When Antares raised its massive claws and slammed them down, Judas kicked off the wall, narrowly avoiding being crushed.
Crash
Antares struck nothing but stone, sending up a cloud of dust as rocks scattered in every direction.
『Fly』
Judas hovered in midair, his gaze fixed on Antares, which clung to the wall like a spider.
Vena stood atop its head, her staff already raised, glowing with a malevolent light and aimed directly at him.
"Diaval Otua!"
While he had been locked in a clash with Dina earlier, Vena had already started her chant.
A magic circle erupted from the tip of her staff, unleashing a barrage of dark fireballs.
The projectiles manifested as black-red orbs trailing shadowy mist, screaming toward Judas at high speeds.
『Ice Arrows』
In response, multiple cyan magic circles appeared behind him, firing a barrage of ice arrows to intercept the incoming attacks.
The moment they collided, continuous explosions rang out, filling the area with a dense cloud of steam.
'To the left!'
Judas twisted in mid-air as Dina blitzed through the mist, her short swords whistling toward his throat.
He crossed his arms to block, the ring of metal on metal echoing through the ruins.
"Tsk! So it wasn't a fluke that you held your own earlier."
Dina hissed.
"My melee stats should be comparable to a Level 7 in this state… so you were holding back against us before, huh?"
Judas remained silent, meeting her glare head-on.
He didn't feel the need to explain that his [Penitent Executioner] skill had activated the moment he exchanged blows with Antares, providing the vital boost he needed to keep up with his opponents in this 1v3.
Seeing an opening, Judas launched a counter-strike.
Dina reacted instantly, kicking off his midsection to propel herself backward, landing lightly atop Antares' head beside her sister.
'This is a three-on-one situation… against two pseudo Level 7s and a monster capable of using Arcanum.'
Judas assessed, a bead of sweat trailing down his chin.
Above them loomed the false moon, threatening the entire surface world.
The pressure bearing down on him was immense.
"Antares! Attack!"
Vena raised the artifact and issued her command once more.
Motes of divine light began gathering at Antares' chest, where Artemis remained sealed within a crystal.
The light coalesced, forming the shape of a bow and arrow.
Judas' instincts flared violently.
'This power… another Arcanum-based attack!'
His pupils shrank.
He could feel it.
This attack was far more dangerous than the previous ones.
This wasn't just a rain of light... this was a concentrated burst.
'If that fires… not just the ruins, but the entire forest and nearby villages will be wiped out.'
Belle and the others were still fighting below.
The Hermes Familia was likely still battling outside... none of them would survive.
Even Judas himself couldn't guarantee survival.
'It's risky to use it here… but I have no choice.'
Judas looked at the back of his hand, beginning to gather his Mind for a final gamble.
But before he could act, Vena suddenly lurched forward, coughing up a mouthful of blood.
The rotating magic circle above Antares stuttered and stalled.
"!?"
"Vena?"
Dina cried out as she turned sharply toward her sister.
"Dammit..."
Vena gasped, clutching her chest.
"The subjugation... it's incomplete. Antares is... resisting!"
Antares's singular, massive eye flickered.
Its pupil shifted upward, glaring at the two sisters perched on top of its head.
It let out a guttural roar, its body writhing violently as it thrashed from side to side, trying to shake them off.
"Woooah!"
The sisters clung tightly, gripping onto Antares with all their strength.
Vena wiped the blood from her lips and raised the artifact again.
"Listen to me, you big dumb monster!"
The artifact glowed gold as she forced control back.
The magic circle above creaked, slowly resuming its rotation like a rusted gear being forced into motion.
'Now!'
Judas seized the opening.
Before they could regain their bearings...
His figure flickered and reappeared beneath them.
A compressed tornado swirled violently around his right arm as he placed his palm against Antares' chest.
"Hey! What are you doing?!"
The Dis Sisters turned toward him, but it was too late.
『Spiraling Twister』
A violent surge of wind erupted outward.
A massive tornado spiraled into existence from his arm, rapidly expanding until it towered like a tall building.
"Kyaaaaaa!"
The Dis Sisters screamed as both they and Antares were caught in its grasp, spinning uncontrollably like a top.
The tornado lifted them higher and higher...
Until they smashed straight through the ceiling of the temple, blasting open a massive hole.
Crash
Moonlight poured into the chamber as Antares and the Dis Sisters were launched into the night sky.
...
"Hey! What the hell is that? A flying monster?"
Lulune shouted, pointing upward.
The Hermes Familia turned to look, witnessing the towering tornado and the distant silhouette of a massive creature being hurled into the air.
"The battle over there is getting intense…"
Falgar muttered, wiping sweat from his brow before turning to his familia members, who had just finished their fight.
"Hey! Once we catch our breath, let's move into the ruins."
He said, eyes fixed on the fading tornado.
"I have a feeling they need our help."
The others exchanged glances before nodding.
'Judas… we're coming.'
Laurier Swall thought, her expression firm with resolve.
…
What goes up… inevitably comes back down.
Antares had been launched high into the sky, only to plummet back down once the tornado dissipated.
For a brief moment, there was silence.
Then...
BOOM.
The forest shook as Antares crashed through the canopy, snapping thick branches like twigs before slamming into the ground with overwhelming force.
A shockwave rippled outward, sending leaves, dust, and debris spiraling into the air.
A massive crater formed at the point of impact.
At its center, Antares lay half-buried and dazed, its body embedded deep within the earth.
Judas descended toward the crash site, his eyes scanning the area. watching as the monster slowly began to rise.
The Dis Sisters were nowhere in sight.
'They must've landed somewhere else.'
But that didn't matter.
Right now, his focus was on the monster in front of him.
To bring down Antares.
'It's time to use it.'
The trump card he had been preparing since the very beginning of this journey.
Judas held up the back of his hand, and a complex, glowing magic circle flared to life.
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