Aurelion and Malgoryth remained separated above the ruined battlefield, each of them holding his weapon close enough to reduce the broad openings Noctis had repeatedly exploited while they were in their Titan Forms. Blood drifted between them in long threads and suspended droplets, mixed with the remains of Bloodfang Reapers that had been broken apart during the previous exchanges, while more blood continued rising from the fractures and craters below. The air still carried the turbulence left by their earlier movements, but neither god was willing to produce another sweeping Titan-scale attack that would expose his entire body and weapon to Genesis Step. Noctis remained between them with Sanguinastra near his left side, studying both through Crimson Omen Sight while Blood Memory continued giving him access to the structures underlying Judicael, Ghorvath, and the powers supporting them.
White-gold power contracted through Aurelion's Titan body and pulled the enormous structure inward around the damage Noctis had already inflicted. His missing left arm did not return, the destroyed left wing remained gone, and the damage across his shoulder, chest, flank, abdomen, and hip compressed with the rest of his body instead of healing. Judicael shrank with him until the blade-scepter once again fit naturally within the reach of a human-sized god, and the remaining wing folded closer to his back as the scale of his body continued decreasing. When the contraction finished, Aurelion hovered in the same wounded condition but without the mass that had forced every movement to carry through hundreds of meters of space.
Malgoryth began shrinking before Aurelion had completely settled. Black-red rift power folded the Titan body inward, carrying the missing left arm and the damage around the severed limb down to human scale while Ghorvath contracted in his remaining hand. The weapon no longer demanded the extensive rift support that had been necessary to control its enormous head, and Malgoryth could keep the haft much closer to his torso without fighting the rotational weight that had repeatedly exposed him. Rift pressure still sealed the wound above his missing elbow, but the reinforcement could now be distributed between his body and weapon without compensating for a Titan-sized imbalance.
The ruined terrain below stopped reacting to their simplest movements once the transformations ended. Aurelion could turn without sending a wall of air through the debris, and Malgoryth could shift his position without making the fractures below tremble beneath the pressure of his body. Dust and pieces of broken stone continued drifting through the upper battlefield, but the persistent storms created by Titan motion began weakening around the three combatants. The quieter air gave Noctis a clearer view of his opponents while removing the enormous physical warnings that had previously preceded their attacks.
Aurelion moved before the last turbulence had cleared. His remaining wing opened just enough to alter his acceleration, and Judicael reached Noctis before the wake of divine pressure behind the weapon had spread more than a few meters. Noctis formed a Bloodfang Reaper sword in his right hand and caught the thrust along the inside of the blade-scepter, shifting the point outside his left shoulder while Sanguinastra came forward from the opposite side. Aurelion turned Judicael across his body with a short movement of the wrist and shoulder, intercepting the lance before Noctis could drive it into his surviving ribs.
Noctis stepped deeper into the contact and changed the pressure of the Bloodfang sword, expecting the weapon to require the kind of recovery Judicael had needed at Titan scale. Instead, Aurelion reversed the blade-scepter without rotating his whole body, forcing Sanguinastra downward to meet the returning edge before Noctis could complete the sword attack. The Bloodfang blade came toward Aurelion's right side at the same time, but the divine god shifted his ribs beyond its reach and used a compact movement of the remaining wing to place Judicael between them again. Noctis had barely redirected the next thrust when a rift began opening behind him.
Ghorvath emerged with Malgoryth rather than several moments after the displacement began. The axe entered a downward strike while the demon god's body was still completing its arrival, its shorter haft and reduced mass allowing Malgoryth to control the attack with one hand without committing his entire body behind it. Crimson Omen Sight warned Noctis of the closing weapon, and Blood Memory exposed the structure of the rift, but neither gave him the long Titan-scale recovery he had previously used to punish Malgoryth after a missed swing. Genesis Step moved him downward and outside the point where Judicael and Ghorvath would have crossed.
He reappeared less than ten meters away and found both gods already turning after him. Aurelion recovered Judicael close to his chest while Malgoryth pulled Ghorvath back toward his surviving side, shifting the rift pressure that supported the axe before Noctis had fully settled from Genesis Step. Judicael reached him first through another short thrust, and Ghorvath entered from below when Malgoryth displaced again during the second weapon contact. Noctis redirected the divine weapon with the Bloodfang sword, used Sanguinastra to keep Aurelion from stepping farther inside, and relied on another short Genesis Step when Ghorvath appeared beside his right hip.
Aurelion followed his reappearance closely enough that Noctis could not restore the spacing he had used throughout the Titan battle. Judicael moved through a shallow cut and returned toward his center before the Bloodfang sword could exploit its recovery, while Malgoryth changed the terminating point of his next displacement after Blood Memory exposed the first anchor. Noctis stayed between the attacks only long enough to redirect Aurelion's weapon and force Malgoryth to adjust Ghorvath, then moved again before their smaller forms could close completely around him. The change in size had removed enough unnecessary movement from both gods that his previous pattern of waiting for an enormous commitment and attacking the recovery no longer gave him the same openings.
The Bloodfang Reapers surrounding the fight were also finding less useful space. Aurelion slipped between two blades that would have struck different parts of his Titan body, cut through another with Judicael, and continued advancing before the blood had finished spreading. Malgoryth destroyed a group near his flank with a short rift pulse and moved through the gap without needing to drag a giant weapon across the space he had just cleared. Noctis kept the remaining Reapers active while drawing the more distant constructs back into liquid form.
Blades softened into streams as blood that had been spread across the wider battlefield began concentrating around the three fighters. Some remained as completed Reapers near Aurelion and Malgoryth, but large portions stayed suspended as droplets or narrow ribbons instead of immediately forming another weapon. Blood collected above, below, and behind the moving fight until Noctis no longer needed a Reaper to travel any meaningful distance before it could attack. The blood itself remained distributed through the space where Aurelion and Malgoryth were trying to use their smaller bodies.
Aurelion entered that denser region with Judicael held close enough that the weapon never left his immediate control. The first cut met the Bloodfang sword, and Sanguinastra came toward his right side while the two weapons remained in contact. Aurelion disengaged, moved Judicael across his center, and stopped the lance before shifting his remaining wing just far enough to pull his torso away from the Bloodfang sword. The blade-scepter returned toward Noctis's chest before the lance had completely withdrawn.
Malgoryth opened another rift behind Noctis during the bind. Blood already suspended around the arrival point hardened without Noctis moving either hand, one Reaper forming across Ghorvath's descending path while another attacked the remaining wrist and a third angled toward the edge of the rift. Ghorvath shattered the first blade and continued downward, but the Bloodfang burst into droplets around the axe head and haft instead of disappearing. The droplets flowed with the weapon and began hardening again behind it while Malgoryth used a rift pulse to break the Reaper attacking his wrist.
The second construct also returned to blood, scattering across Malgoryth's forearm and shoulder while the third Reaper forced him to collapse the rift he had intended to maintain. Noctis remained engaged with Aurelion through the entire interruption, using the Bloodfang sword to move Judicael outside Sanguinastra's path while the lance pressed against Aurelion's guard. Genesis Step moved him only after Malgoryth had been forced to change the axe line twice, and he reappeared beside the demon god instead of creating more distance.
The Bloodfang sword struck Ghorvath near the surviving hand, keeping the axe head from gaining room to move while Sanguinastra entered toward Malgoryth's damaged left side. Malgoryth caught the sword against the haft and compressed rift pressure between his ribs and the lance, but blood from the Reapers he had just destroyed hardened behind his shoulder and along the lower half of the weapon. He broke the rear blade apart with another pulse, shifting enough reinforcement away from the ribs for Sanguinastra to cut through the weakened protection before he could restore it.
The lance opened the damaged flesh beneath the missing arm and released black-red god blood into the surrounding field. Noctis drew some of it toward himself through Devour while keeping the rest suspended among the blood already surrounding the fight. Malgoryth twisted away and brought Ghorvath across his body, forcing the Bloodfang sword outward before Noctis could deepen the wound. Aurelion reached them from Noctis's left before Malgoryth had completely regained his stance.
Judicael descended toward Noctis's shoulder while both of his hands remained occupied near Ghorvath. Blood near Aurelion hardened into several Reapers, two crossing the weapon's approach while another attacked the right wrist. The divine god cut through the first construct and moved Judicael around the second, but the destroyed blade became droplets across the weapon and began forming again behind the lower guard. Noctis held Sanguinastra against Malgoryth for another moment before Genesis Step moved him away from the axe and placed him beside Aurelion's right side.
The Bloodfang sword came toward the damaged wrist as Noctis appeared, while Sanguinastra entered beneath Judicael toward Aurelion's ribs. Aurelion stopped the sword with the blade-scepter and opened his remaining wing enough to shift the torso away from the lance. The movement was smaller and faster than anything his Titan body had managed, but it still drew through the damage already running along the right collarbone and wing-root. Noctis felt Judicael's pressure change when Aurelion returned the weapon toward his center.
A short thrust came from inside the bind. Noctis turned his torso and allowed the point to slide along Aegis near his ribs while another Reaper formed beside Judicael's lower guard. Blood Memory had already given him the internal route through which Aurelion transferred power into that section of the weapon, and the Reaper struck as reinforcement moved toward the junction. Aurelion shifted additional divine power into the lower guard before the construct could damage it deeply.
The movement left less reinforcement along his right side. Noctis pressed the Bloodfang sword into Judicael's weakened line and changed Sanguinastra's direction, cutting across the abdomen before Aurelion could withdraw completely. Divine blood spread into the field and began moving toward Noctis under Devour. He remained inside Judicael's reach rather than retreating, forcing Aurelion to keep the weapon between them while more blood began forming near the lower guard.
Malgoryth returned behind Noctis through another short displacement. A Reaper formed across the exit and met Ghorvath, breaking into droplets when the axe struck through it. Another blade hardened near the demon god's wrist before he could complete the attack, forcing his surviving hand to shift and altering Ghorvath's angle. Noctis kept Aurelion engaged while the Bloodfangs occupied Malgoryth's weapon side.
Aurelion used the apparent division to drive more power through Judicael's inner channel. Two Reapers formed beside the lower guard as the transfer increased, and he destroyed the first with divine pressure before the second reached the junction during the redirection that followed. The disturbance in the flow lasted only a moment, but Noctis used it to rotate the Bloodfang sword against Judicael and push the blade-scepter farther across Aurelion's body. Sanguinastra came through the opening while Aurelion moved reinforcement toward his chest and opened his surviving wing to pull himself away.
Noctis felt the distribution shift through the knowledge carried in Aurelion's blood. Genesis Step moved him outside the right shoulder instead of following the protected torso, placing Sanguinastra beside the wing-root while the Bloodfang sword pressed Judicael downward. Blood near the wrist and lower guard hardened into two more Reapers, forcing Aurelion to protect the weapon before he could turn it toward the new angle. Sanguinastra entered beneath the shoulder joint before the reinforcement returned.
The lance passed through the damaged wing-root and emerged from Aurelion's back. White-gold reinforcement ruptured around the wound while divine blood spread across the weapons and the space between them. Aurelion pulled his body off Sanguinastra rather than allowing Noctis to turn the lance inside the joint, and the withdrawal tore the wound wider as the remaining wing opened reflexively to carry him away. The wing began the movement but lost strength before the beat finished, leaving Aurelion's upper body drifting sideways until direct divine propulsion corrected him.
Judicael stayed close to the wounded shoulder while Aurelion moved away. He did not open the wing again, using propulsion through his torso and lower body to increase the distance while Reapers hardened around the blood escaping his right side. The first construct attacked the damaged wrist, another formed near the lower guard, and a third came from behind the wing-root. Aurelion destroyed two with white-gold pressure and used Judicael to stop the third, leaving more droplets around the same injured side.
Noctis did not follow because Malgoryth had broken through the Reapers behind him. Ghorvath entered a downward stroke aimed at his back, and blood hardened across its path before Genesis Step moved Noctis inside the axe's recovery rather than away from the weapon. The Reaper shattered under Ghorvath and spread across the haft and Malgoryth's forearm as Noctis reappeared beside his weapon side.
The Bloodfang sword struck the haft close to Malgoryth's surviving hand. Sanguinastra came under the axe toward his abdomen while the droplets surrounding the forearm began hardening into another Reaper. Malgoryth compressed rift reinforcement into the lance's path and tried to pull Ghorvath away from the Bloodfang sword, but the forming blade attacked the inside of his wrist as he shifted the hand.
Noctis followed the movement with the Bloodfang sword. Its edge crossed the inner forearm just above the wrist, opening a deep cut through the flesh and the rift reinforcement carrying force into Ghorvath. Malgoryth's fingers loosened around the haft before another layer of distorted space compressed over his hand and forced the grip closed again. The axe dipped under the failed support, and Sanguinastra cut through the seal beneath the missing arm and across the ribs before Malgoryth opened a rift to escape.
Blood from the forearm and side remained suspended where he had disappeared. Malgoryth emerged farther away and immediately wrapped the injured arm in dense rift reinforcement from below the elbow into the hand. He tested Ghorvath with a short movement rather than a full attack, allowing the support around his forearm to carry the weapon while the damaged wrist remained comparatively rigid. Blood continued escaping between the shifting bands of distorted space whenever he changed the axe's direction.
Aurelion had also changed how he carried Judicael. The surviving wing stayed close to his back while white-gold reinforcement gathered around the puncture through his shoulder, and the blade-scepter remained near the right side of his torso so the joint would not have to carry another broad correction. When he returned toward Noctis, direct propulsion moved his body forward while Judicael worked through short thrusts and shallow cuts rather than the wider combinations he had used immediately after shrinking. Noctis met the first thrust with the Bloodfang sword and kept Sanguinastra low enough to threaten the ribs without forcing the reinforced shoulder directly.
A Reaper formed beside Judicael's lower guard during the second thrust. Aurelion destroyed it and continued forward, but the movement of the blade-scepter across his center reopened the shoulder enough for divine blood to run down the upper arm. Noctis used the Bloodfang sword to keep the weapon outside his body while Sanguinastra came toward the ribs. Aurelion stopped the lance with the lower section of Judicael and withdrew under direct propulsion rather than opening the remaining wing.
Malgoryth entered from Noctis's right while Aurelion was still moving back. Blood Memory revealed the first rift anchor, and the surrounding blood began hardening near the expected exit before Malgoryth changed the route. The second exit formed lower, but Ghorvath required the rift reinforcement around the wounded forearm to tighten before the demon god could bring the axe through the new line. Blood shifted toward the second point during that delay.
Ghorvath destroyed the Reaper forming across the exit. The impact passed through the haft into the reinforced wrist and shifted the axe head slightly before the rift brace corrected the movement. Genesis Step placed Noctis inside the correction, the Bloodfang sword striking Ghorvath near the hand while Sanguinastra moved toward Malgoryth's side. Blood from the shattered Reaper flowed around the forearm and began forming again against the reinforcement holding the wrist together.
Malgoryth strengthened the hand and stopped Sanguinastra with a compressed layer of rift pressure. The added support allowed him to keep Ghorvath in his grip, but the axe became more rigid through the movement and could not turn freely around the Bloodfang sword. Noctis stayed close to the haft and shifted Sanguinastra from the protected abdomen toward the old wound beneath the missing arm. The lance cut through part of the seal before Malgoryth moved backward several meters and used another rift to widen the distance.
Aurelion approached again while Noctis watched the displacement. Judicael moved through a compact series of thrusts that kept the wounded shoulder close to the torso, the blade-scepter returning to center after each attack rather than sweeping through broader angles. Noctis redirected the first thrust with the Bloodfang sword, shifted outside the second, and brought Sanguinastra against the third while blood near Aurelion hardened into Reapers around the lower guard and wrist. The divine god destroyed one and moved around another, but the shoulder forced him to shorten the following movement before Judicael could return fully into Noctis's center.
Noctis remained close enough to use that shorter recovery. The Bloodfang sword pressed against the blade-scepter while Sanguinastra cut toward Aurelion's right ribs. Reinforcement moved from Judicael into the torso to stop the lance, and another Reaper struck the lower transfer point while that movement was occurring. The weapon shifted under the interruption, allowing Noctis to push it outward and step into the right side.
Aurelion turned his body without opening the surviving wing. Sanguinastra scraped along the reinforcement above the ribs and reopened the edge of the shoulder puncture when Judicael moved across to protect him. He withdrew through direct propulsion, keeping the wing folded and the weapon close while blood escaped along his arm. Reapers hardened in the trail and continued toward the lower guard as he moved away.
Malgoryth came from below while Aurelion was retreating. Ghorvath rose through a short rift-assisted attack, the wounded forearm surrounded by a dense brace of distorted space that kept the weapon stable through the upward movement. Noctis maintained contact with Aurelion for another moment while blood beneath him hardened into two Reapers across the axe's path. Ghorvath broke one and pushed the other aside, but both impacts traveled into the reinforced wrist.
Noctis released Aurelion and Genesis Stepped toward Malgoryth's left side. The Bloodfang sword caught Ghorvath near the haft while Sanguinastra cut through the thinner protection beneath the missing arm before the rift support could move back from the hand. Malgoryth turned the axe across his body, but the wounded wrist required the brace to thicken before the weapon completed the movement. Noctis stayed inside the arc and used the Bloodfang sword to keep the haft away from the position Malgoryth wanted.
A Reaper hardened near the wrist and forced another shift of the hand. Sanguinastra remained near the ribs, keeping Malgoryth from sending all of the rift reinforcement into the weapon. He destroyed the Reaper with a short pulse and used the opening to retreat through a farther rift. Noctis did not follow through the displacement, because Aurelion had already cut through the remaining Bloodfangs and was approaching from behind.
Genesis Step moved Noctis across Aurelion's right side before Judicael completed the thrust. The Bloodfang sword struck the lower guard while Sanguinastra threatened the wounded shoulder, forcing Aurelion to shift reinforcement toward the puncture and bring the blade-scepter across his body. Noctis changed the lance's angle toward the ribs before the shoulder defense fully settled. Sanguinastra cut through the thinner protection and drew another spray of divine blood as Aurelion moved backward.
The remaining wing opened only a fraction before closing again. Aurelion used direct propulsion to carry himself farther away while Judicael cut through a Reaper forming near the wrist. Another blade hardened behind the lower guard, and a third formed along the route behind his shoulder. The divine god moved around the rear construct rather than using the wing to clear it, forcing his body into a more direct line of retreat.
Malgoryth used the opening to spread several rift anchors around Noctis instead of committing to a single approach. Distorted points appeared above, behind, and below him, each capable of becoming the final exit if enough support moved into it. Noctis spread suspended blood toward all of them but left the material liquid while Blood Memory tracked how the supporting relationships shifted. Malgoryth transferred power between the anchors twice before settling on the lower exit.
A Reaper hardened across the route as Ghorvath appeared. Malgoryth destroyed it, but the force through the axe made the reinforced wrist flex before the brace corrected the weapon's position. Noctis Genesis Stepped into the opening and struck the Bloodfang sword against the haft near the hand while Sanguinastra came toward the abdomen. Malgoryth stopped the lance with rift pressure, and blood from the destroyed Reaper hardened against the reinforcement around his forearm.
The new construct struck the brace rather than his flesh. Malgoryth shifted more power into the wounded wrist to preserve the grip, allowing Sanguinastra to move from the blocked abdomen toward the ribs where the protection had thinned. The lance opened the side and cut through part of the seal beneath the missing arm. Malgoryth withdrew through another rift before Noctis could remain beside Ghorvath long enough to attack the wrist again.
Aurelion had used the additional space to gather more power through Judicael's inner channel. He kept the weapon close enough to avoid stretching the wounded shoulder while concentrating the transfer through the lower guard. Blood Memory showed Noctis the familiar route, and blood near Aurelion moved before he completed the buildup. A Reaper attacked the junction and forced the divine god to destroy it.
The shattered construct became droplets across Judicael. Another blade formed behind the lower guard while Aurelion moved reinforcement toward the new threat, and Genesis Step brought Noctis inside the weapon line during that redistribution. The Bloodfang sword struck Judicael downward as Sanguinastra moved toward the right shoulder. Aurelion released part of the gathered power outward rather than allowing the lance to reach the puncture, breaking several nearby Bloodfangs and forcing Aegis to absorb the edge of the white-gold pressure.
The dispersed blood curved back through the air instead of falling away. Aurelion used direct propulsion to retreat with the wing folded, keeping Judicael between himself and the lance while droplets began gathering again around the wounded side. Noctis followed through a short Genesis Step and struck the lower guard before the blade-scepter could settle. Sanguinastra cut the ribs when Aurelion moved the weapon across his torso, and the punctured shoulder opened again under the strain.
Malgoryth appeared at Noctis's left while Aurelion continued backward. Ghorvath came through a short displacement with less momentum than the longer attacks he had attempted earlier, allowing the wounded forearm to remain relatively stable inside its rift brace. Blood hardened between them and broke apart under the axe before Genesis Step placed Noctis beside the weapon's inner line. The Bloodfang sword caught the haft close to the hand while Sanguinastra remained inside the axe head's effective path.
Malgoryth pushed Ghorvath outward and used rift pressure to stop the lance near his ribs. The Bloodfang sword followed the haft instead of resisting the entire movement, allowing Noctis to rotate around the contact and change Sanguinastra's angle. A Reaper formed beside the reinforced wrist and attacked the brace just as Malgoryth shifted support into the torso. The weapon moved unevenly during the redistribution, and Sanguinastra cut through the weakened side.
Another short rift carried Malgoryth several meters away. He kept Ghorvath between himself and Noctis while rebuilding the reinforcement around the forearm rather than disappearing farther. Blood from the cut joined the surrounding field and moved toward Devour, some entering Noctis while the rest remained suspended. Aurelion had already turned back toward them.
Judicael entered with another compact thrust. Noctis caught the weapon with the Bloodfang sword and kept Sanguinastra near the right side, forcing Aurelion to spread reinforcement across the ribs, shoulder, and lower guard. Blood beside the weapon hardened into a Reaper, and Aurelion destroyed it before changing the thrust into a shallow diagonal cut. The movement reopened the shoulder enough for blood to run down his forearm.
Noctis remained inside the weapon's recovery. Sanguinastra came toward the ribs while the Bloodfang sword held Judicael outside his body. Aurelion stopped the lance with the lower section of the blade-scepter and moved backward, but the cross-body defense pulled through the puncture and forced him to shorten the following attack. Another Reaper formed near his wrist during the hesitation.
Aurelion shifted the weapon to protect the hand. Noctis allowed the Bloodfang sword to follow the movement and changed Sanguinastra from the protected ribs toward the abdomen. The lance cut the right side before Aurelion disengaged and moved back under propulsion. Blood trailing from the shoulder and abdomen hardened into new Reapers as soon as the distance opened.
Malgoryth formed another rift network rather than attacking immediately. Noctis tracked the anchors through Blood Memory while continuing to pressure Aurelion, allowing the blood around the possible exits to remain liquid. Judicael cut through one Reaper and moved outside another while Noctis kept the Bloodfang sword near the lower guard. Aurelion gave ground without opening his wing, using propulsion to preserve the shoulder while Sanguinastra remained close enough to keep the right side reinforced.
Malgoryth committed to an exit behind Noctis. Blood there hardened before the demon god completed the displacement, and Ghorvath destroyed the first Reaper while another attacked the reinforced forearm. Malgoryth shifted the hand, tightening the rift brace around his wrist as the axe continued toward Noctis. Genesis Step carried Noctis away from Aurelion and placed him beside Ghorvath before the weapon could recover from breaking the first construct.
The Bloodfang sword struck the haft near the hand while Sanguinastra came beneath the axe toward Malgoryth's ribs. The demon god caught the lance with rift pressure and tried to rotate Ghorvath inward, but the wounded wrist required more support before the movement reached full speed. Noctis stayed close enough that the axe head could not travel freely and formed another Reaper beside the forearm. Malgoryth destroyed it, allowing Sanguinastra to cut across the side when the rift reinforcement shifted away from his torso.
Aurelion approached through the Bloodfangs behind Noctis. Several constructs formed from his own spilled blood and forced Judicael into repeated defensive movements before he could reach the close exchange around Ghorvath. Noctis remained on Malgoryth until the divine god came within striking distance, keeping the Bloodfang sword pressed against the axe while Sanguinastra threatened the missing-arm side. Malgoryth tried to use Aurelion's approach to push Noctis backward with Ghorvath.
Noctis yielded enough space to let the axe move without allowing its head to gain a clean striking line. A Reaper formed beside Malgoryth's wrist and forced him to destroy it, reducing the support behind the push. The Bloodfang sword turned against the haft and moved Ghorvath outside Noctis's body while Sanguinastra cut the abdomen. Judicael reached his back as Malgoryth recoiled from the lance.
Blood hardened behind Noctis and took the first contact from Judicael. The Reaper broke apart around the blade-scepter as Genesis Step moved Noctis above the convergence. Aurelion had to recover Judicael through the damaged shoulder while Malgoryth pulled Ghorvath back using the reinforced forearm. The droplets left by the shattered Reaper remained between them and began forming into several smaller blades.
Noctis dropped back into the space before either weapon had completely reset. The Bloodfang sword struck Judicael first and drove the lower guard downward, while Sanguinastra entered toward Malgoryth and forced Ghorvath across his body. Reapers hardened from the blood between both gods and attacked their weapon sides, forcing Aurelion to protect his wrist and Malgoryth to reinforce his forearm at the same time.
Aurelion destroyed the Reaper near his hand and tried to pull Judicael upward. The shoulder slowed the motion enough for the Bloodfang sword to remain on the lower guard and keep the blade-scepter below Noctis's center. Malgoryth strengthened the rift brace around Ghorvath and pushed the axe toward Sanguinastra, but another Reaper struck the injured forearm and forced more support into the hand. Noctis used the changes in both weapons to remain between them instead of retreating.
Sanguinastra slid along Ghorvath's haft and cut Malgoryth's ribs when the demon god shifted reinforcement toward the wrist. The Bloodfang sword moved Judicael farther across Aurelion's body, forcing the divine god to choose between reopening the shoulder and letting the weapon remain outside his guard. Aurelion moved backward first, while Malgoryth opened a rift and displaced in the opposite direction.
The blood field stretched with them instead of remaining centered on the place where they separated. Streams followed Aurelion's retreat and hardened into Reapers whenever Judicael changed direction, while blood near Malgoryth's exit gathered around the wounded forearm and Ghorvath's haft. Noctis remained between the two routes long enough to draw some of their spilled blood into Genesis Vessel before choosing the closer opening.
Genesis Step placed him beside Malgoryth as the demon god finished another short displacement. The Bloodfang sword struck Ghorvath near the hand, forcing the rift brace around the wrist to thicken before Malgoryth could attack. Sanguinastra came toward the ribs while two Reapers formed behind the missing-arm side and narrowed the available retreat. Malgoryth blocked the lance with the haft and shifted his torso away from the secondary blades.
The wounded wrist rotated inside its reinforcement, causing Ghorvath to dip before the brace corrected it. Noctis kept the Bloodfang sword against the weapon during the dip and changed Sanguinastra's angle toward the left side. The lance cut through the wound seal and forced Malgoryth to abandon the bind. He displaced away before Noctis could remain against his weapon arm.
Aurelion descended through the Bloodfangs from above. Judicael remained close to his body, and the surviving wing stayed folded while direct propulsion carried him toward Noctis. One Reaper broke under the blade-scepter and another forced Aurelion to adjust the weapon around the lower guard. Noctis Genesis Stepped into the final portion of the descent and met Judicael with the Bloodfang sword before Aurelion could settle into the attack.
Sanguinastra came toward the right ribs as blood formed another Reaper beside the lower transfer point. Aurelion redirected Judicael to protect the weapon and allowed torso reinforcement to absorb part of the lance. The edge still opened the right side and released another stream of divine blood. He withdrew under propulsion while Noctis remained close enough to keep the Bloodfang sword against the lower guard for another contact.
Judicael cut through the Reaper near the transfer point and moved toward Noctis's chest. The wounded shoulder shortened the return enough for Noctis to shift inside the thrust and bring Sanguinastra toward the abdomen. Aurelion moved away rather than forcing the arm through another block, leaving the remaining wing folded and the blade-scepter near his torso. Blood behind him hardened into Reapers and continued the pursuit after Noctis stopped moving with him.
Malgoryth returned from below. Bloodfangs formed outside Noctis's blind side and met Ghorvath before the axe reached him, one construct breaking apart while another struck the rift brace around the wrist. Malgoryth reinforced the hand and continued through the attack, but the additional support slowed the weapon's direction change after the first contact. Noctis released Aurelion and turned into the axe.
The Bloodfang sword caught the haft close to Malgoryth's hand, and Sanguinastra came beneath Ghorvath toward the ribs. Rift pressure stopped the lance while another Reaper formed beside the forearm from the blood of the blade Ghorvath had just destroyed. Malgoryth shifted the weapon to protect the injured wrist, allowing Noctis to move with the haft instead of stepping away. Sanguinastra changed angle and cut the flank as the rift support moved toward the hand.
Aurelion approached through the Reapers behind Noctis. Judicael destroyed one and moved around another, but each motion continued drawing blood from the shoulder because he could not use the remaining wing to correct his position without aggravating the wound. Noctis stayed on Ghorvath until Aurelion came close enough to threaten the same space. Genesis Step then carried him through the narrow gap between the gods.
He emerged with Sanguinastra facing Malgoryth and the Bloodfang sword facing Aurelion. Judicael met the blood-forged blade while Ghorvath came across to stop the lance, forcing both gods to reverse the weapon positions they had prepared before Noctis moved. Noctis rotated with the Judicael contact and allowed Aurelion's resistance to shift his body closer to Malgoryth while Sanguinastra slid along Ghorvath's haft.
Blood hardened behind both gods. Aurelion destroyed the Reaper near his shoulder with white-gold pressure while Malgoryth broke the blade attacking his forearm with a rift pulse. The first movement pulled Judicael closer to Aurelion's puncture, and the second drew support away from Malgoryth's ribs. The Bloodfang sword pushed the divine weapon farther outside while Sanguinastra left Ghorvath and cut through Malgoryth's weakened side.
Malgoryth withdrew through a short rift. Aurelion remained close enough that Noctis turned fully into Judicael and stepped inside the weapon before the divine god could use the separation. The Bloodfang sword held the lower guard outside Noctis's body while Sanguinastra remained near the ribs and shoulder, forcing Aurelion to keep reinforcement spread across the entire right side. Another Reaper formed at the lower transfer point.
Aurelion destroyed it and moved Judicael across his body. The shoulder reopened under the movement, and Noctis changed Sanguinastra from the protected upper side toward the abdomen. The lance cut through the thinner defense before Aurelion retreated under propulsion. Blood followed him into the space where new Reapers began forming.
Malgoryth reappeared farther below where less blood had gathered. He lifted Ghorvath through a rising attack, using more rift reinforcement around the wounded forearm to support the longer motion. Noctis Genesis Stepped inside the upper part of the arc and struck the Bloodfang sword against the haft before the axe completed the rise. The sudden resistance drove into Malgoryth's reinforced wrist and forced the brace around the hand to thicken.
Sanguinastra attacked the ribs as Malgoryth redirected support toward the weapon. Another Reaper formed beside the wrist and struck the outer surface of the brace, forcing even more power into the hand. Ghorvath moved outward under the combined pressure, opening the missing-arm side long enough for the lance to cut through the seal again. Malgoryth moved backward and opened another rift before Noctis could stay beside the axe.
Aurelion had broken through the Reapers above and approached with Judicael close to the wounded shoulder. Noctis turned toward him and caught the first thrust with the Bloodfang sword. Sanguinastra remained near the right side while blood hardened around Judicael's lower guard and wrist. Aurelion moved the weapon through a shallow second attack instead of forcing a wide reversal.
The shorter movement kept the shoulder from opening further but also left Noctis close to the weapon. The Bloodfang sword struck again before Judicael could settle, and Sanguinastra came toward the ribs while a Reaper attacked the lower guard. Aurelion destroyed the construct and used the blade-scepter to block the lance, but the cross-body movement drew another line of blood from the shoulder.
He retreated several meters and stopped rather than continuing farther. Judicael remained raised, but the right arm had lowered slightly as Aurelion brought the weapon closer to his torso to reduce the strain through the joint. The surviving wing stayed folded close to his back. Blood remained suspended around the retreat rather than falling toward the ground.
Malgoryth began forming another rift network. Noctis tracked the shifting anchors through Blood Memory while keeping Sanguinastra pointed toward Aurelion and the Bloodfang sword ready between both opponents. Blood moved toward each possible exit but remained liquid until Malgoryth transferred enough support into the lower route for the structure to stabilize. Ghorvath emerged into two forming Reapers.
The first broke under the axe. The second attacked the reinforced forearm and forced Malgoryth to redirect his hand while the weapon was still moving. Genesis Step carried Noctis away from Aurelion and placed him beside Ghorvath before the axe could recover. The Bloodfang sword struck the haft near the hand while Sanguinastra drove toward the wound beneath the missing arm.
Malgoryth reinforced the wrist and side together. The lance stopped against distorted space, but Ghorvath became less stable against the Bloodfang sword while the support was split. Noctis pressed the haft farther across Malgoryth's body and formed another Reaper from the blood of the shattered construct. The new blade attacked the wrist from behind.
Malgoryth shifted the hand away from the Reaper, and Sanguinastra changed direction toward the abdomen. He twisted enough to keep the lance from entering deeply, but the edge opened another cut before he retreated several meters. A rift formed only after enough space existed for Malgoryth to keep Noctis from entering the displacement with him.
Aurelion attacked immediately after Malgoryth left. Judicael entered through a direct thrust supported by propulsion from his torso, and Noctis caught the weapon on the Bloodfang sword while Sanguinastra came toward the ribs. Aurelion blocked the lance without opening the surviving wing, accepting backward movement rather than using a lateral correction. Reapers began forming along that retreat.
Noctis remained against Judicael and moved the lower guard farther outside Aurelion's center through repeated contacts. Sanguinastra stayed close to the right side and prevented the divine god from concentrating all of his reinforcement on the shoulder. When a Reaper struck the lower transfer point, Aurelion destroyed it and shifted the weapon to protect the wrist. Noctis used the movement to cut the ribs with the lance.
Blood spread from the cut and shoulder together. Aurelion continued backward under propulsion while Judicael cut through another Reaper. The remaining wing did not open. Noctis stayed close for another exchange before Malgoryth began opening a rift behind him.
Blood already occupying the expected exit hardened into a Reaper. Malgoryth changed the anchor, forcing the construct to dissolve before another cluster formed near the second route. Ghorvath appeared into the new blade and destroyed it as Noctis completed his current pressure against Aurelion. The Bloodfang sword pushed Judicael outward, Sanguinastra cut the right side, and Genesis Step moved Noctis toward Malgoryth before the divine god could counter.
The Bloodfang sword struck Ghorvath near the injured wrist. Sanguinastra entered beneath the axe while blood from the shattered Reaper reformed around Malgoryth's forearm. The demon god blocked the lance and reinforced his grip, but the added support around the wrist thinned the protection over his ribs. Sanguinastra cut through before he could redistribute it.
Malgoryth withdrew. Noctis let him go and turned toward Aurelion as the divine god came back through the reforming Bloodfangs. Judicael remained compact against the wounded shoulder, and the first thrust met the Bloodfang sword before Aurelion could build another sequence. Sanguinastra threatened the ribs while two Reapers formed near the lower guard and wrist.
Aurelion destroyed one and moved Judicael to stop the lance. The cross-body movement reopened the puncture and forced his right arm lower after the block. Noctis pressed closer rather than allowing him to reset the weapon, keeping the Bloodfang sword on the lower guard while Sanguinastra shifted toward the abdomen. The lance cut through reinforcement before Aurelion moved back.
Malgoryth returned through another rift, but Ghorvath struck a Bloodfang before reaching Noctis. The Reaper broke apart and reformed along the haft while another blade attacked the injured forearm. Malgoryth reinforced the hand and continued forward, forcing Noctis to release Aurelion and turn into the axe.
The Bloodfang sword caught Ghorvath near the hand. Sanguinastra came under the weapon toward the ribs while Malgoryth used rift pressure to stop the lance. Noctis remained inside the axe head's most useful reach and moved with the haft as Malgoryth tried to recover. A Reaper formed beside the wrist and forced another shift of the hand.
Ghorvath turned slower through the reinforced forearm than it had immediately after shrinking. The Bloodfang sword stayed against the weapon and pushed it farther outside Malgoryth's body, while Sanguinastra changed angle and cut the flank. Aurelion approached through the Bloodfangs behind Noctis before the demon god could fully reset.
Noctis remained on Malgoryth until Judicael entered the outer edge of the exchange. Several Reapers formed between Aurelion and his back, forcing the blade-scepter through repeated defensive movements while the wounded shoulder continued leaking blood. Noctis kept Ghorvath occupied with the Bloodfang sword and used Sanguinastra to threaten Malgoryth's side until the divine weapon came too close to ignore.
Genesis Step carried him through the space between them. He emerged beside Aurelion's right side and immediately caught Judicael with the Bloodfang sword while Sanguinastra moved toward the ribs. Malgoryth turned Ghorvath after him, but a Reaper formed across the axe's path and absorbed the first contact.
Aurelion brought Judicael across his body to stop the lance. The shoulder opened again, and Noctis shifted the weapon contact lower while a Reaper attacked the transfer point. Aurelion destroyed the construct, allowing Sanguinastra to move from the protected shoulder toward the abdomen. The lance cut through the side before direct propulsion carried Aurelion away.
Ghorvath shattered the Reaper behind Noctis and continued forward. Blood from the construct wrapped around the axe while another blade formed beside Malgoryth's reinforced wrist. Noctis left Aurelion before the axe reached him and appeared beside the demon god through Genesis Step.
The Bloodfang sword struck Ghorvath near the hand, and Sanguinastra entered from the opposite side. Malgoryth reinforced the wrist and blocked the lance, but the Reaper beside the forearm attacked at the same time and forced the support even farther toward the hand. The protection over the ribs thinned under the redistribution.
Sanguinastra cut the side. Malgoryth withdrew before the lance could enter farther. Noctis turned back toward Aurelion as Judicael came forward through another compact thrust.
The Bloodfang sword moved the point aside. Sanguinastra attacked the right side while Reapers hardened around Judicael's lower guard. Aurelion stepped backward under propulsion and kept the wounded shoulder protected behind the weapon. Noctis followed close enough that the blade-scepter could not return to a neutral position without another contact.
The Bloodfang sword struck again. Aurelion shifted Judicael toward his wrist as a Reaper attacked the lower guard, and Sanguinastra cut the ribs during the movement. He retreated farther, blood running across his upper arm and side while the remaining wing stayed folded.
Malgoryth opened another rift behind Noctis. Bloodfangs met Ghorvath at the exit and broke apart under the axe. The injured wrist dipped slightly under the impacts, and Noctis finished the pressure against Judicael before Genesis Stepping into Malgoryth's recovery.
The Bloodfang sword caught the haft. Sanguinastra moved toward the ribs. Malgoryth blocked the lance and reinforced the forearm while droplets from the destroyed Reapers began forming again around his hand.
Noctis pressed the haft downward instead of trying to tear Ghorvath from the grip. A Reaper attacked the wrist brace from one side while the Bloodfang sword applied pressure from the other. Malgoryth tightened the support around the hand, and Sanguinastra moved through the thinner protection over the abdomen. The lance opened another cut.
Malgoryth pulled away. Aurelion was already approaching again, and Noctis turned toward Judicael before the divine god reached the open side of his body. The Bloodfang sword caught the weapon while Sanguinastra remained free near the ribs.
Aurelion shifted the blade-scepter to keep the wounded shoulder protected. Noctis used the Bloodfang sword to press the lower guard outward and formed a Reaper near the wrist. Judicael moved to stop the secondary blade, allowing Sanguinastra to cut the abdomen before Aurelion withdrew.
The fight continued within the concentrated blood around them. Aurelion's attacks remained fast, but Judicael stayed closer to his body and the surviving wing no longer contributed to his corrections. Malgoryth still used Ghorvath through short rift-supported movements, but the reinforcement around his wounded wrist thickened every time the axe met resistance. Noctis kept Sanguinastra and the Bloodfang sword moving between both weapon lines while the surrounding blood filled the spaces his hands could not reach.
Aurelion entered again with Judicael. Malgoryth formed a rift from the opposite side. Noctis moved toward the divine god rather than allowing the two lines to close around him.
The Bloodfang sword caught Judicael. Sanguinastra came toward the ribs while a Reaper formed at the lower guard. Aurelion redirected the weapon and gave ground rather than pulling the wounded shoulder through another wide correction.
Behind Noctis, Ghorvath broke through a Bloodfang at the rift exit. The droplets spread across Malgoryth's forearm and began hardening again before the axe had completed its movement. Another blade formed beside the reinforced wrist as Malgoryth drove forward.
Noctis kept Judicael engaged long enough to push it outside Aurelion's center and cut the right side with Sanguinastra. Genesis Step then carried him toward Malgoryth as the new Reaper forced the demon god to tighten his grip.
The Bloodfang sword struck Ghorvath near the hand. Sanguinastra came beneath the axe toward the ribs. Malgoryth reinforced the wrist and blocked the lance, but the support around the hand reduced the protection over the side.
Sanguinastra cut through. Malgoryth withdrew and opened another rift farther away.
Noctis turned toward Aurelion before Judicael completed its recovery. The blade-scepter came forward, but the wounded shoulder kept the movement close to the body and the remaining wing stayed folded. The Bloodfang sword struck the lower guard as Sanguinastra moved toward the right side.
Aurelion blocked the lance and stepped backward under propulsion. Reapers hardened from the blood around his retreat, forcing Judicael through another defensive cut. The shoulder reopened as the weapon crossed his center.
Noctis stayed inside the next thrust. The Bloodfang sword shifted the point away from his chest while Sanguinastra cut the ribs. Divine blood spread into the suspended field.
Malgoryth's next rift began forming behind him. Blood moved toward the possible exits before the demon god committed. Noctis remained on Aurelion until the anchor stabilized.
A Bloodfang hardened at the exit.
Blood gathered around the rift as Malgoryth committed to the new exit, hardening into a Bloodfang Reaper directly across the route Ghorvath would have to cross. The axe shattered the construct as Malgoryth emerged, but the blade merely returned to droplets that spread over the haft and wounded forearm, remaining under Noctis's control while the force of the impact passed through the reinforcement supporting Malgoryth's damaged wrist. Before the demon god could stabilize the axe for another attack, Genesis Step carried Noctis inside the recovery, where the Bloodfang sword struck the haft close to Malgoryth's hand and kept Ghorvath from opening enough distance for the axe head to become useful. Sanguinastra entered beneath the weapon at the same time, forcing Malgoryth to divide the rift pressure between his ribs and the injured forearm while the blood coating his wrist began hardening into another Reaper.
Malgoryth shifted his hand to keep the forming blade from reaching the wound, and the reinforcement around his forearm tightened to carry the movement that his damaged wrist could no longer manage by itself. That adjustment kept Ghorvath in his grasp, but it drew enough support away from his body for Sanguinastra to push through the thinner protection and cut across his side. Malgoryth twisted with the strike and pulled Ghorvath back between them, preventing the lance from entering deeper, while the Reaper beside his wrist broke against a burst of rift pressure and immediately scattered back into blood around his weapon arm. Noctis stayed close to the haft rather than following the retreating torso, using the Bloodfang sword to keep Ghorvath displaced from its strongest line until Malgoryth opened another rift and forced enough distance between them to recover the axe.
Aurelion was already closing from the opposite side before Noctis could continue after him. Several Bloodfang Reapers hardened from the blood between them and crossed Judicael's approach, forcing Aurelion to cut through the first construct and shift the blade-scepter around the second while keeping his damaged right shoulder from opening too far. The destroyed Reaper spread across Judicael in droplets that immediately began moving toward the lower guard, and Noctis turned into the divine god's approach with the Bloodfang sword already positioned to meet the weapon. Their blades collided near Judicael's lower section, and Noctis used the contact to push the weapon farther across Aurelion's body while Sanguinastra came toward the right ribs from beneath the bind.
Aurelion drew Judicael inward to intercept the lance, but the cross-body movement pulled through the punctured shoulder and reopened the wound beneath the reinforcement. Noctis felt the resistance in the weapon change and kept the Bloodfang sword against the lower guard instead of releasing the bind, allowing Sanguinastra to drop beneath Judicael when Aurelion concentrated his defense higher around the injured shoulder. The lance cut across the abdomen before direct divine propulsion carried Aurelion backward, leaving another line of blood suspended in the space he had just abandoned. Malgoryth began opening another rift behind Noctis while Aurelion was still withdrawing, and the blood distributed around the possible exits shifted toward the forming anchors without Noctis needing to take either hand away from Judicael.
Noctis remained between the two gods with Sanguinastra in his left hand and the Bloodfang Reaper sword in his right as Aurelion turned back toward him and Malgoryth began shifting the rift exit to another angle. Blood from both gods continued mixing with the liquid reserves around the battlefield, while the remains of every shattered Reaper stayed suspended among them and hardened again whenever one of the approaching weapons left an opening. Aurelion brought Judicael forward without opening the damaged wing, and Malgoryth tightened the reinforcement around his wounded wrist before Ghorvath entered the next displacement. Noctis stepped toward Judicael while blood behind him began forming around the rift.