"This is getting ridiculous."
Rey muttered, his voice trembling as he watched from below.
The ground beneath him and Ater cracked and splintered, unable to handle the sheer force of the ongoing fight.
"Ridiculous? I'd say it's rather entertaining," Ater replied with a smirk, his crimson eyes never leaving the battle. "Look at her go. She's stronger than I gave her credit for."
Rey turned to Ater, his frustration evident.
"Ater, this thing you summoned—it's destroying everything… just like that creature back then. Are you sure you can control it?"
Ater shrugged nonchalantly. "Relax, Master. The Horror Specter is doing exactly what I summoned it to do—test her limits. Besides, this is a good learning experience for you. Pay attention."
Up above, Seraph clenched her staff tightly, her golden wings blazing with energy.
"I've had enough of this!" she roared, her voice reverberating across the continent.
She pointed her staff toward the sky, a brilliant light shooting upward and piercing the clouds.
The atmosphere grew heavy, the air charged with immense energy as the light expanded and coalesced into a massive, radiant sphere.
"A condensed star…" Ater whispered, a glint of amusement in his eyes. "Now she's getting serious."
Rey's heart sank as he felt the overwhelming pressure from above.
The sphere of light continued to grow, its brilliance surpassing that of the sun. It pulsed with raw power, a weapon of unimaginable destruction aimed directly at the Horror Specter.
Seraph's voice rang out, filled with righteous fury. "This ends now, you vile abomination! Burn in the light of my divine judgment!"
With a flick of her staff, she unleashed the condensed star.
The massive beam of light shot downward, engulfing the Horror Specter in an instant.
~BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!!!~
The blast illuminated the entire continent, its sheer magnitude causing the ground to split apart and the sky to ripple like water.
Rey shielded his eyes as the explosion of light consumed everything in its path.
The deafening roar of destruction drowned out all other sounds, leaving only the blinding radiance to dominate the battlefield.
When the light finally faded, a massive crater had formed where the Horror Specter once stood. Its form was gone, utterly erased by the condensed star. The sky was eerily quiet, the once-chaotic battlefield now eerily still.
Seraph descended gracefully, her golden wings folding behind her as she landed in front of Ater and Rey. Her radiant form was unscathed, a smug grin spreading across her face as she surveyed the two.
"Well, that was a delightful distraction," she said, her tone dripping with mockery. "I must admit, that creature of yours was impressive. But in the end, it was nothing more than a mindless beast."
Rey tensed, his body still weak from the effects of her Null Art. He glared at her, frustration and helplessness evident in his expression.
Seraph tilted her head, her grin widening.
"I must say, you two are quite foolish. I would have thought you'd try to escape while I was busy with that monstrosity. Not that it would've mattered—I would've caught you either way."
She pointed her light staff at them, golden energy crackling at its tip. Her golden eyes narrowed as she smirked.
"So, tell me, are you prepared to die?"
Rey's heart raced as he stared at the tip of her staff, the radiant energy threatening to end his life in an instant. Ater, on the other hand, remained unfazed, his confident grin never wavering as he stood between Seraph and Rey.
"Hehehe…"
Ater chuckled softly at first, but the sound quickly grew louder until it became a booming, mocking laughter that echoed across the decimated battlefield.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Rey flinched at the sudden burst of mirth, while Seraph's eyes narrowed in irritation.
"Oh, this is rich," Ater said between bouts of laughter, holding his sides as though the entire situation was a personal joke. He straightened himself, his crimson eyes gleaming with amusement as he turned to Seraph.
"You know, I really thought this would be interesting. I thought 'they' would send someone worth my time—someone with experience, with actual skill. But instead, they sent… you."
Seraph's expression darkened, her grip tightening on her light staff.
"Watch your tongue, abomination," she hissed, her golden eyes flashing with anger. "You've overstayed your existence, and I will ensure that you and your Master meet your end here."
Ater ignored her threat, his grin widening.
"A bumbling idiot, that's what you are," he said, taking a few steps closer to her. "Do you even realize how much of a relief this is? It means they aren't taking this situation seriously. If this is the best they can muster, then I have nothing to fear."
Seraph's wings flared, and her aura intensified, but she made no move as Ater continued.
"Firstly," he began, raising a finger, "I've been watching you closely, and I'm certain of one thing—you're limited. You've displayed only two Arts from the Six Arts of Ancient MajiK: [Spirit Art] and [Null Art]. And even with the Null Art, you only know the Basic Nullification Technique, which is effective against Skills, yes, but utterly useless against a legitimate Ancient MajiK practitioner like myself."
He stepped even closer, his tone sharp and cutting.
"Secondly, you're painfully inexperienced in combat. You're all flash and no substance. I've seen children who are more tactical than you. You throw your power around like a hammer, completely unaware of how to adapt to your opponent's strengths."
Seraph's eyes twitched, her jaw clenching as Ater's words began to pierce her confidence.
"And finally," Ater said, his voice dropping to a mocking whisper, "you're ignorant. Ignorant of the Chaos Art and its Hollow Techniques. If you truly understood them, you'd know…"
He gestured toward the massive crater where the Horror Specter had seemingly been destroyed.
"…That you haven't killed it. You've only made things worse for yourself."
"What…?" Seraph's golden eyes widened in shock, her composure breaking for the first time.
Ater smirked, his voice filled with condescension. "The Horror Specter doesn't die when its body is destroyed. No, it evolves. It becomes more malevolent, more powerful. And now…"
A dark, oppressive energy began to rise from the crater, the air growing heavy with malice. Seraph's wings flickered as she instinctively took a step back.
"…You get to meet Horror Specter 2.0."
The ground trembled as a massive shadowy form emerged from the void, even larger and more terrifying than before. Its eyes glowed with an unholy red light, and its wings stretched wide, blotting out the dim sky.
But it didn't stop there.
The creature began to twist and writhe, its form splitting in two.
Two Horror Specters now stood on either side of Seraph, their combined presence suffocating.
Rey stared in sheer horror, his voice barely a whisper.
"It split…?"
Ater nodded, his grin practically splitting his face. "Indeed. When the original Horror Specter is destroyed, it reforms as two entities. Twice the malice. Twice the power. Twice the problem."
The two Horror Specters let out ear-piercing screeches, their malevolent gazes fixed on Seraph. She took a shaky breath, her golden aura faltering as a bead of sweat rolled down her temple.
Ater tilted his head, his expression mocking.
"So, Seraph…" he said, spreading his arms theatrically. "What will you do now?"
The two massive entities began closing in on her, their movements slow and deliberate as though savoring her fear. Seraph's hands trembled as she gripped her light staff tightly, her golden eyes darting between the two monstrosities.
For the first time, doubt flickered in her radiant gaze.