[M] The Throne of Gods (IC)

[Scottie]

Nirvana finally let out a breath, followed very quickly by the tears she held back. She rushed over to Selrina before the monarch could tumble to the ground and placed her arms round her.
"I just lost one person close to me, I'll be dammed if I lose two." the goddess said through her own choked voice and now flowing tears.
"Come, we must be on our way. We have to set things right."
Nirvana said to the others.

Not a moment later a well known creature snatched the pistol out of Laneai's hand and dragged it to Nirvana, the creature was her little pocket kitten from before. It seamed that it would just not leave the group at all now as it pushed the weapon up into Nirvana"s pocket and promply calimed the top of her head as its' own.

Lanaei smirked as the creature cried out in pain. It writhed and screamed as the virus took it’s claim. The bubbling she thought was part of it all. The way the flesh seemed to ripple. She tightened her fist, driving the thorns deep into it’s body. The light that flashed was overwhelming, she covered her eyes just in time. The creature exploded and it’s remains littered the grounds around the ancient stones.

She watched the green disappear and her snow sink into the ground. She scowled at this, but her eyebrows shot up quickly after. Only one would be able to change the snow that littered the grass. Lanaei snapped her eyes backwards to her grandmother. The ice that had surrounded her was cracked. The green light was Selrina. She had used whatever little energy she had left to save them.

Then against the grey sky, the portal opened. Her dark eyes lit up with the green trees and sweet smell drifting to her. She was jolted back to reality when Selrina fell. Lanaei scrambled forward, waving a hand to push away the snow. The grass could be healing, even a little burst of life was all she needed.

Nirvana reached her grandmother before Lanaei and she faltered in her step. She felt something scurry from her side and glanced down to see a rouge kitten rushing away with something in it’s mouth. She shook her head and dropped to her knees beside her grandmother. Lanaei tucked some of Selrina’s hair behind her ear and gave her a small smile.

She let her hand rest on the Monarch’s cheek and could feel how cold she was. Lanaei blinked rapidly before glancing up to Sanji. “We need to get her through the portal now.” Perhaps in Eden she would be healed. Perhaps in the realm of the gods, they would get their immortality back. She glanced at the portal and then snapped her eyes around her. She was wary though, Diz didn’t seem like the god to go down easily.

Sanji watched Selrina fall, but already sensed both Nirvana and Lanaei moving to her aid and so did not himself. He stood, rolling his neck slightly and looking around again. Looking for Diz or some other danger the god might send their way. He looked back down at Lanaei when the goddess spoke to him, nodding slightly.

"Then get through the door." Sanji said, stepping lightly off the top of the stone and landing on the ground. He twisted his katana in his hand, glancing around. "I'll be the rear-guard. So go. I'm right behind you. I'll make sure the portal is properly closed."

The world was already changed, this one and their home land. It didn't matter if they were here or there--they would still be fighting. At least by going there now, however, they could forestall any further fightng until they were back home. By making sure the portal was closed, they could push off the next battle, even if only for a short while. That was his job now--to keep that balance so that Selrina would survive, Lanaei and Nirvana as well.

[RedKayne]

Lieutenant Tyrace's eyes lit with amusement at the fiery deity's remarks, his grip tightening upon the hilt of his enormous blade. Did this pathetic creature sincerely believe that he could stand against his ultimate defense? He towered over the god, Kai, even from a distance, his armor glimmering with a threatening flare. What could the dog possibly have that could pierce his unwavering frame?

"Heh, amusing. Your confidence is admirable, but it will not save you!" With an explosive burst of speed, Tyrace roared and accelerated to Kai's position, his sword high over his head. The moment he came within reach of Kai, the blade descended in a thunderous two-handed strike with the purpose of splitting the deity in two.

Kai's eyes had widened at the site of the big man charging him with his sword, when close he was ready to split him in half with a single strike. To his luck the man was towering when it came to size and weight Kai only had a small advantage to this. Kai waited until the the last possible second and rolled just to the left the blade striking the ground causing a small rumble and knocking his balance off slightly yet he had enough balance to swing a left hook towards the man’s leg. His fist ignited into a burning flame if this hit then it would deal some damage to the demigod possibly cripple him.

If the attack missed that would leave an opening for a strike. Kai's intentions were to take out a leg or at least knock him off balance to open up a better attack and do some real damage. This battle would test his skills and everything he'd learn since the drop of the gods. He knew he couldn't lose this fight.

Tyrace's smile became sinister as Kai evaded to the side, and he felt the ground tremble. Even when the god delivered his blow, he continued to smile. Did he sincerely think that his ultimate defense could be penetrated by a single blow? Knuckles collided with metal as the fire dissipated upon contact, leaving nothing but a disappointing clang through the air. Indeed, Tyrace felt naught but a minor bruise, if that, emerge beneath his armor.

After receiving the punch with no intent to block it, Tyrace swept his arm in a twisting extension, attempting to smack the man aside in a strong backhanded blow. He hardly felt a need to rush the encounter. With Spero facing overwhelming odds on the rooftop and the other deities handled by his comrades, Tyrace wanted to be patient with his prey. Why not enjoy what few moments this insect had left to live?

Kai's eyes had widened with the punch doing seemingly nothing, it looked as if it didn't even phase him. Not to mention the fire that connected his punch to the man’s leg simply disappeared. This demigod seemed to have twice the power he did. He was in complete shock at the sight yet quickly stepped back, only to catch sight of the arm extending towards him at a remarkable speed. Having no chance to dodge, he did what choice he had left. He let his fist ignite into a flame and countered the arm with a single punch, meeting the demigod's fist with a right-handed strike. Hopefully this would deal damage with his strength, speed, and the Silicon knuckles along with the flames. Yet with the punch meeting, Kai felt the pain surge through his wrist, jarring him and throwing him back by many feet across the ground. He tumbled in the process, straightening out at the end only to stand up with his fists ready, grimacing in pain from his right arm. Kai would wait this time for an attack from the demigod and counter his moves, rather then rushing in and attacking. He knew rushing would only damage his body even further with the strength in his right arm slowly weakening from the bullet wound, including the possible amount of damage that could have possibly been done with the punch he just struck him with.

The collision of their fists caused a loud impact, cracking Tyrace’s metallic gauntlet. However, the demigod still had the upperhand with his physical strength, and set the fallen deity reeling back from the blow. The demigod straightened up his body, smiling deviously under his helmet. Clearly, Kai was no match against the large and brutish warrior, and would most likely suffer a dismal fate. Tyrace took a menacing step forward to the God of Magma, intending wreck more havoc.

However, an explosion up above in the sky caused the demigod’s head to jerk up. The back of the military helicopter was on fire, and it was spinning out of control. Apparently, Spero managed to escape the onslaught of the military helicopter and escaped to the ground floor, while also shooting several arrows of light to cause the back of the helicopter to explode. Now, the large machine was heading directly towards Tyrace. The demigod growled and cursed aloud, rushing away from the plane’s trajectory.

Kai, also noticing the explosion, decided to take off as well and not risk being caught by the plane’s impact. He ran into an alleyway, safe between two buildings as the plane crashed against the ground violently where both he and Tyrace were battling each other. He sighed heavily in frustration, and grunted in pain as the bullet within his right shoulder continued to tear into his flesh. Blood continued to seep profusely from the bullet wound, and would soon take a fatal effect upon Kai if he didn’t do something soon.

The God of Magma formed a small fire on the tip of his left index finger, gritting his teeth before pressing the fire against the bullet wound. The flames cauterized the injury, but Kai had to bite back a scream of agony. Quickly, once the wound was treated, he knelt against the ground, breathing heavily. He glanced to the side of the alleyway, overhearing the battle beside him. It seems like Spero was shooting several more of the arrows of light towards Tyrace, and he was easily countering all of her attacks.

It was time to get back into the fight, and with the remaining strength he had left, Kai picked himself up and rushed back to the battlefield. Tyrace was already upon Spero, swinging down his large claymore with the intent to slice the young goddess in half. However, Spero instantly materialized Melgrei within both of her hands, raising up her sword just in time to stop the demigod’s attack.

Kai observed their surroundings, noticing that most of the soldiers were either dead or retreated from the battle. Spero did good work in taking down most of them with her bow and arrow, and a few of them were unfortunate enough to be caught in the plane’s trajectory. The remaining soldiers, of course, figured the fight was getting out of hand and retreated like the cowards they were. Kai then refocused his attention upon Tyrace, paying exceptional detail to his metallic armor.

The demigod seemed nearly invincible because the armor protected him from all kinds of attacks, and it is even resistant to magical attacks. There must be a weakness to it, an Achilles’ Heel, so-to-speak. Perhaps he could strike the demigod’s back, considering that it was one location nobody has struck yet. And so, with that mindset, Kai reached for a small pouch strapped to the side of his waist. He opened it, revealing earthly debris inside. To prepare for this final battle, the God of Magma gathered up earthly material to utilize his full potential.

He didn’t have enough time to focus an all-powerful attack, but consuming a small amount should be enough to do the necessary damage. Kai grabbed a fistful of the earthly debris, quickly consuming it and shoving it into his mouth. It didn’t take long before his inner furnace produced the magma, and so Kai rushed forth.

Tyrace swung his blade towards Spero once more, aiming to bisect her from the waist. Spero was a lithe and agile warrior, and quickly maneuvered her blade to deflect Tyrace’s blade. However, the demigod caught her by surprise and thrust his free hand towards her throat, grabbing it and raising the young woman up in the air. He squeezed her neck, threatening to either suffocate her or snap her neck. Considering that Tyrace enjoyed taking his time, it was more than likely the former. Yet, since Tyrace was so preoccupied with his new prey, he failed to notice his second opponent approaching from behind him.

Quickly, Kai spat out a few bullets of magma from his mouth, and directly towards the demigod’s back. The magma did its damage, instantly melting small holes on to the demigod’s armor. Even Tyrace’s so-called invincible armor could not withstand over two-thousand degrees - in Fahrenheit - of high temperature. Before the demigod could react, Kai already formed a violent swirl of flames around his left fist, thrusting it against Tyrace’s vulnerable back.

The flames burned against the skin, and his fist easily pierced through the demigod's flesh. It broke through his ribcage, and left a gaping hole in the middle of Tyrace’s back once Kai pulled back his fist quickly. The demigod didn’t even had the time to release one final death cry, and his eyes widened with complete shock. His grip loosened around Spero's neck and then released her, allowing the woman to recover and cough heavily to regain back her breath. Blood poured from his mouth, and the demigod stumbled a couple of feet forward before collapsing to the ground lifelessly.

Kai released one final sigh, completely exhausted as his knees gave away. The bullet in his right shoulder continued to tear into his flesh, but at least the wound was cauterized. Kai gazed at the lifeless corpse of Tyrace, proud of his accomplishment to defeat a powerful opponent.

“Good job,” Spero stood beside the kneeling Kai, but her gaze was focused upon the horizon. Kai was caught off guard to hear a compliment from a member of the Pain faction, but honestly, it was nice to hear and they both needed to work together in order to survive. Kai’s eyes followed her gaze, looking towards the inner city area. The true battle has yet to begin, and they had more work to do.

Hopefully, the two of them can find the strength the challenge the strongest demigod in history: Colonel Anthony Hawkins.

---

Jaslyn’s frenzy proved fruitful. Ember was taken unawares, her left shoulder clearly injured in the fall from her bike--a useful weakness to exploit--and her helmet ruined. The woman retaliated with admirable efficiency, however, driving her head into Jaslyn’s face and knocking her temporarily senseless. The demigod did not take advantage of that moment, though, instead using the goddess’s retreat to remove her busted helmet.

As Jaslyn recovered from the aching pain in her forehead, she could only smile. The obstacle that had stood between her and her illusionary arsenal was broken. Ember was now deliciously vulnerable.

Ember was no fool, of course. She was aware of Jaslyn’s powers and would not be easy to trick. The goddess would have to leave the more grandiose of her illusions be; only the more realistic ones would prove effective. With a few exceptions, of course…

Ember went on the offensive. She rushed towards her adversary, feet engulfed in skates of flame for increased speed, wielding a spear of fire in her hand with the intent of piercing Jaslyn through the chest. Jaslyn stood her ground until the last moment, then slid to Ember’s left side just as she passed. She was relying on Ember’s momentum to keep her from dodging Jaslyn’s next attack. Jaslyn punched straight out, hand open and palm forward, towards Ember’s injured shoulder as hard as she could. Though she could not be sure just how damaged the limb was, it clearly pained the woman, and the goddess hoped another hard blow would further weaken or even incapacitate it.

Ember's eyes blinked at Jaslyn's evasion, and the situation slowed as her mind ticked. Was this just an illusion of hers? Every move that the goddess made could easily be a farce of the mind, a false projection of her being. Perhaps she had bitten off a little more than she could chew, choosing to engage this deity one-on-one. How was she suppose to escape from a foe who could fake her every movement?

Simple: stay on the offensive. Keep the pressure on her. Provide an unrelenting fury.

The situation resumed, and Ember's eyes narrowed again. Adjusting her forward motion to a different vector, Ember twisted her body to meet her attack, swinging the lance of fire around in a wild attempt to knock the blow away. The attack was wide and expansive, for Ember depended on her lance's reach to halt an attack from another side should this one have proved to be an illusion. Jaslyn may have depended on her momentum, but said momentum could be used in Ember's favor as well.

The hit was fast--too fast. Jaslyn’s only saving grace was that it was a wild and uncertain strike, so she was able to escape the brunt of it. Still, as she threw herself down to dodge the swinging lance, it managed to slice across her collarbone, biting painfully. Jaslyn hissed as she hit the pavement, her hand instinctively going to the wound. Cauterized instantly, she noted. At least that would prevent blood loss. Painful, certainly, but not crippling. Really, it just pissed her off.

“Do not fail me, Lieutenant,” Hawkins’s voice suddenly barked from behind Ember. “Show this pretender who the true abominations are.” A moment was all Jaslyn needed. The sound of the leader Ember so treasured, idolized, speaking to her in the midst of glorious battle. If it turned her head but for a moment, Jaslyn would have the upper hand once more.

For instead of one fiery goddess, there were five. And if Ember had diverted her gaze for but a second, Jaslyn could have moved from her original position. She could be any one of them.

They diverged all at once, honing in from every angle. Five pairs of terribly convincing claws, each threatening a maiming or killing blow. But holding such an illusion required a heavy amount of concentration, making sure each clone struck correctly, that each maintained its integrity enough to fool the eye. Harder still was it to keep them intact while Jaslyn moved to strike as well. One illusory goddess might aim a little off, not colliding with its target at all. Another might appear hazy, even if only for the blink of an eye. Flaws, flaws that could give away her true position.

Thus it was important to strike hard and fast, and that’s what Jaslyn did. While one fist of illusory claws after another shot for the face, the chest, the neck, Jaslyn flanked Ember. She attempted to wrap an arm around her neck, putting her in a headlock, and drive her other trio of blades into her back, angled up to pierce through heart and lungs.

Ember's head instinctively turned at the sound of Hawkins, her eyes sparkling as she sought the man's impressive stature. In the moment that her gaze left Jaslyn, however, she cursed, both at the goddess for her phantom voice and at herself for falling for such a scheme. It was too late for her to recover, for the moment that her focus returned to Jaslyn, she had split into five.

Her eyes raced from target to target as they closed upon her, and with a grip from her fingers, her lance flared and elongated. Staying on defense was not an option. Every moment that she gave to Jaslyn was another second to let her knit her illusions, another moment to pull her into her traps. No--she would have to take risks if she wanted to get out of this alive.

The demigod shouted and skidded to the first of the goddesses, beheading it with a swipe of her lance. Her peripherals caught on to one behind, which she skewered through the stomach with a reverse jab under her arm. Before another pair of claws was able to swipe at her head, she whipped her fiery lance over her head and delivered a circular two-handed slash around her body to cut through the other two goddesses.

But none of them were Jaslyn. The goddess had snuck up behind her in the commotion.

With a short scream as she was headlocked, Ember twisted and drove her elbow deep into Jaslyn's ribcage, pivoting her torso just enough to evade being impaled. The claws still left three deep gashes on the left side of Ember's back, but they were cauterized almost immediately by the internal heat of the demigod's body. Seizing Jaslyn's arm around her neck, she pulled forward and down, throwing Jaslyn over her right shoulder and flat onto her back on the ground.

Fire collected into a dagger in Ember's left hand as a snarl crawled over her lips, and she stabbed it down for Jaslyn's heart.

Jaslyn hadn’t the time for even an internal curse at the failure of her illusion. Ember was too fast, too well trained. The breath was knocked from the goddess’s lungs as she hit the pavement, but instinct and the will to survive overruled the temporary disorientation. Her arms flew in front of her chest, colliding with Ember’s descending forearm and stopping the dagger in its tracks. For a moment, it was a battle of pure strength, but Jaslyn angled her hand up so that her deadly claws hovered a hair’s breadth beneath Ember’s jaw, bringing them to a stalemate. One strong push from either of them, and the other would be skewered.

Within that brief moment of hesitation, Jaslyn cast another illusion, one that could not be ignored.

“Jaslyn, duck!” Spero’s voice rang out, standing yards away with the bow Artemis trained on Ember’s head. She was crisp, perfect, not a noticeable detail out of place. The will to live had been poured into her, nothing giving the illusion away. Ember could choose to ignore the arrow of light that sprang from the bow and coursed towards her head, but she could not be sure that it was not a killing blow. It was a game of Russian roulette, and Jaslyn hoped her luck had not run out.

Ember pressed down her forearm with her free hand, driving more weight against it in the bitter struggle between both herself and the fallen goddess. Her dagger of flames flared slightly, seeking to pierce into Jaslyn's heart, but the goddess's daggers were mere inches away from the lieutenant's throat, and either of them could easily lose her own life within the next few seconds. The demigod was focused and completely determined to win this battle, to prove that she was more than a capable warrior to stand by Hawkins' side.

However, her head jerked up at the unexpected voice of Spero. Her eyes widened with surprise, almost in disbelief that the second goddess managed to sneak upon her. The arrow of light was already heading directly towards her, and she only had a few precious seconds to react. At the back of her subconsciousness, Ember contemplated whether or not this was another of Jaslyn's illusions attempting to trick her.

Ember's primal instinct was to survive, however, and so she needed to avoid the attack. She yelped out loudly, rolling to the side and away from both Jaslyn and the arrow of light, which flew by over her head by a few inches. The demigod cursed silently in her head, knowing that she should have finished off Jaslyn when she had the opportunity. Now, she was vulnerable due to the distraction of the arrow of light and the unexpected enemy.

A vulnerability Jaslyn wasted not a moment in exploiting. As soon as Ember had begun to withdraw, Jaslyn had gone in pursuit. She tackled the Lieutenant, throwing all her body weight into the demigod, driving her once more to the ground. She grabbed the woman’s head in both her hands and slammed it viciously against the concrete--once, twice. Stunned and disoriented, the Lieutenant’s struggles were weak and futile in fending off her enemy. A hand wrapped around her throat, the other lifted high with glistening claws pointed at her torso. With the wild frenzy of a beast, Jaslyn struck. The blades struck mercilessly, plunging into Ember’s gut. Then again, biting through bone and organs. And again, deeper. This time, however, they stayed, warm blood pooling around Jaslyn’s clenched fist. Having administered the fatal blows, Jaslyn pulled Ember forward by the neck until their faces were inches apart. Her eyes were feral, a snarl curling the fierce goddess’s red lips.

“See you in Hell.”

Ember responded with a bloodied smile.

“Sooner than you think,” she croaked, her breath rattling. Jaslyn’s eyes narrowed. As the light began to leave Ember’s eyes, her hand fell limp beside them, something cupped in her palm. Jaslyn looked at the unfamiliar device, then across the way at Danero. Her final expression was one of confusion.

Then the grenade exploded.

The fires of the explosion consumed both Ember and Jaslyn, much to Danero’s horror. He was too busy battling the remaining soldiers, and didn’t had the time to support Jaslyn in her one-on-one duel with the demigod. In fact, he just killed off the last of the soldiers and was rushing towards Jaslyn to help her out. At the last second, it didn’t seem like she needed the help after stabbing Ember several times in the stomach. However, the device exploded and took away Jaslyn, instantly incinerating the goddess.

Danero, eyes wide opened with disbelief, felt his knees gave away and slam against the ground harshly. His head hung down guiltily, blaming himself for not being strong enough to save his closest companion. He felt his fists tightened, and silent tears running down his cheeks.

Damn this world...

He was a deity of the Pain faction, and he let his heart get close. He let himself get attached for the first time in a long time, and this is the price he pays. When you love someone... you will be hurt in the end. You will be consumed by grief in the end. It was the same thing that happened with Natasha and Lucie, because he let himself get attached to the both of them. Now, all of them are gone from Danero’s life.

Perhaps he should just walk away from it all, knowing that nothing good awaited for him if he continued this fight. He glanced towards the inner city area, knowing that the fight with Colonel Hawkins was still unfinished. The Noble enlisted his help to complete this mission, and to this day, Danero questioned why he was selected to be a member of this group.

Perhaps he was just an expendable tool for the Noble... or perhaps... he has been selected to be part of something much grander.

Danero closed his eyes, thinking hard of his next decision.

[RedKayne]

Final Battle Music - In The End

---

Both Zypher and Caes continued falling down the sky, along with the fresh corpse of the Colonel. It wouldn’t be long before Hawkins would revive, but at this point, Zypher and Caes may no longer continue the battle. Zypher’s eyes gazed down towards the rapidly approaching ground, knowing that his end neared if nothing could be done.

However, in a blur of movement, someone leaped into the air just as Zypher was about to crash against the ground. He felt a lithe but strong arm wrap around his body, catching him and breaking his fall. He soared through the air for a few more seconds, before he safely landed on the ground with Spero. It always caught Zypher offguard that her physical strength was incredible, and he always had to remind himself that she carried a large blade like Melgrei. There was a brief smile of gratitude on his part, and Spero nodded back to him with her own small smile.

Caes was also saved by another of their companions. Danero shortly arrived on the battlefield, raising his hand up and pointing towards the falling Caes. The God of Metal knew that Caes carried a small handgun with him, and pinpointed his powers directly to the weapon. Danero manipulated the metal of the gun, causing an upwards force within the holster. This in turn, caused Caes’s fall to severely slow down. By the time he reached the ground, he safely landed due to Danero’s support, and passed a slight nod to the fellow god.

Kai also arrived with the rest of the fallen deities, stepping beside both Spero and Zypher. He was already chewing mouthfuls of earth, preparing himself for the next battle by utilizing his magma powers. The five of them regrouped together, and already saw Hawkin’s body crash against the ground with a sickening sound of several bones breaking. However, they all knew that the battle was far from finished. The debris and dust around Hawkin’s landing began to clear, and they all faced towards his direction.

Let the final battle begin.

Hawkin’s body slightly twitched, before it began to stir and finally move. The Colonel was then kneeling on the ground, and his eyes quickly scan the area around him. His eyes fell upon each and every single one of his opponents, as if peering into their own souls. A small scowl across his face, before he straightened his body and stood up.

“So... Both of my lieutenants met an unfortunate end?” Hawkins questioned aloud, but already knew the answer after looking into their recent pasts by using his omniscience capability. The usual calm and cool demeanor of the Colonel was completely gone, as both sorrow and anger filled his eyes. “Both Tyrace and Ember were dear friends of mine...” he drew out slowly, stretching out the words while fighting back his own emotions. “We were suppose to rule together, after demolishing you pathetic fallen deities,” he gritted his teeth, anger coursing through his veins.

“Now, I will make sure you all will pay.”

Large gales of wind exploded from Hawkins, and they swirled rapidly around the area. The Colonel did not intend to play any further games, and will now fight with his full capacity. Both Danero and Caes were the first two to react and launched themselves towards Hawkins. Caes charged directly towards the demigod, having already calculated the weakest spot of the entity. The staff of the god started glowing slightly red, as Caes drew upon Hawkin’s angry emotion, using it to fuel his own superstrength. This attack would surely destroy the colonel once again. Danero ran towards the side in a semi-arc fashion, pulling out a handful of daggers he personally handcrafted. He quickly threw the daggers towards Hawkin’s side, before quickly taking cover behind one of the vacant cars on the street.

Hawkins glare followed Caes, and barely paid any heed to Danero even when he threw the daggers. Caes swung his staff, aiming to use a very calculated technique that most deities haven't even heard of. It would destroy the demigod. However, Hawkins raised up a single hand, and a gust a wind caused the daggers to change trajectory. The daggers pierced into Caes’s right side, a couple of them piercing into his weapon arm and the other on to his thigh. It was enough to cause the deity to stumble from the pain, and Hawkins quickly reacted by sending Caes several feet back with a burst of powerful wind.

Caes suddenly felt... something. Awakening. This had sometimes happened when he was near death. Perhaps because of his age, or perhaps because of something else. Something of at least some importance would happen soon. If only the visions showed more... Not that it really mattered. What Caes had to do right now, was cling on his life. He grabbed his staff with his weakened arm, and started absorbing what was left of his once great godly energy in order to heal himself.

Both Caes’s and Danero’s attacks were easily countered, but now it was Kai’s turn to step up. The God of Magma finished his preparations, and now he was ready to take down the bastard child. He took a few steps forward, his cheeks puffing slightly from holding in the large amount of magma within his mouth. After eating several mouthfuls of earth, his inner furnace produced an abounding amount of magma. This was a one-shot deal, though, and Kai couldn’t afford to waste this ability. If it fails, he would nearly exhaust the rest of the reserves in his powers.

Kai tensed back slightly, before finally ejecting a violent torrent of magma from his mouth and directly towards Hawkins. Simultaneously, Danero also reacted by utilizing the full potential of his own power. The car next to Danero vibrated slightly, before levitating up in the air, shortly before the vehicle was tossed directly towards the demigod’s side. So, a torrent of magma shot directly towards the front of Hawkins, while a large automobile threatened to crush him from the side. Even his almighty wind powers shouldn’t be enough to deflect these attacks.

However, it seemed that the Colonel was still unfazed by their assaults. He lifted up his right right, swiping against the air with his index finger. With each movement, a line of violet energy appeared in the air where his index finger was at. Zypher’s eyes widened with shock, recognizing Hawkin’s ability. In those precious few seconds, Hawkins created a small sigil in the air, courtesy of Lucielle’s powers. The sigil was completed, and Hawkins completely vanished out of thin air, and both the torrent of magma and the car collided against each other.

Hawkins utilized Lucielle’s teleportation spell, and appeared directly in front of a very surprised Kai. The Colonel quickly grabbed the fallen deity’s throat with aggressive strength, before smashing his body against the ground and nearly knocking him unconscious. Now, both Kai and Caes were incapacitated for the battle, the Colonel intended to quickly take care of the rest. He released his grip on the nearly lifeless body of Kai, and would have finished him off. However, Zypher was very quickly to react and launched himself at the demigod.

The God of Purificaiton immediately formed a flame sword in each hand, performing an x-slash directly towards the Colonel’s back. The demigod sidestepped out of the way just in time, but Zypher was quick to maneuver and attack again. He halted his movement, and shifted both of his blade and thrust them towards Hawkin’s side, intending to skewer him with the fiery swords. At the same time, Spero also joined in the battle and charged towards Hawkin’s other side with her large blade, Melgrei. She swung her blade in a horizontal motion, planning to decapitate her half-brother in a single, powerful swipe.

Once again, Hawkins was flanked by both sides, and the close-quarter combat didn’t give him enough time to create another teleportation sigil. However, he was still a very capable fighter, and raised up both of his hands in the air and pointed them directly towards each oncoming opponent. A torrent of gales exploded from both of his hands, pushing back the fallen deities away from him. Spero flew back several feet before her back landed harshly against the ground, but Zypher was more determined to finish this fight. Almost expecting Hawkin’s ability, he crossed his arms and braced himself for the attack. Of course, it still sent him back a few feet, but he quickly recovered and launched himself once more at the demigod.

A loud battle cry escaped from Zypher’s mouth, as both of his fiery blades prepared to swing downwards in a vertical motion. Hawkins himself, raised up his right arm and thrust it directly towards his enemy. The two collided, and there was a sickening sound of blood splashing against the ground. Both of them stood very still, and silence briefly surrounded them.

Electricity and blood covered Hawkin’s right arm, which left a fist-sized hole at the right side of Zypher’s chest. Both of Zypher’s fiery blades dissipated into the air, and his arms loosely hanged at his sides. His eyes were wide open from the pain and shock, and he loudly coughed out blood onto Hawkin’s face. With a satisfied grunt, Hawkins pulled out his right arm and let Zypher’s body collapse to the ground.

Spero was absolutely horrified by this sight, and her gaze never left the wheezing and dying Zypher. The one person she grew to care for, ever since the catastrophe of the Fall happened. It was like she entered a living nightmare, and she felt her heart split in two by the emotional pain. Tears welled up in her eyes, and her fists shook with fear. She couldn’t believe any of this, but the sight of Zypher dying right before was clear as day.

Her vision finally became true, and Zypher was lying in a pool of his own blood. Lifeless.

And then she snapped.

“ZADKIEL!” An unearthly scream ripped open and into the sky, Spero’s cry of agony reverberated into the air. She felt a power coursing through her veins, something she only felt during her dreams in the Astral realm. Beside her, the air shimmered lightly before a light blue portal ripped itself open. A dark silhouette was within the portal, and then the ethereal being stepped out and stood next to its master.

Spero’s blue eyes lingered on the creature at first, before she turned to face her foe. Sorrow and hatred filled her eyes, and intended to make Hawkins pay dearly for this. “Kill him,” she quickly ordered her new companion. It obeyed without hesitation.

---

The Previous Night

The Astral Realm was a very mysterious world.

Swirls of light blue color surrounded Spero, and she floated within midair. Her eyes slowly opened, as if she were awakening from a trance or a very deep sleep. Her blue eyes widened upon the sight of her surroundings, as she was in the middle of a vastness of dark blue space. At the horizon, the shadowy silhouettes of tall but vague structures could be seen at a distance. Dark clouds surrounded these buildings, as if attempting to mask their presence.

She looked down, noticing a bottomless world of swirling blue energy. The goddess felt fear creep into the back of her mind, as if afraid to fall and be forever trapped in this realm.

“Ah, and so she finally awakens,” a voice spoke behind her. The voice sent chills down her spine, because it sounded like the voice was composed of both a male and a female speaker. Their voices were smooth, nearly pleasing to the ear. Yet, it was difficult to discern whether these voices were malevolent or benevolent. Spero slowly turned around to face an ethereal being.

“Greetings, my queen,” the faceless celestial being spoke, its face echoing within Spero’s head.

Spero was taken aback by the creature’s appearance, as it appeared foreboding with its muscular built and it enigmatic aura. Soft purple light surrounded the ethereal creature, and a violet halo surrounded its faceless head.

“Who... who or what are you?” Spero questioned, almost afraid to hear the answer.

“We do not have identities within this realm, my queen,” the ethereal being spoke, as if speaking for many others. “We simply... are. However, if you must identify your servant, I have been called Zadkiel once before.”

Questions, many questioned formed within the goddess’s head. Why was this creature calling her a queen? Where were they? How did she get here? How can she leave this place? Many of these questions formed, and yet Spero knew these answers deep within.

“Zadkiel... are we in this Astral Realm?” Spero questioned. She has traveled through her dreams by the means of Astral Projection, but never would she imagined becoming a part of the Astral Realm itself during her sleep. Why now? After all of this time, why did she awaken in this world?

“Yes, we are within your kingdom,” the being spoke, both male and female voices echoing throughout the spacious zone. “Ever since you lost your powers due to the Fall, the spiritual barriers between yourself and this world gradually weakened. By traveling in the earthen realm, you expedited this process, and now you are finally here. And your servants are ready to battle.”

Once again, Spero was taken aback by the mannerism of this creature, Zadkiel. It appeared to know exactly what questions to answer, and yet each answer only brought upon more questions.

“By making contact with this realm, you are finally able to form relationships with its inhabitants. You can make pacts with us, to summon us by your side and fight for you. You can declare wars, and become victorious with your almighty armies. You can finally achieve your ultimate ambition of taking the Throne for yourself.”

Spero was dizzy and nauseous. All of this information flew right into her head, and she was having trouble processing everything at once. Inhabitants? Armies? The Throne? Just how many other creatures are within this realm? And pacts... the sound of this word caused Spero’s stomach to drop. Somehow, she had a bad feeling regarding these pacts.

“Your powers are still growing, and for now, you can only make a single pact.” Zadkiel reached forth, his brutish large hand fell upon her small shoulder. “By summoning us, we can only make our presence for five short minutes before returning back to our home. Stay with us, my queen, and hone your powers here and become the all-powerful monarch you are destined to be.”

The touch of the ethereal made only caused Spero to be sick even further. She took a step back, away from its terrifying grasp. She lightly shook her head, almost refusing this offer. She couldn’t hardly believe anything that was happening to her, it sounded almost too good to be true. If everything Zadkiel told her was the absolute truth, then she was more capable than her own omniscient brother. She could take the Throne for herself and take control of the multiverse. Her greatest ambition, and it is within her grasp.

And yet... Zypher.

“No,” Spero spoke with finality, taking another step back. “You cannot keep me here, I must return.” She needed to help out her companions, especially Zypher. She cannot afford to make dark promises with this creature at this point and time, and risk something terrible happening.

Zadkiel remained silent for a minute, and it finally spoke up once more. “He will be your downfall,” the being referred to Zypher, and it almost made it sound like a promise. “When you need me, my Queen, you will call upon me. When you make the call, however, you cannot go back to the path you once were on.”

“This will not be a goodbye, my queen. We will see each other... very.... very.... soon.”

---

Present Time

Zadkiel, the Astral Being, charged towards the demigod and formed an obsidian lance within its right hand. It levitated in the air and soar through it like a bullet. The Colonel himself was shocked by these turn of events, and never could have fathomed that his sister was capable of summoning creatures from a different realm. Normally, Hawkins would able to prepare himself for any attack, because he could predict and foresee them all with his omniscient ability. Not this time. Fear crept into his bones for the first time. Fear of the unknown.

With a silent roar, Zadkiel thrust the obsidian lance towards the Colonel’s stomach. The demigod quickly reacted by resorting to his wind powers, launching his own body high up into the air and avoided the attack. Once he was several feet up in the sky, however, he glanced down and lost sight of his new opponent.

What?!

It seemed that the creature completely vanished, and so Hawkins quickly looked left and right to find the Astral creature. His instincts screamed at him to run, but he couldn’t locate the being. His body froze, though, once he noticed a large shadow falling upon his own body.

Impossible!

Hawkins glanced up just in time to witness Zadkiel diving directly towards him with his obsidian lance. The black blade of the lance gleamed under the sunlight, and aimed directly towards the Colonel’s heart.

When... How did-

His thought process was interrupted with the sound of torn flesh and blood slashing. Hawkin’s jaw dropped and blood poured from his opened mouth. Zadkiel’s lance pierced through the Colonel's heart, quickly destroying the organ. The ethereal being pulled out his lance, and let the lifeless corpse of Hawkins descend rapidly to the ground.

Spero watched the entire ordeal from afar, and a small sinister smile formed upon her lips. Her heart sung with the sight of her brother’s death, even with the knowledge he still had plenty of lives leftover.

He only has three lives left... The voice of Zadkiel whispered into her head, which really shouldn’t have surprised Spero. Apparently, after forming a pact and summoning the creature, both the master and the servant share a mental link with each other.

Do you have enough time to finish off the other three? She questioned, knowing very well that Zadkiel only had a few precious minutes upon this earth.

I have more than enough time, my queen.

Hawkin’s body already crashed against the street, but it didn’t take long before his heart regenerated and the Colonel stood up once more. Hawkin’s eyes looked up towards his new and powerful opponent, still questioning how his sister managed to achieve such a devastating ability as to summon this monster to challenge him. Both fear and anger filled Hawkin’s eyes, he couldn’t let this monster get the best of him.

Zadkiel began to descend once more, his obsidian lance aimed directly towards Hawkins. This time, the demigod would adapt to his speed, and would make sure he dodged all of-

Sshhkt!

The sound of flesh tearing apart and blood splattering on to the street caused Hawkin’s body to freeze. Pair seared within his right leg, and he looked down and saw an iron spear piercing through his right leg. It wasn’t Zadkiel’s weapon, so whose was it?

The Colonel turned his head, and saw the smirking face of Danero at a distance. Apparently, Hawkins still hasn’t dealt with that fallen deity yet, and now Danero took advantage of the demigod’s vulnerability and struck a severe blow upon him.

“You fool!” Hawkins roared with rage, his face turning red with anger along with veins bulging from his neck and forehead. A lightning bolt shot from his opened palm, and it quickly struck Danero dead center. The fallen deity fell to the ground, having a seizure from the crippling pain.

However, Hawkins didn’t had time to gloat over the attack, and glanced up to see if Zadkiel was still approaching. Once more, the celestial being disappeared, causing the demigod to panic. Before he had the chance to look around, however, Zadkiel’s lance pierced through the back of demigod's neck. Hawkins choked on his own blood, as a fountain of it sprayed down onto the ground. He fell forward, and the silhouette of Zadkiel stood behind the lifeless corpse.

The power coursing through her veins... the second death of her brother... it was all utterly exhilarating to Spero. Her sinister smile only widened at the sight of the fountain of blood from her brother, and the satisfying manner his lifeless corpse fell upon the ground. He had only two lives left, and now he should begin to learn the true definition of fear. This so-called immortal will meet a grisly fate by the end of this battle.

Hawkins’ form already began to regenerate. He immediately stopped bleeding from his neck, and the wound began to regenerate and reform his flesh. The flesh of the injury on his leg also began to shift and regenerate, causing Danero’s metal spear to push out and clang against the ground. Zadkiel raised up his obsidian lance at Hawkin’s regenerating form, planning to kill him instantly once he revives.

Zadkiel saw the body take its first breath, and immediately struck down. However, Colonel Hawkins immediately disappeared out of thin air and his lance only struck solid earth. Zadkiel straightened his body, turning around to face Hawkins, who apparently managed to form a teleportation sigil to get away.

The fear that was once with Hawkins was now gone, but only anger and determination remained within his eyes. “Enough is enough,” the demigod muttered. “I won’t let you stop me,” he raised up his right arm, focusing his powers around the limb. Electricity quickly surrounded it, sparkling violently.

Zadkiel raised up his lance, letting the blade-point face his opponent directly. The two of them stood silently for a couple of seconds, and then the two warriors took the initiative simultaneously. With incredible speed, the two of them charged towards each other. Hawkins released a loud roar, feeling the intensity of this battle coursing throughout his body. He thrust his electrical right arm at the same time Zadkiel slashed with his obsidian lance, and the two were about to collide.

In the fraction of a second before contact, however, Zadkiel suddenly disappeared out of thin air. Hawkins at first froze, almost in disbelief that his opponent could move so fast. He jumped back, summoning gales to surround his body in an attempt to block any further attacks from the celestial being. His head jerked left, right, and up, but he couldn’t locate his opponent.

Spero also stood there in disbelief. Right before her eyes, the Astral servant vanished from this world. Time was up, and Zadkiel returned back to the Astral Realm. Her body began to shake, feeling the emotions well up from within her. She wanted Hawkins dead, she wanted to see him beg for his life before ripping out his throat. Now, her trump card was gone... and Hawkins will very quickly finish off the rest of the group.

It didn’t take long for the Colonel to realize that Spero’s summoning had disappeared from the face of the earth, and he released a big sigh of relief. It seemed that Spero’s ability had its limitations, and now they were all vulnerable to his onslaught.

“Well, dear sister,” Hawkins turned around to face the Goddess of the Unknown and Unseen. “I must admit, you proved to be a more capable fighter than I expected,” he stated aloud, almost as if he actually respected the young woman. He grinned deviously, though, and the electricity around his right arm flared. “However, there can only be one offspring. Only one... can take our father’s Throne.... the Throne of Gods."

He began to approach her slowly, preparing to finish off this fight. Immediately, Spero materialized Artemis within her hands. Its up to her now, considering that everyone else in the group were either incapacitated or dead. She raised up her bow, and shot several arrows of life towards her sibling.

Hawkins raised up his free hand, shooting several mini-bolts of lightning which easily countered each and every single one of Spero’s projectiles. He continued with his menacing approach, undeterred by her assault. Spero took a step back, now beginning to fear for her life. However, her eyes refocused with determination, and thus released several more arrows of light and hoped that at least one of them can strike its intended target. However, her hopes were dashed as Hawkins repeated the same process and countered her attacks with the lightning bolts.

He was only a mere few feet away from her now, and he raised up his electrical arm. Any second now, he will thrust that arm to pierce through his sister’s heart, and be rid of her once and for all. Spero cursed under her breath, quickly replacing Artemis with Melgrei. She won’t go down without a fight, and at the very least, wanted to take down Hawkins with her to the grave.

“This is the end,” Hawkins stopped in his movement and stated aloud.

Then, there was a bright flash of blinding light that consumed Spero's vision.

---

Shit...

Zypher tried to find his remaining strength to crawl, but he felt his vision blur and darken. How long has he been moving? He wasn’t sure, but it seemed like a lifetime ago since Hawkins left a bleeding, gaping hole in his chest. Was it just a few minutes? Or just a few seconds? In fact, Zypher was unsure how he found the strength to keep on living.

A small grunt, or a wheeze, left his lips as his body pushed forward once more. A small trail of thick blood was left behind him, and the battle was being taken somewhere else now. The pain was unbelievable, and it felt like his entire body was on fire. Why did he keep on moving?

His left hand clenched upon Lucielle’s amulet, the one containing the key of darkness. Luthious left him a mission, and Zypher intended to complete it even to the end of his own life. However, the major issue was figuring out how to open the damn portal to Mechanus itself. Zypher breathed heavily, feeling the light within his eyes leave.

He felt anger and hatred fill him, but these negative feelings were not directed towards his enemy, but towards himself. He miserably failed Lucielle, the love of his life. First, he failed his promise to her, and couldn’t keep her safe from the cruel hands of this world. Now, he didn’t even have the power to avenge her. The frustration of being unable to open the portal only added to his own self-guilt, and he hated himself after everything that happened.

Damn it... all...

Zypher could feel himself taking his final breaths, his heart weakening before his eyes closed themselves. He then entered the darkness of oblivion, falling into life's abyss.

I’m... so... sorry... Lucielle.

.......

.............

You got this, fireball, keep pushing. A warm and familiar voice echoed within Zypher’s head. A mental image formed in the darkness, and the silhouette of Lucielle stood before him. She knelt down, ruffling his white messy hair with her soft hands. You made a promise to me, remember?

Zypher felt warm liquid flowing down his cheeks, most likely his own tears. Lucielle, but I failed you. You are dead, and I couldn’t do anything to stop it. I couldn’t keep my promise.

He couldn’t understand why, but he could still feel Lucielle’s radiant smile upon him. You can still keep your promise, fireball. I’m not truly gone, and you know I will forever be by your side. Keep me safe. Keep your memories of me safe. Keep on pushing, Zypher.

These were her last words, before the image of Lucielle evaporated into the air as if she was nothing but smoke. However, another mental image replaced Lucielle, one that Zypher very much idolized. The tall and noble Luthious stood proud with his shining white armor, his radiance shedding the coldness around Zypher's heart and replacing it with warmth.

Zypher... you have done an outstanding job. Don’t give up now, when you are so close to accomplishing your goal.

Zypher remembered the last words of the Monarch, before the Noble departed to fight his own battles. The Noble warned Zypher to not let his anger and hatred consume him yet again, otherwise it would lead the young god down a path of self-destruction. He always needed to remember that the smallest glimmer of light is always strong enough to overpower the very essence of darkness.

Stand up, Zypher, stand up!

Zypher’s hand tightly clenched around Lucielle’s amulet, focusing the remainder of his strength into it. Lucielle... Luthious... Thank you. Zypher’s eyes snapped opened, and a circle of bright blue light enveloped around him. The amulet within his hand suddenly shattered into pieces, and the essence of darkness from within evaporated into thin air.

The realm of Mechanus is dedicated to free-thinkers and intellectuals. To enter Harku’s realm of enlightenment, one must prove him or herself by battling against their inner demons and becoming victorious in the battle of self-reflection. The celestial key of darkness forces this battle to happen once the carrier is near the portal, and it shatters to signify the victory of the new light. In this case, Zypher’s new light overpowered the darkness of the key, and defeated his own demons of hatred and doubt. Zypher reached a new level of enlightenment, and has proven himself before the portal.

Now, the portal of Mechanus opened right below the God of Purification. Upon physical contact with the portal, a stream of golden light rushed out of the portal and wrapped around Zypher. It was his own godly essence returning back to him, and the two finally reunited after the Fall.

A golden aura surrounded Zypher, and the completion of his divinity caused his severe wound to regenerate rapidly. Skin bubbled, forming and stitching together, until finally not even a scar was left behind.

Soon, Zypher stood up, with a new look of determination upon his face.

“This ends now, Hawkins.”

---

The bright blinding flash of light faded away, and Colonel Hawkins took a step back. His free hand immediately went to his throat, as blood poured on to his palm. His eyes were wide opened with shock and horror, as the life in his eyes quickly began to leave. There was a wide-opened gash on his throat, as if someone slit it with a knife. The demigod’s body trembled, before he finally fell forward and collapsed on to the ground.

Zypher stood several feet away from the fresh corpse, his golden aura blazing with radiance. His left arm held a small dagger of condensed, golden flames. The dagger quickly dissipated before Zypher turned around, a quiet sense of confidence surrounding him. Now, the Colonel had one life remaining, and Zypher would make sure that the demigod would never harm another innocent.

Spero herself was completely shocked by the events that unfolded. One second, Hawkins threatened to kill her by thrusting his electrical arm into her heart. The next second, a bright flash of light nearly blinded her, but then she saw Hawkins with a slit throat and bleeding to death. Her gaze fell upon Zypher, and she almost couldn’t recognize him. A powerful, spiritual aura of golden light surrounded his body, and there was a fierce look of determination within his bright-blue eyes.

Zypher caught her gaze, and a small smile formed upon his lips. He nodded to her, as if sending the signal that everything will be fine now, and she could fully believe in him.

Hawkins throat regenerated quickly, and his body stirred. A loud groaned escaped from his mouth before he picked himself back up and stood upon the ground. Hawkins turned to face Zypher, and a deadly expression formed upon his face. “You!” Hawkins spat venomously. “You should be dead!” The demigod already knew the answer as to why Zypher was still alive, and also knew that the fallen deity regained his godly essence. He was no longer a frail mortal, but an all-powerful celestial warrior.

“And you should have been dead eight times over, Hawkins,” Zypher smartly retorted back to the bastard demigod. He continued to smirk, no longer feeling threatened by the Colonel. “Let’s finish the job, shall we?”

In a speed unrivaled to most fallen deities on earth, Zypher charged towards the demigod. In the blink of an eye, Zypher vanished and appeared right in front of the Colonel. By regaining his godly essence, his own physical prowess has increased exponentially. He roughly grabbed Hawkins throat and the two sailed through the area, and Zypher slammed the bastard child against one of the nearest buildings. There was a brief explosion of debris from the impact, and once it cleared there was only a large and gaping hole in the structure. There were further sounds of walls breaking down in the structure, as Zypher sailed through the air and repeatedly slammed Hawkins against the walls of the structure. Another sound of a powerful collision echoed, as Zypher made an exit hole in the building and carrying out the demigod.

“I made a promise,” Zypher whispered and his facial expression became stern, his eyes filling with righteous anger. “I made a promise, and you took her away!” he shouted, before tossing the demigod’s body with incredible force. Hawkins soared through the air like a rag doll, before colliding against another nearby building. There was a small and brief explosion of debris, as the collision caused the demigod to create a decent sized crater against the structure.

Hawkins felt pain searing in his body after the impact, but he couldn’t afford to writhe from his injuries. He quickly pushed himself away, before using his wind powers to skyrocket towards Zypher while forming a blade of electricity in his right hand. Zypher responded in kind by forming his own elemental blade of golden flames, and the two simultaneously struck each other. Their blades collided and deflected each other, and Hawkins soared past Zypher.

The demigod turned around and growled in annoyance, knowing that he was severely outmatched for the first time. He was the strongest demigod in the history of the multiverse, and even the offspring of the King himself. However, he was still only a demigod, and couldn’t match the full might of a deity. Fortunately for him, Zypher was still somewhat limited upon this earth, and so Hawkins needed to utilize everything in his power to defeat him.

A shield of violent gales surrounded his body, before he launched himself up in the sky. The Colonel still had his final trump card to use, and even his opponent would be unable to defend against the devastating attack.

Zypher was quickly upon Hawkin’s trail, and launched himself up in the air as well. A pair of flame wings immediately formed upon his back, taking the shape of a phoenix as he soared directly to Hawkins. He raised his opened palm, and shot a barrage of golden fireballs towards Hawkins. Many of the fireballs collided against Hawkin’s wind barrier, and quickly dissipated against the gales.

The deity growled with frustration, knowing that he needed to finish this battle in close-quarters. Zypher raised up both of his hands, forming a double-bladed flame sword. Zypher accelerated towards Hawkins, and the two continued rising rapidly up into the sky.

After several more feet, Hawkins suddenly halted before pointing his left hand down. “Enough!” Hawkins roared, and focused all of his wind powers against the God of Purification. The wind gales of his shield shot down like a torrent towards Zypher, along with several more heavy gusts of wind. Zypher was caught by the heavy winds, and braced himself against the blasts. He silently cursed within his head, because now he couldn’t move any closer to the demigod. Hawkins was releasing all of his strength upon Zypher, pushing him further and further down.

Hawkins raised up his free hand and then pointed it down towards Zypher. “Now, shatter beneath my might,” he muttered, and then his free hand began to form a large black sigil in the air. Hawkins was calling upon the powers of the strongest deity he absorbed yet: Xalphan, the God of Meteors. This was his final trump card, and this was only a one-shot deal because it would completely exhaust all of his might. The black sigil widened, solidifying itself into what appeared to be a black portal or a gateway from outer space.

Hawkins continued focusing all of his powers, his left hand shooting down the violent torrent of winds and keeping Zypher at bay. Meanwhile, he continued to enlarge the gateway, and calling upon the meteor that will crush his enemy. Sweat formed upon Hawkin’s brows, as he could feel the tension in this battle and its inevitable climax. Zypher continued battling against the violent windstorm with all of his willpower, and both of them released their loudest battle cries. Zypher's phoenix wings flapped rapidly, pushing himself against the torrent of gales and this time managing to move closer to Hawkins.

The gateway continued to widen, and Hawkins roared out loudly, doing his best to accelerate the process. Zypher was beating back the heavy winds, but it would be too late by the time the deity finally reaches him. This was the end, and Hawkins will be victorious. The demigod smiled proudly, sensing that the meteor was approaching and will soon erupt from the gateway. The death of Zypher would allow the demigod to be the vic-

Sshhkt!

There was the familiar pain and sound of his flesh tearing and blood splashing. Hawkins looked down, completely baffled. His eyes widened with horror at the sight of a blazing light arrow piercing into the center of his chest. The violent gales of wind stopped, and the gateway suddenly snapped shut and disappeared. The demigod glanced down, and saw that the arrow was the courtesy of his sister, Spero.

Spero was breathing heavily at this point, but smiled proudly. She couldn’t let Zypher battle Hawkins alone, despite the former regaining his godly essence. She arrived just in time to witness the wind gales battering against Zypher, and a dark portal revealing the image of a meteor approaching. She reacted quickly and decisively, corking her bow and then shooting one final arrow of light directly towards her half-brother while his attention was completely focused upon Zypher.

Hawkins slowly moved his hand to the chest wound, as the arrow of light already dissipated but left behind a critical injury. “No,” he whispered, almost gently. His wide eyes looked down, and it seemed that the rest of the fallen deities have recovered and were forming upon the ground. Caes, Kai, and Danero walked into the area, and would witness the final death of their nemesis. “This... can’t be...” Blood began to ooze from his mouth, dripping slowly down his chin. He slowly descended towards the ground, using the last of his wind powers to slow down the fall.

His descent caused him to pass by Zypher, whom was within arm's reach. Zypher only gazed down at the demigod with a stern look, as if passing judgment upon the Colonel’s fate. Curse you... curse you all. The last light began to fade from Hawkin’s eyes, and his body shook with complete terror. He didn’t want to die, he wanted to rule this multiverse. He didn't deserve this meaningless death. He wanted the demigods to rise above their celestial parents, who have long abandoned their children... the so-called abominations.

All of the demigods were born into a sad and sorrowful fate, but Hawkins intended to change all of their destinies. After everything they went through, all of the demigods needed their just rewards, and should become monarchs... the kings and queens of the five celestial realms. Hawkins wouldn’t let destiny control him, and would shape his future with his own hands.

Now, here was the offspring of Suriyel, a dying warrior about to breathe his last breath, and who’s heart beat for the very last time. His body softly landed against the ground, and his back laid against the concrete. Hawkin’s eyes gazed up into the clear blue sky, longing for the Throne of Gods. I cannot die... not like this... not like...

Zypher descended upon the ground and landed next to the lifeless corpse of Colonel Anthony Hawkins. Despite all of the anger and hatred the deity held beforehand, Zypher couldn’t help but pity his enemy. All of the fallen gods encircled around the demigod’s corpse, staring down at the corpse, each one sharing the similar feeling of disbelief that this long battle was finally over, and that their time on earth was done. The only exception to this was Caes. He, as the God of Emotion, had felt enough to not be affected by this. He simply stared at the dead husk of a man, and wondered whether his 'vision' signaled this event, or something else...

It took several minutes for one of them to finally speak up, and Zypher stated it loudly for all to hear. He raised his hand, his finger pointing towards the direction of the blue portal of Mechanus, where the grand city of Metropolis awaited. A small smile spread across his face, as he directed the rest of his comrades.

“Let’s go home."

[RedKayne]

Epilogue: Moving Forward

The White City’s radiance shined throughout the beautiful realm of Elysium, an all-powerful beacon of hope for the multiverse. Luthious, the Noble of Order, gazed down upon his beloved city, standing proud of everything that has been accomplished to uphold the law and justice of this kingdom. The Monarch stood on a high balcony, outside of his golden-tiled throne room. Luthious briefly pondered over how silent and calm his city appeared, but nearly the entire multiverse is in uproar over the death of the King and the Fall.

“The White City is secured, sire,” a familiar voice spoke behind the Monarch. Morgana, the Goddess of Truth, stepped outside and approached from behind. “There are no further threats to deal with in Elysium.”

Luthious nodded solemnly, placing his white-gauntlet hands upon the rail of his balcony. “Excellent, thank you, Morgana,” the Noble stated sincerely, knowing that the goddess worked tirelessly to ensure the safety of his kingdom.

“My lord?” Morgana began, stepping beside Luthious and looking down upon the scenery of the capitol. “What is our next step?”

At first, Luthious remained silent for a long minute, his bright-blue eyes completely locked on to the landscape below. Finally, he spoke up.

“We must move forward,” he began.

---

Ever since my Father died, chaos and destruction has run rampant in this universe. We have suffered many losses, and countless lives of the innocents have perished due to our incompetence. We failed these people, but we cannot let their lives be lost in vain. There is a meaning to everything, and let us make sure that we can justify each loss by the end of this path.

Zypher sighed heavily, pressing his hand against his forehead before leaning back against a nearby building wall. “Damn it,” he muttered quietly, shaking his head. Everyone else in the group also appeared disheartened, after hearing the news of the death of one of their companions: Jaslyn.

The battle against Hawkins was over, and everything slowed down, and finally a couple of them noticed that someone was missing within their group. It took a while before Danero spoke up, and revealed that Jaslyn was killed during her battle against Ember. It was another loss that hit them hard, especially towards Danero and Zypher.

Zypher hoped that they all would have managed to survive by this end of this battle, but that was an idealistic review. Fortunately, she was already avenged, but that didn’t take away the bitterness of her death. He lost a good friend today, one that stuck with him from the very beginning. He glanced up at Spero, the only other person in this group that he would consider to be his friend. He wondered if fate will play its cruel hand yet again, and will one day take her away also. He hoped and prayed that will never happen.

Spero herself was unsure how to react to the news, considering that she was never really close to the other goddess. However, she respected what Jaslyn had done for the group, and would never speak ill of her. Spero turned around, facing the portal to Mechanus, which was several feet away from them. She could already see images of the majestic city of Metropolis, including the bright city lights and futuristic vehicles flying around.

The words of Zadkiel still echoed within her mind. The Astral being warned her, that once she calls upon his name for the first time, she will go down a path and can never return to where she once was. Whatever this meant, it chilled the very core of her soul.

---

There will always be darkness, and there will always be evil. Even with the recent death of my brother, there are others out there who are more than willing to step up to his malevolent role. We must always remain vigilant, and our strength cannot waver. We will make our stand against the armies of chaos and destruction, and we will become victorious. We are the light of the multiverse, and hope and peace will reign supreme by the end of this day.

The God of Ruin, Diz, stood upon the edge of the cliff. His black eyes continued watching the large ocean before him, always watching and longing. He already knew that his Abomination failed him, and that Selrina managed to escape from the earthen realm. He cannot follow her at this point, but that does not mean he will no longer pursue her death.

It has always been his goal to slay the Monarchs, and now, the Fall has given him this ultimate opportunity, and he intended to fully utilize it. The time of the Monarchs is over, and he will begin the revolution against them. A change is coming to the five celestial realms, one that will shake the very foundations of this multiverse.

A small, devious smile formed upon his chiseled face, and then Diz turned around to face dozens upon dozens of Abominations. Their gray bodies spread across the area, vast and wide, and they all shifted around. Most of the creatures were writhing from the internal pain in their bodies, and there were several loud groans of agony. However, they all faced their master and waited upon his next order.

Diz raised his hand and pointed his finger to the opposite direction, causing all of the Abominations to turn around and charge like wild animals towards that direction.

This war is just beginning.

---

As we continue this battle between light and darkness, we must never forget where we come from. We all have our beginnings, and we will all have our endings. We must never forget about the people that we love, those who built us into the better angels that we are now. Keep them in your hearts, because these are the people that give us strength during our darkest struggles. Keep fighting, and keep pushing forward.

Darkness...

Oblivion...

There were no thoughts, no sounds, and no images. There was no past, no present, and no future. There was only the embrace of nothingness.

Yet, even that proved temporary.

Sounds of thunder and lightning caused Jaslyn’s eyes to snap open. There was a loud gasp, as she tried to regain her breath. Her lungs filled up with air, and Jaslyn's heart pounded against her chest. Coldness struck her body, and she looked down and noticed that she wore no clothing.

Her body shivered as she picked herself up, nearly falling a couple of times as if she completely forgot how to use her motor skills. Finally, she stood up on the ground, which appeared to be a gray mud-like substance. Jaslyn’s arms wrapped around her exposed body, in a feeble attempt to keep herself warm.

Her crimson-red hair was dirtied by the gray mud, which slowly dripped from her hair strands and back on to the ground. She continued shivering, before looking up and examining her surroundings. There was a dark red moon high above the dark sky, and the world itself appeared to be a barren wasteland except for a few empty villages at a distance. However, the one thing that caught Jaslyn’s eyes was a tall tower. It appeared to be hundreds of miles away, but the tower itself reached towards the sky, and black clouds surrounded the upper portions and masked the top.

Welcome to Pandemonium.

A dark voice whispered into her ear, causing Jaslyn to jump. She quickly looked around, searching for the source of the voice, but there was no one else nearby. The voice itself chilled her very bones, it basically breathed malevolent intentions. The voice itself was somewhat familiar, and Jaslyn hoped against hope that it was purely her imagination.

She gulped, feeling fear creep up into her core for the first time in a long time. The last thing she remembered was her battle against Ember, and the sting of death as the inferno consumed her. Now, she stood in the middle of a gray plain beneath a mysterious sky. She had no clue where she was, and the atmosphere of this world terrified her.

“Where... where in Suriyel’s name am I?”

---

“And so, we must move forward and pave a new destiny for all. This is only just the end of the beginning, and we have much more work to do. There is no time to become complacent, because everyone must answer the call to arms... War is coming, but we will be ready.”

Luthious squeezed both of his hands on the rail, his knuckles becoming white from the pressure. His facial expression became even more stern, but his gaze never left the majestic city.

“Be ready, Morgana, for we have an intruder.”

Immediately, Morgan’s eyes opened wide with surprise, and flinched at the sound of someone clapping loudly right behind her. She quickly turned around, summoning her sun-spear in a flash of light. Despite Morgana having the soul of a warrior, she was caught off by the identity of the intruder and fear crept into her core.

“Malphas...” she breathed out, facing the Duchess of Pain as she approached both Morgana and Luthious while continuing to clap obnoxiously.

“Well done, well done, brother,” Malphas whistled loudly, giggling briefly before halting her movement. She stopped clapping, and was only a couple feet away from the two members of the Order faction. “That was such a beautiful speech, I wish I was around more often to hear your amazing monologues,” Malphas mocked.

“How dare you?!” Morgana spat venomously, anger filling her eyes like a fire exploding. “How dare you trespass his most holy sanctum with your filth?” She raised up her spear, pointing it directly towards Malphas’s face. The Duchess stood out like sore thumb within the White City, especially with her appearance of a skimpy leather outfit and malevolent aura surrounding her body.

“Oh, I dare,” Malphas’s smile only widened with glee, apparently enjoying herself after seeing Morgana’s reaction of her sudden appearance. “It wasn’t that hard to get past all of those holy knights also, its like child’s play with my illusions,” she cackled, her red eyes gleaming with delight.

“Morgana...” Luthious’s voice raised sternly, and he has still yet to turn around to face his devious sister. “What do you want?” his voice demanded.

“What, can’t I get a hug from my dear ole’ brother?” Malphas spread her arms in a mocking manner. “I decided to drop by and discuss about a couple of family matters with you. I heard that Baldy croaked, which is a terrible shame. I’m gonna miss his gloomy demeanor and sense of humor. By the way, Selrina is also a-okay! I watched her little pets battle one of those ugly gray creatures, and she managed to kill that thingy, complete the ritual and survive! Utterly amazing!”

Morgana’s grip of her spear only tightened, especially since the Duchess apparently acted like this was all a game to her, and nothing was a serious matter. She was half-tempted to charge and thrust her spear into that Monarch’s black heart, but the voice of her lord stopped her.

“Morgana... Please leave us,” Luthious ordered aloud before finally turning around, facing his sister directly. For the first time in a long time, Morgana noticed that Luthious’s brilliant blue eyes were cold as ice.

“M-my lord?” she questioned him, wondering why Luthious wanted to be left alone with the witch. Even though he was known to be the strongest Monarch, she still worried for his safety with the likes of Malphas around.

“Please leave us,” Luthious repeated once more, but his voice was still patient with her.

Morgana hung her head lightly, and she nodded. “Yes, my lord,” she quickly bowed before leaving his presence, passing by the Duchess and giving the woman a quick glare as she left the balcony.

Both Monarchs faced each other silently at first, and the tension between the two of them grew exponentially.

“Malphas, what do you want?” Luthious repeated his question once more, but his voice sounded more impatient this time. His tolerance for his immature and devious sister was completely different compared to his faithful companions.

Malphas only smiled at first, taking her time to answer before finally speaking up.

“Isn’t it obvious, Luthious? I want the same thing that you want, brother. I want to claim the Throne of Gods.”

---

To be continued in the next chapter,
The Divine Deception