Visarion

Erenyx stood on the branch of the Weeping Tree, her body still trembling from the immense drain of Essentia, watching the dust settle below. Her heartbeat echoed in her ears, the adrenaline rush still coursing through her veins. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, just die!" she muttered under her breath, the mantra repeating in her mind. She desperately hoped the fight was over, but deep down, she knew better. Legends didn't die so easily, especially not Xavill Ra, a figure who had lived for over 150 years, wielding the Eonveil Ra'Kalor. This was no ordinary fight.

Determined to finish things, Erenyx clapped her hands together, feeling the surge of power as Essentia coursed through her body. Her locs floated in the air, charged with energy, moving as if alive. "Art of the Buddha..." she began, the ground beneath her trembling with the buildup of power. The air around her crackled with intensity as she summoned enormous masses of stone in the shape of fists that hovered menacingly above her. "Hyakuten Shōgeki!" she screamed, her voice strained from the effort. One hundred giant stone fists formed in mid-air, ready to unleash a final, devastating blow.

From the dust cloud, Xavill's voice echoed with fury, "Now you've angered me, girl! You will regret that decision in hell!" The dust around him started to swirl ominously, but Erenyx had no intention of waiting. "AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Her scream reverberated through the forest as she unleashed the stone fists in a brutal, unrelenting assault, raining them down on the spot where Xavill stood. For nearly a full minute, the fists pounded the earth with explosive force, flattening the entire Weeping Forest in the process. The earth-shattering impacts left nothing but a flattened battlefield.

Panting heavily, her body barely holding together, Erenyx stumbled back onto the ground. Her chest heaved with every breath, and her vision blurred momentarily from the exertion. Using such a massive amount of Essentia in such a short time could have killed her, but she stood, defiant as ever, even if just barely. "Holy shit, please be dead," she muttered, her voice a mix of desperation and exhaustion.

Suddenly, Xavill erupted from the remaining dust cloud, battered and bleeding from head to toe but very much alive. His eyes were filled with rage, his form twisted by injuries, but his spirit remained unbroken. "Dragon's Breath!" Xavill roared, launching a cone of fire toward her. The flames rushed forward, and before she could fully react, Xavill closed the gap, delivering a series of precise, claw-like strikes at Erenyx's pressure points. Each hit was accompanied by a fiery explosion that sent waves of pain through her body. "Searing Talons!" he snarled as his claws closed off her ability to channel Essentia.

Erenyx staggered but swung wildly, only for Xavill to duck underneath, sweeping her legs in a fiery arc. The heat seared through her pants as she hit the ground hard, struggling to regain balance. "Blazing Sweep!" he shouted, following up with a vicious palm strike to her chest that exploded on contact. "Inferno Fang!"

The barrage continued without mercy as Xavill exhaled, his body cloaked in a fiery Essentia aura. "Ra Style: Dragon Combo," he announced calmly, his voice filled with the confidence of a seasoned warrior. A final downward kick sent a blazing wave of heat crashing into Erenyx, throwing her backward into a smoking crater.

Through the pain, Erenyx smirked. "Ra Style, huh? Weaker than I expected!" She forced herself to stand as the intense glow in her eyes returned, her Essentia nodes clearing from Xavill's earlier attacks. In one swift motion, she gathered her strength, releasing a sudden surge of power. "Lightning Cloak!" she shouted, the electric aura of Zeus wrapping around her, crackling with raw energy. Her locs flowed wildly as the air itself seemed to hum with the intensity of her newfound speed.

In the blink of an eye, Erenyx blitzed toward Xavill, her electrified form closing the distance faster than he could react. A powerful kick connected with his head, sending him stumbling. "This can't be it," she thought to herself as she pressed the attack, launching another strike. But something felt wrong. Xavill was too weak, almost as if...

That's when it happened. Xavill placed his hand over his right eye, and Erenyx froze in mid-attack. His pupil began to shift, spinning violently before settling into the shape of an eight-pointed star. "The Ra'Kalor!" she gasped, her heart pounding in her chest. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and her breathing quickened. She had heard of this Eonveil, but to see it before her...

But before Xavill could fully activate the terrifying power of the Ra'Kalor, his body began to tremble, vibrating uncontrollably as if it was rejecting the very power he was trying to summon. His scream of agony pierced the air as flames erupted from his body, consuming him from within. Erenyx watched, stunned, as Xavill's body was reduced to a charred husk, writhing in the throes of death. His screams faded into silence, and when the flames finally died down, only a burnt corpse remained.

Erenyx approached cautiously, her every muscle tensed for a final attack, but none came. As she neared the body, she noticed something strange. The corpse, what was left of it, began to dissolve. Snakes, hundreds of white, wriggling serpents, poured from the remnants of Xavill's form. "What the hell?" Erenyx muttered, her eyes widening in disbelief as she watched the transformation. The head had completely changed, no longer resembling the man who claimed to be Xavill Ra at all.

"What is happening?" she whispered, taking a cautious step forward. She grabbed the disfigured head, feeling a sickening sense of unease creep over her. Without another word, she summoned Zeus once more and took off, heading straight for the bounty office.

Upon arriving, the attendant gasped at her entrance, unable to believe she had returned alive. "Did you-?" Before she could finish, Erenyx slammed the disfigured head onto the counter.

"Just send me my money," Erenyx said coldly, walking out of the office without another word.

Back in her room at the inn, Erenyx lay on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Her mind raced. "What the fuck was that thing?" First, the white serpent-like creature in the Weeping Forest, and now this fake Xavill Ra... something wasn't adding up. "What the hell is imitating these people?" she wondered aloud, gripping her axes tightly. Something far darker was lurking in the shadows, and whatever it was, it was only just beginning.