Chapter 23: Battle in the ruins

Atlas clashed swords with Raven, a formidable opponent with both Purple Zeten and Neba. Unlike most foes, Raven had problematic abilities that made him nearly invincible.

His body could transform into a thick metal-like shield, a fusion of Neba and Zeten, rendering him incredibly tough to damage.

However, his most annoying ability was his power to multiply his body, creating clones that he could transfer himself into at will. As long as he had clones, Raven was undefeated.

Purple winds grew on Raven's back as he flew and attacked Atlas from different directions with his clones.

Atlas blocked the attacks and ran in various directions, trying to stay ahead of the onslaught. The fight in the center was especially challenging, as many different creatures roamed the area, and the old destroyed village offered only minimal cover.

Summoning his power, Atlas called forth flying birds with human faces from his purple portals.

Thousands of them chased Raven in the sky, causing explosions to erupt as they clashed with his clones. But Atlas didn't stop for a single second, knowing that another enemy was lurking nearby.

Nea, Raven's partner, wasn't as strong as him, possessing only an orange Zeten and yellow Neba.

However, her own ability was equally troublesome, she could become invisible. Atlas had to stay on constant alert, ready for her sneak attacks. He couldn't afford to stop moving, as any hesitation could mean his death.

Nely, Dune, and Elijah were sprinting through the forest when they heard Atlas voice.

Mindlink: Raven can transform his body into metal. His clones are tough to beat. Nea is invisible, but she's not as strong. Her Neba is yellow and her Zeten is orange.

Dune's response came swiftly through the link: Got it. We're on our way.

Elijah's keen eyes spotted the flashes of purple light and the explosions in the distance. "That must be where your buddy is!" he shouted over the noise of their rapid movement.

Nely nodded, her expression grim. "We have to hurry then.

Elijah, using his flying ability, lifted both Nely and Dune into the air. "Hold on tight!" he said with a grin. They soared above the trees, speeding toward the battle.

As they neared the center, Elijah's eyes glowed with a blue light, scanning the battlefield below.

"There he is, and I see his opponent. One with the purple wings gotta be Raven, and the girl Nea, she's the one turning invisible right? It seems like my eyes can't detect her.. this is a problem, i don't know whre she is."

Dune tightened his grip on his sword,

and called out to Nely, "Nely, give me the thread Atlas gave to you… the artifact."

Nely looked at Dune, then handed him the artifact. "Leave the invisible girl for me. You guys help Atlas. I'll be there soon too," he said, then ran off in a different direction.

"Be careful, Dune,"

Dune smiled. "Yeah, you too."

With that, Elijah and Nely continued approaching the center, but Dune had his own plans.

In the sky, Raven finally destroyed every ugly bird. Despite the birds' blood, which could burn skin and kill humans easily with explosions, Raven was unfazed.

Not a single wound marred his skin; his protective ability to shield himself was strong. Raven locked eyes with Atlas, who stood below him, staring back defiantly.

Raven was about to attack, but something crashed into him from above.

Elijah had arrived, clashing swords with Raven in the sky. Blue Zeten clashed against Purple. Atlas was surprised, but then he saw Nely approaching him.

"Where's D…?" Atlas started to ask, but Nely stopped him through the Mindlink. We're only two. Don't say anything about Dune. He said he would kill the invisible girl.

Atlas nodded, understanding the new plan.

Elijah laughed as he pressed the attack on Raven, their swords sparking with the power of their Zetens.

Raven looked at Elijah, surprised. This guy.. How is he fighting equally with me? he thought. Even though this guy has Blue Zeten, he's strong.

I have both Purple Zeten and Neba! Damn it, My father said it would be easy win and I could be blessed by the gods. My team was garbage too—Jake and Nate died to nobodies. And Nea... she's not helping at all. Weakness.. they disgust me.

Raven charged at Elijah, clashing with him in mid-air. They danced in the sky like birds fighting,

their Zeten slicing through the air. Raven's purple Zeten sliced the sky, but Elijah dodged and dashed forward, smiling. Suddenly, Raven appeared next to him, throwing a punch.

Elijah blocked with one hand, and in that moment, a blue sword formed in his other hand. He caught Raven's hand and swung the sword at Raven's head.

But Raven did something unexpected. He cut off his own hand to dodge Elijah's attack, then instantly formed a massive hammer in his remaining hand and punched Elijah with it.

Elijah was thrown below, crashing into several houses, causing a cloud of dust and a splash of purple Zeten aura.

But before Elijah fell, he managed to cut off Raven's wings, causing Raven to fall as well.

But Raven landed normally, unaffected by the 50-meter height. He regenerated hand from metal like object made from purple Zeten which then turned into normal hand. But the moment he landed, Atlas and Nely attacked together.

Atlas and Nely synchronized their strikes, their combined force aiming to overwhelm Raven.

Atlas's purple energy clashed with Raven's own, while Nely's orange Zeten flared with intensity.

Raven parried Atlas's sword strike with his metallic arm, the clang resonating through the battlefield. Nely, with her agile movements, darted in and out, delivering quick, precise attacks.

Dune sat perched on a tall tree, observing the battle from a safe distance. Below him, Atlas, and Nely fought fiercely against Raven.

As he watched the chaotic scene unfold, Dune's mind raced. If I were invisible, what would I do? No, What would Nea do? How would she attack?

Dune knew the answer all too well. He had lived his whole life relying on stealth and surprise.

Her only choice would be to strike when her opponent was at their weakest state. She'll attack when Atlas is out of Neba or tired. She won't target Nely; Nely is not as strong as Atlas and can be defeated without sneak attack. Atlas must be her priority.

Dune scanned every part of the battlefield, and then he saw it, a subtle anomaly. A few meters away from the main fight, the grass was moving strangely, as if something invisible was passing through it.

Dune smiled widely. "Got you," he whispered. He kept his eyes locked on the area, observing every slight movement. Nea might be invisible, but she couldn't hide her effect on the grass or ground beneath her.

Using the Mindlink artifact, Dune communicated with Atlas. Atlas, I've got Nea. I found her.

I need you to force Raven closer to the houses. I've set a few traps for Nea there. She'll probably try to attack you from behind.

Alright, Atlas replied through the Mindlink.

Elijah stood up, emerging from the rubble unscathed despite being buried in rocks. His long black hair remained perfect as always, not a single injury marring his body.

He coughed and brushed the dust from his shoulder, his eyes scanning the area for his hat. Finding it destroyed and burned, he muttered, "Fuck this," and threw it away.

Stepping out of the ruins, Elijah observed the battle unfolding hundreds of meters away. Atlas and Raven clashed with swords while Nely assisted by hurling fireballs.

As Elijah watched the fight for a moment, someone suddenly attacked him. Instinctively, he formed a sword in his hand and blocked the strike. Looking up, he saw a man with curly orange hair and golden eyes.

"Um, hello?" Elijah said, bewildered. Another figure appeared, this one with curly orange hair and green eyes. "Twins? No way," Elijah laughed.

Ezra and Liam, the twin assailants, chuckled as they attacked him in unison. Elijah clashed with the twins, not even taking the fight seriously, playing with them.

The twins swapped positions rapidly, their coordination impeccable. Liam launched a punch towards Elijah, who blocked it and was about to counterattack when they swapped positions again.

"Annoying," Elijah muttered, as the twins continued their relentless assault, attacking from different directions with their legs burning with orange Neba and Zeten.

Suddenly, the twins jumped back, and a powerful wind slash attack came from nowhere.

Elijah used his blue Zeten to shield himself, but it was sliced through, and he was hit with the wind attack. He crashed into a house, his costume torn apart, hands bleeding from multiple cuts, and a few broken bones.

"What the hell was that..." Elijah groaned, struggling to stand up. He saw the twins in front of him, but now there was someone else too—Ned, Dune's brother. Ned's hands were bleeding, indicating that his red Zeten wind attack had injured him as well.

"Ahh, that was unexpected. How is your ability so strong?! You caught me off guard... I would probably die if I wasn't this great. I'm impressive, right?" Elijah boasted, forming two swords in his hands.

His body glowed blue, and something started to appear on his head. "Let me teach you kids what is the real power of Zeten."

Dune suddenly jumped in front of Elijah. "What are you doing, dammit?" he demanded.

Elijah looked confused. "Eh? What do you mean? I'm killing the enemies and helping you, my dear friend Dune."

Dune sighed. "They are my friends."

Elijah laughed. "No way, hahaha. And I almost killed them, haha. Lucky, so lucky." He sighed and approached the trio, patting them on their heads. " I'm Elijah. Nice to meet you, Dune's friends."

Dune approached his brother and hugged him. "I'm glad you're alive," he said, sharing a heartfelt embrace. He greeted the twins, who brought bad news.

"We have a problem," Liam said, and Ezra added, "The island is sinking and getting smaller by the second.

We were close to the water, so we know. Also, every other Zeten who is currently alive on the island will come here to the center.

This place will turn into a battlefield... and the water... you can't even swim in it. We already saw someone die . The water is toxic, it burns the same way as Atlas's human-faced birds blood.

"Seems like the God's are bored, they want to end this as fast as possible " Elijah laughed.

Dune, and the others exchanged worried glances, realizing the gravity of the situation. They needed to regroup and come up with a plan to survive the impending chaos.

"What do we do? And where is Atlas?" Ned asked urgently, concern etched on his face.

But Elijah interrupted with a bold declaration, "What do you mean, what do we do? it's simple... We should kill everyone there except us, before water reaches us. Then everything will end, and we survive.

I will go into the forest and hunt Survivors. You guys go and help your friend Atlas. My abilities are useless against Raven anyways...And Dune are there any other of your friends that we have to find?"

Dune shook his head, his mind racing with the weight of the decision before them. "That's it then. Bye and good luck, haha," Elijah said nonchalantly before flying up and disappearing into the forest to carry out his plan.

Dune explained the situation to the twins, who immediately sprinted off to join the fight and assist Atlas and Nely. Meanwhile, Ned stayed with Dune, his eyes reflecting the uncertainty of the moment.

But now, they faced an even bigger problem. Dune had lost track of Nea, the invisible assassin still lurking somewhere in the vicinity. With a heavy sigh, he decided to prioritize their safety and return to his position on the tree to observe and formulate a new plan.

As the chaos of battle unfolded, each member of the group faced their own dilemmas and challenges, uncertain of what the future held in this treacherous arena.