Earth's Greatest Magus

Chapter 2680: Temporal Duel 9

The plan was brutal in its simplicity—Dark Emery would seize full control of the real body and unleash the power of the Star-Devouring Beast.

With the chaotic might of Khaos energy as its foundation, his vessel began to change.

[Primal Transformation]

And so it began.

This was no longer the controlled, half-measured shift he had been practicing. This was total surrender to the beast within

[Integration: 35%]

[Battle Power—Exponentially Increasing]

His muscles swelled in great rippling waves, veins bulging with dark energy. Bones groaned like iron under strain, cracking, lengthening, and thickening to bear the monstrous weight. The primal core surged forward, dark and ancient, flooding his senses with savage hunger.

HOWWLL!!

A howl tore from his throat—deep, guttural, and inhuman.

Halfway through the transformation, a sharp cry cut through the chaos—Vayarel’s voice, strained and desperate. His spatial barrier shattered into a thousand glimmering shards, the backlash hurling him violently. Without his protection, Morgana stood exposed, flames flickering around her hands as the enemy closed in.

However, the primal beast’s instincts surged to the surface, drowning thought in bloodlust. Without hesitation, it charged and slammed into the celestial undead.

BAAAMMM!

The two titans collided—one radiating the twisting pull of temporal anomalies, the other cloaked in the unpredictable distortions of warped space. Claw met fist, parry met counter, each blow ringing like a war drum in a storm.

BAM!! BAM!! BAM!!

Booming shockwaves rolled through the battlefield, caught and warped by temporal bubbles.

After a dozen savage exchanges, frustration gnawed at Emery.

Even matching the celestial’s raw power, the beast’s mind began to fray, slipping toward complete berserk rage. Recklessness replaced tactics. It lunged blindly, forcing its way inside the undead’s guard, snapping at its opponent’s limbs with rows of jagged fangs.

Against most foes, this savage assault could shatter morale and, with its innate devouring ability, sustain its strength indefinitely.

But this foe was already dead. It had no fear.

No soul. No life force to consume.

The celestial undead’s strength came not from itself, but from the one who commanded it.

Talaro saw his advantage immediately. His eyes narrowed with cold precision as he directed the undead’s movements into sharper, more calculated strikes. Bone-hard fists began hammering at openings in Emery’s guard, each blow exploiting the beast’s growing recklessness. Slowly, the tide began to turn against Emery once more.

But this was where the Light Emery came in.

High within his personal domain, his soul-form hovered above the luminous crown of the Elysian Tree, activating the [Prism of Light].

A radiant crystal unfolded in the air before him, spinning slowly at first, then faster, refracting beams of pure light energy in every direction. Each ray cut through the tangled darkness that threatened to swallow his mind, reinforcing the walls of his will.

It was not immediate.

The primal will fought back—wild, furious, and untamed. But minute by minute, they forced it into balance, regaining clarity, drawing deep from the Elysian Tree’s steady pulse. And then…

[Integration: 45%]

The surge was undeniable.

The primal form shifted again—shoulders squaring, claws sharpening, muscles coiling with precision rather than frenzy. Now every strike carried both the beast’s raw brutality and the mind’s calculated intent. The momentum had changed. Emery’s strikes landed heavier and faster, driving the undead back.

Talaro’s expression darkened. His hand flicked in sharp command, sending three more undead rushing forward while two remained at his side. The newcomers, though unrefined Grand Magus-realm corpses, were deadly enough when guided by his cunning. They harried Emery from the flanks, their constant interference stoking the beast’s temper.

The inevitable happened. Emery caught one undead in his claws, ready to crush it into dust—

—and Talaro’s eyes flashed.

“[Corpse Explosion]!”

Talaro’s voice cut like a whip, and the undead detonated.

KABOOOM!!!

The blast thundered through the field, a sphere of energy tearing through the air and smashing against Emery’s torso, tearing chunks from his flesh. His primal body staggered, Khaos cracks across his flesh flaring painfully.

The remaining two undead pounced instantly, timing their assault with the celestial’s looming strike. They came at him like wolves circling a bleeding bear.

Before they could close in, a spatial barrier flared into being. Vayarel, battered but unbroken, stood once more, his teeth clenched in concentration. The shield bought only seconds, but seconds were enough for Emery to steady himself.

“That bastard—I’ll tear them all apart!” Dark Emery roared, the words vibrating from deep within the beast’s chest. The primal energy around him flared like molten lightning.

But Light Emery’s voice cut through the rage.

“Hold on… Just a bit more. It’s almost time.”

The fight was still teetering on a knife’s edge. Yet with Talaro pulling three of his undead sentinels forward, the opening Emery had been waiting for finally began to take shape.

Across the battlefield, Morgana’s eyes burned with resolve. She didn’t shout—she didn’t have to. Her voice slipped directly into his mind.

<I am ready>

In her grasp blazed a sphere of flame the size of her torso, every lick of fire writhing with unstable fury. It was the last excess created by cosmic flame, condensed into one devastating strike.

But Talaro was no fool. The instant he sensed her intent, he snapped a command. The three undead pressing Emery abruptly disengaged, sprinting toward Morgana. They smashed through the last of Vayarel’s protective wards, shards of shattered magic scattering like glass.

“No, you are not!”

The two undead stop him, but his beast’s instincts surge. Emery’s innate blink ability flared, and space itself warped around him. Spatial and time bending slowed the undead just enough for him to intercept. In the same breath, he slammed into the towering celestial, claws and muscles forcing it off course, giving him the gap he needed.

With a single look, Morgana understood.

Still holding the cosmic flame in one arm, she reached toward him with the other. Emery’s claws wrapped around her, pivoted his massive body, and hurled her with all the monstrous strength his form could muster.

She became a streak of blazing light against the darkened battlefield, her two flaming wings flaring wide. A comet of fire, aimed directly at the dark elf himself.

“DIE!”

Talaro reacted instantly, a veteran’s instincts snapping into motion. With a sharp gesture, his two nearest undead surged forward, their jagged limbs cutting through the air to block the incoming strike.

Morgana was fast enough to pass through one of them, but the second managed to stop her, forcing her off balance mid-flight. The shift in her trajectory made the cosmic flame in her grasp flare wildly, unstable and hungry to detonate. She had no choice—she released it early, hurling the blazing mass before it tore her apart.

This action bought Talaro the precious heartbeat he needed. He stepped backward, shadows curling around his feet as he began weaving a spatial shift to retreat.

“Not fast enough,” he said with a smirk.

But the moment the distortion began, the spell collapsed mid-cast, the fabric of space locking around him like steel bands

It was Vayarel, hands outstretched, every thread of his will holding the dark elf in place

“NO!”

A blinding flash swallowed the battlefield as the cosmic flame detonated point-blank.

The world flashed white.

KABOOOOOM!!!