"I will come out on top. Just like I've always done when against you. Now, shut up and bestow upon me to win this battle!" shouted Matt, as he raised his blade high above his head.
His mind was overwhelmed with the Mad King's past—the empire, his people, his pact with the Seven Sins, his loss of control, and his eventual downfall. Typically, embodying the Mad King of Flames wouldn't be ideal, but for Matt, it was the best choice.
The rabbit had witnessed it all in his lifetime, so much so that even amidst a war-torn land, it would feel like just another day to him. In that way, Matt was as mad as the Mad King himself.
Yet this made the rabbit a hypocrite. He chastised Zenos and Mavislin for their disregard for others' lives, but he, too, remained indifferent to the deaths of innocents.
The difference was that Matt cared for the fallen, seeing them as individuals rather than mere pawns in a grand scheme.
This conviction—this moral clarity—empowered Mattheos to wield his blade with confidence, knowing his heart and mind would not waver under the influence of his Guardian's madness.
If he had not lost faith in the value of individual lives despite the many deaths around him, then nothing could shake his resolve.
"Behold, the King who dared to invoke the Seven Sins... Allow your madness to fuel my spell of destruction! Show them what the power of Satan can do..." chanted Mattheos as he swerved his left foot to the back and crouched down.
His blade shifted, hovering just above his shoulders, before suddenly erupting in a burst of energy. It then coalesced into a semi-large beam, a swirling vortex of black infused with searing orange flames.
"Wrath of the Mad King!" shouted the rabbit as he rushed forward, leaving a blazing trail of ebony and amber in his wake.
Solaris barely registered the attack, her focus solely on Zenos amidst the blinding display of lights. She didn't realize she'd been decapitated by the flaming blade until it was too late.
Fortunately for the blonde, the strike came from behind, and he managed to leap away from the blast at the last moment but still suffered a few burns. The speed of the event left Mavislin stunned as she forced herself out of her Gorgon form to aid her allies.
With a swift, almost dismissive kick, she sent Solaris's head skittering aside and rushed toward the Viceroy first.
Mattheos, barely clinging to consciousness after the blast, collapsed to his knees, the strain of overusing his Alter form taking its toll. The Mad King seemed satisfied with the outcome and released Matt's mind before things could deteriorate further.
Perhaps that deranged old man still had some measure of reason and mercy left, Matt mused as he glanced toward Zenos and Mavislin. Gathering his remaining strength, the rabbit hobbled over to the pair, using his blade as a makeshift walking stick.
"His left eye is smashed, his abdomen is gushing out blood like the Niagara Falls... Plus, your flames managed to burn his entire left arm..."
"Virgo had mitigated most of the damage but it still wasn't enough and now he isn't breathing..." stated the First Seat as she gently soothed the crying Virgo.
Mavislin reported the Viceroy's injuries with a chilling monotone, her voice devoid of emotion as she directed Matt on where to focus his healing. Beside her, the little snake was visibly shaken, having failed to protect her partner.
The rabbit sighed deeply and began a healing spell for the Viceroy's most severe wound—the one inflicted by Solaris. Meanwhile, the dragoness placed a glowing hand of purple and black on Mattheos's back, hoping to channel additional mana into his spell.
They worked in silence, each focused on stabilizing Zenos. At this point, the Viceroy's demonlike visage had wisped away into the air. Mavislin heaved a small sigh of relief knowing that his Guardian wouldn't try to take over his body.
"It would surely piss me off if he were to fall in such pitiful circumstances..." said Mavislin as the silence became too deafening.
"I highly doubt that he would fall by such small injuries but he did drive a weapon right through his abdomen and also handled one of my best spells from the Mad King so... I honestly have no clue. I don't even know if I've got the aptitude to save him."
The dragoness averted her gaze from her rabbit, her lip clenched in anxious anticipation. As Mattheos ceased his healing of the Viceroy, Mavislin took solace in seeing color return to Zenos' cheeks. However, he still wasn't waking up...
She paused the transfer of mana to the bunny and settled down beside the sleeping blonde, finding a moment of respite.