The moment Chrysanthemum's beam severed Ardne's jaw, all three Commanders moved at once without saying a single word.
Ferris ran forward in a single burst. The force beneath her feet cracked the terrain as she closed the distance instantly. Chainless manipulated her sapphire chains to move in multiple directions, anchoring into shattered terrain and debris to create a shifting web of control. Chrysanthemum remained grounded for only a moment longer. She tracked every fragment of Ardne's regeneration in real time.
The sky itself seemed to darken under the combined pressure of their Divine Energy. Ardne barely had time to stabilize her form before Ferris was already in front of her.
Her greatsword aimed specifically for Ardne's upper frame. The trajectory was angled to intercept both arms and her head. Ardne's form shattered again under the force. Chainless used her own chains to wrap around the scattered fragments. Chrysanthemum lifted her staff and fired again, targeting the areas where her jaw and arms were attempting to reform.
Ardne emerged again with a surge of black energy, attempting to create space between them, but the trio didn't retreat. Ferris used the recoil of the previous strike to move around the blast with her weapon already coming around for another attack.
Chainless redirected her chains instantly, pulling herself forward through the web she had created. This time she targeted Ardne's arms directly just long enough to disrupt their movement. Chrysanthemum didn't move from her position but her staff glowed brighter as she adjusted her aim, firing smaller, faster beams. Each one was targeting Ardne's mouth the moment it began to form again.
The battlefield around them couldn't keep up with the intensity of the battle. Every time Ferris's blade struck, it carved through both matter and energy, leaving behind deep scars in the terrain that didn't fade. Chainless' chains were moving so fast they blurred into streaks of sapphire light. Chrysanthemum's beams cut through everything, leaving trails of golden energy that lingered for a fraction of a second before dissipating. Through all of it, Ardne couldn't find a moment to breathe, let alone fight back properly.
Her regeneration was faster than before and this time, she pushed energy more aggressively, forming multiple blasts at once and firing them in all directions to create space. However, the trio didn't slow down. Ferris cut through one of the blasts directly. Chainless used her chains to redirect another, anchoring it momentarily. Chrysanthemum adjusted instantly, using her staff to release lasers of Divine Energy that intercepted multiple blasts at once, neutralizing them before they could reach their targets.
Ardne's eyes widened. The wounds she sustained weren't an issue but the trio were relentless. Every attack was aimed at her arms and her mouth. She tried to speak again but the moment her jaw began to form, Chrysanthemum's beam cut through it again, silencing her before the first syllable could even leave her throat.
She tried to use her arms to counter but Ferris's blade intercepted, severing them before they could complete the motion, while Chainless's chains wrapped and constricted, disrupting any attempt at coordination.
"You… you're regenerating too—"
Her voice came out distorted before another strike tore through them again. She looked at them with something closer to disbelief now.
"Are you an Aeterium?"
Ferris didn't slow down as she responded without even glancing at her directly.
"What does it matter if we are?"
The pressure increased again as all three of them pushed harder. Their regeneration kept them in peak condition despite the constant strain, allowing them to maintain a level of aggression that most couldn't sustain for more than a few seconds.
They moved like a single entity split into three bodies, each one covering the others' openings. Every time she tried to counter, they cut her off. Every time she tried to adapt, they were already ahead of her and every second that passed, the realization grew clearer.
Ardne's frustration finally reached its peak. She formed an energy field, compressing everything inside it while repelling anything that tried to breach it. For the first time since the battle began, the trio paused their forward assault. Ardne's body stabilized within the barrier. With her regeneration no longer being interrupted, her arms and jaws regenerated without interference. The pressure from her energy spiked again.
"Overwrite—"
It stopped. Her body froze.
Something cold and absolute overtook her form, spreading across her body in an instant as a layer of ice sealed her in place. It wasn't ordinary ice since interfered with her ability to exert control.
High above the spire, a massive black octopus floated in the sky. Its singular eye was open and fixed directly on Ardne, using its power to keep her frozen in place.
Ardne's energy surged in response as she began to crack the ice coating her body. The field around her pulsed harder, reinforcing her position as she fought against the restraint but before she could fully break free, she heard Ferris's voice directed at Chrysanthemum.
"Now!"
That single word made everything click.
Her eyes turned towards Chrysanthemum, who had remained at the back this entire time. She hadn't been holding back out of caution.
The golden light that had once surrounded her staff was gone. It was replaced by a sapphire glow with an entirely different kind of energy.
Soul Energy.
Chrysanthemum had been feeding it into the staff from the very beginning, letting it accumulate silently while the others fought, drawing not just from herself but from the Obsidian Runic Spire behind them, amplifying it into something far beyond what a single Divine could produce.
Even through the ice and the barrier, the pressure of it made her instincts spike for the first time in genuine alarm. Normally, an Overlord wouldn't fear an attack like this, not from Fourth Enlightenment Divines, but this wasn't normal. She pushed harder as she tried to break free completely but the octopus didn't waver. Every moment of this fight had been leading to this exact point, and she had walked straight into it.
"Wait—"
The word barely formed before Chrysanthemum moved. The staff descended slightly, aligning perfectly with Ardne's position.
A massive beam of pure Soul Energy tore through the air. The sky above them cracked as the beam passed through. The light was blinding, leaving nothing but its presence in that moment. The beam struck Ardne's frozen form directly. For the first time since the battle began, Ardne felt something close to panic.
Her energy surged wildly as she tried to resist but it wasn't enough against that level of concentrated Soul Energy. The octopus still held her just long enough for the attack to fully connect. The fake sky continued to fracture. Pieces of it fell like shattered glass. And just as the beam threatened to fully consume her, just as the damage reached a point that could no longer be reversed through regeneration alone, space itself tore open beside her.
A Passageway formed instantly and in the next moment, Ardne was gone, pulled through before the full force of the attack could complete its effect. The beam continued forward for a fraction longer before dissipating. The battlefield fell into a heavy silence, leaving behind only the aftermath of what had just occurred.
Chrysanthemum lowered her staff slowly. The accumulated strain caught up to her as she struggled to steady herself.
"She really did run with her tail between her legs."