Overwhelmed

Bolg's declaration echoed across the desert, his resolve unshakeable.

Alpha's voice rang out across the desert.

— Let us do this!

He sheathed his sword and raised both hands, magical energy crackling around his palms as he prepared offensive spells instead of relying on his blade.

Both warriors exploded into motion, rushing Aristi from opposite angles. Alpha struck first with a burst of lightning magic while Bolg thrust his spear toward her floating form.

Aristi twisted gracefully through the air, her body flowing between their attacks with practiced ease. Alpha's lightning bolt sailed past her shoulder. Bolg's spear tip missed her by inches as she arced backward.

They pressed the assault. Alpha unleashed another spell while Bolg repositioned for a follow-up strike. Aristi continued her evasive dance, reading their movements and shifting just enough to avoid each attack.

But coordination left no room for perfect defense.

Bolg thrust his spear at Aristi from the right while Alpha prepared a spell from her left. She could not dodge both simultaneously. She chanted quickly.

— Gargoyle stance.

Bolg's spear struck her hardened skin and deflected harmlessly. But the instant she shifted to absorb physical damage, Alpha unleashed his spell.

— [lightning_bolt_6]!

The magical attack crashed into her stone-like form, and she gasped as electricity coursed through her body. Her physical defenses meant nothing against pure magic.

They had discovered the weakness in her system.

Alpha and Bolg exchanged a glance, understanding passing between them without words. They split apart and resumed their coordinated assault with renewed purpose.

Aristi shifted to Phoenix stance when Alpha cast another spell at her. The flames spiraled harmlessly into her body. But Bolg was already moving, his spear driving toward her exposed flank. The physical strike connected solidly, forcing her to stagger in the air.

The pattern repeated. Every time Aristi adapted to defend against one type of damage, the other exploited the opening her stance shift created. Physical defense left her vulnerable to magic. Magical absorption left her open to physical strikes.

Behind the melee, Kuria and Suzaku stood side by side. Golden light pulsed from Kuria's staff while blue flames swirled around Suzaku's entire body. Both of them were chanting in perfect synchronization, their voices rising together as they prepared something massive.

Suzaku's face split into a wild grin. Kuria matched the expression with uncharacteristic intensity.

They had never needed to use this combination before. Everything they had faced until now fell to Suzaku's individual attacks. But this opponent required something more.

Both women laughed together, the sound carrying across the desert with manic energy.

Aristi was being pushed back by Alpha and Bolg's relentless coordination. She could not catch a moment to recover, could not find an opening to launch her own counterattack. Every defensive stance left her vulnerable to the opposite damage type.

Her expression hardened with resolve.

— Dragon's stance!

Power erupted around her body. The streams of data intensified, wrapping her in layers of protective code. She blocked both incoming attacks simultaneously, her enhanced form no longer restricted by the weakness of individual stances.

Her hand shot out and caught Alpha's wrist mid-strike. Her other hand rose, dark energy coalescing around her palm.

— [abyss_embrace_10]!

The spell began to form, black tendrils reaching toward Alpha's chest. A direct hit would leave him at death's door, afflicted with every debilitating status effect she could inflict.

A spear flew between them.

Bolg activated his dash ability, his body shooting forward along the weapon's trajectory. He materialized directly between Aristi and Alpha just as the dark magic released.

The [abyss_embrace_10] struck Bolg squarely in the chest.

His high magical resistance absorbed the worst of the damage. The spell that should have been instantly fatal merely drove him backward, his body slamming into the sand several feet away.

But the status effects still took hold. His limbs seized up. His vision blurred. His breathing became labored as multiple debuffs worked through his system simultaneously.

Bolg lay incapacitated on the desert floor, his spear fallen from his grasp.

The impact of [abyss_embrace_10] was so powerful that Alpha's wrist slipped through Aristi's grip. Both warriors went crashing down onto the sand, thrown backward by the force of the dark magic.

Aristi turned toward the fallen figures. Her expression carried no mercy as she began to float toward where they lay helpless.

— Hey! Look here, our dear guinea pig!

Aristi's head snapped toward the voice. Kuria stood with her staff raised high, a brilliant grin on her face that looked almost unhinged.

Golden spheres of light floated all around Aristi's body, dozens of them forming an intricate pattern in the air. They pulsed with concentrated energy, waiting.

Aristi's eyes widened as she realized what had been prepared during her entire fight with Alpha and Bolg.

Kuria's voice rang out, clear and powerful.

— [divine_purgatory_chains_10]!

The golden spheres erupted. Chains of pure light burst from each sphere, streaking through the air toward Aristi with blinding speed. She raised her hands to counter, confident in her Dragon stance's protection.

The chains struck her body and wrapped around her limbs, her torso, her neck. She gasped as they tightened, pulling her down from the air.

— Impossible! Aristi shouted, struggling against the bindings. My Dragon stance should—

The chains constricted further, and she felt something she had not experienced in years. True restriction. Complete binding.

Her eyes went wide with recognition as she looked down at the glowing restraints.

— These chains... they are the same ones used against my husband during the ambush.

Kuria's grin remained fixed on her face, but her voice carried a different tone now. Serious. Final.

— These bindings are woven from the life force of everything around us. The energy of the world itself. Your Dragon stance means nothing against them.

Dave floated closer, examining the chains with fascination.

— They are also made from lines of code, he said to Alpha. Programmed to bypass any resistance. That is why they worked on the first Demon Lord, and why they are working on her now. These chains ignore stats, ignore immunities, ignore everything.

Aristi pulled against the chains with all her strength, but they held firm. The golden light pulsed with each attempt to break free, growing brighter as they drained her energy.

Suzaku stepped forward, her entire body wreathed in flames that shifted between blue, crimson, and pure white. The air around her distorted from the heat. Her eyes reflected the intensity of the magic gathering in her palms.

— Max Breaker: [harksol_heavenly_flare_12]!

Multiple intricate magic circles materialized in the air around Suzaku, layering over each other in complex geometric patterns. A devastating ray of pure light surged from the center of the formation, so bright it turned the desert white.

The beam struck Aristi directly.

The divine chains evaporated instantly under the overwhelming power. The sand beneath Aristi's body turned to glass. The air screamed as the spell tore through everything in its path.

The light faded slowly, leaving spots in everyone's vision.

When the dust settled, Aristi's body lay motionless on the scorched ground. Her skin was charred. Her limbs twisted at unnatural angles. The damage was catastrophic, far beyond what any healing could repair.

Alpha lowered his shield, breathing heavily. Bolg remained on the ground, still struggling against the status effects but conscious enough to see the aftermath.

Kuria's staff dimmed as she released her spell. Suzaku collapsed to her knees, completely drained.

Dave floated toward Aristi's corpse cautiously. Something felt wrong.

Her body flickered. Just for an instant. Like a corrupted image struggling to load.

Dave moved closer, his translucent form tense with growing alarm.

Aristi's skin glitched. Pixels distorted and reformed. Lines of code flashed across her surface, rewriting themselves in real-time.

— It is not over, Dave said, his voice cutting through the silence. Alpha, get everyone back! Now!