Edward gritted his teeth as he stared at Jared.
Something swirled within him. It wasn't hate or rage.
No... if was awe!
'I've forgotten how amazing Jared can be!'
Sure, he had gotten a lot stronger compared to before, but Jared was also bound to have experienced some growth as well
'Pulling my punches is merely an insult to his power.'
With that in mind, Edward searched deep within himself and resolved to do all it took to achieve victory.
'Mind Blade... Martial Zone... and even my Constellation, Aries...' His muscles tensed and the energy he exuded rose to an immeasurable degree.
'... I will use everything at my disposal!'
**********
'That's the spirit, Edward.' I smiled, looking at my opponent's resolute expression.
It seemed he was finally going to take things seriously.
Unfortunately for him, so was I.
"Playtime is over."
>VWUUUUUUUUSSSHHHHH<
Using [Strength] to improve my overall Aether output as well as increase it's efficiency, I used Spellcraft to gather even more Aether to me, while also using [The Magician] and [The Devil] to produce Mana and Miasma respectively, which would automatically be compressed by my Great Sage's Memoir algorithm to produce more Aether.
Finally, by using [The Sun], I was able to increase the destructive power each one would possess.
The ability to eat away at anything and cause unfathomable destruction... I had it in the palm of my hand.
Everything I prepared occured within a moment thanks to the use of [The Hermit], and before any time was properly consumated, I was done.
"[Path Of The Martial God King... Devastation]"
In a natural, overwhelming flow, Edward closed the distance between us, almost as if time had come to a standstill.
The sheer pressure of his Aether distorted the effects of my Arcana on the surroundings, pushing the effects of my spatial barrier away.
He swing his blade, ready to cut me into two, but my barrier, forged through the use of [The Pope] easily deflected his blade.
Using the same trick as last time, he turned his body Intangible, becoming one with the Aether around him.
In response to that, I used an equally powerful Spell, evenly calculated by my Great Sage's Memoir, to repel him back.
'Are we back to this?' I grinned, wondering what Edward could be up to.
Fortunately, I didn't have to wait for very long.
"Mind Blade..." He murmured, finally making his real move.
In a brilliant surge of Aether, incorporeal blades appeared all over the sky, surrounding me in their multitudes.
They littered the sky, far more than I could bear to count.
'I see. Since [The Pope] can't deflect strikes like these, he wants to use their overwhelming number to damage me, or at least wear me out.'
It was a shame, though.
>WHOOOOOSSSHHHH!!!<
As the blades converged on my location, I activated the effect of an Arcana that rendered all of Edward's efforts to null.
"[Death]."
Dark misty energy leaked from me, coursing through the air.
The moment the blades got within range, they all got corroded by the concept of death that I unleashed, easily turning blank in no time.
All the supposed damage I was going to recieved amounted to nothing as the blades died the moment they got close.
Their numbers, in the thousands, all perished with the activation of the Arcana.
'[Death] comes for all...' With a smile on my face, I challenged Edward by stretching my hand and beckoning him to come.
"What's next?"
His furrowed brows expressed how determined he was, and this time, instead of summoning many of his Mind Blades, Edward created a massive incorporeal sword in the sky.
'It's too large for death to consume at once... I see.'
[Death] returned anything to a state of non-effect or nonexistence. It's true function was by rendering any kind of death onto it's target.
Since my targets this time were non-living, the best method was by wearing off their durability, chipping off their essence, or aging them.
Unfortunately, with the mass of Edward's summoned blade, it would take some time for any of those concepts to apply.
'In that case...' My thoughts echoed as I watched the steady weapon set its target on me.
>WHOOOOOSSSHHHH<
'... I'll just merge the effects of [The Pope] and [Death]... with [The Lovers].'
The result?
>VWUUUUUMMMMMMM!!!<
The blade was met with an absolute barrier coated with the concept of death.
... It could not pass through.
'I would have easily used [The Tower] to teleport it, but the density of the Aether is distorting too much space.'
But it was really of no consequence to me. I could use other moves at my disposal.
'I can't remain on the defensive forever, now can I? My turn!'
With an excited smile and a well calculated gaze, I leapt towards Edward, easily crossing the distance we had.
He was well prepared, seeing as he took his stance to fight me.
'I'm sure you can't see the flow clearly too, considering the fact that I'm distorting it with my Arcanas, now can you'
Plus... I had [The Empress], which basically exempted me from his observatory cage.
"Let's try a good old fashioned punch!"
Using [The Star] and [The Sun] to increase the weight and power my punch possessed, I easily crossed the threshold by simultaneously using [Wheel Of Fortune] to improve my power.
'If I use an [The Emperor] to dominate the [Wheel Of Fortune], I can merge it with [The Lovers] to get the results I desire...'
Which meant...
>BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!<
... A guaranteed hit.
The space around us shattered, and Edward was hit directly in the stomach, sending both saliva and blood gushing out of his mouth as his eyes nearly popped out of his sockets.
'Not done yet!'
I grabbed him by the face, tightening my grip on him as swiftly as I could.
Using [Temperance] to weaken his resolve and mental resistance, I utilized [Judgement] to induce hallucinations on him, creating phantom pains he must have wished he could escape.
"GAAAARRRGHHHHHHHHH!!!"
As he tried struggling, doing his best to break free, I added [The Emperor] to the mix, further diminishing his power.
With the current stock of Aether I had at my command, Edward stood no chance at all.
This was why I didn't want to go serious, to begin with.
"Do you see now, Edward? You're still too weak."
********
Edward was in indescribable pain as he powerlessly remained in Jared's clutches.
Despite his resounding screams that filled the air, Jared did not show any merch and continued to torture him.
'Pathetic...' Edward's thoughts faded as he suffered.
'I'm so pathetic...'
Even after all that training, and all his efforts, this wall still seemed too high for him to overcome.
~Do you need my help?~ A voice echoed from within him.
It was the only light he currently possessed in the overwhelming void that surrounded him.
Aries, the Constellation of Will and Action called onto him, expecting an answer.
And in the depths of his despair, Edward responded with the only words he could utter.
"Help me, Aries."
... And that was enough to change everything.
