Thousands of years ago, in an age that was before espers came to rule the world and humanity was still weak, the Cetra had a legend about the Promised Land. Such a place was a world in flux, an area where life existed in its raw form. The earth around it was indeed a type of "proto-earth" rather than true living soil. It was here that all Cetra eventually went to, to aid the Planet in making this into a new place suitable for life. Through research, Leviathan had eventually concluded that the Promised Land was indeed not a single fixed place, but something that actually appeared from time to time during injuries on a Planetary scale. There were very few of them, but those areas tended to be remote and uninhabited.
The area that Wyvern selected was such a place.
Within that area, an eternal winter loomed. It grew only colder as one got closer, until they crawled into the greatvalley itself. For the world there was dead, and not even the Crystal could bring life to it. Only the long, slow passage of time would change it. Until that day, a frozen wasteland surrounded it. But deep in the center of the valley, there was still warmth...warmth from the great heat of the planet core fuming up into the surface. And within, there was a mixture of long, flat tracts of land and broken, haphazard areas. Both were made of solid rock, for soil had long since been leeched to nothing there. It was a barren wasteland, terrible and ravaged. It looked very similar to how the battlefield with Griever had looked like over four thousand years ago. However, that area had recovered. This had yet to.
Only in this place on the planet could two titans possibly attack without killing hundreds.
Bahamut took his time getting there. He stayed in human form, utilizing his ability to levitate and fly his own body. He didn't want to reveal his true power until it was time. The cold air blasted him, threatening to suck the heat right out of his body. It continued to blast and rage against him as he went ever north, frosting his eyebrows and hair. But then, he passed over the rim and into thevalley. The wind broke, and instead a scent of energy and power hit his nostrils. Here was one of the few areas on the world where the Lifestream gushed forth. It was the blood of the planet, and like in any wound it was rushing forth from this injury, bringing life to it in an attempt to heal itself. But it was not a pleasant scent. Here...the planet itself was full of anger and rage. It was infuriated at that which had injured it...and next time it would not be so docile when something dared to destroy it. Already...Bahamut felt a powerful force growing deep within the world...one that greatly upset and worried him. Yet he could do nothing about it but feel unnerved about it...and right now was the worst time for it.
The great esper looked around below him. He wasn't alone there. Those two attendants, Zola and Noonian, were on the rim on one side of the field. Had he better hearing, he would hear them jeering him as he flew out on the battlefield, as if this was some great game. Resting on his side of the rim, however, was Khan and Singh. They cheered him on, but their praises fell on deaf ears. On another side, Bahamut saw that others had come. Starlet, Ogopogo, and Odin were arriving to watch this take place. Leviathan was on the opposite side, having appointed himself to act as judge for this event. Yet none of these held his interest long. Very quickly...an extremely powerful energy source overran the rest of them, making itself known deep in the bottom of the valley. Bahamut looked to it...and saw that Wyvern was there.
The great esper swallowed, and then halted himself. Afterward, he readily dropped himself down to the surface. The heat grew as he closed. Much of this area was still blazing forth with fire from the volcanic portion of the planet. Steam vents dotted the landscape, and a few of the pits that were in the stone were filled with red light from lava. All in all, this was not a pleasant place to be. It soon made him uncomfortable even with his esper body, and as he touched his feet to the ground he felt his human flesh nearly burn. But there, however, he halted. He exhaled loudly, and then looked up. Around him, he could see the rim of the crater. But perched on one of the rock pinnacles jutting forth from the ground, he could see his target. Wyvern was there, still in human form. Arms crossed and glaring maliciously down to him. An eagerness was in his eyes this time. He looked to be almost smiling at him.
"I've been waiting for this for centuries, Lord Bahamut, King of All Espers." He purred.
Bahamut looked back and neither said nor showed anything.
"If it is a duel you want," Leviathan called out from his position, letting his voice echo throughout the crater for miles, all the way to the other side. "Then you will abide by rules! The conditions were this! Lord Bahamut, King of All Espers, must surrender his crown to Lord Wyvern and accept his terms of surrender...or they shall battle to determine the ruler of the espers! In the case of battle, the winner shall be determined if his opposite opponent flees, surrenders...or dies. I will chronicle this event here in the presence of these witnesses and proclaim it to the assembly on returning!"
No one said anything. Thevalley became silent. The audience looked fearfully around. Wyvern, from where he was, glared confidently and wickedly at Bahamut. Bahamut, for his part, stared back at Wyvern coldly and showed no emotion.
"That's it, little brother." Wyvern sneered, at last using that title. "You heard your new best friend over there. What's it going to be? Do I get lordship, or do you get killed?"
Bahamut didn't answer. He stared back at him for a long time, not changing his face. But then, at last...he did speak.
Something he had been waiting to say for ten years.
"Wyvern...contrary to what you believe, I love you. You're still my brother. No matter what you say, I've spent some of every single day expecting your return. In every passing shadow, in every rumble of thunder, in every smell that caught my memory...I wished and prayed that it would be you. I never expected to hurt you. I never wanted to hurt you. And I've hated myself every time I thought about what I had done." A pause to swallow for a moment. "...But, I did hurt you. And I did make a big mistake that day. You were right, I did keep the throne from you."
To this, the surrounding espers froze in surprise. None of them, even Zola and Noonian, had really believed Wyvern's angry statements. But right now, to everyone's surprise, Bahamut admitted it.
"Do you know why I did it? I did it because I saw what you were becoming. I saw that you were growing more reckless and tempermental. I saw that the more power you gained, the more arrogant you became. Your reckless behavior put us all in jeopardy more than once, and you know that is true. You had to be revived by Phoenix because you left before I could come with you. If not for her, you would have died. And that night, when I saw you come to me requesting that we rule together, I saw that light in your eyes. I sensed your true feelings beneath you. You hated Griever...but inside I knew that you yearned to become like him. You yearned to wield the same power over humanity that he had, the power to bend others to your will. Regardless of what ends you had in mind, for good or ill, I would not allow that to happen. Griever had become warped by his own power and prestige, and I knew that you'd only grow in strength from then on. I knew it would hurt you. I knew it would make you angry. But at the time...for a brief time...I cared more for humanity and the future of the war-torn world than I cared for you. I took the throne myself, and I refused to share with you...because I didn't want you to become that way. I didn't want to see you turn into that monster, and I didn't want the world to suffer for it."
A strange silence was around thevalley now. Everything had become still. Wyvern showed nothing, as did the others. Steam blasted from the ground, and the wind whipped by more strongly. Bahamut inhaled deeply once again.
"...I made a mistake though, Wyvern. I hurt you. I broke us apart. And inside, that was the only thing I really cared about. As new responsibilities came on me, I forgot that. But no longer. I will prove to you once and for all who I really care about. I consent to your demands. I surrender the crown to you."
Leviathan dropped his mouth in shock. Odin gasped out a "what" in response to that. Starlet actually cried out a "no", and was joined by Khan and Singh. Even Wyvern's attendants were surprised at this. His other siblings couldn't believe it. He was giving it up. Leviathan immediately blared a mental message for Bahamut to think about what he was doing. Wyvern would bring a chaos greater than Griever if he had his way. For the sake of the future, he couldn't let him. But Bahamut blocked it out. He didn't care about that anymore. Now that his brother was back, he cared only about that.
"You win. You have all of the power and prestige. And I will do what you say. I will become a dead dog in your presence. I will diminish into nothing. I don't care. The only thing I care about is you. Maybe this will show you how I truly love you, and that I am truly sorry for what has happened. Perhaps in time, after you have reigned for a while, after you have seen me submit to you for years without complaint, you will realize what I want for us and what I truly care about. Perhaps then your anger will diminish. Maybe then...we can be brothers again."
Leviathan swore and cursed under his breath. Odin clenched his teeth in rage. Bahamut was making the biggest mistake of his life, and they knew it. But Bahamut didn't care. All he wanted was for his brother to love him again. He wanted to be with him once more, to erase what had happened. He couldn't fight him. He could only do as he said. And in the end, to avoid that fight, he was willing to give it all up. He didn't care. To accent this, Bahamut slowly dropped himself down to one knee before his brother. From his higher position, it looked as if he was truly beneath him now. That done, he raised his hands to his own head and grasped the seven pointed spire. With that, he took it off and set it before him, keeping his head bowed and not looking up. After he set it, he became quiet, and moved no more. The wind slowly blew by. The steam continued to blast. But for the next minute, all were silent. They stood there and waited, waiting to see what would happen next. They expected that soon, they would have to bow down before Wyvern. He was the new king now...by Bahamut's own hand. Everyone waited for the next move.
Finally...it came.
"...No...No...No!"
Bahamut's eyes widened at that, and he looked up at this. Wyvern, however, had changed. Now, his flesh face had turned red with rage. His eyes blazed with renewed fire. His dark aura blazed around him, whipping up his clothing and his hair. He clenched his teeth in rage, already making them into incisors. To Bahamut's shock...his surrender had only doubled his anger, and now it was pouring out from every fiber of his being.
Bahamut blinked. "...W...Wyvern?"
"You bastard! You wretch!" He hatefully spat. "How dare you! You insult me like this! You admit your treachery, your greed, your evil...and as always, you paint yourself as the perfect brother! You make yourself the grand martyr, even as you confess your sins against me! You turn yourself into the great hero...the supreme altruist...don't you! And now you plan to use that, don't you! To steal support from me! To keep the kingdom from me! You'd like that wouldn't you, being my slave? You'd like me to abuse you and torment you without end, while you silently endured it! Then you would rise higher and higher in the esteem of other espers, while giving me the image of a cruel and ungrateful tyrant! Even now, you plot to take this kingdom away from me! So long as there is a place for you in my kingdom, no matter how lowly, you will conspire to stab me behind my own back! What is this? This pseudo-surrender! This slap in my face! This does not even begin to excuse the injuries you have dealt me! Prove yourself to me! Bow down before me, kiss my feet, and do so as I slice off your head! Your death is the only surrender I will accept!"
Leviathan spoke out at this. "That is in violation of the terms of the deal! You said you would accept Bahamut's surrender if-"
"Shut up you pathetic worm!" Wyvern roared at him. "You were always totally worthless! You, sitting there with your miserable rules! The only rule is what I say! ME! Emperor of the Blue Planet! You think I would let you live in my kingdom either? You'll be the lowest of my subjects...assuming I don't kill you in the next five minutes to vent my rage!"
He wheeled around violently back to Bahamut. "Here's how I will forgive you! Stand still as I rend you to pieces and burn your skeleton! Then we will have peace! And as for your lies and tricks, I will never, ever call you brother again, you miserable traitor!"
Bahamut stared at this, as the vicious words of Wyvern cruelly cut into him. Each one sliced into his heart, and drove him into more pain while the rage of Wyvern increased. He could feel the hateboiling off of him, growing more by the second. And he was stunned and still, unable to do anything about it. But then, as he sat there...the obviousness at last struck him and became clear.
...He never expected me to surrender.
He wanted to kill me.
He was lying the whole time. He threw out that condition thinking that I'd never accept. And now that I did, it threw all of his plans awry. He wanted me dead this whole time. Right from the start, he wanted to kill me. He didn't want me banished or enslaved. His anger is too great. The only thing he wants now is me dead. He'll never forgive me. He's been consumed by this grudge for too long.
And now, he's let his anger totally consume him. There's nothing left of the Wyvern that I knew. As he's grown in power...he's only grown in arrogance. In pride. Leviathan was right. He did see the worst in himself and project it on to me. Already, he's talking like he's king. He's not tolerating any disobedience or logic. He's overthrowing his own edicts to suit his best interests. I can sense it now...his real purpose in coming back. He never wanted to be king. He never wanted to rule the Blue Planet. The only thing he ever truly cared about...the only reason he returned...was revenge.
I was wrong this whole time. It wasn't a grudge. It wasn't a past hurt. That was why time didn't heal it. It was because of jealousy. He saw how I beat Griever. He saw how I was established over the rest of the espers. He saw how I kept gaining more and more power, and he kept falling behind. That was why he wanted me to make him stronger. That was why he ran off. He wanted to prove he was the best. He wanted to prove he was greater than everyone...including me. When he first tasted of power...he began to forget about me. His jealousy remained. And now it's reached the supreme point. If he can't be the strongest...the best...the highest of all espers...then there won't be any other ones stronger than him. That's what has driven him on for this long.
...I thought that he was hurt. I thought that I had wounded him. ...But I lied to myself just as he is lying to himself. Ever since the day he first began to awaken his power...he began to see me as a rival. Every time I went past him...in his heart he hated me a bit more. He wanted me around...he kept appealing to me...not out of love but because of power, because he wanted to bide his time until he became strong enough. He wanted to be king...simply so that he could surpass me and hold something over me. But I stood in his path. I refused. I confirmed my status as over him by taking the king position. And because of that...he became consumed by his own jealousy. Since that day, he's been wanting to become strong enough to beat me. Strong enough to kill me. Then...he'd be the best.
...I was a fool. I thought he once loved me.
...But he hasn't really loved me since the day we met Jadea.
Now his reckless jealousy is flaring up higher. After it kills me...it won't stop there. He'll kill the others after that, because they are other rivals. Then he'll kill the strongest of our children. He'll never be satisfied, until he is in control. And he won't attack the humans out of a desire to put them in order. He'll do it...because he won't want them alligning against him. He won't want them as strong as him. Nothing will be able to contest him. And then...
He'll be just like Griever.
In the end, that was what motivated him as well. He feared the humans because they could stop him. His rage only truly exploded when he saw that we could hurt him, perhaps even destroy him. His jealousy of that power drove him mad and killed him, but only after he took millions with him. And now, Wyvern is the same.
My brother is gone, and he's been gone for over four thousand years. In his place...is just another evil madman.
...And I can't act like he's my brother.
At that moment, Bahamut's heart changed. The tenderness for Wyvern suddenly left...and he was transformed. Since he had seen Wyvern again, he was once again the frightened, young esper he had once been, doubtful and uncertain in a world. But now, he had returned. At once, his age and power came over him. His face turned from meek and lowly to strong and hard. He seemed to suddenly grow in side as his regal expression returned. At once, he was a mighty, powerful king again, the true King of All Espers, the mighty Lord of All Dragons, the great esper Bahamut. As his will steeled and his fury returned, his thoughts of not wanting to hurt his brother vanished. Now, his animal instincts returned, and readiness for battle came over him. He slowly drew himself up once again...but only on taking the crown up with him. As he stood once again, he crowned his own head once more, and glared powerfully at Wyvern. Though he was still beneath him...Bahamut suddenly was over him in terms of prestige and power, and his own mighty aura began to blaze.
"No." He coldly stated.
Wyvern, for a moment, hesitated at this. He didn't expect this sudden surge of power. And for an instant...doubt covered his own face. But then, he recovered, and steeled himself as well. He grit his teeth at him and hissed. "So...you picked the road most violent after all? You won't stand and let me kill you? Hmph...and where is that love you spoke of not long ago? Is it consumed by your true feelings?"
"I submitted to you because I loved you." Bahamut snapped back, his voice now powerful and rocking the air. "But I was a fool for doing so, because you have grown incapable of loving anything but yourself. And yes, my true feelings have arisen. My true feelings to preserve this world from evil and hatred, to keep it from being dominated by a weak-willed creature with evil ambitions. I offered you the crown freely and appealed to your mercy. But now that you have thrown that back in my face, you will have to take it from me. And I swear to you, this crown will not leave my brow unless my head leaves my neck. Now, I issue my demands to you. For the crime of attempting to upsurp the throne, threatening my people, and plotting evil against the peoples of this world, you will surrender to me. And as you refused to show me pity or mercy, so will I unless you agree to my demands at once."
Wyvern hesitated yet again. For the first time ever, Bahamut spoke to Wyvern as if he was his king and commanding him. That made him hold for a moment more, but eventually it only fed his anger. In the end, he grit his teeth and clenched his hands into fists.
"So be it. I shall enjoy watching you die."
With that, Wyvern's clothing shreaded. His long red wings unfurled, and he craned his neck out as more vertebrae snapped into place. His horns grew as scales covered his body. He grew larger and larger, until he finally revealed his true form. The massive red reptillian creature that he was had only grown worse with time. Now older, his scales were rougher and sharper. His muscles were much bigger. A shadow began to encircle him, swirling around like a black cloud. The ground began to ripple underneath, and he beat his huge wings once to cast up dirt and gravel. Bahamut didn't hesitate. Immediately, he snapped his own neck out, tore his own clothing asunder, and unfurled his own wings. Immediately, an aura of light energy erupted around him, and soon he too was bursting with newfound power as he adjusted into his great blue form. Soon, the esper was standing straight and tall, still erect and regal appearing, but now in his full glory.
Leviathan watched all of this. A part of him was glad that Bahamut finally saw the truth. But another part of him was sad that he at last had to accept that. In short order...he knew he would have to accept something hard as well. Worse, however, was that he could sense their strengths. Bahamut had gotten vastly more powerful...but he realized in fear that he was only a little over half as strong as Wyvern. The other's power vastly dominated the first's. He didn't know how this was going to fare, but he prayed that Bahamut's new powers would work... At any rate, he drew himself up, and raised his human hand into the air for both to see.
"When I drop this, the fight will begin."
Neither said anything. They merely glared at each other. Wyvern's eyes burned cruelty and malice. Bahamut's eyes burned determination. He couldn't lose. Somehow...he had to bring him down. Not just for himself, but for everyone else as well. He couldn't let Wyvern's madness go any further. He didn't look away, but he sensed Leviathan. He knew his hand was up, and quivered in the air as the sea serpent looked over them and nervously anticipated what was about to happen. His siblings likewise prayed and held, as did Bahamut's attendants. In a few moments...the greatest fight in the history of the Planet would play out since the days of Griever. Finally, however, he let it fall.
The match was on.
In a flash, both espers took off. Wyvern shattered his rock pinnacle as he tore straight for his enemy, and Bahamut likewise fractured a large crater into the ground as he took off. In a blaze of speed that was too fast for any other esper to see, they shot straight for one another. They only saw what happened when they connected...and a shockwave ripped out from their wake. It shattered the nearby rock pinnacles to dust, and the blast of wind that resulted nearly pushed the other espers off the rim. But as for the two opponents, they both sailed away from each other as fast as they had come together.
However, Wyvern spread out his wings and halted himself in mid-air. As for Bahamut, he shot straight to the ground and connected with it, and proceeded to slide against the bare rock. He did so for a few moments, before managing to flip over and right himself. But just as he was straightening up and stood to look out, he was violently snapped over and hurled face first again into the ground, this time by Wyvern's foot as he shot down and connected with him. This time, Bahamut plowed into the ground and dug into it as he slid forward.
The esper king managed to stop yet again, however, and somersaulted off of his back back onto all fours. Next, he quickly flipped himself up into the air to get out of the attack path. But as he turned himself upright again...Wyvern was already on him. His face was violently slammed one way as Wyvern bashed his claw against it. The great red esper smashed his face the other way a second later. After that, he put his fists together and brought them up to slam them down and send Bahamut back to the ground again. But before he could...Bahamut suddenly swirled around in mid-air and slammed his tail into the side of Wyvern's head. His neck was twisted painfully one way, and he began to fall back and to the ground. Not giving an inch, Bahamut dove on him to hit him again. But right as he pulled his fist back to jab him in the face...Wyvern suddenly sprung to life and swirled in a mid-air back somersault, thrusting his two feet up and bludgeoning Bahamut on the chin. The impact sent him flying into the air, and Wyvern tore after him.
The dark esper attempted to thrust his fist forward, meaning to strike Bahamut again and sending him further up into the sky. But before he could, Bahamut righted himself again and crossed his arms in front of him. The fist smashed into that instead. Wyvern quickly tried to follow up with a jab over the block to the face, but Bahamut put his head to one side before it could. Wyvern then decided to hook from underneath instead, and drove his fist into Bahamut's exposed side. The blow soon resonated...and Bahamut heard one of his ribs give a crack from the power. But he used the pain to his advantage...spasming forward with the added force from the pain and drove his crest into Wyvern's face. The red esper was stunned and fell back. Bahamut attempted to follow up besides his pain, ignoring it and jabbing at Wyvern three more times. However, the red esper was also able to recover, and threw his head to either side before throwing it back, dodging each one. Wyvern then reared back and attempted to give a kick to Bahamut's face, but he managed to raise an arm and intercept it. Wyvern tried following up with a tail sweep afterward, but the great blue esper barely managed to sweep back in time. However, that was too much. Wyvern still had his other foot ready to kick, and he drove it into his now protruding stomach. The force made Bahamut collapse over the foot, and he was thrown violently forward in the sky. Seeing his opportunity, Wyvern rushed forward, made both hands into one fist again, and swung them down to hit Bahamut in the back.
The esper king was soon flying to the ground again. Wyvern, grinning wickedly in delight, used his speed advantage to rush past him as he fell, and hit the ground first. He waited for Bahamut to come close enough, and then swept his tail out and smacked Bahamut as he landed, sending him flying across the ground backward. He shot after the blue esper, readying his fist for another blow. He brought it around and behind his head, looking to drive it down on top of his skull. Bahamut, however, somehow managed to right himself in flight, and hovered upright as the fist came down. He quickly seized it with one of his hands...only to have Wyvern bring up his other fist in an uppercut. Bahamut was soon sailing up once again, and Wyvern flew up after him. He was soon even with his body once more, and he spun around again to swing his tail down on him. This time it landed on his weakened side, and Bahamut gave a cry as he shot back down and slammed into the ground as well. He hit so hard that he bounced back up again, and Wyvern was there. Without hesitation, he made both hands into a fist and swung them up against him again. Now, Bahamut spiraled wildly out of control as he went back into the sky.
After sailing up a few hundred feet, Bahamut managed to stretch out his limbs and halt himself. He began to pant and sweat as he looked back down. Far below on the ground, arms crossed and grinning evilly, was Wyvern. He barely looked phased from that interchange, and he definitely didn't look tired. Bahamut, on the other hand, was already beginning to tap into his stamina reserves. He spat to one side...and was disappointed to see a bloody tooth fly out. His mouth was full of blood and he was letting some of it run off his lips. One of his eyes was already swelling. His left kidney, where he felt a broken rib, was starting to hurt. They hadn't even begun using their breath weapons, and Bahamut already felt himself lagging behind in this fight. In that case...that meant it was time.
Bahamut paused for a moment, taking advantage of Wyvern letting him fly there. He exhaled sharply, and then closed his eyes and crossed his arms in front of him. He folded his hands and made a gesture, and began to tap into his own spiritual power. He called to mind the technique he had spent years learning...and slowly the words began to come. He felt them fall out of his mouth. After a moment, he was finished, and he opened his eyes and glared downward to speak the spell's name. "Hyper-velo."
Immediately, a red aura blazed around him. It grew strong within seconds, and a ring of light formed around it. After a moment longer, it began to encircle him, moving faster and faster as it did. Small flames of energy began to appear around the ring, taking bizarre shapes as if they were numerals. The ring spun faster until it was running in a continuous circle, and blured the flames of energy as it did. But then, abruptly, the circle broke and scattered around him. When it did...Bahamut immediately felt like a million gil. His body was now working faster. His muscles increased in size. And he felt so light that he could move in the blink of an eye without expanding any energy at all. He paused a second longer, concentrating this new power. Then he looked down. To his surprise...Wyvern was still calm. He wasn't even flinching. Hoping that wasn't a bad sign...Bahamut took off for him.
Wyvern's eyes soon bulged in surprise as Bahamut was on him within a fraction of a second. One moment he stood with arms crossed, and the next he was nearly bent in half as Bahamut smashed his fist into his face, knocking him off his feet and away from the great esper. Not stopping, Bahamut quickly dove forward and began to beat his stomach. His arms moved so fast that they became a blur, and eight powerful bashes were driven into Wyvern's belly. His head was bent back over as he was violently thrown inward, but Bahamut continued to pound. Finally, Bahamut swung in a somersault and smacked him in his head with his tail. The impact sent Wyvern sliding back along the ground, his heels digging in as he went sliding. Not wasting his advantage, Bahamut dashed forward and past him. As he did, he seized the tail of the red esper, and then used the momentum of his movement to raise him off the ground. Within seconds, Bahamut was swinging Wyvern around in a massive circle, building up more speed and momentum. Finally, he hurled him straight into the nearest pinnacle. Wyvern helplessly flailed about as he shot straight toward it, and moments later he connected. The impact immediately shattered the stone column, and it collapsed down on his body in a flash of smoke and debris. Soon, he was buried beneath it and surrounded by a cloud of dust.
Bahamut touched down and paused for a moment. He gazed into the cloud of dust, and watched it slowly settle, preparing for any surprise attacks. Slowly the dust cleared after a few moments, and revealed what was left. Standing in front of a pile of stone debris, perfectly erect and strong-looking, was Wyvern. On seeing this, Bahamut felt himself sweat a little. He could barely sense Wyvern's energy diminished. He deduced in short order that his assault hadn't done much damage. In fact...he didn't have a single serious mark on him. He struggled to hold together as Wyvern tilted his head to one side and spat out a single drop of blood. But after that, he turned back and grinned menacingly.
"My turn."
With that, Wyvern opened his mouth and fired a Pyron. Never before had Bahamut seen a Pyron fired that quickly. He didn't think it could be done. However, he still had his great speed, and in a flash he took off into the sky. No sooner had he done so, however, than Wyvern shocked him again. He raised his head up and fired off another Pyron. Bahamut's eyes enlarged. He really didn't think that anyone could fire off a powerful attack like a Pyron twice in succession. He was totally unprepared for this move. Immediately, he did the only thing he had time to do before the attack hit him. Focusing his aura in his hand and struggling to keep himself from breaking, he slapped his palm out as the first of the Pyron balls connected. The force burned his hand a little...but then managed to twist the path of the attacking balls slightly to one side. The Pyron raged onward and shot by the great esper afterward.
However, it was at that moment that Bahamut realized he made a mistake...for a pair of feet suddenly smashed him in the back and sent him flying down at an angle. The moves weren't serious, just to distract him long enough for Wyvern to attack again. The attack didn't hurt as much as it should have though, and Bahamut quickly spun around to intercept the follow up move. But on doing so, he saw nothing...right before another fist smashed him in the side of his face. Soon, he was sent flying once again through the air. Gritting his teeth and struggling, Bahamut managed to halt himself and look back up...but Wyvern was already gone. Seeing this...he quickly tried a different tactic. He tried to sense the oncoming blow from where it would come next. Soon after, he felt a presence coming up...right from under him. A moment later, Wyvern appeared right in front of him, swinging around and aiming a kick against his head. Quickly, the esper king raised his hand and blocked the kick, only to have Wyvern's leg snap off of the block within an instant, and smash into his face instead. Bahamut was soon sent sailing away again. Yet once more, more slowly this time and grunting all the way, he managed to right himself...just in time to have Wyvern drive his foot into Bahamut's throat. Soon, the great esper's eyes bulged, and he grasped his throat in pain. That gave Wyvern enough time to open his mouth and discharge a Pyron blast point blank in his face.
A cloud of flame soon erupted and filled with explosions. Soon after, Bahamut's body went flying out of the cloud and shot straight to the ground. He smashed in hard, fracturing the stone and sending up another cloud of dust. Debris rained down everywhere in the wake. As the dust settled, Wyvern calmly crossed his arms and touched down about a hundred feet away on the stone bedrock. Bahamut himself groaned. He coughed up more blood. His whole body was aching now, and was covered with bruises and bumps. One side of his face was swollen at this point, and he felt that more than one bone was broken now. He stiffened, but then slowly began to pull himself back up. He realized now that the Hyper-velo wasn't good enough. It had caught him off guard, but now that he had recovered, he had more than enough power of his own to overcome it. And he was losing stamina fast. He was already falling behind, but soon he wouldn't be able to keep up at all.
I know what this means...
It might not work though. Even if it does make me stronger than him, which isn't guaranteed...I haven't practiced using it enough. The one time I did I was too much for Starlet even in her Ashura form. If I'm too out of control, I'll burn through my stamina in wasted moves. Well...I guess there's no choice any way you look at it. I've not nothing else left.
"Nice try, little brother." Wyvern sneered at the esper. "But I'm afraid I've had a man on you this whole time. I knew all about your special training with Starlet, and that Hyper-velo move. Too bad you're tiny little back of tricks looks exhausted."
At the time, Bahamut didn't bother to catch this. Instead, he once again prepared himself. Now standing, he slid his legs together and stood up straight. He folded his wings down over himself and held them there. Then, once again, he crossed his arms in front of himself and held up his hands. The great esper closed his eyes, and once more began to focus his power.
Wyvern merely snorted. "Not this again."
But Bahamut wasn't trying another Hyper-velo. There was a way to boost his speed and strength even beyond that. It was much more powerful magic, however. He actually grunted for a moment as he focused. Perspiration began to dot his forehead, and he felt himself growing tired as he siphoned off the greater amount of power. Finally, he opened his eyes, and stared hard ahead at his opponent.
"Supra-velo."
Wyvern reacted to this in puzzlement, but soon got his answer. Abruptly, the red aura blazed forth again. This time it was stronger, taking a wave-like nature around it and seeming to form flames. As it did, three rings of light appeared around Bahamut, and each formed more distinct flames around them than before. They all began to rotate at once, and all soon spun faster even than the last one. A great blaze of light began to erupt around Bahamut, and suddenly his aura was multiplied in strength. The bright color shone forth and dazzled all the observers for a moment, and they were forced to look away. As it did...Bahamut felt his entire body working harder. More energy was consumed. His heart beat four times as fast, and his breathing became rapid. At once, everything in the world slowed down to a snails pace, and his muscles began to swell again. This time, they pushed against his skin a bit, growing tight and hard within his body. But he felt even lighter than before now. It seemed he was one with the wind itself. Bahamut inhaled deeply...hoping it was enough...and then again launched his attack.
Bahamut took off and rushed right for Wyvern. The red esper once again gaped as he saw the terrific speed of the esper king. However, he was ready this time. He brought up an arm and blocked Bahamut as he kicked at his face. But a split second later...Bahamut reappeared at Wyvern's side, thrusting his foot into the side of his face. Wyvern's jaw was painfully wrenched in one direction, and he was sent flying away again. However, he only sailed a few feet before Bahamut vanished and reappeared over the top of him, this time driving his feet down deep into Wyvern's gut. Immediately, he collapsed around him, and was shoved down into the ground. As Bahamut smashed him into it, another crater was bashed into it. It was so deep and hard that steam vents burst out from around it...and some magma even began to bubble out of the surface.
Wyvern stayed still for a moment, before suddenly springing back up, hurling Bahamut off of him as he did so. But Bahamut went with it, quickly dodging back. In a flash, Wyvern followed suit, leaping up to his feet as well. But at that moment, Bahamut fell on him again. He dove forward and punched Wyvern deep and hard twice in the gut, before uppercutting him, causing his head to fully extend upward. Not finished, Bahamut quickly swung his foot back around and kicked him once in the face, turning his head back to the side. He followed up with his tail, this time hitting him in the neck and wrenching it. He finished with his heel, smacking it into Wyvern as hard as he could. The result took Wyvern off of his feet and shot him into the sky.
The red esper, however, was far from finished. He caught himself a second later, and quickly braced for an assault. Bahamut, on his part, didn't attack head on. Instead, he took off, and swept around in a large circle, far from Wyvern and shooting around to come in from the side. Wyvern saw this, and immediately responded by firing off two Pyrons at the king esper. Bahamut watched these come as they fired. He allowed them to intersect them, before he suddenly snapped around and swung his tail at them...before disappearing. Wyvern gaped in surprise at this...before a powerful blow in his lower back arched him forward and made him cry out for the first time in battle. The impact threw him forward as well...right into the path of the Pyron waves that Bahamut had knocked back with his tail a second earlier. Unable to dodge, the two attacks connected and soon Wyvern was being blasted by his own attacks. The sky erupted into a fireball.
Bahamut didn't stop. Not waiting for the smoke and flames to clear, he shot forward and dove into the eruption. Moments later, he emerged with Wyvern. He was forcing him back out of the cloud, tearing into him relentlessly. His fists and claws swung wildly, smacking Wyvern's head right and left and beating into his body. Bahamut hit him more and more furiously as he went on, getting dozens of hits on the red esper within a matter of seconds. Finally, he ceased for a moment, long enough to fully extend his claws and tighten his palms. Then, in a combination iron palm clawing attack, he smacked down on the dazzled Wyvern's back as hard as he could. The blow rocked like thunder, and Bahamut's claws sank deep past his scales and into his flesh, digging talon wounds into it. The red esper himself sailed for the ground head first. Bahamut let him sail a moment until he got close enough, but then shot down in a blaze to meet him there. Right before he hit, he swung his tail around with all his might and struck Wyvern again. Another thunderclap went off, causing the ground to fracture under his feet. Wyvern was sent back into the sky, head first again. Finally, Bahamut finished up by shooting past him a considerable distance. Then, he locked his legs together, extended his toes and the base of his feet, and then drove back as fast as he could. Wyvern sailed to him with equal ferocity, and a moment later Wyvern's head connected with Bahamut's feet. A shockwave rippled again, this time causing the observers to shield themselves from far away, and Wyvern went back to the ground. Seconds later, he struck, and the entirevalley shook as he smashed into the ground. A huge pillar of stone broke off from the ground and was upheaved into the air from Wyvern's head impacting. It spiraled in the air gracefully and unbelievably for a moment...before falling back down and shattering. A huge cloud of dust followed in its wake.
Bahamut panted as he stared at this. He was dripping with sweat now...and he began to feel a bit light-headed. Immediately, he lowered to the ground again. His muscles and hands were getting sore from throwing all these punches and hitting another body. He was throbbing in his extremities. He was also still covered with his old injuries, and each one of his gasps caused him more pain. He felt his stamina beginning to buckle. He wondered how much longer this had to last. Wyvern was in pain now. He knew that. But he didn't know how much longer he could keep up with him. If he could surpass him in stamina, it was hopeless anyway... He should have done the Supra-velo from the start to have a real chance... He was shocked at how strong Wyvern had become. At this point, he could have killed Crusader's fourth form with one concentrated blow. But he was still holding up. His worst fears began to creep in...perhaps he couldn't beat him after all...
"GrrrrAAH!"
Abruptly, an explosion happened from the dust cloud. Bahamut perked up his head, and was just in time to see Wyvern come out. His forehead was bleeding now, and he looked thoroughly enraged. However...to Bahamut's fear...he realized his strength was higher. He didn't look disabled or tired in the least. It could only mean that until now he was just playing around and taking it easy. Now...the real fight was beginning...and he was attacking full force. That was all Bahamut could think of, however...before Wyvern was on him and smashing the side of his face in.
Bahamut's head was wrenched painfully to one side at that. However, he merely bit down, struggling to keep himself from getting dizzy, and wheeled back to drive his fist into Wyvern's gut. The red esper collapsed onto his fist a moment later, and gagged as he bent over it. Blood dripped from his mouth. Yet soon, his gag turned into a snarl, and he snapped up to give Bahamut an uppercut in response. The king esper had his head snapped painfully back...almost enough to cause a real injury. But somehow, Bahamut held on...and as he shot up he darted his claws out and seized Wyvern's crest by the horns. With a huge effort, he yanked him off the ground and stretched his muscles in his neck, managing to violently pull his head back and smash it into Wyvern's as hard as he could. It struck the already bleeding injury, causing Wyvern to cry out in pain in response.
The red esper recovered quickly, though, and as he opened his eyes and sneered in rage, he flipped his feet up and struck Bahamut's middle section as hard as he could. Bahamut was soon sent flying straight up into the air. Wyvern braced himself and then began to fly after him to try another move. Bahamut, however, managed to drive through the pain again and fired a Pyrin as he closed. Wyvern snarled and plowed right through it, extending a fist, letting it explode on it, and then bursting through the explosion. Bahamut only saw an enraged, red creature burst from the flame with fist outstretched before it smashed him right in the face, sending him flying up again.
A second later, however, Bahamut vanished. In a flash, he recovered and used his speed to counterattack. But just as he dropped behind Wyvern's back...the red esper vanished as well. Bahamut's eyes bulged for a moment as he saw this. But then, the true fear struck him. He was right. Wyvern was just playing until now. In reality...he was just as fast as he was with the Supra-velo. He had no further time to consider this, though, for he too had to move again. It was a good thing too, for Wyvern reappeared a moment later, and his foot hit empty air where Bahamut's face had been. He looked up in surprise, and then vanished just before an uppercut whizzed past where his chin was. The attacker disappeared too, just in time to miss an axe kick planned for his weakened side. The two espers performed this deadly dance again and again, both narrowly missing the other. Both pushed themselves to the limits of their power, struggling to avoid each other and be the first one to land a hit. Both strained their stamina to keep going...feeling the burn in their body from the terrible speed...
But at last, Bahamut reappeared and missed one of his claw slashes. He gaped, and prepared to move again...but too late. Abruptly, a massive reptillian mouth swung down and clamped on his shoulder. Wyvern sunk his teeth in as deep as he could, and abruptly blood gushed forth from his shoulder and began to pour down his body as Wyvern's knife-like teeth sliced into him. Bahamut cried out in pain, for the teeth drove in deep and all the way to the bone, hoping to wrench the shoulder out of its socket. Before it could, Bahamut managed to twist the arm up and into an elbow, and drove it back right into Wyvern's throat. The monster soon spat out Bahamut's shoulder and gagged. He clutched his throat and began to back away. As he did, Bahamut swung around violently and struggled to hit him again. Yet despite choking and bleeding, Wyvern retorted by seizing out his fist and intercepting Bahamut's hand, and then followed up with his own punch to Bahamut's face. Bahamut snapped back, and this time was not able to recover so quickly. The blow sent blood flying from his nose. But he did recover...and managed to bring up his foot to Wyvern's face, kicking it back as well. Wyvern reared back and bellowed in pain...but also drew one of his claws and extended his talons. A second later, he snapped back and drove his five fingers into Bahamut's exposed abdomen, digging each talon into his flesh and drawing blood. Bahamut roared in agony again, before bringing up both feet and kicking Wyvern hard in the gut, pushing him away from him and causing him to rip his talons out. But that only made Wyvern more furious, and in a flash he righted himself and launched forward again, and proceeded to give a right cross to Bahamut's face. Immediately, part of Bahamut's jaw turned to jelly, and one side of his head went numb from the blow. Before he could even pull his head back from this strike, Wyvern returned with a backhand. Bahamut's head went back the other way...and he was sent flying to the ground.
As Bahamut sailed on, he began to feel his strength ebb. His body began to grow heavy again. His heart and lungs slowed down. His muscles shrank. Dizziness began to come over him, and he started to feel nauseous. He began to realize what was happening. The Supra-velo was wearing off. He was losing his powers. Soon...he'd be back to his base level, and easy pickings for Wyvern. What more...his stamina was nearly gone. He was using everything he had to keep up with Wyvern's ferocity...but it wasn't enough. He was stronger even than he had sensed. His new power made him a juggernaut...unrelenting and unstoppable. None of Bahamut's blows had even slowed him down yet.
I have to finish this soon...or I won't finish it at all.
Bahamut finally gave a grunt and was able to right himself. He spread out his wings and looked up to Wyvern, and then gave a gasp. Wyvern had unfurled his own wings, and now was firing Pyrin after Pyrin in Bahamut's direction. The esper hestiated a moment, but then dove forward along the ground as fast as he could. Great blasts of fire erupted around him as he did, punching into the ground and upheaving lava in the wake. Smoke and ash surrounded him as he flew forward through the chaos that Wyvern left in his wake. Yet he kept his wings out, and charged as much as he could. His shoulder was throbbing, and the wounds were doing damage to him. But still, he began to focus and ready himself for another attack...
Abruptly, however, as he passed through another column of fire and ash...Wyvern dropped down right on top of him. He struggled to react, but due to his speed and his attempt to try and focus his power he didn't have time. Wyvern landed as hard as he could right on the uninjured arm...and a loud crack resulted. Horrible pain shot through his arm and into Bahamut's head. He grit his teeth in misery, and nearly cried out. His focus slipped, and he nearly lost the building energy within him. But somehow, stretching his will to his limit, he held on. He began to fall down, away from Wyvern...but as he did he glared at him, opened his mouth, and aimed it right at his face. "Mega-pyrin!"
Wyvern gaped in shock as the massive attack ripped out of Bahamut's mouth, snapping his head back violently and sending him falling to the ground faster than ever. He was barely able to control it, between his loss of stamina and his injuries. However, to his horror, he looked through the blaze and saw that Wyvern was still too fast. He shot up in the air as quickly as he could, and the attack sailed underneath him. The blast still managed to hit his tail end, however. The result was a blistering blast of heat, causing the fluid within his flesh to boil and blast out of the surface. Within a moment, the end of his tail was blown off entirely. But that was a minor injury, easy to regenerate within days. Wyvern gave a mild indication of pain, but that was it. In the end, all he managed to do was increase his rage. The red esper only hesitated a moment, before flinging his injured tail out of the way and then diving for Bahamut.
The king esper, summoning what stamina was left, quickly pushed himself out and began to fly back, away from Wyvern and into the chaos that had resulted from his blasts. The ground was fractured now, and lava began to ooze out from parts of it. Others even had minor eruptions, and black smoke poured everywhere. Yet it was also concealing, and Bahamut was out of breath. He flew through this, struggling to get enough time to do another Supra-velo. But Wyvern, right after missing, promptly took off after him. Soon, more Pyrins were whizzing by Bahamut's body, embedding in more rock and blowing up more columns of stone and steam. Bahamut grit his teeth and struggled to fly faster. But his stamina was almost out. He tried shaking, but that too was inferior. He couldn't keep up considering Wyvern's speed. He could only push on, struggling to avoid the shots as they blasted closer and closer to him...
Then, as Bahamut began to fly out of the blasts, one hit. Right between the shoulder blades, a Pyrin hit dead on. A hot, flesh searing pain flooded out around Bahamut's back, and immediately his wings went rigid. He was clipped in mid-air. And he couldn't perform the Auto-aero technique either. Every spell was a drain now. Left with no other option, and smoking all the way, the king esper fell out of the sky. His wings helped him to glide a bit forward...but in the end he ran into the ground incredibly fast, and he smashed chin first into it. A painful jolt ripped through his skull. His bad arm was twisted horribly, and he slid across it for a few moments before coming to a halt. There, he lay for a second, unable to get up through the trauma and agony.
Yet he didn't get himself up in the end. Abruptly, a painful set of talons dug into his neck, drawing more blood. Then, he was ripped off of the ground and to his feet, and turned around to stare right into Wyvern's hateful face. His brother greeted him with a powerful jab right in the stomach, making Bahamut lose what air he had left and nearly forcing him to vomit. Yet despite this...Bahamut swung his own bleeding, swollen face forward and bashed it into Wyvern's head, right on the injury and cutting in a deeper gash. Enraged, Wyvern seized his head and brought it down as he brought his knee up...and crushed it into his throat. Now, his windpipe was closed. Blood oozed from his mouth, but Bahamut began to choke. And he was already out of air. As he struggled to gasp, Wyvern pounded him in the stomach three more times, crushing into his organs and snapping another rib in the process. He finished with an uppercut that ripped Bahamut off of his feet...but he didn't let him sail into the air. He reached out and grabbed him by his tail, and yanked the battered esper back to the ground. Once he was back, he seized him by his horns, and proceeded to smash his claw into Bahamut's face again and again. The other eye was beaten, and began to turn black and puffy. His beak nose was smashed and began to trickle blood. He felt one of his bone nostrils smashed in. But somehow...as Wyvern swung his fist forward again, Bahamut wrenched free of Wyvern's hand and let his fist sail harmlessly past his head as he dodged to one side. Then, with all the power he had in his weakened body, Bahamut gave Wyvern his own right cross with his one good hand. The blow echoed louder than any of his previous ones, and a tooth went flying from Wyvern's mouth as he swung his head to one side. Bahamut didn't let up, but quickly swung back, propped himself up on his tail, and then brought both of his legs up. In a flurry of kicks, he smacked Wyvern's face one way and the other with his claw feet, scratching into his skin and bashing him around until he was senseless. Then, pulling both back and concentrating for a moment, Bahamut thrust both forward and hit Wyvern in the chest with all his might. A thunderclap sounded as the two bodies connected, and Wyvern's body went flying away into the air.
Wyvern limply flew forward for a moment...but then raised his head up. Balling his hands into fists, he froze himself in mid-air and stopped yet again. He looked down and glared hatefully at Bahamut. He was sweating now, and his energy was definitely being taxed. But he still had plenty of power left to spare.
Bahamut, on the other hand, wheezed. His throat hurt, and blood kept coming out of his mouth as he exhaled. His body was a mess. His broken arm was numb and his arm with the bleeding shoulder was tingling. His wings were tired, and it hurt to flap them now. His face was swollen so puffy that he could barely see. His stamina was gone. Somehow, he had managed to counter Wyvern just now, but another attack run would leave him helpless. Even if he could pull off a Supra-velo, which would sap what was left of his strength, his body would be too weak to be able to fight in that condition. He blinked and struggled to clear his vision. Fear began to come into him. He had never expected this much power from Wyvern. He met his worst fears and exceeded them. He was simply too weak to continue. He realized now he had made a mistake. He should have tried harder to get stronger. Because now, there was too much at stake. If he didn't win, the world was doomed under his evil and selfishness. And he realized now that victory might be impossible...
Then, as his vision cleared, he managed to see Wyvern more clearly. He noticed he hadn't moved, but he also noticed something else.
A black aura had surrounded him again...and his power was skyrocketing.
Wyvern was already insanely strong, but now it was increasing. Already, it had doubled, and soon it would be beyond that as well. Bahamut began to quiver with fear. His heart raced and his stomach turned to knots. He was doing it. This wasn't going to be a halfhearted attempt this time. He was firing a full strength Megapyron. His wings were outstretched. His body was tightening. Now, his muscles seemed to bulge out as he tried to withstand the power. A fire like hell was burning in his mouth, and heat had already surrounded him. The ground was already beginning to quiver. Black lightning started to encircle him.
Bahamut realized he had only one chance. He had to beat him. But already...he feared he wasn't strong enough. His Sol-pyrin was the strongest force on the Planet, but today he began to fear that it had met its match. Nevertheless, there was no other choice. He could never survive this attack regardless. And so, he quickly prepared himself. Bahamut took in a deep breath, and forced his pain back. Though he hated doing it...he realized he needed all the power he could get. And so...he performed another Supra-velo. The red aura blazed around him again. The rings encircled him. His body bulged and ached, for it was pressing against numerous injuries now. It was calling on reserves he didn't have. But his power did increase. As the rings broke and he shone red, he felt faster and stronger than ever before again. Then, he quickly dug his feet into the ground. He lashed his tail behind him and spread out his wings. He closed his eyes, opened his mouth, and struggled to gather what solar energy could be found in this grim wasteland.
The lightning grew stronger around Wyvern. Pebbles on the ground began to rise. The winds started to form a small whirlwind beneath him. The heat around him continued to grow. His red eyes blazed with fire, and he began to grunt and cry out as he summoned. Sparks leapts from his throat as if he had a bellows within it. As for Bahamut, rays of light began to radiate around his wings. An ethereal glow came around him. Heat and wind began to whip up around him as well. The ground shuddered about him, fracturing more and pushing more lava forth. But through it all, a ball of burning light like the force of the sun began to form in front of his mouth. And it continued to swell and grow as Bahamut poured not only the sun's power but his own power into it. He had to give this everything he had. Both continued to summon their attacks, growing mightier and mightier as they did so.
The entirevalley began to shudder. It threatened to collapse. On one side of it, the world grew dark around Wyvern's aura. On the other, it began to grow light from Bahamut's. The observers were frozen in shock. Any of the blows that had been thrown would have killed them instantly. But now, the two titans were putting everything they had into this. The energy was massive, both chaotic and controlled at the same time. The few pinnacles left began to fall, and deep rifts were cut from faults in the rest of the crater. The steam vents were pushed down by the force, and the world began to exude more lava in the wake. The edge of the rims crumbled and fell into the main crater. Seeing all of this, the espers gaped in fear. Both attendants for both sides began to quiver. They shielded themselves, while defensive spells were thrown up around them. This was going to be big.
Then, at last, both of them reached their peak at the same time. They glared at each other for a moment, their eyes fierce and enveloped with their own energy. But then...they fired.
Massive balls of energy rushed together in a black, fiery cloud right for Bahamut, exploding out of Wyvern's mouth one after the other. As for Bahamut, his body was bathed in the sun's rays as he fired off the massive, comet-like Sol-pyrin right at Wyvern. It continued to streak and burn more ferociously as it thundered right for Wyvern's massive wave. But after a few fateful seconds, the two collided. A shockwave ripped out that was actually visible. The energy waves themselves blasted out and wiped the surface of the Crater smooth as glass. A huge mess of dust and debris thundered past both titans, but they didn't stop. They endured the pain from the shockwave and began to push more into their attacks. The espers at the rim had their barriers obliterated, and then were violently flung over the edge to the opposite side. A maelstrom erupted between the two combatants, casting up dust and smoke and energy bolts everywhere. But still, in the center, the two attacks locked. The burning orb of Bahamut blazed against Wyvern's wave of power. The wave continued to pour from Wyvern's mouth, while Bahamut struggled to channel more into his Sol-pyrin. The attacks buckled. The energy clouds between them grew larger and larger still, and the waves dug into the ground and blazed a larger and larger trench. The sky seemed to break open as the two forces clashed. Both espers sweat and strained. They groaned and cried out, using everything they had to keep control and keep pushing.
Bahamut screamed in pain. His body was on fire. The energy seemed to want to tear him apart. The rush of heat from the Megapyron washed over him, but still he pushed. He felt like jelly. His head became dazzled. He couldn't think or concentrate. Pushing his body on through sheer will, he continued to blast the Sol-pyrin. The light burned stronger and stronger, blazing brighter and brighter against the Megapyron as Bahamut held and pushed with every fiber of his being.
And then...it happened.
The Sol-pyrin shattered, the Megapyron rushed forward and enveloped it, and its energy dissipated into nothing.
Wyvern, in the midst of all of his agony, gave a triumphant roar. Bahamut collapsed to his knees. His strength was gone. There was nothing left. The rays vanished around him. He did weakly manage to look up...and saw the huge wave of death headed right for him. Then, weakened and helpless, not even able to cross himself, he realized he was finished. Wyvern was too strong. Even his Sol-pyrin was powerless against him. And performing a Supra-velo had exhausted the last of his chi energy. He was finished. He could only weakly stare through swollen eyes as the huge wave sailed right into him.
Then, he vanished into black and red flames as the massive explosions thundered around him.
To be continued...
