The vile bird observed the enormous black bone hand emerging from the shadows, then pecked at the black bone; the sound that followed was like a powerful thunderbolt spreading everywhere.
The shockwave reached them, throwing them to the ground.
Uriel moved into the darkness at a dizzying speed. In an instant, he led the others toward the enormous cliffs rising from the blackness. After waiting one or two seconds, Sunny and Nephis arrived.
In the time it took them, a titanic skeleton as massive as a mountain fully emerged, its body wrapped in bands of shining gold and ivory fabrics.
The skeleton looked at its hand, which had a crack where the bird had previously pecked, then observed the repulsive bird.
The vile thieving bird opened its beak, letting out a bone-chilling, piercing shriek that made the three cover their ears.
The enormous skeleton lunged forward, focusing all its attention on the Vile Bird.
A moment later, everything shook. A hurricane of black feathers and bone fragments darkened the entrance where the Tomb of Oblivion rested. The previous calm exploded into a chaotic cacophony.
Uriel used his will to choose a bulky armor of darkness that absorbed the impacts of the shockwaves. Even reinforced by his now vast will, it shattered against the shockwaves.
"What do we do now?" asked Nephis.
"You know? This reminds me of the time I was near a fight between two profane creatures," he commented lightly.
"This is no time for those whimsical remarks, Uriel," said Sunny. "This is serious."
"Hey, I'm taking this seriously."
Nephis decided to interrupt before they started arguing.
"We can't face both of them. In fact, we can't even face one... unless something changes."
"Hmm. Nothing comes to mind," Uriel expressed. "Maybe Shade will think of something."
He called out to Shade mentally, but frowned. He quickly entered his mental space looking for Shade, but couldn't sense him.
Panicking, he called Shade over and over, but there was no response. He couldn't even feel his presence within his mind; only emptiness.
"He's not there," said Uriel, biting his nail.
"What's not there?" asked Sunny.
"Shade," Uriel murmured before looking at the Cursed Terror. "That damn repulsive bird stole him. It stole Shade. How the hell didn't I notice? Was it when it pierced me with those claws?"
Uriel wasn't someone ruled by his emotions. He generally liked to stay calm and level-headed, but never in all these years had he felt such anger as he did now.
"Calm down," said Nephis, placing a hand on Uriel's shoulder. "We'll get him back."
Uriel took a deep breath.
"Yes," he said, breathing slowly and heavily.
"I have a plan," said Sunny. "It's risky."
"Explain."
"I need you to help me kill my shadows again so they don't get in my way. While you do that, we'll weaken that damned bird to kill it, once it destroys the Archon."
Nephis looked at Sunny for a moment.
"Are you sure the Archon will be destroyed?"
"I am." His voice was full of certainty.
Nephis was silent for a moment and then made another test.
"How are we going to damage the Thieving Bird then? I saw it. It effortlessly resisted both your killing will and my flames," said Nephis.
"Of course, neither of us has given our maximum yet. Although the quality of our will seems insufficient to finish off this Terror, the quantity might be enough."
Sunny looked at Nephis upon hearing that. After another moment of silence, he finally said:
"This time, our attacks will hurt it, because we'll weaken its will. You just have to tell it... Lost from Light, I command you to die."
Uriel summoned his darkness creatures. Specifically, he summoned Gunlaug and the Black Knight, which should be enough to turn the tide of battle. He also added his Supreme Tyrant as an extra.
He decided not to summon the Winter Beast, as it wouldn't be necessary for the current situation, not to mention it was a double-edged sword that affected everything around it indiscriminately between allies and enemies.
Uriel sighed.
"Maybe I can help with weakening the Terror too," he said. Although he lacked a domain and was only a Transcendent, he had an ace up his sleeve perfect for souls and spirits.
Nephis and Sunny looked at him.
"I'll leave this girl in charge. Her powers are related to souls, so she'll be more useful. Although she lacks much language since she was born recently."
Sunny and Nephis watched as the darkness surrounding Uriel dissipated, once again revealing the girl's appearance. However, the air around her changed: it became much colder and deadlier, as if their souls were being stalked.
Her will spread everywhere without any control. On her forehead, a vertical third eye opened and her hair turned from black to white.
"Go to hell," the girl shouted with spirit.
"Can you help us?" asked Sunny, seeing seven supreme soul cores within the girl's soul.
"Bastard." The girl nodded quickly.
At that moment, a loud crash came from the battle of the two Deities. The skeleton Deity had fallen motionless and lifeless. The Thieving Bird held a reaping golden glow in its beak that disappeared a moment later.
Without saying anything more, Sunny lunged like a torrent of shadows.
Nephis shone like a reaping star rising toward the sky, while the girl wrapped herself in a cloak of spectral mist that began to devour distance itself.
The Vile Bird set its eyes on the three enemies before it, stopping longer on the youngest figure. Its eyes shone with great greed.
Uriel, wrapped around the body of his Asoecro Legacy, watched as the Cursed Terror advanced and then staggered for a moment. Its vast will weakened, becoming less crude and overwhelming, but it was still absurdly dense.
The bird weakened further.
Immediately, the enchantment of his supreme Curse armor activated, sending curses of all kinds against the Cursed Terror, weakening it even more.
Nephis launched herself against the Cursed Terror in her transcendent form: a sea of white flames weakened it again. Although the Thieving Bird was still stronger than them, the difference between them and the Terror was still considerable.
The bird cawed in disgust at suffering so much weakening, one after another.
Sunny transformed into a huge colossus of shadows wielding a black odachi with both hands, delivering a downward slash.
At the same time, a white light descended from the sky: it was Nephis.
The Cursed Terror raised its wings blocking both attacks.
At that instant, Uriel ordered his creature to attack, and so it did.
Using his ascended ability [Hands of the Beyond], thousands of spectral hands, invisible and incorporeal, enveloped the Cursed Terror, gripping its soul and beginning to pull with force.
The Thieving Bird let out a loud shriek. Sunny's colossal black sword flew through the air as he was repelled, along with both his hands up to his elbows.
Uriel felt the invisible hands completely shatter.
On the other side, Nephis's sword was extinguished, leaving nothing but small burnt feathers on its wing.
Uriel watched the Cursed Terror, which stared back at him.
A visceral hatred was born in his heart upon seeing the bird that had taken what was most precious to him.