Steady, Transgressor

"That's not unwelcomed… You know what? You've got yourself a deal!" agreed the happy dragoness, placing her hand on Zenos' ungloved palm.

The Viceroy chuckled as he tugged on the girl's hand, causing her to stumble forward. Zenos' lightning-fast reactions caught the poor girl before her face could kiss the ground.

"Steady now… You've expended considerable effort battling the spider. I'm quite certain you've pushed your physical limits beyond what your body can truly endure…" said the Viceroy, helping Mavislin to stand.

"That may be true but it's the poison that has been affecting me. While I can completely neutralize the poison, I still need time to fully decompose it. Unfortunately, the poison spread too rapidly for me to counteract it in time."

"Don't worry, it will wear in time… I just need to rest…"

The dragoness's voice started to trail off as her vision started to blur… Ah, now she recalled why she hated using Gorgon in combat. That damned fallen Goddess truly likes to instill fear and fatigue into her mind…

When Mavislin would awake later, she would find that the place was not of her own.

As Mavislin and Celia's intense struggle unfolded, another equally fierce clash erupted nearby: Mattheos squared off against Kyle. The two warriors exchanged steely glares, their eyes reflecting a palpable discord as they prepared for battle.

With a synchronized burst of movement, they lunged at each other, their heavy blades meeting in a thunderous clash. Sparks erupted in a dazzling display of black, amber, and blue, casting fleeting shadows across the battlefield.

Each strike and parry resonated with the force of their raw determination, their combat an intricate dance of power and precision amidst the chaos surrounding them.

Kyle was definitely quicker than Mattheos, being on the offensive more often compared to the rabbit, who was just trying his best to not get his soul evicted from the world permanently.

However, his slashes bore no weight as compared to Matt's strength. But right as Matt noticed a huge shockwave from the Arcadia, the bunny had decided that it was time to step up, no more holding back.

"I truly didn't wish to resort to this, but you've left me no other option. Time is not on our side, and I refuse to squander any more of it on your kind. In fact, I'd prefer it if you had never been born into this realm at all," Mattheos spat, his voice laced with bitter venom.

"Hmph, I would also prefer for you to die by my blade instead of standing there, talking to me!" roared Kyle as he charged forward with a shining blade in his hands.

"Oi! You owe me so heed my words and come to me! Raise the gates leading to your fallen kingdom!" called out Matt as he raised his blade above his head with a single arm.

A powerful gust of amber and black winds erupted from the rabbit's form, sending a violent wave that threw Kyle's charge off balance. The sudden force of the tempest forced the cat-man to stagger back, his eyes wide with shock.

He clutched his blade tightly, his knuckles white as he struggled to steady himself. As the swirling winds battered him, he quickly refocused, preparing to cast his own spell.

The air crackled with tension, each combatant bracing for the next decisive clash in their fierce confrontation.

"Mad King of Hell's Confines, the Transgressor!" bellowed Mattheos as he brought down his blade, producing a huge wave of black and amber-flamed mana towards Kyle.

Kyle could barely block the attack with his blade, despite him fully in his Alter form. As a result, the blast had destroyed part of his armor. As the dust cleared, the rabbit before him had taken a drastic change in appearance, looking more dragon-like and hellish.

Mattheos' transformation was both dramatic and unsettling. His hair and ears darkened to a deep black with striking amber tips, and his braids fell loose, unraveling in the gusts of wind.

His skin grew paler, a stark contrast to the dark, black scales that emerged across his chin, arms, and hands, crackling with fiery orange veins.

His eyes, once a vivid emerald, now gleamed with an eerie white glow against their black sclera, while two sharp fangs, incongruous with his rabbit-like features, jutted from his mouth.

His tail, previously a small, fluffy brown appendage, had transformed into a massive, sinuous black dragon's tail.

With a deliberate motion, Mattheos opened his left palm to reveal a small, flickering black flame outlined in purple, with piercing white eyes.

As he retracted his hand, the flame floated around him, dancing and flickering like an obedient, otherworldly companion. The transformation was complete, and Mattheos stood poised and formidable, his new form exuding an aura of potent, dark magic.