"Hahahaha...!" Aventurine's unrestrained laughter echoed across the arena, causing the other members of the Ten Stonehearts to involuntarily turn their heads, as if saying: We don't know this guy.
"I'll place the bets, I'll gamble, I'll win!"
"I let fate spin the wheel, stake it all, and emerge alive from the jaws of death!"
"All for the Amber Lord!"
The cornerstone containing the authority of an Emanator of Preservation burst into radiance before merging into Aventurine's body. In an instant, this lone survivor of Sigonia—the P45 executive of the Interastral Peace Corporation—transformed into a massive blue cocoon. When the cocoon shattered, the fully prepared "Bizarro Aventurine," now wielding partial authority of an Emanator of Preservation, stood before the crowd.
"So this is your form after using the cornerstone? Honestly, you kinda look like a magician," Topaz remarked, sizing up 'Bizarro Aventurine' while patting Numby's head, signaling for the little creature to climb down from her shoulder.
"Oink oink?" Numby tilted its head in confusion. During past battles, it had always stayed by its master's side—why was it being sent away this time?
"Numby, be good." Topaz affectionately rubbed Numby's head. This time was different. Since it was her first time wielding the power of causality from the Seal's imprint, she couldn't guarantee whether this energy might harm the little warp trotter. For Numby's safety, she had no choice but to keep it at a distance.
Once Numby retreated to a safe zone, Topaz took a deep breath and glanced up at 'Bizarro Aventurine,' who was levitating mid-air. Closing her eyes, she focused her will to channel the power from the imprint on the back of her right hand.
As this energy flooded her entire being, words spilled uncontrollably from her lips:
"All things in the universe bow to causality."
"Fate may twist, life and death may reverse."
"In the name of causality, I scoff at all inevitability!"
As the incantation concluded, a crimson glow enveloped Topaz. In the eyes of the onlookers, the girl's form-fitting bodysuit seemed to come alive, rapidly expanding and morphing into an extravagant red-and-black gown.
The colors on the gown intertwined as if alive, each bleeding into the other—inescapably intertwined.
Beyond that, Topaz's short silver hair grew rapidly under the influence of causal power before being dyed jet-black, with the few remaining silver strands scattered like stars amidst the darkness.
Finally, around the graceful curve of her swan-like neck, a gem representing the mark of causality coiled upward, dazzlingly radiant.
Yet at this very moment, the fierce aura around Topaz abruptly receded, her presence fading as though she had vanished. Though she stood plainly in sight, she became nearly imperceptible.
"So this is my causality form? Hmm, this outfit does suit my tastes quite well."
With a flick of her delicate hand, a mirror materialized out of nowhere before her, reflecting the girl's exquisite figure. Just as Topaz was admiring herself, Aventurine—who had been waiting on the other side of the arena—finally couldn't hold back his exasperation:
"Hey, Topaz, could you hurry it up? Diamond and the others are still waiting, you know. Every extra minute we spend gathered here, the Corporation loses a fortune."
At his words, Topaz—still examining her new form—arched an eyebrow, mildly annoyed. But she couldn't deny the truth in Aventurine's words. They were high-ranking executives of the IPC, worth tens of thousands per second. Without them, the Corporation's operations could grind to a halt.
"Fine then, let's wrap up this friendly spar quickly."
Topaz gently brushed her hair back. In the next instant, Aventurine felt a chill run down his neck, his pupils shrinking to pinpricks.
In that brief moment, Topaz had activated the authority of causality, distorting the order of the surrounding space. Without warning, she appeared right before 'Bizarro Aventurine,' and the source of the cold sensation on his neck was nothing more than an ordinary coin—symbolizing wealth.
"This power is seriously broken... Let's keep going!"
Shaking his head as he watched Topaz retreat, Aventurine summoned his weapons from another dimension—a pair of short swords, not coins.
Unlike the 'Bizarro Aventurine' seen in Penacony, this was his true complete form. After all, the cornerstone had already been damaged back in Penacony, preventing him from unleashing his full strength.
Now, with his power fully restored, he could wield his twin blades to their utmost potential.
"Let's begin round two, my friend!"
The moment Aventurine finished speaking, Topaz vanished from his sight once more.
"Power of Preservation—manifest!"
Learning from his earlier mistake, Aventurine immediately conjured a barrier around himself using the power of Preservation to counter Topaz's sudden assaults.
Bang!
Topaz reappeared, pulling the trigger. A golden coin struck Aventurine's back, clinking sharply against the barrier of Preservation.
Topaz wasn't surprised that her attack had been easily blocked. She never expected this colleague of hers—who had crawled out of a mountain of corpses—to make the same mistake twice.
"Command: Bestow!"
Topaz infused her firearm with causal energy, granting it the attribute of 'Inevitable Hit.'
Inevitable Hit—sounding similar to the trait of Gungnir, the divine spear of Odin, the Norse god. But in terms of effect, Topaz's 'Bestow' might be even more overpowered.
Gungnir's 'Inevitable Hit' was more like a homing missile—it could still be blocked by obstacles like shields or armor. Of course, that was only considering the 'Inevitable Hit' trait alone. If factoring in the spear's innate 'piercing' attribute, that was another matter entirely.
But the 'Inevitable Hit' bestowed by Topaz meant that, on a conceptual level, it would outright ignore any obstruction—be it space, barriers, or otherwise. The shield formed by the power of Preservation naturally fell under this category.
Bang! Bang! Bang!...
Topaz fired multiple shots, aiming at Aventurine's knees, wrists, elbows, and other vital joints—each strike designed to cripple. But this wasn't too big of an issue. With the Interastral Peace Corporation's medical technology, even regenerating lost limbs wasn't out of the question.
Again with this move? She should know these bullets are useless against the power of Preservation by now. Aventurine's expression darkened. Though these bullets looked and felt identical to the previous ones, his instincts screamed at him—something's wrong!