The Constellations were powerless.
It was a strange, unforeseeable turn of events for them, considering how they were regarded as the strongest beings in the entire Aether Tree just moments earlier.
And now, with the coming of the end, they had become nothing more than oversized representations of impotence.
They could do nothing to the entity before them.
"I suppose it's my turn."
They could only despair.
"[End Magic: Hollow Field]."
Bypassing the laws of time and space, a vast field of darkness suddenly expanded from himself as the source.
It covered the entire region he occupied, and beyond. The Constellations that stood in front of him were also caught in the field—unable to resist or even detect what he had just done.
And so, the moment they got caught in it…
~FWUUUUUSSSSHHHH!!!~
… They were completely consumed.
The field of darkness, like a sphere of darkness, completely ate everything within its territory.
The Constellations were no exceptions.
"With that, I've taken care of the biggest pests in the Aether Tree. I still have to account for the most troublesome of all, but not now…"
Right now, Legris had a different thing in mind.
"Now that I'm once again in the Constellation Realm, I can access every world within the Tree much easier and faster."
A wide grin occupied his face the moment he made this statement.
"This has no direct bearing or consequence whatsoever. But… I'm quite a petty man."
He could see all the nigh infinite branches within the Aether Tree, meaning he could interact with them as well.
He was now boundless, after all.
"Might as well destroy as many of them as possible."
He stretched out his hand, a small ball of darkness began to manifest around it.
"Spreading [Nothingness] throughout existence… I wonder just how far it will go."
Right now, the Constellations did not stand in his way. He was the only absolute entity within the Realm where he stood.
… Or so he thought.
~WHOOOOOSSSHHHH!!~
A powerful Spell rushed towards him, but an invisible layer of nothingness instantly blocked all of it.
Not even a tiny ember of the multicolored flames touched him.
"You guys are still here? That's interesting…" Legris turned to his back and his eyes caught the group that stood before him.
The eleven who were chosen by their precious Constellations.
"You realize I just defeated your benefactors, right? You don't stand a chance." Legris smiled at the group.
To him, they were nothing more than fodder—no, even less than that.
"Is that so? Well we aren't going to watch you go in with your plans."
"Such hubris. It's the very height of foolishness to think you are 'allowing' me to do anything." Legris shook his head and sighed.
Kuzon's objection to him felt like the incoherent babbling of a child.
It made no sense.
"What exactly are you after? Why are you doing all of this? What did you—?!"
"It's too late for curiosity, Serah. I find it amusing that you're interested in talking to me now. Why? Am I now worthy of your attention?"
The playful grin on Legris' face made it difficult to determine if he had any kind of seriousness attached to his words.
"You know what? Since you're all here… it's perfect!" He beamed.
"I can just make you watch your worlds die. Unable to do anything, unable to stop it, unable to act… you will see everything and everyone you know or would ever know die."
He was still smiling flippantly.
"I mean… even the end of the worlds needs an audience."
The disgusted and shocked expressions of the eleven did not faze him in the slightest.
Instead, they seemed to encourage him even more.
"See this black stuff on my hand? If it falls… it will spread to the branches of the Aether Tree. It will begin to cause an 'End' to all of them."
In essence, Legris was telling them the source and cause of the threat.
"I call it [Seed Of The End]. If you can stop it… congratulations. If you can't… it's all over for everyone."
Everything seemed like a game to him.
And finally, almost like a ball being dropped off the palm of a careless player, the black sphere left Legris' palm.
"Oops."
"NOOOOOOOO!!!" Everyone rushed forward, trying their hardest to stop the imminent threat that was about to consume everything.
However…
"I didn't say I would allow you, though."
With a mere wave of his hand, Legris forcefully pushed everyone back.
As a result, none of them could reach the black orb in time.
… Until it fell and touched the surface of the Realm.
"It's too late." Legris grinned.
"It has already begun—the extinction of life." Legris laughed in glee.
Just as he said, the black orb spread itself around the branches like dirty water infiltrating a pure reserve.
The darkness deeper in, slowly integrating itself with everyone and everyone that existed.
The result of it all would mean nothing but death.
"What do you think? Pretty crazy, right?!" Legris smiled as his opponents lay on the ground shivering.
His terrifying strike was enough to paralyze their bodies and disrupt their flow of energy.
All of them were helpless.
"Let's watch it to the end together!"
Right as he said this, however, a particular glow emanated from one of the ones who lay.
It was Aloe.
"[O-Original Magic… Aurora Vidalis: Lightless World]."
At that instant, the brightness of the entire Constellation Realm dimmed.
All of that light converged on Aloe and her Allie's, allowing them to fight against the sickness that was draining them immensely.
"There's no time…" Aloe wheezed as she whispered.
"We need… we need to stop it before it reaches everyone and everything."
Her weak voice was properly complemented by her tired face.n/)./)/())-..I--n
"But how?" Kuzon gritted his teeth in both confusion and powerlessness.
Of all his abilities, none could save them in this case.
"Leave it to me." A voice suddenly emerged from the eleven.
It was a sonorous voice that had lost its previous bright allure.
This time, it was darker than ever.
"I'll stop this." Ciara stepped forward, her glare so deep that it caused her face to become a mask of rage.
"Even if I die!"
