The battlefield felt heavy, as if the air itself was being sucked dry of energy. Kasper, battered but unyielding, locked eyes with Soren. In a calculated move, Kasper gritted his teeth and shouted.
Kasper: (with fierce determination) You think I'm done? You'll have to do better than that!
Suddenly, Kasper focused his own mana into a brilliant pulse, a raw surge of power unlike anything Soren had anticipated. That burst acted as a catalyst, stirring something ancient and dark within Soren's borrowed power.
Soren's eyes widened, a flicker of surprise and fury crossing his face. His aura suddenly intensified, the dark energy around him coalescing and growing more potent.
Soren: (a dangerously low voice) So... you've forced my hand.
Without fully unleashing it yet, Soren's mana began to shift, his borrowed power responding to Kasper's provocation. The seal holding it back starting to crack.
The group stiffened, knowing this was the calm before the storm, as the true fight was about to escalate beyond anything they had faced before.
Kasper: (His eyes narrow as he raises his sword, now infused with a condensed layer of flame energy, glowing fiercely) You're not invincible, Soren. You're just scared... scared of what we still have left.
Soren: (Scoffs, pacing in a slow circle) Empty threats don't shake me, Kasper.
Kasper: Then let's test your fear. (He slams his sword into the ground. The earth beneath Soren rumbles violently. A coordinated quake and spike combo explodes upward, not to pierce, but to disrupt the air around him, momentarily destabilizing his aura.)
Klaus: (Charges through the dust cloud left behind) He's not the only opponent ugly goblin.
Kasper: (makes a spiraling leap midair and slashing downward with amplified force)
Soren: (His eyes widen slightly at the timing he raises his blade just in time to block, but the sheer impact forces him to skid backward)
Kasper: (Lands, panting slightly, but holding firm) Still think we're weak?
Soren: (Growls lowly, blood trickling from his lip, his smirk fading into something darker)You... You're beginning to piss me off. (His aura begins to pulse sharp and suffocating then he raises his hand and mutters a phrase in an ancient tongue.)
Athena: WARNING unknown energy spike detected.
Soren: (His body glows with a crimson-black light, spiraling shadows wrapping around him like a cloak) Let me show you what true power looks like...
Khaos: (Staggering slightly)What the hell is that...? His mana... it's pulling everything in!
All around the battlefield, the soldiers begin to collapse. Their life force sapped by the unnatural pressure. The air becomes heavy, mana particles swirling like a storm centered around. Soren now standing taller, his eyes burning with demonic fire. His once sleek armor mutates, jagged edges sprouting like cursed thorns. The symbol of Orion glows behind him.
Freya: (In a hoarse whisper) That's not Soren... not anymore.
Soren: (Voice now distorted, dual-toned) Thank King Orion... for this gift.
Kasper: (Stares ahead, sword tightening in his grip) Whatever you've become... I'll still stop you.
The battlefield trembles. Soren, now fully transformed by Orion's borrowed power, unleashes a shockwave of raw, corrupted mana. Soldiers collapse like puppets with severed strings, their bodies flung or drained unconscious by the overwhelming energy. The very air feels heavy darkness coiling, pressing down like the hand of a god.
Kasper and the others are barely standing.
Bael plants his cursed blade into the earth, shadow surging from its cracks to hold his ground.
Plagg breathes heavily, one knee down, his gauntlet cracked. Freya's body trembles, blood dripping from her lip. Khaos and Klaus stand shoulder-to-shoulder, weapons raised, their mana flickering weakly.
Lyraen's blood aura circles her protectively, but her eyes are dimming from strain. Soren floats above, eyes glowing.
Soren: (voice layered with Orion's) You will fall... and this kingdom will kneel.
He raises his sword a dark divine weapon now and launches at Kasper with terrifying speed, faster than before. There's no time. No chance.
Kasper: (eyes widen, barely able to move) Dammit… I can't
Time slows...In that instant before the blade could slice into Kasper's neck. A soft, floral scent dances through the air. A flash of light, pink and gold splits the darkness.