"Wow! This weapon is great!" Nora exclaimed, smiling with enthusiasm.
Alioth was surprised. He didn't expect that weapon could become so strong.
What was its true potential?
In his hands, Lævateinn was nothing more than a simple branch that could absorb thermal spirits.
In Nora's hands, that weapon had awakened a demented power.
Though he didn't have time to reflect on that now. He also had to show off a bit.
"Abzu!" he said, while extending his arms.
The water spirit jumped from the boy's head, and the instant it positioned itself in front of him, Alioth clapped, joining his hands over Abzu.
Upon doing so, a pressurized water jet came out of his hands, emitting a sharp whistle.
The tip of the jet adopted an arrow shape as it accelerated against Ronald.
He, in shock from what his friend had done, barely had time to react, placing his forearm in front of the water jet, and manifesting an octagon shield to protect himself.
The arrow crashed forcefully against the shield, piercing through it like butter.
The water jet passed through Ronald's forearm and continued advancing, cutting through his shoulder.
"AAAARGGG," the boy screamed, feeling the pain caused by the wound.
However, Alioth hadn't finished his attack.
The boy made several gestures with his hands, gestures Abzu interpreted and performed.
The spirit stopped its advance, gathering again in the air, adopting its sphere form, right behind Rat and Ronald.
Abzu burst, dividing into hundreds of water projectiles that riddled both boys from behind.
"What did you think of my trick?" Alioth boasted, proud of his attack.
Nora extended her arm, showing him a thumbs up.
"Not bad, but you still don't surpass me in style," she responded with a proud smile.
Alioth rolled his eyes.
"But it was all thanks to the weapon I gave you," the boy hurried to object.
Nora leaned slightly forward, while raising her index finger.
"It's not the sword that matters, but who wields it," the girl said with a cunning look on her face.
The white-haired boy opened his mouth to respond, but then closed it again.
His gaze became more serious, though there was an imperceptible hint of defeat in his eyes.
"Do you dare use my own words against me? Again?" the boy finally said.
Nora crossed her arms with a proud expression. Her golden hair waved in the wind as silver spirits twinkled around her.
"Indeed," she affirmed, then burst into laughter.
Alioth smiled slightly, letting out a soft laugh.
All this was fun.
"It seems I'll have to watch what I say, lest you use it against me," the boy said with an amused tone.
Nora nodded energetically.
"Yes, hahaha."
Then, something interrupted her laughter.
They had forgotten they were in combat, and that was dangerous.
Suddenly, an ominous presence had established itself in the place. A dense and unpleasant aura, almost repulsive.
Both turned toward the origin of such presence, and there he was. That boy who should have died consumed by flames was still alive now.
"What the hell?" Alioth was surprised, seeing how that boy expelled a creepy presence.
The burn wounds were starting to disappear, while his Devastra began to darken.
Ronald, still injured, turned to see what was happening.
Upon seeing his friend, his guts churned. He was enveloped in an unpleasant, repugnant aura.
It was as if it were something from another world, something strange that caused an instinctive rejection.
"Idiot, don't tell me you used that," the boy said with difficulty while spitting blood.
Ronald had been curious to know what they would do with the demon.
That's why he didn't worry when Aizel proposed to show them.
However, the truth turned out much more twisted than they expected.
The demons were taken to a laboratory. There they extracted their blood while they were still alive, to create something.
Something that sought to make the Vanir evolve.
A pill, a pill capable of mutating a Vanir's soul, using Azoth.
Something that turned the Vanir into something superior to demons or the Vanir themselves.
A state where two opposites combined.
The alchemist in charge of that experiment had provided them all with one of those pills.
Which, while in an experimental stage, promised to greatly increase the user's power.
Though Ronald wasn't too attracted to the idea.
However, his companion, in an instant of pure need, decided it was worth trying.
Becoming a monster.
His skin, still showing clear burn damage, blackened. Horns and claws began to grow on him, giving him a much more terrifying appearance.
The tattoos on his hands began to corrupt, becoming dark.
His Devastra had mutated into an Asurastra.
The Ka that kept him alive was replaced by Azoth, as if he had transformed into an abomination of Xoth.
Alioth swallowed hard, uneasy at the opponent's new form.
"What is that supposed to be?" the white-haired boy asked nervously. He could see how the spirits around the enemy moved away from him, as if they knew he was dangerous.
Nora just smiled, with a look of excitement on her face.
"Looks like this got fun," she said, while brandishing Lævateinn again.
With quick and precise movements, Nora threw several fire slashes that pierced through the air toward that abomination.
In response, he extended his hand toward the slashes. His black tattoo twisted on his hand, while a dark sphere generated in the palm of his hand.
The air began to be sucked with overwhelming power. Spinning while being sucked.
If his Devastra allowed him to create whirlwinds, his Asurastra allowed him the complete opposite, a violent suction that took everything.
The fire slashes were easily absorbed by the suction sphere, while he smiled.
It wasn't going to be so easy to defeat him this time.