenaline. With swift precision, he activated [Elemental-Augmentation], channeling the essence of wind into his feet. This infusion propelled him just beyond the reach of Merlin's imminent strike, causing his movements to blur. Amidst this evasive maneuver, he managed to execute a strategic slash in Merlin's direction, a move seemingly thwarted by her [Force-Barrier]. Yet, this was precisely Andre's gambit. The stroke he delivered was laced with light ethyria. As soon as the attack reached the barrier, it ignited in a bright flash of luminescence that burned through her retinas.

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Wincing from the intense glare, she massaged her eyes, momentarily blinded. In that instant, [Augmented-Comprehension] sprang into action, enabling her to predict Andre's next move with uncanny accuracy, even without her sight. A volley of razor-sharp slashes tore through the silence, each aimed directly at her. Merlin, relying on her heightened prediction ability, evaded the initial assaults with grace. Yet, the resilience of her [Force-Barrier] was found wanting. The relentless assault found its mark, leaving her shoulder and hip marred by the cruel kiss of his blade.

Panting heavily, Merlin smiled as her vision readjusted slightly. "You really don't hold back, huh?.."

Silent, Andre’s resolve hardened. He lunged, sword aimed with lethal precision at her throat. The blade's passage was swift and decisive. Blood arced in a grim ballet as Merlin's head was severed cleanly from her shoulders.

A flawless execution.

...

Mason's array of plasma cannons hummed with pent-up power, unleashing a torrent of radiance. Beams of scorching light erupted, cutting through the air with relentless fury, aimed directly at Nicholas. He, in contrast, appeared utterly unfazed; wielding his stave with a casual grace.

Just as they were about to reach him, the ionized particles fizzled out and disappeared. Nicholas smiled and channeled his ethyria through his staff, coaxing particles of light to gather and swirl into luminous orbs encircling him.

Witnessing this display, Mason grit his teeth. Lightning snaked across his body as exotic particles bundled together and formed a large shield which he hid behind. The orbs of light, now fully formed in a halo of power around Nicholas, were unleashed with a mere flick of his wrist. They hurtled towards Mason with targeted precision.

Unbeknownst to Mason, however, the beams of radiant light did not clash against his shield. Instead, they slithered around it like snakes. Mason's eyes widened as he noticed their approach, but it was now close to impossible to dodge. With [Brain-Overclock] active, his body moved to position itself so that the beams targeted the least vital areas in his body.

Blood dripped from his shoulder and stomach as his skin turned slightly pale. The particles forming his shield returned to the Cyber Depths, leaving him completely empty-handed. Mason's eyes narrowed as he glared at Nicholas' cloaked form while clutching his wounds. He cursed under his breath. Shit, it seems the poison from that bastard Brandon still hasn't completely left my system. My reaction times are way too slow...

Hermes' eyes widened as he stared at Mason, hunching over in pain. "Mason! Are you alright?!"

Mason shot him a glance and turned to face Nicholas, who was standing a yard or so away in the same nonchalant position. "I guess I underestimated you."

"Indeed, you did," he pushed his glasses up his nose. "Though, my [Spirit-Vision] is showing me that you aren't in the healthiest state right now, either. It's due to your fight with Brandon, right?"

"Heh," Mason chuckled. "That bastard is a pain in the ass even when he's dead."

"I must agree with that assessment. He was such a vulgar fellow... Still, I can't say that his methods are entirely useless," he shot a glance toward Lance, who was sitting uncomfortably on his knees while clenching his throat due to the dimensional suppression. Blood was seeping out of his nose and ears, but his eyes were razor sharp and focused on what Nicholas had just said.

Nicholas noticed his glares and smirked. "I heard about what he did to your brother and sister-in-law. I apologize on his behalf for what he had done." He bowed toward Lance. "However, sacrifices are inevitable when pursuing the greater good."

A shadow was cast over Lance's face. "For... The greater good?" His cosmic force surged, battling against the dimensional suppression of a higher being. He grit his teeth and lashed out, "To hell with that!" Blood oozed from every orifice of his body. Despite knowing he had no chance, Lance refused to sit this one down.

Observing his actions, Frederick grit his teeth. "Calm down!" His pleas fell on deaf ears. Refusing to let Lance continue hurting himself, Frederick lunged at him with his fist tightly clenched. He clobbered him at the side of his jaw, knocking the light out of his eyes. Lance stumbled for a second before landing on the floor, unconscious. However, even in his deep slumber, his eyes continued to water.

Mason cast a fleeting glance towards Frederick and Lance, his expression mingling resignation with a trace of exasperation. Facing Nicholas once again, he couldn't help but remark, "Despite how unassuming you look, you've got quite the knack for getting under someone's skin."

Nicholas kept a stoic face while replying. "Rule number 32 for solo confrontations against multiple adversaries: Employ verbal tactics to distract." He tapped the bottom of his staff on the floor, creating ripples of light element ethyria. "I am merely performing my job as a soldier. May the Monarch forgive us all."

"A soldier, huh?" Mason clenched his wounds. "I see." He glanced up toward the abyssal skies. Patches of light twinkled like shimmering stars, both ethereal and corporeal. He could see them forming constellations within the celestial dome conjured by Merlin's grand spell. Suddenly, the ethyric stars became bright, casting the battlefield into twilight.

Nicholas looked up in disbelief, then glanced back at Mason, who was smiling from ear to ear. "What the hell is happening?"

Mason glanced over at him and shook his head. "You see, Mr. Soldier, us mercenaries work in a completely different wavelength. I assume the numerous battle strategies you had conjured with Andre were making you believe that the situation wasn't as bleak as it seemed."

Nicholas squinted. "I have no idea what you are talking about. Our plans did take into account the fact that you were injured due to your fight against Brandon. And as monstrous as Merlin is, the amount of Ethyria and cosmic force she had spent on this single spell must have cost her half her energy pool. Her dimensionality seems to be lower than Andre as well; she has no hope of escaping his [Battle-Cage]."

Mason smiled, "Who said she wanted to escape?"

End of Chapter