Eventually Sil managed to fall asleep. His sleep, however, was anything but restful. Still lost in his memories, guilt permiating his very core. He tossed and turned as he relived that horrible scene, forced to witness the look in her eyes, tormenting himself subconsciously.
***
They approached under the veil of shadow and secrecy, guided only by the muted glow of dying stars overhead. The jagged obsidian peaks loomed ominously, silhouetted against an oppressive sky of swirling violet, their reflections cast sharply on the endless sea of black glass beneath their feet.
Sil moved silently, a cloth mask obscuring his features, the fabric rippling faintly in the alien wind. His pulse quickened as Oriun's imposing form became clear in the distance. The celestial stood alone at the foot of a crystalline monolith, its softly humming facets casting eerie, shifting glimmers across his ornate armor. His alabaster hair danced gently, unbothered, yet Sil recognized the dark fury burning in those violet eyes.
"Now," Bliss whispered gently, her voice calm yet edged with urgency, "We strike together, quickly and decisively. No hesitation, Sil. This moment is critical."
Sil gave a brief nod, muscles taut, every nerve alert. Without another word, they burst forward, the cloth mask flying free from Sil's face, revealing eyes ablaze with raw determination.
Oriun turned, startled, raising his guard—but too late. Sil crashed against him like a tempest unleashed, each strike precise, lightning-fast, fueled by an adrenaline surge of confidence. Sil's fists crackled with power as he hammered Oriun backward, strike after strike landing effortlessly against armor and flesh.
Oriun staggered, sinking down to one knee, eyes wide in shock. Sil smiled darkly, breathless but triumphant.
"Too easy," Sil laughed bitterly, fists raised, standing over the fallen celestial. "Your arrogance was your downfall, Oriun—"
Pain erupted suddenly across his back, a searing agony lancing through him. He stumbled forward, disoriented. Another blow struck hard, his head spinning violently as he crashed to his knees, gravel and glass slicing his palms open.
"What—?" he gasped, panic flaring.
Turning, Sil's heart sank. Vespara stood towering over him, molten red lines glowing violently across obsidian armor. A fierce smile twisted her lips, golden eyes burning with ruthless delight. But worse, Morvidk had already snared Bliss. A chain of ghostly azure magic shackled Bliss's wrists, sizzling as they neutralized her prophetic gifts. Her emerald eyes widened in helpless shock, unable to struggle against Morvidk's unyielding grip.
The ambush was complete, their trap sprung flawlessly.
"Bliss!" Sil shouted, terror tightening his throat. But the moment's distraction cost him dearly.
Morvidk's eyes flickered with cruel elegance, and suddenly Sil's vision twisted, fracturing violently. Reality melted, replaced by a shifting labyrinth of nightmarish illusions. Memories merged grotesquely, faces of friends and foes distorting into monstrous visages that screamed betrayal, taunting him relentlessly. He fought desperately, channeling every ounce of mental strength, straining his MC cells with reckless disregard, barely holding onto sanity.
Through the haze of pain and confusion, Vespara and Oriun attacked in savage unison, Vespara's blows bone-shattering, Oriun's attacks were precise and ruthless. Sil twisted desperately, evading fatal strikes by inches, gasping, lungs aflame with exhaustion, barely keeping himself upright. Blood trickled from his lips, limbs trembling violently, every cell in his body shrieking for release.
His internal energy dwindled rapidly—his precious reserve of MC cells drained dangerously low. The moment approached swiftly when he'd have just enough left to teleport away, to finish the mission, to drop the forged Godslayer crystal, setting their entire plan in motion. But his eyes caught Bliss, helpless, shackled, emerald gaze locked firmly onto his.
He couldn't leave her. Not Bliss.
His heart wrenched violently. His mission was clear, the stakes astronomical. But Bliss was right there, trapped and defenseless.
Summoning courage from depths he didn't know he possessed, he lunged toward her, determination flaring desperately—only to freeze, staggered by the sheer force of her gaze. Bliss stared back with absolute conviction, eyes clear of fear, filled instead with quiet resolve and determination. She shook her head once—slow, deliberate—her meaning piercing his soul.
She was ready to die here if necessary. Earth must survive. Sil knew exactly what she asked of him.
"No—" he whispered, voice cracking, pleading quietly with himself more than her. But deep down, he understood. He'd known all along. Their mission was paramount.
Agony etched clearly upon his battered face, Sil forced himself backward, aligning carefully, bracing for Vespara and Oriun's next coordinated assault. He drew breath, every muscle tense, mind laser-focused. He had but one chance—one heartbeat of perfect timing.
They lunged simultaneously, lethal energy cascading forward. In that fraction of a second, Sil activated the clone copy, teleporting himself instantaneously out of harm's way. The clone stood in his place, arms raised defiantly, holding the crystal hidden, carefully within the palm of his hand. Before Oriun's deadly strike met flesh, the clone was already fast at work in his mind, his duty well received. He immediately began to conjure an impeccable illusion, timed to absolute perfection, the trick already created and sent out so the illusory scene would be clearly visible at the exact same time that his body was struck. The illusion made it look like his body appeared to dissipate into shimmering motes of silvery dust, the crystal tumbling dramatically to the black sand.
In the violent chaos, and lingering debris that was blown into the air by the sheer force of the attack, visibility was momentarily obstructed. Until the dust settled no one would be able to see Sil, and even then his illusion ability ensured that no one noticed the quiet puff of smoke signaling the clone's true disappearance. Sil was gone. The illusion not only concealed the clones true nature, but it gave the godslayer's death the accurate visage of a godslayer slaying. Sealing the deal for any who may have doubted the demise of earth's mighty champion.
On the alien shore, beneath the towering monolith, the three celestials stood victorious, eyes gleaming in triumph. Oriun reached down slowly, lifting the forged crystal with a satisfied smirk. The trio turned toward Bliss, the oracle's shackled figure appearing fragile and isolated beneath their cruel gaze.
"Your precious Godslayer is dead," Oriun purred maliciously, stepping closer, eyes darkening malevolently.
Bliss met his gaze unflinching, her chin raised defiantly. "You've won nothing," she spoke softly, voice calm despite her precarious fate. "Sil was never your true adversary."
Oriun merely smiled, slow and wicked, his expression terrifyingly gentle in its cruelty. Vespara chuckled, molten crimson pulsing hungrily along her armored frame. Morvidk's emerald eyes glittered coldly, elegant and amused.
"And now, Oracle," Oriun murmured silkily, leaning close to her ear, savoring the subtle tremble beneath her calm façade, "Let us show you exactly what we intend to do to you."
The other two celestials laughed darkly, their harsh voices mingling with the eerie howl of wind echoing across obsidian mountains. Bliss closed her eyes, breathing steady, defiance still radiating from every fiber, even as their sinister laughter echoed mercilessly beneath the churning violet sky.