Adelasta, Vastarael, and Phaenora bulldozed through the horde of grotesque minions like it was just another random attack. The eyeless freaks swarmed in waves, their impossibly long limbs flailing as they tried to claw and bite, but honestly, they didn't stand a chance. The trio moved like a well-oiled machine, cutting through them like they were nothing but practice dummies.
Adelasta wasn't even trying to hide her irritation. Her daggers gleamed like tiny suns, each slash setting her enemies ablaze in an instant. One of the minions leapt at her, jaws snapping, but she sidestepped so casually it was almost insulting. A quick twist of her wrist and her dagger was buried in its throat. It went up in flames before it even hit the ground.
Another group tried to rush her from the side. Big mistake. She flicked one of her daggers like she was swatting a fly and a wave of fire burst out, swallowing the minions whole. The only thing left of them was ash drifting lazily to the ground.
Being a Second Phase Ascender so close to the Third Phase made her incredibly powerful.
"This is just sad," she muttered under her breath, though there was a spark of smug satisfaction in her eyes. "At least make it interesting, you useless freaks."
Meanwhile, Vastarael was calm, wielding his double-bladed glaive, Calimostria, like it was an extension of his arm. Every swing of the weapon was pure, calculated destruction. No wasted movements, no unnecessary flair, just efficient, brutal takedowns.
A group of minions thought it would be a good idea to dogpile him. Big mistake. He spun the glaive in a wide arc and they were sliced apart like butter under a hot knife. Body parts and green blood flew everywhere, but Vastarael didn't even flinch. He kept moving forward like he wasn't cutting through a literal nightmare army.
He spared a glance at Adelasta as she torched another wave of enemies.
"You know," he said casually, "you could save some for the rest of us."
She shot him a glare, wiping a stray bit of green goo off her dagger. "If you're too slow to keep up, just say that."
And then there was Phaenora, who didn't even look like she was breaking a sweat. Her double-bladed glaive twirled in her hands, slicing through minions like she was performing some kind of deadly dance. Her strikes were smooth, precise and absolutely devastating.
"Honestly, these things are disgusting," she said, wrinkling her nose as she sent a minion flying with a well-aimed kick. "Can't they at least try to put up a fight? I've seen scarier shadows."
Another minion lunged at her but she didn't even blink. A quick spin of her glaive, and its head went flying. She looked over at Vastarael, smirking.
"Are we sure you're not holding back on us? These things are way too easy."
Vastarael snorted, decapitating another minion with one swing of his glaive. "Trust me, the fun part's coming."
After absolutely annihilating another wave of minions, the trio finally made it within range of the eldritch monstrosity. And that's when things got serious. Without a word, Vastarael dismissed his glaive, the sapphire weapon dissolving into particles of light. Adelasta and Phaenora followed suit, leaping high into the air like it was second nature.
As they ascended, Vastarael planted his feet firmly on the ground and summoned a massive Third Star Control Circle, its runes glowing with a powerful sapphire hue. The sheer force of it made the ground tremble slightly. He grinned as he looked up at the two women preparing for their assault.
Adelasta's hands were already ablaze, fiery tendrils curling around her fingers as she prepared to rain hell down on the creature. On the other hand, Phaenora tapped into Vastarael's essence and did she get a surprise.
Her eyes widened as she felt the flood of energy.
"You've been holding out on me!" She shouted in shock and exhilaration in her voice. "Nine pseudo-cores? Seriously?!"
Pseudo-cores weren't something just anyone could have. They were essentially artificial essence storage centers, each one acting like an auxiliary reserve of power. All Ascenders had one if they were incredibly gifted. Having two? You were already considered a freak of nature.
But Vastarael? He had nine.
It was borderline ridiculous, the kind of thing you'd expect to see in legends or myths, not in someone casually fighting monsters in sweatpants. Phaenora couldn't help but feel admiration and disbelief.
"No wonder you're so confident," she said, a wicked grin spreading across her face as she unleashed a devastating blast of sapphire at the creature. "You're basically a walking battery!"
Vastarael just rolled his eyes, focusing on maintaining his control circle.
[Less talking, more fighting,] he called up to them telepathically, though there was a faint smirk on his lips.
Adelasta, meanwhile, was too focused to chime in. Flames roared around her as she prepared to unleash her full power on the creature below. She didn't care how many pseudo-cores he had or how absurdly powerful he was. All she cared about was making sure they won. And if she had to burn this eldritch monstrosity to the ground to do it, so be it.
But nine pseudo-cores? She had two! Her original one and the one she got from Stephos after Vastarael's mother killed him!
And he has nine? Just how powerful would he be if he passed the First Phase?
As Adelasta landed from her high jump, the entire empty city seemed to pause for just a fraction of a second. The golden-orange inferno wrapped around her feet like sentient flames, coiling and pulsing with raw power. Then, with a thunderous boom, she launched herself forward.
Her movements were a blur, faster than anything the minions-or even Vastarael and Phaenora had ever seen. The flames on her feet propelled her forward like a jet, leaving scorched trails in her wake. Every time she kicked off the ground, shockwaves burst outward, cracking the stone beneath her and sending fiery debris flying.
The first creature in her path didn't even get a chance to react. Her hands slashed clean through its grotesque, eyeless face, and before its body even hit the ground, she was already tearing through three more. The air sizzled around her, the heat so intense it warped the vision of anyone watching.
The seven-eyed horror let out a deafening screech as one of her flame beams struck one of its massive tentacles. The sound was less like an animal and more like metal scraping against metal, a noise so piercing it made even Vastarael wince.
The flames were not normal by any means. They were Divine Flames she got from Stephos, a Minor God of Flames. Every time she struck, the ground beneath her cracked and blackened, the sheer force of her attacks causing mini-explosions that sent waves of heat rippling across the modern fantasy city.
One particularly daring minion leapt at her, its grotesque maw wide open as if it could swallow her whole. She didn't even flinch. With a single swing, her flames exploded outward in a massive arc, vaporizing the creature instantly. The resulting shockwave flattened several other minions nearby and even caused Vastarael and Phaenora to stagger slightly.
[Are you seeing this?] Phaenora's voice rang in Vastarael's mind, tinged with disbelief. [Since when was she this insane?]
[I... honestly have no idea,] Vastarael replied, his mental tone calm but clearly impressed. [She wasn't like this the last time we fought together.]
Phaenora shot him a mental side-eye. [You sure you didn't marry a walking apocalypse? I think she's trying to outdo us.]
As if proving Phaenora's point, Adelasta launched herself into the air again, flames roaring around her like a phoenix taking flight. The creature screeched again, its massive tentacles flailing as it tried to swat her away. But she was too fast.
Her aerial footwork was like a deadly dance, each move igniting the air in bursts of fire. She darted around the creature's tentacles, weaving through its attacks with precision. At one point, it slammed a massive appendage down where she'd been standing a moment before, only for her to appear behind it in a fiery blur.
She summoned a massive fire beam that plunged into its flesh, sending a wave of divine heat coursing through the creature's body.
Flames erupted outward in all directions, lighting up the city like a second sun. Phaenora instinctively shielded her face, her hair whipping wildly in the wind. Even Vastarael had to brace himself as the shockwave tore through the area.
[Okay, I take it back,] Phaenora said, her tone somewhere between awe and annoyance. [She is a walking apocalypse.]
[No argument here,] Vastarael admitted, his usual composure shaken. [This is... absurd. Even for her.]
For the first time, the eldritch monstrosity seemed genuinely distressed. Its seven blinking irises pulsed erratically, each one glowing with an eerie blue light as it attempted to counter her relentless assault. Its tentacles moved faster, slamming into the ground and creating craters in an attempt to stop her.
But Adelasta was untouchable. Her flames allowed her to zip around the battlefield with such speed and agility that it was like trying to catch smoke in a hurricane. One moment she was on the ground, carving through minions like they were paper. The next, she was scaling the creature itself, her fire beams leaving blazing trails across its massive form.
The creature let out another metallic screech as one of her attacks struck dangerously close to its core. For a brief moment, the city went eerily silent. Then, the creature unleashed a massive wave of dark energy, forcing her to retreat, though not before landing one last, devastating blow that left a deep, smoldering scar across its body.
As she landed back on the ground, her flames still roaring around her, Adelasta shot a glance at Vastarael and Phaenora.
[What? Surprised?] Her tone was smug, even as she wiped a bit of soot off her cheek. [I thought you two could keep up.]
Phaenora groaned audibly, though there was a grudging respect in her voice. [You're insufferable, you know that?]
Vastarael just shook his head, a faint smirk on his lips. [I think I might have underestimated you. Just don't burn the entire island down while you're at it.]
Adelasta's smirk widened as she reignited her flames, preparing for another round.
[No promises. Phaenora, protect my husband from the minions since he'll be focusing. I'll handle the seven eyed octopus.]
And with that, she launched herself back into the fray, her flames roaring louder than ever. And for once, even Vastarael and Phaenora had to admit she was stealing the show.
Adelasta Viaca Vazakiel was more powerful than she looked and it was beautiful.