domains(chapter 167)

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Chapter 167

But Grey was far from done. Wounded, bleeding, and furious beyond reason, he surged forward with renewed ferocity. Lightning arced from his jaws, incinerating stone and air alike. Viridian barely raised a barrier in time — and even then, the shield cracked under the force, sending arcs of electricity searing across his body. Imari dove aside, narrowly avoiding a snapping maw. Cao dissolved into shadow just as the basilisk's tail tore through the space he'd occupied. The Order of Merlin fought together — but even united, they were losing. And Grey knew it.

Grey's advantage was undeniable — even with blood pouring from his wounds and his rightmost head hanging at an unnatural angle, the sheer force of his attacks kept the Order on their back foot. His body was a weapon of endless destruction, and his rage only fueled his strength. The air itself seemed heavy with his presence, crackling with lightning and the scent of scorched earth. With a thunderous roar, his central head reared back and unleashed a torrent of blue-white lightning. The blast tore across the battlefield, a spear of annihilation racing toward Althea.

But Althea Argyros was already moving. Her eyes flared like twin stars as her hands blurred, weaving golden sigils faster than thought. The moment the lightning should have struck her, it froze — time itself buckling under her will. With a flick of her wrist, she redirected the attack, sending the searing bolt screaming toward Grey's leftmost head. The basilisk barely twisted in time, but the lightning still caught him across the jaw, blowing scales and flesh apart in a spray of charred gore. Grey's snarl turned into a pained, furious shriek.

Viridian Gallowglass seized the opening. He slammed his fists into the ground, and the earth answered his call. Jagged spires of molten rock erupted beneath Grey, stabbing into his underbelly and pinning his massive form in place. Flames danced along the edges, searing his flesh with volcanic heat. Viridian's face was a mask of blood and sweat, but his power remained absolute. He twisted his hands — and the spires exploded. The force rocked the battlefield, sending chunks of burning stone skyward and tearing fresh wounds across Grey's body.

But even impaled and burning, Grey fought back. His leftmost head snapped forward, jaws glowing with gathered lightning. The bolt streaked toward Viridian — and then the world went dark. Cao Shen's Domain of Endless Night descended like a curtain of oblivion, swallowing the battlefield whole. The lightning vanished into the void, striking nothing. In the perfect darkness, only Cao moved freely. Blades of shadow erupted from the void, slashing at Grey's exposed wounds with brutal precision. Every strike drew more blood, every cut weakening the monstrous basilisk's thrashing.

The darkness shattered without warning. Grey's central head unleashed a roar infused with pure force, ripping the void apart and sending Cao tumbling backward. The assassin hit the ground hard, coughing blood as his shadow-clad form flickered. Before Grey could press the attack, a single, perfect note cut through the chaos. Elise Fontaine's voice rose again — not a song this time, but a command. Reality bent to her will. Grey's movements slowed, his massive body trembling as the very air seemed to weigh him down. The three heads writhed, fighting against the power of her words — but the more they resisted, the heavier the pressure became.

Imari Oshima didn't waste the opportunity. She was a blur of motion, her sword dancing in arcs of fire and steel. She struck without hesitation, every blow aimed at the basilisk's weakening defenses. Her blade bit deep into Grey's side, carving through muscle and bone. Flames erupted with each strike, searing the wounds shut even as they opened. Grey twisted, his central head snapping toward her — but Imari was already gone, moving faster than his eyes could track. She appeared behind him in a flash of fire, driving her sword into the base of his spine with brutal precision.

The basilisk's roar shook the heavens. Desperation fueled his fury now, and his retaliation was immediate. His tail lashed out with the force of a collapsing mountain. Imari barely managed to raise a shield of flame, but the impact still sent her flying, her body crashing through stone and earth before skidding to a stop in a broken heap. Blood stained her robes, but she pushed herself up with a defiant snarl. She wasn't done. Not yet.

Althea moved to support her, golden runes swirling around her body as she rewound Imari's injuries — but the strain was evident. Blood streamed from Althea's eyes and mouth, and her translucent form flickered dangerously. Still, she didn't stop. She couldn't. As the Order's Brain, it was her duty to keep them standing, no matter the cost.

Grey's heads moved in eerie unison, their eyes locking onto Althea. Lightning gathered in their jaws, a storm of destruction building toward a single, catastrophic strike. But before they could unleash it, Viridian struck again. The ground beneath Grey's feet erupted, a geyser of molten stone enveloping the basilisk in a fiery inferno. The lightning went wide, carving deep scars into the battlefield but missing its intended target.

The Order of Merlin fought with everything they had — but Grey wasn't slowing down. And the balance of the fight was slipping further out of their grasp, and they knew it, "its time we get series" said viridian as they all agreed, and at that moment, they decided to put all they had into this battle.

Grey's roar of defiance shook the battlefield, his three heads writhing in fury as his blood poured across the cracked and scorched ground. But if the Order of Merlin felt fear, they didn't show it. They moved as one, their coordination seamless — and then their true power unfolded. Althea Argyros raised her hands, and the air itself seemed to bend. Her glowing eyes burned brighter, and the world around them shifted without warning.

The Domain of the Mind descended like a veil. Reality rippled and changed. The battlefield was gone — replaced by a shifting void of knowledge and thought. Golden runes floated in the air, spiraling around them like living constellations. Grey stumbled, his heads snapping in different directions, confused by the sudden shift. And then it hit him. Voices, thousands of them, whispering in his mind. Images flashed — his memories, his fears, his desires — all laid bare and rewritten. The leftmost head froze, its eyes going blank as Althea's influence took hold, and she reached deeper, threatening to unravel his very identity.

But Grey fought back with raw, primal fury. Electricity surged through his body, arcs of blue-white lightning striking out in every direction. The runes flickered, and Althea's perfect control cracked as the lightning scorched the air. One head broke free of her grip with a furious screech, and the central head snapped toward her — only for the ground to erupt.