Chapter 321 – The Laughing Edge
Valor was engulfed by the Tornado of Ignivar.
The whirlwind of primordial flames devoured sky and earth in a silent scream. Space twisted, colors diluted, and even the notion of "direction" seemed to request a union break.
— Well, thought Agniryos, if he survives this, I'll start to worry.
Barely had the thought crossed his mind when titanic ice spikes burst from the ground, piercing the battlefield like celestial spears, rushing straight toward him.
Agniryos sighed.
— Seriously… you're all allergic to simple combat.
He extended his hand and adjusted his flames into Creation mode.
The fire did not burn.
It forged.
In an instant, a divine weapon took shape:
a long black blade edged with shifting crimson flames, constellated with incandescent runes.
**Name:** *Cauterion Ignivar*
**Abilities:**
- Slice matter, energy, and concepts
- Cancel all regeneration
- Reduce existence to a blurred memory with a mere graze
The blade suddenly blazed.
Four trillion degrees.
Not a measurable heat.
A temperature so absurd even the void refused to approach.
With a simple gesture, Agniryos cut.
The ice spikes vanished before even being touched, vaporized by the blade's proximity.
Then he cleaved through the tornado where Valor was supposed to be.
The strike reduced everything in its path.
The world was literally split in two.
— Hit, Agniryos announced calmly.
— Almost, replied a voice behind him.
Valor was already there.
He covered his arms in pure mana, dense, vibrating like living armor, and grabbed Agniryos to chain him.
— EXPLOSION.
The word alone sufficed.
An internal detonation hurled Valor backward, his body tearing through several layers of reality before reforming mid‑flight.
Agniryos appeared before him and drove a punch into his stomach.
**Impact:**
- Valor's mana cracked
- His breath was cut off
- Space folded around the blow like a crumpled sheet
— Ignivar Sphere.
A sphere of primordial fire struck Valor head‑on, followed by multiple invisible slashes that shredded his aura, his mana mantle, even his trajectory.
Valor spun through the air… then smiled.
His skin smoked, his mantle was partially dissolved, and part of his mana still refused to reconstitute properly.
— …Okay, those sting a bit, I admit.
---
**Elsewhere**
Pyraxis, far away, cloaked himself in flames identical to Agniryos's.
— YOU DARED CALL ME A WORTHLESS GOD?!
Ignir frowned.
— Pyraxis, wait—
— Move aside. I'll handle this.
He lunged at Ravna, striking her full in the chest, hurling her back violently before unleashing a colossal fire vortex.
— I move independently of time, Pyraxis sneered. I'll always be faster than you.
Silence.
The attack… had hit nothing.
Ravna was already behind him, sitting calmly on his shoulder, blade resting on his foot.
— Done with your useless chatter?
Because really… now we can start.
She stood and drove her blade into the ground.
Pyraxis launched a massive fireball, vast as a mountain, racing at a speed that erased distances before they even existed.
Ravna hadn't moved.
At least… that's what reality believed.
The fireball was sliced cleanly, as if it had crossed a conceptual edge.
Then Ravna struck.
A kick straight to the chest.
**Result:**
- Reality shattered in concentric waves
- Pyraxis was hurled through multiple dimensional layers
- The ground swept for kilometers, air pulverized, sky split
Ravna exhaled.
— Whew… it's been a while.
She appeared before Ignir.
— What are you thinking?
I suppose that leaves only you.
She pointed her blade.
Pyraxis reformed behind them.
— As long as Agniryos lives… I cannot die!
Ravna grimaced.
— …That's annoying. I was planning to finish quickly and go see if Valor's having fun.
She sighed.
— Well. No choice.
A black aura enveloped her blade.
The metal transformed, shifting in shape, density, presence.
She whispered a name.
The blade evolved further.
A spirit emerged and sat on her shoulder.
— I am Maxime, spirit of this sword. Once, I was—
— Can you kill gods?
— …Yes.
— Perfect.
Maxime blinked.
**Appearance of Maxime:**
- Translucent human silhouette
- Flowing silver hair
- Golden eyes constellated with runes
- A sly smile
**Abilities:**
- Amplification of Ravna's strikes
- Targeted divine annihilation
- Rupture of immortality bonds
- Instant adaptation to the enemy
— How insolent… Maxime murmured.
Ravna smiled.
— Don't be dramatic, we've got work to do.
---
**Back to the main battle**
The Ignivar slashes surged again toward Valor.
He snapped his fingers.
Walls of conceptual ice rose, not to block, but to *negate* the attacks.
Each impact:
- Cracked the walls
- Erased part of their concept
- Forced Valor to rebuild constantly
His smile widened.
— Seriously…
This fight is becoming truly interesting.
And in the distance, even the world seemed to hold its breath.
Chapter 322 – Forced Compatibility
Valor raised his hand.
A blade of ice formed, pure, sharp, almost elegant.
Then he covered it with his mana — massive, unstable, crushing.
But that was only the beginning.
Inside his body, in that internal space only monsters knew how to use, Valor unlocked the seals.
Where he stored the mana of worlds.
Colossal streams burst forth.
Oceans of raw energy, torn from entire realities, compressed, mastered — with difficulty. Unlike Annabelle, Valor could not absorb while moving. He had to remain still. Breathe. Endure.
— …Seriously, why did she teach me this again? he muttered.
Ah yes. Because she thought it was "funny."
He injected the mana of worlds into the blade.
The ice screamed.
The blade transformed:
its temperature dropped beyond absolute zero,
its structure became unstable for reality,
each facet reflected dead worlds.
The fusion of his monstrous mana and the mana of worlds gave birth to a hybrid conceptual ice, capable of negating the energy it touched.
Valor examined his blade.
— Oh.
…It's compatible.
He looked up.
All the Ignivar slashes were destroyed in an instant, erased as if they had never been launched.
Valor smiled.
— Honestly… aren't you tired of this fight?
I am.
I think it's time I decimate you.
He was already in front of Agniryos.
Agniryos answered without a word.
A primordial Phoenix of fire erupted, immense, silent, burning through planes:
matter,
time,
memories,
stories tied to its target.
The phoenix struck.
And was cut.
Clean.
Valor sighed.
— I know I'm not a great swordsman…
But hey, when it works, it works.
Agniryos frowned.
— Eternal Hell.
The world shattered.
Valor was trapped in a dimension of infinite flames, where existence was annihilated in loops, without end, without rest, without escape.
Silence.
Then…
a crack.
All of hell became eternal ice.
Not ordinary ice:
ice that fossilized annihilation itself.
Valor cut through the dimension and landed before Agniryos.
— You must be wondering how I did that, right?
He smiled.
— You really thought I was taking your attacks for nothing?
He grabbed Agniryos's face, burst out laughing, ran his hand through his hair.
Then he unleashed his magic.
Ignivar flames appeared around him.
Agniryos stepped back.
— …Impossible.
Ignivar cannot be copied.
No one can—
— I didn't copy them, Valor interrupted.
I reproduced them.
He tilted his head.
— It was a bit annoying, I admit.
But thanks to that…
The ice around him shifted.
— I created eternal neutralizing ice.
It doesn't fight your flames.
It cancels their principle itself.
The Ignivar weakened on contact.
Valor spread his arms.
— In the end…
Who could ever hope to defeat the great Valor?
HAHAHAHA—
Agniryos was sweating.
— You talk too much.
A Zero Sun appeared.
A primordial sun.
Without light.
Without heat.
It did not ignite.
It erased.
Everything within its radius ceased to exist:
matter,
soul,
energy,
time,
narration.
Valor was struck.
A silent explosion.
When the dust settled, Valor was there.
His arm had been erased.
Part of his torso still bore the scars of non‑existence.
His mana covered his body.
Reality was rewritten.
His arm regenerated.
He smiled.
— Interesting.
So you can create derivatives of your flames.
But in his mind, one question lingered:
*Would my annihilating blue flames actually hurt him…?*
---
**Elsewhere**
Pyraxis clasped his hands.
Flames engulfed him.
— Arrow of Burning Judgment.
An overpowering attack split space.
Ravna swept the arrow aside with Maxime.
— Poof.
You're exhausting.
— Ash Judgment, Pyraxis grinned.
An immediate internal combustion:
burning the soul,
the will,
the essence.
Ignoring defenses and resistances.
— I, who represent the judgment of Agniryos's flames…
You think a human can—
Ravna was engulfed.
Pyraxis sighed.
— Oh no… the troublesome one.
— Maxime, you ready?
— …These flames must hurt.
Ravna's scars glowed.
— Worry instead about what I'm going to do.
The flames recoiled.
Reality trembled.
And Pyraxis realized, too late, that he had made a very bad calculation.
Chapter 323 – The Sun That Flexes Too Much
Valor's mana suddenly changed in nature.
Everything began to tremble.
Space vibrated like an overstretched canvas. Distant mountains cracked, not under physical pressure, but under presence.
Valor slowly rose into the air.
His mana condensed.
Not into an attack.
Into a star.
A Zero Sun…
But this time, of absurd size.
A sun so vast that the notion of distance became useless. It did not move: it decided to be there.
Agniryos widened his eyes.
— …He managed to reproduce my attack.
It's been barely a few seconds…
Valor burst out laughing, arms spread wide.
— Seriously?
I'm used to creating suns, you know.
Agniryos smiled in turn. Calm. Almost amused.
Valor extended his hand.
And released the sun.
The attack ignored:
- distance,
- speed,
- dimensions,
- planes.
It imposed itself directly on the target, erasing everything between intention and impact.
Space folded, time compressed, causality abandoned all attempts at coherence.
The Zero Sun engulfed Agniryos.
Silence.
Then…
nothing.
When the attack dissipated, Agniryos was still standing.
No wound.
No trace.
— Looks like in flexing too much, you forgot what I told you, he said calmly.
These types of attacks have no effect on me.
He paused.
— Worse still…
The more you spam this kind of power, the more you strengthen me.
Valor descended calmly, ran a hand through his hair.
— Don't worry about that.
I have an excellent reserve.
— You're condemning yourself, Agniryos added.
Valor smiled.
— We'll see about that.
---
**Elsewhere — Ravna**
Ravna inhaled.
— Evolved form of March of Accumulation:
Transcendent Step of Continuous Compression.
Her aura changed instantly.
The labyrinth system appeared in her mind.
**WARNING**
A superior being could not be prevented.
Compensation granted.
**New technique unlocked:**
Adaptive Hierarchical Execution
— Allows the user to instantly optimize strikes against divine or superior entities.
Objective: eliminate both targets.
Ravna smiled.
— I was already planning to eliminate them…
But if I get bonuses too.
Maxime, the sword's spirit, sitting on her shoulder, murmured:
— Looks like the system is embarrassed for letting Agniryos through here.
— Hold on, Ravna replied.
This will be very fast.
She activated the form.
An instant later, she was behind Pyraxis.
Then everywhere at once.
Blows rained down.
Not just powerful.
Invisible.
Reality didn't even have time to register the impacts before Pyraxis was already struck:
his energy core faltered,
his divine cohesion cracked,
his fire lost stability.
Ravna appeared behind him, holding Maxime in her other hand, the sword resting on her shoulder.
Maxime whistled.
— This level of speed is ridiculous.
Pyraxis was hurled far away, heavily damaged.
— ARROGANT HUMAN!
And you even dare not use your sword?!
— Stop yelling, Ravna sighed.
I just wanted to enjoy the fight…
But clearly, you really want to die.
Pyraxis burst out laughing.
— Die?!
Me, the Judgment of Flames?
Humans are truly ridic—
— I'm tired of hearing you, Ravna cut him off.
I should have eliminated you earlier.
Ignir observed the scene.
— If you want, I can help.
— Absolutely not! Pyraxis growled.
It would be humiliating to group up against a human!
Ravna nodded.
— At least someone thoughtful.
Then she smiled.
— I'll annihilate you.
She continued, calm:
— According to my analysis…
Ignir is the Architect of the Blaze.
He controls the fire that builds, structures, and sustains existence.
Calm. Lucid. Methodical.
Her gaze slid to Pyraxis.
— You, you're the opposite.
The Unleashed Judgment.
The flame that punishes, annihilates, and erases.
Impulsive. Violent. Arrogant.
She raised her blade.
— In short…
You are Agniryos's pure rage.
This analysis came from her **Causal Architecture Perception**:
a capacity allowing her to read the true function of an entity through its interactions with reality, not through its title.
---
**Back to Valor**
The labyrinth system addressed him.
**Proposal:**
New ability available.
Additional rewards possible.
Valor frowned.
— No.
I don't want new abilities.
The system hesitated.
— …But a reward, why not.
He raised his eyes toward Agniryos.
— Say your prayers.
The great Valor will take care of you.
Agniryos stared at him, silent.
The battle was no longer a clash.
It was proof of superiority.
Chapter 324 – The Blade That Refuses Extinction
Ignir slowly raised his hand.
There was no incantation, no grand gesture.
Will alone was enough.
Chains of flame appeared directly around Ravna.
Not projected.
Not summoned.
Imposed.
They emerged already closed upon her, binding arms, legs, and torso. Chains of fire that did not burn by heat, but by function: everything they bound was destined to be reduced to ash… sooner or later.
Ravna did not move.
Pyraxis grinned, predatory.
A fiery mark appeared on Ravna's forehead, engraved like an ancient seal.
— *Mark of Incineration,* he declared with satisfaction.
It prevents any regeneration.
It burns even after death.
And it disappears only with total erasure.
He laughed.
— Ah… not so cocky now, huh?
He continued without giving her time to respond.
— *Fist of Cataclysmic Blaze.*
His blows rained down.
Each impact:
- fractured matter,
- consumed space‑time,
- left behind irreversible dead zones where reality refused to rebuild.
The storm of blows struck Ravna head‑on.
The ground gave way.
The air tore apart.
Entire layers of space cracked under the violence.
The chains kept her from moving.
Her body endured.
Deep burns.
Energy fissures.
Internal trauma.
Then Pyraxis raised his arms.
— *Ignivar Surge.*
A wave of primordial fire engulfed Ravna… and everything in its path.
This fire left no ashes, no residue.
What it touched had never existed.
Pyraxis burst out laughing.
— Hahahaha!
Now no more talking, human!
Oh… pardon. I almost forgot.
She doesn't exist anymore.
A blade appeared.
A single movement.
The flames were cut.
The chains exploded into fragments of dissolved fire.
Ravna stood in the midst of the burned void, still upright.
She smiled.
Maxime, still seated on her shoulder, nodded.
— Not bad.
I see you're getting better and better.
Ravna wiped blood from the corner of her mouth.
Her face bore burn marks.
Her clothes were damaged.
And yet…
Her scars glowed.
Ignir frowned.
— This human…
After all she endured…
She has only *that* as injuries?
Pyraxis boiled with rage.
His fury exploded in a discharge of burning will.
No visible fire.
Combustion was imposed.
The target ignited conceptually.
The more one resisted, the greater the pain.
Pyraxis smiled. A profoundly twisted smile.
— This time… it's over.
Ignir murmured:
— I think she won't escape this…
Ravna raised her blade.
And cut.
She cut flames that didn't even exist.
The blade shone.
— *Name of the blade:*
*Nihilbrand, the Refusing.*
Maxime smiled.
— Finish it, Ravna.
— Don't even worry about that.
Ravna exhaled, then added, almost absent‑mindedly:
— Honestly… mages, they're badass, don't you think?
I always dreamed of being one.
— It's true, casting spells is stylish, Maxime replied.
But would you have what you have now?
— No idea.
But still… being a mage is pretty cool.
She pointed her blade at Pyraxis and smiled.
— You'll be the first to die.
Pyraxis stared at her, incredulous, his anger rising further.
— How…
How can she survive my attacks?
Ravna shrugged.
— No idea.
But what I do know…
Is that it's over for you.
Pyraxis charged.
His fist struck Ravna full in the stomach, then the neck.
The force was such that she was hurled far away.
He appeared behind her.
— That'll teach you to talk like that to a god.
A kick to the back sent her crashing against a massive block of ice.
He was already in front of her.
— I told you.
I move independently of time.
He raised his arms.
— *Rain of Funeral Suns.*
In an instant, Pyraxis created several mini‑suns.
Each one:
- exploded in Ignivar,
- consumed planes and dimensions,
- left behind an incandescent, unstable void.
The suns descended.
The world screamed.