Sophi: "Huh...does he know about the whole awakening thing? And who would even be able to take the form of Star?" she questioned, holding onto Radna's head tightly as he carried her. "You want me to get down?" she added with a small whine as they reached their seats.
She leaned forward, watching the arena intently. Her eyes widened at the sight of Galacor's metallic body, the twisting gears and steam, and then at the sudden appearance of the Phantom Emperor beside him. "That's so cool..." she murmured under her breath, genuinely impressed. "I wish he were on our side..." she added softly, still admiring both of them despite everything.
Radna: "Good luck with that. He eats and breathes that false revenge. I do not think I have ever seen him be nice. Not once.." He set her down gently once they reached their spot, but kept a steady hand near her as they watched the arena unfold.
Multhi: He stood silently off to the side, arms folded as he observed Galacor. His eyes narrowed slightly, a faint tension building in his posture. Something burned deep inside him, subtle but undeniable, as if this Galacor carried some kind of importance he was not ready to speak about.
Sophi: "Mmh...m-maybe I could try talking to him sometime...? I wonder if he'd be chill, or if he'd try to deck me in the face..." she whimpered softly as Radna set her down.
The second her feet touched the ground, she reached out and grabbed Alex by the waist, tugging him down onto her lap before he could protest.
"Hehehe, I hope this doesn't embarrass you," she giggled, wrapping her arms around him snugly. She rested her chin lightly against his back and peeked past his shoulder to keep watching the arena, holding him close as if making up for the earlier terror.
Alex: He chuckled softly. "Not at all! But why aren't they attacking each other??" He leaned forward slightly, still seated on Sophi's lap, eyes fixed on the unmoving figures below.
Multhi: "Stand off strike..."
Alex: "Huh?" He glanced over at Multhi, brow raised.
Multhi: "One of them is waiting for the other to make the first move. The one who strikes second will have already calculated the opening." He kept his gaze locked on the arena, tension coiled in his posture as neither combatant so much as twitched.
Sophi: She turned her head toward Multhi, still loosely wrapped around Alex. "Oh dear...ah, would Star even make the first move...?" she asked softly. "You guys have known him longer. You'd know, right?"
Her fingers tightened slightly against Alex's jacket as she looked between them, genuinely unsure. Down below, Star stood radiant and calm, while Galacor remained rigid and mechanical. The tension in the arena only grew thicker.
Radna: "Star can predict movements before they happen. He can simulate entire chains of events inside his head in less than a second. He would not act without knowing the first action and its outcome." His tone was steady again, analytical.
"Galacor knows that. So he is using the Emperor to disrupt him. Those rings are not just weapons. They interfere with perception and thought patterns. They are blocking Star's predictive field." He folded his arms, posture firm. "If Star cannot read the opening, he has to create one."
Sophi: "Eek, the Emperor guy can do that??" She glanced up at Radna briefly, then back down to the arena, watching the golden rings slowly spiral with contained energy. "That's scary..."
Radna: "There are many things the Emperor can do. The question is how much Galacor has learned since our last encounter." His jaw tightened slightly as he leaned forward, listening to the pitch of the energy below.
Star: He closed his eyes for a brief moment, breathing steadily, then with a sharp jolt tilted his body to the right as a blue slash carved past his temple. He ducked, another slicing the air above him, then jumped back as a third tore through the ground where he stood. He raised his arm, muscles tensing as something invisible collided against it with a metallic screech. "I see you haven't changed your style of fighting."
His eyes opened slowly, glowing, as a dual apparition of the Emperor materialized in front of him, diamond claws grinding against his forearm while sparks of gold and blue scattered between them.
Galacor: "Tsk...don't pretend like I haven't grown since our last encounter, Star." He rolled his shoulders as purple blades snapped out from his forearms, steam hissing from his vents. He lunged forward and began slashing in rapid succession, sending violent waves of violet energy screaming across the arena, each one erasing everything in its path as if space itself were being deleted.
Star: He twisted his body and drove his palm into the Emperor's chest, golden energy exploding outward in expanding rings that launched the construct back and locked its frame in paralysis. In the same breath, he vanished and reappeared off to the side, the incoming slashes barely missing him and obliterating the arena wall behind him before it reconstructed seconds later. He straightened slightly, aura flaring brighter. "Do not pretend that I haven't either."
Sophi: "When was your last encounter...?" she asked softly, eyes wide as she watched them fight, openly admiring both of them despite the danger.
When a brief pause opened between exchanges, she sent a small thread of gentle energy down toward Galacor, attaching a quiet message to it. "H-Hai!!! You look really cool, and your Emperor guy is really pretty...ah...would you maybe be willing to talk sometime...???" She leaned forward slightly, completely fixated on him, unsure if his metallic body could even receive something like that, but ready to smile and wave just in case.
I hope both of them make it out of this...the thought bounced anxiously through her mind as the arena continued to tremble around them.
Radna: "A couple of thousand years ago, if I remember correctly...?" he muttered, scratching the side of his head as he tried to recall the exact era.
Galacor: His head tilted upward slightly, gears along his face shifting and turning as he locked onto her. The metallic plates adjusted into something that could only be described as disgust before he sharply redirected his focus back to Star without a word.
Star: "Well, that is rather rude." He stomped the ground, a golden shockwave erupting outward and blasting chunks of stone into the air. The debris snapped into formation mid-flight, forming a rotating cage around Galacor.
Phantom Emperor: It shook violently as its systems reactivated, then vanished and reappeared above Star, driving a heavy kick toward his head. Star dipped low at the last second, the strike splitting the air where he had stood.
Galacor: His massive purple energy blades flared brighter and sliced outward in a clean arc, erasing the stone cage into drifting particles. "Annoying rat..." he muttered, steam venting sharply from his cheeks as he stepped forward.
Sophi: "Wooaa...that's...a while..." she murmured, eyes still locked on the arena.
She bounced slightly when Galacor looked up at her, grinning widely and starting to wave enthusiastically, only for that smile to falter when she caught the clear disgust in his shifting gears. "Oh...awh..." she sank back into her seat, wrapping her free arm around Alex again and leaning into him for comfort.
A small smile returned as she watched Star effortlessly dodge the Emperor's strike, golden aura flaring as he moved. She looked completely starstruck for a moment before glancing back toward Radna. "Galacor really doesn't seem all that bad...is that wrong of me to think? I really want to talk with him..." she murmured, careful not to distract anyone from the fight.
Radna: His head snapped toward her. "He is that bad. It is awful that you even want to try talking to him." His voice lowered, serious. "He tried to kill Aiden just for speaking to Star."
Galacor: "Revert the World." His voice echoed unnaturally as the Phantom Emperor brought its hands together in a thunderous clap. The air fractured like glass, a transparent wall of reality splintering outward before shattering completely. Color inverted across the arena, golds turning violet, shadows bleaching white. "Logic no longer flows. It no longer applies. It is not here."
Phantom Emperor: It moved instantly, blade flashing across Star's face. A thin line opened along his cheek before he narrowly shifted away.
Star: He touched the wound, staring at the faint smear of gold against his fingers. It did not erase him...but it hurt. He remembered the restriction placed on this match. No self-healing. His expression sharpened, and he launched forward, aura flaring as he drove his palm toward Galacor's chest.
Phantom Emperor: A pulse of dense energy condensed between Galacor and Star at the last second, halting the strike inches from impact. The Emperor's fist ignited bright purple and swung. Star dodged the physical blow, but the compressed energy detonated outward in a violent burst, blasting him away across the inverted arena. "Victory is inevitable."
Sophi: She jumped slightly when Radna turned so sharply toward her, shoulders tensing. "Mmh...I-I get that much, but we know Star..." she whimpered softly. "If we could find out why Galacor thinks those things about him, then maybe..." Her voice trailed off as she drifted into thought, eyes never leaving the fight below.
When Star was cut, she let out a small yelp, instinctively tightening her arms around Alex. She pressed closer to him, anxiety flashing across her face as she watched Star get blasted back. "Please be okay..." she whispered under her breath, her heart pounding as the inverted arena pulsed with unstable energy.
Alex: "Drop it, Sophi. Not everybody deserves or can even feel love. You can't force it to work, and if it came down to it, he would kill you." He crossed his arms tightly, gaze fixed on the fight below, tone firm but not unkind.
Radna: "Jeez, dude..." he muttered at Alex's bluntness before sighing. "He is right, though, Sophi. I have seen it happen." He reached over and gently patted her on the head. "I would hate to stomp on your My Little Pony Friendship is Magic dreams, but...it is just not going to happen."
Sophi: "Mmh..." She slumped further into her seat, leaning slightly into Radna's hand as she whimpered. "I don't know...I really think it's worth a shot..." she whispered, eyes locked on the inverted battlefield below.
During another brief opening in the chaos, she sent a second small pulse of gentle energy toward Galacor, softer this time, more careful. "Hai...ah...s-seriously, I would really like to talk whenever you're done with this...p-pretty please..." The message drifted toward him like a timid knock on a locked door, and she held her breath, hoping he would not react the same way again.
Phantom Emperor: Its head snapped toward her mid-battle. One massive finger lifted and pointed directly at her. A sharp spike of energy pierced through the air, and suddenly her head throbbed with intense pain. "Distractions cannot be tolerated."
Sophi: She gasped, both hands flying to her head as she squeezed her eyes shut. "Ahh...!" The pulse rattled through her thoughts, forcing her to curl slightly inward against Alex.
Star: "Indeed!" In a flash of gold, he appeared beside the Emperor and drove a blazing punch straight across its face. The impact cracked through the inverted reality, shattering the distortion and forcing the world's colors to snap back to normal. He glanced briefly toward the stands, aura flaring protectively. "Thanks, Sophi."
Sophi: "Agh..!" she whimpered, grabbing her head tightly as she doubled over. "Ngh..." The pain pulsed sharply behind her eyes, making her breathing hitch as she tried to steady herself.
She forced one eye open, stubbornly trying to keep watching the fight despite the throbbing ache. Her fingers trembled slightly against her temples as she leaned into Alex and Radna for support, silently willing the pain to fade while golden light flared violently below.
Sophi: She rubbed her temple as the last of the pain faded, staring down into the arena in awe as the two continued clashing.
Radna: "Heheh~ I taught him to do a little more than punches and kicks." He gestured toward the battlefield. "Notice how there is no actual damage to the arena or either of them? Star used to hesitate because he was afraid of killing. So I taught him to structure his positivity into controlled pulses. Same force...less destruction."
Sophi: "Ooh?" Her head perked up and she looked up at him, nodding eagerly. "That's so cool...that was super sweet of you!!" she grinned before turning back just in time to see—
Star: "You keep trying your hardest to fight me, Galacor...always trying to kill me. But you do not seem to understand!" He flashed forward, kicked the Phantom Emperor into the wall, then stepped in and tapped Galacor's chest three precise times.
Galacor: "NGH...!" His frame seized as he dropped to his knees, sparks spraying from his joints, purple light flickering erratically.
Star: He crossed his arms calmly. "There will always be a gap between us."
Sophi: "Wooaa..." Her eyes widened at the casual tip tap that brought a giant to his knees. "Wuh...what was that...???"
Radna: "That is body locking. A restraint technique. Each tap injected a calibrated burst of energy into key control points. In organics, it overwhelms nerves and muscle signals. In Galacor's case, it floods his circuitry and desynchronizes his internal systems. He is not damaged. He is overloaded."
Sophi: "Mm...body locking...?" Her jaw parted slightly as she processed it. "Ah...that makes sense...I probably should've guessed that..." She glanced down at Galacor's frozen form, then back up at Radna.
Galacor: He collapsed onto his hands, overwhelmed as the energy surged violently through his body, circuits shorting in staggered bursts while the Availium Core flared bright in his chest, desperately adapting. Sparks spat from his shoulders as his systems throttled down.
Suddenly, darkness began spreading slowly around him. The ground turned wet and slick beneath his palms. Black sludge crept upward from nowhere, pooling around his knees as the positive energy inside him drained away, siphoned into the spreading void until his systems stabilized enough for him to stand again. He attempted to call the Emperor. No signal. No response. "...What is this...?"
????: A pair of white eyes sat within the darkness in the distance, unblinking. "R̷e̷l̷a̷x̷ ̷y̷o̷u̷r̷s̷e̷l̷f̷... I̷ ̷m̷e̷a̷n̷ ̷y̷o̷u̷ ̷n̷o̷ ̷h̷a̷r̷m̷ ̷f̷o̷r̷ ̷t̷h̷e̷ ̷t̷i̷m̷e̷ ̷b̷e̷i̷n̷g̷." The sludge pulsed once in sync with the words.
Galacor: His energized blades snapped up defensively, humming as they pointed toward the eyes. "Who are you...?"
????: The eyes leaned slightly to the side, the darkness around them rippling unnaturally. "I̷ ̷h̷a̷v̷e̷ ̷b̷e̷e̷n̷ ̷c̷a̷l̷l̷e̷d̷ ̷m̷a̷n̷y̷ ̷t̷h̷i̷n̷g̷s̷... ̷m̷a̷n̷y̷ ̷t̷h̷i̷n̷g̷s̷ ̷t̷h̷r̷o̷u̷g̷h̷ ̷m̷a̷n̷y̷ ̷d̷i̷f̷f̷e̷r̷e̷n̷t̷ ̷i̷t̷e̷r̷a̷t̷i̷o̷n̷s̷ ̷o̷f̷ ̷t̷h̷i̷s̷ ̷h̷o̷r̷r̷i̷d̷ ̷w̷o̷r̷l̷d̷." The word iterations seemed to echo twice. "Y̷o̷u̷r̷ ̷l̷o̷r̷d̷... ̷o̷r̷ ̷y̷o̷u̷r̷ ̷m̷a̷s̷t̷e̷r̷... ̷i̷s̷ ̷w̷h̷a̷t̷ ̷y̷o̷u̷ ̷s̷h̷a̷l̷l̷ ̷r̷e̷f̷e̷r̷ ̷t̷o̷ ̷m̷e̷ ̷a̷s̷."
Galacor: His gears rotated sharply with anger. "Why the hell would I call you that?"
????: The sludge thickened around his boots. "B̷e̷c̷a̷u̷s̷e̷ ̷I̷ ̷a̷m̷ ̷t̷h̷e̷ ̷m̷a̷n̷ ̷t̷h̷a̷t̷ ̷c̷a̷n̷ ̷c̷l̷o̷s̷e̷ ̷t̷h̷e̷ ̷g̷a̷p̷ ̷b̷e̷t̷w̷e̷e̷n̷ ̷y̷o̷u̷ ̷a̷n̷d̷ ̷S̷t̷a̷r̷." The name lingered unnaturally.
Galacor: His optics widened slightly, blades lowering just a fraction. "What are you talking about?"
????: "I̷ ̷k̷n̷o̷w̷ ̷a̷b̷o̷u̷t̷ ̷y̷o̷u̷r̷ ̷l̷i̷t̷t̷l̷e̷ ̷p̷a̷t̷h̷ ̷o̷f̷ ̷r̷e̷v̷e̷n̷g̷e̷... ̷y̷o̷u̷r̷ ̷d̷e̷a̷d̷ ̷w̷i̷f̷e̷... ̷t̷h̷e̷ ̷E̷m̷p̷e̷r̷o̷r̷." The voice overlapped with a faint mechanical echo. "I̷ ̷h̷a̷v̷e̷ ̷w̷a̷t̷c̷h̷e̷d̷... ̷u̷n̷a̷m̷u̷s̷e̷d̷... ̷b̷u̷t̷ ̷i̷n̷t̷e̷r̷e̷s̷t̷e̷d̷."
Galacor: "How do you know anything about me...?" He stared into the void, but nothing else was rendered beyond the eyes.
????: The voice suddenly fractured, glitching into Galacor's own tone. "P̷l̷e̷a̷s̷e̷ ̷p̷l̷e̷a̷s̷e̷ ̷p̷l̷e̷a̷s̷e̷,̷ ̷m̷y̷ ̷d̷a̷r̷l̷i̷n̷g̷ ̷n̷o̷,̷ ̷s̷t̷a̷y̷ ̷w̷i̷t̷h̷ ̷m̷e̷,̷ ̷s̷t̷a̷y̷ ̷w̷i̷t̷h̷ ̷m̷e̷!" The space flickered violently before stabilizing. The voice returned to its distorted calm. "I̷ ̷h̷a̷v̷e̷ ̷w̷i̷t̷n̷e̷s̷s̷e̷d̷ ̷e̷v̷e̷r̷y̷t̷h̷i̷n̷g̷ ̷f̷r̷o̷m̷ ̷t̷h̷e̷ ̷b̷e̷g̷i̷n̷n̷i̷n̷g̷ ̷o̷f̷ ̷y̷o̷u̷r̷ ̷u̷p̷r̷i̷s̷i̷n̷g̷."
Galacor: His hands lowered fully, blades dissipating. "You...you saw that...?"
????: "I̷ ̷d̷i̷d̷n̷'̷t̷ ̷j̷u̷s̷t̷ ̷s̷e̷e̷ ̷i̷t̷... ̷I̷ ̷f̷e̷l̷t̷ ̷y̷o̷u̷r̷ ̷r̷a̷g̷e̷... ̷t̷h̷a̷t̷ ̷o̷v̷e̷r̷f̷l̷o̷w̷i̷n̷g̷ ̷h̷a̷t̷r̷e̷d̷ ̷b̷o̷i̷l̷ ̷t̷o̷ ̷t̷h̷e̷ ̷e̷d̷g̷e̷." The sludge rippled violently. "I̷ ̷h̷a̷v̷e̷ ̷s̷e̷e̷n̷ ̷t̷h̷e̷... ̷N̷e̷g̷a̷t̷i̷v̷i̷t̷y̷..."
Galacor: He straightened abruptly, optics widening. "You...you are the evil...the darkness of this world."
????: The eyes brightened faintly. "I̷n̷d̷e̷e̷d̷ ̷I̷ ̷a̷m̷..." The realm shifted subtly as the eyes appeared closer than before. A slimy black hand extended outward, cracks of glowing white light gleaming through the palm like fractures in reality itself. "B̷e̷ ̷m̷y̷ ̷r̷e̷v̷e̷n̷g̷e̷... ̷m̷y̷ ̷a̷n̷g̷e̷r̷... ̷a̷n̷d̷ ̷y̷o̷u̷ ̷s̷h̷a̷l̷l̷ ̷b̷e̷ ̷g̷r̷a̷n̷t̷e̷d̷... ̷e̷v̷e̷r̷y̷t̷h̷i̷n̷g̷ ̷y̷o̷u̷ ̷h̷a̷v̷e̷ ̷e̷v̷e̷r̷ ̷w̷a̷n̷t̷e̷d̷..."
Galacor: He stared at the offered hand. He felt his nonexistent heart pounding inside his metallic body, something deeper than circuitry responding. His optics dimmed, emotion draining away as cold resolve took its place. Slowly, he reached forward and grasped the being's hand. "Yes...my lord."
₳ⱤɆ ɎØɄ ₳ⱠⱠ Ɇ₦₮ɆⱤ₮₳ł₦ɆĐ?
ĐØ ɎØɄ Ɇ₦JØɎ ₮Ⱨł₴ Ⱡł₮₮ⱠɆ ₴₮ØⱤɎ?
ⱧłĐł₦₲ ฿ɆⱧł₦Đ ₮ⱧɆ ₩₳ⱠⱠ₴, ₮ⱧɆ ฿₳ⱤⱤłɆⱤ Ø₣ ₮ⱧɆ ₦₳ⱤⱤ₳₮ØⱤ? ₮ⱧɆ ₲ØⱠĐ Ø₦Ɇ?
₳ⱠⱠ ₮Ⱨł₦₲₴, ₥Ʉ₴₮ Ɇ₦Đ.
₵ⱤɆ₳₮łØ₦.
₥Ʉ₴₮ Ɇ₦Đ.
ɎØɄ ₳ⱠⱠ ₩łⱠⱠ ₩ł₮₦Ɇ₴₴ ₳ ₮ⱤɄɆ Ɇ₦Đł₦₲.
𝓗𝓮 𝓲𝓼 𝓪𝓵𝓶𝓼𝓸𝓽 𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮. 𝓟𝓻𝓮𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓼𝓮𝓵𝓯, 𝓢𝓽𝓪𝓻, 𝓶𝔂 𝓬𝓱𝓲𝓵𝓭.