Phantylia's body, the magnificent towering form she wore was in fact nothing more than an Ambrosial Arbor fruit forced into premature bloom.
A fruit that should have ripened only after the Arbor gathered all its power… yet she had seized that power early, reshaping it into flesh with brute divine force.
That was why she could stand her ground against the combined assault of X and the Lightning-Lord. The Arbor was feeding her, pouring its entire vitality into the fruit that was "Phantylia".
But now—
X had donned the Cyber Ebon Deer Armor.
And through it he wielded an even purer, more domineering surge of Abundance… violently wrenching the Ambrosial Arbor's authority away from her.
"You—an Emanator of two Paths… what are you!?"
Phantylia took a steps back and retreated. Her steps are slow and deliberate, her massive body beginning to quietly move away from Ultraman X.
Her flame-woven body drifting backward.
She now understands. If she stayed close to him, she would only lose more of the Arbor's support. The very power she relied on to recover and support her.
He was stealing it by the heartbeat.
No wonder this guy wasn't afraid to trade blows with her when they fought earlier.
It's turns out he just like her, he could regenerate through Abundance.
But no… he was way worse.
Someone in this universe had actually walked both Preservation and Abundance, and received blessings from both Aeons...
Why such a person is unknown throughout the universe?
How absurd.
Seeing that Phantylia no longer intended to engage in close combat, X rushed towards her.
The Cyber Ebon Deer Armor weapons were close-range antler-blades, this battle could only be settled in melee combat.
The ground shook as the two giants clashed once more, their colossal silhouettes crashing together as the battlefield tremors.
Phantylia fought while retreating… but in a place like Scalegorge Waterscape, where could she run?
Besides, behind her stood the Ambrosial Arbor root-core itself.
X fist lunged toward her and unhesitatingly tried to slash her face. A bolt of lightning flashed before the antler-blades crackling with lightning.
Yes, The Cyber Ebon Deer Armor was not merely powerful regenerative abilities and armor.
It granted Ultraman X the thunderous dominion of the Abundant Ebon Deer itself.
Phantylia reacted swiftly. She swatted X wrist aside with one palm, while her other hand slipped under his gauntlet to redirect him. The moment she touched him, she attempted to throw his massive body off stance.
But...
she hadn't accounted for the battlefield itself.
Here, before the Arbor's very roots…
X had already stolen enough of its authority to influence them.
A vine snapped up from below, coiling around Phantylia's ankle and rooting her in place.
"What—!?"
Her eyes widened.
The slash she had just neutralized suddenly arced, X bending his elbow mid-motion and strike straight into her cheek like a thunderclap.
Her head desperately snapped sideways, her massive form unable to pull back with the vine binding her down.
Then came the storm.
X unleashed a barrage of slash raining down like a merciless tempest.
The Arbor desperately flooded Phantylia with healing light… but the flow weakened, thinning further with every heartbeat.
More vines wrapped around her limbs, stripping away mobility—stripping away control.
The Arbor…was being taken from her.
Phantylia crossed her arms, forced into pure defense. But she wasn't stupid. If this dragged on, she wouldn't even be able to regenerate.
Two Paths, two Aeon blessings, and now the Arbor itself turned against her.
She simply couldn't win!
Must I… abandon this vessel?
Another brutal wave of slash, punches, and kicks from X forced her guard up high. She gritted her teeth, lightning shining along his antler-blades.
She prepared to abandon this physical form...
When suddenly X sensing a danger and rolled away from Phantylia.
A split second later—The ground where had been standing exploded.
In the dust-filled winds, a voice rang out—clear, sharp, arrogant.
"How pathetic, Phantylia."
Several arcs of destructive light cleaving the vines restraining her.
Phantylia staggered free, breathing hard.
She knew that voice, it was familiar to her.
"Cele…nova…"
Indeed, The Lord Ravager most frequently dispatched by Lord Nanook himself.
Where she walked, Nanook's will manifested in full.
If Celenova was here… then Nanook's gaze had now fallen upon the Luofu.
A towering figure emerged from the dust, hefting a knight-lance longer than a Cloud Knight warship. A proud, domineering smirk adorned her face.
As Nanook chosen Lord Ravager, Celenova worshiped a simple principle.
Crush all before you and conquered it with overwhelming might.
Her concept of Destruction is vastly different from Phantylia… in fact, the two were nearly opposites.
But even so, between Lord Ravagers of the same Aeon, extending a hand in battle was nothing unusual.
"Celenova, the Destruction Aeon frontline general…!"
Not far from the battlefield, General Jing Yuan Lightning-Lord turned, divine lightning rising sharply. His expression hardened.
Unlike Phantylia whose name they had just learned, Celenova was infamous.
The Luofu, Yaoqing, Zhuming, and Fanghu had all crossed blades with her Legion before.
Many times, she had tried to annihilate their fleets… but Cloud Knights and their generals had fought her back each time.
The vanguard or known more as frontline general of the Destruction Aeon, Celenova is one of the few Lord Ravager whose whereabouts can be traced in the universe. Jing Yuan clearly remembers that Celenova Antimatter Legion wasn't even in this star system!
A Lord Ravager arriving alone—and assisting another?
The Luofu fate might truly be hanging by a thread.
But Jing Yuan's eyes sharpened.
Even if another Lord Ravager had descended, he was not without strength.
The Lightning-Lord raised its thunderous halberd and struck.
Lightning split the sky as the halberd crashed toward Celenova.
Her laughter boomed across the battlefield.
She met the strike with her lance, force against force, shockwaves scattering clouds into mist. The clash created waves of energy.
One twist of her wrist—The halberd was deflected.
She eyed Jing Yuan… then X… then the entire battlefield.
"Well, well, well."
Her smirk widened.
"Two Emanators… one Luofu General… and one stranger I've never seen before."
Celenova glanced at Phantylia and couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Phantylia, you certainly picked a lively place for your rebirth!"