Bro, I'm not an Undead!

As soon as Ashema saw the brilliant hue that shone in Skullius' hand, he went on guard. Much like Skullius, he wasn't quite concerned by the stunned Incandescent Stagers spectating while considering their options gravely against these two clearly powerful arrivals.

'He's switching to using light now? Just what kind of abilities does he have?' Ashema silently pondered while filling his gourd. 

Understanding the nature of this intriguing foe was absurdly integral to him winning… perhaps, surviving. Given how much unpredictability was likely about to surface though, he got ready.

While some blood poured into his gourd, some slipped out. It was of a lighter shade of red than the one which was filtering in.

Skullius had been right to suspect the gourd earlier. It was a bizarre artefact that cleansed and perfected any substance that went into it, priming it for optimal use for its wielder. Naturally, 'use', extended to mundane intents, like consumption, especially for Ashema who enjoyed drinking blood, yet, that of course wasn't all.

The bright-colored blood slithered to the ground and found the numerous corpses laying on the ground quickly.

Skullius noticed this movement but didn't hurry to stop it.

He meant what he said. He was going to dismantle every single one of Ashema's abilities to learn about him and break him in the process.

And everything began with…

"[Son of Luserus]…" the Hybrid Luman called.

At once, his wings – four in all – imbibed into his black robes, unfurled to their full length. They shone gloriously, and then… two more appeared below them.

 As this extra pair emerged, it inspired a greater radiance from the other existing pairs of wings, and before anyone knew it, Skullius became like a human-shaped torchlight that seemed very out of place in the steady array of night.

He was hard to look at, even for the Incandescent Stagers. Rather than squint, they had to look away, but worse than that, his presence was just as glaring as his image. It pulsated and radiated forcefully, pushing them away in a non-aggressive authoritative manner that cajoled everyone to obey.

Ashema wore a grim grin.

He realized a singular, grand truth at once…

"My affinity for darkness won't work against that…"

And he was right.

Whatever the enemy was using… was beyond the limits of that one facet of power that he possessed which he had been proud of.

As if the Hybrid Luman didn't look sacred enough, powerful enough… 

"Heart of Revelation…" his voice resounded.

A gem, or perhaps a star melded from what seemed like ethereal, polished forms of gold, diamond and amethyst, shot out from the radiant Skullius, hurtling into the air for a stretch before fixing itself directly above him, way high up.

This gem, this curious glinting spark, shone vibrantly right as it stopped.

Its rays were visible to the naked eye. Not at all blinding, not at all unfathomable.

Yet, all who were touched by them…

…!!!

Ashema and the Incandescent Stagers realized immediately, when they felt naked all of a sudden, that…

BA-DUM, BA-DUM, BA-DUM…

Ashema looked bleakly at his chest.

A large lump of dark flesh shaped like a large squid was pumping blood in his blood. It may not have looked like a human heart, but it was the one he had, buried behind a set of bones that came together to form a shape like that of ribs – all exposed.

His armor was nowhere to be seen, and nothing hid the insides past his skin.

He could feel that everything was there, holding his frame together, but the light cast on him was rendering his tenders vulnerable!

"By Boron…!" Ashema groaned.

Even a part of his soul, molded like soft smoke around his flesh and bones, was exposed.

How was this… how was this possible?

What kind of application of light…?

The same fate found the surrounding Incandescent Stagers. Ashema could see all their fragile selves exposed, just like his, and they too were panicking.

"I found some inspiration a few days ago, you see…"

…!!!

Ashema heard a voice behind him, and before it came, he had seen a vast, brilliant light that threatened to hide his surroundings just as well as suffocating darkness.

"An old enemy was capable of revealing the soul with light from a moon construct within his Territory. It hurt a lot when he used it on me, but it also taught me this neat trick. Light does more than just look pretty. It's in its nature to reveal. Of course… that's only for a friend of light, [Just Light], like me to know…"

Ashema froze.

"Is that so—"

WHAAAAM!

The moment the blow that he didn't see landed, Ashema knew it was over. He even let out a strained laugh as his body blew up, the splattered parts of it soaring so fast to Quintess-knew-where that it caught on fire!

What had hit him… he didn't know.

It didn't feel like that overbearing, heavy punch from earlier.

It was lighter, yet just as impactful, like a miniature anvil shot from a cannon.

Ashema travelled tens of kilometers before he felt that the only intact part of him was his head, which was burning.

Goodness…

'Luckily… I knew to prepare beforehand…' he thought… and his conscious faded from this flesh.

When he blinked next, Ashema's new head, severed cleanly before, was being attached to its body by strands of blood dozens of meters away from the sun-like figure of Skullius.

Purified, tempered blood rushed through this new body, which had been one of the corpses of the Masters Skullius had killed before. Darkness surged around it, as though burning it with black, and in an instant, Ashema's form was reforged, armor and all, horns and all, charred skin and all.

However…

Ashema lost his appearance right away.

The light from the sky shone on him and he was once again, exposed. 

Donning another grim grin… Ashema hurriedly gave instructions to all his body, searching for corpses.

"I see. You're not that easy to kill. I was counting on it…" Skullius' voice came.

Ashema was startled, but thankfully, he wasn't blown up again. The Hybrid Luman was still standing a distance away.

"Yeah," he said as his scythe appeared in his hand again, blood funneling into its hollow handle and blade – shown from the holes over both.

Then darkness encased him. 

At once, he shot at Skullius, but he wasn't the only one.

Five corpses of Maqian Masters, along with hundreds of Sif civilians and combatants lunged along with him, all with his tempered blood bursting in their veins, keeping their forms intact while empowering them heavily.

Unlike with Ashema, the light from the curious gem above, what Skullius had called the Heart of Revelation, didn't affect the dead, which Ashema found thrilling, but he wasn't sure it was that much of a boon.

Whatever…

He wasn't looking for any favors or handicaps against Skullius.

He truly wanted to fight and win.

The Hybrid Luman didn't act until the horde of enemies was upon him.

His face was impossible to see, and so was the outline of his frame. All that could be glimpsed, were perhaps the six, long wings behind him, and at that moment, they rose and… flapped.

…Then the Aurora was no more.