The clash between Ty and Erebos intensified, with Ty’s eyes flickering with an orange hue, signaling his growing rage and desperation.
Erebos, sensing Ty’s inner turmoil, taunted him, "Yes, use everything you have; accept yourself for what you are." Ty, overwhelmed by emotion, screamed, "What do you want?!"
As the Kama Blades flew into Ty’s hands, Erebos skillfully dodged the incoming strike, his expression turning to a frown. "What kind of question is that at a time like this?" he retorted, disbelief in his voice.
"I could kill all of your friends right now, and you ask a pathetic question?
The only reason I haven’t killed anyone here tonight is that you have uses to me and a plan to fix IT! But you’re all far too weak."
With that, Erebos dodged another one of Ty’s strikes and drove an uppercut into his chin, the force of the blow reflecting his frustration.
"At this rate, you will die before you can provide me the greatest satisfaction of having a worthy fight!" he sneered, skillfully avoiding Ty’s attempts to hit him.
As he evaded Ty’s attacks, Erebos continued his verbal assault. "You’re sluggish," he taunted, punching Ty’s skeletal skull.
"You have no technique," he added, slamming his leg into Ty’s.
"You refuse to accept yourself, locking your power, and it’s going to end up costing you."
With one final strike, Erebos sent an open-palmed fist crashing into Ty’s chest, scattering his skeletal form across the battlefield.
Ty, however, looked up with a grin. "All of that might be true. But I still hit you!" he declared triumphantly. Erebos, looking down, noticed a massive cut along his stomach, blood beginning to pour out.
A slight grin appeared on Erebos’s face, betraying a hint of admiration for Ty’s resilience. "Look at me getting clumsy," he mused.
Meanwhile, Ty began to summon black flames to his feet, readying himself for another round. "Let’s see if you can handle this," he challenged, his spirit unbroken despite the odds, ready to push his limits further in this fierce and unforgiving battle.
As Ty lunged towards Erebos, he noticed something he hadn’t before - a wristwatch on Erebos’s arm that had started blinking orange.
This odd detail momentarily caught his attention, but there was no time to ponder its significance.
Erebos dodged Ty’s dive and grabbed him by the wrist as he zoomed past, slamming him into the ground. Erebos then pinned Ty down with a knee on his skeletal back, the intense flames from Ty’s body beginning to singe Erebos’s knee.
Amidst the struggle, Ty had a moment of clarity. He asked, "So you can regenerate as well, you aren’t a skeleton also, are you?"
Erebos responded with a chuckle, a laugh filled with confidence and a hint of mockery. "No, I can’t regenerate like you. I use a more convoluted method, but a great magician never reveals his secrets before the final act," he said cryptically.
Ty shifted his bones, threw himself around, and ignited black flames in his hand. He shot the flames out at Erebos, who caught them effortlessly.
At the same time, the Kama Blade swung back around, attempting to slice at Erebos’s backside, much like it had done to the smoke man previously.
However, this time, as the blade inched closer to Erebos’s clothing, it stopped cold, unable to move forward despite its shaking attempts.
Erebos, unfazed, flexed slightly, and with a subtle display of power, sent the blade scattering across the ground, flung off into the distance.
Erebos gripped Ty’s skeletal neck, his voice carrying condescension and something close to concern. "You don’t fully understand what’s going on, and that’s okay, you aren’t meant to.
But I do have your best interest in mind..." he said, his voice trailing off with a shrug, "to a degree."
"This current body can’t hold your potential. Though really, no body can. It’s not that simple for you. You will understand in due time, but first, you have to find that man again. He is the key to understanding yourself. Until then, you really can’t trust--"
An unexpected attack from four young kids cut his words off, each one striking from a different angle.
The girl unleashed a trio of arrows in quick succession, while two boys with black hair but different builds sliced at Erebos from the left and right.
The fourth boy, hovering overhead, launched a lightning bolt from his newly acquired staff.
Erebos, slightly unamused by their efforts, dodged the blades with a simple sidestep. The two boys were struck in the back by the arrows, followed by the bolt of lightning, leaving them knocked out next to Ty, who was just getting back to his feet.
Turning his attention to the young girl with the bow, Erebos watched as her next volley of arrows shattered upon making contact with him. "Those tricks don’t work on me," he stated dismissively.
Placing a hand on her head, he offered a backhanded compliment. "It’s a good try, though, and shows heart. Keep trying," he said before chopping her neck and knocking her out instantly.
Another bolt of lightning rained down on Erebos’s position, but his reflexes betrayed the power he was holding back. He caught it and redirected it towards the floating boy, who crashed to the ground under the returned attack.
Erebos, surveying the scene of chaos he had orchestrated, stood in contemplation, his hand thoughtfully stroking his chin. "What to do next?" he mused aloud. The options seemed to weigh on his mind.
"Should I focus back on that Angelic girl or possibly look into those brats who got reincarnated? The red demon leaking into Earth surprised me, after all."
Lost in his strategy, he concluded, "I will need to consult with the boss first, I suppose." His words hinted at a larger plan at play, one that extended beyond the immediate confrontation.
Meanwhile, Ty, regaining his strength, stood up, driven by a mixture of anger and determination. "What are you talking about?" he demanded, charging towards Erebos with renewed vigor.
But Erebos, unphased by Ty’s approach, calmly stated, "You have three months. Figure it out by then." His voice carried a tone of finality, as if setting a deadline for an inevitable showdown.
As Ty’s punch reached out to strike him, Erebos effortlessly evaded, his form fading through Ty’s attack as if he were a mirage. , a portal materialized behind him, and with a nonchalant demeanor, Erebos stepped through it, disappearing from the scene.
As Ty grappled with the realization that Erebos had once again eluded him, the sound of sirens grew louder, signaling the approach of emergency services. Exhausted and overwhelmed, Ty dropped to one knee, his strength waning.
A loud hammering sound echoed from behind him. A man clad in armor ordered Ty to get down. More armored men flooded the area, quickly attending to the wounded.
Among them were women dressed in unique garbs, adorned with support icons, indicating their role as medics or healers.
Before Ty could react, one of the armored men forced him down, placing a knee on his back. An iron-like blade was held next to his neck, a clear sign of restraint and caution against him.
Despite his predicament, Ty’s concern remained with his companions. Exhausted, he managed to say, "Please tend to Nanako, she is the daughter of Lady Amaris." His voice was heavy, filled with fatigue and concern.
Taking a resigned breath, he added, "I’m going to nap for a bit because I’m starting to hear voices again.
Just please take care of the big green guy also, he’s not a monster." His words were an appeal for compassion towards his fallen comrades, especially the misunderstood green giant.
As Ty’s green flame began to fade, a sign of his waning consciousness, he collapsed, succumbing to a sleep-like state peculiar to his skeletal form.
In this moment of vulnerability, Ty drifted off into a semblance of rest, his body and spirit both in dire need of recovery from the intense battles and emotional toll of the night’s events.
Ty’s eyes fluttered open to an unfamiliar yet still scene. He found himself lying on a beach. The ocean stretched out before him.
Looking down at his hands, now flesh and bone rather than skeletal, he muttered in confusion, "What in the world is going on this time... Am I in some kind of dream state?"
"You can say something like that," a familiar old voice remarked from behind him. Turning around, Ty was met with the sight of the same old man he had encountered in his previous vision back on Alexira.
The old man’s presence seemed both enigmatic and reassuring.
"It seems you found yourself here again, even though I warned against it," the old man observed, concern and mild reproach in his tone.
Ty, still grappling with the surreal nature of his situation, snapped back, "I wasn’t exactly choosing to come here. I just fell asleep and next--" His words were cut short by the old man, who interjected firmly, "Of course.
You have a long road ahead of you, no matter what path is built, so shut up and lay in the sand for just a second."