While Viktor's plan seemed simple, the execution was anything but. They were constantly attacked by Murderavens, as they could phase through walls due to their affiliation to darkness. Elga had to put all of her attention on her cultivation, consuming cores after cores, which left defense to the dark-skinned boy and he also had to take control of the starship when the Nevermore got too bold.
Hours melded into days, days into weeks and weeks into months. The cores—while numerous—offered little energy. After two months, a burst of darkness filled the inside of the vessel, Viktor toggled the AI control back on as he left the cockpit. Elga finally opened her eyes, dismissing the darkness she had released.
She couldn't help but notice Viktor's exhausted features. His eyes were sunken, black circles, "You should have stopped me earlier, you dummy." She said with a sigh, helping the dark-skinned boy down a bench as he chuckled, "How are you even standing..."
Elga's face went pale as vials rolled out of the cockpit, "You really are insane, you know that? What if you overdoesed?"
"Glad to see that you care, but let's keep the talking for later eh?" Viktor said, he did his best to stay awake during these two months and needless to say he wanted to take a nap, probably the biggest of his life but he needed to stay awake, just in case something went awry.
"Alright, I'll give an earful when we'll be out of this shit." Elga shook her, letting Viktor's huge body slump onto the bed. Darkness gathered at her feet,
"Oh Elga," Viktor called one last time. The redhead faced as he weakly raised his thumb. "Congratulations for reaching Level 2."
She rolled her eyes before vanishing, "Just rest for a while."
***
Outside the starship, Elga appeared with her swords in hands. Blood already stained the blades as darkness gathered around.
KAAAAAWWWW!
The Nevermore shrieked as soon as it noticed her. It raised it wings, blood red eyes opening on the feathers as it unleashed a storm. Feathers, charged with darkness, separated from the wings and traversed the void of space insanely, creating shockwaves and turning unfortunate Murderavens into bloody paste if they were in the way.
Elga raised her swords above her head in response, blood turned into jagged teeth as she released a X shaped blood slash. "Bloodhound's Marquage!" The X shaped slash easily destroyed the feather storm, not only because Elga was one Level higher than before, but also because the golden round Viktor fired at her was still active. Her gloves started flickering, signaling the Augmentation's end.
Elga grinned menacingly, her attack eviscerated Murderavens, leaving nothing its wake. The Nevermore flapped its wings, flying away as fast as it could but it was no use, the blood slash tracked it like a hunting dog tracking a prey, and soon enough...
KAAAAAWWWW!
The Nevermore shrieked in pain as the attack landed on its back, but to its surprise it didn't go as deep as it should have. It barely went a few centimeters into the bird's gargantuan body. It looked far more intimidating than it was actually dangerous.
Green veins popped into its dozen of eyes, it seemed like it was pissed off royally. It flapped its wings furiously, intending to crash into the starship at full speed to blow it up. It would just feast on whatever would come out of the explosion.
KAAAAAWWWW!
It shrieked furiously, coating its entire body into darkness. Space distorted as he accelerated more and more, Elga looked on with a crazed grin before her figure vanished. The Nevermore wasn't paying attention to her in its frenzy until a flat ended broadsword emerged from its back, followed by a head of blood red hair.
"DÉVOREUR DU CHAOS!" Jaws of vibrant red bit into the Nevermore as it shrieked, plummeting and avoiding the vessel. Elga's gloves stopped flickering as she drove the giant bird around, landing back on the starship.
How had Elga suddenly appeared out of the Nevermore's back? It was because of her Level up. A Level up doesn't just grant enhanced physical and energetic properties, it also carries evolution to how one could use their elements. In the redhead's case, she gained the ability to manisfest into distant darkness, granted that the place isn't too tight for her body to fit and that it is close enough. Plus she had to have some sort of marking to reach said place.
The Nevermore, being a Ruinbringer that specialized in the darkness element, and also being a top Chi grade—a Level 2 equivalent—fulfilled these requirements.
The first stage granted by a Balle d'Augmentation could last about two months if user didn't move around too much, but by using a Dévoreur Du Chaos while still in Augmentation, it would refresh the cooldown. It wasn't the only reason why Elga bit into the creature however...
"What's wrong!? Is that all it takes to make you cower, feather face!?" She screamed at the Nevermore as this one finally stabilized. Elga's crimson pupils shrunk as her canines sharpened. "Come now, don't be scared!"
The Nevermore spread its wings, unleashing a feather storm at the starship, the Murderavens also joined, diving toward the redhead at high speed. Elga snorted, reinforcing her blades and body with darkness, becoming a blur of black and red as she sliced and diced Murderavens and feathers alike. Before they were too many and too fast to follow but now? These little birds were nothing more than an inconvenience.
In the blink of an eye, Elga had gotten rid of everything. The Nevermore had another feather storm in preparation, this time far bigger than the previous one. However, the redhead also had something up her sleeve. "Sombrage Alternatif..." She conjured a small needle of blood and coated with darkness. With a flick of her wrist, the needle glided through the void of space. It landed into the Nevermore's chest, but it didn't notice anything at all, due to how small the needle. "Assaut Chirurgicale!" Strings of blood emerged from her fingertips, connected to the giant bird's inside.
Elga planted her feet and yanked the Nevermore toward her. The giant bird shrieked in confusion as it drifted toward the starship, unable to control its body at all. The redhead's grinned grew as she vanished from her spot, and like before, slashing out of the Nevermore's back but unlike before, she wasn't going to let it be. It was time to end this battle.
"Sombrage Originel: Eviscaration Sanglante!" Her body became a blur of black and red as she ravaged the giant bird with her swords. She went so fast that only red slashes were visible around the Nevermore's form as it shrieked in agony among Elga's crazed laughter.
Elga reappeared on the starship, looking with satisfaction at the Nevermore. It remained suspended in place before exploding in a pool of dark green blood, leaving only its core behind, which she snatched right away. "Phew..." She took a deep breath as her pupils returned to normal. In the distance, she could a golden gargantuan tree, its leaves and thousands of branches shimmered like metal. The starship, which was easily hundreds of meter cubes, was like a speck of dust before the tree's grandeur.
"Geez, it's big." A voice came from behind Elga. It was Viktor's, "Good job, by the way. You really handled without need of my help."
The redhead looked at the dark-skinned boy with worry. He looked like a breeze could knock him over. "You sure you don't want to leave it to me?"
"Nah," Viktor shook his head. "You did a good chunk of job, so let me do this bit." He cracked his knuckles, a brown glow surrounded his body as he took a step forward.
Elga sighed in exasperation. While she did kill the Nevermore and its minions, she didn't really think she did much compared to Viktor, who shielded her during her cultivation and kept them safe while operating the starship for two months straight without sleep. "... Alright, we'll do as planned. Just... Don't crumble on me, okay?"
Viktor raised his thumb.
KAAAAAWWWW!
A shriek interrupted their conversation as hundreds of black holes opened before them as Nevermores emerged. Viktor raised his right fist, gathering his earthly brown energy. Elga laid her hands on his back, channeling and guiding her darkness into the fist. An ethereal fist of brown and black formed over the two, in its closed palm resided a small sphere of their secondary elements. Light for Viktor, and blood for Elga.
The redhead took a step back as her gloves returned to their translucent state. The metallic plates on Viktor's torso and arms materialized fully as the brown glow around his body and the ethereal fist intensified. He cocked back the fist as the flock of Nevermores rushed at the starship while shrieking.
"BRISE-SOLEIL!" Viktor yelled at the top of his lungs, thrusting his fist forward with all his remaining strength. On contact, tens of Nevermores were pulverized but the one in the back unleashing feather storms left, right, above and below. They clashed against the fist, unable to breakthrough. "Come on...! RAAAAAAAHHHH!" Viktor yelled even more, pouring his everything into the fist as it slowly broke through the numerous feather storms.