"This is getting way out of hand." God spoke. "The birth of a being this powerful.. plus a battle between two impossibly strong beings.. this is just too much."
"Do you want us to go down there?" Asked Sun Wukong, who sat across the table from Moorza as God, Youlgnir, looked out a window.
"I don't think we could do much of anything." Moorza said. "I don't think even Youlgnir coils beat Azazel, much less you or I. Not to mention the other beings there."
"He's right. I suggest our best move is to just watch for now." Youlgnir spoke.
"Tch! As you wish. I just don't approve of this cowardice. We should be fighting." Sun Wukong said.
"Soon. We will be on top." Youlgnir spoke, mostly to himself. "Soon."
•
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•
"You really thought you could take me?" Azazel hissed with laughter. "It is quite entertaining. You are strong, but you aren't enough to take me. I am far beyond your level, dear Gozzu."
Smoke slowly trailed up from Gozzu's jaws.
"Hah. You can't even do anything." Azazel laughed. "I must say," the Demon God waved at the deep split in the earth. "I am impressed by you, really, but it's just not eno-"
Azazel suddenly stopped, lurching forward. His aura cloak began to faze in and out. "What.. the hell..?" Black blood began to dribble from Azazel's mouth as he hunched over and fell to his knees. The spikes that held Gozzu began to fade out and the gargoyle stood over Azazel, aura being absorbed into him in mass as he grew ever so bigger, almost thirteen feet tall now. The air around Gozzu's body was distorted and colored by the immense aura that he absorbed and, in turn, gave off.
Everything near Gozzu became fuzzy from the immense pressure as the earth began to tremble. Azazel was pressed down against the ground, crumbling beneath Gozzu's pressure.
Gozzu held his hands out at either side, the markings about his arms and claws beginning to glow and become swallowed in aura, creating distortions in gravity and the air.
"How.. are you…?" Azazel choked.
Gozzu slowly rose his claws above his head, the aura about his hands leaving a trail of after images. Gravity then began to increase insanely then, every rock that had once been drifting from distortions crashing to the ground as Azazel was crushed as well, pressed against the stone.
Then Gozzu dropped his fists, clasped together, like a hammer of execution on Azazel, the impact so intense that it was as though a massive meteor had struck the earth, sending a massive shockwave across the land's surface that scorched every inch of the ground and tore the earth's surface apart.
•
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•
"Akuro. It seems you've gone berserk, again. Except this time you are a lot stronger." Sedori spoke as he casually walked towards Darius. Sedori extended his hand out, and Darius took it, allowing him to help him up.
"You.. you are alive?" Darius asked.
"Not really. I'm just a demon now." He lifted his hand and grabbed a set of chains wrapped about his chest. "These are the shattered parts of my soul."
Akuro released a shockwave of black aura, blowing away the blades embedded in his body as his wounds healed instantly.
"Ah.." Sedori sighed. "This really is gonna be a pain in the ass."
"Gonna be? It already is." Darius said.
"Fair enough. Either way, I would like to know what exactly caused this to occur in the first place?"
"Honestly… no clue. Also, be careful.. I'm pretty sure he someone unlocked the ability to bend reality." Darius said grimly.
"Hm. We will se about that." Sedori spoke, then all of the blades around him began to swirl in a furious cyclone of steel as he walked towards Akuro. "Hey, Akuro. Wanna know something?" Sedori said, his aura becoming a darker shade now. "Becoming a demon gave me a new power. Every time a blade of mine tastes someone's blood, it steals their power and adds it to my own. Permanently. So now I've got some of your aura as mine, forever. I'll say, it's pretty impressive how much you've got, and I only took a small portion."
Akuro began to slowly walk towards Sedori now too, and, miraculously, every single blade in Sedori's storm missed. Some how they all simply missed Akuro, their paths changing, altered by some outside force.
Both Akuro and Sedori came to a halt, staring one another down, though Akuro was expressionless and seemed like he could care less.
Then a flash of white light went through the air and Inari flashed into existence behind Akuro, her short sword flying for his throat.. but she missed. How did she miss? It was like she was placed somewhere else.
"What the..?" Inari asked in surprise. "I'm sure I hit him..?"
"Enough games." Akuro said suddenly. His voice was cold and completely devoid of emotion. "I will be kind into you. I will not kill you, but I will destroy all chances of your victory."
"What-?" Inari asked.
"I will eliminate any hope you have left, and as your dreams die you shall wallow and suffer in hopelessness and despair." Akuro said coldly.
Then he held up his hand and his fist closed. Darius's ears began to ring in that moment and he felt as though he lost a part of himself, he felt his legs go weak, he felt pathetic and small, everything overwhelmed him and he suddenly crashed to the ground, his face against the stone ground. He felt pain.. he felt weak.. why was this..? What happened..? Wait.. no.. he knew this feeling.. the fear of death.. the helplessness.. this mortality.. he had become a mortal once again. Akuro had reverted him back into a mortal!
Inari also lost her Aura Cloak, crumbling beneath Akuro's pressure. For some reason, it seemed, Sedori was the only one unaffected.
"Why are you still a demon..?" Akuro asked curiously.
"You tell me." Sedori said, his aura shifting to a darker shade. "Maybe it's because some your aura is mine now."
A blast of wind exploded from Sedori as the blades began to whirl around him faster than the eye could follow. As he walked towards Akuro it looked like a blur surrounded him and gusts of wind obliterated the earth and cutting deep into the ground, carving into the stone.
Sedori dashed at Akuro, his fists flying for Akuro's face while he would thrust and slash with his swords every chance he had. No matter how fast he attacked, nothing could hit Akuro, everything he did missed. He could land a single hit.
The Akuro stomped his foot to the ground, sending a shockwave through the ground that knocked Sedori off balance. Akuro then ran at him, grabbed his head and pulled down, bashing Sedori's face into his knee, the sound of Sedori's skull being smashed in echoing through the air.
"You cannot defeat me. Stop trying." Akuro growled. "Your presence here changes nothing."
Then the ground began to tremble violently as a massive explosion went off in the distance, an immense shockwave rushing towards them at a violent pace. Moving as quick as possible, Sedori used his shields to protect Inari and Darius just as the shockwave struck them. Layers of earth were torn up, rock, dust and rubble flew through the air.
Amidst the storm of stone, Akuro clasped Sedori's throat and attempted to lift him up, but a blade zinged through the air and severed his arm.
"What.?" Akuro asked in shock. Then he realized he could not see the blades anymore, meaning he could not manipulate them with his powers.
Suddenly Akuro's body became riddled with deep gashes and limbs began to be severed. He'd heal, but then he'd be shredded again, over and over this repeated as Sedori's fist then crashed into Akuro's cheek, knocking him back.
"Blades of sealing," Sedori roared at that moment, the area then illuminating with turquoise light as small swords stacked together into two larger blades. "Gates of Xinoll, Demonic Seal!"
The two massive blades crashed into Akuro, one impaling his chest while the other severed his head. And there Akuro's body was held, pinned to the ground by the sealing blades.
As the shockwave passed, the dust began to lower while rocks and rubble gently drifted to the ground, the gravity distortions causing them to fall slower.
"Heh. Man, it doesn't seem to me like you know what the hell you are even doing, Akuro." Sedori said, confidence exuding from him now.
Then black aura began to encroach over the blades, their light beginning to fade out.
"Wait.. what.?"
Akuro sprung back to his feet, the blades falling away to the ground.
"It's pointless." Akuro growled. "I do not understand why you try."
Suddenly, that sense of confidence failed Sedori as he faltered. He never imagined he would falter, not ever, not once in his life.
"Tch!" He grit his teeth. "That's it."
Now each of his four hands held a blade in them and he dashed at Akuro. What ensued was a fast paced exchange of blows, Sedori swinging the swords at impossible speeds, almost as though he were dancing, and Akuro would deftly dodge or deflect each blow.
"I'm done with this little game." Akuro said in a bored expression, then snapped his fingers, and as soon as he did everything around Sedori went black. Then he got the sense that he was falling. He spun, wind rushing past his ears, and as he turned he realized Akuro had somehow transferred him into the atmosphere. Now he was streaming downwards from the sky, and soon he'd burn to cinders and crash to the earth below.
•
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•
Akuro could feel only one thing: cold. Bitter, bitter cold. He was alone and he felt numb, he couldn't think straight, he was drowning in emptiness. He had no clue, nor care, about what was occurring in the real world. He was drifting, lost, and alone. And he didn't mind. He was at peace, but he only wished this cold would go away.
He could faintly hear what he imagined were the voices of Mato and Brimgarn.. but he didn't care. The voices came and went like a vivid dream, they weren't real to him. In his mind he was just a simple kid who had a lovely sister and lived nothing more than video games and anime. He was still just and innocent kid.. dealt a bad hand.
"Akuro.." he could hear a voice, a familiar voice, call out his name. He knew this voice.. so why couldn't he place a name?
"Akuro.."
He began to stir.
On the outside, the Akuro who was fighting suddenly froze as the real one began to stir, regaining control.
"It's okay. Sleep Akuro," the voice came, then the image of a woman, arms extended, came to his mind. Warmth overwhelmed him as the arms wrapped about him, holding him tightly. "Sleep.. let it all go.." the voice said. That's when he realized who it was.
"Hope…?" He asked softly.
"Yes. I have you now." Void said. "You are safe.. so sleep.. just let it all go, Akuro."
The Akuro in the real world then became relaxed once more, but now he seemed even more focused and cold. He seemed stronger. He had more of an edge to him, a gleam in his eyes, like he ruled the world, like he could do anything.
Meanwhile the real Akuro drifted into an eternal slumber.