Elara, wielding a sword forged from the heart of a neutron star, stood floating in the void outside the planet, her bright figure alight with an aura of concentrated fury and cosmic power. The sword's blade, shining with the intensity of a star's core, and her golden eyes, burning with the fire of countless suns, were fixed dangerously on Anos, challenging the very essence of his being.
Anos, in turn, faced this unexpected celestial-level onslaught with a composure that truly belied the gravity of the moment. His calm eyes, glowing with the depth of arcane knowledge and power, met Elara's cold gaze, acknowledging the magnitude of the threat before him. Yet, within him surged a strength, an arcane might that had countered and withstood every terrifying force Elara had unleashed thus far. His stance, firm and unyielding, was that of a being who had traversed the very edge of oblivion and returned, unbroken.
"First form, Stellar Flare Slash."
As the second Stellar Flare Slash suddenly tore across the cosmos toward him, Anos calmly raised his hand, not in defiance but in command. The void around him hummed with dark crimson energy, the fabric of reality bending to his will. With a mere gesture, he summoned a barrier, not of physical matter, but of pure tyrannical magical force, capable of absorbing and redirecting even the horrifying cosmic energy of Elara's attack.
The collision of forces was cataclysmic. Stellar Flare Slash, the first technique of a celestial martial art embodying the destructive power of a supernova, met Anos's crimson barrier, a clash of cosmic might against demonic arcane mastery. The resulting tremendous radiation rippled through space, distorting time and matter, creating a visible transparent shockwave expanding in all directions and even seeping to other dimensions.
Yet, when the light faded and the echoes of their clash dissipated into the void, Anos remained unscathed. His paper-thin barrier had somehow deflected the horrifying attack, channeling all the destructive cosmic energy away from him, dispersing it into the fabric of space behind him.
Empress Elara, witnessing the containment of her favorite attack for the second time, felt a surge of frustration and admiration at the same time. Anos's ability to consecutively counter one of her most devastating attacks with just magic alone not only confirmed his strength but also deepened the magnitude of his pure magical skills.
The duel had now evolved into a contest of not just might but of existential prowess, a battle of beings who wielded the forces of annihilation and destruction as mere extensions of their will.
It was in this moment of quiet aftermath, as the dust of their cosmic conflict began to settle, that Elara's attention, guided by Anos's concerned gaze, shifted toward the planet below them. Only then did she notice the debris—the remnants of the other nearby planet she unintentionally destroyed with the first Stellar Flare Slash, now a threatening cascade of cosmic rubble, hurtling towards their planet at an alarming velocity. The gravity of her actions dawned on her, a stark reminder that after she had grown to the pinnacle of power, her actions now had consequences far beyond her expectations.
The sight of the oncoming world-ending calamity she unintentionally brought filled Elara with a sense of urgency she had never felt before. As a gamer who had journeyed across the multiverse, seeking out the strongest monsters in existence for battle to gain valuable loot and experience, she had always been focused on the thrill of the fight, the acquisition of power. Yet, here, in the presence of this peculiar monster and the imminent threat to his world, the stakes were now different. It was no longer just about personal gain or the exhilaration of combat. The lives of countless innocent living beings and the integrity of an entire world hung in the balance.
Elara suddenly found herself in unfamiliar territory. Her journey through numerous worlds had exposed her to various challenges and foes, yet the repercussions of her actions had never been as immediate or as dire as this moment. The stark realization that her own selfish ambitions could potentially lead to a world's demise was a jarring wake-up call. It highlighted the immense responsibility that accompanied her recently acquired cosmic powers—a weight she rarely contemplated in her pursuit of might.
"Uhhh. Sorry? I... I didn't mean for this to happen..."
"..."
In response, Anos, witnessing the genuine concern evident in Elara's visage, took this as an opportunity not only to reveal his might but to also underline his duties. Employing the age-old spell "Ygg Neas," he manipulated the cosmos to change the course of the incoming debris. This deed acted as a mute yet potent signal of how absolute power could also serve as instruments of protection, not just tools of ruin.
Elara watched in awe as Anos's spell took effect, the whole planet moving away from the path of the debris with a grace that belied the immense magical force required to alter its course. The bluish-white glow of Anos's hand, the visible manifestation of his spell, was a testament to his mastery over godlike magic, a skill that went beyond combat to encompass the manipulation of entire planets.
Elara glanced at Anos, his expression smug, as if doubting her capability to have resolved the crisis on her own. She snapped, irritation flashing in her golden eyes. "I could have managed it on my own. I just... got a little surprised, that's all," she declared, her pride stung by the assumption of her needing rescue.
Seeing the smile widen on Anos's face, Elara sensed disbelief in his eyes, which only fueled her anger. Determined to prove her strength and independence, she decided to demonstrate another form of her cosmic martial arts, one that would not only take care of the remaining debris but also assert her prowess beyond any doubt.
With a fierce determination, Elara gathered her cosmic energy, focusing it into her cosmic blade. "Third Form: Cosmic Echo Wave," she announced, her voice resonating with the power of the cosmos itself. The blade vibrated, emitting waves of energy that surged towards the debris Anos was still redirecting away.
As the cosmic energy waves collided with the fragments, they didn't just move them away; they disintegrated the debris into nothingness, leaving no trace of the potential threat. The cosmic waves pulsed through space, a visible testament to Elara's mastery and the depth of her power. Each wave resonated with the vibrational frequencies of the cosmos, aligning perfectly to obliterate the remnants of the destroyed planet without causing further harm to their surroundings.
Elara, with a fierce glint in her eyes, expected to see a hint of fear or at least concern in Anos's gaze as she prepared to unleash her power further. However, he remained unfazed, his demeanor as calm and composed as the void itself. This unshakable poise only drove Elara's frustration to new heights. She refused to be underestimated or seen as any less formidable. In a fit of determination to assert her dominance and showcase the full extent of her abilities, Elara resolved to unleash her martial arts in a frenzied display of cosmic might.
With a swift motion, she called upon the "Seventeenth Form: Black Hole Vortex," a dao origin technique that harnessed the destructive essence of a black hole. Concentrating her cosmic energy, Elara's blade became a conduit for a power so intense that even the laws of the universe around it began to warp and distort.
"Fine, I'll show you the true extent of my power!" Elara declared, her voice echoing through the cosmos as she swung her blade in a wide arc. The fabric of space itself seemed to tear, creating a vortex that pulled in everything around it with merciless force. Moons that had silently orbited their planets for eons were suddenly ripped from their trajectories, spiraling into the abyss Elara had created. The void consumed everything in its path, growing more voracious with each passing moment.
Not satisfied with the destruction of mere moons, Elara intensified her attack, directing the voracious energy towards another nearby uninhabited planet. The planet, caught in the relentless pull of the black hole vortex, began to fracture and crumble, its very essence eroding under the overwhelming gravitational force until it was completely erased from existence. The spectacle was both awe-inspiring and terrifying beyond mortal understanding—a display of power that left no doubt of Elara's mastery over her frightening cosmic martial arts.
As the black hole vortex dissipated, leaving behind a swath of destruction and the void where the planet once existed, Empress Elara angrily turned to Anos, her breath heavy with exertion and her golden eyes burning with a fierce light. She had proven her point, now what? The silence that followed was heavy, filled with the unspoken realization of the destructive potential that she wielded.
"..."
"..."
Anos, witnessing the extent of Elara's powers and the ease with which she had obliterated celestial bodies, finally spoke. "Impressive spectacle, Empress Elara. Your power is indeed unparalleled. But remember, true strength lies not just in destruction, but in our ability to choose when to wield it and when to hold back."
In an act that starkly underscored his dominance over the situation, Anos effortlessly called forth a throne from the nothingness, positioning it under him as though drawing upon the universe's very core of authority. With a dignified poise that seemed almost at odds with the monumental feat he was poised to perform, he took his seat. His crimson eyes surveyed the tragic aftermath of their battle, and with a tranquility that reflected his profound command over the mystical arts, he spoke a single, potent word: "Revalon."
When he said "Revalon," an impossible amount of magical energy exploded from his body and instantly engulfed the entire solar system. Elara trembled as she felt the overwhelming mana wash over her, feeling as though she were drowning in an ocean. The void around them thrummed with a power so profound that the fabric of reality itself seemed to pause in anticipation. Then, as if commanded by the will of the universe, time began to fold upon itself. The destructive aftermath of Elara's unleashed fury, the shattered moons, and the obliterated planets—all that had been torn asunder by her titanic tantrum—began to coalesce and reform. The process was meticulous, precise, down to the very atoms that had been dispersed into the void.
"...huh—?" Elara watched, her fierce demeanor giving way to sheer astonishment, as the celestial bodies she had annihilated with her prided powers were easily restored to their original state, orbiting peacefully as if never disturbed. The planet, once a victim of her black hole vortex, re-emerged from the void, whole and unblemished. Even the atmosphere of their own planet, which had borne the scars of her initial Stellar Flare Slash, healed as if the fabric of reality itself was being rewoven.
As the last vestiges of her destruction were erased, replaced by the serene beauty of a cosmos untouched by her wrath, Elara found herself speechless. Her mouth agape, she struggled to comprehend the sheer magnitude of Anos's omnipotent spell, the effortless mastery with which he had not only nullified her destructive escapade but even restored the cosmic balance she had so recklessly upset.
"Haha… damn, you're an absolute monster," Elara finally spoke, her voice a mix of admiration and irritation. The words, spoken half in jest, belied the depth of her realization. In Anos, she saw not just an opponent but a mirror, reflecting the potential of what she could aspire to become as an Archmage—a guardian of the balance she had momentarily forgotten.
Anos, accepting her words with a nod, recognized the shift in Elara's perspective. "And you, Empress Elara, wield a power that can shape the stars. But remember, it is not just what we can destroy, but what we choose to preserve and create that defines us. Beings of our caliber must exercise restraint in wielding our powers."
Shaking her head in disbelief, Elara muttered, "I'm not even close to that level yet. I can destroy, but creation... that's beyond me right now."
Anos, with a teasing glint in his eye, joked, "Perhaps you've forgotten, but you possess a womb—a place of creation to start with."
Elara's face turned a brilliant shade of crimson, embarrassment overtaking her as Anos chuckled at her flustered reaction. Her indignation flared as brightly as the cosmic energies she wielded, her cheeks burning with a heat that rivaled the stars. "S-Shut up! We're talking about power, not... not biology!"
Anos, ever the strategist, continued his playful teasing, using logic as his tool of choice. "Empress Elara, think about it. You're a being of immense power. Using what you naturally possess to explore creation should be within your realm of capabilities," he said, a smirk playing on his lips, fully aware of the discomfort his suggestion was causing.
Elara, on the other hand, wasn't buying it. Coming from a modern Earth background, she found the whole conversation surreal. "Look, idiot, we're talking about cosmic-level power plays here, not... not baby-making stuff!" she countered, her tone dripping with sarcasm and a hint of disbelief. "I'm all for blowing stuff up and bending the universe to my will, not... whatever this is."
"But Elara, to confine oneself to a single aspect of power? Consider the broader spectrum. Creation isn't solely about birthing stars and planets; it's about the genesis of the new. And you…" Anos paused, emphasizing his point by pointing at her stomach, "are brimming with potential."
Elara's patience was thinning, her embarrassment peaking, but she tried to keep her cool. "Heh, there's a universe of differences between the kind of power I wield and domestic tasks. My thing is chaos, supernovas, not... not this cozy domestic picture you're painting."
Anos, pretending to ponder deeply, replied, "Yet, isn't the essence of cosmic mastery the balance between creation and destruction? You've mastered the latter; why not explore the former? Expand your scope, as it were."
The playful exchange, while initially amusing, quickly became too much for Elara. Standing firm as the Cosmic Archmage Blade Master, she was not about to let this challenge pass without asserting herself. "This is absurd!" she exclaimed, her voice a clash of naive modern sensibility against the pure logic of Anos. Her energy surged in frustration, her face alight with the brilliant red of a nebula ready to burst. She was ready to move, to put an end to this uncomfortable conversation.
And Anos, still drifting in the cosmic silence while sitting on his throne, chuckled softly. His face broke into a knowing smirk. "Such an innocent spirit," he muttered, the amusement clear in his eyes.
"But Elara, should you ever wish to explore the 'art of creation', I'd be more than willing to assist in your practice."
"AHHHH—-!"