reply, she cast a flurry of incandescent fireballs at me. I blocked them with Thieron's blade, but the force of their impact was still strong enough to push me back.
I couldn't teleport, thanks to whatever death magic she'd been given by the Spirit Bender, and I didn't even have time to figure out how a Hermessi could use death magic. It was a question left for later. But I could still throw fire back at her.
Unlike Brendel, however, I'd been trained to use every ounce of my resources wisely, focusing on the target, rather than the damage. I released a series of small fireballs in rapid succession. They didn't do much other than distract her for a split second, but a split second was all I needed to move closer and use Thieron.
Realizing my intention, Brendel dashed back, clearly fearful of Death's weapon, even in my hands. That just confirmed what Eva and the others had said. It was good to have some kind of confirmation from experience, rather than from theories, because Brendel was a dangerous force, and unpracticed theories could end in tragedy.
"They were right. You're not a fan of Thieron, especially in its complete form," I said.
Around us, the battlefield erupted. I caught glimpses of Kabbah launching fiery green attacks against the incoming Hermessi. Lumi and Nethissis summoned the Word's power and cast combinations of attack and protection spells. Eira drew water from the skies above and channeled it into frozen projectiles aimed at the Fire elementals.
Raphael used his fire against the Water Hermessi. Riza cast jinni magic, toying with the Air Hermessi. Fortunately for us, the only thing Brendel had ever been able to block was a jinni’s teleportation ability. I would’ve use my own jinni magic, but Thieron was a much better fit given my powerful opponent.
Herakles, Eva, and Varga were limited in their offensive, but they fired all the pulverizer pellets they had, reloading every other minute. As expected, the pellets didn't do much, but they still poked temporary holes in several Hermessi, just enough to give Kabbah an edge for a proper attack.
Brendel came at me with all her fiery might, and I froze for a second. Why was she coming straight for me when I had Thieron out and ready to slice through her?
She split in half and dashed past me. Before I knew it, I felt her fire behind me, burning through my leather uniform. I gasped and turned around, slashing at her. She moved back, the blade missing her by inches. She laughed.
"You think a nifty gadget will be the end of me?"
A boom thundered across the mountain peak, drawing everyone's attention. Amelia had just landed on the ground, holding Yamani's scythe, which I'd left in her care. The blade glowed a beautiful orange. Behind her, a Fire Hermessi had been split in half.
"How can that be?!" Raphael croaked. "Don't get me wrong, it's amazing, but still…"
Only then did I notice the Reapers fighting, as well. They zapped across and around the mountain peak, using their scythes and bits of death magic against the elementals. The Soul Crusher, the Widow Maker, the Phantom, and Seeley were all involved. It seemed as though all rules were scrapped this time around.
I was witnessing magic I hadn’t seen before. Soul tore holes into the fabric of space, and Widow grabbed various Hermessi with just his gloved hands, throwing them in. Phantom cut through Air and Earth elementals, her scythe's blade changing colors between white and green whenever she delivered a blow.
"I… I don't know!" Amelia replied. "All I care is that it's somehow working!"
That being said, she quickly spun and went back to the Hermessi she'd just cut in half. I didn’t have time to wonder whether she’d become a Reaper, too, someday, but the thought had crossed my mind. She delivered another blow, this time with a horizontal swing. Yamani's scythe went through, glimmering orange, and the Hermessi was now broken in four pieces.
Brendel seemed surprised. "What's happening?" she murmured.
"Maybe the universe is telling you it's still on our side," I said.
Thieron hummed in my hand, sending heat waves through every inch of my body. My limbs zinged with raw energy, my fingers tingling as I gripped its handle tighter and swung the blade at Brendel.
She dodged it again, then moved around me. There was cautiousness in her approach, while she kept stealing glances at the four-piece Hermessi Amelia had left behind to take on an Earth elemental, next.
The Reapers were at