Continue to fight.

"These invisible ties," you say aloud.

After a pause, Elok scoffs. "And?"

"I don't know." You shake your head. "Just thinking out loud."

"You better stay focused!"

Suddenly, you feel a heavy impact against your side, but it isn't from Elok. An ALICE, though not the same one as before, tackles you with mighty strength, causing you to finally tumble to the ground on your back. You groan and look up to see Snow locked in combat with Ariusia. Not far away, familiar brass constructs with glowing blue eyes--some like insects clattering through the grass, others like spheres rolling closer. It's all clearly Elok's tech.

"Crimson Blizzard!" calls out Elok with his hand out-stretched. Appearing around him are flashes of red, like bloody stars, and as you stand to face both him and the ALICE, each of them stretches into long, sharp icicles with tips like needles as they propel through the air like a barrage of arrows.

Unable to dodge them all, three pierce straight through your body. The sensation of burning pain mixes with freezing cold.

Still, you fight, and you do so with a level enough head to place an Entangle down at your foot as you move to the side. The ALICE steps on it soon after, and suddenly blue tendrils are enveloping her body. You suffer through the pain--cold still persisting even after the frozen shards dissipate--but then your attention to grabbed by movement to the side, this time at least catching it in time.

The Edge stands with a dagger in both hands as he pants in exhaustion. "I'm your enemy, Kyle Warren," he says. "It... has to be me. Not him."

"Excuse me?" Elok turns a frown towards him. "I gave you orders."

"My pride as a man supersedes your orders, Demon King! I may have dedicated myself to following you, but no matter what, I must face my arch nemesis in combat."

"My orders are not up for debate."

"I'm sorry, but I must!" The Edge leaps into the air and pounces at you like a wild cat. He dodges your first thrust with impressive speed, though your second knocks one of his daggers straight out of hand to disappear far into the distance. So he then grabs something from his pocket, and like a martial artist, brings a claws grip into your midsection. It feels weak, to where it ironically stuns you more than if it hurt. His hand then moves to yours, places something within it, and whispers, "You owe me."

As you spin to attack, or at least figure out what you're meant to do after hearing something so cryptic, he fumbles and hits the ground hard with a groan.

"Idiot!" Elok shouts. "You're only getting in my way. Leave now, or I'll tear you apart myself."

"... F-Fine. But we will fight, Kyle Warren." With that, he runs off again.

What was that? You stow what feels like a small bit of paper into your pocket for now.

"I've had enough of this. Take this, the might of a truly powerful spell! Meteor Storm!" he shouts with his hands up into the air. It's too late to counter. Flaming rocks manifest in the sky above, and one by one, they crash down with burning explosions all around you. Each either knocks you off balance, scorches you with the heated shockwave that follows, or collides with you directly.

I can't keep this up. I don't even know what to expect next.

Through the burning smoke, Elok's tall figure emerges from above like a true demon. "Shadow Smite!" calls out his voice as his weapon erupts into an explosion of black fire. First he makes an attempt to strike as he lands, though it proves to be a feint, as he immediately swings almost like a baseball bat from the side, and upon an awkward contact with Lauo, you feel a painful shock through your arms.

First, an explosion sends you backwards once again to the ground. Next, your weapon flies from your hand, disappearing into the field of craters.

"Shit!" you curse, but you can't find it. The pink glow has stopped.

"If I kill you now, you won't be able to see the majesty of my reign, but it'll sure as hell make it easier for me!" Elok slams his shadowy sword into the ground a second before you roll to the side, though the impact causes you to tumble.

After standing you hear a voice.

"Catch!" yells Snow.

You turn to snag her short sword from the air, tossed from a distance away. "But you need it too!"

"I'll be fine, just fight!"

But this is just... No. This isn't just a sword. It isn't magic, but that doesn't make it ordinary. This was a gift from Snow.