Cerberus HQ: 936, May 14th, Monday, 12:00 PM.
Large amounts of hissing steam emerged from under the smoldering grounds of HQ—its soil black as coal. Loki’s attack had ripped the ground open in half, splitting the region from its center to the outer wall of HQ—also breached by the knight’s frightening technique. Snow began to fall from the clear blue sky above—a rare sighting near the Deadlands—the crystal snowflakes evaporated into water as they neared the floor, turning into white vapor at contact with the dirt.
“You should’ve stayed death,” Loki muttered as his twin blades vanished into azure particles of light—proceeding to stretch his shoulders and neck. “Can’t say it was a waste of time at least,” one corner on the man’s lips curved upwards into a smirk. “That was the most fun I’ve had in decades. A fight worthy of my title.”
Confident in his victory, Loki began to stroll towards the massive breach in the walls of HQ—making his way out of the area. He stared at the distant capital of Kaldstein as he slowly approached, and while the enormous path of burning soil left by his attack did not reach the city, the result could be easily seen from a large distance away. During his casual stroll out of HQ, a faint but sudden noise from the ground reached the knight’s ears from behind—snapping him back into alertness as he quickly turned to face it.
With a powerful eruption from underneath the earth—bursting the ground open as piles of dirt and stone soared into the air, the exile suddenly emerged from underground into an instant sprint towards Loki—forcing the knight’s instincts into a backwards recoil.
“Impossible!” his eyes opened wide at the shock.
Unable to react in time, Loki gritted his teeth as the daemon’s fist sunk into his abdomen—forcing his eyes closed. With the knight’s body bent forward by the hefty magnitude of his attack, the exile reeled his right leg backwards before propelling it forward into an upwards angle—striking Loki’s chin with the bridge of his foot.
The force of the impact propelled the knight in the air into a straight vertical line, but the relentless daemon caught his foot by the ankle before he could soar any further—bringing his arm back down at full force, and slamming Loki’s back against the ground. Just as his foe hit the dirt, the exile dropped in one knee on top of the knight and pressed his fingers tightly into a fist—forcing it down against his opponent’s face.
“Grr…” Loki let out a painful grunt, but managed to move his head to the side and avoid the crushing attack of the daemon.
Having just barely missed his target, the exile’s fist shattered the ground with ease as it burst it open on impact. Spotting the opening, Loki quickly responded with a powerful punch against the joint of his opponent’s arm—snapping its bones out of place. Although emotionless in his expression, the daemon remained stunned by the shock of Loki’s attack—allowing the knight to break free from under him.
Loki planted both hands on the dirt next to his head, bringing his knees closer to the abdomen before propelling his legs upwards into a powerful kick—connecting with the exile’s chest, and hurling him a great distance away. Once free from the grasp of his foe, the knight jumped back on his feet with a similar motion of his previous attack—panting heavily in fatigue.
“You… how did you…” he breathed, wiping the blood dripping from his mouth with the back of his hand.
“Loki,” Theo’s voice suddenly echoed in the man’s ears—taking the knight by surprise. “Your aid is needed in Paradise.”
“I’m busy,” he retorted.
“You have no choice,” Theo replied however—his voice was calm, yet somewhat urgent. “King is in danger, and so is Gladea’s statue. We can’t allow Paradise to fall now.”
Loki stomped forward confidently, but his stride was suddenly stopped by the man’s words. “Stop messing with me,” he snarled. “What could possibly stand up to King in Paradise?”
“A specter…” Theo replied. “The horned demon has returned, Loki.”
In the distance—at plain sight from the knight, the daemon stumbled back on his feet for the hundredth time—unstoppable in his fierce and unyielding determination to fight. It swung its broken arm at the air—as if holding a sword with it—the rapid motion snapping his broken bones back in position.
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“Tch!” Loki clicked his tongue—contemplating his options.
“Loki.”
“I get it,” the knight snapped at Theo. He gritted his teeth as he took a relaxed position—observing the daemon sprint in his direction with unrivaled speed. “Next time,” the knight muttered.
In an incredible display of velocity, the daemon closed the distance between him and Loki in the span of a second. He pressed his fingers together into a ball, thrusting his arm towards the face of his adversary—the speed and force of the attack splitting the air around his fist. The unflinching knight simply stood firm with a displeased frown on his face however, and his body suddenly vanished into azure particles before the exile’s attack could reach him—causing the daemon to stumble forward as he swung at the empty space.
With Loki out of his way, the exile’s gaze fixed on the distant capital of Kaldstein. The snow gently fell from the sky, laid on his black hair and bruised shoulders. With nothing stopping his advance, the daemon silently trudged towards the gigantic structures in the distance.
Northern Region of the Deadlands, Near Cerberus’ Southern Border: 936, May 14th, Monday, 12:00 PM.
The crimson sky looked down on the barren region—covered with a dense red fog. The scorched earth remained fissured by its dryness, and whatever could be seen through the fog was nothing but dead trees, rocks, dust and branches.
A large horde of specters gathered around the same area into a massive circle, surrounding their opponent as they charged in large numbers. Ninigi found himself at the center of the enormous crowd of demons, his eyes remained closed and his posture relaxed—both arms resting calmly on the sides.
Two large specters outpaced the rest of the horde with their incredible speed—attacking the knight from both sides. Although bipedal, both beasts had a reptilian appearance with whip-like tails and short snouts—displaying strange crests on top of their heads and back. These creatures are known within Cerberus for their speed and slender bodies, named within the company as Basilisk.
Both specters leaped at the knight from a distance, coordinating their attack as they lunged at him simultaneously—Ninigi found enough space in between their approach however, focusing entirely on the monster attacking from his right side.
He calmly took a step forward, half extending his arm towards the creature as it approached. The demon snapped its jaw open at the knight’s invitation, eager to sink its teeth deep into his flesh. As the creature closed its mouth with a powerful bite, Ninigi swiftly maneuvered his hand around its jaws, placing his palm on the back of the creature’s head.
The knight pulled down his arm against the demon’s head while taking a quick turn to the right, bending his knees to lower his body and avoid the slashing attack of the second specter. While the sharp claws of the second basilisk sliced the air above his head, Ninigi forced the other creature’s face against the ground with a powerful slam—staggering the beast. He then countered against the standing basilisk with a sweeping kick as he continued the motion of his spin, forcing the monster’s back against the dirt.
Both enemies on the ground, Ninigi finished his assault by extending his knees back into a standing position. The creature’s lied on the floor on each side, and the knight took the chance to press two fingers together on his left hand—pointing them at the specter to his right. From the tip of his fingers, a small ray of azure light shot the sturdy exoskeleton of the demon through the back—ending its life instantly.
“…”
Despite his eyes being closed, the gladean knight’s sharp senses warned him of further danger. He tilted his upper body while crossing his left hand under his right arm, shooting a third specter approaching from behind with the tip of his fingers. The remaining basilisk lying on the floor used the opportunity to jump back on its feet, lunging at the knight as its first response.
The specter swung one of its arms against its opponent—aiming for the head. Ninigi ducked under its attack however, striking at its ribs with a rapid thrust of his fingers before striding past it. The impact of the knight’s attack drew a painful growl from the demon, its upper half bending to the side at the painful sensation on its sides.
“Time to rest,” Ninigi whispered—placing two of his fingers at mere inches away from the specter’s back.
He rapidly pressed both of them together, and the motion forced his hand slightly forward—striking the creature by using his knuckles. The sheer force of the impact shattered the monster’s exoskeleton like glass, bursting its chest open from the other side and breaking its core—putting an end to its life.
The specters assault on the sole knight was relentless, as more continued to face the champion without fear. The battle dragged on however, and the demon’s ashes began to cover the region as they continued to fall to the knight’s hands—incapable to put a single scratch on their opponent.
Eventually, the last specter dropped to the floor motionless—its glowing crimson veins shutting off as it drew its last breath. Ninigi relaxed his position once more, dropping his shoulders while he exhaled the air from his lungs—gently opening his eyes.
The region became desolated once more, with nothing but the champion standing for miles in the distance. The fog cleared slightly, and the air became lighter—as if purified by the knight’s actions.
“Uh?” A strange sensation suddenly caught the attention of Gladea’s champion. He raised an eyebrow with a curious expression, his gaze turned towards the general direction of Cerberus’ Headquarters. “This feeling…” he whispered. “I better hurry, Gal and Maulik must’ve dealt with the belfry by now.” he snapped back into his senses, breaking into a sprint towards HQ.
END OF CHAPTER