To Kill An Angel: A Fanfic by Gyppy
Timeline: Based 2 years after "Rising Shadow"
Summary: After Nebilim's shadow was sealed away once more, Lloyd thought that they could all finally enjoy peace. However, he could not have been more wrong...
Two old servants of Nebilim, half-elven females who had once worked for the treacherous Dark Lord, set out to stop Lloyd and his allies. Their first target: the Eternal Swordsman's father himself.
Pairings: LloydxColette and SheenaxZelos primarily, with hints at GenisxPresea, SelesxOC and minor KratosxRaine. There will also be some PronymaxYggdrasill and MithosxOC.
Author's Note: This is my sequel to Rising Shadow. It's gonna be quite a bit different from my usual fanfiction, though.
First of all, in case you're too lazy to go back and read Rising Shadow or if you just forgot the details, Abyssion was the main character in my previous fanfic, and Nebilim (the form you fight in the game) is his arch-rival. Abyssion has a younger brother, Leviathan, who falls for Seles (hence the SelesxOC). This fanfic focuses more around Lloyd, however. Colloyd and Sheelos will be the primary pairings.
With the chapter "Mithos, Coldhearted No More", there has been a slight introduction of MithosxOC. This will most likely show up more prominently later on.
And now, for the warnings. As with most T-rated fanfics on this site, there will be swearing, violence and some references to sex.
Since I am nearing the end, the rating will only go up if I happen to input a particularly bloody battle. Therefore, the previous warning is now invalid.
Also, as a side note, those of you who have read Difficult Journey (Rising Shadow's Kraine sidestory) will know that Kratos and Raine are officially a pairing in this storyline. However, there will be very few references to the pairing in the actual storyline. There may be a few Kraine moments, but I understand that there are many people who would hurt or even kill me for making Kraine references in a supposedly canon fic. I personally enjoy the pairing, and if you hate it, so be it. Don't be reading a Kraine supporter's fanfiction if you dislike the pairing. Got it?
As a side note, text like 'this' is in a flashback/dream or a voice in someone's head. Got it?
Thank you very much for the review(s).
There may be a significant quantity of blood in this chapter, so be on your guard.
Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia, Namco, Final Fantasy or Square-Enix.
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Chapter 13: The Third Battle
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"Katrina," Nebilim said, his cold gaze fixed on the girl before him. "Be sure to take them out. They approach the thirteenth floor. Between the thirteenth and fourteenth floors, you must come forth and stop them... for you are the Living Armor's replacement."
"Yes," Katrina said. "I will protect the fourteenth floor with my life." And with that, she called upon her flaming wings and soared down to the platform that hovered between the two floors.
Nebilim gazed down at the fading figure, an expression of peculiar warmth on his face.
"Yes, indeed... rescue Niflheim from its plight, and prevent the passage of those pure beings."
His dark wings flared behind him as he took to the air and soared up to the final platform.
"Do not disgrace your mother, Katrina... or your father."
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Lloyd quickly brought up a sword to block the monster's attack. The foe, an arch demon, used its wings to leap over Lloyd, and struck him in the back, breaking his guard. The swordsman turned around and unleashed a powerful slash, which knocked back the foe.
Mithos let out a cry as he loosed Rejection, which tore into the foes around him with its blades of light. A lone medusa managed to swipe him right in the back, however, and he was forced to fall back briefly.
Karina's Ice Tornado tore into the arch demon that was attacking Lloyd. The creature reeled from the attack, and quickly fell back. However, another, similar foe took its place, using its massive spear-like weapon to throw Karina into a wall.
Yggdrasill let loose Prism Sword, which struck and basically tore apart the foes attacking Mithos. The younger seraph shot a quick glance at his brother, then performed Holy Lance, taking out another arch demon.
Genis loosed Tidal Wave, which engulfed the remaining foes and knocked them back. He followed almost immediately with a powerful Thunder Arrow, then Earth Bite to finish off the opponent once and for all.
Abyssion reveled in his victory. He looked around cautiously, then held his sword up in the air and allowed its shimmering blade to gleam against the peculiar flame that burned atop the candles.
"If you do not fight, you have already lost the battle."
However, their victory was short-lived.
The figure they so hated fell down upon the platform, cloaked in her blazing wings of fire. They shimmered a brilliant golden orange as they spread behind her, shining in all their majestic glory.
"So you've come," Katrina said, glaring at Lloyd. "You know you can't win, so what's the point?"
"That's where you're wrong," Lloyd said. "I can win... and I most definitely will."
"You can brag all you like," Katrina said. "You're not going to win this battle, and that's for damn sure!"
Katrina drew her sword of fire and rushed at Mithos. However, he simply brushed her off with a circular blast of light, spinning rapidly in place.
Abyssion turned to Katrina, his eyes raging. His black wings erupted from his back as he charged at his foe.
"You can't do a thing to defeat me," Katrina said, loosing Double Demon Fang. "If you even so much as try and defeat me, you'll simply lose!"
Allurya's Bloody Lance caught Katrina off-guard. Though the attack was dark element, it still managed to make a pretty good dent in Katrina's defense, and Allurya saw that as an opening to attack. She rushed forward and performed Sonic Thrust, then somersaulted over Katrina's head and loosed Demon Fang.
Katrina turned to Raine and loosed Atlas. The healer was caught up in a whirling flurry of blades, but before the attack could weaken her too much, Kratos pushed her out of the way and took the brunt of the attack. Raine proceeded to perform Healing Circle in an attempt to restore both of them.
The fallen angel turned to Lloyd and loosed Spiral Flare, which sent him flying backwards, right into Colette, who ended up slamming into a wall. Seeing her chance, Katrina cast Thunder Arrow upon the two, all traces of their combat ability fading with the powerful blasts of static.
Katrina turned to Mithos and cast Gravity Well. Karina somehow managed to get caught up in the black hole as well, and the two were crushed by immense air pressure before being thrown out of the field and slamming into a wall.
Kratos performed Double Demon Fang in an attempt to throw off Katrina, but the demon merely smirked and sent an Aqua Laser his way. The seraph was slammed into a wall with immense force, and just seconds later Raine followed, being caught up in Air Blade.
"I thought I told you not to mess with me," Katrina said, turning to Allurya. "I hope you've learned your lesson from your foolish mistakes!"
Katrina cast Atlas, catching Allurya in the immense, whirling swords of wind and water that had formed. Borrowing a technique from her closest, the fallen angel followed up with Absolute, then Prism Sword. Both attacks struck true, knocking Allurya down and out.
"This is absurd," Abyssion said. "How could she take down so many of us without even flinching?"
"She has weaknesses too," Yggdrasill said. "You just need to learn to exploit them."
Yggdrasill's Holy Lance did practically nothing to Katrina; however, she was completely unprepared for the Prism Sword that followed. The seraph followed up with Death Eater, and finished the attack off by charging right up to Katrina and performing Outburst, which threw her far back.
Zelos and Sheena were still up. The guardian user turned to attack Katrina from the right, whereas the red-haired summoner attacked from the left. Wings of mana exploded from Zelos' back as he launched into a flurry of attacks, starting off with Lightning Blade, then Victory Light Spear, then Fierce Demon Fang, then Hurricane Thrust, then finally topping it all off with Super Lightning Blade. Sheena used her Mirage Seal Pinion to catch the foe off-guard, then performed Demon Seal, blowing Katrina back.
"I warned you against taking me on," Katrina said as she rose. "Now, you shall taste the true power of the hurricane!"
Katrina raised her sword into the air, and its blade glimmered with the shining light of Niflheim's soulfire candles.
"I call upon the power of the shadow lord to bring to an end these pathetic creatures of light!"
With a massive downward swing, she loosed her attack.
"Shadow of Oblivion!"
Suddenly, the light completely extinguished. Even the soulfire candles that burned in the depths of Niflheim were put out. What little light rose from the mist of the dungeon faded into the complete blackness.
Without warning, a blade of shadow came tearing across the battlefield. It drew the inverted symbol of the Derris Emblem, the very mark of Katrina. The sword continued its relentless assault, drawing the same symbol numerous times, and then finally the black haze lifted, showing the light of the candles once more.
The mana in the bodies of Katrina's foes had been drained an uncomfortable amount. Kratos was the only one spared from the horrible, relentless fate. He knelt before Lloyd, trying to assure him of safety.
An unexpected cry came about from the depths of Niflheim; Kratos looked up, but it was already too late. The newcomers had made their moves.
"Thunder Blade!"
A sword of lightning flashed down from the sky, impaling the floor with force untold. Electric currents flowed out from the sword, electrifying the ground with a thunderous ZAP!
"Dark Sphere!"
A cage of darkness surrounded Katrina, locking her in the deathgrip of shadow; moments later, it exploded, sending her flying into the wall with force untold.
Yggdrasill, who had recovered enough strength to move, looked up in surprise to see his two companions standing at the edge of the platform.
"We figured you'd need a little help," the blue-haired seraph said, glancing over at Kratos. "Thankfully, we managed to make it to the warp on time."
"I apologize for my insolence," the teal-haired half-elf female on the left said, her own gaze turning to Yggdrasill. "It seems I've made a mistake."
"Are you going to do anything about it?" Yggdrasill questioned, his glare turning furious on Pronyma. "You did come here to help us, did you not?"
"Use your own head," Yuan said. "Remember there's still a member of your group who can attack. Let him handle the rest."
Yggdrasill glanced at Kratos. "All right. I'll leave it in your hands, Kratos."
The older seraph merely looked up, an indication of acknowledgment. Glaring at Katrina, he prepared his own attack.
"I've prepared a special attack in case something like this happened," Kratos said, gripping the Last Fencer.
Holding his sword above his head, the seraph called upon his wings of mana. Shining light surrounded him, engulfing his foe in tearing blades of pure light.
The sword was brought down, and the spell was loosed.
"SHINING BIND!"
Kratos rose into the air on the sheer energy of the attack as it flashed about, tearing Katrina apart. The roaring wind of light tore across the circle beneath Kratos, its brilliant flashes and otherworldly explosions lighting up the whole of Niflheim. As the attack spent itself into the ground, Katrina lay on the ground, panting heavily and bleeding profusely.
"You... you... bastard..." Katrina gasped, her breaths becoming more ragged as she continued to lose blood. "I... I can't believe... you'd try and... pull a dirty... stunt like... that..."
"You deserved it," Kratos stated, sheathing his sword and crossing his arms. "If you do not wish to keep on living in this cruel world, I can finish you off easily."
"No... that won't do..." Katrina whispered. "I... will not disgrace... my father..."
"Hmph." Kratos drew his sword again, holding it before Katrina's throat. "It's your praised father's fault you're an illegitimate child." He drew the edge of the sword across soft flesh, cutting the skin easily. "If you attempt to move, you will die."
"I'm... not like... you..." Katrina said. "You... you were... born of the... very essence... of impurity..."
"Wrong answer." Kratos made his move, and in a flash, the major artery in Katrina's neck was severed. "You were a waste of good air anyhow." He calmly wiped off the blood on the part of Katrina's attire that wasn't already bloodstained and sheathed it, crossing his arms. "Bastard."
Lloyd managed to regain his senses long enough to stand up. "What... what do you mean, she's an illegitimate child?"
"In part, I wasn't referring to her," Kratos said, turning to face Lloyd. "I was referring to her father. He was born as an unfortunate accident between two people that eventually led to the creature that rules the Underworld. And yes, she is indeed an illegitimate child... she came about as the unlucky experiment of a certain Desian leader and the ruler of Niflheim."
Lloyd gasped. "So... so that means..."
"Her father was Nebilim," Kratos said darkly. "Her mother was Pronyma. Pronyma didn't want her, but Nebilim did... for his own cruel purposes. When Pronyma betrayed Nebilim, she took her hatred of her own daughter with her." His tone darkened even more. "If Katrina had turned back to the side of light... Pronyma probably would've adored her."
"That's terrible," Colette said as she stood up. "I wish we could've done something to save Katrina. Maybe then Pronyma would've forgiven her..."
"It's too late now." Kratos glanced disgustedly at the body that lay on the floor of the platform. "I think it's time we continue. With Katrina dead, we won't have any more nuisances on our hands." He shook his head, pointedly annoyed. "At least, I hope not."
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Author's Note: Yeah, I needed a particularly bloody and cool chapter to make up for all the pointless and stupid violence I've been coming up with. Baddies need to die if they're trying to kill everyone.
I'm not sure if I should up this to an M rating or not. It's really dark, as you know, but I don't personally consider this kind of stuff above T.