Fantasy That Time the Demon Lord Killed our Party Leader: Ic

[Nessi]

The Night Parade of 100 Demons

Hajun

Hajun could see Aaxir approach once more, and couldn’t help but smile. Using his large weapon, he fended off the initial lightning attack, and was ready to crush the young dragon the moment he landed.

But something happened to Hajun, a feeling came over him, one so foreign yet familiar. One that made him wish to tear the very skin off of his bones the moment he saw the stance that Aaxir had taken.

Hajun felt genuine fear.

In this moment it wasn't Aaxir that stood before Hajun, but a furious goddess, Tutu Pele, wreathed in azure flames, flowing with enough energy to destroy the world as we know it, and mold it in her own image.
The memory was from a lifetime ago, yet it came back as if it had happened yesterday. Hajun could remember the day clearly, How the volcano goddess stood on a mountain of corpses basking in the golden rays of light that descended from the sky. Her arms were drenched in blood, and the handle of her blade was stained with crimson.
Hajun laid not too far from her, desperately clinging on to the little life he had left, he was so weak back then, he couldn’t do anything.
Tutu Pele turned, and approached Hajun squatting down to meet the demon at the same height.
There was nothing he could do, all of his bones were broken, his mana was drained, all he could do was watch in fear as the volcano goddess stretched her hand towards his face, the same hands that had broken his body piece by piece. He closed his eyes, not wanting to see her hand wrap around his neck, and finish him off.

“Not even worth my time.”

Hajun snapped back to reality, and used his mace to defend against Aaxir’s onslaught. It wasn’t like before, Aaxir was not on the same level that Pele was at that time, and more importantly, he wasn’t the weakling he was in the past, he was the 3rd demon king, the god killer, he who invaded heaven.

The pathway in which Aaxir and Hajun fought didn’t leave much room to evade, so the addition of a barrier around the pair, with chains that threatened to sear Hajun’s skin. Using his mace, he not only dispelled chains to allow him to move around properly, but was able to fight on an equal level to Aaxir.
Black smoke would approach Hajun, and he immediately recognized it as Qin’s handiwork. He swung his mace in a wide arc, trying to knock away Tiberius, but would hit the gladiator's shield, rather than his body.
Inanna and her clones swung into action, accompanied by Rohen, closing in on the demon king.
Realizing the situation he was in, Hajun quickly adapted to the rather unfortunate situation he was in. He began to move his mace as if it weighed nothing, spinning it around like a staff and deflecting attack after attack, but that’s all he could do. He could only defend himself considering the amount of pressure on him, and the limited amount of space he had to work with. Even as he focused on protecting himself, attacks began to land on him, whether it be Innana cutting into him, Rohen or Aaxir landing a clean hit, or Tiberius stabbing into him with his spear.

Hajun had successfully been backed into a corner, and he didn’t have much time before eventually, someone would land a killing blow. He needed to rectify, to use a technique that would properly defend him, and allow him to launch some sort of counter attack.


Hajun took in a great big breath, before letting out another loud screech, only instead of focusing it on one person, it knocked everyone around him back, dispelled Inanna’s clones, and temporarily destroyed all the chains present in the cage. With this new opening, Hajun, launching his large mace at Rohen at breakneck speeds. Using earth magic, the demon king bound both Tiberius, and Inanna’s feet into the ground below. He knew they would break out of it with ease, but he needed a moment, just one moment, to be able to take the biggest problem out of the equation, Aaxir.

Hajun took on a new fighting stance, one that only Aaxir (through Pele) would recognize. It was the only fighting style that could counter the fury of the volcano goddess, created by her very own sister, Poli’ahu, The unorthodox style known as Ka pale kapu.
Hajun charged towards Aaxir, blocking any incoming attacks the dragon tried to use in order to stop him, and slammed a frost covered fist directly into the red dragon's solar plexus, sending him crashing into the walls of the barrier.

With Aaxir dealt with for the time being, Hajun turned his attention to the others, taking on the Ka pale kapu stance once more. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t matter, for the next attack to come at him would be from above, with Freyr wrapping his fiery hands around the back of his neck. Being strangled wasn’t much of an issue, however the fast approaching tendrils, wreathed in the flames of the destroyer, was a much more pressing issue.
But with this issue, came an opportunity, an opportunity to test out an ability Hajun crafted when all he could do was sit within Paimon, and plot about what he could do if presented the opportunity to escape.

All the way back in Hofn, when Hajun made contact with Eleanor, it wasn’t just to degrade her, but to test a theory of his, to see if it was possible to make contact with Eleanor somewhat directly. He was able to temporarily interrupt the bond between god and hero, even if it was only for a moment. With that, he was able to improve upon it, and was able to find a way to completely sever the bond Eleanor had with Paimon by taking advantage of her despair.
Hajun knew that he couldn't use the same method he had used to completely sever the bond between hero and god, but if a hero approached during partial, or divine sync, then there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that he’d be able to temporarily disrupt the synchronization , and force the god unto the physical world, temporarily at least.

Hajun’s mastery of magic and the spirit, combined with his high intellect and ability to create new spells on the fly was apart of the reason as to why he was such a monster on the battlefield. Only a scant few could match his ferocity, and of them, only 2 were present, one of which was too busy dealing with a pink haired fae, and the other to ashamed to even attempt to give her hero the history of Hajun, and how he became the god killer.
Before the tendrils got too close, Hajun grabbed Freyr's hand, and broke the Fae’s grip on his neck, knocking him away with a well placed elbow. The strike alone wasn’t anything to be concerned with, but the 3rd demon king was far from finished, quickly turning to face Freyr. His left fist quickly became wreathed in his black mana, but instead of summoning the spear of apocalypse, or the sword of annihilation, he simply uttered two words.

“Divine Dissonance.”

Hajun’s fist connected with Freyr, and immediately he lost his partial synchronization form. But worse than that, Kagutsuchi was forcefully brought into the physical world. Both god and hero went flying, crashing into the barrier.
Hajun wanted to follow up on the pair, but Nel’s water tendrils came down upon him, forcing him to once again play on the defensive. He knew that the effects of divine dissonance were not permanent, and in about a minute, Freyr would be capable of synchronizing with Kagutsuchi once more, but the mental effect of seeing such an attack would pay off more than anything Hajun would be capable of at this current moment.

Once more did the demon king take on the Ka pale kapu fighting stance, and smiled, he was ready to take on anything.

 

[Beann]

Suzuki Kaida

With Ryushi assisting those dealing with Nergal, Kaida and her long-range summon worked with the others to whittle down Hajun. Eleanor’s identifiable traits continued to fade the longer their battle was drawn out but that didn’t cause the kitsune, or any of the heroes, to relent on their assault. The demon’s taunts only fueled their resolve to defeat him but more importantly free Eleanor — Aaxir being the main candidate to show such a display. Any other time, Kaida would have reminisced over the encounters she had witnessed between Aaxir and Eleanor, the perceptive fox easily picking up hints of a certain emotion whenever those two interacted. However, she spared no time to do so now, choosing to block out everything that didn’t involve saving their friend.

The barrage of attacks from everyone left Hajun with no other option but to defend himself, or so it seemed. His loud screech pierced painfully through the kitsune’s highly sensitive ears, forcing her to fold them down as she was knocked away by the sheer force of his bellow. Even after regaining her footing, she was left with a high-pitched ringing in her ears. “Uh…” Despite the disruption, her vision refocused on Hajun in time to witness the unique attack against Freyr.

A sudden rage bubbled up deep from within. It was not normal for the kitsune to outwardly display such strong emotions. Her eyebrows furrowed deeply and her lips pulled back to bare her fangs. The surge of emotions she experienced could only be described as the anger of a mother, and it took her a brief moment to realize these emotions were not her own but Inari’s. ‘Kagutsuchi!’ The goddess cried out in Kaida’s mind as both of them witnessed the disruption of Freyr’s synchronization.

‘Suzuki, get us close to the demon!’

‘But…’

‘Now!’

Considering the time spent as Inari Okami’s champion, this may have been the first time she had felt such strong emotions coming from her deity. As such, she did as she was told and sprinted at Hajun with her sword drawn. Once she closed the distance, she raised her katana with the intention of a downward slash but instead of following through with the motion, her weapon disappeared as she uttered ‘divine synchronization.’

From a plume of smoke emerged a large nine-tailed fox, its jaws wide open with the intent of biting through the spirit of Hajun.

 

[DSLIX]

Chrome Van Der Linde

Nessi
Chaos is the only thing that Chrome can use to the describe the battle in The Well. The scent of blood, pestilence, and the stench of demons overwhelmed his senses as he entered and he felt his heart throb with overwhelming anger when he saw the scene of the possessed Eleanor transforming into the Demon King Paimon. Though most of the anger came from Hanuman's influence as the God exerted his influence onto Chrome making the symbol of Hanuman on Chrome's back glow and fills Chrome with an abundance of dense and heavy mana that weighs him down as Hanuman roars curses in his mind "I should've known that rat demonic bastard was working with such filth. Arrogant son of a wh-You've said enough now. Unless you plan to punch him as you curse him. Help me circulate this mana so I can handle the filthy god." Chrome interrupts Hanuman as he starts focusing the abundant of mana flowing through him to craft a oversized blood javelin that struggles to stay in a solid form as the abundance of mana flares out in sudden bursts of pressure as the flares touching the ground around him creates craters. Hanuman huffs and starts to meditate in sync with Chrome, before chanting a mantra in sync with Chrome "SRI RAM JAI JAI RAM" repeating this chant in sync as minutes pass by trying to ignore the distress of his comrades in battle. In that span of few minutes the Javelin grows even more reaching about the same height as Chrome and takes a solid shape as it emits a brilliant gold light. Chrome's face is locked into a harden expression as he twirls the golden javelin in his hands as it feels as light as a wooden stick, then he smirks and mutters "It'll do perfectly." His wings spread before he launches 50 meters into the air in a near instant and spins the javelin into his right hand taking aim with his left and roaring out "FLAME" causing a sudden surge of black flame to emit from Chrome as he squeezes a bunch of blood from his veins at once causing most of them to burst and the blood to leak straight through his skin. He turns the blood into a menacing black flame that wraps around the golden mana javelin. The dark and crude mana wrapping around and covering the brilliant gold light the mana weapon once held. As more blood drains from Chrome and more of his mana he uses to cover the mana weapon causes his body to become pale and his body as Parzival's piece of soul within him starts to mix more into Chrome's soul making his hair turned jet black and his undershirt burned away revealing the growing black cluster of veins that's running through his body into the arm holding the now flaming pitch black Javelin as they form into a strange looking tattoo that reaches up to the side of Chrome's face.


The more Chrome drew this uncontrollable power only mixed Parzival's small piece of soul and consciousness deeper into his mind, making him smirk as the influx of power feels nostalgic. In a sudden blur Chrome launches the Javelin with all his might as he realizes he's wasting time. The Javelin pierces through the air heading dead center for Nergal's heart the Javelin moving only a little bit slower than Azeara's instant acceleration. He feels the intense pressure of trying to manage all the mana in the javelin disappear from his body as he releases it to soar through the air. Eyes locked onto his enemy Chrome plans to guide the spear directly into Nergal using the mixture of Hanuman's godly mana and his black flame to pierce and burn into Nergal. Chrome keeps control of the weapon even as it sails through the air as he lets the golden tip of the Javelin be exposed so it can pierce Nergal's skin deep enough for his flame to intrude in Nergal's body to spread. Chrome expects the worse of every attack so even if he misses Nergal or it's countered, he still plans to redirect the javelin and let Hanuman's mana and his black flame explode while hopefully impaled into Nergal but if it can at least erupt in close range it should still do a lot of damage and get his black flame to attach to Nergal. He quickly cuts off his flow of mana making his appearance turns back to normal as he cuts off any mana to his body to prevent wasting any more unnecessarily. He using his downward momentum to dive behind Nergal muttering "Form Greatsword and Tower Shield. "As he lands and turns around Chrome now adorns a thick pure iron great-sword that he casually holds over his shoulder with a towering shield tall enough to reach his chin and thick enough to be considered a metal wall with a perfect grip for his hand. He breathes out as he focuses trying to pull in the mana around him, while he keeps cover by ducking under his shield while peeking at Nergal to keep an eye on the situation.

 

[Nano]

Lichdragon Fortissax

Nergal

The deranged glee Nergal wore like a uniform never left his face, not when it seemed like the heroes had him backed into a corner nor when a guttural hiss shook the cavern. A mouth full of teeth and venom bore down upon the god and his newly born pet, yet when his beast deftly skipped to the side of the charging serpent, Nergal remained strangely still. Contrary to the young dragonness’s expectations, part of her jaw dug into his shoulder. However, what greeted her was not a face twisted in pain, but a pair of crazed, sunken eyes staring down her own.

Nergal grinned.

“Drink!” His voice echoed boldly, “Drink your fill, mortal. I shall forgive your insolence, so come and savor the lifeblood of the incarnation of plagues!” As the unusually viscous blood trickled out from his wounds and wet Azaera’s tongue, something inside seemed to wriggle about as it produced the same putrid scent of the plagued rain he sent down upon the students of the academy before his descent into the well. Nausea would be the least of the dragon’s worries, as the longer her teeth remained clamped onto Nergal’s body, the more her teeth and gums would rot and shrivel. The steady trickle of blood surged forth, attempting to dive down her throat and deliver upon her whatever cocktail of diseases the whimsical god had decided to play with that day.

Suddenly, a thick tendril flowing like water yet shimmering like a mirror cracked down upon Nergal, forcibly separating the god from whatever else he had intended to inflict upon the dragoness.

“You foolish lizard!” Nohea, who’d finally joined the fray, bellowed. His voice would be drowned out by Chrome’s strike, which would miss its target by a hair as the god barely managed to maneuver out of the way but still managed to catch Nergal right in the epicenter of its explosion. However, the god of plagues wouldn’t give them the pleasure of hearing him scream out in pain, merely fixing them with an enraged glare as if daring them to try harder.

Nergal struck out at Chrome with his lion mace, his strength frighteningly great despite his physique boasting nothing of the sort. The seemingly immovable wall tipped and accelerated sideways, disrupting the royal’s vampire and taking him along with it should he persist in keeping his hold upon it. From behind, the slumped figure of the beast had disappeared, now appearing above Chrome to strike down upon him with its blade.

Within Nergal’s hand, a dark ball of fluid oozed into existence, bubbling and twisting until it gradually took the form of a great thorn. However, instead of joining his beast in its endeavor to take care of Hanuman's hero, he swung it in the direction of the sun elf maintaining the wind wall separating the god of plagues from his king. The dark mass spun rapidly through the air, and smaller thorns flaked off of the main body of the spell.

The momentary distraction wouldn’t go unpunished.

Trusting that the sun elf could cover for himself, Nohea veered clear of the diseased thorns and focused on condensing the invisible vapor resultant of Chrome’s fire burning away his quicksilver magic.

Small droplets of silvery liquid appeared in the air, rapidly forming into larger balls of liquid that surrounded Nergal. “Toll of Silver,” he muttered, and with a flick of his wrist, a hail of sharp needles fell upon the god’s path.

 

[Zariel]

Azaera’s jaws clamped down with crushing force, her fangs sinking deep into Nergal’s flesh. But the taste of victory quickly turned bitter. The instant her teeth punctured the plague god’s hide, his vile ichor spilt into her maw. It was thick, foul, and clung to her tongue like tar. As it trickled down her throat, her body shuddered with revulsion.

Azaera hissed in agony, her upper body lurched violently as the horrid substance took hold. Her mouth was seared, not with fire, but with rot, a corruption that gnawed at her from within. It felt as though her gums were ulcerating, her teeth corroding from decay as the ichor festered. The taste was beyond revolting: an utterly vile, bitter honey that dripped along her tongue, rancid and nauseating, like the sludge from the depths of a poisoned well. She could feel it seeping into her bones, trying to hollow her out from the inside.

With a desperate, enraged roar, Azaera thrashed violently, her massive body smashing into the ground, shaking the entire well. The dragoness knew she had to act quickly, or she would be lost.

"You! Will! Pay!"

Focusing through the agony, Azaera summoned her fire. It bubbled and roared in her throat, so intense it bled from between her teeth in fiery wisps. Her maw flared open as black and blue flames poured out, burning away the rot, cauterizing the decaying flesh, and purging Nergal’s corruption before it could spread any further. The stench of acrid rot and the taste of her own charred flesh mingled with the lingering bitterness, but it was a sickening trade she gladly made.

Her violet eyes, now glowing like soulless amethyst jewels, locked onto Nergal with unbridled fury. The rage within her boiled over, her hatred seething.

Azaera would not be humiliated by filth like him.

Her jaws snapped shut, and she inhaled deeply, charging a fire blast, more potent than anything she'd used against Nergal so far. The air rumbled and distorted around her as her dark fire coiled within her chest, black and blue embers flickering in the depths of her throat. With a thunderous roar, Azaera unleashed the torrent. A stream of devastation surged toward Nergal. Azaera's Dark Flame of Extinction was no ordinary flame—it was pure destruction, a force that burned hotter than any natural fire, capable of stripping those scorched of their defences.

The she-dragon's eyes narrowed in pure hatred, her gaze unwavering, as she watched the flames spiral and twist, hungry and malevolent, eager to devour their target until nothing remained but ash.

AZAERA​

---

Once again, Inanna was pushed back by the force of Hajun’s screech, the sound ripping through the air like a shockwave, her feet skidding across the ground. Her clones disintegrate around her, their forms breaking down into a soft cloud of sand that drifted away on the breeze. But even as they faded, she felt a measure of satisfaction. They had done their part. She and her duplicates had managed to inflict considerable damage before they were destroyed, each strike cutting deeper into Hajun.

"Tsk! Is that all you're going to do? Scream... like a helpless damsel?" Inanna mocked.

Though she was full of confidence, as per usual, the situation was truly dire. Her sharp eyes quickly took in the battlefield, noting how Aaxir and Freyr had both been swiftly incapacitated, for now. But thanks to the fae-giant, the war goddess was able to observe Hajun's terrifying new technique.

"Interesting..." she mused.

Inanna looked down as the earth beneath her feet trembled, tendrils of rock and soil rising up like serpents, trying to ensnare her legs and bind her where she stood.

But she was the Goddess of War, and nothing—no force, no god, no king—could contain her.

Summoning her immense power, Inanna’s body surged mana. The ground beneath her cracked and buckled, unable to withstand the pressure. With a defiant roar, she shattered the earth’s grip, the soil exploding outward in a shower of debris as she broke free. Dust swirled around her as she spun her scimitar in her hand, the blade gleaming with the hues of magic it was forged in before she pointed it at Hajun, smirking with the same feral confidence that had struck fear into countless opponents before him.

"Is that all you've got, Demon King? It'll take more than that to hold me," she taunted, licking her lips with an insatiable hunger for battle.

Then, Inanna summoned a magic war banner in her other hand, radiating with divine energy. She drove it firmly into the ground at her side, The moment it was planted, a pulse of magic rippled out from the banner in all directions. A golden aura began to surround her allies within a certain radius, restoring a portion of their vitality, and granting them a divine blessing that would bolster the power of their attacks.

"Hmph! You'd better brace yourself, Demon."

INANNA​

 

[CasualTea]

Heiwa Sanka (Instrumental)

Rohen Xiong, "The Mad Orca"

Interactions:Hajun Nessi

Mentions: All Heroes fighting Hajun, Aaxir LazyDaze , Enthy Nano , Freyr Steve Jobs

It was going well for a short while. Rohen and Aaxir successfully being able to suppress Hajun as the other members of her party were able to successfully land attacks upon to the point in which it overwhelmed him. He sustained a lot of damage but that does not mean he will pass from this world quietly. Literally. He let out an ear-piercing screech in which a force knocked everyone back and dispelled Innana's clones, giving the demon king some breathing room and an opportunity to counter. While she couldn't say the exact same for everyone, she recovered quite nicely afterwards, managing to gain her footing quickly and locking in her sight back on target. However, what she expected to see the demon king to be executing his next move, he was faster than what she anticipated.

Her expectations caught her just slightly off guard as she was met with the almost daunting approach of Hajun's mace flying at her at a velocity which with its large mass could really mess her up. Fortunately with the gem she acquired recently, she was able to make great use of it ever since they were engaged by Nergal. She took the necessary measures to maneuver her body just out of mace's way that all she could feel as it whizzed passed was the air pressure it created in passing. All it did was giving Rohen a slight ringing in her ear where she will recover from shortly. This would mean that whoever was behind her, might suffer its deadly force. Whoever it may be, hopefully they were able to dodge it if not just surviving it.

It gave her a moment to observe the battlefield once more and what she saw was something she couldn't have fathomed. While he was able to deal with Aaxir, sending him crashing into the barrier, the other members still took action to hold Hajun down. Freyr, trying to restrain the demon by grabbing a hold of his neck and Fel attacking from above with Nel following up. Surely, it was over for Hajun is what Rohen thought. But as the demon managed to break free from Freyr's grip, an ominous mana from Hajun's fist manifested before he simply connected it to Freyr's frame. What could be described as a punch as a pure understatement, Freyr's sync was disrupted and was no longer present and another being had spawned out, being affected by the attack. While she didn't know who he was, Tiamat's sudden alertness had translated and became her own.

"Kagutsuchi...?" Was the name that left her and echoed in Rohen's head.

With Rohen piecing together what had happened, she arrived at the same conclusion Tiamat already had and her expression sharpened with added caution. "Ro, if you want to keep that arm, I suggest that you avoid any attack carrying that mana as you had witnessed before." Tiamat advised. "Your plan of simply beating him with your fists alone will not suffice. Draw your blade." This prompted Rohen to let out an exhale again before taking up a stance to meditate for a short while to get herself back into the zone. "Can't anticipate or plan then. I'm gonna have to be very reactive with how this bastard moves." She said before readying herself as she was about to engage into a particular hand-to-hand combat she had learned all her life as a mercenary and that has been engrained into her being like a second nature. It would allow her to be very observant and very maneuverable in reaction to any of her opponent's movements even if they're up close in front of her.

"Be wary of that stance he boasts. His smile may either be high confidence or a fool's mask in regards to whatever mastery he has of it. Do not take him lightly." Tiamat warned once more as Rohen pulled one of her legs back in order to commit to her re-entry to the fight gaining an aggressive posture, raising one of her left hand into the air behind her. "Of course, this bastard will only find Hell here; Fragmented Ground!" In one fluid movement, kicking a chunk of Earth up into elevation and waving her hand towards it causing it to launch and spliting into fragmentations spit firing towards Hajun's direction at the same velocity she encountered with his mace. This was more of a distraction so she could close distance between her and Hajun quickly as she was consolidating water and freezing it into a chunk of ice that built up around her metal arm which bore a fist.

Upon getting close, she lunged and smashed the chunk of ice at Hajun's lower body and began her assault once more delivering more precise and intended blows rather than whatever she can hit. Using her gem's ability to the fullest, she watched for any movement from Hajun to avoid or block while redirecting the force of the attack. Despite still attacking, she was more observing his movements just so she can follow up with any sort of counter she came up with. Especially, should he try to strike her with a punch and send it fully, she would really wanna break that arm over her shoulder at the elbow's point.

Rohen on full focus, shown no unnecessary emotion or sound when executing her movements. She was exerting all of her energy in showcasing her fluent mastery of her martial art skills with devastating blows aimed at critical points in Hajun's body with a slight twist every now and then; Where she would form and dismiss the ice arm blade at will from her left arm and slip in just that lethal and unsuspecting strike to slash at Hajun's tendons to cripple him as breaking his joints just wasn't enough.

 

[Dovinique]

Dong Mei

An eye for an eye…

A soul for a soul…

As one flower bloomed… another had to wither…

✦✦✦​

“She won’t make it.”

That was the first sentence I heard as I finally met my long-awaited daughter.

How could they say that? About my baby girl??

She’s too pure, too beautiful, to be taken away before she’s even seen the colors of this world.

Who has the audacity to separate a mother from her child?

How could they take my baby away from me???

No one... Yes, no one can do that!

Maybe I should do it… Yes, I must.

Dong Han would definitely be against this. But he’s not a mother, he doesn’t know how I feel.

What about Dong Xun and Dong Lian?

They’ll manage, they’re both strong and smart. I believe in them.

People will call me a bad mother for abandoning my two boys to save my daughter… but… but… how can I do nothing when I know I can save her??

I’m sorry… but I can’t… I can’t let you go.

I will… make you live, Dong Mei.

✦✦✦​

It’s been almost a week…

I can no longer feel my lower body, and it’s hard even to lift a finger.

My breath is heavier than ever… I have to struggle just to take a full breath.

But that’s okay… because I’ve seen her smile, her very first smile…

I’m happy… I’m content…

The only sadness I have is seeing my boys cry over me every day, no matter how hard I try to convince them that everything will be okay...

“Mama… don’t go…”

I want to stay…

I want to see Dong Xun, Dong Lian, and Dong Mei playing together, running to me when I bring them their favorite snacks.

I want to see them grow…

I want to be there for them in happiness and in sadness…

I want to… ah… my tears… I can’t stop them, I can’t wipe them… I can’t move my hands… I don’t want them to see me cry…

Why is it… blurry? Is it because of my tears…? I can’t see anything…

No… Is it night already? No… no… why is it so dark? Where are my babies? I want to see them, please… one more time… please… no…

✦✦✦​

As the final note of Mei's lullaby faded into the air, Kannaka stirred, rising from the clutches of death as though granted a second breath. Mei couldn’t quite understand it, how a melody from her childhood had summoned Kannaka back from the brink. It was as if the melody had woven a spell from the depths of time. But the details were of little concern to her now, what mattered was that Kannaka was here, warm and alive in her arms.

She was happy… she was content…

They embraced, tears streaming freely as the overwhelming tide of emotion spilled over. Mei clung to Kannaka, her sobs raw and heart wrenching, until at last, she released her, knowing the world still demanded to be faced. As Kannaka moved to confront whatever lay ahead, Mei was left in the aftermath of her own miracle. The spell had drained her completely, leaving her feeling like an empty vessel. It was as though every ounce of her mana had been wrung dry, siphoned into the incantation that had revived her friend. Her body betrayed her fatigue. She felt a deep, bone-weary exhaustion settle over her like a leaden cloak. When she attempted to stand, her legs trembled violently, reduced to little more than jelly beneath her weight, and she crumpled back to the ground.

Panic gripped Mei like a vice, her breath shallow and ragged as she struggled even to sit upright. The world seemed to close in around her, the air growing thin and elusive, slipping through her grasp as if mocking her frailty. Her vision blurred with desperation as her eyes darted frantically, searching for the only one she could think of in this moment of weakness, Han. And there he was, her God, galloping toward her with the speed of the wind.

As soon as he reached her, Han leaped from Escha's back and knelt beside Mei.

“Han… I feel so weak… I don’t know why…” Mei's voice trembled and as she tried to reach out to him, it was barely lifting before falling limply back to her side. Her body then crumpled as if her life was seeping away.

Han’s reflexes were quick, catching Mei before she could collapse onto the cold, unforgiving earth. He gently turned her to face him, his eyes scanning her as he tried to gauge the depth of her condition. Though he was not Wanga, Han could see that something was terribly wrong. Mei’s skin was unnaturally cold and her once-vibrant cherry lips had faded into a ghostly blend of gray and blue.

"Could it be…"

A sudden realization gripped Han, sending a chill down his spine. Mei's family had served him for generations, their history intertwined with his own, and he had borne witness to nearly every significant event in their lineage. The spell Mei had chanted, though seemingly accidental, was not unfamiliar. He had seen it before, long ago, when Mei’s mother had invoked the very same incantation. If this was indeed the same spell, then the implications were dire.

Han's gaze shifted to Kannaka, who now stood as though untouched by the icy grip of death, her vitality restored as if nothing had happened. But the sight filled him with dread rather than relief.

As one flower bloomed… another had to wither…

How had Mei, so young and untrained, managed to cast such a powerful spell? It was a high-tier enchantment, shrouded in secrecy and forbidden for its nature. The spell was a cruel bargain, an exchange of life forces where the caster's essence was gradually taken away to revive another. It was a one-time incantation, sealed by the certainty of death for the one who wielded it.

Han had always known that Mei possessed remarkable potential, a latent power that had yet to be fully realized. But never had he imagined that her resolve could be so fierce, her will so unyielding, that she could summon the strength to perform such a spell. Yet, that was not the issue right now. The spell had been cast, and Mei was paying the terrible price.

"Han…?"

Mei's voice called out to him again, soft and fragile, like the last note of a fading song. The melody that had always carried strength and cheerfulness was now growing faint. Han's heart tightened with the knowledge of what lay ahead. Four days… perhaps a week if fortune favored her. That was all the time Mei had before her life force would be completely consumed. The spell she had cast was irreversible, there was no undoing it, no magical cure to halt the slow, inevitable approach of death.

But Han refused to accept that this was the end. He couldn’t simply stand by and let fate take its course. In the past, as a God, he had been bound to not interfere in the lives of mortals. He had watched helplessly as Mei’s mother succumbed to the very same spell. But now, things were different. Now, humans and Gods had fought side by side, their destinies entwined. Surely, there had to be a way… some hidden path, some forgotten magic, that could save her.

With a swift motion, Han scooped Mei into his arms, her weight almost nothing against the surge of determination that drove him. He mounted Escha, who stood ready. Han cast a glance at the battlefield, where heroes and Gods clashed with the foul God. Every fiber of his being screamed to join them, to fight alongside his comrades, but Mei was his priority. The others were strong, capable of holding their ground without him. His prayers would remain with them and he knew that victory would be theirs. But for now, he had to leave the fight in their hands.

He caught the eyes of his old friend, Hou Yi, and gave him a solemn nod. "I’ll leave the rest to you," he said.

Without waiting for a response, Han raised his flute to his lips, playing a swift, commanding tune. Escha’s wings unfurled, and with a powerful thrust, they ascended. Unfortunately, fate had not favored Han. The walls of the well rose unforgivingly around him, offering no trace of an escape. Trapped, with despair nipping at his resolve, he muttered a curse for the very first time, “F*** it all!”

He had no choice but to guide Escha back to the ground and away from the chaos of battle. His thoughts raced, each second precious, as he considered his options. Mei had gone unconscious, but she should be okay at least for today. Still, she was vulnerable and the battlefield was no place for someone so defenseless. Gently, he laid her beside him, while Han took the opportunity to close his eyes and sought solace in meditation, grounding himself in the silence. Gambling, he hoped that by reaching deep within, he could find the answers he needed.

 

[LazyDaze]

AAXIR THE RED

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Mentions: Nessi Zariel

Aaxir fought with a focused desperation, refusing to blink for even a second less Hajun take advantage of even that momentary lapse. The world around him became muted saved for the exchanges between him and Hajun. For a moment, he thought he saw the mighty "king" falter. It was brief, but the colors of doubt and fear splashed across Hajun's face at the speed of light, but not speedy enough to go unnoticed by the young dragon. With every passing second Aaxir would grow more confident, pressing to take more risks. His allies, would aid in this effort joining in to back Hajun into a corner. Aaxir's focus grew so high that he was able to resist the urge to let one of his strikes slip in the direction of that hapless hero borrowing Tiamat's scales. This was it, they could win. Before Aaxir could land a decisive blow, he let out a screech that threatened to rival Golroth's roar that pushed everyone back.

"No, not yet," Aaxir said as he tried to press on without the backing of the other heroes. They were so close to getting Eleanor back, they could not let the opportunity slip away. Once more he burst toward Hajun with victory in focus; however, victory would be forestalled as Hajun assumed a stance that gave Aaxir pause and a sinking heart. Now, the same color of doubt and fear that had splashed over Hajun was now tinting Aaxir.

"It can't be," Aaxir said as he watched Hajun redirect his best attack combinations. Fighting now felt like sand slipping through his fingers, yet he fought to reclaim the advantage he thought they had. Every now and then it was as if he could see the Goddess Poli’ah in place of Hajun, perhaps through Pele's memories, calmly countering his strikes with a smile, chastising the ferocious haste and violence of her sister. It was then that the past would fade to present as Aaxir was struck so hard that Aaxir was sent flying though the walls of the barrier away from the battle. Aaxir instinctively reached for his abdomen and chest as the strike was so powerful Aaxir truly believed he was gored beyond saving. He didn't have the breath to even speak, let alone scream through the blood streaming from his mouth as he desperately tried to press himself off the ground. Familiar green embers flickered throughout his body as he attempted to speed up his recovery, lifting himself up only to fall back down again.

"That hateful cold hearted bitch..," Pele said, through Aaxir. "Even now she continues to be the worst inconvenience of my entire life. Why does that little runt have....that..."

Aaxir could only flail helpless as the sounds of steel, bones, flesh, and magic sung a song of tragedy. "I should have erased his pathetic existence when I had the chance...a chance that I have now again...Aaxir...you stay-"

"N-," Aaxir tried to speak through the blood and pain as he violently pushed himself to a kneeling position. He spat out any remaining blood then flashed a grin that could almost be described as greed incarnate. "I finally saw it...the fear of a god. We can win." That was win Aaxir felt within him a great terror he had not felt since his defeat against the current demon king. It was as if a bottomless pit of fury that was not his own welled up inside of him.
".......Silly dragon. It is not a matter of winning, or even possessing the ability to achieve the aforementioned. This parasite......this putrid spec upon the landscape my eyes rest open has taken host of one of the heroes, incapacitated my champion, besmirched the name of the entire pantheon, but his most heinous crime...was assuming THAT STANCE in the presence of Tutu Pele! He must be humiliated, broken, eradicated, destroyed, annihilated, fed to maggots and erased from the annuls of history.......if you don't save Eleanor and destroy him I-

Aaxir could only nod while Pele finished her rant lest anything he say infuriate her even more. Then suddenly a pulse of golden energy sped through Aaxir and even gave Pele a reason to cease her ranting. Even from this distance Aaxir could see the battle was not yet over, the heroes were still fighting for Eleanor. "That's...Azarea's goddess." This wave of energy gave Aaxir just the amount of strength he needed to press on. One by one his emerald flames dissapated as the golden aura of Inanna took it's place. Not only was he ready to fight again, Aaxir felt even stronger. This could be the edge the heroes needed.

".....Oh...the war whore stealing glory yet again. Why am I not surprised. Aaxir, I believe it is time we re-enter the battle. You have dilly dallied long here long enough my dear."

Aaxir nodded once again. Hajun was not as certain of himself as he let on. That last flurry of attacks was a hint to the key at defeating him; however, it was only that. Aaxir would have to find a way around Pele's sister and the heroes would have to withstand Hajun's desperation once he is cornered once again. There was no way around it. This golden aura was a good start, but to defeat Hajun in the end they would still need Eleanor to fight back.

 

[Nano]

end of a life

Enthyskana Rhoda

For one bound by the limits of mortal flesh like the rest of them, the tenacity of Hajun’s borrowed vessel and the ferocity of his strikes far eclipsed theirs. Their attacks were effective, and Enthy picked up on the fleeting scent of fear that disappeared so quickly that she wondered if she’d imagined it. History told them that he had yet to become an immovable mountain, but the deafening screech that shook the foundations of the well, shattered magic, and halted the advance of the heroes’ bruised bodies fed the sense of dread that they were merely throwing eggs at a wall of stone.

The incessant ringing in Enthy’s ears nearly drowned out the small hint whispered by the devil in her pocket. As if in a trance, she made no notion to suggest that she was paying attention to the happenings of the battlefield—neither when Kagutsuchi was torn away from the bond between god and hero nor when Inanna’s blessing settled comfortably around her body. By the time she finally flipped the Hammer of Justice into a more battle-ready stance, the summon stone had long grown dull and silent.

Within the narrow corridor, the large axe tore through the air and cracked down on the earth upon where Hajun stood. Even if it missed the demon lord, the young dragon didn’t hesitate to follow in its path.

“I’m borrowing this,”

Enthy muttered, swiftly plucking the sword hanging from Veritas’s waist and continuing onward in a single motion. If the god reacted to her impudence, she didn’t look back or bother to keep her ears open for any words of protest in favor of continuing to mumble something under her breath.

Ducking past that dastardly Fae’s tendrils of magic, the young dragon opened with a wide swing traveling from the bottom up. Then, she tightly grasped the hilt and thrust forward, throwing caution to the wind in her attempt to push the demon lord back and leaving herself entirely open to being grappled or otherwise being retaliated against.

Regardless of what Hajun had up his sleeve, Enthy grit her teeth through it, going as far as to suddenly attempt at grabbing on to him.

“Conflagrate.”

A small sphere of light, nothing more than a barely noticeable ember, sat at their feet. As soon as the final word of her spell rolled off the dragon’s tongue, it ignited, scorching all within its vicinity. Even when the initial explosion cleared, wisps of blue flames stubbornly continued to burn, appearing small and faint yet feeling as if sticky and absurdly hot tar had been smeared upon whatever it hit.

Though the dragon had little to fear regarding her own flames, her god had the prudence to form a thin layer of protection in front of Enthy the second he noticed her reckless intentions. It had been promptly vaporized in the blast, but had succeeded in its job of keeping her clothes intact. They were horribly singed and had certainly seen far better days, but intact nonetheless.