Machina Arcanis: Two Worlds Collided-Chapter 272. Last Resort

272. Last Resort

"Phoros..."

Jovian’s jaw dropped. His dark eyes screamed of terror.

Nefarious, Ignius smiled, and his fingers crushed down on his own essence. A sacrifice.

"Lupus, move—"

The scream was disrupted. The Phoros explosion erupted.

A monstrous, spherical barrier pushed out from every direction. As if a powerful wind had slammed through them, Jovian was thrown into the cliffside, while Lupus tumbled down the inclines.

A shower of snow and rocks collapsed on top of Jovian. He rolled out of the way frantically, crawling for his life. "We’re so close..." He coughed profusely, blood bubbling at the corner of his mouth. His vision faded in and out. "Hades's hell..."

The aftermath was grim: Jovian was out cold. Lupus had fallen down the hill. Frain was crawling on the ground, unable to run, let alone walk.

But the enemy, the Master of War, still stood. A wicked smile flashed at his triumph.

Zetius ground his teeth, sweat collecting on his sharp nose. He never thought Ignius would go this far — to sacrifice years of cultivation essence to change the tide of war in a single moment. It was unthinkable.

"What should we do?!" Aurelia’s cry went ignored as Zetius pried his eyes from his foe to the towering Moonbreaker.

If there were no tower, his ritual would not succeed.

He pulled Aurelia’s wrist, startling her. "Come on, let’s seize this moment to destroy the apparatus!"

Zetius broke into a run, though the uneven ground obstructed his speed. An ember of hope burned inside his chest. The sky-piercing tower loomed ahead.

In a smooth motion, he planted his feet solidly, then clasped his palms together. At this range, there was no way he could miss. His mind entered a calm state. The image of the Earth's upper mantle formed in his mind's eye, bubbling with molten red liquid condensed under unfathomable pressure. The heat radiated outward through rooting channels, rushing up toward the opening of the crust.

"Empyrion!"

Zetius chanted. A fire blast shot from his arms, his shoulders absorbing the shock recoil.

Like a stalking phantom, Ignius leapt from above, putting himself directly in the line of fire.

Zetius grunted, exasperated, pouring more mana into the strike.

Flicking his hand upward in one fluid motion, "Empyrion!" Ignius bent the condensed beam toward the sky. The starry night lit up momentarily, and then everything went into complete silence.

Zetius could only hear his boots scraping on the gravel stones. The Celestius’s body was bloody; lacerations covered his arms and legs, and a deep cut ran across his shoulder. However, he was far from death. His movement never faltered as he stalked toward them.

"Stay behind me," Zetius gestured to Aurelia, and she obeyed.

He flicked his caked hair back, revealing the golden eyes of a true apex.

"Iasis..."

He chanted despite his hoarse voice. His skin began to mend as if the damage had never existed. The snowfall grew in intensity. Ignius tilted his head upward, eyes closed in serenity. The flakes touched his body and immediately evaporated into steam. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Zetius couldn’t sense malice in it, but his stiffened posture remained. Blood and dirt washed down Ignius, painting the floor into a dark pool of crimson.

"As long as the D’Arcane still flows through him, he is invincible," Aurelia whispered, her face becoming even paler.

"On that point, I can’t agree more." Zetius clicked his tongue. "We can’t exert enough destructive power to counteract this level of healing, either. Not without me using Astrapyion." That thought was a gut punch. He looked at his bared palm where Artimas had once provided such luxurious comfort. He had lost his ace; now he was forced to fight with even less.

"But he can’t fight forever. His D’Arcane must consume the incredible amount of mana he stole." Zetius flicked his eyes to the necklace.

"That means... We’ll have our chance," Aurelia replied, her voice quiet.

Zetius forced a smile. "Yes... Wait for my signal."

His eyes drifted back to the enemy. His fingers curled and uncurled, betraying his nerves.

"Well, children?" Ignius pried, his smile wicked. Then he saw Zetius’s uninjured hand. "Zetius, have you achieved the mythic-tier healing?" He found that line of questioning amusing.

"Cubie, go underground..." Zetius hushed.

He felt her exiting from his back, moving down his leg before dissolving completely into the ground.

"But I don’t think that’s possible. Without D’Arcane, it’d take years even for the most talented, brightest of all. None of you could have achieved it." Ignius murmured to himself, akin to a crazed scientist. "Perhaps, there is some other means to extract the effect of higher-tier essence?"

He seemed genuinely intrigued.

Silently, Zetius circled, watching his every movement. His mind analysed Ignius’s first move and his potential counters like microsecond-turn chess. His chance of winning this was slim, but never zero. He had to believe that. Believe in himself, and in Aurelia.

"A once-off!" Ignius raised his index finger. Seeing Zetius’s overly cautious stance told him plenty. He issued a wry smile. "You’ve run out of it, haven’t you?"

Zetius’s twisted expression was a giveaway, a confirmation of Ignius's working theory. Beads of sweat formed on his veiny forehead.

"Not in the mood for talk, I see." Ignius locked eyes. "Shall we get on with this final dance?" He raised his arms to the sides, palms forward in a theatrical gesture. He spun toward the crimson moon.

"To the new beginning! Hail the Titan of Time, Cronos!"

The gale grew quiet.

Ignius paused at the ripple of mana in the air, then a blue light flashed. The massive construction enlarged quickly, forming a semi-translucent mech.

"SHUT YOUR FOUL MOUTH!"

Cubie screamed, surging from the earth and motioning her giant blade to strike. Ignius fell into a guard, his palms conjuring a magnetic field. The collision was a grating friction of raw power.

Ignius weaved two fingers and pointed. "Empyrion!"

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A fire blast destroyed her mech’s arm, and the ionised sword disintegrated.

"Take this!" Cubie continued her relentless attack, using her other hand to crush Ignius.

The ground shook. Stone cracked underneath.

Then, an explosion erupted, turning the Armatus’s hand into specks of light. Ignius surged skyward.

Crackling noise emitted as he swung his blade at the Celestius's head. Ignius shifted mid-air, using a fire blast for redirection.

Ignius landed on a nearby snowy dune, his knees coiling at the impact. He squinted at Zetius’s golden aura — specifically, the radiant ball of light levitating behind him.

Like the Goddess of the Sun, Aurelia’s hair drifted majestically within a celestial halo. Her iridescent slivers of radiation orchestrated a sonorous hum. The slivers of light undulated and interconnected from her extended palms to Zetius’s back, channelling him with limitless mana.

"Truly marvellous!" Ignius shouted hysterically, astonishment in his golden eyes, "I didn’t know you were capable of such harmonic ritual, Zetius Zel Celerius!"

His boisterous voice was almost overjoyed. A voice of recognition.

Zetius shifted into a basic stance. "Are you good?" he asked her, not taking his eyes off his former master.

"Yes. You?"

"Never better." Zetius grinned. His body felt light, agile, and strong all at once.

"Finally, a real battle." Ignius raised his hand and flicked four fingers inward. His taunting smirk was on full display.

Aurelia looked at Ignius with her piercing eyes. Red and gold combined into the perfect shade of light, and they both surged in perfect harmony.

A flurry whirlwind of blades, fire blasts, and beams ensued. The sky flashed as they clashed into one another.

Zetius alternated between a series of attacks, utilising Empyrion and Astrapyion as his main arsenal. Attacking and dodging, he maintained the frontline. Aurelia shifted left and right, positioning herself in support. As if they were made for this, their dance was a tango. Beautiful synchrony.

Cubie rejoined the fight, materialising a striking ionised blade.

Instantaneously, Ignius conjured Magnetos to counter. His grin widened from ear to ear. A euphoric sense of battle, one he thought he had lost, now rushed back.

The high-stakes battle raged on. Seconds bled into minutes. The tang of ozone pierced their nostrils, residue from excessive fire arcane.

"Ah!" Ignius shifted his focus, realising for the first time that Zetius’s power was equal to his own.

He flew forward. Zetius parried. A feint. Ignius faded off, pushing past Zetius.

"Aurelia!" Zetius cried out, his voice cracking.

Ignius’s fist engulfed in flame as he arched toward the Princess, who darted away too slowly.

Compelled by the storm in his heart, Zetius screamed.

"ASTRAPYION~BLUE!"

The thunderous crackling blade, travelling hundreds kilometre per second, pierced into Ignius’s shoulder. There was no dodging such inperceptable assault. The momentum hurled both of them soaring.

"Zetius?!" Aurelia gasped, eyes wide. Their harmonic channel disconnected, and the wind knocked her away.

Surging lightning blasted through the sky. Zetius’s eyes and hair glowed with bright light as he bit down on the agonising shock generated from the handle of the Astrapyion-spatha.

"Nggh!" Ignius hissed, raising his arm and hammering it into the lightning blade.

A booming sound caused the electrical current to seize.

The blade snapped in two.

Ignius grappled Zetius’s arm tightly, then turned and used the centrifugal force to hurl him into the snowy ground. The snow kicked up into the air like white smoke.

"Still inadequate!" Ignius flew down as Zetius crawled from the mist, coughing blood.

"Such a frail attempt. Too desperate, too weak. I’m truly disappointed." Ignius sneered, peeking at the lightning shard embedded in his shoulder. Holding his breath, he gripped and yanked it out. The broken lightning discharged into the air.

Immediately, Zetius pushed himself off the ground and launched at his enemy.

Ignius’s elbow flew at his cheek. The impact nearly knocked him out of consciousness, but Zetius’s persistent grapple caught Ignius, wrestling in an arduous attempt to hurl him to the ground.

"Lowly tactics!" Ignius snarled, sinking a knee into Zetius’s gut. Blood squeezed out of his heave.

Then, Ignius felt the hair on his arms stand up. He was dazed for a mere second. The golden beacon of light, turning night into day, crashed down on them.

"What is this?!" His body spasmed uncontrollably, feeling a new burst of energy. Limitless mana coursed through him, charging up every molecule of his body.

The torrent of mana overwhelmed his dark siphon, flooding his core until there was nowhere left to go. Light ruptured from his skin, shooting from every pore in a blinding cascade. He tried to scream, but the radiance only surged harder, turning his agony into a beacon.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" His voice was a vomit of agony.

A punch knocked him out of the zone as the light faded.

Ignius twisted his body, crawling through the snow. A burning sensation clouded his mind, his eyes still blurred.

A shadow loomed with enmity. Zetius bared his teeth and landed a powerful uppercut. The splash of fire cut through the air.

Life flashed before Ignius’s eyes as he steeled his clenched teeth.

***

One week prior, inside the Hall of Fates.

Fringe shielding his eyes, Zetius drowned in the weight of sorrow. He sat with one leg stretched out, another curled inward. There was no dignity; the air around him exuded melancholy.

Triss’s agonising scream still lingered in his mind, and the blankness in her emerald eyes haunted him. Bitterness was the taste in his throat. He wasn’t sure if the glimpse of the future was worth it anymore.

"Champion..." Atropaia’s voice echoed like a divine resonance. Her perpetual, half-closed eyes glanced down at him. Not with callousness, but compassion. Her veiled hair flowed animatedly.

Zetius tilted his eyes to meet the mighty Titaness, his resolve solidifying. There was something else; he needed to consult with the Moirai about a theory.

"Tell me, Atropaia," Zetius stumbled to his feet, rubbing his lips. "What do you know about the D’Arcane?"

Atropaia’s lips parted slightly before she clasped her long arms. The metal manacles on her wrists jiggled. "I do know of this arte, from the historical record."

Tucking away his bitterness and ruefulness for now, Zetius shared his findings of the D’Arcane from his own research and from Cartier’s record. Atropaia was quiet at first, attentively listening to his academic voice detailing D’Arcane mechanics and utility, offering insight where he lacked. Their conversation was a low murmur for a quarter of an hour.

Zetius studied the genuine intrigue in her emerald eyes before continuing. "Initially, we believed he’d be going after Aurelia for her limitless mana..."

"His attempt ended up fruitless with the presence of the mightiest arcanist," Atropaia added, her voice eager.

He found himself smiling, although lightly, at the mention of his master. Even the divine beings revered Aurora Vere Borealis unconditionally.

"Instead, Ignius commenced with his second plan. Likely, he made a deal with the gods of the underworld."

"It’s true," Atropaia affirmed calmly.

Zetius lowered his head in acknowledgement. "There’s..." He paused, nudging the bridge of his nose. "The Empusa necklace. The demoness. The tool Ignius used to steal the life of the living. The potential mana, I mentioned earlier."

Her sharp-tipped crown wobbled, gleaming with ornate gold. "Yes. Soul-siphoning arcane, retrofitted for mana extraction..." She absently pulled up her tome for the first time, her eyes darting wildly through pages. Zetius studied her. She was more vocal and approachable than the dignified gods he had in his mind. In a sense, he felt like there was no difference between immortals and mortals at all.

"Ah, we call it blood mana because it is tainted with blood." She concluded.

“The potential blood mana…” Zetius quipped, finding his smile again.

“Very well,“ She returned a warm smile.

"In that case, if..." He drawled the last word.

The Sister of the Past leaned forward with enthusiasm, eyes glistening like gemstones. She glanced back at the cloud of iridescent threads where the Sister of the Present was, appearing relieved at Lacheryn’s disinterest in their discussion.

"If I mix blood mana with mana, what will happen?"

"Through harmonic ritual?" Atropaia scowled, utterly bemused for a few seconds.

He nodded solemnly.

"I’d think... blood mana and mana don’t mix well. Like oil and water," she theorised, cupping her chin. Her three-metre height held Zetius, craning his neck this whole time.

"If I overload his reserve with limitless mana?" Zetius asked, his voice firm.

Her lips curled upward in placidity. "You are trying to weaponise the Daughter of Gaia, I see." She pondered for a moment, gazing at the distant nebulae and galaxy. "I think it’ll work. At least, he’ll be momentarily impaired. Both artes cannot be interchangeable simultaneously."

Her words sparked an ember in his heart. A glint of hope returned to his eyes.

"Well, I appreciate our conversation, Sister Atropaia." Zetius kneeled, hands crossed and clasped on his chest.

"So do I, Champion." She kneeled and bent over to his level. "Now rise anew. We shall meet again."

Their affable farewell ensued, and soon Zetius crossed over to the earthly realm.