(Cyrus POV)
"I was beginning to wonder when you were going to show your hand," Lord Enzo said to me as my blade bounced off the layer of cosmic energy enveloping his body. "It makes sense now that I realize it. So you didn't inherit the right to gain the power of the Solaris Constellation. So what did you connect with then? I'm curious."
"None of your business."
"Ahh, that's how you want to play then… Fine. If you lose this bout, you have to tell me. That is my condition." I didn't respond. "Welp, I guess it's time to stop holding back then. This was fun, it really was—reminded me of old times," Lord Enzo said as he released his suppressed power.
His sheer presence began to shake the very mountain we were on top of. The atmosphere became stiff and thick with his cosmic signature. I wanted to stand tall and strong and remain confident, but my body had a mind of its own now. All of my extremities shook rapidly as if some part of my soul knew the man before me was going to kill me. I had never been exposed to this kind of power before. The gap between my power and his felt like a chasm that just infinitely expanded.
I blinked once… Before I knew it, my spine was indented into the marble wall behind me. Several vertebrae began to crack from the immense force I felt from the strike. The blood that had pooled in my mouth splattered on the floor as I wheezed to catch my breath.
"Looks like we are tied, and I assume you know what's going to happen next. Don't worry, I won't kill you. But how about you just give up and tell me what constellation you are connected to then?" Lord Enzo said as he slowly took gentle steps toward me.
My astral relic immediately activated and began to mend my spine and lungs, but the pain still radiated throughout my body. It took more energy than I would have liked to, but I was able to get myself out of the crater Lord Enzo's strike caused. I wanted to say something sarcastic, but I could barely muster the energy to.
"Young Lord, are you okay?" a regal voice asked in my head. "As of right now, yeah, I'll manage. He doesn't want to kill me… He needs me for something. But could you guys get here soon? He's beating my ass pretty bad now."
"We are on our way. We were finally able to sense a signature strong enough to lead us in this direction."
"Bout time… Solmane, I need you to relay a message to my dad."
"Go ahead, my Lord."
"Tell him he's here. The man called Lord Enzo—the man who killed my mom and wiped out our clan. Tell him I need him to die today. I want justice, and I need him to face his penance now," I said back through our telepathic link.
"Understood, my Lord." The link faded, and now I was just face to face with the person I had had my sights on for the better part of the past few years.
"I don't like beating down young talent. Please just surrender. Transporting back a broken body is difficult, and rebuilding you back to normal is just tedious."
"That's never going to happen," I said while forcing all the cosmic energy I could into my legs and arms, attempting to land one more hit on my enemy. Even moving at the full extent of my speed, I was still far too slow. The sheer explosive power of someone in the Empyrean Stage was devastating, making me feel like I was staring into the eye of a storm.
"Behind you. Oh, and I win," the voice of Lord Enzo whispered into my ear as he started to push his blade through my abdomen. The sensation of feeling my skin, muscle fibers, and intestines being ripped apart was unbearable. My eyes began to blur as the rest of my body went into shock. I had experienced missing limbs, punctured lungs, and other internal injuries, but nothing felt like this.
The difference was the potency of Lord Enzo's cosmic energy. I was a mere Starbound in the Embryonic Stage trying to defend against someone who was two stages above me. The potency of his cosmic energy had the intensity of a burning sun, and it was burning me from the inside. Am I going to die here? was the only thought that ran through my mind as Lord Enzo pulled his blade from my body.
I collapsed to the floor, only to feel my head be yanked up right after."So, you do want to tell me what that little power is?"
"What power? I don't have any power," I said as I spat on his mask.
"This generation really doesn't have any honor, do they?"
"Fuck you. You're one to talk, clan killer."
"That's the only thing I have left. You'll see the longer you're with us."
"I would rather die than go with you," I responded, my voice hoarse.
"It's a good thing you are not the one making decisions then," Lord Enzo said as he slapped me across the face.
"I hope you're enjoying this, because I can't wait to see what he does to you when he gets his hands on you. I've never really seen him get angry before, but I have a feeling today is the day." Before Lord Enzo could land his hand across my face one more time, I felt three small bursts of cosmic energy rippling through the atmosphere.
Stopping Lord Enzo in his tracks was a beam of light that pierced through the reinforced windows.