At that moment, I wished I was more powerful. This beast that stood before us was unbeatable, and even with Diogen's teleportation, I believed we were fighting a losing battle.
The black lion slowly stalked towards us, letting out another roar as we backed away. I was unsure whether Zir could still speak in this form. All remnants of humanity had been shed; he didn't even wear clothes anymore.
Then, it charged with a speed that a beast its size should not have been able to move with.
Diogen teleported beside me and held my shoulder before teleporting again, behind the beast, just barely missing its clawed strike. The beast turned, but this time it opened its mouth and let out another roar, which sent a wave of energy heading towards us. Unlike before, I could now see the energy clearly. It was like a dark ripple through space, and it looked deadly.
The attack was too large for me to dodge, so I prepared to block it, but Diogen touched my shoulder again and teleported us behind Zir once more. This time, however, the fourth god predicted our movements. It simply turned its head to face us and roared again, sending a blast in our direction before we even reappeared.
Diogen, heaving and out of breath, held me again and teleported us just barely out of the way, and I watched as the burst of energy streamed past us and down the hallway, crashing into the wall at the far end and creating a hole that left rubble in its wake.
How many of those bursts can he create? If those hit us, we're dead.
Zir wasn't finished, charging towards us once again, though this time I was sure that Diogen could not teleport us anymore. He was completely exhausted.
I made to grab him and move us out of the way, but my shoulder was still dislocated, so Diogen shrugged me off with ease and charged to meet the beast.
I turned and focused my eyes on the black lion, using the Golden Eye to predict how the exchange would play out.
I saw multiple outcomes, but somehow I knew which one was most likely to happen. It was as though that vision shined brighter. Diogen planned to slide low, aiming between the lion's legs to hopefully end up on the other side of it and strike from behind.
However, in the vision, as he began to slide, Zir struck low with his claws, scratching up the wood of the flooring and landing a gruesome strike on Diogen, sending him crashing through the wall beside us.
"No!" I shouted, attempting to warn him of what I had foreseen, and the Seventh god must have heard me. Instead of striking low, he jumped, aiming a closed-fist strike at the beast's face.
This outcome was no better. As Diogen jumped, Zir turned his face upward to aim at the jumping man and let out a deafening roar that sent a burst of energy crashing into Diogen, sending him flying upward and crashing through the ceiling.
Crash, crash, crash, crash.
The strike was so powerful; I heard Diogen crashing through every floor before he must have exited through the roof and flown into the air above. Zir crouched on his muscular animal legs and leaped an incredible height, going through the holes in the ceiling that Diogen had left behind.
No, he is going to chase Diogen and finish him off!
I tried to jump and climb through the holes after them, but after reaching the floor above, the pain became unbearable. What was worse was what I saw in the hallway of the second floor.
Lasandra lay on the ground, in a state that told me I needed to do no inspecting to figure out the outcome. Her body was broken in ways that should not have been possible, her arms and legs bent disgustingly beneath her, as though she were some doll.
No. No, no, no!
I crawled over to her form but hesitated. Did I even want to look at her? I knew what her fate was.
Martilanos... He was that strong.
Then a thought more terrifying entered my head.
If Lasandra has been beaten, then Martilanos can go and help Zir defeat Diogen!
I ignored the pain and continued jumping and climbing through the holes in the ceilings above me, slowly and painfully making my way to the roof.
After a while, I finally emerged. My heart sank into my stomach. My theory was right; it was not only the black lion on the roof but also Martilanos, the man in the mystical body armor.
Though the sight that stung me most was Diogen.
In the time I had wasted climbing the floors, Diogen must have been fighting the two other gods. He was leaking blood from a hole in his stomach, and it stained the roof of the castle red.
I fell to my knees in despair, the two remaining gods hardly noticing me.
This is my fault. If Diogen didn't need to teleport me around, then he might have won.
No...even before that. If Diogen and Lasandra had not tried to help me, then neither of them would have been targeted and killed.
Tears fell from my eyes onto the castle roof as I wept for two people I had hardly known.
Still, they were the only people I knew in this world. They were my friends.
A laugh came from one of the gods, but I ignored it, concealing my rage.
"Gods are not meant to cry," Zir said as he slowly returned to his regular form, his naked, ashen body standing before me.
Martilanos laughed at my state.
"It was an inevitable outcome. Diogen's domain is strong, as it grants him the power to teleport, but he limits himself in too many ways. And as for Lasandra... She has always been weak, and she apparently was even weaker once Martilanos disarmed her of her sword."
I wanted to attack the men, but I knew it was no use. I was a weak god, with hardly any combat abilities. Not only that, but I was injured, and my eyes had begun to hurt from Golden Eye use.
"We will spare you today, weak one. With that cretin dead, perhaps you will now join a greater cause." Martilanos spoke from beneath his helmet. "Take this as a lesson. Do not side with the wrong gods, or you will find yourself like this." He gestured towards Diogen's broken body.
Martilanos flew off, leaving Zir and me on the roof alone, alongside Diogen. The fourth god watched me for a few moments before finally speaking.
"Your blessings must be strong, as you were able to defend some of my strikes, at least my human ones. I would like a god like you on my side in the great battles to come against the stronger gods. However, I'm sure you will only wish to seek revenge on me for killing your comrades. Regardless of what you wish to do, you can find me in the Abyss, my home and domain. I will welcome you as an ally, but if you wish to come as an enemy, I will have no problem in taking your life."
I remained silent as the god spoke, keeping my eyes on the ground, and then he finally flew off. I wanted to sense for their presences, to see the direction they flew in and chase after them, but I didn't bother.
There was no point. Instead, I stood and walked over to Diogen, leaning over his bleeding body. I wept tears for both him and Lasandra until I suddenly felt his body twitch.
"Diogen?" I said, with hope that the man might still be alive. I watched to see if his eyes would open, but still, his mouth moved, barely.
"Fate..." He managed to croak. "claim this domain. Speak the words."
His voice was so quiet that I could barely hear what he said.
"Diogen! Please, if you can hear me, hang on! You can still make it!" I pleaded with the man, and his lips twisted into a small smile.
"No," he said. "My time has come."
I placed my fingers on his neck to check his pulse, but it gradually slowed.
"Take over for me. A god is ready to be born. Claim my domain by speaking the words.."
And with that, Diogen succumbed to his injuries and gave up his life.
---
I wept and continued to for what felt like ages, until rain began to fall, and the sun left us, leaving behind only darkness.
When I was finally able to, I tapped into the thought that had seemed to be forcing itself into my mind.
The words were there; they were just waiting to be spoken. Diogen had given me a gift, and I only needed to claim it.
And so I did.
"Diogen's legacy shall be mine to take. Strengthen me, and I will not fall."
The words came naturally, and as I spoke them, I was instantly filled with a newfound power.
This domain is now mine.