Sero had never been in a war before, but that was the best way to describe the situation they were in. As Apep's snakes raced toward them, the ranged Ascendants began to fire off beams of mana, cutting down the oncoming monsters.

Dante leapt into the fray, spinning his scythe with deadly precision, easily dodging the snakes that lunged toward him. The Sin Reaper was a whirlwind of death, leaving nothing but corpses in his wake. Meredith followed after him, thrusting the needle in his hands like a javelin as he pulled it back with the silver threads.

Sero found himself beside Kanna, summoning a dark green cannon and firing off a Starfall Railgun. The crowd around them was a chaos of movement and sound, as the survivors fought desperately to hold back the tide of snakes. He glanced up at Apep, still laughing maniacally, and felt a chill run down his spine.

"We can't hold them off forever!" Sero shouted over the din. "We need to find a way to take him down!"

"I'm working on something," Dante replied, spinning his scythe faster. "Just buy me a few more seconds."

Sero swore under his breath, but conjured up his own reptilian ghosts and Sting to help bolster their numbers. Apep's power was overwhelming, and even as they fought back, more and more snakes continued to pour out of the shadows. The battle raged on, and Sero could feel his strength and mana waning.

Apep himself seemed to enjoy the chaotic battlefield despite not being involved directly, his laughter growing louder as more and more of his creations were slain. The battle was slowly beginning to turn in their favor as the survivors fought back, but Sero had a sinking feeling that this was what the Catastrophe wanted.

"Almost ready!" Dante shouted out, pressing his palms together in front of him, his index fingers curled inwards so that the knuckles touched. "If you all could just hold those damn snakes back!" 

Sero activated Undying Spirit, racing to the frontlines alongside Zioth, who had his own pink aura raging around him. The Soul Strider nodded to him, conjuring his blade and slashing through the serpents with ease. Sero followed suit, his green Soul Blade absorbing mana and strength from the summons as Raul and Liam rounded out their first line of defense. 

The mix between Sero's and Elena's spectral reptiles illuminated the streets in a green glow, giving the Ascendants some visibility. Sero's and Anya's face court were dashing around, aiding the Ascendants as best they could while providing some relief against the snakes. Sero caught a glimpse of Sting and Anya's Joker fighting in tandem, as if they'd been doing this for years. 

Three distinct roars, one louder than the other, bellowed across the streets as Moss and Lime flew through the air, adding more disruption while Jawlock rained down fire. Kanna and Sal led the backline of Ascendants, firing ranged mana attacks with deadly precision. 

If it weren't for Sero's Perfect Analysis, he wouldn't have been able to process everything that was happening, but even with it, the sheer scale of Apep's serpentine army was overwhelming. 

He glanced at Dante, who was now in position, his hands held out, palms facing upward, as if offering something to the heavens. The air around him shimmered with unseen energy, and Sero could feel a pressure building in his chest.

"Everyone, take cover!" Dante shouted, a neon green light enveloping him. 

Sero's body buzzed as he retreated, copying the 'Carnal Seven' skill. Seconds later, a neon green light enveloped Apep, surprising the Catastrophe.

"Oh? And what is this?" He sneered as the light exploded. 

Carnal Seven, as Sero soon saw, was a skill that determined the target's greatest sin and manifested it into an antagonistic creature. For Apep, Sero learned that it was Wrath. 

The creature was hulking, a dark green hue that seemed to shift with every movement, like the writhing serpents of Apep itself. Its form was twisted and demonic, several rows of torn leathery wings jutting from its back. It had curved claws, the tips black and glistening, and a massive, horned head that snorted smoke and fire with each breath. Its eyes were like burning jade, and its mouth was filled with jagged teeth, stained red with bloodlust. As it emerged from the neon green light, it let out a roar that seemed to shake the very foundations of the city.

"Holy shit." Sero said in a tiny voice. Amongst everyone here, he instinctively felt that the Wrath creature was certainly strong enough to contest Apep. The sheer power emanating from the creature was palpable, and even as it charged at Apep, he could feel his blood running cold.

"Finally! I was beginning to grow bored of my welcoming party." Apep grinned wickedly, as if the appearance of such a monstrous creature was somehow amusing. The Wrath roared back, its massive form shaking the ground with each booming breath. The two invaders circled around each other, though it seemed like Apep wasn't taking the creature seriously.

The Ascendants continued to subjugate Apep's serpent army that relentlessly poured out from the portals, giving the Catastrophe and the Wrath a wide berth. Sero saw Dante down on one knee, his scar distorted with effort as his hands, still in the summoning sign, trembled in front of him. 

"Are you all right?" Sero called out to him as he ran to the Sin Reaper's aid. 

"I'm... fine. Manifesting someone's sin takes a huge toll on me," Dante gritted out. "I hate to ask, but in this situation, I'm vulnerable to attacks." 

Sero understood what he meant, changing his focus towards protecting Dante. Apep's snakes somehow knew that Dante was the source of the Wrath creature as they began to swarm him, hissing and writhing in an attempt to overwhelm him. Sero cut them down as they came, joined by Meredith, who threw his needle out like a javelin. 

Copying 'Silk & Needle', Sero watched out of the corner of his eye as Meredith's needle pierced through several gigantic snakes. The Threadweaver yanked on the thin string attached to the needle, pulling it out from the snakes and causing them to crash to the ground, lifeless.

Meanwhile, the Wrath lunged forward, reaching Apep. The two titanic forces clashed, sending ripples through the air. Sero could feel the earth shake beneath his feet as they fought. The air grew thick with the stench of sulfur and burning flesh, and the sounds of their battle echoed through the city, drowning out everything else.

Sero kept tabs on the fight as he kept Apep's serpents from reaching Dante. The Sin Reaper himself seemed to grow more exhausted by the minute, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead and his breath coming out in ragged gasps. The Wrath and Apep continued to exchange powerful blows, their bodies colliding in a flurry of wings and claws. The ground beneath them began to crack, and chunks of buildings started to crumble as the force of their battle reverberated through the city.

"This... isn't good..." Dante mumbled. "The Catastrophe... is unbelievably stronger than the Wrath. How in the world is this possible?"

Sero glanced over at him. "What if there were two?"

"Champion, you have too many summons out right now! If you try to call forth a Wrath, who knows what might happen to you?" Aphiel cried out in his thoughts. 

"Sorry, but after encountering Malice, I can't hold anything back," Sero gritted his teeth as he called his dragons over to protect him and Dante. He sat down, mimicking Dante's hand gesture as he casted Carnal Seven. 

Almost immediately, Sero felt his entire body being weighed down by a great weight, and a green light appeared on both his body and Apep. Just like earlier, the light exploded around Apep, momentarily causing the Catastrophe to misstep and take a hit from Dante's Wrath. Right after, Sero's own Wrath formed, a darker hue identical to Dante's.

"Oh..." Sero gasped, feeling his mana rapidly drain away as the mental strain from keeping the Wrath creature threatened to overwhelm him. His Rationality triggered, halving the strain, but it was still uncomfortable as Sero struggled to maintain focus. 

Now facing two sins at once, Apep seemed to have a harder time fighting the behemoths, though the smile never left his face. Sero could feel his own Wrath struggling against Apep, as if it were two swords locked in combat. The ground beneath them shook violently as the three creatures traded powerful blows, the air filled with the sounds of their roars and the hiss of the snakes.

"More, give me more!" Apep roared gleefully, upping the speed at which he fought. Sero could only watch in disbelief as the Catastrophe gradually overwhelmed both Wraths, and he knew that Dante was sharing the same feeling. 

Eventually, Apep decimated Dante's Wrath with a crackling black beam through its head, followed by the bisection of Sero's Wrath with his bare hands. Both he and Dante grunted with exhaustion as they felt the massive pressure from their respective Wraths vanish. Although drained, Moss and Lime quickly came to their aid, restoring their strength with a soft green light. 

Sero shivered, whether from the cold or fear, as he saw the Catastrophe turn his glowing violet eyes on them. Apep grinned wickedly, charging up a dark violet ball of energy in his hands. For some reason, Sero's body buzzed. 

"Don't quit on me now," Apep sneered, "I was just getting warmed up."

Sero felt his body tensing up as the dark energy ball grew larger and larger in Apep's hands. He glanced at Dante, who was already trying to summon the Wrath creature again. 

"Shit, what the hell can I do?" Sero muttered under his breath, catching sight of the other Ascendants realizing the Catastrophe was no longer occupied by the twisted summons. He briefly checked his reserves, finding his mana still healthy despite using a vast amount for Carnal Seven. His Rationality was still active, furiously working to quell the terror in his heart. 

Before he could think of a plan, Apep cackled, firing off a beam of crackling dark violet energy towards Sero and Dante. 

Without thinking, Sero fired his own beam of crackling green energy. A second later, he realized that he had copied Apep's 'Annihilate' skill.

The two beams crashed into each other and created the largest explosion Sero had ever witnessed, sending out a wave of force that knocked even Apep off his feet and threw him several meters away. The ground beneath them quaked violently, and Sero felt his vision blur from the force of the impact. He coughed, his ears ringing and his body sore. He hadn't realized that he was now on the ground as well.

Dante, who was lying nearby, groaned and slowly sat up. "Can you... give us a warning... next time?"

"Intriguing!" Sero heard Apep's voice boom from across the ravaged city ruins. "I never imagined I'd find an Ascendant who could use my skills as well!"

Sero winced as he saw the Catastrophe climb back to his feet. Apep was looking at him with a mixture of amusement and annoyance. It didn't seem like it had affected him at all. 

Not wanting to give Apep another chance to unleash another devastating attack, Sero roared and unleashed all of his ranged skills, raining down fire, water, lightning, nukes, railguns, and exploding knives. 

"Champion!" 

Sero ignored Aphiel's protests, continuing to burn through his mana even as it was regenerated through Undying Spirit's effects. He didn't dare look away from Apep, who was already gathering more energy for another attack under Sero's onslaught. He had no idea how much longer he could keep this up- if it was even doing anything to the Catastrophe in the first place.

Unfortunately, it seemed as if it didn't. Apep's eyes glowed menacingly as he raised a palm towards Sero, ignoring his attacks as if they were made of paper. In a final act of desperation, Sero abruptly ceased his attack, emulated Lawbreak, and teleported behind the Catastrophe. 

"What-?!"  

Sero's gambit seemed to have paid off as Apep was unprepared for his arrival, whirling around to adapt. Keeping the momentum, Sero conjured the Jury axe, letting it crash down upon the Catastrophe. A part of him suspected the invader to be able to withstand the golden weapon, but Sero desperately hoped the rapid sequence of events would trip him up. 

Proven wrong once again, Apep reacted with inhuman speed, firing the Annihilate at the Jury's blade and blasting it out of Sero's grip. The heavy weapon was carried up into the darkness, where it dispersed into green dust. 

"Was that all you had to offer?" The Catastrophe quietly locked eyes with Sero as he charged up another Annihilate. "I had expected more from an Ascendant who could return my skill." 

Sero's legs trembled, his body screaming in exhaustion as he struggled to keep his eyes on Apep. He knew he was running out of options, his mana depleted from using so many skills in quick succession. The city continued to crumble around them, the ground quaking with each of Apep's attacks. As the Catastrophe raised his arm once more, Sero steeled himself for the inevitable.

Countless strands of silver thread suddenly flew through the air, wrapping around and tightening on Apep's outstretched arm. Snorting, Apep merely continued charging, until several other binding magic came out of nowhere. A blue mana cage, shadowy tendrils, elemental chains... it seemed like Sero's friends had stepped up to prevent Apep from killing him. 

Or, as it turns out, to prevent Apep from moving as a roar rumbled across the ruins, and a Wrath creature tackled the Catastrophe from the side. In such close proximity, Sero was once again blown away, this time from the impact of the collision. 

The wind was knocked out of him, and he coughed and wheezed as he struggled to get back to his feet. Apep seemed to be momentarily stunned by the attack, but he recovered quickly, unleashing a torrent of black energy at the Wrath. It didn't stand a chance against the onslaught, and Sero could only watch in horror as the massive creature was incinerated where it stood.

That wasn't the only thing the Ascendants had in store for the Catastrophe as countless beams of different colored mana rained down upon him, forcing him to his knees. Even as the barrage raged on, Apep showed no signs of pain save for the slight annoyance in his face. Gradually, he rose back up to his feet, charging an enormous amount of black energy between his hands despite the heavy fire. 

"I'm beginning to tire of this," Apep growled, swinging his hands back. Sero's body buzzed with power. "If this is all your forces have to offer, then I'm afraid this world isn't enough entertainment for me."

Copying 'Disarray', Sero could only watch, paralyzed, as Apep clapped his hands together, emitting a tremendous shockwave of crackling black energy. Unexpectedly, Moss, Lime, Sting, and all his face cards appeared in front of him, absorbing the brunt of the attack. It wasn't enough to completely block it, shredding through the familiars and slamming Sero away. The others fared worse, screaming out as they were thrown against the rubble or into the air.

Sero's ears rang as he slowly recovered his bearings, painfully propping himself up. All around him, the other Ascendants were strewn about, some already dead, others struggling to rise. The city was a ruin, crumbled buildings and rubble as far as the eye could see. The monstrous snakes were beginning to pour out in larger volumes, unchecked by the sudden lack of resistance.

In the distance, Sero caught sight of Apep stalking towards a group of downed Ascendants. He recognized one of them.

"Amaya!" Sero cried out, struggling to stand on his own. His body was battered and bruised, every muscle protesting as he forced himself forward. "Don't... please don't..."

Kill her, was what he wanted to say, but he was beyond exhaustion at this point. He could only watch as Apep casually strolled over, the man's violet eyes seemingly taking in every detail of Amaya's battered form. She lay there, eyes closed, blood trickling down her face. Her breathing was shallow, and she looked like she'd been through hell.

"No..." Sero gritted his teeth, mustering up every ounce of mana and energy he could. "I'm... not gonna lose anyone again..."

With a desperate and defiant roar, Sero emulated Relentless, pushing the limits of his strength beyond normal. He tensed, pushing off and flying towards Apep at the speed of sound. The Catastrophe merely snapped his attention towards him with unnatural speed, amused. 

But that didn't stop Sero. In fact, that was what he wanted, to draw his attention. As Apep lifted a hand to smack him away, Sero changed into shadows, becoming intangible as Apep's palm passed harmlessly through him. Reforming instantaneously, Sero haphazardly stacked a doubled Inspiration, Fairness, Undying Spirit, and Synchronization, merging with Sting's power as well.

The result nearly caused him to black out under the tremendous strain of power that literally pulsed through his body, but Sero fought through the pain and sent out a right hook that connected with Apep's jaw.

If the Revenge Sero used against Elena was able to shake a stadium, then the one he casted on Apep just now was over ten times, if not more, stronger than that. Sero only caught a glimpse of the shock on the Catastrophe's face before he was sent back at supersonic speed. Apep slammed against the building furthest away from the nearest downed Ascendant, the green aura enveloping him detonating.

In the instant that Sero's punch landed, his mana reserves were completely filled, allowing him to release his buffs and conjure all the familiars he could in the limited window of time present. Even as they rushed to protect the defenseless Ascendants, the Revenge on Apep lit up the entire city in a bright green light, temporarily banishing the darkness.

Sero managed to cover Amaya's body with his as the entire world shook. Faintly, he was surprised that he couldn't hear the explosion, though Sero suspected that the sound was so loud, it deafened his hearing before he could process it happening.

A shockwave of dust and debris spread outwards, a rippling wave of destruction barely absorbed by Sero's familiars. It took a moment for him to realize that the explosion had passed, Moss and Lime licking him and Amaya while whimpering. Confused and disoriented, Sero shakily sat up, gazing down to see that Amaya was still breathing, albeit in shallow gasps. Blood trickled down her face, mingling with dirt and dust.

Sero's Queen cards quickly surrounded them, healing his wounds and restoring his stamina, but he brushed them off, ordering them to focus on Amaya. He forced himself to his feet, surveying the ruined city.

Ascendants and civilians alike were dazed, confused, or dead, with a majority lying motionless on the ground as Sero stood amidst the rubble. A ringing began to sound in his ears as his hearing slowly returned. The illuminating green light from before quickly faded away, darkness rushing in to cover the city.

"No... fucking... way." Sero wasn't sure if he spoke aloud or not upon seeing the still standing form of Apep in the middle of a crater. The Catastrophe was visibly angry, but relatively unharmed by Sero's last ditch effort. He locked eyes with him, his violet eyes burning with hatred and despise.

"What a nasty little trick you pulled, Ascendant," Apep snarled, a crackling aura of black energy enveloping him once more. "Allow me to return the favor."

Even with his mana completely replenished, his stamina and strength somewhat stable, Sero only felt despair as he saw the unharmed Apep, his aura of black energy crackling around him. His eyes were ablaze with rage, and his mouth curled into a cruel smile. Sero glanced around, searching for any signs of hope or allies, but he knew that with the rest of the Ascendants down, it was hopeless. 

The only one left standing, Sero had no choice but to face him alone.