Henceforth, potentially creating an unseen, heavy, disrupting, and spiraling noiseless wall of darkwind, whirling chaotically within an eighty-meter radius from the Calamity. It was capable of grinding and breaking anything unfortunate into mere dust and fine particles, be it matter or energy.
However, as if even this wasn't enough, the Galescourge Bearer activated another one of his abilities named Protection: Obsidian Shroud, made on the foundation of another two superior concepts: Darkwind Solidification and Microscopic Darkwind Erosion. Subsequently, a circular dark barrier condensed from the erosive darkwinds, materializing around the Calamity. All these abilities were activated simultaneously, each one complementing and augmenting another by massive amounts.
However, as the Calamity's proficiency in his superior concepts was only at the initiate level, Proficiency Zero, the amount of Energy he needed to maintain the active abilities, despite Tainted Grace of Darkwinds and some other inferior concepts, was truly not something small. This indicated that, in spite of everything, the Calamity wasn't capable of maintaining all three suppressive, defensive, and support-type abilities simultaneously for long.
—[Tainted Grace of Darkwinds was a support-type ability, Unseen Hurricane was a suppression-type ability, and Protection: Obsidian Shroud functioned as his defensive ability].
Maybe around five minutes was its current limit before his Energy ran dry, which was more than enough time in a battle of their magnitude.
The time hit the five seconds mark since Aezaleon started utilizing his inferior concept of Lesser Frost fully and began dumping massive amounts of Energy from his body into his blood claymore, whereas the one-hundred-meter ground around him had already frozen solid in such a brief time, giving it a layer of permafrost. Meanwhile, the seeping cold had already spread far wider, reaching an affected range of two hundred and forty to two hundred and seventy meters. Even the Galescourge Bearer, three hundred meters away from Aezaleon, could feel the biting cold in its bones but wasn't much affected by it aside from this, considering the suppressive and defensive abilities it activated. They were perfectly capable of negating its effects despite the cold spreading in the form of an Energy rather than matter.
During all this time, Aezaleon had his eyes closed. He was fully focused on what he was doing, essentially being on the cusp of giving birth to his own ability already, a strong one at that.
Suddenly, at the sixth second, Aezaleon's eyes shot open. The crimson gems shone in a luminous brilliance, flashing with raw authority. The overflowing Energy erupted out from his body uncontrollably, condensing the next instant and taking a tangible, perceivable form. Moving from his arms and illuminating his blood vessels into a pure, faint blue-white, it surged into the blood claymore grasped firmly in his hands.
The energy swirled wildly in the surroundings outside. Complex veins of frost appeared on the two-meters-long blood sword, giving form to an abrupt blood-white luminescence. The frostlight shot towards the skies like massive pillars of pure winter piercing the heavens, fading into the white clouds twenty miles above.
Whereas, at the seventh second, Aezaleon took a step forward. It was a calm step; it was composed and confident. A confirmed and cold step was followed by a linear downward slash from the blood claymore. It was silent, precise, and unwavering.
"AAAAAAAAAA!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing across the wasteland. He utilized every ounce of his strength to perform this simple downward slash. A basic sword move that created a cold energy beam of twenty miles. A beam that perfectly, as though in sync, followed the downward trajectory of the claymore, splitting the clouds and cutting the earth.
BOOM! SWOOSH! CRACK! DISPERSE! GRRRRRRAAAA! SHATTER! SPURT!
The cold energy line released from the move completely neutralized and dispersed the unseen hurricane within a millisecond, but not before getting weakened. Afterwards, the clash between the solidified dark barrier and the energy commenced. The Calamity roared and utilized every single drop of Energy within him to strengthen and restore it by condensing even more darkwinds, on sensing the life-threatening danger that surpassed all his predictions from the attack of his prey.
Alas, the barrier did not even last a second before it shattered like broken glass. However, before its destruction, it was able to considerably weaken the energy beam even further, fulfilling its intended role. It was enough that its life wasn't in danger anymore; nevertheless, in return, the Galescourge Bearer was left in a very wounded state, with his right foreleg, shoulder, and antlers getting completely separated from his body, leaving him standing in a pool of his own red blood while gasping for breath.
Meanwhile, Aezaleon himself wasn't in any better condition. The pressure and weight of the attack he had just performed was no joke after all; it was simply too much for his body. His veins had all ruptured again, with his muscles being in shambles. There was no need to even ask what happened to his hands, legs, and spine, which were the main parts that handled most of the burden, pressure, and weight of this seemingly simple attack. It was an attack fueled by the souls of seven rank three, eight rank two, and the material body of a rank three Calamity, and all it did, despite everything Aezaleon put into it, was severely wound the boss deer. It just showed how strong the boss was. Not to mention, his current condition. He had suffered a lot but was still unable to reach his desired result. He failed.
The attack left his body just as much destroyed as the surroundings. However, the amazing thing was that because of the impressive range of his attack, though he wasn't able to kill the Galescourge Bearer, his intended target, far away from here, the sword beam managed to kill seven other calamities in its path. Thus, unexpectedly giving him seven souls—three rank three and four rank two—to absorb. With this, Aezaleon also came to know the range of his Soul Compendium Archive sub-ability was at least twenty miles or so.
Again, he didn't waste a single second and instantly absorbed the seven souls through his sub-ability effect one, Essence Devour Ascension: Matter-Soulmatter Absorption, of his ability effect five, Sanctum of Loyal Revenants. Subsequently, he used the overflowing Energy to quickly heal himself up.
Also, during this process, something even more surprising happened. On using the overflowing Energy generated from the energy balls to heal his utterly damaged body, restore his mutilated organs, and regenerate his broken limbs, he came to realize that this inhumane process had actually reinforced, augmented, enhanced, tempered, fortified, and toughened his body by a small percentage. In other words, this sub-ability effect one, Essence Devour Ascension: Matter-Soulmatter Absorption, would prove to be extremely crucial if he ever hoped to strengthen his physical form, which was his biggest weakness currently despite having the physique of a pureblood Calamity.
In ten seconds, Aezaleon was healed enough to be able to get back on his feet again, which he did without wasting a second. Thereafter, when he looked to the side where his claymore was, he couldn't help but be amazed. The greatsword wasn't damaged one bit despite him literally pouring so much Energy into it, not to mention the attack he performed with it.
"Whatever," he muttered in a tired yet resolute voice, his determination bleeding through his heavy breaths. He looked towards the Calamity that still hadn't recovered from its terrible state. "It survived that, huh?" he commented with a dry, mirthless laugh.