Swats of dust collected around Mahdri, only for the girl to wave her hand, tossing it aside. Her eyes looked upward towards the strangely colored sky. What was this an Aurora Borealis? The sky kept glimmering in a light that changed from green to blue to red. She knew this wasn’t some modified stage environment. No, this was the work of Starlight, and she didn’t like it one bit — That annoying dust!
Spitting out blood, Mahdri looked at her body, her heart pumping, blood rushing, and a few of her bones rattling. She couldn’t help but give a gracious smile at this moment, oh yes, a compassionate and most joyous smile. The girl hadn't felt like this since fighting the Devil, back against the wall, and only this time, she wasn’t the one getting thrown to the side while using strong gods, but even the gods she used felt lacking. That wasn’t right, was it? Perhaps she should use the strongest one and end this now that she has been wounded. Yes, Yes, that is a brilliant idea~!
Mahdri clapped her hands, holding them in place; once more, the sunlight shined through, bathing her in a holy light. The following seconds made it more apparent that she was an angel or even a god herself. Shadows from nearby stretched out attempting to strike through and stab them, only to be vaporized by the light upon touch. Mahdri's sun-like crown radiates power equivalent to several suns, making an eerie silence loom over her as she slowly moves forward, each step generating heat that melts the cement. No god's name was uttered, and any visible bleeding stopped as the wounds sealed up quickly.
Cascaded in brilliance, Mahdri opened their arms out. [Divine Power] coursing through her veins, the power of two suns formed on each palm. One! Two! Each one flung out towards Alexia, the two suns replicating a vortex the moment they fused together!
Alexia watched as the combined star hurtled her way — no time to think, only act! There was still the plan, only her end of the bargain had to be carried out here and now. Uplifting both of her hand's palms open, a peculiar star generated rapidly. Light diverted from the spot, the fused star closing in fast. Then, an Einstein Ring formed in the palm of Alexia’s hand! The energy of The Einstein ring enveloped Alexia before a devastating explosion engulfed her. Khinara attempted to hold her ground, only to be blown back with the building she was in. Wind swept through the cityscape, knocking over buildings with no sound foundation, cars were thrown into the air, and streetlights flickered in and out only to be uprooted.
[Stellar Prowess]
As the explosion subsided, the flames that tore through the area started to pull in on themselves, the wind changing direction. It started with one star, two, then three, then they all appeared as little glitters in the air one by one. Whereas one glitter manifested in the sky, another manifested behind Mahdri, then another at her feet and once more down the street.
Several stars collided at the impact zone, revealing Alexia beneath the dust and debris. Blood still dripped from a few areas of her body, but the aura surrounding her was harmonious, like a rainbow. Her power radiates like a supernova, with colors flowing in and out. Alexia just merged energy within her body, but likely at a cost. She was breathing heavily, eyes closed.
Hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of tiny glitters were floating across her iris like shooting stars the moment she opened up. She extended her left hand towards Mahdri. The sun-crowned princess tilted their head gazing upon Alexia. This was different… This was dangerous; the gods within screamed at them. Despite the constant yammerings ringing through her head, Mahdri uplifted her hand, summoning a star of her own.
“This reminds me of Clark’s display last year… Very well, Starlight! I accept your challenge!”
Mahdri pulled their arm back, slinging out the star in their head. The star instantly gathered energy from the surrounding area and grew, consuming the street in molten fire. When the star made contact with Alexia, it shattered into thousands of glittering dust, becoming nonexistent. Alexia, unharmed, took a few steps forward. Time felt slow. Mahdri watched as her opponent took a simple step, and now they were inches away. The air felt suffocating, so much heat concentrated in one area as the light appeared on the left, right, no... all around? Mahdri’s senses heightened; tiny stars were forming around her.
A punch was thrown by Mahdri towards Alexia, whose arms were raised like those of a boxer, weaving in and out at such a speed that impressed and frightened her. She could hear the wind moving like a jet engine was revving up. No. It was Starlight!
“EAT THIS!”
In rapid succession, Alexia's fist struck Mahdri's face, first from the left and then right! Alexia's version of a Dempsey roll, which Mahdri successfully blocked at the end as she skidded down the street. Lowering her arms, her surroundings were filled with hundreds of tiny stars continually popping up.
Then… They pounced! One by one, each star moved in, with Mahdri swiping the first ten, then getting hit by the next ten. With each star impacting her skin, she felt her energy drain. It was time for a change of pace. Thus, Mahdri forward, avoiding the remaining stars that pelted the spot she was formerly in.
Watching Mahdri throw out another punch, Alexia's hands clasped tightly as she watched her land a punch on her face, knocking her down. The remaining stars pulled back towards Alexia, pelting Mahdri in the back and disrupting any further attacks.
The stars burned her back to an extreme degree that Mahdri slumped over in pain. Yet, this pain would not stop them, as Mahdri swiftly grabbed hold of Alexia’s neck and began to squeeze.
[ASURA!] [ASURA!] [ASURA!]
Mahdri kept summoning over, and over, the grip of her hands ready to break Alexia in half. The two began to squirm, fumbling around trying to keep hold, trying to break free. Alexia was running out of breath, and the system started to beep, ready to eject her the moment her neck snapped.
Alexia sent out a punch; it made contact with Mahdri’s face as a glitter of dust expelled from the other side of her face. It shrouded the two in a cloud of colorful dust. The squeezing ceased immediately, and Alexia gasped for breath. It paralyzed Mahdri once more; the sun-like crown on top of her head began to fade in and out.
The paralysis didn’t last long; with Mahdri clutching her stomach, their body began to regurgitate, pulsating in and out with her mouth beginning to open up towards Alexia. Deep within, a light shined through, slowly getting brighter and brighter. This light soon became that of a ball coming out, and saliva dripped to the ground. The orb of light struck Alexia in the chest after it ejected at full speed out of the mouth of Mahdri. This wasn’t just any ordinary orb of light; it solidified and was charged with all of Mahdri’s energy. It sent Alexia toppling through buildings, light posts, and cars. The list went on until, finally, this solidified orb started to wrap around her like a coil.
As much as Alexia wiggled around, it was futile. The orb brightened and then — Exploded! Sending a tremendous blast up into the air equivalent to a thermonuclear explosion. The shockwave knocked over Mahdri, who exhausted all her energy in such an attack.
When the blast finished and things calmed down, Mahdri mustered up the last of her energy to stand up and walk toward the blast zone. A soft chuckle left her voice. Despite suffering insane burns and damage, her body kept going. The power on display right now was enough to destroy a Superpowered Nation. She knew that, yet this simple truth was hidden away in the glamor of the fights. The metropolis they fought in was effectively 95% wiped out; only the lingerings of rubble, burning debris, and clouds of colorful dust-up in the air remained. On her way over, Mahdri took note of a ripped-open pipe. Pulling it out, she glanced around at her surroundings.
Why was the match not over? She put everything into that attack… Were the other two still around? The questions constantly filled her head until she finally made it to the blast zone.
Lightning flashed across the crater, and in the center, there lay Alexia, covered in a pool of her own blood, her aura fading in and out. Her overcharged power seemed to have saved her, but the damage was permanent. Even Mahdri was shocked. Even the only other person that could withstand that attack was Clark.
She wasted no time and safely slid down towards Alexia, gripping the pipe. Blood dripped from her arms, legs, and face with each step. Inhaling and exhaling oxygen trying to calm her nerves as she finally stood above Alexia.
“...Wonderful display, S-Starlight… Still k-kicking?”
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
Still breathing, Alexia lay there, looking up at the sky. Her eyes then looked at Mahdri. Her entire body was numb; she couldn’t move her legs or arms apart from a few fingers.
“A-After this… We should… hang out… Clark would l-love a person like you….”
Mahdri lifted the pipe, ready to slam it down into Alexia's chest.
…
…
Five seconds passed…
Then, ten seconds… No movement at all. Alexia tried to speak up, but her voice wasn’t coming through. Mahdri stood there motionless. She couldn’t move. Her arm was still in the air, ready to sling down, but beneath her feet, her own shadow wrapped around her legs and arms. The shadow extended outward into two beings, one uplifting out of the ground to form Lei. They happened to still be unconscious from the shockwaves. And wrapped around Mahdri, Khinara.
“You two are something else. But, we should end it here… Thank you for the victory~.”
Shadows wrapped around all of them, and slowly each one began to sink into the ground. Mahdri had a disappointed expression on her face. This wasn’t how she wanted to go out; no, no, this entire match, they had to gang up on her, but in the end, only one could do any actual damage. She tried to bite at the shadows but to no avail.
Alexia slowly sank in, but her eyes now looked up at the sky. Slowly, she’d inhale and exhale what air she could, the radiation in the area starting to skyrocket. One last trick. Before they sank completely, Alexia slowly moved her fingers, first the index, then the pinky. Then the remaining ones attempted to grasp until they finally clutched together as tight as she could, vanishing in the shadow.
Then she tried to speak.
“[P… Pil… Pillars… Of…. CREATION!]”
Shouting as hard as she could, Khinara, and Mahdri looked downward. Mahdri started to chuckle, whereas Khinara began to visibly shake, attempting to move her shadowy body off Mahdri, but to no avail.
Paralysis took effect.
Even after a nuclear explosion, the colorful dust that remained in the sky had been gathering… congregating, and concentrating. When the dust hit the ground, everyone felt their bodies numb, and their bodily functions started to shut down momentarily. An uplift of dust in the form of a hand outstretching towards the sky suddenly came from the ground. The dust on the surface completely vaporizes everyone in a heat unknown to the earth.
The system called out.
“W… I… N... N… E… R… St… Ar. Lig… Ht…!”
First, Lei returned to reality, still unconscious, her body aching as hot steam emitted off her clothing. Then came Khinara, followed by Mahdri, and finally, Alexia. All four returned, laying against the machine, too tired to move. The Singularity Machine thus overheated upon them, returning completely shut down.
“U-Urgh… I can’t move… My body...” Alexia said.
“Same…” Khinara replied.
“I… I think miss fate is hurting… Badly..” Mahdri at least could sit up, yet her eyes were met with… silence. In fact, all of them expected cheers in both defeat and victory. But the entire stadium was silent. Upon closer inspection, Mahdri saw the audience as a whole completely collapsed; even up in the booth, the announcers weren’t responding.
The gods within Mahdri started to scream, one trying to force themselves onto Mahdri. The girl frantically clutched her chest in fear. Her body was visibly shaken to its core as her orange aura started to flicker in and out. What was going on? Something wasn’t right. The entire city felt eerily silent. Mahdri’s breathing increased. She kept trying to calm down, but the fear kept growing. After a few seconds, she stopped shaking — A dark presence loomed over them.
Khinara couldn’t move, but they could see who was standing behind Mahdri.
[The Overseer]
His elongated figure towered over Mahdri, who looked up, beginning to twitch as if ready to fight back on instinct. Her body couldn’t move. None of the medics were conscious. Even Khinara was suddenly urged to fight, to win despite their injuries.
The Overseer, rather than walk, glided across the machine's surface, leaving behind a trail of mist. His hands weren’t present, merely a dark void lay underneath his dark hat, yet the arms of this being suddenly outstretched from the side and reached into his uniform. When the arms came back out, in his palms lay… The [Angel’s Tear].
An orb of light radiated all colors, yet it was genuinely absent of any within. It shone with unbelievable power. He spoke not a word, nor did any sound visible extrude from his presence, for he commanded it.
Alexia’s vision started to blur the longer she looked at him. Still, not a single word was exchanged; thus, he held the tear above Alexia. After a few seconds, it started to fade away the energy flowing into her.
“Ą̶͍̆̉h̵̙̼̊͘.̵͕̮̀.̸̘͐.̴̢͛ ̷̼͎̐L̷͓͝ō̴̖͊n̶̯͛ǵ̷͇͝ ̴̬̽͂ḧ̸̫̘͝a̸̮̘̿ș̸͗ ̷͎̼̔m̵̲̜̎y̸̥̮͑̐ ̶̬̙̊l̴͓̲̓͠a̷̻͠d̴͖͕́y̷̧͗̔ ̸̫̟̆w̶̬͗̅a̸͖͐̔ǐ̸͙ț̸̻͘é̴̘ḍ̵̇.̷̜̃͛ ̷̻̃̽T̴͚̰͠h̷̳͕̒è̸͖̬ ̷̞̣̔́f̶̰̏̓i̶̧̩̊r̴̥̜͗͆ş̷̬̂t̶͉̹̏̓ ̸̫̈͝o̴̜̓̒f̸͇̜̑̂ ̴̝͂t̶͙͋͝ḧ̴̜́ͅe̷͔͎͠ ̴̪̦̇ẗ̷̺͙́̌e̴͎̞̾ȁ̵̗̄r̸͙̉s̵̨̮̓͑ ̷̨͔͐̇h̴͉̹̀͠ḁ̸͕̅ś̷͔̟ ̶͎̮̄f̴͉͒̓o̸͕͎̍u̸̬͛͠n̵̙̬͒d̷̟̑ ̵̠͗̑a̶͕̰͑ ̷͔͆̃w̷͔͎̄͒ô̴̺̎ŗ̶̰͐ṯ̵̥̈̆h̵͎̔y̶̦͐̕ ̵̯̈ḣ̸̪̙͗o̵̳͑͒ͅs̵̞͂t̵̰͂!̴̨̐͒ ̵̞̰͝R̷͕̿é̶̲̐j̵̘̀͝o̵̝͗͑í̶̳̦͗c̵̘͋́e̶͓͑̐,̸͓̽̓ ̸͈̪̑Á̷̪̩l̵̻̂̀e̶̮̽x̴̹̥͗a̴̯̔̊͜n̶̫̈́̃d̵͉́r̷̪̮̎͝ǐ̸̳͍̚ä̵̛͈́ ̷͓̍Ẇ̵̡͋i̷̭͊̚n̸̞̈́̐c̶̥͒͝h̶̜̅ë̵͉s̵͈̅͝t̶̳̫́ë̴̛͙̯́ṟ̶͚̏!̸̼͖̊ ̴͇́A̵̮̓̓n̷͉̍͂d̷͚̈̈́ ̶̰̦̿Ŕ̵̯ͅȋ̵̼̣̿s̷̟̃́ͅe̶̮̩͒̀ ̷̞̱̄ã̸̜͓̅b̶̻̟̍ȍ̴̡v̴̰́̂e̷̗͋͝!̸̣̋̒ͅ “ The Overseer finally spoke, his voice jumbled in the darkness that sounded otherworldly.
Alexia felt the orb's energy enter her body, a sudden surge of power rejuvenating and healing her wounds. Yet, despite this, an intense amount of electricity started to zap away at the girl, as her screams were heard for miles.
“A̶̧̬͝h̸͇̆̏.̵̥̤̓.̴̞̃͝.̸̫̯͊̾ ̸̤̟͠T̵̝̆h̴̞͙̄͌e̸͍̾̏ ̷͚̯̆s̶̝̫͆ō̶̲̕ȕ̸̡̙̅n̵͔̄d̷̰̉̅ ̸̣̭̀õ̷̖̉f̵̯̿͘ ̵̺̈́b̸̘̒̌l̵͙̬͠ḯ̸̬͚ŝ̸ͅs̶̨̹͊̿.̷͂͊͜.̶̞́.̴͈́N̷̳͠ö̸͉́̔w̸̙̅͑ ̶̧̪̃̀w̷̯͝ḛ̵̣̕ ̵̳̈́m̸̜̮͑͠u̸͇͐s̸̥̼̄t̷̫͗͜ ̴̹̟̒c̴̜̕ô̴̺m̸̲̔p̵̪͆͆ͅl̸͍͑e̵̩͂̽t̴̼͍̊̂ḙ̶͓̽ ̸͔̮̒t̷̺͊ḧ̷̪̮́e̶̹̒̃ ̵̣͒ȓ̴͕͆i̴̘̐͠t̵͚̏̽ṷ̶͘a̷̱͂͋l̷͔̇.̵̘̩̇ “
The Overseer reached once more into his body, only this time pulling out an old bolt-action rifle. Its bayonet was not present, yet he aimed the rifle directly at the center of Alexia’s chest despite this.
“For my Eternal Lady~.”
His hand, which happened to be sickly and weak, gripped the rifle, and as he was about to shoot, the wind picked up. His power started to fluctuate, and a scythe flung out from the double doors nearby, striking his rifle and knocking it out of his hand.
Yet, still, he stood there watching Alexia’s screams starting to lower; the process of the tear finding its host was complete. His mission… failed. But, still, he did not appear shaken, but his attention was taken.
“I am pleased for you to join us… Lucifer~.”
Standing at the double doors stood Clarice, and an exhausted Cheveyo.
“Oi… He’s talking to you, Lucy. Wanna speak up?… What? Whatever.”
Clarice started to smirk, slowly lifting up her sunglasses. Her words were clearly meant for someone else. Her eyes loomed onto Alexia, then the Overseer, next to Khinara, Mahdri, and Lei.
“C-Clark?” Mahdri started to calm down. The gods no longer pressuring her.
“C-Clarice… I-I’m..” Khinara started to jumble in her words, but Clarice simply raised her hand up to stop them.
“Let’s save the reunion for later. First things first. Number two… Step away from that girl. She’s mine, you hear?”
The Overseer suddenly raised his hat, revealing a white symbol styled in a two with a sickly black dragon wrapped around it. Long, flowing black hair was outstretched when he lifted it. That single hat was holding it together?
“Ah… Clarice Clark… Not Lucifer speaking? It’s a shame, really. You two have ruined my lady's plans.”
“Tell her I’ll always ruin it where I can. But you’re not taking that girl's life for some stupid orb.”
Cheveyo looked up to see Alexia now unconscious. He had to get to her. No matter the cost! Yet, Clarice stopped him.
“Leave this to me.”
Clarice took off her sunglasses revealing a deep crimson within her eyes, her hair going from black to flashing white momentarily. Bioluminescence of crimson took over the edges of her hair. And with the simple raising of her hand, their scythe flung back, ripping through one of the arms of the Overseer and positioning itself into her hand.
“How unbecoming of you, Clark… You would have proven a most useful warrior in the eyes of our eternal lady~.”
His expression was unchanged underneath the darkness, even with an arm torn off. It faded into mist, and seconds later another arm took its place. Placing his hat back on top, the Overseer prepared to engage against the Devil.
Clarice inhaled… and exhaled. The air became increasingly colder, that her own breath started to form ice. Taking a moment to look back at Cheveyo, she’d think quickly.
“When I get him away… Grab her and heal the others. Can’t have those that are unaware dying because of my actions.”
“Of course!”
Cheveyo braced himself, the owl standing beside his feet ready as well. Clarice had to also brace; this was going to be tough. Yet, despite this excitement bubbled up within her, she knew she’d come out on top, regardless. The only thing she needed was to remain in control.
“Alrighty then, Lucy… You heard the void monster. Let’s ruin his day some more~.”