268. Disciples of Aries

  The sharp clash of steel on steel became the orchestra of battle. Scorch marks and shattered stone littered the terrain, visible even from the aerial view of the approaching cruiser. Not far from the raging conflict, the Armatus lay like a pile of discarded rubbish, while a crimson moon hung beyond like a nightmarish omen.

  The tower was devoid of light, but time had been bought at the cost of one man’s desperate endeavour.

  “Look! Zetius is engaging Ignius!” Aurelia exclaimed, her breath short and hitched with worry. Her ember eyes remained fixed on the window as the cruiser initiated its landing protocol.

  Willhelm watched as Zetius parried a heavy strike and riposted. Ignius, the Celestius of Aries, was forced into a momentary retreat. “He’s holding his own!” he remarked.

  But one mistake was all it took. Zetius overextended his reach, and Ignius’s leg swept across his waist. The graze was minor, but the force hurled him spinning through the air.

  “Tsk! He should have waited for us.” Astrid steered the craft into a fierce dive. Friederich gripped his handle tight as the ground surged upward faster than he would have liked.

  “Let’s hurry!” Aurelia’s voice was a plea.

  “You’ve got it, Princess!” Astrid smirked, smiling with far too many teeth.

  “Careful! We’ll be there in a minute!” Friederich’s warning fell on deaf ears.

  The cruiser landed with a violent jolt, skidding several metres across the rocky ground. It came to a halt with a loud, ear-piercing screech; Astrid must have ground the belly of the vessel against the uneven surface.

  Smoke rose as the passenger hatch snapped open. The fight was only a quick jog to the north. The group shared a brief, determined nod before rushing to Zetius’s aid.

  In the corner of his eye, Ignius saw figures emerging from the darkness. “Hades’s hell!” he roared, exasperated, before surging forward toward Zetius.

  Zetius lunged, the distance between them vanishing in an instant.

  Ignius reached out and grabbed the lightning-charged blade. His gauntlets slid along the steel, the prickling pain of the current shooting up his arm. He grunted as adrenaline flushed his system. With a scream, he locked the blade against his ribs and wing.

  “What?!” Zetius struggled to yank his spatha back, but it wouldn't budge.

  A hand lashed out at him. Zetius ducked just in time as a splash of hellfire spat past, melting the stone behind him.

  Alternating the mana to his off-hand, Zetius chanted the duality: “Astrapyion-Empyrion!”

  The combined sphere of lightning and flame collided with Ignius’s helmet, sending the Celestius sprawling. Yet, even in the fall, he refused to let go of the blade.

  “You!” With a dent visible in his armour, Ignius jerked back and slammed his head into Zetius’s face like a wrecking ball.

  Zetius felt a flash of numbness followed by the metallic tang of blood in his nose and mouth. A sharp, burning pain radiated through his skull, and spots of fire danced in his vision.

  “Zetius!?” Cubie’s voice pulled him back to reality.

  He regained consciousness just as his thrusters carried him out of the enemy’s reach.

  “Argh! Hades!” He gasped, blinking rapidly to clear his sight. His blade was gone. He only had two summons left.

  Order finally emerged from the chaotic brawl.

  “TAKE THIS!” Astrid surged forward, her armour illuminated by dual buffs. She pivoted on her ankle, channelling sheer kinetic force into a devastating punch.

  Ignius palmed the strike, redirecting her momentum. A seemingly small push sent her spinning through the air.

  To Ignius’s left, Willhelm formed a triangle with his hands, a condensed ball of fire supercharging between them. “Empyrion!”

  The internal beam cleaved through the air. Ignius arched his shoulder, letting the flame slide off the curve of his armour.

  “You missed!” Ignius mocked, strutting toward Willhelm.

  A sudden explosion erupted behind the Celestius.

  “Did I?” the elven Lunarius grinned.

  The rogue Celestius snapped his head back. The tower shook, and a scorch mark dusted one of the massive pillars. “I’ll wipe that foolish grin off your face—”

  A flaming fist connected with his jaw. His head lulled to the side, a grunt escaping the dignified Celestius.

  Masterfully, Ignius used the momentum to roll and recover his stance. In his peripheral vision, he saw Aurelia’s kick flying toward him. He redirected it with his palm, only to be met by Astrid’s follow-up swing. He twisted with precision and grace; her glove merely ground against his shoulder, sending a shower of sparks into the air.

  “Weaklings!” Ignius gripped Astrid’s arm, his other hand seizing her cape.

  “Ugghh!” Astrid screamed, her face flushed red as she wrestled to break free.

  “Empyrion!” He boosted off the ground, shattering the stone underfoot. His knee flew upward, engulfed in elegant, predatory flames.

  A heavy thud rang out as Astrid’s frame bounced off his strike before falling back onto his knee. Ignius slammed his joint into her again, even as her fingers gripped his armour, refusing to let go.

  “Astrid!?” Zetius gasped, pushing through the haze of exhaustion. He summoned a new lightning blade and sped to her rescue.

  “You can have her.” Ignius hurled Astrid at Zetius. The two collided and entangled, spinning several times before sprawling across the dirt.

  Friederich, who had been stalking from behind, arched his Lampos at Ignius’s back. A fiery cloak erupted from the Celestius, forcing Friederich to retreat mid-swing.

  From the front, the Princess swept her leg at Ignius. He dodged, though his motions were becoming noticeably sluggish. Her attacks were a blinding haze as she followed up with a palm strike. He dodged again and countered with a wide swing of inferno. She backflipped away, the attack missing her by a hair’s breadth.

  “You little—” he muttered through clenched teeth, dashing forward with claws of fire.

  “Magnetos!” Aurelia conjured her defence.

  “Useless!” Ignius shattered the barrier. His claws were mere centimetres from her face.

  CLANK!

  Friederich’s Lampos-spatha deflected the attack. Ignius nearly lost his balance. Friederich’s glowing blue eyes held a piercing, contemptuous stare.

  Not letting the Celestius recover, Friederich performed a quick triple slash, his blade shattering like glass on impact. Ignius gained a moment’s breather, noticing Friederich’s gauntlet had cracked, leaking a rotten, ghastly white mist.

  Fearless, Friederich positioned himself between his Princess and their enemy.

  Ignius bared his teeth. “Empyrion-Dismember!” He pointed at them, but to his surprise, the destructive beam converged upward.

  Thousands of red, fiery butterflies circled the battlefield. Confused and dismayed, Ignius scanned the area in panic as the barrage of attacks appeared to cease.

  “Huh?” He glanced upward, a second too late.

  Willhelm had been gathering excess power while levitating. His long staff was raised, cradling a miniature sun that turned the night into day.

  “YOU CHEEKY—” Ignius launched himself upward.

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  “SOLAR FLARE!” Willhelm completed the conjuration.

  A blinding light flashed. The air ruptured with a massive explosion that rocked the entire mountain.

  “Phoros!” Friederich raised his hands, and Aurelia channelled mana into his back to reinforce the shield. Zetius and Astrid shielded their eyes, the burning sensation still tingling through their eyelids.

  A hot tempest of wind thrashed the area for several minutes before settling. A trail of smoke rose from a massive crater, where stone had melted inward from the intense radiation.

  Willhelm floated down, his boots touching the scorched ground.

  As the smoke cleared, it revealed Ignius’s armour kneeling at the centre, his hands raised in a cross-guard. His flame cloak had been snuffed out. Cracks webbed across every piece of his plate, and a white mist leaked from the gaps of armour.

  “Did we get him?” Willhelm studied the unmoving figure.

  “Come on,” Zetius said, offering a small smile to Astrid as he helped her to her feet.

  “Thanks, Zeta.” Astrid limped beside him, dragging her battered body toward the crater.

  “Zetius,” Aurelia joined them, with Friederich striding at her side. They exchanged a weary, victorious smile.

  The Disciples of Aries gathered at the edge of the pit. The smoke had thinned, revealing a hole nearly a hundred metres wide and half as deep.

  Then, the armour moved. Ignius rose to his feet.

  The disciples froze, weapons snapping back to the ready.

  “Funny how all of you have been under my tutelage at some point. Now, your souls shall suffer for eternity.” Ignius’s voice echoed as his cloak rekindled with a roar. “I never thought you’d push me this far.”

  A golden sceptre formed in his palm. He drew flame from the air and made it his own.

  “That’s my Phoenix Sceptre!” Willhelm exclaimed, his knuckles turning white as he gripped his staff. “Be careful, everyone!”

  “Seems like we’ll have to hit him harder,” Zetius said, falling into a tail stance, his blade arcing low.

  “Agreed!” Astrid activated her might and endurance buffs again, feeling the power surge through her aching muscles.

  Ignius extended his arms, palms facing the sky. “Children of fools. Allow me to herald your journey to the underworld.”

  White mist whirled around him, lifting him into the air like a majestic phoenix. “You will either succumb to your fate, or...”

  His golden visor glowed with an eerie light. “...I’ll make sure to seal it myself!”

  “Attack!” Willhelm commanded.

  Everyone unleashed every projectile they could muster. Zetius, Astrid, and Aurelia fired Empyrion blasts while Friederich released a barrage of light blades.

  “Phoros-Iasis!”

  Under the bombardment, Ignius’s barrier held. His carapace groaned as it mended itself into fine plate. The cracks fused back into solid pieces.

  Ignius became whole again at the cost of a significant amount of his mana. D’arcane clung to his skin, oozing into his surroundings. He was no longer holding anything back.

  “Now!” Ignius dismissed the barrier and instantly shot slivers of fire from his fingertips.

  The elven mage’s eyes bulged as he raised his staff to deflect them. The beams bent and slithered, seeking him out. Multiple explosions shattered their ranks, scattering the group in every direction. Utter mayhem.

  Dignified, Ignius touched the ground and strutted toward Willhelm, who lay prone on the floor. Blood soaked the elf's brown coat. His eyes were squeezed shut.

  “Still so noble...” Ignius mocked, lifting a palm for the execution.

  “IGNIUS!” Zetius screamed.

  His Astrapyion-spatha clashed against Ignius's gauntlet, forcing the man back. Ferociously, Zetius cleaved diagonally. Ignius raised a hand to guard, the air rupturing on impact. Zetius struck again and again, each hit sending a sharp jolt through his wrists. But this monster was unyielding; his power seemed bottomless.

  Astrid and Aurelia joined the fray, and the fight devolved into a haze of chaotic violence. Flames flashed, and ruptures rang out incessantly. Astrid acted as the vanguard, while Aurelia and Zetius worked in harmony, executing hit-and-run manoeuvres.

  In the distance, Friederich cast Iasis on his mangled shoulder. The excruciating pain faded into a dull numbness. His eyes darted to the brawl, seeing his friends occupied with Ignius.

  “Hang on, everyone,” he whispered. He glanced back at the towering pillars.

  His off-hand clenched the throat of Kagayaki-no-saya. He focused his intent on the outline of the katana. Intricate details wove themselves into a solid form. The hilt materialised, and his hand wrapped tightly around it.

  The ravening beast within the blade awakened as he meticulously controlled his breathing, drawing the steel with an elegant motion. A blue light illuminated his pale face. His limbs quivered from the effort of containing the force.

  With a sharp exhale, he raised the blade overhead. The white tiger roared in protest, trying to sway the blade away.

  “Come on, Byakko!”

  He needed the Shōmen-uchi to unleash the maximum output and reduce that ugly architecture to dust. The stakes were astronomical. He checked on Ignius; the Celestius was distracted, slamming Astrid into the ground like a ragdoll while Zetius and Aurelia rushed in.

  Friederich didn't know if he would get another chance.

  “Focus!” he chided himself. His boots dug into the dirt, his muscles flexing. His breath fell into perfect sync. The blade slowly reached its zenith.

  In the midst of the battle, Zetius raised his arm. “Phoros!”

  His barrier momentarily encircled Aurelia just before Ignius’s fist shattered against it in a million sparks of light. Another fist arched toward her, merciless.

  “Nnngh!” Zetius zipped through the air, catching Aurelia. His palm cradled her neck as they both tumbled through the dirt.

  Zetius cushioned her fall. “You okay?”

  “Yeah—but what took him so long!?” Aurelia groaned, her tarnished tunic clinging to her with dirt and sweat.

  “Who?” Ignius’s expression darkened. He felt a surge of mana concentrating to the south. He squinted, realising Friederich was the source, and bolted.

  “DAWNBREAK!” Friederich shouted, striking downward.

  The legendary beast Byakko was unleashed, accelerating toward the towers.

  Ignius lunged at the beast, wrestling the monstrosity in mid-air. With a roar of effort, he gained the upper hand and slammed the tiger’s head into the earth.

  “Impossible...” Friederich’s mumble was lost to the wind.

  The earth groaned in agony, and Ignius emerged from the dust, unstoppable. His steps were slow and deliberate.

  “Pity. You were barely holding the blade, let alone wielding it properly,” Ignius taunted. “You—”

  He paused as a haze of claws and fangs suddenly surrounded him. A massive explosion erupted, shattering the terrain. Boulders were hurled through the air, and snow cascaded from the peaks.

  But even that wasn't enough. Ignius stood invincible. D’arcane mist steamed from his pores. This time, his upper chest was entirely ripped from his casing. His skin was not that of an old man; his physique was chiselled and in its prime, as if he had reverted fifty years.

  “No...” Zetius winced. His knees were on the verge of giving out. He couldn't believe the man before him. The long, silky hair was navy blue, and his dragon-like eyes were more intense than ever. Not a single wrinkle remained on his dazzling visage.

  Ignius’s eyes locked onto his. “The chrysalis has been broken.” He inspected the arc necklace of Empusa on his chest with a narcissistic gaze, one hand still clutching the Phoenix Sceptre.

  Friederich could only manage a grunt as he deflated, the lost opportunity weighing heavy on him. Despite the exhaustion, he forced himself to rise once more.

  On the edge of the crater, Astrid crawled forward. With a grit of her teeth, she pushed herself upward. A trickle of blood threatened to enter her eyes, but she didn't bother wiping it away. Despite her wobbling steps, she stood tall like a true warrior.

  A maniacal laughter haunted the battlefield, eventually settling into a wheezing amusement. “Can’t you see the power of D’Arcane?” he demanded. “All of you, even together, are no match for me!”

  The air grew so dense it was nearly impossible to breathe.

  Ignius pointed a sharp finger at Zetius. “It is not just you who can be rebirthed.”

  Blindside, Willhelm launched a sneak attack with a fire beam. Ignius spun and faded away. The beam struck a distant mountain, followed by a chain of explosions.

  Willhelm tried again, closing the distance for a leg sweep despite his bloody, injured limbs.

  “Lunarius!” Zetius watched in horror as Ignius subdued him with ease, hurling the elven mage to the ground.

  The air was driven from Willhelm’s lungs. His frail arm waved in the air, attempting one last Empyrion blast, but—

  A boot hovered and then stomped into Willhelm’s chest with a sickening crunch. The sound echoed across the clearing.

  “NOOOO!” Aurelia shrieked, seeing the elf go limp. “You monster!” Tears streamed down her face.

  “Lunarius...” Zetius had to restrain himself from jumping into what was clearly a trap. His wrath surged, his skin feeling as though it were blistering.

  Ignius’s gaze fell on the powerless elf beneath his boot.

  “There is still a pathway for you,” he muttered, extending the Phoenix Sceptre and letting it roll from his palm onto Willhelm’s body.

  A tempest of wind conjured around Ignius. Black snakes of light spiralled erratically before converging on Willhelm. The elf was lifted into the air, his lifeless limbs succumbing to gravity.

  “That’s...” Zetius trailed off, realised it was a demonic manifestation, like the one he had seen at Karrak. Quickly, he used the brief window to cast a healing spell on his face and arm, prompting his comrades to do the same.

  “What should we do?” Aurelia’s desperate scream was lost in the wind.

  “I don’t know...” Zetius couldn't think. Perhaps it was time to attempt that. “Aurelia!” He caught her wrist. His gaze locked with hers as he whispered into her ear. She listened intently, giving a soft, determined nod.

  Ignius raised his hand. “Exalt!”

  Willhelm’s body snapped upright at an unnatural angle. Two long, rippled horns protruded from his skull. A howling scream burst from his lips. His sclera turned midnight black, and his irises glowed an ominous red. His skin became ashen and pale, his red veins gleaming under the light.

  His feet found the ground again. He inspected his palms and his prized possession — the Phoenix Sceptre — in awe. He had never felt so alive, so rejuvenated. Responsibility, glory, and morale were no longer etched in his mind; he was truly free. And it felt incredible.

  Willhelm looked at Zetius, Aurelia, Friederich, and Astrid. Their expressions were frozen in time, deep concern for the master who had now turned against them. They could barely win five-against-one; now, victory felt utterly hopeless.

  “What have you done to me?” he asked Ignius, surprised by his own voice — deep, rich, and altogether different.

  “I am extending an invitation.” Ignius wore a wicked smile. “Will you join my side? Together, we shall rule these livestock under the new crimson moon.”

  The proclamation sent a shiver down their spines.

  The D’arcane coursing through Willhelm was nothing but splendour. A smirk twitched at the corner of his lips.

  “Of course.”