Darkness spread like never before, taking a form that consumed everything in its path, but no one would let it emerge victorious.
Even though Vasily was on the ground, his eyes never left the creature. Killbit's swift movement was enough to make him dodge an Ascaris attack. Even with his body paralyzed by agonizing pain, he kept Sophie's image in his mind.
The defeat of that creature means a lot to him; if he fell, perhaps he would be able to see Sophie's lovely smile again, hear her voice, and the notes thrown to the wind.
Candela lunged at Ascaris, her black axe expanding, severing an appendage of Ascaris, which quickly became a worm that came toward her. The moment her sword pierced the black knots, she was thrown back. Unaware, she tossed the pistol at Vasily.
Ascaris then roared furiously; a black stake was thrown into the red from his mouth, and with a pulsation, he created a space where his form became a stained painting. The extensive worms touched the ground and the crimson wall. The white sphere ran through his body.
Just like a predator in the ocean, Ascaris charged forward with everything, its body adapting to the environment in the blink of an eye. In response, the Candela prism shone, creating an illusion in front of the creature, giving the group time to recover.
"Listen carefully, while the black sphere controls electrical fields, the other creates areas where gravity is modulated to Ascaris' liking. We need to be careful, but of course, I have a plan."
The worm, previously an appendage, appeared behind everyone; it wasn't caught by Candela's illusion. In a turn, its form became a large feline beast. Killbit controlled the environment, making the creature lose its balance with a touch; its head rolled to the ground.
"Killbit's abilities are of extreme importance, but don't think he's our spear; he is our shield. I'll be the arrow; Candela will be the bow."
Vasily created a magic circle on his pistol and fired, making Flamel's waves visible. They moved in a disorganized way; there were none around Ascaris, as he created his own colossal force.
Upon firing a second time, he placed the barrel of the gun on his forehead, sucking Flamel's waves into himself. Then he managed to stand up on his own.
"I've created an opening for us, Candela; I know you can do it. Did you want to make a suicide pact, too? I can shoot you guys myself; no problem."
"Even in a tense situation, you never lose your sense of humor; I admire you for that. That's why I'll hand over my life and my brother's to you."
Candela's axe returned to its cleaver form; she held the prism on the tip and squeezed it. Her body turned completely black, absorbing all the light present in the environment.
The instant Killbit deactivated his Tempus Fugit, Candela appeared behind Ascaris, splitting his appendages. As they touched the ground, they became beasts that advanced on her.
There were then two pairs; the beasts positioned themselves around Candela, each at a point. The moment one took a step back, another jumped into its place.
"What is Ascaris doing?"
"Don't take this the wrong way; they're working in a sort of gravitational field. When one moves, it generates attraction in one direction and repulsion in another."
Thanks to the beasts' coordinated movement, they managed to keep up with Candela's speed. Even so, the beasts' reflections were etched into the cleaver; her body became a glow that created beams of light.
"She knows the full extent of her power. She's realized my plan. She's using Flamel's waves to move without being affected by Ascaris's gravity."
The creatures moved at high speed, causing gravity on Candela's body to make her feel enormous pressure at the same time that Ascaris opened its long mouth toward her.
She calmly opened a smile; the reflection that was previously in her Cleaver disappeared, along with her image.
Candela became a crimson trail, which quickly split all the beasts in half, along with breaking the gravitational space generated by Ascaris.
Vasily gave a long smile, fired again into the air with his pistol; Flamel's waves were present there. He then stood up, Lagrange shone in intense gold.
A shot was fired, distorting Ascaris's shape, leaving the white and black spheres visible.
"This is my Tempus Fugit, coming from Vasily, the Homunculus of Sloth; this is my love song to you, Sophie, wherever you are, Lagrange Points!"
The bullet completely absorbed the Flamel waves, creating a blue sphere that placed itself in the middle of the black and white spheres, preventing one from absorbing the other.
Candela appeared beside Killbit, her body falling hard to the ground.
"Now it's your turn, Killbit."
The body fell at high speed; the penetration of the black worms did not allow it to reach the ground. The black sphere lodged itself completely in the body; from the space where it parasitized, a long, majestic pair of golden wings emerged.
The white sphere dissipated, revealing what it held: a gleaming white sword, shrouded in a crimson aura.
Above the long golden strands were scarlet red eyes and a frightening smile.
In front of Killbit was a distorted mirror, an image of himself.