In an instant, the hall erupted into chaos. Hundreds of threads of black and crimson essence exploded outward from Ferris, crisscrossing through the air like a web of death.
The lines slashed through the ground, the walls, the very air itself. The sheer force of it all shattered the marble flooring. Pieces of stone and debris rained down like shrapnel.
Vastarael moved on instinct, twisting and turning his body to avoid the incoming barrage.
But the threads were too many.
The first thread tore through his sapphire armor like it was paper, carving a deep gash into his side. He winced, stumbling back, but the attack didn't stop.
Another thread slashed across his arm, severing it at the elbow in a brutal, blinding instant. Blood sprayed into the air as the limb hit the ground with a sickening thud. Vastarael gritted his teeth, fighting back the scream that threatened to tear from his throat. His vision blurred, but he forced himself to stay upright.
Then came the blow to his leg. A black thread sliced clean through his thigh, severing his limb entirely. Vastarael collapsed to the ground, his glaive clattering away from him. The pain was excruciating but he couldn't even catch his breath before another wave of threads descended.
One slashed across his chest, leaving a deep, jagged wound that bled profusely. Another grazed his neck, narrowly missing an artery but leaving a vicious line that burned with residual essence. His sapphire coating, his essence, everything was failing him.
By the time the technique ended, the hall was unrecognizable.
Pillars had crumbled, the walls were scarred with deep grooves and the floor was a jagged, uneven mess. Vastarael lay amidst the wreckage.
His body was a horrifying sight. Blood pooled around him, his sapphire armor shattered, and his breathing was shallow. He was covered in countless slashes, his remaining hand trembling as he tried, and failed, to push himself up.
For a moment, there was silence. The only sound was the faint crackling of residual essence in the air. Then, the slow, deliberate sound of armored footsteps echoed through the hall.
Ferris approached, her greatsword dragging against the ground, leaving a faint trail of sparks behind her. Her armor was glowing faintly from the residual energy of her technique, and her expression was one of cold, calculated victory.
She was terrifying.
"You fought well. But this is where it ends."
Vastarael coughed, blood spilling from his mouth as he tried to summon his essence. He could feel his regeneration kicking in, but it was sluggish, painfully so. The deep wounds on his body began to close, his severed limbs slowly beginning to regrow, but the process was agonizingly slow and draining.
Ferris stopped a few steps away, resting her greatsword on her shoulder. Her gaze swept over him, her smirk fading as her expression hardened.
"You're stubborn. Admirably so. But regeneration will only prolong your suffering. Do you truly think you can keep going in this state?"
Vastarael didn't answer. His golden eyes locked onto hers. Even as his body screamed in protest, even as his essence reserves dwindled, he refused to yield.
Ferris tilted her head slightly, studying him like one might a particularly interesting insect. Then she took another step forward, her armor clinking softly. The air seemed to grow colder and heavier, as she raised her greatsword.
"You're strong. But strength without purpose is meaningless. Allow me to show you mercy. You lose this duel."
Vastarael's instincts screamed at him to move, to fight, to do something. But his body was sluggish and unresponsive, his regeneration still in progress. All he could do was watch as Ferris raised her blade, her figure towering over him like an executioner ready to deliver the final blow.
And for the first time in a long time, Vastarael felt the faint flicker of doubt. Not fear, but doubt. Doubt that he could survive this. Doubt that he could overcome this impossible foe.
Yet even in the face of death, Vastarael clenched his jaw, his hand tightening into a fist. If this was the end, he would meet it with defiance. He would meet it as himself.
Ferris's blade gleamed as it came down, and the world seemed to slow. The roar of his own heartbeat filled his ears, and the glow of his sapphire essence flickered weakly around him. This was it.
Or was it?
Suddenly, like a spark lighting up the depths of his memory, Vastarael remembered her words. Her own words.
"Any means of combat is allowed..."
A grin tugged at his bloodied lips.
"You said any means, right?"
The second before the blade would have severed his head, Vastarael vanished completely. The air itself seemed to warp, folding around him like water embracing a pebble.
Ferris's greatsword crashed into the ground, cleaving straight through the marble and sending a shockwave rippling through the hall. A deafening crack rang out as debris flew in every direction, the sheer force of the missed strike shaking the very foundations of the floor.
Ferris's brows furrowed, her head snapping up, searching for him.
"What..."
Her eyes scanned the room, but there was nothing. No movement, no trace, no essence signature. It was as if Vastarael had been erased from existence.
Across the hall, an amused voice echoed, carried by a mischievous undertone.
"Missed me, Grand Cross?"
She turned sharply but there was no one there. Her grip on her greatsword tightened.
"Cowardice will not save you. Fight me properly!"
A low chuckle reverberated through the hall, disembodied and mocking.
"Cowardice? Nah, Ferris, I'd call this… strategy. Besides, you said that any form of combat is allowed, right? This is one of my skills. It's not cowardice, dear knight."
Behind one of the shattered pillars, Vastarael leaned against the crumbling stone, his form still cloaked by the Veil of the Ingenious Prince. He let out a long sigh, glancing at his still-healing arm and leg.
"Didn't wanna use a Codex," he muttered to himself, shaking his head. "Costs way too much damn essence, but... lucky me. After that Hidden Quest reward, it burns way less essence now. Why didn't I think of this earlier? As long as I am not fighting, Ican be invisible."
His golden eyes narrowed as he flexed his fingers, feeling the subtle hum of his Codex's enchantment coursing through him. Veil of the Ingenious Prince was active and he knew it was about to level the playing field.
He had nineteen hours of invisibility.
"Now, let's see how you deal with an invisible opponent."
But he wasn't done yet. Deep within his core, Omniphage activated. The ability roared to life. From the depths of his soul, Omniphage began to draw, siphoning soul energy and converting it into essence back into Vastarael's battered body.
His wounds began to close rapidly. The stump of his severed arm grew anew, muscles weaving together, skin reforming until his hand flexed into existence. His leg regenerated in a similar fashion and the deep gashes across his chest and face vanished, leaving only faint marks of dried blood. His stamina surged back, his essence reserves refilling at a rate that should have been impossible.
Ferris spun around again but she could find no sign of him. The glow of her armor dimmed slightly as her eyes narrowed.
"You think you can hide forever?" she called out, her voice echoing through the hall. "You underestimate me. I am not so easily fooled."
"Fooled?" Vastarael's voice echoed again, this time from above.
"No, Ferris, I just think you're not used to fighting someone smarter than you."
She looked up just as a faint ripple in the air zipped past her, too fast to pinpoint. Her instincts kicked in and she brought her greatsword up in a defensive stance. But no attack came. It just another mocking chuckle from somewhere in the room.
Vastarael's sapphire-coated glaive reformed in his hand as he stepped silently behind one of the remaining pillars. His stamina was back, his essence reserves fully replenished and the burning pain that had wracked his body just moments ago was nothing but a memory.
"Alright," he whispered to himself, rolling his shoulders and spinning the glaive in his hand. "Round two, Ferris. Let's see what you've got against someone who refuses to play fair."
The hall filled with a deep, resounding hum as Vastarael poured every ounce of regained essence into his body. His muscles burned with power, his veins thrumming as his physical capabilities surged to a level beyond anything he'd tapped into before. Speed. Strength. Precision.
He was no longer holding back. Ferris had no idea what was coming.
The first blow was a clean slash across her chest, the sapphire-coated blade tearing through her blackened armor like parchment. Sparks erupted and a sharp clang echoed as Ferris stumbled back, shocked by the sheer force. She didn't even have time to retaliate before he vanished again.
Ferris's instincts screamed and she turned to swing her greatsword in a wide arc, expecting him to reappear. But she missed. Badly. Vastarael was already behind her.
With blinding speed, he delivered a sweeping kick to the back of her knees, dropping her balance just enough for another slash, this time at her shoulder. His glaive cut deep, the sapphire glow leaving trails of essence as it carved through. Ferris grunted, her armor now riddled with cracks and fissures.
"You okay, Grand Cross?"
He was visible.
Ferris snarled, her composure slipping as she swung her greatsword in a furious flurry of attacks, each one shattering the marble floor around her.
"Stand still, coward! Second Technique—"
But Vastarael was untouchable.
He darted around her like a phantom, appearing just long enough to land a devastating strike before vanishing again. His glaive was a blur, slashing across her sides, legs and arms. Chunks of her armor fell to the ground, revealing the pale skin beneath. Blood trickled down her exposed limbs, staining the floor as her breathing grew heavier.
Ferris roared, her voice echoing through the hall as she planted her greatsword into the ground, unleashing a shockwave of red and black essence. The blast sent rubble flying in every direction, but it didn't deter him.
Vastarael said mockingly, leaping high into the air as he came down like a meteor. Calimostria transformed mid-air, the glaive elongating into a sapphire-edged spear.
He aimed for her exposed shoulder and the impact sent Ferris sprawling across the floor. She tumbled violently, her armor cracking further with every roll until she finally came to a stop, propping herself up on one trembling arm.
Her eyes burned with fury. She couldn't understand how he'd turned the tide so quickly, how someone like him, someone not even in her league, could push her this far.
"You…" she spat, blood dribbling from the corner of her mouth. "What are you?"
Vastarael didn't answer. He didn't need to.
He materialized beside her in an instant, his glaive morphing back into its original form. He twirled it once, the sapphire glow intensifying as he prepared for the finishing blow.
With one final burst of speed, he delivered a devastating strike, the blade of his glaive slamming into her chest plate and shattering it completely. Ferris was thrown back like a ragdoll, her body hitting the far wall with a deafening crash. She slumped to the ground, her greatsword clattering beside her.
The hall fell silent, save for the faint crackle of sapphire essence dissipating into the air. Vastarael stood there, breathing heavily, his body covered in blood and sweat, though most of the wounds weren't his own.
He lowered his glaive, letting it rest against the ground as he looked at her battered form.
Ferris groaned, struggling to lift her head. Her face was pale, her body trembling from the sheer amount of damage she'd taken. But there was something almost… impressed in her gaze as she looked up at him.
"You're… no ordinary warrior…" she murmured, before slumping forward, unconscious.
Vastarael let out a long breath, his knees nearly buckling beneath him. He planted Calimostria into the ground to steady himself, his essence reserves dangerously low once again.
"Yeah, well," he muttered to himself, glancing down at her. "You're not exactly a walk in the park either."