"You’re still here," Gee said as he exited the crack.

Billie looked at Miller’s battered body.

Her brows knitted together and her heart thumped louder beneath her ribcage.

"How?" The words forced their way through her mouth. It was low, something that only she was meant to hear. But Gee heard it anyway.

"I don’t know," Gee said, holding his chin with two fingers.

"Now that I think of it, it should be because he is weak."

Billie looked at Gee again, then at Miller’s body.

"I should be able to treat him with one of those restoration potions," Billie thought.

Although she found it hard to understand how Miller was defeated, she was beginning to think of a solution already instead of lingering on the problem.

Her body flickered, appearing before Gee in an instant.

"Go ahead, I am not stopping you," Gee said with a smile as he saw Billie take Miller’s body.

Her eyes widened. The plan was to take Miller faster than Gee could even react.

As she appeared back in her position, she looked at Gee who waved back.

"Just make it quick," he said.

Billie did not care about his words. She moved of her own accord, constantly glancing back at Gee as she fed Miller the potion.

Seeing most of its content drop to the floor, she could not help but hope the little that got into his body was enough to heal him.

The vial emptied of its content and Billie dropped it.

She looked at Miller’s body.

There was no change.

She did not think twice. She brought another potion.

This was a gamble.

She knew her own ability. If Miller could not defeat Gee, she was definitely not a match for him.

After the third vial, she had nearly given up, when a green glow enveloped Miller. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

His wounds closed rapidly, faster than sight could follow.

Then his complexion began to regain its light.

His eyes fluttered open, looking at the night sky and stars.

"We still have a problem," she said, pointing at Gee.

Miller nodded.

"He is strong," Miller said, standing up.

He struggled to find his footing at first, but he steadied himself quickly.

"The transcension potions, they should be usable," Billie said, a potion appearing in her hand.

She downed it in a single gulp before Miller could even speak.

"I don’t think this is enough to fight him," Miller said, looking at his own potion.

"We only need to hold on for a while. I am sure Silas would come if he notices anything amiss," Billie said. "I would have contacted him but something seems to be blocking my signal," she added.

Miller thought for a while. "Okay. Hopefully, things go according to plan," he said as he downed his own potion.

Their bodies exploded with aether as they felt themselves undergo drastic changes.

Their strength began to rise, until they hit a bottleneck.

It was the stage one barrier between Mortal and Ascendant.

Billie moved first, her katana enveloped in flames as she tore through the air.

Gee looked on, slightly amused by their change, but that was all.

Billie thrust at his exposed neck.

His body twisted out of the blade’s path.

The flames along its edges roared like a tide, exploding into his face.

Gee was unscathed.

His fist burst forward at Billie’s head.

Billie was gone.

Miller closed in from the side, driving his blade downward at Gee’s exposed arm.

The blade phased through cleanly, like his body was made of air.

Miller, already used to this, did not fret. He pushed forward, his leg moving in a blur towards Gee’s ribs.

Gee caught the leg by the ankle.

Before he could move, a searing heat erupted from his back.

Billie’s blade was plunged deep into his back, sinking farther than Miller’s blade had ever gone during their fight.

"Duck," Miller’s hurried voice yelled.

Billie moved like a machine trained to follow instructions.

Her body dipped instantly.

The air above her exploded from Gee’s sudden punch.

She stared at the fist with wide eyes.

Miller was already behind the new Gee, sword a streak of silver as he slashed at his neck.

Gee bent, the blade slicing through the air above him.

Billie’s leg lashed at Gee’s head before he could react.

His body was flung towards Miller in a burst of speed.

Miller was ready.

He slashed before the body even reached him.

A massive arc of flames shot out of the blade, incinerating the body mid air.

But Miller was anything but calm.

Zip.

A sound tore through the air, closing in from behind Miller.

Billie was there.

She caught the greatsword with the flat of her katana.

The floor beneath them shuddered.

Then it exploded, bursting into a pile of rocks.

Billie’s body was hurled through the air from the force of catching Gee’s greatsword.

Miller flashed forward in a streak of red, catching her body before it could hit the floor.

Gee was already above him, his greatsword cleaving down with enough force to make the air groan.

Miller leapt to the side, his balance breaking slightly.

Gee’s sword shifted immediately, transitioning from a downward cleave to a horizontal slash flawlessly.

Miller ducked, like he was expecting the maneuver.

Billie dropped from his hand in the same instant, her dagger streaking upward at Gee’s open jaw.

Miller moved in tandem, his sword piercing forward in a burst of flames.

Both attacks connected.

Blood sprayed as the dagger pierced through his jaw without resistance.

Miller’s sword came in like an inferno, incinerating his body from within.

In mere moments, all that was left was charred flesh and the lingering smell of burnt blood.

But neither fighter calmed down.

If anything, they were more alert as they tried to pinpoint where Gee’s next strike would come from.

Boom.

The floor exploded, forming a deep crater as Gee’s greatsword crashed into the earth, just over Miller.

Miller caught the attack with his sword.

His knee buckled, bending until one was already resting against the floor.