Chapter 158: The Divine Sorceress (4)
[Country United States, State: San Francisco, North beach]
The creature wounded but far from defeated, clawed its way back to its feet.
Another roar echoed across the water, this one tinged with a new, desperate ferocity.
Thrax was no longer a predator driven by hunger, but a cornered beast fighting for survival.
Aurelia circled it, a predator relishing the thrill of the hunt. A smirk spread across her face.
"I'm happy you can still fight!" Her voice held a playful challenge tinged with arrogance.
"Then I'll make sure to savour this moment for a long time!"
As she noticed an eerie, pulsating glow spread across the creature's back, her smirk widened.
This wasn't fear, but the joy of a new challenge.
Any monster gathering power intrigued her, and this felt different… powerful, almost exciting.
Then, her eyes – a startling, sky-blue – flared with focused power.
A honed technique, a surge of her immense aura and mana flowed to her eyes, allowing her to pierce the veil of time.
DING!
Flashes of a horrifying future burned through her eyes...
A few seconds into the future, Thrax unleashed a beam of pure destruction that missed Aurelia, obliterating the San Francisco coastline and everyone else in it.
"...!"
For a split second, as time-warped within that dreadful vision, a flicker of surprise crossed her features.
That… that was powerful. Then, her usual confidence returned.
"Not bad," she said to Thrax, a hint of amusement in her voice.
"But I can see the future!" She winked, pointing a playful finger at her eye.
"Divine Technique: Dispersal and Reflection!" she chanted, her voice ringing with unwavering power.
As Thrax's attack reached its peak, she extended her right arm.
A golden glow arced from behind her, shooting towards the coastline and the oncoming beam of destruction.
The monster unleashed its attack a heartbeat later, but Aurelia was gone, leaving a shimmering trail of light in her wake.
With a flash, she reappeared behind Thrax. Now, both her technique and the monstrous beam traced the same deadly path.
Snap!
Aurelia snapped her fingers. A massive wall of golden light materialized, a shield against annihilation.
The beam hurtled forward, its momentum unyielding, but met its end with a deafening...
BANG!
The resulting explosion shook the air and sent a powerful surge through the water.
Yet, through it all, the city stood safe.
GRRRRR?
Thrax, instead of feeling the expected feeling of triumph, tilted its monstrous head back, searching the smoke-filled sky for one person.
For a moment Thrax couldn't find where she had gone but Its beady eyes finally located Aurelia, hovering high above, a smirk playing on her lips.
GRRRRR...
Fury ignited within the creature, overriding its primal instincts.
This tiny, infuriating opponent had not only survived its attack but deflected it! A guttural snarl tore from its throat as it focused its rage on the golden figure in the sky.
With a speed almost unnatural for its massive size, Thrax charged up another blast.
SUUUUU!...
The air crackled with destructive energy, the pulsating glow on its back even brighter, hotter than before.
This time, its target wasn't the coastline, but Aurelia herself.
A blinding beam erupted forth, tearing through the dissipating smoke.
It aimed not for the city, but for the single, defiant figure that represented the sole obstacle to its survival.
Aurelia's smirk widened.
She watched the beam approach, a split-second calculation in her eyes.
SHAAAA!
The beam of destructive energy tore through the space she'd occupied mere milliseconds ago, carving a searing path across the darkening sky.
Then, in a blur that defied even the monster's tracking, she vanished again.
"You're too slow!"
Her voice echoed across the water, her usual taunts filled with mockery.
Reappearing behind Thrax like a ghost, Aurelia didn't waste time with theatrics.
This creature was proving more resilient than she initially anticipated.
Her fist clenched, and with a focused surge of power, she imbued it with her very essence – the raw power of light.
The air around her hand crackled with golden energy.
And once fully formed she had pure light burning with an intensity that rivalled the setting sun.
Then with a surge of speed, she unleashed the attack.
SHINGGG!!!
A colossal arc of blazing light erupted from her fist, a shimmering blade of pure energy that tore through the air.
Its trajectory was unerring, aimed directly at the monstrous Thrax's chest, a vital point pulsating with an ominous red glow.
SLASSSH!!!!
The attack landed true. A thunderous boom echoed as the light collided with Thrax's chest, the creature roaring in pain.
A searing wound erupted where the light struck, but with a horrifying tenacity, Thrax remained standing.
It stumbled back, its massive form shuddering, but it was not finished.
The playful glint in Aurelia's eyes vanished. Disappointment replaced the amusement. Yet, instead of finishing the fight, a new spark ignited in her gaze.
This broken, battered creature had sparked not pity, but inspiration.
"Well, if you didn't know who I am now monster," she grinned, "then you'll see right after this attack!"
As Thrax struggled to regain its footing, unable to move due to the remaining effects of the light attack, Aurelia began to chant.
Her voice resonated with power that went beyond even her usual confidence.
"[Created before the sun]" - Her hands opened, palms facing upward, slowly drawing towards her body as if collecting ambient light energy
– "[The Moon] - [The stars] - [Appear on the fourth]" – Her hands clenched into fists, brought close to her chest, knuckles and forearms glowing with radiant energy.
– "[The greater light] - [To rule the day] - [The Lesser light]" – In a sudden motion, she thrusts both fists directly upwards, fingers extended, the air shimmering with energy
– "[To rule the night] - [Judgement Before Salvation]" – One hand remains raised, palm upward, the other hand shaping the energy into a portal
– [Ressurection and Change] -
With a surge of blinding radiance, a massive golden portal crackles into existence, dominating the skyline.
Larger and wider than Thrax itself, it warps the very fabric of the darkening sky.
"Divine Technique: World's Brilliance: Annihilation!"
The portal doesn't just glow, it pulses with unimaginable power, a blinding star tearing open the heavens.
SHAAAAA!!!!
The portal pulses with unimaginable power, a blinding star tearing open the heavens. And from that breach, a beam of pure, annihilating light descended, engulfing Thrax.
GRAHHHHHHH!!!!!
The creature lets out a final, ear-splitting wail as its form is consumed not by shadow, but an unbearable, all-encompassing light.
The blinding flash, the crackle of energy, and the shockwave that ripples across the water remain, a testament to the devastating power unleashed.
The blinding brilliance faded, leaving behind a swirling vortex in the darkening sky.
The golden portal flickered and then winked out of existence, the unnatural silence pressing down on the world after the deafening roar.
Aurelia descended slowly, her movements almost lazy.
Below, the ocean churned, a massive scar marking the spot where Thrax once stood.