The flames collided, fighting against one another like heaven and hell had manifested on earth. Neither yielded to the other, clashing like water and oil, refusing to mix and concede. As the flames fought against each other, the heat increased to an unbearable level that caused all living beings in the area to scream as it burned their flesh. Jormungandr continued to pour out his mana to fight back against Uriel's spear but found the task to grow more difficult as time passed.
The tip of the spears dug deep into the purple flames, pushing against it with hatred for the wicked as if it were alive. It rejected the notion of losing this war and slowly drilled its way through the quotidian mana, resisting against it. Asura confidently stood as Uriel faded behind him as Asura's mana faded. With a final farewell, Uriel put his hand on Asura's shoulder,
"You have exhausted yourself for the sake of others. As a parting gift, I shall gift mana to keep you from fading. Be warned, ogre, push yourself further, and you will face consequences."
Asura laughed,
"Yeah, well, it wouldn't be the first time but thanks."
The ogre stared intently into the blinding light without care for the health of his eyes. The white flames slowly devoured the colors of the purple flame, leaving nothing more than grey tones. Asura smiled,
"It looks like I won asshole."
The curse ignited his mouth, but it was worth it as he watched the spearheads punch through and pierce the side of Jormungandr's mouth. The two cut their way through the flesh that connected Jormungandr's jaw to his skull, shooting through with rippling flames behind that incinerated the rock, flesh, and scales, leaving only the white flames to eat away at the rest.
The serpent screamed as the holy mana ate away at his being. Uriel's flames ate away all they could reach and eventually devoured the Apocalypse's eye. The tip of the spears didn't stop until they had traveled for at least a block, leaving white fire in the wake. Rose watched in awe as the fire exposed the serpent's skeleton, and his internal organs rose in flames. The serpent thrashed, pushing its side against the ground and ripping it against it, tearing its flesh and muscle off its body to try and extinguish the flames.
Then, the serpent rose. Its unwounded eye focused on Asura and Wain, and the ogre knew it wanted nothing more than to kill it, even if it meant dying here. The hatred and resentment caused the eye to shake violently. To Asura, the scene looked like it had been taken from a movie. The flames still lingered on its body, covering half of the right side of Jormungandr's face, and in the darkness, the serpent's silhouette stood menacingly above.
Wain stammered, and his speech was slurred as he screamed
"Assu- Ru- Throu-gh"
Asura turned around, finding a massive portal created from his smoke. The ogre immediately entered a sprint as he ran towards Kane, grabbing hold of the wounded and exhausted priest lying against the pavement.
The serpent hissed and bared its fangs. With a swift strike, its body shot downward at the two fleeing. Asura began cursing in his head, "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. I knew it wouldn't kill, but he can still fucking move!??!" The fire was slung like slobber from his mouth, spraying wildly around.
Wain dove to the left, slamming hard against the earth on the other side and out of the way. As Asura approached, he could see a lush green forest inside with a vast mountainscape out in the distance. Its beauty was unparalleled and could only stand alongside Uriel's Garden. The clouds rolled close above, and a beautiful reddish light painted everything with its glory.
With Jormungandr only a few car lengths away, Asura reached the portal entrance and crossed through. Asura laughed as he ran, "I did it. Holy crap, I really made it... Wa-"
Jormungandr rolled through and entered the portal as well. Asura turned and watched as the massive maw opened wide and consumed both Kane and Asura. Inside the gorge were teeth that lined the inside of Jormungandr's throat.
"Fuck."
Asura grabbed hold of Kane, preparing for the worst as the two slammed into the teeth. He couldn't help but gasp as he collided with each one. He tried to shield Kane from the impact, but his grip slipped slightly with every strike.
"So this is what-"
The ogre slammed into another and another, and the fall continued for what felt like forever.
"-gnashing teeth feels like..."
Outside of Jormungandr, Wain watched as he lay against the ground. His body refused to move any longer, and the purity burn peaked. It was only a matter of time before his body exploded or erupted into flames. The serpent turned towards him with its hollow eye as if it could see the priest.
"You dared to believe you could win against me. Where is your God?"
The serpent rose, baring its fangs once more. Wain laid his head back against the ground, knowing the next strike was at him.
Wain raised a middle finger into the air,
"Screw you."
Thunderous footsteps roared, and the sound of trees crashing could be heard, growing louder with every booming step. The serpent hesitated and turned towards the sound approaching. His eye could only glimpse something red before his head was thrown to the side from a mighty strike from a fist. The fist sent the serpent's head reeling, slamming against the ground.
Before the serpent could rise, his eye watched as the being raised a scarlet wine-red great axe above its head. With one swift movement, it brought the axe down onto Jormungandr's neck as if it were a stump to be chopped in half. Its sharp blade passed through without resistance, cleaving the serpent into two.
The severed head lay on the floor, lifeless. Wain let out a short laugh before his body began to ache. "Thanks, Hephestine."
His head hit the ground, and Wain's blood began to boil. Exhausted and prepared for death, the priest relaxed, awaiting the inevitable.
The being looked down at the corpse of Jormungandr. Its wine-red armor shimmered in the sunlight alongside its great axe. Complimenting the red metal that covered every part of its body were brown leathery straps that covered the joints of the being. Adorning its beautiful red helmet were two brown ram horns that curled and then rose above into a point. Its mana bathed the entirety of the land around it, leaving Wain with a comforting warmth as his body deteriorated.
Around its waist sat a brown toolbelt that held several tools that, from a glance, would expose its occupation—a blacksmith. Hammers, tongs, and other varying tools rested neatly in segmented loops. Lastly, upon its back are outstretched six beautiful light brown wings with a mix of dark reddish tinge throughout.
The Angel rested its axe against the ground.
"Wain, why must you break the rules? Bringing those not given authority to enter violates the laws God set in place. There shall be consequences, dear..."
The Angel knelt down next to Jormungandr's body and grabbed hold of its headless corpse. With its two hands, it pulled the body apart. The body ripped in two, tearing down the middle as rivers of blood poured from its fingers, digging in. Wain recoiled from the disgusting sound. The crunching and squish made his skin crawl.
However, the Angel was unable to find Asura and Kane inside. Annoyed, she jammed her hand into the corpse, reaching through its stomach to find its occupants inside. After pushing her arm up to her shoulder, she managed to grab the two and yank them free.
Asura coughed, and Kane vomited all over her palm as she laid her hand flat. The mana shifted, and the two could feel her disgust course through their bodies.
"So-"
"Do not apologize. I am not disgusted by you but by the blood of a vile beast that coats my arm."
"Oh-... okay."
Asura moved over to check Kane's body and temperature. He was stable. Asura sighed and laid back.
"Do you feel safe in my presence?"
"I met your brother earlier. Honestly, it was a bit more intimidating."
"My brother was too lenient with you entering God's domain."
Asura furrowed his brow and whipped his head to the black void within the helmet.
"What now?"
"Your kind has been banished long ago from these gardens. The same goes for humans. Yet, you dare enter without permission?"
Asura stood up,
"What the fuck? We would've died?!"
"To die is better than to break the laws."
"Hold up and piss off for a moment there, lady. What did you want us to do? Let him kill hundreds of thousands of more people?!"
"Vile language."
Hephestine's mana radiated with anger. Asura fell to one knee.
"I'm not backing down on this asshole. Wain- Wait, where is Wain?"
Asura ran over to the edge, peering down to look around for his friend.
"He is resting there, preparing for peace."
Asura whipped his head to the helmet, then down to the spot it gestured towards.
"WAIN!"
Wain's motionless body rested in the lush grass. His eyes stared up at the sky, and his clothes swayed with the wind.
"WAIN!"
Asura turned and pointed at the Angel.
"HEAL HIM! HE IS GOING TO DIE!"
"So what if he does? Does he not deserve it?"
"WHAT!? DESERVE?"
"What is justice if there is no punishment when the laws were broken?"
"What- You can't be serious."
"Watch your words, ogre."
"You think this is justice? You think letting that man die because he wanted to save everyone is justice? What the fuck is justice if you let a man die who saved countless? What wrong did he do? Yeah, sure he entered your fucking precious Garden. Or God's or whatever! You think God would let that man die? You think he's sitting up there, like yeah who fucking cares about that guy? HE FUCKING DID WHAT HE WANTED HIM TO DO! WHO FUCKING SHOWED HIM THE FUTURE? WAS HE NOT SUPPOSED TO SAVE GOD'S PEOPLE? YOU FORGETTING RIGHTEOUSNOUS? I FUCKING KNOW ABEL TALKED ABOUT IT ALL THE TIME. HE BROKE IT CAUSE HE NEEDED TO!"
Asura's eyes blazed with rage,
"Sure, justice is cold, but the righteous forgive. You wanna punish anyone, punish me. Don't put it on the guy who sacrificed it all to save his people, you fuck."
"It seems you haven't forgotten what it means to lead."
"What?"
"Forgive me, but it was to test you."
"Test?"
"Uriel chose you. I wished to understand why."
"Who the fuck cares right now? Heal them both."
"I have. They have not suffered since you arrived."
Asura looked down at Kane. His breath steadied, and his body relaxed as the exhaustion took its toll. As he studied the boy's body, he found that his other arm was back where it belonged. The piece of his torso and arm had been returned, presumably by the Angel.
"What's this about Uriel choosing me?"
"My brother hasn't chosen a successor or blessed a soul since the great war of his children."
"War of his children?"
"Yes. He once blessed many, but greed and envy took hold of their hearts. They wanted power. Thus, a divide among humans emerged, and a great war occurred. Afterward, he stripped them all and vowed never to bless another."
Asura fell hard and sat back. His arms throbbed from his mana, burning its way out when he released Uriel's spear.
"Do you want to be healed?"
"Heal them first."
"Do you doubt me?"
"Ah, whatever. Sorry. Sure."
A soothing warmth spread over his arms.
"So, did I pass?"
"Yes."
"Cool."
Hephestine healed the three and laid the two from her palm down beside Wain. Wain smiled and coughed out a laugh,
"So I'm not going to die."
Asura laughed joyfully,
"Not today. Still gotta deal with me, pal."
"Oh, just put me out of my misery."
"Hahaha, how are you feeling?"
"Like crap."
"Same. Aren't you getting healed?"
"I am."
Hephestine grabbed hold of the corpse, dousing it with magma that spread out over the entire skull. Its skull and flesh were consumed by the flames, disintegrating into nothing.
"The lingering exhaustion and pain in your bodies will still be present. You have suffered greatly. Your body will remember."
"Like ghost pain?"
"Yes."
Asura stared at the Angel, and Wain tapped his leg lightly,
"Don't hate her. She only tested you 'cause she needed to know."
"Know about what?"
"It only gets worse from here..."
"What do you mean?"
Wain smiled,
"I can't wait till I see the blue sun."
"What? Are you alright in the head?"
"I'm fine. Just tired."
Hephestine interrupted the conversation with a command.
"You must leave."
Asura raised an eyebrow,
"Why?"
"The time has come. His body will become thousands."
"What?"
"The serpent's grudge still lingers in the afterlife. From hell, his hatred boils out. His body will become thousands, unleashing a devastating army upon the human world. You must go back."
"Can't you stop it?"
"I have stopped all that I can. The head and body that entered no longer exist. Yet, the rest lies throughout the city of man. If you do not go, then your friends will surely die."
"Shit."
"The portal will close once you exit. I am holding it open, but do not expect it to remain once you leave."
Asura looked down at the two beside him.
"What about these two?"
Wain pushed himself off the ground, his body screaming with agony, commanding him to lay back down.
"I can stand."
He wobbled. Asura tried to help, but Wain pushed him away.
"I got it. Get Kane, and let's go."
The ogre watched as Wain hobbled to the portal that led back to the city. Asura soon joined alongside him with Kane in his arms. The two looked out at the destroyed city, the smoke, fire, and rubble lying everywhere. Jormungandr's corpse lay still from as far as they could see down the road. However, the storm was no longer present, and the lightning ceased.
"Welp, buddy. Hope you're ready for round two."
Wain laughed,
"I really never am. This blows."
Far down the road stood Mel, Rose, and Lydia, all studying the corpse of Jormungandr. They seemed to be walking towards the two, but it was hard to tell from the distance between them. Asura walked through first, finding himself right back where they left. Wain then followed after.
The two smiled and waved at their comrades, yelling at the two.
"GET OVER HERE! ITS NOT OVER!"
Lydia smiled at first, but upon hearing his words, she stopped. The two groups raced towards one another. Rose spoke up first,
"Is Kane okay?"
"Kane's fine. Better than ever, see?"
Asura moved Kane's arm around, gesturing at his once missing limb.
"He's just napping. Rough day at work."
Lydia grabbed hold of Asura's shoulders.
"What did you mean by it's not over?"
"Well, a birdie told us that this guy bout to turn into an army. Looks like the fight continues."
Lydia looked up at the corpse of Jormungandr. Its long body traveled for miles, weaving throughout the city.
"How do we even stop that?"
Mel grabbed hold of her gun, a silver barrel shotgun, and racked it.
"It can't be any worse than before. If it's an army of demons, I think we can take care of it."
Asura nodded,
"Yeah, honestly, not going to comment 'cause it's deserved. This guy's a prick."
Jormungandr's scales, flesh, and rocky spines shifted, and his body dissolved. The howls of dragons could be heard throughout the city like a pack of wolves announcing their presence. The priests and ogre watched as his flesh twisted, snapped, and stretched out into the forms of wyrms and lyndwyrms. Their faces pressed through the tissue, and Asura commented,
"Ew, it's like the horror movies where they do that weird curtain thing."
The twisting wyrms and lyndwyrms shifted and wriggled on one another, resembling intestines sprawling out onto the world. Then, the scales crackled, causing segments to fall off, and from those shards, rock drakes slammed onto the ground. From Jormungandr's bones, small wyverns carved their way out, freeing themselves from the confines. For miles, thousands of dragons entered the world through the Apocalypse's body as a final farewell.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Within the hollow body, far away from the priests and Asura. Malachi stood atop an organ, drenching his boots in Jormungandr's blood. He smiled as he stared at a beating heart hanging in the cage of the dragon's bones. Malachi outstretched his arms, praising the beating organ before him.
"The first sin."
He plunged his hand deep into the tissue. The blood circled his arm, coursing out as if commanded to come forth to its new master. Every last drop of mana coursed around Malachi's arm. The heart collapsed as if pulled from the inside and continued to shrivel as it was drained of its life. As the last drop of blood was pulled from the heart, Malachi removed his arm from the inside.
A layer of thick blood coated his arm, moving and warping as if Jormungandr were still alive. The thick, warm liquid began to harden around its new owner's arm. Its blood hardened into rock, separating into shards that spiked out like Jormungandr's armor. Malachi's arm was coated from his shoulder to his fingertips, and his once soft fingertips took on sharp claws. Some blood still shifted between the cracks of the rock and crept along his skin.
"Tell the beast king I have it, and Jomrungandr is no longer."
The howls of the dragons erupted all around Malachi as he watched them enter the world, eager to feast upon the living.