Shadow Slave: Immortal Ice

Hovering just inches above the ground, he couldn't help but chuckle at the absurd and comedic scene before him.

Elfenlied was screeching and thrashing violently, desperately trying to rise or at least roll away. But that was impossible when a furious red Oni Ogre was sitting on its neck, pounding its face into its skull with four blazing fists.

Merlin's gaze then shifted to Anora, still floating high above, providing support from afar. But after a moment, she was supporting no more.

The flames surrounding Anora's body surged, glowing so fiercely that from a distance, she resembled a crimson star. Merlin -with his enhanced vision- could still make out her figure though. Her usual dark hair was a river of fire and her eyes and fingertips replaced by flames. The stimulating succubus form now replaced by that of a fire spirit.

With a sharp whistle, Anora drew in every bit of heat around her, pulling the magma from the ground and even the flames swirling around Masker's demonic form. The fire, once his, leaped into her, swirling around her like a living thing and bowing to its new master.

Her body expanded with the fire and energy, until she was a towering behemoth. Her flames reached higher, brighter, and more intense than ever before. Her form grew more and more until she felt like it was finally enough.

A dark laughter echoed through the battlefield, a beautiful yet evil voice that deafened even the roaring flames.

Merlin's lips curled into a smile. His eyes were fixed on Anora as she shot down and plunged downward, her flames following her. She was aiming for an opening Masker created by tearing the Great Tyrants eye out just a moment ago.

Not even a second later, she crashed into it, diving straight into the hole. Elfenlied couldn't even defend itself as Meaty turned back into the pool of decaying flesh, enveloping Elfenlied's long neck and locking it in place.

Then the second passed.

And then everything exploded into pure orange and red. The space itself ignited as Anora unleashed her powers.

Boooooom

Merlin covered his eyes with his hand, leaving a small slit between his fingers to peer through as the explosion engulfed the crater in waves of fire.

The heat distorted the air as it tore through the crater. A bit far away, around the Fissure, the fire immediately froze and joined the majestic field of ice, while the rest of the land was scorched. The flames danced mercilessly across the stone, turning everything around them into a blackened wasteland.

For a few seconds, everything burned, as if the world itself had caught fire, the sound of crackling flames drowning out all else after the initial explosion settled.

Puppeteer vanished from sight the instant he understood Anora's intentions, his form slipping away before the chaos could reach him. And Gale's unconscious form was simply shielded by Merlin's seven stars, each one merging together into a single, radiant bubble of light.

"This woman," Merlin shook his head with a laugh. He floated upward, watching as the inferno began to fade. The fire getting suck into the ground by the Fissure's pull. The heat dissipated, leaving behind only scorched earth.

He pinpointed Masker's exact location and floated toward it at a decent speed. 'This fight cost us too much,' he thought annoyedly, 'Rumble is dead, and Puppeteer lost four Masters and I'm not even sure if those two Saint Puppets survived that explosion. He won't shut up about it if they didn't'

They had won the battle against the two Great Tyrants and their armies.

---

Masker was back in his human form when Merlin reached him. The old, slightly hunched man with grey hair and closed eyes was sitting on a boulder. His gaze was fixed on what remained of the Great Tyrant; two grey, lifeless hills of flesh and scales, barely recognizable as the terrifying creatures they had fought moments ago.

Merlin floated toward him and landed next to the boulder, "I guess your nephew isn't here," he said bitterly, avoiding looking directly at the old man.

"Oh really, boy?" Masker's voice was quiet, but Merlin could hear the fury behind it. He didn't need to see his face to know the old man was grinding his teeth.

"Could it be that he got sucke-" Merlin started, but before he could finish, the air around them ignited. Heat surged so violently that even the tiny particles floating in the air caught fire. The old man was slowly returning to the person Merlin used to know. Which wasn't good at all.

Masker finally turned to him, one eye open, burning with fury. "If that really happened, then I shall go in there myself and unleash hell opon them."

"We both know that's not wise. The second you step foot in there, they'll kill you," Merlin warned with a firm tone. He took a step back as the searing heat slowly receded, traveling back into the old Saint's body.

Merlin was about to suggest searching the whole cavern system outside the crater, but before he could speak, Anora landed in front of them. The impact sent a cloud of dust up, only for her to casually cleave it with a sharp kick.

Quite the dramatic entrance, to say the least.

She stood in her full grace, clad in regal, military-style garments that heavily resembled Merlin's -except hers were crimson with black, and far tighter than they had any business to be.

It consisted of tight, high-waisted red trousers, tailored to perfection by the Spell, and a fitted blouse of the same colour. Gold lines traced across her stomach up to her chest, accentuating the sharp, high collar. A black ascot peeked from beneath it, perfectly matching the half-cape draped over one shoulder, which was complemented by a wing-like pauldron.

Her high heeled boots -that seamlessly integrated into her trousers and extend up to her thighs- clicked on the scorched stone.

In one gloved hand, she dragged an unconscious Gale by the nape, his body trailing along the ground like a sack of vegetables. But in her other hand, she carried a young, handsome boy. His short, wild silver hair refused to listen, and his tired eyes -though barely open- were full of annoyance at the woman dragging him.

"This dumb boy was hiding outside the crater," she said annoyedly. With a huff, she tossed him forward and shook her delicate hand. "My hand's numb because of his fucking flaw," she muttered while flexing her fingers.

Masker shot her a glance before letting out a relieved sigh. "Watch your language around the kids, girl."

She rolled her eyes, shifting her weight onto one leg and crossing her arms. "Oh, please. This boy's got a filthier mouth than me and Gale combined when you're not around."

Masker shook his head. "That doesn't mean you should encourage it."

Anora smirked, tilting her head. "Oh, so you prefer kids who pretend to be saints in front of you and curse like sailors behind your back?" She let out a short laugh. "How adorable."

The old Saint ignored her, focusing solely on helping his nephew to his feet. He ignored the little pain from Raijin's flaw. "How are you, my child? Was it the Guild?" he asked impatiently, his eyes scanning the boy for any signs of injury.

He didn't answer right away, Anora and Merlin watching in silence. "I think so. Mot—" he stopped midsentence, quickly correcting himself, "That woman was searching for me and my brother again. When I saw her, I tried to get to you, Uncle."

Merlin shot Anora a curious look, but she simply shrugged.

"But then they caught my scent, so I led them to the Fissure, hoping whatever horror crawls out next would kill them," the boy went on.

'Smart, yet stupid,' Merlin thought, shaking his head. 'Well, he's just a boy. What should I expect? If only he'd told one of us, we could've finally dealt with that snake of a woman!'

Masker nodded and listened intently, not interrupting until his nephew was done.

Meanwhile, Puppeteer arrived as well, riding atop the flying Serpent Saint -whatever his name had been before he died. He steered the Saint to land a few feet away, remaining seated atop its large head, legs crossed and hands tucked between his thighs and calves.

Merlin sighed and turned his gaze back to the two steaming hills of flesh with disappointment, ignoring the conversation between the uncle and his adopted child.

'Even killing two Great Tyrants wasn't enough,' he thought bitterly. 'I have something like my own Domain, perfect control over the Will... Yet I still can't take the last step…'