Asura gripped the stone pillar beside him, his fingers digging into the cold surface as he fought to lift himself to his feet. His muscles spasmed with the lingering electricity still coursing through his veins, and the pain from the strike pulsed with every throb. It had been a long time since he'd felt this kind of assault, and it was a sensation he missed.
"Man, that hurt. You a dragon or something?" he grunted, trying to catch his breath. A smirk spread across Lydia's face. "Nah, no dragons here." The ogre leaned against the pillar, attempting to steady his breath, but the priests had other plans, cutting him off mid-thought. "Look, guys, I know—"
Before he could finish, the wrecking ball slammed into the pillar, inches from where his head had just been. The impact cracked the stone, and the ball's weight sent it sinking into the side, leaving a gaping dent. "I thought for sure that would hit..." The short-haired woman muttered, staring at the damage.
Lydia's voice rang out, a teasing edge to her words. "I guess you've gotten rusty, Rose. After this, let's get a few more rounds in to polish your skills a little." Asura's gaze locked onto Rose as she struggled to free the wrecking ball, each tug loosening it slightly. Just as it started to emerge from its cove, he lunged forward.
With swift precision, he caught the massive weapon in mid-air, his four arms gripping it effortlessly. Rose's eyes widened in shock as she pulled at the chain, but Asura's strength proved unyielding. With two of his arms, he seized the chain and yanked it hard, sending Rose crashing toward him. She let out a startled cry as she was dragged across the marble floor, tumbling in her desperate attempt to regain control. "Lydia, a little help?" Rose called, her voice strained.
Before Lydia could respond, the wrecking ball dissolved into ink, sinking into the floor like spilled paint. Asura's grip vanished as the ink oozed through his fingers, slipping away. "Fuck it." With a growl, Asura dashed forward, sprinting toward Lydia, who stood ready, her eyes narrowing with excitement. She raised her fists close to her face, warming up for their next exchange.
Just as he closed the distance, the two metal dogs reappeared, charging at him from behind. Far off, the young man on the stairs called out. "I'll support you, Lydia!" The dogs lunged, but Asura was quicker. He threw a punch, catching the first dog midair as it aimed for his throat. The metal jaw shattered with a resounding crack, and the dog's body flew backward, crashing into Lydia's line of sight, momentarily distracting her.
Unfazed, Lydia ducked low and sprinted toward him, her movements swift and calculated. The dog skidded across the floor, metal limbs scraping against marble as it bounced, but it quickly began to reform, its damaged body repairing itself like some mechanical monster. Lydia's eyes never left her target as Asura gripped the second struggling metal dog with his four arms. With a swift motion, he hurled the dog toward her, expecting it to break her guard just long enough for him to close the distance. But as he charged forward, he quickly realized his mistake.
Without hesitation, Lydia stepped forward and delivered a spear-like kick to the dog, sending it crashing to the ground. Asura, caught off guard by her lack of emotion for the fallen creature, barely had time to react before she unleashed a coordinated left-right hook that landed squarely on his face. The force of each blow was like a sledgehammer smashing into his skull, and for a moment, Asura's vision blurred.
Though the old man's punch had been explosive with far more strength, it hadn't come close to the raw power of Lydia's calculated strikes. Each blow hit with precision, and the pain was immediate and intense. Carrying the attack without missing a beat, Lydia landed a punch straight to his stomach, knocking the air from his lungs.
Next, her knee came up, aiming for his abdomen again, but this time, Asura was ready. "Alright, I've had enough. It's my turn," he said, a grin spreading across his face. He caught her leg with two of his arms, locking it in place with a vice-like grip. The sudden resistance caught Lydia off guard, and she faltered, her surprise only lasting for a moment. With his other two arms, Asura launched a brutal counterattack, unleashing a flurry of punches.
The awkward position left Lydia struggling to maintain her balance, putting her at a disadvantage in the fight. She cursed under her breath, frustrated with her lack of experience. She hadn't faced an opponent with four arms before, and the extra limbs presented a mountain of challenges in close combat. Rookie mistake, she thought, thinking two hands can beat four.
She blocked the first two strikes, but the third hit her hard, slamming into the right side of her chest and leaving her momentarily defenseless. "Oomph." She gasped. Lydia's body jerked to the left from the force, but Asura didn't let go. Instead, with a sudden shift of strength, he threw her backward onto the floor, gaining the upper hand. Standing above her, he raised his four arms, preparing to strike down at her.
She braced herself for the worst, but just before the blow landed, the wrecking ball sailed through the air toward Asura's chest. Rose had expected the attack to break Lydia free, but Asura casually swatted the weapon away with his top right hand as though it were little more than an annoyance. "Nice tr—" Asura didn't finish his sentence.
Before he could react, the wrecking ball reappeared, coming at him from his left with the same speed and force as before. It shot diagonally toward his chin, and in the split second he had to react, the ball slammed into his jaw, sending him sprawling backward. He crashed to the ground, the impact rattling his bones, and a wave of intense pain washed over him. "Can't you just let me get the final word?" Asura groaned, staring up at the spinning ceiling.
But before he could gather his thoughts, a golden portal opened above him. From experience, Asura knew what was coming next. He quickly rolled to the side just as a massive fist shot out from the portal, crashing down with a ground-shaking thud. The tremors reverberated through the building.
Asura barely had time to catch his breath before the three of them attacked in unison. The mechanical dogs, now fully repaired, pounced from behind. They moved with a fury, as though they held a deep, personal grudge against him. Asura felt their jaws snapping toward his throat, their claws raking at his skin, as they tried to bring him down. Suddenly, he noticed something odd. A pool of black liquid was beginning to form around his feet. He looked down, eyes widening in realization. "Shit." He cursed as the water surged with electricity, speeding toward him at an insane rate.
Asura leaped into the air, barely escaping the electrified water as it crackled beneath him. His feet hit the edge of the black lake, and he sprinted forward, determined to cut the support at its source. "I guess I'll take out the support first to win this. You must be the battery, right?" He said with the devil's smile on his face.
The boy froze, his mouth falling open in horror as Asura charged up the stairs toward him. Asura's footsteps were intentionally light and silent, but the boy could clearly sense his presence despite being blindfolded. Asura paused for a moment. "How can you see me and command those dogs, huh?" Asura called out as he raced toward him. The boy tried to open a portal, his mouth moving as he began to chant. "Come forth—"
"Watch out, Kane!" Lydia's voice rang out, a warning too late to be of use. The boy's head snapped toward the sound, but he couldn't react fast enough. A rock struck him square in the forehead, sending him tumbling to the side. "Couldn't see the rock now, could you?" Asura muttered with a smirk. Blood trickled from the boy's wound, but he quickly gathered his bearings.
He couldn't afford to waste time. Opening his mouth again, he attempted to finish the incantation. But before he could, Asura launched himself at him. With a forceful tackle, the ogre grabbed Kane with all four arms, sending them both tumbling across the ground. Asura twisted, maneuvering to lock the boy's head in a headlock, laughing as he secured his grip.
"This is a fun fight, but I'm a little busy." He tightened his grip. "If Mel finds I'm slacking off, I'll get punched again. Can we just end this here for now?" The two women froze in confusion at the mention of Mel's name, their expressions twisting with uncertainty. They slowed their approach toward Kane, unsure of how to proceed.
"Mel?" Lydia's face shifted in surprise, disbelief creeping into her voice. "You know Mel?" She asked while looking at her comrades. "Yeah, I know her," Asura answered casually. "She came with me, Wain, and Ash, but I ended up on my own. Is this the main cathedral?" He paused, his eyes scanning the grandeur of the space. "Was it in Soiledgate or something?"
"Did Mel get herself a plaything now?" Rose asked, her voice as monotone as ever, a single eyebrow raised in mild curiosity. "Oi, I ain't nobody's plaything!" The thought of being treated as some sort of toy for Mel sparked a fire of anger in Asura. He snapped, his voice sharp. "Especially not for her. Disgusting." He shivered in disgust.
Before anyone could respond, the massive doors to the right flew open with a violent crash as Mel stormed into the room. Her face was a mask of fury, her head whipping around as if she were searching. Asura's heart skipped a beat when their eyes met. "Shit."
In an instant, Asura released Kane from the headlock. He shoved the boy aside onto the stairs, pretending as though nothing had happened. He knew he'd been caught, but he stood, brushing himself off, and walked away casually as if the tension in the room hadn't just spiked. Whistling, he kept his hands folded behind his head, staring up at the walls. "Hm, what great architecture."
He tried to focus on the golden statues, avoiding Mel's furious gaze as best he could. Meanwhile, Kane gasped for breath, clutching his throat in an effort to recover from the constriction. Asura nudged the boy with his foot, trying to prod him into silence like a child pestering a sibling. "Quit... quit it. I'm going to get in trouble." He muttered, desparate.
Mel's eyes widened in horror as she surveyed the destruction scattered across the room. The damage was undeniable: dented golden statues, cracked pillars, and portions of the ground buckled under the force of the fight. A large pool of water covered a quarter of the floor, splashing with every step she took. Asura could feel his stomach sink as her aggressive pace made it clear he was about to face the wrath of one of the worst lectures of his life.
"As much as I want to see Asura get beaten to a pulp," Mel began, voice laced with frustration, "I sadly need him. Thanks for finding him, but can I have him back now? So I can beat the living shit out of him myself!" She stated, whipping her eyes toward him.
Rose, without a word, moved toward the door and tugged the chain back toward herself. As it slid through her hands, the chains wrapped around her arms, transforming into the black ink Asura had seen before. The ink seeped into her skin, spreading like tattoos up her arms, twisting around her biceps. Then, the wrecking ball, now completely covered in ink, slammed into her palm and dissolved into more black sludge that quickly consumed her hand. Not a single drop touched the floor as it melded seamlessly into her flesh.
Lydia was the first to speak up in response to Mel. "I don't mind. We were having a bit of fun with a warm-up match." She placed her hands on her hips. "Why are you here, though? Didn't we send a team to you? Mary will lecture you if she finds out you're slacking off again." Mel shot Lydia a look of annoyance, her eyes narrowing. "We were ordered to come here. Jormungandr is being summoned here, not at our place. We screwed up with the call for help."
She then threw a thumb in Asura's direction and asked, "What's the deal with the four-armed demon then?" Mel's gaze never drifted from the ogre, vigilant and aware of even the slightest twitch. "He's part of it. A cultist named Malachi is trying to summon Jormungandr, the Apocalypse. Somehow, this idiot ended up here, and for some reason, the old man thinks he's useful."
Lydia scratched her head, clearly processing the information. After a moment, she looked up and said, "There's been an unusual spike in demonic activity around here lately. But an Apocalypse?" Her eyes drifted downward onto Mel, but her head remained still. "That hasn't been seen in years. Are you sure this is reliable?"
Mel shrugged, her tone flat and matter-of-fact. "I mean, you're staring at something you've never seen before, aren't you? A monster in a cathedral. An ogre, too." She pointed at Asura as if he were a spectacle. "Haven't seen one of those in... what? A hundred years?"
Lydia studied Asura carefully, her gaze flickering over him from time to time. After a moment, she spoke. "Rose, you and Kane go search the city with a few high priests. Make sure there's nothing new happening that we might have missed." Rose didn't reply, her silence speaking volumes as she turned to leave. The irritation in her red eyes was hard to miss, though, as she strode away.
Kane, however, paused as he passed Asura and spoke, his voice sincere. "I apologize for attacking you without understanding the situation first. It's not every day a monster is found in the cathedral." He glanced at Rose, who was walking away, before continuing, "I was just trying to protect her." Asura playfully smiled. "It's fine. I had a hell of a time anyway."
Without warning, Lydia slung her arm around Asura's shoulders and gave him a playful pat, a wide grin spreading across her face. "So, where'd you find this fun guy?" Her eyes gleamed with the kind of curiosity a child gets when discovering a new toy to play with. "He walked into the cathedral after saving the kids," Mel replied with spite. "Like I said, the captain took him in, and now I have to babysit him."
"I'm the one who got us here with Wain." Asura angrily retorted. "A little more appreciation would be nice, jerk." He said, grumbling under his breath. Lydia chuckled, watching the playful bickering between the two. It reminded her of siblings squabbling over nothing.
"I think the captain did great," she said, her tone thoughtful. "He's a solid fighter, strong enough to take on two high-ranking Paladins and a lower-ranking one." Lydia squatted down and began examining Asura's body, grabbing his arm to lift it and inspect his form more closely. "He didn't even get a scratch. What's your name, demon?" She expected to see some evidence of the brutal battle they had just fought, but to her surprise, his body remained untouched.
Lydia poked at his skin, finding it soft and flexible, like human skin. "Do you get wounded internally? Like, bleeding from the inside?" she asked, her curiosity piqued. "Uh... sometimes," Asura replied, a little embarrassed by her close proximity, feeling the warmth of her breath against his skin. "But not most of the time."
"Fascinating," Lydia murmured. "I've never seen a demon so durable." Asura's nose twitched at the word, his mind flinching. "My name's Asura," he said, straightening up with a confident grin. "I'm great, aren't I? Finally, someone appreciates my greatness."
Mel slapped her forehead in exasperation as she watched Asura's middle school-level flirting with Lydia. "Don't feed his ego…" Mel let out a groan as she spoke. "Whatever, we don't have time for this. We need to figure out where the summoning is happening. Lydia, do you have any idea where they could summon Jormungandr to destroy the city?"
Lydia scratched her head thoughtfully before responding, "I don't know. However, to summon an Apocalypse, they would need a massive amount of demonic mana, something we've never seen before." She stared off at the front door. "Typically, summoning a centurion-rank monster requires so much blood that the resulting mana is easily traceable. If they're in the city, we should have detected something by now."
Asura, always eager for action, quickly chimed in, "What if we split up to search the city? I'll go with the lightning lady. Mel can take Wain and Ash. Three teams searching the city—great idea, right? Three teams to cover more ground!" Mel rolled her eyes at Asura's enthusiasm and opened her mouth to protest. But before she could speak, Lydia cut her off with a smile, "That's a great idea! I'll watch this guy, and we can search for any demonic activity."
Mel sighed, biting back her objections. Asura's tendency to get into trouble made her hesitant, but Lydia was a higher rank—sixth-ranked Paladin, just one tier under being a candidate. In Lydia's presence, Mel was bound by her commands. "Maybe if I leave the two alone, Lydia will strangle him to death..." she muttered under her breath.
"Okay," Mel finally relented, "but watch him carefully. He's slippery and annoying. Turn your back for a second, and he'll do something idiotic." Asura, grinning widely, paid no attention to Mel's warnings. "More fights!" he cheered, throwing his four arms in the air like a child celebrating the start of a new adventure.
Lydia smiled at his enthusiasm. "I will, Mel. Don't worry. Good luck with your search, and may Judex Divinum protect you." Her sincere words carried a warmth that always left Mel with a sense of admiration for the strength and integrity of the warrior. "Thanks, Lydia, you too." With a final look at Asura, Mel turned and exited the room, searching for Wain and Ash, who were still combing the rest of the cathedral.
A smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she prepared to give the ogre a challenge. "Time to get to work, partner." Lydia gave his shoulder a forceful punch, the gesture feeling like a firm handshake between old friends. "I'm so ready for a fight!" Asura replied, eager for the next challenge.
"Next time, don't hold back," Lydia said with a grin that promised something fierce. "Hold back?" Asura raised an eyebrow as if he were oblivious. "You were holding your punches in the last fight," Lydia responded, her eyes narrowing with a dangerous glint. "You can't lie to me. I want a real match." Her gaze intensified, glowing with a raw, predatory energy, like a tiger about to strike. The ferocity in her expression stirred something deep inside Asura, and his heart began to race in response.
"You're perfect..." he muttered under his breath, the words slipping out before he could stop them. A shared grin passed between them as they approached the massive bronze doors, their scale becoming apparent only when Asura stood just a few feet away. He felt small in comparison, the enormity of the doors magnifying the cathedral's grandeur.
The doors themselves were a masterpiece, adorned with intricate black metal trees whose roots and branches sprawled across the surface in an elaborate, almost organic pattern. The leaves were so detailed that Asura thought he could count each one if he had the time. The craftsmanship was masterful. Whoever had forged this work was truly a genius of their craft, and Asura couldn't help but admire the artistry.
Lydia gave the doors a firm push, and they swung open with surprising ease, the heavy metal gliding swiftly to the sides. As they revealed the world outside, the blinding city lights and the bustling noise of people filled the space. "Damn, that hall was just the entrance?" Asura exclaimed, his voice full of awe. "You all really are boujee around here." He stated as Lydia laughed heartily, her joy contagious. "Hahahaha, yeah, Mary does like the flashiness aspect of The Temple."
"Wow, this sight is incredible..." Asura swiftly inhaled, his eyes widening as he took in the grandeur of the city.