Worldbreaker was by no means a simple attack. It disrupted spacetime and intrinsically broke down the components of a world, forming a positive feedback loop with the World Core and destroying the planet thereafter.
Naturally, on a world as strong as Death Emperor Star, this effect was drastically lessened. Because Damien was also holding back his power so it could be contained within the arena barrier, the destruction caused wasn't nearly enough to shatter the world itself.
However, it wasn't something to be underestimated.
BOOOOOOOOOM!
The entire arena floor disintegrated into a cloud of dust. Bianca's earthen tsunami and even the crystalline barrier protecting her body were instantly shattered.
"Keuk….!"
She coughed out a mouthful of blood as her mana rebounded, stabilizing herself in the air so she didn't fall into the chasm Damien had created.
The battle that had taken place on the ground thus far was moved to the air. The illustrious battle arena floor that had never faced total destruction before was no longer existent, replaced by an abyssal chasm whose bottom couldn't be seen.
Bianca wiped the blood from her lips and gritted her teeth. While she was fortunate enough to avoid heavy injury due to the countless layers of protection that stood between her and the attack, she was now essentially crippled.
Her most powerful attacks were built on the foundation of the earth. Even if she could still attack and defend without its presence, the amount of mana she had to use to do so would be astronomical.
There was a reason people didn't place too much stock in affinities that relied on external mediums to display their full power.
If an affinity wasn't versatile enough to be wholly usable even in the worst conditions, what was the point of having it?
The important fact was that this wasn't a problem of the earth affinity itself. While the universe's foundational laws had ranks, the actual power they could display wholly depended on the wielder.
That was to say, Bianca's current state was a product of her own malpractice. If she hadn't focused so much on manipulating the earth around her and instead focused on understanding the versatility of her law, she wouldn't have been in such a disadvantageous position.
But…what else was she supposed to do?
Not only was she a woman, she was a woman in the Bloodlock Clan. If she didn't want to be turned into a sex slave or a blood source for the Bloodlock heirs, she needed to prove her worth.
And the only at she knew how was destruction.
Her immense destructive talent was the reason she was allowed to join the enforcer unit instead of suffering the same fate as most other women in the clan. Her ability to completely dominate any earthen battlefield was a necessity in warfare.
After all, while her power had a fatal weakness, the Bloodlock Clan merely had to place her in situations where that weakness would never be exploited.
In this way, they'd gain a powerful subordinate while always having an easy method of bringing her down if she decided to rebel.
The enforcer unit was only worth so much. The Bloodlock Clan's power was centralized within its bloodline, so even if they were a strong fighting force, any outsiders working for the clan were considered cannon fodder.
Ironically, the only ones who escaped this fate were those who suffered the most: the wives and concubines of the Bloodlock men.
Bianca's eyes hardened as she thought of this. A defeat here would likely force her into that position as well.
Even if she was cropped, she couldn't…!
Bang!
A bullet of condensed spatial mana shot past her head. Just as it reached a few inches behind her, it turned into a blur.
'Material Shift'
Damien's figure appeared in the bullet's place. Without giving Bianca a chance, he began a furious offensive.
'Void Sword Art First Form: Bladeless'
'Void Sword Art Third Form: Dance of the Void'
'Void Sword Art Second Form: Horizon Break'
Space was thrown into chaos as Damien chained his sword forms endlessly. Large gashes opened up, opening Death Emperor Star's space into the chaotic void, smaller spatial cracks formed from the speed and precision of Dance of the Void's sword slashes, and Bianca was continuously forced to dodge and block unseen attacks from Horizon Break.
Her gritted teeth began to leak with blood. She fortified her defenses with earth mana, but the level of mastery she could show in her current state was incredibly low.
'I have to get close!' She thought rapidly. There were only two facets of her strength that she trusted in her current situation.
Her control of gravity and her physical strength.
If she could get close to Damien and utilize these powers to weaken him, she might be able to clinch a chance at victory!
Bianca moved immediately on her assumption. She dodged by instinct alone, using her countless years on the battlefield to guide her. Through this, she escaped the encirclement of Horizon Break and charged at Damien.
Still, his speed far outstripped her. And when it came to close combat, since when did he lose out to anyone?
Rather than relying on his newfound advantages to pressure Bianca into a loss, Damien put away his weapons and met her head-on.
Against these Bloodlock dogs, he showed no mercy or respect. His aim was to dominate and humiliate.
BANG!
His fist meet hers as they finally met. The sound caused the ambient air to explode and produced a screech of metal clashing against metal.
The second they made impact, Bianca felt her whole body rattle from head to toe. The force of his punch...wasn't any weaker than hers!
Brownish-yellow mana surfaced on her body and coated her fists. Immediately, she utilized gravity to heighten the power of her attack while simultaneously increasing her speed.
This was by far the most intrinsic utilization of mana she knew. She expertly weaved decreased gravity and increased gravity to best suit her needs.
In this state, her single fist could cause tens of thousands of kilometers of damage.
But against Damien…
"Oh? You can do something like this?" He commented with a smile.
His fist meet hers once more, but the result wasn't any different than the last time.
"You aren't the only one who can play with gravity, you know." He continued.
Vector control was an ability that'd become further forgotten the more powerful Damien got. This wasn't a matter of its power, since true vector control would absolutely dominate the universe, but rather a matter of his own talent.
Damien had never been the smartest. In fact, the him who first obtained vector control could be called an absolute dolt.
The problem lay in this fact. Vector control, despite how simplified it was when Damien used it by utilizing space as a medium, was heavily calculation-forward in its usage.
To accurately pinpoint the vectors of an opponent's attack became increasingly difficult as he grew in power. And when laws and natural forces came into play, something like a vector became less prominent. The mana of a 4th class was able to break the established laws to a certain extent, which negated vector control's usefulness.
In the hands of a genius, vector control could've grown to insurmountable heights. Unfortunately, Damien wasn't a genius.
The only reason he got vector control…was because it was the ability he needed most at the time.
Vector control was a manifestation of his desire for "control" after his first defeat to the 40th Floor Boss Wyvern.
But as he grew, control came to him in a different manner; through absolute power.
And now, this was the first time Damien had used vector control in many, many years.
