Qliphoth was a power that utterly nullified the might of a Moon. It did not matter what kind of skill they possessed. It would be rendered ineffective the moment it grazed its dark veil.
Injuring Raoul was impossible. Cer had nothing in her arsenal to deal with that barrier. However, it did not completely surround him. This meant that her claws could deal damage.
Other than that – she was entirely out of options.
But that was what Raoul thought. Cer did not fight through pure instinct alone. By now she had fully manifested the Salivating Spark. Azure, glowing highlights radiated from her body as she dueled with Raoul head on.
[Bolts of Tasty Levin] riddled the battlefield to the point where it became increasingly difficult for Raoul to maneuver without being pricked by one of the bolts. They littered the ground like spiked barricades, and Cer attempted to lure him towards these.
The very nature of their electrical powers meant that neither of them would perish anytime soon. This battle would be drawn out until either Frost or Iscario arrived to intervene at best.
Still, the Paralysis Stacks caused by the [Bolts of Tasty Levin] gradually reduced Raoul’s speed by a noticeable amount. Furthermore, her [Feast For The Eyes] Corrupted Skill ensured that Raoul could not flee or move too far from the battlefield, effectively trapping him in her rapidly growing kill box.
And yet Raoul could not be taken down. His reduced AGI meant nothing if Cer’s attacks could not properly penetrate through the veil of Qliphoth. Additionally, Raoul utilized other attacks than just his bare fists and the dark blade, electric blade he could conjure from thin air.
“It’s meaningless. My Qliphoth Field makes all the difference. Moons and Stars will struggle with its introduction.”
He clawed the air, sending dark, electrical claws her way. She promptly dodged them and pushed forward, returning a barrage of [Electric Fangs]. The attack Raoul used was identical to Ber’s.
“There’ll always be a way. Don’t forget that we live in the same world where a human like Galia managed to take down Caldera Industries! Considering you’re only bringing this out now, I’m guessing your friends must’ve been afraid to expose it! Is this supposed to be your trump card!?”
Raoul’s brows furrowed. A dark aberration of a fang overlapped with his jaw. It was identical to Cer’s own magic save for the color.
“I despise how inquisitive you’ve become. You never used to ask questions.”
Cer was not far from the mark. Otherwise, Raoul would have immediately denied it. He was honest to a fault, even now when faced with having to kill his own sister.
“It has its flaws. This power is imperfect. But it’s necessary. For us. For me. Prolonged use of its power can result in… disturbing side effects.” Raoul pulled the sleeve of right arm, revealing a dark malformation.
His right arm was riddled with needles. It looked like fur from a distance, but mistaking it for that and attempting to touch it would result in severe injuries.
Cer recognized the condition he possessed. It was eerily similar… no, it was the Curse of the Descent. The curse that slowly transformed one into an Impuritas the further they descended into the Layers of Elysia, be it through the Subderma Layer or the Timeless Ruins.
The latter was the most likely answer. The Subderma Layer’s anomalous effects hardly affected Moons, let alone Stars.
“Cer. How much further do you want to chase your flawed dream? I’ve been to places that you can never begin to fathom. I’ve ventured down into the depths of our inferno, cutting through the hell that predisposes us across into becoming monsters. What I learned was that there was nothing we can do but cease our resistance. We… should just embrace what this world is.”
Raoul lectured Cer with his epiphanies, but none of them were getting through. It was nonsense, and nothing more than the ramblings of a man who had lost everything. Cer avoided an array of falling crystals.
It was the last downpour. The ceaselessly created Cers that were born from the forget me not flowers began to gradually disappear. For a moment it felt like the metaphorical storm had parted, revealing a sliver of moonlight.
“I don’t get you. You’re a dead man walking… But you’re going as far as to destroy your own body, and even give your life for this. I’d understand that if it weren’t for the fact that you’re working against the Nexus! What do you think the Moons of the Nexus have been fighting for!? To hell with Serum G! We were always fighting the Corrupted to spare this world from them! What about the Impuritas!?”
One of Cer’s claws managed to bypass Raoul’s defenses. She overwhelmed him with a blanket of [Electric Fangs] and had his back turned against a field of [Bolts of Tasty Levin]. As a result, his Qliphoth barrier could not fully defend him.
The dark swirls were a reactive kind of barrier, meaning it would only defend him from a number of attacks before it was completely saturated. Her swipes were nothing short of devastating.
Raoul couldn’t believe his eyes. Cer could tell that he refused to believe that she had managed to gain the upper hand. It was expected for a Moon to overpower a Star in a one-on-one fight, but Raoul was never an ordinary Star.
It was unacceptable. That someone who clung onto him like a bug had grown so strong.
“Just what kind of a future do you think is waiting for us!?” Cer howled.
“The kind where it will be necessary to earn our place in their world! A place where neither of us would have had to walk the path of a Moon or Star!”
Raoul noticed that the world was changing. The forget me not flowers continued to bloom, but the number of Cers had significantly reduced. The lightning strikes no longer targeted Cer, further fueling his ire as he began to suspect that the Dirge was compromised.
“You’re hopeless… Fighting for the Nexus would’ve gotten you further. Not only did you pretend like we didn’t exist for this bullshit, but you went as far as to involve Ara!”
Cer, with one decisive charge, sent Raoul into a line of [Bolts of Tasty Levin]. A sharp pain stabbed his back. Blood quickly splashed across the blue-tinted grass from beneath Raoul.
Several of the [Bolts of Tasty Levin] had managed to stab him.
“Did you know that she used to be a guy!? Ara never wanted to transform! She never asked to become a girl! But you want us to become something we’re not! I’m no longer the Cer that chased you like her dream would last forever! RAOUL! If you wanted to protect Ara, then why put her through the same ordeal!?”
“Ara will be able to –”
“You deaf piece of shit! You want that! You believe that Ara will have a choice! But do you think she will accept it!? You… you fooled her into thinking you were her friend. You brought here all the way here for your own sake! It was never for Ara’s!”
Raoul entered a long, silent lull. Blood continued to gush from his wound, and the curse that tainted his right hand squirmed in response to his physical trauma. It was impossible to read his expression now, but there, within those crimson eyes was a well of immeasurable sorrow.
“… Cer… when did you become so confrontational with me. You used to always follow behind me. I would rather you as that same child who yearned for my attention… than this.”
“We don’t exist to fit your preferences. I had my own dreams. If you wanted that same me… then you shouldn’t have crushed them.” Cer uttered, biting her lip as if to stop herself from further lashing out. “… We can think for ourselves. None of us will play the role of the damsel in distress for your sake. If you really wanted it to be that way, then where the fuck were you when our sisters Corrupted? Did it ever occur to you that the Impuritas were the ones who tried to break us?”
Then, Raoul uttered something that caused Cer’s mind to draw blanks.
“I was always aware…” Raoul confessed in a low, guttural mutter. “… Corruption… is the only way forward. You three were volatile. Separating one from the rest left you three unable to cope with each other’s absence…”
“You… knew…?” Cer staggered backwards.
He was lying. Raoul had to be. Otherwise…
“No. You… if you knew… then…”