Chapter 518 –  A Battle of Lies (Part 5)

Marret's unleashed anger changed the rhythm of the battle completely. Until then, the Gods had attacked in measured bursts, balancing their desire to hurt Akagi against the need to keep the illusory world intact. That restraint was becoming harder to maintain as the battle escalated. Marret came at the Demon Lord with a speed that tore the air apart, her hammer swung in great arcs, and whenever Akagi avoided it, the weapon pulverized whatever lay behind her. Hilare didn't sit this one out, following a half-step behind, and striking at the openings created by each hammer blow. Under their combined assault Akagi gave ground, but only by inches at a time.S he caught the hammer's haft on her forearm, rolled with the force, and redirected its momentum past her shoulder. Hilare's fist came for her ribs and in response she turned sideways, letting it graze her, then stepped across his line of attack before Marret could bring the hammer back around. The two Gods corrected instantly, not wanting to let the momentum swing back in the Demon's favor.

Hilare pivoted into a short hook while Marret reversed her grip and swept the hammer low against the ground. Akagi easily jumped the sweep, tucked her knees to her chest, and twisted in midair as Hilare's fist passed beneath her before landing on the hammer's haft, pushed off it, and sprang clear just as Marret tried to crush her under the weapon's return swing; each impact still carried enough power to shatter a planet.

With every missed blow the distant mountains cracked, and the hills beyond them slumped into clouds of dust. Akagi could feel the illusory world flexing around them, its boundaries straining beneath the concentration of power. Naturally, the Demon Lord could push harder. She could end the exchange whenever she chose, use more power but a sudden release of her full strength risked rupturing the illusory dimension and damaging the world beyond it.

So she held back, carefully enough to keep the fight dangerous without allowing it to become catastrophic, and even for someone as mighty as her that was not easy.

Marret's hammer and Hilare's fists formed a frightening combination. One fighter forced Akagi to move, while the other punished the movement. Their telepathic communication letting them coordinate without wasting a breath or a glance. It was a powerful ability and Akagi made note to work on preparing countermeasures for future battles involving such communication.

As the two continue to press their advantage Hilare feinted high, and Akagi raised her guard as Marret's hammer came in from the opposite side, its head already gathering enough power to flatten the ground beneath it. In response Akagi dropped her shoulder and twisted her body. The hammer clipped her arm rather than her skull, but Hilare was waiting for that exact response. His fist quickly snuck inside the Demon's guard and struck the side of her head and sent her stumbling one step into Marret's range where her hammer hit Akagi squarely in the torso which sent the Demon plummeting into the ground.

The impact drove yet another large crater into the battlefield, and a second explosion burst from its center as the remaining force discharged through the earth.

"Now!" Esquire yelled as she and Korex raised their hands together. Magic circles unfolded around them, overlapping into a complex lattice of deathly darkness and blazing fire. The spells joined into two immense blasts, each as large as a small village, and swept toward the crater where Akagi was still rising when as attacks converged.

*BOOM*

The explosion swallowed the crater and the surrounding terrain, causing the illusory sky to split open in jagged seams.

For a brief instant, the world beyond became visible through the tears where it showed Marshal and his Knights thundering across a distant battlefield on modified motorcycles, their formation racing toward an unseen objective.

"That was too much power." Hilare said as he formed up alongside Korex and Esquire. "We need to be careful. Fantasy World can't handle something like that, and we need it as a buffer between Enoris and us. All will be lost of the world collapses before the Ritual is complete."

"Any idea how much longer we need to keep her occupied?" Korex asked as he watched Akagi emerge from the rubble, her body covered in burns, bruises and other visible damage as black blood trickled from her mouth. She wiped it away with her thumb, looked at the stain, and then smiled. "I would've thought all those attacks would've done more. Demon Lords are even tougher than I remember."

“Its still more than enough, and it proves that we can defeat her if we work together.” Esquire said.

"Gale will contact me when it's time for us to go; until then, we need to hold her here." Hilare said as he watched Marret engage Akagi on the ground, the Demon Lord deftly dancing around her hammer while getting a few choice kicks to the head in return. "He estimated it would take no more than one hour from the time Rehael departed, and it's been about half that time."

"So she's already running late." Esquire said as she and Korex used magic to form a series of spells around Akagi to engulf her in fire and darkness that combined together into a vortex. It was carefully crafted not harm Marret while scorching the Demon Lord, who was seemingly too preoccupied with the Emotion Goddess to get out of the way.

*WOOSH*

"You four really stepped up your game!" Akagi laughed as she caught Marret's hammer with one hand while the Goddess was attempting a downward swing, channeling the impact to the ground beneath her, which crumbled into dust save for the immediate vicinity around the two fighters. "Marret here is absolutely giving me a good show, and Hilare is much more competent a fighter than I'd imagined." She smirked as Marret was slowly forced to the ground, her face contorted in irritation as the Demon Lord held her back with a single, shaky hand. "Though I wonder why Korex hasn't jumped in that much?" She said as her gaze turned to the Murder God. Anger crossed his face, but so did fear and he edged back rather than forward. "I was under the impression that you were a fan of direct combat rather than simply sitting back and flinging spells?" She said as she pushed Marret away before leaping forward and continuing their close quarters brawl. "Or, what? Are you the kind of coward who enjoys killing the weak while shrinking at the idea of challenging someone outright?" She said as she slid to the side, barely dodging Hilare's fist from behind and directing it straight into Marret's midsection where the impact boomed across the battlefield.

*BOOM*

"Ack!" Marret coughed up blood as Hilare's fist slammed into her, the sheer force of the blow temporarily disabling her.

{She was able to react to that?!?} (Hilare)

"All this power, and yet the Gods chose to give up on this world and abandon ship." Akagi shook her head in disapproval as she moved back, Hilare putting himself between the Demon and Marret as he internally cursed his poor judgment. "Did you even bother to try to repair the damage to Enoris' foundation? Or did you jump straight to sacrificing lives to save yourselves? Fucking hypocrites. I hear you fought the Primordials because you desired to shepherd this world, but when it came down to it, you valued your own lives more than the world you were created to govern."

{I think now's a good a time as ever to start things.} (Akagi)

"And what right does a Demon Lord have to judge us?" Esquire yelled as she swung her scythes. Rather than striking Akagi directly, she released the blades from their hafts. Their heads shot past the Demon Lord, trailing luminous chains that looped around her arms, waist, and legs. The chains snapped taut and pulled Akagi's limbs apart, locking her in place. As soon as it was clear the Demon was immobilized Esquire clenched her hands and poured divine power through the links; the chains flared with blinding energy. Akagi's body smoked as the energy burned into her, but she did not struggle, not yet. "You are nothing more than a monster that seeks to destroy!" She continued. "We are Gods! We exist to create, to protect!"

"And what exactly are you protecting? Enoris? No, you're just protecting yourselves!" Akagi's voice remained rather conversational, despite the divine chains burning against her skin. "Just admit that you're scared. That you don't want to die. There's nothing wrong with fearing death, just don't try and pretend that you're doing something grand and noble when all you want is to live!"

Esquire's expression twisted.

"Of course, we want to survive! We are eternal! The sacrifice of the Enorian people will ensure our survival, which means that an entirely different world can be guided to a better future!" Esquire roared as she swung Akagi up and then down into the ground with a loud crash. "Individual lives mean nothing when you're talking about eternity! We have to survive! It's only proper that beings that will otherwise exist until the end of time are not abruptly ended over something as stupid as a destabilized world! Not when there's so much I have to do! Not when I have yet to atone for what happened! I refuse to let it end that way! I won't allow it!"

{I have made far too many mistakes, and I have yet to right those wrongs! I cannot allow myself to perish until I prove that Dark Magic is more than just destruction! Miz'ri will be the key to all of this! I just need more time! And once we're on Earth, I will finally be able to show everyone that my Brother was right!} (Esquire)

"Is that how you really feel?" Akagi asked from the ground, still bound by the burning chains as her body smoked from the divine power. "Is that how you all feel?" Her gaze moved from Esquire to Hilare, then to Korex and Marret. "At the end of the day, do the people of this world mean nothing to you? Do you feel no sense of attachment, no sense of responsibility for them?"

{What is going on here? Again, I get this feeling that something is wrong with this battle. I can sense Cheofla and Teiera in the distance, fighting the Twins while we keep the Demon Lord distracted. She's taken a great deal of damage, and I'm starting to suspect that we could actually win if we all fought together after the transfer. Everything is going according to plan... But why do I have this bad feeling? And why is she suddenly so talkative about our reasons for the Ritual? She can't possibly care for the people of this world; everything we've seen until now proves that she doesn't. And why is she asking questions she already knows the answers to?} (Hilare)

"I never cared one way or the other from the beginning." Korex was the first God to answer. "As I told you the day that we first met, whether mortals die by our hands or their own is irrelevant to me. I care only that they die. Having my existence destroyed is not an appealing idea, so I'd rather they perish so that I may survive. That way, I can continue my purpose. That's all that there is to it, and I know I'm not the only God that feels this way."

"And the Spirits just so happened to be the perfect distraction. It was a good plan, keeping the mortal population focused on them for all those years while you quietly moved to sacrifice them all just to save yourselves." Akagi commented as the chains continued to burn, though the Demon's body seemed to be adapting to the divine energy. The smoke coming off her skin had begun to thin and waiver with each passing moment.

"You know everything already, so why are you asking questions that you already know the answer to?" Hilare finally spoke up, the unease in the back of his mind only getting worse with each passing moment despite the fact that Akagi seemed to be on the backfoot. "Are you angry on behalf of the Spirits? The mortals of Enoris? I thought Demon Lords cared for nothing save themselves?"

"Who knows?" Akagi chuckled as Esquire altered the spell, shifting from raw damage to restraint. The chains tightened, and a web of divine symbols formed around Akagi's body, sealing her movements one layer at a time. "Perhaps I do, even just a little? After all, just like I got stuck with a shitty family, the people of this world got stuck with shitty Gods."

“She should be completely immobile. I've sealed everything, so now is the time.” Esquire passed said to the other Gods.

“Then we should-” Hilare was about to coordinate a joint strike but found himself outpaced by Marret who leapt in on her own.

"WELL I SURE DON'T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT THE PEOPLE OF THIS WORTHLESS WORLD, SPIRIT OR OTHERWISE!" Marret yelled as she flew toward Akagi, tired of all this back and forth banter. "ALL THEY NEED TO DO IS OBEDIENTLY LISTEN TO US AND GET EATEN SO THAT WE SURVIVE! THAT'S THE ONLY THING THEY'RE GOOD FOR! NONE OF THAT OTHER BULLSHIT MATTERS TO ME!"

"I see." Akagi's smile became small and satisfied. "Well then, I think I'm satisfied with that..." The Demon paused before taking a deep breath and summoning more of her power, which was immediately sensed by the three other Gods who desperately tried to recall Marret. "So, I believe it's time to strike back!" Power surged through her body. A thin black film spread across her skin, swallowing the light around her and pressing outward against the divine seals. The chains vibrated, their glowing links straining and then fracturing one by one as the Death Goddess' eyes widened in shock.

"JUST BECAUSE YOU BROKE THE CHAINS DON'T GO THINKING THAT-" Marret's words were brought to an abrupt halt as the chains shattered like glass.

Marret was already in mid-swing, too committed to stop. Akagi sprang forward, twisted her hips, and drove her heel into the side of the Goddess's temple. The kick landed with a sharp, thunderous crack and Marret vanished into the distance.

*BOOM*

In truth, she had been hurled so fast that the eye could scarcely follow her. As she tore through the ground, Marret carved a trench across the battlefield before finally disappearing beneath a mountain of shattered rock. The shock wave generated by the impact spread far beyond the confines of the illusory world. The battle with the Twins faltered, the oceans of Enoris heaved, mountains trembled, and the world itself seemed to shudder beneath the force of Akagi's counterattack. It was a blow far more powerful than anyone expected, and gave the Gods a glimpse of the truth.

"Marret!" Esquire screamed as she looked from the distant trench to Akagi, who stood where the chains had broken, her black aura already receding. “Hilare! What happened?!?”

"I... That power..." Hilare's body went ridgid as he struggled to understand what just happened. "Where did... How..."

{That spike... It was so quick, and so...} (Hilare)

"N-No..." Korex stammered as he began to panic, as his mind was flooded with images from his time trapped within Akagi's mind. "I... I knew it... We... We can't..." He paused as his body began to violently tremble in fear, something the other Gods had never seen before.

"Pull yourself together, Korex. Panicking will only-" Esquire tried to talk some sense into him, but was quickly rebuffed by his panic.

"YOU DIDN'T SEE THE THINGS I SAW!" Korex shrieked as he started backing up. "WE'RE FUCKED! YOU SAW THAT POWER SHE PULLED OUT! THIS WHOLE THING IS A GAME! A GAME! AND ITS GAME FUCKING OVER MAN! GAME OVER! I'M NOT STICKING AROUND HERE TO FIGHT OUT! I'M NOT GOING BACK IN THERE! I'M NOT WEARING THE SALIOR SUIT AGAIN! IT DOESN'T FIT ON ME!" He screamed before blasting away, taking off at high speed as he attempted to flee.

{I just need to run! I'll go somewhere far away, and maybe she'll forget about-} (Korex)

"Oh, you sweet summer child." Akagi's voice slipped into his mind, cold and clear, as if she were standing beside him. "Did you really think that you'd leave this place alive? I thought I made it clear from the beginning that you'd die by my hand?"

"Where?!?" Korex jerked his head in every direction. He could sense no one nearby. No aura, no movement, no sign of her but he knew she was there and he felt the cold chill of death wash down his spine.

"Right here. Thousand Blades School, Fourth Form: Descending Cherry Blossoms!" Akagi said as she appeared from above and brought the Black Sunrise down, slicing through Korex from head to foot.

For an instant, the God's body remained whole, a thin black line running down its center. Then the halves separated. The strike continued beyond him. A black streak tore through Cheofla's Fantasy World spell, leaving a wound-like fissure in the fabric of the dimension. The illusion buckled around the cut.

Esquire and Hilare stared, stunned by the sight of a God being split apart so cleanly but Akagi did not pause. The Demon followed her initial attack with a second series of slashes, cutting Korex's astral form into pieces before thrusting out her free hand. Black power engulfed the fragments and burned them to ash.

*WOOSH*

A God had ceased to exist and the shock of that loss rippled through Enoris. Every deity felt it, whether they had witnessed the death or not. For Esquire and Hilare, seeing it happen before their eyes made the truth far worse for Korex had not been merely defeated or driven away.

He was gone.

An Incarnated God using their full power had been utterly annihilated in an instant.

Satisfied with her kill Akagi sheathed the Black Sunrise and looked at the two surviving Gods. Her eyes glowed through the dim, storm-dark world; her sharp teeth showed in a pleased smile.

"And then there were three."