Aeris winked. “You like my realm?.”

“I tolerate it.” Ryu said.

“You helped me refine it.” Aeris said with excitement.

“You begged me to.” Ryu replied with annoyance.

“You still helped.” Aeris answered with sarcasm.

Ryu clicked his tongue.

Aeris raised her hand.

The constellations around her flared.

“Let me see how much you’ve changed, Ryu.”

And her Realm collapsed inward.

The Celestial Court Attack

All at once, dozens of astral spears formed above her—each one a compressed star. They shot downward in a coordinated barrage.

Simultaneously, platforms collapsed, turning into spinning blades of mana.

Gravity shifted erratically—up became sideways, sideways became down.

It was chaos.

But controlled chaos—Aeris' specialty.

Cael yelled, “How is anyone supposed to fight in that?!”

Yoru shrugged. “You don’t. You just pray.”

Ryu breathed in once.

Then his aura expanded.

Not violently. Not explosively.

But inevitably.

The Realm resisted — then shattered like thin ice around him.

BOOM.

Aeris slid backward ten meters, skidding across the astral grid.

Her eyes sparkled.

“Oh gods,” she whispered. “Yes.”

She rushed forward.

Aeris formed seven constellation blades around her—each cutting through space itself.

Ryu raised his hand and flicked.

Each blade disintegrated.

Aeris didn’t hesitate—she jumped to the side, teleporting mid-movement, launching beams, spears, gravitational inversions, spatial scissors, astral seals—

Ryu walked.

Just walked.

Every attack bent, curved, dissolved, or broke upon contact with his aura.

Aeris landed in front of him and punched with a closed fist—

Ryu caught her wrist.

She twisted—used his momentum, flipped, and launched a point-blank astral burst at his chest.

Ryu dispersed it with a blink.

Aeris gritted her teeth.

She snapped her fingers— A constellation glyph exploded beneath Ryu.

Ryu stepped to the side— before the glyph even activated.

Aeris exhaled shakily. “Your sorcery… still broken.”

“You're still sloppy.”

“I improved.”

“You did.”

“…And yet?”

“And yet,” Ryu finished, “you are not winning this.”

Aeris smirked, “That’s what makes it fun.”

Both Aeris and Ryu dash in at the speed of sound, but…

Aeris struck first — finger tracing a single glowing line in the air.

Astral Sigil: Orion’s Severance 

A slicing arc of starlight carved the space, sharp enough to split dimensions.

Ryu dodged — barely — the edge grazing his cheek and slicing off a few strands of his void-black hair.

Cael screamed. “She cut his HAIR—?!”

Aeris smiled like she had just won a prize.

“You’re slow today, Ryu.”

Ryu didn’t respond — he flicked his wrist, and the air folded.

Arcane Sorcery — Void Step

He reappeared behind her — hand raised to strike—

Aeris stomped her foot.

Astral Field: Celestial Inversion

Gravity flipped. Ryu was hurled upward with crushing force.

He clicked his tongue mid-air. Annoying.

Aeris spun, her body moving with elegant, deadly precision. She drew a circle with her hand.

Astral Array: EEight Fields of the Northern Crown

Eight stars materialized around Ryu — forming a cage.

Each star ignited.

Ryu’s eyes widened a fraction. “You’re using that already?”

Aeris smiled serenely. “Struggle for me.”

The stars exploded inward.

BOOOOOOM—!!

A blinding shockwave tore through the sky.

Ryu crashed into the arena floor, skidding across stone, leaving a crater.

Cael choked. “S-She actually HIT him—?!”

Yoru raised a hand. “Don’t celebrate yet.”

Dust cleared.

Ryu rose — brushing off debris.

A thin cut traced his cheek.

Aeris’ eyes gleamed. “Beautiful.”

Ryu glared. “Stop talking like that.”

Aeris dashed in, faster than lightning.

Ryu parried — barely — his arm erupting with ancient mana instinctively.

That was 4%.

The forced part.

He grimaced. “Tch. She pushed me.”

Aeris felt it — her smile widened dangerously.
“There it is. The real you.”

She summoned a spear of condensed astral essence.

Astral Armament: Lance of the Starforged

She thrust.

Ryu raised a barrier.

Arcane Aegis: Voidward

The spear shattered the barrier like glass.

Ryu’s eyes widened a moment. “She broke a Voidward?”

Aeris whispered into his ear, having already moved behind him—

“Struggle more.”

She kicked him into the ground.

BOOOOM—!!

Ryu rolled back, coughing dust, cloak tattered.

Cael almost fainted. “H-He’s getting DESTROYED—“

“No,” Yoru corrected. “he’s getting warmed up.”

Ryu exhaled — finally lifting one hand with intent.

A sphere of pure abyssal mana formed.

The arena temperature dropped instantly.

Aeris’ expression sharpened. “Good.”

Ryu spoke quietly — dangerously: “Don’t blame me.”

He clenched his fist.

The sphere imploded.

The arena was ripple-shocked.

Aeris raised both hands, forming multiple astral shields as the ground warped.

Arcane Art: Oblivion Fracture

Aeris split the very arena floor, void and arcane energy clawing upward.

Ryu countered—

Astral Law: Constellation Rebirth

Starlight surged, overwhelming the darkness—

The two forces clashed.

BOOOOOOOOOOM—!!!

Half the arena disintegrated.

Spectators screamed.

Thalanor erected a massive barrier. “Oh for the love of the spirits—STOP BREAKING MY ARENA!”

Neither listened.

“I’m going to end this, Aeris.” Ryu said coldly, his voice fully calculated.

Aeris spun, drawing complex patterns mid-combat.

Ryu recognized them.
His eyes widened.

She’s actually using the Arbitress Codex… BEFORE limit break?

Aeris whispered the command:

“Astral Canon — Release.”

The runes activated.

A pillar of astral force descended from the sky.

Ryu crossed his arms, bracing—

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM—!!!

He was buried under cosmic fire.

Aeris waited.

Dust swirled.

Silence.

Then—

Ryu walked forward.

Burned robe.
Cracked forearm.
Blood on his lip.

Aeris inhaled sharply — a small shiver running through her.

“That—” she whispered, “—is the you I wanted to see.”

Ryu wiped the blood.

Astral Law: Reform.

With that, the Arena started reforming into where Astral sorcery is used best, Ryu healing. Spikes of mana are observed in the Arena.

Aeris looks shocked. “That, huh? You’re finally going at least 50% with me.”

Aeris raised both hands.

“The next one might kill you.”

“Try.” Ryu said coldly.

Aeris laughed — genuinely delighted. “Very well, Ryu. Let’s end this segment properly.”

The sky darkened.

Constellations aligned overhead.

The Astral Arbitress floated upward, her hair lifting like she was submerged in the cosmos.

Her eyes shifted — pupils becoming rotating star-wheels.

She gathered enough mana to shake the capital.

Ryu braced himself — both arms crackling with ancient sorcery.

Cael hid behind Yoru. “THIS IS NOT NORMAL—!!”

Thalanor yelled, “STOP BEFORE YOU—”

Too late.

Aeris chanted:

Arcane Judgement: Heavenly Constellations. All.

Ryu countered with:

Astral Realm: Absolute Sins and Divine Virtues

Aeris “IMPOSSIBLE! THAT— THAT IS FORBIDDEN EVEN AMONG THE MOST TECHNIQUES!!!”

Light and darkness collided.

A meteor shower of astral sigils rained down. Void expanded outward, consuming space. The arena floor melted. The atmosphere bent. The sound warped.

The impact wasn’t an explosion.

It was a collapse.

The world dimmed for several seconds.

When the light faded — Silence.

Aeris uses her last resort from Starfall Eclipse Sorcery.

Aeris’ True Ultimate Form

The crater still steamed. Neither had moved for several seconds.

Aeris lifted her head slowly… and smiled.

A smile too calm. Too serene. Too thrilled.

“Ryu,” she said softly, “don’t move.”

Ryu’s eyebrow twitched. “Why.”

Aeris spread her arms slightly.

Because the sky began to bend.

Not glowing. Not bright. Bend.

The clouds twisted into spirals.
Stars bled through the daylight.
Constellations rearranged themselves like pieces on a divine chessboard.

Ryu stiffened.

Yoru whispered from the stands, horrified,
“Aeris… don’t you dare—”

Aeris closed her eyes.

A single command exited her lips:

“STARFALL ECLIPSE — LIMIT BREAK.”

The arena — what remained of it — exploded upward as the entire firmament inverted.

A column of violet-white starlight crashed around Aeris, enveloping her.
Her hair lengthened, flowing weightlessly.
Her eyes became fully astral — irises dissolving into rotating galaxies.
Her body levitated inches off the ground, surrounded by orbiting shards of broken constellations.

Every elf in the city felt it.

Every spirit trembled.

Aeris’ voice layered — sounding like a choir of star-spirits speaking at once.

“Limit Break — Astral Eclipse Form.”

Ryu whispered,
“…You’re insane.”

Aeris smiled,
“Yes.”

THE SKY COLLAPSES

She raised one hand.

The sun dimmed.

A massive astral body — a dark star — began forming above her.
A miniature pseudo-star, swirling with cosmic flame.

The pressure dropped so sharply Cael fainted instantly.

Thalanor slammed his palms to the ground, forming a protective dome around the spectators.

“That’s her ULTIMATE! AERIS, THIS IS AN INFORMATION SPAR, NOT A CAPITAL-DESTROYING CELESTIAL EXECUTION—!”

Aeris ignored him completely.

Her voice echoed:

“Starlit Endbreaker.”

The dark star descended.

Slowly.
Inevitably.
Crushing reality under its mass.
This wasn’t just power.

This was astral annihilation.

“Aeris,” Ryu muttered, “if that hits, you erase the capital.”

Aeris’ smile was angelic.
“That’s why you’ll stop it.”

Ryu is now using 70% of Astral Sorcery.

Astral Core: Partial Unseal + Oblivion Art Ecliptic Nullfall

Cael questions “I-Is that even possible?! Two different sorcery’s combined together.”

Thalaron and Yoru again in sync. “Yes, for Ryu, that is.”

Ancient runes lit across his arms and collarbone.

Space trembled.
Stars flickered.
The arena floor collapsed an entire layer downward.

Aeris’ eyes widened slightly —“Oh, that’s beautiful.”

Void and astral collided.

Dark star versus abyssal implosion.

The sky shattered.
The arena split.
The capital shook.

The shockwave blasted half the city’s mana sensors offline.

The collision lasted only a moment—
But that moment felt like the end of an age.

Finally—

The dark star cracked.

Split.

Shattered into thousands of dying lights.

Aeris landed gracefully, hair drifting around her, Limit Break still active but dimming.

Aeris whispers, “Ryu… thank you for this beautiful battle.”

Eyes glowing.
Chest rising.
Smiling like she had just seen the most beautiful sight in centuries.

Aeris finally lowered her hand.

Her Limit Break dissolved — starlight fading, constellations returning to place, sky reshaping itself.

Her body dropped lightly onto the shattered ground.

Her knees buckled — she caught herself.

Ryu says “Yoru, come help me. I need to heal myself, Aeris and this Arena.”

Yoru replies with a hint of enthusiasm. “Okay!”

She leaped off the broken spectator platform and floated toward him — literally floated, her feet not touching the ground. Her presence shifted the air: soft, ancient, warm like spring wind but heavy with an authority that didn’t belong to normal spirits.

Cael, barely conscious, whispered:

“S-She’s… glowing…”

“Of course she was. Yoru wasn’t just a spirit. She was one of the Ancestral Origin Spirits — the firstborn entities that molded nature before written history.”

Yoru clapped her hands cheerfully.

“Ryu got hurt again~ Aeris tore half her soul thread again~ And the arena looks like someone dropped a small moon on it again~”

Ryu glared. “You sound happy.”

“I am! Because you finally called me to fix something big! You never let me use the fun spells!”

Aeris, still kneeling but conscious, muttered, “…That explains the mana density. I wondered why the spirits were flocking…”

Yoru spun once in midair, her small body trailing shimmering trails of pale blue light.

Then—

Her expression snapped from playful to solemn.

Ancient.

Authoritative.

Eternal.

The air thickened as thousands of spirit sigils spiraled around her.

Cael felt his breath vanish.
Thalanor stopped mid-step, frozen.
Aeris’s eyes widened despite her exhaustion.

Even Ryu braced himself.

Because this was Yoru’s true element on full display.

Spirit Sorcery — Origin Variant: Rebirth Convergence.

Yoru spread her arms.

Her voice echoed in a dual-tone — one childlike, one impossibly ancient:

“Spirit Sorcery — Rebirth Convergence: Tranquil Worldweave.”

A blast of pure spirit energy erupted outward —

Not violent
Not destructive
But soothing, heavy, revitalizing.

Cracks in the arena smoothed over like they were being rewound in time.
Blades of shattered stone regrew into pillars.
Dust lifted, reassembled, and formed walls once more.

Aeris gasped as warm light wrapped around her, repairing internal injuries, stitching soul-thread fractures — a type of damage only spirits could heal.

Ryu’s arms stopped shaking; the micro-fractures in his mana circuits faded.

Even the lingering distortions from Aeris’s Limit Break were washed out.

Within seconds —

The arena was back to pristine condition.

Aeris looked around in disbelief.