"Void Swarm!"
Malzahar raised one arm—
And deep violet energy surged outward.
Space itself—
Split open.
A tear—
Connecting Earth to the Void.
From within—
Dozens of creatures crawled out.
Primitive.
Mindless.
Driven only by instinct.
Each one—
Around early Wolf-level.
Even someone like Mumen Rider—
Could handle several at once.
If boosted by civilians—
Maybe all of them.
"SKREEEEE—!"
The swarm shrieked—
High-pitched.
Piercing.
Then—
They charged.
Tiny limbs—
Moving at terrifying speed.
Targeting—
Ahri and Sylvia Virel.
But not all.
Some—
Turned toward the crowd.
Because to them—
Everything alive—
Was food.
Ahri and Sylvia Virel—
More "delicious."
But also—
More dangerous.
So—
The smarter ones—
Chose easier prey.
And in an instant—
The market—
Collapsed into chaos.
"What… what are those things?!"
"AAAHHH! My arm—don't bite—!"
"CRUNCH—!"
"…He's gone… eaten in seconds…"
"RUN—!"
Just a few creatures—
Was enough.
Blades—
Couldn't pierce their armor.
Guns—
Couldn't track their speed.
Once caught—
Seconds.
That was all it took—
To be devoured completely.
Stalls overturned.
"Artifacts" scattered—
Like trash.
And above it all—
Malzahar watched.
Calm.
Almost—
Reverent.
"See?"
"All life is fragile."
"Only the Void… endures."
"Abandon your struggle."
"Embrace it."
"No."
"…They're ugly."
Ahri and Sylvia Virel—
Rejected him at the same time.
Ahri's fingers moved—
The twin sunstones spun—
Then merged.
"Click—"
A perfect sphere formed.
Glowing—
Deep blue.
"Orb of Deception!"
She threw it.
A graceful arc—
Through the air.
Anything it touched—
Burned.
Reduced to ash.
Their souls—
Absorbed into the orb.
"Flame—obey me."
Sylvia Virel's inner energy surged—
Flowing into her fire hairpin.
Igniting—
Blazing heat.
The flames extended—
Forming a whip.
Three meters long.
Flexible.
Deadly.
"SWISH—! CRACK—!"
Like a dance—
She moved.
Even if the first strike missed—
The whip curved—
Striking again.
Not as instantly lethal as Ahri—
But enough.
Each hit—
Disabled.
Burned.
Destroyed.
Two figures—
Graceful.
Deadly.
Surrounded by fire—
Erasing the swarm.
"Fox-Fire!"
Three pale blue flames appeared beside Ahri—
Then shot forward—
Tracking Malzahar.
But—
They passed through him.
Unaffected.
"Intangibility?"
"…No."
"There's a condition."
Ahri steadied herself quickly.
Abilities like this—
Had limits.
They had to.
Otherwise—
He wouldn't be standing here.
"Futile."
Malzahar hovered—
Voice cold.
"The Void cannot be overcome."
"Submit—"
"Or die."
"Fox-Fire!"
She attacked again—
Without hesitation.
This time—
Malzahar moved.
Void energy surged—
Blocking the flames.
His expression—
Shifted.
Slightly.
His intangibility—
On cooldown.
If he took that hit—
It wouldn't be pleasant.
"…Got you."
Ahri whispered.
There was a weakness.
Sylvia Virel—
Had already seen it too.
And Malzahar—
Had reached his limit.
Void energy—
Exploded around him.
The atmosphere—
Warped.
"Then die."
"You foolish creatures—"
"The Void will descend upon this planet!"
"Void Summoning!"
His hands came together.
Two portals—
Opened.
At opposite ends of the market.
But this time—
No creatures emerged.
Instead—
Pure Void energy.
Unstable.
Violent.
"Not good—run!"
"Now!"
Both activated their bracelets—
"Return!"
In a flash—
They vanished.
Just in time.
The next moment—
The portals erupted.
Void energy—
Flooded everything.
And the entire market—
Was erased.
Reduced—
To nothing but ash.
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