A large number of varying blades suddenly appeared above Talia, Ana, and Shamac, raining upon them at inconceivable speeds.

The waves of attacks could not be evaded so they had to be countered with equal force.

"Third Set: Defence

"

Shields and other protective arms appeared above Ana immediately. She used these treasures to defend herself while remaining focused on Gratiana, who did not move from her spot and watched them with folded hands.

The rest also continued to fight off the hordes of falling blades with vigor. Shamac used his sharpened shadow tentacles to make tendrils of several proportions, dancing around him to cover all areas. Talia, while in flight, used the hardened light she had created and modeled into a staff, to counter any weapon which got close to her and fired her light beams to destroy the ones from afar.

"It seems the dregs in my armory won't be enough for you. Well then...

" Gratiana mumbled.

Suddenly, the waves of stores ceased, and for a moment there was calm... One which signaled the start of a coming storm.

"She's getting serious now...

" Ana thought to herself.

Suddenly, white light shone all around the room, indicating the commencement of a new wave of attacks. However, they could not see any weapons.

As Shamac and Talia looked all over in confusion to see the incoming assault, they felt stabs all over them, caused by the very blades they were looking for.

"Keukk! How...

" Shamac groaned.

Ana tried to explain, but she was also occupied with the none visible assault that endlessly attacked her.

Talia healed herself quickly, adapting to the situation in a flash. Taking notice of the invisible assault, she covered herself in light in order to defend against them.

Shamac quickly put up a protective barrier of shadows around him to recover from his weakened state. He could hear clangs and crashes as blades attempted to penetrate his defense.

"This must be... They're invisible...

" Shamac realized.

Invisible blades were launched by Gratiana, causing their sight to become obsolete in reacting to attacks and defending themselves.

"Tch, well played... But...

" Shamac grinned widely, wincing due to the hurt he experienced.

The blades which pierced him could no longer be felt, most likely called back by Gratiana, but Shamac's wounds lingered.

He quickly used his shapeshifting abilities to plug the holes the surprise assault gave him and healed himself, stopping the bleeding entirely.

"It still hurts though...

" He groaned.

Dispelling his shadow dome, he created an automatic defense that would deal with anything that got into close proximity on reflex.

Using this, his shadows lunched and sauntered all about him as they deflected the sharp blades. The durability of his shadows, after constant defense without rest, was beginning to dwindle, but he adamantly kept swerving his shadows as he slowly approached Gratiana.

"Do it now, Talia

" Shamac ordered internally, recognizing the timing according to their plan.

Suddenly, massive vines protruded from the ground, glowing pink and having a devastating aura. They had bladed bodies and lunged at Gratiana sharply.

Gratiana watched as it approached her and glared at the vine, using her ability to make it fade. However, as she did this, another one appeared directly beneath her. Distracted by the multiple vines she was feeling with, she could not react to the one which headed straight for her head at a devastating pace.

"Got her!

" Shamac gleamed.

He was wrong.

As soon as the vine neared her face, a large blade appeared from above her head and struck it down instantly. The enhanced vine turned to dust as it was pierced by the mysterious blade that appeared.

"W-What?!

" Shamac protested.

This was unexpected. After the vines around her completely disappeared, she turned toward the location of the three who looked surprised that their plan failed.

"Insignificant curs... Were you relying on that as a strategy?

" She smiled softly.

Slightly shaking her head, she summoned a massive sword, more powerful than the ones they were facing earlier. The blade remained midair, some distance from her and it glowed majestically, having silver inscriptions on its white body.

"This is a high-tier sword. It moves beyond the speed conceivable by any of you... However...

"

Suddenly, the sword turned toward her and glowed even brighter, pointing its sharp edge at its summoner.

Talia, Shamac, and Ana all looked flustered, confused by what Gratiana wanted to do.

The blade launched, quickly transferring the distance between it and Gratiana in less than an instant, and aimed to impale her.

But, it did not reach even the hair on her skin.

The sword immediately shattered apart, breaking into many white fragments as they clattered on the ground like glass.

"N-No way! What just happened?!

" Talia's eyes widened as she saw the vastly powerful sword get wasted without knowing the cause.

She turned to Shamac, but the expression he had on his face also made her aware that he too had no idea what had just occurred.

The only one who had a mere glimpse of the event was Ana, who had the highest perception among them.

"I-I couldn't keep up with everything... B-But I did manage to get a glimpse...

" Ana stuttered, still recoiling from the sight she experienced.

"As the sword reached a certain distance, near her neck... Something instantly countered it and shattered the blade in one hit!

" She explained, not entirely sure of what the 'thing' was herself.

This was the first time she had experienced this.

"Know despair, foolish ones... I can never be harmed by the likes of you.

" Gratiana smiled.

For the first time, Shamac began to panic. An attack faster than he could process yet was so easily deflected by her... If that was the case there was no way for them to win.

"Calm yourself Shamac... There are no absolutes in this world!

" He assured himself.

He braced himself and gave himself to logic, trying to reason a way to confront the impossible task ahead of him.

"What do we do now?

" Talia asked Shamac, who still tried to pull himself together.

"You can do nothing, but die!

" Gratiana answered with a satisfied grin.

Without leaving them any room to breathe, Gratiana resumed the bombardment of weapons, launching them from all directions. They flew toward Shamac and the girls, causing them to quickly move to the defensive.

"There are invisible blades mixed with the physical ones,

" Ana shouted, alerting the other to two.

Talia generated a barrier around herself, causing the invisible attacks to be deflected while she focused on the ones she could see.

"The invisible ones are considerably weaker...

" She noticed.

This observation didn't matter, however, since the numbers were too overwhelming and the three of them began to get pushed back.

"If we don't use our full powers now, we'll be toast!

" Shamac groaned.

He had wanted to do this later, but with the way things escalated, they were left with few options.

"We're going all out!

" Shamac declared.

Immediately, large bursts of energy emanated from the three of them. Dark aura rose from Shamac, red from Talia, and white from Ana.

The strong force of this sudden surge caused the attacking weapons to get blown away, and upon seeing that they would be useless, Gratiana halted the movement of the rest of her weapons.

A more ominous covering of darkness enveloped Shamac, giving him greater prowess in his overall power. He concentrated every ounce of his shadow into his cloak.

"Fourth Seal, open!

"

Talia's wings were now bright red, sparkling with its glory. Sparks of red light and buzzes radiated about her as her outfit became enveloped in the same hue.

Ana now donned armor on her normal attire. The breastplate, shoulder pads, and ankle guards were all light, glowing with golden radiance. Her legs were also properly furnished with magnificent boots and leggings, all Treasures bestowed upon her by her Lord.

"Oh? So you've finally decided to use your full power... Good. This wouldn't be worthwhile if you didn't.

" Gratiana commented.

"They've all become considerably more powerful... My previous attacks won't work

" She thought to herself.

Still, they posed no problems.

"Perhaps I ought to show you something special as well... You see aware of the Grace of the Apostle of Hades, the Realm Of Limbo... But, that is not all there is...

" Gratiana smiled at the three opponents she faced.

"Let me show you another power that I have been gifted with as the Apostle of Hades... Be honored to witness its magnificence!

"

Ana's body slightly trembled. She knew what was coming.

As a servant of the gods, an Apostle basically had a Grace given to them by the gods they devoted themselves to. However, special Apostles who received the attention of the gods and became favored in their sight received yet another privilege... Being gifted by the gods yet again!

These are beings who have transcended the realm of others... They are known as Grand Apostles.

"She possesses more than one Grace!

" Ana mumbled.

"Properties Of The Underworld

" Gratiana whispered to herself.

Suddenly, a dark flash sparked, causing black curtains of energy to begin to rise from within her. The dark material slowly swept through the area, surrounding everyone within a moment.

The layer of darkness climbed as it approached the ceiling and spread apart. Within a moment, the dark layer had become a dome, trapping everyone within its black layer.

"Now then, shall we continue where we left off?

" Gratiana grinned before them.

They did not know what awaited them in their trapped estate, however, they remained resolved to win despite glaring evidence that their defeat was imminent.