Akuro could not see, hear, smell, or sense anything, it was almost as if he were dead again. It was like that empty black void that he'd first met Raijin in.
"Interesting." Akuro said. "So you can simulate death, and while your opponent has all their senses shut down, you kill them. I applaud your efforts... but..."
Inari watched as Akuro's body froze and the two Archdemons still standing slowly approached him. Zealous wore a grin, victory in his grasp. But then Akuro spoke.
"I applaud your efforts... but..." he said, "I'm not the only one in this body." Akuro's appearance began to change, black scales appearing across his body and two curved black horns sprouting from his head. His eyes turned crimson and his pupils became thin slits. He grinned, showing fangs in his mouth.
"This aura... I see now how you survived being executed. Brimgarn took refuge in your vessel." Zealous scowled. "How annoying.."
"Zealous..." Akuro spoke, but his voice was distorted and deep, as if two voices came out at once. "It's been a while.. I believe I have a favor to return to you..."
Zealous turned to Kessana, shouting, "Quickly, do it-" but he was too late. Akuro zipped out of sight, reappearing behind Kessana, his hand coming down on her shoulder, the fingers held out stiff in a swift chop that removed her arm entirely before he spun midair, his heel slamming into her side sending her body flying through the coliseum.
A wave of black daggers soared towards Akuro, but he jumped above them towards their origin. The daggers followed him as he dashed towards Zealous, who tried to back off but was too slow, and as Akuro passed him, the daggers followed. Akuro sent black talons to intersect the trajectory of the daggers right before they returned to Zealous, causing them to explode at point blank. Zealous's body was launched back from the blast, Akuro's fist colliding with his back, the force of the impact creating a shockwave as a hole was blasted into body before he was sent up into the air. Akuro appeared above him, then leapt downwards at him, rushing towards the ground, his foot against Zealous's head.
*CR-RAC-CK*
As they landed, Zealous's skull was completely shattered between the earth below and Akuro's foot, the ground below them erupting from the impact.
Akuro's aura cloak then began to slowly fade into thin wisps of black and the pressure density dropped, the rocks in the air slowly gliding to rest on the ground.
"I think," Akuro sighed, removing his foot from Zealous's bloody head. "That I've made my point." He turned to the other Archdemons, all of which were slowly rising to their feet. "I am your king now! Accept it or die. Your choice simple."
Zealous shifted, his head repairing itself slowly. He reached a hand out slowly towards Akuro. "I... will not.. permit you-"
Akuro stomped on Zealous's chest, crushing his rib cage and creating a crater in the earth.
"I'm getting bored of this game." Akuro hissed, his eyes cold and spiteful. "Get on your knees." He said, looking to the other Archdemons, but they only glared back at him. Akuro's pupils turned to slits once again. "I said... bow." He hissed, and then an immense force pressed down on all of the other six Archdemons, forcing them to drop to their knees so fast that some of them had their legs snapped, small cracks or depressions forming in the ground below them.
Akuro smirked. "That's better." He turned back to Zealous as the demon's hand slowly rose to grab Akuro's ankle. His grip tightened and there was a loud *SNAP* as Akuro's ankle was crushed, but even so, he wore a bored expression the whole time, unfazed.
"Do you really think that would hurt me after all this?" Akuro asked, waving at the metal embedded into his body. "Again. I am your king now, so accept it..." Akuro's eyes flashed menacingly as he applied more force below his foot, Zealous's chest bursting in bone and blood. "Scum."
•
•
•
Raijin stood at a large set of double doors, staring up at the seal in between them, a large black skull with red gems for eyes. The room he was in was a large black chamber, the door being the only thing in it, aside from the lamps of red fire cast an ominous blood red glow across the room.
Raijin held up a strange bone key in his hand. He tossed it up and caught it again a few times as if deciding whether or not to do what he was about to do. He then inserted the key into the mouth of the skull seal, which the jaws of closed around the key, the sharp teeth cleaving off Raijin's arm as well, though he seemed unaffected as he just watched the skull fade in red smoke as the door slowly swung open, the heavy stone grinding against the ground below causing the room to fill with the sound of stone on stone.
As his arm healed itself, Raijin entered the door, which took him down a small cave that continued on for some time, twisting and turning as it went, winding up and down. The doors had closed behind him and vanished, leaving only a bare wall, meaning there was no going back. He was in hell, and he wasn't going to leave anytime soon, not until he killed Akuro.
As he walked along the path, he came across a multitude of demons, some awake, some slumbering, some bashing their heads into the rough stone walls until their skulls cracked. It truly was hell, the demons appeared to be weak, but they were also suffering, never healing wounds across their bodies, misshapen limbs, cannibalism, torture, insanity, these are all the elements of hell.