Seeing the child for whom they had taken the risk to fight these two monsters, the assailants instantly aimed to strike with full force, as their auras flared up.
However, in the next moment, they stopped, their aggression now replaced with wariness, as they sensed a sudden and drastic change in air around the couple.
An immense surge of mana exploded from Xavian and his wife, spinning like a storm made up of celestial energy and some other energy at the same destructive level
The ground beneath them cracked, as web like pit formed on the ground. The surrounding atmosphere trembled with raw power. Gone, was the once-dim aura around the couple as now, it burned more fiercely, than ever.
The blonde man Nathan's, green eyes widened in shock, his face paled as he stepped back instinctively. "Dammit, they... they are burning their mana cores," he spoke, as disbelief and unease dripped from his voice.
Burning your mana core was an ultimate sacrifice—a forbidden act that granted unrestarined power for some minutes, at the cost of burning their mana core and of course at being crippled for the rest of your life.
The mana, once emptied within their cores, was now filled to the brim, as it raged unchecked, surging through their veins like an unstoppable flood.
Their bodies, that was on the brink of collapse, now was filled with strength and power, but the price of the power was clear.
The black-haired woman fists clenched tightly, her once confident smirk now replaced by a grimace. "Foolish! Do you think your pathetic desperate act will change outcome? You're only hastening your end!" She shouted.
Though Xavian and Cassandra paid no mind towards the words of their enemies. The pain of their burning mana cores was excruciating, it felt as if their very essence being consumed in the process.
Their veins felt like they were on fire, their bodies on the verge of blowing apart, but their expression still remained resolute.
Their child—the tiny, fragile life that carried their world—they would endure any kind of torment for him. They wouldn't even need to think twice, to give their lives a hundred times over if it meant granting him a chance of survival.
Xavian's grey eyes now locked onto Nathan, as they blazed with an intensity that made the blonde man, who was confident in his superiority, take another step back.
"You will not lay a hand on my son," Xavian announced, his words like those of a deity. His voice carrying the weight of his determination.
From the corner of his eye, Xavian caught a glimpse of his wife. She had already started chanting, as her hands glowed faintly with magic, her spell beginning to take shape.
Their eyes met for a brief moment, and in that silent exchange, they both understood their roles.
With a resolute nod, Xavian stepped into the battlefield, his body a blur of motion too fast for, normal eyes to catch, while Cassandra poured more of her focus into the intricate spell that she was weaving.
The air around them grew heavier, crackling with tension. The overwhelming power emanating from the couple had clearly made their enemies unsettled.
They exchanged uneasy glances, as they hesitated. However they steeled themselves in next moment, they already clearly knew that hesitation couldn't be afforded now.
Every moment they delayed will give Cassandra the time to complete her spell, a thing they couldn't allow to happen.
With a roar, Nathan and Lia moved forward, matching Xavian sped as their weapons blazed with energy. In an instant, the group was upon Xavian, their collective strikes aimed to finish him.
Yet with a simple swing of his hand, a wave of strange mana burst forth from him, simply erasing their auras like candles in a storm.
Seeing this Nathan's eyes narrowed, but he didn't stop. He and the others changed tactics, as they unleashed their elemental magic.
Blazing storm of fire, razor sharp wind blades, huge chunks of stone, and violent tendrils of lightning streaked through the air, hurtling toward Xavian at terrifying speed.
"Ice Wall," Xavian uttered, his voice calm and commanding.
A massive wall of shining thick blue ice protruded in front him, its surface glistening with frost as it absorbed the coming attacks.
And before they could recover, Xavian moved forward, his speed leaving afterimages in the trail.
In the blink of an eye, he was at the center of the battlefield, his sword glowing with frost mana.
His eyes flicked to the black-robed man who was moving towards Cassandra. Power surged within him, and without hesitation, he thrusted his sword forward.
The blade sliced through the air with deadly killing intent laced in it, its frosty tip aimed directly at the man's heart.
The black-robed man barely had time to react, as his instincts screamed at him to dodge the attack. He twisted his body towards the side, however the blade caught him, though only slicing through his side.
"Ugh".
A pained grunt escaped his lips as blood spilled on the ground, freezing the moment it touched the icy ground.
Xavian didn't stop, his movements relentless and calculated, he moved fueled by his sheer determination.
His blade covered with frost as it closed the distance to the black-robed man again, just mere inches from his throat, ready to slice and claim his life.
However just as the blade was about to pierce through the figure, a corrosive acid laced whip striked, colliding with his sword and diverting it off the course saving the man's life.
Xavian turned his head towards, Lia who stood few steps away from him. Her black hair billowed wildly as she wielded her weapon with precision.
Her lips curled into a smirk as she locked eyes with Xavian, her malice evident.
"Don't forget, you are still poisoned," she taunted, her voice slightly confident now, that she had confirmed that the poison was still working.
Xavian's frowned, as his grip on the hilt of the sword tightened. However, he barely had time to react as, from the back, Nathan closed in with blinding speed.
His blade, glowed with a golden hue, as it sliced through the air, aiming for Xavian's unguarded back.
Xavian sidestepped saving himself from the fatal blow however the blade managed to graze through his side, giving him one more wound.
A searing pain erupted from the wound, caused by the golden hue that covered the sword. Though he gritted his teeth, his determination unrelenting.
"Just die already Xavian, you are clearly outnumbered," Nathan growled, as he circled him like a predator stalking its prey. "Even with that last burst of strength, you can't win this fight against us divines."
Xavian ignored his rambling, his focus like a razor as he calculated his next move. His mana surged again, the area around him turning pure white as ice started forming.
"You don't need to worry about my life, i already know that this is our end however winning wasn't even our target in the first place." Xavian smiled coldly as he spoke his voice chilling.
"Absolute Zero."
With that, he raised his hand and.
The world turned white.