~BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!~
From the rubble of the blast, Seraph emerged, her once-pristine form slightly marred by dust and debris but no less radiant. Her golden wings spread wide, and her sharp gaze locked onto Rey and the mysterious figure who had intervened.
Her expression, usually calm and composed, now held a glint of surprise and wariness.
Rey struggled to stand, but his body was too battered to respond.
"Ater, how…?" he muttered, his voice weak.
"Master," Ater said gently, without looking back. His crimson eyes stayed fixed on Seraph as a smirk tugged at his lips.
"Please, conserve your strength. You'll need it later."
Rey wanted to protest, to demand answers, but Seraph moved before he could form the words. With a flick of her hand, a searing beam of golden light shot toward them. It was faster than anything Rey could track, and his instincts screamed that it was unavoidable.
But Ater moved effortlessly.
A shroud of dark energy materialized around his hand, and with a casual wave, he deflected the beam. The golden light clashed against his darkness, dispersing harmlessly into the air with a loud crack.
Seraph narrowed her eyes, her lips pressing into a thin line.
"Who… are you?" she demanded, her voice steady but laced with caution. "How do you know Ancient Majik?"
Ater chuckled softly, his crimson eyes glinting with amusement.
"What I know and how I know it are none of your concern," he replied. His voice carried a calm confidence, as though her question amused him more than anything.
"But I must admit, it's cute watching you try to figure me out."
Rey, still slumped on the ground, couldn't hide his shock. That beam of light—it had been so fast, so devastating, and yet Ater had deflected it as though it were nothing.
"Ater," Rey began, forcing himself to speak. "She… she's using some kind of interference. My Skills don't work on her. Be careful."
Ater glanced over his shoulder, giving Rey a reassuring smile.
"I'm aware, Master. She's using power far beyond the conventional System. This isn't a fight you can win with ordinary Skills or brute strength."
"What do we do, then?" Rey asked, frustrated at his helplessness.
Ater turned back to face Seraph, the smirk returning to his face.
"Leave this to me. You focus on recovering your energy. I'll handle her."
Rey hesitated.
He hated the idea of sitting on the sidelines, but Ater's confidence and the fact that Rey could barely move left him with no other choice.
"Fine," he muttered, clenching his fists. "But don't you dare lose."
Ater chuckled again. "Lose? Master, you wound me."
Seraph took a step forward, her radiant form glowing brighter as her energy surged. Her golden eyes glared at Ater with a mix of disdain and suspicion.
"You," she declared, her voice ringing with authority, "are an abomination. A product of his singularity. You shouldn't exist. And I will rectify that."
Ater tilted his head, his grin widening. "Abomination? That's a new one. You know, I've been called many things over the eons, but this one's got a nice ring to it."
"You may have deflected one attack, but you will not survive what's coming." Seraph clenched her fists, the air around her crackling with golden energy.
Her power rose rapidly.
"I'll eliminate you in no time!"
Ater's dark energy flared around him, swirling like a living shadow.
"Eliminate me?" he said, his voice dropping into a mocking tone. "You're far too young for that, little one."
Seraph's expression hardened, and Ater stepped forward, the ground beneath him cracking under the weight of his energy. The tension between the two was palpable, their powers radiating outward and clashing in the air.
As Rey watched from the sidelines, his body trembling from exhaustion, he could only hope Ater's confidence wasn't misplaced.
'There are a lot of things I'm curious about, but they'll have to wait.' He thought.
For now, all he could do was trust in the one person who had always sworn to protect him.
And with that, the battle was set to begin.
'Hmmm… what an interesting sight.' Ater stood still, his crimson eyes glinting with sharp intelligence as he analyzed Seraph.
Her attacks and abilities hadn't gone unnoticed.
Inwardly, his mind worked with the precision of a master tactician, dissecting her techniques and piecing together the puzzle of her power.
'She utilizes two Arts of the 6 Arts of Ancient MajiK.' He mused, observing her stance and the way her energy radiated. 'She's already demonstrated Spirit Art and Null Art. Spirit Art fuels her light attacks—she's using the Brightstar Technique. As for Null Art, it's clearly the Basic Nullification Technique, which explains why Master's Skills were rendered useless.'
His eyes narrowed slightly as he calculated her possible remaining arsenal.
'There's no guarantee she doesn't have access to the other Arts. Spirit and Null are dangerous enough in the hands of someone like her. If she knows Soul, Order, or even Curse Arts… this could get messy.'
Ater highly doubted this was the case, but he couldn't be more careful.
He glanced briefly at Rey, who leaned against a rock, his breathing heavy and his face pale. Ater's expression softened for a moment before hardening once again as he returned his focus to Seraph.
'I can't afford to hold back, not with another Ancient MajiK user.'
Seraph floated several meters ahead, her glowing wings illuminating the battlefield, her golden eyes locked on Ater with a mixture of suspicion and anger. She raised her hand, a faint shimmer of light surrounding her fingertips as she prepared her next move.
Ater let out a low chuckle.
"You think you've cornered me because you're wielding Null Art? Cute. Let me show you how wrong you are."
~VWUUUSH!~
He extended his hand, and the air around him shifted, dark energy spiraling outward in chaotic tendrils. The temperature seemed to drop, and the very fabric of space twisted unnaturally, a blot of absolute blackness forming beside him.
"I wasn't planning to use this," Ater muttered to himself, his grin widening as his power surged. "But since you've decided to make this a demonstration of Ancient MajiK… let me respond in kind."
For a brief moment, there was silence.
Then—
"[Chaos Art: Hollow Technique #8]."