The battlefield lay still, though its air still pulsed with the residue of the cataclysmic battle. Dust drifted through the dim light like ghosts mourning their battlefield, and fractured stone and molten steel formed a jagged trail across the ruined plains. The silence that followed such overwhelming destruction was deafening.
Naoko and Ebernio stood at the epicenter of that silence, both breathing, both scarred, both victorious in their own way. Blood and ash painted their surroundings, and the ground bore the evidence of a conflict fit for deities. Between them, a solemn moment was shared — a handshake. A gesture less of truce and more of transition.
Their hands met briefly. Then Naoko let go, her fingers falling away with mechanical stillness. Her silver hair, though stained with soot and streaks of dried blood, swayed lightly behind her. Her battle-worn attire was shredded, torn open in places to reveal pale skin marred with shallow cuts and bruises — tokens from her duel with the god of destruction. Her silver eyes, devoid of emotion, stared ahead blankly.
Ebernio tilted her head slightly, inspecting Naoko with something like amusement. "Well then," she said, her voice soft, sultry, and yet powerful. "Follow me."
Turning, the goddess of ruin walked, and Naoko followed in silence.
The two figures moved across the devastated courtyard of the once-formidable stronghold. Their footfalls echoed over broken stone and pools of molten mana, the remnants of their war still steaming beneath them. No words passed between them. Only the wind whispered of what had taken place.
Eventually, they arrived.
The towering obsidian gates of Dilszgeid Castle, seat of the Goddess of Destruction, creaked open. The heart of the ruined palace awaited, pulsing with residual chaos. The throne room — now a fractured cathedral of shadows and cracks — seemed to breathe with a life of its own.
Ebernio stepped into the very center of the grand chamber. There, she turned and extended her hand toward the empty space before her. A shimmering light sparked beneath her feet as she conjured a massive magical formation — a glyph not of this world, spinning with impossible geometry. Sigils folded inwards and outwards simultaneously, forming a glowing three-dimensional construct.
Naoko stood silently, watching.
Ebernio smiled. Her long golden hair, stained by soot and divine blood, shimmered under the shifting light. "This," she said, "is the spell of fusion. A spatial-temporal anchor for the soul of Dilszgeid."
Her hand rose again, and above her palm appeared a complete miniature replica of the castle — a three-dimensional enchantment of striking complexity. "I need you, little princess," she purred, "to charge this construct with the essence of Uranus. The Green Moon, to restore. The White Moon, to hasten and delay. And the Silver Moon, to protect."
Naoko's voice was cold, hollow. "So, you wish me to use the Green Moon to regenerate your form, the White Moon to accelerate the incantation while slowing the decay, and the Silver Moon to shield it all from backlash. A triple-layered stabilization that fuses your soul with this castle, merging you into its foundation. You want your body to become the fortress itself — so that your source is bound and immortal."
Ebernio laughed softly, eyes glimmering like rubies. "Correct, my precious one. You're always quick."
Without a word, Naoko lifted her left hand.
From her palm, a vibrant green beam erupted — the power of the Green Moon: Lunar Renewal. The light lanced toward the hovering model, its illumination healing and reforming the structure with divine precision.
Then came the shift.
The beam changed hue, turning brilliant white — the White Moon: Time Surge. The air trembled as time itself distorted, the glyph spinning faster, burning with celestial acceleration.
Finally, it turned silver — the Silver Moon: Lunar Ward. The entire chamber lit up as shimmering shields encased the construct, forming a radiant bubble of protective force.
Three rings spun simultaneously: one of emerald, one of pearl, and one of argent. They twisted around the replica like planetary halos.
Ebernio's expression darkened with anticipation. "Now, my darling Naoko — draw your blade and finish it."
Naoko's silver eyes narrowed.
In a flash of ethereal black light, her spiritual blade manifested — Nihil, the Sword of Void. Its black edge devoured light, wrapped in the electric wrath of the Blue Moon: Celestial Ruin. Thunder crackled around the blade, infused with golden arcs of destruction.
With ruthless intent, Naoko hurled herself forward and thrust Nihil straight into the heart of the construct — and through Ebernio's chest.
The goddess gasped, a smile still playing on her lips even as divine ichor — red and thick like molten ruby — poured from the wound. "Mmm… Did you enjoy that, my sweet?"
Naoko did not respond. She only stared.
The sword still embedded in Ebernio's body began to resonate with the enchantment. Waves of pure, radiant darkness burst outward — the very essence of ruin compressed into shadow particles. The god's form began to break down, her flesh unravelling into pure mana. Her source — a divine, red-glowing core — separated from her fading body.
All around them, the castle shook violently.
Light surged. A blinding white explosion filled the room, and when the brilliance faded, Dilszgeid Castle had changed. Its structure was rebuilt — complete, seamless. Every fracture mended. But it was no longer a palace of decayed grandeur. It had become something new.
Black.
Entirely black.
Obsidian spires reached toward the sky. Walls shimmered with a pulse akin to a beating heart. The throne room was now a hollow sanctum, empty except for a single, floating core of divine red light — Ebernio's essence.
Naoko stepped forward. She reached out, fingers closing around the floating source. It pulsed once in protest — then stilled.
She turned and walked away.
At the edge of the chamber, she paused. Her hand brushed against the obsidian wall. With a silent whisper of will, she poured a stream of mana into the stone — the power of the Moon.
A silver sigil formed.
A crescent moon, radiant and delicate, glimmered on the wall. Star-dust cascaded from it in slow motion, tiny specks of silver light descending like sacred snow.
It marked the place.
Her seal.
Without another glance, Naoko turned and strode out of the reborn Dilszgeid.
---
Heat: Well, if you like the chapter, you can comment and support me with an energy stone. That's all I want. Thank you. 🫡