The Awakening Of The Five Great Disasters (VII)

Swoooop!

Lucius's body trembled as he felt a strange new power flowing through his body, the warmth from the blessing wrapping around him like a soft blanket.

It wasn't overwhelming, but it was enough to keep him standing, to keep him from falling.

"Hah…" he let out a shaky breath, a small smirk forming on his lips.

"Seems like I'm not done yet." he wiped the blood from his lips.

Maria's eyes immediately narrowed, noticing something wrong. Her golden pupils flickered, but like before, she couldn't see anything about him.

"What did you just receive?" she asked with a sharp tone, demanding an answer.

"Just a little gift," Lucius replied, straightening his back despite the pain that still ran through his body.

His eyes shone with a soft blue light, and a faint, swirling mist began to form around his body, lifting him slightly off the ground.

"Nothing you need to worry about."

"Stop acting tough! You can't win this fight!" Alaine shouted in frustration.

Swish!

She lunged at him again, flames bursting from her body, ready to burn him to ashes.

But this time, Lucius didn't back down.

He raised his hand, and with a small flick of his finger, the air around them twisted. Alaine's white flames sputtered and dimmed, unable to reach him.

She gasped, her eyes widening in shock.

"W-What?" she stammered, stepping back as Lucius calmly moved forward.

"It's about time we finish this fight..." Lucius clenched his fist, and on it, a blade made out of wind materialized.

However, before he could do something, Maria acted first.

She raised her hands, and her golden flames surged, forming a massive dragon that roared toward Lucius.

RRROOOAAARR!

Lucius narrowed his eyes and swung his air blade in a wide arc.

SWOOOP!

The wind surged forward, splitting in half the dragon's flames. There was a loud hiss as the wind and fire collided, making sparks fly everywhere.

But Maria wasn't done; she dashed forward, her scarlet hair trailing behind her, and throwing her fist toward Lucius's chest.

He twisted his body, barely dodging the attack, but the heat from her flames still singed his jacket.

"Close…" he muttered, feeling the burning pain in his skin.

He lashed out with his air blade, aiming for her head, but she easily ducked.

WHAM!

Alaine appeared on his left, her body glowing with intense white flames.

She kicked at him with all her strength, and Lucius barely managed to block with his right arm.

The force of the blow sent him sliding back, his feet digging into the ground.

"Tsk… you're tougher than I thought," Alaine hissed, clearly annoyed.

"You're not making this easy either," Lucius shot back.

He swung his arm, and the wind whipped around him, forming sharp blades that flew toward her.

SWIIIIISH!

SWOOOP!

Seeing this, Alaine dodged to the right and started weaving through the wind blades.

"You'll have to try harder than that!" she taunted, trying to get his attention.

And then, Maria joined her, golden flames surging from her palms, and the two of them rushed at Lucius together.

It was like trying to fend off a storm.

Every time he blocked one of their attacks, another one was already coming.

A kick, a punch, a blast of fire—it was relentless.

WHAM! BANG! CRACK!

Lucius fought back as hard as he could.

He used the wind to create barriers, slicing through their flames with his air blade, and striking back whenever he saw an opening.

But it wasn't enough.

They were pushing him, forcing him to move back step by step.

"Alright... that's it," Alaine leaped back, breathing heavily, sweat dripping down her forehead. 

Suddenly, she stepped forward, and her body began to glow, brighter and brighter until it was blinding.

The world around her seemed to warp, slowing down until everything froze.

The wind stopped blowing, the flames stopped flickering, and the thousands of people stood still as statues.

It was silent.

The only sound was the echoing beat of her own heart.

[Time Stop]

She looked towards Lucius...

He stood there, motionless, his eyes gazing forward, unaware of what had just happened. Well, he couldn't move his body.

Time had stopped, and so did he.

"I can't believe I had to use my trump card like this... Now... I'll need to wait quite a bit of time until it cools down..." Alaine sighed softly.

She walked towards Lucius, infusing her hand with mana. She moved closer, inch by inch, and stretched her hand toward his neck.

"Finally... this time, I'll make sure to keep you locked so you don't ruin my plans," she muttered, just when she was about to knock him out.

"After all... I really... can't bear myself to kill you. This damned heart of mine doesn't let me do it..." 

Sighing, Alaine looked at his face.

She stood just a step away from him now, so close she could see the details in his eyes, the slight curve of his lips.

However, before her hand could meet his skin, she suddenly felt a shiver run down his spine.

...crack.

Lucius's head moved, turning towards her, his eyes locking with hers.

There was no warmth in that gaze, only a darkness that sent shivers down her spine.

His lips slowly curled into a smirk—an unsettling, creepy grin that made her heart skip a beat.

"No… this isn't possible…" she whispered, stumbling back due to the shock that Lucius just gave her.

She felt the air crack around them as the timeless world started to break apart.

"Ahh... I'm really glad that I made a contract with you, you know?" Lucius muttered, looking towards a panel in front of him.

[The Constellation "Goddess of the Sky" smiles in response.]

The reason he said those words, was because of his new blessing. It was truly overpowered, and could even break the laws of the world.

Crack...!

CRASH!

The timeless world shattered around them, pieces of it falling like broken glass, and everything rushed back to normal speed.

"Oh... well... time to continue the fight," he muttered.

However, as his vision got clearer, he suddenly noticed that the crowd from before was about to attack him again.

"Fuck..."

Swoop!

Suddenly, Maria took advantage of the distraction, attacking from the side with her golden flames.

They surged toward him like a tidal wave, and Lucius raised his arm to block, the wind forming a shield in front of him.

BOOOOM!

The impact sent him sliding backward his heels dug into the cold stone.

"You're annoying…" he uttered, shaking his arm to get rid of the pain.

But, just as he said those words, the crowd of people finally made their move, weapons flashing in the light.

Spears, swords, arrows—they came at him from every direction.

It seemed that all of them had noticed their mistake, and now everyone was keeping a considerably high distance from him.

CLANG!

SLASH!

WHOOSH!

Lucius swung his air blade, deflecting the attacks as best as he could. His dark vines shot out from his jacket, wrapping around the weapons and snapping them in half.

But there were too many.

A spear pierced his side, and he grunted in pain, feeling warm blood trickle down his skin.

"Ugh...! Keep moving…" he whispered to himself, biting his lip, trying to resist the pain.

He lashed out with his vines, striking down or even decapitating anyone who got too close to him.

"Hello~!" Maria appeared again, throwing a punch at his head.

Thud!

Lucius ducked, his body moving on instinct, but she was faster. Her knee slammed into his stomach, and he gasped, the air leaving his lungs.

He stumbled back, barely keeping his balance.

'Can't… fall here…' he thought, gritting his teeth.

[The Constellation "Goddess of the Sky" is watching intently.]

[The Constellation "Frost Queen" holds her breath.]

And then, out of nowhere, Alaine appeared behind him, her body still glowed with the same white flames, as if she didn't have any other skill.

She swung her leg toward his head, but Lucius raised his arm to block.

Crack!

The impact made his bones ache, and he could feel the strength draining from his body.

"How long… can you keep this up?" Alaine sneered, pressing forward.

Lucius didn't answer.

Instead, he twisted his body, slashing at her with his air blade. It cut through her flames, leaving a deep gash on her arm.

"ARGH!" she cried out, stumbling back.

[The Constellation "Demon Queen" laughs, amused by your struggle.]

[The Constellation "Medusa" hisses in delight.]

Even new constellations were appearing as the battle continued. It seemed like they were really having fun.

But, just as Lucius thought he could have a moment to breathe, Maria charged at him again, her fist glowing with golden light.

Lucius raised his blade to block, but her fist connected with his right arm.

CRACK!

"AHHH!" Lucius screamed as pain shot through his body.

He looked down and saw that his right arm was gone, torn off at the shoulder.

His vision blurred, and he fell to one knee, gasping for air.

"Damn it… damn it…!" he cursed, clutching at the wound with his left hand.

Blood poured down his side, staining the ground red.

[The Constellation "God of War" roars in excitement!]

[The Constellation "God of Pain" laughs at your struggle.]

"It's over," Maria uttered softly, taking a step towards Lucius.

She raised her hand, prepared to knock him out...

"Haah..." Lucius suddenly lets out a chilly breath, as if he had remembered a power that he hadn't used in a long time.

Swooop!

Freeeze!

A sudden chilly wind was propelled through all directions!

The ground started turning into ice, as Lucius's deep black eyes, suddenly turned into a light blue shade.

"I almost forgot about this..." he laughed bitterly.

Swish!

Lucius shot forward towards Maria, giving her no time to react. He slammed his air blade into her chest, sending her flying back with a scream.

THUD!

She hit the cold ground hard, the flames around her flickering before disappearing, replaced by a layer of ice.

"Maria!" Alaine screamed, but Lucius was already moving toward her.

He swung his blade, and she barely managed to block with her arms.

The force sent her crashing to the ground, and Lucius stood over her, his eyes burning with fury.

"Stay down," he growled in annoyance.

She looked up at him, as a layer of ice started covering her body.

"Anyone else?!" Lucius turned his head towards the crowd that was currently hesitant about attacking him.

No one moved.

They all stared at him in fear, their weapons shaking in their hands.

But then, from the back of the crowd, a single figure stepped forward.

Daniel.

He walked toward Lucius, his sword glowing with a holy, divine light.

With every step, the air grew heavy, and Lucius felt a shiver run down his spine.

His spirit trembled as if something deep within him was reacting to the power in that sword.

"Lucius…" Daniel said softly.

"This ends now."

Lucius stared at him, feeling his strength fading, but he tightened his grip on the air blade, ready to fight one last time.

The wind stopped, the flames died out, and the world grew quiet once more.

And with a deep breath, Daniel raised his sword, its light growing brighter, ready to face Lucius in the final clash.

[The Constellation "Goddess of the Sky" watches in silence.]

[The Constellation "Demon Queen" clenches her fists in excitement.]

[The Constellation "Frost Queen" lets out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.]

The battle wasn't over yet.