His opponent was an Idol of the Archfiend, ford by the convergence of thirteen Demonic Pillars. Like Caelus, the Idol possessed four heads and eight arms, its silhouette an eerie mockery of his own. Clearly, the demonic gods of The Lifeless Expanse had used so vile magic to forge a twisted replica of him.
It didn't just mimic his combat abilities; it replicated a fraction of his Stoneheart Titan bloodline. Worse, the copy was augnted by thirteen distinct, bizarre powers radiating from the Demonic Pillars.
Trapped within the barrier, all four of Caelus's heads roared in unison. Soul-shattering soundwaves blasted outward as he probed the array for weaknesses. Unfortunately, the massive formation seed flawless.
"Hehehe... To think we'd trap a Giant Prince. Today, we will seal you within the Demonic Pillars and refine you into the ultimate war slave." The Idol of the Archfiend's voice was a chaotic, overlapping chorus of thirteen distinct tones. It was an abhorrent, grating sound that instinctively triggered nausea and dread.
"Seal ? Let's see you try." Compared to the Idol's monstrous chorus, Caelus's bizarre dual-toned voice lacked acoustic weight. But behind the bravado, his expression turned grim.
He had awakened the mont the Platinum Realm collided with the Titanion Realm. As the Giant Prince of the Stoneheart Horde, neither Orion nor Lilith kept him on a leash. They let him roam free to forge his own path. Naturally, Caelus was curious about the reborn Titanion Realm. Since he was incubating a nascent world within his own body, observing the chanics of an Ascendant Plane was invaluable to his growth.
Thus, he left The Platinum Citadel. He first visited Leonidas at The Great Bastion of the East, then trekked across the entire continent until he reached The Bastion of the West. Upon arriving, he ran into Dirtclaw leading a purge against enemy incursions and decided to tag along. He hadn't expected to step right into the deadly ambush the enemy had explicitly prepared for Dirtclaw.
Caelus swung his eight arms in a blinding flurry, whipping them like ancient tentacles to shred the surrounding space and ward off the creeping corruption.
Not far away, the Idol of the Archfiend condensed, transforming into an ethereal Demonic Pillar that materialized directly above Caelus's head. Runic chains erupted from the pillar, churning the void as they attempted to lock down his escape routes and seal away all ambient elental energy.
Simultaneously, a cloud of black, space-corroding acid spewed from the base of the pillar, raining down relentlessly upon him. The trap was sprung. Ti seed to freeze; it was a lethal checkmate.
Weren't you supposed to be a badass?
Step up, then! Where's your magic barrier? Weren't you bragging about your absolute defense?
Talk is cheap! Talk your way out of this!
Do it, and I'll hand over full control of the body!
Even in the heat of battle, Caelus's twin personalities bickered relentlessly in his mind.
Screw you!
Bite !
That's Chrono-Toxin! I haven't mastered spaceti magic yet. I can't block that! The personality commanding his magic was furious, unleashing a string of profanities he had picked up directly from Commander Thresh.
Useless.
All talk and no bite, the dominant personality mocked, taking the wheel. His deanor turned icy. Watch closely. I'll show you exactly why I'm the one driving this body.
ROAR!
Caelus bellowed, recklessly drawing upon the origin power of his inner world. His Stoneheart Titan body swelled, shattering the spatial constraints as he grew exponentially. A terrifying, three-hundred-foot giant spanned the sky. Strange runes flashed across his skin, his veins bulging like writhing dragons. Caelus thrust a massive hand forward, physically shattering the void and the barrier before him.
This wasn't magic. This was the absolute, unadulterated strength of the Stoneheart Titan bloodline inherited from Orion. It was the raw power dormant in his own veins. Caelus's sky-blotting hand slamd into the Demonic Pillar. The impact sent violent tremors through the construct, buckling it until it violently collapsed.
But it wasn't over.
The shattered fragnts of the thirteen Demonic Pillars instantly regenerated, reforming into a solid, physical Idol of the Archfiend, far more oppressive than before. The mont it solidified, the Idol liquefied into a colossal blob of vile acid.
It was pure Chrono-Toxin. A lethal poison that the vast majority of powerhouses couldn't withstand. A guaranteed kill.
And currently, Caelus couldn't withstand it either.
Just monts ago, when his massive hand grazed the Chrono-Toxin, his skin had instantly vaporized. If he hadn't pulled back in ti, he would have lost the entire arm.
Can't block it, huh?
Thought you were the badass!
Who's all talk now? The magic-oriented personality imdiately fired back, seizing the chance to gloat.
Who said I couldn't block it?
When have I ever bluffed?
As the two minds argued, the wave of Chrono-Toxin surged forward, engulfing the three-hundred-foot giant like a toxic fog.
Watch closely. This is how you use the Stoneheart Titan bloodline!
ROAR!
It wasn't Caelus roaring. It was a roar echoing from Orion himself—a manifestation of pure bloodline and universal law. A massive, divine Giant's Eye abruptly opened in the void, casting its gaze over the battlefield and locking onto every entity present.
Thump!
A heartbeat.
The Giant's Eye lingered for only a fraction of a second—the exact duration of a single heartbeat. After that beat, the world returned to dead silence.
The thirteen Demonic Pillars and the thirteen Arch Lords anchoring them had vanished without a trace.
Only Caelus remained in the void, his body rapidly shrinking back to its normal size.
Caelus gasped for air. Among his four heads, one was contorted in absolute agony. It hurt because one of its eyes was completely blind, now serving as a fleshy prison for a swirling mass of black smoke.
"Chrono-Toxin... is that the best you've got?!"
Caelus burst into maniacal laughter. Battles like this sent a rush of pure adrenaline through his veins. He reveled in the high of dancing on the razor's edge of life and death.
Stop laughing!
Dirtclaw and the allies are still trapped in the outer Demonic Pillar barrier. Break it before Dirtclaw worries himself to death. The magic personality snapped at his borderline-psychotic counterpart. The thrill of battle was intoxicating, but they hadn't lost their minds.
Worried?
You vastly underestimate Dirtclaw.
With his blind worship of our father, he isn't sweating our safety for a second.
In his mind, however strong Father is, a Giant Prince should be exactly as invincible.
Like our teacher said: Zealots are the absolute worst!
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