"Who dares interfere with this god's business?!" Shiva was back to his feet in no time. His eyes were filled with anger and impatience. With a wave of his hand his lower half was covered and his nakedness was hidden. However when he laid eyes on the one who had interrupted his good time, his anger was replaced by surprise.
"It's you?" Shiva's eyes fluttered slightly in surprise when his eyes captured the image of the man standing before him.
A few meters away from him was a young man with a strangely chaotic appearance. And I say chaotic because that was exactly how best one could describe the man's current appearance. For instead of hair covering his head, this man's head was bordered by several snakes of lightning that danced upon his head like hair strands. His hair wasn't the only peculiar thing however. For his eyes were just as white as the clouds in the sky, and every now and then, a piece of lighting from his hair traveled into them and lit them up like mini stars. Strangely enough, this wasn't the queerest thing. The feature upon this young man; the one that struck Shiva the most, was the mark on his forehead. For on this young man's forehead was a large lightning brand that was filled to the brim with lightning elements. And Shiva could feel their destructive might even from where he stood.
"Whether you are the Supreme or not means nothing to me. You interfered with the business of a god and you shall pay the price for it!" Shiva bellowed and pushed out with his feet. His bent knees generated force capable of shattering the earth in half and his propulsion created a crater capable of accommodating a small lake.
*Boom*
With great authority Shiva declared himself to the World of the Three Great Races. He whistled through the air like a powerful missile with his fist pushed forward. His intentions were clear. He was going to bore a new hole in the Supreme and leave him paralyzed. Then he would enjoy his 'date' with the Chaos Witch before sucking the life out of the Supreme to increase his own power. But life never went the way one envisioned, did it? For though Shiva was able to reach his intended target; though he was able to get to Mane, he didn't strike his target.
With speed greater than that of Shiva's, Mane lightly twisted his body and moved his trunk out of the way. His eyes were largely unfocused for with the lightning elements roaming within them it was difficult to make out exactly what the young Supreme was looking at. But his actions displayed that his goal was the God of Destruction. For once he moved out of the way, the young Supreme didn't retreat. He lowered himself and grabbed on to the ankles of the God of Destruction. Then with great power he forcefully halted the charge of Shiva and tossed him towards the distance. Mane raised one of his arms and curled his fingers – with the exception of his index finger – like he was holding on to a gun. His actions elicited a response from his surroundings. For the lightning elements that clothed his hair and filled his eyes gathered at the tip of his outstretched finger. And with a pull of the trigger this lightning bullet was given a task: kill the God of Destruction! And with great speed it struck Shiva directly!
*Boom*
With a resounding crack Shiva was battered by the element which was more famous than he and he was sent flying once again. This time however, his flight covered a great distance. And while Shiva took a journey to explore a little bit more of the world he had come to, Crystal got to check on her Lord. And while he was slightly different from before, Shiva recognised him easily because he had been lying helplessly on the ground only a few minutes before.
"Master Mane!" the Chaos Witch exclaimed with worry in her charming eyes. Although her current appearance was slightly embarrassing, she still pushed herself to her feet and approached her Lord. He was different. Yes, he was. But she knew that he was her Lord. And while she wasn't sure what this power he was using was, she was sure of one thing.
"You need to escape Master Mane," she hastily approached him and said. In her haste she tripped over her own foot and fell towards the ground. But her master didn't allow her head to strike the ground. With just a blink of the eye Mane was already next to Crystal and holding on to her.
"Let go of me Master Mane. Listen to me Master: you aren't strong enough to go against a god yet!" Crystal feebly pleaded.
Even in this state, her first thought was him. She disregarded herself entirely and worried only for him. For she understood that while it seemed like Mane was stronger than Shiva because he had gotten the better of him in their first confrontation, the young Supreme didn't have the power to go against an actual god. Mane didn't even have the power to go against True Ascenders yet, much less a god. For handling five False Ascenders was not comparable to dealing with one strong Ascender, much less a god who specialized in destruction.
"The…current…me…cannot fight…god" Mane's lips parted to allow him to string some words together. If Abe, Jake and John were here, they would have been stunned. For they had seen Mane in this form before and had witnessed him acting like a complete animal. Yet here he was, capable of speech and self-control! And while it was true that the young Supreme's speech was incoherent, it was a great improvement.
"Then run away!" Crystal begged with an anxious expression on her face. Who knew when Shiva would return – and how mad he will be when he does. Her young Lord needed to get out of here and quickly!
"I…cannot" Mane stuttered as he bent his hands and gathered Crystal into his arms. He didn't seem to mind her nakedness or the dirt and grime all over her skin. He slowly began to walk away – towards Amalgamation.
"Why?" Crystal asked with a complicated expression on her face. The actions of her Lord were sure to seal his fate. For her, she would die anyway. Her life force had been fading rapidly since the time she used Eternal Damnation. But her master didn't have such a weakness. Nor did he have time. Because there was no way they would get to Amalgamation before Shiva returned. And that was because Mane was trying not to run with her since it would only hasten her death. But that meant he would be hastening his. And for someone like him, Crystal felt that death would be wasted on him.
"Don't worry…I…add…space…to…lightning…I…transport him…far…away. We…have…time."
"Now…I answer…question."
"You…risk…life…for…me"
"I…see…everything"
"I…repay"
While Crystal didn't know how Mane had seen 'everything' or whether he was speaking the truth, to her that mattered little now.
"It is my duty as an Elemental to die for my Lord," Crystal argued
"And…master's duty…is…protect…servant"
"You protect…now…I…protect"
Crystal bit her lips strongly, so much so that they began to bleed. This was what made Supremes so worthy. This was what made serving them so worthwhile. That nobility that dominated their bones and the pride that wouldn't allow them to abandon anyone they considered their own was a kindness that was difficult to forget, especially for one as old as her.
"I…also…restore…your…life" Mane stuttered before stretching his hand in the direction of the Origin King's corpse. His hands clutched on to the life force that belonged to that body and drew it towards himself. And with great mastery that he wasn't meant to have he forced that life force into Crystal's body.
"This is improbable," Crystal stuttered with surprise as her strength returned to her.
"But…possible," Mane replied and broke into a run. Since the Eternal in his arms was in no danger now, he could hasten to his goal. And in less than five seconds, he reached it. And he did so in time as well. For a powerful aura was swiftly approaching. And Mane knew; Crystal knew; they knew that it was the God of Destruction returning with a vengeance.
"Stay," Mane ordered as he pulled off his coat and wrapped it around the naked Crystal. While the Eternal could easily generate her own clothes, she would have to rely on her power to do that. But to fully recover, she had to stay away from using her strength for the next few hours. It was too risky for her to do otherwise.
"I can help," Crystal argued. To her, this second chance was nothing but another opportunity to lay down her life.
"You help…by…resting"
"You said…current…me…can't…kill…god. I…reply…that…it…true."
"But…what…about…current…me!"
A powerful aura escaped from Mane's body once his statement ended. His Soul Weapons escaped his Soul Scape and glued themselves on to him like clingy lovers. And Harch settled into his palms like a long lost relative. The congregation of their power was so strong that the space around Mane was warped. Crystal could feel it and was stunned by it. This was a power that directly rivaled the aura of Shiva himself! Mane turned away from Crystal and gazed into the horizon. He could feel Shiva's aura faltering slightly when he – Mane – unveiled his. But the God of Destruction ultimately couldn't overcome his greed. And his charge continued. As for Mane, he was pleased by this. He took a big leap forward and dashed towards the God of Destruction with his axe in hand. He would be fighting with Harch for the first time today. And they couldn't have their first collaboration end in defeat.
"Today…I…kill…God!"