'Now… for the mission!'
Serah rushed to the site of the cocoon, reaching there almost in an instant thanks to her new form.
As soon as she arrived right in front of the massive orb, though, she was met with a voice.
"I've been expecting you."
Her body fidgeted in shock for a moment, considering how she hadn't sensed any presence until the words were spoken.
Swiftly turning her attention to her side, she saw Kuzon floating calmly.
'How long has he been waiting? He was here first?' Serah asked herself.
She was certain that she had swiftly ended her battle with Gerard, so it came as a surprise that Kuzon was already done with his task.
"I know what you're wondering, but don't think too much of it. My opponent was probably just weaker." Kuzon shrugged.
His expression remained the same—serious and unperturbed—as he locked his sight on the black chrysalis they had to destroy.
"Didn't your opponent have a Constellation Shard, though? That means they were strong."
Unlike Gerard, whose power was only amplified by his new state, Kuzon had faced a previous Constellation Host.
It was already clear who would be stronger.
"That doesn't matter. In the end, the mission is—"
Before Kuzon said anything else, he paused and looked behind him, casting his gaze from the black cocoon for the first time.
"Looks like Edward is done as well. Perfect."
As soon as he uttered those words, Edward appeared right beside Serah and Kuzon, a smile coursing through his face.
"Sorry for being late! Looks like I was the last to arrive."
Kuzon shrugged and returned his gaze to his front. As for Serah, she returned Edward's smile and nodded.
"Since we're all here, we can begin." Kuzon concluded, his eyes now aflame with golden energy.
~VWUUUUUUSSSSHHHHHH!~
Kuzon's entire body transformed at that point.
He became the personification of golden energy, and his hair grew far longer than before, reaching his very toes.
His eyes glowed with white radiation, and his crown floated regally on his head.
A flowing emperor's robe decorated his body, and he had a golden scepter in his hand.
His body was adorned in earrings, chains, bracelets, and rings, all of them pulsating with power—boundless power.
"[Constellation Emperor's Transfiguration]." He whispered calmly.
With the current power he had, he was incomparable to the previous transformation he had in the past.
"I suppose I should get to full form as well…" Edward smiled, his body instantly undergoing transformation.
"[Supreme Martial State: Aries]."
His hair became shimmering white, and then silvery glows began to appear all about it.
Golden tattoos began to manifest on his bare body, and firm golden horns protruded from his forehead.
A gold-like gem became engraved in his forehead, and more tattoos decorated its surroundings.
All of his hair became cloud-like, and his beard turned into fluff.
… Almost like wool.
His muscles bulged with greater power than ever, and pure white and golden energy surged within him, as well as manifested around him in the form of rabid lightning.
The combination of his hybrid azure and amber Aether Core, and the Constellation's power within him, had birthed something new.
A power that was boundless in its own right.
"We're all set."
As Kuzon, Edward, and Serah stood before the black cocoon in their peak forms, they nodded at one another and began to prepare their respective attacks.
It would be based on brute strength, reinforced by all the energy they could muster in a single shot.
And, once they were done…
~You'll be teleported away from there!~
Once again reassured by Aquarius' words, they began to initiate their combined attack.
"Grand—!"
"Supreme—!"
"Ultimate—!"
"NOT SO FAST!" A voice sharply interrupted them from continuing their attacks.
It belonged to none other than Ciel.
~WHUUUUSH!~
She appeared right in front of them, just a few meters away from the cocoon's surface.
"Well, this is unexpected. To think you three would already be done…" She muttered, a strained smile on her face.
"We won't fall for any more delays." Kuzon spoke in full composure.
His fixation on the task was absolute, and he was about to resume generating his attacks when Ciel snapped her fingers in a jiffy.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you! Not unless you want these two to die!"
"T-those are—?!"
"Maria…?! Ana?!"
Both Edward and Serah both generated surprised reactions to seeing the hostages at Ciel's mercy.
Right in Ciel's grasp were Maria and Ana, and she gladly presented them to the trio in amusement.
They were both unconscious, but there was no mistaking the two of them.
Everything about them was the same as the Maria and Ana they knew and loved.
"Death, huh? We were already resolved for that when we came here." Kuzon responded coldheartedly.
His response came as a surprise to both Edward and Serah, considering his lover was also among the hostages.
Even then, Kuzon did not bat an eye.
"I know you're bluffing. Those two aren't Ana and Maria. I don't know how you were able to mimic them so perfectly, but Ana and Maria are currently fighting their doppelgängers in the distance." Kuzon pointed behind him, though he still refused to take his eyes off Ciel, and ultimately the cocoon.
"W-what?! How did you—?!"
"I don't need to explain myself to you. We only need to fulfill the task." Kuzon responded succinctly once again.
"The both of you, do not be distracted by her. Let's finish this once and for a—"
"Attack them, you two!" Ciel commanded, instantly releasing the previous hostages, who swiftly shifted gears in an instant.
Maria transformed into her Constellation Regalia and even activated her Original Magic, while Ana shrouded herself in her Constellation regalia, and had now created multiple weapons to attack.
They all approached Kuzon and his allies in a flash, hoping to take them by surprise.
"Pointless…" Kuzon whispered.
~WHOOOOOOOSSSHHH!!~
One invisible flex of energy was more than enough for him as a sigh escaped his lips.
What happened next stunned everyone.
*
*
*
[A/N]
Thanks for reading, everyone!
OP! Kuzon is OP!
