Sando's holy aura flared, his sword pulsing with Solaris' faint fragment. "Vanessa!" he bellowed, his voice echoing over the waves. "Face me, Warden of Nullity, you demon!"
Vanessa descended, stepping onto the water, her abyssal aura rippling the surface. "So be it," she said, her voice a cold blade. "Sando, hero of Ostrava, ready to lose it all?"
Sando hovered, his sword blazing. "Leave Vanessa to me! Everyone else—target that Satura!"
The Vandors from allied nations and Capriha's military surged toward Riah, their weapons gleaming with defiance. Riah closed her eyes, her flames pulsing softly. "Fine then," she murmured. "I didn't want this." Raising her hand to the sky, she whispered, "Through me, judgment is served. Heavenly spears, descend—save those who stand with me, annihilate those who don't."
The heavens erupted. Hundreds of colossal flaming spears materialized, blazing like comets, raining down into the ocean. The fiery onslaught obliterated military ships and dense forces, the water hissing as it boiled. Vandors scrambled, their shields and auras flaring, but Riah's spears were unstoppable. Of one hundred fifty Vandors, only twenty remained, their screams echoing as the survivors staggered in shock. A tear fell from Riah's eye, her voice barely a whisper. "I didn't want this."
Sando stared, his face pale with awe and horror. Gendai, Glavatus, Ayane, and Pluto stood frozen, the surviving Vandors shouting, "You monster!" Sando's voice trembled with rage. "Riah, how could you? You just slaughtered Earth's defenders!"
Riah's flames surged, her gaze unyielding. "You chose this, Sando. Cooperate, and no more die. Come at me with force, and I'll show no mercy. I'm the Phoenix of Reckoning, the Satura of Judgment—my role is to punish. This proves humanity doesn't know what it's facing."
Sando gripped his sword, his voice breaking. "This world's messed up—Nullity, Saturas, all the same! What's happening to us?"
Vanessa's voice was cold, her abyssal aura swirling. "Want the truth? Solaris is dead. Nebula's sealed, held by the fragments Solaris left behind. But those fragments are gone—Elicia's holding the seal now. Your god is dead, Sando."
Sando's eyes widened, his aura faltering. "That's why… why everything's chaos, why Saturas like her run rampant! I'll fight for this world—face me, Vanessa!"
Sando lunged, his holy sword clashing with Vanessa's double-bladed spear. The water rippled beneath their feet as she blocked effortlessly. Sando pushed, his strength driving her back across the waves. Vanessa's eyes glinted, and with a swift knee to his nose, blood poured. A brutal kick to his head sent him flying across the sea. "SANDO!" Gendai screamed, her voice raw with panic.
Riah stood on the ship, her flames flickering as she sensed her mother's presence—a small boat escorted by the Prismic Gathering, cutting through the rough currents. Ten more boats followed, carrying elves and others saved by Kazimir, their faith in him unwavering. Riah's flames flared, casting protective barriers over the boats, shielding them from stray attacks as the battle raged. Platforms lowered from the ships, guiding the boats to safety, civilians from across Capriha joining the exodus.
Sando staggered, blood dripping, and charged again. Vanessa dodged his thrust, her spear splitting into twin blades. Her abyssal aura struck from multiple angles, slashing Sando with blinding speed. She slid across the water, her blades reforming into a spear, standing calm as Sando panted, battered and bruised. Pluto whispered, "We should help him—he's struggling." Ayane snapped, "You forgot about that Satura? She wiped out a fleet single-handedly!"
Sando raised his sword skyward, his voice a roar. "I won't lose!" Teleporting behind Vanessa, he unleashed light energy from portals, divine bolts firing at her. Vanessa raised a hand, an abyssal water shield blocking the strikes. She caught a light orb, crushing it with a smirk. "This is getting boring."
"THE HELL YOU MEAN?" Sando bellowed. In a blink, Vanessa was before him, her spear's motion a blur. Sando collapsed, unconscious, sinking toward the sea. Vanessa caught him, her voice cold. "You're lucky Kazimir told me to hold back." With a flick, she hurled him toward a cliff, where Glavatus caught him.
"Sando!" Ayane, Gendai, and Pluto cried, rushing to him. "He's just unconscious," Pluto said, his voice steady. "But what do we do? Those two are Kazimir's strongest."
Gendai cradled Sando, her eyes blazing. "Vanessa, I swear I'll kill her one day. I hate that bitch."
Ayane raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like you've got history with her."
Sando stirred, grabbing his sword and roaring as he charged off the cliff toward Vanessa, battered but unyielding. "Sando, STOP!" Gendai screamed.
Riah stepped to the ship's edge. A voice echoed from the sky, cold and absolute. "My order is absolute." A fiery wave surged, freezing time itself. Everyone—Sando, the Azure Sky team, the surviving Vandors—stood paralyzed, their eyes slowly turning toward Riah as she descended white flame stairs from the heavens, her gaze piercing. She walked through the frozen crowd, her presence a divine judgment.
Sando glared, his voice strained. "You…"
Riah stopped before Gendai, raising a finger. Gendai's eyes burned with fury. "What are you doing? What do you want?!"
Riah's voice was soft but unyielding. "To make you see." A blinding white flame engulfed Gendai, spreading to Sando, Ayane, Glavatus, and Pluto. In an instant, they vanished.
Ayane's vision cleared, the world shifting from Capriha's stormy shores to a barren, silver-lit expanse—the moon. She staggered, gasping. "Did she teleport us to the moon?"
Glavatus blinked, scanning the desolate craters. "What else does it look like? We're not on Earth."
They struggled to breathe, but Sando's aura flared, casting a protective field to sustain them. "Thanks," Ayane and Glavatus said, relief washing over them. "You saved us. Forgot we're human."
Sando's eyes burned with resolve. "We have to get back to Earth. Those two can't be trusted."
Ayane shook her head. "Nah, I think Earth's fine. Riah and Vanessa didn't even want to fight—they refused to kill us. Riah said she'd make us believe. Now that we're here, let's explore."
Gendai nodded. "Yeah, we should." Glavatus and Pluto agreed, and Sando relented, his jaw tight.
As they trekked across the moon's surface, figures appeared in the distance. "Look!" Glavatus shouted. "Something's over there—let's move!" They rushed forward, but Gendai's eyes widened in fury. It was Felicia, Raijin, Kamaki, and Lihanna.
"You're all here too?!" Gendai snapped, glaring at Lihanna. "And you, Lihanna!"
Lihanna averted her gaze, her expression unreadable. Kamaki tilted his head, confused. "These the people Kazimir sent us to assist?"
Raijin nodded, his eyes flickering with lightning. "Yeah, that's them."
Sando's aura flared, his sword gleaming. "So you're with Kazimir too! Raijin, we meet again."
Felicia raised an eyebrow, her Phoenix embers igniting, wings of fire flaring on her back. "Uh, yeah. What's your issue now?"
Raijin's voice was calm but firm. "I can hold my grudge, but this moon's serious. We just got here."
"Screw that!" Gendai roared. "You're our enemies, and I'll make Kazimir feel it when we kill you all!"
Kamaki grinned, his blue flames blazing. "A fight? Alright, let's deal with these monkeys quick!"
Ayane's purple ice aura shimmered as she drew her bow. Pluto's dual pistols gleamed, dark wind swirling. Gendai's hair and eyes shifted to green and silver. Glavatus cracked his knuckles, his gauntlets sparking. Sando raised his sword, his holy aura flaring.
Felicia's Phoenix wings burned brighter, Kamaki's blue flames roared, and Raijin's lightning and wind crackled. Lihanna sighed, her aura a quiet storm, as the moon's desolate surface became a battlefield, the clash of fire, light, and fury echoing across the stars.