Tales of Undeath: The Von Virtus Chronicles

XCIV. Out of Control

Lunalus: Do not kid yourself... Divine powers or not, you are still a child.

Lunalus' aura expands, covering the battlefield in a sphere of darkness that blots out most sunlight. Despite being blind, Virno is able to pick up on a sudden shift of in his body's temperature, due to the absence of the sun's heat.

Virno: You do realize I'm blind...? Light or no light, it's all the same to me.

Lunalus smirks.

Lunalus: The purpose of this dome I've erected is not just to block out the sun...

He conjures his spear, adopting an offensive stance with both legs slightly bent and his torso rotated sideways.

Lunalus: It's so your lack of control does not cause any further unnecessary harm.

Virno furrows his brow.

Virno: Lack of control...?

Lunalus suddenly dashes toward him at an incredible speed, catching Virno off guard. With a masterful cut, he slices his blindfold cleanly, revealing Virno's cracked eyes underneath.

Lunalus: As I surmised... You have already attempted to tap into power far beyond your ken. A terrible habit passed onto you from your instructor, no doubt...

Virno drives the sword downward toward the ground, piercing the earth as a blast of wind is produced from the point of impact, creating a forcefield of raging air around him.

Virno: My instructor? You mean Ballo?!

Lunalus turns around, thrusting his spear into Virno's forcefield as black lightning surges from his weapons tip the moment it makes contact with the shield.

Lunalus: Who else...? Lacerbus revealed to me as much in his final breath. Ballo, too, used strength beyond his understanding... A reckless act like that always comes with a cost. Loss of sight is typically the first and cheapest price one pays...!

Virno rapidly dispels the shield, causing Lunalus to be thrown off balance as he trips forward. Leveraging this opportunity, Virno swings the blade horizontally, towards Lunalus' unprotected side.

Lunalus: Hahahah! Amazing battle instincts...

Lunalus uses his left, darkness-imbued hand in an attempt to stop the blade, but the weapon cuts cleanly through his palm, slicing off half of his fingers alongside a portion of his forearm.

Lunalus: ACKKH...!

A viscous black liquid spurts from his injury, as opposed to blood. Virno recognizes it from Lacerbus' own magic.

Virno: I don't know what you guys are made of... But it's fucking disgusting.

Harnessing the momentum from his cut, Virno swings the blade once more. This time, however, Lunalus dodges the attack, stepping backward as the blade narrowly misses him.

Lunalus: So the legend is true... The blade can indeed cut through just about anything. What a nuisance...!

With his back practically touching the dome he created, Lunalus thrusts his spear into it, as the weapon effortlessly pierces its wall. With the spear now impaling the dome, Lunalus is able to control its movement freely across the dome's surface, using the spear as an elevator to rise high above the battlefield, sliding up the dome's inner wall. 

Virno: Get down here, coward!

Lunalus: Coward...? Fight me without your blade, then, if you are so brave...!

As he slides across the dome, a barrage of tar is expulsed from the spear's trail, raining down on the battlefield. Anything it touches begins rapidly dissolving, and it isn't long before most of the ground is covered in black puddles.