The Missed Shot

"Demeter?!" Shun gave each Kouga and Eden a surprised look and shook his head. "This is Demeter's doing? How is that possible?" His disbelief was obvious; to Andromeda, he did not consider the Earth-prospering Olympian to be a war-waging goddess. Perhaps, after dealing with four divine beings in the past, it wasn't out of the ordinary. Still, he couldn't cast aside the thought that Demeter would act out against the world out of malevolence. What could be wrong?, he wondered.

"Why yes. It was the Mother Earth who gave us the opportunity for this reunion." The glee never left Amor's voice or face. "Orion and Pegasus," he continued, "it can't be any more perfect, right Schiller?" Amor nodded in agreement with his own words. He looked at Shun and Eden, and at the next moment, the smile he contained, along with his entire face, writhed into fury.

"What better way to make my sister roll then to kill her son?!" He said. As a response, Eden furrowed his eyes and daringly stepped in front of Shun and Yuna.

"That's true. So who will it be?" As Schiller spoke, he looked at Kouga. A wicked smirk appeared on his mouth. Unlike Amor, his anger did not surface, and his next words were like a poetic tune. "Who wishes to feel the breath of Thanatos? The deep, chilling waters of the river Styx? Anyone?"

Schiller paused and made steps towards Kouga. "No volunteers? Very well, I will decide. For sending me to my grave, I'll kill you Pegasus!"

"I'm gonna knock some sense into you idiots!" Kouga was still furious about Shaina, and swore in his mind that wouldn't lose to anything that Demeter threw at him. He lunged, and his fist connected with Schiller's lifted hand. An abnormal flame singed in Cancer's eyes. "You'll fit well in my collection."

"Shut up!"

"You seem angrier than usual. Do you hate me?"

Kouga prepared to pull his other arm and lure his fist into Schiller's face to shut him up. "Ah—!" He blanked quickly, a strike hitting his gut.

"You'll know real hate when you fail and die!" Schiller's fist hit Pegasus, knocking him back. "Compared to me, you're still a runt Bronze!"

Recovering, Kouga rushed back, leapt, and flung his foot towards Schiller's face. His leg is grabbed and flung right into the ground.

"You damn bug!" Anger appeared on Schiller's face as he grounded his foot against Kouga's ear, squishing and pinning the boy's head into the dirt. Kouga gritted his teeth and pressed both of his hands into the ground, countering against the foot's weight. He pushed himself up slowly. Vexed by his prey's stubbornness, Schiller continued to push down his foot.

"Schiller!" Kouga spun around quickly and threw out his arm, and a balled fist. Schiller was suddenly blinded by flurries of light. His hair rippled from the pressure of Cosmos radiating from Kouga. Before he could blink, he noticed that Kouga was back on his feet, pushing the former Gold Saint back with a punch to his cuirass. Schiller let out a vexing shout, crashing his palm into Kouga's face.

"I'll kill you worm! Underworld Requiem!" Schiller, using his other hand, threw out his attack. The cosmic barrage of dark and light exploded.

"Tonitrui Saltan!" Eden threw shock orbs at Amor, which were then met with a strange impact. The Pisces Gold Saint in Surplice didn't move, and a barrier of water rippled between Eden's attack and its supposed target. Amor pushed his hands and face outward, a splash of water scattering out and breaking the Saltan orbs. The barrier was split open by physical force. Amor swiftly dived towards Eden and the two were face to face.

"A slow death is too good for you," Amor breathed, his blazing eyes of the devil glaring closely at Eden. His arm moved, a fist swishing up into Eden's chin. "Bastard!" Eden was knocked upward, tensing his arms. Amor jumped to follow him. Reaching Orion's height, he then grabbed his throat.

"Hillia…Mastia!" Eden took the chance for Amor to close in and swung a punch. Amor realized it and prepared to catch it, but was then blinded by a flash of light. Another scream left his mouth as a web of lightning enraptured his body and shot him backwards. A swear word entered his mind; he remembered how much of an offensive fighter the Orion Saint was. In fact, the offense could intertwine with the defense, repelling enemy attacks through just sheer force alone.

When they both landed, they exchanged shots; a flurry of poison roses pelted against a large lightning surge.

"Heh, I guess it's to be expected from the son of Mars. You lucky silver spoon brat." Amor tried to suppress his agitation by reverting back to his customary gaiety. "I thought it was your fate to rule the world with power. So, why join Athena?"

"Father and Mother's ideals were wrong. They would not bring the light to the world. Even so, despite everyone's efforts, that hasn't changed at all "

"Yeah, humankind stinks doesn't it? That's why those with power can decide the right way to rule, whether its light or darkness. It's not wrong."

Eden furrowed his brows again and changed the subject. "Why are you helping Demeter? What is she up to?"

"My my, are the insides of your ears dirty? I said that she revived me."

"Would you not have to agree with it or are you her slave?"

"Like a free soul like me would ever become a slave."

"Then why? Isn't she not a peaceful goddess?"

"It looks like she just wants something simple done. It's neither right or wrong, but she believes in it. Furthermore, humankind has ruined her. She got me on contract; so yeah, upon her order, I gotta kill you! Deal with it!"

The cosmic waves disperse as both Saints were on an equal balance of power. The two had come to terms that they had to fight at the very end, and neither one of them were going to back down.

"I've made up my mind as well," Eden said. He placed his hands together in a cupped shape, and aimed them at Amor. On his conscious was only the mission. "Therefore, I'm going to turn you into ash and be done with it. You don't belong in the world of the living."

"Such fine words from a war god's son. Gravity Concerto!" Amor's grin tightened. He pointed a finger at Eden and Eden suddenly tensed, his arms slowly coming apart from his pose from a vibration. Suddenly, his feet left the ground again. He was propelled into the air; Shun raised a cry as he, along with Yuna, was also lifted into the air with Eden. The force emitted from Amor as he slowly maneuvered a baton in his hand akin to a band conductor. The baton glowed with a sea green hue, created by Amor's technique from Cosmos. When Amor leaned the baton downward, the trio of Bronze Saints imitated the movement - they plummeted right back into the ground.

"We're...being pushed down," Eden struggled to get his words out. A harsh pressure felt like the sole of a giant digging into his back, his body digging deeper into the soil, building a crater underneath him.

"Okay, contract success. Time to die Eden!" Confidence in his stature as a Gold Saint, Amor already felt like he won, and achieved his revenge. The Gravity Concerto could only hold his prey enough, but was the perfect defense to break through Orion's threat as a destructive hitter. In the hand opposite of the baton, Amor held a scarlet rose; it was time to finish off his former colleagues and move on the next phrase. He looked over to his shoulder and asked how Cancer was faring.

"I'll get you both!"

"Huh?"

It wasn't Schiller who answered; Amor gritted his teeth as tension entered his neck from a swung foot striking it. The Gravity Concerto ceased. Amor spun around quickly, his face wrapped with fury once more, and he saw Pegasus Kouga preparing to punch his fist at him. A distance behind was Cancer Schiller.

"Don't blame me if something happens to you, Amor. I'm getting that damn Pegasus rat!" Schiller wanted to make sure that turning a back on him was a terrible mistake. After a clash with Kouga, who refused to stand down even against a Gold Saint, Schiller gained nothing from his revival except blows to his pride. Why wasn't the gap of power between them larger, he wondered? How was it that the Bronze Saint progressively became stronger war after war? Kouga had no signs of slowing down, and while he rushed towards Amor, Schiller aimed a finger at the boy's back. He swore in his mind that this would be the true end. Eden noticed Schiller's stance, and ignoring the beating he received, he got onto his feet and lunged forward, passing Amor. Kouga noticed his friend flying by, asking what's wrong, and then felt a touch. Eden gave Kouga's shoulder a strong grasp, and tensed him arm. He prepared to shove him over.

"AH!" Schiller didn't make a move; it was Cancer's scream in the air. In the next instant, he fell backwards. Eden was puzzled; Kouga felt the tension in Eden's hand calm down and turned around to see the situation. Cancer Schiller was on his backside, spread-eagled, not moving at the slightest.

"Huh? Schiller, what's going on?" Amor's shock and curiosity was enough to prevent a counter against Kouga. In that moment, it felt like the village of Pavlin was saved. Everything was quiet; there was no commotion from within the village where the undead marched. Kouga and Eden looked around. Suddenly, Eden bounced forward. He felt a blow to his back and hit the ground; hearing Kouga scream his name, Eden expected it to be Amor having regained his senses to return the attack. A cheap strike.

"Are you alright?! No!" Asked Kouga in suspense.

"Yes I'm fine. Calm down." Eden rubbed the back of his head and turned his body.

"Eden?!" Kouga responded.

"What in the Hell is happening?!" There was worry in Amor's voice. It didn't fit the circumstances Eden had assumed, and he felt this edge of tension well up inside. He prepared to get back up and return to the fight; then he saw Kouga holding someone. Eden gasped and looked at his hands.

"What-is-this?!"

"Eden?! Eden!"

As Kouga called to him, Eden didn't fathom the situation. He looked at his hands, not connecting one and the other together. Similar to the situation back at Athena's Temple and Shaina, Kouga was holding Orion Eden's slumped, motionless body.

"Eden! Get up!"

Eden stared his hands, but saw his body before him? Pisces Amor began backing away in retreat. In the next moment, the entire atmosphere gradually turned dark, swallowing the image of Pavlin.

He reached out. "Kouga, look. I'm right here!" Eden could no longer see his friends.