PHASE 32 - IT WAS NEVER A STALEMATE

A dark flame pillar shattered the skies and engulfed the sword princess’s body whole. Then, a gigantic silhouette of an armor-clad entity slowly revealed its form.

Helena is now wearing the same mech-knight armor, but now, it’s colored crimson black. There are red glowing circuits running through all her body, and there are extra mechanical arms on each of her shoulders. However, she doesn’t have a helmet. Instead, she’s wearing a crown of black thorns that has an eye-like gem on the center of it.

Helena’s aura is terrifying. My whole skeleton trembles. My muscles refused to move an inch. I also think I’m going to pee my panties. The last time I felt this scared is when we fought Aeternos.

“Three God Cores at once?” Lord Mercury muttered as cold sweat rush through his cheeks. “This is getting absurd…”

“She just powered up, that’s all!” Heushac shouted to calm everyone down. Then he turned to his sister. “I can still defeat you, Sis Helena!”

“No…” Rikkun whispered under his breath that only I can hear. “Those three gods… Zeus, Odin, Vishnu. They are the primal gods in their pantheon. A Gate Guardian can only activate one God Core at a time, but she’s… she’s a special case. If we’re not careful-”

“Haaaaaaah!” Heushac immediately charged at the enemy at full throttle! His booster jet wings gave off a bluish burning streak!

“Heushac you idiot!”

Bam! There was a loud crashing sound! It seems like Heushac bumped an invisible barrier surrounding Helena! Good thing Heushac had a helmet on, or else, his brain would’ve been split right now.

“What the-!!!” Heushac cried. “Take this! Haaaa!” He raised his steaming hot blade and smashed it to the unseeable barrier over and over, but it didn’t do anything!

“Foolish brother.” Helena smirked. In a second, she morphed her mechanical arm into a lance and swung it to her brother’s chest!

“Gah!”

Chunks of ’s chest plates has been scrapped. It even went through and sliced Heushac’s chest up. His left lung just got slaughtered. Blood showered as he fell down.

“Mister Heushac!” , “Heushac!” We all shouted.

Key immediately canceled her and reverted herself back into her injured humanoid white-haired form. She spawned rocket boosters from her feet as she dashed away from Helena with the fallen Heushac.

When they are already in the safe zone, I immediately went to our dying friend’s aid and checked his wounds. It was a miracle that his heart was undamaged, but there is a huge cut on his lungs. I immediately used my while Key morphed her hands into surgery tools that removed clotting blood responsible for obstructing his breathing.

“Haaaa… haaa…” Heushac’s heaving tells us that he’s already exhausted. If this continues...

“Hang in there, Mister Heushac!” I cried as I focused more prana on my healing hands.

<>

“Why you!” Rikkun angrily glared at the psychopath Helena. “Why did you do that to your own brother!”

“That’s what happens to the weak,” Helena smirked.

Why is Helena like that!?

“I don’t know what made you a retard, but you will pay for this!” Rikkun said as he drew his katana from his watch.

Emily and Kristoff/Lord Mercury went to Rikkun’s side, readying their weapons. Emily bent over and charged her tail with wind energy, while Lord Mercury enchanted his bow and staff with fire. Rikkun also activated his , which enchanted his katana with hurricane-like aura. He even readied a on his other hand.

“I’ll be your support too!” Naomi revealed herself with a staff that has wings and swirling snake sigil on it. “!!!”

Glitters of light showered upon the three Gate Guardians, and now, their power to cast spells have been replenished.

“Thanks, dear!” Lord Mercury said to his wife. Then he made a serious gaze to the enemy god while talking to Rikkun. “I think his invisible barrier is different from what I have known. Vishnu is the god of protection and preservation, so let’s presume that his barriers protect all sides.”

“There must be a limit to his energy barrier. We storm her long ranged attacks and keep our distance.” Rikkun said.

“You can count on me, Master Alaric!” Emily pumped her fist, and then she made the first attack! “!!!”

Three wind drills were launched consecutively, but everything was dispelled by the invisible barrier.

“!!!” Lord Mercury unleashed his endless barrage of arrows but every projectile shattered as soon as it was a few inches away from Helena.

“!!!” Rikkun aimed at Helena’s head, but as soon as the icy plate reached her, it immediately shattered like glass. Rikkun just forced a smile and said: “I take my commands back. I think there’s no limit to her cheating shield.”

Lord Mercury tightened his grip on his staff. “Maybe I have to cheat too… !!!”

Lord Mercury spawned bluish laser-light wings from his back. There is even a rainbow ring surrounding his body as he ascended up high. Then in the blink of an eye, he disappeared, only leaving specks of glowing silver dust from his position!

Kristoff/Lord Mercury was next seen next to Helena, and he’s slashing all his way up to the armor with his bladed bow! He finally went through the invisible shield, but Helena’s invulnerable armor is another trouble!

“Darn, why won't my attacks work!”

“I’m surprised that you went through my , but this is where it all ends,” Helena said as she swung her broadsword straight to Lord Mercury’s throat.

But...

Her blade just passed through as if she’s just hitting the air!

Slash! Slash-Slash! Helena tried again, but her follow up strikes are useless as if she’s fighting a hologram.

Lord Mercury smirked. “ gives me the ability to be so fast that I can phase through all things. I can still attack you, but you can never hit me. Since you’re quite invulnerable, we’re now the same. Nothing can hurt us two now.”

Helena followed up with an uppercut slash, a side strike, and a thrust to Mercury’s heart, but nothing happened as if she's just hitting an illusion.

The lightning sword princess finally gave up attacking. She then sighed. “Heh. You got me.”

“This is a complete stalemate,” Mercury said. “So give up in fighting.”

“Hahahaha! No!” Helena laughed. “There is no stalemate in a fight if you still have to protect someone. If you consider this a stalemate in chess, then I shall say ‘check queen.’”

All of a sudden, Helena’s greatsword’s handle elongated that it now looks like an oversized spear. Green lightning and flames covered its blades. She raised it to her shoulders and threw it like a javelin!

“!!!”

The godly spear went through Mercury’s body without any problems because of his phasing ability.

But he was never the target! The attack was directed to his fiance Naomi, who was perfectly aligned with him!

“Naomi!” Mercury turned away and chased the weapon, planning to catch the handle. With all prana left on his body, he exhausted it all to gain an unbelievable speed.

The spear of Odin is the fastest flying weapon of all. It boasts the quickness of the speed of light, and it can never miss once it left its mark.

But Mercury is different! He’s the God of Travellers! He’s the fastest god of all! He managed to grab the tip of the handle just before it can pierce his lover’s throat. That was a close call! The distance between the tip of the blade from Naomi is just two centimeters!

“Kristoff…” Naomi’s tears sprinkled.

“I told you, I’m fast enough to come home to you.” Kristoff smiled. Depleting all his energy and the power of God Core to save his loved one, he is no longer the God of Travellers.

But then…

Shwook!

“H-Huh!?”

That was all Kristoff can mutter as he realized that there is an oversized edge on his belly, sliding all the way to his throat.

It was Helena’s broadsword. And that evil swordswoman stabbed Kristoff from the back.

Mustering all the willpower left, Kristoff reached out his hand to his wife. He struggled to say his last words as he coughs blood for every syllable.

“...Naomi… I… love… you…”

“Kristoff!!!” Naomi held her husband's hand tight.

Then...

The ruthless sword princess lifted her greatsword, perfectly slicing the poor man in half.