Under the relentless assault of Liselotte's empowered form, the Aetherframe's armor buckled and cracked, taking blow after blow from her furious attacks. Scorch marks and gashes marred its silver-gold surface, and even its powerful shielding struggled to resist the sustained damage. The wings, once gleaming with an ethereal light, grew dull and tarnished. Smoke drifted from damaged components, and a faint hiss could be heard as they leaked.

Ebonheim winced with each resonating clang, the feedback from the Aetherframe transmitting itself through her control alcove. Her fingers trembled with exertion as they gripped the control sticks, fighting to keep the machine in the air.

Where once she had felt invincible within her mechanical giant, now she felt as if she were clinging to a mountain in the midst of an avalanche.

Liselotte showed no hint of satisfaction or pleasure; There was no trace of her former playfulness or eagerness to brawl—only a cold, methodical ferocity.

"Your contraption is faltering, little godling," Liselotte spoke in a cutting tone as she dove to intercept the Aetherframe once again. "What will you do when it breaks apart?"

Another flurry of strikes impacted the Aetherframe, more explosions bursting across its surface as it shuddered under the impact. Liselotte's talons sliced through the crystalline blades of the Aetherframe, the glowing weapons shattering and exploding in a shower of shrapnel.

Sparks flew as the control alcove took a direct hit, and warning signals blared.

Ebonheim grunted as the feedback jolted through her, momentarily numbing her senses.

[Alert: Integrity compromised. 37% functionality remaining. Hull integrity at critical levels. Systems at 23% efficiency. Aetherwing flight mode compromised. Limited mobility. Warning: Power Core depleting at an accelerated rate.]

Liselotte's figure blurred into a cascade of slashes, reappearing in multiple locations at once, assaulting the Aetherframe from every angle. Each strike carved deeper into the Aetherframe's armor, widening existing fractures and creating new ones. Heat radiated from the damaged machinery, and the interior of the control alcove grew swelteringly hot.

Ebonheim clenched her jaw, grunting with each painful impact. Her vision blurred and doubled, the hazy outlines of the console flickering in and out of view. She could feel the sweat dripping down her brow, trickling from her temples to her cheek. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth as she bit her tongue.

She scanned the console, desperately seeking any solution.

Damn it! I'm not giving up yet! Not like this!

As if hearing her silent plea, the Akashic System flared to life, its familiar prompt shining brightly through the haze, lighting up her vision.

[Adaptation required for continued engagement.]

[ᚷᛟᚠᚢᚷᚱ ᚢᛟᛈᚾᚨᛒᚢᚱ×ᚲᛖᛈᚺᛖᛁᛞ (Göfugr Vopnabúr:Cepheid) Unlocked]

[New Directive] Activate ‘Divine Arsenal: Cepheid’. Transition Aetherframe to personal armament mode.

[Would you like to activate?] Y/N

Ebonheim blinked, disbelief momentarily seizing her. Could this ancient relic adapt in such a way? Was there more to the Aetherframe than she expected? The term 'Cepheid' was foreign to her, yet it resonated in her mind, stirring something primordial.

There wasn't enough time to dwell on it. She would have to trust her instincts. She raised her hand toward the glowing prompt and tapped 'Yes.'

[Initiating Divine Arsenal: Cepheid. Prepare for mode transition.]

A symphony of mechanical whirs and churning gears sounded throughout the interior of the Aetherframe, and in the next moment, she was jettisoned from the control alcove, sailing into open air.

"What the f—" The force of the ejection sent her tumbling through the sky in a cartwheeling, uncontrolled freefall. Her breath rushed from her lungs as the wind roared past her, buffeting her body.

Liselotte halted her assault, a flicker of confusion crossing her cold visage as she watched the titan she'd been battling against begin to morph before her eyes.

The Aetherframe's form shifted and reshaped, its bulk folding away and unfurling like the petals of a metallic flower greeting the dawn. Its frame and armor shrank and broke apart into component pieces, the individual fragments rearranging themselves into new shapes.

The pieces swarmed Ebonheim like luminescent insects, encasing her body in a cocoon of light. As the components snapped and clicked into place, the segments of armor covered her limbs and torso, forming an exoskeleton over her clothes.

The Aetherframe's arms had retracted into gauntlets that wrapped around her own, the joints clicking into place with a satisfying snap. The legs, once pillars of strength, now formed sleek, fitting boots that molded to her form.

Four wings hovered behind her, each one housing a propeller within a reinforced casing. The propellers emitted a low hum as they whirled, generating an updraft that kept her airborne. She felt their thrum—the rhythmic cadence reverberating through her body.

The armor plating that had once shielded the Aetherframe now adhered to Ebonheim's form like a second skin, outlining her figure and accentuating her curves. She felt the suit tightening around her, the sensation alien yet not entirely unpleasant.

Six armor plates floated around her hips like segments of a skirt, orbiting her like satellites.

Circular discs floated over her head, acting as headpieces. As they rotated, they emitted an audible hum, their energy fields emanating outward, enveloping her in a hexagonal-segmented barrier.

Ebonheim's hair, once constrained by the confines of the cockpit, now flowed freely, an iridescent cascade that danced in the breeze.

As the transformation neared completion, she reached her hands out before her, her fingers splayed wide. Her Ebon bow materialized, manifesting in her palms with a brief burst of light.

The remaining fragments of the Aetherframe danced around the bow, embedding themselves into the weapon. As they locked into place, the bow reconfigured, transforming into a hybrid bow-blade, its shape a blend of both elements. The bowstring now appeared to be a crystalline thread, suspended between two metallic grips.

Ebonheim grasped the newly formed weapon and held it aloft. Its weight felt comfortable and natural in her hands.

[Calibrations complete. Mode transition successful.]

[Name] ᚷᛟᚠᚢᚷᚱ ᚢᛟᛈᚾᚨᛒᚢᚱ×ᚲᛖᛈᚺᛖᛁᛞ (Göfugr Vopnabúr:Cepheid)

[Type] Legendary Artifact (★★★★★)

[You have gained the ability ‘Wings of Aether’: You have access to four aetherwings, granting you a maximum flight speed of 2500 km/h. Maximum Altitude: 25,000 meters.]

[Skills and Abilities] Sonic Flight, Blink Step 4/4, Airburst 2/2, Aetherclad 1/1, Force Barrier (300 Health; 20 Damage Reduction) 2/2, Aether Strike 3/3, Aspect of the Metallum 1/1 (Defensive Stance: +20% Physical & Arcane Resistance), Aspect of the Fulminator 1/1 (Offensive Stance: +10% Hit Chance & Critical Chance). Additional abilities may become available based on environment and combat conditions.

[Passive Bonuses] +200 Health; +20 Strength; +45 Agility; +13 Perception

[Active Weapon] Ebon Bow-Blade: +20% Base Damage, +200% Range; Multi-Shot: shoots 6 arrows per draw; Piercing Arrow: fires a single arrow that deals double base damage and ignores 50% of target's Damage Resistance/Reduction; Snipe Shot: fires an arrow with triple the base damage, +400% Range, and +150% Accuracy, ignoring 75% of target's Damage Resistance/Reduction; Homing Shot: augments existing shots with tracking capability (effect lasts 20 seconds).

[Cost] Maintaining this mode costs 200 Quintessence per hour. The maximum duration is three hours.

[Note] Additional modifications can be performed to expand upon current capabilities. Functionality subject to change.

A wave of newfound vigor washed over Ebonheim, invigorating her limbs and energizing her senses. She could feel the suit enhancing her physical prowess, her reflexes and reaction times sharpened to a razor's edge. Her wounds from the earlier battle faded, the bruises and cuts vanishing without a trace.

It was like she had shed a heavy burden. She felt light and nimble, able to move and respond with greater ease.

Ebonheim looked back at Liselotte, meeting her gaze.

From high above, Liselotte circled warily. The cold intensity had not diminished, but there was also an edge of uncertainty in her posture and demeanor.

"Hmph, you've become something else," Liselotte noted. "But I'm the queen of the skies, little godling. Do you expect a new toy to make a difference?"

"Who knows?" Ebonheim shrugged, tightening her grip on the Ebon Bow-Blade. "Still wanna find out? Or do you want to settle this peacefully?"

She hoped Liselotte would take the hint and simply leave her alone. The two of them had gotten off on the wrong foot. And she still didn't understand why Liselotte insisted on treating her like a rival, enemy, or prey. This overreaction to their trespass seemed unnecessary. She wanted to get to the bottom of the situation and hopefully resolve whatever differences existed between them.

Liselotte's eyes narrowed. "Only the strong dictate terms," she declared flatly. "That's the supreme law of my territory."

She dived toward Ebonheim, her wings a blur of crimson and gold. An aura of wind swirled around her as she closed the distance between them.

Something was different this time. Did Liselotte seem...slower?

Ebonheim's wings revved up, their propellers kicking into gear. A slight pivot was all she needed to dodge the charge. She willed her wings to move, and her body obeyed with nary a thought. A rapid ascent carried her upwards, away from Liselotte's trajectory.

"How...?" Liselotte faltered in mid-air, her momentum lost as Ebonheim moved out of the way. She turned back to face Ebonheim, her expression confused, frustrated, and irritated. "Why does your speed...match mine?"

Ebonheim smiled. "Sorry, your majesty. Guess I got some upgrades." She motioned with a hand, beckoning. "Care to take a breather?"

Subtly, the familiar fury started returning to Liselotte's cold features. Her lips curled into a snarl, fangs bared.

Maybe she should push her buttons a little more. It might actually convince Liselotte to reconsider. She had to at least try, even if she suspected she'd already blown her chances.

Ebonheim angled her body toward Liselotte, and with a beat of her wings, surged forward.

[Blink Step Activated: 3/4 Charges Remaining]

Faster than when Liselotte had initially charged. Faster than Liselotte's own lightning-fast reflexes. Ebonheim closed the gap between them in an instant and punched the harpy in the face. Hard.

Liselotte went rocketing back in a flailing spin, careening through the air and slamming into the side of a ruined tower. Dust and rubble exploded outwards in a shower of debris.

A few moments later, Liselotte emerged from the cloud of dust, the remnants of the stonework tumbling off her back. A stream of blood gushed from her nose and mouth, and a nasty purple bruise bloomed on her cheek. She clutched her face, her expression twisted in pain.

The shock on her face was obvious. The sheer speed at which Ebonheim moved now must've come as a surprise.

"Guess I'm faster than you now, too." Ebonheim aimed at Liselotte with the Ebon Bow-Blade, her fingers poised to draw the bowstring. "I'm serious, Lotte. Let's call this a draw and go our separate ways."

A silence settled over the city, disturbed only by the faint, far-off sounds of the forest. Even the wind seemed to quiet down.

Liselotte stared at her, the shock fading as her composure returned. She wiped away the blood from her mouth and straightened. Her wings unfurled once more, spreading out to their full length.

She said nothing.

Just as Ebonheim thought the harpy queen might concede, Liselotte suddenly lurched forward, a streak of crimson that screamed through the air.

The Ebon Bow-Blade met her talon's slash, the force of the impact shivering down Ebonheim's arms and through her entire body. She pushed back, bracing her stance. "Damn it, why are you making me do this?!"

She fired off a point-blank volley with the Ebon Bow-Blade. A half-dozen Enchanted Essence Bolts shot out, their trajectory guided by the weapon's built-in guidance system. They spiraled and swerved in the air as they pursued Liselotte, trailing sparks of divine energy in their wake.

Liselotte deftly weaved through the barrage, but one by one they found their mark, slamming into her sides and back. Explosions burst across her body, their energies searing and burning through her feathers and flesh.

Liselotte screeched in agony, her cries ringing in Ebonheim's ears.

Eboheim fired another multi-shot of Essence Bolts augmented by her bow's Homing Shot feature. The projectiles tracked Liselotte, pursuing her every movement. They homed in from all angles, weaving and dodging through the air, crashing into her and detonating with bright bursts of Essence.

Her third volley came at Liselotte's retreating back, peppering her with a cluster of bolts, but Liselotte managed to erect a barrier of feathers around her body, deflecting a majority of the shots. The few that made it through tore through her wings, slicing through the delicate membranes and shredding her feathers.

Liselotte wheeled and banked, darting through the air, her flight path erratic.

Ebonheim saw the harpy queen's wounds already regenerating as she streaked across the sky. Another powerful gust of wind gathered around her, swirling around her form and condensing into a vortex of spinning blades. She swooped and weaved, firing off sharpened cyclones with each pass, each blade-wind singing as it slashed through the air.

Ebonheim slalomed through the cyclone's blasts, her wings maneuvering with preternatural grace and speed like a hummingbird. The propellers within her wings' casings glowed brightly with energy as they spun, maintaining their acceleration.

The feeling of freedom and exhilaration from her new form swept through her mind, and for the first time, she truly understood what it meant to fly.

Liselotte unleashed a barrage of wind blasts, firing them rapidly in quick succession. Each blast screamed towards Ebonheim, impacting all around her in powerful shockwaves.

Ebonheim darted between the blasts, but one grazed her barrier, causing the hexagons to crackle and flicker as they absorbed the impact. The barrier repaired itself within moments, but she could feel the strain of its energy diminish.

Liselotte circled higher, her wings beating the air furiously as she ascended into the sky. As she reached the peak of her climb, she hovered for a moment before plummeting downward, picking up tremendous speed as she did so. She began spinning, the whirlwind of feathers and flame gathering around her once more, forming a vortex of fire.

With a scream, she descended, shooting like a comet of wind and fire, straight toward Ebonheim.

Time to see what some of these abilities can do.

Ebonheim activated her suit's Airburst ability, unleashing a shockwave that rippled outward in a concentric ring. The air shimmered and distorted as the blast of energy expanded, rushing toward Liselotte.

As the shockwave hit, Liselotte's momentum ceased as if she had run into a wall. She rebounded, her wings splaying out. Her flaming aura shattered, dissipating into a shower of sparks and embers.

[Critical Hit]

"Gyaaahhhh!" Liselotte shrieked as she tumbled through the air. "Grrrrrahh!" She snarled, righting herself and launching into another aerial dash. Her body blazed with an aura of flames, her feathers shimmering like embers in the wind. She sped through the sky like a shooting star, leaving trails of fire in her wake.

Ebonheim responded in kind, activating her suit's Blink Step ability. Space folded and warped around her as she teleported behind Liselotte, shooting a point-blank Snipe Shot through her right wing. The augmented Essence Bolt slammed through the wing-arm, severing the limb.

[Critical Hit]

Liselotte screamed as she fell. She tumbled through the air, her other wing and legs flailing wildly. Her severed appendages began to dissolve into wisps of smoke and ash, disintegrating into the wind.

As Liselotte plummeted, Ebonheim fired another barrage of homing Essence Bolts. They streaked through the air, curving and weaving through the clouds, tracing after Liselotte's descent.

[Critical Hit]

[Critical Hit]

One after another, the bolts slammed into her, erupting into bursts of energy. Her screams echoed as she crashed through the roof of a ruin, disappearing inside. A cloud of dust rose as debris flew outwards, raining onto the nearby roofs and streets.

Ebonheim Blink Stepped into the crash site, landing atop the wreckage.

As soon as she saw Liselotte's silhouette amidst the rubble, she planted her boot on the harpy queen's chest, pinning her down.

She drew back her bowstring and prepared an arrow. Five other phantom Essence Bolts formed and hovered over her bow, following her aim. She placed her sights on the middle of Liselotte's forehead. Her fingers twitched, ready to release. "Lotte. What's your answer?"

Liselotte coughed weakly, a trickle of blood running down the corner of her mouth.

Her form had returned to its usual azure and white coloring, but was now covered in dust and blood. She quivered as she raised her remaining wing to cover her face, trembling. "S-spare me..." Her voice quavered.

The request was faint, barely audible.

"What?" Ebonheim leaned in, lowering her bow to get a closer look. She pried Liselotte's wing away to reveal her face, streaked with blood, tears, and snot. Her eyes were rimmed with red, and she seemed unable to focus on anything.

Was this a trick? No, she could hear the fear and desperation in Liselotte's tone. This wasn't a ploy, she could tell. Besides, she had never been good at using subterfuge. It was evident in the games they had played during their yearly gatherings.

"Pl-please," Liselotte whispered, her voice breaking. "Y-you win...You're the s-s-strongest."

Ebonheim sighed, her grip on her bow loosening. The five phantom bolts over her shoulder faded away.

She was on the verge of crying, herself. It didn't sit well with her that she had to injure Liselotte to this extent. If there had been any alternative, she would've chosen it.

But damn it, this battle-crazed harpy hadn't left her much choice! All she wanted to do was help build a road to facilitate trade. Was that such an unreasonable thing to ask?

Ebonheim heaved Liselotte upright and rested the harpy's battered form against a pile of rubble. Liselotte flinched at the contact, a small whimper escaping her lips, but otherwise did nothing to resist.

Ebonheim reached out and cupped Liselotte's chin in her hand, tilting her face upward to meet her gaze. Her amber eyes were wet with tears, brimming with pain and shame. The sight made her heart ache.

"Lotte, please listen to me." Ebonheim kept her voice gentle, but firm. "I don't want to hurt you anymore. I never did. But you forced me to fight. Why is that?"

Liselotte sniffled, her lower lip trembling. "Y-y-you challenged my authority by t-trespassing..." she stammered, her words punctuated with hiccups and sobs. "A-and y-your challenge for territory...It would mean I had to k-kill you. O-only the strong rule in my t-territory." She cried openly now, tears streaming down her cheeks. "A-and I w-was the s-s-strongest. Aaaaaaah!"

So that was the issue, huh? Ebonheim shook her head. She had suspected that might've been the reason, but she needed confirmation. She stroked the side of Liselotte's head, gently stroking her hair. The harpy queen shivered, her eyes widening, but she did not pull away.

"Listen, Lotte. I don't want to take your territory or anything like that. I just want to build a road so that my village can have access to more goods and people. I was going to offer gifts and tribute as an incentive." She sighed. "But you never gave me a chance. We could've avoided this whole mess if you'd talked to me instead of attacking on sight."

Liselotte hung her head. "M-my pride..." She mumbled something about having to maintain a tough appearance in front of her subjects and the importance of demonstrating strength through actions.

Ebonheim rubbed her forehead, exasperated. "Honestly, Lotte. That's all well and good, but this was overkill! Next time, you should start with diplomacy, alright? Leave the fighting for when we have no other option."

Liselotte nodded meekly. "A-alright," she managed between sobs.

Ebonheim stood up, holding her hand out to Liselotte. "Let's seal this as a truce, okay?"

Liselotte looked at Ebonheim's hand, hesitant. Then, she slowly raised her remaining wing-arm. "T-truce."

Ebonheim clasped the wing in her hand and shook. The cool, smooth texture of Liselotte's feathers surprised her, the softness pleasant to the touch. They lingered for a moment, before letting go.

Ebonheim crouched, holding out her arms to help Liselotte to her feet. She gingerly helped the harpy queen up. Liselotte's balance faltered and Ebonheim supported her by the waist. Liselotte leaned against her as she led her out of the ruins.

Once outside, Ebonheim gazed skyward.

She still sensed the life forces of Thorsten and the others. Good, at least they're still alive and hopefully well.

"Anyways, we'd better head back. Your harpies are still fighting my friends. Come on."