"There are less than half of you now. Do you still intend to fight, or will you submit?" Lucan asked, enjoying the power he had over their lives.
As Lucan gloated over his assumed victory Chronos and the surface guards descended behind him. Being in the perfect position Lyla couldn't help herself and...
Bang!
Smashed her holy fire mace into his face again.
"You! How dare you keep aiming for my face!" Lucan shouted.
Whoosh!
Before Lucan could attack her Chronos swung his twin war axes covered in [Sever] at his skull and groin, forcing him to dodge.
"Tch, I missed." Chronos said.
"What is that power? It blocked my spell earlier and now it feels dangerous to me! What are you, wolf?" Lucan practically screamed.
He didn't know why but for some reason whenever he faced Chronos his blood and miasma raged like it had met a sworn enemy.
He was never able to keep calm like when he was facing Varkesh and Gregory, he didn't like the feeling of losing control and wanted to know what was going on.
From amongst the singer's Vice-captain Ilyra said, "So Captain Lysira was right, he is a legendary war wolf."
Hearing this the other singers took heart and began singing an ancient unknown song of courage that seemed to only enhance Chronos' strength.
That was strange but he would accept any help to beat this guy right now. It wasn't just the devil's blood that was boiling, his blood also wanted to kill that devil.
Lucan called out another serpent from his pocket and let it protectively swim around him.
"This is my last serpent." Chronos heard him mutter.
Lyla and Varkesh took positions around him along with the remaining guards preparing to launch a final battle, or so Lucan thought. The truth was that they were just stalling for time so that the priests could finish purifying the crystal, they only needed to stall for a few more minutes.
Lucan charged at them but only Chronos met his charge, everyone else had retreated.
Bang!
Contrary to Lucan's expectations Chronos didn't budge when they collided, instead Lucan found himself being forced back. The song of courage had increased Chronos' strength far more than anyone had expected.
A vicious grin split Chronos' face as he realized that he could overpower Lucan now. Shoving him back Chronos stepped forward bringing both of his axes down on him.
As Lucan was thrown backwards he flapped his wings to create some distance, looking up he saw Chronos charging at him.
"Serpent, stop him!"
The serpent swam forward to block Chronos, but Gregory's threads grabbed it. Pulling it sideways the orca guards surrounded it determined to keep it trapped no matter the cost.
Varkesh was behind Lucan before anyone else could catch up to him swinging his trident in order to pin him down.
The miasma wings blocked his trident then flapped forcing him back as a pulse left his body, then Chronos was on him again.
Lucan blocked with [Rotbite Claws] and used [Miasmic Arrows] to force him back, then Lyla was at his side swinging her mace. In anger he decided to take the blow and cast [Rot Spine] at her chest to take revenge for the constant blows to the face, but she suddenly somehow moved sideways.
Several threads around her waist had pulled her out of the way. Even though Gregory wasn't in the frontlines his strings could easily provide support within 8 meters of himself.
Seeing that the battle was turning against him Lucan began to get desperate.
"You weaklings can only gang up on me!? Can you take pride in such a victory?" Lucan shouted.
Varkesh, Lyla, and Chronos looked at each other and laughed.
"Hahahahaa, this isn't about pride, this is about killing. As long as we accomplish our goal nothing else matters right now." Chronos growled at him.
"Seems like you get it, pup." Varkesh commented
"I just want to bash your face in." Lyla maniacally grinned.
"Okay, she is crazier than I thought. It's kind of cute." Chronos thought to himself.
Only later would he realize that seeing someone like that as cute might make him a bit crazy too, okay more than a bit but that wouldn't matter to him.
Seeing that nobody cared Lucan used glyph shortening to rapidly cast spells one after another.
Glyph shortening could cut casting time in half by excluding certain glyphs from the casting process, but it would also cut the spell's power by 30%. However, when you were a full rank above your opponent's cutting the power wouldn't make much of a difference.
Chronos and Varkesh rapidly dodged his spells, but Lyla wasn't able to move as fast as them.
As the spells came closer to her, she activated her divine form and felt her strength increase to an abnormal level. A halo of geometric sigils suddenly began rotating behind her as a lattice of pale-gold appeared under her skin and a golden script manifested beneath her feet.
With renewed strength she attacked the spells using her mace and holy gavels, the spells shattered like glass. She was amazed by the power she displayed, then used her holy flames to burn the drifting miasma away.
"That… shouldn't be possible, she is not that strong even in her [Judicator Ascendant] divine form, ah that symbol in the middle of the halo is not mortal made. The Goddess of order must be granting her more strength than normal, that is going to come back to bite her later." Chronos worried about what she would have to pay for such a drastic increase in strength.
Stepping on the script Lyla rushed at Lucan, reveling in the feeling of power that her divine form granted her.
Swinging her mace, she knocked his wings aside and landed several blows on his body while her halo destabilized his spells.
With the boosts from her divine form, she could rival a fourth rank individual but the strength she was currently displaying surpassed what her divine form could grant.
Chronos assumed that the blessing from the Goddess of order was further increasing the effectiveness of the divine form, but from when they had tested it at the fortress any increase in strength had to be paid for after the divine form faded.
She probably wouldn't be able to move afterwards.
Lyla landed one more blow on Lucan's face before she was forced back by two of his completed spells, but Chronos was there to take her place.
Swinging his axes, he severed one of his wings then retreated when a pulse slammed into his chest. Varkesh was already behind him throwing his trident to pin the remaining wing he drew his serrated saber and cut at Lucan's arms.
Lucan tried to sacrifice an arm to kill Varkesh with a claw to the throat, but Gregory once again pulled him out of the way.
"Kelp rot!" Varkesh swore as his attack failed to cause significant damage.
Pulling out the trident Lucan prepared for another clash but just then the world dissolved around them.
Chronos smiled as he recognized this, it had happened when the last void space had collapsed. They had stalled Lucan long enough for the priests to purify the world crystal!
As the world dissolved Lucan panicked, "No, no, I haven't failed yet! You can't have won! NO!"
But no matter how much he protested the world slowly came back into view in such a way that Chronos' senses felt like they were coming out of a well or perhaps passing through layers? He would have to remember this feeling for the future right now there were more important matters to handle.
Then they were in the middle of the seal theater once more. Shouting and explosions resounded in their ears as they found themselves in the middle of a war with the troll's army.
They couldn't see the battlefield from inside the seal theater but from the sound of it the trolls had yet to break the fort and the lizardfolk were attacking their rear already. The battle must have been going for a few hours now if the lizardfolk had already finished their ambush and were attacking the troll army.
"You Bastards! I won't let you live!" Screamed Lucan as he took to the air.
In the middle of his hands the outline of a spiky ball began to form again only to be interrupted by a whip made of lightning wrapping around his waist.
"Get over here! I'm your opponent now, devil!"
Admiral Kaelvar's voice echoed over the sounds of battle as Lucan was yanked towards the northern reservoir. Looking in that direction Chronos could see a massive waterspout trapping a second devil as the admiral swam around the outer edge of the spout.
Pulling Lucan into the middle of the spout Admiral Kaelvar gave orders to Varkesh before following him inside.
"Varkesh, support the center and southern flank, take charge while I'm gone."
Turning to Chronos, Varkesh made a request.
"I know you're tired, but can you go to the southern flank?"
"Of course, but let's see how the battle is going first." Chronos replied.