The sudden scare from seeing Arah in the wholesomeness of its power had done its job.

Lukas felt Banksi’s control over the sand coffin slowly dissipate. Not that it made any difference in the long term. In the end, any and all mana that entered within an Anomaly’s Territory could be absorbed by the Anomaly and converted into a usable form. Of course, there was a line drawn against the maximum amount that could be absorbed at any given moment, but Banksi’s spell was hilariously away from that line. Hell, you couldn’t even see the line from there.

The sand beneath his feet pushed him up, and Lukas found himself slowly rising up from Banksi’s coffin. It was like standing on top of an elevator as it slowly rose upwards. He could see thin pockets of sand slowly empty themselves out from his attire and drop down to the floor beneath. Now that he was out of the trap, relinquishing his territory was the right thing to do, but knowing Banksi, the earth-shaper might just have a few tricks up their sleeve.

He considered Banksi again, at the look of fresh horror on their faces. He saw the utterly flabbergasted expression on Tanya’s face, watching her trying to derive her own conclusions about the nature of the beast levitating before them. Tanya had first-hand experience with Arah back then in the borderland, but that creature had been nothing compared to the one she was stuck against. He glanced at the armed soldiers taking positions in the gallery, their shields— crafted out of the Blessings of the Goddess— ready to tank up any damage that Arah might throw their way. He could even see the gears running in their minds.

All of his opponents, especially Tanya, were one step away from unleashing their own kami. No, it would be more proper to say that they tried their best to restrain themselves from unleashing their own kami. Arah had shared some very interesting titbits about Kami's nature— specifically the strong feelings of territoriality and aggression that were sparked at seeing an unleashed kami in their presence.

Doubly so if they were being made to fight against it.

He could see the slight tilt in gravity around Banksi. Avriel— the Earth-shaping Marid was exerting its presence in the real world, its power leaking out of Banksi’s ironclad hold. Bergott’s kami, a water-type marid, was less prone to acting out, its own flexibility acting against its strong territorial aggression. And finally, there was Ezzeron, but Tanya had too much experience keeping a rein over him while Unbound.

Arah had made some very interesting comments about Tanya’s kami. It had made him wonder if Tanya herself knew the full extent of what her kami was capable of.

But that was for later.

“So,” he asked out loud, “think you can continue this battle?”

Banksi was the first to speak. “You-you're in control?”

Lukas smirked.

Before the fight, he had seen Tanya draw conclusions about his apparent lack of experience in fighting alongside kami. What she had forgotten was that Time in the Other World was wonky.

And just because he had been away for close to two weeks did not mean the same time had passed in the Other World.

A time gap that he had spent in synchronizing with his kami while trying to survive the wrath of one of the greatest existences in that Domain.

First, you show them what they expect to see. Inanna’s phantom voice whispered to him fervently, Then, you show them what they want to see. In the end…when they lie defeated…then you show them the truth.

He wholeheartedly agreed with the sentiment.

He nudged his head upward at Arah’s fiery form, its flames turning almost white at the bottom, merging into him from above. He felt his own senses synchronize with Arah, feel its nigh alien mindset co-exist along with his own, his experience with allowing Monster-Prototypes to take over his form making it way smoother than it was supposed to feel.

And then two things happened.

The first was the sensation of Arah’s unholy power flooding through his veins. It tasted dark and destructive as if existing for the sole purpose of absolute destruction of whatever came within its reach. The other was the odd feeling of being pushed down, an invisible force that was exerting itself from all sides. A subtle power that demanded his adoration and his abject fear. A feeling of being in the presence of someone so far above you that it wasn’t possible to do anything but bow down.

Like a good acolyte.

But he didn’t.

There was only one goddess that he had ever registered. The only one that he had ever known. The only one that he was willing to go to lengths he would not have done otherwise.

Inanna.

And this power. Regardless of how divine it was, regardless of how strong and all-permeating it might be, was no Inanna.

Lukas Aguilar had not bowed before Inanna.

He would not bow before this new entity.

And [LOSTBELT EARTH] was far, far greater than any paltry God that stood before its might.

NEW OMPHALOS FUNCTION ADDED!

Function— Living Anomaly

Level - NA

DESCRIPTION

An Anomaly is its own Domain. It does not register the effect of any Truths or any Divine Assertions that try to exert itself into its Domain.

And just like that, the surreal amount of force emptied out.

And up above, the soldiers suddenly staggered back, as if someone or something had taken the wind off the proverbial sails.

“Well,” He replied with a harsh breath, “that was a nasty feeling. Let’s not try that again.”

He glanced at Tanya and the others. “Right. Let’s continue.”

Tanya rolled her eyes.

It seemed no matter what happened, Aguilar would never be found lacking when it came to showing off. It was exactly like being back at the Anomaly, seeing him torture the Anomaly’s Genius Loci all the while making casual conversation. She had seen his expression suddenly change, recognizing it as the sensation of being suppressed by the passive effects of the Eternal Light of Amaterasu. She could associate with it, having felt it for as long as she remembered.

But unlike what one would think, she welcomed it.

The struggle took effort, but it allowed her to remain in control.

It kept the Frost under restraints.

Until Lukas Aguilar came along and she no longer needed them.

So imagine her surprise when the flickering look of pain suddenly erased from Lukas’s expression, replaced by the casual demeanor he was sporting a second ago.

Had he managed to get accustomed to that pressure that quickly? Or was this more of his Outsider-ness acting out?

Time would tell. But for now—

She let her clenched palms relax.

Felt the restraints she bound Ezzeron with undo themselves.

Felt his power grow within her, searching for an escape.

Tanya exhaled. Zuken had asked her to showcase her actual skill with her kami. Prove to these pretentious douchebags that she was fit to be the wielder of Ezzeron.

Take the throne that belonged to the Wind King.

They wanted a show. Tanya’s lips twisted in a savage grin. They got one.

And then she let go.

There was no light.

No wind. No show of power.

There was…. Nothing.

An emptiness arose out of Tanya, one that seemingly swallowed the mana around them. Even Araf’s flames seemed to get drawn into its nothingness. Nigh transparent fumes arose out of the blonde spiritist, blackening, converging, morphing itself to procure a physical presence. A tremendous black creature with gaping holes of pure nothingness as eyes arose out of the girl, followed by two pairs of mighty wings that expanded in four directions.

This wasn’t a creature that tossed around wind to do its bidding.

No, this was something that held absolute dominion over it.

Moved it.

Created it and generated it.

This was Ezzeron.

Lukas watched with growing interest as Tanya’s eyes went full black, a reflection of the air spirit she had command over, and her stance changed. Just to confirm, He raised one hand and threw a miniature fireball in her direction.

Invisible knives tore it apart before it even traveled midway.

“Oh my,” He heard himself say, “So that’s how you like to play.”

But Tanya wasn’t listening. Not to the teasing tone in his voice or anything else for that matter. Lukas could almost feel the dark power burning through her veins. It was almost like hearing someone’s heartbeat. Any kind of spiritual synergy would always leak into the Host’s consciousness and persona— his own powers had shown him that much. Considering Tanya’s background and Ezzeron’s indomitable power, he doubted Tanya had that much experience with it.

Which meant that it was all too easy for her to go rampaging like he had done with the khorkhoi the first time around.

Especially if he pushed her a little.

He wondered what would happen if he just ended up doing that.

The crowd had gone completely silent. The spectators, the soldiers, and even Banksi and Bergott had gotten quieter after Ezzeron had been unleashed. Lukas doubted they understood the significance of the act, but they could certainly feel the raw power oozing out of the two titans that were about to be locked in combat.

A combat that would leave lasting repercussions.

But Lukas found himself uncaring about it.

As Banksi had told him— this was a show.

His eyes had closed sometime midway into his self-reflection. They snapped open now. Wide. Alert. Focused. No more reservations. No more holding back for the sake of holding back. The battle was his to win now and he would guide it to whatever conclusion he deemed fit.

“I suppose we had this coming,” he murmured, his gaze only reserved for Tanya as she took an aggressive stance, an ever-consuming hole of blackness forming within her hands as the mighty avian tilted its head in his direction. “Ever since our first fight. Let’s finish it this time around.”

Power grew within him.

And Tanya attacked.