Michael knew he couldn't just rely on his power but had to exploit that moment of uncertainty to strike quickly. The movement of its wings became very fast whhhhhhh! and a burst of white light issued from his Excalibur blade as he rushed towards Volmeryn. But the attack failed.
Volmeryn : «Ah, so now you're trying to force me to adapt? More interesting. But too late.»
With a simple wave of the hand whoooom! , he burst the vortex that Gabriel had created. The magnetic field shattered like crash glass and the atmosphere returned to normal. But in the split second when Volmeryn was focused on this destruction, Michael took advantage of the opening.
Michael set up a quick attack, a decisive shot on the flank of Volmeryn shhhiiiing! But an invisible barrier appeared to intercept his sword! Clank ! He hadn't anticipated enough.
Volmeryn: «Precipitate...»He was throwing a breath of black flames fwoooosh that pushed Michael back.
Despite their apparent power, the archangels were in a routine of repeating the same attacks, the same strategies over and over again as if they were constrained by an invisible rule.
Their movements became linear and their approach too predictable. Even with all their wisdom and strength, they were reduced to a series of stereotypical thud actions, thud being unable to break through the immense wall of power that Volmeryn represented.
Metatron who had been in the background until then and was content to observe others was frustrated by the ineffectiveness of his brothers. He was reciting ancient words chhhhh! And, out of the blue, a vortex of light formed around him enveloping his body in a glowing aura whhhh.
A glimmer of interest passed through Volmeryn's eyes. He now understood: Metatron would not be content to repeat the mistakes of his brothers. He was up to something different, maybe something that could really break the monotony of this confrontation.
Volmeryn: «Finally here's something that could be fun.»
The fight continued to intensify. Volmeryn was fighting not only the archangels but also the very structure of their realm, a reality that seemed to react to his attacks rrrriiippp.
However, despite Volmeryn's phenomenal power, he wasn't without his flaws. The archangels resisted because their divine will was a tenacious force.
Volmeryn: «It's only a matter of time, grrrrrr... The heavenly kingdom will fall.»
The sky that was once pure blue, was now in tatters caused by the titanic battles between Volmeryn and the archangels.
Michael was getting back on his feet after taking the direct attack from Volmeryn. The sacred energy that emanated from his body burned like the sun, everything around him began to melt.
Michael: «You're strong, Volmeryn. But this realm is the representation of the divine will. You can't break the very essence of order!»
Volmeryn did not answer at once. He simply raised his hand and a wave of infinite disorder formed around him. A vortex of altered reality was unfolding by reversing gravity around Michael. Vrrrrrr...
«Order, Michael, is an illusion. A structure shaped by minds that do not understand the true nature of power. The ultimate order is that of freedom.»
As he spoke, a chaotic blast of energy erupted and then Michael was thrown backwards with his body writhing under the impact. BAM!
The remaining archangels—Gabriel, Raphael, and Metatron—gathered around him with determined looks.
«It's too much ! We can't let this continue.»
Gabriel raised his weapon, Lux Veritas. He charged with a speed out of time and space, hoping to surprise Volmeryn.
Fwoooosh.The blade was heading straight for Volmeryn, this blade was able to dispel matter itself. But Volmeryn easily dodged the attack and counter-attacked, murmuring:
"Reality crushed."
He reached out, changing the laws of light to reflect it back at Gabriel in an infinitely twisted trajectory that forced him to defend himself in another dimension. Sshhhk... BOOM!
Gabriel was off balance but he managed to keep his balance by sending a blast of divine energy in return. ZZZZZAP!
«You underestimate our determination!»
Volmeryn dodged this second attack with hallucinating precision. It dematerialized in a burst of black light and then reappeared behind Gabriel like a shadow making its way through a broken mirror. Fsssst... Each object trembled under the unreality of its movement.
Gabriel just on his guard felt his mind waver as space itself flocked differently.
Volmeryn (amused): «It's easy to be determined when you only know the illusion of victory. But I'm going to show you what true power is.»
At that moment, Raphael was positioning himself behind him. His hands shone with a healing light of divine sweetness but he did not seek to attack. He first sought to neutralize the chaos around Gabriel.
However, when he attempted to heal Gabriel with his Ray of Purity, the divine light ran into a cosmic deviation. Crackle... CRUNCH! Volmeryn absorbed the healing energy by transforming it into a negative flow which reversed the process and redirected the energy directly to the center of the Cosmos, disrupting the balance of the universe through the collapse of a few solar systems. BOOOOOOOM!
Volmeryn: «It won't work, Raphael. Your light has no power over what you do not understand.»
As Volmeryn prepared to attack again, Gabriel raised a hand and the wind began to blow in a chaotic spiral. Woooosh. The storm was not natural.The hurricane was turning into a cataclysmic storm, the winds tearing apart space itself and tearing light and time in their frenzied rush.
Then came the inevitable confinement.
The cyclone did not just swallow Volmeryn: it sucked the heat, the light, and the very essence of existence around it. The space around Volmeryn became a pit of pure energy, a cage of absolute annihilation where matter was consumed without a trace.
VRUUUUUM! The energy field closed with the force of a million dying stars, forming a prison whose walls vibrated with immeasurable power.
Inside, the air became a crushing force, every breath a burn, every movement a battle against disintegration.
The Omniscient System, panicked, gave Volmeryn an emergency alert:
[Critical alert! Divine prison detected.]
[Effects: Erosion of existence, absolute restriction of movement, progressive suppression of internal forces.]
[WARNING: Current resistance insufficient. Exit impossible.]
Gabriel watched Volmeryn struggle in the heart of the celestial storm.
«You may be powerful, Dragon… but in this world, the heavens remain sovereign.»
Volmeryn felt that this storm was more than just an energy barrier. It was a multidimensional cataclysm.
The winds weren't just physically hitting him; they were pulling him through time itself. A second inside that prison was a thousand years of agony. He was being propelled through entire eras, forcing him to experience millions of agonies simultaneously.
Every moment, he saw versions of himself die in countless futures—some burned, some disintegrated, some turning to dust in a silent nothingness.
[Ultimate Alert! You are caught in a divine space-time vortex.]
[Effects: Time Warp, Existential Erasure, Natural Resistance Suppression.]
[Survival Scenarios: 0.0000001%.]
Volmeryn, for the first time since his reincarnation as a dragon felt a primal fear invade him. His arrogance... his pride, all of it seemed futile in the face of Gabriel's absolute strength.
His survival instinct took over. He couldn't rely on his stamina or brute strength alone. He had to cheat.
At the exact moment a future version of himself was annihilated, he swapped places with another timeline. Volmeryn managed to escape the cyclone by abandoning a version of himself to the eternal prison, a version condemned to infinite suffering… but he, the original, was now free. He reappeared outside the storm, on his knees with his body in pain.
Gabriel was slightly surprised
«Interesting… you escaped judgment. But at what cost?»
The system sent him one last message:
[Note: Congratulations, you are alive. Try to be less reckless next time.]
«Oh, sorry, great omniscient system master... Next time, I'll kindly ask the Archangels to leave me alone. Maybe a 'please' will suffice?»
The system, visibly annoyed displayed a new message:
[Sarcasm detected. Arrogance level still critical. No improvement noted.]
Without waiting, Metatron raised his hand and then a Multiverse Infinity Field unfolded around him with thousands of copies of himself, each representing an infinitesimal version of his own being, forming in space. Fzzzzt.
These versions went into confrontation with the laws of reality, they were multidimensional attacks that sought to disrupt all the physical and temporal laws around Volmeryn.
"Erosion of Time" murmured Volmeryn
With a simple gesture of his fingers he triggered a wave that pierced the fabric of time. Shhhrip. Each copy of Metatron froze for a moment, before starting to slowly disintegrate, the silhouettes became blurred as if time swallowed them. Whirrr.
Their shapes twisted and a succession of blurred images multiplied as they aged in a few seconds while particles of light disappeared. Pfffsssh.
Volmeryn: «Order, Metatron, is just an invisible cage in which you lock yourself in to ignore the chaos around you.»
At that moment, the other archangels who saw the devastation he was causing, decided once again to join forces. Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Metatron united in a final offensive.
Bzzzzt, Kaa-boom. A Divine Storm was forming through a divine vortex amplified by the union of their forces. Rrrrrrr.
But Volmeryn, with a smile, made a movement of his finger. Fshhh. A twilight of the Infinite appeared around him, absorbing and redirecting the sacred energy. Shwoooooooosh.
As Volmeryn advanced, sure of his victory, Archangel Metatron offered him a peaceful smile. He knew that Volmeryn's greatest weakness was his pride. Under the guise of submission, Metatron had hidden a magic trap. Sshhhttttt.
An invisible net woven of temporal spells, which would not only slow down his movements, but reverse the flow of his own attacks by deflecting them against him.
Volmeryn, too confident to notice the trick, tried to launch his last offensive. This was his mistake. Boom. The net closed in on him like a trap by diverting his energy against himself. He was screaming in pain, Aaaarghh, as he stood up with his body stained with blood. Plop, plop.
[SYSTEM :Fatal error detected. Excessive arrogance. Immediate consequences: pain, humiliation, and bodily harm.]
[Advice: Next time, try to observe before you attack.]
Volmeryn struggling to get up with pain on his face but he kept smiling despite it all.
«Thanks for the tip, but I prefer to learn through... experience.»
He smiled as he observed his injuries.
«And if you could stop treating me like a child, that would be nice too. I'm a dragon, not a beginner.»
Lyara, who was also observing the scene through the magic crystal from the Cælora Kingdom exchanged a little glance with Carlos.
«It's fascinating... They never give up, no matter the situation.»
Carlos: «That's what makes them archangels but Volmeryn... It's another level. If he manages to break them, they will have no choice but to submit.»
Trok, who also observed, added: «It's not just a question of power. It's a question of will. And Volmeryn has his much stronger than them.»
Darius(amused) : «It seems like these archangels still have their work cut out for them. But it's only a matter of time before Volmeryn makes them bend.»
Back in battle, Metatron was more than determined to eradicate Volmeryn.
Metatron: «I'm going to erase your existence from all this reality.»
Volmeryn : «You want to erase my existence? Even the universe can't do that.»
The tension was rising a notch as the fight continued to reach heights of intensity. The battlefield was no longer just a place: it was a war between cosmic forces, a battle for the survival of the celestial order.
Doubt was beginning to creep into the archangels' minds even if their attacks were enough to put Volmeryn in trouble. The latter dominated them, and every movement they made was anticipated with precision by him.
Volmeryn: «You fought well, Metatron, but it's all futile. This kingdom is already under my control.»
Crash! An attack from Metatron was trying to hit the space around Volmeryn hard but he was already an eternity ahead by dodging with disconcerting fluidity.
[Omniscient System: Feature Enabled: "Unyielding Will." Calculation in progress...]
[Result: Enemy attacks are redirected. The self-evolution of the Volmeryn domain is on the rise.]
[Complete takeover of the battlefield imminent. Attack interdiction system enabled on entities not subject to Volmeryn's control.]
The archangels were beginning to bend under the weight of the truth they could not ignore.
The archangels under the pressure of Volmeryn's unparalleled power knew that the moment of submission was approaching... But the question remained: will they accept his proposal or will they resist until the last breath?
CHAPTER ENDED.