The battle between the veteran general Gaius and Radahn grew increasingly intense. Initially, their fight was confined to the ground, but as the terrain suffered more and more destruction, they unconsciously or deliberately began using gravity magic, shifting the battlefield into the sky.
Even though Gaius was empowered with various enhancement spells from Aoko and Touko, allowing him to temporarily fight Radahn on equal footing, over time, it became evident that even though Radahn was barely holding on, he was still not someone a mere Albinauric could contend with. The strength of the mightiest demigod was undeniable.
Up until now, Aoko and Touko had remained on the outskirts of the core battlefield. Compared to the previous battle against the Mother of Fingers, Radahn's gravity magic and combat skills were far more dangerous.
Whether intentional or not, the closer Aoko got to Radahn, the more she could sense distortions in space-time. Both her Redshift, which allowed her to maintain an invincible state, and her various teleportation spells for rapid movement were affected by the distortions in space-time. Facing Radahn, a warrior capable of sealing off the entire night sky of the Lands Between with his gravity magic, in close combat was unwise.
Given the intensity of the battle, neither the Albinauric's cavalry archers nor the other spellcasters participating in the Festival of Combat could intervene, as any misstep could result in friendly fire.
However, Aoko believed she had a spell that was perfect for this situation—Glintstone Multi-Finger Claw, a spell she had learned from Ymir.
The greatest difference between this spell and traditional glintstone shard magic was that it could change direction multiple times mid-flight.
Although the changes in direction were somewhat random unless deliberately controlled, Aoko, in her Redshift state, could perceive time at an almost slowed-down pace, allowing her to precisely control every trajectory of the glintstone shards. This ensured that in the chaos of battle, no ally would be accidentally struck, and every shot would hit its mark.
Having made up her mind, Aoko's azure eyes and crimson hair glowed faintly. The sealed stars in the sky seemed to shift slightly, but upon closer inspection, this movement appeared to be an illusion.
Although she couldn't wield the Fifth Magic as freely as she had in Type-Moon's Earth, its time manipulation effects still partially took effect. This allowed Aoko to cast her magic with precision and speed far beyond ordinary mages.
She raised the Scarlet Staff, and the miniature cosmos at its tip radiated a dazzlingly cold white light. The sigil of Finger Magic flashed briefly before vanishing. Then, hundreds of Glintstone Multi-Finger Claws burst forth, propelled by Aoko's immense magical power.
At this moment, Gaius' body was already covered in multiple wounds. If not for the protective effects of various spells, he might have long since fallen to Radahn's blades.
Even so, his internal magic still held strong, sustaining his gravity spells. His massive lance clashed violently against Radahn's twin greatswords. Even the armored boar beneath him had lost a tusk under Radahn's relentless assault.
It was amidst this intense battle that Aoko's spell weaved its eerie yet exquisitely precise trajectory, avoiding every unintended target and obstacle before striking Radahn.
Radahn's body suddenly erupted with hundreds of tiny wounds, and his corrupted crimson blood splattered outward. Gaius' eyes widened in surprise.
To say that Aoko's attack could significantly weaken Radahn would be an underestimation of the demigod, whose back was already riddled with spears from fallen Cleanrot Knights. But to say it had no effect at all would be an insult to the battle-hardened Gaius.
Gaius immediately noticed the brief moment of stiffness in Radahn caused by Aoko's attack. The veteran general, trained through countless battles, seized the opportunity and channeled all his remaining gravity magic, spinning rapidly around his lance like a drill before striking Radahn's right chest, sending the Starscourge General hurtling back to the ground.
With a thunderous impact, the two giants crashed back onto the battlefield. Seeing this, many fearless warriors surged forward, hoping to take advantage of the opening to wound Radahn. Aoko quickly noted that most of these warriors were knights of Miquella.
However, the moment they charged in, the knights of Miquella were immediately sent flying. Radahn's furious roar dispersed the dust and debris stirred by their landing. The crazed demigod now had Gaius' lance embedded in his right chest, and blood gushed violently from the wound.
Yet, Radahn showed no sign of weakening. Instead, he became even more terrifying, his fury making him deadlier than before.
Gaius, having been thrown off his mount, struggled to get back on his boar. But the frenzied Radahn had no intention of giving him another chance. Merging his twin blades into one, he swung them down mercilessly toward Gaius' head.
Just as the massive blade was about to land, the Tarnished suddenly appeared from an unknown direction, wielding a Caria Glintstone Staff. A massive Glintstone Rapier materialized in his hands, thrusting forward toward Radahn's body.
"Caria Piercer!"
Using the momentum of Torrent's charge, the Tarnished drove his Caria Piercer deep into Radahn's right shoulder, causing the demigod's lethal strike to veer slightly off course. The massive blade instead slammed into the ground beside Gaius, sparing his life.
At this moment, Gaius' remaining Albinauric cavalry archers arrived, loosing enchanted arrows in an attempt to stall Radahn while Gaius got back on his feet.
Aoko was slightly surprised that the Tarnished had silently mastered Caria Sword Magic, but upon realizing that this man was likely the protagonist of this world, she quickly calmed down.
Meanwhile, Touko seized the opportunity, transforming into a massive gryphon, grabbing Gaius by the shoulder armor and beating her wings furiously to drag the giant-sized Albinauric away. She did this because her sister had already begun her next move.
The moment Gaius and Radahn were separated, Aoko began gathering immense magical energy. Her power, as well as the ambient mana, was drawn like a vortex toward the miniature cosmos at the tip of her staff, radiating a deep, ominous green light.
"Comet Azur!"
A colossal stream of arcane energy erupted across the battlefield, striking directly at Radahn's wounded chest. The sheer force of the blast pushed the demigod backward, and even Aoko herself had to expend nearly as much magic to anchor herself in place, preventing the spell's recoil from sending her flying.
Aoko deeply loved this Glintstone Sorcery, as it was almost identical to her finishing move, Earthlight Starbow, both of which condensed immense magical power into a devastating magic cannon to annihilate enemies.
This attack amplified the accumulated damage dealt to Radahn earlier. Gaius' lance, still embedded in his chest, was completely driven through his body, impaling him.
However, just as Radahn seemed to be forced into retreat, he suddenly stood his ground. His twin greatswords crackled with intensified purple gravity magic, gradually pushing back against Aoko's Comet Azur and slowly reversing the tide of magic back toward her.