"The Void!"
A black hole opened right behind Morgath's purple wings. The darkness swallowed her black hair and violet eyes. Xers, Gein, and the other seven people immediately began to flee.
"Gein, run!"
"Xers, we still don't know the full extent of this woman's potential, so don't get too close! Let's analyze her abilities first."
Xers and Gein retreated, launching long-range attacks at Morgath from afar.
"Blue!"
A blue shuriken materialized in the air, piercing through everything in its path. But Morgath absorbed the blue shuriken into her own energy.
"I-IMPOSSIBLE! SHE BYPASSED MY COLOR TECHNIQUE!"
"Then I'll rush in! Gome—"
"NO! If she absorbs your Gomerai, we're finished! Wait until Dragon's Destruction! I'll keep attacking from a distance."
"Then what am I supposed to do?!"
"Handle those bugs behind us! RED!"
A red orb appeared in the air and targeted Morgath before exploding. But just as it detonated, the black hole sucked the explosion's force in completely.
"She's too strong! None of my abilities work on her!"
Xers, meanwhile, struggled against the swarm of insects.
"Hah! (Sword slashes) GQ #41!"
Even though Xers cut down the insects one after another, the swarm never ended.
"These insects won't stop! And I still haven't built up enough tempo to use Dragon's Destruction! I should keep fighting the swarm a bit longer and gain more Spiritual Pressure"
Xers continued slicing through the insects. Meanwhile, Gein kept firing long-range attacks.
"None of my abilities are hitting her! But with this new tactic, at least one of them will land! Red, Blue, Green!"
A red orb, a green orb, and a blue shuriken materialized.The red orb targeted Morgath and exploded.The green orb rained acid onto her.The blue shuriken shredded the air, flying straight toward her.
Morgath's black hole absorbed the red and blue attacks—but failed to absorb the green one. Acid splashed across her body.
"AHHH! H-HOW?! MY BLACK HOLE COULDN'T ABSORB IT?!"
"If I close it, reopening it will take too long… Tch, I'll keep it active. At least it generates its own energy, so it doesn't drain my stamina. Come, Gein! Sword to sword!"
Morgath drew her violet blade. Gein unsheathed his blue sword. The two clashed in close combat. Morgath held the advantage—her black hole still spun behind her.
"You disgusting woman! You won't escape this!"
"Hah! I killed my own family for the sake of change—do you think I fear you?!"
Morgath's blade sliced the air with terrifying force.
"That's enough! RED!"
A red orb appeared and aimed at Morgath.
"Haaaaah! Cut it!"
Morgath sliced the red attack cleanly in half.
"S-SHE CUT MY ABILITY?!"
She spun her blade and slammed the sword's hilt into Gein's stomach.
"Ahh!"
She followed up with three brutal kicks to his face, sending him tumbling across the ground.
"AHHHHHH!"
Meanwhile, Xers was still fighting the endless swarm.
"Hah! SOAH! Just a little longer until my ability is ready."
He cut down two more insects.
"Finally! Morgath! I'm coming for you!"
Far away, Morgath noticed Xers charging in and retreated closer to her black hole.
"So this is the man they say is overwhelmingly strong… If I swallow his dragon, I might actually gain something!"
"Where is this woman running off to now?! Gein! Where are you?!"
Xers chased after Morgath.
"I see her—between the trees! Don't run, Morgath!"
Morgath led Xers straight into a trap, bringing him within twenty meters of the black hole.
"W-WHAT?! I'M GETTING PULLED IN! WE'RE SCREWED! SHE OPENED IT LONG AGO! I HAVE TO SUMMON GOMERAI! GOME—"
"CHROMA!"
Gein's massive Chroma attack erased everything within a twenty-meter radius—trees, ground, everything.The Chroma shot directly into the black hole. The black hole swallowed it, but struggled violently.
Then the Chroma exploded inside the black hole, sending both Xers and Morgath flying.
"AHH!"
"Didn't I tell you not to summon Gomerai?! I'm still in control here."
"How long will this continue, Gein?! We need a solution!"
"I know, Xers! We have to separate Morgath from her black hole! I already told some members of our group—they're ready to sacrifice themselves to push her away!"
Two sorcerers rushed in from behind Morgath and delivered a devastating kick, sending her flying several meters.But both mages were sucked into the black hole in the process.
"I'm proud of you… my clan."
"Now, Gein! Attack!"
"Alright—but we still don't know how strong your Gomerai's release actually is!"
Xers and Gein rushed Morgath. She drew her blade and clashed against them both.
Their blades struck so fast that the forest echoed with their impact.
"Xers! I'll test another ability—if the black hole can't absorb this, then it can't absorb your Gomerai either! Red!"
A red orb appeared and detonated against Morgath.
"AHH!"
The explosion wounded her and sent her flying.
"You can use it now, Xers!"
"Good. Move back—I'll use a technique I haven't shown yet. Gomerai! Dragon's Truth!"
Gomerai burst from underground, generating a tetracube in the air.It unfolded into a massive box, trapping both Morgath and Gein inside.
Gein froze in shock.
"T-THIS CAME OUT OF GOMERAI?!"
Inside the glowing purple box, atoms accelerated at unimaginable speeds.Xers' movements became blindingly fast.
"X-XERS! THIS MAN IS TOO DANGEROUS! I, MORGATH, WILL NOT FALL HERE! THE VOID! RADIUS—100 METERS!"
The black hole expanded from ten meters to a monstrous hundred-meter radius.
Its pull intensified.Dragon's Truth shattered. The cube exploded into fragments.
"W-WHAT?! IMPOSSIBLE! G-GOMERAI! NO—IT'S GETTING PULLED IN! I HAVE TO RETRACT IT!"
No matter how hard Xers tried, he couldn't pull Gomerai back.He prepared his strongest technique.
"If I can't retract Gomerai, then at least… DRAGON'S DESTRUCTION!"
Gomerai barely managed to reach Xers' side and lifted him upward.
Spiritual Pressure erupted from Xers' body as he spoke the forbidden word—
"BLAZE!"
Gomerai unleashed heavenly flames upon Morgath.But the black hole devoured the attack instantly.
Even Gein was stunned.
"I-IT ATE IT?! It swallowed Xers' Dragon's Destruction? W-We're doomed!"
Xers' eyes widened in terror as he screamed.
"N-NO! THIS CAN'T BE THE END! I CAME THIS FAR!"
Xers, Gomerai, and Gein were dragged toward the black hole.
"I, MORGATH, HAVE DEFEATED YOU! I WILL CONQUER AND RECREATE THE WORLD!"
At that moment, a figure descended from the sky.
"We finally meet…"
It was Hanken.
"H-HANKEN?!"
"W-WHO IS THIS GUY?!"
"I've been trying to catch up to you for five days. I woke from my coma and fought a demon. My mask and powers finally awakened. With the commander's permission, I rushed straight to the Legion continent. I knew this place would be crawling with life—but it seems Morgath has ended everything. And I see Xers has a new ally. Now it's three."
"A-AND WHO THE HELL ARE YOU, YOU FREAK?!"
"COME AND FIND OUT! CHRONOSIS!"
Hanken activated his new power, stopping the vibration of every atom around him.Time froze for him alone.
"Yes… this is my power. I can only stop time for three seconds. Every movement I make costs one second. Meaning—I have three moves."
Hanken took a single step toward Morgath.
"Two seconds left."
He unsheathed his scythe and slashed the black hole.
"One second left."
His final move—he thrust the scythe straight through Morgath.
"Time will resume."
The atoms began vibrating again.Time restarted.
The black hole shattered instantly.Blood poured from Morgath's stomach.
"W-WHAT IS THIS POWER?! I—I AM MORGATH! I CAN'T DIE HERE! I WAS GOING TO CHANGE EVERYTHING! FOR A BETTER WORLD—!"
Morgath collapsed and died.
"Hanken! We're grateful—you came just in time!"
"I tried to get here as fast as I could, my friend. Any later… and I might've died too."
"L-Let's collect the corpse of this filth. I'll introduce you to Gein as well."
"Gladly."