NOVPUBDestiny Shift!
[Undoing death…]
Two blinding lights tore across the battlefield, as both Alex and Kaelios reformed, flesh and bone rewoven from light, soul tethered once more to the world of the living.
Their forms stabilized in seconds, and they slowly opened their eyes, fully revived after sacrificing ten Destiny Points each.
Not far away, Selvaron and Lunareth stood calmly, unfazed by the sight.
In truth, they had expected something like this from the start.
The fact that both enemies had been killed so quickly earlier was more of a warning than a victory.
"This won't be that easy," Selvaron muttered, his sharp eyes narrowed.
"They're not immortal, but we'll have to kill them multiple times, they rely on revivals more than durability."
Lunareth gave a short nod.
"Then we make sure they don't have the time to breathe."
The air had shifted.
There was no smugness left on either of their faces, only quiet, focused aggression.
They were preparing to end this properly.
Alex and Kaelios slowly rose to their feet, their gazes locking with the enemies who had ended their lives moments ago.
Kaelios gripped his sword tightly as golden light swirled around it, while Alex's projectiles spun around him in a vortex of deadly motion, their orbit tightening with tension.
"They're using moonscorch," Alex warned, eyes flicking to the glowing moon above them.
"That moon increases their percentage the longer we stay under it, the higher it goes, the more powerful they become, at 100%, we're dead, we can't let them reach it."
Kaelios heard him, but there was no time to dwell on it.
Selvaron was already dashing forward, blade raised and eyes burning silver.
Threads of Fate.
Kaelios activated the skill without hesitation.
Threads shimmered into being around Selvaron's limbs, illuminating his future movements.
Kaelios weaved between them, narrowly avoiding each strike, his sword clashing against Selvaron's with sparks and force that echoed across the arena.
Elsewhere, Alex was face-to-face with Lunareth.
She stood poised, calm, and deadly.
Her silver hair glistened like moonlight, and her presence alone was oppressive.
Alex wasted no time.
[You have selected the "Orb of Cataclysm."]
The artifact activated in his hand.
He pointed it directly at her, golden power pulsing from the core.
It was designed to annihilate targets, but then—
Slash!
[Moon Deflection.]
In one swift movement, Lunareth cut the orb cleanly in two.
Her blade shimmered with moonlight, empowered by the silver orb in the sky.
The explosion Alex had counted on never came.
Instead, only silence followed as fragments of the orb clattered harmlessly to the ground.
"Dammit."
Slash! Slash! Slash!
She pressed the attack without hesitation.
Alex was forced to block and dodge, but he managed to hold his ground, pushing her back with counterblasts of spirit energy and momentum shifts.
At the same time, his mind was racing.
The [Celestial Judgment] blades.
They floated nearby, waiting for commands.
Usually, he'd send them directly at an opponent, but this time, his eyes flicked to the moon.
That damn moon was fueling them.
Keeping it alive meant giving them the upper hand.
He didn't hesitate.
"Twelve blades, strike the moon."
The golden blades shot upward, leaving glowing trails behind them.
They crossed the sky in seconds, racing toward the glowing orb above.
But the moment they neared it—
[The moon has detected an attack. Initiating countermeasure.]
"What…?"
A brilliant silver wave exploded outward.
In one instant, the shockwave tore through the sky and shattered all twelve blades like glass.
The pieces scattered and burned out, their holy light extinguished.
Failure.
[Moonscorch: 80%]
The bar was rising.
Each second brought their enemies closer to full strength.
Kaelios roared in fury from across the field.
Eclipse of Fate!
A golden spear formed in his hand, forged from condensed Destiny Points.
The air cracked from the pressure of it, light streaking behind its sharp edge.
He hurled it at Selvaron with a roar.
[Eclipse of Fate – Kaelios condenses Destiny Points into an unstoppable energy spear, throwing it at an enemy. If it lands, the spear explodes in a wide area, dealing massive damage and delaying all enemy skills on cooldown by 1 minute. (Costs 20 Destiny Points)]
But just like Alex's attack—
SLASH!
Selvaron raised his blade and cut straight through the spear mid-air.
The light dispersed.
The attack was nullified.
[Moon Deflection.]
[Moonscorch: 90%]
"They can cut through anything," Alex muttered, his jaw tight.
His mind barely had time to process the failure when a sudden blur crossed his vision.
SLASH!
His head flew from his shoulders.
[You have died.]
Even in death, Alex's thoughts didn't stop.
His body was gone, but his awareness lingered.
They're reading us.
Not just predicting our movements, they know what our skills do.
They're countering faster than they should.
That's not luck, that's preparation.
Destiny Shift!
[Undoing death…]
He returned to life again, panting as he stood.
He could feel it, the mounting pressure, the overwhelming momentum.
They were barely surviving now.
The enemies weren't even close to done.
Every moment brought another barrage.
Slash after slash.
Spell after spell.
It became harder to breathe, harder to think.
Kaelios was running low on energy, using only [Destiny Sword] because he couldn't afford to spend more Destiny Points on active skills.
Every skill used meant fewer chances to revive.
Meanwhile, Alex was still holding his own—but only barely.
Lunareth was relentless.
Her attacks came in waves, each more refined and aggressive than the last.
He managed to block [Moon Missiles], evade [Blinding Vision], and keep up with her [Quick Moonlight Steps], but he was taking damage.
Small cuts.
Lingering wounds.
"Why... is it always us... dodging?" Alex growled, blocking another heavy blow from Lunareth's blade.
Kaelios didn't answer immediately.
He dashed forward, landing a single slash across Selvaron's cheek.
Blood sprayed.
Selvaron didn't look annoyed.
He smiled.
"Perfect. It's all in place."
And then it happened.
Fwish!
[Moonscorched: 100%]
["Full Moon" form is available.]
The silver moon above blazed like a second sun.
"Luna," Selvaron called calmly, "It's time. End this."
"On it," she replied, her body glowing as her form grew sharper, faster, stronger.
"MOON BUFF!"
Alex barely saw her move.
In one blink, she appeared in front of him and grabbed him by the arm, throwing him across the battlefield like a toy.
He smashed through stone and dirt, struggling to stabilize himself mid-air.
He flapped his wings, claws tearing through the ground to halt the momentum.
He hadn't had a chance to use the [Wings of Hatred] as a weapon yet, but he'd have to.
It was likely the only edge sharp enough to clash with that damn [Moon Sword].
Selvaron stood tall, light pouring from his silver eyes as the moon's glow intensified behind him.
"You should've killed us early," he said, voice calm, words sharp.
"Or at the very least attacked the moon properly, now it's too late."
Alex wiped blood from his mouth and nose, refusing to reply.
Kaelios backed up as well, expression grim.
"I can't use [World Cleaver]," he muttered.
"Too slow.
And if I waste more DP, I won't revive again."
[Kaelios' Destiny Points: 83/300]
[Alex's Destiny Points: 57/200]
It wasn't enough.
They were almost out of options, and the enemies were stronger than ever.
Selvaron's voice echoed again, taunting.
"Let's see how long you two last."
He turned to Alex.
"I remember you… Blood Valley, wasn't it?
One of my realms."
Alex met his gaze coldly.
"So what?"
"So," Selvaron smiled, "it means that after all this… you'll die in the presence of your realm's true god."
"Enough talking," Lunareth cut in.
"They're weak.
This is done."
"Indeed," Selvaron said, raising his hands.
"Let's show them our real power."
Their confidence was unshakable.
Anyone watching might've assumed it was over already.
But—
Alex's eyes lit with resolve.
No… not yet.
His spirit flared.
Power pulsed through his veins, burning like a second heart.
We'll destroy them.
Even if they predict every move.
Even if they have forbidden skills and full power.
They weren't backing down.
Kaelios stood beside him, jaw tight, sword raised.
They were bloodied, broken, and exhausted, but they were still standing.
Selvaron clasped his hands together, beginning to chant.
"The moon is calling my name.
Come to me, for I will become your subject."
The sky exploded.
BOOM!
A blinding beam of silver light crashed down from the moon, striking Selvaron dead center.
Power erupted around him in waves as the arena trembled beneath their feet.
The full moon had awakened its champion.
