"What spurred him to this was that in the assertoric syllogistic Aristotle and others sometimes used contradictories of absolute propositions on the assumption that they are absolute; and that was why so many decided that absolutes did contradict absolutes. When Avicenna had shown this to be wrong, he wanted to develop a method of construing those examples from Aristotle."
- The 13th century Twelver Shi'a Muslim scholar, theologian, polytheist, and astronomer, Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Ṭūsī or Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī نصیرالدین طوسی
(1201-1274 C.E.).
The train emerged from the tunnel with a loud metallic shriek that echoed across the vast emptiness ahead—only, it wasn't emptiness. No. It was majesty. As if the veil of the mundane had been pulled back to reveal a realm of dreams sculpted from the mind of the gods themselves. There it was—the Crystalline Ocean Realm, the legendary heart of the realm of Umi. The heroes, wide-eyed and pressed against the train's massive panoramic windows, were speechless. Even the usually boisterous Ebisu, whose voice normally carried louder than a war drum, had fallen silent. His fists unclenched. The ever-anxious Kaori stopped fiddling with her wrist blades. Even Nelly, the quiet strategist of the group, who always seemed one step ahead, looked... awed. Beneath them, the train tracks shimmered with runes, floating impossibly atop a vast lagoon that seemed to stretch on into eternity. The tracks glowed faintly, as if pulsing with energy borrowed from the ocean itself. And oh, the water—it wasn't mere water. It was like liquid sapphire, a swirling tapestry of cerulean, indigo, and shimmering teal, catching the sunlight in refracted shards that danced like living crystal across the train carriages. The train wasn't just gliding anymore—it felt like it was sailing through the sky. The glass of the windows barely separated them from the realm outside, and it might as well not have existed. The air felt different here. Charged. Alive. Magical. Scattered across the endless blue expanse were islands, like emeralds dropped in a sea of jewels. Each island had its own strange, natural architecture. Some had spiraling trees with silver leaves that hummed gently in the breeze. Others had jagged crystal spires that reached toward the heavens, like the bones of ancient titans long buried. One island, oddly shaped like a ring, seemed to host a spiraling waterfall that looped endlessly through its center—upward, not down.
And then there were the creatures of the deep. The train passed over a section of shallows, and the heroes could see straight through to the bottom—only there was no bottom. Just light and movement, and something massive. A golden leviathan, as long as four train cars and thick as a fortress wall, glided beneath them with elegant ease. Its scales refracted the light into thousands of miniature rainbows. Golden fish, the size of whale sharks, moved in schools, some even larger. Their fins shimmered with pale bioluminescence, lighting the world below like ghostly lanterns in an underwater temple. Hermes thought to herself: "I remember hearing in my previous life that some of the Hindus of India believe the river Ganges was not only sacred but its depth was infinite something that was disproven by the 17th century Mughal emperor Jahangir, I believe that the Hindu belief that's a myth but this ocean I don't know, it could be true with this sea. Amazing…" Yadala leaned forward, her hands flat against the glass. "They're... peaceful," she whispered, as one of the fish turned to regard the train, its ancient eyes blinking slowly, almost knowingly, before drifting away into the depths. It was less like watching wildlife and more like glimpsing the dreams of gods or greater beings.
The sky above them was a soft gradient of color—sunset-like hues of peach, lavender, and gold—though the sun itself was nowhere to be seen. Instead, light came from above and below, as though the ocean itself had a soul and that soul had decided it was done hiding. Then a gust of wind passed over the lagoon, and the heroes could hear it—the sound of the realm. Wind-chimes that weren't there. The echo of laughter from islands they hadn't visited. And the low, slow rhythm of something ancient stirring beneath the waves, as if the ocean had a heartbeat. It was a call—not just to adventure, but to destiny.
Ebisu clenched his fists again, but this time, it wasn't from tension—it was from resolve. "We made it," he said, voice steady, eyes glowing with purpose. "The Crystalline Ocean Realm... the path to the Sapphire Gate. This is where it begins." The train pressed forward, each wheel spin echoing like a war drum undercut by a symphony of wind and waves. The realm itself felt like a test, a trial, and a promise. And the heroes? They weren't just passengers on a train anymore. They were witnesses to something divine, something eternal. Whatever came next, they knew this: the Crystalline Ocean Realm was more than just a beautiful place. It was alive. And it was watching. Talus began to snicker and looked over at Ebisu, "Let's grab some grub, what do you think kid?" Ebisu nodded: "Hell yeah, just don't call me a kid, pointy ears." Talus opened one of the hatches on the top of the train and Talus and Ebisu flew out of the top alone they both dove into the ocean and when the emerged from the top, Ebisu was carrying a giant prehistoric marine reptile by the tail at least the size of a small sperm-whale while Talus was carrying a very large giant squid they brought them to a small island and went on to cook and eat them with a fire they made. They would catch up with the train later they knew exactly where they would find everybody, after all they would just half to follow the tracks. Hermes laughed: "Those two are something else."
Back to the north of the Crystalline Sea Lupus was flying at Mach speed and he saw something ahead, something he had been looking for, it was the Myriad Tower of Mirrors, it ascended to the heaven he began to fly upwards until several thousand feet in the air he met a strange old man with square ears standing on a platform. Lupus leaped ahead and landed gracefully on the platform. "Who the hell are you old man?" The old man let out a quiet raspy voice, "I am the guardian of the tower, in truth I am one of 'the Old Gods', I guard the top floor, where the Philosopher's Stone resides. You, like everyone else must pass… three trials in order to receive the stone, do you think… you are to the task young man." Lupus let out a loud arrogant laugh, "Oh yes, old man, I'm ready give me everything you've got old man," said Lupus. The old man's eyes flashed and in an instant he was in another realm surrounded by mirrors, he heard an inner-voice, "I will be giving you guidance but I will give you any of my strength. Those are the conditions of the test." The voice was of the old man. Lupus laughed: "Very well." He landed in what appeared to be a great heavenly abode with large Chinese buildings and temples everywhere with enormous idols to various Chinese gods. Lupus looked around until he bumped into a familiar face, it was Erlang Shen. "O' Erlang, it's been some time but I think I can finally take you in battle. You want to go for thorough rounds," said Lupus. Erlang looked perplexed, "I have no idea who you are, are you a Buddha, are you a god, or a Taoist sage, what business do you have in the Western Heaven?" Lupus was confused but the old man reassured him: "This is the realm known as the Western (Taoist) Heaven over 10,000 years ago. You see on Sun Wukong's Journey to the West the other pilgrims and the monk were put to sleep by a great Qing Demon Fish who was the former master of this tower. The tower is a gateway to countless universes, other planets, various divine realms, timelines, moments and places in the past, etc. Sun Wukong traveled to the Western Heaven, the Emerald Green Kingdom of the Little Moon King, various kingdoms of China in the past, several other universes and a strange planet in outer space with a race of purple-skinned aliens with slug-like eyes who were in awe of the Great Sage's powers, who Pilgrim Sun was polite and courteous too. Eventually Sun escaped and defeated the Qing Fish Demon who agreed to set Sun Wukong free from the tower and when he returned back to his world, the demon also released the other pilgrims from their deep sleep so they could continue their journey. The Goddess Guanyin punished the Qing Demon Fish after his defeat by Monkey by impressing him into being one of Buddha's disciples and converting him to Buddhism after he was taken away by her the Jade Emperor placed me in charge of the tower and hence this is why you are meeting Erlang 10,000 years before you met him in your time." Lupus furrowed his brow: "I see." Erlang remarked: "What was that?" Lupus shrugged: "Nothing I mistook you for someone else I know." Erlang replied: "Very well, but you must meet with the Great Jade Emperor in the Hall of Divine Mists, you were not invited into Heaven and therefore they should decide your fate." The old man continued: "Go with them, it's part of the trial." Lupus laughed: "Very well take me to your king."
Lupus followed Erlang Shen across winding cloud paths suspended in the sky. Each step echoed like thunder, and celestial beasts soared beneath them—phoenixes, qilin, and giant dragons coiling through the mist like currents in a divine ocean. They reached the Hall of Divine Mists, a towering palace of jade and white stone, glowing with soft light. Inside, seated high upon a lotus-shaped throne, was the Jade Emperor, eyes closed, flanked by a hundred deities in armor of flowing gold. Erlang dropped to one knee. Lupus didn't bow. The hall quieted. "You are bold," the Jade Emperor said without opening his eyes. "Few mortals or immortals enter this hall uninvited and dare remain standing." Lupus smirked. "I'm not here to play servant. I'm here for the Philosopher's Stone." Gasps rippled through the court. One of the heavenly generals reached for his blade, but the Jade Emperor raised a finger. "You seek the Stone, yet you lack humility. Do you even know what it is?" "It's power," Lupus answered. "The kind that can rebuild or destroy a world. I don't care if it's alchemy, divine fire, or cosmic dust—I want it."
The Jade Emperor finally opened his eyes—burning stars behind his gaze. "You are in the First Trial now," he said. "You must pass judgment. But judgment is not yours to give—it is yours to receive. Your heart though the evil formally within it has begun to thaw is still a heart of darkness, deceit and naked self-interest but even still you are allowed to continue the trial even with all your faults." Lupus smirked to himself: "You think you're so great but in the end I'll make you and everyone else in this world of ours into my slave when I become God." Suddenly, Lupus's surroundings twisted again. Lupus found himself standing alone in a vast black void. One mirror hovered in front of him, tall and silver-edged. It rippled like water, then flashed images: every enemy he'd ever defeated, every innocent caught in his wake, every decision driven by vengeance or pride.
He watched his younger self as a child—bloody knuckles, a burning village, a scar over his left eye. Him and his army destroyed planets and put countless to the sword who defied his empire. Then came the voice: "Do you regret anything?" Lupus tensed. "No. I survived." The mirror cracked. "Lie again and it will shatter completely." There was a long silence. Then—he muttered, "Fine. I regret… not saving my father." The mirror glowed, repairing itself. "You may pass," the voice echoed. The black void shattered like glass.
Return to the Celestial Palace
Lupus knelt, panting. Erlang raised a brow. "You look like you saw a ghost." "I saw myself," Lupus growled. The Jade Emperor spoke again. "You've passed the first trial: Truth. The next two will test your strength and your sacrifice."
Suddenly a bell rang three times. Clouds outside the palace split as a giant serpentine shadow coiled through the sky. "The Demon General of the South has breached Heaven's border!" shouted a celestial guard. The Emperor looked to Lupus. "Then let your second trial begin." The world around Lupus shifted again; this time he was on the planet that the Great Sage had been on centuries or more before, there were strange purple aliens with slug-like eyes looking at him with awe. Lupus was irritated, he shouted at the aliens: "What's your problem? You think I'm like a god or something." The aliens looked at each other and began to murmur: "What's a god?" One of them replied: "Sorry sir, we've never heard of such a thing." Lupus was confused. The old man telepathically stated: "These are Curungians, the race that Pilgrim Sun Wukong, the handsome Monkey King, met thousands of years ago, they have no concept of a god or gods, or any supernatural beings, they neither believe or disbelieve, they simply have no concept of this in their culture at all neither do they have anything like a religion, no idols, not nothing, and just follow things as what works, they assume that everything in the Universe and their world appeared out of nothing for no reason, not quite atheists as that would entail them having the concept of divine beings at all and to believe or disbelieve, just beings with a simple understanding of the world who don't question many things. They'll understand power, just do a quick trick they'll think you're doing magic tricks and then they will help you pass the trial. They are a peaceful and kind race, if you hurt them you fail, but it shouldn't take much for them to help you in your trial." Lupus smirked: "Excellent. I'm one step closer to my destiny."
Lupus cracked his knuckles and stepped forward. The Curungians parted, clearing a path to a ring of polished stones where a giant obsidian pillar stood humming with strange energy. It pulsed in rhythm with something ancient—perhaps the heartbeat of this world. One of the Curungians, smaller than the rest, approached Lupus with a three-fingered hand extended. "This is the Pillar of Sounding Stone. Long ago, a being from your world struck it, and a skyfire fell upon our land. Our elders say it hums in response to great power. If you strike it and make it sing, we will help you." Lupus nodded. "A punch, huh? That's it?" He scoffed, winding back his fist. "You've never seen a real hit." He coiled every fiber of his strength, ki rippling across his muscles like wildfire, before slamming his fist into the stone. The planet trembled. Shockwaves tore through the air. The sky flickered. For a moment, silence. Then—WOOOOOMMM—a deep resonant sound erupted from the stone, a chime so vast and harmonic it seemed to reach into space itself. The Curungians dropped to their knees, wide-eyed, clutching their antennae in awe.
"He sings like the sky," one whispered. Lupus turned away, cracking his neck. "Alright, freaks. I rang your bell. Now give me what I need." The elder of the Curungians stepped forward, holding out a crystalline orb glowing faintly with golden light. "This is a Star-Memory, and yes it is the actual memory of one of the living stars that you see a past remnant of when you look up into the night sky" he said. "Your second trial is not just strength, but restraint. This orb will show you a moment of ultimate power… and ask you not to use it." Lupus snatched it from the alien's hands. The moment he touched it, he was hurled backward in space—not through space, but through possibility. Lupus now stood atop a mountain of shattered bone, overlooking a galaxy engulfed in fire. His own empire's banners flapped across worlds dying in red light. In the sky, multiple versions of himself fought—one wielding a golden blade that split moons, another transformed into a being of pure energy, and a third, draped in emperor's robes with a crown made of screaming stars.
The orb hovered before him. The Voice of the Old Man bellowed: "Each of these features is real—if you choose them. The orb will grant you the might of all three, and with it you could become a god now, without ever finishing the trials. But if you do, the tower will collapse. All lives tied to it—including those souls still trapped in the void—will be lost." Lupus's hands trembled. His hunger burned in his bones. That crown. That throne. That godhood. Then, he remembered the mirror—the boy with the scar, the father never saved. He grit his teeth, then threw the orb to the ground. "No," he growled. "Not yet. Power without control is nothing but destruction. I'll take mine the right way." The orb exploded in a golden storm.
The Curungians bowed, the skies above their world shimmering with aurora. A celestial portal opened and Lupus was sucked upward, arriving breathless on a new floor of the Myriad Tower. The old man was waiting, arms folded. "You refused the temptation. Very few have." "I'm not done yet," Lupus said. "No, you're not," the old man replied. "The third trial is sacrifice." The sky above them darkened. Fire rained from celestial cracks. A scream echoed—a familiar one. Lupus turned and saw her: Aria, his childhood friend, the last person he'd truly trusted before his fall into war. She was chained, suspended in air, fire swirling around her, unconscious. "Choose," the old man said. "She dies… or the Philosopher's Stone is lost to you forever." Lupus's eyes burned. He'd killed before. He'd ruled through fear. But this… "I thought she was dead," he whispered.
"She's not," the old man said. "But saving her means giving up the Stone. Your dream. Your vengeance. Your godhood." Lupus took one step forward. Then another. He reached up—and cut the chains. Aria fell. He caught her. The Stone, far above them, cracked and dissolved into dust. The tower shook. "Trial complete," the old man said, a small smile forming. "You just gave up everything," Aria said faintly, awakening. Lupus looked up at the tower's peak, now out of reach—for now. "No," he said. "I gave up on nothing. I just proved I'm strong enough to earn it without becoming a blind animal." The old man nodded. "The final path will come to you soon. Rest while you can. The real gods are watching now."
Lupus awoke not with a jolt, but with a strange stillness—like his soul had been washed clean and hung out beneath a foreign sun. Jade mist clung to his skin. He stood on a vast terrace of emerald glass overlooking endless forests of glowing bamboo and floating lotus ponds. The skies were dyed a permanent twilight, where stars danced like fireflies and distant waterfalls flowed in reverse, climbing up instead of down. Before him, a palace loomed—its walls forged of green crystal, its gates pulsing with divine energy and an auspicious aura. This was the Emerald Green World, a lost realm, untouched by time, ruled by a single celestial king. The Little Moon King. He (the Little Moon King) descended from the heavens in a palanquin of moonlight, flanked by phoenixes with silver tails and children carved from living jade. The god was childlike in form, but his eyes were endless—two galaxies locked in a gaze. "You have conquered the truth," the Little Moon King said. "You have resisted power. You have chosen to save another over yourself. These things are rare among mortals… and even rarer among gods and higher beings. For this, you shall receive what even Wukong could not possess though I guess he never desired it and never sought it." A box formed from dreamstuff floated toward Lupus. He took it.
Inside was a stone, shifting with all colors, yet none at once. The Philosopher's Stone. Pure potential. Pure desire. Suddenly, shadows snapped across the realm like cracks in a mirror. A being of smoke, with a single, unblinking eye, emerged from the stone—its voice layered in tongues both human and demonic. "One who has passed the Tower's Three Trials… speak your wish." Lupus did not hesitate. "I wish to be the strongest. Not just in one world. Not just in one timeline. I want to be the strongest being in all the cosmos—across every dimension, every divine realm, every possible future. CAN YOU DO THIS FOR ME?!" The shadow laughed—or perhaps screamed. Then it entered Lupus, burning into his bones, his blood, his breath. The sky itself buckled under the force of his presence. He fell. He began to pulse with power, "Yes, yes, hehehehehehehehehehe BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" His muscles began to bulge as he grew stronger and stronger and then the muscles reverted but aura shot from him and from every inch of his body. It was over he was filled with incredible divine energy. "Hahahahaha! Excellent. I've done it. I've been reborn!!" After this the creature declared, "I will be going, I will answer another wish in another 1,000 years." Lupus began to snicker: "If you could just help me with one more thing, spirit." Lupus put his head out and in an instant a beam of light energy shot out from Lupus's mouth, the light hit the one eyed creature who began to howl in agony. It was destroyed in a thunderous explosion. After the lightshow was over Lupus stood there with arms crossed. "Excellent. He's gone. HAHAHAHAHA! Did he really think I would let someone else come along in a thousand years and make the same wish becoming MY equal. FAT CHANCE! But now I'll be unstoppable. I never need to fear anyone else ever again. No one will ever challenge me again." Lupus snickered again: "This is perfect!! I've been reborn!! With my new form I am unstoppable!! Hahaha!!" Lupus continued to laugh loudly and maniacally.
Lupus woke in silence. The sky was pale. The edge of the Crystalline Sea shimmered below and the northern desert was visible beyond the tower. The tower behind him stood quiet—no longer a gate, just a relic. The old man with square ears stood before him, staff planted in the dirt. "You did it," he said, smiling faintly. "You got your wish. You change whether you realize it or not. Goodluck and farewell." Lupus stood. His body pulsed like a black star. The ground cracked under his feet without effort. He could feel gods, empires, and dimensions blink under his gaze like insects before flame. The old man gave one final bow. "You are now beyond even our reach. But be warned… even a god has a grave." He turned—and vanished into the mist, as though he had never been. The Myriad Tower groaned once… then collapsed into sand. Lupus turned his gaze upward. "Now," he said, his voice thunder rolling through clouds, "I will find the Prophet." He clenched his fist. Power surged like a billion suns into his palm. "She who thinks she can stop me… I will crush her faith. I will shatter her visions. I will burn her name from every prophecy." His eyes gleamed black and gold. "I am no hero. I am no savior. I am no villain. I am… the end!!" Lupus sensed the Prophet's energy and flew off in the direction of her aura. Lupus clutched the Philosopher's Stone which still had immense power despite its wish-making abilities being extinguished. "There you are." He shot off in the direction with his new found power he could travel at a much faster speed now.
Back at the Crystalline Ocean with Hermes and the others the train continued to roll down the track. Suddenly, the waters surrounding the train trembled. The crystalline lagoon, once calm and dreamlike, rippled violently as if struck by an unseen force. A deep, resonant hum echoed through the realm—low, melodic, and impossibly vast. It wasn't thunder. It was a voice. An ancient voice. A divine one. Hermes stood, her eyes narrowing as a cold wind swept through the train. The others felt it too—the shift. The warmth and peace of the Crystalline Ocean Realm peeled away like a curtain, revealing a raw, divine presence surging beneath. From the center of the lagoon, where the light had once danced playfully, a shadow began to rise. First mist. Then steam. Then water itself, swirling upward into a vortex that stretched into the sky. The ocean trembled and then parted—as if making way for royalty. And out of that storm of sea and spirit rose the Water Dragon God. A serpentine titan made of pure, flowing water, bound by rings of living coral and glimmering pearl. Her body moved like a storm incarnate, dozens of meters long, with eyes of deep sapphire flame. Glowing symbols shimmered along her scales, ancient and undecipherable. Her presence felt older than stars, and yet her voice rang with youth and fury. "Hermes, daughter of fallen heavens," the dragon roared, her words booming across the realm like the waves of a typhoon. "You who were once mortal, now touched by the power of magic—step forward!"
The train groaned to a halt mid-track as if commanded by her voice alone. Hermes stepped from the carriage door without hesitation, the others watching with wide eyes. Yadala reached for her blades. Nelly raised a barrier instinctively. But Hermes lifted a single hand, stopping them. "I am Hermes," she said, standing barefoot at the edge of the floating track, the wind whipping through her cloak. "And you are?" "I am Myrhandra, the Tide-Woven Sovereign. I command the memory of the seas. And I challenge you." The ocean stilled. Even the wind held its breath. "If I defeat you, I inherit part of your divine spark," Myrhandra continued, eyes gleaming. "If you defeat me, I will serve as your guardian, and grant you passage to the Sapphire Gate which leads to the heart of the great desert and the Emerald Green World." Hermes cracked her knuckles. "Fair terms." She stepped forward, and as she did, the waters behind her rose. Not just rippled—rose, like mountains drawn upward by some celestial force. From the center of that swell, something ancient emerged: The Spirit Blade.
It towered above her at first, a colossus of silver-blue metal rising from the ocean like a monument, shaped like a katana but scaled for gods. As it touched the air, the water around it steamed, and the sky itself darkened in response. With a single gesture, Hermes drew it to her hand, and as it shrank to mortal size, the blade sang—a clear, high tone like crystal shattering in reverse. The sword pulsed with the rhythm of the realm itself. Then she vanished. Hermes dashed forward, faster than sight, slashing upward. Myrhandra recoiled, waves crashing outward in response. The dragon coiled through the air, launching a torrent of pressurized water so sharp it carved through the air like blades. Hermes spun mid-air, parried the assault with a single strike, and unleashed a shockwave that split a nearby island in two. The realm roared. The battle was divine. Blades of spirit met fangs of tide. Thunder crashed, though no storm stirred. The sky turned navy as Myrhandra's power surged, forming a massive trident of pure oceanic force. She hurled it—Hermes countered by plunging the Spirit Blade into the lagoon itself.
The ocean answered her. The entire realm rose in a pillar of water and light. When the light faded, Myrhandra was on one knee, her form flickering. Hermes stood above her, not gloating—simply breathing hard, blade resting across her shoulder. "…Well fought," the dragon said, her voice quieter now. "You are worthy." Talus was shocked: "Hermes grew that much stronger in just a few days, unbelievable, is there no limit to her power?" A symbol of the sea etched itself into Hermes's palm, glowing faintly. Her power had grown. Not just strength—but insight. A deeper bond with the sea and everything ancient within it. Myrhandra bowed. "Then I am yours to command, Guardian of the Path." Anytime you call on me I will appear in my full power and aid you it is the same with the other dragons if you defeat them, the other dragons unlike myself can transform into human form and are far more powerful so I warn you, you are remarkably strong but I am the weakest of the four." The realm exhaled. The sky brightened. The others emerged from the train in stunned silence. Nelly finally whispered, "…We're not ready for whatever comes next." Hermes turned toward them, eyes glowing like twin stars. "Then it's time to get ready." The gate appeared and the dragon began to descend back into the water, "Once you enter the gate it will close but you may enter it whenever you want it will remain until you enter it." The dragon then descended beneath the waves.
Hermes and the others began to walk towards the gate when a large ki blast landed before them, it was Lupus. Kazan was in shock: "Dad?!" Lupus began howling with laughter. "Well, well, if it isn't the Messenger of the False-God and her little friends." Hermes angrily stated: "What's wrong with you Lupus, why did you take off, you need to help me, your daughter, and the rest of us beat the Archon to the Demon King." Lupus began to laugh: "Oh I'm not afraid of you or your enemies, in fact I'll destroy you and them both and anyone else who gets in my way." Ungar was growing irritated: "What's gotten into you Lupus?! What the fuck are you talking about." Lupus smiled, pulling out the Philosopher's Stone: "This, the creature inside it has been destroyed but before it was it granted me the wish of being the most powerful being and God of this universe, HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! It's over I've already won, and just in case you get any ideas," as Lupus said he opened his mouth and dropped the Philosopher's Stone into his mouth and down his gullet. Everyone gasped. "Hahahahahaha. I'll give you a chance if you surrender. I'll allow you to live as my subjects and then I won't have to kill you in front of my daughter." Hermes shook her head, "No, forget it Lupus, I won't let you or anyone else take this world." Lupus sighed: "Very well, THEN DIE!!"
As the last echo of Lupus's roar shook the heavens, the ground split beneath him in a perfect circle, erupting in a storm of obsidian flame and violet lightning. The air warped. Trees miles away cracked apart. The sky above dimmed—not from clouds, but from his raw, unfiltered presence. A divine aura poured from his body like blood from a wound, thick, choking, undeniable. Kazan stepped forward, torn between fury and disbelief. "Dad, please… this isn't you!" Lupus didn't even look at her. His body began to morph—his muscles grew denser, his fur darkened to midnight black, laced with glowing crimson light. Eyes like twin suns locked onto Hermes. The earth at his feet melted into glass. "You wanted a fight?" he growled, voice like a growl through a cosmic storm. "Then I'll give you a fight." BOOM.
In an instant, Lupus vanished, reappearing right in front of Hermes with a meteor punch that she barely blocked. The shockwave flattened the entire crystalline shoreline, sending the others flying backward. Hermes skidded across the track, steam hissing off her blade as she repelled the blow.
"Fast…" she muttered. "Faster than before." Before she could recover, Lupus was already above her, palms glowing. "Divine Burst: Crucible Fang!" A crimson wolf-shaped explosion tore down from the sky, engulfing Hermes in blinding red heat. But a flash of silver shot upward from the blast—Hermes, spinning with a spiraling slash, cleaved the energy wolf in half and kicked Lupus through a pillar of crystal water. CRACK!
He landed hard, but rose grinning, blood dripping from his lip, and laughed. "YES! That's the power I wanted! Don't hold back!" Meanwhile, the others regrouped. Ungar looked like he was ready to charge in, but Yadala grabbed his arm. "No," she said, eyes locked on the duel. "This is her fight right now." The tide of the battle surged. Hermes unleashed a flurry of strikes with the Spirit Blade—each swing slicing through time itself, momentary rifts opening behind every arc. But Lupus adapted, parrying with monstrous strength, moving like a beast possessed. For every cut she made, he retaliated with a brutal counter, his fists wrapped in cosmic flame. Then Lupus slammed both palms into the earth.
"RISE—DREAD LUNAR PALACE!" The ground ruptured—and a monolith of black stone burst forth, a towering moon-temple suspended in the sky, ringed with fangs of light. From it, beams of divine magic shot down in chaotic patterns, warping gravity itself. Hermes leapt between them like lightning—but even she misjudged the last beam. It hit her shoulder—BANG!—and launched her into the cliffside, cracking her armor. "HERMES!" Nelly screamed, raising a hand—but Hermes rose slowly, wiping blood from her lip. "I'm fine." She walked out of the crater, eyes burning now with focused fury, the mark of Myrhandra on her palm glowing. "Lupus… You're powerful. I can feel it. But this world doesn't belong to tyrants." She lifted the Spirit Blade with both hands—and it sang. Its edge shimmered with every element—fire, water, wind, earth, lightning… and something more ancient. "Let me show you what earned power looks like." She slammed the blade into the ground. Instantly, the Spirit Realm roared. From the sky descended the ghostly echoes of all the Guardians she'd defeated—their divine forms surrounding her in a cyclone of light. Myrhandra's voice rang through the ether.
"Summon: TIDE UNCHAINED!" Water exploded upward from the track, forming massive serpents of spirit energy that wrapped around Hermes's arms. Her body lit with symbols—every battle, every lesson, every wound engraved in divine language. Hermes charged. Lupus grinned and met her halfway. The force of their collision shattered the air. Sky and sea twisted around them, time itself glitching as their blows broke dimensional law. Punches met blades. Howls met war cries. It was speed against will. Power against principle. In one final burst, Hermes surged forward, her blade burning with the essence of the realm. "CELESTIAL VERDICT!!" She slashed straight down, not to kill—but to break the flow of his energy. Lupus caught the blade with both hands—his arms cracking from the force—but it didn't kill him. The blow forced him to one knee. The aura around him cracked like a shell. Hermes said standing over him: "I'll spare you Lupus, Kazan is my friend, and I know your destiny is already written." Lupus giggled: "That's what you think." He shot a blast from his hand and in an instant he was above unleashing a barrage of ki blasts, it was clear Lupus was another level from Hermes and she was thrown to the sand on the shoreline of the beautiful sea. It was over. Lupus had one. He stood over Hermes gritting her teeth. Lupus smiled: "Goodbye, Prophet." But before anything BOOM a massive ki blast hit Lupus from the back. Above them was someone that looked familiar, it was Hermes? But wait, there's something different about her. What the hell is going on? Find out in the following chapter.