Rise of the Crusader

With a hardening determination, Raphael clenched his hand into a formidable fist. As he gently eased his eyes closed, a frosty wind blustered through the area.

The wind was neither chaotic nor tranquil, an eerie paradox that unsettled the atmosphere.

Latario, watching Raphael with a predatory gaze, felt the wind's peculiar touch. An ominous grin stretched wider across his face, revealing a hint of delight at the transformation he saw unfolding before him.

"Hehe," Latario chortled, finding amusement in Raphael's metamorphosis. His arms remained outstretched, a challenge and a welcome to the impending onslaught.

"Come on, Raphael, give me your best!" he taunted.

Before the echo of his words had faded, Raphael lifted his hand. A minuscule, dark pearl materialized in his palm. He gazed at the pearl before wrapping his fingers around it securely.

Latario's face was a mask of confusion and surprise as he studied the spectacle before him. After a brief ten seconds, his expression morphed into utter astonishment.

Black tendrils began to creep from Raphael's hand, the one encasing the pearl, spreading across his entire body. Within a fleeting five seconds, his body was woven with an intricate pattern of black lines.

As the lines converged on his forehead, a black helmet materialized, adorned with a black gemstone at its center. The transformation didn't halt there; following the helmet, a black body armor emerged, a matching stone embedded in its chest.

As the armor took shape, an elegant and majestic ensemble began to form, causing Latario to lower his arms slowly. His mouth remained silent, but his eyes sparkled with an undeniable greed.

The armor Raphael was now donned in was an awe-inspiring spectacle, exuding an aura of dominance that could rival any monarch's. Even though Latario had yet to experience its might firsthand, he didn't underestimate it.

"Interesting," he murmured under his breath, his eyes never leaving Raphael.

Within moments, the ensemble was fully formed. Raphael unfurled his hand, releasing the sphere. It morphed into a spear that was a striking mix of black and crimson, the tip of the spear gleaming a particularly vibrant red.

The color ebbed and flowed around the spear, adding another layer of intrigue to the weapon.

With a measured grace, Raphael unfurled his palm, his lips parting to whisper a solitary command, "Pull."

Upon hearing this, Latario's brows knit together in confusion, as though he had not heard correctly. But as a sudden surge of energy coursed through his body, his features twisted into a grimace.

An invisible force, as relentless as it was sudden, yanked Latario from his place and thrust him into Raphael's presence. It was a pull so commanding that resistance was futile. In a matter of moments, Latario found himself standing toe-to-toe with Raphael, his eyes meeting the other's defiant stare. A corner of his lips twisted upwards into a roguish smirk.

As he parted his lips to retort, a spear pierced through his chest, its tip protruding grotesquely from his back.

"Pffttt!" A gush of blood spurted from Latario's mouth as the spear embedded itself deeper into his chest.

Before he could even register the pain, his body was engulfed in flames. The ferocious fire consumed his clothing, leaving his flesh exposed to the scorching heat. As the last remnants of his attire were reduced to ashes, a green smoke began to seep from his body.

The smoke seemed to corrode his flesh, causing his hands to disintegrate into nothingness, robbing him of any chance to fight back.

The spectacle unfolded with such rapidity that the aftermath of the smoke and flame hadn't even settled when a blast of radiant light erupted from the obsidian stones adorning Raphael's armor.

The light was fleeting, but its aftermath was devastating. A gaping hole had been carved into Latario's torso.

"Y-You…" Latario's voice trailed off as he staggered backwards. His eyes, now filled with dread, were fixed on the horrific wound.

He was an SS-Rank meta, a being of immense power. The thought of being brought to his knees by a mere A-Rank meta was unthinkable, yet here he was, standing at death's door.

Then, a dry chuckle escaped Latario's lips. "Impressive...you have more bite than I gave you credit for. But if you think that was enough to take down an SS-Rank...you're sorely mistaken," he taunted.

"I'll give you one more shot, Raphael. Show me what you're truly capable of." As he spoke, his body regenerated and within seconds he seemed to shed a new skin.

Raphael offered no response. Instead, he hoisted his spear aloft, and with a solemn command of "Omni-spheres," the weapon morphed into six golden spheres.

The spheres, crackling with electricity, hovered ominously in the air. They seemed to pulsate with a life of their own.

"Kill him," Raphael commanded. His voice was as cold and merciless as the spheres he had just summoned.

The six spheres hummed with a pulsating energy, their movements echoing Raphael's words in a dance of anticipation.

Latario could feel the steady trembling beneath his feet, the earth itself resonating with the spheres' imminent action. His gaze was drawn to them, his face a canvas of bewilderment and intrigue.

The spheres launched towards him, their trajectory swift and unwavering. Latario had barely a heartbeat to react before the first hit, a violent expulsion of blood bursting from his mouth.

Before he could fully comprehend the onslaught, a shocking realization hit him - blood was not only spurting from his mouth but from countless points across his body. He felt the life draining from him, his body punctured by a myriad of tiny holes. He swayed, his strength rapidly diminishing.

Then, as sudden as a lightning strike, an explosion rattled the surroundings. The epicenter of the blast was Latario. His body began to disintegrate, the force of the spheres' impact causing a gruesome spectacle. His limbs, mashed and pulverized, were flung apart as if he were made of clay.

The scene was a visceral portrait of destruction, the brutality of the spheres' power laid bare.

Raphael watched the carnage unfold, his satisfaction incomplete. Despite the obliteration of Latario, something within him yearned for more. A frown, chilling in its intensity, creased his face as he beckoned the spheres back.

With a swift clenching of his hand, the spheres began to coalesce, their individual forms merging into a larger, more formidable shape.

The transformation was swift, the spheres expanding until their size rivaled that of the moon.

The immense sphere hovered above Raphael, its presence casting a pall over the surroundings. The earth shuddered, the air stilled, and a tangible wave of fear rippled through those who bore witness to the sphere's intimidating form.