Galacor: The gears on his face shifted as he stood up before Star, staring straight into his eyes, unfazed and without fear.
Star: He was shocked that he was able to move, but he stayed strong and firm. "Surprised you can even stand up after that, but it won't change this outcome for you, unfortunately!" He swung on Galacor, going straight for his face.
Galacor: He caught Star's hand, continuing to stare into his eyes with a lifeless expression. A small wave of dark energy flowed over his own body. The air within the arena felt different as Star's eyes widened with fear and confusion.
Sophi: She watched as Galacor's entire demeanor shifted inexplicably, her smile fading as the energy in the arena twisted into something heavy and suffocating. She glanced around at her friends, eyes wide. "What the fuck was that...??? What's going on...???" she whimpered.
Alex: He jolted upright, a sudden chill running through him as his jaw tightened. "What...why do I remember that from somewhere..." His eyes stayed locked on Galacor, unsettled.
Radna: His expression hardened, hands balling into fists at his sides. "I don't know what that was, but something incredibly powerful and dark has shifted inside of Galacor...Star has noticed this change." He leaned forward slightly, voice firm. "Focus on your hope, Star! Do not let fear overcome you!"
Sophi: She quickly wrapped one arm around Alex's waist, gently rubbing his side, her other hand gripping Radna's forearm as she tried to steady all three of them. "I think I felt something similar too...earlier with Lucifer...?" she whimpered, pressing closer to them. "I don't like this at all...something is wrong..."
Radna: He looked down at her immediately, concern replacing his intensity. "You felt it before with Lucifer? What did it feel like?" His full attention shifted to her now.
Alex: He lowered his gaze to her as well, searching her face, waiting for her answer.
Sophi: She looked up at Radna, confusion mixing with fear in her eyes. "You don't feel it right now?" she questioned softly. "The overwhelming darkness...the...just...negativity?"
Radna: He kept his gaze fixed on the scarily focused Galacor, jaw tight. "It does feel familiar to before. That split second when you were fighting Lucifer and he was about to fall into the pit. I felt that same darkness when Alex was fighting against Noctum as well." His brows furrowed. "But what is it..."
Sophi: "I have no idea, b-but it's scaring me..." she whispered, clinging to them tighter and trying her hardest not to let the negativity consume her. She was failing. She was terrified. "I don't know what's going on..."
Multhi: "It'll be okay, right? Star can handle himself, right?" He looked desperately between all of them, fear written across his entire face.
Radna: "Y-yeah buddy, of course! The hero of us all has this in the bag!" He forced a strong smile, holding it there just long enough for Multhi to settle.
Alex: He held Sophi close against him, eyes locked on Star and Galacor below. His voice was quieter, more honest. "We'd better pray that Star can still hold his own..."
Sophi: "M-Multhi, come here please..." she whimpered softly, seeing the fear written all over his face. She loosened one arm from Radna just enough to open it toward him, silently asking him to come closer. She wanted to hold him, too, to shield him from whatever this was, the same way she was trying to steady Alex and Radna.
Multhi: He approached her and settled himself fully into the group, small hands clutching at Sophi's sleeve. "I really hope he will be okay..."
Star: He forced energy into his arm, muscles tensing as light gathered violently around his fist. The moment it connected with Galacor's face, a massive golden shockwave erupted outward, blasting debris in every direction and sending a violent tremor through the arena walls.
Phantom Emperor: As the dust began to settle, crystal formed suddenly around Star's arm, sharp and radiant. It vibrated at an impossible speed, the frequency rising higher and higher as energy condensed within it. Then it detonated inward. "Impact." The force discharged directly into Star's body, launching him backward faster than any of them could track. In an instant, he was inches from the arena's edge.
Galacor: He lowered his arms slowly, controlled, deliberate. The Emperor's golden claws latched onto his hands, locking into place as radiant rings hovered around his forearms. The lights across his mechanical body shifted from blue to a deep, corrupted purple, synchronizing fully with the Emperor. "This only ends one way, Star." His eyes flashed with violent violet light. "With you gone."
Star: He pushed himself up slowly, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. His breathing steadied. Energy began to surge through him once more, brighter and purer than before. "Energy Form: Hope Empowerment." His hair flared upward again, burning a brilliant white as a calm, radiant aura flowed peacefully around him. "I won't let that happen...everyone needs me..."
Sophi: She yelped as she saw Star go flying, a frightened whine escaping her before she could stop it. Her heart nearly dropped with him. When she saw him move, saw him breathe, she let out a shaky sigh of relief. "Mmh...please Star...you've got this...!!!"
Star: He felt their energy travel into him, warmth filling his chest as he took a deep breath before focusing his attention fully on Galacor.
Galacor: "Normally, I would send the Emperor after you, but I am feeling good enough for an old-fashioned one-on-one." He appeared in front of Star suddenly, the ground erupting in a violent pathway from where he moved, stone splitting upward in jagged lines. He slashed at Star rapidly, the claws carving purple arcs through the air.
Star: His eyes widened, and he immediately dodged some of the slashes, ducking down, leaping to the side, twisting as the attacks came without pause. They were relentless. He attempted to use his technique to counter by striking Galacor in the forearm, but as he went in for the hit, a sharp instinct screamed at him, and he shifted at the last second.
Something invisible grazed his arm, cutting shallow but cold. He jumped back quickly, gaining distance, staring at him. "What the hell was that?..."
Galacor: Every movement he made created a fading phantom afterimage, multiple outlines overlapping his body for a fraction too long. "Phantom's World is what I call this. Each outcome across reality is being acted upon simultaneously, meaning through every outcome, I'm acting on every single one all at once.
Every attack you try to do through any thought, I'll know and have already acted upon it..." His eyes flashed again, the purple glow intensifying as the air around them grew heavier, tighter, as if reality itself was bending around him.
Multhi: He gasped, covering his mouth as the pressure in the air thickened around them. "Why is Galacor so juiced up all of a sudden?!"
Sophi: She gasped with him and pulled him closer, holding him tight even as her own hands trembled. "I-I don't know what's going on, but I really don't like this..." she whimpered, her voice thin with fear. She tried to steady her breathing. "Between the shift in the air...a-and Galacor being this relentless..." She swallowed hard. "Star's going to be okay...he has to be..."
Right...?? echoed in her mind, the doubt bouncing around no matter how hard she tried to suppress it. She kept her eyes locked on the arena, trying to make sense of the sudden escalation. She did not understand how it had amped up so quickly, but she knew one thing for certain. This was not good.
Galacor: His hand began to charge, a violent distortion forming around it. The space itself started to fracture just near his palm, thin cracks spreading outward like broken glass in midair. "All this time, I thought I needed only myself, but I never knew there was so much POWER." He slashed forward, and a massive wave of cuts tore outward, slicing through reality itself as if it were paper.
Star: His eyes widened. He vanished in a flash of white light, reappearing just out of the main path of destruction, but one of the reality cuts grazed him from the side, carving across his chest. "Ngh!" He gripped the wound, watching blood begin to spill, only for it to disintegrate the instant it touched the sparkling blue residue left behind by the cut. His jaw tightened. "I have to attack faster...he keeps making me act before I can hit back."
Sophi: "O-Only needed himself...???" she murmured under her breath, eyes flicking between the others. "Ah...a-are you guys thinking the same thing I am...??"
Radna: "Are you thinking he made some kind of deal with someone? That would imply he was holding back during the first bit of the fight, but it didn't look so." Before the thought could settle, Star was struck.
Multhi: He flinched hard. "Galacor isn't even giving him the chance to fight, how's this fair?!"
Alex: "It's not about fairness..." He crossed his arms, leaning against the railing, eyes cold and focused. "Galacor just wants him to suffer. That's it..."
Sophi: A tiny tear slipped down her cheek as she wiped it away quickly. She looked up at Radna. "That's exactly what I think..." she whispered. "Why else would he mention only needing himself...? And the energy shift in the room...it doesn't make sense any other way."
Multhi: "But we were watching the fight the entire time. At no point was anybody able to aid him."
Radna: "And Lucium is still locked up, so he can't telepathically help him either...and last I checked, he ripped Galacor in half. There are no clear answers as things stand."
Sophi: Frustration broke through her fear. "C'mon, seriously...you guys see all these evil beings, feel this negative energy we've never interacted with before, and don't think there could be something else out there with telepathy? It doesn't have to be someone we already know. That would be too simple..." She exhaled shakily. "Problem is...we have no idea who or what it could've been."
Alex: "Well, whatever it is, it could juice Galacor up to the same level as Star. That's no easy feat. This thing must be a horrifying force if it can do that..."
Multhi: "Is there any way we can help Star from here? If Galacor was able to get help, there has to be a way we can aid him too!"
Sophi: She perked up slightly at that, hope flickering behind her watery eyes. She looked at Multhi. "That's brilliant!! B-But...what can we do?"
Multhi: "Well, doesn't Star function off positivity? We're surrounded in an area built off dread. Maybe if we channel our energy into him, he can get boosted up higher than Galacor!" He looked between them, desperate but determined.
Radna: He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You know...that sounds kinda dumb...but it might actually work. I don't know how long we could keep that up before Noctum tries something, but we could try."
Alex: "I can try to channel our energy towards Star." His hand glowed gold, drawing in all of their collective power and slowly raising it toward Star. Before he could act any further, his hand began to burn violently.
The golden light cracked and distorted around his fingers. "Agh!" He quickly lowered his arm, gripping his wrist as thin fractures spread through the aura, like something was forcefully pushing their energy back. He looked up and saw Noctum with his hand raised. It was him. "Star is on his own..."
Multhi: "W-what?!" He frantically looked between Alex and the others. "Why?!"
Alex: His expression hardened as the last traces of gold faded from his palm. "We are playing in someone else's home base..." His eyes remained locked upward. "Their rules."
Sophi: She whimpered and gently took Alex's hand into her own, sending a small flow of her energy into him until the burning stopped and the cracks faded. Once she was sure he was okay, she leaned back and pouted, sticking her tongue out at Noctum. "So Galacor can have something supe him up mid-fight, but we can't help our Star??" she whined. "That's not fair...there's definitely something sinister going on."
She looked down at Star, then quickly at her friends, lowering her voice. "Hopefully, this won't fuck me over. It might. But I have to help." She quietly gathered the leftover energy from when they were all huddled together, keeping it small and controlled. Without drawing attention, she sent a short, subtle burst of their shared hope and strength down toward Star.
Phantom Emperor: He flash appeared directly in their line of sight, his presence cutting through the arena like a blade. In his hand floated a small golden orb containing their hope, its light flickering weakly against his crystal fingers. He slowly tightened his grip and crushed it, the glow shattering into dust. "Failure is inevitable."
Galacor: He drew the Emperor back into his body, purple light syncing through his frame as he faced Star again. "It's pathetic how you function. So desperately clinging onto all of those worthless people around you." Before he could finish, Star's fist smashed across his face. The impact cracked the wall behind him as his body slammed into it, stone splintering outward. He hung there for a second before dropping slightly within the crater. "Ugh..."
Star: His chest rose and fell sharply. "Do NOT speak so ill of others! You do not have the right to degrade everyone else around you!" He clapped his hands together and different colored orbs spiraled tightly around his forearms, spinning faster with each second. "Flow of Creativity!"
Gravity snapped violently. Galacor's body distorted and blipped directly in front of Star. Star drove his palm into Galacor's chest and a shockwave of golden rings blasted outward, rippling through the arena as creative energy surged explosively. "Creation: Evolve!!!" Jagged rock formed over his fists and he hammered both sides of Galacor's body, each hit sending tremors through the ground.
Galacor: He recovered mid impact, absorbing the kinetic force into his arms as they glowed an intense purple. The golden rings fired outward again as six afterimages of punches struck at once from different angles. "Reality collides."
Star: His eyes sharpened. Instead of retreating, he lunged forward and slammed his head into Galacor's face. Blood ran from his brow but the sudden impact broke the timing of the assault, forcing the rings to snap back and destabilize.
Galacor: He staggered a step back, eyes locked onto Star with irritation. "That isn't possible..."
Star: "You didn't account for one simple factor. Complete improvising!" A massive surge of water erupted from his palm, roaring forward and driving Galacor toward the edge of the ring.
Galacor: A diamond shield formed over both arms as he braced against the torrent, feet digging into the arena floor. The ground beneath him suddenly shifted into soft sand, swallowing his footing and dragging him back inch by inch. His eyes flared as energy began building again. "Enough of these foolish games..." Disruptive power surged outward in violent arcs of crystal lightning, snapping and tearing at the air around him.
????: "Surrender...hide the power, your time will arise..." The voice echoed inside Galacor's mind, low and commanding. His expression changed instantly, the rage draining from his posture.
Galacor: The lightning died down. The shield faded. He straightened. "I forfeit." In the next instant, he vanished from the arena entirely.
Star: The water collapsed, and the sand hardened back into stone. He slowly lowered his arms, white aura dimming as confusion overtook his intensity. "What?"
Announcer: There was an awkward pause before the voice rang out. "U-uhm, well, due to Galacor's surrender, the win automatically goes to the side of light!"
Sophi: She yelped as the two clashed again, watching Galacor get forced closer and closer to the edge. Her heart pounded as he began charging up, crystal lightning surging and ready to retaliate. Then he just stopped. "W-What the fuck...?!" She leaned forward to the edge of her seat, brows furrowed deeply as Galacor surrendered. "What was that about?"
Radna: "I don't know...It's not like Galacor to give up like that. And you all felt that spike of energy, right?"
Alex: "Yeah. He was about to unleash something big, something hidden. Then he just chose to leave instead. Knowing someone like that, with his intentions, pride should be pouring out of him. It's strange."
Sophi: "Strange is an understatement, baby..." she muttered, wrapping herself back around Alex as she kept her eyes on the arena floor, waiting for both fighters to return. As foolish as it was, part of her still wanted to confront Galacor, to ask him what that was.
Star: He reappeared back at their seating area, glancing down at the faint erasure cuts still lining his torso. The sparkling blue residue had faded, but the marks remained. "This entire event gets weirder and weirder..."
Sophi: She jumped up immediately and shuffled over to him, hands lifting instinctively to heal before she remembered the restriction. Her shoulders slumped for half a second before she stepped in and wrapped her arms around him anyway, holding him tight and rubbing his back gently. After a moment, she pulled back just enough to look up at him. "H-hi, we missed you...how are you feeling!?"
Star: "I am, well, mostly alive. Had a little bit of a creative rush." He gave a small, tired smile.
Radna: He crossed his arms, expression serious. "It's good to see you tap into your creative side, but we have bigger issues coming up. Some of us are getting exhausted, and the only ones who haven't fought yet are Multhi and me. Our numbers are stretched thin."
Sophi: She gave Star a weak smile before turning to Radna, listening closely. "Mmh...he's right..." she whispered. "But they haven't always been letting us pick who goes next, which is...scary, to say the least."
Radna: "It's strategic. Noctum knows we didn't have enough time to come fully prepared, and he has an entire undead army at his disposal. We are playing against the house right now."
Sophi: "I don't know how to feel..." she whined softly. "We've been doing okay, I think...but it's still worrisome knowing their arsenal, and feeling whatever else is going on." Her eyes drifted briefly toward the arena again, unease settling back into her chest.
Multhi: "Well, we are up in points now, aren't we? The score is 2-3. All we have to do is get to five, right? We just have to push through two more rounds!"
Sophi: "Mmh, you make that sound a lot easier than it may be, Multhi..." She let out a nervous laugh, leaning her head against Alex's shoulder.
Alex: He scratched the back of his head. "We need more people..."
Uriel: "If I may speak freely." His voice rose from the dark hallway behind them as he stepped forward, wings settling at his back. "I do recall there be another whom we might entreat to join our cause. We could request a measure of time to summon him hither, should one among us be willing to depart and speak with him."
Sophi: "Ah, who...??" She turned to look up at him. "And why would we need to leave?"
Uriel: "One among us must needs persuade him in person. He is called Solarius, and by mine understanding, he is brother unto Noctum."
Her eyes widened in surprise. "I didn't know Noctum had a brother... do you think he would actually help?"
Radna: "There's only one way to find out. Uriel, take Sophi with you to the last place you encountered Solarius, or where you believe he resides. It would be best if the being of love accompanied you. The rest of us will remain and attempt to stall."
Sophi: She looked up at Radna, startled at first, then broke into a wide smile. "That's sweet!!" She hurried over and hugged him quickly, then ran to Alex and did the same, rubbing his head before stepping back. She shuffled toward Uriel and slowly held her hand out, bracing herself.
Uriel: He regarded her for but a breath before clasping her hand firmly. "Fear not." With a mighty beat of his wings, radiant light enveloped them, and in a flash, they vanished from the arena.