Machina Arcanis: Two Worlds Collided-Chapter 257. Aurora Vere Borealis

257. Aurora Vere Borealis

Tonight was the night. The moment foretold in the vision within the Moirai chapter had finally arrived.

Aurora stood atop the massive, obsidian wings of Ventiff. A cold draft gusted across her pale face, whipping her silver strands wildly about her. The majestic beast's wingspan was so immense it seemed to eclipse the moonlight itself.

She watched the fractured moon drift past above. It was so close, so conspicuous, that she could make out the loose debris and dust spiralling out from its deep chasm.

A sombre realisation settled over her. There was no extension to the power of the arcane; its destructive potential rose exponentially with each passing generation.

Aurora felt a sudden quiver in her chest, followed by an inexplicable tightness. Was this fear? Uncertainty? She couldn’t quite distinguish the emotion.

Peeling her eyes from the broken moon, she looked past the shifting clouds to the ground below. It was as loud as the reports had claimed. The heavy cranking and thudding of demonic forces echoed through the plains.

Once, this had been the beautiful northern forest of York. No longer.

She could barely recognise any flora or fauna. Instead, there was a rolling sea of dark figures, war machinery, and the raging fire of torches.

What a desolate sight.

Everything the demons touched turned to ruin and ash; they were not meant to roam this earthly realm. Their war camp had one singular purpose: to devour everything.

Aurora studied their rippling movement, estimating their numbers, weapons, troop types, and rank formations.

Lycanthropes dragged war cannons, lining them in untidied rows. Muscular humanoid demons worked the armoury, distributing plates and weapons to their new spawns. Wooden platforms had been erected and manned, where juggernauts entered to be fitted with heavy armour plates.

On either side of the war camp, massive cauldrons steamed. The iron glowed red-hot from the burning firewood beneath, and dark green bubbles floated to the surface of the concoction within.

"Likely a basic alchemy to enhance their stamina," she mused.

"So primitive…" Aurora snarled softly. "This warfare is at least a thousand years behind the current stage of our world. No doubt, their attack would have been far less effective if it weren’t for the fall of Dunkelheit."

It occurred to her that these demonic forces would be worse than Dunkelheit at its height. Yet, who would have thought that the Armatus fleet would be the perfect counter to this pestilence?

The flying mechanised giants could utilise long-range attacks, raining destruction down from above. The demon forces would crumble to ashes before they could even make it out of their hellholes.

Her hands twitched, snapping open and closed a few times as regret washed over her.

Would it be different if I could have stopped the wars with The Fox? Is there any other way, other than chewing each other apart?

It was a bitter hindsight. The conflict had served only as a stepping stone to the true threat, and she realised it too late.

But that mattered little now.

The demons' only strength was their unlimited numbers, which kept pouring out from the spiral abyss — the ugly hole that tore open the surface of the forest. Spiral ledges on its circumference led the demon force to spawn in a seemingly unending surge.

One wave after another. They arrived with an ever-greater roar.

Aurora glanced over her shoulder toward the south, looking back at the Vale Castle and its glittering inner wall.

“Nyrethein…” she murmured.

Her plan to bridge the Dreamless Realm with the Underworld wasn’t a nonsensical one. Gaia, she might even have won the war with her army of Nyx. But as much as Aurora wanted to believe in her Celestius, this was not the way. Aurora had already shown the solution; now, it was her time to play the part.

Compared to the empress, Nyrethein was still a relatively young Arcanist with exponential growth and ambition. Her genuine mastery of the Dreamless Realm could shift the understanding of chaos forever — a new discovery waiting to be made in the realm of the arcane.

This was why sending her to wage war with the gods felt… utterly wrong. The old must pave the way for a new generation to thrive. Mana surged through Aurora’s body, causing her eyes to glow with an ethereal silver light.

That is how it always will be in the world. This is how it always will be in my world. Thus, it must be I, Aurora Vere Borealis, who descends into Hades to terminate his rage of terror forever.

"This is my destiny..." Aurora smiled, a warmth blooming in her chest. "My final challenge for the mortal races."

"My sacrifice is a final gift to you, Cartier, Mirai, and... Zetius..."

She remembered a weary soul, the pain and suffering etched deep within his eyes. Yet, his refusal to crumble and run when the crisis arrived was a commendable virtue.

He was a soul that understood pain so well that he shielded those around him from it. A true protector.

"My regret is only that we haven't had more time; there is so much I wanted you to learn... so much potential to explore. Knowing your ingenuity, you can achieve the zenith of arcane and perhaps become a great ruler. I saw those dreams beneath his eyes, the dream that was much the same as mine. I hoped I would be there to see you at the top of the world."

Her plea was lost in the wind.

Aurora closed her eyes, her brows twitching as she sharpened her focus. She extended her right palm to the side, her hair fanning out like an elegant wing.

"Thanatos, I command you!"

Purple flame shaped and formed into a long rapier, its surface pristine metal with intricate runes and glyphs running along its length. The Griffin claws at its hilt guard encased her gloved fingers.

Astounded, Aurora lifted her brows and examined her weapon; its beautiful shape was a new form of destruction. Tonight, Thanatos had chosen the rapier of calamity.

"And I command death..." the rasping voice echoed back, frigid and rich.

The Empress spun her blade; the air rippled and shrieked. Adjusting her index finger to lock at the collar of the blade, she raised it to the centre of her body, its long tip pointed skyward. She studied its beautiful length and edge.

Within a millionth of a second, she slashed down through the air, and a sharp whooshing sound rang out.

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She gave a satisfied nod; it was extremely light and easier to finesse than the usual longsword form.

"Do you like the new form I have forged?" Thanatos rumbled and chuckled deeply, its purple flame illuminating her face.

"It is a nimble and finesse steel, perfect for the task," Aurora replied nonchalantly.

"Good... My hunger has grown intense. How do you wish to serve me, Mortal?"

"The full-course buffet, of course. And the dessert—one that will not disappoint."

“Magnificent, truly magnificent!” the rapier rejoiced.

Now that they were right on top of the dense war band, Aurora crouched low, her boots locking into the back of her mount.

"Ventiff, let's dive!" she commanded, extending her off-hand outward.

Ventiff flapped its gargantuan wings and accelerated. The abrasive wind grazed her barriers. Light particles streaked through like a gleaming rainbow as a shockwave erupted with a single flap of wings.

The ground rushed to meet them. The demons screamed, their red eyes bulging in terror, hands and legs flailing frantically.

"Enemies attacking!"

The shout echoed through the marching force. War horns blew out their signals, sounding like dying elephants.

With a sharp tilt of its wing, the beast rotated to the side. Its massive back became a vertical wall, its wingtip dragging across the dirt, carving a massive trough through her enemies, turning them into a bloodied mess.

Bodies, debris, and dust were flung into the air. Enemies screamed and squeaked amidst the ugly sound of carnage.

Aurora clung to the wall of the beast. With her blade at her side, the purple flame dragged through the space, painting a ribbon of light.

"For Osten!" Aurora roared above Ventiff's shriek.

The enemies instinctively covered their ears, eyes squeezed shut. She lifted her rapier and plunged across the Helltide.

With a single decisive strike, a wall of purple flame erupted behind her, the pyre’s dancing tips grazing the sky. The enemy warbands broke in two; the initial strike had already plunged them into massive confusion.

Demons scrambled to their feet, arms tangling as they pushed and dragged each other in a desperate bid to escape.

Before they could even recover, Aurora circled back and unleashed the wall of death once more. Enemies shrieked before melting into ash, their weapons and camp reduced to smouldering ruins.

Two massive walls of fire rose to defy the sky, visible for hundreds of kilometres. The wriggling purple light danced on the surface of the inner wall of Britainia.

The luminous flux was so intense that the horizon mimicked a purple dawn.

The dawn of destruction raged on. The rapier angled slightly off-centre, coiling this way and that with physics-defying swiftness. Its sharp tip pierced through hundreds of demons in its path. Their raised blades and weapons merely skidded off its handguard, while its deadly tip never failed to penetrate the demons’s vital points.

Her massacre was fluid, elegant, and effortless.

It was the beauty of elegant design realised in actual combat, rendering the tedious task of massacre far more pleasant; this was a glimpse of the true power of the rapier of Thanatos.

Inside the hallway of the Vale Castle, Nyrethein moved with hurried strides. Beside her was the Scribe, Cartier, who had delivered the bad news of the Empress missing from her bedchamber.

Thunder erupted from the north, and the castle rocked on its foundations.

"Eeek!" Cartier swayed and tumbled to the side.

"Careful now." Nyrethein caught her small frame by the waist, preventing the fall.

The strange dawn light shone through the window, colouring their faces purple.

“No!” Cartier gasped. Her skin felt a sudden coldness; sweat formed in her palms.

"Undoubtedly, the Empress has unleashed Thanatos-spatha..." Nyrethein murmured. She bared her teeth in a grimace. "But why did she attack them solo?"

A hiss of envy fell from her lips.

"Don't tell me… The prophecy!" Cartier gasped, cupping her mouth. Her grassy eyes filled with fear. The vision was closer to reality now than ever.

"Come, Scribe. Let us get Zetius," Nyrethein urged, pulling her wrist. She shook off the ugly thought for now; she would talk to the Empress soon enough. She needed to know what agenda Empress Aurora had in mind.

However, the young Wildren did not heed her words. The girl froze, shaking her head, her body trembling.

"Cartier—my dear! There's still time..." Nyrethein raised her voice, loud enough for the Wildren to look at her. She swore she could see primal dread in Cartier’s eyes.

Cartier gulped and nodded slowly. She took a firm step and followed Nyrethein.

The door snapped open with a loud, abrupt bang. Zetius bounced from the bed, his hair spiked, his face as pale as a sheet.

"What... what?" He scrambled for words, his brain still foggy. His hands rose at the ready for any sort of melee, should it be needed. He saw Nyrethein in her white chiton robe and Cartier at her side.

Zetius frowned deeply; the Celestius bursting into his room was not something he expected today.

With sweet, yet teasing eyes, she inspected his bare torso. "Put some clothes on. Although I usually have no qualms with a shirtless young man, the timing has proven to be ill," she lilted, and Zetius couldn’t tell if she was being sarcastic.

"What are you talking about?" Zetius narrowed his eyes, tucking the blanket sheepishly around himself.

On his side, Cubie sat up, rubbing her eyes. "What's going on? Why’s everyone here?" Her mumbling voice made it evident that she was still filled with drowsiness.

"Guys! It's the Empress!” Cartier interjected, her voice alarmed. “She is in the north fighting the enemies by herself!"

“Right now?” Cubie exclaimed, her head snapping toward Zetius. The blankness in his face told her he also didn’t know.

“Five minutes!” Nyrethein commanded, a hand resting on her hip. Her attitude was even more casual and playful at a dire time like this. She glanced over at him. “Get ready, dear. We’ll go out in five minutes, Zetius.”

The battlefield had been flattened; dust and smoke rose along the walls of flame.

Demons let out guttural screams in agony, abandoning everything at the scene — weapons, armour, dignity. They scrambled for their lives. Even with their mindless brains, they recognised this divine power.

"Hahahahahahaha!" Thanatos let out a maniacal laugh.

Aurora spun and slashed at the waist level. A surge of purple crescent energy cleaved through the air, decimating enemies in its path.

Crisp bodies littered the battleground. Ventiff raged forth, slamming its wing into the ground. The shockwave quaked the earth and sent the demons tumbling to the dirt.

"They haven't realised that ground battle is my advantage," Aurora grinned. She pointed the sword at the fleeing juggernauts.

With her spring-loaded legs, she thrust forward, turning into a living spear of light. Enemies disintegrated upon contact.

Another wall rose up behind her. She bolted across the dirt, spinning on her heels. The massive cleave ripped the air and everything in it to pieces. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"More, more!" Thanatos laughed.

Like an endless sea, the surge of enemies swarmed her, their jagged teeth bared with hatred. A cannon fired from a distance, arching toward her location.

"Magnetos!" she chanted.

A massive barrier encased her. The wrecking balls crashed atop her barrier, and the ground shook violently.

A hammerhead demon rammed the barrier, its skull imploding with a sickening, wet crunch. Dark fluid splattered across the shield, sliding down the translucent curve. Another stepped onto the twitching corpse, driving its own head into the wall of force until its neck snapped. Pile after pile of enemies swarmed over her humming sphere, building a suffocating tomb of mangled flesh and broken plates and bone.

Flying, robed demons floated up in the air, their palms opening. Ugly yellow teeth snapped, "Empyrion!"

Barrages of fireballs were hurled, slamming into the whirling barrier. The demons grew defiant until their bodies completely piled over her sphere, burying her.

"Fools," Aurora chuckled.

She raised her blade toward the dark sky. "Ventiff!" she called out to her beast.

A few hundreds metre apart, Ventiff roared and swiped its razor-sharp claws at the enemies before flapping its wings upward.

A massive whirlwind lifted the beast high into the sky. It let out a stunning shriek as it leapt back down through the battlefield toward its master.

With its giant paw outstretched, it slammed into Aurora’s sphere with a boom that reached the heavens. The ring of flame surged outward, extending its destructive radius instantly. The fleeting demons rippled and collapsed, their legs buckling under the force.

They let out their final screams before their bodies ceased to live. Only the sound of the wind remained.

The terrain, as far as the eye could see, had become a flattened wasteland of corpses and ruins. The spiral abyss refused to send out any more demons, as if it feared doing so.

White, fog-like smoke cleared.

In the middle of it all stood the strongest arcanist in the history of the mortal races.

The feather cloak of Ventiff danced with heavy momentum in the surge of wind as Aurora stood resolute, her rapier at her side. Her arc armour remained pristine and immaculate, and her silhouette radiated the aura of divine power.