Northern Region of the Deadlands: 936, August 12th, Sunday, 5:30 PM.
The azure steel of Ninigi’s sword incrusted itself in the heart of the demon, gaining further momentum in his intense battle with the wounded god. The black armored skin on his chest erupted at contact with the glowing light of the knight’s blade, forcing a painful cry from his heavily distorted voice. Specter rapidly jumped away from the sharp light of Ninigi’s weapon, losing his balance in the landing process, and almost dropping backwards on the scorched earth—arching his back to prevent himself from falling instead.
“Urgh!” Specter covered the hole in his heart with one hand. His eyebrows twitched and lips quivered, feeling the burning pain of the champion’s attack crawl through every inch of his damaged body.
Not many weapons could touch an entity like the god of extinction, something the gladean knights tried to counter by the implementation of their divine pathway. Some knights like Loki became capable of materializing their own weapons, while others like Atalanta were able to enhance theirs with the special powers within their artery network. Ninigi in the other hand, was given a special gift from Gladea herself. A special sword crafted from by the goddess’ hands, and imbedded with her divine strength to create the unique azure steel Ninigi carried with himself.
This material was able to cut demons like a knife through butter, delivering deadly blows with a single swing of the champion. Such powerful steel had its own downsides however, as the absurd weight of its power became impossible for many to wield. Even gladean knights found themselves at a loss when testing their might against it, feeling their divine pathway and physical strength drain while training to tame its azure steel.
Only one was capable of handling its power, chosen by gladean even before the existence of the others. A reluctant warrior who found no joy in victory, and no pride in his own strength.
“Go home already,” Ninigi pressed the demon without raising his voice, yet still affirmed his anger through the forceful tone of his demands.
“I defeated you once…” growled Specter in response. “I… can… I… will…”
Either by memory loss, or as a desperate attempt to catch the knight by surprise. Specter began his frontal assault against the champion before finishing his own sentence, lifting dust off the ground with his feet as he propelled himself forward with a fast sprint. The distance between him and Ninigi was large enough for the knight to react in time however, positioning his sword in a horizontal way to block the thrusting fist of Specter.
“Oomph!”
The sheer force behind the demon’s attack flung the champion a great distance away however, as the powerful impact caused his elbows to bend and violently push him back with. Ninigi flew across the field with both legs extended forward, but managed to force them back towards the grounds and slide across the dirt before planting himself on the spot—raising a large screen of dust in his path.
From inside the blinding screen however, would emerge a furious Specter ready to strike once again with his powerful spectral arm—exhibiting a strong crimson glow from its throbbing veins. The demon reeled his arm back before propelling it forward with a downwards angle, connecting with the frontal area of the knight’s skull, and forcing him down face first against the ground.
“Agh!” Ninigi screamed in pain as his head bounced off the dry and hardened dirt—tearing open a small fissure on it with his own face.
The scorched land trembled slightly at the powerful impact of Specter’s attack, who did not seize in his assault against the champion. He grabbed the head of his opponent with his left hand, enveloping the man’s skull inside the black armored palm of his spectral half. Ninigi was lifted off the ground with ease, and accidently dropped his sword while trying to break free from Specter’s clutches.
“You are nothing without your goddess,” claimed the demon before slamming the knight back against the dirt. “I’ll make sure you don’t come back this time…”
Another powerful tremble struck the ground as the back of Ninigi’s head smacked the ground, ripping another small crater on impact. Specter pushed down with his spectral arm against the knight’s skull, applying more pressure in an attempt to crush him under his palm.
“Ngh…” Ninigi struggled to free himself from the absurd weight of the demon’s hand—desperately pressing his fingers on the arm of his foe with both hands. “She saved your life…” he growled while trying to pull away. “That hair of yours is proof of it.”
“I saved… myself…” Specter stopped half way through his sentence, continuing with his attempt in crushing the champion under his palm. “I planned it… planned it all…”
Irrational thoughts took over the demon’s throbbing head, and the intimidating crimson glow of his eye faded to reveal the humanity behind his quivering pupils. The force behind his assault began to fade slowly, leaving a wide opening that Ninigi did not hesitate in exploiting to his favor.
“…!” the knight noticed the dwindling strength of the demon, and tightened his grip on the arm of his foe—almost crushing his obsidian armored skin by pure pressure.
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Ninigi pulled both of his knees closer to his chest and enveloped Specter’s arm between them, an action that managed to snap the god out of his tranced state in an instant. Not wasting his chance to break free however, the knight threw his body sideways while keeping a tight hold of Specter’s limb with both arms and legs warped around it. The rapid motion of the champion’s response forced the god to follow, pulled in by the arm, and stumbling forward until his shattered balance caused him to crash against the ground.
Not done with his counterassault, Ninigi managed to roll back on his feet while following the motion of his movements, maintaining still a hold of the demon’s arm with both hands. He twisted the upper half of his body sideways in order to pull Specter off the dirt, successfully lifting the god a few feet from the ground, and hurling him away with a forceful throw as he released his grip from the god’s arm.
“Ha!”
“Gh!” Specter’s eye widened in shock as he flew away. His wounded and disoriented state made him unable to complete the landing, which caused him to hit the ground with his human shoulder instead. “Grah!” he screamed, feeling his fragile bones crack on impact with the scorched earth of the Deadlands.
“I might regret this…” Ninigi whispered before inhaling deeply through his nose, closing his eyes and puffing his chest up in the process. The azure steel sword returned to him with a simple motion of his fingers, rematerializing itself in his hands at the call of its owner.
A heavily wounded Specter limped back on his feet with a nauseous sensation, watching his trembling hands through a blurry and fluctuating vision. Many scattered thoughts began to run rampant through his mind, forced to listen to every voice and name at chaotic speeds that not even he could comprehend. Some screamed in agony, and others begged for their lives. Plead after plead filled his mind like rushing memories striking him at once, making a mess of his own thoughts, and accelerating the beats of his pulsating heart into loud and painful tremors.
“Who are you?” the demon roared at the voices that hammered his brain—unaware of the approaching gladean knight.
The knight thumped the ground by heavily planting his foot in front of Specter, which immediately caught the attention of the demon. He looked into the distressed crimson eye of his foe, and reeled his right arm back while winding up a powerful attack. The curved azure sword Ninigi held in hand fused together with his limb, and the veins in his arm were pushed towards the skin at the sheer pressure of his clenched fist. A familiar aura of azure enveloped the man’s body, and every artery in his body began to glow fiercely—enough to make them visible to the human eye from the outside.
In a strange phenomenon—known only by the two fighters and Gladea herself. The bright azure glow that the gladean knights became known for, which continued to surround the body of the goddess’ chosen, began to slowly lose its color in front of Specter’s eyes. Ninigi’s luminous blue was replaced with a decolorized silver, replacing the glow of his artery network, and the azure of his pupils with the colors of Gladea.
His light matched the color of Sovereign’s dirty hair, both beings blessed with a divine gift from the past. Ninigi bent his knees to get a clearer angle on Specter’s torso, and forced the god to flinch in distress as he helplessly looked into the silver glow of the champion’s eyes. He was fixed on the target while revealing no emotion behind his gaze, pressing his fingers even tighter before throwing his arm up with a mighty uppercut.
A whooshing gust formed around the trajectory of the knight’s fist, bursting the crimson fog away, and tearing the ground open underneath his and the demon’s feet. It was as if every single demon in the Deadlands felt the champion’s strike within itself. A divine strike that traveled from the god himself to every member of his army like an invisible wave, and felt by all who still roamed the hellish zone.
“…!” Specter’s eyes shot open at the champion’s fist colliding with his chest. His teeth were forcefully clenched together, but not even his shut mouth was capable of stopping the flow of saliva spilling down into his chin and neck.
The demon’s feet were lifted off the ground by the absurd strength behind Ninigi’s punch, and the sturdy black armor of his spectral half simply shattered like glass against a hammer. A snapping sound echoed across the battlefield, and the knight’s deadly attack caused the god’s chest to violently burst open as every fragment of his obsidian armored body flew out through his back.
Center of the Deadlands, Ruined Castle: 936, November 12th, Monday, 5:00 AM.
Sovereign’s eye snapped open with a deep gasp, finding himself sitting in the black throne of the ruined castle. He rested his forehead in one hand before sighing with relief, proceeding to leave his sit to take a quick walk around the place. The gloomy and silent atmosphere only brough displeasure to his mind, empty of thoughts despite the strange voices echoing through the desolated black halls of the castle. For one reason or another, he began to casually walk towards the exit of the broken structure—unable to shake the hollow state he found himself in.
Outside of the enormous black castle rested the Deadlands itself, with nothing to show other than scorched earth, red fog, and the crimson sky above. Sovereign stepped out of his new home through the massive entrance, a wide-open gap that perfectly complimented the rest of the demolished structure.
He emerged into the Deadlands from within its bleak unwelcoming shadows, and feasted his eyes on the vast field of blooming flowers waiting to meet him outside. They all swayed peacefully with the warm winds of spring, and their white petals were showered under the gentle rays of the sun. Sovereign closed his eye at the sweet aroma that wafted through the air, a soothing scent that happily invited him to rest among the white bed he’s created.
A bright glow painted his face in crimson once again however, as he slowly opened back his eye. He gently ran one finger through the large scar on his face, which took his second eye long before being born. No memories on how it came to be ever returned to him, but the face of a silver-haired woman carefully running down her fingers through it still remained.
She kneeled in front of him with a smile and furrowed brows—the quivering in her eyes reflected the joy behind it. Her face was illuminated by the same light that now showered his flowers, despite kneeling in an empty field of grass, expanding vastly through what seemed to be an endless empty world.
“I can’t wait for him to see you,” she told him, proceeding to gently stroke his short black hair. “I haven’t told him about you, but I know exactly what reaction he will have.” She continued with a smile of overwhelming happiness. “Hm? He will say, and then he’ll just tilt his head to the side.” The woman giggled, and rested both hands on her knees. “Sorry, I just can’t wait to be with you both.”
END OF CHAPTER