High above the battlefield, two figures hovered in midair, locked in an intense standoff.
The wind howled around them, whipping at their clothes as magic crackled between them like a brewing storm.
The time for testing each other was over.
This fight was about to reach its final, decisive moments.
Most grand mage battles did not end in the skies, but any mage worth their title had at least one way to fight in the air.
Leaving themselves vulnerable to aerial attacks would be foolish, and neither Alex nor Arceus were fools.
Arceus spun his [Staff of the Moon Jade] in his grip, his expression a mixture of amusement and anticipation.
Then, without a moment’s hesitation, he pointed the staff at Alex, his voice ringing through the air.
Oblivion Lance!
A swirling mass of dark energy formed at the tip of his staff, expanding outward and shaping itself into a colossal black lance, pulsing with the raw power of destruction.
With a flick of his wrist, Arceus sent the deadly projectile hurtling toward Alex.
Oblivion Lance (Artifact++)
[Effect: Summons a massive dark lance infused with destruction magic. Upon impact, it ignites a cataclysmic explosion, wiping out everything in a 10-kilometer radius.]
Alex’s golden eyes flicked toward the incoming attack, his mind working rapidly.
He had already calculated how many Destiny Points he needed to secure victory, and the number was close, but not quite there.
[Destiny Points: 52/150]
‘Around seventy more, and I should be able to win,’ Alex thought, keeping his breathing steady.
He already had a plan, but it required patience.
He could not afford to waste Destiny Points recklessly, nor could he afford to let Arceus’ attacks land too often.
That meant he had to make a choice: dodge and prolong the battle, or take the hit and use his ability to negate the damage.
He chose the latter.
Alex beat his wings, propelling himself forward, but not in an attempt to evade.
Instead, he let the [Oblivion Lance] close the distance.
The moment it struck.
BOOM!
The sky itself seemed to shatter from the sheer force of the impact.
A devastating explosion of dark magic engulfed Alex, swallowing him whole.
But then.
Destiny Shift!
[Undoing Arceus’ damage…]
The explosion’s aftermath faded, revealing Alex completely unharmed, his body glowing faintly with golden energy.
Arceus narrowed his eyes, gripping his staff tighter.
He was not surprised.
He knew Alex’s capabilities well enough by now.
“Still relying on that, huh?” he muttered.
Alex exhaled sharply.
His plan was working, but Arceus was not making it easy.
The Grand Mage was intentionally forcing him to use Destiny Shift over and over again, making sure that if Alex slipped up even once, he would die for real.
‘He knows what I’m doing,’ Alex realized, ‘If I stay on the defensive, I’ll just keep getting forced into a corner.’
His expression hardened.
It was time for a new strategy.
For most of the fight, he had been carefully maneuvering, trying to find a way to strike at Arceus without overexerting himself.
But maybe that was not the answer.
Maybe he had been overthinking things.
Maybe the solution was the same as it had always been.
Brute force his way to victory.
Alex smiled, making his decision in an instant.
Full offense.
Without hesitation, he flapped his wings and shot forward at blinding speed.
He crossed the gap between him and Arceus in an instant, his claws glowing with golden energy.
Arceus smirked.
“Changing strategies, huh?”
He twirled his staff and activated a defensive spell.
Supreme Magic Barrier!
A translucent barrier formed around him just as Alex struck.
SLASH! CRACK!
The barrier shattered immediately, but before Alex could follow up, Arceus extended his hand.
Celestial Judgment!
A flash of light tore through the battlefield as the twelve golden swords from before materialized in the air again, all pointing toward Alex.
FWISH! CLASH!
Alex’s claws met the first sword, deflecting it.
He swung again, only for another to intercept his attack.
Two more times, the same thing happened.
And then.
BAM!
Arceus delivered a precise kick to Alex’s chest, sending him flying back.
“I also had to train my strength to join the order, you know?”
The twelve swords positioned themselves around Arceus in a perfect circle, glowing ominously.
The Grand Mage smiled.
“Lesson number one,” he said calmly, “Just because we’re mages does not mean we’re defenseless in close combat. In fact, most of us are better than average.”
Alex exhaled, regaining his balance.
This was not working.
Arceus was too well-defended.
But then, an idea struck him.
The holy swords: they were not obstacles, they were opportunities.
He needed more Destiny Points.
And the best way to farm them was by avoiding or deflecting attacks without using Destiny Shift.
Alex’s golden eyes gleamed.
This was perfect.
Arceus gestured, sending all twelve swords flying toward him.
And this time, Alex did not use [Threads of Fate].
Instead, he simply watched.
Golden energy radiated from his eyes as he focused, tracking each blade’s movement.
And then, he began to move.
Like a shadow weaving through the light, he dodged, spun, ducked, and deflected.
Fwish! Slash! Clang!
He barely moved more than necessary, each action perfectly calculated to conserve energy while still evading the relentless barrage.
Even Arceus frowned.
“What is he doing…?’ the Grand Mage thought.
Alex was not destroying the swords.
He was not even counterattacking.
He was letting them chase him on purpose.
As if he wanted them for some very particular reason.
But this was stupid.
Why would anybody let these swords, which could cut them down in a single attack if they got him in a critical position, stay around?
[Destiny Points: 72/150]
‘More…’ Alex thought.
Slash! Slash!
A couple of blades clipped him, cutting his skin, but it did not matter.
As long as he did not take full damage, he was still in control.
[Destiny Points: 95/150]
‘MORE…!’
Arceus sensed something was wrong as the aura around Alex’s body began to swirl and power up.
He clenched his staff: no more games.
With a swift motion, he activated another powerful ability, one that had made him win countless battles because of how much of an advantage it gave him.
“As long as you are within my range…” Arceus whispered, “Then it is MY victory!”
Fwish!
ARCANE DOMAIN!
[Effect: Creates a 200-meter radius domain where Arceus’ spells cost 90% less mana and are twice as powerful.]
[Duration: 1 minute.]
A shimmering dome of energy formed around them, amplifying Arceus’ magic exponentially.
The twelve holy swords sped up. Explore hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire
Alex gritted his teeth, but he did not falter.
Arceus raised his staff, preparing to unleash one final attack.
Grand Arcane Explosion!
[Effect: Targets a location, unleashing a massive explosion of pure mana, dealing 100,000% Spirit damage in a 3-kilometer radius.]
Arceus’ Spirit Attribute was over 5,000,000.
That meant this spell was going to hit for 50,000,000,000 damage.
A guaranteed instant kill.
But Alex was not worried.
Because…
[Destiny Points: 127/150]
‘NOW!’
Alex’s golden eyes locked onto Arceus.
His wings flared wide as he surged forward.
The twelve holy swords chased him.
The Arcane Domain burned around him.
Everything was against him.
And yet, Alex grinned.
‘You and me, Arceus.’
Because this was the moment he had been waiting for, eerything had aligned for him to enact his plan.
It was time to end this.