In all her time fighting Scythe had never met someone this skilled in single target eliminations. It was clear that they had extensive knowledge of that field, and their way of fighting only supported it. It was strangely very similar to her fight with Vuthe, although even she could make out the difference between the two.

What they backed up with expertise, however, they lacked in imagination, as became very evident in her opponents lacklustre response to her fighting style. Sure, it couldn’t be said they had no imagination at all, but it was obvious to her that they had been drilled to fight in one specific style, probably to kill anyone immediately and without much extensive conflicts. In that way they were very similar in Scythe’s approach. Quick and dirty tricks to end a fight as quickly as possible.

That was even more reason why she enjoyed the extensive exchange she had. While obviously not her strong suit either, she had a much easier time to put her opponent off balance with ever new tricks and seemingly random moves.

In general Scythe had made it a habit to never repeat the same move twice if she could help it. That was a quick and easy way to fall into a rhythm that others would be able to exploit.

So it was very satisfying when she whipped out an old nuclear storage rod and smacked her opponent over the head with it out of the blue. The thing had long since lost most of the more dangerous radiation, but she still only used it for a couple of seconds if at all.

With a manic grin she jumped after the assassin, noting in passing Vuthe taking a brief respite because of her help. It seemed like her sister desperately needed it, if all the blood was anything to go by.

Laughing manically she summoned up the next random item from her storage, this time an old street sign that she handled like a battlestaff, the edges of the sign itself still covered in dried blood from the last poor fuck that had been hit by it.

Her opponent, obviously no dummy, realised that whatever she was doing wasn’t helpful to the current situation and tried to manoeuvre Scythe towards their last remaining friend, who was currently taking cover from Archangel’s continued suppressive fire. How she still had rounds in her magazine Scythe didn’t know, nor did she care too much right at that moment.

Deciding to indulge her opponent a little she let her, hoping to give her a small bit of hope to abuse. Of course, Scythe was by no means even remotely as skilled as Vuthe was at shadow magic, but she did think that Vuthe had a point about using her powers more efficiently. Her twin had told her that because of her heritage she should be able to control fear, at least to some extent, and while she hadn’t tried it before this was as good a time as any. It would certainly help to throw them off even more, which was very much to her liking.

As expected, the moment they were able to cover for each other and Archangel, despite her ridiculously good aim, had to be more frugal with her shots because of Scythe, the fight got significantly harder.

In that moment she got an appreciation for what Vuthe must have experienced in her mad dash towards their position.

Despite her best attempts to be as random as possible, at one point even biting at the blade of her opponent, this proved too much for her to handle without any repercussions. So far she was able to avoid getting any significant wounds, but now she had overstepped her limits. At least to a degree.

Snarling at the sudden pain in her arm she retaliated by punching the wounded arm up in the direction she felt the attack come from. It wasn’t really meant as an attack, more as a surprise which did the trick for a moment.

Deciding that she didn’t want to be in this situation any longer, she summoned up a grenade and set it off while still in her hand. The wound bit like hell and she would regret it in the morning, but right now she needed to put some distance between her and her assailants.

Obviously the moment the explosive went off, they stepped back quickly, although neither was able to fully avoid it. Despite that, however, Scythe was still the one most hurt by the attack, which she had kind of expected.

In this short pause a shadow rushed towards her, friendly intentions and a warning wafting off of it. By the feel it was of Vuthe’s creation.

While she wasn’t fully certain what that meant, she decided to take her twins word for it, she had proven to be quite strong after all, and she quickly backed off.

Finally realising their opponents did the same, she looked around for Vuthe, but couldn’t find her.

However that didn’t remain true for long, as suddenly the entire place filled with a darkness so thick even she had trouble seeing through it. And it felt… very fucking angry.

A shiver ran down her spine as she noticed the same oppressive feeling Vuthe’s magic had during their bout, and she braced for impact.

She might as well not have bothered, as the next thing she felt was so unnatural that it knocked the breath right out of her.

Out of the shadows emerged Vuthe in her true form. But what was more disturbing and downright frightening was the sense she felt from her.

It was something otherworldly, lacking any kind of description. If someone had told her god came down from the heavens to smite the nonbelievers she wouldn’t have doubted them even for a second. Divine was the only word that was even remotely fitting to the sudden suppressive aura smothering them all.

Strangely, however, the feel of oppression and rage ebbed a moment after, leaving only a faint aftertaste of… regret? Pity? No, it was closer to sympathy.

Not entirely sure what to make of this, Scythe braced for the finale of this fight, when suddenly Vuthe’s words rang through the sudden silence.

Children of the Scythe, your prayers have been answered. Let me take away your pain as a last sign of my respect for our past. You have suffered for long enough.

She didn’t have the time to parse the meaning, as Vuthe took a deep breath and unleashed a breath attack so powerful she could feel it from her position behind her twin. It felt… unhinged, disgusting and utterly devoid of empathy. Despite not being the target of this attack herself, she could practically feel it tugging at her life, as if desperate to suck it out of her body.

In this moment it dawned on her that Vuthe had gone easy on her in their bout. Well, maybe not easy, but she had not used the most dangerous tools at her disposal.

When the breath had finally subsided all that was left in its reach was barren and cold. Every last bit of flora that had survived Cluster’s fuck off fortress had wilted and was gone, and so had the three assassins. Where they had stood lay three… bodies? No, they weren’t really bodies. They looked like macabre mannequins, artificial things with runes scratched into every last corner of their surface.

May you now rest in peace, as you deserve. Good bye, Amber, Crimson, Red. May we never meet again.

Scythe looked up at her twin, only now noticing the blood still running down her body, and a moment later, Vuthe collapsed, breathing heavily.

“Oi, oi, sis, you okay? What the fuck was that?”, Scythe asked as she slowly got closer, still not entirely sure what to make of this entire situation. If she could have ended the fight this quickly, why hadn’t she done so earlier? This made no fucking sense.

Scythe… this isn’t over yet… I can feel Apocalyptica approaching… The rest is in your hands…

Looking around she couldn’t see, hear, or feel anything, but she didn’t doubt her sister's words. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, her twin was leagues above herself in terms of the arcane, so she would take her warning at face value.

“Aight… But this conversation ain’t over. You own me some fucking answers, like why the fuck you didn’t do… whatever the fuck you did earlier.”

Yes… Yes, I do… I shall explain it to you all later…

And with that she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She was still conscious, but from the wounds slowly, really slowly closing, she was focused more on fixing herself up.

Scythe just hoped that she would be able to get out of the way once the fight with Apocalyptica starts.

“Boss! What the shit is happening out there?!”, came Cluster’s frantic voice over the intercom.

Taking a deep breath Scythe answered, “Well… Truth be told I don’t fucking know. Vuthe did… something… Where’s the asset?”

“Safe in New Thelvadore. Tizanta sends word, she wants a sitrep ASAP, says she has a plan but that plan will likely lock you and your twin or whatever up for a while.”

“We dealt with the assassins, but apparently the big bad fuck is on his way. Vuthe is out for the count, alive but not good. What the shit does Tiz have planned?”, Scythe asked, not liking the implication.

“Oh fuck… Okay, so from what I understood she wants to put the city into a pocket dimension so you can fight without worrying about the humans too much. Or at least the media or some shit, I don’t know.”

She was just about to answer when an ominous feeling washed over her and she turned around. From out of the darkness, walking through Cluster’s fortress as if it didn’t exist, came a figure with slow, deliberate steps.

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“Ah, O mighty Goddess, such a pleasure to see you in your element once more”, came a voice that was dripping with sarcasm.

Apocalyptica…

Vuthe’s eyes snapped open and fixated the figure, which upon closer inspection looked like a weirdly handsome man to Scythe’s eyes. Definitely not human, though.

“Did you like my little surprise? It took me a long while to fetch them, you could have at least had the good graces to entertain me a little longer”, Apocalyptica said with a smirk.

You will pay for your sins.

Apocalyptica laughed heartily, “I don’t think you are in a position for that. I mean look-”

He was cut off by Scythe. She had never been one to enable some evil genius monologue, that shit never ended well, so the moment she judged that he was distracted she struck.

Her hammer strike knocked him straight off his feet and sent him all the way crashing into the wall next to the point where he had just walked through.

“Shut your fucking mouth, you insane bastard”, Scythe growled and ran after him. She would not give him even a moment of time if she could avoid it.

Apocalyptica, for his part, was ready for her follow up strike, blocking it with… something, she wasn’t quite sure nor did she care that much. It looked like nothing, she couldn’t feel any magic coming from him, but she couldn’t get past it.

“A weak little Wyrmling wants to play, how adorable”, Apocalyptica said with a smirk, ignoring her next strike.

Truth be told his entire demeanour pissed Scythe the fuck off, but she forced herself to remain calm. She couldn’t underestimate this guy.

No matter what she tried, though, nothing made any difference. He easily shrugged off most of her attacks, not even bothering to attack himself. After a couple of minutes he looked downright bored.

“I tire of this game. I have come here to end the reign of the oh so mighty Goddess of the Shadow Armory, not to play with children.”

And with that Scythe suddenly found herself on the other side of the plaza, groaning as she pulled herself out of the rubble of what once had been a house.

She could only watch from a distance as Apocalyptica turned to Vuthe with something in his hand. Again she couldn’t make out what it was.

Vuthe, for her part, didn’t take this new threat laying down, although by the way she stumbled when trying to get up, Scythe had no illusions about her ability to fend him off for long.

Then something changed. Magic like nothing she had ever sensed surrounded her, on a scale that just defied any logic. It felt similar to Vuthe’s entrance in her true form, first bordering and then quite simply jumping into the realm of the divine.

It seemed to surprise even Apocalyptica, so it couldn’t have been one of his tricks.

A deep, rumbling laugh rang through the plaza, and it took Scythe a moment to realise it came from Vuthe, who had her head held high, gazing towards the sky.

I see, you have found one, Tizanta. It appears the main show is about to begin…

And with that she jumped at Apocalyptica with a roar that shook the world in its core.

As they vanished, simply tearing through the remainder of the wall of Cluster’s fortress, Scythe got up, ready to run after them, when suddenly she was just behind Vuthe.

“Focus on the fight. I shall make sure you are where you need to be”, a feminine voice whispered into her ear, although nobody seemed to be there.

By this time Apocalyptica had turned into his true form as well. It was truly a sight to behold. Slightly bigger than Vuthe he seemed to be made out of nightmares, each scale a face screaming in torment.

Before Scythe could join them they clashed once more, a hail of claws and fangs as Vuthe bit deep into his wings, while he clawed at her throat.

Tired of just sitting on her ass like a lazy fuck, Scythe jumped towards them, transforming midair and with a metallic roar that rivalled that of Vuthe’s she finally joined the fray.

Learning her lesson from her bout against Vuthe she started to fire all she got on Apocalyptica, although staggered this time, not daring to give him even a single moment of breathing room.

As she landed on him, he had Vuthe pushed away, fully turning towards Scythe and welcoming her with a maniacal laugh. She hit home, one of her missiles flying straight into his mouth, but it didn’t seem to perturb him much, and a moment later she hissed in pain as one of his claws ripped deep into her left forearm.

Taking this moment of perceived weakness she baited him in by taking a wounded step back, portraying panic which he seemed to fall for. Jumping after her with glee, claws stretched out and maw wide open to bite into her neck, she dove under him, using her thrusters to suddenly swing her wing into his neck from below, shutting his maw with a loud crack. Dazed but not really wounded he continued his jump and added another one after to get out of her reach, although by this point all her ion thrusters had already spun up and propelled her after him, slamming into his side with all her mass.

She opened every last compartment her body had to offer, most of them hiding a myriad of weaponry. Normally the compartments were not meant for combat, but they were by necessity incredibly sturdy, so in cases like this they would function like spikes.

And a good chunk of them managed to get through his scales, leaving small but definite wounds. With a roar filled with rage he pushed her off, but she was already preparing to draw back, using this momentum to get between him and Vuthe who was still trying to get up from his earlier attack.

Her breathing came hard and raspy, and her entire body was caked in black blood. If this continued she would not be able to do much more.

Get her out of here!

She ordered the voice that had spoken earlier, praying that she would be heard. Vuthe turned to her, but before she could speak her form vanished, replaced by one much, much more massive.

A draconic body with way too many necks jumped from where Vuthe had been straight at Apocalyptica, quickly followed by a massive spell flying in from above him.

Scythe didn’t take the time to see what exactly had joined the fray, it looked like a Hydra and that was enough for her purposes. Immediately she jumped after it, aiming at Apocalyptica’s stomach just as the massive spell formation slammed into his back.

Both crashed into him at the same time, just as the Hydra restricted his wings and his left arm and leg, as well as his neck, perfectly opening up the path for Scythe.

With her full momentum, accelerated by her ion thrusters, she tore into the softer flesh around his stomach, her claws ripping in deep and eliciting a howl of pain.

A moment later all the air left her sizable lungs and the world spun.

ENOUGH!

His voice rang through the air, filled with rage.

It took Scythe a moment to find her bearings, pulling herself out of the crater her body had made when it landed. Before she could fully orient herself a pained howl of desperation rang through the air in a voice she didn’t know.

When she finally managed to get a glimpse at Apocalyptica he towered over the Hydra, ripping its heart out of its chest.

The lifeless body of the massive creature crashed into the ground and lay still, while he took the heart and bit into it.

With a growl she got up, just in time to see another spell formation forming above him. This time, however, he simply looked at it and it disintegrated.

I tire of your games, Lady Tizanta.

He growled, before turning his attention to Scythe once more.

She didn’t give him any more time to speak, spinning up her thrusters and dashing towards him. He, however, seemed prepared this time around. In the last moment he raised his body, ready to smash down on her, and because of her momentum she was unable to fully escape.

Mind rending pain rattled her mind as she felt her right wing being torn from her body the moment she got into his range. Her controlled flight turned into an uncontrolled dash as one side of her body lost all acceleration and a good part of momentum, and she once more crashed into the ground multiple times.

The world didn’t want to stop spinning and it took her ages to get herself upright, groaning while she moved. Once she was on her stomach she tried to get up, but was prevented by a sudden force on her back, crushing her into the ground.

Enough of this. Do me a favour and die!

She was barely able to parse the sentence when a sudden pain ruptured her body once more and she could feel her heart being ripped out of her ribcage.

The agony was nearly suffocating, but immediately all her backup systems began running in emergency mode, everything was redirected from her now missing heart to all the backup pumps distributed in her body. Blood flow ebbed and flowed, and for a moment she lost consciousness as oxygen had a hard time reaching her brain.

By the time her vision returned Apocalyptica was already slowly parading away from her, gaze fixed towards the sky.

You… fucking.. Ass… I’m not… done with you…

Scythe growled as she got up, ignoring the pain and ordering all subsystems to ignore any warnings.

She had been experimented on, her draconic form rebuilt so many times she had lost count, and by now she was a living testament to the technological know-how of Amnellium. As much as she detested the wretched organisation that had done this to her, at this moment she was glad for what they had done.

Scythe had rarely used her true form on Amnellium Prime, its size was much too unwieldy and presented too big a target in any fight. Truth be told her bout with Vuthe was the first time she truly had to utilise it fully.

There were aspects of her body that she had never utilised before, because of this, and one was the backup power generator buried deep in her torso, a good bit away from her heart. She had no clue how it was possible to keep it there when she transformed into her human form, although she didn’t have access to it then. “Some magic fuckery” had always been the answer in her mind.

Now, with her heart missing and the backup systems running overtime she spun it up for the first time after its installation so many millennia ago. Immediately all the sluggishness vanished as her body was filled with waves of energy, blood pumping through her metallic veins at incredible speeds, vents opening near her shoulders to let more air into her lungs, to support this new need for oxygen.

She had no clue how long she could keep this up, but by the sudden heat burning away in her body she would guess not that long.

To her satisfaction Apocalyptica turned around and looked at her in surprise and shock, clearly not having expected this turn of events.

With all systems back online and only most of them with critical overheating warnings she funnelled as much internal heat as she could into her throat, before she unleashed her own breath weapon.

Fueled by the waste heat her body now produced she scorched everything in a giant cone in front of her, at temperatures that could easily melt most metals. In fact she couldn’t keep it up for long for fear of melting her own mouth. While it was much more heat resistant than most things Earth had to offer, the intense temperatures that her body produced at this moment were simply too much for even her own body.

For some strange reason it seemed that Apocalyptica had no way to properly protect against this attack, his howls of pain were proof enough of that.

By the time she finished and the sea of flames had vanished she saw him, shielding his body with his wings that were scorched and blistering, scales simply falling off of melted flesh, with even his membranes having large holes in them.

Not so weak now, huh, asshole?!

She roared, before jumping at him once more. Her body was running on a timer, she knew, so she had to be as fast as possible in killing him. She just hoped that she would be able to manage. He was by no means weak, and without Vuthe or her friends, she doubted she would survive long against him.

Then again, if she lost now who knew what kind of havoc he would wreak. She didn’t care for the humans, she really didn’t, but she did care for her family. If he would be left loose on the world, they might die. And she would not allow it, not until she had breathed her last breath.