Chapter Fifteen
DEATH DANCES
RUMBLE
Shortly after witnessing the crush, Dionysus began to fall. The pyramid that he and Silhouette were standing on just vanished from existence, air replacing what it once was.
'What . . . did I just see?'
THUMP
He hit the ground with his back first, and then continued to lie on it for a bit longer. Silhouette stood up besides him and reached its hand out to him, clearly a gesture that it was going to help him stand up, but Dionysus didn't feel like taking it.
If anything, he felt like vomiting.
"What kind of twisted . . ."
He was utterly shocked at what just happened.
"MY LIEGE!"
From out of nowhere, Asclepius came running. He simply ignored Dionysus, who was still lying on the ground and staring at the ceiling. Dionysus couldn't blame him though, considering that the man was Asclepius' king.
'Silhouette, we need to get out of here, fast.'
He quickly communicated to Silhouette his thoughts. No matter what would happen, he didn't plan on dying here. Although he refused to fight anymore, he still had no intention of giving up the privilege that was called life.
". . . yes, we should."
Silhouette picked up Dionysus and put him on its back, giving him a piggy-back ride for the first time in decades for the two. Both of them knew, however, that right now was most definitely not the time for reminiscing and nostalgia.
'Lest we die . . .'
"Y-You, stand up! Help my liege, aren't you his descendent?!"
Before the two could take off, they were called out to by Asclepius, who was bending his neck in a terrible fashion to look at the meeting location of the two pillars, where blood was currently dripping down from.
SIGH
Dionysus didn't want to waste anymore time on the current situation, but he felt it would be wrong to just leave the man without saying anything.
"First of all, I have no idea what I would do in this situation if what you were thinking is actually the case. Second of all, it isn't the case that you think it is. In fact, I'd suggest running."
There were hints before the two pillars collided with him at the center, but Dionysus hadn't thought much of them. However, now that he looked back, he could tell that he made a grave mistake in his calculations.
"W-What do you mean . . .?"
THUMP
Asclepius' knees hit the ground, and his arms laid by his side. No matter how anyone were to phrase it to another person, the person could tell just by looking at the man that despair was consuming him inside out.
'We've really got to get a move on . . .'
Dionysus wanted to go already, but he also wanted to make sure the man would run too.
"Just run if you value your life, that's all. As for your king . . ."
Dionysus looked up to see what was in-between the two pillars for the last time he ever would, only to close his eyes in a terrible attempt to deny reality.
". . . He's a lost cause, both physically and mentally."
"No . . . that can't be . . ."
At these words, Asclepius got on both his hands and knees, and Dionysus could see that the man was bawling his eyes out. However, the sympathy that was once in him was nowhere to be seen, and his life was too valuable to be lost because he wanted to comfort a man by sacrificing it.
'Alright, start running.'
WHISH
The silhouette ran right for the entrance of the dungeon, which was now open. Since his replica had died, the dungeon considered that the trials were over, leading to the entrance being open like it was now.
"Tch."
It was still looming deep within his mind, the fact that he couldn't save his replica. Now, though, it was too late to turn back, as a thunderstorm was already brewing.
'Yeah, this is gonna be a real terrible storm.'
Dionysus urged Silhouette to run faster, but it was already running at its maximum speed. All he could do was reminisce on what he had put together.
'The Chained King lost all his final strand of hope, me, and the chains took hold of him. Along with that, right before he got 'crushed' . . .'
It wasn't the king's death that was causing him so much displeasure. If anything, it would've been hundreds of more times preferable than the current situation.
It was the fact that the king didn't die. He saw it. Even if only for a brief moment, he had been witness to the king's final moments . . .
That was, as a sane person.
In reality, what Dionysus had witnessed was something far, far worse than his death. The last thing that he saw before the king got seemingly crushed was his eye. The scary part was that . . .
The color was gone, the emotions void. Dionysus knew, from personal experience, that once someone reached that point, only true terror would follow.
'He lost to the chains and was being held up, and then I saw that his eye was like that.'
He had come to the conclusion that the king finally wrapped up the fight with the chains that were constantly pumping negativity into him, and he wasn't the victor.
'If my theory is true, then I shou-'
BOOM
He heard a large thunderstrike behind him, which was where the dungeon happened to be located.
"Yup, hell's about to let loose."
--- SEQUENCE 2 ---
Why did you defy your god, peasant?
Before the Chained King, a legion of angels were hovering in the sky. One of them was in front of the rest, and the majesticness of that one in particular was far beyond the rest. Wings of pure white reached out from behind it's back, and white robes as white as snow itself were being worn by it.
The Chained King coughed out some blood, but he was far from done. To anyone from the outside, it would look like he barely had any time left to live, which absolutely was true. He was on his last legs, and he was most likely going to meet his demise within this dungeon, or at least what was left of it, which was only the walls, which also had holes in them.
However, he didn't plan to meet his demise and end it there.
"I . . . have no god. I may not be at my prime, I may not even be a worthy challenge for just you and your pitiful little legion, but I will fight to the death."
WREEEEEEEEEEEEE
CHING
The Chained king broke out from each and every single chain that was holding him back. His one hand tightened up, and his one remaining eye went completely white.
. . . So be it.
A sword made of pure light emerged from out of nowhere, and the leader of the legion of angels held it in his right hand. Its size was similar to that of a greatsword, but with the strength of the angel holding it, it's speed would be quicker than even a dagger.
Whiiiissshhhh . . .
'. . .?'
The leader of the angels stared on in confusion. It was one of the many angels that were born after the war with the Chained King, so it itself had no experience fighting the man. All it had heard was legends of the man tearing through legions of demons and angels united.
However, it had also heard of his end, which was to be smote down by god.
'After that, the man was knocked unconscious, and the chains representing the dark side of the mortal realm latched onto him, and a dimension just for him was made.'
This was why the scene happening in front of it was confusing. It had heard that he was a powerful mortal, but it never understood what his power truly was. However, the air was avoiding the man, and fractures were appearing everywhere around him, whether it be the ground, air, or sky.
"CHARGE!"
The angel understood that it could not allow whatever was happening to be completed, or else it might allow the catalyst for a future war to be produced.
WHOOSH
WHOOSH
WHOOSH
All at once, millions upon millions of angels rushed at the Chained King. Shamelessness didn't exist within them, as god had requested of them that they eliminate the threat that was the man before them. Henceforth, they didn't care that millions of them were rushing a singular man.
As for the Chained King himself, his grey hair was rising above him, ascending far into the skies. His eye was still completely white, but his hand wasn't the same. Instead of a fist, all his fingers were straightened out, as if he was about to karate chop something.
"CHAAAAAARGE!"
The one holding the sword lifted it into the air and held it with both hands before proceeding to swing it down.
Q-WIIIISSSHHHHHH
A blindingly large white light emerged, and it was shot right at the Chained King, who had just regained his pupil within his remaining eye. When he saw the light coming straight at him, his reaction was a . . .
"Hmph."
. . . smirk.
Too late, angels.
He lifted his hand up into the sky, and the last thing that anyone besides him could make out before everything went dark was witnessed by an angel on the sidelines, looking down from far above.
'B-Blasphemy . . . there is no other word to describe it.'
For when he struck down with what seemed to be a karate chop, all the land that could be seen, up to the horizon, was split in half. The legion of angels was demolished, and the general had been cleaved right in half.
As for the world, even mountains were spread apart.
"This is my final fight, so respect an old opponent and give me your best."
Although he had said it without being loud at all, it was as if the whole planet could hear him.
BOOM
Thunder struck down one last time before the thunderstorm cleared. After that, a holy radiance shone from up above, and from it . . .
Many, many more angels flew down to fight.