"Greed."
Boom—!
Maybe it was out of instinct, but the mont those words left the boy's lips, Alia imdiately waved her hand, her magic sword materializing in an instant, slashing toward the boy with a burst of energy.
The others flinched and jumped back, taken aback by her sudden aggression.
"Alia, what are y—"
Belle exclaid, questioning her impulsive behavior.
"He's one of them! One of the people Brandon warned us about!"
But as the dust settled, the boy stood completely unhard.
The sword had not even grazed him.
He remained still, a calm smile tugging at his lips.
"You strike without understanding. But to destroy without comprehension…. isn't that the root of all greed?"
The boy tilted his head. On his hand was a rock, which he seed to have grabbed from the shattered ground.
The rock shimred faintly around the boy.
No, he was absorbing the mana that still clung to the rock from Alia's previous attack.
The boy's smile stretched a little wider, his gaze shifting from the rock back to Alia.
"You give, and Greed takes. That's the cycle, isn't it? You're so eager to rid yourself of power, yet you don't understand what you truly offer."
Before anyone could react, Raven lunged forward, his dagger thrusting toward the boy with a sudden burst of speed.
"He's the Archbishop of Greed!"
Swoosh—!
The others, spurred by his movent, followed suit.
Belle brandished her sword forward, cladding it with light, while Reinhard summoned an array of flas, rushing towards the boy.
Water gushed out from sowhere, and ice bolts rained down.
But the boy didn't flinch. Instead, he casually lifted his hand, and with it, the rock still brimming with mana.
In a single fluid motion, the boy mimicked Alia's attack perfectly.
The sa energy that had failed to hit him before now surged from his hand, a magic sword slicing through the air toward Raven.
"Wha—Ukh!"
Raven, caught off guard, was sent hurling away.
His body hit the ground hard, rolling to a stop several feet away, groaning in pain.
"Raven!"
Alia shouted, but she couldn't afford to turn her back on the boy.
He hadn't moved from his spot, still smiling that unnerving smile.
"You offer your strength so willingly, and Greed takes it all."
Alia's magic sword vanished and reappeared in her hand, glowing fiercely as she prepared another strike.
"Stay back!"
She warned the others, stepping forward to engage the boy directly.
After all, she was the strongest one present.
But Belle wasn't going to wait.
With a swift movent, she extended her blade with light, the glowing energy crackling around the edge of her sword.
She leaped into the air, bringing the extended blade down toward the boy with incredible force.
The boy simply raised his hand, absorbing the light energy from her blade before flicking his wrist.
Belle's own light-based attack was thrown back at her, a blinding beam slicing through the air toward her.
She twisted in midair, narrowly dodging the attack, landing with a stumble but quickly regaining her footing.
"I get it now, he's replicating everything we do!"
She growled, her eyes locking on the boy with frustration.
Claire stepped forward, her rapier crackling with purple lightning.
"Then we'll just have to overwhelm him, won't we?"
Without hesitation, she dashed forward, her rapier extending with arcs of lightning.
Tzz—!
She moved like a blur.
Each ti her blade made contact with the boy, a burst of purple bolts exploded from the impact point.
Yet, each strike was t with a calm, effortless parry from the boy, who now wielded an exact replica of her lightning-charged rapier.
The boy twisted his hand, sending a surge of purple lightning back at Claire.
She barely managed to deflect it, the force sending her stumbling back.
"Greed consus. Greed learns. Greed takes what it desires and uses it as its own."
The boy's eyes glinted with amusent.
Behind him, Reinhard summoned a wall of fire.
Flas rushed towards the boy. Amy, standing nearby, called forth torrents of water to flood the ground.
The boy simply stood there, watching as the flas and water rushed toward him.
At the last mont, he raised his hand, and the fire and water froze in mid-air, hovering for a brief second before reversing course.
The combined attacks exploded outward, sending both Reinhard and Amy crashing into the ground as their own elents overwheld them.
"Akh!"
"——!"
Rachel stepped forward, her snow–white hair fluttered, an icy aura emanating from her entire figure.
"Stop!"
Ice bolts ford in the air, their sharp edges gleaming as she sent them hurling toward the boy.
They zipped through the air, aiming for his vital points.
The boy glanced at the ice bolts with mild interest before swiping his hand in front of him.
The ice bolts stopped mid-flight, suspended in the air before shattering into a thousand pieces.
"Greed takes everything. Even your hope."
He whispered, his eyes glowing with an eerie light.
Alia, who had been waiting for her mont, took advantage of the distraction, seizing the opportunity.
She summoned two magic swords, one in each hand, and charged forward with incredible speed.
The boy turned to face her just as her blades ca crashing down toward him.
For a mont, it looked like she had him.
But then, with a swift movent, the boy absorbed the energy of her swords once again, twisting it into his own attack.
He spun, a crescent-shaped arc of energy slicing through the air toward Alia.
She barely managed to dodge, the attack grazing her side and sending a sharp pain through her body.
She winced but didn't stop, summoning another sword as she continued her assault.
A myriad of magic swords danced around her. Gritting her teeth, a sharp pang pierced her head as she focused on each sword.
With a flick of her wrist, she launched a barrage of swords toward him.
He dodged effortlessly, absorbing the energy from her attacks and twisting them into his own.
His crescent-shaped arcs of energy sliced through the air, but Alia managed to narrowly avoid them.
Suddenly, one of her blades found its mark.
Slash—!
It was a small cut, just barely grazing the boy's cheek, but it was enough to draw blood.
His eyes widened in surprise. He touched the wound, staring at the blood on his fingertips in disbelief.
"Huh?"
His voice was filled with confusion, then anger.
"You—you've managed to cut through my authority?"
His calm deanor shattered, replaced by anger. He clenched his fists, his power flaring dangerously around him.
"Who are you?!"
Alia didn't respond. Her chest heaved with the effort of maintaining her magic, but she kept her eyes locked on the boy.
Before he could retaliate, Raven dashed forward from the shadows, his dagger aid at the boy's back.
The others joined in—Claire surged forward, her rapier crackling with purple lightning, while Belle swung her light-imbued sword in a wide arc.
Alia followed suit, her swords slashing in tandem with the others.
Reinhard, Rachel, and Amy hung back, supporting with long-range attacks.
Fireballs from Reinhard streaked through the air, while Rachel's ice bolts rained down, and Amy's water tendrils lashed out toward the boy.
But the boy was unfazed.
With a flick of his wrist, he absorbed Alia's magic once again, twisting the energy into a forceful wave that knocked Raven and Claire back.
They skidded across the ground, barely managing to stay on their feet.
Belle, with her light-imbued sword, slashed downward, aiming for his chest, but the boy caught her blade with his bare hand, stopping her attack mid-air.
"You can't win."
He whispered, his voice low and threatening.
Alia gritted her teeth, pushing forward.
She summoned another barrage of swords.
The boy smirked, absorbing them effortlessly, but in the chaos, she slipped through his defenses once again, her blade slicing across his arm.
Slash—!
Another graze.
For so reason, it was only her who could manage to bypass his absorption defense.
The boy's eyes narrowed in fury.
"You…. dare…."
He swung his arm, and a shockwave of energy burst from him, sending Alia flying backward.
She crashed to the ground, gasping for breath as pain shot through her body.
She struggled to rise, but her limbs felt heavy, her magic fading as exhaustion began to take its toll.
Raven reappeared, his [Shadow] affinity swirling around him as he lunged at the boy once again.
Slash—!
The dagger grazed the boy's shoulder, drawing a thin line of blood. For a split second, the boy's eyes widened in disbelief.
With Raven's next attack, the boy sidestepped his attack, grabbing Raven by the collar and tossing him aside like a ragdoll.
"Another one…?"
He muttered in irritation. His glowing eyes flickered as he looked from Alia to Raven.
Claire tried to strike from behind, her rapier crackling with lightning, but the boy caught her blade with ease, sending a surge of energy through it that knocked her off balance.
Belle swung her light-imbued sword with all her strength, but the boy deflected it effortlessly.
Reinhard, Rachel, and Amy launched their attacks from a distance—fire, ice, and water crashing toward the boy in unison.
But he absorbed the elental magic, twisting it into a destructive force that he unleashed upon them in return.
The trio was thrown back, their attacks rendered useless.
Alia forced herself to stand, blood trickling from her wounds as she summoned her magic swords once more.
Her vision blurred, but she wouldn't stop.
She couldn't.
"You think persistence will save you? Greed consus all. Your strength, your hope—it's all mine to take."
The others were all battered, exhaustion palpable in their faces as blood trickled down their forms.
However, it was then.
Boom—!
As if it descended from the heavens, the rain hamred down, each droplet hitting the boy with the force of a thousand storms.
The sheer power of it sent shockwaves through the ground, an explosion of water and energy erupting around him.
Alia and Raven staggered back, shielding their faces from the sudden downpour.
However, the water didn't just fall. It was moving, swirling and gathering, as if it were alive.
Then, from the depths of the storm, a woman appeared.
Her form seed to rge with the rain itself, droplets clinging to her as she stepped forward.
The water twisted around her, as if responding to her every thought.
Alia's eyes widened in shock, recognizing the newcor's appearance.
"Illya…."
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