The fragmented shadow world trembled with three forces unleashing their aura.
The instant Shirley and Isabella unleashed their full might, the thick fog churned like boiling water, clearing away. Space rippled under their pressure, and the sheer elemental force they radiated caused the darkness in the surroundings to recoil. Their aura, one blazing like a heavenly fairy with heaven-shattering icefire, the other rumbling with earth's unyielding might merged into a force that pushed back the darkest night.
The Nefarious Darkwill Rakshasa halted, its crescent forehead eye narrowing ever so slightly. Its long, ink-black robes fluttered despite the terrifying force the two women projected, and its six undulating tendrils hissed in resistance, shaking off the pressuring force that bore down upon it.
"Careful…!"
Shirley shouted as she twirled her hand, forming a flaming lotus of scarlet and white, sending it directly at the towering being. The lotus grew to a greater size and fell upon the dark being.
*Boom!~*
The lotus exploded upon impact, causing a shockwave that scattered the mist for hundreds and thousands of meters. It illuminated the shadow realm in a burst of star-like light, revealing more shadow spirits in hiding, watching wide-eyed as the felt like the unthinkable had occurred- someone had actually dared to attack the Greater One.
No, it was two beings.
The Nefarious Darkwill Rakshasa didn't fall, but it was forced to raise its tendrils in defense. They crossed like an obsidian cage and absorbed the brunt of the lotus before they could explode, flickering violently with silver-black light.
A deep growl echoed from the figure- not quite a voice, but not just a noise either. It was an expression of acknowledgment… of interest.
Then it struck.
Faster than something that large should move, one of its tendrils pierced forward like a cosmic spear, heading straight toward Shirley.
Isabella, already in front, slammed her foot into the ground.
*Booom!*
Earthen bulwarks shot up as four towering crystal walls formed from condensed earth dragon energy. The tendril shattered three in succession, each explosion shaking the area, but the fourth wall held as Isabella's body radiated a crimson-gold brilliance. She gritted her teeth, golden veins glowing across her arms as she braced against the final blow.
"Shirley!" Isabella shouted, "Suppress it!"
"Got it!"
Shirley shot into the air, wings of ice fire blooming behind her. From above, she could see it clearly now. The Greater One wasn't mindlessly attacking. It was… trying to absorb them like it tried to do for that little spirit, its tendrils trying to weave through the gaps as they tried to capture Isabella.
Fortunately, it didn't chase the fleeing Bylai or the others, fully intent on battling them. Still, they must make sure that Bylai and the others gained enough distance. Otherwise, just the shockwaves from their battle could greatly injure them.
Both she and Isabella had crossed a minor stage than the others in terms of prowess, after all. This Nefarious Darkwill Rakshasa also appeared to be the same.
A streak of scarlet-white flames shot down from the sky. Shirley raised her arms and conjured a phoenix-shaped flare, crashing it into the tendril, and for the first time, it reeled as they became covered in icy crystals that burned inside, hardening its blood until it might explode.
Purple blood spilled from it, and when it froze into icy-purple crystals, it appeared even more devilish.
The Nefarious Darkwill Rakshasa took two steps back, the mist coiling around its feet, dispersing as its robes fluttered with impact.
Then, unexpectedly, it stopped.
It raised a hand.
The six tendrils froze midair and retracted slightly.
"...Interesting," a sick womanly voice echoed.
It wasn't a voice from its mouth but from within the fragmented realm itself echoing from it.
"You two are not like the others… You do not flee in fear. Such strange beings…"
Shirley hovered midair, eyes narrowed. "A Realm Calamity like you can speak?"
"Speak? I learned that quite a while ago from the spirits." Its voice was cold but not overtly hostile, "But…"
Behind, the little darkness spirit still trembled in Bylai's arms as they had fled only a few thousand kilometers away, watching everything unfold occasionally. Their clash had resulted in the fog dispersing, leaving the entirety of the ruins visible.
The Nefarious Darkwill Rakshasa turned its featureless gaze slightly in their direction as if glancing at the little spirit.
"A prey escaped… not worth keeping its settlement alive anymore..." Its words were indifferent.
Shirley frowned deeply, "What?"
Her voice echoed like thunder.
"From their settlement, she is my… tribute of once a hundred years..."
A chilling silence fell as the Nefarious Darkwill Rakshasa declared.
But to Shirley and Isabella, that was all the confirmation they needed.
This being, the Greater One, thought of itself as a deity and ruled this fragmented world with tyranny and carnage.
It was unexpected that this Realm Calamity gained sentience and was even able to speak.
Of course, most calamities were capable of it, but for that, they would've needed to have lived for a long time and have their soul nurtured. Most calamities would be destroyed before they could grow, so they were now in front of a Realm Calamity that had an intelligent glow in its eyes and a formless mouth with a vocabulary capable of communication.
Even then, it still lived tyrannically and wickedly as its nature foreordained.
"Do you have tributes?"
The Nefarious Darkwill Rakshasa turned to look at them before gazing toward Freya.
"That little phoenix looks delicious… I never had a magical beast in like a million years…"
"You sick freak. You like the essence you're absorbing as young as possible, huh?"
Shirley scoffed. Her eyes were wide, swirling with fury.
"Yes. A young essence isn't far from the origin of life. The longer the lifespan of the essence is, although it would've matured, that is not what I need…" The Nefarious Darkwill Rakshasa's ghastly female voice echoed, "However… I do not know if a magical beast's essence at its infancy will-"
"Shut up~"
Shirley landed beside Isabella, their aura still undulating vividly.
"You're going to die today. How do you feel about that?"
"Die…?"
"I do not know death." The Nefarious Darkwill Rakshasa said as though it was a matter of fact.
"Oh really?" Shirley scoffed, "Do you really think you won't die? Do you know who I am and what I can do? You recognize a phoenix but are unable to recognize me, the princess of the human race, the glory of our galaxy, the radiant flame empress from the heavens, the cool demonic fairy from the underworld, the bearer of-"
She continued talking, spitting bullshit until-
"They successfully left the area." Isabella sent her a soul transmission.
"Is that so?" Shirley's lips curled, "No more hiding our prowess then."
"No, this is a rare opportunity. Make it learn that the human race is something that it should fear even if it managed to escape somehow. I suspect it has fused with this fragmented shadow world since the Nefarious Darkwill Rakshasa is said to be able to take control of the heaven and earth energy by burrowing its dark Will into the atmosphere. It is more like how Davis fuses Enigmatic Heart Laws and Life Laws to make the hostile heaven and earth energy obey him. Otherwise, it shouldn't be so strong even if it has consumed many resources here…"
"I see…" Shirley's gaze flickered as understood.
It finally made sense to her.
She took out her Icefire Duality Spear, her figure blazing with scarlet-white flames, "No wonder it said it doesn't know death. I guess we'll have to teach it what it means to feel pain then."
"Yes~"
Isabella took out a pair of gauntlets that instantly molded on top of her fists. They had dragon marks that were runes etched to incorporate the power of the dragons and could even produce dragon claws. She brandished her fists, a faint wisp of chaotic energy oozing out from it while being powered by her Emperor-Tier Earth Dragon's earth energy!
With the Chaotic Spacequake Gauntlets, she didn't know how much pain she was going to inflict on this Realm Calamity.
The Nefarious Darkwill Rakshasa visibly reeled once it witnessed these weapons. The piercing and immense aura that emerged from them made it feel as though these things were a threat for the first time but little did it know the ones holding these armaments were monsters who were about to unleash their full prowess.