Lunaria thought and wandered how could she use those twisted laws of space time of the realm. The problem was that she must do it in her human form only, as her wraith form can't do it due to not being bound to space time.
Lunaria closed her eyes to focus, she opened them again, they were the same as her wraith eyes now. Which she used to see the non physical lines of this twisted space and time. They were like threads, she followed those threads, until she found the spatial waves.
Just need to use these twisted threads to open the spatial waves. She thought. She coated her fingers with the very little spatial magic that she wielded, and started pulling the threads carefully. She could wield spatial magic, because every person has a very small amount of affinity to every kind of magic as compared to their main magic. Thus, she could use it just enough to grab the threads. So, soul and frost magic weren't her only options.
In a normal space time, these threads would be completely straight and fixed, so it would have been impossible to perform such an act. But in one with twisted laws, these threads are loose and scattered, so they could be pulled from different angles.
But it wasn't going to be easy, Lunaria's gaze stared a bit above, as she saw the strangled pile of space time thread, then she looked at her fingers, they were slightly cut because of the threads, trying to unstrangle them and then opening the spatial waves meant sacrificing her hands to the point they couldn't be healed even by the best healers in the H-200. "Even if I manage to escape, I won't be able to fight again..."
Back on the surface, Risa was crashing against Kurenai at crazy speed. Kurenai kept dodging and moving back and sideways, and Risa kept lunging without wasting a single second. Kurenai was bewildered by the sudden increase in power.
"You are thinking about, from where did this dragon got so much power, aren't you?" She called out, as she swinged her claymore down again. This time, the impact created a large crater. "You see, I don't have a great affinity to frost magic despite being a frost dragon." She swinged it again, this time at her side instead, launching Kurenai away. "But I do have a great affinity to power magic~"
Risa's power increased further after that, swinging the claymore down with even more force than before, she slammed it down. The impact causing a shockwave that teared down the ground, hitting Kurenai with the shockwave and the material that burst out of the ground.
Power magic was slightly different than other magic, unlike other magic, it didn't summoned or sent any kind of projectile at all. Instead, it increased its wielder's power instead, until they hit their current limit. Because of Risa's species as a dragon, and her speciality for high physical strength. She could keep on increasing her power for way longer than a normal power magic user.
Kurenai slowly got up, then stood up. Dusting the dirt off herself, she let out a sigh. A disappointed sigh. Risa was flabbergasted by her lack of care. "Is that all?" The corrupted vixen asked. "What use is a magic such as that, if the one you are facing can do the same without that magic?"
Risa prepared herself, she expected Kurenai to use [E.G.O] now after that. She increased her physical limits further with power magic. Kurenai watched, then smiled darkly. "Heh."
Risa was confused by the chuckle, but then her eyes were left wide opened. One moment, she was on guard. Another, blood leaked from her mouth, her stomach split open. Even her tail was covered in blood.
"... Wha-" She stopped, as she coughed up blood. She couldn't even process it when did the attack hit her, as she a collapsed on her knees.
She tried to think of any possibility. About when did Kurenai even attacked her, or how come the attack even caused such a massive injury. Then the realization hit her. Kurenai had pantheon level magic now, she must have stopped time for a longer period now and used it to inflict a deeper level of damage, bypassing her durability.
"That weak magic of yours isn't going to help you here." Kurenai mocked, the corrupted vixen appeared right in front of her. Kicking Risa in the face."It's a same that I can't use it against that wraith."
THUD! A kick landed directly on the side of her face, launching her away. Kurenai managed to maintain her footing again, looking at the one who attacked her, Lunethra.
"Who are you?" She asked. Lunethra gave a reply in a very teasing tone. "I don't like introducing myself to old hags like you~" Kurenai's face twitched at the insult.
"Lunethra?" Risa confirmed, as she managed to slowly get up, but was stopped by him. "Lay down... I already asked Legolas to heal you when the others comes here. Don't move until then."
Risa was about to ignore his words. "I can still fi-"
"Do you want Lunaria to see you dead?"
Those words froze Risa. She couldn't argue against anything that involved her sister's worry for her. Even if Lunaria doesn't shows it, she does care for everyone. Not wanting Lunaria to find her dead, Risa laid down on the ground again. Holding her stomach to slow down the blood loss.
Lunethra nodded, but in the next moment. His head was split from his body. Kurenai thought it was an instant win for her, until she saw Lunethra's head connecting itself back to his body, a crimson flame connected the two back.
"... Flame magic?" Kurenai questioned. Lunethra didn't answered her, but summoned an obsidian spear. "I have great affinity to not one but two different magics actually."
He sent the spear at her at a massive speed. Kurenai froze time to go out of it's way. "Simple tric-" Lunethra turned his finger to the side, the spear's direction changed towards her. Kurenai immediately sent her time spear to block it. "What the-"
"Is the old hag surprised?~" He teased. Lunethra's abilities weren't normal movements, so it had Kurenai surprised. Kurenai was annoyed by his teasing. She dashed in, intending to fight him head on.
Lunethra dodged her attack, as he countered back with his own. Eventually, the two started fighting at a level of speed that only the impacts could be seen, not them. Risa stared in awe.
"Risa!" Solara yelled out, as she got beside her. The others had also arrived. Legolas knelt besides her, attempting to heal her. "Such large wounds..." He muttered. But Risa's gaze was fixed at the fight.
"What's happening there..." Sera asked. Risa replies without looking at her. "Lunethra and Kurenai are fighting... Lunethra is also a caster I think."
"He was?" Orion asked. Risa got up after getting healed. "Yes... And he also has great affinity to not one but two different magic."
"Two!?" Solara was flabbergasted. "What's the other one?"
"Well... It seemed like flame magic, but it was crimson in colour. Do you know anything about it?"
"Crimsoned coloured flames?... No, even the best flame magic user that I have seen never had crimson flames. Only the normal flames, white flames and blue flames can exist." Solara replied. She had white flames at her current best.
"Same here." Orion answered as well, who had blue flames. "But... If crimson flames are a level of flame magic unknown to even Solara, then Lunethra is hiding a lot more from us than we already know."
"Just who even is Lunethra..." Solara muttered.
Lunethra and Kurenai were still moving at incredible speed, he swinged a obisidian spear straight down at her head, and then instantly changed it's position, hitting her sideways instead, causing Kurenai's guard to break.
Kurenai crashed into the ground, she was only getting more furious now. Then Lunethra's words only fueled her anger. "Is that all?... I was expecting more from an old hag like you."
Kurenai dashed straight, using time magic to ensure a guaranteed hit. But the next thing shocked her.
Lunethra dodged. He dodged it by turning to the side. Kurenai landed beside him, she was in pure silence, just flabbergasted. "... What?"
"Surprised aren't you?" He called out. "But then again... This body can't even handle a portion of my full power properly, so I am not even close to full power."
He continued. "You know... Despite the fact, I could kill you right here... I want Lunaria to defeat you."
"How would she even escape that place in the first place?" Kurenai asked.
"I know that she will... I am sure of it."
As if he had predicted future itself, Lunaria had just finished untangling the space time threads within the realm. Only one pull, and the spatial waves will open the path again. Her hands, covered in complete blood and cuts.
But she didn't do it yet, she looked at the side, there was a small flame which had came out when she was untangling the threads, it was on them in a limited area. Assuming it would be important, she started to examine it.
Back with Kurenai and Lunethra, the former kept trying all her magic to try and harm Lunethra. But it was of no use, he dodged and countered all of them effortlessly.
"It's useless." He said. "You don't even understand the nature of magic itself."
"How would you know!? I can affect even concepts, it should be superior!"
"The only thing [E.G.O] enhanced was your physical limits, and your control over your magic. You still don't know how to utilise that power to it's true extent. You think, that because it has far more influence, you will win. That's incorrect."
"Then what is the correct way, huh!?" She said, as she sent fragments of rocks at him at lightning speed from the ground.
Lunethra burnt all of them in an instant. Slamming his knee into her face, sending her away. Kurenai slided across the ground from the impact. "You assume a better affinity or more influence allows you to stay at the top. But you never truly trained with it, so when someone can counter your powers, you are useless. Because while you may surpass them physically, in an actual fight, you don't even come close."
That hit Kurenai's pride hard. Her anger allowed [E.G.O] to fuel her power further, she lunged with an even crazier speed. But Lunethra just sighed, as he effortlessly dodged it. Then countered back with a crimson fireball straight on her face. The explosion launching her far away.
The others finished watching as Lunethra got back towards them. "So... What's up?" That was what he started a conversation with.
"What do you mean what's up... You have two different magic affinity, as well as crimson flames for your flame magic!?" Risa asked.
"Yeah." He casually replied.
"Don't say it so casually!" She yelled.
Pulling Risa back, Solara stood face to face against Lunethra. "I have no idea, who you truly are... You are definitely stronger than even Lunaria at full power I am sure of it now. So, I dare to ask... Why are you even bothering to help us."
Lunethra thought about it for a while. Then he answered. "Let's just say... Some memories are worth sacrificing for."
None of the others understood what he meant by that, but they had taken it as a willingness to assist by him.
"Huh!?" Lunethra gasped, as he suddenly collapsed onto his knees, starting to breathe heavily.
"Oi, Oi. What happened to you now!?" Risa yelled, she tried to help but Lunethra stopped her by putting his hand in front of her. A grin on his face. "Relax... If I am correct, then Chiharu is getting seperated from this body now."
And he was correct, Chiharu's and his form started to diverge, seperating further from each other. The reason was Lunaria, who still inside the abstract realm, was seperating the flame from the strings.
As a wraith, who can see the dead, she knew about how the flesh of someone looks like when their soul is seperated and their body is disintegrated. A small flame. The colour of the flame varied per individual, this one, was grey. Using soul magic and the spatial magic to seperate the flame from the thread, she set it free. The flame vanished within the realm.
"I should go as well now..." She said, as she pulled the last thread. Opening the spatial waves again, a white portal splitting open.
With a sigh of exhaustion, she switched back to her normal eyes, and looked at her hands. They weren't even regenerating at all, the space time threads if touched without protection could leave permanent damage to a body.
She turned around and head outside through the portal. Back with the others, Chiharu and Lunethra completely got seperated now. Both gasped for a moment of breath, as Chiharu looked at his hands, then touched his face. He stared in front, seeing everyone fine as well, including Lunethra.
"I... Got my own body again?" He questioned, when did that even happened? He ha no idea how. "But, my body's flame was stuck inside the abstract rea-"
"And who was in that place currently?" Lunethra interrupted with a grin. Chiharu paused, then realization hit him. Looking down at the ground with a small smile and slight tears in his eyes.
"I see... I owe Lady Lunaria one for this." He muttered. Orion raised his hand.
"So... How come he got his body back?" The question was valid, not many knew of such method.
"Through the flame of their vessel." Lunethra mentioned. He started to explain it.
Vessel here referred to the body, when the soul and the vessel are seperated and the vessel's form decays completely, it turns into a small flame that isn't visible to the naked eye at all and will be fixed at somewhere. If seperated from it, and if the soul is still fine. Then it can attain it's vessel again.
Chiharu's flame was brought inside the abstract realm by the corruption from eight years ago before his death. So when the corpse decayed, it turned into a flame inside the realm, and aimed endlessly. The plan at first was to fix the flame to something when they come here, but it seems like Lunaria already did the work.
Risa changed the topic. "So how would sis come here now, out of that abstract realm. None of us have any form of teleportation magic, nor any good affinity to any of the four following magic required?"
Lunethra was about to answer, but stopped as he sensed something. A small smile forming on his face, as he stood up, dusting his clothes. "I suppose, we don't have to do anything." He pointed behind him.
"Looking for me?" A female voice called out, as a spatial wave split open behind them. From which, Lunaria came out.
A moment of pure silence, then it was ruined with Risa immediately tackling Lunaria's stomach, clinging to her tightly. Lunaria sighed as she stared down at her with a deadpan look. "I would prefer not having a big lizard crying against me."
Risa still didn't let go, Lunaria sighed again, as she patted her on the head, she wasn't in any better in the abstract realm earlier. "But I can make an exception this time I think."
Soon enough, the question came. How did she manage to get out of there. Lunaria wondered whether she should explain it or not. The others had an expected look, but her words threw all them off.
"I am not in the mood to explain it." And here it was, the casual reply which meant she does not wish to share her secrets. Flicking Risa away after she was done clinging, she asked her question. "So, where is the vixen?"
Everyone sighed, as they decided to answer her. "Lunethra sent her flying away." Orion answered, pointing at the Lunethra, now seperated from Chiharu. "So... The soul flame was of the dual fox?" She asked.
"You knew about it?" Solara asked.
"Well... Sort of." She said as she tried to avoid answering further. But Lunethra, who already read through her interrupted.
"Lunaria... All of us have already heard it, that you are a wraith." That was enough to call her out, and make her flinch for a moment. Lunethra sighed, after finding his assumptions correct. She just didn't liked being treated as a wraith, despite being one, so she always kept it hidden unless necessary.
"So there is no point in hiding it huh?" She sighed, as she explained. "Well, since now you all already know that I am a wraith. It should be simpler to answer this... I have seperated a soul flame before as well. Not once, but many times... To the point, I kept defying death. When you keep on seperating soul flames, your mind ends up experiencing their pain as well."
Her tones becomes a bit quieter. "So I ran away from my life as a wraith, never turning into it unless necessary, that was also why I never dared to use soul magic either."
She continued. "As for your previous question, I can see space time threads with my wraith eyes, so I just used the little spatial affinity that I had just like everyone else, and untangled the threads until the spatial waves were open. It was possible, because Kurenai added the concept of time to a realm, where it ended up having twisted space time laws due to originally being timeless."
"Is that why, you are hiding your hands behind your back?" Lunethra called out, Lunaria flinched slightly.
"Sis..." Risa called out, completely deadpan. "Show your hands..." Lunaria didn't do it.
"Show them or I will force you to show it." Lunaria had no choice now after that, she unhid her hands, putting them in front of them, her gaze adverted to the side to avoid eye contact.
"What in the world..." Solara questioned, the cuts were so deep and tainted, they couldn't even regenerate at all. Legolas tried to heal them, but failed at it too.
"They are terrible... So much, that you can't even heal them at all." He muttered. The damage caused by space time threads on a physical body are far worse than one can imagine, if they don't feel much painful. The injuries are almost permanent.
"May I try?" Chiharu asked, Legolas and Sera looked at him, and realized something. "Oh yes, you might be able to do it." Sera exclaimed, as she gave Chiharu space to examine Lunaria's hands.
He gently held them, and closed his eyes to focus. A faint emerald aura surrounded them, strong enough to push the grass. Lunaria stared, as she noticed something.
Her cuts, they were healing. One by one, each cut stitched itself back together again, and she didn't even felt any pain either. The others watched in amazement. Soon enough, Lunaria's hands were recovered again.
"I will say... That was impressive." She praised him, but she noticed Chiharu was now suddenly exhausted. He almost fell back, Sera caught him before that.
Legolas explained the situation. Chiharu had the ability to heal any kind of wound, at the exchange of his lifespan. Since a foxian was ageless, it could permanently do that without having to worry about their lifespan, but the exhaustion it gave them could vary, sometimes lasting for days.
"I see... I thank you for your aid, du-" She paused, then continued. "I thank you for your aid,... Chiharu." Chiharu grinned slightly.
"It's fine... I owed you one for recovering my own body."
She nodded gently. "Now then." She turned towards Lunethra. "Where is Kurenai? Also, if I am correct. Since Chiharu is seperated from this body now. He can't absorb corruption anymore, can he?"
"For the first question. She is probably arriving soon. For the second, yes... Since the ability was originally the owner's, as long as his soul remains fine inside here, and if he gives us the permission. We can use it. After seperation, we can't." He answered.
"Intresting... Another question." She thought about whether to ask or not. She decided to go for the former.
"If Sylves is really the third soul inside, why didn't he came back to us?"
Orion, Risa and Solara. The three were left speechless at the assumption. Sylves? The third soul was truly his, not someone else's?
Solara tries to intervene. "Are you sure that it's really Sylves in th-"
"Sylves's soul is currently in a state where he can't use his body to move at all. He can only see, hear and talk through telepathy. But he can't move or speak at all, so I was the one controlling it most of the time." Lunethra's answer left everyone silent.
"I see..." She sighed. There was no point in holding herself back anymore. "Tell him, that what happened thirteen years ago... I do regret it."
Solara glanced at Lunaria. "Lunaria?..."
"I do agree with you... I have been feeding myself a lie for so long. Thinking the only reason I regretted it, was because of his power to absorb corruption... When I was alone inside there, I kept worrying about all of you, and also ended up confronting myself to the truth."
Her facial expressions became gentler, and softer. "I do regret killing him, even if it was the better choice." The trio was baffled by her look and words.
Solara checked her hands to see if something gave her a split personality, Orion checked whether she had a fever or not and Risa checked whether she was actually the real Lunaria or not.
Lunaria's face twitched at their actions towards her words.
Bonk! Bonk! Bonk! A triple consecutive bonk on each of the three, who were now obediently sitting on the ground, confirmed now that it was their Lunaria still.
"Ugh, just because I can let go off my cold reputation, doesn't means I am someone else you morons." She face slapped herself at their stupidity.
But then she sighed. "I can also be vulnerable, but don't think I'll show it often. I am still human at heart, even if cold."
She moved her hand away. "But let's ignore this now, because the last fight is about to happen."
She turned around, watching as Kurenai landed back on the field once again with a thud. The vixen was on all four now, ready to hunt it's prey like a true wild beast.
Kurenai noticed Lunaria, and got more hostile. "How did you even escaped?" Lunaria cracked her knuckles, as she shifted into her wraith form. "You will know that after I am done with you."
"Lunaria." Lunethra called out, a small grin on his face. Lunaria glanced at him. "What?"
"I would say you don't need your wraith form for this."
"And why is that? The wraith form would only give me an advantage against her."
"I know... But the Lunaria, Sylves and I are familiar with would never try to win a fight through an advantage such as that."
Lunaria didn't said anything. She stayed silent for a while, then shifted back into her human form. "I can understand why would Sylves say that, but you better explain yourself later."
"It will depend on my mood... And you should probably also stop holding back. You are stronger than that, I know."
Lunaria chuckled slightly. "You do know, I might potentially destroy the planet then?"
"You have enough focus to ensure that you won't."
"Fair enough." Lunaria relaxed herself, her fist in position, pulled back. And then. She punched with full force, the force of wind strong enough to wipe out the surface and everything in front. Leaving behind a large crater that the surface of the planet, and forest and mountains in front were also gone.
It hadn't just ended there, because the punch was focused so precisely. The force had even split the clouds.
Kurenai barely managed to keep herself in place after that force, her body shredded apart, as she healed herself with time magic.
The last round, begins now.