The cataclysm’s insectoid eyes glimmered with a cold, unfeeling hunger as it fixated on Barbatos. Its movements had become frighteningly fast, faster than anything previously observed. Barbatos instinctively tried to leap back, but the spawn was quicker. Its mandibles snapped around him, biting deep into his tough, radiant-infused skin. Crimson light-blood erupted, floating weightless in the void of space as Barbatos hissed in pain.

  Before the cataclysm could shake him loose, Alexandria appeared in a flash, her form a streak of pure radiance. She struck the spawn with a violent kick, sending it hurtling across space.

  “You okay!?” she called, concern cutting through the chaos. Barbatos gave a sharp nod, forcing a grin despite the pain.

  The cataclysm recovered in an instant, launching itself forward even faster. Ceasar, piloting his massive mech from Mars, snarled and fired three concentrated beams at the spawn. Each blast tore through the vacuum of space with devastating force. The beams slammed into the cataclysm, but instead of dodging, it swatted them aside like mere insects. The explosions erupted in a brilliant radiance, demonstrating the sheer destructive capability of Ceasar’s weaponry.

  Ceasar hissed, frustrated but determined, as the cataclysm surged forward again. But before it could strike, Barbatos reappeared like a comet behind it. His fist ignited in brilliant light as he slammed into the spawn, sending it spinning through space. Alexandria immediately followed, her radiant kick redirecting the spawn back toward Barbatos.

  He caught it, gripping the insect tightly. His fist flared with radiant energy, punching it twice with overwhelming force before releasing it. Alexandria descended from above, her leg bathed in the same luminous energy, striking down upon the spawn. It was flung backward once more, spilling blue blood across the void.

  The spawn shook its head, disoriented but far from defeated. Its mandibles clicked in menace as it fixed its gaze on them again. Barbatos scoffed.

  “Now that we know what it can do…”

  Alexandria finished his thought, her tone sharp and confident:

  “Let’s kill it.”

  Barbatos’s grin widened.

  “Agreed.”

  Both closed their eyes, drawing power from every plane they had access to. The cataclysm lunged at them with terrifying speed, reaching their position in an instant. But before it could strike, an eruption of radiant energy blasted outward, pushing the spawn backward. The light was indescribable, a fusion of countless planes energy, a dazzling spectrum that defied any one color, yet beautiful in its harmony.

  When they opened their eyes, their forms had subtly shifted. Radiant auras now flowed from their bodies, pulsating with immense power. Their clothes had dissolved under the sheer intensity, leaving their forms composed entirely of pure light. Yet somehow, they remained fully coherent, perfectly intact, bodies glowing and armorless yet invincible.

  They surged forward. Barbatos rained blow after blow on the spawn, each strike shattering chunks of its reinforced carapace. Alexandria mirrored his assault, her strikes precise and devastating, each hit cracking the spawn’s armor further. The cataclysm roared in defiance, summoning a shockwave that pushed both of them back hundreds of kilometers across the lunar surface.

  But they pressed on. Barbatos formed a weapon of radiant energy, holding it before the spawn’s snapping mandibles. The creature bit down, but Alexandria was already above it, her radiant leg kicking it away. Instantly, they resumed their assault, hitting with precision from multiple angles.

  Meanwhile, Ceasar laughed inside his mech. The machine was charging another devastating beam, far more powerful than any before.

  “Let’s see how strong these two really are,” he said, a grin spreading across his face.

  If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  The cataclysm, battered and nearly broken, was flung toward Mars by the combined might of Barbatos and Alexandria. Despite its battered carapace and faltering energy, it refused to die. Barbatos gritted his teeth, eyes narrowing as the spawn roared with a maddened frenzy.

  It lunged at him in a blur, claws raking toward his body, eyes devoid of thought, only killing intent. Barbatos met it head-on, gripping the spawn tightly. A beam of concentrated radiant energy erupted from his mouth, searing through the creature’s reinforced carapace. For the first time, the armor that had endured world-shattering strikes began to crumble.

  Yet even now, the spawn was not finished. Its screams filled the void as it writhed, flesh exposed beneath the shattered carapace, still refusing to submit. Barbatos slammed it violently through space, throwing it far enough to leave it staggering, finally bringing it to the edge of defeat, but never fully dead.

  Alexandria hovered close, watching carefully, her form radiant and poised, ready to strike at any misstep. Together, they had pushed a seventh-stage cataclysm to its limits, yet the spawn’s relentless fury reminded them that even a nearly defeated opponent of this magnitude was still deadly.

  The abomination clicked its mandibles once, the sharp sound echoing through the void as it stared at the radiant Archons with a burning, maddened glare. Its eyes blazed with fury, a mixture of frustration and primal instinct, and a low, guttural roar emanated from its throat. Then, as if in response to its call, a rift tore open above the shattered moon, jagged and shimmering with chaotic energy. From the rift, countless spawn poured forth, the Cataclysm’s servants. They were obedient, lower-ranked creatures, summoned as extensions of its will, an innate ability to command legions of lesser beings. Even blights could be controlled this way, but that hardly mattered, they were still overwhelming in number.

  Barbatos’s eyes narrowed as the swarm surged toward them. Calmly, he raised a single hand. Pure light flowed from his palm, blazing like the dawn of a new sun. Alexandria mirrored him, her form dissolving into radiant strands of living energy, her hands raised in unison. The moment the swarm crossed the threshold of their combined aura, they were obliterated. Light consumed them, shredding the legion of lesser spawn in an instant.

  Where the swarm had been, nothing remained, only the faint shimmer of dissipating energy. The contrast was staggering. Where the Cataclysm could summon countless minions, the Archons themselves were godlike, their power absolute. The difference between these beings was not merely of strength, but of scale and authority. To Barbatos and Alexandria, these creatures were ants, insignificant and ephemeral.

  The Cataclysm’s screech shattered the silence, a sound of pure rage. Its rage ignited its energy, and it surged forward one final time, limbs extended, carapace glinting with the accumulated fury of a creature pushed to the brink. But before it could reach them, a concentrated beam of pure energy struck it mid-flight. Its body twisted violently, one of its massive arms shattered in a spray of blue ichor, and it tumbled backward, its momentum sending it crashing against the lunar surface.

  Inside his mech on Mars, Ceasar’s grin widened.

  “Bullseye,” he muttered, his voice echoing through the cockpit as the immense energy cannon powered down.

  The Cataclysm struggled to rise, anger and pain radiating from its form in visible waves. Barbatos and Alexandria didn’t waste a second. The void around them shimmered as they extended their arms, channeling every ounce of their power. Light erupted in all directions, forming a massive radiance that enveloped the Cataclysm. The beam was blinding, impossibly pure, a convergence of their combined planes. For a moment, it resisted, thrashing against the overwhelming pressure, but the radiant onslaught was absolute.

  Within seconds, the shape of the Cataclysm dissolved under the brilliance of the Archons combined power. Its carapace shattered, limbs disintegrated, and its very essence was torn apart, leaving only faint streaks of energy spiraling into the void before vanishing entirely.

  For a heartbeat, silence reigned. Then the light faded, the radiance dimming as the two Archons lowered their arms. Their forms, once dazzling, began to waver. Fatigue clawed at their consciousness, channeling such immense power had drained them to their limits. Their bodies, still composed of pure light, flickered as they struggled to maintain cohesion.

  Ceasar’s mech hovered beside them, engines humming steadily. He opened the cockpit hatch and extended his arms, catching them both with precise, mechanical grace. The autopilot engaged, and the mech lifted off, carrying the two battered Archons away from the shattered battlefield.

  Barbatos slumped against the cockpit, coughing violently. A trail of blood streaked across his chest, glowing faintly where his body had absorbed his life force to prevent fatal injury. Every breath came with a hiss of pain, yet his eyes still glimmered with fierce determination.

  Alexandria was seated in a corner of the mech, a large blanket she had grabbed hastily wrapped around her form. Her posture was tense but composed, a queen surveying the remnants of her domain after a battle that had tested every limit of her power. Her expression was calm, but her hands trembled slightly as she flexed her fingers, still aware of the power she had unleashed.

  Ceasar leaned back in the pilot’s seat, sighing heavily as he rubbed his temples.

  “You two are a mess,” he muttered,