The sky above the volcanic mountain churned with chaos as Vastarael and Narisva hovered side by side, their forms floating above the volcanic mountain.
Below them, the 60-meter-tall Ice Mannequin stood ominously still, its faceless visage turned upward. The eerie lack of features only made it more unsettling. Around them, the battlefield roared with chaos: 20-meter stone centaurs locked in brutal combat with their larger, 30-meter icy counterparts, their clashes shaking the volcanic island to its very core.
Vastarael tightened his grip on Calimostria and glanced at Narisva, who floated beside him, her cocky smirk as sharp as ever. Her Celestial bloodline was evident in how the gravity around her bent and shifted to her will, the air rippling as if afraid to defy her.
"That thing doesn't even blink," Vastarael muttered, his sapphire eyes narrowing at the towering Ice Mannequin. "If it even has eyes, that is."
Narisva scoffed as she raised her hand slowly. "Let me show you what happens when an ant tries to look up at a god."
Vastarael's mouth opened to reply, but then he stopped. The air shifted—no, bent—as a massive sphere of energy began to coalesce above Narisva's palm. It started small, the size of an apple, but quickly grew into a miniature sun, one of her Ascended Forms. Its blinding light illuminated the entire island, casting harsh shadows against the centaurs still tearing into each other. The heat radiating from it was unbearable, even from a distance. Vastarael instinctively shielded his eyes with his arm.
"Narisva, you're going to melt the entire island!
"Good. This place was an eyesore anyway."
Without another word, she hurled the blazing orb straight at the Ice Mannequin.
The world seemed to pause for a split second as the sun connected with the Mannequin's chest. Then, all hell broke loose.
The explosion that followed was nothing short of apocalyptic. A deafening roar tore through the air as the miniature sun erupted, its energy unleashing a cataclysmic wave of destruction.
The volcanic mountain, already unstable, shattered under the force, molten rock spewing in every direction. The surrounding forest ignited instantly, transformed into a blazing inferno that spread like a ravenous beast. The shockwave flattened everything in its path, uprooting centuries-old trees and sending debris hurtling miles away.
Vastarael was thrown backward, barely managing to stabilize himself mid-air. The sheer heat was overwhelming, even for someone with his durability. He watched as the Ice Mannequin's towering form disintegrated, chunks of its frozen body melting into massive puddles that sizzled against the volcanic rock. The island itself was unrecognizable, a scorched wasteland littered with pools of steaming water and the shattered remnants of the Ice Mannequins.
Yet, amidst the carnage, the Submerged Centaurs emerged from the wreckage. Their stone bodies were cracked but intact, their resilience defying the catastrophic assault. They stood silently, their glowing crimson eyes fixed on the smoldering battlefield.
Vastarael's gaze shifted to the massive puddles left behind by the Ice Mannequin. The sight of its liquefied remains should have brought relief, but instead, a gnawing unease settled in his chest. He turned to Narisva, who hovered above the destruction, her arms crossed and a look of mild irritation on her face.
"The Frozen God isn't here," she said bluntly. "I would have sensed him. As a Divine, his presence wouldn't go unnoticed. Which means…"
"Which means he's somewhere else," Vastarael finished.
He frowned, his mind racing to piece together the implications. Before he could say more, a sharp, searing pain erupted in his back.
His breath hitched as he looked down, his sapphire glaive slipping from his grasp and disappearing. Blood seeped through his body, staining the fabric a deep crimson. The pain was excruciating, radiating from the point of impact and spreading like wildfire through his body.
Vastarael tried to turn but his strength was failing him. His vision blurred as the world around him seemed to darken. He could barely make out Narisva's shout, her voice laced with genuine alarm for the first time.
The ground disappeared beneath him, replaced by an endless void. Darkness consumed him as if he had been plunged into the deepest abyss. His limbs felt heavy, unresponsive, and his mind swirled with disjointed thoughts.
And then, silence prevailed.
The eruption's echo hadn't even faded when it happened.
A pressure heavy enough to fold the skies crashed down on the volcanic island. Narisva's eyes widened. For the first time in years, her cocky smirk vanished.
The Divine Pressure was ancient, and unforgiving. The clouds spiraled in reverse above them, the ash frozen midair, time itself lagging as if protesting the emergence of something not meant to awaken.
"Oh no," Narisva whispered.
But it was already too late.
The volcanic mountain, now nothing more than a fractured throne of molten scars, cracked open like a hollow egg and from its heart, a beam of white-blue annihilation surged upward, splitting the heavens in half. It wasn't energy. It wasn't light. It was pure, elemental death.
Narisva barely managed to raise her arm, her mind screaming orders to her Tether: Sight Teleportation. The space between herself and Vastarael fractured, warping with instability as she forced a jump.
She was too slow. The beam struck. It engulfed the entire island in an instant.
And everything…froze.
The centaurs were encased in crystal coffins mid-roar, their bodies shattering seconds later like brittle glass. And above that glacial graveyard…
Narisva appeared panting, her hands trembling.
She looked to her left.
Vastarael was floating beside her. Blood leaked from his mouth, his body twisted slightly. His breathing was shallow. The back of his armor was completely torn through, and the skin beneath was scorched black. His skin was flaking not from fire but from the cold.
Then she understood.
He'd shielded her from the impact.
He'd moved faster than her teleportation. He'd reacted before she had.And he had taken the brunt of the Frozen God's awakening beam.
"...Why..." she whispered.
But he couldn't respond. His body was slipping, drifting downward. She caught him in mid-air and gritted her teeth. An ear-splitting screech came from everywhere and yet nowhere.
"TIME TO DIE, YOU MENACES."
The mountain shook as massive towers of black ice emerged from the icy crust. Speakers. Each one was the size of a skyscraper, thrumming with frequency so high it shattered the floating glacier-chunks in the air.
They all pointed at her. Narisva's instincts screamed.
She couldn't stay near Vastarael, not with this coming.
"Hold on for me," she whispered, her voice cracking.
Then she activated Sight Teleportation again, trying to move anywhere.
Nothing.
Her eyes widened. The space didn't bend.
It didn't exist.
Her Tether failed. The cold had stolen her space.
She jerked away, just before the first wave hit, causing a sonic concussive burst so dense it literally warped her skeleton mid-air. Her skin cracked at her cheekbones. Another wave. Then another. They were targeted.
Each wave matched her speed. Each one adapted.
She tried to phase through the next wave, her body screaming as she broke her own bones just to dodge. She coughed blood and still, she kept running.
Her bones were freezing from the inside out.
Her Ascender Core was being suppressed. And with every passing second, she could feel herself… fading.
She looked down. Vastarael was a falling comet, spiraling toward the icy ground far below.
His sapphire eyes were open but fading. And she realized in horror.
"He knew. He knew it would end like this and he still took the blow…"
A new voice rang through the air, deep and mechanical, almost pitiful.
"HE IS INCOMPLETE. NOT YET DIVINE. INITIATING CLEANSE."
An ice shard, larger than the others, began to power up. From the mountain's dead heart, it aimed directly at Vastarael.
"NO!"
Narisva flung herself downward, her aura cracking like shattered glass.
She forced Sight Teleportation. Nothing. The air wouldn't bend.