I created my own system

"Focus you need to cut him down"

There shouldn't be any doubt in my heart and only my desire should be embedded in my blade.

I closed my eye all senses directed at a single person, struggling yet not giving up. Dominos was still fighting not wanting to give up.

The pillars rose again, faster this time—a ring of ten forming around him. He began chanting. His hands bled. The pillars vibrated.

"Another mysterious spell…" I whispered. "But I can tell he is trying to boost his power through Nirvana's blood."

Alicia yelled in my mind.

{He is trying to strengthen himself. You only have seconds—stop him}

Jeremiah then came to me, [The spell soul devourer has been prepared Creator can we still cast it, Nirvana's flesh can devour it]

"Dont worry we can use it, just let me get rid of those lump of trash."

My sword lifted.

I called Nebula.

It have me an answered.

I couldn't help but smile as my eyes saw it, a thin line right in the middle of the tsunami like wave of dark matter. It was the path I will take.

It wasn't an opening, but I will sure it will became one.

This was it.

One slash.

To end everything.

I became one with blade, the darkness faded the flesh that compose Dominos' body was cut into mulple pieces even when I only made the cut once. Somehow like domino effect it end up falling apart one by one.

"Arghh!!"

I can hear his scream along the continuous breakage of his flesh. It continue to fall apart as the power of my sword strike flow into every vein in his body. Destroying it to the point it cant be heal.

Behind him, the ten pillars he'd summoned had fractured, their source splintered by the power I channeled.

His body ruptured. His soul—wounded.

I stepped back.

He collapsed to his knees, a low guttural sound slipping from his throat—not pain, not anger, just… determination to win. It seems even in his current state he still wanted to survive.

Unfortunately I don't plan to let you go

"Now Jeremiah!"

His body can't move, while it continue break apart, the soul had been fully unguarded. The spell that is already been cast now fully activated, it latch onto the soul of its target and started to eat it.

"NO!!"

A different kind of scream echo accompany by the berserking movement of the dark matter. It seems Dominos' fear had trigger it to move to protect him, but with the spell latch at his soul, even how many times the black matter move it can't protect him.[Creator, the foreign power that Dominos is using is acting berserk]

"Yeah don't worry I can tell that"

I felt exasperated as I said that, because Dominos' is actually fighting the spell. However I can see it will end in futile, he will be eaten soon but in the meantime I need to deal at this catastrophe.

With Nirvana's flesh out of the way I could finally cast a spell.

"Lets see should I copy the tecnique that Dominos did a while ago...how was it again? Lets see"

My sword glow borrowing the power of stars then I blented it to the spell I was casting.

At first I wasnt sure how to do this but seeing how my enemy combine the dark matter with his flesh then combining thier abilities. I already analyze it so I should be able to do the same as well as long as I use it as basis.

"Nebula, hear me"

The will of the sword combine with the might of magic, a thunderous roar echoes. The cloud thickens turning into a dark cumulonimbus clouds.

"Thunder aura, Celestial lightning"

My sword was clad in lightning, a purple hazy blue lightning, accompany by the power of the wind. The temperature suddenly raises, surpassing even the heat of the surface of the sun.

"Eat this!" I swung hard and a wave of lighting flow and destroy the berserking foreign enegy pushing them into oblivion.

"Tha...that...spell"

You still fighting, I looked at Dominos it seem his will his really strong to be able to last longer.

"You....guargh!!!"

Dominos raised his hand, watching it decay, cell by cell, flaking off into nothingness.

"Tell me…teacher...." he whispered, eyes darkening. "Was I truly that wrong… I did what any other mage would do?"

Again with his delusions but I didn't answer immediately. My mind my is circling about many things.

Behind me, Alicia approached slowly, she looks the same as before but her eyes look satisfied for some reason.

"Teacher.... please.... Apollo..." He crawl with his remaining limps traing to get close to me.

"Loo....a-t...me"

He is begging, I should applaud his will to continue being alive despite slowly being eaten, so I gave him what he wanted.

"You weren't wrong," I finally said. "But you let your obsession rot you from the inside out. A mage driving force my be their curiousity but still, you should have known when to stopped. Despite everything out continue to be selfish focusing on a goal that will only benefit a number of people. In the end you reap what you sow"

I saw his expression change, but I could not tell what it means,but does it even matter I don't really care what that expression means.

His head dropped. For a moment, silence hung between us.

Then—he laughed.

A hollow, broken sound.

"I was so sure that this time ....I could prove… this power… I was r-i…*cough*."

He coughed as his body began to break apart like burnt paper.

"But in the end… why am still...." He looked at me again, his faced were already disappearing. But despite this, his face look at me with clarity. But not as Dominos the deranged prodigy, not as Nero the imperial prince, but simply as… a dying man.

"I lost again, huh?"

His body slowly dissolved into dust-like motes of corrupted light. But just before the last piece of him vanished—he left a final whisper.

"I'll see you… on the other side… Apollo."

Then he was gone.

Nothing remained.

Not his flesh.

Not his energy.

Not even his soul.

Just a faint scorch mark on the ground.

I couldn't help but breath, this fight finally removed the burden that kept pulling the empire into chaos, I hope that I was able to help.

"We are done here, so i suppose we can go back now right?"

Only nodded at her words, "Right lets go back"

As we head back I cant help but ask the question that I failed to address before.

"Jeremiah what do you think is the reason that Dominos was ablet to absorbed my spells despite having markers. They work pretty good at Nirvana but to him it didn't"

[Perhaps like you Creator, Dominos must have developed a method to counter you]

I couldn't help but shake my head,

Truly he was a genius

.

.

.

.

.

Back to the tower Apollo and Alicia arrive looking refresh for some reason.

But then as soon as they settle thier emotions they finally notice something.

The tower felt... different.

The wind that greeted them wasn't just cold—it carried something heavier. Denser. The kind of chill that settled deep in the bones. It wasn't the usual welcome breeze that wrapped around the grounds of the Mage Tower, the wind suddenly carried something, death? Or perhaps it was warning

Confusion filled the two but as they servey the area nothing was out of ordinary not until they felt someone's presence.

"Look finally the two of you are here" Carlo said as he held some herbal medicine for the batch of potions he needs to make.

"Sir Carlo is it starting again?"

Carlo just nodded before pointing the barrier that is protecting the tower.

"Head to the Black tower and talk to sir Arthur, I think he will explain how we will pass the blood season"

The blood season is the cycle in which each have a bloody bloodpath. This is cause by powerful magical beastss that frequently came out in each season. For winter their bloody season starts once the blue snow fall. And unfortunately as soon as Alicia and Apollo return the tower mages saw signs of it.

"Hmmm...if I am not mistaken there wasn't any issues with the blood season in when spring,summer and autumn arrived this year"

[Now the only problem is this winter?]

"Yes, I hope every region safely pass this winter's blood season"

Even when the threath of Nero or even when it was the time of the Monastery there wasnt any kind of incident but then for some reason winter was never kind to other.

Suddenly Apollo remembered the breakout in Evaristo.

"It was also snowing when mother was ordered to be deployed there"

Perhaps because of that incident, winter became a memory that Apollo couldn't pain as beautiful. Because when the blood season arrive, the halls of the towers that used to be filled of people became much quieter than before.

*Sigh*

"I never know I am still affect by that"

He shook his head and tried to push the unwanted thoughts that will only bother him.