The next midday arrived with as a hundred-meter-wide barrier, constructed by Solomon to contain the impending clash against Theurgia, shimmered into existence.
Through Avesta, Jay already knew that it was a very high-level construct of barrier magic, though fundamentally different from the human barrier magic of the modern age. Modern human magic which based on the foundations laid by Merlin, relied on internal mana circuits and complex calculations and equations through magic circle.
This, however, was a feat of pure spirit magic.
'I can't believe humans in the old ages really needed to have a contract with a Spirit to perform any Magic,' Jay thought, his eyes tracing the intricate, flowing geometry of the barrier.
Now that he thought about how dependent humanity had been on spirits, he respected Merlin even more. That man, though a bit narcissistic, had truly changed the way humanity interacted with the supernatural, moving from a state of spirit dependency to one of self-actualized power, and all of that just for the love of the game.
Solomon and Bilqis approached the trio.
The King of Israel moved with his usual grace, but in his hands he carried four distinct grimoires that pulsed with their own unique auras.
As Jay's Avesta scanned the books, the information flooded his mind, cataloging the books one by one.
The first was a book of white porcelain with gold engraving, emanating a soft, golden hue that felt like warm. Ars Almadel.
The second was an indigo book with deep blue engravings. Ars Paulina.
The third was the book they were about to unseal today, a slate-grey tome with vibrant green engravings that hummed with the resonance of the air around it. Ars Theurgia.
The final book was a solid block of clean white with no engravings at all, its surface as smooth and reflective as a mirror. Ars Notoria.
'Now that I think about it, Solomon hasn't mentioned the power of Ars Notoria… Well, I can ask about it later,' Jay decided, his gaze lingering on the plain book for a moment before returning to the King.
"These are the rest of the Divine Revelations," Solomon said, his voice tinged with nostalgia. He handed the books to Jay, withholding only the grey tome of Ars Theurgia.
"And as for the rest of the books, you can try to unseal them yourself when the time is right. Just make sure you observe my process carefully, and be cautious with Ars Notoria. And for the sealing mechanisms... They are all the same, since they were crafted by the Heavenly Father and Lady Gabriel, who feared they might be stolen, much like Ars Goetia was."
Jay's brow twitched at the mention of a familiar name.
"Hm? You knew Gabriel?"
Solomon offered a cryptic smile, but it was Bilqis who spoke up, a playful glint in her jade eyes.
"Oh~ My husband knew her very well since most of the Divine Revelations were given to him through her... He even proposed to Lady Gabriel to be his wife a couple of times. Though, she rejected him every single time," Bilqis said, her tone light with playful mockery to her husband.
Jay and Lavinia stared at the King, their expressions flat with disbelief.
"What... Isn't that kind of relationship forbidden for an angel? Not to mention, the God of the Bible was still alive at that point," Jay pointed out.
Solomon might look like a wise king, but was he really just a degenerate gooner like Azazel said?
"Well, the Heavenly Father only said there are consequences in every action, haha," Solomon replied, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.
"But truthfully, Lady Gabriel rejected me because she simply didn't think of me as someone worth falling for... It was as simple as that."
Jay stared at the man for a few long seconds, wondering how many other legendary figures Solomon had tried to charm.
Shaking the thought away, he opened a spatial portal and deposited Ars Almadel, Ars Paulina, and Ars Notoria into his pocket dimension.
Solomon then turned, walking slowly toward the center of the grassy field. The atmosphere shifted instantly. The air grew thick with the sudden pressure around the book in his hand.
Lavinia, Kuroka, and Bilqis stepped into formation behind Jay.
A blazing black grail manifested at Jay's side, and Avesta began to ignite within his left eye, ready to record and analyze the mechanics of the unsealing process.
As Solomon reached the center, he stopped. His posture straightened, and his usual warm, relaxed expression vanished, replaced by a solemn seriousness.
"Very well..."
Solomon held the book aloft on his palm.
And suddenly, a complex lattice of light and chains of glowing runes manifested around the tome, binding it shut. One by one, the runes shattered under Solomon's command. Jay watched the process intensely, his dragoneye breaking down the divine encryption.
Then, an immense aura of myriad colors erupted from the book.
It rose into the air, its pages fluttering violently as it expanded. Sensing the sudden spike of volatile energy, the group braced themselves.
And suddenly-
BOOOOOOOM
A concentrated ray of white flame burst from the book, lancing toward them with enough heat to melt diamond. Bilqis reacted instantly, slamming her hands together to erect a jade spirit barrier.
The ray struck the shield, scattering sparks of pure light in all directions. The grass around the barrier was instantly incinerated, turning into a bubbling pool of magma.
From the glowing pages of the book, a creature began to manifest.
It was a four-meter-tall giant with an armored, humanoid upper body. Its lower half transitioned into an elongated, reptilian tail that curled lazily behind it. Its head was entirely encased in a golden helm with no visible visor. Instead of eyes, a brilliant white light emanated from a singular point where a crown of golden energy floated above its head, serving as a metaphysical ocular sensor. Behind the entity, a massive Hexagram of shifting colors pulsed, each node a different vibrant hue.
"That's..." Jay muttered, his hand going to the hilt of his blade.
"It's Theurgia," Solomon answered, having already moved back to their side. "Now seeing him again after thousands of years... it's quite nostalgic."
"Nyaa... That thing behind him, what is that?" Kuroka asked, her tail swishing nervously.
"That Hexagram is called the Sigils of the Six Elementals," Solomon explained. "Each represents an element of spirit magic he rules... Pyro, Electro, Geo, Anemo, Hydro, and Phyto. Once you make a contract with him, you can use those sigils to perform any elemental magic at your will."
Hearing Solomon's words, the trio widened their eyes.
"And to make it even better, the greatest advantage of spirit magic is that you don't use your own mana to fuel the magic... But the nature around you, especially in a master-to-servant contract."
"Literally any elemental magic? That's broken," Lavinia said, her eyes wide as she assessed the scale of the King of Nature's spirit power.
"Well, he is the King of Spirits for a reason. And it isn't just limited to those six basic elements..."
Before Solomon could finish speaking, a booming, resonant voice suddenly echoed from Theurgia's nonexistent mouth.
"Solomon! You bastard! You dare to unseal me after letting me rot in that darkness for thousands of years? I will fucking kill you, you bastard!" Theurgia pointed a massive, armored finger at the white-haired King.
"Now, now, Big T. It was the Heavenly Father who sealed you so your power wouldn't fall into the hands of the Devils," Solomon said, maintaining a calm smile despite the murderous intent radiating from the King of spirit.
"It wasn't me." Solomon shrugged.
"Man, shut up! Lucifer and his weakling friends could never have hoped to beat me in my prime! And you didn't even say a word when Yesh sealed me! You traitor! I was the one who helped you answer the riddles from Sheba so you could make her your wife! And this is how you treat me!?"
Theurgia's words caused Bilqis to freeze. She slowly turned her head, fixing her husband with a sharp, smug smile that made Solomon's spirit blood run cold.
"Oh? I didn't know you had help, O husband," Bilqis said, her voice dropping an octave.
Solomon's face went pale. "W-wait, I don't even know what Big T is talking about. You can't possibly trust the word of a disgruntled spirit, right my Love?"
Bilqis didn't answer, her smile only growing more dangerous.
Jay, Lavinia, and Kuroka watched the exchange with deadpan expressions. The wise King of Israel was looking less like a legend every time his past was revealed to them.
'What is even happening?' Jay thought, rubbing his temples.
"Well, that's in the past now," Theurgia growled, his aura flaring with myriad colors. "I just need to kill you so you know how it feels to be in that darkness, unable to do anything, you bastard!"
The azure sigil of Anemo and the blue sigil of Hydro behind the spirit began to glow with blinding intensity.
And then-
"Spirit of Ice."
FWUOOOM
A massive blizzard with countless jagged shards of frozen air, erupted toward the group. A tsunami of spirit frost designed to freeze anything on it's way.
But just as it was dozens of meters away from freezing them, Alichino appeared in Jay's hand. He willed the purple flames of Incinerate Anthem to coat the jagged black blade, and with a casual yet powerful swing, he met the blizzard head-on.
SHING
"Incinerate."
A wave of purple holy fire roared forward, colliding with the tsunami of ice. The clash created a massive explosion of steam, water, and shattered ice, covering the entire ground inside the barrier.
A spirit body could only truly be touched or harmed by spirit energy, a spirit weapon, or a conceptual ability, but its manifestation of magic still interacted with the physical world.
"Ice? I thought he only ruled six elements based on his Hexagram?" Lavinia asked, her hands already glowing with her Senjutsu Ki.
"That's the special nature of his authority over spirit," Solomon explained, his eyes sharp as he watched the steam clear.
"He can combine the base spirit elements as he likes, creating new elements from various combinations of the original six…"
"Nya? That's absurd. And you had this power at your disposal during your time as the King of Israel?" Kuroka asked, looking at Solomon.
He just smiled and nodded.
"Well, I was quite strong in my prime... though, of course, not nearly as strong as Zayyn," Solomon remarked.
Jay stepped forward, his boots crunching on the frozen, half-molten ground. His body was slowly enveloped in the flaring grey aura of his Senjutsu Ki. His hair stood on end, and Avesta continued to scan the shifting spiritual construct of the King of Spirits.
Theurgia slouched his massive frame, looking down to get a better view of the human in front of him. Their eyes, or rather, Jay's eyes and Theurgia's golden ocular met.
"Hmm... Who are you, human?" Theurgia asked, his voice dripping with arrogance. "This is my personal vendetta against that womanizer. It is not your concern. Do not get yourself killed for a traitor of a man!"
Jay ignored the taunt entirely.
"We go as planned," Jay said, his voice steady, his expression not even fazed.
"Kuroka and I will take the front. Lavi, Bilqis, and Solomon will provide range support."
Lavinia nodded. Her body was suddenly enveloped in a brilliant white aura. A small blue humanoid girl, the Ice Spirit Bilqis had given her and with whom she had formed a contract, appeared at her side before dissolving into her chest.
Instantly, Lavinia's aura shifted, gaining the same ethereal quality as Bilqis's. Streaks of pure white appeared in her blonde hair, and her eyes shimmered with a frost that didn't belong to the human realm.
The Spirit Form.
With the high-level Ice Spirit Bilqis had gifted her, Lavinia could now bridge the gap between herself and the spirit realm. Unlike Kuroka, who could naturally blend Senjutsu with Youjutsu or youkai magic, human magic and Sacred Gears were typically incompatible with Senjutsu Ki.
Bilqis had proposed this partial spirit transformation so that Lavinia's Absolute Demise could interact directly with Theurgia's spiritual body.
"Let's go, nya!" Kuroka screamed, her body wreathed in a dark purple aura as her Nekoshou eyes flared like a feline predator.
"What is this? You kids trying kill me?" Theurgia said, his voice brimming with amusement.
"No," Jay said flatly.
"But I will beat you up."
"HAHAHAHA! What a funny little comedian we have here!"
Jay didn't wait for the laughter to end as hundreds of dark purple portals tore open in the air around Theurgia.
"Hooo!"
KRIIIIING
Hundreds of obsidian Chains of Envy slithered out like striking cobwebs.
They were coated in a thick layer of Jay's grey Senjutsu Ki, allowing them to bind Theurgia's spiritual body. As they wrapped around his massive arms and tail in a grueling grip, the spirit let out a grunt of surprise as he felt his power being siphoned away through the chains.
But his shock lasted only a second.
As he whispered.
"Spirit of Magma!"
BOOM
Theurgia's aura shifted to a violent red and orange before exploded like volcano. Jay's Senjutsu-reinforced chains began to glow white-hot, melting into molten slag that dripped uselessly to the ground.
But Kuroka had already appeared behind Theurgia's head, her claws extended and glowing with enough Ki to cleave a mountain.
Theurgia glanced over his shoulder.
"Spirit of Wind!"
FWUOOOM
Before her claws could connect, a gigantic hurricane erupted from the spirit's body. The sheer force of the gale blasted Kuroka backward, sending her tumbling dozens of meters until she was caught by the edge of Solomon's barrier.
Jay, however, was already closing the distance.
He moved across the molten ground with Voidwalker, his figure a blur of grey light. Theurgia fixed his golden helm on the approaching boy, raising a hand to unleash a killing blow.
But Jay was faster as he whispered a Desire.
"Explode."
Theurgia's golden ocular sensor flickered as he felt a sudden invinsible pressure building inside his spiritual core.
And then-
"Wha-"
BOOM
His spiritual body and armored chest exploded outward.
Pure spirit energy, a kaleidoscope of myriad colors, splattered into the air. But as Jay had predicted, the blood of the spirit didn't hit the ground as it pulled itself back together in a swirling vortex, and within a second, Theurgia was whole again, floating dozens of meters in the air.
"HAHAHA! That's an interesting trick you have there, human boy!" Theurgia laughed, his voice shaking the very foundations of the spirit barrier.
Jay stood his ground, looking upward as Avesta analyze the abnormal regeneration.
'Yeah... Just like Solomon said. As long as there is natural elements in this world, this guy won't die. Unless, of course, he is touched by a Power of Concept like Sirzechs' Power of Destruction or my Absolute Nonexistence.' Jay analyzed.
"Now that you've shown me a nice trick, let me show you mine!"
And as he said that, three sigils behind Theurgia, the red sigils of Pyro, the azure sigils of Anemo, and the brown sigils of Geo began to flare with a synchronized light.
The King of Spirits then clasped his massive hands together as a small, vibrating cube of pure white light appeared between his palms.
Solomon's eyes widened in recognition.
"No, that's!"
Before anyone could react, Theurgia roared his command.
"Spirit of-"
The white cube expanded at a rate that defied laws as a deafening hum echoing through the sanctuary.
KYUUUUUUUNG
"-Dust!"
BOOOOOOOM
The cube disintegrated everything it touched into fine, atomic powder, expanding to fill the entire center of the barrier in a blinding flash of white.