Dragon of the Sea
Barakiel rocketed forwards the second he saw Tartarus' form, his body made of lightning. Grabbing the demons throat Barakiel shot high into the sky, repeatedly slamming his fist into Tartarus' face before spinning flinging him towards the ground. Michelle, just now exiting the building whilst riding a massive plant, leapt towards Tartarus, vines exploding from her arms and wrapping around Tartarus' neck. As she shot passed his falling body she suddenly stopped his body cracking like a whip as it straightened, the two forces nullifying each other to pull the vines tight. Michelle frowned as her arms were strained, but let the vines drop, her large plant catching her as she rode up to where Barakiel floated in the sky, his presence a beacon of light and hope as his presence cracked down on the demon below like the force of a God.
"You broke his neck," Barakiel stated. Michelle nodded. However, they didn't celebrate, watching as Tartarus rose from the metal of the base, an annoyed look on his face. He glanced at the two from his crater, a smirk on his face. "Nice try, but no cigar." Michelle frowned, vines growing from her arms once more. "We'll see about that," she muttered, riding the large sunflower down to Tartarus. However, Erebus leapt from the hole in the prison, shooting a blast of inky energy at Michelle. Quickly reacting to the attack she jumped off her sunflower, landing on the top of the prison, glaring down at the two demons. Her sunflower, caught in the blast, had shriveled up, dead from the attack. Barakiel frowned at the sight. That was a deadly form of Darkness Magic that needed to be curbed and quickly.
Barakiel shot downwards, the skies above him roaring with applause as if a lightning bolt descended from the heavens. Tartarus leapt into the skies to meet him, releasing a flaming tornado at the man, yet Barakiel cocked an arm back, his power roaring through the heavens. "Heavenly Arrow!" Barakiel let his power fly, a massive bolt of lightning shredding through Tartarus' attack. The demon roared in response, wreathing an orb of flame around him that took the attack. A massive explosion ripped through the sky, and when the smoke cleared Tartarus floated in the air, a smirk on his face. Barakiel roared, rushing towards the man again, yet Tartarus flew upwards to meet him, spiraling into a flaming, black blaze. Barakiel snorted, his body crackling to life with energy as lightning and flame clashed, the two figures exchanging punches and kicks at too rapid a speed for even many trained eyes to keep track of.
Meanwhile, Erebus leapt at Michelle, the woman however reacted quickly, wrapping her vines around his body and smirking. She spun, the vines glowing a powerful green. Erebus began to groan in pain, the vines growing larger as he did as they drained power from him. With a flick of her wrist Michelle sent him flying, yet the demon flipped in midair, raising a hand towards her. "Sleep." A wave of inky blackness washed over the area, yet Michelle was ready this time, sunflowers sprouting all over the exterior of the prison, making it look eerily like a strange garden. From the sunflower bursts of light shot forth into the darkness, fighting the magic back. Michelle then raised both of her arms, crisscrossing them midair. "World Tree!" Unfurling her arms a rumbling was heard from below before countless massive roots shot from the ground, spreading over the area and wrapping around the entire tower. The vines formed a sunflower, only it had yet to bloom. Michelle stood atop the sunflower, vines around her arms as she stepped off of it, landing on one of the many extending roots. "Come demon of sleep."
"Demon," Erebus asked, confused. "I am no demon. I...I am above the Gods themselves."
Michelle snorted. "You act as if I care. If dragons can be slain than I shall kill the beings higher than the Gods themselves if I so must." Erebus roared in outrage, sending a sweeping blast of Darkness Magic, yet Margaret quickly countered, the vine ripping open and releasing several blasts of light that stalled the darkness long enough for her to leap towards Erebus, slamming her foot into his face. However, he grabbed her leg, spinning her and launching her towards the sky. He prepared to shoot after her, only for a vine to wrap around his leg. He snarled, the vines dying as he let a burst of his unique brand of Darkness Magic out.
"Is darkness kills everything in an eternal slumber huh," Michelle commented as she finally recovered, plummeting towards the rising Erebus. "I can work with that," she muttered, the vines on her arms shooting outwards light gathering at their tips before she released a multiple beams of light that speared through Erebus' body. The concussive force of the blast held her in the air, however her eyes widened as Erebus disappeared, appearing behind her.
"What," she cried only to scream in pain as Erebus pressed his hand against her back, burning at her flesh. Acting quickly she flipped upwards, kicking off her vines wrapping them around Erebus' neck and twisting, attempting to break his neck. However he spun with the force allowing him to avoid his neck breaking before he blasted her with another wave of his Darkness Magic sending her back to the top of her still yet to bloom sunflower. Margaret groaned as she stood. "How?" Erebus laughed. "Sleep is the ultimate illusion," he stated as his body melded into the world around him.
Michelle frowned, her large sunflower growing in size. However, before she could do anything, she saw a wave of darkness form a dome around her, a moon forming in the sky. She cursed, the sunflower quickly beginning to decrease in size. Erebus smirked, shooting towards Michelle, grabbing her by the neck, darkness flickering off of his form.
"You have lost," he muttered, his darkness slowly wrapping her in a cocoon. However, Michelle fought back, multiple venus flytraps sprouting from her body and biting down hard on Erebus. The demon grunted, releasing the woman, only for his eyes to widen as from her stomach sprouted a massive flower, its petals white. "Moonflower."
The flower absorbed the light shining from the moon, releasing it back in a blast at Erebus. However, the demon moved quickly, avoiding the blast of light, however his eyes widened when he saw the light roar towards the moon. "No!" Erebus roared, the light cracking against the moon and shattering the faux-dimension Erebus had created. The sun roared back to life over the duo, causing Erebus to snarl. The demon formed crackling darkness around his hands, sending bolts of black energy towards Michelle, yet she blocked it with her moonflower, the flower dying in the process.
"Poison Fog!" A black pollen drifted into the air as Michelle waved her hands, landing on one of the large roots of her World Tree. Erebus frowned at the black pollen, forming a shell of darkness, the poison crumpling into nothingness within it. Michelle frowned, glancing at her tree. It wasn't ready yet, the sunflower was still growing. It's cord was larger now though, capable of using as a means of offense now. Erebus snorted as her eyes left him, reappearing next to her.
"You take your eyes off an opponent and you die!" he roared, slamming a crackling fist into her body, only for his eyes to widen as she scattered as black pollen. Erebus quickly tried to not breathe in the pollen, but he was to late, causing him to frown. He didn't know what he breathed in but he didn't want to breathe in more of it, and he blasted it away with his dark energy.
"Where are you witch," he called, rage growing in his voice. Michelle smirked. "Right here," she called from below. "Snaredragon!"From the ground erupted a massive assortment of vines and plants, forming a venus flytrap that snapped its jaws around Erebus, shaking back and forth. Michelle smirked, however that smirk faded as a a tornado of flame slammed into the planet, turning it to ash. Her eyes widened, Erebus smirked as he protected himself within his sphere of darkness. Tartarus stood next to his partner, flames wreathed around his arms. Barakiel suddenly appeared next to Michelle in a crack of lightning, his eyes glowing blue with the intensity of his power.
"They're to strong for us to play with. Are you ready to take this to the next level?" Michelle smirked, her body turning green. "Gladly." Barakiel smirked, the skies above swirling with storm clouds. "Let us begin."
Tartarus raised a hand, his flames wreathing like animals before they shot forwards. "Demise." Barakiel frowned, lightning crackling around his form. He quickly shot several bolts of lightning at the flames. The two elements seemingly cancelled one another out, causing Barakiel to smirk before he waved his hands downwards. "Wrath of God!"
The storm clouds above roared, releasing a multitude of blinding bolts of lightning. Yet Erebus reacted quickly, forming a massive dome of energy to protect the two demons, blocking the attack. Michelle frowned, twisting her arm. Large cacti sprouted from her arms as she rode towards the duo, a large root from her World Tree carrying her towards the duo. "Twin Spines!"
Tartarus snorted, launching himself forwards, his fist of flame clashing with the cacti. However, Michelle didn't hold contact for long, her vine ripping open, revealing an empty tunnel. She smirked, a blast of light shooting from the opening and devouring Tartarus, sending him flying backwards with the force. Michelle rushed to take advantage of the opening, but Erebus appeared before her, a small orb in his hands. However, Michelle shot another blast of light directly at Erebus just as he released the orb, the opposite energies cancelling each other out and sending both combatants flying away. However, Tartarus was not in the clear yet, as just as he recovered Barakiel smashed his fist into the demons gut, causing him to cough up spittle. Barakiel then supercharged his body with lightning, landing a flurry of punches and kicks against Tartarus' body, finishing with a devastating elbow to the throat. Tartarus flew backwards, but Barakiel managed to grab him by the ankle before flinging him towards the ground, the demons body crashing against it. Barakiel then formed a crackling lightning bolt, a smirk on his face. "Heavenly Bolt!" he cried, flinging the bolt towards Tartarus and finishing his devastating combination. The world erupted with light, the ground being blasted away from the force of the attack, burying Tartarus deeper into the ground. As the blinding light died Barakiel could be seen standing above a hole in the ground, frowning into it.
Barakiel attempted to admire his handiwork, but Erebus appeared next to him, hands cloaked with a dark energy. He swung downwards, only to miss Barakiel completely, the mage already behind him due to his immense speed. Lightning roared around his arm as he launched his punch, only for Erebus' body to crack and shatter like glass. Barakiel's eyes widened, confused, before he felt a burning pain on his back, before he suddenly fell to the ground, his body fighting against him.
"What," he coughed, confused. Erebus smirked, floating about Barakiel. "Listen to it. Listen to your body. You need to sleep. It's one of your basic needs," he said. Barakiel frowned, trying to fight off the encroaching darkness in his vision only to fail. Erebus smirked. "The darkness puts you to sleep," he muttered.
"Light!" Michelle roared, sending a blast of spines towards Erebus from her cacti. The spines fazed through the demon causing him to frown and turn towards her. "You seem to have forgotten the power of my illusion, girl," he muttered, annoyed. Michelle snorted. "No. I know it's weakness. Light," she stated, a smirk on her face. Suddenly multiple sunflowers sprouted from the ground, shining massive beams of light onto Barakiel. The man groaned, slowly standing as his body obeyed his commands again. Erebus frowned but did nothing at the action, allowing the mage to rise.
"You only know light girl..." he hissed, his body disappearing in wisps of smoke. Barakiel snarled, lightning crackling off of his form, light blanketing the field. Erebus appeared behind Michelle, however Barakiel was there instantly, his hand around Erebus' face as he smashed the demon in the ground. Michelle smirked, multiple vines shooting from the ground, binding Erebus to the ground. Erebus snorted, dark energy beginning to leak off of him, forcing Barakiel to leap away for fear of his life as the vines died instantly. Michelle frowned, jumping away as well. Erebus roared, dark energy leaking out of his system as he rose. "I'm sick of dealing with you insects," he muttered, rage in his voice. However, before his power could continue to spike he coughed, blood shooting from his mouth as the energy cut itself off, Erebus falling to his knees.
"What," he snarled, pain filling his body. Michelle smirked. "The poison is finally taking effect. That wasn't just some regular pollen I created. It's called Poison Fog for a reason." Erebus snarled, pain blaring through his systems. "What you inhaled won't kill you," Michelle muttered, a vine forming on her arm. However, the vine suddenly began to glow brightly with light, seemingly stronger now that it was filled with the energy of the sun. "But I'm sure I can fix that. Nature is something you don't want to piss of after all."
Michelle shot forwards just as Erebus smirked, his power skyrocketing once more. Luckily she was capable of stopping herself before she hit his dome of dark energy that shot into the sky in a massive column. However, the rapidly expanding release of power would have killed her if Barakiel hadn't grabbed her and shot away, managing to out speed the column.
"What the hell," Michelle muttered, confusion filling her voice. Barakiel frowned. "His power skyrocketed. It's...it's above even mine now..."
The duo tensed, the world of dark energy before them filling them with dread. However, before they could react they felt another surge of power from behind them. They turned, their eyes widening as black flame and lava shot from the earth, a figure cloaked in the destruction. They trembled at the sight, in awe of the amount of power before them. This figure, Tartarus, had reached levels they hadn't even believed possible. He stood above even Erebus.
"Impossible," Michelle stated, confused. Barakiel frowned, closing his eyes. "Not impossible," he muttered, before his eyes glowed with a deep blue power. "Just unnatural," he stated before he too let his limiter go a surge of water and lightning, his form cloaked in the massive onslaught. "What is this," Michelle stated, confused. She was surrounded by titans! Frowning at the action Michelle quickly leapt upwards, a vine catching her and moving her to the top of her massive flower. She found it strange that no one tried to halt her actions. She could only come up with one answer.
They didn't think she was a threat.
Michelle frowned, anger rolling off of her in waves. She knew that Barakiel was stronger than her, she wouldn't bother denying it, but the very fact that he made her seem so...weak was insufferable. Everyone on the battlefield at the moment made her feel like despite all the effort she had thrown into training, to growing stronger, working her way up the ladder as a Rune Knight was worthless. If there were people in this world who still stood above her so...what was even the point of trying to continue fighting? Everyone had gifts that she simply didn't have. She had reached her climax...and everyone else seemingly could keep rising no matter the difficulty.
Michelle frowned, the ground beneath them beginning to roar with her own emotions growing in turmoil. That was the very reason she had chosen this magic. She didn't have the sheer power to deal with most enemies, she never would...but she most definitely could wear them down with the very force of nature. With that she sent to massive beams of energy towards Erebus and Tartarus, the light searing the ground, yet both of them blocked the strikes using their respective energies, before sending it flying away in a pulse of energy, revealing their forms.
Erebus was a monstrosity given form. His entire body wreathed and roared with energy, seemingly made out of destructive and manipulative forces. Slowly, his body calmed, taking a solid form that gave Michelle chills. His body was deathly white, with thick, black lines covering his eyes and trailing up to his temples. The top of his head was now a purple crown that grew from his head, spiked and pronged upwards. His yellow eyes reeked off misery and pain, a twisted sadism lurking underneath. Black lines trailed from his eyes downwards, pointing in wicked fang markings towards his mouth, also covered in black markings. He opened his mouth, revealing dangerously sharp teeth, a wicked miasma pouring from his mouth. Two wings shot from his back, rubbery and like leather, giving him the appearance of a traditional demon. If one looked closely you could see small tears in the wings, making them seem incapable of true flight. His white body had a serious of black markings on them, trailing in manipulative forms that seemed to be describing some form of ancient language, and from his knees downward his legs were covered in a hard looking black substance, probably exoskeleton. The tail that sprung from his tailbone was covered in the same substance, yet it seemed extremely flexible if its constant movement was anything to go by. The tip of the tail opened up, five spears forming the tip as it split off. Erebus flexed, and then his forearms were covered with the same black exoskeleton, the armor slowly perverting the area around them with a miasma just like his breath.
Tartarus however was possibly even more terrifying. The man seemed to be coated in pure black armor, befitting of that who held the name of a Primordial God. Two large black metallic demonic wings sprang from his back, looking less like those of the mythological dragon wings, and subsequently like how Erebus' looked, but instead looking early similar to that of a great birds. Yet the wings were coated in some black substance that made them extremely hard, easily noticeable from how they looked. A thick metal neckguard stretched around Tartarus' body, leading to the demon's face, relatively unchanged despite the rest of his body. The sturdy-looking neckguard led to a flowing robe of black that was simultaneously coated in the black armor, somehow retaining that sturdy quality with all the flexibility an object would have if it were workout clothing. Black gauntlets covered his arms, leading to clawed trips at the end of the fingers, each leaking a small black flame. From the black gauntlets sprang eight, four per gauntlet, blade-like fins each wreathed in a dense but small cloak of flame. Two black horns protruded from his head, white hair falling from his back and going all the way down to his waist. Michelle frowned. She was definitely more terrified of Erebus physically, but she could tell that Tartarus, just from the regal aura of his form, was a much more dangerous foe, and that made him truly terrifying. She shivered, their energies practically oppressing the world around them.
However, suddenly she was reassured as Barakiel appeared from his own storm of energy, challenging the two blights on the world. Swirling masses of water swirled around his body forming a sort of regal robe around the man, despite the strange look it had on him with how muscular he was. Scales could visibly be seen on his body and his body had swelled even further in size, a blue tint on his skin giving him the look of the ocean rolling inside of him. His ears had elongated, and his teeth could visibly be seen despite his closed mouth, being to elongated to be hidden by his lips. However, otherwise the man had not changed much.
Michelle frowned. Barakiel's transformation was less visually impressive, but visuals didn't necessarily mean stronger, although she would definitely appreciate some form of visual reassurance. She supposed that was irrelevant however, instead moving, preparing another attack. However, before she could even fully formulate a multi-pronged strike the demons moved, rushing forwards.
A crack was heard before the both Tartarus and Erebus were sent forcefully away from Michelle. The woman frowned, confused. However then she saw it, Barakiel standing before her, his body glowing with an extreme amount of power. Her eyes widened. "No way," she muttered. Barakiel frowned, seemingly straining from the intense power he had to keep under control. "Barakiel? Are you okay?" Michelle was observant. She knew that form had to be be quite taxing on him from how he looked. However, she wasn't the only person to notice the strain, as Tartarus leapt forwards, a smile on his face, black flames spearing forth from his hands. Barakiel managed to parry the flames, water shrouding his arms before he leapt forwards, lightning crackling off of his foot as he slammed a kick squarely into...Erebus' energy.
The demon smirked, lifting his hand up, creating a large sphere of his energy before it immediately dispersed, firing off towards Barakiel with multiple small balls at rapid speeds, "Cosmic Bombardment." Barakiel cursed, forming a sphere of water around him to take the explosive force of each of Erebus' own sphere's, however it wasn't enough and Barakiel was thrown backwards, slightly singed by the attack. Tartarus launched himself forwards, flames coating his right arm as he reached for Barakiel's throat, yet Michelle finally managed to get into the fight, "Hura Blast."
A massive flower sprang from Michelle's hands, firing multiple seeds towards Tartarus. The demon of the underworld frowned, spinning as black flames wreathed around his form, destroying the seeds as they made contact with the shield. Michelle glared, three large petals growing from her back, multiple openings on them. The petals surrounded Tartarus and Erebus, Barakiel dashing out of the line of fire just as Michelle unleashed her attack. "Hura Storm!"
Each opening in the petals sent a storm of explosive seeds at the two demons, clouding them in smoke as the violent explosions began to shake the world. However, Barakiel, not confident that the move had stalled them or even hurt them effectively, followed up quickly. "Sea King Dragon's Bermuda Spines!" Eight large spines of water grew on Barakiel's back before they fired off of him, small tendrils of water connecting the spines to his back as they rocketed into the smoke. However, suddenly he was yanked into the smoke, but instead of panicking he formed a small sphere of water in front of him. "Sea King Dragon's Monsoon!" Stabbing his fingers into the watery sphere, Barakiel twisted his wrist and the sphere expanded, pushing outwards against everything it came into contact with. As the smoke from Michelle's attack cleared Tartarus and Erebus were revealed to be contained in the watery prison, causing Barakiel to smile. The storm clouds overhead thundered, and Barakiel clapped his hands. Several bolts of lightning shot towards the prison, striking it viciously, yet instead of spasming like expected the two demons smirked. It was then that Barakiel saw the flames burning away at the water surrounding the duo, undoubtedly Tartarus' work. The demon had managed to not only fend off the water, but also negate the lightning with his flames. Then he rushed forwards, his flames carving a path in Barakiel's water, grabbing the Ace by the throat and slamming him into the ground below. Tartarus roared, a flaming punch threatening to turn Barakiel's head to paste, but Barakiel directed the spines downwards, slamming into Tartarus' sides and sending the demon flying. Tartarus frowned as he rose, grabbing two spines as his body erupted in flame, causing the spines to evaporate, Barakiel not bothering to continue to channel magic into them and maintain their form.
Instead the Ace of the Magic Council rushed forwards, shoulder-charging Tartarus. Yet the demon was nothing but stubborn, grabbing Barakiel as he skidded backwards, dragging the mage with him. A quick elbow to the head forced Barakiel's head downwards, followed up by the crack of knee hitting nose, Barakiel's nose shattering from the force. Barakiel's head snapped upwards from the force, and with a dark grin Tartarus jumped, spinning in the air and smashing a vicious tornado kick into Barakiel's temple, sending the large man flying away from the demon, into a large rock nearby. Tartarus smirked at Barakiel's defeated form, a dark grin forming on his face before he raised his hands. Dark flames erupted from his hands, forming a tornado, however before he could make any finishing blow Barakiel rose, thunder roaring as lightning cracked down in front of him, his mouth opening with a shout. "Sea King Dragon's Thunderous Roar!" Lightning coated the flood of water as it rushed towards Tartarus swallowing the demon whole in the attack. Barakiel coughed, before his eyes widened, glancing upwards as he felt the deluge start. He frowned. That was a minor side affect of his magic. It caused storms when he used it. Although it wasn't a bad thing, especially considering his primary magic benefited from it. With the water in the sky...his Lightning Magic became much more lethal. As Tartarus stood, several cracks in his armor revealed, Barakiel raised an arm, electricity crackling off of it.
"Bastard," Tartarus snarled, his eyes scanning over his injured form, unable to understand how a human had managed to crack his armor. Tartarus roared, throwing himself towards Barakiel, yet the man just laughed. Then, for Tartarus, the world exploded, lightning searing over his entire form from all directions. Barakiel smirked, the clouds above roaring in defiance to the demon as lightning struck. That was the benefit the environment gave him. With a little bit of guidance he could use the rain his Sea King Dragon Slayer Magic created and guide his Lightning Magic through it, using it as a sort of scope for his attacks, while simultaneously magnifying their power. With the rain in play it was impossible for him to miss, and his Lightning Magic gained an absurd amount of kick behind it.
Unfortunately, when Barakiel turned he could see Michelle was not having as good of a time with her opponent. Erebus had already ripped apart her primary defense, and had quickly shredded through her primary attack power, all of the time she had used charging the World Tree gone to waste as Erebus ripped it apart with his magic. Barakiel frowned as he saw Erebus holding Michelle's neck with his hand, a smirk on his face. The girl couldn't hold off the man long enough. He couldn't blame her. Erebus was extremely powerful, more powerful than most of the Generals in fact. Michelle wasn't weak in comparison to the demon, but her fighting style simply wasn't a good choice in this battle. She relied much more on drawn out fights, and she couldn't deal with overwhelming power very easily, despite some of her counters to it. Erebus had seemingly just blown through all of them, despite her efforts, and promptly defeated her.
Barakiel shot forwards, eager to stop Erebus before he could deliver the finishing blow, but it was pointless. With a flick of his wrist Erebus had broken Michelle's neck, and just like that, with a simple hand movement, one of Fiore's Generals fell. Barakiel roared, sending a blast of highly pressurized water at the demon, but he managed to use his energy to absorb the attack before he shot towards Tartarus, holding Michelle's body above the seemingly defeated demon. "Here's your sacrifice," Erebus muttered, dropping Michelle's corpse unto Tartarus. Barakiel looked curiously, cautiously floating away from the duo. From the looks of things, unless Nez and Jiemma arrived to back him up, he would be dying here.
Erebus was to perfect a counter, his magic seemingly absorbing everything he threw at the man. His only real weakness seemed to be light, and while he could manage with that, he doubted he could manage when that ungodly power coming from Tartarus kept on rising. Michelle's body seemed to have vanished in a torrent of black flame and with it Tartarus' body rose, although the demon was vastly different than before. Gone was skin and most of his armor, revealing merely a skeleton with an armored kilt protecting Tartarus's nether regions. Two of Tartarus's chest bones extended passed his back, circling behind his head and connecting at the end, a strange engraved door formed above them. The top of Tartarus's head extended backwards, forming a strange crown, with four spikes jutting from Tartarus's face, two above his eyes and two at his jaws. His eyes and mouth glowed with blue ethereal light, light that forced the slight Egyptian necklace around the demons neck into the air, making it float unsteadily. Armored shoulder pads covered the demon's shoulders, long bones making arms extending into clawed hands, gauntlets from the wrist up the the forearms protecting them. Four chains floated around Tartarus' body, originating in front of the origin of the blue light, the chains seemingly not meant for offense but instead giving stability to this form if the energy that thrummed around them meant anything. However, where his heart and stomach would be was an absolutely blinding blue, ethereal light, giving Tartarus' body an otherworldly glow.
"Lich Magic," Barakiel said, horror on his face and his body telling him run. That was perhaps the strongest Black Magic anyone could learn beyond Living Magic...and here he was facing it down.
A dark chuckle escaped Tartarus before his body spasmed horridly, the demon's laughter echoing throughout the area. "What's wrong 'Angel of Lightning'? DO YOU FEAR ME!"
For once in his life...Barakiel could honestly say that he did.
"Stay out of this Erebus..."
Tartarus' body erupted in blue light, flames searing the ground before him as he walked forwards. Flames and the strange blue light rushed over the ground, everything that it made contact with dying. Barakiel frowned at the sight, sending multiple bolts of lightning down into Tartarus, but the demon didn't seem to care, walking right through the attacks despite their obvious power. Barakiel frowned, shooting forwards, appearing in front of Tartarus nearly instantly. Barakiel's kick smashed into Tartarus' hand, the demon smiling at the failed attack. Tartarus clenched his leg, causing Barakiel to wince before Tartarus' fist made contact with his body, a searing pain erupting in his senses. Barakiel was sent flying backwards, his vision covered with white, a massive flaming imprint on his body coated with blue energy. Tartarus laughed, leaping forwards to combat Barakiel once more, however Barakiel managed to send his remaining spines flying towards Tartarus' smashing the demon in the jaw and arms. Tartarus flipped, landing on his fist with an annoyed growl.
"That won't save you," Tartarus stated, an orb of dense black flame forming in his hands. A blue energy coated it before he released the blast. "Judgement!" Barakiel rose as the wave scorched towards him. The Ace didn't even bother to counter the attack, merely dodging it using his Lightning Magic before he opened his mouth.
"Sea King Dragon's Thunderous Roar!" Barakiel screamed at the top of his lungs as a flood of water rushed towards Tartarus, lightning from the skies mingling with the attack. Tartarus yelled with joy, leaping towards the attack, blue energy illuminating his body as he caught the attack. Growling from the sheer force behind the attack Tartarus' magic power soared even higher, the blue light wrapping around the water. Suddenly plants began to sprout from the ground, absorbing the water and growing larger because of it. Barakiel's eyes widened in horror.
"Hura Blast!" Tartarus roared, screaming at the top of his lungs. The seeds that were all to familiar shot towards Barakiel, yet the man merely changed his body to one of lightning, the seeds fazing right through him, exploding in the distance. Barakiel returned to a normal form, anger on his face. "You dare use Michelle's power for your own gain..."
Tartarus laughed. "As a Lich...I have absolute control over the dead. She is my puppet! Snaredragon!" The venus flytrap shot towards Barakiel, yet the man merely swatted it away as if it was a gnat. Tartarus frowned. "I suppose that this strategy will not work against someone of your level," Tartarus stated. Barakiel snorted, before multiple more lightning bolts immediately arced towards Tartarus, almost striking just as bones rose from the ground to protect the Lich. Tartarus leapt atop the bone wall, laughing. "This is good...exciting. Give me more of a battle Ace of the World! Bone Storm!"
The door above Tartarus opened, a vortex of small, sharp bones carving through the air towards the flying Barakiel. Barakiel roared, releasing his magical energy in a storm, blasting the attack away, before he vanished from Tartarus' senses. Tartarus however was already expecting such a strategy and let his flames exploded outwards, showering the world with light. Barakiel reappeared to his senses, directly behind him, but Tartarus couldn't react in time. Barakiel's fist smashed into Tartarus' back, a roar of pain escaping from Tartarus' lips as Barakiel roared, "Sea King Dragon's Thunderous Fist!" The lighting-covered water fist sent Tartarus flying, his body skidding across the ground.
"Lich Magic leaves the body extremely frail. That's why the pain tolerance for a magic that literally burns away the surface layer of one's body has to be so high. You can die even becoming a Lich, much less taking any form of physical contact damage from a magic as deadly as this one. That's of course ignoring the blood sacrifice one must use to achieve the state."
Tartarus growled with rage as he stood, his eyes only seeing red. "YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!"
Barakiel and Tartarus rushed one another, their fists rocketing forwards, smashing into one another. They roared, their magic energies exploding outwards and competing for dominance. The ground cracked and ripped apart, chunks of earth flying into the sky. Despite the loss of a solid footing the two combatants did not fall, both beginning to fly. The two then ended their strength competition, both annoyed that they were equal, before engaging in a vicious brawl of fists and feet. Barakiel led the engagement with a savage punch to Tartarus' body that was blocked with Tartarus' knee. The Ace followed up with a vicious combination of left and rights which Tartarus expertly dodged before slamming his a clawed strike to Barakiel's stomach. Yet the man rose despite the blow, an uppercut smashing into Tartarus' chin, before a kick rocketed towards his neck, smashing into the demon's throat. Before he could fly away Barakiel grabbed his foot spinning, yet Tartarus twisted, launching a savage kick that caught Barakiel in the head, sending the Ace spinning away from the man.
Tartarus immediately launched himself towards Barakiel, fire and energy covering his skeletal fist. Barakiel frowned, flipping midair, converting his body to lightning just as Tartarus' punch launched forwards, barely avoiding the strike. Barakiel immediately reverted his body to normal, water swirling around his arms as he looked at Tartarus' exposed back. "Sea King Dragon's Shredding Tooth!" Barakiel swiped his arms downwards, several blades of watery magic slicing into Tartarus' body causing the demon to growl in pain before he turned, dust flying into the air. Barakiel frowned, slowing floating upwards. Tartarus released a storm of fire to chase after him, but Barakiel countered with his own volley of water from his Sea King Dragon Slayer Magic.
Tartarus rushed towards Barakiel the second the two elements cancelled each other out, causing the man to frown. A blast of dark energy coated Tartarus' hand, yet Barakiel was ready as the energy tore through the air, thinning his magic energy into a narrow stream and launching his body forwards, carving straight through the energy, hand reaching out, grasping Tartarus' face. Barakiel smirked, clenching his fist, causing Tartarus to squirm uncomfortably. Barakiel launched himself towards the ground, slamming Tartarus' body into the ground. Yet he raised a fist, coated in watery energy. As he brought his fist down a bolt of lightning struck it causing him to roar.
"Sea King Dragon's Thunderous Fist!"
Barakiel's punch impacted, but not with Tartarus. The power behind the attack sent energy flying everywhere, a massive explosion taking place due to the intense strength, yet Tartarus smirked, his head just barely avoiding the strike. Then the demons arm snapped upwards, clasping Barakiel's arm as ethereal energy coated him. In his other hand a crook formed, causing him to smirk. "Burial!" The energy exploded outwards, forming a large crook, releasing a wave of magic that blew everything away.
Barakiel groaned as he stood, his body hurting all over. He hadn't expected such a powerful attack from that position, and it had hurt him severely. He would need to be careful if he wanted to incapacitate Tartarus enough so that he could defeat him. Where the hell was Jiemma!? The smoke from the energy blast slowly began to fade, revealing Tartarus glaring at Barakiel.
"You have been a nuisance. It is time to reveal my true power." Tartarus' energy rose, reaching a tipping point that made Barakiel fear. The energy wasn't significant enough to make his chances at wining a complete zero percent, but there were still overwhelming odds for him to overcome if he wanted to win. He would really appreciate some help right now, even if that meant Erebus getting involved. He thought Lich Magic was extinct for a reason after all. All other mages, human mages, who had achieved Lich Magic in history had been slain at heavy cost and the magic had been all but erased from the annals of history in an attempt to stop anyone else from achieving a power that allowed a mage to control entire nations. Yet here he was, trying to face down such a power by himself.
Barakiel suddenly wished Naruto and Makarov were there with him, but that was irrelevant. They weren't, and he would have to do this battle by himself. Tartarus shot forwards, but Barakiel was prepared, checking Tartarus' punch with his knee, before he dropped to the ground, attempting to sweep the demons legs. Tartarus jumped, avoiding the attack before holding his palm downwards, releasing a surge of flame towards Barakiel's head, but the Ace avoided the attack, his arm reaching up and grabbing Tartarus'. Barakiel swung his massive frame, Tartarus following, preparing to slam into the ground, but a hand shot out, Tartarus managing to catch himself mid fall. Two plants shot from the ground, holding Barakiel in place with strange efficiency. Barakiel growled, the plants petals opening, revealing carnivorous mouths. However, instead of attempting to bite him, a powder floated out from the mouths, causing Barakiel's eyes to widen before bolts of lightning shots towards the duo before he inhaled any pollen. The bolts impacted against Barakiel, not harming him but destroying the pollen before it did any damage and burning the two plants to a crisp. Tartarus managed to defend himself, the ethereal energy guarding his body.
Suddenly hands reached up from the ground, grasping Tartarus and pulling him under. Barakiel's eyes widened, confused, until horrid monstrosities rose from the ground, spikes sticking out from their backs as the monsters roared, their clawed hands holding massive bone clubs. The green monsters rushed forwards, but Barakiel payed them no mind, smacking them away with ease. However, suddenly an even larger monstrosity appeared from the ground, roaring its challenge and rushing Barakiel. Barakiel snarled, and with a roar and some Lightning Magic eviscerated the beast. Tartarus suddenly leapt up from the ground, melding from it like it was a liquid, landing a solid uppercut and sending Barakiel flying upwards. Raising his hand, Tartarus smirked. "Bone Bullets!" The tips of his fingers shot forwards, cracking into Barakiel's chest, piercing through the man's chest. Barakiel coughed up blood, falling back to the ground where Tartarus was waiting. The demon leapt upwards, spinning midair before lashing out with a kick that slammed into Barakiel's stomach, the man retching upon impact before he was sent flying even higher into the air.
Tartarus smirked. "Time to finish this," the demon muttered before he leapt, soaring to heights one would find impossible if they couldn't fly. He shot even above Barakiel's body, turning to look down at the field below, seemingly a small dot in the world he could see. As Barakiel shot towards him he flipped, spinning before a back-breaking heel drop connected with Barakiel's back, sending the Ace careening towards the ground. A massive explosion took place as Barakiel's body hit the ground, Tartarus remaining to float in the sky to see what had happened. However, suddenly he was struck by three massive bolts of lightning, causing the demon to growl in annoyance, the bolts hurting him. He glared at Barakiel to see that the man had managed to flip himself and land on his feet despite the injuries he had taken.
"You truly are an impressive specimen," Tartarus muttered. "If I could offer you a spot in our army I would...but I'm afraid I can't do that. You have to die."
Barakiel growled, his energy nearly spent trying to stay alive in this battle. "I wouldn't accept it anyways," he roared, lightning shooting towards Tartarus. The demon avoided the strikes, however he was unprepared for Barakiel to slam into him from below, covering the distance in his lightning form and becoming solid just before he struck. The two shot upwards, into the thunderclouds above. Tartarus growled as he felt Barakiel disappear, glancing around only to see inky blackness. The demon snarled, releasing his magic to burn off the water that was soaking his body.
However, Tartarus was unprepared for the two powerful blows that struck his face, completely invisible to his eyes. The demon snarled, enraged by Barakiel's strategy. He was using the storm clouds to hide his visible presence whilst also using Stealth to ensure that Tartarus would be incapable of stopping him. And being shrouded in blackness, lightning, and rain made it impossible for Tartarus to conjure enough light to cancel the magic out. However, he could still escape the cloud, if he moved fast enough. Yet the issue was Barakiel could meld with the lightning at any time and easily out speed him. He was trapped. He needed to find a way out, or he would undoubtedly be defeated by this mundane strategy.
Two more blows hammered into his body, sending him skidding backwards, if it was possible to skid on air, yet suddenly a blast of water crushed into his back. He would have cursed if he hadn't felt a significantly more powerful blow impact with his gut, making the demon's vision blurry as Barakiel sent him flying upwards. Two bolts of lightning slammed into his body, shaking him violently, before he felt intense pain, his wrists cracking under intense pain. Tartarus glanced at his wrists, confused as to why it felt like two blades were sticking out of them, before he felt another blow hammer into his gut. Tartarus bent over, pain filling his vision.
"Damn...it..." the demon cursed, struggling to find a way to fight off Barakiel's strategy. Tartarus snarled, releasing a storm of flames, only to roar in outrage as water swirled around him, containing the flames within. Tartarus snarled, increasing the output of his flames, burning the water away only for his eyes to widen as he saw a magnificent beast of blue lightning descend from clouds above him. His mouth opened, agape at the amount of power he could see being held in that attack. A lion's head of lightning roared before charging towards him. Tartarus snarled, his flames wreathed in black flames as he launched a punch at the lion, the creature dissolving into volts of lightning that seared through Tartarus' body. Tartarus tried to scream, but his voice was spasming to much with the pain. However, before he even had a time to recover he felt a blade slipping into his stomach, causing him to cough up blood. Suddenly his vision shimmered, Barakiel becoming visible.
"Looks like I win...demon."
Tartarus smirked, looking at Barakiel. "You think you've won? You haven't done anything...HUMAN!"
Barakiel laughed. "The blade in your stomach seems to disagree. Besides if I disappear again you won't be able to find me." Tartarus growled, rage filling his voice. "I don't need to. I will burn this entire arena you've built for us to the ground...and then we'll be back to square one." Barakiel smirked. "You're injured."
"I have allies," Tartarus said, smiling. Barakiel smirked. "So do I." Tartarus laughed. "You think either of those two imbeciles fighting the Demon Gates will actually make it out of their alive? Don't make me laugh. Yes those two are strong to take any of the members individually, but all together? Ludicrous." Barakiel frowned.
"One of them will come and defeat your ally."
"I'd like to see them try. Even if they did somehow manage to defeat them they'd be to exhausted to defeat Erebus in an actual battle." Barakiel smiled. "That's why I'll be there to help them out."
"Oh? And what about me?"
Barakiel smiled, water and lightning coating his hand, "Dead," he muttered as he speared his hand towards Tartarus' head. The world seemed to slow before Tartarus smiled. The ethereal glow around him burned brighter than ever before. "Sleep," he muttered, Erebus' energy shooting from the ethereal glow, and wrapping around Barakiel. Tartarus smirked as Barakiel fell, unable to maintain flight as his body continued to try and fight off the sleep trying to force him into subconsciousness, and eventually death.
Tartarus smiled, before his flames erupted, burning away everything that they touched, revealing clear skies as they eventually dissipated. Tartarus glanced downwards, Barakiel managing to have fought off the magic, likely by shocking himself awake. The Ace glared at him, before he glanced downwards, his eyes wide as he saw a figure, Jiemma, shooting away from the battlefield.
"Jiemma!" Barakiel called out, confused, but realized why he was fleeing after glancing to the prison, the entire prison collapsing due to Nez's suicide attempt.
"Nez..." Barakiel muttered, frowning. There was nothing left to protect, and at this rate there was no way that Jiemma or he could fight off these two monsters. Michelle could defeat Jiemma, and even she failed in handling Erebus. There was no way he could help with this battle, and Barakiel wasn't enough of a fool to believe that he could defeat Tartarus and Erebus. And considering Tartarus had just destroyed the only reason he was winning their battle, it seemed like retreat was his only logical decision. Tartarus laughed, his flames shouting outwards, covering the sky. Barakiel cursed, forming a massive blast of water and shooting it at Tartarus. The demon laughed, waving his hand as his flames washed over it, creating a large cloud of steam. Barakiel took that as his cue, slipping into Stealth and rocketing away.
As Barakiel disappeared from that battlefield, headed towards the Magic Council HQ, he glanced backwards, the sight before him horrifying. The Magic Council's heaviest defended imprisonment facility had fallen...to just eleven demons. Even if some of them had likely died in the battle Fiore had still lost a general. The prisoners inside may have been killed, for that was Nez's final order before the battle began, but was it really worth it? Fiore had been dealt a crushing blow. Barakiel shook his head, there was also the added part that there was a Lich that was still alive, one that was powerful enough to match him blow for blow and undoubtedly win if he couldn't use the environment to his advantage. That trick was a one-time deal, Tartarus would not fall for it again. He had used all of his tricks to defeat the demon...and failed.
Barakiel sighed, disappearing as he increased his speed.
The days were dark, dark indeed.
