"The prophecy is already unfolding before our eyes... What must we do now, fellow brothers and sisters?"
In an unknown realm of fire and brimstone, several voices spoke to each other with their loud, powerful tones, all while the smell of foul, burning sulphur permeated throughout the air with its oppressive, overwhelming stench.
"The death of our fellow brother, the Ochre Lord, is already a living testament to this. We must begin to act at once, lest our defeat in the future will inevitably come true."
"Indeed, we must make a decision now. Our enemies are already making their moves... The exalted one has even chosen the great herald who will lead their forces..."
The Seven Great Draconians of Old, now reduced to 6 after the death of one of their own at the hands of one of their most loathed enemies... His death, as well as the deaths of the few others of their kind who remained in the mortal realm to sow discord among the humans, had begun to spark a sense of urgency within their ranks, as the events of the prophecy that all of them were too aware of were gradually beginning to take place: the arrival of the worthy mortal who would bring about their defeats and restore order to the wretched, human world that had stagnated after their previous invasion hundreds of years ago...
As the ancient draconians continued to converse with each other however, a lone figure among them would remain silent as he silently observed their discussions... No one would dare to reproach him for his silence though, as all of them were painfully aware of the strength he held among all of them, which was made very clear by the terrifying aura of dominance that his sheerly massive body radiated amidst the figure's complete stillness.
"What say you, Oh Greatest Among Us? It is your decision that will ultimately count, and we urge you to make the final say in this matter."
The powerful draconian still remained silent as the question was posed to him, though it was clear that he was pondering about the correct decision he was to make– eventually though, after a few seconds of remaining quiet within his thoughts, his massive, sharp-teethed mouth would finally open and let out the words that they had all been waiting for...
"Very well then, it shall be so. We shall begin the first steps of our second assault upon the land of creation." his terrible, booming voice echoed throughout the air as he made his proclamation. "Ready our forces... I hereby allow all of you to act in whatever way you see fit."
Savage, reptilian smiles became the expressions of the other draconians, as the desire for bloodshed and chaos immediately became apparent on each of their faces... Finally, after hundreds of years of waiting, they could finally return to the land of creation and wreak havoc upon the miserable lives of those loathsome primates, and they would absolutely take joy in doing so.
"At once, oh Terrible Lord of Malice and Rage. We shall prepare for the second coming as soon as possible..."
________________________________________
Hopelessness... Anguish... As well as the likes of despair... These were the emotions present in the faces of most of the people in the room, and it was obvious why this had all come to be in the first place...
The various important officials of the Mizraean Dynastium had gathered in the throne room's massive chamber for an important discussion, and it was quite apparent that the entire court in visible distress... Who wouldn't be, after all? The disasters that swept through Mizraea's lands were no insignificant matters, and it was evident that a new one was about to arrive upon the next day that would pass.
"And that concludes the summative report, your highness." one of the officials at the center of the room concluded his report with a light bow. "If more disasters continue to happen, it is most definitely certain that our nation won't be able to last. We must find a way to put a stop to them, because we will all be doomed to a slow death otherwise."
"..."
The report he previously gave didn't come as a surprise to most of them at all, as each of the people present in the meeting first-handedly experienced the calamities the befell upon their ravaged lands... From the spreading plague of boils and insects that tormented the people without a clear end in sight, to the near-annihilation of the capital, as well as the complete, undying darkness that had enshrouded their skies and rendered most of their magic-powered machines useless...
It was a miracle that the Mizraeans were even able to persevere this long, as most of the other nations throughout the world would have already given up by the arrival of merely the first disaster...
Why were these misfortunes taking place in their lives though? Was it the retribution they deserved as a result of their dabbling with the arcane force of magick? Or was it for some terrible sin they had shamelessly committed in the past without any regret? As these thoughts rang throughout her mind, the words that came from that lunatic of a dragoness came back to haunt the empress' line of thought, and she couldn't help but feel incredibly bothered by this matter.
"... Are we able to ascertain when and what exactly will the next disaster be? Surely the scrying spells that the mages can perform will help us in this matter?"
"I'm afraid not... All of our magi are busy at the moment. Making them do any more work will only severely hamper us in the long-run."
"W-what about your highness' power? With your ability to control time... Wouldn't your highness be able to foresee what disaster takes place on the next day?"
"... No, unfortunately. My precognition ability only allows me to view what happens in the next few minutes, and I'm currently unable to use it to foretell any more than that." Amenophis answered.
"I-I see... Thank you for answering my questions, your highness..."
"But of course. For now however, we must tell the people to keep holding on... We shall use all the food and water reserves we have left to ensure their survival, and both our scholars and mages will triple their efforts in finding ways for us to recover from the damages we've incurred."
It was definitely the work of that damn dragoness... Who else would have been able to cause catastrophe after catastrophe to wreak havoc upon her people for every day that passed by? Regardless though, if she had truly been the cause of all these disasters, Amenophis was already beginning to consider the only feasible way out of this dilemma, and the thought of it irked the empress' sense of pride and duty as the Dynastium's ruler...
'Submit to us' or so did that crazy woman say to her in their previous meeting, and it was already slowly becoming apparent that it was she who had caused all of this... Will all of it indeed finally come to an end if Amenophis decided to capitulate?
No, she couldn't, and as much as possible she mustn't, as she couldn't tell for certain as to what exactly that insane woman was planning after they choose to surrender to her whims.
Even so, what bothered Amenophis even more, was not her consideration of submitting to that lunatic woman, but something else that wasn't directly connected to the matter they were currently discussing...
"Now as for the army that arrived 10 days ago, I can assure you that-..."
"Your highness, I bring... Terrible news. Please lend me your ears, what I bear right now is not something you can take lightly."
The man who came into their chambers all of a sudden was no other than the royal physician who had been taking care of Amunet's weakening body, and his arrival would quickly earn Amenophis' attention, for if he had taken the time to come all the way here, then something terrible had most likely happened to her daughter.
"Why have you come here...? Did something happen to Amunet?"
The white-robed physician wasted no time in walking towards the empress' seat, as he would then lean to whisper into her right ear the horrible information he wished to say: upon hearing it however, Amenophis' face quickly turned into a complete expression of dread and panic, an emotion that completely unbefitted her usually cold, regal demeanour as the empress of the Dynastium.
"... Continue holding this meeting without me, I'll be taking my leave for now... There is another important matter that I must attend to at once..."
The people in the room quickly responded in unison: with the arrival of the royal physician, they were already aware of what exactly the empress was referring to, and there was no way for them to stop her decision to leave anyway, which was they simply chose to respect her decision without any refutations.
"... We understand, your highness..."
...
...
Empress Amenophis arrived at the bedroom of her daughter Amunet, and it was despairingly evident that her daughter's condition had taken a turn for the worse– while she thankfully hadn't been infected by the plague of boils that still remained widespread in the Dynastium's lands, the crippling illness that had long been present in her body before all the disasters took place had now worsened, and now, Amunet found herself in a closer state of being near death's door more than ever before...
"Leave us... You're temporarily relieved of your duties. Please tell the others to not disturb us and come into the room as you leave."
"I will do so right away, your highness..."
As the physician took his leave, Amenophis immediately dropped her cold, royal facade, her expression becoming heavily concerned and panicked as she placed the palm of her hand upon her daughter's forehead, and she could immediately feel the terrible heat that her body temperatures had reached: not only that however, but Amunet's entire body had quickly been reduced to a thin, wasted husk that no longer resembled what it used to be.
According to the words of the physician, as well as the glaring evidence that was present before her very eyes, it would only be a few days before her body would eventually give up and fall to the disease that was plaguing her, and Amenophis, despite her ability to control and manipulate time, was ultimately helpless in the face of the tragedies that had suddenly arrived into her life.
"..."
"... D-don't worry, dear... You won't die, no.. You're not going to... Keep resting, fight that illness in your body with everything you can..."
She used her magicks to make her body as comfortable as she could, lowering the body temperatures she had as well as various other spells that would extend Amunet's survival for as long as possible... Amenophis was clinging onto the slim chance of Amunet being able to survive her impossible sickness, as there was no way she was simply going to accept this happening right in front of her.
"There... Now please... Keep fighting... Don't you dare leave me... Don't leave me behind..."
In the first place, Amenophis already knew that her daughter's condition was gradually worsening as time continued to pass by, and she already tried all sorts of remedies to cure Amunet from her terrible illness; alas however, all of her spells and medications were useless, as not even her ability to control time, specifically the power to rewind certain events up to a limited extent, would manage to provide a solution to her severe problem.
For the first time throughout most of the decades she lived, Amenophis felt completely hopeless, and it was almost as if she was unable to do anything as her eyes looked upon her dying daughter's body in complete defeat... Why exactly...? Did she even do something wrong in her life? What reason did fate have for it to hate her existence to this extent? Was what Anastasia said about her destined fate due to her usage of magick finally coming to fruition? Was this the twisted destiny that all those who relied on magick were destined to meet? To have everything they cared about slowly being taken away from them without pity?
She couldn't even understand it in the first place: why did Amunet get sick with such a fatal magickal illness, and what exactly caused it to appear in her body without warning? The disasters that swept through Mizraea's lands were vastly more tolerable than her own daughter becoming infected with some incurable, arcane-derived sickness, and the mere fact that Amunet's illness couldn't even be cured by all the magicks and medications available to them... It was something so incredibly unacceptable for Amenophis, as the possibility of her daughter's death began filling the empress' heart with a great hopelessness...
Right now, the only thing she could do for her daughter was to temporarily reduce the pain and anguish that Amunet's body was undergoing, and there was nothing else Amenophis could do other than hoping that her daughter would manage to survive this.
"... Hm? Dear, you need to be asleep... Why are you holding my hand all of a sudden...?"
Amunet's right hand would instantaneously move to grab one of Amenophis' arms, and it seemed that she had woken from her sleep for some unknown reason, and this of course worried the poor mother as she gently tried to move her daughter's hand back to her bed...
However, as she tried to do so, the grip of Amunet's hand notably tightened, and Amenophis quickly found herself unable to remove her daughter's arm away from her.
"Sweetie... Is something wrong? Is it hurting too much again?"
The grip gradually began to tighten even more, to the point that the empress was starting to feel a sharp pain from where Amunet's hand latched on to– what Amenophis first thought was that Amunet was currently experiencing some terrible pain, however, as her grip increasingly grew in strength, a few, new terrible series of events would suddenly take place in front of the anxious empress.
"... Amunet...! W-why are you...?! Are you alright?! Say something, please!"
Things quickly escalated into a spiraling disaster without warning: red ichor began pouring from Amunet's widened, bloodshot eyes, her skin necrotizing and converting itself into a deep shade of dark-gray as her body endlessly convulsed in pain from the severe affliction that had befallen upon its writhing self... What exactly was even happening right now? Was the Dynastium's princess finally about to perish from the mysterious illness that had her life teetering towards its doom?
Suddenly however, something completely different and bizarre would take place before the empress again, an impossibility upon the material folds of reality that never should've been possible in the first place...
"... W-what... W-why did everything...? W-why is it...?"
The world around her came to a stop, similar to the moments when she used her staff's power to halt the very flow of time itself– in this situation however, Amenophis found herself unable to move or even lift a finger, yet despite this, her mind was fully conscious and was still capable of using its senses to observe her surrounding environment.
After a few moments of being embroiled in this horribly bizarre situation though, an overwhelming stench of rot and sulphur would scatter throughout the bedroom's massive space, and instantaneously, a powerful, ethereal voice began speaking to Amenophis' thoughts directly.
"A shame... Your daughter never truly deserved this fate now, does she? A kind, young woman who had fallen sick all of a sudden... In a few moments, her life will quickly flicker away like a candle light that burned too brightly, and there is nothing you can do to stop it from happening..."
"Y-you... Who are you? No... What manner of creature are you, and what do you want from me?"
An amused, terrible laughter echoed throughout her mind as the voice responded. "Why, I am one of the greatest draconians to have ever lived. My name is Mammon, the Lord of Greed and Avarice, one of the greatest heralds of the One Who Hates All, and I've come here to offer you a way out of the dreadful predicament you find yourself in."
The environment began shifting into a completely different realm, reality screaming and twisting from the effects of the voice's power, as the true form of its bearer would finally appear in front of the empress' eyes– a terribly massive draconian with bright yellow scales, its body excessively adorned in countless golden ornaments that befitted its title as the Lord of Greed...
"... You mean... A way out? What could you possibly mean?" Amenophis asked nervously, wary of what the dark voice was subtly implying.
"Your child's sickness... It can be removed from her entirely. No, let me rephrase: I can remedy it, for I have the ability to relieve her from her suffering as of this very moment. However, for me to do so, I require you to do one thing for me in return..."
Amenophis wasn't certain about considering the voice's shady request— in the first place, its sudden presence had come from out of nowhere, and the very deal that it was offering was already beginning to appear quite sketchy to Amenophis' cautious, wary mind... Should she still continue to listen to what it has to say? Or should she vehemently reject whatever proposition it had in mind?
"Ah... I sense hesitation in your eyes. Tell me, does the life of your daughter not matter to you at all?"
Those words struck a deep chord within the empress' heart, and she could feel herself nearly becoming enraged by what her ears heard so outlandishly... This voice, or whatever it was and whoever its bearer truly belonged to, how dare it try to imply that she didn't care about Amunet in the slightest? Amunet was her beloved, precious daughter, and for the voice to question how much she truly loved her made the empress nearly fall into a state of maddened rage, yet Amenophis ultimately knew that she could do nothing but to remain quiet, as she was still uncertain about the level of power the voice possessed, and she couldn't just risk her life by responding aggressively to its cheap provocations.
"... I do love her... So please, tell me... What is it that you want me to do in return?"
"Long ago, my kin chose to descend upon this worthless land to spread the wings of our glory... To satiate our desire to destroy the lands of creation made by the creator who exiled us for our 'treason'... However, the defiance of your race led to us being unable to fully complete our great mission..."
"For hundreds of years did we wait for the perfect moment to return, and now, the second advent of our assault is nigh." the voice continued. "And so, the one thing I want from you in return... Is to assist us in our second arrival upon this wretched world, and you're a mortal of talent who is more than capable of doing so."
"...?"
"Simply put... I want you to construct a massive portal to our netherworld, one large enough to allow the entry of our endless forces." the voice would add. "Do that, and I will cure your daughter of the illness that's plaguing her body."
It seemed like a deal that had many implications behind it, a proposition that would lead to heavily negative consequences if she followed through with the offer... Amenophis couldn't help but feel hesitant in accepting, and because of that, her mind began to silently wonder... Was she really going to accept such a dangerous, yet enticing offer?
It was either the world, or the life of her child, as the deal that the voice proposed clearly showed the things she needed to sacrifice: in exchange for the deliverance of her dying daughter's life, she would have to open a gateway to another world, one that would facilitate the invasion of countless other monsters that were most likely as powerful as the one in front of her.
Even though her life wasn't the one at risk, her life began flashing before her eyes, specifically the memories she spent with Amunet ever since she had given birth to her; her first and only descendant, and the only legacy of her husband that had been left behind for her to take care of...
"... Will you truly save Amunet's life if I accept your offer?"
"Without a doubt, of course. While I may be taking on the form of a reptilian, I'm not the dishonourable kind of being who would betray the deals I make with others."
With that doubtful reassurance, Amenophis could at least feel slightly relieved: though she wasn't the type of person to wholeheartedly trust the words of others, she was completely aware that refusing the draconian's deal would only lead to Amunet losing her life... And to Amenophis, her daughter was ultimately more valuable than the lives of the other people of this world.
"... I'll accept your offer then. However... How will I be opening such a gateway? Will you at least provide me with some form of guidance in creating it?"
"Ah, no need to worry... Since you've accepted my proposition, we already have a solution for that."
An enormous influx of arcane power began coursing into the empress' body, as her mana levels and magick proficiency began multiplying by a hundredfold; while it felt incredibly painful at first, she would eventually get used to the terrible power that now inhabited her very vessel... What Amenophis wasn't aware of however, was that there was a catch that came with the arcane enhancement she received...
"Me and my kin have poured a significant portion of our power into your mortal vessel, and you'll be able to create the gateway necessary for our arrival. Do not disappoint us, and I will uphold my end of the deal without fail."
Her mind was slowly being warped by the foreign power infesting her body, and her body was already beginning to lose any semblance of humanity within its soul– her ears would lengthen abnormally in size, her hair would turn pale white, the irises of her eyes shifted into a shade of deep red, and strange marks in the form of black lines began forming on her face... It was one of the very first consequences that would come as a result of her accepting the draconian's offer, and her body will only begin to change even more the longer the terrible power continued to stay in her very blood.
However, before the empress would lose her mind and become a completely corrupted entirely, a few last words would come out of her lips, ones that were related to the fatal realization that had dawned upon her too lately...
"T-these energies... They're the same as the twisted mana in Amunet's... Y-you... Are you the one who...?!"
"Indeed, you're correct. To tell you the truth, your decision to accept my deal had been rigged from the very start." the draconian confessed, much to Amenophis' horror. "We were the ones who infected your daughter with that terrible sickness, so that we could force you into becoming a living conduit who will open the new portal for our descent into this world."
Of course it was this bastard who caused this, why hadn't she seen something so obvious? It was already unnatural enough for Amunet's disease to be of magick in nature, and for a demonic creature like this one to come to her at her most hopeless time of need? Had she not been so desperate, then perhaps she could have seen through the hidden truth that lied in the draconian's bargain, but alas, it was too late for her to revert the decision she had already made...
"Y-you... You lying bastard! You piece of shit...!" she cursed in desperation, her will completely shattered by the deception as her mind screamed entirely in anger.
"Don't be too mad now. While I did say that we were the cause of your daughter's illness, I didn't say that I won't revert it if you uphold your end of the bargain, correct? If you truly value your daughter's life, then do your part, and I'll do mine as well."
Amenophis had realised far too late, though it wasn't entirely her fault for falling into such a sweet, honey-laced lie of a trap... Her maternal love for her own daughter was exploited to a degree that not even she could foresee, and although she had been helplessly tricked, she could at least be partially certain that Amunet's life would eventually be saved if she followed through with the deal she made with this cunning reptilian.
"Will you no longer do what is necessary? I won't have any problems if you do, however, your daughter's life will of course still be in danger."
"... I-I'll... Do what you want... Just... Please... Don't let her die... I beg of you."
"Like I said. I always fulfill the deals I make with others, so there's no need for you to be so anxious."
"..."
Alas, those were the last words that the empress would speak, before her mind became permanently warped by the arcane power that coursed within her veins, as she would then begin forming the very gateway that would herald the oncoming of the second invasion of this planet.
"Ah... Before you open that portal however... You're going to have to deal with a certain, rather annoying individual first."
"... Individual..." her voice came off as soulless, a tragic result of her mind being twisted beyond its original form.
"Yes, the dragon woman... One of our greatest enemies at the height of the great war we unleashed upon this planet hundreds of years ago." the draconian explained briefly. "She will try to put a stop to your efforts, but with the power we gave you, I believe you can stand your ground against her and win."
________________________________________
They waited for 9 days, and with each day that passed did Anastasia use her power to send forth a new calamity to sow discord into the lands of Mizraea...
Today however, was the 10th day since the Naelah River had been turned to blood, and the final disaster that was destined to come would be the last nail that would finally force the Mizraean empress to surrender; unfortunately though, before the dragoness could deliver the final peg that would force them to capitulate, a bizarre phenomenon had suddenly taken place up at the very skies above them...
As they observed the Mizraean capital from the shores of the Naelah River, streaks of red thunderbolts emerged from the centre of the Mizraean city and soared upwards into the skies, their energies combining and coalescing into the heavens above, forming an abnormal, irregular-shaped tear in the very fabric of space from where they were most concentrated: the blinding radiance it produced was even enough to temporarily drive away the darkness that plagued the skies, though the bright crimson lights would quickly prove to be too intense for any normal human to lay their eyes upon.
"M-Milady... Do you see what that thing is over there...?"
"They've finally revealed themselves... Those cunning little shits..."
She could feel the familiar scent of the energies coming from the phenomenon taking place in the skies... The smell of primal, otherworldly magick and faint, burning sulphur, a terrible fragrance that Anastasia was all too familiar with, as these were the foreboding signs of the oncoming arrival of those abominations she had fought against all those centuries ago.
"... Speranza, dear, get ready. We'll deal with that gateway and prevent it from fully materializing... A few of those bastards might emerge from it, and some of them might even be as strong as me..."
"A-as strong as YOU, milady?"
"Yes, which is why we need to shut that blasted portal down as soon as possible."
In truth, Anastasia could already tell what exactly was being formed with the crimson magicks that lit up the heavens with their luminosity: it was a portal to their damned, hellish plane of existence, the most common way these bastards used to enter the material realm and wreak havoc with their untold power... There were some notable questions that sprang within her mind however, and each of them was born from the strangeness of the bizarre occurrence that was gradually taking place in front of them.
Why were they forming a portal exactly? Why now of all times? And what kind of method were they even using to sustain its creation? Unluckily for her though, there was no time for her to take the time to find out the answers to her queries, as she knew that allowing the gateway to successfully form would unleash a horrible disaster that would plunge the world into chaos once more, and there was no way that both of them would allow such a terrible thing to happen.
"I'm afraid you won't be intruding their arrival... Whatever you two are intending to do, I'll put a stop to it by force."
Out of nowhere, a rip in the fabrics of reality would form behind them, a crimson, arcane portal hailing from some unknown area, and out from it came a familiar figure whose appearance had been completely changed by the transformation she underwent: the Mizraean empress, though her presence was morphed into that of an individual who had been corrupted by the terrible power she now possessed.
"M-Milady, who is she...?"
"You... You're completely wrapped up in their fetid energies... What the hell happened to you exactly... Amenophis?"
Despite Amenophis' entirely different appearance, it didn't take long for Anastasia to recognise her due to the unique magi-tech staff she wielded... What bothered the dragoness the most however, was the strange arcane mana surging within the transformed empress' body, an otherworldly form of energy whose vile, demonic stench was far too easily noticeable for someone like Anastasia.
"You who have driven my nation into chaos... Know that what I'm doing... I must do for the sake of my daughter..." the empress spoke weakly, her voice completely hollow.
"Do what exactly?! Are you even aware of what you're doing, you fool?!" Anastasia reasoned angrily. "Do you not realise that you're putting the entire world at risk by opening that gateway?!"
"... This damn world never cared about me anyway. Everyone else can go and perish, and I wouldn't even bat an eye..." Amenophis shot back coldly. "All that matters to me is my child, and I will do anything to keep her safe and sound... And as such..."
"I have to end your lives for the sake of my beloved daughter, Amunet."
[Radiant Lightstorm.]
Multitudes of magick circles formed in front of the empress, and from them emerged crimson beams that sped near-instantly towards the dragoness and her maid: they were attacks that reached speeds as fast as the speed of light itself, and had it landed it would've instantly killed them off and torn their poor bodies into bloody shreds.
"Oh no, you don't, you crazy lunatic!"
The centuries' worth of combat experience within the artificial dragon had never waned, and even until now it allowed her to deal with such an impossibly powerful assault with ease– swifter than the blink of an eye, the attacks would instead be deflected by a thin, blue barrier of light that surrounded the both of them, rendering them unaffected by the vapourising, lightspeed beams that would've instantly slain them otherwise.
Unfortunately for them though, despite the sheer power that lied in the spell that Amenophis had just casted, it was nothing more than the beginning of the series of attacks she would throw against them in order to end their lives as quickly as she possibly could.
[Gravitational Push.]
[Crimson Beamfire.]
[Radiant Lightstorm.]
A powerful shockwave would immediately send the 2 of them flying into the air, an attack that would be followed up by another series of dazzling beams of crimson light that surged forth to disintegrate the dual targets that laid before them.
"That won't work for a second time!"
"..."
Each of the beams would instantly be deflected by the blue barrier protecting Anastasia and Speranza, striking uselessly at the earth instead as their trajectories were completely bent at an angle aimed towards the cold ground... Another wave of attacks would quickly follow suit however, forcing them to constantly be on their feet as the empress kept them on guard with her near-endless barrage of destructive spells.
[Spacial Severance.]
[Astral Barrage.]
[Tempest Winds.]
A hundred invisible slashes upon the very space itself that existed around them, followed by powerful, arcane explosions that ignored any form of durability, as well as winds that could blow away entire forests, would all be thrown against them in the few seconds Amenophis spent using her golden staff's marvels, and some of the spells would even manage to land upon Anastasia and Speranza, leaving small, yet recoverable injuries upon their durable bodies– the attacks held too great of a power in their combined assault, and this forced the dragoness to utilize her power to focus on eliminating their very existences.
[You unholy magicks... Fade away into nothingness and oblivion.]
The terrible arcane disasters I'm ceased to be, allowing both Anastasia and Speranza a brief moment's respite from the endless attacks that came raining down upon them: strangely though, the arcane spells were more focused on the aspect of speed, and while their destructive power was impressive nonetheless, Anastasia couldn't help but feel wary about the attacks that the empress was making, as it was almost as if she was trying to buy time to unleash something terrible amidst their ongoing skirmish...
"... What exactly are you planning? You could've been using some more powerful spells just now."
... You'll see..."
In reality though, Anastasia was indeed correct with her suspicions, and the unending magickal assault was merely a distraction for the decisive spell that was about to come next, although it would be too late before Anastasia would finally figure out that the worries rising in her mind were true.
[Oh Time... Cease your movements this instant...]
"!!!"
There was no time for her to use her world-influencing ability, as Anastasia would instead rush towards the empress at speeds that closed the gap between them in only a single second, and had Amenophis been any slower in finishing her spell, she immediately would've met her defeat as a result– the moment the empress finished her relatively quick casting, the ultimate arcane spell came into full effect without even a single millisecond of a delay, as the very flow of causality came to a grinding halt around her... On the other hand, her two enemies now laid motionless in front of her, completely helpless and unable to fight back against her in this halted world where only she could freely move.
It was already an instant victory that she could claim with her own two hands... Incredibly though, to Amenophis' surprise, one of the 2 opponents frozen in the streams of time she had just halted would do something so completely bizarre, a defiance of the ultimate power she enforced upon reality, and for a moment she could feel a bit astounded by it.
"... Hm, that was close... As expected... You're still able to move even after what I just did. Then again, you're just like them in the end, so I figured you'd be resistant to this trump card of mine."
Anastasia was still able to move around despite the halted flow of time, though she could only do this slowly, and it was incredibly sluggish to the point that Amenophis could easily outpace her quickest movements: in Amenophis' perspective, Anastasia was moving in complete, slow motion, like a video that had been slowed down to the greatest lengths, and although the dragoness was capable of resisting the halted flow of time, her speed had been greatly reduced as a result.
Normally, such a spell wouldn't have even affected the artificial dragoness, however, due to the demonic power she received from that draconic being she made a deal with, her spells were currently being amplified to the point where she could fight on equal terms with Anastasia herself.
"Our time here was brief, but I think it's time we put an end to things." the empress mentioned as she stepped to the side to avoid the still-slowly approaching fist that was steadily closing in towards her.
[Spacial Explosion.]
She raised her staff, and a magick circle with various incantations formed in front of her. It was one of her more powerful spells of magick, and its potency was only being boosted further by the power she previously received; an instant spell that could cause explosions in the very fabrics of reality itself, destroying anything in its path while sundering any form of matter in its wake, the perfect finishing move she could use on any poor soul who had been put to a halt by her time-stop.
Most of her spells wouldn't even work in the stopped time in the first place, since many of them required a relatively sluggish amount of time to travel towards their targets, and due to the halted flow of causality, such a thing wouldn't even be possible; thankfully for her though, the spell she was about to cast needed no form of speed or acceleration to reach its destined target, as it was an instant form of attack that could unleash its effects without a moment's delay.
"Time to die then. I'll make your demise quick, at least."
________________________________________
The nature of eternity was something that wasn't meant to be understood by human minds, for it was a concept that was ever present in the vast, endless cosmos of existence, and it was a terribly boundless abstraction that represented a limitless amount of meanings and possibilities.
The greatest of its ancient symbols was the ouroboros, a snake, or a dragon, which slithered endlessly in a circular pattern to devour its own tail... It was a representation as old as the earth's most ancient civilizations, and it was humanity's simplest yet most well-defined symbol of eternity's essence.
A closed system with a harmonic order... An endless cycle of destruction and rebirth... A curved path of destined fate marked by the beginning and ending of everything that has ever existed...
The ouroboros represented the very cyclical nature of the universe itself, where all things will eventually meet their end, which would eventually give birth to the beginning of new things that would rise from the ashes and continue the endless cycle of existence.
It was a concept that transcended both time and space, a spiralling order of nature whose cycle can never be broken, its existence remaining undaunted by all those who seek to oppose its presence and sow discord into its system of undisturbable order...
This was the power that 'Whitlea' had gained upon the bestowal of her wondrous enlightenment, and the power she could bring forth into the world was one that could end the entirety of existence and bring about a new beginning: limitless regeneration, endless energy, and the ability to manipulate all other concepts related to the nature of infinity itself...
The only limitation to her power was that she was unable to bring about the true end of any enemy who would do battle against her: her eternal nature would instantly surge endless life into all who were within her vicinity, essentially supercharging them with the same conceptual energies flowing in her body, outright halting the materialisation of true death as both ally and enemy would come to life once again when death was about to claim their souls.
As such, this was the secondary reason why she chose to train the one she loved until he reached the greatest of his potential– she desired for him to utilise her power, to bring about the end of those abominations who had led to her becoming the monstrosity she currently was...
She did not want to do it forcefully, as her endless love for the man she cared for so deeply would not allow her to do that. Rather, she wanted him to willingly use her power for the sake of his ambitions, as it would not only allow her to avoid the tragedies she had once suffered, but it would also allow her to bypass the one weakness that had always limited her very conceptual power.
Normally, she wouldn't be able to end the lives of those she saw as her enemies, as they would simply become just as undying as her the moment they were within her proximity. Instead though, if her power was being wielded by a mortal man who was only utilizing a small, yet significant fraction of it, then he would definitely be able to surpass this limitation and strike death into those who would oppose him.
And so, the infinite might of eternity... Combined with the most determined of men who had reached the furthest heights that their potential could bring them to...
To merge these two qualities was to produce the greatest, and most ultimate warrior that could ever trod upon the surface of the earth, for no being in existence could ever match him head-on in an all-out battle...
This was the very nature of the man who would be brought back into the material planes of the real world, to fulfill the glorious destiny he was meant to seek, and to restore the earth back into a new order of peace and prosperity that would allow mankind to reach its golden age once again...
...
...
Before Amenophis could finally cast her spell and put an end to their short-lived fight, an empty, jet-black rift in space would form within her vicinity out of nowhere, a magickless, diagonal rip in space that hadn't been a result of one of her spells, causing the empress to immediately become confused as to what could have been its true cause.
"Where... Where did this thing come from?"
Her mind immediately became wary upon the strange structure's formation: at first she expected that it came from the ability of the slowed dragoness in front of her, though as she thought about it more, such a reasoning didn't make any sense whatsoever, because if she had indeed managed to activate her ability, Anastasia would have immediately gone for the kill and wiped her out without a shred of hesitation.
Who could have been the cause of this? And why exactly did it form before her all of a sudden?
Soon enough however, Amenophis would inevitably find out the exact reason as to why the spatial tear had come to be...
SLAASSHHHH!!!
"... What in the..."
Without a single warning about its arrival, Amenophis would simultaneously witness an impossibly fast attack– a slashing strike made its way towards her and destroyed the magick circle she was casting, preventing the materialisation of the spell that was meant to deal the finishing blow upon slow-moving Anastasia.
How was it possible? No being other than her and Anastasia could even hope to move in this world where time had stopped, much more deliver a defying blow that could mess with the very intricacies of her magick. Despite the sheer ridiculousness of this situation however, the impossible had just been achieved, and the empress immediately became confused as to who had even managed to do such a thing.
"!!!"
A violently powerful force would suddenly send her flying into the air, rapidly moving her away from the 2 enemies she was supposed to slay, as her speeding body eventually crashed into one of the towering sand dunes behind her... Fortunately for her though, the magicks in her body managed to cushion her blow without difficulty, leading to her feeling no pain from the terrible landing as she quickly stood up without any visible injuries on her skin.
SLAASSHHHH!!!
Another imperceptible slash would come, this time making its way towards her abdomen, leaving a massive, horizontal wound that began to leak profusely with her own warm blood: thankfully though, her magicks would quickly heal away the injuries in merely a few moments.
"Cough... Who the hell are you... How are you able to move freely despite the flow of time being stopped?"
The staff began automatically casting its magicks, and in only a few milliseconds, the deadly injury she sustained would be healed by the potent spell that had just been casted upon her, allowing her to quickly get back on her feet again and remain steadfast against the sudden danger that had appeared within her proximity. In truth though, the spell of healing was a form of causal manipulation that could rewind the time of her body for up to 30 seconds, which normally would have cost her a tremendous amount of mana, but now it was incredibly easy to repeatedly utilise due to her vastly improved level of mana inside her body.
However, as she looked around to see where exactly the terribly swift slashes were coming from, her eyes immediately noticed the lone figure in front of her, a tall, striking man in light armour, with his right hand equipped with nothing more than a metal sword that had visibly become destroyed as a result of the powerful strikes he unleashed.
"You... Tell me what your name is... Why have you come here? And how are you able to move around without any difficulty?"
"My name doesn't matter, and as for why I'm able to move so easily... Well, let's just say I trained a lot, that's all. On the other hand, what's truly important here is that..." the man uttered as he observed his broken blade with a disappointed look. "... Hm... Whitlea, this one broke with the last attack I made. I need you to give me a new one right now."
There was something so incredibly mysterious and dangerous about that man... He didn't have a single ounce of mana flowing through his body, and he was no different from the usual, magickless weaklings who were unable to use the arcane to their advantage– at first glance, many mages would've assumed this man to be a helplesd fool, but Amenophis' experiences due to her long-lived life allowed her to see the truth from the well-illusioned deception...
As soon as the mysterious warrior mentioned that strange name however, a dreadfully beautiful woman dressed in all-black would materialize by his side, her body floating lightly upon the air as if it had no mass at all, as her mischievous eyes gazed upon the man who had called for her immediate presence.
"I told you, dearest~ You've become too strong for the likes of ordinary swords." she playfully responded. "The only reason they didn't break during your training was because you weren't bound by these troublesome laws of the real world~ Such a shame though, how exactly are you going to fight with just your bare hands, I wonder?"
"Whitlea, I need a weapon... I'll have a hard time fighting this woman without one. Or would you prefer leaving me here completely helpless?"
"... Oh, alright, fine~ I wouldn't want to see my beloved suffer at the hands of some other woman, only I'm allowed to torment you, after all~" the woman replied with a smug grin. "Well, since you've been working so hard for the 100 years' worth of training you did, I suppose you deserve some sort of final reward?"
"I don't have any time for your shenanigans. Just get straight to the point."
"You're such a dull, boring man as usual. You're lucky I adore you so much~ Anyway..." the woman said as her smile noticeably grew wider. "The final reward for all that hard work you did, that 100-year training where you had to work your body to its limits every day without end..."
"The greatest reward that you can receive for your tireless labors... Is none other than yours truly~"
Her floating body quickly became engulfed in a blinding storm of radiant, purple lights, as her very being would gradually shift into the necessary tool that the man needed to face off against the corrupted empress: in a few moments, the woman known was 'Whitlea' had turned into a radiant, lilac sword of light, and as the blinding radiances that enshrouded the newly-formed blade began subsiding, the sword of light slowly hovered towards the warrior's right hand, allowing him to grip onto its hilt and finally obtain the weapon he needed for his oncoming battle.
"I shall become your sword against all who oppose you. No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every attack that rises against you shall falter in their assault..."
The radiant blade seemingly became ever-brighter, as the man began readying himself for the terrible, yet necessary battle he had to wage against the corrupted woman right in front of him.
"Now go, dearest~ Show her how strong you've become~ With me by your side, claiming your victory here will be all too easy~"