"Pantheon level magic..." Lunaria's words echoed within the formerly timeless void.
Unlike a normal, or intermediate level magic user. A pantheon level magic user was on an entirely different level. They didn't just have a greater mastery and control over their magic, but they could even affect something at a conceptual level.
Due to having time magic, Kurenai could use the concept of time as her power rather than just controlling time. However, that raised a question.
"What's with the sudden increase in power?" Lunaria's question made sense, Kurenai at first couldn't even scratch her after her time stop was countered. Even the mutation didn't helped her much until the end, and now the vixen suddenly had a massive increase in power and also pantheon level magic?
"My ego." Kurenai answered. "Your ego?"
"Yes, its ego." Kurenai mentioned as she explained about it. Existential Genesis Overdrive, or simply [E.G.O], it was a power that allowed her to increase her power and control through her belief.
Unlike magic, over which you have to master control, and your body which you have to train. [E.G.O] allowed one to break their physical limits, recover them and create an entirely new limit. For the magic part, it refined their control over that magic, allowing them to reach a higher level of control just through belief.
But of course, such a power couldn't be used so casually. While it was true, that [E.G.O] increased power through belief. To reach a belief of that level, a deep level of emotional state was required. Moreover, the increase in power also vanishes after some time when out of that state, resulting in the level before that again.
"Pfft." Lunaria chuckled slightly at the explanation. A rare smile from the cold woman. "So my mocking hurted your pride so deeply huh?"
Kurenai's forehead twitched at that. She dashed in again. Lunaria this time didn't tried to dodge, Kurenai's attack landed directly on her stomach. "Huh?" She tried to pull out but couldn't. Lunaria used the chance to deliver a punch at Kurenai's face. But Kurenai got behind her again instantly, leaving more cuts on Lunaria.
"Tch!" Lunaria was disappointed at the fail. Her time stop's cooldown is pretty much gone within here since she is controlling the concept. She thought. Due to controlling the entire concept of time in the realm applied by her. She could complete ignore how many times she could control the time here.
But something was off, if Kurenai could completely overwhelm Lunaria like this, why could she just not kill her instantly.
The two continued fighting, but Lunaria kept getting overwhelmed by Kurenai.
Back on the planet's surface. Everyone were fighting with the corrupted that continued to come out of the ground.
SWOOSH! It was a clean cut by Orion as three corrupted ravens fell on the ground. "So you are telling me, that you can't use your full power in that state!?"
Chiharu replied as he dodged a flame coming at him. "Correct! None of us three souls can use our full power due to Split Souls. We can only use a portion of our true power!"
He summoned a fireball, but it wasn't as devastating as Tsukiharu's hurricane from before. Talking about Tsukiharu, he was on the ground with the other injured ones, his eyes slowly opening.
Miharu was at his side, noticing her brother awakening. "Tsuki!" She yelled, getting a smack on her head from him. "You are too loud." He said, still a bit sleepy. "What even happened to m-." His words stopped the moment his gaze landed forward at the battlefield, his eyes focused on one individual, Chiharu.
"I-Is that..." He couldn't believe himself, but Miharu explained everything to him. "Tsuki, that's indeed big brother. He is alive!" But Tsukiharu was frozen, he still couldn't believe himself. Miharu noticed it, Chiharu who had already noticed yelled at them.
"My idiot siblings, stop with the shock and help us here!" Miharu hurried towards there to help. "Tsuki, come help us as well when you are recovered!" As she was gone.
Tsukiharu still couldn't believe what he was seeing. His big brother was alive, but that was why he was shocked. He had seen Chiharu die right in front of his own eyes. "What was the point of all that... If he was alive..." He muttered, trying not to cry.
He felt a hand placed on his shoulder, it was Sera. The fox looked at the young phoenix besides him, trying to reassure him. "Sir Tsukiharu... All of us have already found out why you and Lady Kurenai kept attacking us for so many years. None of us holds any hatred towards either one of you for that." She gave him a gentle look. "Just please go, and assist Sir Chiharu... The foxian siblings aren't complete without all three siblings."
Tsukiharu was silent, he wiped his small tears away. "Thank you..." He said, as he got up. Also going there to help. Sera watched as the fox left at full speed. Of course, I will make him and Lady Kurenai pay for the year worth of annoyance though. She thought.
"Big brother! Miharu! I am here!" Tsukiharu yelled, as he reached the two. But upon arriving, he recieved a flick on his head by Chiharu. "Good to see you fine again, little brother." He had a small grin on his face.
Chiharu's expression changed to a serious one. "But hear me carefully, I removed your corruption thanks to the original owner of this body allowing me to do so. But I can't control it as perfectly as him, when I removed you corruption. I also removed the power that you got from it. In simple words, you are back to how strong you were originally supposed to be without getting corrupted. So don't take this too lightly."
"I see... But I am not going to be a burden to my big brother this time." Tsukiharu answered, getting a smirk from Chiharu. "Well then, let's go."
Everyone were dealing with the other corruptions. Then there blurs, as fast as a bullet, went past them, hitting a corrupted sea serpent all together at once, sounding it greatly.
"Seems like, the foxian siblings are in action together once again." Said Legolas, as he watched the scene.
But for Solara, who just finished burning a corrupted phantom to ashes, she was tense. Her thought wandering around one thing only.
I can't sense Lunaria's energy anywhere at all. Her thoughts out her in an internal panic, having no idea about where their strongest member disappeared. The phoenix got worried.
"She will be fine." Risa mentioned, as she launched a minotaur away. It was as if she read Solara's thoughts. "Sis is far stronger than anyone of us, I am sure she will be fine." Her words were full of confidence, Solara understood the trust. But she could also notice the small signs of worry on Risa's face.
Drip! A drop of blood fell on a small chunk of ice created by Lunaria earlier. But her condition wasn't that good. Covered in cuts and blood from head to toes, even her regeneration had slowed down now to the point she couldn't even regenerate a basic wound in time.
"Still going to fight? I would have surrendered by now if I was in your place." Kurenai mocked with a casual tone.
Lunaria's breathing was slightly heavier than before, she was tired. It was her first time fighting a Pantheon level magic user, the gap between Kurenai and anyone else that she had fought was enormous.
"You are strong..." Lunaria replied, a small chuckle escaping her. "But still easier than my toughest opponent." That intrigued Kurenai's intrest. "Oh is that so? I wonder, who could have brought you into a condition worse than this, if I am still not the strongest that you had faced."
"I never said strongest... I said, the toughest." Lunaria pointed out. Kurenai was confused. "If I am the strongest then according to you, how come am I not the toughest?"
"Pfft." Lunaria chuckled again. "Because unlike someone who can't do anything without her magic, that person could still bring me down to my knees despite being weaker and not relied solely on his magic."
"Was that your way of saying I am not competent enough to count as the toughest in your view?"
"That's correct."
"Well then... I'll change that view after I bring you down on your knees on my own." She dashed in again, but this time she planned to attack from above. However-
"Oh and one more thing..." A ghostly aura started to surround her. Kurenai's attacked landed straight on Lunaria's head. The shockwaves from the impact created a cold smoke by shattering some of the ice created by Lunaria.
Kurenai jumped out of the cold smoke, and looked at the hand she used to attack. It was was covered with soul magic, Kurenai was baffled by that. The cold smoke faded, revealing an entirely different figure.
It was Lunaria. But her hair were dark now, her clothing was a teal-blue dress with a long wide skirt, she had no legs, her arms were covered inside that dress.
She wasn't standing, but hovering in the air. Her eyes teal-blue, with a ghostly aura surrounding her.
"A... Wraith?" Kurenai muttered, a wraith was a species that came to exist after someone in their previous life dies without a fulfilled desire, being reborn as a wraith if they choose to, otherwise they would remain a wandering soul like Chiharu and Lunethra.
Lunaria's wounds and cuts vamished like dust after her transformation. "The second half of our second round... Begins now."
Lunaria hovered towards Kurenai at a speed faster than hers, Kurenai couldn't dodge it in time, and Lunaria landed a clean hit on her stomach, launching the corrupted vixen away.
Kurenai held her stomach tight in pain, trying to attack back at her with lightning speed. But Lunaria didn't even tried to dodge it, as Kurenai's attack phased through her. Physically attacking her was like trying to punch the air.
Lunaria charged a glacier at Kurenai, but Kurenai dodged it by using the concept of time within the realm. But Lunaria got behind her instantly, and launched the glacier directly at her.
Kurenai got launched away, confused how come Lunaria reacted so fast. "Trying to use the concept again, aren't you?" Lunaria pointed out. "But unfortunately for you, a wraith's existence isn't bound to time and space, so I was completely unaffected by it now... As I said... You are useless without your magic, even pantheon level magic can't save you."
Kurenai clenched her fists. She muttered some words. "Was, is and is to come." And she turned her gaze towards Lunaria, sending some kind of wave that couldn't be seen through the naked eye, but Lunaria could now as a wraith.
She shifted back to her human form to dodge it quick by landing down on her ice faster than trying to dodge it as a wraith. The wave hit the realm instead, but it did nothing.
"What even was tha-" Kurenai attacked before Lunaria could react, using the small chance of when she shifted out of her wraith. Kurenai landed a devastating kick on Lunaria's stomach, sending her away.
"I am leaving you here, I don't plan to be in a fight I am guaranteed to lose!" Kurenai yelled, as she used teleportation magic to leave the realm. Lunaria shifted into her wraith form again to reach her at full speed. But she passed through Kurenai, as she vanished away from there.
"... Crap." That was what she said after being trapped there.
.
..
...
Another Sea serpent was reduced to nothing as Solara's flames burnt it down. Everyone had been fighting for way too long now. Some were already tired.
Even the three foxians were slower than before now, as they finished killing a corrupted orc. Miharu and Tsukiharu collapsed from exhaustion, Chiharu was also breathing heavily in exhaustion. "Just how long, until mother is taken down..." He muttered.
Orion slashed an eagle right on the head, it fell down and died. "Hmm?" He noticed all the corruptions starting to sink back into the ground, he looked towards the distance, the mana barrier created by Kurenai had also gone now.
"Did Lunaria win?" He questioned. Soon the others also saw it, and all of them thought that Kurenai had lost. But Orion had some doubts still. And he was correct to have them.
A time spear came right at one of the orc, Risa covered the gap immediately, blocking the spear from reaching. But the spear still ended up impaling the orc somehow.
A moment of pure silence. Until Sera cracked it. "Huh?" A barrage of spears started to come, completely unavoidable by anyone of them. Whoever tried to dodge, got hit from a different spot.
Legolas tried to use healing magic on everyone but the speed was too much. "What's happening!? Isn't Kurenai defeated!?"
Chiharu grunted, as he tried to find the source of the spears. He looked around, until his eyes locked in front, far in the distance was someone, Kurenai.
Charging himself, he dashed with his full speed. Getting behind her, he was about to kick her. But the moment she snapped her neck around, Chiharu froze upon seeing her horrific face. Giving Kurenai a small opening, as she dodged and kicked Chiharu away instead.
Everyone watched, as Kurenai entered the area. Her horrific look creeping everyone out. It was even creepier than Tsukiharu's mutated state.
"M-Mother?..." Miharu muttered out, her eyes filled with tears from fear. Tsukiharu held her close, also creeped out.
Chiharu maintained his composure, but he was also found the sight unsettling. "Mother! Is that really you!?" He asked.
Kurenai tilted her head, confused at who this new foxian was that questioned her. "And who might you be?"
"Your eldest child, Chiharu Kara."
Kurenai stayed silent for a moment, then answered. "Such a blatant lie, my eldest died years ago. You can't fool me by pretending to be him."
"It's indeed me, I am just alive again but not completely yet!"
"Feed your lies to a fool, little one. You can't use it against me." She said, as more time spears were launched at him.
Chiharu gritted his teeth, as he borrowed a sword from one of the phantoms, dashing straight at the spears. He striked all of them away, lunging straight at Kurenai.
However, in the next moment. Blood splashed out. It wasn't Kurenai's blood, but Chiharu's. Those same spears were stabbed deep inside from all sides, not even aware about when did it hit him.
Everyone stares at the scene in horror, Solara snapped her neck towards Risa, asking if she saw what happened. "I didn't." Risa replied. "It wasn't like before at all, when sis and I fought her, she couldn't use her time magic to such extent."
"It's mother's special ability, [E.G.O]." Tsukiharu mentioned, both girls looked at the panicked fox who tried to keep his composure despite seeing his brother's condition.
"Mother's ability allows her to increase her physical limits, and refine her magic control infinitely depending on how much she uses it... She definitely must have used that."
Tsukiharu's explanation left everyone horrified, Chiharu grunted in pain. He already knew of that ability, so did Miharu. Blood leaked from Chiharu's mouth, as he forced his body to swing the sword around. Cutting all the spears in half, giving him movement.
He tried to stab the sword into her, but Kurenai blocked it with a finger. "To let all of you get an idea over how powerful my magic is right now... That woman compared my time magic to something she referred as, Pantheon level magic."
Every rescuer from the H-200 froze in shock and horror, all of them knew the level of pantheon level magic. If Lunaria fought with someone of this level, that means she must have died already.
"Where is my sis!?" Risa yelled at Kurenai, who flicked Chiharu away back at Tsukiharu and Miharu. "Your sis? That woman was your sister? But you two don't match at all."
"Each section of the Headquarters is raised as one whole family, she is my sister, even if not by blood. Tell me what did you do to her, before I kill you!" Risa lunged at Kurenai at full speed. Swinging her claymore straight at her, Kurenai blocked the incoming claymore.
Kicking Risa in the gut, she pushed the dragon back. "She isn't dead, but she won't be coming out either." Risa was baffled. "Huh!?" Kurenai continued. "I easily overwhelmed her at first, until I found out that she was a wraith who could shift into a human form."
"Huh!?" Risa and everyone other rescuer was shocked, they didn't even knew Lunaria was a wraith. Kurenai continued. "Because she was a wraith, my time magic couldn't affect her at all, nor could my physical attacks hit her through her incorporeal nature."
Her creepy mouth turned into a small grin. "That's why, I distracted her using my ability, to force her out of her wraith form. Then used that small time to leave while trapping her there. She is trapped inside the abstract side of the planet."
Risa became a little less worried, Lunaria was alive but was still worried about her whereabouts. "The abstract side?"
"An other world that overlaps with our world, its path exist on this planet." Chiharu answered, as Miharu helped him get up. "It's a timeless void, an infinite nothingness where nothing exists. Not even time and space, but gravity is still there inside of it."
"So it rejects relativity." Solara muttered.
Chiharu's explanation continued. "Back when the first foxian, who we referred as the Tailed King, was practicing his Spatial Magic, he ended up causing a spatial wave to diverge, opening a path to the abstract realm."
"Oi oni, what were spatial waves again?" Risa asked Orion, who just sighed because of her forgetfulness. "Invisible waves that are created due to the overlapping of two different spaces, and can be opened with Time, Space, Gravity or Dimension magic."
"Alright." She thanked in her own way. Chiharu finished with one last explanation as well. "If mother has truly trapped Lady Lunaria inside of the abstract realm. Then there is no way out for her, because the only options to get out is by opening the same spatial waves. Teleportation magic. Or a teleportation relic."
Risa's grip on her claymore got tighter upon hearing that. But then she snorted. "Pfft." Then she started to laugh, Orion thought she had finally lost her mind.
"What are you laughing at no-" Kurenai's question couldn't be finished, as Risa dashed straight into her, far faster than anyone else ever did until now. Crashing straight into Kurenai, Risa swinged her claymore with full force, Kurenai tried to block it again but got pushed back.
"Huh!?" Kurenai was surprised by the sudden shift in Risa's power. Just a moment ago, she easily blocked the dragon's attack, but now. She was faster, as well as stronger. All in a few minutes.
Chiharu tried to move, but couldn't due to the pain. Until he heard a voice in his head. "Switch."
"What?..." Chiharu muttered, Miharu heard it as she stared at him. The voice continued to talk to Chiharu.
"Chiharu, you can't fight. Sylves is still in a state where he can't use his own body. Allow me to fight." It was Lunethra.
"Lunethra... What even are you planning to do now?"
"Just stick to my plan, you will know it eventually." As Chiharu's form started shifting to Lunethra's form again. The others watched the process happening.
Back with Lunaria however, she kept sending large glaciers at every direction. Each glacier larger than the other, but she couldn't find an end in this void.
"There is no end to this..." She muttered. She realized now why Kurenai decided to trap her here. There was no end to this realm, no matter how far she went or how large of an attack she sent. There was truly no end to this realm.
"I can't break out like this... I need to figure out some way to leave this place." She muttered. "I don't want to admit it... But I am really worried for all of them." As she clenched her fists.
Solara is right... I have been feeding myself a lie for all these years, that I made on my own. Her fists started trembling. As she muttered quietly. "Please be safe... All of you." Her tone one of worry, completely different from her usual personality.
The flashbacks comes to her again. The same scene, the ghostly figure holding corruption venom, and the white haired figure lying on the ground. But this time, it was the complete memory.
That ghostly figure, was Lunaria in her wraith form. Who was crying in that memory, something unusual compared to the current her. "Why... Why did it had to end up like this." That was what she said in that memory. The white haired figure, motionless on the ground just gave a small smile to her. "It was to be expected senior... I was bound to be hunted after my secret was revealed."
Lunaria's hand trembled as she brought the syringe near his arm. "I am just glad, that you are the one who is killing me... Death is a gift to me than being treated as a test subject... So thank you." He said, as tears fell from his eyes. Lunaria finished injecting the venom into him.
Snapping back to reality, Lunaria stood there silently, looking at her right hand. The same hand, from which she injected the syringe back then. "Sylves... I do regret killing you."
Then she clenched her fists tight. "That's why, I am not going to leave you to death again." She closed her eyes, as she thought about her predicament.
I have figured this much out, that this realm must have twisted laws of space time after Kurenai placed the concept of time onto this realm.
Because pantheon level magic can ignore of durability, she could have killed me instantly. Yet she couldn't.
So my theory is, that the realm must have twisted laws now, due to which. Pantheon level time or space magic works the same as any of the other level of magic in ignoring it. That's why she couldn't kill me, and Kurenai doesn't seems to know of it.
"Which would mean, that I can use those twisted laws, and use the concept of space time here to get out through the spatial waves." That was Lunaria's plan to get out.
The question was, whether she could pull it off, and get out or not. Her only options of magic, her frost magic, and her soul magic as a wraith.