SWNOVELXO Chapter 62: Divine Fracture
The arena was a roar of confusion, magic haze, and cracked stone. The divine energy left behind from Iria's first burst still lingered in the air like the final note of a war song, heavy with meaning and power.
But now, Damon was down, his sword clattered far from him, his breathing erratic.
Vax lay crumpled, frost still spreading from his hands, eyes barely open, and bones broken everywhere.
Seline knelt beside them, her staff broken--its once vibrant light snuffed out, replaced with trembling hands trying to channel magic through nothing but her will.
Only Toren stood firm, eyes wide but unwavering.
From across the field, Mars, now fueled with unleashed war energy, raised his blade--and with it, a molten shield that pulsed with the red glow of conquest. Each impact against it drained the energy of its attacker, stealing strength like a cursed siphon.
Iria, half-consumed by the Bifrost, had grown quiet.
Toren gritted his teeth. "Then let this be my last spell!"
His magic surged--a radiant, teal sigil forming beneath Iria. Chains of runes wrapped around her arms and legs like a second skin. Strength, speed, endurance--all magnified. The enchantment pulsed with Celestial Empowerment--his ultimate.
Iria screamed as her muscles flared with power, but the shield still drained her each time she struck it. She staggered back, her knees wobbling.
"I--I can't break through..." she whispered, falling to one knee, fists shaking.
But Seline called out. "You're not alone!"
She reached within herself, casting a raw healing aura--no staff, just spirit. Light poured from her palms, healing Iria's surface wounds.
Damon, bleeding but conscious, sat up and screamed across the field, "MAKE HIM... FEEL IT, IRIA!! FOR GELU-!!" as he falls onto the ground, with his heart no longer beating.
Vax, teeth clenched, summoned a Fractured Ice Barrier--a crystalline dome arcing just in front of Iria, absorbing Mars' next attack, with Vax's ribs piercing his lungs stopping his breathing.
Iria stood within the frozen mist, body shaking, heart pounding.
She looked up to the heavens and screamed, "THEN GIVE ME JUST ONE HIT! JUST ONE! I'LL MAKE IT COUNT!"
The void responded.
The voice returned, gentler this time:
"Then take not what is owed... but what is earned. One Strike. One Fate. One Time."
Power surged into her once more--but not as before. Not with balance. Not with poise.
This was raw and limitless. 1000x her might.
Her hair shot upward like frozen-flames. Her arms shimmered with a prismatic glow, hues of winter aurora streaking through her form. Her veins glowed with silver light.
She clenched her fist, wind spiraling around her body as her voice echoed:
"Witness the mightiest strike ever birthed from the halls of Gelu Hallow!"
She bolted forward, the sand cracking beneath each step. The gods turned to one another, concerned.
Mars swung his sword downward, but Vax's ice shield, one final shard of defiance, blocked it--but it shattered instantly.
But it was too late.
Iria's fist slammed into Mars' gut.
The explosion was silent at first.
Then came the shockwave.
A prismatic nova burst outward.
The arena's spectator barrier cracked--the gods' protective sigils bent under the force.
Even the divine observers recoiled, shielding their faces.
A concussive tremor tore through the city. A windstorm of divine and mortal force collided.
And when the dust cleared...
Mars laid unmoving, a hole carved clean through him, smoke rising from the edges. His shield shattered. His sword embedded in the wall across the arena behind him.
Iria stood over him, breathing hard.
Then, her knees buckled. She fell, collapsing into the sand. Her eyes closed.
Toren hit the ground next, his energy spent.
Seline passed out mid-healing.
Damon and Vax, already unconscious with their life leaving their bodies.
The divine judges hesitated.
A loud divine voice echoed from above.
"Team GELU... is unable to continue. Victory... goes to the Divine Five."
The crowd was silent. Then erupted in thunderous applause--not just for the gods...
But for the mortals who made even the mightiest gods flinch.
GELU lost the battle... but shook the heavens.
They were the team that cracked the invincible.
And somewhere, in the void above, a voice whispered:
"They're worthy for another try."