Using Ereshkigal's Frame and Ishtar's Gate

How could this random guy be so assertive? Whatever his secret was, I had to know... But as he got ready to fire, the Qilin roared again, spitting a thick, black mist into its surroundings. The fog covered quite a large radius, even affecting the mysterious hero helping us from the skies.

"Back up, NOW!" yelled the Ankou, grabbing me by the shoulders after figuring out what the mist was doing to the nearby plants.

When I was at a safe distance, I summoned my sword and called out for Avarice to activate, swinging the weapon to absorb the mist. The Ankou seemed impressed, but it wasn't the time to let our guard down. I looked up to find if the man was alright, meeting with his eyes.

After giving a thumbs up, I knew the guy was okay and fit to unleash his spell.

"Notice. You have acquired the Element of Houtu and the Skill of 'Qilin's Mist.' The Element grants you the Authority of the Chinese Goddess Queen of Earth, while the Skill allows you to produce the same mist as the Qilin. Its effects range from decay and rejuvenation to the next life."

Ah! So that's another way of saying killing everything on-site... Perhaps I could combine it with another move? But I already have the Element Of Darkness, so the new Skill sounds redundant. But as for the Element of Houtu, I was sure it was the same as my Earth Element, but it wasn't...

"Notice. Houtu can grant the Mage all control of whatever is on Earth. So for the basic usage of this Element, it would be controlling things like plants and insects while going to the highest level would be like creating another Earth."

"That only happens when you've gained enough Elemental Energy to destroy the current realm."

So... If I play my cards right, I can rewrite the world?! Woah... That's a bit overkill, right?

"Notice. The requirement to use such a spell would be the equivalent to over a hundred times the Valkyrie's power."

Yea... That's ain't gonna happen anytime soon. But back to the task on hand, I switched my gaze from the Qilin over to the archer again. However, as the man tried to unleash his spell, we could all feel the Beast preparing for an ultimate attack.

This wasn't going to end well for any of us... Just then, Duncan had switched back with the Ankou and walked past me with a glowing scythe. No, that wasn't the case when I did a quick scan on the boy's Elemental Energy and Aura. The two entities were one! Which means...

"Don't worry, Lady Lizzie... We've always had this problem of fusing whenever we unleash our high-leveled Original Spell. And rest assured, the Ankou isn't trying to overwrite my soul or mind, so I'm completely in control. So please allow me to help the Mage in the skies..."

"Are you sure? You don't have to push yourself... You've done more than enough for this Mission, and I was about to send you back with Tomoe and Bryan before this thing came into the mix. Just perform a defense spell, and we can make it out alive," I suggested.

To my surprise, Duncan shook his head, spun his scythe in his hands, and stabbed the weapon into the ground. It created a loud clang like a flag pole being driven into a metal ground. His Elemental Aura flared up in green and dark purple, surrounding his body.

The filmstrips appeared again, stretching out from beneath the boy's shoes. I backed away upon seeing several Sotobas behind Duncan, each with a foreign inscription. No... This ain't happening again...

"She who governs the workers of the Underworld, Kur. She is the mistress of the Underworld. She represents the death of all humans in which she becomes the 'Terrible Earth Mother.' Goddess Of The Underworld; show them your wrath!" chanted Duncan shooting his palm outwards.

The Sotobas shot out to surround the emerging Qilin. The wooden markers illuminated with bright purple light upon stabbing the ground. The Beast began to thrash and howl against the new attack that Duncan was using. I sighed and nodded, giving the all-clear to Duncan.

Duncan smiled as he lifted his scythe and gave it another round of twirling. Man... This kid really knows how to show off!

"Destruction of The Mountains... Give Rise!" yelled the mysterious man from above, who silently agreed to work with us to defeat the Qilin.

"Seventh Frame: Roars Of Kur..." chanted the Ankou as he stepped forward with his scythe above his head.

"Eighth Gate: Ishtar's Wrath of Venus!" roared the Otherworlder as he fired the giant arrow of pink and white Elemental Energy.

"Move That Holy Mountain!" finished Duncan, slamming the scythe down to pierce and create cracks into the ground.