The air between them thickened, heavy with the weight of an impending battle. Magnolia adjusted his stance, fingers twitching, prepared to move at the slightest sign of attack. General Saijew, ever the strategist, was already calculating their next steps.
Calix took a single step forward, and the shadows beneath him stirred like living things, writhing with anticipation. "You're fast, I'll give you that. But do you really think speed alone will save you?"
General Saijew remained unshaken, sharp eyes locked onto Calix's every movement. "Speed is just one aspect. I doubt your abilities are sufficient to overcome mine."
Without another word, he vanished in a blur, dashing around Calix and Valerie, forcing them to adjust. Magnolia followed his lead, albeit at a slower pace, using his agility to stay unpredictable.
Valerie smirked, raising a hand as unseen energy crackled around her. "You think we haven't dealt with fast opponents before?"
In an instant, she slammed her palm into the ground. A pulse of force erupted outward, sending violent ripples through the earth. The ground beneath Saijew shifted unnaturally, causing his footing to falter for a split second—just enough time for Calix to strike.
"You two are pathetic." Saijew's voice was eerily calm, as if the attack was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
The shadows lashed out, more aggressive this time, tendrils coiling like vipers to ensnare them both. Magnolia barely dodged, rolling to the side and kicking off the ground. Saijew recovered instantly, twisting mid-air to evade the encroaching darkness.
Calix anticipated it. With a flick of his wrist, the shadows shifted, reforming into jagged spikes aimed directly at Saijew's path.
"General!" Magnolia's eyes widened.
Saijew reacted on instinct, accelerating his movements to the absolute limit. With a sudden burst, he twisted mid-air, narrowly avoiding the strike before landing beside Magnolia once more.
"They're adapting fast." He didn't sound concerned—if anything, he sounded intrigued.
Magnolia clenched his fists. "Then we stop holding back."
Valerie dusted off her hands, watching them with amusement. "Holding back? Calix, these Egyptians have a sense of humor."
Calix remained analytical, his gaze locked on Saijew. The general was fast, but every movement required a path—one that could be disrupted.
He exhaled slowly. The shadows around him shifted again, this time stretching outward, creeping over the battlefield, darkening every surface. A suffocating presence settled over the ruins.
"Let's see how fast you are when there's nowhere left to run."
The battlefield warped, swallowed by an oppressive darkness. The once firm ground beneath them felt unstable, as if the world itself had been dragged into the abyss.
Magnolia inhaled sharply, trying to steady his nerves. His body felt heavier, the weight of the darkness pressing down on him.
Saijew's voice cut through the thick air, steady, almost amused. "You think shadows can cage me?"
Valerie let out a soft chuckle, arms crossed. "Calix, do you know what happens when you trap an animal in a corner?"
Calix didn't respond immediately, but the shift in his stance showed he understood. Saijew wasn't easy prey—he was a seasoned warrior, honed by years of battle. But that didn't make him untouchable.
With a sharp flick of his wrist, the shadows surged forward, consuming everything. Sight, sound, even breath—it all drowned in the overwhelming void.
"Let's see how well you fight when you can't see, can't hear, can't move as you please."
But before the darkness could fully swallow them, a blade of fire tore through the air. Magnolia. His form blurred as he pivoted, using what little remained of the light to track his surroundings.
"You know I can still move, right, old man?" He gritted his teeth, a slight smile escaping.
Saijew smirked. A general did not rely on sight alone—he relied on instinct, on battle-hardened experience. He closed his eyes.
A whisper. A shift in air pressure.
He vanished.
A sharp crack split the air as Saijew tore through the darkness, breaking the void apart with raw speed alone. The force of his movement disrupted the shadows, fracturing the illusion of Calix's control.
Calix's eyes narrowed. "Tch. So you're breaking the field itself?"
Saijew reappeared behind him. Valerie moved to intercept, launching a blast of force—but Saijew twisted mid-motion, evading entirely. A portal shimmered into existence beside him, his hand disappearing into it for a brief moment before emerging with his weapon.
The sword gleamed like a golden horizon, forged from celestial metal that was both weightless and unbreakable. Lapis lazuli and carnelian adorned its hilt, reflecting the sky and the warmth of life itself. The blade hummed with the whispers of the wind, its edge ever-shifting like air incarnate.
A single, precise swing.
Calix barely had time to react before the blade sliced across his left forearm. A second strike followed, cutting through his chest, tearing fabric, and drawing crimson.
Saijew dashed into the air, twisting into a half-reverse spin before landing lightly beside Magnolia. The battlefield was no longer entirely in Calix's favor.
"Shadows mean nothing if I dictate the pace."
Magnolia exhaled, tightening his stance. "Then let's end this before they find another trick."
Calix pressed a hand to his wounded arm, his breath slow and controlled despite the searing pain. The golden blade had done more than cut his flesh—it had severed the illusion of control he thought he held over this fight.
Valerie's smirk faded into something more focused. She stepped closer to Calix without looking at him, her gaze locked on Saijew and Magnolia.
"Alright… I think it's time we stop playing with our food."
The wind howled, charged with tension. Magnolia adjusted his stance, fingers twitching in anticipation.
Calix exhaled, flicking his free hand. The shadows responded with unnatural vigor, slithering back to him, wrapping around his wounds, pulsing with an eerie obsidian glow. The pain dulled, but the fire in his eyes burned even brighter.
"I was going to end this cleanly. But you made the mistake of drawing blood first."
The battlefield shifted again, the air growing thick with something unnatural. Saijew remained still, sword lowered but ready.
"You're speaking as if you had control to begin with."
Valerie took another step forward, smirking. "We're done testing you."
Valerie vanished. Not speed—something else entirely. One moment she was standing still, the next she was inches from Saijew, palm thrust forward.
A pulse of invisible force erupted from her hand.
The blast struck like a battering ram, hurling Saijew backward before he could react. His body twisted mid-air, muscles tensing for recovery—but Calix was already there.
Shadows lunged, hungry and writhing, snaring his limbs like iron shackles.
Magnolia moved instantly. Flames flared from his hands, searing arcs slicing through the tendrils in a single motion.
"General, move!" he shouted.
Saijew didn't hesitate. Instead of resisting, he let the impact carry him, twisting his body to slip free before the shadows could solidify. He skidded across the ground, landing in a crouch, sword gleaming in his grip.
The battlefield had changed.
The sky dimmed unnaturally, an oppressive weight thickening the air. Calix stood at the center, hands raised as if weaving an unseen orchestration.
Valerie cracked her knuckles, rolling her neck before flashing Magnolia a grin. "Let's see if you burn as bright when we get serious."
Magnolia exhaled slowly, flames curling around his fingers. "Wouldn't have it any other way."
The real fight had begun.
Calix's domain enveloped the battlefield, but Saijew stood unshaken, fingers tightening around his hilt. Magnolia lingered back, scanning every shift in movement, every feint.
Calix and Valerie struck simultaneously.
"Right—now!" Magnolia called.
Saijew vanished in a blur as Valerie's fist crashed into the ground where he'd stood. The force cracked the earth beneath it, but Saijew was already repositioning.
Calix anticipated him. Shadows condensed into a sleek obsidian blade, pulsing with dark energy. He swung with lethal precision, intercepting Saijew mid-motion.
Clang!
Steel met shadow, sparks scattering in the dim light. The weight behind Calix's strike was immense, but Saijew held firm, shifting seamlessly into his next movement.
"Duck—now left!" Magnolia barked.
Saijew dipped low just as Valerie's second strike grazed past. Twisting his sword, he slashed at Calix's side.
Calix barely parried, the force jolting up his arm. "You think speed alone can outmatch us?"
Shadows writhed, splitting into jagged tendrils that lashed from all angles.
"Above you!" Magnolia warned.
Saijew propelled himself backward, dodging just as the tendrils gouged deep trenches into the battlefield.
Valerie lunged again, sharper, more relentless. A feint—then a pivot. Her knee shot toward Saijew's ribs.
"Block it—pivot right!" Magnolia snapped.
Saijew intercepted the strike, twisting away—but Calix was already there. Shadows coalesced into a second blade, arcing downward.
Saijew raised his sword, but the impact was heavier now—Calix was adapting.
"I'll carve the speed out of you," he snarled.
Magnolia's breath quickened. They weren't just attacking. They were tightening Saijew's movements, limiting his options.
"Don't stop!" he roared.
Light erupted. The battlefield, once smothered in darkness, now pulsed with searing radiance. Magnolia moved with purpose, his every strike mirrored by the celestial construct behind him—a towering, sun-like figure of pure energy.
Calix's eyes widened as the blazing fist crashed into him, sending him skidding backward. Shadows hissed, burning away at their edges.
"What… is this?!"
Valerie flipped back, distancing herself from the heat. The very air warped around them, twisted by the solar force.
Saijew smirked. "Now that's more like it."
Magnolia clenched his fists, pouring his will into the construct. Sweat dripped down his face, but he barely noticed. The energy coursed through him, a power beyond himself.
"You wanted to limit our movements?" His eyes blazed. "Let's see how you move under this!"
The solar titan swung, a burning comet crashing toward Calix.
Calix barely raised his blade before the impact sent him staggering. His weapon hissed, its very essence threatened by the searing force.
"Valerie… we can't let this stand."
Despite the pressure, her smirk returned. "Then let's break his new toy."
The battle was far from over.
Magnolia's celestial construct burned brighter, refining with each motion, its form unmistakably his own. The sun had become him.
But Valerie was already countering.
With a flick of her wrists, thick, serpentine vines erupted from the earth, coiling around the burning titan like living chains. Their emerald surfaces pulsed, resisting the inferno.
"Let's see how long your fire lasts," she murmured.
The vines constricted, roots burrowing deep, siphoning energy. The celestial figure shuddered, movements slowing.
Magnolia threw another punch. His projection mimicked the strike—but it was sluggish, the fire flickering.
His eyes widened. "I can't burn it?!"
Saijew watched closely. "She's not extinguishing the flames. She's redirecting them. Feeding from your power."
Magnolia's jaw tightened. The construct still moved, still fought—but control was slipping.
Calix, regaining his footing, wiped the blood from his lip. His shadow blade pulsed, jagged edges reforming. "Looks like you're not as invincible as you thought."
Valerie twisted her hands. The vines wrenched tighter, dragging the celestial titan toward the ground.
Magnolia had seconds to act—or he would lose everything.
Magnolia froze. His mind raced, but his body remained still. The battlefield, the vines, the shifting shadows—all of it seemed to fade into the background for a moment as something deeper stirred within him.
Magnolia's lips barely moved as he whispered, his voice laced with wonder. "So I can create whatever I want, huh?"
A sound stirred. No—a presence. It wasn't from the battlefield, nor from Saijew. It resonated inside him, deep and undeniable.
"Yes, my sun."
His breath caught. The words weren't spoken—they existed within him, woven into his very essence.
"Ra...?"
His eyes widened, disbelief trembling in his voice. The presence was warm, ancient, vast as the cosmos itself. It wasn't merely speaking to him. It was him.
"You have my power. Start acting like the star I once was."
His fingers twitched, then curled into fists. He had been thinking too small. The flames, the construct, the movements—he had been playing by the rules of this battlefield, bound by the limitations of the earth beneath his feet. But he wasn't of the earth.
His power was that of the sun.
And the sun does not bow.
A slow grin spread across his face as he exhaled, tension melting from his body. The celestial construct before him—his construct—stilled in its struggle. The vines clinging to it coiled tighter, desperate to suppress it further.
And then—
A pulse.
A ripple of sheer solar energy burst from within the bound figure, golden flames surging into a radiance beyond mortal comprehension. The vines convulsed, shriveling as if in agony. Valerie's smirk flickered, uncertainty creeping into her expression.
Magnolia's voice came soft, steady, brimming with confidence. "I get it now."
The construct didn't need to fight the vines.
It only needed to burn hotter than they could withstand.
His hands lifted. The golden figure obeyed, flames turning white-hot. The temperature soared. Valerie's eyes widened as the vines withered—not torn, not burned—erased from existence.
The battlefield was no longer shifting.
It was being rewritten.
Heat shimmered in the air. The very rules of combat bent beneath the weight of Magnolia's presence. No longer did he move with hesitation; his steps now carried the wisdom of Ra, the unstoppable force of the sun itself.
The golden figure expanded, its light blinding to all but its creator. It no longer mirrored Magnolia—it transcended him. Towering, celestial, draped in radiant armor forged from the sun's core, its eyes burned with white-hot fire, its very existence anathema to darkness.
And when it spoke, the heavens trembled.
"Rise, my sun. Let your brilliance illuminate the world once again. Let the shadows flee before your light."
Pride surged in Magnolia's chest, but his focus remained razor-sharp. He had not simply created this being.
He had become it.
The sun was no longer a distant star.
It was his weapon. His ally. His legacy.
Below, Valerie crouched low, eyes flickering between calculation and defiance. The vine-choked terrain beneath her feet smoldered, cracked from the heat. She exhaled, slow and measured, her smirk tight.
"I didn't expect you to have something like this in your arsenal, Magnolia. But..."
She raised her arms. The ground shuddered. Blackened vines slithered around her limbs, twisting skyward like writhing serpents. Energy pulsed beneath her skin, the earth trembling in answer to her call.
"Let's see how well your sun burns when it meets my roots!"
Her hands slammed into the ground. The battlefield answered.
The earth split, a forest of massive roots erupting skyward. They clawed toward the heavens, coiling like the limbs of some forgotten god, lunging for Magnolia's celestial form.
He did not flinch.
His hand lifted. The golden figure mirrored him.
Light pulsed outward, and the roots recoiled as though struck by an invisible force. The sun's intensity swelled, warping the very air around them, distorting reality itself.
"You want to challenge the sun?" His voice carried like a storm, unshaken. "Then let's see how your roots fare against fire."
The celestial form raised its hand high.
The ground fractured, molten light seeping through every crack. Flames surged from below, turning the earth itself into a liquid inferno. The roots recoiled, shriveling against the impossible heat—but Valerie was not done. The vines thickened, twisted, multiplied, coiling into something monstrous.
"Not so fast!"
The earth roared beneath her command. From the tangle of roots, a colossal form took shape—an enormous, multi-headed serpent, its body woven from soil and vine. Verdant eyes gleamed with eerie intelligence as it lunged forward, a predator hunting the light.
Magnolia remained motionless, watching.
There was no need to react with fear. No need to retreat. He no longer thought as he once did. He was beyond the limits of mere mortals.
"I am to the flame as the flame is to us."
His golden form raised its arms.
Heat radiated outward, relentless and absolute. The sun construct roared, its brilliance cresting into an overwhelming force. Light devoured shadow. Flame eclipsed earth.
The serpent struck.
And Magnolia answered.
"Burn."
An explosion of radiance erupted from his construct's chest. The serpent recoiled, screeching as light carved through its form. Its earthen flesh cracked, shattered, disintegrated into dust. The battlefield trembled beneath the force, flames crackling as they consumed what remained.
Valerie stumbled back.
For the first time, doubt flickered in her gaze.
Magnolia stood at the battlefield's edge, expression calm, golden flames still rippling around him. He tilted his head slightly, watching her with quiet amusement.
"Did you think you could bind the sun?"
Her expression hardened, though calculation remained in her eyes. Valerie was not one to back down. Power crackled at her fingertips, her vines bristling with renewed energy. The air thickened, heavy with impending devastation.
She exhaled sharply. "I'll give you this—you're not just a little thorn anymore. But this is far from over."
The battlefield trembled, power rising once more.
But before Valerie could act, a sharp voice cut through the tension.
"Valerie, stop!"
She stilled, eyes snapping upward. Her breath hitched—not in fear, but in surprise. Her hands, glowing with power, faltered mid-motion.
Calix stepped forward, his expression unwavering.
"This fight is not ours to win, Valerie. Our goal was never to destroy them. It was to save the children of Egypt. Remember that."
The weight of his words settled over the battlefield. The fires dimmed. The vines ceased their writhing. The heat still crackled in the air, lingering, alive, but Magnolia exhaled, feeling the intensity within him shift.
This was not about vengeance.
It was about something greater.
His golden figure slowly lowered its arms, the connection to Ra simmering within him, no longer wild and untamed, but tempered.
The sun still burned.
But for the first time, it did not burn alone.
…
The battlefield was momentarily still, the air thick with tension. The golden light from Magnolia's celestial figure flickered, and for a moment, the chaos that had reigned seemed to pause. But then, as if driven by instinct, Valerie's gaze hardened. Her hands, still trembling from the intensity of the battle, began to glow once more, but this time, it was different. Dark, poisonous vines snaked from the ground, twisting with an unnatural, venomous energy.
Valerie thrust her hand forward, dark tendrils of poison surging toward Magnolia's golden form like a striking serpent. The twisted vines pulsed with lethal energy, blackened by the ancient toxins woven into them, each strike aimed to smother his radiance.
Still adjusting to his connection with Ra, Magnolia barely had time to react. The vines lashed around him, piercing through the celestial glow and sinking deep into his luminous body. The golden light flickered violently, its brilliance dimming as the venom took hold.
"No… I—" His voice faltered as his body recoiled, the radiant construct wavering before he collapsed, crashing to the ground like a marionette with its strings severed. Ra's energy crackled faintly around him, but the poison burned through it, gnawing at his essence.
"Magnolia!" Calix's voice cut through the battlefield, raw with desperation. He surged forward, but Valerie had already stepped back, watching with cold satisfaction.
"A sun god doesn't burn so brightly when poisoned," she murmured.
But as the words left her lips, something flickered within the fading light. A stubborn ember of radiance clung on, refusing to be snuffed out. Yet the poison held fast, drowning him in its deadly grip.
"You'll pay for this, Valerie!" Calix's fury roared, but before he could act, a figure moved—quick, precise, and with purpose. General Saijew, silent until now, entered the battlefield with effortless grace. He reached Magnolia's fallen form in a single bound, kneeling beside him.
"You've done it now, Valerie." His voice was steel, but he didn't spare her a glance. His hands pressed against Magnolia's chest, eyes blazing with unwavering resolve. The poison had already spread, but he wasn't about to let the young prince die.
"Let the light of Ra not fade today."
A golden glow pulsed from his palms, subtle yet undeniable, the divine energy of generations past flowing into him. Saijew had been blessed with the power of the gods long ago, and now he called upon it, channeling it into the dying prince.
"What are you doing, General?" Valerie scoffed. "You're wasting your time. He's done for."
Saijew ignored her, his focus absolute. The golden light wove through Magnolia's veins, fighting to force the poison back. It was slow, imperfect, but effective. The venom recoiled, inch by inch, retreating under Saijew's touch.
Calix clenched his fists. "Hurry up, Saijew! He's—"
"If I rush this, he will die." The General didn't look up. "Let me work."
The battlefield's silence was deafening, the earth still trembling from the aftermath of combat. The poison fought back, but the light pushed harder. Saijew's hands trembled with strain as Magnolia's body convulsed, flickers of golden brilliance struggling against the encroaching darkness.
Then Valerie smirked. A flick of her wrist, and the ground roared in response. Vines erupted, thick and jagged, striking like coiled vipers toward Saijew.
"You think I'll just let you save him?!"
The tendrils coiled around his limbs, yanking him away from Magnolia with bone-snapping force. He barely had time to react before he was hurled back, crashing into the scorched earth with a resounding thud. Pain exploded through his spine as he tumbled, his healing touch severed. The golden light flickered once, then began to fade.
"No…" Saijew groaned, struggling against the vines, but Valerie's strike had shattered his focus.
Magnolia's body twitched. The poison surged through him unhindered, his skin paling to an ashen hue. The radiance that once defined him was gone, replaced by a sickly pallor. The light of the sun was being extinguished.
Saijew gritted his teeth. "Not like this…"
Valerie and Calix were already fading into the distance, their retreat nothing but a blur against the war-torn field. The land itself seemed to mourn—charred, broken, whispering defeat through the wind's hollow breath.
Saijew forced himself to his feet. Magnolia lay still, his chest barely rising. He was more than just a prince—he was the embodiment of the sun's power, the heart of Egypt's strength. And now… that light was slipping away.
"Magnolia… don't leave us."
The silence pressed in, thick with finality. Saijew scanned the desolate landscape, his pulse hammering. There was only one person who could counteract the venom before it claimed Magnolia completely.
He slung the dying prince over his back and, with a sharp motion, activated the artifact strapped to his wrist. A shimmering portal erupted before him. Without hesitation, he stepped through.
The world shifted. The arena's towering walls replaced the ruined battlefield, the gathered crowd gasping as Saijew emerged like a storm, golden embers trailing from Magnolia's limp form.
"POISON!" Saijew's voice rang through the chamber, urgency crackling through the air.
The children gasped. The Pharaoh's face remained impassive, but his eyes widened—not with concern, but recognition.
Footsteps thundered against the stone floor as Poison arrived, his usual smirk fading the moment he saw Magnolia's state.
"What happened?" The words came sharp, edged with something dangerously close to worry.
"He's been poisoned," Saijew ground out.
Poison exhaled, then smirked. "You came to the right toxin."
He stepped forward, fingers crackling with golden energy, but the humor in his eyes darkened as he assessed Magnolia's condition. His voice dropped to a murmur.
"Don't die. I hate to admit it, but you're the strongest of us."
His hands pressed to Magnolia's chest, his own body shifting—his once-natural glow warping, darkening to a golden-purple hue as he absorbed the venom into himself. The corruption seeped into his veins, his entire form pulsing with toxic energy.
Emma burst onto the scene, breathless. Her eyes widened in horror. "D-D-Don't tell me…"
Tears slipped free before she could stop them.
Poison didn't look up. "Don't worry. I'm saving this wimp."
But something was wrong. Poison's aura burned bright, the toxin spiraling within him, yet Magnolia's body remained motionless.
"It's not working, General." Poison's voice was tight, strained.
Saijew cursed under his breath.
A sudden gust roared through the chamber, knocking them all back. Saijew hit the ground hard, Poison stumbling beside him. The Pharaoh, normally motionless, staggered for the first time.
Emma hovered above them, suspended midair, the wind bending to her will. Her face was streaked with tears, her hands trembling as she pulled Magnolia toward her, cradling him within the eye of the storm.
The Pharaoh watched in silence.
Emma's breath hitched. "Is this it?!"
Her mother's words echoed in her mind.
A field of air shimmered around Magnolia, her power snaking into his very being. She forced the poison from his lungs, his blood, his core—twisting it into raw energy before flinging it toward Poison, who caught it midair. His hand morphed to liquid, absorbing the deadly essence.
The golden glow around him flared, brighter than ever before.
Saijew exhaled sharply. "That is something…"
But Emma wasn't finished. She leaned in closer, heart pounding.
"He's not waking up…" Her voice cracked. "I got all the poison out of him… so why?!"