HP: god of potions

Chapter 114

Gray finally snapped out of his stupor. "Right, uh, put me down." He wriggled out of Rachel's arms, straightening his clothes with an attempt at regaining his dignity. "Anyway, nice look," he said, gesturing to her glowing form. Rachel glanced at herself. "Oh, yeah," she said casually. "This is my White Raven form. Thanks to that bath you prepared, I didn't just reconcile with my emotions—I grew in power. Strong enough to manifest a domain." She smiled warmly.

Gray mirrored her smile. "Good, good." They both twiddled their fingers awkwardly, a gesture that made Viridian groan in frustration. "Fucking couples," Viridian muttered, his voice filled with disdain. He flared his domain, the destruction intensifying as the environment around them collapsed further.

The moment Rachel flared her domain, the battlefield changed. What had once been a wasteland scarred by Viridian's destruction was suddenly flooded with light. Rachel's eyes glowed with celestial brilliance as her voice rang out, steady and confident. "Sit back for a second," she said to Gray, not looking his way. "Let me handle this one."

The crystalline ground beneath her feet shimmered with life, each step sending ripples of pure energy outward. The air grew warm, carrying the faint scent of blooming flowers, and the sky above shifted into a kaleidoscope of swirling nebulae, radiating a serene but overwhelming presence. Viridian snarled, his molten form radiating raw, unchecked chaos. His domain clashed against hers, and the edges of the world twisted where their powers met.

"You think your light can hold against me?" Viridian's voice rumbled, his molten hand rising. He clenched his fist, and the ground beneath him erupted into geysers of molten rock. The magma flowed toward Rachel like living serpents, carving deep scars into the terrain. The air filled with ash and heat, suffocating and overwhelming.

Rachel's Soul-Self, the white raven, soared above her, its light cutting through the darkness. She raised her hand, and a barrier of crystalline light formed in front of her, shimmering like a shield of diamonds. The molten serpents struck it, hissing and sputtering, and for a moment, they pressed against the barrier, the raw destruction clawing at the edges of her power. But then the barrier rippled, refracting the energy back toward the molten streams, freezing them mid-flow. The magma hardened instantly, transforming into obsidian pillars that radiated faint light instead of heat.

Viridian snarled, his molten skin bubbling with rage. He raised both arms, and the ground beneath Rachel began to fracture. Cracks snaked outward, splitting into jagged lines that emitted fiery light. Rachel stepped forward, her crystalline pathway forming beneath her feet with every step. The cracks seemed to hesitate, as if unwilling to touch her presence, but Viridian roared, slamming his fist into the ground. The cracks erupted into fiery columns, shooting upward to consume her.

Rachel's voice was calm, even gentle. "Destruction without purpose is chaos." She waved her hand, and the fiery columns twisted. Their forms dissolved into streams of light, which spiraled upward into the sky before falling back to earth as rain. Each drop that hit the ground transformed the charred land into crystalline gardens, the air suddenly cool and vibrant with life. The smell of ash faded, replaced by the scent of fresh earth and flowers.

Viridian roared and charged, his body a living storm of chaos. Each step left molten craters in the ground, and as he neared, he swung his massive fist, a strike that carried the force to shatter mountains. Rachel's Soul-Self descended in front of her, its wings flaring wide, creating a wave of light that absorbed the impact. The ground beneath them rippled like water, but instead of shattering, it bent, reshaping itself into a perfect, unbroken surface.

"Fight me!" Viridian bellowed, hurling a sphere of pure destruction at her. The blackened orb tore through the air, pulling fragments of reality into it as it traveled. Space itself warped, the orb growing larger and darker with each passing moment. Rachel extended her hand, and her domain responded. Crystalline spires shot up from the ground, intercepting the orb. As the sphere struck, the spires cracked, the sound echoing like shattering glass, but they held firm. The energy of the orb dispersed into the spires, which grew brighter with each passing second until they burst into radiant beams of light, restoring the torn landscape.

Viridian didn't relent. He raised his hands, summoning a storm of fire and ash that filled the sky. The flames twisted into a vortex, descending toward Rachel with terrifying speed. The heat was unbearable, the air shimmering as if reality itself was melting. Rachel closed her eyes for a moment, and the white raven circled above her, diving into the heart of the storm. As it entered, the flames exploded outward, their chaotic energy dissipating into gentle wisps of light. The sky cleared, and the vortex was gone, replaced by a swirling aurora of celestial colors.

"You fight to destroy," Rachel said softly, her voice carrying over the battlefield. "But destruction cannot overcome balance." She raised her arms, and the ground beneath Viridian trembled. The molten rivers he had summoned froze, turning into radiant crystals that pulsed with energy. The air around him grew dense, and he snarled, unleashing a shockwave of chaos that shattered the crystals into jagged fragments. But Rachel waved her hand, and the fragments reformed, rising into the air as a shimmering cage of light that surrounded him. Viridian roared in defiance, his body flaring with destructive energy. He smashed against the cage, shattering pieces of it, but each time it reformed stronger than before. His attacks grew more desperate, his molten skin cracking and regenerating in an endless cycle.

Rachel stepped closer, her gaze steady. "Even destruction has its limits." Her Soul-Self flared, its light becoming almost blinding. The entire battlefield was engulfed in a wave of radiant energy, and Viridian's domain began to falter. The molten ground cooled, his fiery attacks dissipated, and the oppressive heat vanished, replaced by a calm, soothing warmth.

Viridian fell to one knee, his molten form dimming. His fiery eyes flickered as he looked up at her, his voice hoarse. "How… How are you stronger?" Rachel's domain receded, leaving the battlefield restored, a place of serene beauty. She extended a hand to him, her expression kind but firm. "Because light doesn't destroy—it restores. You've forgotten what balance feels like."

The battlefield stood in eerie silence, the crystalline serenity of Rachel's domain still glimmering faintly in the aftermath of her confrontation with Viridian. The molten titan knelt on the ground, his fiery form shrinking, his essence dimming. His power ebbed away, leaving him trembling—not just from exhaustion but from the weight of despair. For the first time, the embodiment of destruction felt powerless.