At the world's edge, the last bastion of hope was crumbling away to the inevitable forces of chaos. Existence's immune system was quick to respond to the intrusion, sending its strongest Apoptosis in a futile effort to stop the corrosion of space-time.
Eliminate any who propagate the spread of nothingness, that was Adramelech's one and only goal. It mattered not that the world would've of died regardless. The universe couldn't make the distinction, and therefore, neither could Adramelech. And as it approached the stairs, walls and floor crumbling away to nothing in its wake, the Apoptosis had several, burning targets etched deep in its pathetic semblance of a mind.
Class Two Cross-World Contact. Proceed to eliminate.
...
"Here, this is the result of me and my comrades' desperate battle for knowledge." A deep voice that sounded like it was under layers of static and distortion addressed the hero and his party. From within her robes, La Croix produced a single notebook and tossed it over the desk. It sailed towards Luka, who together with the rest of his party, stood upon the prepped magic circle.
He caught it with a bit of fumbling, the precious research nearly slipping twice from his gloved hands. "W-what is this?" shakily asked Luka as he opened the journal and skimmed through its worn pages.
"Our investigation, results, and all of our hope. It lies in your hands, hero Luka." La Croix's voice was solemn, though not necessarily sad. "Take it to the La Croix of your world. If she is able to pick up from where we left off, you may be able to avoid the bleak end that we have suffered."
The masked woman inclined her head to the sound of a distant boom, which violently shook the room, sending books off their shelves and papers off their desks.
"Adramelech is right below us. Forces' casualties are at 100%, and the anti-chaos devices have been consumed by nothingness," reported Radio, her broken voice desperately seeking to be heard from behind Sonya's leg.
"Go, now! Use the magic circle; it'll take you to the first floor," commanded La Croix, turning to face the room's entrance. "I'll buy you enough time to escape."
"Wait, we're just gonna leave her here!?" shouted Sonya, nearly stepping out of the glowing circle.
Ilias grabbed the priestess by the arm and reined her in. "That is exactly what we're going to do. If you remember the undead fiend's explanation, we stand no chance against that thing!"
"I hate to agree with the scumbag, but she's right. Everything this world has fought for will be for nothing if we die here," chimed in Alice, who was already activating the warping spell with a few hand gestures.
Luka trembled as he slowly put the notebook in his pocket. "La Croix, we have inherited your world's hope and will! WE WON'T LET IT DOWN!" With a final shout, he slammed a balled fist against his chest before a bright light overtook him and his party. In but a moment, they were gone.
"I'll hold you to that promise." The undead monster didn't turn around as her last hopes made their getaway. "Honestly, I'm too old for these dramatics. But..." She grabbed her own cloak and mask with her two hands, before tearing them off in one dramatic gesture.
Her hat, beak-like mask, and robes all fell to the ground in a torn mess, along with the occasional fluttering black feather. Now wearing her lab coat and dark pink jeans, Shirome Artiste slipped off her black gloves and replaced them with clear, plastic ones from her pocket.
"Come, Cirque du Croix! It's our last performance!" announced Shirome, her voice now clear from the distortion. Another boom echoed throughout the crumbling remains of the tower, and the coffins that surrounded her desk exploded in a shower of wood and splinters.
Three zombies rose from the rubble: one fairy, one elf, and one harpy. Each of the undead flew and leaped to stand besides their master, all striking equally theatrical poses. And just as they got into position, the door they were facing exploded into chaos.
Within nonexistence existed a single being. Adramelech slowly hovered down the hallway, consuming the bookshelves that lined the wall into dust and void. Cracks of chaos ran through the floor and walls, and the Apoptosis stopped meters away from its adversaries.
"Class Two Cross-World Contact. Proceeding to eliminate." Its voice was synthesized and sounded like it was coming from far away. Adramelech's serene expression remained plastered onto its mask-like face as it stared down its targets.
Shriome's countenance remained unimpressed, but her voice shook with exaggerated grandeur. "And even though there is no audience...We shall dance to our hearts' content!"
The former succubus extended an arm forward and pointed to the abomination with an open palm. "But first, we need to set the stage." She clenched her hand into a fist.
First to react was the Queen Harpy, God of War. She flapped her decaying, skeletal wings once and launched forth dozens of razor wind blades. They tore through the Apoptosis like paper, causing it to stagger as rents slashed through its anomalous body.
Next to follow up was Titania, the mutated fairy. With a giggle and a hand gesture, dead wooden vines lined with hundreds of pointed thorns dug through the ground and emerged underneath Adramelech, violently punching through its torso from numerous angles.
The Apoptosis didn't struggle or let out a single cry of pain. It just hanged limply from its spiked prison, face complacent as the vines wrapped around and crushed its body with impunity.
"Now, for the finishing act!" Shirome, with exaggerated flare, stuck out her hips and pointed down at Adramelech. This was Fernandez's cue, and the cursed swordswoman unsheathed her blade, blurring as she dashed forward.
No move was made on the world ender's part as Fernandez's short sword penetrated its abdomen. The undead elf let out a shout as she twisted her blade before slashing upwards, completely cleaving Adramelech's body in half from the middle up.
Everything froze. Whether it was the natural perception of time slowing down during heated moments, or foul play on the Apoptosis's part wasn't clear.
But Fernandez had no time to react when tendrils of fleshy red and yellow sprouted from Adramelech's back. They twisted and turned into points more deadly than any spear before instantly puncturing the elf's abdomen.
In a spectacular display of blood and gore, Fernandez was torn apart from the inside. Her bloodied remains fell onto the floor before dissolving into dust, and from dust into nothing. The vines that held the Apoptosis in place contorted as they merged with its body, and the two separated halves joined together in a sickening reunion.
"Just as predicted. It gets stronger every time it dies. How unfair of you, existence, to force me into an unwinnable position," muttered Shirome, pale eyes flashing with annoyance at the death of her creation. "But, to die for the sake of a better future for countless worlds like mines..." Her gloved hands balled into fists as she adjusted her stance.
"I can think of no better death for a soulless, unfeeling husk like me."
The last two remaining members of the Cirque du Croix summoned the power of wind and nature, and as the room slowly grew smaller and smaller from the chaos, the three undead attacked in one desperate last stand on the world's edge.
...
Luka, Sonya, Ilias, Alice, and Radio materialized from the magic circle on the first floor. Already, gaps of nothingness were eating away at the walls and floors of the hall. Entire rooms have been erased from existence, but the path remained traversable. It was now or never.
Adjusting his cape, Luka took a deep breath. "Alright guys, lets–"
"GET! THE HELL! OUTTA HERE!" Sonya interrupted Luka's pep talk by sweeping him off his feet with her club-staff. In one smooth motion, she sheathed her weapon while catching her childhood friend before he could hit the floor.
Cradling the startled hero in her arms, Sonya took off running down the hall, the rest of the party following close behind.
"Hey, woman, if you were going to carry someone, how about you prioritize what's important and carry m–"
"By all nine of Tamamo's fluffy tails, Ilias, the world is fucking ending!" huffed Alice, her small lamia body slithering rapidly as she jumped over a crack of chaos. Ilias herself was close alongside her, wings fluttering with every rapid step.
Just as the petite Goddess was about to give a scathing retort, she tripped over her own flowing robes. Her arms flailing wildly as she fell, Ilias closed her eyes and prepared herself for the worst.
The ground never came before a pair of gloved arms steadied her. Not skipping a beat, Alice half-dragged Ilias alongside her until the former goddess regained her footing. The two shared a brief, mutually surprised glance before returning their focus to the task at hand.
Just as the group rounded their second corner, Radio spoke.
...
Slumped against the shattered remains of her desk, Shirome lay crumpled. Her faintly glowing horns flickered on and off as she struggled to retain consciousness, and black blood leaked from the corners of her mouth.
With a cough, she managed to jump-start herself into lucidity. The undead clambered to her feet, clutching the gaping wound in the side of her chest, which leaked more of the unsightly fluid.
"I f-feel like that was one of my better performances," stammered Shirome, sparks flying from the frizzled wires that resided in her body, now exposed to the stale air.
Adramelech hovered meters away, its form monstrous and contorted, with blood stained tendril-like wings sprouting from its backside. Even while it was cracked and battered, it remained hovering, motionless. The messy remains of the Cirque du Croix were scattered about the room, dissolving into nothing as chaos claimed them.
And through it all, the Apoptosis's expression never changed from the serene, almost peaceful smile. Not a single movement was made on its part as Shirome slowly approached it.
"S-still, as long as there's one person left on the stage," La Croix let go of her bleeding side as she clenched her stained hand into a fist, "the show must go on."
In a sudden burst of movement, the necromancer closed the distance with a single bound. Teeth clenched and balled fist raised, she poured her all into this grand finishing act for no one but herself.
Shirome's performance was cut short as a single tendril from Adramelech's back darted forward and impaled the former succubus through the chest. The sound of tearing metal and flesh was muffled by the encroaching chaos, and then all was still.
Trembling, La Croix let out a long, shaky sigh. She slowly lowered her fist before sliding herself off of the appendage. Adramelech didn't acknowledge Shirome as she took in a deep, unneeded breath.
"I guess that's that." Shirome straightened herself, eyes unfocusing as if she was staring at something very far away. "Even now, at the world's last dying gasp, I still...I still don't feel anything," she mumbled, face unchanging as another gout of sparks and blood sprang from the gaping hole in her chest, staining her ruffled lab coat.
A dry chuckle escaped the Artiste's throat, followed shortly by a small smile. "Well, if you need me, I'll be down at the library with Promestein and the others."
Waving goodbye, she took a shaky step forward.
And another.
And another.
She limped her way past the unmoving Adramelech and towards the wall of chaos where the stairs once were.
Suddenly, the heavy, muffled sound of her footsteps abruptly stopped.
"...Chrome, do you want to come too?"
...
"Master's and Adramelech's readings have disappeared. They're...they're gone." Radio skidded to a halt, her eyes wide and mouth open. "M-master's gone? She's–"
"Keep moving, damn it! We're almost there!" Sonya's panicked shout shook Radio out of her stupor, and the single wheel she used for movement spun into action.
The hallway was barely standing as nothingness ate away at its foundations. Spinning on a dime, the priestess, with Luka still in her arms, rounded the last corner. There, the glowing white rift at the end of the hall signified their exit. Sonya's face brightened, and with a final burst of speed, she pulled ahead of the party.
It was short-lived. Like a dart, a spike of pain shot through everyone's minds. Reeling, the priestess dropped Luka in her panic as she clutched her own head.
The hero landed on his rear with a thump before jumping to his feat and drawing his sword. "It can't be! La Croix gave her life for our sake!" His glower turned fearful at the writhing mass of chaos assembled itself before him. From within its unknowable depths, tentacles, mouths, fabric, and a smiling face emerged.
Adramelech spoke. "Class Two Cross-World Contact. Proceeding to eliminate." Its grin widened as its pupil dilated. The spread of chaos inflamed, enshrouding what little matter was left in complete void.
"W-What do we do? If La Croix wasn't able to defeat her, than how can we..?" Even though her voice was poisoned with fear, Sonya drew her staff all the same. Alongside her, Alice and Ilias drew their rapier and bow, respectively.
"Do not panic. Adramelech sustained heavy damage during its battle with Master. It's currently operating at only 10% of its power," droned Radio, wheeling up alongside her companions. Her torso cracked open like a clam, revealing the long barrel of a shining gun.
"At only 10% of its power," started Alice, lining up the length of her rapier with the unmoving Apoptosis.
"We should be able to kill it, right here, right now," finished Ilias, drawing her bow's string as an arrow of holy light materialized.
"Then, with the weight of the entire world's hopes, dreams, and sorrow..." Luka's body shook as he took in the power of wind. "WE SHALL GIVE THEIR FIGHT, THEIR STRUGGLE, MEANING!"
The hero, the fallen god, the disgraced lord, the human priest, and the piece of junk all attacked in one hope-filled last stand on the world's edge.
Author's Note: Tried something a bit different with this one, hopefully it came out well enough. Like usual, feel free to deepthroat me with any feedback you may have. God knows I need it.
Also, a little thank you to the suggestions and feedback I've been receiving as of late. They help a lot.
Also also, the reason I decided to put Ilias and Alice together in the same party was nothing more but a decision made on a whim. And I always felt bad for the one left out, even if they attempted the recreation of the universe itself.