Divine Mask: I Have Numerous God Clones

Darius stood in the heat of the battlefield, breathing heavily. His eyes flickered with grim determination as he faced the now-revived and even stronger Feris and Velkar.

Despite the intensity of the fight so far, his enemies had returned more powerful than ever, their forms brimming with dark energy.

Darius gripped his hammer tightly, the molten flames from Ember Infusion still dancing around the weapon. His armor, reinforced with Forgemaster's Strike, glowed faintly with heat.

It was all he had left to rely on. But deep down, he knew that even his enhanced equipment might not be enough to fend off these two monsters.

Across from him, Feris and Velkar exchanged knowing glances, their eyes gleaming with sinister amusement. They were done playing. This time, they weren't holding back.

"Let's end this," Velkar said coldly.

Without hesitation, they ordered their four Nether Puppets to launch a full-scale assault. The puppets, now crackling with intense nether energy, moved like shadows, their claws ready to rip through anything in their path.

They activated Puppet Frenzy, their movements becoming erratic and dangerously fast. Soulchain Bind shot out from their forms, aiming to trap Darius in place, while Puppet Rend charged their claws with deadly sharpness.

Darius braced himself, raising his hammer to defend against the onslaught. He swung with all his might, sending waves of molten energy toward the puppets. But it wasn't enough.

The Nether Puppets were relentless, their combined attacks overwhelming his defenses. His hammer collided with their claws, sparks flying, but the force behind their strikes was too much.

One after another, they struck at him, their claws tearing through his defenses. Darius gritted his teeth, doing his best to stand his ground. But then, something happened that shook him to his core.

The Nether Puppets ripped through his enhanced equipment.

The molten armor, once his greatest defense, shattered under the puppets' attacks. The hammer, glowing with Forgemaster's Strike, was knocked from his hand.

He staggered, wide-eyed with disbelief as the puppets closed in, their chains from Soulchain Bind wrapping around him tightly, pinning him to the ground.

Darius struggled, his body aching with exhaustion. But it was no use. He was trapped, powerless against the dark forces that surrounded him.

Feris approached slowly, each step deliberate and filled with cruel satisfaction. His lips curled into a wicked smile as his cold gaze locked onto the fallen Darius. The top elder of Celestial Academy, once a symbol of strength and defiance, now lay battered and bound, barely able to lift his head.

"Look at you," Feris sneered, his voice dripping with mockery. "The mighty top elder of Celestial Academy, reduced to nothing more than a defeated man." He crouched down, his eyes gleaming with malice. "Did you really think you could win?"

Darius, though gasping for breath, glared up at him with unwavering defiance. His voice, though ragged, held its edge. "You think… killing me… will stop Celestial Academy?" His tone was filled with quiet rage. "You're fools if you believe this changes anything."

Feris chuckled darkly, a cold, hollow sound. "Oh, Darius," he said, shaking his head as if amused by the elder's ignorance.

"You don't realize how weak your academy has become. Look around you—your strength is gone, your allies are dead. And now, without you…" He stood back up, his eyes narrowing with finality. "It's already over."

With a swift and merciless motion, Feris activated Puppet Rend, his hand glowing with dark nether energy. The claws of death shimmered for a brief moment before slashing violently across Darius's chest.

The attack was brutal—swift and precise. Darius let out a gasp, his body convulsing from the fatal blow as the last of his strength ebbed away. His vision blurred, and his head fell back, his life slipping from him.

Feris rose slowly, his expression devoid of any remorse. Casually, he wiped the blood from his hand, flicking it to the ground like dirt. "And that," he said with chilling satisfaction, his voice low and venomous, "is the end of Darius."

Velkar approached, a twisted grin spreading across his face. "Finally," he said, his voice laced with dark amusement, "he's dead."

Feris glanced at Velkar, then down at the motionless body of the elder who had once stood as Celestial Academy's strongest. "The top elder of Celestial Academy is no more," he murmured with grim satisfaction. "The invasion will be all the easier now."

As if on cue, Vorn and Mirra arrived, dragging the broken corpses of Aric and Sylph behind them. The sound of their bodies scraping across the stone echoed ominously. Mirra tossed Sylph's lifeless form to the ground with a smug, triumphant grin.

"We've taken care of the others," Mirra announced, her voice thick with pleasure. She glanced down at Sylph's corpse and smirked. "They didn't stand a chance."

Vorn kicked Aric's body forward, his face twisted in contempt. "The academy's three strongest elders… dead." His voice was filled with bitter satisfaction, as though each word carried the weight of long-awaited vengeance.
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Feris's eyes slowly scanned the fallen bodies, a cold smile creeping across his face. "Well done," he said, his tone one of approval and calculation.

"With them gone, Celestial Academy will be defenseless. The path to our victory is now clear." His gaze lingered on the corpses for a moment longer, as if savoring the sight of their defeat.

Velkar nodded in agreement, his eyes glinting with malicious intent. "We can start the invasion soon. There's nothing left to stop us."

Feris smirked in agreement but said nothing at first. Instead, his gaze shifted, drawn to the glowing pure mana stones scattered across the battlefield. The stones pulsed with radiant light, their pure energy contrasting sharply with the dark, twisted aura surrounding the victorious elders.

His eyes narrowed with greed as he studied the stones, each one more valuable than entire treasures hoarded by lesser sects. His smile deepened, his expression now one of cold calculation.

"But before we celebrate our inevitable victory," Feris murmured, his voice low, almost a growl, "there's something more valuable here that we must take."

He turned to face Velkar and the others, the hunger in his gaze unmistakable. "The pure mana stones… we came here for these, after all," Feris said, his tone commanding and sharp, as though the stones were already theirs.