Chapter 327 - Winner That Wins
Kyros had made the necessary preparations for the fight. Even with all their boosts and increase in power, he knew that he would never match the pure raw power of the Cardinal and the Commanders. Their victories were snatched at the last second on the first battle, and on this one, he prepared layers and layers of trap to weaken not just the army but the strength of the Commanders and Cardinal.
The Cardinal himself was severely weakened from the numerous attacks. And to resist the falling mountain, he had to use more of his life-saving treasures from Destiny.
Each plot was designed to push the group beyond their limits, but Kyros still had a few more tricks to push them. But now, it was the endgame for all of them. There were no longer any other tricks as this series of attacks was the best plot they could use to attack the enemy.
The wilting of their forces and the weakening of the deadly strong foes was necessary for Kyros knew that Destiny had made crazy and even illogical overestimates of what the Nephilim could do.
Heralcus and his army could fight a Crown with all the power he had and all the tricks on his sleeve.
But the long list of overpowered skills, weapons, and allies was now on the verge of being depleted.
"Nephilim!"
"This is it, Heralcus! No more tricks and deception. Just a battle between our forces! So how about that one-on-one?!" Kyros charged.
Heralcus summoned all of the skulls of the Okto-Khefali, and it began to hover over the sky and began to gather great energy. Heraclus took the Elemental Cores from Shellcross and Darako, who had died, and returned it to the original heads.
"You may wield the elements, Nephilim! But the Okto-Khefali have always been immune to magic!" Heralcus roared as the skeletons of the Okto-Khefali appeared.
Each head had its spine connected to them, making them appear like floating bones of large snakes. They charged forward towards Kyros.
But Kyros didn't cower back and charged towards the massive skulls.
"Who said anything about magic?! The Celestial Paladin's main weapon isn't the elements, but his sword! Have a taste of this!" Kyros laughed.
KZZZT! KZZZT! KZZZT!
Bolts of lightning began to arc out, and Kyros's figure began to move with incredible speed. The lightning bolts became the path of Kyros's movements as he charged forward and made sharp turns. The speed of the charge surpassed that of the Okto-Khefali.
Kyros's body bolted back and forth, allowing him to perform several slashes and attacks.
"[Pronto]!" Kyros activated his most powerful spell, and a small energy formation circle appeared like a halo over his head.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
The attacks struck the massive creatures with lightning velocity, allowing Kyros to deal damage on the bones themselves.
The bones of three of the heads began to break apart as the cuts tore deep.
"[Soul Reform]!" Heralcus shouted.
But suddenly, the halved bones reunited!
"Useless! Your cuts won't work on them! Those aren't just bones! They are the souls that I created! Even if you cut them to pieces, they will reform!" Heralcus laughed and ordered all the bones to charge out towards Kyros.
The eight heads of the Okto-Khefali surrounded Kyros. Heralcus also joined in the charge. He revealed his shield and a massive sword that looked like a large beast's fang.
"A Death Dragon's Tooth?" Kyros recognized it. It wasn't the first time he faced it. The Eldrich Noble that he killed prior to his capture on his previous life wielded the Dragons' tooth and used the power of death and decay.
Kyros ignored everything else and focused on Heralcus.
"What I have torn asunder, let no being put together. I, the Nephilim Kyros Soter Vasilius Tyrannos Kyriachos Mysterion Steele decree it!" Kyros spoke the words of power and unleashed the power of True Cut.
BOOM!
It was as if reality itself was cracked. The entire space around them was severed. It wasn't just the bones of the Okto-Khefali. The very space where the sword of Kyros had passed by was severed and could not reform. And so, the massive crack in the sky could be seen as the darkness began to creep into reality. Through Severance allowed Separation to appear. The Darkness of Kyriachos began to charge in.
Heralcus was shocked, but his charge could no longer be stopped. Kyros had also charged directly at him as all the other bones were shattered.
BOOM!
The two swords clashed in the sky. Fire, ice, and darkness fueled Heralcus's sword, while the Celestial elements powered Kyros's sword.
The two powers clashed in the sky above, with neither being pushed back.
"Isn't it sad that a Cardinal like you can't push a Captain like me back?" Kyros taunted.
"Your pretense is useless, Nephilim! You are running out of energy! Your Force and Magic are running out! Don't think I don't know your plan! You want to deal with me so that I can't kill your allies? Then that's exactly what I will do! Worms of Hades!"
Suddenly, thousands and thousands of long, pale-blue worms appeared from the back of Heralcus.
"[Soul Over Mana]!' Kyros began to burn all his Magic and Force energy and created a thick purging Holy light.
The growing sun resisted the worms, but it was then Kyros realized that he wasn't the target.
The thousands of worms had flown all over the sky and began to connect the separated souls. The concept of uniting the separated began.
"Hades Unites the Divided. Reconciles the Unresolved. For all is Destined to die and enter true unity! Your separation lacks power, Nephilim! You can never overpower me! Watch as your allies die!"
The eight heads reformed once more as the Worms of Hades linked the separated bones. The eight heads began to gather tremendous energy.
Kyros saw it and tried to break free, but a strange power was stopping Kyros from being separated from Heralcus. His sword wouldn't budge.
"A foolish choice to strike my sword, Nephilim.! Now you will see your allies die! Now you will see the fulfillment of the decrees of Destiny to your known family! You called yourself a winner for your previous victories. But I am the real winner! I will win in the end though I have lost at the start! Now all your many victories in Middle will all be reversed at this moment!" Herallcus laughed.
"Don't put up a pretense, Heralcus. I've wilted you down to your weakest form. You expect me to believe that an attack from the Temple that shot a Necromancer who commands the darkness would do no lasting damage? Please! You have been fighting on borrowed time since the start! Me? I haven't even begun to put my life on the line. Tell me, do you know of a seal called [Spirit Shackle]?" Kyros laughed.
Heralcus was about to laugh at Kyros, but he felt a growing power behind Kyros.
"It's the weaker version of [Soul Shackle]. It took Calaminus a lot of effort and me a lot of pain to weaken it. You see, Fate needed to curse me with this to hide my power. Destiny has sent his armies as provided by End. And that army has number and power. Destiny and End see how the present will lead to the future and have planted their seeds to stop it. How can Fate and Beginning fight against an enemy who has seen and lived in the future?"
"They can't! Lord End and Lord Destiny have already won!"
"Fate and Beginning can, and they already have. They did the impossible! They tricked Destiny and End! Our fight is proof of this victory! When Destiny saw that I, a weak man with special powers, would be the Nephilim, he sent the paragon among his Cardinals to fight someone who has just become a Captain! But Fate knew this would happen and instilled in me the power of Mysterion. My power was concealed and was sealed. It was given no chance, no hope of being unsealed and revealed. But this is my power. To unseal and reveal! So behold! I will reveal to you, my true soul!"
The Soul Console of Kyros spurred. It had already long solved the mystery of the [Spirit Shackle] seal and how to break it. True Cut created the opening, and Mysterion forced the door wide open.
Heralcus was being pushed back as Kyros was growing stronger and stronger.
"You said my many victories would be reversed and that you are the real winner?" Kyros sneered.
"Let me tell you something obvious, Heralcus. A winner doesn't lose! A winner wins!"