While Ashura watched the destruction, a flash approached him with lightning speed. A demonic smile spread across his face as he opened his arms: "Welcome… Erold!"
Erold lunged like a thunderbolt. Just an inch before reaching the point of death, he shouted in a voice that shook the foundations of the "Soul Realm": "Now, Arthur!"
Arthur froze in place, his spiritual features appearing to melt from the intensity of his concentration. He raised his hand toward the torn sky and shouted in a voice as sharp as a blade: "Obey me, Time!"
In a fraction of a second, reality fractured… An absolute silence prevailed, and everything froze. The shards of buildings hung in mid-air, the flames flickered out, and the world became a static oil painting. Erold moved forward with confident steps amidst this temporal void, gathering all the energy of "Thorn" to tear through Ashura's shoulder with a clean strike.
But the true horror manifested here: despite the frozen moment, Ashura's eyes moved!
With terrifying slowness, his pupils tracked Erold's movement, as if his soul were not subject to the temporal constraints Arthur had imposed. Suddenly, time flowed again with madness. Arthur fell to his knees, panting violently, blood streaming from his eyes from the sheer exhaustion.
Before Erold could retreat, Ashura's massive fist lunged, landing squarely in Erold's chest, nearly crushing his ribcage. Erold screamed: "Arthur! Once more… now!"
Arthur stood up, dripping sweat as if he were evaporating, and shouted again: "Obey me, Time!"
Time stopped for the second time. Erold appeared like a ghost behind Ashura's back, burying his blade into the previous wound to make it deeper. As life returned to motion, Ashura turned slowly; his features didn't show pain, but a wide smile. He said calmly: "I see…"
Time resumed for everyone to hear his deep voice booming: "Hobby Matrix… Endless Darkness!"
The earth opened beneath Arthur's feet to pull him forcefully into an infinite darkness. It swallowed him while he screamed in a bottomless abyss. From that darkness, a giant body for Ashura manifested. He opened his fist, and Arthur fell onto it, but Ashura closed it on him quickly as if crushing a small insect.
Ashura loosened his giant grip indifferently, as if he had thrown away a worthless piece of junk, and said in a voice filled with contempt: "This will keep that annoying bug away for a while.."
Arthur lost consciousness as he disappeared into the darkness. Luce turned toward Ashura, his eyes gleaming: "I didn't think I'd ever have to use this in my life…"
Flames ignited around him, forming a fiery crown above his head. Ashura's eyebrows raised with genuine curiosity, and he tilted his head slightly, watching the transformation, saying in a tone overwhelmed by surprise: "Ooooh… Hellfire, huh? Which of the Jinn world's elders taught you that?"
Luce replied sharply, flames dancing in his eyes like storms: "None of your business.."
Ashura smiled maliciously, a demonic look emerging in his eyes as he took a step toward Luce, saying coldly: "Boy… "
Ashura's features changed in the blink of an eye; the mocking smile evaporated, replaced by a mask of grim seriousness that froze the blood in the veins. He took one step that turned the rubble beneath his feet into dust, and said in a tone whose hiss sounded like a herald of death: "Do you think that just because I'm playing with you… you can speak to me this way?! Do you know what happens when an animal misbehaves? I do not punish it; rather, I make it carry its own severed head in its hands so it can see its end.."
Luce did not tremble; rather, the glow of his fiery crown intensified, and he replied in a tone as sharp as a blade: "Is that information, or a threat to mind my manners?"
Ashura laughed, then in a serious tone: "Try it then… hold your head in your hand!"
Luce lunged quickly, flames erupting from his fists, forming massive fiery gloves around his hands. He began raining punches on Ashura, the two exchanged blows, sparks of flame flying with every collision.
Ashura laughed amidst the fight with a crazy voice: "Hahaha! This is interesting… why are you hiding your strength, boy?! I feel something strange from you… show me your best!"
Ashura turned his hands into exploding flame and exchanged fire-punches with Luce that burned the air around them. Ashura smiled: "I don't think your teacher is better than my teacher… you guy!"
Luce and Ashura collided face to face. While Ashura was relaxed, Luce said: "And who is your teacher?"
Ashura approached Luce's ear and whispered: "Death."
Ashura stood up and opened his arms: "Come on! I'll give you a punch."
Luce gathered all that remained of the "Hellfire" fervor into his fist, and plummeted it in a direct punch aimed at Ashura's guts. A massive fiery crack resounded, and thick smoke rose from the point of impact, but the smoke cleared to reveal a slight burn mark no larger than a palm on Ashura's grey skin. Ashura chuckled a laugh that shook the corners of Uruk: "Well done.. a truly warm touch. Now… it's my turn!"
In the blink of an eye, Ashura evaporated from in front of Luce, to appear like a ghost beside him, and delivered a swift, crushed-with-energy punch to Luce's waist. The sound of breaking bones was heard clearly, and Luce's body was flung to hit the ground violently, where he began to vomit blood and bitterness from the intensity of the pain. Vision blurred in his eyes, and he muttered in a hoarse, choked voice: "What is this… crazy strength?"
While "Ashura" was approaching with slow steps to finish him off, Luce plunged his burnt hand into the shattered earth, using what remained of his will to lift his collapsed body. He raised his head toward his companions, Luce raised his burning fist and said in a booming voice: "Erold! Argus! I need you both… we won't defeat this entity with our strength alone! We must return him to the Jinn world!"
Erold and Argus stepped beside him, their eyes fixed on Ashura's throne. Erold said sternly: "But… how will we do that?"
Luce drew a pale smile on his lips, the smile of one who sees his end and welcomes it, and answered: "The plan is simple and deadly at the same time.. fight as if death is waiting for you at any step backward.. because, simply, it is already waiting for us all."
Erold tightened his grip on the hilt of "Thorn" until his knuckles turned white, and a coldness emerged from his eyes that only comes from a man who had shed the weight of hope, and said: "No need to remind me.. death is the only guest who hasn't left this arena since it began."
Luce continued while trying to stabilize his vision which had begun to blur: "Listen to me well.. Ashura didn't cross the Gate… but was summoned.. so all we need is time."
Argus said while eyeing Ashura who was watching them with boredom: "Then we must endure the blows of this madman."
Luce answered him steadily: "Yes… that is correct."
Luce fell to his knees, breathing with difficulty, and sweat pouring from his forehead. He looked in confusion at his trembling hands and said in amazement mixed with calmness: "My body… cannot take it… come on, stand up, you stupid body!"
Argus clung to Luce's shoulder while shouting in a voice overwhelmed by terror and anxiety: "Luce! What is happening to you?!"
But Luce could only grit his teeth angrily, trying to stand up. At that moment, Erold extended his other hand and grabbed him, his voice full of determination: "Stand up, Luce! You won't fall now… not while you are with us!"
Suddenly, the darkness split, and Ashura stood between them, his smile playful and his looks relishing the scene: "Do you want to delay the fight… or what?"
They were all stunned, but before they could catch their breath, Ashura lunged with lightning speed toward Argus, and punched him with a massive strike that knocked him to the ground without resistance. Then he turned toward Erold, his voice dripping with sarcasm: "It is not nice that they all fall and you remain standing alone."
He kicked Erold with devastating force, so he flew into the air and fell to the ground violently; dust scattered around him, and his blood mixed with the dust.
Luce raised his head upward, his breaths fragmented, and his eyes watching the sky, to see Ashura standing above him, his dark aura glowing: "Come on… bring out everything you have, boy. I know you are hiding your strength. Otherwise… I will kill them one by one in front of you."
Luce tried to speak, his fist trembling. Ashura smiled maliciously while raising his fingers, and began to count slowly: "Ten… nine… eight… seven… six… five… four… three… hurry, boy… two…"
Luce closed his eyes, saying: "Damn it!!!"
But suddenly… and before anyone could speak, the place shook. Ashura froze, and Luce stared in amazement.
Between them, a strange entity appeared, as if Erold himself were standing before Ashura… but with distorted features, glowing eyes, and an aura they had never seen before. Luce whispered while on the ground: "What is this?"
Darkness was dripping from him like a black liquid covering his face, flowing onto his neck as if his body were bleeding blackness. His eyes were no longer human… but were exploding with white sparks, like stardust flying in the air, as if a dying sun were inside him.
And above his head, a ring of cracked white light was drawn, not an angel's halo… but a distorted circle, as if it were a broken curse.
Luce swallowed his saliva while watching the scene: Is he a human… or a soul… or a demon… what is this entity for hell's sake?
Erold, inside the darkness, screamed: "Arthur! How were you able to take control? Answer me!"
But instead of hearing his voice, the space around him trembled, and a heavy, deep voice emerged, as if coming from the depths: "Shut up, you fool… if it were left to you and that little fool, we would have perished long ago."
Erold was confused, and retreated two steps, shouting: "Who are you?!"
The voice replied with a shattering coldness: "I am… the owner of this body. I am the one chosen by the Balance. I am the Origin."
Erold stood frozen in his place, his eyes widening in shock: "Stop lying, who are you? And how did you take control of my body!"
But the entity ignored him, as if he hadn't heard him.
Outside… Ashura stood, his smile dark as he watched the entity materialize. He said in a voice filled with pride: "Come on, stranger… show me what you have."
The entity did not hesitate. He lunged in the first moment like a lightning flash, and the battle began.
He raised his right hand, from which a white flash like the sun launched, with twisting black shadows wrapping around it, colliding with Ashura's burning fire, so the earth shook beneath their feet, and sparks and light flew in every direction.
Ashura laughed warmly: "Hahaha! This is what I was looking for!"
The entity raised his voice: "Glow of Division!" Black veins launched from his arms like exploding snakes, to wrap around Ashura's body and bind him.
But Ashura tore some of them off with force, while the rest stuck to his arms and chest, leaving dark burn marks. Ashura shouted in amazement mingled with admiration: "Chains?! No… living blood! How strange!"
The entity continued in a clear voice: "Curse of Light!" The distorted halo above his head trembled, started rotating quickly, releasing deadly white sparks that fell like exploding fragments.
Every spark penetrated the earth and melted it, until Ashura was forced to raise his hands to parry them. Ashura laughed with even greater savagery: "Amazing! The power of light and darkness… together!"
The entity finally shouted: "The Shattered Aura!" But before the attack was completed, his body froze suddenly.
Black and red bleeding flowed from his eyes, nose, and mouth. He staggered, fell to his knees, his body trembling as he whispered in a fragmented voice: "- Damn it … my time… has ended…"
He collapsed to the ground breathing with difficulty, while Ashura stood over him, his eyes burning with rare interest. He said with deadly calmness: "If your body hadn't collapsed… perhaps you would have been an opponent worthy of me."
He approached with a step, leaned slightly while watching the entity lying before him: "You are not that boy… you are not Erold. So what are you for hell's sake?"
The entity raised his head slowly, his eyes shining with the distorted aura, a faint smile drawing on his blood-stained face, and said in a hoarse voice, yet filled with arrogance: "My name is… Dante."
Silence prevailed, before an evil smile formed on Ashura's face as he muttered: "Dante… huh? It seems that this body hides more than I expected."
Then he straightened, turning backward suddenly. There was a crack in the air that had opened, releasing starlight. Ashura laughed a crazy laugh: "Hahaha! It is my lucky day."
And from that crack, Astra emerged, her light shimmering as she said in a voice echoing in the sky: "Lord of Destruction…!"
Ashura smiled a playful smile, his eyes shining with hunger as he said: "The little star… Astra. Has the sky itself come to fight me? Then… come on!"
Astra drew from the air a sword that formed before them, as if a nebula of stars was flowing inside it, shining with celestial light that sent terror into souls.
She said in a firm voice filled with pride: "You are no match for me… and because of the laws of this world, I can only weaken you."
Ashura laughed a hateful laugh, his eyes glowing with evil: "I wasn't born strong like you, Astra… but I am the one who created these powers! I am the one who embodied something called Destruction! Not as the Jinn world prophecy says."
Astra raised her sword, her eyes glowing like a star: "Return, Ashura… get out of this world!"
He replied mockingly, pointing at her with his hand as if he were challenging her: "Force me if you can! You are nothing but a summon. Your powers in the human world are never complete."
Astra raised her sword high, for the light nebulae to gather in a glowing ball on the tip of the blade. She said calmly: "Then… this is what you want?! This… is my final warning to you, Ashura!"
Ashura with a mocking smile puts his hand behind his ears: "I don't hear what you are saying."
She pointed her sword in his direction, then tilted it quickly, for the star ball to explode and launch in the form of a massive beam of light that pierced space.
The attack collided directly with Ashura's chest, opening a deep wound in it, and he vomited blood with force, until the earth shook from the intensity of the blow.
Astra in a cold voice: "I hit him…!"
Dust dominates the place for Ashura to emerge, he wiped the blood from his mouth, his smile never left him: "Your power here… is not enough, little one."
He pointed at her with his hand, as if bidding her farewell: "This is all you can do… and because you are just a summon… you can execute one strike and no more. So… goodbye."
Astra disappeared suddenly, and the gate behind her closed with a terrifying creak, her voice fading as she whispered: "Since when… has he become stronger than before?"
Ashura stood tall, fire erupting behind him, his wound bleeding but he seemed to increase in majesty and strength instead of weakening.
He raised his hands, his smile more insane than before: "Come on, guys… who wants to finish playing?!"
Arthur woke up in the darkness and was falling, shouting: "Will I continue falling?" Then he whispered: "Alright… let's try this…"
"Obey me, Time!"
On the battlefield, Ashura was clenching his hands, his smile widening and sparks glowing in his eyes, staring at Erold and his companions without fear. He looks at Argus who was in a state of terror, his eyes blazing to melt the terror in his heart. Ashura turned, to be shocked. Suddenly, Gilgamesh appeared before Ashura trying to deliver a blow to Ashura's face with his hands that were shining with a golden aura, and his face was filled with anger.
Suddenly, time froze. Everything around them stopped, even the air seemed static. The faces of Ashura and Gilgamesh were centimeters apart, all expressions of anger and defiance were perfectly clear but no one moved, they could only move their heads.
Gilgamesh with frozen anger: "You… you are that bastard who destroyed everything!"
Ashura with a mocking smile and his head raised, his eyes glowing: "Oh… a lowly person like you dares to address me?"
Argus his voice covering the battlefield: How does he not feel terror… Does he not feel anything?
Ashura smiled slowly, moving his head very slowly, as if breaking time: "No… I feel something… what is this… ah… I feel pity."
Gilgamesh's anger exploded, his voice tearing the silence: "I will kill you!"
But the sky from above began to crack gradually, lines of darkness separating, to form a massive gate, black and swirling, swallowing the horizon.
Ashura smiled lightly, as if it were just a postponed pleasure: "My time… has ended. Damn… I wanted to play with you more, but I couldn't. We will finish the entertainment next time."
Then he looked at Gilgamesh directly, his voice became deep and confident: "You do not know who I am, do you? I am Ashura. I am telling you this so you can be grateful to me; I have left you a quarter of what remained here and some of the population, come on boy, start thanking me."
Anger climbed Gilgamesh's face: "I shall make you taste death!"
Ashura laughed: "I don't think so."
He smiled maliciously: "Alright, if you can reach me… we will finish our fight… you novice!"
And while he was uttering his final words, the gate swallowed Ashura completely, leaving behind a trace of darkness, and the atmosphere around the Kingdom filled with panic and destruction.
Gilgamesh shouted with all his anger, his voice echoing among the ruins of the Kingdom: "Ahsuraaaaa!"
For Ashura's Soul Realm to disappear, and the throne to disappear, for Arthur to return to Erold's body and time stop to be lifted.
Luce ran toward Erold, pulling from his pocket a small vial shimmering with a green glow. He said while opening it quickly: "I was keeping this dose for difficult situations… but you need it now!" He grabbed Erold's head with his trembling hands, and poured the liquid into his mouth, then shouted with emotion: "Do not die, you idiot... you must not die, wake up!."
From inside Erold's body, Arthur's voice boomed angrily: "Erold! Wake up!"
But there was no response… His body remained static, his eyes closed, and the cold crept into his extremities. At that moment, a familiar neighing was heard… it was Utma running closer quickly, and on his back was Jasmin.
Jasmin jumped from Utma's back, but she stumbled and fell to the ground, then rose quickly while shouting: "What happened to Erold, Luce?!"
Argus approached in turn, his eyes filled with anxiety, and said in a tense voice: "We… we fought with Ashura, the Lord of Destruction." Jasmin shouted, her tears shining: "What did that bastard do to Erold?!"
Luce answered while biting on his words with regret: "It wasn't Ashura… but something else… an entity named Dante. It was a terrifying manifestation… it even matched Ashura with the same strength! Even the Lady of the Stars, Astra, could only leave a deep wound in it."
Jasmin gasped, her eyes widening: "Dante????… Astra was here?!" Then she raised her head to the sky, shouting with all her strength: "Astraaa! Erold needs your help! Please!" And her tears began to fall profusely.
At that moment, Gilgamesh appeared, and bit his lip in anger. He approached with heavy steps, then knelt beside Erold, placing his ear on his chest. He suddenly clenched his fist and struck Erold's chest with force. Jasmin shouted trying to prevent him: "What are you doing?! Stop!"
But Gilgamesh pushed her away sternly: "Stay away, girl!"
Suddenly… a faint sound of coughing was heard, then it became sharper… Erold opened his mouth, coughing violently, trying to catch his breath.
Shock formed on Luce's face: "He… his heart stopped! How did you do this?!"
But Gilgamesh ignored him, gripping Erold's shoulder firmly while saying: "Hey you… do you know a path to that bastard?!"
Erold coughed violently, before Argus intervened to say to Gilgamesh: "Yes! We are heading to the Jinn world. We wanted you to join us!"
Gilgamesh released a note of anger: "And do you possess the Eye of Mystery? Or are you just amateurs… running behind an adventure to tell stories about it to women?"
Argus's anger ignited, and he took a step forward, his eyes blazing: "Who do you think you are to speak to me like this?! We are the ones who stood in the face of destruction to protect your kingdom, you bastard! Look around you… at the survivors and what remains of this kingdom… shouldn't you be thanking us?"
But Luce raised his hand to deter him: "Stop, Argus… we didn't do this asking for thanks."
Erold opened his eyes slowly, his voice weak but firm: "I… possess the Eye of Mystery."
Gilgamesh's eyes widened in amazement and said: "Then… naturally, I will come with you…"
One of the residents shouted in a hoarse voice while waving his hand: "These… these are the ones who saved our lives! They are the ones who stood in the face of the threat."
People emerged from among the rubble, their voices rising with cheering, and tears of survival and hope formed on their faces.
Time stopped for a moment, as if everything that had happened was nothing but an echo of a greater war to come.
Erold was still panting, placing his hand on his chest where the trace of coughing still reminded him of the proximity of the end.
Jasmin wipes her tears, while Luce stares into the void, and Dante's voice rings far away in the depths of Erold, a whisper heard by no one but him.
As for Gilgamesh, he clenched his fist, his eyes blazing with one desire: Revenge.