Chapter 581: [A Society of Secrets] [28] [Delicate Balance]

Domains of three different Demigods spread around Morningstar like an endless veil.

Those domains fought among themselves, struggling to dominate one another in a battle of wits.

But under the guidance of their owners, they calmed down, and quickly a delicate balance formed between the three domains.

"ARGHHH!!"

Morningstar roared in frustration that disguised his concern about not ending Himmel’s life quickly.

He feared that if he let him live long enough, history would repeat itself, and defeat would wrap its claws around his neck once again.

The vertical eyes of the First Dragon shifted towards the three people who had cornered him from three sides.

A slow grin spread across the dragon’s face.

It wasn’t the grin of amusement but the grin of a beast cornered at last.

"...Good."

His claw-like fingers slowly clenched until space itself cracked between them.

"COME!"

The domain trembled beneath his roar.

"NONE OF YOU ARE AZREAL! NONE OF YOU CAN CREATE THE MIRACLE OF DEFEATING ME!!"

Innana was the first to make her move. Her domain, made of a starry night sky, trembled under her control.

The stars gave off a bright light before extending, leaving comet-like tails behind them.

Multiple stars burst forth at Mach speed toward the First Dragon.

Thousands of falling stars descended upon the First Dragon from every direction.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

The first impact erupted against Morningstar’s shoulder.

A second star struck his chest before the first explosion had even finished.

The monster quickly got a grasp of the stars as he moved with lightning speed. His body burst toward the stars as purple wings spread open.

He crouched, twisted, and turned in ways that shouldn’t have been possible with his enormous body.

Extending his hand, Morningstar grabbed a small star and spun around, throwing it back at her.

Innana’s crimson eyes never wavered.

She watched the returning star race toward her without the slightest trace of panic.

Just before it reached her, she gently raised a single finger.

The star abruptly stopped. It trembled in place as though an invisible hand had seized its fate.

It quietly dissolved back into countless particles of starlight.

The fragments drifted upward and merged once again with the endless night sky above her domain.

"....."

The stars in the sky were an extension of her own will. Nothing that belonged to her could hurt her.

"ARGHHH!!"

The dragon roared and burst forth at her with all his strength, ignoring the stars hitting his body.

Once he was within range to counterattack, the dragon did not hesitate to reveal his true form.

Within moments, the humanoid form had vanished completely. In its place stood the true First Dragon.

Morningstar opened his mouth, condensing the purple flames within it.

But before he could attack, a rope made of pure white light wrapped around his mouth, shutting it closed.

His body stopped as though time had frozen. Like a tied object, he was pulled toward Ismael’s domain.

El’s domain was nothing but an endless white space so vast that it had no sense of time within it.

The dragon was slammed hard into it, with the rope extending and wrapping all over his body.

"ARGHHH!!!"

The dragon roared and tried to break the ropes, but they were made of time itself, and nothing could break time.

The First Dragon’s every muscle in his colossal body swelled.

His claws dug into the endless white beneath him, carving canyons that stretched beyond the horizon.

When he couldn’t do anything, he switched back to his humanoid form freeing himself and flew straight at El.

His fists came from every possible direction like countless exploding stars.

To anyone watching, it looked as though hundreds of Morningstars were attacking simultaneously.

The white domain rippled around him like still water disturbed by falling rain.

Morningstar’s fists passed through where Ismael had been, only for him to already be standing somewhere else.

Each attack missed by less than a finger’s width.

Not because Morningstar lacked speed, but because Ismael always seemed to stand in the one place where the attack would never arrive.

He wasn’t fast, neither was he slow; he was just correct.

Morningstar’s expression twisted. "STOP RUNNING!!"

"I am not running." Ismael’s calm voice echoed throughout the white world.

"You are attacking the present, but I am standing in the future."

Morningstar roared and rushed toward him once again, but he immediately felt something wrong with his body.

His expression turned grim as he pulled himself far away from El.

At the same time, he examined his body, which felt rusted and rigid.

His eyes moved around his body until he noticed threads much smaller than a hair’s width getting inside it.

His eyes followed where the threads were coming from until they landed on the woman in the third domain.

"YOU BITCH!"

Morningstar barked when he noticed what she was doing.

Esmeray Noah Aljanah was turning the First Dragon into her puppet.

---

Oliver quickly settled far away from the clash of the three domains, on top of a mountain.

His eyes, filled with concern, snapped toward the dazed Himmel.

"...What has he done to you?" Oliver whispered in a trembling voice.

One of Himmel’s entire arms had been ripped out of its shoulder. Even though it was healing, the damage was too much.

One of his legs was completely shattered, with bones and muscles sticking out.

His hands were unusable for the most part, and his entire body was covered in cuts and slashes.

"You idiot..." Oliver muttered, forcing a weak smile that immediately broke apart. "How are you even alive?"

"My regeneration..." Himmel whispered hoarsely. "It’s... not fast enough."

He lowered his head. "I have to go back."

Oliver gently punched Himmel’s remaining shoulder.

"Have you gone insane?" he shouted. "Look at yourself!"

He pointed toward Himmel’s ruined body.

"You can’t even stand properly! One arm is gone, one leg is barely attached, your ribs are sticking out, and your hands are completely destroyed!"

Oliver then grabbed him by the face and made Himmel look into his eyes.

"This fight isn’t just yours. Let others help you."

It was ironic and hypocritical coming from him, but Oliver couldn’t care less.

Himmel was just about to speak when he felt a change in mana.

His eyes widened. Quick on his feet, the young man kicked Oliver in the chest, the force sending both of them away.

BOOOMMM!!

Right where they had been, a formless strike split the mountain in half.

Himmel used his wings to adjust himself in the air while Oliver blipped to the closest land.

"Tch, tch, tch."

A series of clicking sounds echoed, making both of them look up.

With a grin on his face, Ragnar stood tall in the air along with his right-hand man, Teivel.

Ragnar looked at Himmel and mocked, "Look what he did to you, leaving you in a half-dead state."

Himmel didn’t respond. All he did was keep staring at him.

Ragnar leaned in.

"Gonna cry now?" he asked. "Too bad, it won’t STOP ME FROM KILLING YOU!!"

With a giant broadsword in his hand, the Child of Mana rushed toward Himmel.

Oliver tried to reach Himmel, but the pale man, Teivel, attacked him with a chain, pushing him back.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

Ragnar descended on him like a falling meteor.

The gigantic sword in his hands carved through the sky, splitting the clouds long before the blade reached its target.

Himmel shifted sideways at the very last moment.

The sword missed him by inches before crashing into the mountain beneath.

CRAAAAAASH!!!

The entire peak split cleanly in half.

Ragnar didn’t even glance at the destruction. He twisted his waist and swept the massive blade sideways.

Himmel used his wings to leap up and then rolled his body like a Beyblade.

His heel hit the top of the redhead’s skull. The impact sent his body crashing into the mountain like a falling comet.

The entire peak collapsed beneath him as countless cracks spread for kilometres in every direction.

Before the dust could even rise, Himmel’s wings folded behind his back as gravity pulled him down.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

His remaining foot slammed into Ragnar’s chest.

The ground beneath the Child of Mana exploded inward, forming a crater hundreds of metres wide.

Himmel sat down on his chest and pulled his head back with all his might before slamming it into Ragnar’s face.

BOOOOOOOOM!!!

The impact echoed across the shattered mountain. Ragnar’s head slammed deep into the crater beneath him.

Blood burst from his nose as the surrounding earth collapsed another layer.

Before the Child of Mana could recover, Himmel grabbed him by the throat.

His remaining hand tightened with enough force to crack stone.

His blood-soaked forehead rose once again.

BOOOOOOOOM!!!

Another headbutt crashed directly into Ragnar’s face.

The bridge of his nose collapsed with an audible crack.

"ENOUGH!!"

The Avatar roared, and the next instant, he changed the "fate" of Himmel, making him powerless.

He then grabbed him by the leg and threw him toward the horizon.

Himmel skipped across three mountain peaks before finally being caught by Oliver.

The black-haired youth cushioned his fall before both of them stabilized.

"You alright?" Oliver asked.

Himmel pulled himself back and let his wings keep him afloat in the air.

"I can’t kill him without you," he said in a low voice, looking up.

High in the sky, both Ragnar, who was fixing his nose, and Teivel stood together.

"...Help me."

Oliver drew in a deep breath and nodded.

"Let’s kill them both, brother."

Both of them rushed in while Oliver kept on blipping their positions.