The Blood Queen, Jezeneth Bloodveil, was young compared to the grand elders of the vampyros race, but it mattered little.
Comparing her to them was like comparing heaven and earth. She was their queen not by age, but by might.
By absolute dominance.
Her voice resounded like the harbinger of an apocalypse.
"Attack."
The constructs moved. Their march shook the land, the air itself splitting as their forms tore through it. They spread like a flood, advancing in waves toward the human domain.
Above, the paragons of humanity watched in growing dread.
Oberon's golden eyes flickered with intensity as he spoke, his voice booming over the chaos.
"It's too late to stop this madness!"
Oberon's hands blurred in the air, moving so fast they became a blur as he engraved multiple runes in the air. The runes lit up with a golden glow before shooting upwards, their forms streaking toward the different sectors of the human domain at supersonic speed.
His gaze turned toward the others, his tone filled with urgency.
"She's targeting the human domain! We can't count on the Aegis Shield to protect the sectors. Their spies will target the Aegis nodes!" His voice grew sharper, his presence flaring as golden light radiated from his form.
"We move, or we lose everything!"
As Oberon's words ended, not a nanosecond was wasted.
Magnus moved first.
Dark clouds churned above, splitting with a deafening crack of lightning that lit up the battlefield like divine judgment. His voice rumbled low, like a storm's growl.
"I am lightning."
In the next instant, his form disappeared, replaced by a blinding streak of light that tore through the constructs like a divine blade.
He moved everywhere and nowhere, an untouchable blur of speed, slicing through the abyss-black army. Each strike was precise, brutal, and unrelenting. Blood and shadow burst in his wake as the constructs fell in waves.
The other paragons didn't hesitate.
One by one, they surged forward, activating their powers in a brilliant display of humanity's might.
The ground trembled, quaking under the force of unleashed fury. Blazing flames, shimmering auras, and crackling ice carved paths of destruction through the tide of constructs.
The very air screamed under the pressure of their power, the borderlands obliterated in their wake.
Thousands of blood constructs disintegrated in mere moments. Yet, for every one destroyed, another emerged from the swirling abyss, forming and charging forward faster than before.
The constructs were endless, their blackened forms blotting out the horizon, an unrelenting tide of death.
And yet, despite all the chaos and destruction, nothing, nothing, disturbed the battle between Atticus and Yorowin.
The sound of their clash drowned out even the cataclysmic attacks of the paragons. Shockwaves rippled as their blurred forms collided midair, shaking the very foundation of the battlefield.
Atticus landed blow after blow, each strike forcing agonized screams from Yorowin's lips.
"HAAAAA! I WILL KILL YOU!!!"
Yorowin's voice tore through the air, his face twisted with rage and fury.
His current look was far from the respected, king-like appearance that a grand elder of the vampyros race should embody.
His armor was cracked in multiple spots, with pieces missing, especially on his face, revealing a visage consumed with utter rage.
His crimson eyes were bloodshot, veins throbbing across his face and neck as he gritted his teeth together.
He didn't care about the chaos around him. He didn't care about his queen's presence. Nothing else mattered but Atticus. The boy. The child who dared to humiliate him.
Yorowin's speed peaked, his movements turning frenzied as he collided with Atticus in a blur of explosive strikes. Shockwaves rippled outward with every clash, tearing through the battlefield.
Yorowin was punched. Kicked. Slashed. Split in two. But no matter what, he healed instantly before running back into the battle.
'How troublesome.'
Atticus thought calmly as his katana flashed, splitting Yorowin into multiple pieces. His gaze sharpened as he saw Yorowin reappear in a burst of blood at another location before shooting back toward him.
Atticus was currently not using his elements, nor any domain. The only things he was relying on were his exosuit, mana, spiritual energy, katana arts, and the power of the Auralithians. And yet, he had still been able to match Yorowin, a grand elder of the vampyros race.
However, even as he fought, a frown settled on his face. He had delivered lethal attacks that should have killed even a paragon, and yet Yorowin was still alive and well.
It didn't make any sense. As Atticus's mind churned, he heard Ozeroth's voice in his head.
'Use your spiritual eye.'
His gaze widened. 'Why didn't I think about that?'
He ignored Ozeroth's snarky remark and instantly activated it, both his eyes turning an intense purple. But just as he was about to focus on Yorowin, Atticus felt an immense wave of killing intent slamming into him, sending a chill crawling down his spine.
His gaze sharpened as his right leg impacted Yorowin's face, sending the latter hurtling away. His eyes darted to the side, only to see a streak of abyssal black tearing through the air, heading straight for him.
It moved with impossible speed, radiating an aura so oppressive it seemed to freeze the very blood in the veins of those present.
Jezeneth Bloodveil.
She was untouched, unbothered. Her gaze was cold and calculating, her body glowing with vigor despite the millions of constructs she was currently controlling.
The paragons of humanity's gazes sharpened in unison. They hadn't forgotten Jezeneth, but none of them had expected her to act so soon. And even if she did, none had expected her to target him.
Atticus.
Magnus's face darkened.
Atticus was currently matching a grand elder of the vampyros race. While that was mind-blowing in its own right, Jezeneth was on another level entirely.
No one doubted Atticus's power at this point, but matching Jezeneth? No one believed that was possible.
They surged forward to intercept, but their bodies suddenly slowed. A chill ran through their veins. Their blood churned, growing heavy and resisting their will.
Thunder crackled overhead, rumbling with intensity. Magnus growled, his eyes blazing as he locked his gaze on Jezeneth.
The other paragons grimaced, their movements sluggish as Jezeneth's overwhelming blood control pressed down on them like a vice. They fought back, forcing their blood to obey, but it cost them their speed.
Oberon acted swiftly. His eyes glowed with golden light as he summoned glowing slates from his spatial storage. "Use these now!"
He hurled them toward the other paragons. They caught the slates, activating them instantly. A golden glow enveloped each of them, briefly breaking Jezeneth's control over their blood.
But it was too late.
Jezeneth had already closed the distance. A spear of pure blood formed in her hands. The air shuddered under its weight as she thrust it forward, a streak of death tearing through the sky toward Atticus.