The Black Sun Syndicate was already in front of David before he had finished speaking.
Kaelus appeared behind him, Tempest sweeping forward as Eryndor launched a lightning bolt toward his position. At the same time, Stellar formed multiple ice spears around David, suspending them in the air from different angles. Rein activated Area Lock, attempting to freeze David in place, while Darius emerged from the Shadow Realm to his right.
Isly followed immediately, channeling Chaos Magic into the space surrounding David. The air distorted, the area caught within Rein's ability became unstable, and the combined attacks converged upon their target.
The explosion shook the grassland.
Lightning illuminated the dark clouds as ice fragments and chaotic energy collided in the center of the battlefield. A powerful shockwave spread across the ground, flattening the grass and throwing dust into the air. For a moment, David disappeared behind the resulting cloud of smoke.
Then a figure flew backward out of the smoke. David landed lightly on the grass, completely unharmed.
Before the team could adjust their formation, Alucard's Beast God element manifested around him. Multiple additional hands emerged from his transformation, each reaching toward David from a different angle in an attempt to pin him down.
David moved only slightly. He leaned to one side, shifted his shoulder, and stepped between the incoming hands. Each movement was minimal, yet every attempt to seize him missed by the narrowest margin. It was almost as if he knew exactly what Alucard intended to do before the attacks had even begun.
Kaelus appeared beside him, Tempest already swinging upward.
David leaned backward, allowing the blade to pass over him. Kaelus immediately extended his left palm toward David and closed his fingers. "Wind Grasp!"
The surrounding wind compressed into an enormous palm that formed around David, its fingers beginning to close. The pressure increased as the wind tightened, threatening to crush everything caught within its grasp but before the palm could close, David released a small portion of his soul power. The effect was immediate.
The enormous wind construct broke apart, its compressed currents scattering in every direction. A shockwave burst outward from David and struck Kaelus, sending him flying away from the center of the battlefield.
Kaelus regained his balance in the air. He steadied himself with the wind, stopping his backward movement before returning his attention to David.
At that moment, a streak of blue lightning crossed the grassland. A faint black hue ran through its center, distinguishing it from ordinary lightning. It raced across the ground at tremendous speed before abruptly changing direction.
Eryndor emerged from the bolt on David's right, his body already moving into a right hook. David shifted out of its path.
The punch missed, but Eryndor's movement had not been intended to strike him directly. The lightning that had carried him across the battlefield scattered, revealing a second presence moving nearby.
"As I suspected," a voice said. David turned his head slightly.
The Eryndor who had just thrown the punch vanished into lightning, revealing himself to be a feint. The real Eryndor stood a short distance away, watching David with a knowing smile. He raised his right hand and waved it downward.
"Storm Pressure!" An immense oppressive aura descended upon David.
The surrounding air grew heavy as Eryndor's Authority spread across the battlefield. The pressure reached beyond the physical environment, imposing itself upon the space around David and interfering with his ability to manipulate it freely.
His spatial movement was no longer an easy escape. Before the pressure could fully settle, Darius appeared from the shadows. "All shadows are mine." David glanced downward.
His shadow began to rise from the ground. It lifted toward him, its shape stretching unnaturally as Darius's authority took hold. The darkness sought to bind David through the very shadow cast by his existence.
At the same time, Tina appeared beside him with her green Soul Sword. She swung the blade downward, directing its spiritual edge toward David while Stellar raised her hand. The temperature around David plunged.
Frost spread through the air, forming a rapidly expanding layer of ice that sought to freeze everything within its reach. The surrounding grass stiffened beneath the cold, and the moisture in the air crystallized as Stellar's Absolute Frost began to take effect.
Dova appeared on David's right, his palm already positioned beside David's left side. "The Touch of Death." For a fraction of a second, the combined attacks threatened to converge upon David from every direction. Then David smiled. His soul power erupted.
A tremendous wave of spiritual pressure expanded from his body, sweeping across the battlefield with overwhelming force. The rising shadow was forced back toward the ground. Tina's Soul Sword was pushed away before its attack could connect, and the frost surrounding David shattered into countless particles.
Dova was blasted backward, while Stellar was forced away by the same expanding pressure. The shockwave swept across the grassland, dispersing the remaining traces of Chaos Magic and breaking apart the residual energy from their earlier attacks.
The dark clouds above began to separate.
One after another, the enormous masses of storm clouds broke apart, allowing sunlight to stream through the gaps. The brightness spread across the battlefield until David stood beneath a patch of clear sky, his figure illuminated by the returning sunlight.
The Black Sun Syndicate regrouped at a distance, their expressions becoming more serious.
Their coordination had been excellent. They had combined their abilities in a carefully timed assault, restricted David's movement, disrupted the surrounding space, and attacked from multiple directions. Yet none of them had managed to land a meaningful hit. David looked at the group.
"Team coordination is excellent, but that won't do. Soul power transcends all magic. It is your spirit and your will… it is you. Tell me, how will you deal with an enemy which has a higher mastery of soul power than yourselves?"
His question hung over the battlefield. Eryndor stepped forward first.
The air around him shifted as he released his soul power, allowing it to spread beyond his physical form. Rather than relying solely on the authority of his Storm, he focused on the spiritual foundation beneath it.
David's soul power met his.
The two forces collided, creating a visible distortion in the air between them. Rein stepped forward next, releasing his own soul power into the clash. Golden energy spread outward, joining Eryndor's force and reinforcing the pressure against David.
One after another, the remaining members followed.
Darius, Stellar, Kaelus, Dova, Tina, Isly, and Alucard each released their soul power, adding their individual wills to the collective force. Their energies converged upon David, forming a powerful front against the First God of the Sun.
The grassland trembled beneath the pressure. For a moment, the combined soul power of the Black Sun Syndicate pushed against David's, the competing forces spreading across the open land.
Then the clash stabilized. Neither side gained ground. Their soul power canceled out each other's pressure, leaving the battlefield suspended in a tense equilibrium. David remained where he stood.
The group understood the problem now. Their individual Authorities were powerful, and their coordination allowed them to combine their abilities in ways that would overwhelm most opponents but against David, their mastery of soul power was still insufficient.
They needed to surpass that difference.
Kaelus slowly inhaled. His hands settled around the hilt of Tempest, and his attention narrowed until the surrounding battlefield seemed to disappear from his awareness.
"I trust my blade." Without moving from his position, he swung his sword vertically. The wind followed the blade.
A colossal sword cut appeared across the surface of the ground, extending into the distance for miles. The grassland split along its path, leaving a tremendous scar across the earth as the force of the slash traveled toward David.
David moved to the left. The attack passed him, carving through the land beyond. At the same moment, Stellar activated Absolute Frost.
"Time freeze."
The movement of the grass stopped. The remaining particles of dust hung motionless in the air, and the spreading effects of Kaelus's attack became suspended within the frozen instant. The battlefield fell into an unnatural stillness, trapped beneath Stellar's Authority.
Yet Rein moved.
His eyes shone gold as he activated the Law of Speed.
He accelerated beyond the limitations of ordinary movement, surpassing the frozen passage of time itself. While the world remained suspended, Rein crossed the distance between himself and David.
He appeared directly in front of the First God of the Sun, his right fist already traveling toward David's face.
Behind David, Eryndor walked silently through the frozen time.
Lightning emitted from his body, illuminating the motionless battlefield with flashes of blue energy. His hair had spiked upward beneath the pressure of his power, and the faint black hue running through his lightning deepened as he approached.
He extended his right palm toward David, gathering lightning at his fingertips.
Rein's fist approached from the front.
Eryndor's lightning-charged palm approached from behind. Both attacks were timed to strike within the same instant, exploiting the stillness created by Stellar's Absolute Frost but David moved.
Even within the frozen time, his body shifted with astonishing precision. He leaned away from Rein's incoming fist and turned his body just enough to evade Eryndor's outstretched palm. Neither attack connected and in the stillness of the frozen battlefield, David stood between them, having evaded both strikes.