"Sovereign Bastion..."
What happened next shook the entire arena, and all the top ten Ultima genus, excluding Ignatius, rose to their feet in disbelief.
But they weren’t the only ones.
All the instructors sitting in the instructor area shot to their feet as well.
To add to the supreme shock, all of the elders in the elders’ booth also rose to their feet—except for the Half-Fallen One herself, who merely wore an amused smirk on her face.
"IMPOSSIBLE!"
The moment the words were spoken, the air grew unnaturally still, as though time itself was hesitating.
Immediately, a river of golden energy spread forth throughout the entire arena, quickly covering the area where the spectral figure had been stepping forward.
In mere moments, the golden energy coalesced into a translucent ball that encapsulated the spectral entirely.
Morgaine stepped forward, her eyes burning with golden flames that seemed to pierce through reality itself. A deep hum resonated from her very being, growing louder until it shook the battlefield.
Slowly, her feet lifted off the ground as she raised both her hands to her chest, forming a runic symbol.
"In my domain, I reign supreme!"
"So bow before your Sovereign!"
Her voice was gentle, almost like a whisper, but the weight of her words seemed to alter the world itself. The spectral figure suddenly knelt to the ground, bowing on both knees.
Invisible golden hands surged from within the domain, pinning the spectral figure down with overwhelming force.
SCREEEECCCHHH!
A powerful screech of resistance echoed from the spectral figure as shockwaves rippled out from its body, colliding with the golden hands. Yet it achieved nothing, as Morgaine slowly floated forward toward the spectral figure.
Her hand, covered in intricate runic glyphs, stretched out deliberately.
Her hands landed on the forehead of the spectral entity.
Slowly, her lips moved.
"Begone!"
In the next instant, the entire weight and crushing force of the domain seemed to concentrate within Morgaine’s fingers. All her golden energy was compressed into her palm, creating a devastating singular point of power.
Instantly, a golden brilliance shot through the arena, radiating an explosion of blinding light.
The brilliance seared through the entire arena eradicating the spectral completely seemingly wiping it off the living existence and leaving behind only the overwhelming echoes of Morgaine’s presence.
When the light faded completely, nothing remained but a scarred battlefield, cracks covering the entire area, reduced to utter ruins.
"Wait, where is Calidor?!" a student screamed in horror as Morgaine stood silently, her head staring around before she slowly raised it to the sky.
Following her gaze, the rest of the arena turned their attention upward.
They gasped as they saw a figure suspended in the air—a figure none other than the Half-Fallen One herself. In her arms lay the bloody, unconscious body of Calidor.
"I declare this battle over. The winner is Morgaine Dominare."
Her gentle voice rang out as an instructor hurriedly appeared before her, taking Calidor’s limp body from her hands. With a bow, the instructor vanished from the arena, rushing Calidor to medical care.
In the elders’ booth, the Half-Fallen One sat back on her throne, regal as ever.
Morgaine gave her a blank stare before walking away from the battlefield. She returned to her seat, closed her eyes, and remained motionless.
---
"How? How?!"
"A genius at the Peak Stage of the Plane of Ascension, already able to control a domain?!"
The elder from the Wailing Banshee sect exclaimed, gnawing at her sleeves, as the other elders furrowed their brows at Morgaine, who sat silently with her eyes closed.
"A domain can only be formed by cultivators at the Plane of Dominion. Even those at the Initial Core stage find it hard to form one, and maintaining it, even if formed, is nearly impossible for them!"
"Yet, she not only had the energy to open a domain, but she could even use it for her attacks!"
"Just how talented is she?" an elder asked in shock, as the Half-Fallen One slowly turned to them.
"The power used just now by Morgaine doesn’t belong to her," the Half-Fallen One’s voice rang out, silencing all the elders.
Their eyes widened in disbelief.
"As some of you might already know, every Fallen genius with a great background is granted a protective power at birth. It’s a power meant to activate only in the face of death, to protect the genius from fatal harm."
"This power was granted by me during Morgaine’s birth. It’s a mini domain where Morgaine’s will become invincible. That power was what was just used by her."
The Half-Fallen One explained, her voice calm and clear. T
he elders’ eyes flickered with shock but soon narrowed in suspicion.
"But the protective power isn’t something that can be accessed consciously by the one granted it, is it?"
"It should only activate automatically in the face of death. Yet Morgaine seemed to have..."
"Yes," the Half-Fallen One interrupted with a faint smile.
"Somehow, Morgaine found a way to control that energy at will. And not just that—she has also figured out a way to ensure she can always use it for her future attacks with her own energy."
"Does that mean she can activate this technique again with her own power?"
"Technically, yes. But the energy required..." The Half-Fallen One shook her head.
"Morgaine doesn’t have enough mana yet. I’d say she would need to at least reach the Core Stage of the Plane of Dominion before she could activate such a technique again with her own power."
"This was a one-time show of power, and I’d say she used it pretty well." The Half-Fallen One concluded.
The elders fell silent as the battles continued, though none of the subsequent matches could compare to Morgaine’s display.
Quickly, time passed, and after a long five hours, the call was made.
---
"And now, to the final battle of the Final Phase of the test!"
---
In the elders’ booth, one of them spoke:
"It’s finally here, huh?"
The thought echoed through the minds of the elders as they sat up properly, their eyes widening and blood rushing in anticipation.
------
A/N:
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In and Out_SnowySmoos.