A pathetic Queen

The scene shifts to Charybdis walking through an ancient forest, her steps sure and deliberate.

In her hand, she carried a bow vastly different from the one she had previously conjured.

This bow was more refined and elusive in nature, its handle larger than necessary, adorned with the pattern of an upside-down fish and intricate carvings that glowed a mystical blue.

Following closely behind her was Harita, her loyal subordinate.

Harita's wings were fully displayed, and a sort of armor-like appendage extended from her back, wrapping protectively around her body.

The two of them walked through the Dwelling of Spirits, a place once filled with the chattering of pixies and the lighthearted presence of lesser spirits.

Now, the area was eerily silent.

Some spirits had fled, others hid, and the majority simply could not bear the pressure that Charybdis was exerting.

Her divine Haki disintegrated the spiritual beings merely by existing near them.

Their progress was halted by Ramiris, who appeared as if she had seen a ghost.

Her form was incomplete, still far from her full potential as she had yet to complete her cycle of reincarnation.

Charybdis looked at the pitiful state of the queen of spirits and shook her head in disdain.

"If I had known that the Great Spirit couldn't even use her power when her kind needed it the most, I would have never bothered to come here," Charybdis said, her voice dripping with scorn.

Before Ramiris could respond, Charybdis lunged at her with incredible speed.

In response, the space around them shifted as Ramiris added an infinite amount of distance between herself and Charybdis.

To this, Charybdis smiled, her eyes lighting up with excitement.

"Now that's what I'm talking about," she exclaimed, drawing her bow.

The string lit up with thunder, crackling with divine energy.

This sudden flexibility stemmed from the fact that she had already assimilated the legends into herself completely.

While Arash had been easy to absorb, Arjuna's will proved more challenging.

Arjuna was not just a skilled archer; he was a paragon of duty and righteousness.

His unwavering commitment to his principles and the weight of his divine essence made him a formidable force.

Charybdis had to be careful; recklessly assimilating him could have poisoned her mind, overwhelming her own will with his steadfast warrior spirit.

She realized that she had only summoned a fragmented version of Arjuna, as she had received only knowledge of archery and fragmented memories of fighting in "grail wars."

It did not surprise her that the world of Type-Moon truly existed, and she could even summon entities from there. The complexity of her revived existence in a world with godlike powers seemed like a convoluted story hatched in the mind of a truly talentless author. It was almost laughable.

All these thoughts churned in her head within the fraction of a spirit second—the amount of time it takes for information particles to cover the distance of one nanometer in the information plane. As a divine existence, Charybdis was very close in terms of thinking to a digital life-form.

Returning to the battle, the thundering bowstring converged into an uneven, curved arrow as Charybdis's divine authority pumped through the air. "Vajra," she whispered, the embodiment of lightning covering the infinite distance instantly and embedding itself in the abdomen of the queen of fairies, who was thrown back by the giant thunderous blast.

As Ramiris struggled to stabilize herself, a concentrated beam of fire, which melted space and time, reached her from far, far away.

The combined attack was enough to destroy the entire labyrinth that existed in the physical world and most of what existed in the spiritual world.

Charybdis observed the expanding explosion cloud for a moment before smirking again.

She assumed a running position mid-air, her legs bending slightly as the air acted as a podium.

Bionic wings sprouted from her back, allowing her to cross the infinite distance effortlessly.

Just as she reached Ramiris, the Spirit Queen emerged from the smoke, her expression furious as more and more power radiated from her.

The gaping hole from Vajra was already healing.

Charybdis had intentionally fired Vajra in a way that wouldn't kill Ramiris, aiming instead to eliminate all spirits residing within the Dwelling that hadn't fled.

She wanted to draw the complete anger of Ramiris onto herself, and it worked like a charm.

Ramiris waved her hand like a sword, and the space around them seemed to warp and distort.

The attack, no, it wasn't an attack—it was more reminiscent of her newly gained authority as she tried to separate Charybdis.

Though Charybdis mitigated the effects with a burst of divine energy, a small cut still appeared on her cheek, drawing her golden blood which didn't spill out of her body but stuck inside, unmoving.

Charybdis exclaimed with a grin, "You do have the power, Spirit Queen—no, I shouldn't call you that. You are a disgrace as a queen, but you do have power, Spirit of Creation."

Her words, loud and filled with boisterous confidence and scorn, pierced through Ramiris's mind.

The Spirit Queen froze, shell-shocked that someone could remember that Creation once existed as an element.

When she ascended to become the most powerful spirit (excluding the Great Spirits), she had absorbed the concept of Creation as an element.

The only exception she had ever found was Milim, which was understandable since she inherited Stardust.

But even then, Milim could never truly realize the potential of Creation unless she gained an Ultimate Skill; before her ascension, it was like an element similar to fire, wind, or light.

This was also the reason why Milim's Corruptive aura damaged her so much.

"Surprised that I know? I know a lot, Ramiris, but that's not why I am here," Charybdis said, theatrically pointing at Ramiris. "I want you to join me. I fought you to know if you're worthy of my time."

Ramiris's eyes widened in shock but quickly narrowed in determination.

"You underestimate the power of the spirits and the strength of my resolve," she replied, her voice steady despite the turmoil within her.

Charybdis laughed, a cold, mirthless sound.

"We'll see about that, Spirit" she said, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.

The sky darkened as Ramiris summoned a torrent of energy resembling stardust, swirling around her like a hurricane.

She thrust her hands forward, releasing a barrage of bolts that crackled with her authority within this domain.

Charybdis deflected them effortlessly with her bow, each impact creating ripples of energy that distorted the air.

With a powerful leap, Charybdis closed the distance between them, her bowstring lighting up with red thunder which morphed to cackling flames.

She drew the bow, the string humming with flames .

"AgneyAstra" she said, releasing the arrow.

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Stones and Reviews