The blow sent Jericho plummeting toward the ground almost as fast as lightning. The impact was deafening, shaking the forest around him.
"W-whoa… w-what was that?!" William shouted, panic lacing his voice.
"Is that… an earthquake?!" Alice added, equally alarmed, just as they saw Erica barreling toward them. Her normally composed face was twisted with worry and fear, and Alice instinctively knew something had gone terribly wrong.
"Oh no… Jericho," Alice whispered, bringing both hands to her face, covering her nose and mouth as if shielding herself from the thought of what had just happened. Panic glimmered in her eyes.
William stepped forward, trying to stop Erica, "Commander, wait! What's—"
But she didn't listen. She ran past him, her breaths coming in sharp, terrified gasps.
"What was that about?" William muttered, confusion and concern battling in his tone.
"Jericho… something must have happened," Alice replied, already sprinting after Erica, her worry overtaking her.
William's expression hardened. "Knights, stay here and arm yourselves! There's an enemy on the loose. No one is to wander the forest alone. Clear?"
A chorus of sharp acknowledgments answered him as the knights scrambled to prepare. With a determined glare, William took off after Erica and Alice, moving as fast as he could to catch up.
Jericho landed on the ground, seemingly unconscious, his breathing uneven and strange. Drako hovered above him, brimming with excitement.
"This is incredible… oh, what a feeling! Training never compares to real combat… I never thought I'd get the chance to go all out like this!" Drako screamed, laughter shaking the air.
"I hope you're not done yet, former prince. Not after you've just lit a fire inside me… play with me more! Soul Casting… Osto Fengari!" Drako shouted, stretching his hands wide. From nowhere, thousands of bones formed and swirled, merging together until they blocked the sun itself.
"I truly hope this doesn't kill you—I want to keep having fun with you!" Drako declared as the bone barrage hurtled toward Jericho, still lying on the ground, eyes closed, breathing strangely.
Just then, Erica, Alice, and William arrived at the landing site. The forest had been obliterated; the ground was jagged and torn, as if they stood on the edge of a cliff. Jericho lay below them, motionless.
"Oh no… will Jericho survive this?!" Alice cried, panic etched across her face.
"I'm afraid if he does survive this, that moon-shaped attack might finish him off if we don't intervene!" William said, his eyes fixed on the sky. The others followed his gaze, horror washing over them.
"No, no, no… WAKE UP!! JERICHO!!" Erica screamed, desperation in her voice. At her shout, Jericho's eyes snapped open, glowing gold.
"What a dream… uh, right, still fighting. This has gone on long enough," he muttered with a calm smile. Rising to his feet, not a scratch on him thanks to his godly healing, he faced the incoming attack. Erica, Alice, and William exhaled in relief—but the moon-shaped bones were still hurtling toward him.
"Yesss… standing after all that, but there's no stopping this—go back to sleep, former prince!" Drako shouted with a hearty laugh.
Jericho raised a single hand toward the barrage, preparing his counter.
"Bend to My Will… I Summon Thee, One of The Four Divine Avatars of Nature! The Avatar of Storms… come forth, Tigri Fos! Devour all!" Jericho commanded.
The skies darkened instantly. Wind roared and thunder shook the air, but lightning had yet to strike. Erica, Alice, and William clung to a tree, barely holding their ground.
"What… what is this? From Jericho? I've never seen him use this before!" William yelled, frustration laced in his voice. The girls' eyes were wide with shock, blank in disbelief.
"W-what is this… what is all this about?!" Drako stammered, nervous now.
"Just give it a second… from now on, I shut you up," Jericho said, his gaze menacing.
Lightning formed and coalesced into the massive head of a tiger descending from the heavens. It opened its mouth and completely engulfed Drako's bone attack, erasing it without a trace. Drako froze, awe-struck.
Seizing the moment, Jericho lifted a colossal boulder—the size of a small house—with ease and hurled it at Drako. The Drakziel, still frozen, didn't see it coming. The impact sent him crashing to the ground, shaking the earth like when Jericho had first landed.
Drako groaned as he struggled to rise, smoke and dust billowing from the crater he had created upon impact. His wings trembled, and his scaled body bore cracks from the collision. Yet, a wild grin spread across his face.
"Hahaha… amazing… former prince… no, Jericho, you truly are something else!" he bellowed, his voice echoing across the forest. "I haven't felt such exhilaration in ages… it's been far too long since I faced a challenge like this!"
Jericho didn't respond. He simply raised his golden eyes to the trembling Drakziel, his expression calm, almost detached—but the aura around him grew heavier, darker, more commanding. Soul energy radiated from him in waves, bending the air and forcing the trees to sway violently.
"You've enjoyed your fun long enough, Drako," Jericho said softly, but every word carried the weight of a storm. "It's time we end this, and you give me my prize.
Drako's grin didn't falter. "Ah, so you're finally serious… I've been waiting for this moment!"
"you still want to fight?— sigh, you really are a lunatic."
With a subtle gesture, Jericho drew a circle in the air, golden sigils illuminating around him. The wind picked up, and clouds swirled into a vortex above. Lightning crackled, charged with the pure essence of Tigri Fos, the Avatar of Storms.
Drako hesitated for the first time. "What… what is that?!"
"Something you'll wish you never faced," Jericho replied. With a roar, the tiger's head descended, its jaws snapping shut around Drako's next attack, shattering the bones into pieces before they even reached him. At the same time, a shockwave of wind, thunder, and energy emanated from Jericho, forcing Drako backward, his wings flaring to stabilize him.
"Impossible… no human… no one…!" Drako gasped, staggering midair. "How can you contain all this power… and still stand so calm…?!"
Jericho's lips curved into a faint smile. "Control isn't about strength alone. It's about understanding your limits, and using them perfectly. Something you still haven't learned."
Drako growled, summoning more bones, his entire form beginning to glow faintly with chaos energy. The forest itself seemed to shrink under the intensity of his aura. "Then I'll teach you, former prince! I'll push you beyond your limits too! Soul Casting… Osto Kataklysm!"
The ground cracked and shook as thousands of bone shards shot toward Jericho at blinding speed. But this time, Jericho didn't flinch. With a calm gesture, Tigri Fos stretched a massive paw forward, halting the barrage midair. The storm tiger's eyes glowed, and a massive thunderclap reverberated, sending shockwaves that forced Drako to falter.
William, Erica, and Alice, still holding onto the trees, watched in disbelief. William's mouth hung open. "He… he's not just strong… he's on a whole other level…"
Erica whispered, "He's truly… godlike…"
Alice could only nod, her heart racing at the sight of Jericho commanding the storm and lightning like it was an extension of himself.
Above, Drako's grin faltered slightly. He wiped blood from his mouth, breathing heavily, and realized something crucial: this fight was no longer just a duel—it was a test of survival.
Jericho hovered slightly, wind whipping around him, golden eyes locked on Drako. "Enough games. End this, or you'll regret taking it this far— I do not want to kill you."
Drako's body trembled, a mix of fear and exhilaration coursing through him. "Hah… I don't doubt that you might indeed end my life here, but I can't stop, am having so much fun fighting you— I won't forget this… not ever!"
Jericho let out a deep breath, and with a graceful gesture, the storm tiger of Tigri Fos vanished, dissipating into a cascade of golden sparks. The winds calmed instantly, leaving the forest in an eerie silence, save for the cracking of broken trees and scorched earth.
He turned his gaze to Drako, whose body trembled as he struggled to regain composure. "I can't maintain that here for long," Jericho muttered to himself, his golden eyes still glowing faintly. "It consumes too much soul energy in the mortal realm."
Before Drako could react, Jericho's movements became a blur. Using his godly strength and the precise control granted by his Mercury ability, he closed the distance in an instant. Each strike landed with precision—punishing, controlled, yet devastating. Trees splintered around them as Drako was sent flying, his wings useless to slow his descent.
He slammed into the ground with a deafening crash, a crater forming beneath him. He coughed and groaned, blood trickling down his face, his scales cracked in multiple places. Drako attempted to rise, but his body refused to obey, every muscle trembling under the punishment.
Jericho stood, breathing steadily, the aura of his soul energy pressing down like a tangible weight. "This is the limit of my restraint," he said quietly, almost to himself, but every word carried the authority of a god. "If you continue, there will be no chance of getting back up."
Drako, lying on the ground, could only stare up in disbelief, a mixture of pain, awe, and fear in his eyes. For the first time, he realized that this human—this "former prince"—wasn't just powerful. He was on a level that no ordinary Drakziel could hope to match.
Jericho's expression softened slightly, but his stance remained dominant. "I think I might have gone too far here."
Drako coughed again, barely able to speak.
Jericho stepped back, his aura receding, allowing the dust and smoke to settle.
William, Erica, and Alice's mouths hung open, each frozen in shock as they processed what had just occurred. The forest around them bore the scars of the battle, and the sheer display of power left them speechless.
"Hey, Commander… I think Jericho was holding back a lot in your duel," William said, still in awe, his eyes wide as he stared at Jericho.
"Indeed he was… Jericho is incredible," Erica replied, recovering from her shock. She didn't wait another second, leaping down and sprinting toward Jericho, worry etched deeply across her face.
"Well… even I have to admit, that was a very intriguing fight," Jericho said with a small smile, brushing dust off his hands. "If all the Grand Four are this formidable, then we have a long way to go if we hope to defeat Jace… uh, though I really did enjoy myself fighting Drako."
Suddenly, he felt weight on his back, and the force knocked him off balance. Before he could react, another weight pinned him to the ground. Erica and Alice had both jumped onto him, huge smiles plastered across their faces.
"Jericho!!… I'm so glad you're alright! I was so worried!" Erica exclaimed, squeezing him in a hug that was practically suffocating him.
"E-Erica… A-Alice… a-air… n-need… air!" Jericho gasped, his face turning blue.
"Me too, Jericho… don't scare us like that again," Alice said timidly, clutching him tightly.
"Yeah, I'll pass on hugging you, thanks… but I'm glad you're okay," William said with a sympathetic look. "Uh… ladies, Jericho might have just survived a huge fight, but if you keep hugging him like this, I think he really might die this time."
"Oh no, Jericho! Come back… don't go towards the light… we're sorry!!" Erica and Alice shouted simultaneously, as Jericho flailed comically like he was losing consciousness. William let out a long sigh.
⸻
Meanwhile, in Ego Elysium, Desmos and the other gods were observing the mortal realm. A pulse in the air caught their attention—a surge of power that was unmistakable.
"Incredible!! I wonder what or who he's facing that made him achieve a feat like this," Desmos said, pride filling his voice. "I did not see this coming from Jericho. He might really be a genius!"
"Oh my… did Jericho really just tame the Divine Avatars of Nature?" Bios asked, his expression proud and surprised. "Only a few elder gods and true gods have ever called upon them. None have tamed them, yet Jericho… all four? As a sub-god? This is remarkable!"
"Impossible!! The Divine Avatars… all four… tamed… by a sub-god, no less! And he doesn't even carry the blessing of the All Father yet," Nous said, astonishment clear in her tone. "Jericho is… incredible."
"Oh my… I did not expect this potential from him," Meta added, laughing. "No wonder we couldn't sense anything before. Jericho never stops surprising us."
"Absolutely incredible…" Zoe said with a nod of approval. "Well done, Jericho."
Nea Zoi yawned, brushing off the shock. "Oh… well, this is something worth waking up for. Looks like Jericho has proved again why I called him a monster." He paused, instinctively shielding his face, then chuckled nervously. "Ah… I forgot I'm alone in my domain. I thought Meta was about to hit me…"
Back in her own domain, Meta sneezed in reaction to her name being mentioned, muttering to herself, "That lazy god must be thinking of me…"
——
"What was that, Jericho…?" Erica asked, her eyes shining with excitement. "I've never seen anything like it. It was majestic… and terrifying."
Jericho let out a nervous laugh and scratched the back of his head.
"Well, um… that was one of the Four Divine Avatars of Nature. They're the very source from which the world gathers soul energy. Without them, soul energy wouldn't function in any living being—and honestly, we might not even exist. I'm not completely clear on all the details myself…"
{Not to mention, the All Father created each of them to govern both the four core elements and chaos itself, circulating soul energy across every universe under his rule so the burden wouldn't fall solely on him}, Jericho added silently.
William's eyes lit up as realization set in.
"Fascinating… so fire, water, earth, and wind each have their own divine avatar. And the one you summoned embodied wind at its highest stage—storm. That explains its form. And when we use soul energy, we're essentially drawing upon their capacity."
Jericho nodded.
"But then…" Alice said hesitantly, curiosity clear in her voice, "how were you able to call on something so divine and pure? It felt like you were controlling it."
Jericho frowned slightly, deep in thought.
"Yeah… I don't really understand it either. Normally, it should be impossible. But according to the vision I had while unconscious, I somehow met the requirements—and all four of them accepted me."
{I'll need answers for this… I'll ask the gods directly}, he thought.
"I see…" Erica said softly, her expression gentle. "You were incredible, Jericho. But you really scared us. Alice couldn't stop crying."
"Hey! You cried too, Commander," Alice cut in with a shy pout.
"Details, details," Erica waved it off before turning back to Jericho, relief in her smile. "Still… please don't take risks like that again."
Seeing that smile, Jericho's heart skipped a beat.
"Y-yeah… I promise. I won't make you worry like that again."
William cleared his throat and glanced toward the distant impact site.
"You really did a number on that spy. It would be a miracle if he's still alive after taking a boulder that big—and then that beating."
"Let's go check," Jericho said.
They soon found Drako where he had fallen. His body was broken and bleeding heavily. His regeneration was active—but far too slow. One lapse in focus and he would die. And yet, despite everything, a bright smile rested on his face.
"…You really crushed him," William said grimly. "His healing won't be enough. I don't think he'll make it."
"It's still sad," Alice whispered, closing her eyes. "Even if he caused so much suffering."
Erica kept her gaze locked on Drako.
"Jericho… I guess you really did kill him."
Jericho said nothing. He simply stared.
"F-former… prince…" Drako coughed, blood spilling from his lips as he smiled.
"Y-you're… truly the real deal…" His breathing was ragged, every inhale clearly painful.
"F-fighting you… was incredible. I felt so alive… I was terrified when I first saw you. Every bone in my body begged me to run… but that fear only made me more excited."
He tried to laugh, but it turned into a groan.
"And I was right… I loved every second of it." He spat blood again. "Th-thank you… former prince."
Jericho clenched his fist.
{He's dying… Regeneration casting won't be enough. Damn it…}
He exhaled slowly. {I'll have to summon another avatar—even if it costs me dearly. I won't let him die here.}
"Do you really think I'd let you die, Drakziel?" Jericho said as he stepped forward.
"In case you forgot—we made a deal. And I told you what would happen if you broke it." His eyes hardened.
"Not even death will save you from me."
Drako chuckled weakly.
"Y-you're… terrifying."
Jericho stood over him and raised both hands.
"And I'll admit something too," he said, a small smile forming.
"I enjoyed fighting you, Drako. Truly."
The air trembled.
"Bend to My Will.
I Summon Thee—One of The Four Divine Avatars of Nature.
Avatar of Water—Katharos Nero.
High Regeneration."
Light exploded outward as reality itself seemed to tear apart. From within the rift emerged a colossal lindwyrm, its form flowing like liquid crystal. It moved without wind, without sound—beautiful beyond words.
The others could only stare in awe.
It was the most breathtaking thing they had ever seen.