The clang of diamond blades sent tremors through the palace, a metallic earthquake echoing off marble walls. Theomund's eyes, glowing like malevolent stars, fueled his assault against Astra. Each clash sent shockwaves rippling outward, shaking loose not just stones but the very resolve of onlookers.
Natalia, a blazing fury herself, countered the Duke of Sylvanwood's desperate attempts to bind her with thorny vines. The scent of burnt earth a harsh counterpoint to the howling wind that whipped snowflakes across the snow-covered ground.
Though his emerald gaze swept the battlefield, the duke moved with the awkward grace of a scholar, not a soldier. Retreating from Natalia's searing flames, a frustrated snarl contorted his face. With a renewed focus, he unleashed his power: eagles materialised from thin air, diving for Natalia with impossible speed.
The fire sorceress met their assault with fiery defiance, turning the predators into ash with contemptuous ease. The air charged with power and the stench of singed feathers. But one, quicker than its brethren, evaded her inferno, a blur of black aimed for her exposed throat. She twisted, barely avoiding the razor-sharp beak that snapped inches from her skin, the force of its attack sending Eydis's necklace scattering across the snow.
Before she could reach for the lost gift, another threat materialised. Lukas's voice, laced with desperate control, boomed like a winter thunderclap. "Natalia, cease!" His hands, crackling with telekinetic energy, held Colete and Birgit hostage, their faces contorted in silent screams. Rage, hotter than any inferno, roared through Natalia, threatening to consume her. But before she could unleash its devastating heat, a warm hand, rough as weathered wood, grasped hers.
"Leave them to me," rasped Lionel, his voice barely audible over the chaos. His hand, now a flaming fist, propelled him towards Lukas with the agility of a seasoned warrior. "How’s your sore spot, Lukas?" he challenged, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips even amidst the carnage.
Lukas snarled, orange flames igniting in his eyes. He flung the girls aside. Fury contorted his face as he slammed his fist against the earth, a geyser of rock and soil erupting towards Lionel. But the captain, ever resourceful, used the debris as springboard, launching himself skyward before diving towards Lukas, his flaming fist aimed for a decisive blow.
The clash echoed through the air as Lukas met the attack with his forcefield shield, sending Lionel sprawling back, a shower of icy fragments scattering around him. But the fiery warrior was undeterred, rising to meet Lukas's blade with renewed ferocity. Meanwhile, Natalia's fiery onslaught finally subdued the Duke of Sylvanwood, his form crumpled and unconscious.
But her victory was short-lived. An ominous green light pulsed above her, drawing her attention to…
Elias! Butterflies, seemingly his loyal subjects, swarmed around him, lifting him higher. His voice, distorted and amplified, echoed through the marble walls. "Beasts! Attack!"
Natalia's heart hammered against her ribs, panic a cold fist clenching tighter. Before she could even think, Colete's scream ripped through the air, followed by the sickening crackle of magic under strain. Duchess Von Nassau, eyes alight with cruel purpose, held Colete aloft, a telekinetic chokehold constricting her friend's throat.
Natalia's own scream rose above the growing chaos, but it quickly transformed into a primal snarl. Rage, hot and blinding, surged through her, twisting into a monstrous hunger.
Destroy them! the hunger roared, Burn them all to ashes!
Flames intensified around her, fueled by fury and the suffocating dread for Colete's life. Snow melted around her, replaced by scorched earth.
Across the battlefield, locked in a desperate dance of blades, Astra barely registered the unfolding horror. Theomund's attacks were unlike any she'd faced before – cold, precise, brutal, fueled by something darker, deeper than mere rage. His diamond blade, impervious to her own, sang a chilling song against her defense.
"You know," she said, her voice strained but defiant, "I'm never a fan of yours."
Theomund chuckled, a hollow sound devoid of humour. "The feeling is mutual," he growled, each blow aimed to break her defences.
"Perhaps..." she huffed, dodging a particularly vicious swing, "I only tolerated you because..." Her voice hitched, barely audible over the clash of steel, "...because someone important... cared about you."
Theomund's assault faltered, the golden serpent-eye glowing ominously in his chest momentarily dimming. A flicker of something almost human, almost vulnerable, flickered across his face, then vanished as quickly as it came, replaced by a renewed snarl.
"LIES!" he roared, louder than the battlefield itself, voice echoing with a tortured desperation. "All lies!"
With a thunderous clang, he slammed his blade onto the ground, sending metal tendrils erupting from it like vengeful serpents. They coiled around Astra, squeezing the air from her lungs and stealing the breath from her voice. But instead of striking her down, Theomund’s gaze snapped, fixated on a figure across the snowy garden, Lionel, locked in a desperate duel with Lukas. Exhaustion etched lines on both their faces, but Lionel's stance faltered, betraying his weakening resolve.
Theomund charged. His blade blurred into a silver streak, aimed not at Astra, but at Lionel's exposed neck. A sickening crunch, like a heart shattering ice sculpture, ripped through the air. Blinding white light erupted, the impact sending shockwaves rippling across the ground, slamming Natalia backwards.
The world tilted on its axis, reality fracturing around her. A scream, raw and primal, ripped from her own throat, a sound that mirrored the one that had just been silenced.
Brother! The word echoed in her mind, a desperate plea drowned out by the deafening silence. She squeezed her eyes shut, the image seared into her eyelids - Lionel crumpled, eyes wide with betrayal, blood blooming like a macabre flower on his throat.
Duchess Von Nassau saw her chance, mountains forming under her command, aimed to swallow Natalia whole. But the attack ignited a firestorm, splitting the earth open like a broken heart.
As a deafening CRACK of thunder split the night, the very ground beneath groaned in protest. Crimson lava, viscous and spitting embers, writhed like a wounded beast, devouring everything in its path. The stench of sulphur hung heavy in the air, mingling with the metallic tang of blood and the acrid bite of singed wood. Natalia stood amidst the carnage, power surging through her veins like a tempestuous current.
With a flick of her wrist, she unleashed a torrent of flames so intense it cast the world in shadow. The Duchess screamed, her earth barrier melting under the molten onslaught, a desperate plea dissolving into the roar of the blaze, a chilling echo of Natalia's own pain.
Destroy them! Destroy them all!
The serpentine entity within her hissed, its golden eyes blazing with malevolent light. The urge to succumb, to unleash the inferno within, clawed at her.
To let go.
To become the bringer of destruction.
The palace groaned, its immaculate white facade cracking under the relentless onslaught of fire. She was a storm of arcane flames, leaving a trail of devastation in her wake.
Just as her fingertips sparked, ready to incinerate everything in sight, a wave of cool water washed over her, dousing the flames and the raging tide within. It was a familiar sensation, a cleansing scent that triggered buried memories – the Red Hill woods, a beacon of calm amidst chaos, jolting her back from the brink. Light swam into focus – blue light, ethereal and beautiful, brimming with affection, with warmth.
"Melissa!" Natalia gasped, collapsing into the Azuran mage's embrace. The cool water calmed the inferno within, pushing back the serpent's venomous whispers.
"Red, you and your flames," Melissa said, brushing a charcoal smudge from Natalia's cheeks. Her voice held a hint of exasperation, but beneath it, worry flickered like a dying ember. "How many times must I be your fire extinguisher?"
Natalia sobbed, tears mingling with the ash on her face. Hope, however, flickered in her eyes, a fragile flame refusing to be extinguished. "Still arrogant as ever, Blue."
Melissa chuckled, a brittle sound amidst the chaos. Her gaze darted to Lionel, locked in a fierce duel with Theomund. Diamond met Ethereum in a clash that sent shockwaves through the crumbling palace. Theomund stumbled back, his eyes wide with surprise.
Astra snarled, incinerating the metal tendrils coiling around her, amethyst eyes blazing with fury. Her violet blade sang a deadly song through the air, crashing down on Theomund with a resounding crack. The Duke roared back, his dual blades barely parrying the combined assault of her and Lionel's Ethereum sword, the sheer force shoving him back a staggering step.
Earth and water surged as Lukas and Duke Fontaine joined the fray, their Arcane powers a dazzling kaleidoscope against the backdrop of the white palace and sprawling snow. The clash echoed through the vast chambers, a pulse of magic that vibrated in the very air.
"He's alive, Red," Melissa squeezed Natalia's hand, offering a fleeting reprieve.
But relief was a fleeting phantom. From the shattered archway, a tide of nightmares spilled forth. Monstrous shapes, S-Class nightmares given flesh, pulsed with malevolent energy. Screams echoed, frantic nobles scattering like startled doves.
Far away, a chilling melody filled the air – Ares' laughter, potent and cruel. "Elias, my creation!" it boomed, shaking the very throne room. "Unleash them! Let the beasts end this, child!"
Elias, shrouded in swirling snow, watched from above. A manic grin stretched across his spectral face, his emerald eyes glowing with a sickening hunger. He fixed his gaze on the rebels, lips twisting in a sneer.
