Howard then chanted “Elemento Talim. Hiwang Grabidad (Filipino: Elemental Blade. Gravity Slash)

The black slashed void sucked Talos’ shields, breaking them one by one. As the black void breaks the last shield, Talos was pulled by gravity into it. He turned around and desperately threw a kunai toward a crumbling building behind him but the kunai stopped midair and flew back toward Talos. He deflected it hastily and the kunai went into the black void. The building behind him crumbled into debris and was sucked by the Black void. Talos desperately leaped debris unto debris using his kunai to stick into the debris. Until he lost ground, and flew backwards to the void. He took a kunai from his bag that was attached to his right leg and cut his left palm, raised his left hand high and he opened them spreading the blood through the air. 

“ERIS! Mortua discordiae! Expande alas tuas super hunc mundum dissolutm. Utere me quasi vase tuo. Ut sanguinem inimicorum meorum gustem!” 

(Latin: “ERIS! Mordren of Discord! Spread thy wings over this dissolute world. Use me as your vessel. Let me taste the blood of my enemies!”).

The gravity slash of Howard rippled and exploded. Howard shielded himself using a barrier and landed safely on the ground. Then he heard Talos screaming in pain above him floating in the air, then a ray of crimson light slammed into Talos, temporarily blinding Howard, as the light dissipated Howard looked up and couldn't believe what he saw.

Then the dark woman-like figure descended from the air. Her armor shimmered like obsidian kissed by starlight, her eyes aglow with unnatural light. When she spoke, her voice echoed with the weight of ancient power, each word thrumming with dark allure.

"Miles honoratus, cur potentiam tuam perdis iusiurandum mortali iam mortuo servando? Me iunge, immortalitas tibi et potestas dabuntur quae deos aemulabitur.”

(Latin: Honored knight. Why waste your potential by honouring an oath to a mortal who is already dead? Join me, you will be granted immortality and power that would rival the gods)

Richard smiled—bitter, bold—and spat. Stepping forward, flame reflecting in his golden eyes, he answered in the Valerian common tongue, his voice like steel drawn from its sheath.

"Eris’ Mordren of Discord," he began, his words sharp with fury and pride

“What annoying mouth you’ve got there”

Flames surged upward forming a pillar of fire, shaking the ground. Runes behind his back multiplied, creating copies of themselves. They moved and embedded into Richard’s arms, swirling around like serpents climbing a tree. The runes stopped at his upper arms; ethereal lines of flame extended upward tracing along his shoulders, neck, cheek, and into his eyes. His orange dragon eyes turned crimson, with slit pupils. The glowing lines continued to his eyebrows and forehead, where they formed holographic dragon horns from his skin. From the horns, a holographic dragon helm of flames took shape. Richard looked up to Eris and lunged toward her.

A fierce clash of swords erupted, sending shockwaves throughout the town. The ground trembled as if an earthquake had struck, and buildings began to collapse while the two powerful warriors fought for dominance. Eris managed to seize Richard by the shoulders and hurled him toward the town square. He crashed through several buildings, the momentum stopped when he slammed into the wall of a shop. The impact crushed several nearby citizens, their blood and entrails splattering against the wreckage. Struggling to his feet, Richard turned to a young girl who was frozen in fear of the horror in front of her. The young girl looked at Richard who was struggling to catch his breath, blood on his face and chest, his clergy garment soaked in blood, the blazing sword in his right hand and she could see the runes dissipated from his arms and back. Along with the holographic dragon helm that covered his face.

"Ruby!? Ruby!? Where are you?!" A woman cried out; her voice raw with desperation.

From beneath the rubble, Richard groaned as he pushed himself upright, wincing at the pain lancing through his limbs. Dust clung and fell from his robes as he limped toward the small figure huddled in the corner.

He knelt in front of the girl, his voice soft and steady.

  "Hey there… are you, Ruby?"

The girl nodded, her eyes wide with fear, lips sealed in silence.

"That's a beautiful name," Richard smiled gently. "I'm Father Howard, from the church. Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

She shook her head slowly, still too shaken to speak.

"Alright," he said, offering his hand. "Let’s get you back to your mother."

Her tiny fingers wrapped around his calloused hand, and together they stepped out of the collapsed building, sunlight breaking through the dust-filled air.

The woman gasped when she saw them. "Ruby!" she cried, running forward.

Ruby let go of Richard and rushed into her mother's arms. Tears flowed freely as the woman held her daughter close, sobbing with relief.

"Thank you… thank you so much, Father Howard," she told Richard. But her eyes widened when she took in his disheveled appearance—his cleric robes were burned, and a deep gash ran from his chest down to the upper right side of his abdomen, bleeding heavily.

"I'm alright—just a scratch" Richard said with a strained laugh, trying to ease the tension.

“A scratch? That is not a scratch to me Howard!”

"Go now. Head for the gates—get away from the town square while it's still safe."

"But Father… you don’t look alright," the woman protested, her eyes lingering on his bleeding wound.

Before Richard could respond, the young girl stepped forward, holding out a small rose she'd picked up from the rubble. Silent and solemn, she offered it to him.

Richard knelt, accepting the flower with a gentle smile.

"What did you have there, Ruby? Oh.. a red rose!"

Richard took the rose from her tiny hands and ruffled her hair using her left hand. 

“Thank you Ruby, this means a lot to me”

Richard rose to his feet, swaying slightly from the pain, then turned to the mother and pointed toward a narrow, debris-free path.

"There's a narrow path over there, meet with the others outside the town," he urged, his voice firm.

He gave them a gentle push, and the mother didn't hesitate. She took her daughter’s hand, and they ran.

But as they fled, the little girl looked back—her wide eyes fixed on Richard.

For a brief moment, time seemed to slow. That look… It reminded him of Tania, when she was little.

Richard then smiled and tucked the rose to his robes as a sign of good luck

He looked around the destruction around Nebo. The air was thick with the ragged groans of the wounded, each one a raw, broken sound that clawed at the ears. Some cried out for their mother's long dead, others whimpered beneath collapsed beams and blood-soaked rubble, their voices barely more than a rasp. A chorus of pain and fear, echoing through the ruined streets like the town itself was mourning.

Then Eris descended from the air, fixing her eyes on Richard with pity. In the tongue of Valeria, she spoke:

“Aweee, what a sweet moment..”

“To speak in human tongue… blech…it revolts me…”

“Then don’t speak it then, stupid” Richard chuckled.

“Making insults to a primordial being like myself, dictates the power gap between us mortals. Especially guarding the whelp… of Vaeryns bloodline! Oh I wish I could strangle him to death with my bear hands or…” she paused 

“I COULD JUST PEEL HIS SKIN AND HEAR HIM SCREAM!!!” she laughed hysterically

She composed herself and landed on the ground, she hovered to Richard just two meters away to get a closer look at his disheveled form. 

“Such a pity to see such a handsome muscular man with talent, power, but yet wrapped in mortal flesh.. So fragile. A blade forged for the so-called gods always using mortals like pawns to do their bidding”

The air around the Eris, rippled, distorted, as if reality itself twisted to make room for her. Shadows then pooled beneath her feet like oil, writhing and hissing in unnatural tongues. She took a step forward then vanished, reappearing behind Richard in a blink. Her chin came to rest on his left shoulder, her breath warm against his neck as she traced his arms upward, fingers brushing from bicep to his chin with a slow, seductive drag. 

“You could be so much more, Richard Lionheart,” she purred. 

“Abandon thy oath. Forge a contract with me and you will have my body to your heart's desire. You will have immortality, and with power that would rival the gods.”

“You think I’m weak for standing like this against you?”

The power that possessed him earlier came back now even brighter, burning the left side of her face. She jumped back, screaming, clasping on her face. A magic circle emerged from her hands and dissipated the fire. She quickly went to a small puddle of water to check on her face. She looked up, her face half burnt overcooked fish head

“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE YOU MORTAL PIECE OF….”

She raised her hand and a jagged blade of night took shape—black smoke turned to steel, hungry and hissing. And charged unto Richard the collision of their blades sent a blinding shockwave across Nebo, a thunderclap that split rooftops and shattered windows. Fire and shadow clashed again, spiraling into the sky like two dragons locked in death. Then plummeted to the ground creating flying debris that spread across its radius. 

Richard raised his sword high, and it turned into molten red. A pillar of fire surged up from below his feet, crumbling the ground beneath him. Pouring every last drop of his power into a single final blow. Eris’ right eye widened, recalling someone who did a similar stance with power surging around him. 

“I, RICHARD LIONHEART. DIAMOND RANK, FLAG BEARER OF THE DRAGON KNIGHT OF HOUSE VEYRDRASSIL, SHALL REND YOUR EXISTENCE FROM THIS REALM AND CAST YOUR SOUL BACK TO NHAL’THARRA!”

“ELEMENTONG TALIM. TALIM NG ARAW” (Filipino: Elemental Blade. Sun Blade)

Eris raised her dark blade in an instant, meeting Richard’s strike in a desperate defense. Her blade screamed from the wait of the overwhelming force. Her sword shattered like glass, and Richards Sun blade carved through her without mercy—splitting her cleanly into two

BOOM

The ground beneath shook, a searing line, straight and deep tore through the earth—an 80 meter scar of scorched stone and molten soil. Eris’ form crumbled into dust, she let out a shrieking, twisted laughter, echoing as she was dragged back into the abyss. Richard knelt and made an ankh sign (A/N: Similarly to the sign of the cross to what Catholics do).

Above the ruins of Nebo, a crimson magic circle emerged with its size similar to that of the largest ferris wheel in the world (located in Ain Dubai). It emerged into the sky eight-hundred-twenty-eight meters above Nebo. which turned the sky into a crimson, blocking the sun.

“To think she managed to enchant one of the ancient britacian spells that was used during the empire's invasion to Talos’ home isle”  Howard thought. 

LUB-DUB

Richard grasped his chest and knelt to the ground, the runes on his arms and behind him dissipated. He coughed up blood and coughed productively. Until he collapsed to the ground.

His vision blurring

.

.

.

His ears ringing

.

.

.

He turned and glanced up to the crimson red sky that is filled with the magic circle that rained down molten boulders. Moments later he saw an apocalyptic mass slowly emerge from it, the size of the pyramid of giza. 

He turned his head to his left and saw his blade. He move his body using all his last energy

LUB-DUB

“Ackk”

Richard stopped due to the pain. But still continued and finally grabbed his sword and used it as a pole to lift himself to kneel. He panted, catching his breath, he looked at his slash wound at his chest. He glanced up again and laughed.

He lowered his head, pulled himself up, took out his sword from the ground and raised into his chest. He paused for a second, small flickering orange-hued fire flowed to his sword. Spark by spark it gathered inside the blade until it glowed and turned molten red, its heat rippling through the air. He opened his eyes, and they were no longer the eyes but hollow white. With a roar, Richard lunged straight into the sky, towards the falling asteroid with his sword blazing like a sun. He raised his blade slashed mid-air. Creating a burnt orange void.

“ELEMENTONG TALIM. TAMA NG ARAW” (Filipino: Elemental Blade. Sun Strike)

Then cracks of light erupted from the point of contact, spreading like white lightning across the asteroid's surface. The celestial mass groans, then split in half. With a cataclysmic force, the asteroid shattered, bursting into thousand fragments that erupted like fireworks across the heavens. Tiny shards of glowing stone rained down, each one disintegrating into ash before it ever touches the ground.

As Richard poured all his strength in destroying the asteroid, he fell from the sky, exhausted and was ready to meet his end. He plummeted into the town square, the impact carving a small crater into the earth, shattering the cobblestone street beneath him. Dust billowed outward, blanketing the horrors of the ruined town. Lying still, he steadied his breath, eyes fixed on the celestial fireworks he created above. Blood streaked his face, pain throbbed through his shattered ribs, and broken spine. Both his arms are burned with the runes and ethereal lines. Each breath he took a battle of his own to stay alive.