Joon said, "No talking…just fight."
'Me attached to Xiahou Anara, almost like that time when she held me as I was almost gone. I can feel her holding onto my life and she's only a summon. Once we split apart, it's over. I think. This is the last stand for me, and what did I achieve? I don't even know. Happiness? Not really. Content, maybe. The system telling me I won't come back from this. Let's put on a show then. Elara…puppies..everyone else…thanks.'
Joon, now symbiotically merged with Xiahou Anara in a formidable fusion of blood and darkness, stands tall. His upper torso melded into her back, they advanced towards Venrix with eerie synchronization. Xiahou Anara's ethereal bloody body splits the terrain beneath her as they glide forward in rapid speed. Venrix, swirling his scepter, summons twin orbs in hues of pink and white that pulsate with destructive energy and sends them crashing towards Joon and Anara. Anara unfurls her Wing Shields, deflecting the orbs, sending sparkles of destructive energy scattering into the air.
"You'll never understand, you're not one of us!" Venrix exclaimed
Venrix stabs his scepter into the ground, and it opens a bright dark pink and white gate, releasing a slew of white and pink red eye hawk beasts. The beasts, plumaged in sinister pinks and whites, swoop down with metallic clinks of their weaponry, with swords in their mouths and legs. Joon, utilizing his Ripped Tail, lashes out, catching one hawk by its neck, draining its strength before flinging it into another, and slashed it to the right, blood splattering in the air. Meanwhile, Anara cleaves through two more with precise swings of her Blood-red Energy Katana, her slashes leaving trails of red energy that sizzle through the enemy ranks.
Venrix shifts his tactic, concentrating his energy into enhancing the creatures emerging from his gates. As his foes slay one wave, stronger ones follow. Joon conjures up his black flames, the acidic nature eroding the physical forms of the approaching creatures. Simultaneously, Anara's runes glow brightly, amplifying her katana's deadliness as she slashes through the reinforced beasts, their blood mixing with the corrupted earth.
Joon said, "Do you plan on throwing enemies at us? Throw yourself."
'What's he planning…?'
Venrix takes to the skies, channeling his energy to form a massive Saturn-like orb. Joon and Anara leap upwards, wings flaring. Mid-air, Venrix unleashes beams of pink and white energy which ripped the grounds in half in total annihilating. Anara, spinning, uses her wings as shields while Joon counterattacks with spikes of dark blood from his fused form, creating explosions upon contact with the beams.
"Haha! Faster!" Joon laughed.
Venrix grinned scoffed, "You think this is funny? I'm not even going all out. And yet, you're already figured that out."
"Yeah I know."
"You aren't scared?"
"Why would I be? Even though I won't get to have my revenge…at least I can leave while trying to kill you. If I leave you alive, I know where you're going after this, and I won't let you go there."
"Hmmm…you really aren't human. No crazy human would charge after a literal deity. I love that fire! But it seems that your life force is fading as you fight right at this moment. Merging with a literal deity to keep you afloat, it's draining your qi reserves. That is definitely dedication."
"It is…isn't it?" Joon grinned, a tear of blood falling down his face.
'I promised Zephyr I'd bury Torin… I won't be able to do it. Elara….damn. I have to leave her. She screamed my name over and over, not wanting me to go. What will she do if I don't come back? I don't want her doing anything desperate. Caelan…you're truly a rival. Even though you're annoying.'
Landing, Venrix causes the earth to quake just by his legs crushing the ground, attempting to throw Joon and Anara off balance. Anara, grounding herself with ethereal calm, absorbs the shockwave. Joon, from their shared form, extends blood bones into the ground from his arms, stabilizing and retaliating by erupting the ground beneath Venrix with a blood-infused explosion.
As the dust settles, Venrix, enraged, engages directly. The clash is brutal—Venrix's scepter swings meet Joon's spikes and Anara's ethereal flesh repels, each block and parry executed with lethal intent. Anara's wings wrap momentarily around Joon for a swift, defensive maneuver, only to unfurl in a massive energy burst that forces Venrix back.
'I've been learning how to combine my skills together to create new ones…by using them at the exact same time. Cool huh?'
Gaining ground, Anara's runes flare again, each symbol pulsating with power. She thrusts her sword into the ground, sending a network of blood-red energy snaking towards Venrix, who barely dodges, the ground where he stood moments ago left shattered and smoking.
Venrix, sweating under pressure, summons further reinforcements, this time larger beasts with enhanced armor. Anara, anticipating the move, executes a series of incantations. The field around them becomes a zone of heightened destruction, her chants making her blade grow even more massive, cutting through the new threats with terrifying efficiency. The battle then becomes a dance of death as both sides display a cataclysmic array of attacks. Anara's swift movements leave behind a blur of red energy, countering and slicing through Venrix's relentless waves of pink and white energy beams. Joon, still fused, manipulates the surrounding blood, launching shards like missiles, smashing them with his mace that flew towards Venrix, Venrix's frustration manifests as a colossal energy spike, his scepter radiating a blinding light. Joon feels a searing pain as the beam strikes close, but Anara's quick reflexes redirect the majority of the hit. In retaliation, Joon's black flames engulf the area, turning the surrounding ground into a molten nightmare for any of Venrix's summoned beasts.
'Maybe…just maybe…I can devour Venrix and maybe I'll live? I'm not strong enough yet or my body hasn't developed fully, otherwise I'd be able to handle summoning Xiahou Anara without any repurchasing.'
Venrix, resorting to underhanded tactics, opens gates beneath Joon and Anara. Quick as a whip, Anara's wings beat powerfully, elevating them as Joon sends a barrage of explosive blood bones stretching from his fists down at the opened gates, reversing the ambush.
Venrix and the blood deity come face-to-face, their energies clashing in a visible shockwave that ripples through the atmosphere. Their weapons meet in a spectacular display of power—Venrix's scepter against Xiahou Anara's energy katana, both struggling for dominance in a deadlock.
Venrix smiled, "Look at your eyes, Xiahou Anara. A dark trio member succumbed to the body of a child. Where's the deity of darkness? What about light? Once I defeat you, and have your body be a soldier of mine, I'll take down the darkness deity and light deity, and we can finally stop the demons, and everything will go back to how it was, but under my rule and vision."
Joon said, "Stinky ass bird, don't you ever shut up?"
"Watch your little mouth."
"So even if I didn't willfully accept your proposal, you would've had me as your soldier anyway? Dead or alive?"
"Yes! You're smart for a brat!"
In a risky move, Joon allows himself to be hit by a minor beam to close the distance, his dark mace forming and smashing into Venrix's face with devastating force. Anara simultaneously uses the moment to enhance the strike with her runic magic, deepening the wound, slashing Venrix over and over.
Venrix gets angry, jumping backwards, saying, "The more you hit me, the more I like it!"
Feeling the tide turning, Venrix attempts a catastrophic blow, forming a giant dark pink and white bow and arrow, aiming directly at Joon. Anara, in a flash of divine intuition, enshrouds them in her wing shields, taking the brunt of the attack. Joon and Anara unify their powers for one last strike. Joon, channeling all dark energies, and Anara, her blade absorbing every ounce of their combined fury, deliver a synchronized strike. Venrix, unable to withstand the rapid onslaught, falls, the impact of their powers leaving a crater. As silence descends, Joon and Anara, though victorious, are visibly exhausted, their fusion dissolving as they slump to the blood-soaked earth, victorious but forever changed by the battle's ferocity.
Joon and Xiahou Anara stood there, Joon's breath heaving.
"It's over..it's over."
"Who said it's over?"
Joon gasped once he heard Venrix's voice.
"He's still alive?!"
"Sorry if I allowed some attacks to land on me, I couldn't resist the power you two have. I crave to have you as my soldier, I don't want to waste this moment, I want to savor it!"
"You…you were letting us land blows?!"
"Duh."
The battlefield grows intensely silent as Venrix, believed defeated, begins to morph. His body enlarges, feathers sprouting in vibrant pink and white, each one shimmering with an aura of raw power. Standing tall, now a towering feathered humanoid, he wields dual scepters, their tips crackling with new, mysterious energy. Behind him, four Saturn-like orbs float, pulsing with a terrifying force, ready to morph into sentient weapons. The air itself shivers around him as reality seems to bend at his mere presence.
"Ahh. You're a Demi-god. I should've known. Only those are the ones who can wound a deity with fatal blows alongside normal deities. I don't know what power or affinity you have, but it's not flames, not whatever you're displaying. I can feel it… it's like something is encouraging it. A family power it seems."
"Tch! Tell me everything you know!"
"Why? It's not like you're gonna live to use the information anyway."
The orbs shift, forming into massive axes, glowing ominously. Venrix swings these Harbinger Axes in wide, destructive arcs aimed at Joon and Anara. Anara, quick on her feet, parries with her energy katana, sparks flying as ethereal metal meets godly weaponry. Joon takes the opportunity to strike with his mace, aiming for Venrix's ribs, earning a grating sound as his weapon meets feathered armor. Venrix leaps high, his mighty form casting a shadow over the duo. He descends like a comet, aiming to crush them. Joon and Anara split, dodging narrowly as Venrix slams into the earth, causing a crater. From this impact, Joon hurls explosive blood bones upward, while Anara lashes out with a rune-enhanced slice that tears through Venrix's side.
Recovering quickly, Venrix spins, unleashing a flurry of large feathers with qi-runes on them, like deadly shrapnel in a hurricane. Anara uses her Wing Shields to block, her wings shimmering under the onslaught. Joon, eyes aflame, charges, turning his body into a weapon, his black flames searing the edges of feathers, diminishing their power as he approaches.
'Dammit! I felt those!'
One of the orbs morphs into a massive hammer, the Gavel of Judgement. Venrix swings it down with gravity-defying speed. Anara intercepts with her katana, the ground beneath her cracking from the impact. Joon lashes his tail, entwining Venrix's arm and yanking, attempting to disrupt his balance. Venrix roars, the sound wave pushing back the duo. He then spins, becoming a whirlwind of pink and white feathers and energy. Joon, undeterred, dives in, his acidic black flames aiming to corrupt the very essence of Venrix's weapons. Anara leaps, executing a series of backflips, her katana leaving a trail of blood-red energy to slice at Venrix's exposed legs.
In a burst of unbridled aggression, Venrix abandons his weapons, engaging directly with crushing blows. Anara and Joon dance around him, their movements a blur. Joon's bone spikes grow from his arms, stabbing at Venrix's joints, while Anara's ethereal form allows her to phase through a punch, countering with a cutting uppercut.
They dart through the area, both landing bloody blows back and forth.
The remaining orbs create a temporary vortex around Venrix, spinning rapidly. They morph into sharp, lance-like entities, The Piercers of Void. With a sweeping gesture, Venrix sends them hurtling towards Joon and Anara. The duo leap, spin, and split to the right in the air, narrowly avoiding being skewered, their counterattacks leaving trails of vividly glowing blood and dark energy in the air.
"That was close…"
Joon decides on force, transforming his limbs into grotesque shapes of spiked blood bone, grappling Venrix. Blood and feathers mix as they struggle. Anara, seeing her chance, carves intricate runes mid-air and her blade pulses, severing one of Venrix's immense arms, which quickly begins to regenerate.
Venrix, undeterred by his wound, lifts into the air, dragging Joon and Anara with him. The battle above looks like a divine dance of death, with Anara and Joon wavering around and above Venrix, Anara's katana, a streak of deadly light. Venrix, amidst the aerial clash, focuses, causing one orb to explode in an entropic burst, aiming to disorient and harm. Joon shields Anara using his tail, the explosion searing his armored body instead. Anara, barely saved, dives back with renewed fury, her katana energized by the near-death experience.
Back on the ground, Venrix pounds the earth with his scepters, sending seismic waves. Joon, using his innate connection to darkness, absorbs some of the shock, taking the pain, steadying himself and Anara. Xiahou Anara chants quickly, a shield of runes spreading out to dissipate the remaining force. They both charge, encircling Venrix in a dizzying barrage of strikes.
Reclaiming his dual scepters, Venrix spins them overhead, generating a shield of swirling energy. Joon and Anara, coordinating silently, feint and dodge around the barrier, Anara slicing at points Joon weakens with targeted strikes of dark magic in his sharp bones in his punching fists.
Venrix darted forward, launching a giant 40 foot lance glowing with bright pink and white, and as it shattered the ground below, Joon gasped, and jumped off of Xiahou Anara, removing himself from her attachment.
Venrix smirked, "Oh? Sacrificing yourself again?"
Xiahou Anara paused, slowly turning around to Joon, like she wanted to speak, but she couldn't.
Joon looked at her, then smiled, "Let's finish him off."
Joon stood up and took off at light speed, and In a perfect choreography borne of their dire situation and seamless fusion, Joon uses his explosive blood bones to strike the ground and launch Anara towards Venrix. Xiahou Anara spin, Venrix wasn't expecting it, but smiled and strafed to the left, but Joon was to the right of Venrix, trying to punch him in the face with a bloody bone fist, but Venrix dodged it, stabbing Joon through the chest with his scepter. But Xiahou Anara was about to slash Venrix from the front, which Venrix was expecting, but right when Xiahou Anara had her Katana at Venrix's neck, she vanished, stopping her own attack. Catching him off guard she appeared above him, and then behind, slashing with divine intent powered by her rune magic, finally penetrating Venrix's back with a powerful strike, exposing his heart..
With a gaping wound leaking energies that crack reality, Venrix stumbles. Joon, engulfed in his darkest flames, joins Anara for a combined final strike, slashing Venrix's throat, Joon used his sharp fingers and bones, and Anara used her Katana,, their weapons and wills unified. Venrix, overwhelmed, collapses, his form disintegrating into pink and white feathers that scatter to the winds, leaving behind a silent, devastated battleground, testimonial to their epic struggle.
Venrix coughed out blood, and looked up at Joon, saying, "Of course I lost…it was meant to be, wasn't it?"
[Venrix, amidst the pantheon of deities, skulks with motives as shadowy as his realm of influence—Lust. Unlike the other deities who focus on the elements or higher spiritual energies, Venrix deals with the primal energies of desire and temptation. His lore is intricately tied to the very fabric of mortal and divine interactions, as he manipulates feelings and desires to sway the hearts and minds of both gods and mortals towards chaotic or harmonious ends as it serves his enigmatic objectives. Venrix, born from the whispers of the first forbidden thoughts between beings, represents the tug between moral decrees and base desires. He advocates for freedom through indulgence, using his powers to reveal hidden truths or unspoken longings. Often seen as a trickster, he navigates the divine drama, influencing events from shadows, his ultimate motivations known only to himself. He craves not just the control but the unpredictability his influence can inject into the otherwise orderly cosmos.]
Joon read that out loud, as he limped towards Venrix.
Venrix chuckled, "The fact…that you have some weird power in you, and I don't know the source…is strange. You think it ends with me? There are way more deities stronger than me. The darkness deity and the light deity…you haven't even met them yet, and over a hundred more deities are way more powerful than me. Whoever you sacrificed yourself for…they'll die to them. Because you beat me, the demons will win—."
Joon stood in front of Venrix, and smiled maliciously, softly grabbing Venrix's head by the hair, and ripped his head off with pure strength, blood spilling to the floor.
Joon dropped to one knee, coughing. He heard melting bring him, seeing Xiahou Anara melting in her blood form, as her katana dropped to the ground. Joon was slowly going to the ground, and he crawled to the katana.
'"Haha…haha…I won…I won Anara…"
'Why do I feel like grabbing the katana? Maybe I always wanted to touch it. It does look cool. The ways the times glow on the blow. Awesome…'
Joon kept crawling, his life fading before his eyes. And his eyes finally closed, dying. He let out a slow breath, his body still on the ground, his hand on the hilt of Xiahou Anara's blade.
Joon was dead.
….
In the dimly lit expanse of the Blood Sect hideout, deep within caverns where flickering lanterns cast long shadows, tension hung heavy in the air like the thick, unyielding dark. The assassins, a tightly-knit cadre of lethal quietude, huddled together, their anxious whispers melding into an ominous murmur. Every ear was tuned to the echoing footfalls that heralded a return — hoped for with intensity, yet feared in equal measure.
"I wonder if Joon survived.."
"The Head went to go get him…"
"I still can't believe Yuna's group abandoned them."
Caelan, standing there waiting, right beside Zephyr. No words were exchanged. What could they even say?
Kai watched, sitting on top of a rock, his knee tapping, thinking, 'If Joon is dead…we're doomed. Don't be dead, I really want to join your squad.'
The entrance of the cavern gaped like a gaping maw, and from it stepped The Head, the final authority within the sect, his countenance a hardened mask of grim finality. In his arms, he carried a burden that drew gasps and stifled cries from the assembled shadows — Joon, unbreathing, his vibrant defiance extinguished, his body limp and lifeless.
Everyone saw, and said:
"Is he..?!"
"No way…"
"Joon's dead?!"
A stifling silence descended, broken only by a single, heart-wrenching sound of despair as Caelan, overcome with a fury born of grief, stormed off into the deeper shadows of the caverns. His departure was a silent roar, a physical manifestation of the anguish that gripped each soul there.
'That fool!' Caelan thought.
Zephyr, always the stalwart, fell to his knees, convulsions wracking his frame as he vomited, his reaction primal, a visceral release of the turmoil within. His body shook as he tried to compose himself, hands clenching the rocky floor, seeking stability in a world suddenly skewed.
Everyone else said:
"But how?!"
"He was facing a deity I heard!"
Kai said, "Impossible…Joon….? I would've thought he would be the last one alive out of all of us.."
Mina and Hyun had no reaction, as they are brother and sister they don't have any sentimental feelings towards someone they barely know.
From a corner, partially concealed by the spare, billowing fabrics of a makeshift tent, emerged Elara. She heard the racket outside, and the words everyone spoke. She gasped, and she immediately jumped out of the bed. Her movements were hesitant, hobbled not just by her physical wounds wrapped in hastily applied bandages but by the heavy air of dread. As she stepped into the open, her pale face bathed in the flickering torchlight, her eyes met the undeniable truth before her.
Her scream tore through the cavern, a piercing sound of shattered composure. Tears streamed down her face as uncontrollable sobs racked her petite frame. She began to cry out Joon's name, her voice a haunting lament in the oppressive atmosphere.
"Joon! Joon!"
Kiera, her features set in a somber line, moved towards the distraught Elara. With a gentleness belying her usual fierceness, she reached out and covered Elara's eyes with her hands, trying to shield her from the cruel reality. But Elara struggled against her, her grief a palpable force that could not be quieted or contained.
Kiera said to her, "Shhh little one."
Elara latched into Kiera, hugging her, sobbing, "I made him that eyepatch…I made it for him…"
Kiera wanted to feel a certain way, but she held her composure. If she would've shown weakness in front of the Head, it would've ended badly.
On the periphery, Old Han watched the unfolding sorrow with a stoic expression, his aged features inscrutable, eyes reflecting a storm of unspoken memories. His silence was a heavy cloak, his presence a reminder of the inevitable losses their line of work entailed.
Away from the communal mourning, isolated in his private anguish, Jiho sat alone in his tent. The dim light barely touched him, as if even the flames were respectful of his sorrow. Tears trailed silently down his cheeks, mirroring the silent scream of his heart as he stared blankly at the wall, lost in a sea of grief and regret.
The cavern, once a place of whispered strategies and shared secrets, had transformed into a mausoleum of dreams and desires unmet, each member of the Blood Sect bound together not just by purpose, but now, irrevocably, by shared loss.
The Head walked away with Joon's body, heading into a dark area in the cave, which lead a pathway to the Head's monastery.