My Soul card is a Reaper

Meanwhile, amidst the chaos of battle that echoed through the vast halls, a solitary figure stood out starkly against the backdrop of gold and jewels—a white-winged lion, majestic and fierce.

Leon, his mane catching the light like a halo, paced with a grace that belied his power.

His opponent, Janus, the god of doorways, transitions, and duality, watched with two faces, one looking to the past, the other to the future. But it was in the present that their conflict would be decided.

Janus, in his human guise, still carried the aura of divinity, an unsettling presence that seemed to warp the very air around him.

He held no weapon, for his power lay in manipulation, in the bending of possibilities and the twisting of outcomes.

Leon, understanding the nature of his adversary, knew that brute strength alone would not guarantee victory.

The first move was made by Janus, who, with a mere gesture, caused the environment to shift.

The walls of the treasury seemed to stretch and fold, creating a labyrinth that sought to confuse and disorient Leon.

But Leon met this challenge with a roar that reverberated off the gold-laden walls, a sound filled with power and defiance.

*Roar*

Leon's wings unfurled, beating against the air as he took to the sky, rising above the shifting maze below.

From this vantage, he could see the path to Janus, and could chart his course through the chaos. He dove, a streak of white against the gleam of treasure, his target in sight.

Janus, however, was not so easily bested.

With a turn of his head, the future face gazing now at Leon, he altered the flow of time around the lion.

Moments stretched into eternity, movements slowed to a crawl. Leon, caught in the temporal snare, struggled to push forward, his strength seemingly ebbing away.

But within Leon burned the heart of a creature not wholly bound by the laws of gods or men.

He summoned his will, his determination, focusing on the core of his being, where his power lay not in magic or divinity, but in the purity of his spirit.

With a monumental effort, Leon broke through the temporal distortion, his movement regaining its speed as he hurtled toward Janus.

The god, surprised by the resilience of his opponent, attempted to shift aside, to open another doorway in time to escape. But he was too slow.

Leon collided with Janus, the impact sending shockwaves through the treasury. The god of transitions found himself pinned beneath the lion, the weight of Leon's determination pressing down on him.

For a moment, Janus's dual gaze met Leon's single, unwavering one, and in that instant, there was recognition—a realization of the strength that lay in living firmly in the present, embracing the certainty of now over the uncertainty of what was and what might be.

Janus yielded, his form disintegrated into specks of dust, and his essence also merged with a beast, giving it the knowledge of looking into the past and the future. The labyrinth he had conjured unraveled as he faded, the treasury returning to its original state.

Leon landed gracefully on the ground, his wings folding behind him.

He let out a breath, a soft growl that was both a release of tension and a declaration of victory. The battle had been unlike any he had faced before, a challenge not just of strength but of spirit and will.

As he surveyed the room, his gaze fell upon a creature in blue, fighting its opponent. As his eyes glowed for a second, he saw the illusion of a scene, one that included Azzy. "What is this I'm seeing. This power… it is as if I could…" The white-winged lion stood there in a daze.

On the other hand, Elias stood amidst the gold and jewels, the weight of his task grounding him to the spot.

Before him, Faunus, the Roman god of the forest, wilds, and fertility, manifested in a form that seemed to blur the line between man and beast. His eyes, wild and untamed, held a gleam of primal challenge.

Elias, a scholar by heart, found himself in a contest that tested more than just physical prowess.

Faunus, with his deep connection to the natural world, called forth vines and roots from the very ground, turning the treasury into a makeshift forest. The gold and jewels were swallowed up by greenery, the air filled with the scent of earth and leaf.

But Elias was not without any power. His Aeni form had granted him knowledge of his planet's ancient magic, of words and symbols that held power, although using his own life force as fuel.

Having no other choice, he decided to sacrifice his life force to gain power. The advancing foliage halted, repelled by an invisible barrier.

Faunus laughed, a sound that was part growl, and charged.

Elias dodged, moving with a grace that belied his scholarly appearance. The god was relentless, however, and with each attack, the line between hunter and prey blurred.

Elias knew that direct confrontation was not his path to victory. Instead, he focused on the environment, on turning Faunus's strength against him.

He whispered another incantation and the plants began to respond not to Faunus but to him. They moved now with a purpose directed by Elias, creating obstacles that hindered the god, tangling his feet and impeding his progress.

Faunus roared in frustration, his form shifting, becoming more bestial as his connection to the natural world deepened.

But Elias, calm amidst the chaos, saw the opening he had been waiting for. With a final word of power, he bound Faunus in a cocoon of vines, not to harm but to hold.

"If you keep up at this rate, you will die," Faunus warned him.

"I should have already been dead if not for those two who saved me," Elias replied, his voice steady.

While he didn't speak Orlon, The former Diety's spirit understood his will.

Catching up something from the corner of the eye, Faunus became humanoid again.

With a nod, the god conceded the battle. "This fight ends now," he declared.

"Eh?" Elias stood there confused. Why? He didn't understand.

As Faunus suddenly sprinted toward Azzy, his eyes widened in realization and he ran after him.

There, a portal appeared out of nowhere and Louis trapped Azzy's body with spatial chains.

Leah was pointing her sword at Azzy's back. She looked resolute. However, Mors, who occupied Azzy's body, continued with his incantation without a care. Meanwhile, Azzy's body looked unchanged despite the fact that a tremendous amount of life force was fed to the sleeping King.

Leah intended to stab Azzy with her sword, connecting their spirits and forcefully breaking his seal, but just as she was about to stab him, Mors ended his incantation by raising his voice too loud, "Arise, My King."

His request was answered by a sudden gust of air, pushing away Leah and Louis.

The atmosphere charged, a pressure that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand. Everyone turned their heads, and there, manifesting in the center of the room was a presence that dwarfed those that had come before.

The man's face was slowly uncovered as he slowly rose in the air. When he opened his eyes abruptly, a powerful gravitational force descended onto the ground, forcing everyone to kneel on the floor.

Jupiter, the king of the Roman gods, his form radiant and commanding, filled the space with divine authority. The air crackled with power, the gold and jewels of the treasury dimming in his brilliance.

"My King, You have returned," spoke Mors, through Azzy's mouth.

"Your Majesty," Faunus went down on one of his knees and greeted him with his right fist on the floor.

"Azrael?" Jupiter furrowed his brows, his eyes fixed on Azzy. His words filled the room, taking everyone by surprise, including Mors and Faunus.