A fierce night wind swept across the summit of the Clock Tower, where massive gears groaned with a low, metallic rhythm as they slowly turned. Between Yuka and Dia, a heavy silence fell.
Dia slowly tilted his head, a troubled smile touching his lips. "Are we to have no words, then? Well, it matters not." He took a single step forward. "Shall we begin?"
In that heartbeat, Yuka vanished.
A sharp, piercing ring echoed through the air as the rapier that materialized in Dia’s hand caught her descending dagger.
"You’re fast," Dia remarked with a chuckle. "But..."
With a light flick of his wrist, he parried her strike. Yuka leaped backward, her feet light as a feather.
"At that level, you won't even touch me," Dia teased.
Yuka remained silent. A moment later, her fingertips flickered with a faint radiance. It was Glare Flash, a beginner-level Light Attribute spell.
A burst of brilliance erupted, bathing the top of the tower in an artificial noon for a split second. Dia’s vision was bleached white. Sensing her opening, Yuka closed the distance instantly and swung her dagger.
Again, the blade was stopped.
Dia narrowed his eyes, his voice tinged with genuine amusement. "I see. This is rare indeed. The Light Attribute?"
A crimson magic circle flared to life at Dia’s feet. A pillar of fire roared upward, swallowing him whole. The resulting heatwave surged across the tower’s peak, but a voice drifted out from within the inferno.
"Not a bad flame."
The man stepped calmly from the fire. Parts of his robe were scorched, but his body was virtually unmarked.
"However," he said, twirling his sword effortlessly, "you are still naive."
Dia vanished from sight. Yuka’s pupils darted, tracking a shadow.
Sparks flew as her dagger intercepted a heavy slash from behind. The weight of the blow was immense. She was repelled, her shoes scraping against the stone floor as she slid several meters back.
Dia was laughing now. "You continue to surprise me. To think a girl like you could master both Light and Flame. Dual attributes, and to possess Light as well..."
Yuka stood up without a word, though her sleeves were slightly singed. Dia rested his sword on his shoulder, looking at her with fascination.
"You are exactly the kind of talent the Ash Necros desires." He tilted his head, his eyes narrowing. "That look on your face... I feel as though we are kindred spirits, in a way."
Yuka’s expression remained stony, her gaze fixed entirely on the man before her. She still possessed a hidden strength she hadn’t yet revealed. Using it might bring this to a swifter conclusion. However, Luka wasn't here, and if an even greater threat awaited him elsewhere, squandering her Magical Power now seemed unwise.
She tightened her grip on her daggers. No... she would stop holding back.
Just as she prepared to channel her power into her left arm, a sharp crack rent the air. Right beside Dia, the stone floor froze instantly, pierced by a massive spear of ice.
Dia’s eyes widened ever so slightly. "Oh?"
Standing at the entrance to the tower’s summit was a girl with silver hair swaying in the wind. It was Elysia Gladio. She walked forward with a quiet, measured grace, the sound of her footsteps echoing against the stone. Her cold gaze was locked on Dia.
"I’ve found you," she said. Her voice was quiet, but it carried the weight of a diamond-hard rage.
Dia laughed and gave a mocking bow. "Well, well. If it isn't the daughter of the prestigious Gladio family. Lady Elysia Gladio."
Elysia didn't acknowledge the greeting. She took another step forward, frost spreading across the floor from beneath her feet.
"For a member of a Ducal house to invite such darkness into the Kingdom..." Her voice was like shards of ice. "That is a magnificent act of treason, is it not?"
The temperature of the air plummeted. Dia narrowed his eyes playfully. "Rather than that, Lady Elysia, might I hear your answer?"
She readied her stance. "I refuse."
Dia laughed once more. "How tragic. Then I suppose it can't be helped."
Yuka moved to stand beside her, daggers at the ready. Spears of ice materialized in the air around Elysia. The night wind howled, and in the next heartbeat, both girls moved as one.
In the plaza before the Clock Tower, the atmosphere was thick with tension. Leonis stepped forward, his white formal attire fluttering in the breeze. He gripped a dagger that pulsed with a faint, ethereal light.
Kyle Gray watched the weapon, a small smile appearing on his face. "So that is a Sanct?" he asked, his voice full of curiosity. "This is the first time I've seen a Holy Relic Gear in the flesh."
He slowly raised his sword. "Now then—"
Grey flames erupted violently as a distorted magic circle appeared behind Kyle. The fire swirled around his hands, emitting an eerie, unsettling Magical Power. It was something fundamentally different from the flame magic used by me or Allen.
"Let me show you a glimpse of our Authority of Ash," Kyle said, leveling his hand toward us.
A torrent of grey flames surged forward like a living beast, snaking through the air as it lunged for Leonis.
"Leonis!" I shouted.
But Leonis didn't flinch. He calmly held the Holy Relic Gear in front of him.
"—Arca."
A wave of light expanded. The moment the grey flames made contact with it, they were silenced. The light seemed to swallow the inferno whole, drawing the fire into itself.
Kyle’s eyes narrowed. "I see."
Leonis flicked his arm. In the next instant, the absorbed flames were repelled, blasting back at their source. An explosion shattered the cobblestones of the plaza. Kyle leaped back lightly, his composed expression never wavering.
"Impressive... absorption and reflection," he noted with a laugh.
"On the right!" Allen’s voice rang out from behind.
Three spheres of grey flame manifested beside Kyle and were fired simultaneously.
"It’s coming," Fia whispered.
Suddenly, a gust of wind tore through the plaza. It was Orbis’s magic. A wall of pressurized air expanded, knocking the flames off course. They detonated harmlessly at the edge of the plaza.
Leonis didn't miss the opening. He lunged, his blade glowing brilliantly.
"—Hah!"
It was a sharp, decisive flash. Kyle drew a sword from his waist just in time to intercept it. Sparks flew as their blades ground against each other.
Kyle continued to grin. "Excellent coordination. I suppose the odds are against me."
I began to channel my power. With Orbis here, I could actually do something. "Orbis!"
"Understood," the elf replied.
The wind surged around me as I gathered my Magical Power. "Now!"
I swung my hand, unleashing a blade of wind clad in fire. With Orbis’s support, I could manage a respectable amount of firepower. Kyle nimbly dodged the attack, rendering my effort useless, but Allen followed up immediately with an arrow of flame.
It whistled through the air and grazed Kyle’s shoulder, tearing through his robe and scorching the fabric. Kyle paused for a fraction of a second, and Leonis seized the moment. His dagger flared with an intense light.
"—Cut!"
A slash of pure radiance tore through the air. It struck the ground with a thunderous impact, splitting the earth and sending a shroud of dust into the sky.
After a moment, laughter drifted through the haze.
"Haha..."
Flickering grey flames emerged from the smoke as Kyle walked out slowly. Blood dripped from his shoulder, but the grey fire burned over the wound, sealing it.
Yes, yes, the high-vitality boss archetype. How incredibly tedious.
A manic grin stretched across Kyle's face. "Wonderful," he said, his eyes gleaming with madness. "Destruction is... truly enjoyable."
He raised his sword, and the grey flames swelled until they seemed to touch the sky. "But it isn't over yet."
The grey fire dyed the night sky a sickly ashen color.
"No," Leonis countered calmly. "It ends right here—with this."
"What—?"
"Dominion, Sovereign Sword of Myriad Curses."