My Soul card is a Reaper-Chapter 872: Orion vs Fiona (part-2)

Hands were pierced, shattered, and disintegrated, one after another, each golden arm reduced to flecks of fading light beneath Fiona's relentless onslaught.

For every hand that dissolved, another tried to grow in its place, but slower now. More strained. Less serene.

The Buddha construct trembled. Not violently. But enough.

Fiona whispered. "Even nature has limits, Orion."

She slammed her foot down, sending a wave of frost straight through the platform.

Vines of crystal shot upward, impaling fifteen arms at once. And from above, she dove with her fists clenched, both legs igniting with blue flames of cold.

WHAM.

Her blow landed on the chest of the Buddha construct.

The golden form flickered…

Then began to crumble.

First, the halo.

Then the spine.

Then…

BOOOOOM.

The entire construct collapsed in a burst of radiant shards, like sunlight breaking into ice. Golden hands were scattered across the platform like autumn leaves.

The audience gasped, watching as the invincible Buddha was destroyed by Fiona.

Orion staggered, panting with his eyes opened for the first time, the energy around him destabilizing. He tried to move…

But Fiona didn't give him a chance. She launched a palm strike.

As soon as her palm touched his body, Ice burst from her palm and wrapped around his torso like chains. His legs froze next. His arms. His throat.

In seconds, he was encased in the ice, transforming like a statue made of ice.

The crowd went dead silent, this time.

"He's down!" someone yelled.

"Sigh… I guess he is no match for Fiona after all."

"It is indeed wishful thinking."

"Why doesn't he use his Arcana spirit?"

"Does he really have no Arcana spirit?"

"Does he have any other techniques?"

"He should have them, right?"

While the audience is almost convinced that the match is over, in the far corner of the upper seating section, Azzy's eyes sharpened in the stands. His hands gripped the railing. "No…"

Gideon looked surprised. He gave a nudge with an elbow, "Your emotions are getting the better of your logic, Azzy. I knew that you were secretly hoping for his win."

Azzy, however, replied in a bit of serious tone. "No, that's not what I was panicking about, Gid. It's the Baphomet's essence, leaking through the seal."

"Hmm? leak?"

Meanwhile, on the battle platform, Fiona stood above him, her chest heaving. "You… put up a good fight," she whispered, her voice turning softer. "For someone who only started his journey a few weeks ago, you not only reached the semis and forced me to this state. You can be proud of yourself, Orion."

Just as she thought Affea would announce her as the winner, a sound erupted within the ice. Then, a crack.

CRKK—KRSHHH!

The ice-binding Orion splintered at once. A pulse of energy burst out of him, but it wasn't the typical golden divine energy he usually emitted.

It was more like a deep purplish-red.

The very air twisted at once. The ground warped beneath his feet. And the silhouette inside the ice… changed.

Long, curved horns curled from his skull.

His frame grew broader, his skin armored in plates of metallic violet. Hooves clanked against the stone. The frost evaporated from the sheer heat radiating from him.

His eyes glowed.

Azzy stood up slowly, brows furrowing. "This is bad."

"Then, let's stop it," Gideon replied.

Azzy shook his head, "No, we can't. Affea is the Proctor, and unless she is injured, it is within her rights to make the decision."

Meanwhile, Orion broke out of the icy prison and kept getting bigger.

His towering frame stood nearly twenty feet tall, cloaked in violet-tinged armor. Each breath he exhaled steamed the ground beneath it. His massive hooves cracked the reinforced battle platform. Twin horns curled from its skull like dark crescents, and in its molten crimson eyes, there was nothing left of a human. Or even a god.

There was no reasoning. No Mercy. No hesitation. Or so whatever.

Fiona saw only rage and hunger.

And then Orion, no… Baphomet charged forward and swung his arm like a sword. Fiona's eyes widened.

She barely moved back to dodge it, but she was still bleeding from her temple, a deep cut streaking across her brow.

"Freeze!" she cried, slamming her palms to the ground. Frost exploded outward in jagged patterns, attempting to lock the beast's legs.

But the Baphomet moved through the ice as if it were fog.

It barely flinched. Then it charged in a blur of black flames.

Fiona dodged left, but too slow—CRACK!

The back of its massive hand struck her mid-rib, lifting her off the ground and sending her crashing into a pillar.

The crowd gasped. Someone screamed. Everyone had no idea about Baphomet. Hence, they only took it as a rank-7 hidden skill of merging with their Arcana spirit. Seeing the beastly form of Orion made their belief even stronger.

However, the fact that he used a Buddhist technique earlier that screamed of peace was quite in contrast with the power he is currently using.

From above the barrier, Affea, the proctor, had a deep frown on her face. And in the stands, Selene, who couldn't make it to the semis, was sitting with an elder of her clan, her jaw dropped, watching the battle.

"This forms even more terrifying than last time," she muttered, a concern could be heard in her voice. But for whom… is it Fiona, or is it Zion, or is it for Orion himself, only she knows.

Meanwhile, inside the ring, Fiona coughed blood, her vision swimming.

But she bit her lip and staggered to her knees. "Not… yet," she whispered.

She drew in a sharp breath and summoned her Arcana Spirit.

Behind her, the frost spear formed, long and translucent, like a divine shard of glacier glass.

"Soul skill: Auroral Ascension!"

She leapt forward, channeling every last drop of her soul energy. The spear extended forward, its tip narrowing to a deadly point as it stabbed toward the Baphomet's chest.

BOOOOM.

It struck. But not Baphomet's chest. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Instead, Baphomet caught it.

His massive hand clenched the spear, stopping its advance with brute force. "Graaaa…" A monstrous roar escaped his mouth.

And with a twist, shattered the spear like brittle twigs.

Fiona's soul energy wavered. "No…" She cried out, her own spirit nearly destabilized from the backlash.

Before she could recover, he was on her again.

Smash.

Crack.

Boom.

Blow after blow. Blow after blow. He was on a complete offensive.

Fiona couldn't keep up.

Her body hit the ground in the end and stayed still

The crowd fell into silence.

However, Baphomet didn't take any pause.

Baphomet lifted his arm again, a swirling of dark energy conjured above his palm.

"No… he is going to kill her."

Affea gasped. She swiftly moved, descending down into the appear, ready to unleash her gravitational amplification to press down on Orion to the ground.

But then…

A mist burst from Fiona's body.

The mist spread across the platform, coiling around Baphomet's raised arm. And for the first time, he stopped.

His fist slowed.

Crack.

A layer of frost began creeping up his arm.

Baphomet's punch halted.

The mist retreated and condensed back into Fiona.

However, when the mist disappeared, they found changes in Fiona.

Her wounds had vanished. Her attire also changed from the battle wear she wore when fighting a moment ago. She now wore pure white robes that shimmered with snowflake embroidery.

Her dark hair turned silver, cascading like a waterfall, and upon her brow rested a delicate crystalline tiara.

In a way, she looked like a fairy princess from the movies and fantasy tv series.

The crowd couldn't help but collectively gasp in awe.

Even Baphomet tilted its head.

Fiona then stretched her hand toward Baphomet. "The Titan Form." She spoke aloud.