Following the Black Shadow, Lumine swiftly arrived in a vast, open space.
Cliffs and massive boulders dominated the landscape, their jagged formations resembling interlocked canine teeth. A long bridge constructed of stone blocks stretched into the distance, where the Black Shadow was rapidly advancing.
"Halt!" Lumine called out.
She continued her pursuit, navigating through a barrage of falling rocks, Abyss-triggered landmines, and pitch-black portals that materialized from nowhere, continuously spewing Abyss Energy toward her.
Lumine's longsword blurred into a whirlwind of afterimages, yet her speed remained undiminished despite the relentless onslaught.
Boom!
A massive boulder crashed down from above. With a mighty swing, Lumine cleaved it in two.
Behind her, Mavuika and Aether caught up. Abandoning their attempts to restrain her, they accelerated their pace, preparing to fight alongside Lumine against the Abyss.
The arrival of Mavuika and Aether seemed to provoke the Abyss, intensifying its attacks with greater frequency and power.
Mavuika left Angie in a safe area while she and Aether split up, evading the Abyss Energy while destroying the Abyss Gates.
Ahead, Lumine had nearly caught up to the Black Shadow, witnessing it plunge into a massive vortex. As the figure entered the vortex, its energy fluctuations intensified dramatically, increasing both the frequency and power of its attacks.
Lumine sensed the extraordinary power of the Abyss Energy surging from the vortex. Instead of confronting it directly, she nimbly evaded the attacks high in the air.
Mavuika caught up just then, facing the Abyss Energy head-on. She hurled her Claymore straight into the vortex. The spinning blade sliced through the Abyss's assault, creating an opening.
Closing the distance swiftly, Mavuika channeled flames into her right fist and unleashed a devastating punch at the Abyss!
Simultaneously, Lumine unleashed a massive sword beam, its peerless sharpness cleaving through the air.
BOOM—!
Both attacks struck the vortex almost simultaneously, the resulting backlash sending Lumine and Mavuika staggering back dozens of meters.
The vortex shuddered violently under the combined assault, and a deep, resonant voice boomed from within:
"Since you crave Death so desperately, submit to its true form!"
A massive purple orb enveloped the vortex. From within, violet-black beams of energy surged outward, relentlessly tearing through the sphere.
As the number of beams multiplied, the orb rapidly destabilized, erupting in a cataclysmic explosion!
From the shattered remains emerged a colossal monster: horned, bipedal, with a serpentine tail, its body encased in dark purple chitinous armor. A pair of massive wings spread from its back, and its right hand gripped a colossal blade.
Lumine's eyes were bloodshot, her gaze fixed on Gosoythoth burning with fury!
It's him! That's the one!
Though the greatsword had grown massively, its shape closely resembled the one wielded by the Black Shadow. And since that shadow had merged back into the vortex... they were one and the same!
"I'll make you pay with your life... for Fidelle!!!"
Lumine floated in the air, daringly launching the first attack against Gosoythoth.
"Lumine!"
Aether, standing on the platform below, charged toward Gosoythoth as well.
Lumine transformed into a golden meteor, recklessly hurtling toward Gosoythoth. The Unrelenting Will's multicolored radiance erupted with unprecedented intensity, coalescing into a colossal sword aura that tore through space and crashed down with devastating force!
"The fury of a mere insect," Gosoythoth scoffed, his voice rumbling like thunder. He didn't even move, simply raising his left hand, clad in purplish-black armor, and spreading his fingers—astonishingly catching the sword aura capable of splitting mountains in his bare hand!
Crack!
A fissure appeared on Gosoythoth's left claw, but it healed almost instantly. The sword aura, however, shattered into fragments from the impact.
Gosoythoth swung his right-hand greatsword at Lumine with blinding speed. She barely had time to raise her own blade in defense.
Clang!
A terrifying backlash surged through the sword, sending searing pain up Lumine's arms and splitting the skin at her grip.
Blood instantly stained the hilt of the Unrelenting Will crimson. Lumine was hurled backward like a kite with a severed string, spitting out a mouthful of blood mid-air.
Almost simultaneously with Lumine's violent ejection, Mavuika's figure materialized behind Gosoythoth.
Her right fist pulsed with the concentrated essence of the Natlan Sacred Fire, resembling a crimson energy core compressed to its absolute limit. The surrounding space warped from the extreme heat.
Mavuika's fist slammed into the relatively vulnerable joint between Gosoythoth's wing and body.
Gosoythoth's wings shuddered violently, unleashing a shockwave infused with Abyss Energy.
Mavuika's fiery strike collided head-on with the shockwave, erupting in an earth-shattering explosion!
Shockingly, her flames were instantly devoured by the encroaching darkness and annihilated.
The shockwave's remaining force slammed into Mavuika, shattering her protective fire shield. She crashed into the platform below like a meteorite, leaving a deep crater shrouded in smoke and dust.
"Sister!"
Aether materialized above Gosoythoth like a phantom, gripping his sword hilt with both hands. He plunged downward with all his might—his ultimate strike!
Gosoythoth's greatsword seemed to predict the trajectory of cause and effect, sweeping upward in a counterattack.
Clang!
The ear-splitting clash of metal sent Aether's longsword flying, lodging itself in the platform below.
The greatsword's blade mercilessly slashed across Aether's chest, erupting in a blinding spray of blood.
Aether froze mid-air, his eyes glazing over for a split second, before he plummeted helplessly like a bird with broken wings.
"Brother—!!!"
Lumine watched helplessly as Aether was critically wounded and fell. She struggled to rush to his side, but her own injuries forced her to her knees again. She could only prop herself up with her sword, blood spilling from her mouth with each ragged breath.
In the span of a few breaths, Gosoythoth had utterly crushed the combined assault of three top-tier combatants with overwhelming dominance.
Gosoythoth hovered in the air, his massive wings slowly flapping, radiating a despair-inducing pressure. His icy gaze swept over the incapacitated trio below, as if surveying lambs awaiting slaughter.
At this critical moment, Lumine's Ancient Name, Tumaini, slowly levitated into the air, channeling energy to heal her wounds.
Mavuika also forced herself to stand, her right hand plunging downward. The searing heat instantly melted the platform beneath her.
Plunging her hand into the molten lava, Mavuika retrieved a massive Claymore!
As if infused with renewed vitality, Mavuika gripped the Claymore and charged directly toward Gosoythoth in the sky.
Recovering slightly, Lumine immediately raced to where Aether had fallen. Confirming he was still alive, she breathed a sigh of relief and surged forward once more to confront Gosoythoth.
-
In the distance, Angie opened her eyes, emerging from her meditative state. Fidelle had demonstrated how to use that pink energy earlier, and Angie had now nearly mastered it.
As fellow Pure Souls, Angie's soul density was even higher than Fidelle's!
At that moment, Angie faintly understood why that mysterious force had guided her and Fidelle here together...