Chapter 455: Lotus of the Crimson Eclipse
The vortex of black petals and swirling ink struck Deiora’s blazing aura head-on.
For a moment, the two forces hung suspended and locked in a struggle that sent shockwaves rippling through the clearing. The ground beneath them cracked, splintered, and gave way as the sheer pressure of their collision carved a deep trench across the battlefield.
Then Deiora’s aura surged.
Crimson and gold exploded outward, wrapping around his body like a second skin. His veins pulsed brighter, thicker, the golden light spreading across his entire frame until he seemed to be carved from molten metal and living fire. His muscles swelled, his form growing denser, more imposing, as the Demonic Vajra Body reached its peak.
"Such petty tricks cannot overcome me!" Deiora’s voice boomed, resonant with power. "Your darkness means nothing before the light of true strength!"
He thrust his palm forward, and the black vortex shattered. The petals scattered, dissolving into wisps of shadow that evaporated in the face of his blazing aura.
Lilith’s eyes flicked toward Isolde, her voice low and sharp. "That attack... it had the same mana signature as Adam’s."
Isolde’s hands lowered slowly, the last remnants of black petals dissolving from her fingertips. Her voice was calm, measured, but carried a note of quiet certainty.
"This is a mode that allows me to use mana connected to Adam’s soul. I only borrowed a concept—nothing more. I took nothing from him." She paused, glancing down at her hands, where the darkness had faded back to her usual crimson. "It makes the color denser, more concentrated. That’s probably why you thought it felt like his."
Lilith’s fingers curled, threads of silver light spinning between them like silk spun from moonlight. Her eyes gleamed with amusement as she studied the fragments of Soulreaver floating around her.
"A concept, you say..." Her voice was soft, almost reverent. "How fascinating. I almost envy you, Isolde."
Isolde’s petals swirled around her, black and crimson, pulsing with contained power. Her voice was sharp, focused, cutting through Lilith’s musings like a blade.
"Don’t envy me. This mode has its weaknesses—it drains my soul and mana reserves heavily. It’s not something I can sustain indefinitely." Her gaze snapped to Deiora’s advancing form. "So instead of talking, let’s focus on attacking."
Lilith’s smile widened, her threads already weaving through the air, forming intricate patterns that pulsed with dark light. The shards of Soulreaver aligned behind her like a phantom army, each one humming with contained energy.
"Relax. I’ve already prepared everything."
She flicked her wrist, and the shards shot forward.
Deiora took a heavy step forward, his voice rumbling across the battlefield like distant thunder.
"Where is your attack, Isolde? This is far too underwhelming."
The shards struck.
Deiora’s hand shot up, catching the first wave of Soulreaver fragments mid-flight. The black blades shattered against his palm, dissolving into motes of silver light. His grin widened, a cold, triumphant light flickering in his eyes.
"Is that all you—"
A second wave of shards struck from his blind spot, carving shallow lines across his back. Deiora’s eyes widened, a sharp hiss of surprise escaping his lips. He spun, his fist already swinging, but Lilith’s threads had already pulled her out of reach.
Lilith’s voice drifted across the clearing, light and teasing.
"Surprise."
Deiora’s aura flared, golden veins pulsing with barely contained fury.
"You bitc—"
The black petals descended like a storm.
Isolde’s attack struck Deiora from above, a cascade of obsidian blades that tore through his aura and carved deep gashes across his shoulders. The impact drove him to one knee, his massive form shuddering under the weight of the assault.
Lilith’s threads shot forward, wrapping around Deiora’s limbs, his torso, his throat, anchoring him in place.
"Don’t let him recover!"
Isolde’s blood surged forward, coiling around Deiora’s arms, his legs, his chest, reinforcing Lilith’s threads. The combined bindings held him pinned, his aura flickering as he struggled against the weight of their assault.
"Lord Deiora!" Celine called out, her voice edged with panic.
Deiora’s head snapped up, a low, guttural growl escaping his throat.
"I’m not done yet!"
His aura exploded outward, crimson and gold, a shockwave of pure force that shattered the bindings and sent Lilith and Isolde staggering back.
Lilith landed in a crouch, her threads already reforming around her fingers.
"He’s still got fight left in him."
Isolde’s blood pooled around her feet, her breathing steady despite the strain.
"Then we’ll just have to hit him again and again until he stays down."
Deiora straightened, rolling his shoulders as the remnants of Isolde’s attack dissipated. A wide, eager grin spread across his face.
"Haha! That was a good hit. I felt that one."
Deiora launched himself upward, his massive form ascending into the air like a boulder shot from a catapult. The ground beneath him cratered from the force of his leap, dust and debris spiraling in his wake.
Lilith’s crimson eyes tracked his ascent, her threads already coiling around her fingers. "He’s going to come down hard—"
"I know." Isolde’s blood rose around her, forming a dense, layered shield. "Brace yourself."
Deiora descended like a falling star.
The impact was cataclysmic. The ground buckled and shattered, fissures spider-webbing outward from the point of impact, sending shockwaves rippling across the battlefield. Dust and debris exploded outward, blinding and suffocating.
Deiora’s fist shot forward, aimed directly at Lilith’s chest.
The Touch Bracelet flared to life—a shimmering barrier of translucent light that snapped into place just as Deiora’s fist struck. The barrier held for a fraction of a second, then shattered. The force of the blow sent Lilith flying backward, her body tumbling across the blood-soaked earth before she skidded to a halt, gasping.
Isolde moved with her crown shifted, the black petals swirling around her as they coalesced into a blade of condensed shadow and crimson. The sword hummed with dark power, its surface rippling with veins of black and red, as she swept it upward to meet Deiora’s follow-up strike.
The clash was thunderous.
Isolde’s blade met Deiora’s fist, and for a moment, they hung suspended but the force was too great. Isolde was hurled backward, her boots carving trenches in the earth as she fought to maintain her footing.
Deiora straightened, rolling his shoulders with a low, rumbling chuckle. His massive arms spread wide, drinking in the chaos around him.
"My body is heating up... This is incredible. Show me more! Give me everything you have!"
Lilith’s body tensed, the pain in her chest flaring as she forced herself to rise. Her hand shot forward, her crimson gaze blazing.
"[Crimson Gaze]."
The psychic pressure slammed into Deiora’s mind, a sharp, invasive force that clawed at his thoughts. His body locked, just for a moment—a frozen frame in the chaos of battle.
Isolde shot forward, her blade trailing a wake of swirling black petals as she drove it toward Deiora’s exposed chest.
"[Black Petal Execution]!"
The attack was swift, precise, a strike meant to end the fight. The black petals converged on the blade’s edge, amplifying its power as it descended toward Deiora’s heart.
Deiora’s hand shot up, catching the blade.
His fingers closed around the edge, and the black petals scattered, their momentum broken. A thin line of crimson welled from the wound, but Deiora’s grin only widened.
"Good," he rumbled, his voice carrying a note of genuine satisfaction. "Very good."
He squeezed, and the blade shattered.
Isolde stepped back, her breath coming in sharp, controlled bursts. The obsidian petals around her began to flicker, their edges growing faint as her form wavered—the strain of the Black Rose Eternity mode finally taking its toll.
Deiora’s cold eyes tracked her movement, a slow, mocking smile spreading across his scarred features.
"Seems you’re reaching your limit, Isolde. I didn’t expect you to have grown this weak."
Isolde’s lips curved into a thin, tired smile. Her voice, though strained, carried the same sharp edge it always had.
"Heh... it seems you’re still the same as ever. A fool who only knows how to punch." She paused, her gaze steady. "This is where it ends, Deiora."
Deiora’s grin faltered. Something in her tone sent a ripple of unease through his ancient instincts. His eyes narrowed, searching for the trap.
"Lord Deiora! Above you!" Celine shouted with all her might, her voice cutting through the chaos of the battlefield.
He looked up and the sky above him shimmered, the illusion that had cloaked the battlefield peeling away like a veil of morning mist. Suspended above him, a massive flower bud hung in the air—its petals tightly closed, pulsating with a deep, crimson light.
Lilith’s lips curved into a thin, satisfied smile as she watched Deiora’s gaze snap upward.
"Did you really think I was just playing around back there?" she murmured. "I’ve been weaving this little surprise since the moment you arrived."
Deiora’s eyes widened. His internal voice was sharp with realization.
’So she was hiding her illusion power from the very beginning?!’
Deiora tried to dodge, but it was already too late. He flooded his body with aura, channeling every ounce of power into his Demonic Vajra Body to withstand the attack. The massive bud descended upon him.
It struck him square in the chest, and the impact sent a shockwave rippling through the clearing. The petals unfurled in a slow motion, each one revealing a core of concentrated, destructive energy—a fusion of Isolde’s blood magic and the lingering essence of the Black Rose Eternity.
Isolde stood with both arms spread wide, the black petals swirling around her like a living storm.
"[Lotus of the Crimson Eclipse]."
The flower bloomed.
A wave of crimson and shadow erupted from the petals, engulfing Deiora’s massive form in a vortex of devouring energy. The ground beneath him cracked and splintered, the air itself seeming to warp under the weight of the attack.
"Lord Deiora—!"