As Virion blew in the horn, a transparent barrier appeared around the top of the shining tree. A moment later, Sven appeared next to the barrier as his fist covered in white energy came crashing down on it. His movements were so fast that even Alucard and Gael could not react immediately, since they were shocked by the appearance of the Azure Horn.
Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.
The barrier shook as the ground trembled and the space shook like cobwebs, it seemed that the world could collapse at any moment, then the barrier suddenly returned to normal and all the energy went back to Sven.
He was just thrown back by the recoil, sinking deep beneath the hill into which he flew. Then, the top of the hill flew upward from Sven's fist as he stared at Virion with a deadly gaze, as if he could kill him with one look.
"Hah, it seems even a man as calm as he is sometimes running out of patience. Well, it's a good thing I prepared myself and picked the right time." Virion smirked, put the horn to his chest, and said, "Wain, now no one will stop us, even if the Progenitor of the Dragons comes here, he can do nothing. Soon your power will be mine!"
With these words, Virion pressed hard on the Azure Horn as the artifact entered his body a few millimeters, then drops of blood hit the horn and it glowed brightly releasing a huge amount of blue energy outward.
The energy completely covered Virion as it burst outside the dome, rushing towards the sky as a massive pillar. It was almost as big as Alucard or Gael's during the awakening, only the energy was not as high as theirs, but it was very dense.
'What the fuck...? What the fuck is this energy? Why do I feel that its power instantly increased several times...? Is any artifact capable of that...?' Wain clenched his fists as his heart began to beat rapidly as though sensing that disaster was coming.
The pillar of energy gradually weakened, slowly revealing Virion's new appearance, which was shocking as he looked as if he had gained all the power in this world.
His white hair became much shorter and got a faint blue glow at the tips, like the light of the moon as his eyes became much deeper, seemingly capable of drowning in them as in the biggest ocean. He was wearing dark blue armor whose edges were sharp and long as they practically cut into Virion's chest that remained exposed. There was nothing beneath the armor, just a dense stream of azure energy traveling from his belt practically to his neck like a gushing river.
On his back was a mark in the form of an azure horn that disappeared into his body after the transformation, at Virion's will the mark shone brightly as a large amount of energy traveled to his right arm.
"Look, with this I will not only defeat you, but I will take your power, once and for all!" Virion exclaimed with a warlike expression as a weapon appeared in his hand.
The energy turned into a long spear with a shining tip. A wave of compressed energy, similar to blue plasma, ran along the blade of the spear that seemed able to cut through even the fabric of the world if the wearer had enough power to do so.
'Fuck.... I didn't expect his last trump card to be so powerful... What is that even?' Wain inwardly muttered as he instinctively took a few steps back.
Then all his attention was focused on Virion, but not only because of the unusual power of the artifact as it was one of the effects of the dome. Not only did it protect their fight from outside interference, but the dome also kept out any sounds or smells, nothing at all.
When Virion used the Azure Horn and summoned the dome, then he literally created a new space on top of the shining tree where there were only Virion, Wain, and the monster shaking with fear.
'Wain... This is very bad...' The Abyss Artist frowned with an ice-cold look, 'I'll be honest with you. The chances of you surviving or being able to win are less than 1%.'
'Shit. Is it really that bad?' Wain asked with a deep sigh.
The Abyss Artist answered nothing as he decided to let the only one of them all who could do anything to help Wain now.
'Seventh is right, no one could have predicted that this guy would find a way to steal the Azure Horn, much less a way to activate it. Not even someone who can see into the future could have predicted that.' Gladius whispered in disbelief, trying to pull himself together and speak seriously, but he was struggling to do so.
'Azure Horn...? What the fuck is this? Well, I guess it doesn't matter now. I've fought many times against those who were stronger than me, but this situation is different... I hate to admit it, but I feel like an ant in front of a dragon. It's a damn shitty feeling.' Wain complained slightly before bouncing back, right to the edge of the impenetrable barrier.
The eye on his crown opened wide as a large amount of energy from his Beyond headed toward Gladius, gradually covering him in a dense layer of darkness among which several jaws opened.
'The only thing I can tell you is that I will be with you to the very end. Use all the energy you have even if it may damage your soul and body, your life depends on it now.' Gladius said seriously as three creepy eyes with terrifying auras opened on his guard at once.
'Sure. I appreciate that. Wain nodded slightly, gripped the hilt of his sword tightly with both hands, and said, 'Even if I die today, I won't let him stay alive either. If necessary, I will blow my soul, but I will tear that bastard apart!"