Only the great tower of darkness remained standing amid what looked like course, blackened, brittle gravel.
More than a third of the Tremur forest had been incinerated, leaving it full of large, unsightly craters, black soil and a pathetically feeble presence of mana.
All the nearby lifeforms had been killed instantly when the dark arrow had hit.
It had, after all, been an arrow infused with powers that overwheld the natural mana flow in the world, breaking it down and whatever was supported by it.
The inner portions of the Tremur, including the large path in which the dark arrow had streaked through, now resembled what could be dubbed a Deity-forsaken desert constantly hissing with toxic fus and dark smoke.
No combatant on Aigas could have taken a hit from the arrow head-on and survived. Even the Herald Jerthrax would have fallen at once despite his proud scales.
From the path the arrow had co, two figures, partly obscured by the dense smoke, ambled towards what had been the clearing where Dellan had once erected his Territory, guarding Fulgardt's legacy.
Of the two, one was no taller than the average human, and the masking of the smoke would have had anyone believe that she was ordinary, but she was far from it.
Her attire, which was the most striking thing about her, was revealed to be a slim, dark armour with thousands of sharply vibrant stars sparkling on every inch of it. They were drowned in nebulous thickets of faint blue, red and yellow, which, in a way, made the suit of armour seem grander than perhaps intended. The poleyns and couters of the armour stood out like a sore thumb. They were shaped like large, six-pointed, golden stars that pulsed from bright to blindingly bright every few monts. This shape could also be found on the armour's chest, making up a third of it, and dominating its pauldrons, which made their wearer look more imposing.
Indeed, Yuyui felt a lot more confident while wearing this armour.
Her li green hair had once again grown long; so long that it nearly touched her knees. At so point, she had decided to grow it out, perhaps to remind herself of the darker parts of her story which she now embraced fondly.
Her skin was smoother and she looked a little older. Her eyes, both sparkling in a srising light brown hue, different from before, seed to have shed away certain constants; one of them no longer bore the burden of constantly adapting the Inhumane Eye, for instance.
On her forehead, which was exposed from ti to ti behind her bangs, a small, strange symbol was imprinted. It looked like a tree with four branches made of yellowish-red lightning. Each branch held a striking, tiny star at its end.
This too the symbol - was one of the bases for Yuyui's confidence.
To Yuyui's right was a being that looked anything but ordinary, even with the obscurity included.
He was over three ters tall and each of his steps left an impact on the crunching gravel. Over everything else that covered him, he was adorned in a large, fantastical set of fluttering robes that looked as though they were made from countless, loosely-joined, tiny diamonds and yellowish-red dust. They hardly looked material. Their large sleeves had no trouble accommodating the Warmoth's Progeny's four arms. They didn't obstruct even their slightest motion, which included, of course, how one of them rose above the rest to hold what seed like a stack of giant shadows over the Progeny's shoulder.
Below these robes was an unreal set of armour that might have been the perfection of the concept of 'silver'. It shone with more than just the beauty of polish, but as though multiple lens flares layered themselves over it, giving a sharp sting to adoring eyes every so often. It was simple, but effective.
The helt had one long, horizontal eye slit which was crossed by two vertical ones. A sharp, yellow light glead where the slits t, giving an ominous presence to the entity hidden in the armour.
Replicus' domineering presence, projected outward by [Warmoth's Empyrean Ambience], could almost be seen. It would have crushed the wills of nearby creatures, but alas, his arrow had decimated them all.
All, except for one.
Replicus and Yuyui stopped just as they were about to reach the grand tower of darkness. "Well, this is a bit concerning," Replicus said in a deep, brutish voice.
Yuyui wore a frown.
Several dozens of ters away in a great crater that had been a re pit seconds ago, the Hybrid Luman could be seen. He was still kicking.
The [Heart of Revelation] above him highlighted his mutilated body.
Half of it had been lted into sothing like bubbling glue and the half that hadn't, was charred and scabbed, leaving the Hybrid Luman looking rather pathetic. His hair was either sizzling, flaming or gone. His exposed bones spat juices that shouldn't have been exposed. Bits of him fell apart and crumpled into ash, and thick smoke billowed from him profusely.
Yet... he grinned widely, nastily.
Replicus loathed that grin.
He had never quite managed to forget it ever since he had first seen it through Riba's
impressive Divination.
(A/N: Refer to Ch.816).
Indeed, it was a sinister grin.
Replicus scoffed in response to Skullius' expression, but inwardly...
'How the flesh did he co out of all that with only this much damage? None of his skills should have been able to counter Reversion or my arrow,' he thought with a frown. 'And worst of all... where is his soul?'
Replicus was sure of it.
He had used the Fallen Reincarnator's Shadow just now to launch a soul arrow decked in Ju`wtte that was fuelled with Inverted Mana. Such an attack on Skullius, who didn't seem to wear any protective gear, should have dealt extrely lethal damage. (Of course, Replicus had prepared asures at the ready to prevent Skullius from dying.)
However, the feedback from the strike told him that Skullius' soul... his soul, was not within
the body he was looking at right now!
This simple fact was even more bizarre than the unknown reason behind how Skullius had resisted Maximum Catalyst.
According to what Replicus heard from Serenity, Skullius had no Supre Skills.
Barring the extre speed from applications of Maximum Catalyst, guarding against a Rule- Level concept like it required Supre skills at least.
What had Skullius used then? A Transcendent grade treasure? A new Rule-level concept? A
Rule?
Replicus frowned.
He saw Skullius rise as darkness piled onto his damaged body, inflating his large robes.
A blink later... he was fully healed.
Replicus' lip twitched.
That shouldn't have been possible either. Not when Inverted Mana was involved.
Skullius' lustrous auburn hair was restored and he pushed it back with grace. He tugged the edges of his robes and faced Replicus with a look unbecoming of soone who had just taken two extrely heavy hits.
"As I thought. You really have learned a few tricks," he said, his broad grin growing wider and more sickening. "Not bad for a damned fake."
Replicus gave no retort.
For a few monts, only the crackling of the scorched ground made any sound.
Yuyui looked at Skullius with great concern.
Back when her master had split, she had developed a habit of seeing both parts of him as different individuals. This ti, it was no different. This habit seed even more warranted
now.
The man robed in darkness was far different from the towering, four-ard monstrosity she
stood beside.
"Don't you have anything to say to ? Or hahaha - this would be precious - was the light show just now the extent of everything you ca to express?" Skullius said.
Replicus' eyes flashed.
"Far from it," he hissed. "It's a sha that I have to make a case for myself... against myself.
That was only a warning shot. I hoped it would allow you to see a bit of reason. Or at least bash
so semblance of it into you."
"Evidently, that didn't work, did it?" Skullius said brightly and he sat back down on the ground. "Remind again. What case do you want to make for yourself? What does a lowly fake – a replica, as I fittingly nad you - even have to say that is worth my attention?" "Well, seeing as you can't simply snap away with the [Brisk Storm Avatar] skill, that ans I have earned a bit of your fleshing attention, haven't I?" Replicus retorted. Skullius' taut grin slackened a little. Replicus scoffed.
"As I thought. You really intend to destroy , don't you?" the Progeny said with hints of
disbelief. "You don't want to rge back."
Skullius said nothing.
Replicus was emboldened.
"I see. The part of you that is lost to Fulgardt is scared, isn't it?" he said with a cruel laugh. "The thought that I, the REAL Skullius, will drive away your WILLS once we rge back
together terrifies you, doesn't it?"
Skullius' grin devolved into a small, agitated smile.
"Terrified? Real? Those are rich words for a fake to spout so carelessly. Need I really defend
myself though? You know almost as well as I that it won't matter soon enough. I suppose your confident front is hiding the thumping of whatever you have for a heart," he said with a leer. "You know that when I assu my Penetrator form, you won't exist any longer."
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