Point-of-View: Sylvar Miirphys

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  I can't take this anymore, my anxiety is through the roof, I'm probably on the verge of a panic attack and my chest hurts from how hard my heart is beating! Fuck it, I know Sant said not to contact him during the battle, but it's the only option I've got……!

  "Lord Laus? Can you hear me?" I muttered as quietly, and as coherently, as I could.

  To form a telepathic link with him, any of us from the races excluding humans just have to address him out loud while picturing him, and that should work.

  The only other way is if he himself forms the link instead, which is the more common occurrence……because he doesn't really like it when we contact him this way, it apparently startles him and can give him a headache.

  "Hello? Lord Laus? If you can hear me, please answer."

  "Shut up, Sylvar! You are distracting me! Do not attempt to form a telepathic link again, understood!?"……

  he severed the link before I could reply. And if I reply now, it'll just form the link again, so I'll keep quiet. Huh, suddenly I feel a lot less anxious, it feels like I'm more worried about what Sant might do if I piss him off than about actually dying.

  I can't be certain about this, but sometimes I get the feeling that we're all genetically programmed to idolize Sant, kinda like an imprinting thing. There have been times where I've felt like some of the others' devotion to him was a bit extreme.

  And even right now……there's no doubt in my mind that I care more about staying alive than following Sant's orders, but……instinctively, it felt like my emotions were contradicting that notion. Which is kinda, extremely terrifying. If Sant ever commanded us to die for him……would even a single one of us protest? Would I……? This is all so……my thoughts were then interrupted as I heard something.

  Huh? What's going on? I'm hearing some commotion outside……is it humans? Can they see me? I'm hearing a lot of footsteps all over the place……where did they all come from? It was relatively quiet a few seconds ago. Damn it, I have no idea whether I'm even well hidden or not, I've literally never felt this anxious!

  And I'm too afraid to move right now because I don't want to risk bumping into something and end up spreading the adhesive on my face past my mouth, which would cut off my breathing……yeah, if that happens, I'm dead, no doubt about it. Not a very pleasant thought.

  I could hear the footsteps all around me, but……none seem to be heading this way, so I guess that means I'm at least relatively well-hidden……right?

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  Point-of-View: Belia Lasmodeus

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  "Such a foolish attack will not work against me!" Declared Sant, as I swooped down towards him with my fist drawn back.

  Yeah, it's called a feint, dumbass……well, he's never actually been in a real fight before this, not since I convinced him to spar against me a few times ages ago. That was well before I got bored with this world and created the monsters……so it's literally been more than a dozen centuries since he last engaged in combat of any kind.

  As I closed in on him, he swiftly activated his Defense Magic all around himself, not just at the spot I was aiming at……not bad, he's trying to counter me striking a different spot with my portals……but it's not good enough……well, assuming this works.

  I slammed my fist onto the barrier, which easily absorbed the impact of my punch, Sant's expression almost smug. And then……it dissipated, his eyes widening in alarm as I extended my fist into an open palm, and coated it with ice as I drove my ice-extended fingers straight towards him, piercing into his midsection.

  I then met his gaze and smirked as I blasted out flames right inside him, a choked gasp escaping his lips before flames burst out of his mouth, nostrils, ears and eyes. I then sprang back and fired out a large, concentrated lightning bolt at him, striking his chest and bursting through, leaving a hole there.

  A second later, before his body could collapse onto the ground, he undid all the damage using Restoration Magic, meeting my gaze with a fierce glare, his eyes bulging with pure rage.

  "Heh, you may be able to use Restoration Magic all you want, and just like me, there isn't a single type of physical injury that can kill you, but……also just like me, you feel pain, and unlike me, you've experienced far less of it than I have. Admittedly, I haven't experienced it much either, but I certainly have a lot more than you have. Tell me, are you sure you can keep bearing that much pain over and over, if and until you manage to kill me?" I inquired with a raised eyebrow, before quickly teleporting as he suddenly vanished.

  Sure enough, he'd reappeared right behind where I'd been standing, but unfortunately for him, I reacted well in time. I can no longer afford to fight as recklessly as I used to, I try to avoid sustaining injuries that can't be dealt with using simple healing spells, since with my remaining divinity, I can only use Restoration Magic about fifty to sixty more times……which may sound like a lot, but it really isn't.

  "How……how did you break through my Defense Magic!? That cannot be possible!" He exclaimed in bewildered rage.

  "If you really must know……I boosted my strength to the absolute maximum, right upon contact……wait, you mean you don't know how to do that?" I inquired innocently.

  Heh, that's a total fucking lie, what I actually did was coat my fist in Weathering Magic……his barriers may not decay or whatever, but they do have time limits, so I just wore that out. Huh, this would probably work against Kuro's Absolute Defense Cross too. I should keep that in mind.

  "Boost your strength? Further than this? That cannot be possible! Lord Samsara would surely have told me if such a thing were possible!" He exclaimed in disbelief.

  Ooh, this is my chance to fuck with him a bit……

  "You really think so? The same Samsara that placed a ton of restrictions on us, restrictions that you've only lifted recently? I've been using Demigod Mode for way longer than you have, so naturally, I'm better at using it than you are……in other words, you're weaker than me precisely because you blindly follow every last word and command that Samsara gives you, like a dumb little puppy," I scoffed condescendingly, before adding, "Who knows, maybe the real reason he commanded us to restrain our full power was because, I don't know, he was……afraid of how powerful we might become, maybe?"

  "H-how……how dare you!?" He screamed in a blind rage, flying towards me rapidly with flames swirling around his drawn-back fists.

  I easily evaded his incredibly straightforward attempt at an attack, before slamming my knee onto his stomach and eliciting a sharp gasp of pain from him……this is exactly what I'm talking about, he got so riled up that he didn't even activate his Defense Magic.

  As he collapsed onto his knees, I quickly grabbed his head before he could use his Restoration Magic and began charging up Fire Magic, an excruciating scream of pain erupting from his mouth as I literally boiled his brains……gotta say, I'll never understand why Samsara gave us bodies with pain receptors and the same weak points as humans and the other races.

  Sure, they aren't lethal to us, but the pain is very much real……as Sant is very clearly experiencing right now. For the first time, after centuries worth of pent-up irritation towards him, I'm finally taking it all out, and it feels fucking amazingly cathartic!

  Heh, itt doesn't matter how much he uses his Restoration Magic, he'll instantly heal only to instantly feel all that burning agony again. By doing that, he's managing to keep his existence from ceasing, but he isn't stopping the pain, that's for sure……that said, his screams aren't as blood curdling as before, which means he's getting used to it……and I'm getting bored, so time to change things up.

  I then lifted him up and flung him over my shoulder, slamming him onto the ground with as much force as I could generate, before lifting him again, spinning him around a couple of times and then swinging him away, sending him flying through the air and crashing onto the audience section of the stadium, several large cracks spreading out across the structure as he slammed onto it with a devastating impact.

  Ahh, this all feels incredibly satisfying, I got chills while slamming him around like a ragdoll. Mm, maybe I should aim to make him fear me, really damage him to the point where it leaves behind some trauma and……

  "BELIAAAAA!!!!" He suddenly screamed furiously, a wave of wind bursting out from him as he blew all the rubble off of him and flew up, his expression twisting further with rage as I smirked up at him, "I……I will……I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU!"

  Woah, no way……I'm pretty sure that I've never heard him say fuck before……

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  Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to vote, and feel free to leave a comment, I appreciate any and all feedback and criticism!

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