BAM!

Starlet and Phoenix both went flying backward again as Lich once again backhanded them with his one good fist. His talon left a cut across either of their cheeks, and Starlet felt a hot, throbbing pain seem to sink into her face. It seemed to sap whatever strength she had left. She hit the ground limply, sprawling across it and dragging as she did. But Phoenix looked even worse. She tumbled as she fell, rolling backward several times before collapsing face-first on the ground. There, as Starlet landed and looked to her, she lay motionless, with her eyes closed.

Lich Z sneered from his spot. He wasn't giving out a hideous laugh anymore, but he was grinning evilly again. Phoenix had been unable to reproduce the one effective attack again, and now she looked like she was totally spent. Nevertheless, Lich Z had continued to pound her especially, trying to hurry and kill her. After this latest blow, as Starlet lay on the ground looking to her, she realized he may have done something serious this time. She stared at her for a moment as the firebird lay there, not moving at all, waiting for her to rise again. But when she didn't, a cold fear sank into her heart. Quickly, Starlet tried to raise herself up.

"Phoenix!" She called out.

Her sister did not answer, and so Starlet was soon pulling up her own bloody and broken body, all the while it was screaming in protest and agonizing from all the bruises and cuts all over her. But somehow, Starlet managed to drag her legs up and under her, and used her arms to push herself up a bit off the ground. Then, she managed a half-stumble, half-crawl over toward Phoenix's direction. Phoenix never looked up as she did so, and Starlet looked hard at her through her sweat-stained vision to see movement but found none. Her fear continued to increase, and a terror sank into her heart. Was she dead? Had Lich Z's last blow felled her?

At last, Starlet's exhausted, injured body collapsed in a heap right next to Phoenix. Panting all the way, Starlet immediately reached out and held her sister, trying to look for signs of life. "Phoenix!" She called. As she did, her throat tightened, and her stomach began to grow heavy. Tears started to well up in her eyes. She felt so still…so motionless…so lifeless. "Phoenix…" She spoke more softly. "Please…don't be dead…"

Miraculously, at that moment, she felt a warmth from the fallen esper. Starlet sensed it, and quickly looked to the source. It was Phoenix breathing against her hand. The esper still lived for now. Starlet immediately felt a wave of relief flood over her, and she nearly smiled. But that was cut short as the Earth Fiend bellowed behind her.

"You'll be joining her soon enough, you esper bitch. You breathed your last breath, and now the Earth can have you."

Starlet snapped her head around and looked to Lich Z as he spoke this. However, the Earth Fiend now formed a gesture with one hand, and crossed it in front of his face. His teeth were grit, and a mean look was on it. The fires in his eyes blazed for a moment, and he abruptly yelled out a new move.

"QUAKE SWALLOW!"

Starlet's eyes expanded at the thought of another attack, but they soon stayed open afterward. Immediately, the ground had begun to shake. It started as a tremor, but within a moment had escalated into a full-fledged quake. It shook violently, and the soil heaved and dropped in multiple places. Starlet gasped in shock and abruptly sat up, and then soon had to balance herself to keep from falling over. She struggled to get to her feet, but the quake only grew more violent. The world rippled around her, and great clods of dirt and dust were thrown up and down around her. Underneath, Starlet felt the ground creaking and groaning, and soon after she began to hear it do so. It was as if the world had turned into a monster. Instinctively, Starlet ended up doing the only thing she could think of. As the quake reached its peak, she reached over and grabbed Phoenix, attempting to shield her.

But at that moment, the ground gave way. A massive fracture appeared in the earth right over Starlet and Phoenix's location as the ground split in four locations. It quickly grew into a massive crack as the earth continued to rock, and within moment, Starlet screamed out as both she and Phoenix went tumbling into the rapidly opening pit. The ground continued to heave as they fell in, jutting huge shelves and faults of rock and earth into the air. But soon, they both vanished inside, and after they had done so, Lich Z bellowed a laugh and then swung his hand downward. As it did, the ground rushed back together and crushed in on the central location. The rock shelves cracked, and tons of rock and dirt fell back in over the hole where Starlet and Phoenix had vanished. The impact was chaotic, causing a cacophony of impact and crushing around the area where it was taking place. After doing so, the tremors continued for a little longer, but then they too died down into nothing. In a moment, all was still on the field, and there was no sign of Starlet or Phoenix save the remnants of the fracture.

Lich Z grit his terrible teeth and sneered. "Rest in pieces."

"Hey Lich!"

The Earth Fiend soon perked up his head at this, just as he was beginning to gloat over his victory. What he saw was the much-more-massive Water Fiend, slithering toward him. Held in two of his coils were a couple of limp, dead-looking snake bodies. It was obviously the two other espers, but they were so bloody and bashed at this point it was hard to tell the difference. Kraken grinned with his single teeth and approached right next to the fracture, then waved the lifeless creatures in front of Lich Z.

"Your corpses got room for a couple of worms?"

Lich Z snickered at that, and soon broke out into a ghastly, cold laugh. Kraken soon joined in as well, laughing along with the fellow Fiend, before he threw, not dumped, both snake espers into the fracture as well. Part of the crater had been filled in, but there was still more than enough space in it to prevent anyone from seeing the bottom with the naked eye. Both snake bodies soon vanished into the crater as well. After they did so, Kraken swelled his own huge grinning mouth, and aimed at the hole.

"Aqua-ject!"

Immediately, not one, but three disks of water erupted from Kraken's mouth, one after the other. It looked like he was spitting them. The disks headed straight for the hole and dug into the soil and rock on the sides. But this time, they didn't continued to cut deep down, but instead circled around and cut into all of the soil and rock surrounding the area. They sliced into the shelves that had come out, down into trenches, and came back out and did again. As they did, the ground around them was saturated by the water. It began to grow thick, dark, and heavy, and then dripped off into the hole. More rocks and dirt came, and as they got wetter the dirt turned into a thick, soupy mud. It ran into the hole from all sides and quickly began to fill it. After a minute or so, the hole was made level again, and filled to the brim with thick, inescapable mud. Only then did the Aqua-ject cease, leaving Kraken and Lich Z to laugh over the area.

"Not bad."

"Maybe we should plant some flowers. Heh…"

Both Fiends sensed movement shortly after, and they turned their heads up to the source. Looking invigorated and excited, Kary was walking in her slow, seductive manner over to the hole. She was slowly returning the Pyrosuken to her sheath, and strolling over to the mud site. She smiled wickedly through her thin lips on her white face, and soon joined the other two Fiends at their site.

"Wanna throw yours in the stew too, Kary?" Kraken snickered.

Kary snorted, but smiled. "'Fraid there's not anything left but ash of mine." She cooed. "But I can patch this little hole." With that, she aimed an open palm at the hole, and calmly uttered her own spell. "Flame."

Immediately, ripples of heat gathered around the site, and a moment later they condensed and began to glow. A bit afterward, they turned into flames, and began to burn over the area. Lich Z, realizing his weakness, lost his smile and inched back nervously from the fire. Kraken likewise frowned at it uncomfortably. Kary didn't care. She just continued to focus and let it burn. Quickly, the soupy mud began to turn hard again, once more becoming hard, packed dirt. Kary manipulated her flame so that the ground wouldn't swell, but would form a solid mass. Soon, the ground was hard again, and the Fire Fiend cut off her flame. She then grinned and patted her foot on top of the dirt, as if it was a well done digging job.

"They should thank us." She sneered. "We actually bothered digging them a grave and burying them."

The other two Fiends laughed at this. Lich Z slapped his remaining good hand against one of Kraken's tentacles in a gesture of victory and personal achievement.

"Heh…I knew in the end they had nothing on us."

"That was more amusing than humans, but still a pathetic display."

"Definitely better than humans. Though maybe if humans fought back they'd be as interesting."

"Hmph…good enough…"

At this, the other three Fiends stopped talking and gloating, and turned their heads over to their leader. Tiamat hadn't moved an inch since the fight began. Still, he didn't move. His arms were crossed and he gazed at the others coldly. A dark smile was still on his face, but he seemed more businesslike and less casual now.

"But I could have done it myself in half the time." Tiamat finished. The other Fiends blustered a little at this, but said nothing else. They merely looked a bit upset and turned their faces to the ground. "I wonder…were you three actually having fun with them, or were they giving you trouble?"

The other three fiends immediately looked infuriated and insulted at this. Lich Z grit his teeth and clenched his remaining fist. Kary's teeth clenched and her own hands balled into fists. Kraken snarled and stiffened his tentacles.

"No way!" Lich Z bellowed. "They were never the slightest match for me! I'd be picking them out of my teeth bit by bit right now if I hadn't transformed!"

"Oh, but you did, Lich." Tiamat replied, still smiling darkly. "So now, not only will you never be able to eat anything again, but you had your weakness exploited and will be one-armed for the rest of your days. And you, Kary…" Here, he turned to the Fire Fiend accusingly, and the one in question looked taken aback. "Is that sweat I see on your brow? Were you feeling excitement in your battle, or fear?" He turned his head to the Water Fiend next, and shook his head in a mock sad fashion. "And you, Kraken…I'm surprised at you. You were not only incapacitated by a puny attack, but one of your own making. Honestly, no wonder these people have been giving Griever so much trouble, if you three are who's taking care of it."

All of the other fiends stiffened in anger at this, but not one of them dared speak. Strong as they were, Tiamat was not only far stronger but also knew how to exploit each one of their weaknesses. They were nothing to him. They merely had to take the punishment. In the end, Tiamat turned back to Lich Z. "You had better not have buried them too deep. In case you forgot, Griever will have your head if you don't bring back theirs."

Lich Z looked downcast a moment, but then raised his skeletal head and chuckled. "No problem. I'll just wait a half an hour to make sure they full suffocated, then I'll go get them."

"The rest of you had better do better next round." Tiamat further warned. "These five were the weaklings. Griever said there were seven in all, and we haven't encountered the ones that gave Lich so much trouble. Don't waste time with them. I don't want to have to do it myse-"

"YAAAH!"

Instantly, all Four Fiends cut themselves off and turned their heads to the sound. The moment they did…the world seemed to change. At once, it seemed like it was nightfall. The moon was out…and it was full…an impossible thing for the world was covered with clouds. Yet it was out, and now everything seemed spectral and dark. The air grew colder. Sound grew quieter. The wind blew more harshly. It was as if the Four Fiends had suddenly been taken into another world.

But that wasn't what caught their attention.

When the Four Fiends turned, theysaw a dark horse and rider charging straight at them. They didn't have any time to recognize the horned helmet, the red-blazing eyes, or the six-legged steed he mounted. All that they saw was the flash of brandished steel flying over its head, as it swung a deadly curved blade over it. They couldn't move. They couldn't dodge. The form was already on top of them, having seemed to jump out of the darkness and come upon them at once. The horse was already lunging, and the rider was headed straight for the nearest fiend: Kary.

Kary alone saw the rider zero in on her. His muscles were bulging. His eyes were flaming. On the horse, he seemed taller and stronger than anything ever before. He seemed like a monster himself, or an otherworldly being. He seemed powerful. He seemed invincible. And now, he was coming right for Kary, sword bearing down right on her.

Kary was unable to react or move. Instead, she could only stare. And as she did, her previously excited brain became wracked with fear. Not just fear…terror. Her primal brain, unable to realize the full matter of what she was seeing or who it was, or able to judge anything elsein the short length of time, focused only on the shock and surprise of what was going on. She saw only the power of the incoming being. And when she saw it, terror pervaded her. Doubt entered her mind. For the first time ever, the Fire Fiend felt genuinely afraid. Afraid for her life. Afraid she was too weak. Afraid that there was no way she could possibly survive this. She only stared, totally aghast and shocked.

The horse and rider blazed by her. As they did, the rider swung his powerful blade once, and continued to hold it in the swung position as he rolled by. His horse continued to move away from the Fiends, carrying him back a safe distance. Once it had done so, it slowed to a trot, and finally stopped. The rider did not look around. He kept his head forward, and his blade extended. The other Four Fiends stood in shock a moment. But after a time, Tiamat, Kraken, and Lich Z turned their heads to Kary. The Fire Fiend blankly stared forward. Her eyes were still frozen open. Her body was motionless. She didn't say or do anything. Even as the others calmed down, she stayed in the same position.

Then, very slowly…her upper torso slid off of her lower torso on a diagonal cut. A moment later, it fell off all together.Blood began to pour out of both halves.

The sky turned back to normal. The world returned to its former state. The rider inhaled deeply once, exhaled, and then finally lowered his blade and turned his horse back around. Lich Z stared in dumbfounded silence. Kraken blinked his beady eyes in shock. Tiamat kept his arms crossed, but his smile had vanished. A look of surprise replaced it.

Kary, the Fire Fiend, lay dead at their feet.

The three remaining Fiends turned and looked up to the killer. Soon, they recognized him. He was beat up and a little burnt looking. He seemed sore, and was barely holding himself in his saddle. He panted a little and was covered with sweat, but continued to glare at them coldly. It was the esper from before.

Odin still stood.

"You…how…how could…trash like you…?" Kraken gasped.

Lich Z merely gnashed his teeth. "You… How DARE you strike one of us down! I'll pay you back a hundred fold!"

Odin merely forced himself to stop panting and glared coldly. "I don't think you're the one to make demands anymore. I told you I'd kill you all, and I'll do it. You just saw how easily I killed her. I'll do the same to each one of you unless you surrender now." He drew his blade and pointed to the ground. Kraken and Lich Z actually backed away a bit when he drew it. "Dig them up right now, or someone else is next."

Kraken sneered, but glared at Odin in disbelief. "You…you're a mere ant! You couldn't…possibly have the power to…"

"Fool. My true power has no limit!" Odin snapped back, cutting him off. "I'm getting impatient! What is it going to be? Are you going to dig them out of that tomb, or am I going to fill it with you?"

Lich Z and Kraken stared back in shock for a little while. They didn't say anything. In their minds, they couldn't possibly grasp ever ascenting to anything other than a higher Fiend or Griever. It was far beyond them. They were used to being gods of the dark world and thought of nothing else. To ascent to someone as weak as Odin was almost a foreign concept to them. Yet at the same time they saw with their own eyes how easily Kary died. And now the esper was threatening them. They didn't want to be next, and despite all their gloating if they were targeted next, then they could soon be laying in pieces too. They didn't know what to say, and the pause made Odin grit his teeth in anger. He was about to do something with or without their ascent, and they didn't know what to do.

But at last, something did break the silence… Tiamat's laughter.

The esper and two fiends turned to him at this, wondering what was the cause. Tiamat's smile had returned, and his arms were still calmly crossed. He grinned wickedly at Odin for a few moments, all the while laughing darkly and seeming malicious. Odin seemed to get a bit unnerved at this, but he didn't say or do anything. At last, Tiamat shrugged. "Alright, esper…you win. Kill me."

Odin seemed nervous for a moment at that. However, his confidence quickly returned, and he snapped back at him. "I really will."

Tiamat chuckled a bit more at that. Then, abruptly, his face went serious, and he glared menacingly at the esper.

"Let's see you try it."

Odin hesitated again at this. This seemed to strike a chord with him. However, in the end, he grit his teeth once more. He gave out a war cry, and reared up on his steed. As he did, the sky once again turned black. The moon once more seemed to come out. The air grew even stiller and colder than before, and Odin seemed to triple in size on his horse this time. He yelled out horrible war cries, and he swung his sword so hard that it flashed like lightning. Kraken and Lich Z both stiffened a little, and drew back a bit. This was much worse than last time. To them, it looked like he was merely adding a little more power to cleave Tiamat in half. But Tiamat didn't change. He kept smiling and waited.

Giving one last cry, Odin let his steed down and barreled straight for Tiamat. The six-legged horse tore up the ground. Clods of dirt and dust flew up behind him. Each footstep sounded like thunder. The sword flashed with terrible light, and he drew closer and closer to Tiamat. Lich Z and Kraken shrank back more and were transfixed on the sight. But Tiamat confidently waited. Odin drew closer and closer, and still he waited, not moving, not preparing to react, but just waiting. At last, Odin was on top of him, and the esper swung his blade once more, this time at Tiamat…

…and was suddenly ripped off of his steed. As Zantetsuken connected, it was as if Odin had been hitting a boulder with a light stick. The sword clanged harmlessly against Tiamat as if he was invincible, and moved no more. Odin had put everything he had into the swing, so when it hit his momentum traveled into Tiamat while his steed's kept moving, and so he had become disengaged from the animal. Now, it ran off into the distance, while Odin harmlessly held his blade against Tiamat, not having made a scratch.

Odin was suspended in mid-air a moment, glaring at Tiamat. But now, his own eyes were wide open with shock and a hint of fear. His own body tensed up, and sweat came from his brow. After a moment, he broke off and landed on the ground, but he was so weak and injured at this point that he couldn't stand. He almost instantly dropped to his knees, him and his sword clattering to the ground. He panted hard, and struggled to catch his breath and regain his strength. Tiamat didn't look miffed at all. He smiled confidently down at the fallen Odin a moment, and then turned his head slightly to Lich Z and Kraken again confidently.

"Here's a fast lesson for you two cowards." He sneered. "This esper's just as weak as the others, no real threat to any of us. Kary was stronger than him as well. Her mistake was that she let her fear get out of control. This esper found a way to use one's own fear as a weapon against them through his blade. She doubted she could survive him, and so she died. But I knew all along that there is nothing on this world save Griever that could ever match me. And so his attack was as meaningless as his existence."

Odin panted a bit more on the ground, but managed to look up to the other Fiends. Now, Lich Z and Kraken were getting what Tiamat was saying. When they did, they immediately began to smile and look cocky and confident again. They soon began to chuckle and laugh, and glared at Odin darkly. The esper spat out some blood, but then looked up and glared at Tiamat. The Wind Fiend looked back down in a superior fashion at him, not even looking troubled. Odin, seeing this, grit his teeth anew. He summoned all the strength he had left, seized the Zantetsuken, and shot back up again. He raised his sword over his head, ready to strike down on Tiamat with everything he had…

"YARRGH!" He bellowed, his eyes blazing and muscles shooting up again.

"Electro-volt." Tiamat answered in a bored sounding tone.

Immediately, the sky grew pitch black once again. But this time there was no moon, and the air grew charged and humid rather than dry and cold. Odin didn't even have time to notice these changes. Instead, he could only react as a white-hot bolt of electricity suddenly shot from the dark clouds overhead and struck the Zantetsuken. Immediately, the charge transferred to the rest of his body, and Odin blazed all over as if he was made of light. Lightning snaked around him, and Odin continued to cry out…not in war passion but in agony. The lightning reverberated through him again and again, frying him inside and out and sapping his strength dry while ruining his body. In the end, he could take no more. When the lightning died down, the esper let Zantetsuken slump lifelessly from his grasp, and then he fell in a lifeless pile to the ground. The sky cleared again, and now Odin's body was more blackened than ever, and smoke and sizzing sounds arose from it.

Tiamat again glared down on his adversary and smiled. "Well, it appears I did have to actually use a tad of my power. I suppose I didn't really have to, but I couldn't resist teaching you a hands-on lesson on the danger of crafting armor and blades to fight a lightning-casting entity."

Odin merely groaned slightly, still in the burned and dissheveled heap. He struggled to raise his head, but could barely move it. In the end, Tiamat reached down, seized him by the neck, and then hoisted him up so that he was dangling over the ground in front of him by his head.

"To tell you the truth, I don't actually mind you killing Kary. She was unnecessary, though I'm sure Griever will simply make another Fire Fiend if he needs one. However, Lich over there said he was going to make you pay a hundred fold for her death, and I'd be mean not to let him slowly cut you into a hundred pieces from the legs up."

Both Lich Z and Kraken cackled at that. The Water Fiend licked a purple tongue over his fat mouth. Lich Z brandished his claw dangerously. Odin managed to open a burnt eye and glare at them, but other than grit his teeth a little he could do nothing. His strength was totally spent, and by now his friend espers had to be nearly asphixiated, buried under the tons of rocks and dirt. Everything had gone wrong. They hadn't been the slightest bit ready. The only thing he had managed to do was kill one fiend, only to learn that Griever could make more of them whenever he needed. He had to have assumed that. How else had he made the first four fiends? Everything was futile in the end. They had availed nothing. Even if Bahamut and Wyvern were present, they'd be dead in minutes. It was hopeless.

The three Fiends continued to glare at him menacingly and laugh for a few moments with malicious looks. Odin could only stare back at them helplessly. But then, all of the sudden, Kraken formed a puzzled expression. He turned and looked down to one part of his body, as did the other Fiends and Odin. When the esper did, he immediately filled with fear.

He had forgotten Palad, and now the boy was foolishly and futilely hacking away at Kraken's side with his axe.

"You monster!" The boy screamed out, furiously attacking as hard as he could. He didn't even notice that his axe was chipping rather than leaving damage. His eyes were flooded with tears. His face was red with rage. "You killed my parents! You killed my brother! You killed my friends!" He sobbed hysterically. "I'll slice you to pieces myself!"

Odin struggled to grunt under the fist. He wanted to tell the boy to run. No…he wanted to scream for him to run. If he had the strength, he would have used the last of it to kick free of Tiamat, board Slepnir, seize Palad and take the boy as fast and far away as he could. Right now, he could barely croak "no" from his crushed windpipe. And soon, his voice was drowned out as all three remaining Fiends laughed hideously at the sight. They were mocking him…mocking him just like they mocked all of the espers…just like they mocked anything they killed or were going to kill… They thought this sight was so hilarious, however, that they nearly fell down laughing. They bellowed it horribly, rolling and chortling all the while. The entire time tears streamed down Palad's face. They were mocking his pain. It meant nothing but amusement to them. Nothing in the world was sacred or worthwhile to them…only their own horrible power.

"Look at this!" Kraken bellowed in between his own tears of mirth. "Heh! Maybe if all the humans band together like this one, they'll give me a rash!"

Snickering all the while, Kraken suddenly swiped out a thin end of one of his tentacles, lashed it around Palad's throat, and then hoisted him up in the air. His axe tumbled from his grip as Palad was suddenly choked. He raised his hands to his neck and pulled at it desperately, struggling to breathe. But his airway was cut off, and he could do nothing. Seeing this, terror pierced Odin's heart. Somehow, he managed to cry out despite his battered body.

"Stop… Don't…"

Kraken and the others noticed him. They stopped laughing, and turned over to him. After a moment, Kraken grinned wickedly. Palad continued to fight against him, struggling for air. "Don't what?" He asked innocently. Then, he turned his beady eyes back to Palad. "Don't do this?"

"NO!" Odin managed to scream. But it was too late. Without the slightest hint of pity, Kraken tightened his coil around Palad's neck. A moment later, Odin heard a small snap, and Palad's struggles ceased instantly. His hands and legs went totally limp, and his eyes were frozen in one final look of horror. Only now, they were lifeless, glazed over and without any indication of life. His mouth hung open loosely, and Odin's own mouth hung open now. A cold knife had just gone into his heart. A part of himself just died, and he felt as if his insides were breaking.

Palad was dead.

Kraken immediately began to laugh at Odin's misfortune, and cast Palad's body to the ground as if he was so much trash. Lich Z joined in with his own hideous laugh, and Tiamat merely smiled. Odin glared emptily at the sight, and struggled not to cry himself. He had never shed tears his entire life, and he wasn't going to do so now. Yet he couldn't deny how empty he felt…and how much he hated the Fiends at that moment. He would have given anything to punch one of them in the throat and stop their hideous, evil laughing.

"You…bastards…" He choked out. "He was just a boy…"

"Of course he was." Kraken chuckled. "And they're too stringy to chew up."

"If you feel upset, esper, then you should hate him or yourself more than anything." Tiamat simply answered. "You're going to die because of your stupid, meaningless connection to this insect. There are thousands like him in this world, and thousands like him die every day. But because you had to get sentimental about this one you're here slowly dying."

"You're worse than monsters…" Odin continued. "You don't care about any life at all…"

"All life will eventually be crushed and fade…" Lich Z simply replied.

"…and yours will end soon…" Kraken chuckled.

"…but ours will last forever." Tiamat finished. "There is no meaning or purpose to this mortal life. It will all end anyway, probably miserably. But we exist forever. Why should they live if they're going to die anyway? Why shouldn't we revel in our own immortality? Why shouldn't we at least give their pointless deaths some meaning by making us, the ones that will matter forever, happy?"

"You're insane…" Odin gasped.

The three Fiends merely continued to laugh. Nothing mattered to them. There was nothing sacred in the world to them. They thought of nothing but themselves. Odin grew furious at them. They had to die. If nothing else, they had to die. Someone…someday…had to kill them. They were a pestilence. They were a disease…a plague to all life. They had to die.

"You know…it's a good thing you did kill Palad. Now I have no reason to hold back."

Again, the Fiends were cut off, and turned their heads to a new sight. Odin did as well, and could immediately sense a tremendous increase in power. A new figure had entered the battlefield. He slowly hovered and landed on the ground. His muscles throbbed with power, and his own eyes were dangerous and blazing with strength. His own arms were crossed, and he smiled triumphantly over the field before the fight had even begun.

Wyvern had arrived.

It was time.

The months of focus had paid off. It had been worth it being in there. It was dark…quiet…so long as Wyvern wasn't running around. No distractions of any kind…no obligations… He only had to focus. And now, it was paying off. He finally felt like he was in control of his latest technique. He wasn't sure if that was his Omniapex, but he did feel it made him considerably stronger. He was much more than he had been before.

And contrary to what Wyvern thought, his senses were sharper than ever. Now, he sensed every thing. He knew the moment Odin decided to lead the charge on the Four Fiends. The entire time he scanned their powers and knew they were totally inadequate for the job. And he listened to all of their thoughts as each one of the espers was violently struck down, and each one of the Four Fiends mocked their agony. Apparently, Odin had managed to fell one of them, but that was sheer luck. The others…Tiamat and Kraken…were far more powerful. Bahamut couldn't even tell if he was a match for them yet. However, he knew he had to go regardless when the one thought came.

When he sensed Palad's thoughts cease and his power vanish.

Bahamut's eyes opened. Calmly, he rose from his new position. Where the old effort might have taken a little straining and work, every move he made seemed effortless now. He had improved much, and he hoped that it was enough. He turned his head up, looking to the great crater Wyvern had made in the prison. Crusader was still not around. He couldn't even sense her. But the time for waiting was done. The esper unfurled his wings, and then took off.

His speed was a blur now. In an instant, a blip had soared into the sky and then halted in mid-air, then after a moment readjusted itself and shot like ashooting startoward the mountain ring.

To be continued...

How will Wyvern and Bahamut do? Can Bahamut have gotten any stronger from just sitting and meditating? Find out next time...