"Ayleth."
"Why?"
"Isn't it cold?"
The smell of sulfur mingled in the air as it was drawn into her nostrils. The system alerted Ayleth of the danger. [ Warning. Ultimate Skill 'Flame of the Abyss' is activating.] Whoosh!
A fissure opened beneath her, and hellfire surged from the ground like an eruption.
The flames roared along the contours of the ground, vaporizing the ice in an instant.
Normally, fire’s opposing element would be water, but Ayleth’s choice was different. [ Ultimate Skill 'Blue Holy Flame' is activating.] To control fire with fire, Ayleth used her 9th-tier divine power as fuel.
The flames from both sides collided like an army clashing at the borders.
The fierce red flames and blue flames fought desperately, each trying to consume the other. As they mixed, their respective natures were lost, turning the flames into a muddied fire that eventually died down.
A perfect balance created by the clash of powers.
Ayleth provoked Reed.
"Do you think an ultimate magic will be enough?"
"Ultimate is all about how you use it."
As if not particularly concerned, he lifted a hand slightly into the air.
The handsome man’s graceful gesture activated two ultimate magics simultaneously. [ Warning. Ultimate Skill 'Army of the Dead' is activating.]
[ Warning. Ultimate Skill 'Carnival of the Dark Moon' is unfolding.] Summoning the undead to create a carnival. A simple quantity assault that would have no effect on Ayleth. But the situation would change when another skill was added. [ Warning. Transcendence Skill 'Shadow Devourer' is activating!] Reed pulled out a skill that made him even more deserving of the admiration of demons.
A shadow-type wide-area spell was cast, burning through the 9th-tier divine power. Originally, this skill was meant to imbue shadows with maliciousness and make them rampage.
In a snow-covered mountain where shadows were scarce, it would be difficult to unleash its full power.
However, with the undead summoned earlier to increase the numbers and the darkness of the Dark Moon spreading to boost their strength, the environment had changed.
The two skills devoured each other as nourishment, and the shadows, now transformed into powerful predators, descended on Ayleth like a tidal wave.
Ayleth immediately responded. [ Ultimate Skill 'Moonlit Requiem' is activating.] A halo spread behind her as the holy moonlight drove away the shadows.
Ultimate and Transcendence clashed. Yet Ayleth did not falter.
Currently, her body was filled with buffs. Even when she was merely breathing, the number of active skills was in the double digits.
This madness was made possible by her divine descent and the vast divine power of the 9th tier.
When Ayleth’s requiem overwhelmed Reed’s carnival, she spoke.
"See? Ultimate is all about how you use it."
Reed complimented Ayleth, who had blocked his transcendence with an ultimate.
"Heh."
At that moment, she realized.
No matter what Reed said, she wouldn’t get angry, and no matter what provocation she made, Reed would probably remain the same.
She closed her mouth and focused on the battle.
First, she needed to change the pattern of the battle, where Reed attacked and she defended.
‘I need to press him.’
At the moment when light flickered above her golden eyes.
Boom!
Lightning rain poured down from the sky, or rather, from the void above her, resembling something closer to space.
A far more expansive area was being constantly struck by lightning than before.
At the same time, she summoned her aura blades, encircling Reed while drawing the lightning toward him like a lightning rod, attacking him from all directions.
"Hmm."
A low, smooth grunt indicated that the situation was no longer meaningful.
Of course, Ayleth didn’t expect to leave a mark on Reed. Disrupting his nerves for just a moment was enough.
When the punishment thunder and the sword of light had fulfilled their roles, though insignificant, she judged that the situation had gone as planned.
"Reed, don’t move." [ Transcendence Skill 'Royal Command' is activating.] The command activated, restraining Reed’s body. Naturally, it didn’t work with just one attempt.
"Stay in place. Stay still." [ Transcendence Skill 'Royal Command' is activating.]
[ Transcendence Skill 'Royal Command' is activating.] "...I feel like a puppy."
After using three royal commands, she finally succeeded in sealing Reed’s movements for a moment.
Perhaps Reed was stunned by it, but either way, Ayleth did not miss the opportunity and made use of the opening.
"Bind him!" [ Advanced Skill 'Crown of Thorns' is activating.] White thorny trees, grown on the snow-covered mountain, wrapped around Reed’s body.
Although it was just an advanced skill, the trees, nurtured by divine descent and the 9th-tier divine power, had grown to the point of creating a forest.
A massive thorny cage, 10 meters in radius, trapped Reed.
Ayleth didn’t stop there and reached out her hand.
Whirl!
Dozens of wires coiled around Reed and fixed him between the thorns.
"...Ah."
The handsome man, caught like a butterfly in a spider’s web, looked at his situation before smiling.
"Good job. But it’s meaningless."
Ting, ting-!
The strings of the Spirit King’s harp that bound him snapped one by one, each playing a higher note.
Even amidst the clear shrieks created by the snapping wires, Ayleth was not disappointed.
The situation had gone as she intended.
"No, it’s meaningful. I bought time."
She spoke the activation phrase to his confused, crimson eyes.
"Temple of the Gods. Open the gate." [ Transcendence Skill 'Gate of the Temple of the Gods' is opening!] The sound of a horn echoed from the white angelic arch, adorned with angels. The gates on both sides opened wide, and blinding holy light poured out.
It was the same light that had nearly shattered Reed’s spirit and body before.
"How..."
He uttered a defeated sound, but his tone was highly artificial.
Indeed, Reed did not seem to feel much of a crisis.
"You’re using the same method. Well, I did show you my vulnerable side back then. But there’s a way to counter the Temple of the Gods."
Just as Reed cut off all the strings of the Spirit King’s harp, he muttered the activation phrase quietly.
"Devil’s Temple. Open the gate." [ Warning. Transcendence Skill 'Gate of the Devil’s Temple' is opening!] Shadows erupted from beneath his feet and materialized into a huge arch.
With a color like pure darkness and demon figures embossed on it, it was a perfect contrast to the Temple of the Gods’ gate.
"I’ve only been holding back until now because of the impact it would have on the mortal realm. But if the purpose is cancellation, there’s no need to save strength."
From the gates that split apart like torn fabric, countless shadows stretched out long.
They resembled the hands of greedy demons or the tongues of hissing serpents.
Swaa-.
Sshhh-.
The light of heaven and the darkness of the abyss clashed. It was a recreation of the first day of creation. The light and dark mixed and separated repeatedly, ultimately resulting in mutual destruction.
What remained were the flattened peaks of the snow-covered mountains and the two gates, now reduced to ruins.
The gates of the Temple of the Gods and the Temple of the Devil’s Temple, having lost the power to exist in the material world, dissipated into particles.
Taking advantage of the disorienting flashes of light, Ayleth stomped her feet firmly on the ground.
"Yeah, I honestly didn’t expect this!" [ Transcendence Skill 'Future Sight of the First Hour' is activating.]
[ Transcendence Skill 'Dance of the Outer Heavens' is activating.] In an instant, the distance between Ayleth and Reed narrowed. As soon as they came into range, Ayleth re-summoned her sacred sword and used divine aura to slice at Reed horizontally.
Reed narrowly managed to dodge, and a whirlwind rushed through the spot where he had been standing. His black hair blew wildly, and Reed grabbed his cursed sword again.
From the tip of the sword, an aura resembling pure darkness climbed up, enveloping the blade completely.
The two began to spray light of destruction again. They both flexed their bodies, aiming to land hits on each other.
"With you, Reed, I guess it’ll be a close-quarters battle."
"Welcome."
Although Future Sight revealed all of Reed’s attack trajectories and Dance of the Outer Heavens allowed her to reach the peak of her sword dance, he was not an easy opponent.
The battle raged on without a clear outcome.
And that, in turn, meant that Reed also found Ayleth to be a formidable opponent.
As time passed, Reed’s eyes seemed to spark with even more intensity.
The fierce battle led to excitement. It was stirring up the chaos and greed that had been repressed within him.
Reed’s movements began to change. In an instant, his handsome face entered into her focus range.
It was a direct, aggressive approach, like a beast aiming to sink its teeth into its prey. Ayleth pushed Reed back with all her strength and spoke.
"Where did your gentlemanly grace go?"
"Oh, my apologies."
For just a moment, as he apologized, he created an opening. Reed’s blade transformed into a curved sword with a new form.
The sharp tip extended like a scorpion’s tail, mercilessly targeting Ayleth’s rear.
However, he didn’t even look back and merely evaded with an economical move.
After repeating a few short clashes, they reached a prolonged standoff. As they ground the blades together, their gazes met.
This time, it was Reed who spoke first.
"Have you had a conversation with the 117th?"
"Yeah. It ended well. Don’t worry."
"Really...?"
His alluring deep voice revealed a hint of discomfort. The questioning continued.
"How does it feel, now that you know his true identity?"
"What does it matter?"
"He destroyed the world, didn’t he? Isn’t that worse than me?"
Even while their conversation continued, neither of them stopped attacking.
Their emotions fueled their constant, intense exchanges of blows.
"Reed."
Ayleth’s voice lost all nonchalance. With the utmost seriousness, she said.
"I don’t find you terrifying."
"..."
Reed’s gaze fixed on Ayleth, growing even more intense. For some reason, the hunger inside him was intensifying.
Reed activated his aura blades around him.
Ayleth quickly distanced herself, but black swords of energy poured towards her.
She immediately slid across the snow-covered ground, evading the aura blades.
Wherever they missed, deep grooves appeared in the snow and ice, exposing the earth beneath.
As Reed’s onslaught finally ceased, Ayleth took a breath and readied herself.
Just as she gripped her sword again and prepared to charge.
Boom!
"...!"
A heavy, thunderous sound shook the atmosphere from a distant location.
Northeast. The direction where Tesilid and Arvixinus were fighting, near the Holy Office.
Who had made that attack?
With that reflexive question, Ayleth’s gaze momentarily shifted in that direction.
At that moment, Reed’s feet pressed against the ground, and with a light step, his position changed to right in front of Ayleth.
Bang!
"Are you worried about that?"
With a fierce strike, he wiped away her focus. And with his next words, he regained her attention.
"More than me?"
The grip on Ayleth’s sword tightened once more.
"It can’t be."
The battle, seemingly between only the two of them, resumed.
