CHAPTER 1146: TURNED BLACK

Arty now faced the being head-on.

The storm raged and thunder cracked around them, but her focus stayed locked on him, the man wreathed in lightning.

Whatever he was, she knew he was connected to what had been happening until now. The necrotic energy rise in the distant place also still made Arty and Sylmira uneasy. But this being suddenly attacked, something very wrong was happening right now.

His energy felt wrong and foreign and ancient, like something else was inside him, pulling the strings.

Her brother was out there somewhere, confronting the true entity behind all this chaos. But for now, she couldn’t reach him. So if she wanted answers, this was the one to beat them out of.

"Asking won’t do me any good," she thought, tightening her fists. "I’ll drag the truth out after I beat the shit out of him."

The being still reeled from her last blast of fire, his aura flickering like a storm that looked struggling somehow.

Arty felt her pulse quicken, the heat of her anger rising fast so suddenly. Light coiled around her body in rings of elemental Magic that were spinning outward as her power built.

The lightning-clad man snarled, his eyes blazing brighter. Bolts of lightning exploded from his body, lashing at her like whips.

Arty dodged nimbly between them, each movement sharp and graceful. The air cracked behind her.

She closed the distance in an instant, the runes in her gauntlets blazing with power.

When she stretched her arms forward, she unleashed a torrent of fire fused with razor winds. The elements merging into a roaring spiral that slammed into the being’s chest.

The explosion tore through the clouds, scattering arcs of lightning, wind, and fire in every direction.

The man roared in pain, his body flung backward, but he twisted mid-air, absorbing part of the blast before landing on a surge of crackling energy.

His hands flared with white-blue light and a massive sphere of lightning formed between them.

Arty’s eyes narrowed. The pressure around her thickened as the sphere expanded, the storm itself bending toward his command.

Then, with a growl, he hurled it at her.

Arty crossed her arms, channeling her Magic. Flames erupted from her palms, swirling into a protective vortex that devoured the rain and clashed against the lightning sphere.

The impact blinded the sky in white and gold.

The explosion shook the sky.

Arty was pushed back, her armor showed scorched marks at the edges, but she didn’t lose.

Through the smoke, she saw him again. The man was still standing, electricity crawling across his limbs like living veins.

He dashed forward, this time he was faster than before.

Arty barely had time to react before his fist that wreathed in lightning collided with her Magic shield.

The impact shattered it like glass, the force hurling her backward through the air, closer to the barrier Sylmira made.

She stabilized herself with a burst of wind Magic, flipping once before landing on a floating platform made of wind of her own creation.

Her breathing was heavy now, her gauntlets glowing brighter than ever.

The man raised his hand, summoning jagged lances of lightning that circled around him like a crown.

Arty clenched her fists again, her aura reigniting with new fury.

She shot forward, the air splitting in her wake as fire and wind twisted around her like wings.

The being answered in kind. His lightning streaked across the sky to meet her charge.

The storm exploded again as they clashed in the air, light and fire scattering through the sky and falling to the ground, creating a spectacle.

Arty felt her body grow hotter with rage. Magic energy pulsing through her veins like fire under her skin.

She unleashed another wave of wind and fire slashes, each one cutting through the storm with violent precision.

Then she drew in the falling rain. Her eyes narrowed as droplets twisted in the air around her and condensed into countless razor sharp blades of water in the span of two seconds.

With a furious gesture, she sent them flying.

The water blades spiraled from every direction, colliding with her fire and wind attacks to form a brilliant storm of destruction.

The sky lit up in a dazzling display. Red flames, silver winds, and blue crystal water crashing together against a backdrop of swirling dark clouds.

The heavens themselves seemed to burn.

Down below, the soldiers and Mages on the battlements stared in awe.

"Unbelievable..." one of them murmured. "She’s controlling three elements at once!"

"She’s still so young," another whispered. "How can anyone maintain that much focus while also floating in midair?"

Even seasoned Mages found it hard to comprehend. Arty wasn’t just attacking, she was weaving elements together like threads of a single deadly tapestry.

But Sylmira’s eyes told a different story. While the others were amazed, she was uneasy.

Her staff glowed faintly as she watched Arty from behind the barrier, her expression tight.

Something about this didn’t feel right to her.

She remembered the strange, foreign energy that had influenced Arty before, an invasive force that twisted her emotions and clouded her judgment and almost made her killed the noble child that had attacked her.

That presence had disappeared after the ritual of cleansing she had done, and Arty hadn’t mentioned it ever happening again ever since. But Sylmira couldn’t shake the feeling that its trace still lingered deep within her.

"Please let me be wrong this time." she whispered under her breath,

She could only hope her fears were wrong, and that it was Arty’s power alone that she used in her fight right now.

High above, the being roared. His body was torn by Arty’s relentless assault. Burns, slashes, and deep gashes marked his skin, his lightning flickering weakly.

But he wasn’t finished.

His eyes snapped open, glowing fiercely once more. Lightning screamed across the sky as he raised his hands, summoning violent arcs that twisted into spears of pure energy.

And then, with a roar that shook the air, he retaliated.

Arty’s eyes turned completely black suddenly.

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