This was due to Kosma's unique nature.
Although he posed a great threat to the enemy, the Monarch's Authorities had difficulty affecting him as well—given enough time, Kosma could even devour and digest Imaginary energy.
The fluidic properties of the Authority of Wind were not only useful for enhancement; they were also remarkably effective for weakening or, in other words, "dispersing" power.
"Very good."
"Next—"
The Plague Temple once again deflected a barrage of incoming energy projectiles.
These fragments of cosmic debris, coated with the Authority of Wither, gave each piece the destructive power of a small nuclear weapon. And their numbers... could only be described as endless.
"Devour our Honkai energy."
"I will unleash the Authority of Wind to its absolute limit, spreading your attack to every corner my senses can reach," the Plague Temple said, finishing the White Whale's thought.
"Do not hesitate."
"The scene you fear will not come to pass. Protect our Honkai Cores. As long as the Monarch can defeat Finality, reviving us is a simple matter... Rest assured, we will not give you the chance to lose your comrades."
"..."
"Don't worry, Kosma can do it," Griseo said, picking up the conversation during the boy's silence as she held up her paintbrush.
"After all..."
The girl with sky-blue hair turned her head and quietly looked at the "monster" before her.
"Kosma is a hero."
"Paintbrush!"
A childish, yet-to-mature voice echoed through the starry expanse.
She swept away hesitation and brought forth courage.
"Submit to me!!"
---o---
BANG!!
A shockwave blew away the surrounding tides of energy.
Kalpas's attack once again landed squarely on Virgo, but... it was completely unharmed.
Virgo, Finality's humanoid companion beast, possessed the Authority of "Binding," the most troublesome type for Kalpas to deal with.
Although it wasn't on the same exaggerated scale as the Herrscher of Binding's power, and it could only use binding chains, unable to even deploy a Divine Grace Barrier, the eleven flexible and versatile Authority chains that coiled around it like tentacles were far more difficult to handle in a small-scale battle than the Herrscher of Binding itself.
"Woman."
"Mr. Kalpas, please be a little more polite."
Although they had stopped fighting each other due to their common enemy, the dialogue between Kalpas and the Death Temple was still filled with animosity. There were many misunderstandings between them, such as what kind of address Kalpas considered polite, or how calling a Honkai Beast "human" was actually an insult to a being of the Four Holy Temples' level... and so on.
"Tch."
After swatting away an incoming chain with a pillar of magma, Kalpas let out a soft click of his tongue. The way she spoke, somewhat reminiscent of that Aponia from the past, stopped him from lashing out with a retort.
"Bind me!"
Kalpas, wreathed in roaring flames, shattered a meteorite hurled by Virgo and charged straight at his opponent once again.
"Hah?"
But this time, the Death Temple, no longer hiding its true nature, didn't mock Kalpas's colorful choice of words. Instead, it unleashed its own Honkai energy to its fullest, transforming all of its Authority of Binding into a single, resplendent golden chain that shot straight for...
Squelch!
Kalpas's back!
The moment the purplish-red blood splattered, it stained the deep space around them the color of a sunset.
This was not a sneak attack for revenge. In fact, the Death Temple understood Kalpas's objective perfectly.
He was going to fight Authority with Authority!
Although the Authority of Binding originating from the Monarch was powerful, the Death Temple, with its own capabilities, would have difficulty unleashing its full potential, even with the Monarch's further enhancement.
Compared to Virgo, whose use of the Authority was far more refined, it held no advantage at all.
To be precise, it couldn't even touch the hem of its opponent's clothes. Moreover, whether attacking or defending, the Death Temple had to be careful not to touch Kalpas, as the Authority of Binding's effect on him was simply too great.
And now, what Kalpas intended to do was very simple.
He would endure the damage from the Death Temple's Authority of Binding, use his own explosive power to rapidly close in on Virgo, and then, with his body as the battlefield, link the Authorities of both friend and foe together!
That's right.
The Death Temple couldn't touch the enemy, and while Kalpas could land hits, they were all ineffective.
Only by bringing the two together... The pain of a burning heart and slaughtered flesh meant nothing; for Kalpas, agony had long become a habit. The powers of the Authority of Binding would interfere and clash with each other, thereby losing their original effect.
Simply put, Kalpas, while bound by the chain, would gain the ability to injure Virgo.
The Death Temple's Authority of Binding was now different from before; once unleashed, this ability would become a passive skill that affected friend and foe alike. Kalpas had to charge in and tear Virgo to shreds before he was completely drained!
Was it difficult?
For Kalpas, as long as the enemy dared to show its health bar—
BOOM!!!
A ring-shaped shockwave scattered the celestial debris.
Virgo, who had still been hesitating a moment ago, no longer had time to change its move. As four of its binding chains pierced Kalpas's limbs and another four went straight for his heart, Kalpas had, in turn, restricted Virgo's movements.
A meteor flashed.
BOOM!!!
---o---
"Are you ready?"
"I am."
The combination of the Rock Tortoise and Eden was facing Taurus, which also controlled the Authority of Rock.
However, though their exchange was brief and calm, it could not conceal the tragic intensity of what was to come.
"Very good."
The Rock Tortoise's voice was no different from when it was telling stories earlier.
"Do not worry."
"My lifespan is long, but I have not yet lived enough. The kingdom established by the Monarch is something I must see with my own eyes, no matter what."
The light contained deep within the amber began to overflow as the Rock Tortoise's body grew brighter and brighter.
"My luck has never been bad."
"I believe my core can last until that day... As long as I'm not thrown too far, the Monarch won't abandon an old fellow like me."
"I've said quite a bit."
It sounded like the guidance of an old man, yet there was not a trace of decay in his voice.
"Although I may be letting down the Monarch's expectations..."
"The era—"
"Changes now!"
The starry sky fell silent for an instant, and then—
BOOM!!!!!!
The Rock Tortoise self-destructed, unleashing all of its Honkai energy and the Authority of Rock in a single, massive burst!
A mini-black hole was born from the void, holding the mimic black hole from Taurus, which had been rapidly approaching them, firmly at bay.
At the same time.
"Thank you."
Beautiful aquatic creatures swam through the sea of stars. A black hole of even more exaggerated proportions enveloped both of the "holes" that were clashing.
A clockwise spin, a counter-clockwise spin—a gear of annihilation.
KRA—
BOOM!!!
By simultaneously generating two black holes with opposing angles and perfectly matching event horizons, she utterly annihilated Taurus and the black hole it had created.
This was their plan.
The problem was... in the now empty expanse of space, the Rock Tortoise's core, however much of it might have been preserved, had vanished into the center of the black hole.
Was it an ocean or a sea of stars?
"My friend."
"Even if the Monarch gives up, I will find you..."
Eden returned to her human form. As she slowly opened her palm, an amber-colored rock began to glow faintly.
"To witness this new era."