A deafening explosion tore through the skies of Ery's Domain as two identical figures clashed midair, their battle sending shockwaves across the vast land below. Each strike was like a teor impact, shaking mountains and splitting the heavens apart.
The dark version of Ery wreathed in flickering shadows, grinned as he unleashed his next attack.
"I thought being separated would make weaker… I was wrong."
With a flick of his wrist, a barrage of crescent-shaped energy blades erupted from his form—[Enfeebled Blades]. Each of these dark, shimring arcs carved through the air, screaming toward their target with lethal intent.
In response, a cocoon of twisting roots and verdant energy ford around Ery's body, a fortress of nature shielding him from the onslaught. The energy blades struck the barrier, detonating in bursts of blackened energy, but not a single one could pierce through. Despite their imnse power—enough to slay most Magus—his nature-based defense remained unshaken.
"There's no need to be so aggressive," Ery called out, his voice calm. "We can test our power in a more controlled way."
The dark Ery let out a harsh laugh, his pitch-black eyes gleaming with excitent. "Where's the fun in that?"
With a resigned sigh, Ery accepted the inevitable. If there was no reasoning with his counterpart, then he would fight at full strength.
Spell after spell was unleashed as the battle escalated, the air thick with the clashing forces of nature and darkness.
It was such a relief for both of them, as they managed to retain their ability to wield opposing elents despite the division of their cores.
The dark Ery effortlessly summoned fused magic like [Dark Tide], a tidal wave laced with abyssal energy, and [Ash Blast], an explosive burst of searing blackened flas. His spells were augnted by the very essence of Khaos, making them far more potent than before.
Not one to be outdone, Ery countered with precision. Every attack from his dark counterpart was t with an equal force, each spell mirrored in perfect synchrony. But as they fought, subtle differences beca evident. Though they wielded similar strength, each had dominion over their respective elents.
"Enough warm-up," the dark Ery sneered. "Let's take this up a notch!"
His body flickered as he activated [Spatial Bending], twisting the fabric of space itself to gain an advantage in movent. With blinding speed, he reappeared behind Ery, launching a barrage of dark tendrils.
Caught off guard, Ery attempted to follow suit—only to find his mastery of space magic drastically weakened. While he could still utilize [Blink], his ability to bend space was nowhere near his counterpart's level.
Realizing this, he adapted. A radiant light engulfed him as he spread newly ford wings—[Soaring Wings]. Made entirely of luminous feathers infused with the Law of Nature, they propelled him effortlessly through the sky, countering his disadvantage in mobility.
The dark Ery scowled. "Damn! I can do that too!"
He conjured his own wings, a twisted reflection of Ery's—jagged, blackened appendages trailing thick, swirling smoke. However, as he attempted to match Ery's speed, he quickly realized the flaw. His wings, unlike the Light Ery's, could not sustain high-speed movent alone. To compensate, he had to rely on space magic, fusing teleportation with flight.
Two streaks of energy—one radiant, one shadowed—raced through the skies, their clashes sending shockwaves that rippled across the entire Domain. The land trembled under their power, and from below, concerned eyes watched the sky.
Within the Chizpur village, Twik and the stone creatures huddled together, sensing the overwhelming energy that threatened to consu the domain. Durak and his orc warriors halted their reconstruction efforts, raising their gazes to witness the battle between their master and his dark reflection.
Higher and higher they soared, their strikes growing fiercer, faster. Spells of light and shadow clashed, illuminating the skies in flashes of green and black. But finally, after what felt like an eternity, they began to reach the limits of their power.
At last, VIA, the ever-present AI companion, provided a detailed analysis of their capabilities.
[Ery - Light]
[Grand Magus Realm - One Cosmos, First Layer]
[Law Comprehension: 77%]
[Soul Force: 975]
[Ery - Dark]
[Grand Magus Realm - One Cosmos, First Layer]
[Law Comprehension: 77%]
[Soul Force: 1105]
Though their strength had been split, each now possessed a complete cosmic circle—one aligned with darkness, the other with light. Even with slightly less soul force than before, they had both gained the ability to call upon cosmic power.
The dark Ery drew from the depths of Khaos, able to summon the eldritch might of Cthulhu itself. In contrast, the Light Ery channeled the Elysian tree's divine energy, commanding roots far more potent than before.
Despite having a stronger soul force, the dark Ery found himself unable to breach the Elysian-infused defenses of his counterpart. On the other hand, the Light Ery wielded a devastating soul-enhanced attack that severely hindered the movents of his darker half.
But the most crucial difference lay in their physical forms. The Light Ery possessed a true, tangible body, while the dark Ery remained a construct of pure energy. This singular disadvantage ultimately tipped the scales.
With one final clash, the battle ended. The outco was clear.
The dark Ery scowled, his frustration evident.
"Damn it! This isn't fair! Give a real body, and I'll crush you easily!"
Ery lowered his guard, exhaling deeply. "Our duel can continue another ti… but first, there's sothing else we need to confirm."
They turned inward, probing each other's souls, searching for any disparities beyond their elental affinity. To their relief, they discovered that their mories, techniques, and experiences remained intact. But what set them apart was their temperant. The dark Ery was impulsive, aggressive, and driven by emotion, while the Light Ery was calm, strategic, and composed.
The imbalance was obvious. The dark Ery could not exist effectively in this state. He needed a true physical form.
Fortunately, Ery had a solution.
Without hesitation, he severed a portion of his own limb, activating a technique passed down by Roran—the [True Clone] technique. With his newly advanced cosmic body, the process required imnse focus and effort, but at last, a fully ford vessel began to materialize.
As soon as the body solidified, the dark Ery wasted no ti.
He rged instantly, his essence fusing with the new form. The Domain trembled under the shift as his soul settled into the physical body, a perfect counterpart to his original self. To distinguish himself, he chose to remain as he was—pitch-black hair, shadowed pupils, an embodint of the abyss.
For the first ti, the two Erys stood before one another, complete and distinct.
"Good! Now, what's next?! Join the war in the north or blast our way into the Fey Clan?"
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