The air hung heavy—
Thick with the scent of blood and fractured stone.
Echoes of battle shuddered through the ruined halls—
Each distant clash a haunting reminder
That the war was far from over.
Absynthe's breath came sharp—
Her grip tightening around her blade—
Still burning—
Still pulsing with unrelenting energy.
Her charge toward Vance
Was not just an attack—
But a statement.
This was protection.
This was resolve.
This was conviction.
From behind—
Celestia stood at the fountain—
Watching—
Her fingers trailing through the water—
Its surface rippling, warping in response to her energy.
She had regained enough strength.
She had chosen her side.
And this time—
She would see it through.
Absynthe's charge was more than strength—
It was determination—
It was destruction—
It was protection entwined.
Her blade met Vance—
The collision erupted—
An impact so forceful
It launched them both backward—
Sending them crashing through the archway
Of the broken wall Vance had destroyed earlier.
They flew—
Propelled by the shockwave—
Rushing through the towering shelves of documents
That lined the hallway beyond.
The sudden shift in velocity
Sent soldiers scrambling—
Some tumbling to the ground—
Others barely dodging the chaos
As Absynthe and Vance's battle
Carved a path through the wreckage.
Vance erupted from the depths—
His body a streak of force—
Like a comet tearing through the ruins beneath.
The fractured remains of the basement splintered behind him—
Debris raining down in his wake—
As he launched upward—
Propelled by sheer unrelenting power.
Absynthe stood above—
Breath ragged—
Battle-worn—
But ready.
Her blade gleamed—
Still burning with the fire of her conviction.
Vance was coming.
And she wasn't backing down.
******************************************************
The battle surged skyward—
Neither one willing to fall.
Absynthe thrust her hand outward—
Gravity warping around her—
Bending to her command.
The weight of the world reversed—
Forcing her body upward—
Her form light as air—
Yet charged with relentless power.
Vance didn't slow—he adapted.
With monstrous momentum—
He kicked off the fractured rubble—
The force propelling him higher, faster—
Keeping him in the air despite impossible physics.
His movements exploded outward—
Every strike carrying the velocity of a meteor
Ripping through the atmosphere.
They clashed mid-air—
The impact sending shockwaves through the clouds.
Absynthe's blade sang—
Carving through the sky
As Vance dodged—
His fists weaving between her strikes
Like he was dancing with the battlefield itself.
Their movements fluid—
Yet destructive—
Shifting between grace and chaos—
Between precision and devastation.
**************************************************************************************
Below—
The battlefield was silent.
All eyes turned skyward—
Watching as their fight transcended beyond the earth itself.
Vance launched a brutal punch—
Aimed straight for Absynthe's core.
She twisted—
Dodging with the grace of a celestial force—
Her sword answering
With a deadly arc—
But Vance anticipated—
Countered—
Struck again.
The air cracked around them—
Pressure building—
The clash escalating
Into something more than a fight—
It was a storm.
A cosmic collision.
An unrelenting battle
Between power and conviction.
And neither was ready to fall.
**************************************************************************************
Synthena and Celestia raced through the wreckage—
Their feet pounding against the fractured ground—
As they emerged from the debris.
Synthena's breath was ragged—
Her voice breaking through the air
As she cried out—
"Absynthe!"
Her tone filled with hope—
Urgency.
Desperation.
Celestia followed close behind—
A bottle cradled in her grip—
One Synthena had crafted just for her—
Filled with the source of her energy—
A force she would need now more than ever.
The soldiers lingered at their backs—
Their gazes snapping upward—
Caught in the sheer spectacle above.
The battle in the sky raged—
Like a cosmic storm.
Energy flashed across the atmosphere—
Brilliant. Untamed. Raw.
Power collided—
Forces sparking against the darkness—
Illuminating the night with dazzling explosions of color and fury—
Like fireworks birthed from celestial might.
And above them—
Absynthe and Vance fought like gods.
************************************************************************************
Absynthe's breath came in ragged gasps—
Her limbs aching from the sheer force of the battle.
Vance loomed above—
His stance unwavering—
His smirk dripping with arrogance.
"Is this all you've got?"
His voice was calm—
Cruel.
She staggered—
Willing herself to rise—
But gravity itself seemed to turn against her.
Vance seized the moment—
Launching forward in a blur of motion.
His strike sent shockwaves through her very core—
Metal against energy.
Force against will.
Absynthe crashed to the ground—
The impact rattling the air—
Her body refusing to obey her command.
Synthena and Celestia watched in horror—
Their powers brimming—
But uncertainty held them frozen.
Vance exhaled in amusement—
Stretching his arms as if already claiming victory.
"You were never going to win."
But even in the depths of defeat—
Something stirred.
**********************************************************************************
The sun crept higher—
Golden light spilling over the battlefield.
A knot of urgency tightened in Celestia's chest—
Time was slipping away—
And they had to counter Vance's attack
Before it was too late.
Synthena rushed to Absynthe's side—
Cradling her in her lap—
Fingers gripping her shoulders—
As if she could will strength back into her.
Celestia's gaze locked onto Vance—
His expression pure triumph.
"It's time to end this, ploy."
Vance sneered—
Landing lightly amidst the debris
Of a crumbling office building—
Using it as a launch pad
To amplify his next attack.
Celestia's voice cut through the moment like a blade.
"Can you get up?!"
Absynthe groaned—
Shifting slightly in Synthena's arms—
Her muscles aching with exhaustion.
"I'll try."
She muttered—
Her voice raw.
She pushed herself up—
Wobbling as her feet met concrete—
Her entire body sluggish, drained.
But she bent her knees—
Forcing herself to stand—
Eyes fixed on Vance
As he prepared his strike.
"Absynthe, be careful—are you sure?"
Synthena's voice wavered, uncertain.
"Do I have a choice?"
Absynthe shot back—
Jaw tightening.
She propelled herself upward—
But her gravity pull faltered—
Flickering. Unstable.
Too weak against the shifting brightness
Of the rising sun.
Vance laughed—
His voice laced with mockery.
"Ridiculous."
"You're already spent."
He flexed his hands—
Energy crackling between his fingers.
"This should be easy."
Celestia's mind raced.
They needed an opening—
Something fast.
"Synthena, craft something to boost her!"
She called out—
Desperation laced in her tone.
Synthena froze.
Then—
Realization snapped into place.
She sprang to her feet.
"I do!"
She thrust her right hand forward—
Blue dust swirling—
Coalescing into a sleek cannon
With a steady hum of power.
The edges gleamed, solidified—
And at the very tip—
Almost absurdly—
Bunny ears formed—
A playful imprint in the middle of war.
"Abby, quick—get in!"
Synthena's voice was sharp with urgency.
Celestia felt determination ignite in her chest—
She had to act fast—
Had to buy Absynthe the time she needed
For a perfect launch.
She exhaled sharply—
Downing the last of her water
In one desperate gulp—
Before tossing the bottle into the rubble.
No hesitation.
No second chances.
Her hands shot forward—
Activating her abilities.
The wind howled—
Swirling violently around her—
Her second eyes glowing pale blue
In unison with her main ones.
The ground trembled.
Metal shards, debris,
And massive fragments of wreckage
Lifted into the air—
Orbiting her in chaotic precision.
She had only 30 seconds—
It had to count.
Heavy. Overwhelming.
The sheer weight of the pull bore down on her—
But she fought against exhaustion—
Against time itself.
With a final surge—
She launched the collected wreckage toward Vance—
Encasing him in a solid metal sphere.
The soldiers hesitated—
They knew—
They knew—
There was no way to match these three.
They trembled—
Fear gripping them—
And fled—
Their shouts lost beneath the roar of shifting metal.
Inside—
Vance fought desperately.
His strikes cracking, shattering pieces of his confinement.
He tore through an opening—
Just enough to see through—
And the instant his gaze met Absynthe's—
His expression changed.
His amused smirk twisted—
Contorting into genuine disgrace—
Not at the sight before him—
But at himself.
His eyebrow twitched—
Dread creeping in where arrogance once ruled.
Absynthe's eyes locked onto Vance—
Her gaze unwavering—
As she closed the distance—
Hurtling toward his prison of debris.
From the ground below—
Celestia and Synthena watched in cinematic awe—
Their breath catching
As the moment unfolded in slow motion.
Absynthe—riding the star like a horse—
Propelled by Synthena's energy—
Her arms spread wide—
Readying herself for her final move.
The moment erupted—
A flash of blinding light—
Surging outward—
As Celestia unleashed her abilities—
The metal prison compelled to collapse upon itself.
A collision so fierce, so brilliant—
That it shamed the rising sun.
The sky trembled.
The world held its breath.
And then—
Everything exploded.