Chapter 1261: Spell Clash The act of drawing the Primordial Keepers here deprived them of their weapons and home advantages in the Great Desert, with their Will and Soul flames not having any suppressive effects on Rowan, and with the increasing fatality they were experiencing, the only recourse they had was to go all out. No matter how much damage they incur if they were to do such a thing, it was still an acceptable outcome because they would slowly recover if they survived, any attempts at holding back would only lead to their extinction. At the beginning of this fight, the Primordial Keepers quickly understood that soul-based attacks would not work against a soulless abomination like Rowan, and every attack they had been using ever since had been material in nature. The massive soul blades being conjured were simply converting the power of their Wills Soul Scour into a tangible force that could easily shred a universe. There was not much loss in power after this transformation, they were simply switching from blades that would cut the soul, to one that would cut the flesh. These soul blades also came with the unique soul-scouring properties of their Will, which had transformed into flesh-scouring. Anything cut by these blades would never heal. It did not matter if the area affected was destroyed and then regrown, like a scar branded in reality, that wound would still tear open. Rowan's preternatural movement patterns had allowed him to escape death from their attacks, however, it was Rowan's last attack that cemented the decisions the Primordial Keepers were presently choosing to make. The massive area of effect attack he had unleashed had cut through a third of their number, and the realization struck the Primordial Keepers that no matter how problematic their opponent was, this space was small, and if he could dodge a focused blow, then he could not evade one that would occupy the entire space. With all these in mind, a collective decision was made to flood the entire space with soul blades, shredding everything inside, and to achieve something like that on this scale, then their soul and Will would have to burn, but that was a price that they were willing to pay. The bodies of the Primordial Keepers swelled, their robes billowing under the enormous powers that exploded from their bodies, reaching inconceivable heights, yet still growing ever stronger as a single moment stretched for an eternity, and the Primordial Keepers that remained blazed like suns. If an average immortal were to burn his soul, they might explode with five times more power, but a Primordial Keeper understood the soul more than most, and their Will and special souls made the explosion of power from burning it more effective, reaching almost a hundred times more energy output! As a forbidden move by the Primordial Keepers, this would shock anyone who witnessed it as any opponent would be overwhelmed by an enemy who was suddenly, a hundred times stronger. Above them, this reality separated by Wormtongue quaked, as trillions of soul blades were manifested, each measured in miles, and the emanation of their burning Will became so strong that the entire space turned yellow except a small corner of it where Rowan remained that was filled with the blackness of his six blades. Wielding the Cherubims, Rowan had access to all their unique spells, and among them was one that particularly drew his attention, that was what he called upon, and he channeled this power into the Cherubim Remorse. Wielding the spells of the Cherubim unlike his lesser Angels meant that he was wielding their Wills. The previous area of effect attack he had made was from the Cherubim Judgement, and now he was channeling Remorse. Each had their specialty, and their powers could not be underestimated. Rowan chanted inside his heart, "You are light made dark, the shadows of the end. With your Stygian fire as the guide bring regret to my vigil." Black flames blasted out of the six blades he held, they emanated no heat but were colder than the void, they revolved around Rowan like a tornado for a brief moment before blasting out in a wave that swept toward the soul blades that at this moment were unleashed by the Primordial Keepers. Rowan was at the center of the formation, and with the black flame erupting from his body in an unceasing tide, and the yellow of the soul blades like a trillion falling suns falling on him, this reality seemed to freeze, even their attacks seemed to freeze in place, but this was simply a trick of the light as their lives were traveling so fast, even reality could not catch up. This clash would undoubtedly shake all of creation, yet it did not. The dark flames did not clash with the soul blades, instead, the soul blades easily tore through it, and although the dark flames were not dispersed and continued towards the Keepers, the soul blades were not hindered at all, and they fell on Rowan like a judgment from the highest heavens. Rowan straightened his back and gripped the blades of his Cherubims tighter, "Ah, this could kill me," In his perception, the soul blades were both slow and fast, wrapped by time and space, their speed transcended all known limitations, and in his present state, even his Agility could not give him enough perception to understand the movement of these blades, but he had six more powerful eyes that could see in the realm of time, and they closed the gap well enough for him to be able to react. Rowan's six hands moved, his blades slicing through, deflecting and reversing the soul blades hurtling down at him, as he transformed into a whirling dervish. If his actions were to be slowed down to the limits, something incredible would be revealed. It would show a figure bathed under the glow of yellow light, with six arms, cutting through millions of soul blades at every moment. His movements were incredibly precise, like a well-oiled machine, yet his motions flowed from one position to another so beautifully it was like a dance. His feet made small micro- movements that placed him in the best position to counter what was descending towards him, and the violence of the crash was so intense that his body seemed to have been covered by an explosive sun, that throbbed and released flashes of light so powerful, it branded reality. The sound of Rowan countering the soul blades was so loud it carried a force that tore the earth apart and made space to scream in anguish as loud cracks, in reality, began to reveal themselves in the area. Rowan was laughing, and his laughter devolved into a harsh cough, but this did not stop his movements. The cough made him spit out a large volume of blood, and this act seemed to be the final straw as harsh wounds began to erupt from all over his body, especially his six arms whose flesh had been rendered to the bone. His skills were enough to counter this onslaught, but his flesh was too weak to follow through with his abilities, and finally, he made a mistake, one of his arms had bounced back a million soul blades, and was angling to the side to slice through another million when tens of millions micro-fractures in the bones of that arm made the limb vibrate in a nearly imperceptible manner, but in the realm of this battle, any changes, no matter how slight could lead to devastating consequences. He missed cutting through all the soul blades and had to rapidly adjust his stances, but this was a battle that was fought across time, where every motion made had been factored into consideration even before the soul blades were fired by the Primordial Keepers, and every change was predicted and countered a million times before the first move was made. Rowan's ruthlessness revealed itself as he began taking hits on the parts of his body that would not render his battle capabilities to less than acceptable levels, and in a short moment his body was filled with massive craters as his flesh was blasted apart, nearly losing his footing, he dug his legs into the earth as he was being pushed back by the endless barrage. No longer deflecting back the soul blades, he simply focused on defense and survival, and when it seemed as if an eternity and yet a moment had just gone by, the barrage ended and Rowan stood tall, only to collapse to his knees in the next moment.