Drawing through his punctured lungs, he sent not air through his mouth, but a small, minuscule wave of darkness, acting as momentary air. It filled his lungs just enough to give him the strength for a singr word, keeping his hand outstretched as it reached for unseen hope.


    "...Arrive..."


    It had little meaning on the surface to Andraste, but his hand stopped, his eyes widened--all at the sudden explosion of mana that erupted from the young man''s outstretched hand.


    What is this? Andraste thought.


    All at once, the air fell to a chilling cold; a veil concealed the surrounding area with an abyssal darkness. Below the boots of the knight, the mud he stood on was transfigured into a ckened ooze that attempted to swallow him.


    A territorial spell…? No, this is somethingpletely different. The boy possessed something like this up his sleeve? But, that incantation--could it even be called one? Andraste thought.


    The ck sludge naturally separated him from the young man''s position, lengthening the space between them as a new entity began to rise unnaturally from the unknown depths of the nebulous sludge.


    "Interesting...Interesting! You can perform a phantasm summoning?" Andraste called.


    No response came as the young man couldn''t muster any further words, only concentrating on breathing as the mysterious figure rose from the sludge; not by the usage of his limbs, but by an unseen, paranormal force.


    Dressed in an immacte, ck butler outfit, possessing a slender, towering figure, the summoned familiar of the young man didn''t wear a smile on his expression.


    "Rest well, Master. I will handle this," Astraeus looked back at the snow-haired man momentarily.


    Without being able to reply with a single word as he focused on breathing through hispromised youngs, the snow-haired young man sank into the dark mud by Astraeus'' admission.


    "And who are you?" Andraste asked, holding a half-smile as he returned his hands to his sheathed des.


    "There is no point in telling my name to a dead man," Astraeus answered.


    With a snap of his fingers, the tall-standing, nebulous butler manifested metallic flowers that sprouted around the unorthodox battlefield; blossoming and stretching high as their stems intertwined and formed walls around them.


    "Hah! I like that," Andrasteughed briefly as he drew his twin des from their sheaths on his back.


    "Save your words for when you''re groveling for mercy," Astraeus spoke sternly as he snapped his fingers once more.


    The second snap caused the colossal, metallic roses to stretch their petals before vines, in the form of chains, sprouted from each unnatural flower, propelling towards the knight rapidly.


    With a smile stitched across his lips, Andraste leapt into the air to avoid the chains, though they shifted their trajectory to follow him.


    Each chain bore a seemingly endless length, with the width of each link being asrge as the knight as he defended himself by shing steel-against-steel. In his first strike, he repelled the spear-headed chain, though to his surprise, his sh didn''t bisect the chain.


    It was a relentless attack; the towering chains that replicated the majesty of the world serpent itself mmed down, cracking the jungle below as the knight evaded their reach,bating them with his own steel.


    It''s strong--this metal. This spirit...is it a high spirit? Or perhaps...he thought.


    "You''re a divine spirit!" Andraste called out as his des shed against iing whips of the colossal chains.


    Augh of splendor escaped the knight''s lips as he held each de to his side, guiding the chains away as his eyes set on the ck-sclera, slender butler who stood still in the liminal space.


    "I''ve always wanted to test myself against a divine spirit," Andraste spoke with mischievous lining his words, "tell me: do humanoid spirits like yourself spill the same, red guts as humans?"


    "Try me," Astraeus replied coldly.


    Like a conductor, the tail-coated butler moved his hands through the air, guiding the serpentine chains as they whipped violently through the air with cracks that resounded with shock waves.


    If it wasn''t therge, ded ends of the malicious chains he had to avoid, then it was the high-velocity, durable chain links Andraste was forced to dodge.


    Again, the revered knight showcased his finesse with his thin, refined des as he repelled every chain that attempted to strike him.


    "Don''t make meugh, divine spirit! If this is your ceiling, then I''ve been misled my entire life!" Andraste coaxed.


    Astraeus'' ck eyes squinted slightly as he slowly lifted his hand, "Who said this was my ceiling?"


    From the abyssal mud below, dozens of smaller, but plentiful chains sprouted like hellish foliage; all aiming their deadly, spear-ends at the knight who was falling through the air.


    "Good, good! That''s more like it, spirit!" Andraste called out in splendor.


    Spinning himself with such speed that he appeared as a blur, the white-garmnent knight repelled the army of spear-like chains as orange sparks befell the air like a fiery rainstorm.


    It was all in an instant; every chain was sent rearing back afterughter spilled from the bowels of Andraste, who took nothing but joy in the battle.


    "Come! I have yet to cast a single spell of my own, spirit!" Andraste coaxed with a yell that filled the abyssal airs.


    Astraeus remained as cool as he began, snapping his fingers as he withdrew the chains back into the ckened mud, "I will admit it: you''re indeed troublesome."<novelnext></novelnext>


    As Master is right now, defeating this enemy is simply impossible. I must im victory here and now, Astraeus thought, I simply cannot fail my Master the very first time he''s relied on, either!


    Changing his stance, the towering butler raised his glove-covered hand directly to the air before snapping his fingers with such prominence that it resounded like a shock wave, chiming with an unknown awakening.


    "Oh?" Andraste breathed out as hended back down on the liminal trail.


    The knight looked around as the colossal, steel-forged flowers seemed to blossom further, stretching out as darkness seeped from the grooves of their petals.


    Darkness bubbled and stirred all around the metallic, intertwined walls of stems; a hum red from the gathering stygian, percussing with enough intensity that the abyssal mud vibrated and rippled beneath the knight''s step.


    Above Andraste, the knight looked up to see glistening stars above; shing and crossing a spectrum of divine shades--it was the pollen of the nebulous flowers. They fluttered in the abyssal, fogden air above, radiating as the hum amplified further.


    "Fantastic...such grand magic, yet it requires no words! You''re truly a spectacr spirit!" Andrasteplimented as he raised his des in preparation of a sh with the valley of stars above his head.


    "Argo Navis," Astraeus spoke.


    With a snap of his fingers, the sprouted stars formed into the shape of a great ship; though it only bore a resemnce to the vessel of the sea, it soon manifested into reality as an astral, colossal force.


    "...Oh?" Andraste watched with a smile.


    The massive ship was birthed from the ordered stars, gliding through the air as it descended into the abyssal mud below, sailing directly towards the perplexed, yet smiling knight as war horns resounded.


    It made little sense to exist in that space, conjured from nothing but the glistening pollen of steel flowers--but s, that was the nature of magic: Andraste weed it.


    Far toorge, sweeping through the abyssal mud as if the oceans of creation it sailed; the celestial ship approached on the knight with a towering presence.


    "Impressive...but, it''s not enough if you want to step up to me!" Andraste shouted.


    Wielding both of his des above his head as the colossal sea vessel rapidly approached his position, a mixture of light and darkness coalesced on each of his des.


    He talks too much, Astraeus thought.


    The Victorious Seven member stomped his boot against the mud with enough force that the surroundingnd trembled; withplete reverence, he carved his des downwards as the mixture of divinity and unholiness intertwined to carve space itself.


    It haltedpletely; the ship froze in ce as a line bisected its form, rending the space between both of its halves before it was split cleanly into two sections.


    "..."


    Astraeus remained silent as the astral ship was bisected, fading away into a mass of residual, silver mana as the knight twirled the handles of his des around his fingers.


    Pointing his leftmost, ck-handled de towards the divine spirit, Andraste smiled wide, "I think it''s my turn to attack."


    "If it means you''ll stop grating my ears with your voice, then be my guest," Astraeus responded coldly.


    I don''t have much time left to stay materialized. Master''s mana reserves are low, and his physical condition is even worse. I have to end this soon, Astraeus thought.


    With a howl ofughter, Andraste suddenly took the offensive without moving a step forward, instead shing his des against the empty space around him.


    It was the sheer strength inhabiting the knight''s body alone; no magic, or abilities--the strikes of his sword carved a path through the jungle, cutting into thend with colossal shes of white and ck.


    Through sheer strength alone, space had been rent.


    "Ngh…!" Astraeus let out in surprise, jumping back.


    The surrounding trees were cut away in the dozens, befalling the jungle with a graveyard of nature as the divine shes cut into the natural mud below.


    Astraeus evaded the ludicrously fast shes as they zipped by like shes of light, only barely managing to dodge their visceral edge as his immacte zer was left shredded.


    "Heh."


    Andraste let out a small chuckle at the aftermath of his dual-strike, looking at the divine spirit who held his stoic, but contemptful expression as the surrounding trees fell with a rhythmic quake.


    As he kept his distance, Astraeus tucked his left hand behind his back as it emanated shadowy particles, maintaining his visage of strength.


    I''m running out of time. I haven''t been able tond even a single blow on him yet...if I leave Master alone with this man, he will surely...no, I have to trust him. This is a trial he must ovee--that is the destiny he faces; one of hardship, and of growth. I mustn''t coddle him, Astraeus thought.


    Even if he reached that conclusion, the ck-eyed spirit knew well it was a task that sat outside the realm of Ren''s strength.


    "This is getting boring," Andraste suddenly said, "You''re boring me, spirit."