As the silent malleable source of petals cascaded around the makeshift battlefield, a serene yet tense atmosphere enveloped the space. Jingliu, amidst orchestrating the celestial duel with her Moonlit Guardian, sensed an absence that tugged at the edges of her omnipresence. The usual flares and flames, signatures of Icaria's vibrant essence, were conspicuously missing. "To overlook Icaria's presence... she, who rivals me in swordsmanship and represents the path of Abundance, where might she be?" Jingliu pondered, her gaze sweeping across the domain in search of the phoenix reborn.

Icaria, embodying the fiery renewal of a Phoenix and the cheerful spirit that belied her tactical acumen, remained elusive. Jingliu acknowledged the need for vigilance; Icaria's intellect made her a formidable force, one not easily countered by mere strength.

The standoff with the trio—Seris, Adabas, and Yara—shifted the tempo of the battlefield. Time, Jingliu knew, played in their favor, each moment allowing them deeper insight into her strategies, narrowing her path to victory.

Grasping her noble phantasm, Jingliu prepared for the inevitable confrontation, her power subtly weaving through the air. "Thank you, everyone, and especially you, Adabas, for bridging our paths," she expressed, her sincerity permeating the charged atmosphere, an attempt to acknowledge their bonds amidst the looming battle.

Adabas responded with a lightness akin to a cheerful chirp, deflecting the gratitude with grace. "Your thanks, while appreciated, find misplaced focus. Remember, it was by fate's hand, not mine, that you crossed paths with Pluto and Holos. Credit where it's due, dear Jingliu."

Jingliu, unperturbed by the gentle correction, maintained her stance. "While I acknowledge their roles, our current assembly here speaks to your influence, Adabas. My gratitude, thus, is rightly placed with you in this moment."

Adabas, amused by Jingliu's frankness, parried with a playful admonition. "Such candid appreciation is rare from you, yet remember the weight of words for times to come. Misunderstandings are seldom kind," she teased, hinting at Jingliu's potential need for improvement in diplomacy.

Jingliu, accepting the critique with grace, remained focused on her ultimate quest—to reclaim Y/N.

Yara, observing the steadfast look in Jingliu's eyes, couldn't help but express her thoughts, her halberd tapping against the ground in a habitual gesture. "Truly, even in the wake of your ascension, Jingliu, you're as transparent as ever. You welcome advice yet seem poised to venture beyond its bounds," she noted, her voice a mix of admiration and caution.

Seris, hiding a smile behind her sleeve, let out a gentle chuckle at Yara's observation. "Oh, Yara, haven't you learned? Jingliu's vision is her compass; nothing will deter her from her chosen path," she remarked, her eyes gleaming with amusement as she noticed the environment subtly responding to an unseen force, the ice around her retreating as though wary of a hidden flame.

Jingliu, her attention momentarily diverted, pondered the anomaly. 'Is this Icaria's influence, or something else?' she mused, even as her noble phantasm pulsed with readiness in her hand.

Yara, her patience wearing thin at the banter, implored them, "While I admire your resolve, Jingliu, and your wit, Seris, let us not forget the courtesy owed in our discourse."

Seris, feigning ignorance, turned away, her expression thoughtful yet laced with mischief. "What do you mean, Yara? I am but sharing a simple truth," she replied, her demeanor belying the cunning that danced in her eyes.

In that moment, Adabas seized the stage with a clap of her hands, sending ripples through the fabric of their reality. The scars of their battlefield morphed into a celestial ocean, stars and planets echoing the vastness Jingliu had once commanded.

"Enigmata," Jingliu realized, the term crystallizing in her mind as she beheld Adabas' transformation of the world. It was a realm of riddles and revelations, reflective of the path Adabas embodied.

Adabas, bathing in the light of Jingliu's realization, affirmed her identity. "Indeed, Jingliu. As you discern our essences, know that I walk the path of Enigmata, entwined with the mysteries of Mythus. They are the breath of my existence. Now, stand ready, O'Fated One, Nighthilt Sovereign, for the world unfurls anew at the behest of its genesis," she proclaimed, her voice resonating with the authority of her domain.

---

As the makeshift arena bore the brunt of celestial warfare, Pluto found herself caught in a maelstrom of emotions. The Moonlit Guardian, a formidable extension of Jingliu's will, unleashed havoc, decimating the once majestic mountain that had stood as a testament to nature's grandeur. The guardian's sword, rising from the ground, sent forth dark crescent energies that sought Holos with unerring precision, each slash a deadly harbinger of the Dark Moon's wrath.

Above them, the moon reigned supreme, its brilliance overshadowing the stars, a beacon of elegance in the turmoil that unfolded beneath its watchful gaze. Its presence, palpable and commanding, was a constant reminder of the celestial forces at play.

"How long has it been?" The thought echoed in Pluto's mind, not just a reflection on the battle's duration but a meditation on the exhilaration that pulsed through her veins. The crack of her helmet, as it succumbed to the battlefield's demands, revealed her true form. Her hair, a striking blend of pink and violet, cascaded down her back, a vision of otherworldly beauty that belied the warrior within.

This excitement, a feeling long dormant since the wars of Xianzhou, rekindled a hunger within Pluto—a desire for the clash of wills, for the dance of destruction that defined their existence.

Mono's laughter, a sound both wild and unbound, filled the air as she wielded the Griffon blade with abandon, threatening to shatter the very world with the Griffon blade, Pluto reflected on the transformative power of combat. The Path of Destruction was fully unleashed, yet the Guardian stood resolute, its frosty aura rewriting the fabric of their reality.

Yet, it was Jingliu's might that cast a shadow over Pluto's heart. The realization that her student, her sister, had reached such heights of power was both awe-inspiring and daunting. The essence of the Hunt, it seemed, thrived within Jingliu, a fact Pluto accepted with a warrior's grace; she was at peace with Jingliu's sovereignty.

Turning her focus back to the fray, Pluto channeled a pink aura, reminiscent of Lan's energy, her twin swords merging into a singular, formidable bow. The Guardian, sensing the shift, conjured a deluge of moonlit swords, aiming to overwhelm her. Yet, Pluto's agility saw her weaving through the onslaught, her arrow charged with a devastating energy.

"O'Lan, my mentor, bear witness to the might I wield in your memory," Pluto whispered to the ether, releasing the arrow with a resolve that shattered the silence. Mono's manic glee and Holos's initial concern morphed into a shared acknowledgment of the moment's gravity. The Guardian's defense, while formidable, was not invincible.

Mono, embracing the chaos, launched one final assault against the Guardian's luminescent barrier. "This is where we draw the line!" she declared, her laughter ringing out as the barrier shattered, a spectacle reminiscent of an aurora enveloping them.

As the domain teetered on the brink of annihilation, Mono's voice carried a note of farewell and triumph. "What a journey, Jingliu!" she exclaimed, her spirit unbroken even as the world they knew disintegrated around them.

In the aftermath of Pluto's decisive strike, the world around them shattered, the domain collapsing under the combined might of their final stand.

---

As the remnants of her created world dissipated into the void, Jingliu pondered the precariousness of her gambit. The realm she had woven from the threads of existence had unraveled, a stark reminder of her nascent grasp on the fabric of reality. Understanding life and death was one matter; comprehending the vast intricacies of reality was another. "To bind one's fate to the cosmos is to unravel the skeins of destiny that entangle us all," she mused, the Moonlit Guardian reappearing by her side, now a diminutive sentinel against the unknown.

With a thought, Jingliu hastened the flow of time around her mind, a privilege her ascension afforded her without the mortal constraints of time's erosion. "Defense may now give way to assault," she contemplated, her strategies unfolding with newfound clarity.

Yet, her adversaries were not idle. Adabas, now indistinguishable from the realm she conjured, wove the mysteries of her being into the very essence of this battleground, a true embodiment of the enigmatic paths of Mythus. Seris, encircled by a maelstrom of energy, was the source of the rising heat Jingliu had detected, her preparations ominously serene. Yara, divesting herself of healing magics, now stood arrayed in a tapestry of ancient magic circles, a testament to her readiness for the confrontation ahead.

It was the heat, however, that heralded the arrival of an entity long awaited. A phoenix of monumental scale emerged, its flames engulfing the void where the battlefield once stood, a majestic testament to the power it wielded. The Moonlit Guardian, ever vigilant, raised a shield of divine essence around Jingliu, a bulwark against the inferno.

From the heart of the blaze descended a figure, flames caressing her form as she alighted upon the cosmic sea, a visage of war and beauty intertwined. Icaria, with her sword and armor alight with the essence of pure fire, made her presence known with a flourish that echoed through the collapsing realms.

"Heed my arrival, for I am forged from your inspiration, your recognition, and your dedication to our cause!" Icaria's voice boomed, her spirit undimmed by the spectacle of Jingliu's awakening.

"Hmm?"

As the flames surged around Jingliu, a transformative spectacle unfolded. The inferno, rather than consuming, began to orbit her like celestial guardians, a testament to her dominion over the elements. A miraculous interplay of fire and ice commenced under her command; frost kissed the flames without quelling their spirit, encasing them in a dance of containment. It was as though each flame were imprisoned within crystal, a sea of fire suspended in stasis, a dazzling display of her newfound prowess.

Icaria, witnessing the subjugation of her fiery assault, felt a twinge of irritation. The flames, once her heralds of destruction capable of reducing worlds to ash, now seemed diminished, their apocalyptic fury tamed by Jingliu's calm. Yet, this frustration was a mere ripple in the ocean of her resolve.

The battlefield, now a canvas for their confrontation, resonated with the silent anticipation of the onlookers. Icaria's sword, alight with the purest of flames, was not merely a weapon but a declaration of her intent to challenge the very essence of Jingliu's ascension. The others, their presences like shadows cast by the stars above, watched with bated breath, understanding the gravity of the moment unfolding before them.

---

As the dance of fire and ice commenced, Jingliu found herself adrift in memories of battles past. The visage of Yexian, a figure of tumultuous defiance, mirrored in the flames that surrounded Icaria. Despite their differences, Jingliu saw the same unyielding spirit in both, a reflection of individuals whose resolve was their compass, undeterred by the perceptions of those around them.

"It's as if history repeats itself," Jingliu mused internally, the specter of her confrontation with Yexian casting a long shadow over the present. "Another duel of ice and fire, yet it feels so familiar."

Addressing Icaria directly, Jingliu's tone carried the weight of her reflections. "Icaria," she began, her gaze piercing through the veil of flames, "let's test the mettle that has been forged in the crucible of our experiences. Your fire has shaped my resolve; now let's see if it can weather the frost that enfolds it."

Icaria, catching the undercurrent of nostalgia in Jingliu's voice, set aside her contemplations for another time. With a grin that radiated her indomitable spirit, she called out, "Very well! My dear siblings, lend us the stage and bear witness, but keep your interventions to yourselves. This is a spectacle not to be missed!"

In response to her plea, Adabas orchestrated the heavens, aligning the stars into the constellation of Concordia, a celestial agreement that their duel would proceed uninterrupted, watched by all but disturbed by none.

Embracing the moment, Icaria assumed a stance that was as unorthodox as it was expressive, reminiscent of a dancer poised before royalty. Jingliu mirrored her readiness, her greatsword an extension of her will, bathed in the ethereal glow of ice and moonlight, while her noble phantasm pulsed with anticipation.

The stage was set, the players ready, and as the constellations bore silent testimony, the duel between Jingliu and Icaria began—a testament to their growth, their battles, and the unbreakable bond that tied them to each other and to the fate they shared.

End of Chapter