Axis raised her right hand high into the air, her slender fingers spreading wide as if grasping the very fabric of the night. In that instant, a translucent sphere emerged within her palm, yet it was far from ordinary.

A veil of shadow-like aura wrapped tightly around it, writhing and pulsating like a living parasite clinging to its host. The energy throbbed in erratic beats, each pulse igniting a dim glow that sent flickering shadows racing across the battlefield, shadows that seemed to dance and twist like creatures with a will of their own.

The air itself trembled as though strangled by an unseen hand. The ground quivered in subtle vibrations, while small fragments of stone lifted from the soil, hovering for the briefest of moments before crumbling away into fine black dust.

The followers could no longer bear the oppressive force pressing against their bodies. Instinctively, they raised their arms to shield their faces from the storm of mixed heat and bone-piercing cold radiating from that sphere.

The shrill scrape of the wind echoed around them like the anguished wail of tortured souls, a sound so unnatural that several warriors staggered, nearly losing their footing under the weight of the pressure.

"And this will be my little farewell gift to you," Axis spoke, her voice calm yet laced with venom, a sinister curve pulling at her lips, "I truly hope you can handle it. Don't let me down… haha."

Her intention was clear. With her fragmented existence drawing ever closer to collapse, she sought to unleash one final devastating strike. Whether it succeeded in crushing Al entirely or simply bought her followers enough time to retreat, the result would still serve her purpose.

Al's eyes cracked open once more, though his vision wavered, blurred from the prolonged strain of battle and the relentless drain of his dimensional eye, which had been active for far too long. Yet even through that haze, he could clearly discern the enormity of the danger that Axis was preparing to unleash.

His pupils trembled violently, a thin line of blood trickling down from his eyes, staining his cheek. Still, he refused to falter. He stood rooted in place, unshaken like an immovable wall carved from stone. His left hand curled into a tight fist, his breath ragged yet steady, as though his body itself was forcing his soul to keep fighting, to stand against the impossible.

This woman… she's completely insane, he muttered silently within his heart.

And the heavens themselves seemed to agree with that silent declaration. The night sky rumbled faintly, though no lightning split the darkness.

Instead, a hollow vibration spread across the battlefield, a soundless quake that clawed at every heart present, leaving them shivering as though their very souls recoiled.

Black clouds churned swiftly, swirling in spirals overhead, forming a ghostly vortex as if the sky itself was rejecting the presence of such abominable energy.

"Oii! Are you out of your mind? Do you plan to blow this whole place to pieces?!" Al shouted at her, his voice raw with fury.

Axis, however, gave no reply. She merely curled her lips into a wider grin, dismissing his words as though they carried no weight at all.

Her followers were already taking measures of their own. Layers upon layers of protective barriers bloomed around their bodies, some shielding themselves with two, others with three.

They anchored their feet to the earth, channeling their energy into the ground to keep from being hurled away. Their eyes burned with a mixture of dread and blind faith, torn between the terror of what their leaders had become and their unshaken loyalty to her command.

Meanwhile, the sphere in Axis's hand released low, muffled thumps, each one echoing like the faint beat of a colossal heart preparing to burst.

Instead of expanding outward as one might expect, the sphere steadily contracted, compressing further and further as though attempting to condense countless streams of malevolent energy into a single, lethal core. It was not a flame that sought to engulf—it was a star collapsing in on itself, promising annihilation when finally released.

Al understood instantly how the spell was going to unfold, and without a moment of hesitation, he propelled himself forward like a spear loosed from a bowstring, determined to cancel the incantation before it could be unleashed.

RWARRR! The roar of his black flames burst forth, carried by the violent gusts of wind that tore across the battlefield, trailing behind him as he shot toward Axis.

His body streaked through the air like a jet-black arrow, cutting through the night sky with a ferocity that left blazing trails of dark fire in his wake—trails that seemed to rip open the very fabric of the atmosphere.

But then—

BRAK!

A figure exploded into view before him. Fahruk emerged, his movements wild and unrestrained, his hands erupting in crimson fire as he clawed at Al with reckless ferocity.

"Well, well… we meet again, Lord Hell Phoenix," Fahruk sneered, his tone mocking even as his flames flared. "Tell me, how are your two subordinates doing? Have they already lost their minds, perhaps? Hehe…"

The claw of fire carved across the night sky, igniting the heavens for a fleeting second. It sliced the air apart like a crimson blade of pure destruction, as though intending to consume Al whole.

Sensing the attack, Al veered to the side with sharp precision. He had no time to waste on this opponent, not now.

"Tch… I'll deal with you later," Al muttered sharply, resuming his charge toward Axis without slowing.

But before he could close the distance, two more figures materialized. Both were towering, broad-shouldered men, their muscular frames hidden beneath heavy cloaks of dark brown and black.

One lunged to seize him, while the other swung a fist like a hammer meant to crush him outright. Yet Al met their attacks head-on, his reflexes blindingly fast.

With a fluid combination of strikes—a counterpunch and a ruthless kick—he sent them both hurtling away. Their massive bodies crashed violently into the ground, fracturing the earth, raising clouds of dust, and leaving small craters where they landed.

Fahruk was already back, his fiery presence pressing forward. He hurled a blazing sphere of crimson flame straight toward Al, a fireball so immense that it distorted the air around it.

Al's eyes sharpened. With a single gesture, the incoming inferno was swallowed whole by the black flames wreathing his body, devoured as though it had never existed. The only trace it left was the suffocating heat that clung to the skin, raising goosebumps along the arms of those nearby.

Then more foes appeared—five at once this time. Each one carried a different specialty, forming a small squad designed to overwhelm him with variety.

One brandished a short sword coated in entra, another nocked an arrow shimmering with energy, while the third radiated with raw physical force reinforced by vita. The fourth raised their staff, summoning razor-sharp currents of wind, and the last conjured venomous sorcery, green toxins swirling like a serpent around their body.

Their combined assault tore across the battlefield in a deadly harmony. Blades flashed, arrows streaked, whirlwinds howled, and streams of poisonous mist surged forward, all converging upon Al in a storm of lethal chaos.

The flurry of attacks wasn't truly dangerous to him—not yet. But it was enough to keep him at bay, enough to delay him, enough to prevent him from reaching Axis in time. And that, he realized with a surge of frustration, was their exact intent.

"Hahaha! Feeling a little pressed, aren't you?" Axis's mocking laughter rang out across the battlefield. "My followers are impressive, don't you think?"

Al grit his teeth. She was right—he was being stalled. Not because their numbers were overwhelming, but because they attacked in waves, one after another, ensuring his momentum was constantly broken.

Too many bodies filled his path, blocking every straight line to Axis. Teleportation or bursts of maximum speed were rendered useless, because no matter how quickly he moved, someone else was always in the way.

On top of that, the lingering backlash from his dimensional eye gnawed at his body, disrupting his rhythm and dulling the sharpness of his movements. This wasn't a fight he could bulldoze through recklessly. It was becoming a painstaking challenge.

If they all came at me at once, I could wipe them out with a Crimson Burst… but no, this staggered interference makes that impossible. He cursed inwardly, berating himself for the lack of versatile techniques that could deal with such circumstances.

His mind raced, calculating, weighing the battlefield, yet the environment and his own condition hemmed him in, limiting his options.

Cold sweat traced the line of his jaw. His eyes gleamed with ruthless focus, scanning for openings even as his heart pounded like a war drum, each thud louder than the chaos echoing across the battlefield.

A minute had passed. In that time, countless of Axis's followers had already fallen, their bodies scattered across the ground.

Yet still, a considerable number remained, more than enough to keep the pressure steady. Many floated in the skies, blades drawn and spells primed, while others remained below, tending to the wounded and keeping the perimeter secure.

The air was thick now, heavy with the stench of blood and the acrid tang of burning smoke. It filled the lungs like poison, each breath dragging with it the metallic taste of death.

And above it all, Axis herself appeared calm, almost serene. The sphere in her hand had solidified, its surface now gleaming ominously, even as her physical form flickered, fading like a candle guttering against the wind.

From that sphere bled a sinister aura, spreading outward in a haze of violet-black light. Each pulse of its heartbeat fractured the ground, withering grass and flowers in an instant, sucking the life from every living thing within reach. Small animals collapsed, their bodies stiffening as if their very souls had been consumed.

Al clenched his jaw hard enough to ache. He could unleash a wide-scale annihilation right now, wipe out every obstacle in his path in one merciless stroke. But no—the detection field of his magical senses told him the truth.

Too many civilians still lingered nearby. Ordinary people, sleeping peacefully in their homes, blissfully unaware of the nightmare unfolding beyond their walls.

Though they were distant, they were still within the barrier's range. Still within the potential devastation if Axis chose to release her attack. If that sphere detonated, none of them would survive. They would be reduced to ash without even knowing why.

The thought made Al's chest tighten. Such meaningless deaths—innocents slaughtered without warning—were intolerable.

"Axis!" Al roared, cutting through the din of battle. His voice was raw, but unyielding. "Stop whatever you're planning to do!"

Yet even as he shouted, he was still entangled in the relentless tide of her followers, clashing against them in the desperate struggle to break free.

Axis no longer gave any reply. Instead, she slowly closed her eyes, lowering her right hand until it was level with her chest. Resting upon her palm was the condensed sphere of energy, so dense that it no longer shimmered like before but pulsed with a quiet menace.

She extended her arm forward, the palm facing upward toward the sky as if in offering. Then, with a subtle twist of her wrist, her hand rotated until the palm was facing downward.

The sphere began to fall. Not with speed, not with the recklessness of a weapon thrown, but slowly, far too slowly—like a droplet of molten metal descending through the air, deliberate and terrifying.

A stillness swept across the battlefield. For that brief instant it was as if time itself had chosen to halt, suspending every breath, every motion. The soldiers froze with their lungs half-filled, their eyes locked upon the sphere as its faint hiss echoed—resonating like the fuse of a small bomb moments before it becomes a catastrophic detonation.

"Damn it…" Al cursed under his breath, panic flickering across his face as he was still tangled with dozens of Axis's followers pressing down on him.

His breaths came in heavy bursts, shoulders rising and falling under the weight of exhaustion, yet his eyes continued to blaze with an unshakable determination.

At that very moment, Axis reopened her eyes—and the world itself seemed to shudder. The air instantly shifted, turning cold, heavy, and suffocating, pressing upon the lungs of every living being within reach.

From beneath her feet spread a veil of black mist, thin at first but crawling outward like predatory vines, spreading fast and smothering the ground. Wherever it passed, the atmosphere chilled, and the vibration of the air died into silence, replaced by an eerie stillness, as though even the wind dared not move.

Sensing the danger intensify, Al disengaged from the fight and leapt backward, instincts screaming at him to retreat and reassess. He immediately sought opportunities to raise additional barriers, anything that might shield the surrounding area and prevent countless innocents from being obliterated in the blast.

Once again he stretched out his senses, confirming the positions of every potential target scattered in all directions. What he found was disheartening: too many people, spread far too wide.

Do I still have time for this? he thought grimly.

But when his gaze returned to Axis and saw the cruel smile already forming on her lips, a realization struck him—it might already be too late. The spell was on the verge of release.

"With nothing more than a fragment of energy, casting this spell took longer than I expected," Axis muttered, her grin widening into something that bordered on manic delight. "But this… this is enough. Now then, prepare yourself, Hell Phoenix."

Her voice came out in a taunting laugh, while her face began to flicker—sometimes showing the sharp, ruthless features of Axis, and other times revealing the softer visage of Ayu. Her transformation had grown unstable, her identity tearing itself apart in real time.

One moment she wore a deceptively sweet smile, and in the blink of an eye it contorted into the twisted glare of a devil, as though two warring personalities were locked within the same vessel.

Dark energy spiraled outward from her body, filling the area like a storm cloud gathering substance. It all converged upon the sphere hovering at her command, saturating the battlefield with a suffocating presence.

Even her elite followers felt the shift. Unlike the lesser ones, who remained oblivious, the stronger among them could sense the change, their bodies rebelling under the weight of the aura.

Some dropped to their knees, clutching their heads as pain ripped through their skulls, veins bulging across their necks and temples while the earth itself cracked beneath them under the sheer pressure.

Al too could feel it. The battlefield rang not only with cries of fear but also with whispers—agonizing, sorrowful, maddened voices that clawed at his mind. He heard screams of torment, desperate pleas for help, and endless sobs of despair.

His skin crawled, and his very soul quivered under the oppressive force that demanded every living spirit bow before the self-proclaimed goddess. It was as if the cries of countless dead souls had been bound together into a single wave of torment, the very essence of their suffering woven into Axis's strength.

Each whisper pierced straight into his heart like a needle, countless voices screaming inside his skull all at once.

For a fleeting second, Al's resolve wavered. He realized that he could no longer afford to waste thought on the innocents beyond. Their survival would depend on luck alone, for his focus now had to be entirely on defending himself against the attack that was about to strike—not merely a physical blow but one that targeted the very core of the soul.

Axis's lips began to move, her voice dropping to a quiet murmur as she recited words from a language no human tongue could ever comprehend.

"Siba–Wa–Ji–Wha–E–Turu–Ki–Kha–Solan–Gi–Lino," she intoned, slow and deliberate, pronouncing each syllable with deadly precision.

The syllables echoed unnaturally, each one reverberating through the air and ricocheting off the walls of the dimension. Invisible cracks splintered across space like fractures in glass, faint but real, threatening to shatter everything.

Dark energy surged in response, drawing in not only every strand of malevolent power nearby but also the lingering remnants of countless dead souls. The battlefield became smothered in black haze, thick enough to blot out the light. It no longer felt like the mortal realm—they had been dragged into something closer to Azzaleth itself, the realm of the damned.

The night sky dimmed into a murky violet-black. Stars winked out one by one until nothing remained but a swirling vortex, slow but inexorable, devouring every trace of heaven's light.

And with a gentle smile upon her lips, Axis brought her palms together before her chest, completing the incantation. Her eyes blazed with an eerie silver-violet glow as the spell reached its climax.

Axisrail Series Skill – First Ultimatum: Soul Realita.

Al clenched his teeth until his jaw ached, his body trembling—not from fear, but from the unbearable density of energy pressing into his bones. His eyes, blood dripping from their corners, widened as he readied himself.

His right hand spread open, fingers half-curved, his own black aura flaring violently as if to challenge the oppressive tide.

Around him, Axis's followers hastily reinforced their barriers, layering shield upon shield in desperate anticipation. At the same time, all of them pulled out sheets of pristine white paper, inscribed with jagged strokes of ancient characters.

These were talismans, crafted long ago in secrecy, designed for one purpose only—to shield their bearers from the devastating aftermath of Axis's supreme magic.

The moment they pressed the talismans against their bodies, the faint glow of protective seals shimmered over them, ensuring that no matter how catastrophic her unleashed attack became, they would remain untouched at the very heart of the destruction—whether it sought to ravage the body or consume the soul.

And then—

BOOM!

The sphere detonated. A cataclysmic explosion of black and violet light tore the heavens apart. The energy wave ripped outward in every direction, shredding the atmosphere. The air itself burst like a thousand cannons firing at once, the very world quaking under the overwhelming force.

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