"It's done," Asher breathed out.
For the Devilheart System user, a "level up" arrived, bringing him to the level of forty-six, though he found himself deprived of stamina as he fell over onto the grass on his back.
"...Phew…" Asher exhaled.
Joel was going to help him up, but only plopped down onto the grass as well as the devilish armor vanished from his body.
"Dang, I was hoping I'd have that armor a little longer." Joel said.
Asher caught his breath for a few seconds before speaking, "...The others can wait a bit. I need to rest my body."
"Yeah. Same," Joel agreed.
Though they planned only to relax for a few minutes, the two ended up passing out from the exhausting clash against the fallen demon.
–
[The Royal Chamber]
Mere meters before the Quandary Gate, Emilio found himself unable to get close to it as the King of Spades now fought with a new focus–the slash on the bleached guardian's skin seemed to increase his ferocity in battle.
"Explode!"
The visceral command echoed from the lips of the King of Spades, causing an eruption of volatile reactions that blew up each tile before him, extending towards the Dragonheart.
Emilio leapt up to one of the pillars, flipping over before any of the explosions could reach him, though not able to relax for a single second as another power word came:
"Skewer!"
A dozen ethereal spears manifested from every angle around the Dragonheart while he was still in mid-air, surrounding him before jabbing forth to stab him.
"--!" Emilio reacted, darting his eyes around.
An enchantment of wind was used along his sword, allowing him to replicate its swing in a spherical range, repelling the spears before they could pierce his flesh. He immediately was forced to propel across the room as the King of Spades didn't let up for a moment.
Words forged ethereal blades that shot towards him from every angle, constantly keeping the Dragonheart on his toes as he propelled himself around with azure flames, using both aerial movement and rapid steps on the ground.
'He's fighting aggressively now–I'll just need to serve him a powerful attack to make him back off for a second!' He thought.
When it came to "powerful attacks", there were few who could match the destructive output of the Dragonheart as he quickly gathered seering, blue embers around himself while dodging the continued projectiles.
With a single swipe of his hand, he turned the ground before him into a playground of materials for his woven magecraft; the shattered marble was shaped into a gargantuan, dragon-shaped golem with wings sprouting and claws slamming down.
"A dragon…?" The King of Spades remarked, witnessing the birth of the colossal golem.
'A combination of nature, wind, and fire. Go forth!' He thought.
[Dragonheart: Mountain Soarer, Second Coming!]
It was reinforced enough to act as a temporary barrier between himself and the incoming projectiles that came from the command of "Pierce!" from the King of Spades; the great beast of marble moved with a burning flame inside of it and wind guiding its limbs.
As he sent it forward, the lumbering beast of quartz flapped its dense wings with a brutal air, slamming its claws down with each step as it brushed off the continuous strikes from the guardian.
"Blast away!" The King of Spades ordered.
A magnificent wind tore forth from the man's lips, carving forward before pushing directly against the great golem that rushed through the chamber. The violent vibrations pulled against the bestial golem's form.
Even still, the sturdy dragon of marble continued forth, forcing the King of Spades to enact a defensive word at the sight of the resilient golem.
"None shall pass!" The bleach-skinned royal commanded.
In front of the King of Spades, an invisible barrier manifested between himself and the other half of the chamber, creating a completely impervious wall that separated himself from the others. This was the best case scenario for Emilio, who needed but a few moments to prepare his next phase of the battle:
"...Alright, while that keeps him busy–c'mon and give me some help, Soulbound Spirit!" Emilio invoked.
The seal etched onto the palm of his hand glowed before giving shape to one of the six, random spirits contracted to him. It formed quickly before him: a short figure that he quickly recognized–not sure if he had struck gold or fumbled completely.
It was the young-looking girl with platinum pigtails and silver irises in an "X" shape, wearing a black, flared dress with her arms crossed and an annoyed expression already worn on her face.
"You're…Hextrice, right?" He recalled.
The shortstack spirit didn't answer for a moment before sighing, "What a hopeless master you are. I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever call upon my superior strength."
"Superior strength?...Well, if you've got something like that, now's the time! Be careful though, the enemy can–" He began to say.
Hextrice cut him off, standing in front of him, "I already know. We're always watching over you. He can use words to warp reality around him–so far, the limits seem to be tied to time and the potency of the effects."
"Wait, you know all of that–?" Emilio asked.
"Hmph," Hextrice neglected to respond.
For better or worse, this was the spirit he was going to have to fight alongside, though he was impressed by her quick inclination to read the battlefield. He solidified his black-scale armor, standing beside the platinum-haired girl.
"I'll lead the way, just back me up," he said.
"Taking orders is annoying, I must say–but fine. Lead the way, Master," Hextrice said, looking up at him briefly.
All that was left was for him to dash in just as the unseen barrier vanished between the King of Spades and the draconic golem, leading Emilio to guide it forward with an internal ignition within it:
'Detonate!' He thought.
It was just as the golem got within range of the bleach-skinned guardian that he activated the dormant fire within it, allowing it to explode just as the King of Spades seemed to notice the increase in temperature.
"Extin–" The King of Spades began to say, but changed his command, "Contain!"
'He realized it,' he thought.
Instead of opting to extinguish the flame, the powerful guardian instead summoned a condensing force that swallowed the shattered golem along with the explosion within it, siphoning it away completely.
Still, this left an opening for the Dragonheart, who immediately closed in with a [Draconic Might] to propel him a dozen meters in a millisecond.
"Fl–!"
As a command tried to leave the mouth of the King of Spades, an ethereal chain made of flowery steel wrapped around the figure's mouth, preventing him from speaking.
Emilio glanced back, noticing that the platinum-haired, high-strung spirit was holding her hand up, commanding the chains from a distance.
'Nice one, Hextrice!' He thought.
While the man was bound, he went for a spinning strike meant to cleave straight through his midsection, only for the King of Spades to clash against his sword with his magnificent halberd. The somewhat thin, but tall guardian flexed his body as black veins pressed against his pale skin, spurring on a burst of strength that held the Dragonheart's sword at bay.
[Draconic Might!]
Another amplification of strength allowed him to overpower the man's halberd, though not before the King of Spades used his free hand to grab the flowery chains and pull them from his mouth.
"Master, he's–!" Hextrice tried to warn.
It was a repulsive, but frightening move; the King of Spades did not bat an eyelid as he tore the spiked chains from his mouth, ripping away his own lips and the skin around his mouth to do so.
"Blast away!"
"--!"
Before the edge of Emilio's sword could reach the man's pale skin, the scream manifested itself into a turbulent force that exploded against him with a thunderous impact, knocking him across the chamber.
"Ngh!" Emilio winced.
Before he could slam against the far wall, he was caught in a web of surprisingly soft chains, which sprouted astral flowers that softened the landing.
"Thanks, Hextrice!" He called out, picking himself up.
"Just be more careful!" Hextrice yelled out.
The platinum-haired girl waved her hand, causing her chains to whip forth as they were used as a launchpad for the Dragonheart, who was flung straight towards the King of Spades.
'I need to take his breathing away–I only have a small window to do it, but I need to make it count!' He thought.
As he approached through the air, astral flowers of violet pedals manifested around the King of Spades, unleashing thorny vines that attempted to entangle the figure.
"Burn away," the guardian ordered.
Before the flowers could accomplish much of anything, they were reduced to cinder from unseen flames, though it was merely a distraction for the Devilheart to get close. This time, he invoked lines of water that extended outward, shooting towards and around the King of Spades, who watched the aquatic ropes cautiously.
"--Another distraction. I won't be fooled again–Fall!" The King of Spades ordered.
Before Emilio could come within striking distance of the man, he was pinned down by the intangible force once more, slammed into the ground harshly as the impossible weight laid on his back.
"Ngh…!" He winced.
"Master!" Hextrice called out.
The King of Spades' eyes moved over to where the platinum-haired spirit was, across the chamber as he pointed his halberd to her, "I will deal with you first, little witch."
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