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 crimson blood chain 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.
A small figure blinks into existence between them. Soren's blade pierces through. But it doesn't touch Kasper.
Sylara, his red Tulip, his adopted daughter stands there, her tiny frame glowing with protective life energy, a radiant shield flaring from her body. The blade had gone straight through her, yet she smiles softly, eyes filled with warmth.
Sylara: (softly and barely produce a whisper) "Pa…pa…"
Kasper's eyes shake. Time returns to normal. His mouth parts. But no words come out.
Soren: (stunned)What… is this?"
Sylara's body glows brighter, as if the last of her essence is igniting. She turns her head slightly toward Kasper, and with the sweetest smile. She whispers her final breath.
Sylara: I'm… glad I could protect you. (Not a child's voice but one that hold experience and knowledge) Thank you Kas.
A blast of light erupts. A powerful pulse of life energy explodes outward from her small body, repelling Soren, cracking his armor, and restoring vitality to everyone near. The air shifts. Something ancient just awakened.
The radiant pulse from Sylara's small body surges outward like a divine shockwave. The land groans beneath the weight of its energy. A mix of pure life force and bonded mana. Everyone is thrown back slightly, not in harm, but in awe. Kasper kneels, frozen. Her lifeless body falls into his arms, still... smiling.
Kasper: (shaking) No...no...Sylara...why?... why did you...
Something snaps. The air cracks. Sylara's glow doesn't fade instead, it pulses once more, and her essence, her mana, her soul, her final gift, pours directly into Kasper.
Athena: WARNING: Unknown power absorption in progress. Mana influx is... immeasurable. New skill awakening.
Kasper's body jolts violently. His veins glow crimson. His eyes burn red, not fire, not light but raw power and pain. His hair flares upward, energy distorting around him like a vortex.
Soren: (staggering back) What... what are you?
Kasper lifts his head slowly, his face expressionless, eyes hollow.
Kasper: (calmly) I gave you a chance to walk away. Now I'll make sure you leave in pieces.
He vanishes. Kasper's aura flares. Sylara's flower crest glowing on his back like wings.
The monster has become the storm. And Soren? He's just a toy in it now.Soren barely reacts before he's slammed into the earth, then into the sky, then through stone and flame. Each hit echoes like thunder.
Kasper appears behind him mid-air and delivers a strike to his spine that warps the space around them.
Kasper: (voice deeper and hoarse laced with fury) You took her from me...
Soren coughs blood, regaining balance mid-air and unleashing a blast of dark mana. Kasper walks through it. Literally untouched like he owned it, he was immune.
He grabs Soren by the face and slams him into the ground with such force, the battlefield splits.
Plagg: (shielding his eyes) W-what is this pressure!?
Lyraen: (voice weak) That's not just Kasper anymore...
Kasper drags Soren's body through the wreckage, smashing him into boulders, sending brutal punches into his gut, ribs, throat breaking everything slowly.
Soren: (gasping, trying to to escape from the very monster Kasper had become) Ngh!
Kasper: You're not running. You're not dying quickly either.
He twists Soren's arm backwards until it snaps then lets go, only to deliver a fiery punch that scorches half of his body.
Athena: WARNING: Host sanity levels dropping… host emotional core destabilizing.
Kasper: (grinning) Shut up, Athena…
He lifts Soren's broken body high.
Kasper: You like power, don't you? Let's see if it helps you beg.