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King Thornoe clenched his fists in frustration. “Oh great, we let them get away,” he growled, the tension in his voice evident. His gaze hardened as he turned to face the remaining threat. “We’ll deal with them later. For now, let’s handle The Eclipse Sovereignty. Thornforge Mantle!”
The ground beneath King Thornoe cracked as he planted a seed with his energy. Thorned vines erupted from the earth, weaving themselves into a living armor that enveloped his body. The mantle of sharp, dynamic thorns pulsed with power, shifting seamlessly between offense and defense as needed.
Vesper sneered at the display. “Such pesky insects,” he said coldly. “Very well. Planetary Shroud.”
Darkness consumed the battlefield as an immense shroud spread over the entire area, blanketing it in eternal night. The lightless void was overwhelming, but just as quickly as it came, the darkness was lifted, revealing nothing but empty space where Vesper, Kaelus, Zareth, and Selene once stood.
“They’ve disappeared,” King Ragnarok noted, his sharp gaze scanning the area. “I can’t sense their auras.”
King Thornoe frowned, the thorns of his mantle retracting as he deactivated the ability. “What about Malakar?”
King Ragnarok closed his eyes briefly, his senses honing in. “I can still feel his aura. But the other one—the one fighting him—it’s gone.”
“Let’s move,” Thornoe commanded. “We need to get to him quickly!”
Queen Mirano stepped forward. “Everyone, group up.” As the others gathered around her, she summoned her Refraction Nexus. Five intricate mirrors materialized in midair, their reflective surfaces glowing faintly as they linked together. With a flash of light, the rulers vanished and reappeared directly in front of Malakar.
Malakar lay on the ground, his aura flickering weakly. His once-imposing form was now battered, his breathing labored. King Thornoe wasted no time, his voice dripping with disdain. “How pitiful. You lie here defeated while your group—”
Before he could finish his sentence, a blazing fist slammed into his chest, sending him crashing to the ground. The air filled with the acrid smell of burning flesh as molten thorns dripped from his shattered armor. Standing above him was Seraphina, her hand wreathed in Hellfire, her eyes glowing with lethal intent.
Seraphina laughed, her voice cold and unyielding. “What’s pitiful is that you couldn’t detect my power, even though it’s greater than Malakar’s!” She soared into the air, her Hellfire blazing brighter. “Phantom Reality!”
The sky warped as Seraphina’s power bent the fabric of existence itself. The battlefield twisted, gravity intensified, and the rulers found themselves slammed into the ground under a crushing 100 g’s of force. Their bodies were pinned, the relentless weight pressing them deeper and deeper into The Land of Spade.
Queen Nogia reacted swiftly. Her Omniframe Deployment activated, wrapping her in a combat suit that shimmered with defensive energy. Switching to Defensive Mode, her armor absorbed the pressure pressing against her. Gritting her teeth, she summoned her Nanite Swarm Protocol. The swarm of adaptive nanites buzzed through the air, breaking the grip of the force on the other rulers.
King Ragnarok didn’t hesitate, beginning his Eternal Beast Pact. Totems materialized in front of him, glowing with elemental energy. With a low chant, he summoned three spirits: the Flame Wolf, the Thunder Hawk, and the Frost Bear. Each one roared to life, their presence filling the battlefield with elemental fury as they charged at Seraphina.
Seraphina smirked, her movements swift and precise. She weaved between their attacks, her fists glowing with Hellfire. As the Flame Wolf lunged, she punched through its fiery form, scattering embers. The Thunder Hawk’s talons barely missed her as she twisted midair, countering with an inferno that scorched its feathers. The Frost Bear tried to encase her in ice, but her flames melted its attacks before they could touch her.
While Seraphina engaged the spirits, King Nano began his Chrono-Weave. His grimoire glowed as he inscribed a spell in blood, the air around him crackling with temporal energy. With a final flourish, he froze Seraphina in time, halting her movements.
“Now!” Nano shouted.
The animal spirits pounced, their combined attacks landing on the frozen Seraphina. But as they struck, her form shimmered and dispersed. It was a doppelgänger—one of her creations from Phantom Duality.
King Thornoe, still recovering from Seraphina’s earlier attack, rose to his feet, his chest heaving. “What a tricky individual,” he muttered, wiping blood from his lip.
Above them, Seraphina hovered in the air, her aura flaring with unrestrained power. “Let me end this now,” she declared, her voice resonating like a death knell. She raised her hands, her flames roaring to life. “Hellfire... Cataclysm!”
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