Lilith wanted to blink to kill Evelyn but Seraphina intercepted that and made sure that Lilith's target was on her.
Aric activated his foresight, scanning ahead for openings in the relentless duel. Through it, he saw Lilith retreating momentarily after a series of exchanges—only to pivot sharply left and swing at Seraphina.
But before the foresight could go further, it changed to where Lilith would be swinging now instead of waiting to be pushed back.
Huh? What? What the hell?
Lilith was reading Aric's mind and changing his foresight. This was a problem but Seraphina was her match. She caught the swing that was out of place and change her tendril into a fist to punch Lilith.
DUSH!
Aric using his foresight for a good minute in this battle, kept seeing it being changed rapidly.
This could only mean two things...either she is so fast now that my foresight can't keep up...or she is reading my mind again...Either way...this is not good.
She is basically getting free info if I keep using foresight. But if I don't, I can't keep up with her... Overdrive foresight...use 'that' against her...
I only got one shot with my plan. It's best to not say it in full in my own thoughts...Just in case she is reading my mind.
Aric started to activate his lightning boots again but this time, he adjusted the speed to be at 500km/h. Aric's mind raced as he thought about a LRAD (Long Range Acoustic Device).
The LRAD would be the best thing right now. It will disrupt the battle completely and end it all.
He also noticed something crucial about Lilith's invincible barrier. It relied on manual activation. Aric assumed that her mana is running low and has to use manual activation instead of passive.
What if I could disrupt her concentration? He strapped a device onto his arm that had a countdown of 5 seconds.
Okay...overdrive healing magic just in case my body can't withstand it. Here goes nothing!
ZOOM!
In an instant, Aric was mid flying kick to the face of Lilith with Seraphina stabbing into Lilith's left shoulder with the anti-magic sword. Aric body felt the G-force but his overdrive healing magic compensated it for it.
DUSH!
Aric's leg struck her invincible armour and had his body glowing in bright green while his ears were plugged with ear plugs.
"SERAPHINA! RUN! HEAL YOURSELF AND CLOSE YOUR EARS!"
The device strapped to Aric's arm was a miniaturized sound cannon, crafted using his creation magic and manipulated it to be tiny during the seconds of zooming. While Lilith was trying to decipher Aric's winning strategy, she hadn't anticipated this move as he only activated it mid-action.
Something she thought no ordinary person could do.
Aric knew that even though Sebastian's body was now demonic, it was still biologically susceptible to certain stimuli. A loud frequency would disrupt her physiology.
He expanded the cannon back to its original size as the countdown hit zero.
SHRIEKKKKKKKKK!
The sound cannon erupted with an ear-splitting shriek, reverberating across the battlefield like a thunderclap. Lilith staggered backward, clutching her head as veins of agony pulsed across her face. She immediately activated her healing magic despite the doubled cost to regain her footing.
Meanwhile, Seraphina complied with Aric's plan and backed off while expanding the protective dome around Ashwick, shielding the evacuating civilians from the devastating noise.
"UGH! MY EARS!" Seraphina yelled in pain while activating her own healing magic.
Though Aric's body also felt the effects of the sound cannon, he mitigated the damage by channeling his overdrive healing magic. His mana reserves were now at 30%.
Seizing the moment, Aric wrapped his arms around Lilith's neck and delivered a brutal headbutt. The impact sent Lilith stumbling, and Aric quickly straddled her to prevent escape.
With the majority of his remaining mana, Aric manifested an anti-magic thrusting shield. He lunged forward, aiming for her heart—but Lilith caught the edge of the shield just in time, feeling the sharp pierce through her flesh.
Aric pushed harder, but Lilith fought back fiercely.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Refusing to stay pinned, Lilith used her blink ability to reappear behind Aric. She raised her sword to strike, but a sudden shadow intercepted her blade.
CLANG!
It was Seraphina. Just as she had done in the fight against Kylien, she had invented yet another new magic: Shadowstep.
Shadowstep was a high-level teleportation spell that allowed her to instantly transport anywhere there was a visible shadow. Seraphina had reverse-engineered the concept after observing Lilith's blink ability and spent the brief recovery period devising its mechanics.
For Seraphina, each use of Shadowstep consumed about 10% of her mana since she had only just created it. The conditions were simple: she needed to see the shadow and it had to be tangible enough to serve as a destination.
"Wow." Lilith sneered. "You're finally showing your wings, dark princess."
Though rough around the edges, Seraphina's teleportation was nearly on par with Lilith's blink. She teleported again, forcing Lilith to retreat. Seeing the opening, Aric sprinted toward her and thrust his shield.
Lilith parried the attack, but Seraphina, who had teleported near a tree, reappeared behind her. This time, she moved fast enough to stab Lilith in the back with her anti-magic sword.
SHHK!
The blade pierced through Lilith's barrier, but she twisted her body slightly, causing Seraphina to miss the vital organs. Lilith retaliated by hurling an exploding ball of black flames at Seraphina.
Seraphina blocked the attack with her tendrils and yanked the anti-magic sword free. The removal further disrupted Lilith's mana flow, tripling the cost of her spells. Though Lilith could absorb ambient mana continuously, her ability to cast spells became severely limited.
Aric knew he was critically low on mana but dared not voice his concerns aloud or even think them for fear of tipping off Lilith. Raising his thrusting shield, he locked eyes with her.
"I told you we'd find a way to beat you."
Lilith scoffed as she healed the stab wound, "You say that, but you're running on fumes right now."
Through both Lilith's and Seraphina's eyes, they could see that Aric's aura was dimming. He was dangerously low on mana but Seraphina couldn't reach him without engaging Lilith directly and Lilith was well aware of this stalemate.
Aric summoned his pistol into his right hand while keeping his shield raised.
"I don't care what you think I've got left. You're going down one way or another."
He smirked, "Isn't it funny? For a demon supposedly tied to the 'First Cataclysm', whatever the fuck that means, you sure are taking your sweet time, even with a ticking clock."
A vein throbbed on Lilith's forehead, "Humans always run their mouths, don't they? You don't even know who I am, yet you dare mock me?"
Aric flipped her off, "Yeah. What are you gonna do about it?"
When Lilith blinked next, her movements exceeded the limits of Aric's foresight. He glimpsed the future outcome where her sword stabbed him in the chest. But he wouldn't have enough time to react as her attack unfolded in one second instead of the usual five.
But Seraphina, leveraging her newfound Shadowstep, teleported in front of Aric just in time to parry the blow.
CLANG!
"I won't let you hurt my husband!"
Seraphina swung her sword to push Lilith back, giving Aric precious moments to recover. His heart pounded as realization dawned.
Fuck. I didn't even see her coming. Fuck… Seraphina saved me again.
However, Lilith's swords began to dim. Sensing the weakening of her powers, she gritted her teeth. Seraphina noticed this and intensified her assault, relentlessly injuring Lilith with the sword that kept messing up her mana flow.
Lilith continued to fight with her fading Meredith sword and Eclipse but their power was waning rapidly.
"What the hell?" Lilith muttered as she realised her swords are becoming powerless.
Seraphina pressed on, piercing Lilith's limbs with her tendrils of decay.
"Looks like your time is up."
Desperate, Lilith boosted her blink ability one last time, moving faster than Seraphina could follow. She reappeared behind Aric and clasped her hands together.
"Barrier: Blackflame Covenant."
"No!!" Seraphina shouted, reaching out as the two vanished into the barrier.
Even with her powers dwindling, Lilith managed to conjure one final barrier. Her plan was clear: isolate Aric and absorb his powers with the Meredith sword after killing him.
Aric raised his shield, blocking the initial barrage of black flame fireballs and arrows unleashed by the barrier. Due to the minimal mana used to create it, the barrier's effects were weaker than usual, barely enhancing Lilith's magical and physical capabilities.
But the boost was irrelevant; Lilith's magic and mana were being systematically sealed away. Unbeknownst to her, Nathaniel had fulfilled his agreement with Being and betrayed her, permanently sealing off her powers and returning them to her original body.
Though unaware of Nathaniel's role, Lilith suspected foul play from him.
"THAT FUCKING BASTARD!" as Lilith readjusted her stance and dashed towards him.
Refusing to let divine intervention dictate the outcome, she pressed forward, determined to overpower Aric despite having less than 10% of her mana left.
Even with his anti-magic shield, Aric struggled to evade the relentless barrage of black flame arrows and fireballs. The pressure mounted as Lilith closed the distance between them.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Each bullet struck Lilith's shoulder and knees, forcing her to slow down momentarily. The reprieve gave Aric the breathing room he desperately needed. He could feel his mana depleting rapidly and his body was shivering.
"Fuck. I'm almost out."
Desperate to absorb his powers before her own dwindled completely, Lilith hurled a fireball at him. As Aric dodged, she blinked behind him and swung her sword toward his neck.
Aric barely managed to block the strike with his shield but was hit by the barrier's fireballs to his back.
"UGH!" Aric grunted, losing balance and nearly dropping his shield.
Lilith discarded her sword and aimed a punch at Aric's face. He raised the shield in time to absorb the blow, but the force sent him flying across the barrier. The anti-magic shield cracked slightly under the impact.
Lilith dashed toward Aric, who was still airborne. She leapt upward and delivered a powerful kick to his stomach.
BOOM!
The barrier floor cracked beneath the force, but Aric gritted his teeth and manipulated the shield to strap itself securely onto his left arm. He continued to block the barrier's relentless attacks while dodging Lilith's strikes.
To Aric, Lilith's lack of formal martial arts training made her predictable but her speed, even in her weakened state was way too fast for him. Because of that h, e sustained several grazing blows. Blood trickled down his cheek, chest, and arms, but he held on for 10 minutes.
But Aric's endurance had limits.
Summoning the last of her strength, Lilith punched the shield with all her might, shattering it.
BOOM!
The resulting shockwave flung Aric backward. As he recovered, he saw Lilith mid-swing with the Meredith sword, aiming for his chest. But before the blade could connect, it vanished entirely.
With her magic sealed and her swords gone, Lilith resorted to raw physical combat. Knowing this would happen, she redirected her fist into Aric's chest which Aric raised his arm to block but she redirected it into his stomach instead.
"BLERGH!"
Aric coughed up blood as the punch tore through his abdomen. Pain exploded within him as the barrier shattered, leaving them suspended in mid-air. Lilith flapped her wings, holding Aric aloft with one hand gripping his wounded torso.
Coughing more blood, adrenaline surged through Aric's veins as Lilith regarded him with a look of reluctant admiration.
"It's a shame, Vayne. But, you were strong."