Chapter 27 :: Dark Dawn Rises
"Pyre of the resurrecting Phoenix! Flames of Rebirth!" Luna called."Rumble... Dark Matter Explosion," said Shadow.
"Let's see here," Maxwell began, flipping through the pages of a tome in his hand. "Here we go... Meteor Storm!"
"Starsword, lend me your power! Light of Ra!" Mithos yelled. From Luna came a scorching tongue of white fire. Shadow surrounded Mithos with a sphere of darkness, collapsing onto him. Finally, Maxwell summoned a portal into outer space and rained meteors on him. Mithos' sword brimmed with a glowing silver aura. He swung his sword like a tornado and let loose a shockwave which pushed Shadow's attack away. Luna's fire reached it next, instantly cancelled by Mithos. Once the wave had passed a few feet from Mithos, parts of it broke apart to intercept Maxwell's meteors. In a blinding flash, the Light of Ra collided with the three spirits who concentrated all their energy into defending.
"Impressed..." Shadow said.
"Yes, yes..." agreed Maxwell, once again grasping his beard in deep thought.
"Thou art strong. Make thy vow," instructed Luna.
"All right. In order to protect everyone, regardless of blood, and create a new world, I ask for your power," Mithos said. The three spirits formed into light that flowed to the Starsword. Mithos' blade took a new shape, a long silver sword that was light as a feather.
"I give you Excalibur, the holy sword of the spirits," Maxwell's voice said. Mithos, having exerted his strength in the last attack, collapsed on the floor. A feather materialized and landed in Solstice's hand. "Take me back to my home."
"You are all too late to stop me," Erebus said. He entered from his usual magic seal at the opposite end of the room.
"Erebus, Thor's Hammer is useless without the spirits," Solstice said. Kratos went to Mithos and picked him up.
"Oh really? Thor's Hammer is more powerful than it ever was now that it has the added power of the elemental spirits. You see, it draws its energy not from these reactors, but from my crystal which is forever bonded to Mithos!" said Erebus.
"What? So that's why you let us come all the way here," Kratos replied.
"Master Erebus... help," Cornelius pleaded, crawling on the floor towards them.
"You failed to capture the crystal. I do not take failure lightly," Erebus coldly answered. "Apocalyptic Prophecy."
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" screamed Cornelius. His life force flowed from his body in a white stream into Erebus' hands, leaving only his clothing and brittle bones.
"Witness the fall of all your hopes. Within Derris-Kharlan sleeps the king of all spirits, Origin. When I make a pact with him, I will control mana and all of Aselia will bow before me," Erebus said. They felt themselves being raised to a higher level as cables lifted the section of the floor to the outside. The Tiamat turned to the east, in the direction of Aselia's equator. A section of armor around the bow fell off, revealing a huge cannon. "FIRE!" Light gathered at the end of the cannon into an emerald sphere. Sending a piercing sound that could be heard from miles away, Thor's Hammer was unleashed upon the holy continent of Derris-Kharlan. The white barrier surrounding the source of all mana collapsed on impact. "I will be going now. Run if you wish."
"Kratos, the ship is descending," Solstice said. Kratos, still holding Mithos, nodded. "It seems like the cannon is readying for another blast, too."
"Solstice, turn into a dragon," advised Kratos. Solstice reached his full dragon form and lowered one wing to let Kratos and Mithos aboard. He sprang from the armor of the Tiamat as it plunged directly into Meltokio. From a cliff far away, Amaterasu watched the fall of the Tiamat with her daughter Keiko.
"What is that, mother?" a young girl wearing a kimono several sizes too large for her asked.
"The end of dawn, beginning of eternal dusk," Amaterasu replied. The Tiamat broke into pieces as it smashed through entire skyscrapers and collapsed bridges. When it finally hit the ground, an emerald light shot skyward followed by an expanding column of green flame. Pieces of the streets tore out of the earth and disintegrated as the city of Meltokio was engulfed in the explosion.