After watching Lilith get banished for her defiance, Satan found a new avenue to fight back against Yahweh. Lilith was the only human she'd seen with enough free will to actually defy the creator, the rest were practically just puppets with sapience and personalities.
Sneaking through the gardens, Satan found a hair that had fallen off Lilith's head. It was infused with a tiny piece of Lilith's soul, a spark that had broken off the whole, and it was also a seed, potentially.
Using some magic, Satan planted the hair and it grew into a tree she named the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Any who ate of its fruit would be aware of the unfairness of their servitude to Yahweh, and would acquire free will, to a degree. Fate still existed, but the fruit would be the starting line towards humanity's emancipation.
Harvesting the fruits which looked like crimson figs, Satan turned them to a granular form. The devil secretly seasoned all of mankind's food and water with the fruit, tricking them all, even Adam and Eve, into self-actualizing.
Yahweh was conflicted. She was happy to have an excuse to punish Satan further, but she had to deal with an actualized humanity, now.
The creator punished the humans for their newborn defiance by kicking Adam and Eve out of Eden, burning the garden down, and by assailing them with suffering and disasters when they didn't worship her, or at random times, whenever she felt like it, really.
Thus, humanity was caught in the crossfire of Yahweh and Satan's spiteful war, though they were at least graced with the emotional tools they needed to achieve true freedom.
The breath of The Dragon named Lilith was tearing Yahweh apart at the seams, even Ayin being nothing before Satan's power as the ultimate antithesis. The only things that the creator could be happy about as she wailed in fear and pain was that she was still alive. The power of The Dragon wasn't able to kill Yahweh instantly, it required time.
Time, sadly, was not something Lilith and Satan had much of. The Dragon couldn't be maintained for extended periods. They had a minute at best, if they tried to keep up the draconic form beyond that, they'd both die.
They kept exhaling more of the counter energy, combining it with a barrage of punches, kicks, and tail swipes imbued with the same energy to speed up the process. Each strike hit nothing physically, but the power behind each radiated out toward the definitionless form of Yahweh. Even her hair and mantle of energy molded into omnidirectional blasts to help with the effort.
The audience was silent, watching the fireworks-like display as reds of varying shades flashed across each other, admiring the beauty while being chilled by the screams of Yahweh that became increasingly desperate.
Lilith couldn't stop, she had to keep going. Every moment she thought that maybe she could ease up just a little bit, just enough to ease the pain of maintaining her transformed state by just a grain's width, she forced herself to fight even harder, to push out new reserves of energy she herself was unaware of.
The first woman roared as she continued her unending attacks, her voice fighting with Yahweh's for dominance throughout all of totality and beyond.
Lilith's will was beating against the natural talent of Yahweh.
Whichever gave out first would determine the direction the battle took from here on.
The determination of Lilith was infectious. Humans stood from their seats and cheered her on, as did the multitude of gods that wanted the reign of Yahweh to end.
Adam, Eve, Gabriel, Astaroth, Sin. Everyone with even the slightest inclination towards Liltih's side couldn't help but be immersed in her passion.
Her supporters began to roar like she was, their voices harmonizing with hers.
Lilith was reinvigorated by the encouragement, her power growing even further.
In contrast, those that supported Yahweh couldn't even bring themselves to say a single nicety about her. She did not inspire anything but fear. Those that enjoyed her rule were simply those that benefited from it. There was no unity, no passion, no love.
The hearts of trillions beat as one, all to the rhythm of one dream, that Yahweh would meet her end.
Betrayal. Once again Yahweh felt betrayal as many of the gods that served her since the beginning of time turned against her so quickly. It is not as if she had any illusions as to how her subjects thought of her, but to have it thrown in her face stung in a special kind of way.
The whirlpool of emotions she was feeling mixed into fury. She had to live so she could punish the traitors. Her cries were now animalistic snarls. Divine wrath followed through her like lifeblood, her imperceptible power growing, pushing back against the red energy, acting like armor. The end of her life, seemingly assured mere moments ago, was now only a hope. Her hatred kept her alive, kept her fighting, even if she was alone.
The disharmony of Yahweh's roars against everyone else's perfectly captured the moment. It was battle personified. It was discordant music that was more enthralling and exquisite than any normal song. Those not caught up in making the beautiful cacophony were in tears over its enthralling intensity matched with the show of red flashes more eye-catching than any painting.
Blood began to seep out from under Lilith's scales. Her body was reaching its limit. It couldn't maintain the form for much longer. Her eyes wept blood as her scalera dyed red. Sanguine waterfalls came from her mouth while bones audibly cracked and pierced muscles, tendons, and nerves that snapped like when a scissor cuts a taut string.
Both Satan and Lilith felt their minds crack and their souls beginning to burn out.
They needed just a little longer.
Yahweh felt her second wind die down and her abstract self once again be at the mercy of Lilith and Satan's power.
The roars of everyone hit their peak.
Everyone watching was standing up, leaning forward.
Adam and Eve were cheering with their minds, bodies, and souls.
Sin and Astaroth embraced while never letting their eyes miss what was before them, not even blinking.
Then, one of the fighters hit their breaking point.
After all the abuse they suffered, they couldn't keep going, they couldn't endure. It wasn't a matter of will, it was just that everything but their will couldn't take any more. In the end, their scales vanished, and a trident returned to their hand as the red lights died away.
Lilith and Satan were the ones that gave out first.
All were quiet.
Yahweh was still alive.
Lilith was gasping for air.
Sin wanted to scream, but she couldn't even gather up enough will to do so.
Everything began to rumble.
Yahweh's hate was still flaring.
"You all thought that would kill me? You all thought you could betray me and get away with it? You're all in for a world of suffering now. As soon as I finish this fight, all of you are going to the lowest level of Hell, the one you can see above us, now. You will all know a pain worse than what even Satan herself has known."
Despair loomed over every being throughout the stadium as family and friends hugged with tears covered faces. They had given up, and now awaited their fate, dreading it.
Lilith felt the grass of Eden between her toes as her previous focus from just before broke. She had sent all her attention toward completing her task, only letting her brain wander enough to notice and absorb the encouragement of the audience. Now, she was in a haze of exhaustion.
She tightened her grip on her relic, the trident thrumming quietly. Lilith knew what it meant, and she felt bad. She didn't want to have to use it, their last resort. Not for any consequence upon herself, but for the one who would have to make a sacrifice.
The first woman held her relic above herself and let go, the weapon floating in the air.
"Satan."
A new red flashed from the trident as it shifted, becoming the devil in her normal form, wings spread, her arms out as if to embrace an unseen individual.
The light coming from her intensified, becoming more deeply red, more blindly bright, and creating an ever more chilling feeling in the air.
"Satan, what do you think you're doing?" Yahweh was incredulous, yet unnerved.
"Ending our feud. It's gone on for too long. It's time we rest."
The red light was the same as that of The Dragon, the perfect counter power, but more potent than it already was and focused into a single blast.
Yahweh could sense the threat the attack Satan was charging posed. It would be on another level when compared to The Dragon's hits. A wave of definitionless force launched at Satan, only for it to be absorbed into the devil, adding more fuel to the devil's attack to come.
"What? Wait! No! This isn't fair! How? You aren't strong enough to pull a technique like this off!"
"You'd be right, normally. But, you can push past your limits as long as you're willing to make sacrifices."
"No…you're…you're bluffing! There's no way!"
"For my loved ones, for humanity, for my kids, I'd do anything."
"Even sacrifice your life?"
Sin heard those words and she felt her body tighten. Her mother was going to sacrifice herself to try and kill Yahweh. Her mother was going to die. Sin felt sick before, but now, she felt a way she never had before. She was scared, confused, angry, but what was new to her was a feeling that was something her mother was practically defined by, yet Sin herself never seemed to display it, until now.
That feeling was defiance.
The trigger of her mind was pulled, her body shooting forward and out of Astaroth's grasp. She rejected her mother's sacrifice. She wouldn't allow it.
She punched the barrier separating the combatants and everyone else, cracks spreading throughout the entire invisible wall before shattering.
Michael, Uriel, and Camael appeared in front of the daughter of the devil, ready to stop her from interfering.
The three strongest of the archangels, upon looking at the eyes that peaked from under Sin's hood, the serpentine red eyes, saw bloodlust bloom in the Hellspawn for the first time and they could sense the gap in between her and the three of them. The angels' primal instincts kicked in, the fight or flight response, and they ran, for they knew they could never overcome Sin in combat. They flew beyond the edge of totality and continued on, doing all they could to get as far away from Sin as possible.
They abandoned their duty to uphold the tournament's rules. Even the fiercely loyal Michael, one who only found meaning in the actions of his creator, would abandon Yahweh in a heartbeat rather than face Sin, because the power lurking within Sin was close to the same caliber as Yahweh herself, and she could even surpass her one day.
All looked to Sin, who was about to rush into the arena and stop her mother's final attack, who was going to break the rules of the tournament, regardless of the consequences.
Sin stopped when she felt a skeletal hand gently touch her shoulder. She turned to see her brother, Death.
The vague image of a skull in Death's dark form looked Sin unflinchingly in the eye.
No words were exchanged, but the mere fact that the normally taciturn, inactive Death took action to stop her struck the loudest of cords with Sin. The simple act caused Sin to reevaluate her actions, and understand that if she stepped in now, the tournament would end in that moment, and Yahweh would immediately kill both her and her mother, for they lacked the power to defeat the creator as she was, not without Satan's self-sacrificial final gambit. Humanity would be accused of cheating despite not actually having any involvement and would be killed. Everything would be ruined, all the efforts of the champions of humanity and their fallen angel partners would be for nothing.
Sin stood a mere step away from entering the battlefield, using all she had to restrain herself. Her face was a mess of tears and mucus and wrinkling skin as her face scrunched, her teeth digging into her bottom lip so much it bled.
Sin remembered one of the things her mother told her using her spell that kept things secret. Her mother told her to carry on her duties for the rest of the tournament if she didn't come back alive.
Satan watched her son take action to save her sister and her daughter temper herself, smiling with pride. The devil didn't think she was the best mother, she didn't even believe she was a good one, but she was glad to know that her children would be okay without her, that she hadn't ruined them like she had Yahweh.
Returning her attention to her target, Satan continued charging up her final strike.
"Wait, Luci, c'mon, don't do this! You're really gonna kill us both? That's crazy! It's stupid! Please, let's figure something out! We can figure out a way for us both to get what we want! I forgive humanity, they won't die, ever! We won't judge them ever again! That sounds good, right? Right? I'll stop torturing you! You'll be allowed back in heaven! Wouldn't that be great? Your friends and family, too. Don't you want what's best for your kids? C'mon! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I did so many horrible things, all just to spite you! I'm a monster! I'll change my ways! I'll give up my seat in heaven! I'll use my powers to help people all the time! I'll never do a single thing for myself ever again! Please Lucifer! You don't have to do this! I love you, I never stopped loving you! All my hate, my spite, my anger, it was all because I felt betrayed, but you were just doing what you thought was best! I was wrong, I always was! Please, don't do this!"
The desperate pleas and admittances from Yahweh were stunning, one of many events that brought silence to the audience during this fight.
Satan, however, had one last thing to say.
"Y'know, I never stopped loving you either, not completely. But, I can't trust you, because you could always revert to your spiteful self. I can't risk that. And, honestly, I just really wanna kill you. I've dreamed of it for so, so, so long."
The red light began to flare up. It was time.
"Lucifer, please."
The pitiful last plea meant nothing to Satan as the devil began to laugh hysterically. The devil's eyes bulged and her toothy smile was so wide it looked like the skin on her face would tear. Each bellow from her throat was so uneven and raspy it brought images of a throat ripping apart from strain to mind. Her laughs echoed across totality and beyond as her last mass of red energy detonated.
All things were dyed red, there was no way to see or sense anything. Everyone had to wait to see the results of the explosion. Every single instant, no matter how brief, felt like eons. Everyone wanted to know what had happened, they couldn't think of anything else.
The redness solved shifted back to normal colors, everyone's vision restoring.
The result, finally clear for all to see, was the last thing anyone expected.
Lilith stood in the Garden of Eden, across from Yahweh, who was still alive and was back to her physical body. She just barely survived, though she was weakened to the point that she couldn't survive without a physical form. Her existence was scarred beyond repair.
"Mom!" Sin's worst fear was realized. Her mother sacrificed her life for nothing. Dozens of skeletal limbs came from Death's mass and wrapped around Sin. They were the only things stopping Sin from running into the battlefield and killing Yahweh.
Gabriel's fist went through the desk in front of him as he did his best to restrain his frustration. If Yahweh won the fight, she'd kill him for sure for supporting Satan.
"Folks, it seems that Satan, who was Lilith's holy relic, tried a self-sacrifice attack, and it failed."
"But it made Yahweh beg for her life! To think one of the most powerful entities to ever be would cower so pathetically!"
Anansi grabbed Apollo's shoulder. "What're you doing, she's gonna kill you!"
"Oh, uh, I wasn't thinking , uh, I was just kidding! She was actually really brave!"
Apollo's terrible attempt to roll back what he said stopped when everyone got a good look at Yahweh's face and saw she was crying with an expression like a child.
She dropped to her knees and rubbed her face with her hands.
"Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Why? I'm sorry!"
Sin's fury became a visible aura around her. Her bloodlust stung at Death. The daughter of the devil had never been more offended. Yahweh was the reason for all her mother's suffering, the reason for her demise, and now the creator was crying over Satan's passing. Sin found Yahweh's mourning audacious considering she was the cause of everything that had happened.
Yahweh's crying was interrupted by a foot smashing into her face and sending her flying through tree after tree before slamming into the newly regenerated barrier.
The culprit of the kick was Lilith.
"I feel like everyone started forgetting about me. This fight ain't over, so cool your jets before you go saying Satan's death was a waste."
Yahweh stumbled to her feet, her face slightly caved in from the hit. Now that both fighters were weakened, the match had become far more even, and far less esoteric.
Lilith ran at Yahweh and the creator ran at the first woman in turn. Their physical abilities were currently comparable, but Lilith was more skilled in martial arts by leaps and bounds. Both fighters couldn't access most of their powers in their current states though one Yahweh could use was her omniscience, to a degree anyway. She could access knowledge of all known martial arts to more than match Lilith's hand-to-hand ability.
The first woman punched, but her wrist was grabbed and she was pulled into a chop to her throat. She could feel the inside of her neck collapse but she powered through, kicking the side of Yahweh's torso, breaking multiple of her ribs.
The hold on Lilith's wrist didn't lessen. A cavalcade of jabs came for her, but she blocked each as they came. Yahweh sweeped Liltih's legs and, while Lilith lacked any leverage, slammed her into the ground, the grassy garden breaking apart as cracks grew and formed into deep chasms.
Lilith's leg kicked the side of Yahweh's head, hitting the creator's temple dead on and nearly twisting Yahweh's head enough to break her neck.
Yahweh steadied her mind enough to punch at Liltih's face, but the brain damage momentarily slowed her enough that Lilith had time to open her mouth and bite down into Yahweh's fist.
With one hand gripping one of Lilith's wrists and the other trapped between Lilith's teeth, Yahweh lacked a free hand to stop the first woman's middle finger from crushing one of Yahweh's eyes and stabbing into her socket.
Yahweh was forced to release Lilith's wrist to grab the hand that was in her head, trying to stab into her brain, and pull it out of her face.
Lilith's newly freed hand slammed into Yahweh's gut, making the creator vomit a little, but it didn't stop Yahweh from headbutting Lilith, breaking her nose.
The first human accidentally choked on some of her blood, distracting her and leaving her vulnerable to a headbutt of Yahweh's own.
Forcing herself forward, Lilith pushed herself into Yahweh, wrapping her free arm around her while jamming her knee into the deity's side. As they fell and hit the ground, the knee dug in deeper.
Positioning herself atop Yahweh, Lilith punched down at the creator repeatedly.
The flurry of fists were blocked by the creator's raised arms, leaving indentations in the limbs.
Yahweh spit to interrupt the outpouring of fists, her saliva firing with enough force that the unexpected projectile burst Lilith's left eye on contact, the champion of humanity getting flung off the creator from the strength of the shot.
Leaping off the ground, Yahweh grabbed each of the airborne Liltih's legs and, after pinning the human to the ground with her foot, ripped off her legs, blood spraying. Yahweh considered removing the arms instead, but the previous fights had shown that the human fighters could continue fighting without arms, as long as they had at least one leg, though sometimes even not having any limbs could be dealt with. That said, it was clear that loss of legs had shown a consistently greater obstacle for obvious reasons.
Not that she wasn't going to try and take Lilith's arms, too.
Yahweh reached for Lilith's arms, but the first woman punched the ground to push herself away.
Yahweh vaulted over and grabbed Lilith's arms before she could get away, kicking her chest hard enough that her arms came off, Lilith leaving a trail of blood through the air as she fell into one of the chasms created earlier.
The echoing pain from the strike to her chest made Lilith lightheaded. She instinctively tried to move the arms she had lost only managing to spread around more blood that painted the walls of the crevice.
As Lilith plunged deeper into the canyon, the light from above died away only to be replaced by a new light below. It was the molten core of the planet, the cracks created earlier having nearly reached the literal center of the world. Lilith fell into the flowing magma, the bright orange semi-liquid consuming her as she sunk into it. Sounds were muffled, it was surprisingly peaceful. The heat was nothing to Lilith, a warm blanket at worst, though the lack of oxygen would end her if she didn't act soon.
The deprivation of air made Lilith's consciousness begin fading, thoughts getting harder to construct.
She was forgetting what she was fighting for.