Tides Of Protomis CXLVI
The Evolved Reaver
As the head of the holy order shouted outward, light flared from the circle below, just as Maleggan re-entered its borders, an attempted leap toward the remaining living fighters. And the effects of such a technique became clear at that moment, his charge, it was slower, the flow of his energy within him, it almost seemed to be damned. What was formerly a raging Tsunami, had become but a river’s rapids. The emperor knew well that the attempts to seal his power away earlier, did not come anywhere close to this. But even so, he did not allow this to fluster him. In front of him, the three youths glanced at each other, nodding as they shot forward, war cries emanating from them.
“So, that one had something up his sleeve… But regardless, my strength still outstrips theirs, this will be simple.”
The emperor attempted to slip into a shadow nearby, but, As arctaius’ eyes shot over, he let out another technique.
“Solis: Radiantia Luminis!” The blinding light that was produced wiped the shadow away within seconds, cutting off his escape route… So they had something that could be used against this form? Then fine. The emperor shifted back to his normal state, as he landed on the ground below.
“Allow me to tell you my nature, and why you can not win. I was once in the class of being known as Hvpyrm.. I am the only being of my kind, who died, and rebirthed so many times, that an evolved creature was created…” Maleggan explained. Arctaius landed in front of him, re-taking his stance.
“What relevance does that have?” Arctaius questioned. The trademark smirk returned to Maleggan’s face, as once more, red light swirled around his body, and his shape began to change. The limbs on his body elongating, and coalescing together, all becoming one mass with his torso, which began to expand. The shape of his head became more triangular, and, in the same vein, did his horns grow. By the time he was complete, what stared down them all, was a serpentine creature. Maleggan;’s mouth had begun to open, as a verdant gas began to spread, saturating the area.
“My shape can change as I need it to…” So that was the case. But what were they to do now, in this case? Eventually, the three were joined by the head of the holy order, who tightened his grip upon his holy arm, taking his stance.
“This won’t be easy, even with the seal in place. Combined, he’ll still be able to defeat us if we’re not careful, especially in this state…” Before they had much time to continue their conversation, the demonic emperor had already launched himself forward, Liquid, of the same shade as the gas, flew toward them, and they began to split up immediately, Liang stepped to the right, Arctaius, to the left, Volker took a backstep, while Lyle leaped into the sky above, descending upon Maleggan’s serpentine form at blinding speeds.
“I will fulfill my duties!” The end of his blade very nearly pierced the skin, but the emperor’s quick avoidance left this attack unsuccessful, and himself, hit by a retaliatory tail strike. But it seemed as if they would have more to worry about soon. As The members of the group crossed the threshold, into the gas their opponent released, the effect was noted immediately. Arctaius clutched his chest with one hand, clasping another over his nose and mouth. He could not vocalize what it was, as he would very well inhale more of it, but its nature was obvious, some sort of poison. A very potent one, if it could affect a proto-human like himself, and Liang, given he’d taken the same action. Volker, and Lyle covered themselves in the same way.
“I don’t know the complete effects, but it feels as if it’s weakening our capabilities, in some way… Seems he decided to play the same game, how uncreative.” Arctaius’ joking aside, this wasn’t the best situation, They needed to stop him from releasing this toxin. How that would be achieved, he did not know. Perhaps there was something like a venom gland somewhere, if they could destroy that…
Before Arctaius could act on his words, he took note of Maleggans form rushing through the verdant cloud, slamming into Liang, As the martial artist was launched into the air, he took action against the demonic emperor, grasping shuriken between his fingers and launching them toward his opponent, but as he slithered through the air, weaving around them, he sped up. Catching Liang within his maw, and inserting the venom tipped fangs… Before Liang’s body could process just what was taking place, the Emperor’s essence had already begun spreading within, and the acidic saliva, burning as it rolled across his skin. The other members of the group flew forth to the man’s defense, while he himself, did not allow this to happen without a fight, managing to strain out speech.
“Azure..Dragon’s..Rush!” The dragon shaped light which constituted his fighting style, flew forth from the captured arm, raging within the serpentine body the demon emperor had chosen as his form. Something he’d felt, enough to release his grip on the arm, and it seemed, even enough for the toxic gas to stop spreading. Whether by accident, or by strategy, Liang had taken away an advantage the enemy had. Especially as a first launch from Arctaius slammed into the side of Maleggan’s head, the produced shockwave, dispersing the cloud of gas. Volker followed up this attack with his own, with a war cry, running Astaroth’s blade across the length of the serpentine body, bisecting the demonic emperor…
“It’s over, demon…”
Silence had returned to the battlefield, and truthfully, that seemed to be the case. And yet, their eyes did not stop moving across the area, and their guards did not fall. As Liang rubbed his arm, checking for any more damage, his thoughts began to race.
“It can’t be that easy… Something else has to be at work here.” For some time, the situation remained unchanged, with mounting suspicions being the only thing to change… Until, something changed in the corner of their eyes, the “Carcass of Maleggan, degrading into simple mounds of earth, which made all of those there leap into action, preparing to put themselves back to back, but it seemed that even this was not to be. As what they thought were their allies, only proved to be Mirages, each, followed by the appearance of what seemed to be tens of Maleggans, Just what was going on here?! The very space around them had been reduced to rolling walls, of shifting colors.
“Is this some sort of trick, or has he truly cloned himself?!” Arctaius questioned. The first one he’d attacked dissipated, but he found a shadowy fist slam into the small of his back, bending his torso, and causing flecks of blood to appear upon his lip. But as he found himself hitting nothing. And more echoes of his opponent appeared. Liang was very much in the same situation. Being able to sense sources of demonic energy would be very useful in a situation like this, but alas, he had to work with what he had. Could he get out of range of whatever this was? As this all took place, Maleggan smirked internally, with his current form not exactly allowing him to do so.
“They’re the analytical types, but they can not sense our energy… They don’t know what i can do completely, so as far as i'm concerned, it's over for them.This form, the Illusionary, is a rarely used one, but useful regardless.” Now for those other two… Who seemed to be making considerable process in navigating the spatial labyrinth he'd forged. He would do well to crash their reunion…His body shifted and descended into the shadows’ embrace once more.
One of those observed, Volker, made a mad dash for the other source of holy energy, knowing quite well that what was around him was fake, he ignored the laughing that echoed from the fakes, as well as their attempted attacks, which he’d already known would pass through, as well as the constant shifting of the floor below him, which he knew now, were simply the same grasses they’d walked on beforehand. And in the same way, so did the holy order’s head. As the two came into view, they sped up.
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“Sir Lyle! If we work quickly, we may get to Corde and Yu in time. We’ll have to dismantle this Illusion.” Volker shouted.
“Indeed-” Lyle’s affirmative statement stopped within a moment, and his eyes widened, as he took note of Maleggan’s from quickly appearing behind Volker, a fist reeled back… The next few moments were a blur, as, with speed Lyle didn’t know he possessed, he appeared into Maleggan’s path. Protecting the youth from what would have likely been a deadly strike, and thrusting his glaive into his opponent’s shoulder. But at a clear cost, a fist passed through his chest, and a tide of his ichor dripped from his mouth as a result. The one he’d protected, had begun to look over his shoulder, his own eyes widened…
The illusion around them dispersed, as Maleggan jumped back, landing on a nearby outcropping.
“Another one eliminated, then..”
Lyle began to fall, but Volker took action immediately, holding his mentor in his arms, and laying him down softly… The flame of life within the slayer, it was flickering, quickly, at that. This couldn’t be… All of them, in one day?!
“Dammit.. Not here, Not you too!” Volker shouted. The tears he’d barely managed to hold back with the death of the council’s other members, had begun to pitter upon the slayer’s outer coat. And it did not take long for them to be joined by Arctaius, and Liang, who stood in front of them, forming a clear barrier between the two, and their opponent.
“Volker… I’m afraid I don’t have much time left. Though, i’m sure you’ve gathered that-”
“Save your strength. Stop talking- I can try to get you back to base, something-”
“No… Even at your top speed, it’s too late… And doing so would leave these two down a man… Alas, it seems that I can not fulfill the promise I made to them, nor to your father.” His father, that day. The one that the demon known as Zagan caused. Those years ago, when the city of Berlin was in a torrential downpour, what was initially supposed to be a simple viewing of a boxing match, had quickly turned into a tragedy. As his father’s deceased body was carted off into a vehicle on the street. The one who’d survived it curled up in a ball, sat upon the alley’s cobble pavement. His eyes, puffy, and red. His tears only joined the oncoming raindrops that soaked his clothes, and landed upon the ground. What was he to do, in this case. At the least, until the water had stopped hitting his head.. Something which caused the boy to look up, seeing a man who, to his young eyes, looked gigantic.
“You mustn't sit in the rain, lest you get yourself sick.” As the baritone voice made it to his ears, the boy wiped his eyes.
“Who- Who are you?”
“A friend of your fathers.. I am Lyle D’Chatuvier, head of the Holy Order, the organization your father has undoubtedly told you of before.” The boy only nodded.
“He did… He always said that one day he’d… Teach me more.” Volker responded. The man placed a gentle hand atop the boy's head, causing him to look up in surprise. As for the head himself, his expression nearly slipped into a displeased one. He was very knowledgeable about the effects these battles could have, but it always pained him to see a child in this state.
“Then let me do so… We are an organization that battles these creatures, which we call demons… And your father was one of our best. As such, I want you to think about this, If you train yourself, and call yourself part of us, you may be able to prevent this fate,from befalling others, from the pain you feel now… But I want to emphasize this, it is your choice.” Lyle continued, And a certain light seemed to shine within the boy's eyes at the prospect, but he did not give an answer. Lyle only handed him a card with an address marked upon it, one in Villiere.
“When you are older, if you’ve decided to join us, then go here… Your mother will be arriving soon to pick you up.” Lyle placed the umbrella into the boy's hand, before he turned on his heel, and began to walk away.
“Seto…”
In the present, Volker still clutched the man’s hand, as raspy words made it out of his mouth.
“Volker, there’s something we need to try… Much like some of our own can enchant their fellow slayers, there was a hypothetical technique we spoke of-” He paused, cut off by a violent fit of coughing.
“Distributing our holy arts to other slayers… You’ll need to seal off more of his power if you’re too win this..” Lyle stated. This caused the demon emperor to perk up. So they intended to keep him in the battle in a roundabout way, that Wouldn’t do. His form shifted once more, as his body grew larger, now towering over his opponents, and clad in ice.
“Now, time for you to face the Glacian!”
In short time, Liang had leaped forward, but found a frigid fist slamming into his stomach, stopping his charge, before he was launched into the sky. Arctaius launched forth a burst of plasma, hoping to melt the demon down. But he’d shifted his form once again, reducing himself to a shadow, and sinking into the ground once more, appearing behind Arctaius, and firing forth a kick that was very narrowly avoided. But the counter-attack, a flurry of fists, was handily blocked. Until the interference of another, Liang descending from above, his leg ascended, forced the emperor to attempt to sink back into the shadow once more. But Arctaius was prepared for the prospect, Illuminating the area with his technique once more, and washing away the shadow. Resulting in the emperor leaping backward, a smirk on his visage.
“This has become entertaining…”
While the melee continued elsewhere, Volker felt Lyle tighten his grip upon his hand. The had of the holy order closed his eyes, as he began to chant.
“Superne divinum, sicut lux in hoc corpore exspirat-” (Divine above, as the light within this body expires-). Coils of Holy energy began to spread through the space surrounding the two, a brilliant show of lights accompanied by particles of gold freely floating, this beginning to change, into these particles moving within the body of the younger slayer.
“Adhuc viventibus opus est, ut eos qui nostram stellam destruant, et suam deprimant. Da mihi hoc extremum votum…” - “It is still needed by the living, to strike down those who would destroy our star, and his own... I request here, that who I have charged to defend in my stead, might share in this ability. Grant me this final wish…”
The coils began to converge, around the subject of these very chants.
“Quod quondam fuit meum, nunc tuum est. Mundum nostrum protege per omnia saecula saeculorum.”- What was once mine, is now yours. Protect our world, forevermore....
What was once a simple stream of holy energy, had become a tidal wave, as their two powers converged in the junction between them… All the while, the body of the head of the holy order had begun to become limp, as his breath slowed, and the beating of his heart, or what remained of it, had stopped… Volker wiped the tears from his eyes, as he stood to his feet.
“Sir Lyle, Gilga, Francisco, Farid, you all will have a proper burial once we return to earth, I swear it…”
As the youth looked at the demonic emperor, the one responsible for the council’s deaths, it was not a look of despair, rather, of renewed vigor, one of rage. As he let out a war cry, the Wings and Halo which were produced by Holy drive had returned. Not in the dim light which it gave out when one's energy reserves had become low, but rather, a returned brilliant glow… As Volker watched this, he almost immediately tried to put the Holy art to use, a small circle appearing below Maleggan’s fist. And as he looked to his opponent, he saw what Lyle likely always had, “Threads'' Of Demonic energy, scanned by the circle itself. Was that his way of making seals? He had to try that. The small circle that was produced, and the unrefined threads that shot out of the circle, however, did not have anywhere near the effect he’d have wished. And he found himself on the receiving end of a sharpened spine of ice implanting itself in his stomach, just barely missing anything major.
“I’d best figure this out soon, otherwise, we’ll have an issue on our hands.” Either way, his energy had been renewed somewhat, though he was by no means undamaged…
“Let’s finish him off!” Volker shouted. With that much said, all three fighters launched themselves forth. Something which resulted in a grin, and hearty laugh from the demon emperor, as he launched himself forth to meet the charge. The ground shook and trembled, as the two sides began to clash once more.
To Be Continued
つづく