Outside the Astral Plain – The Road to Salvation
Yoshito's team raced through the war-torn landscape, Verlord's son a precious burden. With the true powers confined to the Plain of Infinity, hope flickered. It died instantly. Before them, horizon to horizon, stretched the might of Aryavarta: Legions of soldiers, phalanxes of mages, ranks of archers, hardened lieutenants, grim commanders, cold-eyed ministers, robed priests, and elite warriors radiating palpable power. Among them, clusters of "S" ranks pulsed with threat, and a chilling few bore the unmistakable aura of "SS".
"Impossible..." breathed one of Nero's freed prisoners, despair thick in his voice. "We can't breach that."
The sheer scale was suffocating. The entire, damnable army stood poised to annihilate them.
Without ceremony, the Aryavartan war machine unleashed hell. Millions of arrows darkened the sky. Explosive runes flared. Elemental magics – firestorms, lightning barrages, crushing gravity wells – converged on the small, exposed group. Panic seized them. Some closed their eyes, accepting oblivion.
CRACK!
Time itself seemed to fracture. Every projectile, every spell, every particle of dust hung suspended in mid-air. A bone-deep, unnatural cold seeped into the world, frosting breath and armor alike. Then, shattering the silence, came a roar – ancient, furious, and echoing from leagues away.
The Calamity of Frost had arrived.
The army's collective bravado evaporated. "Why isn't that bastard trapped with the others?!" screamed a commander.
An "SS"-ranked mage reacted first, slamming a colossal, shimmering barrier over the front lines. It held for a heartbeat.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The earth itself revolted. Tectonic plates screamed as the ground buckled and exploded upwards in titanic spires, scaling far beyond any recorded quake. The shield shattered like glass. Thousands vanished instantly, pulped by falling rock or swallowed by chasms. Blood slicked the fractured land.
"The land attacks us?!" a soldier shrieked moments before a flying boulder crushed him.
The Calamity of Earth had joined its kin.
The surviving elite warriors, "S" and "SS" ranks, rallied, steeling themselves to face these primordial titans. Before they could strike, a spatial distortion wrenched the Earth Calamity away.
"Hey, buddy," Nero's voice echoed faintly, tinged with exasperation. "You're needed here. Stay out there too long, and Aryavarta becomes a memory. How'd you even get left behind?" Back on the Astral Plain, the Earth Calamity reappeared beside its master.
Simultaneously, a cocoon of glacial ice encased Yoshito's group. In a flash of blinding cold, they vanished.
"KILL THAT SMALL DEVIL FIRST!" the Aryavartan commander roared, spittle flying, pointing at Verlord's son's last known location. But his target was gone. Only the lingering, soul-deep terror of the Calamities remained, a crushing weight upon the fractured army. The confident "S" and "SS" ranks exchanged grim looks. "Steady!" one barked, false bravado in his voice. "We can handle this!" The battle for Aryavarta's outskirts raged on, now against forces that defied mortal comprehension.
Astral Plain – Battlefield Sectors
(Cutting between the clashes!)
Match 1: Kanori vs. ONI + Fire Calamity + Spector
Kanori, General of Aryavarta, nocked an arrow woven from solidified light. Her gaze was icy contempt. "Boy," she called to ONI, her voice dripping with false pity. "It's not too late to flee. Preserve your pathetic life."
ONI spun his massive, rune-etched metal bat, a mocking grin splitting his face. "Aren't you the one my master flattened in seconds last time? Still sore?"
Kanori's knuckles whitened on her bow. 💢 "He is an exception. You are nothing." Her previous defeat stung.
"Pfft-HAHAHA!" ONI's laughter boomed, raw and defiant. 💢
"You insolent—!" Kanori snarled.
"BRING IT ON, GRANNY!" ONI roared.
The battle erupted. Kanori moved with unnatural grace, her bowstring humming. Space warped around her arrows as they fired – Mirror Dimension manipulation bending their paths unpredictably. One such arrow phased through solid air, materializing point-blank at ONI's temple. Pure instinct, honed by Nero's brutal training, jerked his head aside. The arrow screamed past, obliterating a distant mountain peak into dust.
"Just a taste," Kanori purred, nocking another arrow. "The 'weakest' General sends her regards."
ONI hefted his bat, flames coiling down its length fed by the nearby Fire Calamity. "In that case..." he grinned savagely, "...TRY THIS!" He charged, a comet of heat and fury. Kanori's bow flashed, arrows fracturing space itself as they met ONI's bat in showers of sparks and distorted reality. Spector darted at the edges, seeking openings. The violent dance intensified.
Match 2: Zoke vs. Darky + Moonlight Spirits
Zoke, Head of the Royal Guard, adjusted his spectacles, projecting an aura of weary reasonableness. Darky, in humanoid form, cracked his knuckles, radiating impatience. The Moonlight Spirits hovered nervously nearby.
"Hey... Four-Eyes," Darky drawled.
Zoke offered a placating smile. "Oh, please! No need for such... formality!"
Darky tensed to lunge.
"WAIT!" Zoke held up a hand, taking an exaggeratedly deep breath. "Just... two minutes? Please?"
Darky paused, suspicion etched on his face. Zoke sighed dramatically. "We needn't behave like beasts. We are civilized beings! Can we not talk? Resolve this peacefully?"
"Drop the act," Darky snapped, tail lashing. "Get to the damn point."
"Why?" Zoke implored, spreading his hands. "Why attack Aryavarta? What is Nero's true aim? Is this vengeance for his death? If so... we are truly, deeply sorry." His voice oozed faux sincerity.
Darky stared, unblinking. Zoke pressed on, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "I know our system is corrupt! But what choice do we have against a monster like Fernando? I am not your enemy! I refuse to fight you!" He radiated the innocence of a saint.
WHUMP!
Darky moved faster than sight. His fist, condensed darkness, slammed into Zoke's crossed forearms. The impact was thunderous. Zoke's eyes bulged behind his glasses as he was launched like a cannonball, crashing through spectral rock formations yards away. The Moonlight Spirits gasped.
Darky lowered his fist, radiating cold fury. "Told you," he growled. "Drop. The. Act." He stalked towards the crater. "Nero's darkness isn't foolishness. You claim the system's corrupt? Then you, standing at its head, are part of the rot. How does that make you 'right'?"
A low, chilling laugh echoed from the dust. Zoke rose, brushing debris off his uniform. His placating smile was gone, replaced by a sharp, predatory grin. 💢 "Clever little demon... Very well." His aura shifted, shedding pretense, radiating cold malice.
Both figures blurred, meeting in the center with a shockwave that cracked the Astral ground. Moonlight fluttered forward, wanting to aid Darky.
Darky's voice, colder than the Frost Calamity's touch, stopped them dead: "Interfere, and I'll end you. Stand. Watch. Save your pity." His gaze locked on Moonlight, venom in his eyes. "I haven't forgotten your betrayal."
The battle resumed with terrifying ferocity. Every clash between Zoke's honed combat arts and Darky's primal, overpowering darkness threatened to shatter the surrounding space. Moonlight watched, trapped between dread and a gnawing, ancient guilt.