Celestial Hybrid

Chapter 13

In a desolate realm where the air was thick with ash and the ground bore the scars of countless battles. Two figures clashed with unyielding fury. Their movements were a blur, each strike sending shockwaves through the barren landscape. Around them, remnants of demolished buildings and craters littered the earth, evidence of the relentless destruction their battle had wrought. Neither side showed signs of surrender, their blows growing fiercer with every passing moment.

“You’re… very strong. Why were you holding back all this time… and where the hell are we?" Lyria’s voice rang out, strained but defiant. Her armor bore deep dents, and her broken blades lay discarded on the ground, a testament to the brutal exchange.

Seran stood a few paces away, breathing heavily but unscathed, his eyes cold and focused. "I didn’t want to cause a ruckus back there," he began, his tone calm yet sharp. "So I transported us here." He gestured to the desolate surroundings, a barren expanse of jagged terrain and swirling energy. "This is the War Realm — a place capable of withstanding powerful attacks."

He stepped forward, his gaze piercing. "Here, we can go all out… and fight to the death," he said, his voice chillingly resolute.

“Fight to the death?" Lyria repeated, her voice sharp and unwavering. She straightened herself despite the pain, her fierce glare locking onto Seran. "Do you think I came here to die!?"

Her lips curled into a snarl, the fire in her eyes burning brighter. "Your head will serve as a replacement for my failed mission," she spat, her tone venomous, "and I’ll be leaving here with it."

Energy began to swirl around her, faint at first, but growing stronger with each passing second, as if her sheer will was fueling it. Her battered armor glinted under the eerie light of the War Realm, a testament to her refusal to back down.

“Failed mission? Why do you say that?" Seran asked calmly, his tone almost detached.

"I can't feel Mira's lifeforce anymore," Lyria replied, her voice wavering just slightly, betraying the pain she tried to suppress. "And the same goes for the rest of the team." She clenched her fists, her frustration spilling over. "They made a mistake going against that thing."

"You—" Seran began, but his words were cut short as he instinctively ducked, narrowly avoiding a strike aimed at his head. The force of Lyria’s blow sent a gust of wind past him, stirring the dust around them.

"At least let me finish," Seran smirked, his composure unbroken as he launched himself forward with incredible speed. The two clashed again, their movements swift and brutal. Dust and debris rose with every strike, the earth trembling from the sheer force of their blows.

Then, suddenly, there was silence. The dust settled, and the battlefield lay still, the tension thick enough to choke the air.

A lone figure emerged from the settling dust, clutching something tightly in his hands. Seran lifted Lyria’s severed head, his gaze fixed on her blood-streaked face.

“My father despises weakness,” he said coldly, his voice steady. “So much so that he trained every one of his children.” He tilted his head, a faint smirk curling his lips.

“You underestimated me, Lyria… and it cost you your life.” He finished, throwing her head towards her lifeless body.

He strode forward with calm purpose, the void itself shuddering as his form vanished in an instant. Lyria’s body followed swiftly after — withering to nothing along with her severed head and fallen weapons. Her spilled blood, drawn by some unseen power, seeped rapidly into the earth, leaving no trace she had ever stood there.

Seran appeared at the back of Rosa’s house, where a hidden door led down to the underground basement. “Well, that was—”

His words were cut short by a thunderous explosion that shook the ground. His sharp eyes darted toward the source, spotting a vicious clash between two obsidian-skinned creatures locked in a brutal struggle.

“Damn it!” he muttered under his breath. “Why would they be fighting in the middle of the neighborhood? And where did that thing even come from?”

Wasting no time, Seran sprinted to the basement door, calling urgently for Scylla and the others. The moment they emerged, he ushered them inside the house and swiftly cast a shimmering barrier over it, sealing them off from the chaos outside.

~~~~~~

A barrier quickly covered the duo as they clashed. Rodoniel let out a thunderous roar, its spiked tail slamming into the ground, sending shockwaves rippling through the village. The force shattered nearby rocks and sent debris flying into the air, but Emriel stood firm, the swirling darkness around him absorbing the tremor like ripples on water.

"You’re noisy," Emriel muttered, his grip tightening on the scythe. Without warning, he launched forward, moving so fast it looked as though he’d vanished. In a blink, he was upon Rodoniel, his scythe spinning in a deadly arc. The blades clanged against Rodoniel’s silver claws as the creature blocked the strike, sparks flying from the impact.

Rodoniel retaliated with a swipe of its tail, the spiked appendage aiming to impale Emriel. He ducked just in time, the tail whistling over his head, but the force of its swing sent a gust of wind that nearly knocked him off balance.

"Not bad," Emriel admitted with a grin, spinning the scythe behind his back before lunging again. This time, the blades caught Rodoniel’s arm, slicing into its black scales and drawing a spray of thick, dark ichor. Rodoniel howled in pain, its red eyes blazing with fury, and it lunged forward with its fangs bared.

Emriel launched himself skyward, wings snapping open as he soared over the monstrous Rodoniel. Shadows writhed around him, spiraling toward his scythe as he raised it high, his voice ringing out like a battle cry.

“Let’s see you handle this!”

He brought the weapon down with a thunderous swing, unleashing a crescent-shaped wave of darkness. It tore through the air like an executioner’s blade, carving into Rodoniel’s torso and hurling the beast backward with a guttural snarl. A deep, ragged gash split across its stomach, oozing thick, black blood.

But Rodoniel wasn’t finished. It reared back, its chest glowing faintly before it unleashed a beam of searing red energy from its mouth. The beam tore through the ground, heading straight for Emriel. His eyes widened as he crossed the scythe in front of him, forming a barrier of dark energy to absorb the attack. The collision sent shockwaves rippling across the battlefield, shaking the very air.

"Alright," Emriel muttered through gritted teeth, his feet skidding back as he struggled against the force of the beam. "You’ve got some bite." His grin returned, wicked and dangerous. "Let’s see how long you can keep this up."

Before he could react, the air around him grew oppressively heavy — as if an entire mountain pressed down on his skull. His breaths came ragged, his body trembling under the crushing force.

“What… what is this? This pressure…?” he gasped.

Without warning, a dark, crimson-hued portal tore open in the air. From its depths, a lone figure emerged, her presence suffocating. The instant her feet touched the ground, Rodoniel exploded into a spray of gore, while the sheer force of her arrival sent Emriel hurtling through the air, shattering the barrier like glass.

He skidded across the ground, coughing up blood that ran down his chin as he forced himself upright. The figure advanced slowly, each step measured — almost like a predator toying with her prey.

Emriel wiped his mouth, glaring up at her with defiance.

“Who the f**k are you?” he growled.