Genesis, Second Phase: Terrium is a recalibration of Elyonari's entire stance in combat. Where Catharticum is raw, purifying emerald flame reacting instinctively to perceived threats, Terrium is the foundation. The moment Elyonari completed the phase transition, the relationship between her body and the world shifted.
Terrium grants her absolute affinity with the earth element. Elyonari can "command" the earth which would respond in kind. Every movement she made sent ripples through the ground and every tremor answered her back. Genesis, however, was ruthless in its rules.
She could not wield all her elements simultaneously.
Each phase existed to condition her body, forcing it to absorb, circulate and stabilize vast quantities of Nature Energy before advancing. Attempting to skip phases or stack elements would tear her soul from her body, or worse, cause Genesis to collapse entirely. So, Elyonari had to take time to adjust to each phase before switching to the next. And even that was terrifying.
Elyonari raised one hand. A giant mystic circle unfolded beneath her feet. Another circle formed in the air behind her, then another, then another, each one rotating at a different angle, synchronizing flame and earth into a composite casting structure.
She fired an arrow in the process but it only lasted half a second because of the presence Acidia had around her. It was overcharged by the twin elements and disintegrated mid-flight, unable to withstand the energy density she was pouring through it. Elyonari clicked her tongue.
"Figures."
She abandoned the bow.
The mystic circles changed themselves into direct-output arrays. Pillars of earth erupted from the ground, each one wreathed in flame, slamming down towards her opponent. Acidia literally moved like liquid shadow.
She slid, twisted and redirected herself off rising stone. Her footwork was flawless even as the terrain reshaped itself violently beneath her. Acid constructs formed along her limbs. Each one was perfectly shaped for the moment it was needed. She punched through a flaming stone pillar as her fist broke the other side, already swinging. Elyonari blocked with her forearm.
The collision triggered a powerful reaction, annihilating everything within several hundred meters. Elyonari was pushed back. If it wasn't for her archery build, her arms would be able to handle the impact.
Acidia's martial arts were terrifying because they were efficient. She fought like someone who had killed Deities before and learned from each one. She unleashed massive acid spikes from her kicks. Elyonari countered by slamming her palm into the ground. A wall of earth covered with flames surged upward instantly, absorbing the impact in a violent hiss of steam and corrosion. She dragged the wall with her motion then shattered it into dozens of molten fragments that moved at the speed of sound.
Acidia took several head-on. Her regeneration slowed down and she noticed.
"You're not burning yourself out? What monster trained you to be this vicious?!"
Terrium allowed her to anchor herself. Every time Acidia struck, the force was absorbed into the earth instead of her body. Every time Elyonari moved, the ground pushed her forward, amplified her blows and reinforced her stance.
Acidia could feel the tide turning against her. She could use her Overwrite. One activation and she would erase the battlefield and everything on it. However, Overwrite was a finisher move.
It consumed obscene amounts of energy. If it failed—if Elyonari survived, adapted or resisted—Acidia would be left empty and vulnerable, and dead. For the first time in a long time, she wasn't sure if using it was the correct choice.
A colossal Mystic Circle spread across kilometers, its lines glowing brighter with every pulse of Nature Energy flowing through Genesis. Acidia summoned her acid around her like armor.
"You really are something. No wonder the World Tree claimed you as a Split of Life."
The Mystic Array finished assembling with a sound that did not belong to the world. It was not thunder, not wind, not even the groan of the earth tearing itself apart. It sounded closer to pressure. High above the forest canopy, something answered Elyonari's call.
A meteorite appeared through the clouds. Its surface was wrapped in fire so dense it was visible from above. It moved downward at a velocity that split the clouds.
Acidia stopped moving.
For the first time since the battle began, she did not advance. She simply stared. The acid constructs around her arms trembled as the air pressure skyrocketed to lethal levels.
"You're insane."
The meteorite's heat washed across the forest in suffocating waves. Trees ignited before the impact even arrived. Foliage turned to ash. Rivers boiled. The ground cracked under the sheer atmospheric compression.
Acidia tried to stop Elyonari yet she moved no more than a step. The air around Elyonari had thickened into something tangible. She used her Divine Presence. It was coated with with Nature Energy so dense it functioned as if gravity was increased tenfold.
"So that's how it is. Who did this to you? Who created a monster like you? You haven't even awakened your Verdarite genes and you're already pulling down meteors from the sky?!"
Elyonari said nothing.
Acid appeared in massive waves as she formed a shield around herself. The forest beneath her dissolved into liquid as her power surged past restraint.
"Fine! If that's how you want it, then I'll alter you along with this world! Overwrite, Acidic Reformation!"
The meteorite struck.
The impact did not produce a single explosion. It produced layers of shockwaves in expanding rings. The emerald fire vaporized kilometers of rainforest. Mountains in the distance collapsed. For several seconds, the ground lost coherence. However, the meteorite did not shatter.
It melted.
The mass turned to acid mid-impact. From that seething green inferno, something enormous stood up. It was monstrous and majestic in a way that inspired terror itself.
Acidia's true form emerged fully. Her Forgotten Rank Krepsuna body was revealed at last. Her humanoid shape gave way to something colossal. Her limbs elongated in corrosive plates with acid cascading from her form like rain. Her presence alone warped the land.
"That was fun. You almost killed me. No one's managed that in a long time. However, playtime's over. Let's end this."
Elyonari exhaled.
The emerald flames around her body shifted, responding to a new current of Nature Energy. The pressure in the air changed again. She raised her hand. The mystic arrays vanished in mid-air.
"Genesis, Third Phase, Skyraforma."