Selena opened the tome and blood spilled out from her emerald eyes. The tome was no ordinary tome indeed, for it was made of flesh and bones unlike any other. With parchments resembling the skin that was peeled from the veneer of the unholy celestial beings, it was a living breathing construct, far removed from the confines of the mundane world.

She turned over a page, which was ingrained with symbols and depictions that were well beyond the comprehension of mere men and women. The page crumpled upon itself and countless eyes took shape in the gaps. They peered up at Selena in contempt and filled her mind with maddening insights that she was all too familiar with. She did not scream, nor cry in anguish. The expected result did not arrive as the sinister eyes had intended. They peered into her once again, no longer laden in disdain but with newfound acknowledgement.

Blood trickled down her nose and her mouth. She raised an arm and pointed at the Manticore, which ebbed at the essence of her loved one. Then she issued a decree in a tongue resonating with the entities from beyond. The words were not something the mortal beings could perceive, but the fabrics beyond creation did heed upon her call.

Portals split open all around. Fleshy tentacles emerged from within and seized the limbs of the Manticore, ensnaring it in their inescapable hold. The Manticore assembled strength in its own limbs and enacted a tug of war against its jailers. But the tentacles were relentless, the more it tried to break free, the more they entrenched their authority and tightened their hold upon their plunder. Seeing its strength slowly slipping away, the eye of the Manticore bled gold once again and divine lightning drilled out of its skin. They hammered against these beings from the void, but the consequence was the same regardless, the tentacles were impassive and filled with scorn towards the bolts carried from the heavens.

Seeing its eventual fate transpiring before its very eyes, the Manticore did not show signs of despair for even a moment, for its facade was overwhelmed with greed, that could place even the most covetous thieves to shame.

“My kind daughter! I am proud of you! You finally achieved what our Empire failed to accomplish for centuries! Hahaha! You actually took possession of the knowledge that binds the will of the Outer Ones! Yes, I was right all along! I knew you were up to the task! And now all shall know the prowess of our Great Divine Lightning Empire! Selena, I as the Emperor and as your Father, order you to come back to--”

A deep roar escaped from the sunken pit underneath. Vincent stood up from the gorge. A gaping hole was frayed across his chest, barely held back by the splintered bones from spilling out the organs to the dirt. But that proved little to impede his bloodlust. His bloodlust to tear everyone and everything with his instruments of flesh.

“Well well, did I make you angry by any chance? Haha!” the Manticore laughed.

Vincent opened his fingers, sharpened claws grew out and replaced his nails. He pulled out his arachnid limbs that were pierced into his shoulders and threw them away. Then, lunging at the detained Manticore suspended in the air, he pierced his arms into its abdomen. Its belly was torn asunder and its intestines leaked out just as he pulled back his arms and gorged upon its flesh. He drank upon its blood, feasted upon its bones, its stomach, its lungs and everything that stored the dominion of blood in between. He devoured and devoured. He devoured them all until a sheet of flesh regrew over his chest, sealing off his fractured ribs. His splintered bones realigned themselves, to encase and protect the black sphere that he housed within. New muscles regrew underneath, further reinforcing his battered frame. And thus, he was being healed as he dined with the beastly flesh, albeit barely, but enough to contend against a life and death battle for one last time.

A little girl ran out of the cave and ran towards him. She tumbled and landed headfirst onto the ground when her leg fell into an unexpected furrow in her haste. But she quickly stood up and made a dash towards him again without a care in the world. When she arrived next to him, she stood on her toes and jumped up and down. No words were spoken as there was no need, for he knew the intentions of his little daughter. He tore off a leg from the half-eaten Manticore and gave it to her. Celeste took the piece with a cheer and sat down next to him. Tiny claws grew out from her fingers, as she followed her father’s actions and ripped the leg into shreds. She picked up a handful of flesh from the ground and gorged at it in delight.

“Hold there, why are you giving my granddaughter raw flesh to eat? Where is the civility in all this, hahaha!” the Manticore said.

“You still can talk?” Vincent asked.

“Why can’t I not--”

Rip! Vincent placed his hand under its neck and tore its head off.

“Not anymore,” Vincent smirked and smashed its head into the ground.

The tentacles that bounded the manticore’s lifeless carcass retreated back into its domain and the portals shattered out of existence. A faint golden wisp flew out from the manticore’s lifeless body and took the shape of a humanoid figure. It turned its gaze towards the band of Golden Legion that stood further back in the valley and commanded, “Capture the princess at any cost, and hold them off until I arrive.”

The golden figure crumbled with the winds after he issued the decree. The legionnaires gave out battle cries and charged at them with swords and shields raised high up in the air. Vincent shook his hands, splattering off his palms from the blood and stood at the forefront, ready to engage in the last decisive fight under this destined gully. He looked over his shoulder and saw Selena lying senseless on the ground. He was not alarmed, for he knew the burden that befalls upon the mind when one dares to employ the artefacts of his kin.

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Just then two figures appeared from the cave. One ran towards the fainted Selena and the other walked and stood next to him.

“Nathaniel? Oh? I thought your only concerns were about the safety of Selena. So why are you here and not over there?” Vincent asked.

“Not… after everything I saw and heard,” Nathaniel replied.

“Hmm, I did warn you of this before, that you would be disappointed in the end chasing after her.”

“You knew of this?!”

“What? Of course not, I just had a feeling, that’s it, haha! So, what do you intend to do now?”

“I don’t know but we should first worry about getting past this ordeal,” Nathaniel looked at the incoming legion and unsheathed his sword.

“I don’t need your help,” Vincent said.

“I know, but I cannot stand idle any longer,” Nathaniel said.

“Well, suit yourself, just don’t get in my way.”

“I will try.”

Celeste finished eating her fill and stood up. She scratched her head and looked back and forth between the charging enemies and her father who was standing tall at the forefront. Eyes brimming with newfound curiosity, she climbed the back of her father, past his arachnid limbs and hung from behind his neck.

“Hmm? You want to fight alongside us?” Vincent asked.

“This will get dangerous, she is just a child, she will only get in our way and hurt herself,” Nathaniel warned.

“As you are well aware by now, she is not just any child,” Vincent laughed.

“No need to remind me, I almost had to eat rats,” Nathaniel said and sighed.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Hmm, well then, it’s about time we greet them,” Vincent said and charged forward.

A steadfast shield wall was enacted in front of him by the legionnaires. Vincent kicked off the ground and rammed into the blockade with his own weight. The shields held on, only moving a few paces backwards, such were the mastery of the runic instruments, bending aether to their own will to confront their foes. Two swords arrived from his flank and targeted his unguarded waist. His arachnid limbs blossomed and spread across, deflecting the strikes from ever reaching their mark.

Vincent raised his leg, aether converged towards his foot before he stomped down on the crumbling terrene. A sizeable hollow formed down below and the legionnaires lost their bearing in the act. He took their lapse in control to his favour by grappling onto a shield and hurling it into the air. The shield sailed across, along with its owner who was still clutching onto its handle. Winding up his arachnid limbs to serve as wings, he took to the skies and threw a punch at the enemy.

The blow connected but the armour remained unbroken, and as such, he threw another punch, blow after blow he went on until the runes lining the golden plates flickered and dimmed away. The core of the armour became overloaded from his assault, paving the way for him to exploit the weaknesses that plagued all armours ever known to men.

His arachnid limps skewered the legionnaire. Blood splattered out from the areas that joined the elbows, knees and the neck as the runes no longer protected the gaps. And thus, this marked the start of the first golden legionnaire to ever succumb under his hands. He then grabbed into the unbound shield tumbling in the winds and plunged down.

Bracing the shield with his body he landed atop the head of an unfortunate enemy, who was still in shock from witnessing the horror that ended his comrade just moments away. The blow connected the enemy’s crown and his neck cracked from the impact. The helmet remained intact, but the soldier met his end for he failed to focus his runic instruments in the face of utter dismay. And once again, this marked the end of the second legionnaire he dispatched back to back.

The entire Legion roared in fury and raised their swords in unison. They issued a chant and rivers of gold flowed out from their swords and gathered atop. A colossal golden greatsword manifested itself and fell towards Vincent. His arachnid limbs moved forward to intercept and ensnared the sword in their grasp. The sword rumbled and golden lightning coiled around the blade, they latched into the crystalline limbs and shattered them into pieces. And then, the sword resumed its journey to enact its judgement on its sinner.

Just before it could reach Vincent, a silver sword, donning the image of a hawk materialised beside him and struck against the sword of gold. The hawk wrapped its wings around the golden blade and echoed the tunes of its kind. The hawk combusted and so did the golden sword, turning into specks of gold and silver, showering the battleground with their remnant grace.

Nathaniel appeared beside him and blocked off another sword strike aiming at Vincent, “See? Everyone needs help once in a while, even you.”

“I doubt it,” Vincent said and engaged another enemy by bashing his shield.

“Nothing wrong in taking help,” Nathaniel said and threw a kick towards an enemy who tried to attack their flanks.

“You want a thank you? Is it? Well then, you won't get any," Vincent laughed.

“That’s not what I… never mind,” Nathaniel gave a dry laugh and deflected a sword thrust.

The short exchange went on as they took the brunt of the entire assault from the Legion. Celeste, who was still hanging from behind her father’s neck, looked on with wide eyes at the slaughter that took place before her. No trace of fear engulfed her face as she saw the carnage, that spewed out corpses at every moment. She clenched her fists in excitement and mirrored her father as little arachnid limbs wriggled out from her back. Her enthusiasm soon turned to annoyance when she realised her little arachnid limbs were too short to even reach the enemies close to her. And alas, all she could do now was to puff up her cheeks and move her arachnid limbs in an unbridled manner. Some hit the air, some hit Nathaniel while some had hit against her own father instead.

Vincent turned his head and gave a sharp look at his rebellious little daughter. Celeste stopped her tantrums and presented him with a timid smile in return. And thus, all her annoyance was washed away in a single beat. Then, giving a nod of approval, Vincent patted her head and resumed his slaughter upon the Legion. The battle raged on. Vincent took to the skies when the legionnaires tried to overwhelm him from all sides and slammed against them. Nathaniel enacted the grace of the hawks and slipped past his adversaries, landing killing blows after blows just at the right moment. Time passed on and on, broken bones, broken limbs, broken skulls and even broken pieces of runic armours littered the crimson soil until a horn was blown upon the valley. It was the sound of retreat. The Golden Legion, the elites of the Divine Empire were finally repelled.