Flashback:
Virgo, an ethereal sanctuary shrouded in celestial mist, reflected the cold calm that permeated the hearts of those who wandered within. Midoki lay there, his strength exhausted, when a gentle glow enveloped his body. It was Raiga, the Lion Envoy, who, in his spiritual state, used the Healing Intervention to restore him.
- Raiga: "Midoki, your resolve is visible—almost tangible… but your path is marked by a wound that can only be healed here."
Midoki rose, feeling the surge of revitalizing energy in every cell of his body. The gratitude in his eyes was intense.
- Midoki: "Raiga... I thank you deeply. My journey continues, but I carry the strength of your spirit with me. I won't rest until our bond is honored..."
Feeling the fire in Midoki's heart, Raiga nodded. Before Midoki departed, Raiga whispered in a tone of silent commitment:
- Raiga: "I will search for those who have fallen but have not perished. We will need every spark of resistance."
End of Flashback
In the House of Scorpio, Midoki stood firm, his gaze resolute, facing Zephir, who wore a mocking smile.
- Zephir: "So… you really think you stand a chance here? In your current state, you won't get far. By now, the other Envoys are likely slaughtering your comrades in the other Houses." —He chuckled, taunting— "Did you take a shortcut? I doubt you even made it through the House of Virgo."
Unshaken, Midoki took a step forward.
- Midoki: "Vagnos has awakened, Zephir. He rose from his three-thousand-year slumber… and I defeated him."
The mockery vanished from Zephir's face for a moment, replaced by disbelief.
- Zephir: "You defeated Vagnos? What kind of story is that?" —He laughed again— "Doesn't matter."
With a swift motion, Zephir unleashed the Scorpion Whip. Its tip pierced Midoki, quickly wrapping around him. The effect of the Poison Fatality perk activated, and Zephir began draining Midoki's life force, weakening him further with each second.
- Zephir: "The previous Scorpio Envoy was stronger… This whip never suited my Windstorm ability, but it works just fine for eliminating weaklings like you." —He tightened the whip, intensifying the poison's effects.
In the spiritual plane, Pyndera activated Midoki's Shinrei, and the Law of Potentialism – Resonance responded, freeing Midoki from the whip.
- Zephir: "It doesn't matter! Poison Fatality is already in effect. Your death is only a matter of time!"
Taking advantage of the brief pause, Zephir manipulated the whip with his Windstorm ability, guiding it once more to entangle Midoki. This time, he released a dense mist throughout the House of Scorpio: the Sleep Mist, which spread rapidly. Midoki, however, activated his Guardian Mode, expanding his wings and soaring above the mist.
Even so, Zephir watched him clearly, unwilling to prolong the fight.
- Zephir: "Time to end this, Midoki."
Zephir then focused all his power into the spiritual technique of his fighting style, Scorpion's Arrhythmia: the Crimson Sting. If successful, the technique would cause cardiac arrest in the opponent—though it also posed a great risk to him, possibly causing permanent brain damage. Seeing Zephir prepare, Midoki chose to respond with his most powerful move from the Wolfist style: Stellar Devastation.
The two clashed in a devastating instant. Zephir, struck with precision by Midoki's blow, was launched far away, expelled from Mount Olympus.
With the battle over, Midoki took a deep breath and activated the Shinrei of Eminence, combining the Law of Originalism – Creation with the Law of Potentialism – Energy. From his hands pulsed waves of healing energy that slowly began restoring Throk and neutralizing the effects of Poison Fatality, returning their strength.
In the House of Aquarius, the waters churned violently under Neptune's command. Waves rose like aquatic serpents to strike Kamuz, who, with a swift touch of his Trident, altered the physical state of Neptune's Raging Sea, transforming it into snow and hurling it back as razor-sharp Ice Blades.
The aura of Meeres Segen echoed like an ancient chant around Neptune, expanding in a blue light that revealed the presence of immeasurable archangelic energy. Kamuz hesitated for a moment—his once steady gaze now troubled—as he tried to command the Aquarius Trident, which vibrated and resisted, as if responding to a silent voice more powerful than his own.
- Kamuz: "It can't be… The Trident is disobeying me… Is it resonating with Meeres Segen? No… that's not it. This boy…"
In the next instant, the Trident slipped from Kamuz's hands, soaring like an arrow toward Neptune, who caught it mid-air. With the power of Meeres Segen coursing through his fingers, Neptune summoned his technique: Devastating Tide. The arcane energy condensed into a sharp, relentless Ice Blade that surged straight toward Kamuz, piercing him with chilling precision.
The Aquarius Envoy staggered, feeling the pain and lethal cold of the attack, but stood firm, his eyes glowing with the unshakable resolve of a true warrior.
- Kamuz: "Only those with a fearless heart can be acknowledged by the Ring of the Aquarius Sign. It's not something proven by strength alone… You've shown your worth, Neptune. But know… this is not yet the end of the battle."
With one final effort, Neptune pushed Meeres Segen to its limit, invoking his ultimate technique: Aqueous Veil. A massive torrent of water formed around him, rising in overwhelming waves and flooding the area like a raging ocean. Kamuz's Boreal Punishment emerged as a powerful reflection of ice, intensifying the cold aura and forming snow crystals throughout the arena. However, the Aqueous Veil, so vast and unrelenting, fused with the State Change perk of the Trident, amplifying Neptune's power to its peak.
As the ice around Kamuz hardened, slowly imprisoning him, Neptune approached, Meeres Segen shining with a gentle light that seemed to melt the cold around them.
- Neptune: "Kamuz… Why do you fight? Why did you choose to stay and ally with Orpheus?"
Kamuz, feeling the weight of the question, sighed. His voice was low, almost a whisper, burdened by years of silence and frost.
- Kamuz: "For so long, Neptune… the cold within me extinguished all reason. The solitude of ice made me forget the purpose I once had—what it meant to fight. I became nothing more than an extension of the ice, a soulless spectator… until you appeared."
Kamuz glanced at the Trident now held by Neptune—the symbol of a greater cause he had once forsaken.
- Kamuz: "With this power, you made me remember that being an Envoy is not just about obedience… it's about protecting and honoring something greater than ourselves. You showed me that today, Neptune."
Neptune felt the weight of those words, and an unexpected empathy stirred within him, as if he could feel the burden Kamuz had carried. The Aquarius Envoy closed his eyes, a faint smile touching his lips—a final expression of peace.
- Kamuz: "Perhaps… there is a new purpose for the Aquarius Envoy after all. The strength of your fight… melted the ice in my soul, if only for a brief moment. I'll carry that with me, even as the cold surrounds me."
The ice finally sealed Kamuz completely, his final words echoing through the frozen hall. Neptune watched the sealed Envoy, sensing that although fate had claimed him, Kamuz had found new meaning in his final moments.
In the House of Capricorn, Spink faced the imposing Christ, who unleashed a powerful technique—Frozen Blade Dance. Slashes and sparks of electricity filled the air; the battle was a frenzied dance between Christ's scythe and Spink's Speedstorm - Blitz Segen.
Spink panted heavily, the silver glow of Blitz Segen radiating in sparks around her.
The divine energy of her Sparking Mode pushed her power to new heights, and the Thundercrash strike had shaken Christ to her core, leaving her on her knees—yet still standing—gazing at Spink with a mixture of pride and bitterness.
- Christ: "You know… I never wanted this. To be a Zodiac Emissary."Her voice, though weak, carried a strength only born of past pain."To me, it was always a burden… something repulsive."
Spink narrowed her eyes, watching Christ's expression, puzzled by her words.
- Christ: "I'm the daughter of Zeus and Hella, the Norse goddess of Helheim."She sighed, memories bitter and clouded."My father banished Hella to Helheim, even knowing she was carrying his child… even knowing I was there, in the darkness. I grew up with her until I was 155, until the day Hades killed her in a struggle for control over Helheim. Since then, that 'divine family' so many of you worship… has been nothing but a joke to me."
Christ struck Spink with her Cosmos Cristalys technique, but Spink felt nothing but a wave of sorrow pass through her, and a tear rolled down her cheek. Christ's story weighed on her heart—the hardness and loneliness she had endured since birth mirrored Spink's own pain in that moment.
- Spink: "…Christ…"
- Christ: "That's why I stand with Orpheus. I don't care what happens to the gods. If Lucifer brings them down, it'll be justice for everyone they ever crushed."She launched Severing Blade.
Spink's hand trembled, but she knew what had to be done. Slowly, she raised her arm and caught the blade, electricity crackling around her fist.
- Spink: "I'm sorry… for everything you've been through."Her voice was a sincere whisper, full of respect."But I have my own path too… and today, it leads me to fight to the very end."
They stared at each other in silence, sorrow and respect lingering in the air. Even without final words, both knew they were following their fates—carrying different burdens, but equally heavy.
Christ activated her Hellion Wings and used Mountain of the Dead, but Spink defended. Then the Emissary prepared for one last strike, flying toward Spink—who, with one final burst of power, unleashed Rapid Bursts, piercing Christ. At the same time, the Capricorn Emissary's Scythe struck Spink's legs, activating the Phantom Limb perk, which, upon cutting the body, also wounds the soul. Both fell—but Spink's victorious cry echoed across the battlefield.
It was the end for Christ, who vanished in the form of energy, leaving behind the mark of her pain and one last spark of humanity.
Every battle left scars on those who fought them, and the weight of both loss and victory blended into each house of Olympus. They moved forward with memories etched in their hearts, and the whisper of those who had fallen sang like a nostalgic melody, guiding them toward the inevitable final clash.