Chapter 260: The Demon of the Flower (6)
Deep within Ketal, the beast of Myst prowled restlessly. It was a wellspring of power, a monstrous spirit chained within, yet it had never truly accepted Ketal as its master. Whenever he tried to command it, the beast resisted, snarling and lashing out like a stray dog rejecting a new owner’s hand. This was why, despite possessing an Advanced amount of Myst, Ketal had struggled to do anything with it except reinforce his own body.
There had been only one time when the beast had ever acted willingly, and that was when Ketal had fought Ferderica, the one who had opened the gates from the heavens. At that time, the beast had howled with irritation, unsatisfied, its instincts flaring as Ketal was attacked. The creature reacted as if a stray dog had found a trespasser threatening its territory; unwilling to let an outsider harm what it begrudgingly saw as its own. Just like then, the beast was now crying out, its dissatisfaction clear as Ketal fought Materia. Throughout the battle, it stirred and grumbled inside, as if resenting the presence of such a formidable foe.
Ketal’s laughter rang out, joyous and wild. Back then, he had suppressed the beast, not wanting to reveal all his cards, but now he had no reason to hold back.
“Come on. Show yourself,” he called out.
The beast inside let out a jubilant howl, shaking itself free and roaring in delight. The sound rumbled through the world like a thunderclap, carrying across the battlefield and beyond. Those watching from a distance, faces pale and trembling, heard the animal’s cry echoing through the air, sending a chill down their spines.
Ketal gripped his axe tightly. Myst surged along the blade, swirling and coalescing into a razor-sharp edge. The power became tangible, like a living extension of his will.
Materia’s expression shifted as she watched, her eyes narrowing with alarm.
That is dangerous. Truly dangerous, she thought. She wanted to react, to defend herself, but she had already gathered so much energy for her attack that she could not move in time.
Ketal planted his foot and swung his axe. He charged at Materia, channeling Myst into his weapon, and let it slash across the space between them. For a brief moment, nothing happened. It was as if he had merely lashed at the air, and only the whisper of wind could be heard.
Just then, the world itself seemed to split. A deafening crack rang out, and the fabric of reality was sliced in half. Space itself divided, perfectly clean as if someone had taken a pair of shears to a sheet of paper. Fortunately, Ketal’s attack had been aimed slightly upward. The rift he created only split the sky; had he aimed at the ground, the scar left upon the earth would never have healed.
Within the path of that division, Materia was cut cleanly in two. The immense power she had gathered was also split, the energy torn in half by the rending of space. The dark strength she wielded was not unleashed; instead, it was sucked into the warped, severed world and annihilated.
Ketal let out a long breath, lowering his axe.