Morgan had barely finished speaking before Sigil moved. His figure blurred and appeared directly in front of him, his fist already swinging forward. He wasn't about to let Morgan do as he pleased. The fist burned with a deep crimson glow that distorted the surrounding air through heat alone, making Morgan's eyes narrow slightly at the speed.
A pale blue shield materialized before him instantly. Sigil's fist smashed into it, and the shield shattered immediately as cracks spread through it like broken glass before the entire thing burst into fragments of blue light. But Morgan had already reacted, forming layers of water shields one after another around himself. Each layer was softer than the last, reducing the force enough for him to slide backward through the air instead of taking the hit directly, though the ground beneath his feet exploded apart when he landed.
Sigil did not pursue immediately. He stopped several meters away and calmly watched Morgan through the smoke and rising heat.
"You think all those years fighting you taught me nothing?" Morgan said while straightening himself. "I've adapted too."
Water droplets slowly formed around him, starting with only a few before hundreds and then thousands appeared. They floated around him like grains of silver dust before sharpening into countless tiny needles, thin enough to barely see, causing the nearby soldiers to instinctively back away.
Sigil frowned slightly.
"Pyrroshell."
Flames burst outward from his body and formed a massive curtain of fire before him.
The next second, the water needles shot forward.
Steam exploded across the battlefield as the attacks struck the flames continuously. Morgan kept attacking without pause, forming more needles that shot forward endlessly to overwhelm the defense through sheer pressure, while the ground beneath Sigil slowly blackened from the heat.
"Trying to exhaust me?" Sigil laughed. "You already know that won't work."
Morgan's expression remained calm.
"It doesn't need to work forever," he replied, and the pressure behind the water attacks suddenly increased.
The flames shook violently, making Sigil's eyes narrow as his left hand slowly rose into the air. The curtain of fire compressed inward instantly before exploding upward into a gigantic inferno.
"Hellfire Burst."
The pillar of flames twisted violently before taking shape as a massive devil-like creature over a hundred meters tall. Its body burned dark red and black while molten cracks spread across its arms and chest like flowing lava. The surrounding temperature rose sharply, forcing several nearby soldiers to retreat immediately, unable to endure the heat.
The fiery creature roared and charged toward Morgan, making the air tremble with every step it took.
Morgan looked up calmly as rain began falling from the darkened sky above, starting lightly before growing heavier as the clouds churned violently overhead.
"Water Dragon Roar."
A deafening roar answered from the heavens.
Soldiers across the battlefield looked up instinctively as a gigantic water dragon descended from the clouds, its enormous body twisting through the sky before crashing directly into the fiery devil. Steam exploded outward violently, the impact alone sending nearby soldiers flying away from the battlefield. The dragon wrapped itself tightly around the devil while torrents of water burst from its jaws. The devil answered with burning claws that tore through the dragon's body repeatedly, evaporating entire sections of it into steam and turning the sky above the island into a clash between fire and water.
Below them, Sigil had already moved again. Fireballs poured from his hands continuously, forcing Morgan backward as explosions erupted across the battlefield one after another. Morgan moved swiftly between the attacks, dodging with smooth precision, while the few attacks that struck him exploded harmlessly against his glowing blue armor. Flames erupted behind him repeatedly as Sigil pressed harder.
Morgan suddenly waved his hand, and the rainwater around them rose instantly into dozens of sharp water spears that shot toward Sigil from multiple directions. Sigil punched forward, sending a wave of flames exploding outward from his body to swallow the spears before they could reach him.
Then he disappeared.
Morgan's instincts screamed, and he turned just in time to see Sigil beside him.
The punch struck Morgan's armor directly with an impact that sounded like a cannon blast. The force behind it bent the air itself as Morgan's body shot across the battlefield before crashing through several abandoned buildings, throwing stone and debris into the air.
For a brief moment, the battlefield went quiet around them, and even the nearby soldiers slowed down slightly.
Sigil stood where he was with flames rolling around his arms.
Meanwhile, high above them, the water dragon was already losing ground as the fiery devil tore through its body repeatedly while the rain across the island slowly weakened.
Morgan slowly emerged from the rubble with blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, yet he was smiling.
"As expected of my former best friend," he said hoarsely. "I came at you with everything... and you're still holding back."
Sigil said nothing.
Morgan wiped the blood from his lips, staring at him carefully. The pressure rolling off Sigil felt monstrous, making Morgan's chest tighten slightly. If he had delayed this invasion by even a few months, he probably wouldn't even qualify to fight him anymore.
"If I had waited longer," he muttered with a faint laugh, "I probably wouldn't even qualify to fight you anymore."
Then he slowly raised his hand, and a small red droplet of Sigil's blood floated upward from the battlefield.
Sigil's eyes narrowed immediately, and without hesitation, flames shot toward it. But before the attacks could land, a layer of blue light appeared around Morgan and blocked them completely.
The golden ring on Morgan's finger floated into the air, and the blood droplet merged into it instantly.
A strange heartbeat echoed faintly, pulsing again and again as golden light slowly spread from the ring.
The atmosphere around the battlefield changed immediately, making Sigil's instincts scream at him while the nearby Starborn soldiers also noticed something wrong. Their movements slowed slightly, and their energy circulation became heavier.
Morgan looked directly at Sigil, a grin slowly spreading across his face.
"Suppress."
The golden light spread across the island like a rising tide, and within seconds, it covered everything.