I created my own system
Chapter 322 - 322: Opening

The sacred Axe began glowing deep red. And with a roar, he took a step back before slamming his axe down with crushing force. Nero reacted using the power from the sword; he released himself from the influence of the arrows, but with Abraham shooting another one, his body halted midway, with only his arms movable. He formed his guard and created a layer of power to further his body. The moment the axe touched Nero's defense, gravity imploded, pinning Nero to the ground. Receiving such a strike made his own footing waver. Then the next thing he saw were multiple streaks of light that blasted him away.

"Damn it" Nero finally made a reaction feeling his body burning yet feeling cold at the same time.

"That lightning spell hit my torso," he grunted, feeling his body being roasted and frozen. Due to his attention being occupied with Harald's attacks, he forgot about the spell Helios had just released.

"I underestimated that bastard," he added, taking note not to belittle his spells despite not being a real mage. The four dukes got Nero cornered, and it seems none of his tricks would work against the might of the five sacred weapons.

"Well I guess I have no choice but to use this"

From where he was standing, Nero changed his stance and raised his sword, seemingly aiming to attack. The flesh of Nirvana moves as well, devouring the effects of the spell and slowing down the effect of Abraham's arrows.

"Something is wrong with Nirvana's flesh...it seems... stronger," Apollo realized. Fortunately, the four dukes were well aware of its capabilities, and so Abraham put his attention on completely freezing it. Aware of his intentions, Nero manipulated the flesh and combined it into his blade. The dull-looking blade turned into a bloodied black color, accompanied by pieces of bone that stuck out from the blade's edge. Apollo felt all his hair stand up as the enemy swung his weapon and intercepted the frozen arrows. The power within them exploded upon contact, and a chilling wave spread across the already frozen ground, sending even Apollo to hide behind Alicia to block the coldness away from touching him.

Nero, on the other hand, had the sword's protection protecting him from the bitter cold. Then it happened fast that three powerful slashes struck, fueled by an endless pit of power that comes from the gem.

Even with Apollo's enhanced senses, it wasn't able to track how such powerful sword slashes flew towards the four dukes.

"Don't worry," he heard Alicia say soon, however, her voice was devoured by a loud blast that swallowed the entire garden. A crater replaced the previous botanical garden. Smoke and debris were flying away, but what attracted Apollo's attention was a silhouette that stood out from the rumble.

"What the!" He mumbles as she sees Gilgamesh holding his spear as if blocking something.

"Did he...."

[He did Creator he blocked it]

"He did Apollo, he took it"

Alicia and Jeremiah answered, though they both knew Apollo saw everything, but just a little disbelief. The power from the slashes was very potent since pure and raw, something that was very hard to break through, yet Gilgamesh simply waved his spear to break them apart. But their one slight problem Nero suddenly disappeared.

"Jeremiah the tracker!"

[Already found him, Creator]

However, without warning, Nero's energy exploded, causing a tidal wave of mana that shattered the already broken terrain. His weapon emitted a different kind of energy without limits. It seems the flesh of Nirvana had completely assimilated into the weapon.

"Incoming!" Apollo said, sensing the tension as the enemy waved his sword again, sending a thick sword slash that caused destruction for miles. The enemy moved again, forming his stance, he waved another strike, but this one was more powerful than before.

Sensing this the Four Dukes spread out.

Harald planted his Sacred Axe into the ground, and using one of its abilities, he created a gravity shield that compressed the incoming shockwaves.

Abraham vanished into a gust of frost, hidden by the Sacred Bow's glow in brilliance, creating a frost that swallowed its wielder's body, disappearing in silence, waiting for the perfect strike. Helios, though not a mage, had his hands wrapped in spell-eating shadows. This spell allows him to phase through the attacks, making his movement fluid, feral. Finally, Gilgamesh fell back first and stood right beside Helios. With their intentions in sync, their sacred weapons glow responding to their wielder's will. With their weapon resonating, a dome was erected, serving as a shield for the incoming strike.

"This is getting troublesome," Helios muttered. "But if he bleeds, he falls."

The air felt constricted, tightened, and pressured. Nero's sword slash blasted through the defense of the four but didn't break through it.

"Ho... You are fast," Gilgamesh said playfully, as soon as the impact of the blast came down to them, Nero dashed towards him, aiming to disarm him.

Gil just giggled, finding it funny, but his focus didn't waver. His spear dances across the air and welcomes the blade of the enemy. The ground vibrated bearing the impact of the strike, then the southern duke increased the phase of his attacks, finding a spot where he could gain the advantage. Beside Gil was the other duke, who waited for their opportunity to strike. Nero's body adapted with terrifying speed to Gil's spear, then the flesh from the sword spread, turning into bullets that attack Gil and the other dukes. On the other hand, the dark matter turns into a black light that serves as a shield, blocking the attack that bypasses the rain of bullets. Despite all his defenses, the dukes still attacked, and Abraham's frost arrows began to melt before reaching him. Helios's spell, devouring void, was swallowed in return. Even when he used one of the most potent cancellation spells inside the staff, it was pulled into the writhing flesh and unmade.

"He is adjusting to us!" Harald yelled, dodging a flurry of golden-black bullets.

"He's evolving as well… not just resisting our attacks… but devouring it," Abraham replied. "Like a black hole with intent."

Harald, undeterred, changed his grip and raised his axe, with a single swing, the surrounding bullets were destroyed. He then jumped skyward, bringing his axe down to meet his opponent's blade, but then the black light blocked him.

BOOM.

The ground bent, space cracked, and despite the distance, the impact of the clash made Nero stumble.

But the Nirvana Flesh only reformed, absorbing the force like a meal.

"Impressive, but you know, I can still release more power than this." Nero's blade erupted with blinding light. Gil, who was fighting head-on, momentarily lost his vision. Helios immediately aided him and stood by his side. With him there for his friend Nero pointed his weapon at Harald.

But a beam of pure ice intercepted it.

Abraham stepped forward, his bow humming with three arrows all ready to be released. "Stay focused, Harald," he just said, finally releasing the arrows.

Helois activated another spell from the staff, it was a spell called Scythe that severs a target from their connection to mana for a brief moment. With his body losing strength for a moment, an arrow flew into his arm, flickering, trying to block, but instead it flew towards the sword, knocking it away.

His sword's glow died.

And that was the opening they needed.

Not letting the opportunity disappear, Abraham increased the strength of his arrows, now laced with even more purity of frost, struck from behind, embedding in Nero's joints. The power of the ice spreads, reaching even the sword, numbing Nirvana Flesh's regeneration.

Harald lifted his axe and charged again, using one of the abilities of his weapon; he bypassed the black light and directly aimed at Nero, trying to follow Abraham's previous attack.

Helios remained still, canceling the black matter from fully manifesting, though he could not completely stop it due to his interference. Nero's shield became weaker than ever. Then, as he succeeded at weakening the shield, Helios called another spell stored inside the staff, called the Dominion's Last Rite, a spell that allowed him to bind a soul, not a body.

"Now, Gilgamesh!"

From a rift in the sky, Gil appeared, spear raised, glowing with light that could only belong to a sacred weapon.

"Spear, hear me out, let's do this!" He said like prayer that encourages both him and the weapon.

A ring of celestial light locked around Nero, compressing his being inside a prison where nothing could be absorbed or released.

Nero tried to fight off but then Harald's axe slash through his remaining power and penetrated his body. Blood gushed out, but Nirvana's Flesh was still alive. It convulsed, unable to feed. Making its target its wilder. Blood and flesh spread out only to be suppressed by a single arrow.

"Not yet..." Nero mutters, trying to summon another kind of power, but then something comes rushing from the sky. The spear of Gilgamesh came down from above stabbing Nero right into his chest.

"Just stay on, please," the southern duke just said as he activated another ability of his spear.