Chapter 43: The Battle of Volken: Part 7
Orphzus, Zack, Yami
Yami throws himself back against the wooden chair in his mother’s house, his hands over his face in frustration.
“Agh! Yer kidding me on! I almost had him!” Yami let out before letting the chair stand on all four legs and leaning his arms on his knees.
“At least you gave it a good effort, I didn't even get that far with you,” said Lock as he sat in a chair next to him.
“I guess I just had other things on my mind,” Yami said after a deep exhale through his nose.
“Such as,” Lock asked
“Lots of things, if I have left enough of an impact on Zack, if I helped the princess enough, if I lived up tae Thomas’s expectations, if I did enough fer the folk in Red Wing’s...An old man has a lot tae worry aboot,” Yami finished with a smile.
“I think they'll be fine,” Lock said half-heartedly.
“Even so, I did’nae want it to come to this, I wanted tae stroll back to the group with a smirk on my face,” The images of Zack, Maya, Thomas, Jane, and the rest of Red Wings flashed in his head.
“Think about it this way, you got to go out in a fun way, you always said being the best was a bit boring,” Lock added.
“Aye, it was, showing my techniques aff to the next strongest man was a gid time,” Yami finished with a smile as he leaned back in his chair.
“Do you think it would have gone any different if your friends jumped in?” Yami gave it some thought but eventually threw his gaze up to the shoddy roof and gave up.
“Ah, who knows,” Lock gave a smirk to his answer.
Yami's mother walks into the main room from the side, her hair tied up neatly and her clothes looking the same as Yami saw them when she was still alive.
“You should be prood of what you've accomplished sweetie, no many men can attest to what you can,”
“True,” Yami agreed smugly.
“Although, it would have been nice if you visited us a wee mare often,” she adds teasingly. Yami rolls his eyes at repeated requests from his mother, but decides to give a heartfelt answer.
“I did try, it just got harder tae dae so after you passed away, felt like I was just visiting you just tae feel miserable,”
“I know, you did your best honey, and I am so proud of you,” Yami closed his eyes and smiled at his mother’s approval.
“Wit about you, did you accomplish all you wanted?” Yami asked as he turned the question to Lock.
“I can’t say, honestly Yami, I envy you over this. Regardless of the fact you sat lonely atop the food chain, you had a goal to work towards, you had other people to rely on you. I…well…just fought for myself.” Lock said, feeling slightly empty.
“Did you have fun living that life?” Asked Yami,
“I did. That freedom to do what I liked was worth it,” Yami nodded and smiled at his answer.
Yami sighed and stood up from his chair
“It’s almost time for me tae go nue,” said Yami.
“Hey, what aboot me,” shouted Zena as she came running up to Yami from across the room. “You did’nae forget aboot me did you?” she said, cross with him in her posture and expression.
“Nah, I was just hoping I would’nae have to face my mistake again,” admitted Yami.
“I would’nae say you made a mistake,” said Zena.
“What do you mean?” Asked Yami.
“Well, would you have gone and founded Red Wing’s if my death had’nae spurred you on, or would you have gone and lived the same life you did befare?” she proposed to Yami.
“Who knows, but it's your life that was sacrificed for that,” changing the topic.
“I know, if you had asked me if I would die for Elden and its people at the time we first met, I definitely would have said no to going after my ane education,” Zena closed her eyes and broke a gentle smile. “But seeing hoo bad things had gotten in the country, and how you have grown to become such a great leader, only someone truly despicable would continue living to decline this oot’come.” Yami was taken aback by her forgiveness for his failure to protect her, a genuine smile crossing his face as a result as he made for the door out of his mother’s home. He looked back at his mother, Lock, and Zena all looking back at him.
“I really hope this is just in my head, but if not, thanks you lot,” he said with a genuine warm smile as he left and opened the door to leave his mother’s home.
Yami lies gruesomely on what was left of Volken, now reduced to a stone island of rubble. His head, completely severed from his body, as blood spurts and pours from his neck inconsistently. In front of his still corpse stands a tall animated skeleton, with organs pumping away within its ribcage, and wide yellow eyes gazing upon the sky of Vholeria.
“A blast like that should have killed me, both Nevan’s crystal and Hakki can only defend me so much and can’t encompass my whole body. I knew pouring all my Demonic Energy into them and relying on them to defend me would be a poor choice for such a large explosion like that, not to mention one not composed of Demonic Energy, but natural causes. So I took a risk, a large one at that…”
From the unsteady towers stood the remaining members of Red Wings as they took in the horror of the scene. Maya comforts Jane as she falls and sobs to her knees, While Zack gazes out distressed, deeply affected by the situation, and Thomas clutches onto the battlement’s walls as he grits his teeth in frustration and disbelief.
“I focused all my effort into survival, making sure not to dismiss Hakki so additional healing, if small amounts, could be provided to me during the blast, at the cost of sacrificing Hakki. Additionally, I dismissed Nevan and took all Demonic Energy I could control and used it to reinforce my body, namely the bones which protected my vital organs, and my skull to protect my brain,”
“Then, while Hakki faded into shreds of Demonic Energy, destroyed forever, and I was nowhere to be seen. I took that opportunity to deliver my blade to your neck when you least expected it. When you assumed I were dead, and your damaged body and lack of Demonic Energy a non-issue,” explained the King, as blood dripped from the drawn blade of Nevan and fizzled out on the warm rubble.
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“I had no idea you had something like that planned, Yami, and I had no idea if I would survive or not, but the winner has been decided…hasn’t it?” Orphzus said as he shifted his bare skull down upon Yami’s corpse.
“That doesn't mean you didn’t impress though, out of all the combatants I’ve faced in my life, you were by far the strongest. For that, I must commend you. I will never forget you for as long as I live, Yami, rest in peace, be proud of how strong you were.” the king complimented.
“YAMI!” The scream of Zack was heard all the way from the edge of the remaining bridge, as the younger man leapt down towards the island of debri. Adrenaline and emotions coursed through his body as he ran across the uneven terrain of the island, with the skeleton of Orphzus being his focal point. Blue specs of mana rose from his arm and down to his palm before they quickly changed to the colour of purple. Sparks ran through his hand and as they did, Zack drew his steel blade from his back while running across the stone. The sparks in his hand ignited the blade with thunder coursing through its edge, as tears ran down from the armored man’s eye.
With his blade full of excited thunder, Zack lunged towards the still skeleton with his point towards the King’s heart. The blade ran right through the front of Orphzus's chest, with Zack lowering his body and leaning into the thrust to make sure the blade impaled him all the way to the hilt.
You bastard, I’ll crush your fucking heart to a pulp! The emotional man roared from the bottom of his diaphragm as he pushed the blade further and further through the ribcage. And then I’ll…I’ll The vision of Yami’s face peered into his mind, causing the man to sob further as he pushed the blade through as far as he could, not realizing his output of thunderous mana had ceased.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Zack heard in a cold and unsettling tone. He raised his head to find the King peering down upon him with his wide exposed eyes, his skull peering down upon Zack like death itself. Despite having no muscle on him, the king shoved Zack from him with one hand, with only his bones and Demonic Energy acting as his strength now.
“I get it, I killed your friend, you must be distraught,” said the king as he pulled the sword slowly from his ribcage, the blade creaking against the bones of his hands, revealing the blade had missed the vital organs and only pierced through bone, yet not dealing any significant damage.
“However, dying merely to a runt like you by assisting my true opponent, as I’m on my last breath, is one of the last ways I would die!” Zack quickly opened his palm and steeled his black gauntlet to channel mana, but was met with the butt of his own sword dealt against him by Orphzus against the shard of metal resting against his face. The uncanny figure’s blow staggered Zack back.
“As king, I decide when and how I die. And for nearly taking that away from me in a cowardly act, I shall tear you asunder boy!” As Zack recovered from the king’s previous blow, Orphzus used his blade to attack once again, twisting and pirouetting to build momentum for his slash and using his skeletal form to drive the blade from the earth to air with perfect form. The upward slash ran through the metal of Zack’s mask, expertly finding its way through the weaker parts of the metal. The mask shattered into pieces, with Zack yelling in pain as his once-hidden eye brought the sensations of the elements for the first time in eight years, as his head raised to the sky. The main chunk of the mask skidded and fell between the chunks of stone. The king’s skeletal figure returned gracefully back to a defensive stance, his expertly honed instincts taking over and directing his in sword combat, even with only his bones remaining.
“ZACK!” The voice of Maya was heard from the large stone island closer to the bridge, her voice a shriek of concern and worry as Zack continued to stare at the sky in pain, overwhelmed by the sensations that were brought to him. His once hidden flesh was scarred red and hardened, additionally, his eye was long gone, burned and seared away by the hot metal, now only resembling a horror that would make children cry. It was a stark contrast to the eye he had been using for the past 8 years which still retained its youth and vigor. Maya ran to Zack’s side, holding the midsection of her long dress up to prevent it from being caught against the uneven terrain.
“Say something! Are you ok?!” she pleaded for an answer as she looked at his newly exposed face.
Orphzus remained standing tall with Zack’s sword still within his bony hands. He looked the pair up and down, determining whether or not to engage. That woman, she’s that princess. I see, that explains that blade the boy wields. That potent ice magic stems from her, he is merely the catalyst. With my condition, it would be foolish to engage them. inexperienced as they are, a broken clock is right twice a day, even that boy’s lighting could have killed me if it struck property, never mind that woman’s magic.
“Your Highness!” a reverberated voice from his side interrupted his thoughts. The skeleton shifted his gaze to find Fergus - battle-ready in his royal black armor - standing by his side with his imposing black helmet equipped.
“Your condition is far too dire! You must retreat!” The king didn’t seem as concerned, perhaps from the lack of muscle to show a facial expression.
“It seems that way,” The king said dismissively as he flipped his sword swiftly in his thin hands.
“You didn’t get caught in that explosion I presume?” He asked his guard.
“Almost, but I too anticipated what Yami had planned, I had enough time to escape to a safe distance,”
“It was a marvelous effort, wouldn’t you say?” admitted the king as glared down at Yami’s corpse.
“Your Highness, I urge you to retreat through the tunnels, now!” A good strike will be my end, the last of my Demonic Energy is all that’s holding me together. He’s right, I’m at my limit, I can admit that.
“Very well, let us retrea-” Once again, the king was cut off, this time by the loud crackle of approaching ice as it formed across the ground from the princess, approaching the pair rapidly.
“Your Highness!” yelled Fergus as he stepped between the mass of ice and Orphzus. The ice quickly took over his arm and a thick layer of ice crawled up his armor, stopping at his pauldron. In front of him stood the princess, enraged with tears running down her face, and the armored man who was struggling to his feet, with blood strewn across his face.
Fergus’s frozen arm began to weigh him down, but before it brought him to his knees, the man’s arm ignited in a burst of red-hot flames, melting the ice swiftly and lining his armor in a layer of slick water. He peered at the emotional woman through the slits in his helmet, darting his head back to make sure the king was at a safe distance, instead, he stood back from the battle but remained watching, he returned his focus back to the pair.
“Cease this foolishness, princess! An attack on the king will be met with death. I do not wish that upon you your Highness,” he requested carefully.
“Silence! The king shall face consequences for what he has done! If you stand in my way, I shall spare you no mercy!” she screamed as she continued to protect Zack, ice cracking off her dress and skin erratically in an uncontrolled fashion. Fergus sighed and took a battle-ready stance against the woman.
“Very well, if you insist. My king’s protection is of utmost importance, however, you are still a lady and a princess at that,” He said, snapping the tsuba of his blade out from its scabbard with one hand. “If you wish to continue this foolishness, I shall show you the mercy of a swift death,” he announced before fully pulling his blade from its scabbard, raising the blade above his head, and imbuing the sleek katana with a torrent of fire. His exceptional use of mana was apparent through his quick change of regular mana to fire mana, and the speed of which it coursed through his arm and into his blade fully, all within a second. The fire dancing around his blade raged loudly until Fergus struck down the blade to the ground, sending a wall of fire towards the princess. Maya threw up her hands and her unintentional skill with mana was displayed by frost and chunks of ice raging from her hands and feet. The fire and ice raged in a tug of war against one another, lighting up the large island of debri with contrasting colors, the temperatures changing rapidly through each user’s overly potent mana. It quickly became a war zone of loud bursts of fire and ice smashing against the stone.
Zack watched the battle ensue, doing his best to get to his feet to aid Maya, but he found he was unable to. The overwhelming sensation of his mask being removed, Yami dying in front of him, losing his chance at killing the king. All these events were too much for his head and heart to take. Not to mention, now that Yami was gone, it was all up to him now.
Get up, Zack! Don’t lose her as well! GET UP! He told himself as he placed his bloody palm on the ground to help himself up, only to be pushed to the ground by an outside force. Zack rolled against the ground before coming to a stop.
“Don’t think I forgot about you boy,” spoke the familiar hollow voice of the remaining skeleton of the king. Zack raised his head after being staggered to see the horrifying tall skeleton, painted in front of the backdrop of fire and ice whistling behind him.
“I haven’t forgotten about your cowardly assist,” he said, flipping the sword in his hand and preparing to drive the blade into Zack’s exposed face. The king’s attention, however, was stolen by something else. He quickly changes his stance and evades a maze of magenta slashes that appear where he once imposed upon Zack, quickly back stepping away to gain distance as they slash against reality in an instant, violent matter.
“You Atlus assassins are even uglier than I thought,” said a cold, snarky voice from behind Zack.
He took down his black hood that covered his face, revealing his shoulder-length white hair and yellow eyes, wielding the black glass blade in his hand.
“Good thing I caught you, I forgot to get my last paycheck before I left,” Despite not having any muscle to form facial expressions, Orphzus' teeth clenched into a form that resembled a maniacal smile.
“Gideon,” He uttered with disdain.