Bubastis stood calm as ever as her hood fluttered in the wind. Across from her, Vipermouth frowned and Leapmouth's blade started to glow, engulfing it in his aura.
[Things are about to get crazy!]
Vipermouth hissed his fangs at her.
"You've hidden in this forsaken swamp for long enough, traitor! Lord Sasobek's decree still stands—I will hang your head at the gates of Animalia!"
Bubastis tilted her head, unimpressed.
"If that's what he wishes, then he'll have to take it himself."
And then—everything exploded into action. Vipermouth dashed forward first, vanishing into a streak before he spun midair.
"Serpentine Demolition!"
His tail split apart into multiple copies that lashed out from every direction, but without even trying, Bubastis moved through it with impossible mobility, and then her sword soared in a blinding speed, causing every single strike to stop midair.
"What?! That's impossible!" Shouted Vipermouth. "My Epic Skill attacks all blind spots, how could you see them?!"
With the flick of her wrist, Bubastis swung her sword, sending out a golden burst of mana like a sonic boom, knocking the serpent backward and crashing through a line of mangrove trees nearby.
But Leapmouth was already in front of her, appearing from her blind spot, and moving faster than I could blink. His blade was still covered with his aura as he swung toward her in an attempt to kill.
"One-thousand Cuts!"
Out of nowhere, a thousand invisible slashes tore through the swamp at blinding speeds, carving through water, mud, and air all at once. Every cut carried killing intent, slicing toward Bubastis from every conceivable angle.
Each swing was meant to overwhelm and leave no blind spot, nor gap to escape. But Bubastis defied logic and moved with the grace of a goddess. Her body twisted and turned with inhuman agility; spinning, stepping, and pivoting on her heel with her khopesh sword countering most of the attacks.
Thus, sparks cascaded across the swamp as
Leapmouth front-flipped and landed on his feet, breathing steadily as his blade was still vibrating from the energy of the technique before he turned around to see her evading his lightning-speed swings.
"You still dodge it like a goddess." He said. "But even now, you hold back!"
Bubastis's hood fluttered as her golden eyes met his after dodging every single attack.
"Because you still fight with restraint."
Vipermouth, angered, rose from the water where he had been thrown.
"Enough of this honor talk! I'll rip her apart myself!"
His aura flared around him in a purplish toxic, miasma, as the water around him turned a dark purple. His willpower alone was making the swamp boil like poison.
"Venomous Glare!"
Two beams of corrosive mana shot from his eyes, soaring through the air like lasers.
"Is that the best you can do?" She muttered before sidestepping both attacks, causing the beams to strike the ground and dissolve it into bubbling acid.
"Damn you!!" Without wasting any time, Vipermouth jumped high into the air, hovering sky high. "Sacred Art of Destruction: Spiral Fang!"
All of a sudden, he started to spin like a drill as his body was coated in a thick layer of mana. Thus, he dove down like a missile aimed straight for her heart with the end of his tail.
Bubastis glared at him beneath her hood as she unleashed her own Epic Skill.
"Flame of the Sun God."
Her blade was suddenly coated in immense heat as she swung upward with both hands. Thus, the two collided.
BOOOOOOOM!
"Uwaaahhh!" I screamed, witnessing a massive explosion that knocked most of my swamp army back, causing even the turtle to hide inside his shell. "This is crazy!!"
With a massive smoke cloud lingering right in front of us from the explosion, it was blown away by the enormous magical power emanating from Vipermouth.
"Ghh... curse you!" He was shown halted in midair by her blade that was engulfed in flames. Not to mention, he was badly injured where she had parried.
"I'm well aware of the General's Sacred Arts." Muttered Bubastis, staring Vipermouth in the eyes. "Spiral Fang, the Sacred Art of Destruction. It will override any Defense Cleaving Resistances, and destroy everything in its path. But it pales in comparison to my Special Skill."
"Go to hell!!!" Yelled Vipermouth.
"Heroic Haki!" Leapmouth's voice echoed across the battlefield as his aura exploded into radiant golden flames.
"W-What the?!"
My body was suddenly overwhelmed by a powerful, spiritual pressure. My willpower started to fade away in an instant as my body was paralyzed.
Even Bubastis's fur on her tail stood up in front of his Haki. Leapmouth's presence alone made it hard to breathe; it was like standing before a tsunami ready to fall.
[H-Holy crap! His aura alone feels like getting crushed by a mountain! Me and my swamp army are going to be crushed at this rate...]
My knees gave out, and every creature nearby was slumped on the ground.
"Vipermouth. Together." Said Leapmouth, frowning in his eyes.
Vipermouth sucked his teeth, glaring at the frog but nodding nonetheless.
"Fine. Let's end this, frog!"
And thus, their combined mana fused together, forming a purplish toxic aura and a golden radiant one that shot into the sky. With their beacon of aura launching upwards, it formed a large spherical hole in the clouds. The hole was at least fifteen kilometers across, gauging just how strong these two Generals were.
But Bubastis remained unfazed and slowly raised her head.
"Two Beastlords, working together against one woman?"
She spoke calmly as a smirk spread across her face.
"Then I'll stop holding back."
A golden magic circle appeared beneath her feet, emanating a powerful magical power.
"I'll use my Divine Skill."
[Hold on a second, D-Divine Skill?! Oh crap! This is gonna be bad!]
Still affected by the Heroic Haki, I used all my strength to try to stand.
"M-Mom!" Calling out to her in desperation, she suddenly erected a large magical barrier around her and the two Generals.
Was this supposed to be part of her Divine Skill, or was she helping us out?
"Huh? I-I can move!" And to my surprise, the effects of the Heroic Haki vanished and were contained inside the barrier, allowing me and my swamp army to finally roam freely. But that was only the beginning. "What should I do?! Whatever Mom's planning, it's looking bad for our nest! Doesn't she realize her children are in there?!"
[[Answer. The best choice in the matter is telling your army to use their auras all at once and surround the nest. That way, a small barrier will be created.]]
"Oh, good idea! Thanks Spiritus!"
"Alright everyone, I've got a plan, and I need all of you to follow!" I shouted as I raised a paw. "All of you, use your aura! Surround the nest and protect it! Easy enough, right?"
The swamp beasts all turned to me; the frogs, lizards, turtles, and even the insects hovering in the air; they didn't even hesitate.
Their bodies started to glow with different shades of green, blue, and gold as their willpower flared to life. And soon, a multicolored dome of light started to form around the tree—where my nest was buried beneath its roots.
It wasn't perfect, but it was damn sure good enough.
[Okay... good. That's one less thing to worry about!]
Inside the massive golden barrier, Bubastis stood tall in front of the two Beastlords.
"Bubastis, Blessed of Bastet!" Said Leapmouth, holding onto his sword. "For betraying Lord Sasobek and starting the Primeval War, your life will end here!"
Bubastis slowly raised her sword as her hood cast a long shadow across her face.
"I didn't betray him." She said in a deeper voice as the magical power lingered around her body. "I just stopped kneeling."
Vipermouth scowled at her.
"Then die on your feet!"
Both Beastlords charged at once; one in a golden flash, and the other in a blur of poisonous purple.
"Sacred Art of Nobility: Limit Breaker!"
"Sacred Art of Destruction: Dual Spiral Fang!!"
Two devastating attacks headed for Bubastis, ready to crush her without mercy.
Dual Spiral Fang created a copy of Vipermouth to drill toward her and pierce through her defenses, while Limit Breaker amplified Leapmouth's strength drastically to overwhelm his opponent.
But she didn't even bother to move. Her golden circle grew larger, and the temperature in the swamp rose instantly. Even when she was inside the barrier, steam exploded from the water on the outside as the air warped from the sheer heat radiating off her body.
"Great Pillar Flame of Ra."
A massive pillar of golden fire erupted from beneath her feet and expanded outwards in the barrier, swallowing everything in light.
"W-WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" I screamed, watching the entire battlefield turn white. My fur stood on end, and I couldn't even see anymore—the light was too dang bright!
The ground shook violently as a wave of raw, divine fire leaked from her barrier, out into the open, sizzling the freaking air. Like how was that even possible?!
Most of it started to incinerate the trees and even the nearby water into nothingness. Luckily, my swamp army and I formed a barrier with our auras, otherwise, our nest would've been gone!
[[Immense heat detected. 15 million degrees Celsius.]]
"15 million degrees Celsius?! What the hell?!"
When the light finally dimmed, the swamp looked completely different.
The water evaporated and all the leaves and mangrove trees were gone.
Bubastis stood alone with Leapmouth's armor cracked, and steam rising off his body. Vipermouth lay face down in the mud with his scaly body blackened and smoking from the immense heat.