(Does my name still ring bells within you?) -Author
Azure stares at crimson eyes. Both trying to gauge one another, scrutinizing the tiniest movement their opponents make.
While Rimuru and the Ogres are having their confrontation. A much more intensifying battle was happening on the far side of the forest.
Dawn holding her crystalline sword tight was moving deeper into the forest despite the barrage of attacks going at her.
Dodging and weaving through magical projectiles despite Dawn herself being a mix fusion of superior beings a single hit would be fatal for her.
'she's strong' Dawn thought.
"How long will you keep running little mouse?" A voice came from up above.
It was Ciel levitating above the forest smiling gleefully as she watch Dawn scurried down beneath her.
Surrounded my numerous magic circles moving her hands similar to a conductor without the baton, never removing her sight towards Dawn.
"Tch, she's toying with me but knowing her there's definitely more than it meets the eye" Dawn grumbled in annoyance.
"Well then" Psyching herself up for a moment, she stopped on her heels and turned a 180° running towards her. Her crystalline sword glowed in hue matching with her thoughts.
Dawn propelled herself upwards and activated spatial transport. In a blink of an eye she appeared Infront of Ciel. She swung her sword towards her while Ciel kept a composed face right Infront of dawn.
*Clang!*
A loud metallic like sound reverberated near them, Dawn's sword mere inches to Ciel's neck on which is stopped by a barrier creating sparks.
"Fascinating" Ciel spoke.
"Shut up!" Dawn yelled putting more strength towards her sword causing Ciel's eyes to widen in surprise.
She activated instant motion and teleported a tad bit far at Dawn. Her face contorts in displeasure, Ciel stared strongly at Dawn's weapon. Few milliseconds was all it takes for her to reach a conclusion.
"So your weapon renders everything null, ceasing the existence of laws and authority to everything it makes contact to" Ciel spoke giving an accurate description towards her sword.
"Well, it's a fancy toy that old lizard gave me" Dawn replied.
Ciel stayed immersed in her thoughts, she then snapped her finger and a sword similar to Dawn materialized at her hand.
"Then why don't we test it out more?" Ciel asked.
Dawn could only grip her sword tightly as she said those words. In an instant both of them disappeared from their place.
Teleporting from one place to another within the forest, exchanging flurry of attacks to one another. Causing severe damage and aftershocks in the forest.
Ciel remained composed as she swung her sword downward towards her, Dawn then immediately parried it as her left arm surged with magicule delivering a palm strike infront of her.
Having the attack completely blocked by one of her barriers, Ciel was still sent flying with the force coming from the strike.
Ciel then repositioned herself mid-air and pointed a finger on Dawn who is fast approaching.
"Bang"
A white beam then flew at the tip of her finger.
'That-!' Dawn then killed her momentum and rolled to the side hiding behind a tree.
The phantom feeling of needing oxygen, she inhaled and exhaled hard as she felt a stinging sensation on the side of her neck.
'Im still here... Still here..' she thought.
Trying to keep her composure she recollected the near death moment she had.
"Ciel... She hesitated. But why?" Dawn mumbled. Knowing full well of what Ciel can do it was neigh impossible for her to miscalculate.
"Che, forget that gotta focus right now"
*BOOM!* *CACKLE* *BOOM!!*
Right before she hid behind the tree, Dawn then activated her presence manipulation at it's fullest.
"So let's see.... Being almost a carbon copy of father, she has all the arsenal like my father." She then focused on sensing the magicules around her.
"Damn it.. Just like I thought we're fighting in her imaginary space. Magicules went dull as I expected, so I can't stay too long here"
Dawn looked to see the hand that's holding her sword shaking erratically. She held the handle of the sword tightly to ease it down.
Feeling a sense of inferiority bloom within her it only took mere seconds for her to cut it.
'I stop here then everything will be useless, can't back down now even when I disregarded father's word'
Having a moment to rethink and steeled her resolution, she then exhaled and deactivated her presence manipulation.
Dawn then went out from the tree she was hiding in showing herself to Ciel who've scorched the whole place except at her spot that she was in seconds before.
Ciel without a speck of dirt within her clothes remained still with a small smile on her face.
"Have enough time to think, little mouse?" Ciel asked
"Just enough to put a way to stop a lunatic like you that is" Dawn smirked.
"Lunatic? Me??" Her tone and expression completely shifted.
Dawn subconsciously took a step back on the aura Ciel was releasing. Her face completely devoid of the expression she had before.
"For a vermin like you to insult me like that, You may have inherited some parts of my beloved but I won't hesitate to put you down, little mouse" Ciel who is now enraged sharpened her aura to a degree.
Dawn sensing something amiss on her only responded with putting herself on an unsheathing stance.
"Yes, I may not be like father but I will end this. For him" Dawn glared at her preparing one of her trump cards.
"Then you will die"
Shedding her casual appearance, Dawn crystallized horns grew and vivid magic symbols started showing all around her visible skin.
With thoughts seemingly collide one move is all it takes for it to end this all. Both Ciel and Dawn never letting each other go out of sight.
'Its all or nothing' both of them thought.
And right at that moment...
"Null: Ephemera!"
"Suspended World!"
Both of them used their strongest cards at the same time.
.
.
.
*
"*Inhale**exhale*As expected... Even if my beloved created you for the sole purpose of destroying me..... An entity weeks old like you cant move in this stopped world... *Inhale*haahh..."
Ciel- No. Apate spoke between breaths staring at Dawn who was about to unsheathe her sword.
"Can't maintain this for too long, VOTW is no longer in my command as time has been reverted and you..." Apate closed her eyes and can see a faint human figure in her mind glaring at her.
"Ciel... Can't you see this is for the better for us!?! Now stay down and let me stay in control!!" She yelled putting more pressure on the Encadia Isolation that's binding Ciel.
The image slowly diminished within Apate's mind. Regaining full control on the body once more she walked over to the frozen Dawn.
Standing infront of her, she pointed her finger straight at her head. Despite Apate having irregular breathing, she held a grin on her face.
"I won, Dawn. Say hi to my beloved from the other side" She spoke.
Manipulating the surrounding Infons within the suspended world with ease, she made a finger gun and aimed at Dawn's head.
*ZAP!*
And it was also this moment she found an irregularity in this situation.
Despite shooting a compressed disintegration point blank not a smidget of a hole appeared on Dawn's face.
Feeling a sense of unease, Apate fired a few more before stopping.
"W-Whats this!?!" She exclaimed.
Apate analyzed the surrounding Infons at Dawn "The Infons are... Getting erased..?"
"Null: Ephemera!!!"
"Wha-!"
She heard a voice she least expected.
Dawn who unexpectedly moved within the suspended world swung her crystalline sword. The blade on which it's color resembled that of a void had hit it's mark on Apate chest.
Apate feeling severe pain for the first time in her life, cried in agony. Tearing up as she looked at her body with a large wound.
"Y-You!" Apate glared.
Dawn who was experiencing the backlash of using her unique skill for the first time was rendered weak, she used her sword as a cane to support herself standing up.
[Null: Ephemera] true to it's name is a skill under Null that voided everything under a short period. While the sword itself nullifies everything it makes contact with the skill only amplifies the weapon's ability.
The moment Dawn was unavailable to move within the suspended world. The skill was already active burning a huge amount of fuel within Dawn's current tank capacity.
'but it's not enough' Dawn thought as she clicked her tongue in annoyance. What was left on the skill that hit Apate was nothing more than fumes.
Apate struggling to keep standing up kneeled as both the imaginary space and suspended world crumble around them.
"Heh, it's not over yet. Dawn" Apate spoke.
"Your skill is rendering most of my spells inactive while you on the other hand no longer have the strength to fight me" she continued.
Apate then had a magic circle at the top of her palm. Dawn who analyzed the circle a tad bit late, grabbed her sword back handed as she tried to move of what is left of her strength.
"DONT YOU DARE, CIEL!!" Dawn yelled.
"Let's call it a tie! Until next time, little mouse" Apate spoke.
And as the surrounding magic crumbles, Ciel too had already teleported elsewhere.
Dawn was back at the forest, seeing the natural scenery around her. Tears started falling of from her eyes.
Kneeling down on the ground she gripped the dirt beneath her as Dawn continued to cry.
The
End
A/N: I really don't have that much to say but I guess I'm back?