Dead weight.

Attacked from two sides, Valerius remained calm as he moved to deal with the darkness tendrils first.

Buzz.

His body lit up as bright golden light surged from his body, solidifying to form a shell around him. Contrary to his expectations, all twelve darkness tendrils penetrated his defenses, riddling the light barrier with holes as they pierced Valerius's body.

Valerius's gaze turned sour as he felt his vitality draining alarmingly. The light barrier began to lose its lustre as Valerius struggled to maintain it in his current condition. Only then did the second Blake wielding the Emberforge appear, slamming the weapon into the fading barrier, which triggered a powerful explosion that shattered what was left of the dying barrier.

Not daring to risk spending another second sandwiched between the two Blakes, Valerius's body lit up once again as he transformed into a beam of light and vanished.