He couldn't stop shaking, both from the pain radiating from his dislocated arm and the psychic bombardments he's enduring, pummeling his mind, dragging their ethereal claws across his brain and very soul as they washed over him. Lucious grunted, reluctantly and bitterly taking half a step back to stable his footing, staggering as he did with his shaken body. It wanted to collapse, it wanted to run, every bit of his instinct was telling him to save his life, to flee. From Him.
The figure standing before them was not Quetz, not as himself, the thing in front of them is just a shell, mindless and without reason, an amalgamation of rampant extreme emotions, instinct and shards of random memories. The Emperor, they've dubbed it. Yet even in this state, Lucious knew that his father's still nigh unbeatable, not by him alone. Blood dripped from a gaping wound on the Emperor's left shoulder, still burning with the deep baleful purple fire and sizzling with the eldritch fog of deathly magic that prevented the ethereal armors to materialize on that part of his body. Yet despite his grievous injury, the Emperor's face was emotionless, save for his eyes, amber orbs burning brightly with pain, confusion and anger, staring directly at Haru as he took a step forward.
Yet it was a lie, a mockery of the psyche of all sentient life, empty and hollow, a far cry from the complex yet pure, jumbled yet organized thing that is true emotion. This…thing, this force that's driving his father was no better than the based, mindless convulsions that animate the Unbirthed. Lucious sidestepped, blocking his father's view of the white haired boy with his own body, bearing his fangs and growled loudly, announcing his defiance. Fearful golden locked with empty amber as the two Anacondrai snarled and barked at each others, bearing their fangs. They swiped and snapped at each others, narrowly avoided actually hurting their opponent in a showing of force, a mental fight that the black haired Anacondrai knew he has no chance of winning. Once again his vision was blurred, his ebony tail slightly lowered, threatening to coil in a sign of clear submission.
Tears and sweats trailed down Lucious' face, tickling at his skin as his teeth collided rapidly in utter horror, every single fiber in his body told him to run, screaming, begging, pleading him to turn and run, there is no hope. The pain radiated from his dislocated right arm, the entire limb has been all but popped from the socket, its weight becoming more and more unbearable, the plating on the back of his hand was all but pulverized by their clash and the bones in his forearms were cracked. Psychic waves bombarded Lucious' mind dulling his senses and ripping away at his very soul, he couldn't see, he couldn't hear, he can only think of one thing. Run.
Yet as his shaken leg took a half a step back, something rushed against him, a strange yet familiar feeling. A presence, His presence, washing away Lucious' doubt and fear and kindling inside him the bravery that he's so desperately in need of. The inquisitor glanced back behind him with hope and surprised in his wide opened golden eyes, his cat like pupils extended as he letting out a gasp. For a moment, Lucious thought he saw Him, smiling at him encouragingly, the illusion lasted for but half a second, yet it was enough to steel Lucious' resolve. He planted his foot down to secure himself, facing the Emperor, the determination that blazed in his eyes seem to radiated throughout his dark armor, the fringes of the plates glowing brilliantly pale golden as magic surged around and through him, manifesting a pair of brilliant ethereal wings on his back as Ginji and the children looked on in awe.
- Forgive me Father… - Lucious mumbled to himself, multi colored magic swirled into his the form of complex circles and ruins into his left extended hand, readied to be unleash, before roaring out. - JEAN! KAS! GET READY!
Without given Quetz a chance to comprehend, Lucious bolted forward, slamming his opened palm squarely into the Emperor's chest, pushing him toward the edge of what left of the wagon. The younger male jabbed his hand forward in a decisive action, magic coursed from his arm and into his hand, exploding into the Emperor's chest, not enough to wound him, but just enough to push him over the edge. A magical barrier of pure high magic's raised around the children as Lucious landed in front of them, shielding them from the destructive storm of fire and sand being launched upward that engulfed Quetz, obliterating the parts of the wagon that's caught in its torrents.
Swift gestured rapidly, recalling whatever of the children's belongings and resources that time allowed Lucious to gather, leather and fabric mended and welted themselves together into the shapes of four backpacks. He has to hurry, already Lucious could feel the Emperor's presence and magic getting stronger and stronger even when he's caught inside the storm that's now being formed into a stationary tornado to contain him, it wouldn't be long until he break out.
- Lucious! - He heard Ginji cried out, the high elf has had his hand pressed against the barrier he's created, one fist pounding onto the crystalized magic in a desperate attempt to break it. - Lucious! No! Don't do this! Come with us! Come with me!
- Ginji.
To the high elf's horror, Lucious knelt in front of the bubble, his hand sizzling with the pale magic that's fluttering like a pair of majestic wings on his back. His voice sounded so calm, so soothing yet so firm with determination that it cut into the blond's throbbing heart. His two colored eyes fluttered, blurred with the burning tears as his small frame trembled, knowing what that look meant, what that burning magic meant.
- No! - Ginji cried out, pounding at the shimmering wall with his fist reinforced with the diamond hard ice that he's conjured up, yet the wall stood. - Don't do it! He'll kill you!
- Take care of him for me.
With a sad smile, Lucious pushed the backpacks through the barrier, shoving Ginji back at the children as tendrils of magic spread from the bubble, coiling around the members of the Silver Winds Auxila. The inquisitor turned away from the high elf, ignoring his screaming and pleading, his eyes closed, a strangely calm expression spread across his face as he took in a deep breath. Unsheathing his sword, the black haired Anacondrai went into his battle stance, feeling the Emperor's magic surging, unseen amber eyes staring at him, bathing him in roaring fire storm of hatred and wrath.
Once again, Lucious' standing before certain defeat, possibly even his death, risking his life for the same reason that urged him to do so ages ago. He stood proudly, watching with blazing golden eyes as a bubble of pure magic swirled inside the vortex of sand and fire, feeding into its own growing mass. A loud hum was heard, drowning out Ginji desperate cries and indeed every single other sound, for a split second, Lucious almost gasp, thinking he saw the vortex paused for a heartbeat, then sputtered, the magic that's keeping it in place became more and more unstable, chipped away and absorbed by its own prisoner.
The vortex exploded outward, sending shards of raw Etherium, solid magical ores, blazing through the air and crashing down like meteorites. Swiping away an incoming shard with his mighty wing, Lucious narrowed his eyes at what seemed like a miniature blue sun at the very center of where the vortex once was. Hauntingly beautiful and captivatingly deadly, the miniature star saturated the air itself with magic, yet unlike the last two outburst, this one was controlled, nay, it was simply an extension of His will.
Intoxicating, choking, dominating, an entire area crackled with psychic electric sparks that brought the new bloods and the war beasts to their knees, only those with the strongest psyche or safety shielded in the barriers conjured by Lucious were spared from the onslaught. And still Ginji could feel it, wrath given sustenance, given form and purpose, a dominating presence of absolute authority and power, to bathe in His presence is to submit fully to his will. Yet still the inquisitor's still standing, defiantly, between him and them, what manner of power has blessed him with such will and bravery? The high elf watched on in absolute awe and throbbing pain, tears trickled down from his unblinking eyes, wide opened as they gazed upon the lone figure standing there, a literal knight in holy ebony, gold-trimmed armor, wings spreading wide, continuously being shredded and mended in the bombardments of magic, shielding them from the onslaught.
The miniature blue sun pulsated and retracted into the shape of an Anacondrai engulfed in a ball of fire descending onto the wagon, the shockwave from the landing sent the fire radiating outward like a wave, searing and charring anything they touched as a figure slowly rose from the inferno of his own making. The Emperor was classed from head to the tip of his tail in heavy plated armor darker than any moonless, starless night, trimmed and decorated with golden glyphs thrumming with raw magic. Studded in the middle of his chest plate and heavily ornate pauldrons and wrist section of his clawed gauntlets, oval blue gems flickered and blazed balefully with blue fire not unlike one that's blazing on the billowing dark cape wrapping around his waists. In his right hand held a straight single edged sword, the golden rain-guard shaped like a pair of wings of a phoenix with its wings held high, holding between them a blue gemstone that's feeding from the rampant magic from the gems on his gauntlet, the blade itself sparked and flickered with electro psychic energy. The other hand opened into a set of curling talons, magic runes and circles danced between and around the deadly tips, flickering between colors and formations, as if their conjuror was contemplating on what lethal combination to use against his stubborn opponent.
He's too far gone, Ginji thought, Lucious won't survive this. The thought alone forced a desperate scream to escape the high elf's mouth, seeing the Emperor wordlessly dashed toward them with blinding speed. Baleful azure met brilliant gold as the inquisitor rose to meet his father, holding his rapier with to hand, its blade swirled and shone with so much light and magic that it took on the resemblance of a great sword. Psychic energy exploded outward, shredding what left of the wagon into two. Shockwave ripped great chasms into existence, carving a gash deep into the cliff near by and divided the sky, clouds flowing into the great rift that's been torn into the atmosphere.
- Lucious! - Ginji cried out, helplessly watching his friend plundering after the Emperor into the inferno bellow as the wagon crumbled.
Immediately after the black haired Anacondrai's tail tip disappeared into the smoke and fire, the barrier flared into life, coinciding with the other bubbles that housed the other Silver Winds warriors and some of the more senior warriors of the escort. Runic circles of power surrounded them, spinning around them rapidly, linking them together for teleporting away.
- NO! LUCIOUS! - The high elf roared, pounding furiously into the bubble as he watched the Lord Inquisitor, Jean and Kas, along with their best soldiers swarmed the Emperor. - NO! DON'T DO IT!
The three top fighters leapt, dodged and parried each of their lone opponent's every single attack just barely. A bubble seemed to be surrounding the four combatants, keeping the Emperor from causing anymore casualties as his three commanders distracted him. Ginji watched on in horror as he saw Lucious' wings slowly turned into pitch black, his strikes while becoming more and more powerful, also becoming more and more savage, less controlled. Where once the all three of them were barely keeping up with Quetz in his maddened state, now Lucious alone matched him blow for blow, the brilliant aura of golden hue disappeared, replaced by a pit blackness that drove him to swung wildly at both his opponent and his allies. He's loosing it.
- No… - Ginji shook his head in horror, realizing too late what he's witnessing, oblivious of the disappearing orbs, teleported away to their designated destination. - No. No! NO! - He punched the barrier's shell, crying in utter desperation, hoping against hope that his friend would hear him. - NO! LUCIOUS!
The remaining warriors swiftly made their escape, having received orders from their respective lords as the barrier surrounding the combatants buckled, becoming less and less stable. As it shattered into a million sizzling shards, even the vampire lord Jean and the royal guard Kas were forced to back off, shielding their face from the clash of titans. Like Quetz had his Emperor, Lucious had his own crazed battle state. Dual wielding a pair of slender blades pulsating with darkness, the Dusk Bringer roared and charged at his opponent on pit black wings, matching the Emperor's every blow of his material sword and the other one he's conjured up from pure magic. It was Ginji's worst fear, Lucious has given into his rage and anguish, turning him into a beast that only knows to fight. To fight and to die. The high elf roared out a painful wail as the last of the bubbles teleporting out from the battlefield, leaving the Lucious to fight Quetz unto certain death.