Becca and Liora didn't hesitate. Becca's radiation-infused wings spread wide as she hurled the giant nuke shurikens at Anna. Liora summoned a torrent of water, weaving it with her lightning to create an electrified wave aimed at Anna.
Anna's eyes glinted with excitement. She spun her dagger and threw it at Liora, before using her flaming legs to hit the shuriken. The shurikens were intercepted by her fiery limbs, causing explosions of light and heat. She then spun, creating a whirlwind of fire that met Liora's electrified wave, resulting in a spectacular clash of elements.
Becca used the distraction to propel herself forward with a burst of radiation, aiming a powerful punch at Anna. Anna caught Becca's fist with her flaming hand, the heat from her fire clashing against Becca's raw power. They pushed against each other, the ground beneath them cracking from the force.
The pillar of fire continued to grow bigger, consuming the entire colosseum and clashing against the dome of lightning. Anna kicked Becca in the neck and sent her flying across the arena. She cracked her knuckles and turned her attention to Liora.
(Ost- Wings of Iron- Therewolf Media)
''Go all out or else it's not fun.'' Anna said, her right eye glowing bright red. Liora nodded and created a giant drill of iron magic. Liora started coughing blood as the drill grew bigger and spikier. Finally the drill reached the size of the arena and started rotating so fast that it glowed red and yellow. Liora looked at Anna with confidence and screamed. ''With this sacrifice, I summon thee, Ferrum Titanus, World-devouring Iron god.
Anna looked at the colossal drill and chuckled. ''I'm in danger.'' The giant iron drill, imbued with Liora's immense power, continued to grow and spin faster, the air around it crackling with energy. The entire arena seemed to tremble under the sheer force of the spell. Liora's face was pale, and blood trickled from her mouth, but her determination remained unshaken.
''Unleash your power, almighty God of Iron!'' Liora said and the drill flew into the air. Liora made the dome of lightning bigger to give the drill more space and watched as the drill got into position and pointed at Anna.
Anna stared the drill down with her red eye and extended her hand. ''Crimson.'' She said and the dagger came back to her hand. ''Ignite!'' She commanded and the dagger made a giant blade of fire, extending its range. Anna then put all the flames of her limbs into the blade, making it change shape form a broadsword to a spiky jagged blade, even wider than before.
''Destroy!'' Liora said and the drill flew towards Anna, ripping through the air and sending molten iron everywhere.
''Fire.'' Anna said and the dagger created three fireballs around her. ''Grow.'' Anna commanded and the fireballs grew three times bigger. ''Fuse!'' Anna said and the fireballs fused with the fireblade, making it stronger. Anna looked at the drill and then grinned. ''Fall!'' She said and swung her fire sword with all her might. The drill and the sword clashed against one another, making the entire arena shake.
The clash between Anna's fiery sword and Liora's colossal iron drill was cataclysmic. The force of their clash sent shockwaves through the entire arena, causing the ground to tremble and the mana filled air to ripple with energy. Anna could feel the particles of pure mana move through her lungs and Liora could feel the heat from Anna flames from the opposite end of the arena.
Anna gritted her teeth, her muscles straining as she pushed against the massive drill. The heat from her sword intensified, and the tips of the flames turned blue. Anna could feel the drill pressing down on her and pushing her into the ground, but she refused to give up.
On the other side of the arena, Liora was shaking from blood loss and her body was weakening form all the mana she spent on maintaining the spell. That didn't stop Liora from pushing the drill further with her magic. "You're stronger than I thought." she muttered, coughing up more blood. "But can you handle this?"
With a final surge of power, Liora channeled all her remaining energy into the drill. It glowed even brighter, the red and yellow light becoming almost unbearable to look at. The drill's rotation increased in speed, and it seemed to grow even larger, a true embodiment of the World-devouring Iron God.
Anna felt her body sink into the ground and the heat of the drill was melting her body and fusing with the floor. Anna spat blood but she tried to push the drill back with her sword. The drill clashed agaisnt the sword again and started destroying it with its rotation. Anna looked on in rage and horror as the drill moved closer and closer, destroying her sword completely.
The drill hit Anna in the chest and started destroying her body. Anna felt her lungs and heart getting shredded into pieces, so she focused all her regeneration on healing them and started punching and slashing the drill. The drill's rotation turned Anna's left arm into red mist from the first clash, but Anna's right, which was holding the dagger, was doing significantly better.
She continued slashing at the drill with her dagger, but it was pointless. The drill was spinning too fast and it was deflecting Anna's slashes. One of the slashes hit Anna in the fingers and cut them off, causing Anna to drop the dagger.
''Damn it.'' Anna muttered. She tried to push the drill away with her legs but they were also destroyed. Anna felt the drill go through her back and spine, destroying the ground under her. Anna felt her heart get completely destroyed by the drill and her vision got blurry.
''Am I seriously going to die in a training exercise?'' Anna thought as her vision got darker. ''If I die here, Marie will be eaten. I can't let that happen.'' Anna's eyes were destroyed by a spray of molte iron and her body became limp.
(Ost- Time of Dying- Three Days Grace)
Anna felt herself fall through the air and then slash into water. She felt the water fill her lungs and her body began to hurt. Anna felt her everything turn into iron and her body began sinking to the bottom of the ocean. After what felt like hours of sinking down, Anna finally reached the bottom of the ocean. She hit the ocean floor and heard it crack. The floor underneath her broke and Anna's iron body crashed into the throne room.
''I'm here again.'' Anna said and looked around the throne room. The dark dungeon looked the same as it always did, just flooded with water. Anna walked towards the trone, which was still dry, and sat on it. When she did, Anna felt her heart begin to beat again, every beat sending a wae of fire through her. Anna looked forward and saw the demonic gate again. She smiled and got up from her throne, her fire creating wings for her. She flew over the water and landed in front of the gate, waking the demon's face from its slumber.
''You're awake, that's good.'' Anna said and put her hand on the gate. The demonic face grinned and opened its mouth, revealing it's glowing red eye. Anna looked at the eye of the red demon and saw the same vision of Marie dying to Chaos. While it pissed her off, Anna knew that it was an illusion. Anna put her hand on the demon's red face, making the creature look at her with its golden eyes.
''You know, I was wondering, does Abaddon come back if I kill you?'' Anna asked. The demon's face contorted into an angered expression and tried to bite Anna with its black teeth. Anna punched the demon in the face, cracking the entire gate. ''I'll take that as a yes.'' Anna said and punched the demon again, shaking the entire gate. The demon set itself on fire and spread its black flames to the entire gate. Anna didn't seem surprised by that move and punched the demon again, cracking the gate again.
Anna's hand was covered in the black flame, but she couldn't feel the pain. She looked at the demon's bloodied up face and smiled. ''That's look suits you.'' She said and punched the demon again.
As Anna relentlessly pummeled the demonic gate, cracks began to spiderweb across its surface, emanating from the points of impact. The demon's enraged roars echoed through the throne room, raising the water in the room into the air. The demon roared again and its black fire formed a fireball, which blasted Anna away. Anna fell to the ground and the demon stopped roaring, which let the water fall down to the ground and hit Anna.
The moment the water made contact with Anna's skin, she burst into flames and felt the pain of burning alive tenfold. Anna could feel her eyes melt and regenerate over and over as she flailed in the water, helplessly trying to put the fire out.
''Black flames react like that with water?!'' Anna screamed and used her fire to blast herself out of the water. The black flames went down when Anna got out of the water, and the pain disappeared.
Anna landed in front of the demon again, but this time she had a better idea. ''How about I do this?'' Anna said and started making a fireball. The demon looked at her as the fireball she formed started to swirl on the tip of her finger. The fireball remained small, but there was spiral of fire forming around it. Anna pointed her finger at the demon like it was a gun and smiled.
''Bang!'' She said and the fireball hit the demon right in the face. The demon laughed as the small fireball was consumed by the black flames, but Anna didn't seem fazed by it. All of a sudden the demon felt cold and Anna grinned.
''You look surprised. Need some water?'' Anna asked mockingly and splashed some water on the demon's face. The demon felt the water hit its body and then it felt the pain of being burned alive and crucified hundreds of times over.
Anna looked at the demon and laughed. ''I figured out your weakness. The black flame is cold, but reacts to water and burns ten times hotter. But that's only if the body is cold, isn't it? It only worked because I was in the ocean for a while before drying off and my body temperature was still low. That's why I created a flame that absorbs heat, because you use your heat to counter the black flame, and now you're going to die to your own flame.''
The demon got angrier and opened its mouth again, activating its red eye. The eye absorbed the black flame and turned it into black lightning. The demon laughed and blasted Anna with its lightning, but she stood still and let the attack hit hit her.
''Ouch, that hurt.'' Anna said and walked towards the demon. ''This one is way trickier to figure out. If I had to guess, it's an attack that only hits you if your body is hot.'' Anna said and put her hand on the demon's face again.
''Burn!'' Anna said and blasted the demon with a fireball. The black lightning jumped from Anna's body to the demon's and fried it. The demon tried to roar again, but Anna threw a very hard punch and broke the demon gate with an explosion of fire and black lightning.
(Ost over)
As the dust cleared, Anna looked at the shattered gate and then looked forward, seeing another stone throne. This throne looked like it was a statue of a monster with six wings which was later turned into a throne. As Anna got closer, she noticed the chains wrapped around the coffin and the stone wings wrapped around it. Anna knew that Abaddon was sealed in there and ripped the chains and sat on the throne.
(Ost- Animal I Have Become- Three Days Grace)
When she did, Anna saw an army of angels fly towards her. Anna looked at her hands an saw the red armor covering them. Suddenly, Anna found herself flying through the air and clashing with the angels. She dodged a spear and then threw a fireball at the angel who threw the spear. The fireball exploded and blasted the angel away, but there were thousands of angels coming for Anna. Anna flew through the clouds and dodged an angel's kick, before punching him, sending him flying towards the ground. Arrows of light came out of the clouds and penetrated Anna's armor, ripping through her skin and bones. Anna gritted her teeth and summoned chains of fire to catch the arrows around her. She spun around and let go of the chains, sending arrows flying everywhere. The angels were struck by the arrows, but there were so many of them that the attack was virtually meaningless. One of the injured angels flew towards Anna and slashed her chest with his sword, sending her into the clouds. Anna flew towards him in rage and kicked him in the head, removing it from his shoulders. Anna grabbed the angel's sword and used her fire to make it stronger. She charged towards the army of angels, herr fire forming a dragon behind her. Anna slashed and cleaved through the angels, her firey rampage completely unstopable. As she flew through them, a bolt of light severed Anna's hand, causing her to drop the sword. Anna growled and created chains of fire to replace her hand. She swung them through the angels, slicing through them and burning their remains.
''DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!'' Anna roared and spun around, making a tornado of fire and chains. The angels were pushed back by the chains, but they continued attacking, their weapons glowing with magic. Anna was getting overwhelmed by their attacks and her chains were starting to break, but she wasn't out of options. She made a giant fireball and stabbed her chains in it. She spun the fireball around and whacked the angels around. Her new flail pushed the army away and that gave Anna the chance to fly higher. She raised her giant weapon and roared.
''I WIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNN!'' She swung her flail down and watched as the angels... pushed it back. Anna was shocked as the angels used teamwork to stop the fireball from moving and then cut the chains out of it. Anna tried to attack back, but Seraphiel's magic stopped her from moving. The army of angels grabbed the giant fireball and, with combined effort, threw it back at Anna. She broke out of the restarining magic and grabbed the fireball, but the attack started to push her out of orbit. Anna started punching the fireball to stop it, but it didn't even slow down.
''CRIMSON!'' Anna screamed and her armor grew spikier and turned her gloves into giants gauntlets. Anna clenched her fist and threw her hardest punch, which put a hole in the fireball. Anna flew back into orbit and all six pairs of flaming wings grew bigger and blocked out the sun.
To the army, Anna looked like a devil with 12 wings, decending upon them to end the world. To Anna, it looked like she was jumping down a tunnel of monsters, monsters she had to destroy. Anna's armor started contorting, her helmet turning into a hellhound. Anna raised her arms up, her gauntlets tranforming again, her prosthetic arm gaining a cannon, while her other arm got an even spikier gauntlet. As Anna fell on the army, she couldn't even care about pain anymore. The angels pilled up on her and started stabbing, slashing, bashing, piercing, shooting, and cursing Anna, but with a sudden burst of strenght, she tore them all apart.
The remaining angels looked on in fear as the red beast in front of them wiped the blood and guts off its helmet. The red hellhound looked at her prey and got on all fours, her wings folded and formed a cape of fire. One of the angels attacked from behind, growing in size and swallowing Anna. Before he could swallow her whole, a giant blade came out of his head and sliced him in half. Anna freed herself and looked at the angels in front of her before twirling her giant sword.
No, it was not a sword. That thing was too big to be called a sword. Too big, too thick, too heavy, and too rough, it was more like a large hunk of iron. Anna raised that giant thing with one hand, before flipping towards the angels and slicing them apart. A giant angel, twice the size of Anna, tried to hit her with his hammer, but she blocked it easily and broke it. She jumped on the angel and slammed her sword on him, breaking his giant shield in two.
''My shield that can block a cannonball easily was destroyed! What even are you!'' He screamed and aimed the cannon on his shield towards Anna. Anna ran towards him and pulled the cannon on her false arm, shoving it the shield's cannon and blowing it to bits. The explosion sent Anna to the ground, her arm smoking from the attack.
''A cannon in her false arm! She's insane!'' The angel exclaimed before dropping his armor. ''I won't fight you like a warrior. You're a monster and you will be killed by the same monster as you.''
After he said that, the angel started growing in size and crystals came out of his body. He started changing his shape and the crystals covered his entire body. The mass of crystals grew bigger and bigger, before cracking and shattering, revealing a red dragon covered in crystals.
''Great Flame Dragon!'' He said and used his fire breath on Anna. She jumped through the fire and slashed into the dragon's neck, making a big wound. The dragon grabbed her and slammed her into the ground, then used his fire breath on her and this time, Anna couldn't escape.
''Let go.'' She heard. ''Let go of everything.''
Anna's vision blurred, the scorching heat of the dragon's breath engulfing her, searing her skin through the red armor. The words echoed in her mind: "Let go. Let go of everything." Gritting her teeth, Anna pushed back against the flames, her body radiating an intense heat that matched the dragon's breath. Her armor began to glow, absorbing the energy of the flames. The hellhound helmet morphed, becoming even more demonic, its eyes glowing with an otherworldly fire. The dragon's grip tightened, but Anna's strength surged.
"Not today!" she growled, her voice resonating with unyielding power.
With a mighty roar, Anna channeled all her energy into her gauntleted fist. Her false arm, now a cannon, glowed with a blinding light as it charged up for one final, devastating attack. She focused all her rage, all her determination, into that one moment.
''GO TO HELL!'' she shouted, unleashing a massive burst of energy from her cannon.
The explosion was cataclysmic, a blinding light that tore through the dragon's breath and shattered the crystals covering its body. The force of the blast sent shockwaves through the field, and the dragon roared in pain as it was thrown backward, its massive form crashing into the ground.
Anna fell to the ground, exhausted by the fight. Before she could even take a breath, a spear hit Anna in the arm. She was sent tumbling backwards and landed in a pile of corpses. She looked at the army of angels in front of her, their numbers in the thousands. Anna pulled the spear out of her arm and her boiling blood spurted on the ground. Anna's rage was over the edge again and grip tightened around the spear, cracking it.
''JUST DIE ALREADY!'' Anna screamed and her fire grew bigger. Her spear melted intp her armor and she took a few steps towards the army.
Anna's armor transformed once more, the spikes growing into elongated, flaming tendrils that lashed out like whips. Her gauntlets merged into a colossal, molten weapon, a blazing sword that seemed to pulse with the very essence of the sun. She raised it high, the blade igniting with a blinding light.
"BEGONE!" Anna roared, her voice echoing across the heavens.
With a mighty swing, she unleashed a cataclysmic wave of fire that tore through the angels and the dragon's corpse. The fiery wave incinerated everything in its path, reducing the once formidable army to ashes. The inferno grew bigger and consumed the angels around, destroying their bodies and melting their weapons into puddles of magic steel.
Anna stood amidst the ruins, her breath heavy, her body scorched and battered but victorious. The few remaining angels were too injured to fight her and fled. Anna was too tired to chase them, her armor having taken all of her stamina. She couldn't even fall to the ground with how tired she was. She looked to the sky, her cracked helmet fell apart and revealed the grey sun to Anna's tired eyes.
Anna's vision got blurry and she closed her eyes, feeling her body fall to the ground.
(Ost over)
When Anna woke up, she was in the middle of a crowd of angels, her body covered in bandages. She looked around to find an exit, but the angels didn't look at her like she was an enemy. Most of them were looking at something else.
Anna looked in the same direction and her eyes widened. Nailed to a giant cross was the red armored monster with six pairs of wings. His arms and legs were nailed to the cross, his torso chained and his neck in a noose. The cross was burning and the creature's wounds were bleeding, but it didn't make a sound. It wasn't dead, but it refused to look at the angels.
''Finally! After 200 thousand years of war, we won!'' Said an angel, who looked very familiar to Anna. It was Zadkiel, or at least a version of him. His left eye was missing and his body was covered in bandages to hide his missing wings. He raised his glass and the angels cheered and splashed the red monster with the alcohol.
''Now that Abaddon is defeated, we can finally bring our master back to life!'' Zadkiel exclaimed. The angels all cheered for him and he smiled.
Zadkiel limped towards a black crown made out of fragments of Chaos. He picked it up and raised it over his head. ''100 million fragments and 200 thousand years of war and conflict just for this moment!'' He said and limped towards the center of the room, where the burning cross was. Every step he took made the angels cheer louder and louder. When Zadkiel reached Abaddon, the flames calmed down.
''Are you ready to die for our master?'' Zadkiel asked. Abaddon didn't reply. Zadkiel sighed and sat on a nearby chair. ''Accept your role as the sacrifical pawn in this ritual. Without Chaos, our realms are doomed. We barely manage to keep the peace between ourselves and the realm of Magic so just do me a favor a die for the cause.'' Zadkiel said.
Abaddon didn't reply, though he turned his head to look at Zadkiel. Anna looked on, unable to do anything. Zadkiel regained his strenght and got up from the chair. He walked towards Abaddon and stopped himself right in front of the cross. ''Are you ready to fulfil your duty?'' He asked. Abaddon nodded, which surprised Zadkiel.
''You're full of surprises, you know. If you weren't the biggest enemy of Heaven, I'd consider being friends with you.'' Zadkiel said and put the crown on Abaddon's head. ''Do you have any last words before we begin?'' Zadkiel asked.
''Just start is already.'' Abaddon said. Zadkiel nodded and gave a sign to angels to begin. The angels all started chanting gibberish and a black and white portal formed over Abaddon's head. Zadkiel spread his hands and his eyes started glowing white.
''Cosmic power of the infinite universe, we have gathered 100 million fragments of our god and creator, Chaos! We wish to resurrect him! With the power of the fragments of God, I, Zadkiel the Righteous, command the cosmic forces beyond the comprehension of all minds, to release Chaos from his death and return him to the Divine Realm as King Of The Universe and God of Creation!'' Zadkiel said.
The room, the entire realm, began shaking. The portal grew in size and the cosmic forces began shifting reality and opening holes between all the realms. Zadkiel continued chanting and the room turned upside down and color faded from it.
''Power of the Cosmos, child of Chaos, bring your father back into existence with this sacrifice, Abaddon, the angel of destruction! Consume his body and soul in exchange for Chaos!'' Zadkiel said. Suddenly Abaddon started laughing and then he looked at Zadkiel and the room full of angels.
''Where colors fade and time does not exist, where matter does not matter, where logic is but a mere string of no importance, where gods and men are just as insignificant, that is where I reside, that is where I am king, a god. Only I matter in this world, only I exist with meaning! Now shatter and break, shatter and die, just like meaning and reality does in my kingdom! Break the fragments of god and replace them with the fragments of I! Make the cosmic black and the destructive red one and the same!'' Abaddon began chanting. The room contorted into a place where matter and time did not matter to him. Zadkiel tried to stop him, but it didn't matter anymore.
''Merge the fragments of Chaos with my own! Make it that my sacrifice resets all of the progress of the angels for the next 500 thousand years! IF MY DEATH IS INEVITABLE, THEN MAKE IT SUCH THAT MY FRAGMENTS SPAWN MORE OF MY DESCIPLES! MAKE MY DEATH THE WORST THING THAT HAS HAPPENED IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE!'' Abbadon screamed and the crown shattered, releasing a wave of black and white light. The light covered all of the realms sending the fragments of Chaos and Abaddon throughout the galaxies, planets and stars in all the realms.
After the explosion, Abaddon's body was nowhere to be found and the crown was gone with him. Zadkiel got up from the ground and realization set in. He screamed so much, that the room began shaking. ''DAMN YOU, ABADDON!''
The scream made Anna snap out of it and she found herself sitting on the throne again. She got up from it and looked down. ''So that's what really happened.'' She said. ''But how do I set you free?'' She asked.
The throne of Abaddon stood there, still sealed by magic and unable to say a word. Anna looked up at the ceiling and remembered that she was in the middle of a fight. ''If I don't free you, I'm gonna die!'' She screamed. After a few moments, Anna sighed. ''It is my fault though, I made Liora go all out.'' Anna said.
Anna sat on the ground to think of a solution, but she couldn't think of anything. She slumped over and accepted defeat.
Meanwhile in the arena.
Becca got up from the ground and saw the drill destroying Anna's body. She quickly ran towards it, creating radiation knuckles, and punched the drill, but the explosion sent her flying back.
''Liora! Undo the damn spell!'' Becca screamed.
''I'm trying but the sacrifice doesn't let me take it back!'' Liora yelled. Becca got up again, this time angrier than before. She stretched her left hand forward and focused all of her anger on it. Her hand started glowing green and sparks of electricity came out of it as Becca created her weapon.
''I'll break the damn thing myself!'' She said and the glowing mass in her hand grew bigger and bigger, which made Becca even angrier. She started reshaping the weapon, but her anger added more mass and made the weapon even bigger.
''Damn it! Stop wasting time!'' Becca yelled and started reshaping the weapon again, this time lightning flew out with every one of her moves. The weapon continued growing bigger, but Becca didn't care. The lightning she was making turned into a dome around her and stopped the weapon from growing taller.
Liora's eyes started glowing as she used her magic to slow dow the drill's rotation. When her magic hit the drill, Liora felt that she was about to pass out, but she gritted her teeth and continued the spell.
''By the powers of water and wind, I comand thee to slow down!'' Liora screamed and the drill began to slow down a bit, the sprays of molten iron stopped, and now the drill was rotating ten times slower.
''BECCA! HIT IT NOW!'' Liora screamed, before falling to her knees and coughing up blood.
The dome of blue lightning broke and Becca emerged with a spear twice her size. She aimed at the drill and her grip on the spear tightened, her veins popping up and getting bigger.
''Die!'' Becca screamed and threw the spear at the drill.
Anna sat on the ground, looking at the dungeon and the damage she did to it.
''Do you think I deserve this?'' She asked, looking at the throne of Abaddon. ''To die in here and never save Marie?''
Anna got up from the ground and walked back to the flooded part of the dungeon and the old throne. ''If it wasn't about saving Marie, I would have let the first angel attack kill me, you know?'' She said and took another step, entering the water.
''I don't really have much to live for other than her. A big part of my life was spent caring for her and rasing her.'' Anna said and stopped walking. She fell forward and started floating in the water, letting it carry her to the old throne.
''If my mother was still around, I would have lived a normal life...'' She muttered.
''No, not really. I'm just saying this because I have no goals and nothing to fight for. Even when I save Marie, I will just return to doing nothing. Working, cleaning, cooking, all of that pointless stuff. Maybe something will change, I doubt it though.''
Anna's body reached the old throne and she crawled out of the water. ''I don't know why I am saying all of this, maybe it has to do with the giant drill that is killing me, or I'm just that desperate.''
Anna sat on the trone and looked up to the ceiling. ''It calms me down when I talk about it. It makes me feel like my problems aren't real and that I made them up in my head. It's peaceful, a little cold even. It makes me feel like glass, seethrough and not important. Not important enough to have problems.''
She leaned back, feeling the cold stone against her skin. "Sometimes I wish I could just disappear, like a whisper in the wind, unnoticed and unmissed."
''But that doesn't solve any of my problems.'' Anna muttered and got up from the throne.
''Do you think I can take your place for a bit?'' She asked.
''We make this contract just for today, you take over and break me out of here and I get sealed for the time being. How's that sound?'' Anna said.
The throne of Abaddon remained silent, as if pondering Anna's proposal. The dungeon stood silent with no indication that Abaddon could hear or could fulfill her request.
''I guess not.'' Anna sighed.
Suddenly the throne started shaking and cracking, lava filling up the cracks.
''I accept! GIVE ME YOUR BODY AND TAKE MY PLACE!'' Abaddon said and Anna found herself sealed inside the throne.
(Ost- Disaster - KSLV Noh)
Becca's spear hit the drill and a giant explosion consumed the arena.
''Did you get it?'' Liora asked. Becca's eyes widened in shock. ''That wasn't my spear...''
''Your spear didn't reach the drill?! Then what happened?'' Liora asked.
The fire grew bigger and the silhouette of Anna was holding the tip of the spear with her fingers. Suddenly, the drill flew to the other side of the arena, and crashed into the wall.
''What the?'' was all Liora could say, before Anna walked out of the fire.
''Anna!'' Becca exclaimed and ran towards her. Suddenly, Becca's body stopped moving and started trembling. Becca's self-preservation instinct kicked in and her body made her jump back.
Liora's magic sensed danger and automatically put a barrier around her to protect her from the figure in front of her.
"Becca, something's not right." Liora whispered urgently, her eyes narrowing as she scrutinized Anna's form.
''An Iron god summon? How amusing.'' Abaddon sneered.
Before Liora and Becca could react, the giant drill broke through the arena and crashed into Anna, creating a massive explosion of molten iron. Liora coughed blood and fell to her knees, her magic barrier cracked and her slowing spell broke completely.
''Let's dance, Ferrum Titanus!'' Abaddon said and kicked the drill into the air, sending it into the lightning dome and cracking both severely.
Abaddon's laugh echoed through the arena as the shattered pieces of the Ferrum Titanus started to reassemble and it's molten pieces turned into smaller drills. The drills gathered around the main body, which was now smaller, but the heat that radiated from it was still as big. The smaller drills began spinning, generating even more heat.
Abaddon ran towards the drills, creating scythes of fire. ''Come on, ancient relic.'' He taunted and jumped into the air. ''Show me what you've got.''
The smaller drill flew towards Abaddon at mach speed, only to be sliced by the firey scythes of the angel. He then threw one of his scythes at the main drill, scling it half. The drill's pieces started to bubble up and boil, turning into a giant hand. The hand threw a punch at Abaddon, sending a wave of molten Iron at him.
''Disappointing.'' Abaddon muttered and jumped away from the wave of iron, before dodging the punch. The hand crashed into the wall of the arena, making a huge explosion of dust, rubble and iron.
The iron hand melted into a puddle and before it could turn itself into another weapon, Abaddon rushed over to Liora, pulled out the black dagger adn stabbed her with it, taking over her mind. Liora shot ice magic into the puddle, freezing it immediately.
(Ost Over)
''Good job.'' Abaddon said and pulled the dagger out of Liora's chest, not leaving a wound on her.
''What the?'' Liora said, before Abaddon dropped her. ''No time to explain. Prepare yourself, I will collapse after switching.'' Abaddon said and fell to the ground.
''You were supposed to catch me, asshole.'' Anna muttered and lost consciousness.
Becca ran towards Anna and picked her up, running out of the arena. ''Follow me! We gotta feed this bitch before she dies!'' Becca said and continued running. Liora got up from the ground and followed Becca. ''Wait for me, I can't run!''
Becca reached the pile of food and put Anna on the ground. She pulled out a carrot out of the pile of food and fed it to Anna, which made her wake up immediately.
''Ouch, don't stab me with it.'' Anna screamed and got up. Becca let out a sigh of relief and smiled at Anna. ''I got worried, you almost died!''
Anna went over to the stove and put the pan on it. ''I guess the contract with Abaddon was a bad idea. Can you give me some meat? I'm hella hungry.''
Liora caught up, panting heavily. "Anna, are you sure you're okay? You looked pretty out of it back there."
Anna nodded, albeit a bit shakily. ''I'm fine, just hungry. And tired, and drained, I feel like all my muscles were drained of their everything.''
Becca handed her a large cut of meat. "Here, this should help. And please, no more deals with ancient evil entities, okay?"
''He's not evil, just the living embodiment of destruction and maybe hatred, but he's a nice dude.'' Anna said and put the meat in her mouth.
Liora raised an eyebrow. "A nice dude? Really? The same guy who almost got us all killed?"
Anna shrugged, chewing on the meat. ''To be fair, you did summon a fucking god in the middle of training.''
''Training to save the world from shadows!'' Liora exclaimed.
''He doesn't like the shadows either, or the angels for that matter.'' Anna said and swallowed the meat.
Becca crossed her arms, clearly not convinced. "Well, let's try not to rely on him again. It's too risky."
''I can agree with that, he drains me a lot faster than you or anyone else does.'' Anna said and grabbed another piece of meat. ''I will try to convince him to help us though.''
Liora sighed, rubbing her temples. "Anna, just... be careful. We need you in one piece."
Anna nodded. "I know, and I will be. But having an ally like Abaddon, even if it's a risky one, might give us an edge we desperately need."
Becca glanced at Liora, then back at Anna. "Alright, but let's make a pact right here. We only use Abaddon as a last resort. Agreed?"
Anna took a moment to consider, then nodded again. "Agreed. Only as a last resort."
''I figured you'd do that.'' Abaddon said, his voice dripping with amusement.
''So what do you think, big guy?'' Anna asked.
''Let's make another contract.'' Abaddon suggested. ''I can take over your right eye and left armin exchange for some power. You get a bit weaker but I make you ten times stronger when I come out.''
''Do I lose my fire powers?'' Anna asked, chewing on the piece of meat.
''No, why would I take away your only strenght?'' Abaddon replied.
Anna shrugged and swallowed the piece of meat. ''Dunno, I figured you needed to be in me that much.''
Abaddon's laugh echoed ominously. "I have no interest in weakening you, child. Quite the opposite. Our arrangement benefits us both."
Liora and Becca exchanged worried glances. "Anna, are you sure about this?" Liora asked, her voice trembling slightly. "He's dangerous."
Anna nodded. ''I'm sure about this. I'll be fine.''
''Then we have a deal.'' Abaddon said and Anna was engulfed in black flames.
''Crimson, disperse.'' Anna said calmly and the black flames covered the entire kitchen.
''Feed.'' Anna said and the fire consumed the meat on the counter and her muscles grew with each piece devoured.
After the fire faded, Anna camed out of the smoke, much more muscular than before. She walked past the shocked Becca and Liora and grabbed an apple.
''I know you're not out of juice.'' She said and pointed at Becca. ''Let's go.'' She said and took a bite out of the apple.
Becca nodded, electricity crackling around her hands. "Alright, let's do this." She clenched her fists, sparks flying as her energy surged.
''What about me?'' Liora asked. Anna glanced at her and then smiled. ''Stay here and rest. I'll come check on you after I'm done with Becca.''
''O-okay then, I'll cook something for you while you're training.'' Liora sttered and went over to the pile of food to pick something out.
Anna nodded appreciatively at Liora. "Thanks, Liora. We'll need the energy."
Becca cracked her knuckles, the electricity around her intensifying. "Ready when you are."
"Let's start with a warm-up." Anna suggested, stretching her newly empowered muscles. "We need to test this new strength."
Becca smirked, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "I'm all for it."
Anna cracked neck and then charged Becca, breaking the sound barrier by simply running. Becca laughed and threw a punch at Anna, but she reacted to it and caught it. Anna then smiled and coked back to throw punch at Becca. ''Say goodnight!''
In the Mortal Realm. The planet was somehow restored and the missing continent was back in its place, with no traces of Anna and Becca's first fight.
Atop a hill stood a man with a silver crown, watching the blue sky turn gold. He smiled at the sky and put his crown on the ground, before pulling a blindfold out of his robes and putting it on.
''A true king sees not what the cosmic horrors do.'' He said and got up from the hill, picking up his silver crown and jumping several hundred feet down, crashing into the ground. As he walked, the hill behind him began shaking and then it started bleeding, gushing purple blood all over the ocean.
The waves washed away the purple blood and revealed the body of the creature: A monster of vaguely anthropoid outline, but with an octopus-like head whose face was a mass of feelers, a scaly, rubbery-looking body, prodigious claws on hind and fore feet, and long, narrow wings behind.
The man didn't turn around, instead just hopping over the dead squid-like monsters around him, avoiding craters and weapons along the way. As he left the valley, he glanced back the now dead giant and chuckled.
''You fought well, Great Old One, it's just that your opponent was me.'' He said and walked around the curmbled mountains, avoiding the lava most of them spewed.
He approached a small village nestled at the base of a crumbling mountain. The man paused at the edge of the village, observing the people with a faint smile.
"Normalcy amidst chaos." he mused, placing the silver crown on his head. "Let's see how long that lasts."
In the Room of Time, Anna and Becca were rapidly exchanging combos, throwing punches, kicks, fire, radiation, lightning both blue and black, clashing evenly. Anna's fist clashed with Becca's, making an explosion of black and blue lightning.
''BLACK FLASH!'' Anna screamed and pushed against Becca's fist.
''Regular Blue Lightning!'' Becca replied and forced more lightning to come out.
For the next few hours, the two continued exchanging blows, growing stronger with each blow. After 18 hours of fighting without stopping, Becca landed a blue lighting strike on Anna and knocked her down, winning the spar.
''Fucking finally! I won!'' Becca exclaimed and offer Anna a hand. ''Good job, you knocked me on my ass.'' Anna said and took Becca's hand, trying to get up from the ground.
Becca pulled Anna to her feet and the two went towards the kitchen, leaving the training ground, which was scorched and covered in craters.
In the Mortal Realm, the man with the silver crown walked through the small village nestled at the base of the crumbling mountain. He moved past the villagers and ignored the way they looked at him. As he continued walking, he reached a part of the village, which was buried under massive piles of rock.
''My, my, my. Oh my.'' The man said and jumped onto the pile of rocks.
''It would seem that my way is blocked.'' He chuckled. ''A minor inconvenience.'' He muttered and looked at the villagers below him.
''Ah, what a king sees on the daily. Piles upon piles of little dots. His subjects.'' The man said.
"Fear not, my dear subjects." he continued, spreading his arms wide as if to embrace them all. "Your king will clear the path for you."
With a dramatic gesture, the man raised his hands to the sky. The air around him crackled and the ground beneath the pile of rocks began to tremble. The villagers gasped as the rocks suddenly got pulverized and the path was cleared.
"There," he said, stepping down from the pile of dust. "A minor inconvenience, indeed."
He began to walk through the village, the silver crown on his head gleaming in the sunlight. The villagers parted before him, their fear palpable but their curiosity keeping them rooted to the spot.
"Who is he?" one villager whispered.
"Is he really a king?" another asked.
As he passed, the man smiled to himself, enjoying the effect he had on the people. "Remember this day, dear subjects," he called out. "For it is the day your king walked among you."
Back in the Room of Time, Anna, Becca, and Liora finished their meal, Anna stretched, feeling the strength in her newly empowered muscles.
"Ready for another round tomorrow?" she asked Becca with a grin.
''Yeah, I can't wait to kick your ass.'' Becca chuckled and took another plate of rice and meat. ''Hungry as hell.'' She muttered.
''Maybe you shouldn't train for 18 hours straight next time.'' Liora chuckled.
''Nah, I'll train.'' Becca said and continued eating.
Anna finished her tenth plate and went over to the sink to wash them. ''I still eat the most, I guess.'' She said.
"Yeah, that's kinda your whole thing." Becca said, finishing her food and leaning back.
Liora rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "You two are impossible. Just try to remember we're not invincible, okay?"
Anna chuckled as she washed the dishes. "No promises, but we'll try. Thanks for the meal, Liora."
Liora smiled, her eyes sparkling with gayness. ''Anytime. Someone's got to keep you two fed and on your feet."
Back in the village at the base of the crumbling mountain, the man in the silver crown was resting under a waterfall. The villagers, all hidden in the bushes and trees, watched in awe and confusion.
''When did this waterfall appear?'' One of them asked.
''Did the king make it?'' Asked another.
The man in the silver crown opened his eyes, sensing the villagers' presence. He smiled faintly and turned his head towards them.
"You may come closer," he said, his voice carrying easily over the sound of the waterfall. "I do not bite."
Hesitantly, the villagers emerged from their hiding spots, approaching the man.
"Did you make this waterfall, Your Majesty?" a brave villager asked, stepping forward.
The man chuckled softly. "No, the waterfall is a gift from nature, not from me. But I did clear the path so it could flow freely."
The villagers murmured amongst themselves, some bowing their heads in respect, others simply staring in awe.
"Why are you here, Your Majesty?" another villager asked, curiosity overcoming his fear.
The man with the silver crown looked up at the sky, the golden hue still lingering. "I am here to restore balance," he said, his tone serious. "The world is changing, and we must be prepared for what comes next."
After he said that, the man in the silver crown got up, water dripping from his robes. ''The ones who destroyed our world before are coming back. A king should not let his kingdom be taken.''
The man jumped over the waterfall, landing on the rocks. He then pointed at the sky, which was golden again. ''The golden sky is a sign for me. I must go.''
The villagers cried and begged for him to stay, but the man ignored their cires. He walked along the river, following the source of the golden sky.
Back at the Room of Time, Becca, Anna and Liora were preparing for their last fight in the Room of Time. The room was shaking, its walls cracking from how little time was left. Liora looked at Anna and Becca and nodded, the three started powering up.
In an instant, Anna was right in fornt of Liora, flames coming out of her hands. Liora was not shocked at the display of speed, not in the slightest. She created a barrier and blocked Anna's punches, creating a spell to fight Becca while blocking.
Becca created two hammers of radiation and charged at Anna and Liora. She jumped into the air and raised the hammers above her head, preparing for a downwards slam. Anna jumped out of the way of the attack, while Liora removed her barrier.
''Have some of this!'' She said and launched an ice spell, creating blades of ice to impale Becca with.
Becca laughed at the attack coming her way and exploded the hammer in her right hand, sending herself flying in the left, dodging the ice blades. ''You didn't see that coming, did you?'' She taunted and swung her hammer downwards.
Liora didn't answer, instead making a powerful barrier to block the hit. The hammer struck the barrier and sent Liora deep into the ground, but the barrier didn't break.
''I saw you coming from a mile away!'' Liora exclaimed and snapped her fingers, the ice blades from before forming an ice prison around Becca. Liora came out of the hole and turned towards Anna.
Anna dashed towards Liora, flaming chain in hand. Liora created a barrier of water around her body and started firing water bullets at Anna. Anna sighed and dodged the water bullets, not bothering to hit them with her chains. Liora was shocked that her bait didn't work, but she quickly sent a bolt of lightning at Anna.
''Not worth it.'' Anna said and bit the lightning bolt with teeth, shattering it into pieces.
''What?!'' Liora exclaimed. Anna smirked and swung the chain through the water barrier, making a steam screen.
Before Liora could react, Anna grabbed her and threw her into the ice prison, breaking it. Liora felt Becca behind her and jumped, hitting a slick backflip to avoid Becca's kick. Becca charged at Anna and threw a hard punch at her, only to hit a chain.
Anna wrapped the chains around Becca and Liora and slammed the two of them into the ground.
''Let's call this the end. We shouldn't waste energy with warmups now.'' Anna said absorbed the chain. Becca cracked her neck and coughed a bit. ''I get what you're saying, but with warmups like that you're making me want to fight for real.'' She said and picked Liora from the ground.
''Becca is right.'' Liora said. ''Training like that really makes you want to fight at full power.''
Anna sighed and went over to the kitchen, preparing the last three pieces of meat. ''I wanted to go all out too, but fighting the shadows while tired is a guaranteed way for us to die.''
Becca and Liora sat down at the table and waited for the meal to be ready. ''You're right, Anna.'' Becca said. ''But next time we get to fight, I'm going all out, no questions asked.''
Anna smiled when she heard Becca's words, turning around with a plate of meat and vegetables. ''That will be the last fight we'll have.'' She said and put the plate in front of Becca. She then turned around and took the other meat out, putting it in two seperate plates, before putting vegetables in the plates and putting them on the table.
''Looks delicious.'' Liora said and pulled the plate closer to herself.
''It's an alright last meal, I think.'' Anna said and sat on the table.
''You're saying that as if this is the last supper.'' Becca said in between bites.
Anna chuckled and took a bite out of her steak. ''It pretty much is, don't you think? We're eating together for the last time and one of us might die in the battle with the shadows.'' Anna said.
''Fuck, you're right.'' Becca said. ''Just try not to die, I have a score to settle with you.''
''Don't worry, Becca. I don't think any of us will die.'' Liora said. ''It's not just the three of us against all the shadows, it's all of the magic realm, all of the angels and the three of us agaisnt all of them. We have a good chance of winning.''
''I hope you're right.'' Becca said and took another bit of her meat. ''I want to get this over with as soon as possible.''
Anna stood silent, looking at her now empty plate. She thought about many things- the shadows, Zadkiel, Becca, Rosalie, Abaddon, even Chaos. But none of them mattered to her. She had one goal. ''Marie.'' She muttered and got up from the table. She washed her plate and then sat down on the floor, counting the few remaining minutes she had.
''I'll see her soon.'' She muttered. ''Just a few more minutes.''
After a few minutes, the room began shaking violently. It shrunk to the size of a normal room, and a closet came out of the floor. Anna, Becca and Liora got up from and approached the closet.
''What the hell is this thing?'' Becca asked, pointing at a small note left on the closet door.
Anna took the note and began reading. "Anna and Becca, you have passed the training. I am proud of you. The battle with the shadows is a bit too intense for me to welcome you personally, so I made this entrance to the battlefield. In the closet there are two robes I wish you would wear. They are made of angelic fiber and the other angels will recognize you as our allies. They also protect you from the vaccum of space and the shadows. That is not as important as your mission however, you are to go to the shattered ring, you will know where it is once you put on the robes, and you are to help the Chaos support squad push the shadows away from the throne. I will be waiting for you on the battlefield. Hearts and kisses, Seraphiel.''
''That guy.'' Becca mumbled. ''Fuck that guy.''
''I want to see the robes.'' Liora said.
Anna opened the closet, revealing two robes. One was white with golden stripes on it and the other was a sleeveless, white collared blouse with teal trims, teal tie, dark grey detached sleeves with a teal trim that become translucent at the top and fan out near the wrists.
''I want the Miku one!'' Becca said and grabbed the second robe. Anna sighed and put on the first one.
When they were done, the closet turned into a portal and the three girls looked at it.
''Ready?'' Liora asked.
''Ready.'' Anna nodded.
''Let's go!'' Becca yelled and the three jumped through the portal.
When they arrived, there was no shattererd ring, no angels to greet them. Just a giant throne on which sat Chaos and in front of him, a woman with long purple hair.
''Die.'' She said and threw a punch, aimed towards Chaos' heart.
''WE WERE LATE!'' Liora screamed. ''EVERYONE IS DEAD!''
''Fuck. I can smell the carnage from here.'' Becca said.
''God will die because we failed.'' Liora muttered.
''Marie...'' Was all Anna could say.
''Carnage? Oh ho ho ho! I love that word.'' Chaos said and opened his eyes.
The shapeshifting false god jumped out of the way, shrinking back to the size of a human. A strand of her purple hair was caught by Chaos' hand as he woke up.
''Let's kill each other, alright?'' He asked with a smile on his face.
''Make it a tournament.'' He said.
''A tournament of Chaos.''
To be continued.