Return of the Hero
The smoke-shrouded sky was what first returned to Phoebe's field of vision, indicating to her that she was currently laying down. The firmness implied it was the ground, or at least a thin fabric between it and the young woman's body. She let out a groan, feeling a stiffness as she tried to move. This was apparently enough to grab someone's attention, as she heard a voice call someone over.
A few seconds later, Flint's slightly less severe face appeared in her view. He actually cracked a grin. "Good to see you awake, sis." Carefully, he helped the fiery ruler sit up, shaking off the dizziness that followed to quickly survey their location. It seemed they were still at the location where Phoebe destroyed Poseidon and his defensive wall, the fallen ashes a clear indicator. A makeshift site had been established, with a troop of guards encircling the two royal fire elementals, with a medic hurrying back to check on FP's condition.
"You should be feeling normal in a few more minutes." Phoebe's surprise at such a rapid recovery was evident on her face, as the medic quickly clarified. "One of the sages infused some of his energy with you." Now understanding, FP nodded, moving to focus back on the battlefield. She narrowed her eyes at the primordial in the distance, which seemed to have shifted its path.
"It's headed for the tree fort now," Flint stated. "I'm sure Zeus isn't too happy about losing Poseidon." Phoebe gradually got to her feet, assuring the surrounding troops she was able to proceed on her own. Flint stayed close regardless, as his sister approached the nearby commanders, Weiss being among them.
"What do you have to report?" she inquired immediately upon being noticed. Weiss, after saluting, motioned towards the primordial.
"Our forces have managed to corral most of the legion back to the grasslands, with much help from Aecus' people, and, of course, Finn and Jake." He frowned. "But now it looks like our enemies have amassed their forces around the primordial itself." As the group pondered this development, a voice cut in, joining them in their observation.
"They're preparing for a spearhead movement." All heads turned to acknowledge Salvo's presence, the towering will-o-wisp standing with his arms folded, the openings along his hide still smoking from his fiery blasts. "They'll rush in right at the fort, annihilate it in retaliation, then, if that storm front is any indication, Zeus will be looking to finish us on his way out of the grasslands."
"Storm front?" Flint questioned. He then squinted towards the skies above the primordial, suddenly aware that the clouds above their target were no longer ashen messes, but dense, crackling nimbi. An even closer look revealed volleys of fireballs being blasted into the growing, indicating that the Olympians themselves were the cause. The sound of great wings drew attention away from the phenomenon, revealing Bonnibel flying down on the Marrow. Marceline was right behind her, idly brushing soot off her ax bass. The two monarchs joined the others in watching their enemy's approach.
"He's altered the atmospheric pressure with his flames, causing thunderheads to form." Weiss raised an eyebrow as he witnessed a flash of light from within the clouds.
"How does making it rain benefit him?" PB shook her head, watching as a squad of fire soldiers in the distance attempted to retreat from the sizeable enemy horde.
"It's not the rain he's after."
To everyone's horror, a massive lightning bolt cracked across the air, striking the unsuspecting soldiers with the force of a bomb. The shockwave reached the observing group seconds later, blowing at their hair. As everyone else was flinching from the brutal act, Bonnie swung around to her levitating friend.
"Marcy!"
"Already done," she replied without missing a beat, letting the crystal necklace she'd been given earlier drop back down. It didn't take long for the massive form of Jake to come bounding towards the assembly, lightly shaking the ground with each iteration. The magical canine gradually shrunk himself as he neared, with Finn soon enough hopping down to address his companions properly. Phoebe noted how much soot had accumulated on his cloak, which he seemed to still be attempting to pat off. For now, however, he placed his attention on the fiery girl and smiled warmly.
"That was awesome, Phoebe. Jake and I got a front row seat." Flame Princess couldn't help but look away bashfully, rubbing at her arm. Before either one could continue, another crack of lighting surged through the air, drawing focus back to the threat at hand. Bonnie was quick to give an update to her newly arrived friends.
"The primordial has shifted course, it's now headed right for the tree fort." At this, Finn frowned deeply, stepping forward to get a better look at the encroaching behemoth and its swarm of legionnaires.
"As if," he countered. "That's where Aleen is, and if Zeus thinks I'm letting him near her, he's got another thing coming." Jake grinned proudly at his brother.
"Dang, bro. You've got this dad stuff already in the bag. I'm kinda jealous." While Marceline bopped him on the head for the tease, PB turned to the others.
"We've gotten past their main defense, but now the problem rests with reaching our primary target through all the mess of reanimations." Salvo nodded in agreement.
"We'll need a vanguard to break through to the Olympians. Unfortunately, the initial clashes with the legion has left the fire army splintered and focusing on containment. We don't have the forces to commit to a strike of that magnitude." As the leaders were busy thinking of a solution, Finn suddenly chuckled.
"Jake and I ran into someone who might be able to help with that." All eyes blinked at the flame human, who merely looked over his shoulder. Following his gaze, the group was startled to see a mob of unknown figures charging over the nearest hillside. The gathered forces reached for their weapons in panic, only for Finn to raise his arm out to assure them it was fine. As the mysterious force grew near, Bonnie's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
"That's… impossible!"
Upon cresting the hill everyone currently stood on, the shining crimson body of Rattleballs came into clear view, followed close behind by dozens of mechanical swordsmen, each a perfect mirror image of the gumball knight himself. With precision that only machines like themselves could possess, the platoon of robots filed to a sharp halt before the royals and militants alike, immediately taking a knee in respect to the monarchs among them. Their leader stepped closer, kneeling directly before his creator.
"Princess," the veteran enforcer spoke in his usual monotone. PB took a moment to absorb the scene before her, clearly overwhelmed.
"Rattleballs… when did you-?" She trailed off, unable to find words for what she was seeing. Fortunately, her knight stood tall and explained himself.
"Do not worry of my standing. My loyalty falls to you as always, but even I knew that I could not protect the Candy Kingdom alone, nor could I do so if a threat to all of Ooo were to surface. I began preparing, the result being the advance guard that now stands before you. All as loyal as myself, their processing chips copied from my own." Rattleballs unsheathed his sword and held it straight up before him. The rest of the gumball bots, in perfect unison, copied his act. "We shall engage the enemy and end this threat, on your orders, princess."
Bonnibel took another minute to collect herself scanning her eyes across the lines of machines she never thought she'd see again. She glanced over at Finn, who, while smiling encouragingly, nodded. Assured by his wordless support, the candy ruler finally came to a decision, facing the platoon of robots and taking in a deep breath.
"Very well. I trust your judgement, as well as Finn's." With these words, the fire soldiers finally relaxed, while Bonnie stepped over to Flint to plan out their assault. "I'll have the gumball vanguard create an opening, but we'll still need something to nail Zeus will. Hard." Flint growled to himself, frustrated at his lack of firepower for the job. He glanced at his sister.
"Phoebe?" The fiery girl was about to gladly accept the task, until Finn placed a hand on her shoulder, stepping into the conversation.
"I'll do it." Flint was quickly offended.
"Excuse me? You think my sister too weak to blast that son of a-!"
"Not at all," the flame human cut in. "But we'll need someone in the sky for support. Phoebe's our only option there. She'll even take some of the heat off the ground team." Salvo and Weiss considered, then shrugged, accepting the logic. Flint however, wasn't about to let it slide, opening his mouth to lay into the hero for insolence, until FP stopped him with a gesture of her hand.
"Finn, I understand you're an emissary now, but even you don't have a big finisher available to you. I can concentrate enough power to obliterate him and Hades in one shot." Finn gave the young lady a grin that showed he didn't doubt her, but just as quickly affirmed his resolute expression.
"I know you've got the power, but hitting them from a distance can be a risk with everything they're capable of. We'll have a greater chance at success if I get right up in their faces." Bonnie now took the opportunity to frown.
"Finn, what exactly are you suggesting?" The flame human shot her a smirk.
"I've got an idea. I'm sure it'll work for this." He paused, seeing everyone anticipating an explanation. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I feel like if I say what it is you'll stop me." Flame Princess glared back at him.
"Then forget it!" Finn frowned, realizing he may not be able to argue his way past the king. As the likelihood sank in however, he suddenly felt a row of knuckles grind into his skull. Marceline grinned wickedly as she floated over him, but her sights were on the Fire Kingdom's ruler.
"I say we let the weenie do the roasting for a change. He's got something good cooked up, I can tell." Although both Bonnie and Flint looked incredulous at the vampire's declaration, Phoebe was left pondering. Marcy knew Finn well, not to mention she had a millennium of experience under her belt; her judgment warranted consideration. Finn seemed genuinely confident in his scheme, as much as she disliked his secrecy. Apparently having read her mind, the young man gently squeezed the shoulder his hand still lay on.
"This is for the Fire Kingdom, for Ooo, and for Aleen." That was the final assurance. He knew how uncomfortable the situation was, but was willing to take it that deeply to tell her he would be alright. With everyone watching her for a final verdict, FP finally let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.
"You're not going alone," she declared. Even as Jake raised a hand to auto-volunteer himself, a new voice broke through the air.
"He'll ride with me."
Heads turned to witness a massive fire wolf descend from the sky, its rider smiling confidently atop his steed. Phoebe and the others were relieved to see him in one piece, the knight hopping to the ground and approaching his companions.
"Cinnamon Bun! I was starting to get worried," FP exclaimed, stepping over to examine her other protector. Aside from a few scrapes, he looked unhurt, the flame shield likely having absorbed more significant threats. The candy person grinned, swinging his weapon over his shoulder. Finn blinked in awe.
"Whoa, where did you get that?" he questioned, pointing to the pristine, gleaming lance in the knight's grasp. CB glanced at the weapon with pride.
"A gift from your 'personal blacksmith'. She made sure I was prepared before heading to you." Finn chuckled, but said nothing on the matter. The candy knight turned to his leader.
"So, are we ready to begin?"
Phoebe nodded. She gave one last look around at her assembled friends and allies, finding a smile grace her lips. "This is the last charge, everyone. I just want to say… thank you." The crowd before her gave reciprocating nods and grins to the monarch, silently stating they were with her till the end. With that done, she took in a deep breath, before firing herself off into the air. Higher she climbed, until the distant primordial was at eye level with her. Taking one last look over her shoulder, across the rest of the grasslands and where her remaining people were scattered, the fiery ruler fired off a flare from her fingertip, a sharp projectile that blossomed like fireworks upon bursting.
...
Aecus was immediately drawn to the signal, smiling at its implication as he stamped out the remaining legionnaire stranglers his group had engaged. He and the rest of the will-o-wisps stood guard at the fringes of the grasslands. Zeus and Hades had recalled their forces around the primordial, but they weren't taking any chances. Until the Olympians fell, Aecus and the others would ensure no denizens would come to harm from the reanimated army.
All they could do now was wait for their allies to end the threat once and for all.
...
Phoebe surged forward, keeping her eyes locked on the enemy ahead. She could hear the mechanical stampede of gumball bots below her, their swords drawn and formation flawless. They were coming up on the first line of legionnaires when Zeus decided it was time to retaliate. Flame Princess pushed herself as a lightning bolt sheared through the sky towards the vanguard, just managing to intercept the attack and channel it through her own arm instead.
She cried out, not expecting the high energy to be so intense. Even so, her core dissipated the power, before she collected it all over again, focusing the mass into her forehead gem, then firing off her own attack right at her foe. Zeus was clearly surprised, gasping as he barely flame shifted out of the path of the strike. Despite the miss, Phoebe accomplished her goal. Now with the one who destroyed his brother front and center in the sky, the Olympian leader was too distracted to concern himself with other threats. Rattleballs and his platoon were free to carve a path through the Phoenixian Legion for the others to follow.
Salvo, Flint, Weiss, and their remaining forces were close behind the gumball bots, with Marceline providing support from just above their heads, and Jake covering their backs with large, hammer-shaped fists. Phoebe didn't see Bonnibel anywhere, concluding she likely retreated to provide any logistic support she could. That left Finn and Cinnamon Bun, who she spotted far to her right, riding atop Jake 2 at high speeds, counting on her to clear their approach.
Before her eyes left the pair, she witnessed Finn jab a cylinder into his arm.
Her gasp was interrupted by another lightning bolt, which she hastily absorbed and conducted into a blast back at Zeus. Her aim was off, but still blew the man back, while some smoke obscured the area. Once it cleared, he hastily scanned the skies for Phoebe again. He'd glanced in Finn and CB's general area, but made no indication of seeing them, implying that the large fire wolf they sat upon was obscured by the ash-choked sky and far more difficult to spot than the shining fire elemental flying his direction.
As FP kept her sights on the Olympian, holding his attention with flurries of fireballs, she took a second to tap her chest, where the communication crystal she'd received from Bonnie still lay. Just able to hear its melodic activation, she spoke as she dealt with another attack.
"Bonnie, Finn just injected something into himself." The reply nearly threw her off balance.
"WHAT?! He's insane!"
…
Finn stopped at the foot of Bonnie's lab setup, watching as the woman used a metal syringe to suck up the contents of a beaker. She sealed the container and capped it, before finally turning to her friend. "What did you need?" he asked curiously. PB walked over to the young man and held out the syringe to him.
"This is it, Finn. This synthetic blend of enzymes and nano machines will revert you back into a human."
He stared at her in astonishment, then gazed down at the offered mixture with the same expression. "You… you're serious?" She nodded.
"It took some time, finding material and molecular structures that could withstand the internal heat of a fire elemental, but yes, I'm serious." Finn slowly took the object from her, holding it with uncertainty. "I'm not forcing it on you, in fact I'm sure you'll need your current powers to deal with the Olympians, but in case anything happens, I want you to have it." The flame human's features softened, gazing upon his friend who had put so much time and effort into turning him back to his true self, a self he had come to value over the past months once again. He smiled, nodding to her.
"Thank you, PB. I'll keep it close." Bonnibel smiled back, cherishing his gratitude and willingness. As Finn tucked the serum into a belt holster, the candy princess swiftly spoke up.
"Just make sure you have a sizeable space around you if you use it. I infused your body with an immense amount of energy to turn you into a fire elemental. When you revert back, all that energy…"
…
Will be released.
Finn buckled as he felt the first shock of the serum entering his bloodstream, enough that Cinnamon Bun grabbed his arm to make sure he didn't fall off JT. He nodded to indicate he was fine, focusing back on their approach on their foes.
It won't be instantaneous. You'll likely experience shocks in multiple intervals, each more intense than the last.
Bonnie's words resonated in the hero's mind even as he shifted his alloy vine into its sword form, eyes dead set on their primary target coming within range: the unprotected Hades. The undead wielder was still partially sunk into the primordial, appearing to be utilizing a tremendous amount of energy in controlling the behemoth. He watched his brother trade shots with the airborne Flame Princess, completely unaware of the approaching threat.
"Are you sure about this?" CB asked one last time. Finn nodded without looking back, although he did shudder from another pulse. Unconvinced, but knowing he couldn't convince the hero otherwise, the candy knight kicked his heels into Jake 2's sides, prompting the fire wolf to pull into a dive. Finn readied his sword, eyes trained on Hades.
Without even a glance, Zeus moved a hand to point towards the trio.
The two knights froze, as they watched energy gather at the Olympian's palm. Only when the bolt was about fly from his fingertips did he spare a dark glare at the inbound ambushers.
"Did you really think I didn't notice you?"
Finn felt himself being shoved aside, but Cinnamon Bun's effort was futile. The plasma raked across the space between them and Zeus, causing a flurry of detonations upon impact. Out of the smoke cloud, JT was flung to the far side of the primordial's back, whimpering with each bounce. The behemoth stopped as Hades was shocked out of his focus, pouring some residual energy into forming a ring of legionnaires to protect him from further attacks. Phoebe's knights were nowhere to be seen, likely thrown off the monstrosity entirely.
Disheartened at the failure, the fiery ruler responded by throwing everything she had at the Olympian leader, an endless barrage of fireballs and snake-like projectiles that even Salvo found impressive as he blasted apart reanimations from the ground below. Zeus growled in annoyance as he struggled to dodge them all, Phoebe's energy reserves clearly nowhere near depletion.
"Out of my sight!" he bellowed, throwing his hands to the storm cloud above. FP gasped as the loudest thunderclap so far ripped through the sky, her eyes only quick enough to dart upwards before witnessing a monstrous lightning bolt bearing down on her like a predator. On instinct, she threw both forearms in front of her and began increasing her mass, drawing in heat to grow and accommodate the blast.
The initial hit was immeasurable, the young woman nearly losing all feeling in her arms at the incoming plasma. She soon noticed she was being forced downward, unable to match the assault as her body was wracked by stinging pain. Eventually, she could no longer hold it, the thunderbolt slamming her into the scorched earth. She let out a cry as the light dissipated and twin plumes of brown and black swirled around the area of impact.
Zeus grimaced, wishing good riddance to the fallen king before turning his attention back to Hades. Just as he opened his mouth, the Olympian's younger brother put on an expression of shock, eyes looking over his sibling's shoulder. Zeus automatically formed a plasma blade on his arm and swung around, just in time to awkwardly deflect a strike aimed at his neck from a gumball bot's sword.
Far below, Phoebe lay on her back, barely able to twitch her limbs. Stray arcs of plasma were still bouncing off her from the attack. She groaned, at least hoping to make it to her elbows. To her surprise, a pair of arms gently grabbed each of her own, quickly setting her on her bottom, supporting her to sit upright. A third source had already placed a hand to her back, a warm energy spreading within her overloaded body. She finally managed to look over her shoulders, witnessing the fire sages gathered around her.
"Adrian," she muttered with what clarity she possessed. The Sage of Power nodded to her as he continued rebalancing the raging forces in her matrix.
"Now you've experienced the primordial's power firsthand. Poseidon merely acted as the defense, whereas Zeus is a devastating spear." The elder moved his gaze to the behemoth. "We'll have to see how your knights fare against him." FP frowned, hanging her head.
"But, they were-" The sage to her left, Lesser, huffed in interruption.
"Do not think we chose our emissary on a whim. He's far from finished." Although there was no visual to confirm the man's confidence, Phoebe decided she too had to keep faith in her beloved companions, sending out a prayer as she was healed.
At that moment, the duo in question were indeed hanging in there. Quite literally. Once Finn shook off the shock of Zeus' blast, he found himself dangling hundreds of feet in the air, held aloft only by Cinnamon Bun's spare hand, the other firmly grasping his new lance, which itself was impaled in the side of the primordial's molten hide. The material's semi-liquid state was gradually allowing them to sink further downwards from their target. "Finn, you still with me?" CB shouted down. The flame human in his hold groaned, but nodded, looking up to confirm. It was here that Finn gasped, witnessing the far more extensive damage his fellow knight had sustained.
Cinnamon Bun's upper right side was severely caramelized, enough that he couldn't even keep his eye open. Bits of his candy body were crumbing from his back, although Finn wasn't able to see the entirety of the injury, and was somewhat glad at that. His right leg was gone, little more than a stub. Numerous caramelized craters dotted the rest of him. At the very least, his flame shield was still holding. CB seemed to notice his friend's despair, shooting him a frown.
"Worry about it later. We've got to figure this battle out." Finn reluctantly acknowledged after a moment, prompting CB to glance up towards their previous position. "How did he know we were there? I swear he never locked eyes with us." The hero he held onto observed their surroundings, pondering, until he noticed the feel of the air upon his skin.
"The air," he began, drawing Cinnamon Bun's attention. "It's filled with heavy static. He can probably use it like some kind of heat sense to feel out the area." CB cursed under his breath.
"We'll never get in an opening as long as his awareness is on that level." Finn agreed, eyes dropping in resignation. However, they widened upon noticing something on the primordial's forward limb.
"Hey, look!" he exclaimed, pointing with his free arm. The candy knight followed his indication, his own eyes growing upon seeing the dozens of gumball bots climbing relentlessly up the creature. "We might just have that opening after all." Suddenly, a mass passed from above them. Following its path, the pair witnessed the bisected remains of one of Rattleballs' constructs fall towards the ground. "We'll have to hurry though," Finn added, forming his alloy vine into a whip. "I'll start climbing, you wait for-AGH!"
CB gasped as Finn's body was wracked with pain, his entire form convulsing for a few seconds before he went limp. The candy person cursed inwardly. "You're running out of time, Finn. You won't be able to get up there fast enough with those convulsions growing stronger. Hang on." With that, he heaved the flame human upwards, the young man clamping onto his back instinctively. It was now Finn could see the devastating network of cracks present there, making him concerned his friend could crumble at any moment. Before the hero could protest, the candy knight used his now free hand to grab his lance, and, with a tug, split the weapon in two, plunging the second into the primordial's body.
As he began the climb back to the molten behemoth's topside, Finn let out another convulsion, but kept his concern with his friend. "CB, you can't go back in there, you're in critical condition!" His counterpart chuckled as he climbed another set.
"I'm a candy person, Finn. My parts are replaceable."
"Not if you're in a million pieces!" Cinnamon Bun didn't bother replying, focusing instead on the climb, grunting with each effort it took to reach up and stab another lance into the molten wall. He wouldn't let the pain distract him from the objective, nor would he be disheartened by Finn's increasingly prevalent twitches and screams.
Topside, Zeus growled as one of the gumball bots managed to graze his cheek with its sword. He hastily blasted the machine with a flurry of lightning, burning out its circuitry. He crossed swords with two more, deciding to simply radiate the heat necessary to melt them. As they fell into piles of slag, he shot a glance at his brother, whose protective legionnaires had long been sliced to pieces by the vanguard of mechanical enforcers.
A new presence in his sensory field drew Zeus' attention back however, as he now faced yet another gumball bot. This one, however, wore a cloak around itself, as well as contained numerous signs of wear and tear. Narrowing his eyes, the Olympian generated his sword and widened his stance. "You the leader?" he demanded, not taking his eyes off the knight. Rattleballs didn't reply with words. Instead, he slowly drew his own blade.
Zeus nearly flinched when the mechanized being practically vanished, followed by a sharp pain to the Olympian's shoulder. He grasped the bloodied area with a yell, then used the surrounding static to sense that his foe was in fact still standing in the same place. "Wh- what the.." Rattleballs merely chuckled softly as he drew his sword proper.
"Keep more than just your eyes on your target." The Olympian leader glared at him while his shoulder healed itself, but took the advice regardless, keeping his enhanced senses trained on the knight. Rattleballs went for another shadowless thrust, but this time Zeus was able to react, albeit still working to adapt to the speed. He flame shifted to the side to avoid the blow that would've taken off his arm, then retaliated with a thrust of his own. Rattleballs had already moved out of its path by then.
He laughed, striking again. The tip of his sword nicked Zeus' abdomen, before the villain responded again, this time with a lightning blast. Again, Rattleballs was faster, having already anticipated the attack from the position of his opponent's hand, evading. As short of a charge up as it was, the Olympian's lightning was still slower than an actual bolt from the sky. Zeus seemed to realize this, as he dismissed the idea of another direct blast and instead merely pointed towards the gumball knight. It still took time for the command to summon the plasma from the thunderhead above, but the attack had a much greater area of effect, keeping Rattleballs moving too much to close in for a swing.
Zeus then saw his foe smile.
"Brother!" The Olympian leader ignored all other threats and turned to his sibling, nearly freezing in place as he witnessed Finn rushing at Hades, having apparently leapt from somewhere over the edge of the primordial's back moments earlier. His alloy vine was still morphing from whip to sword when Zeus directed his finger at the hero, the clouds above cracking in indignation at having someone sneak up on their master. Finn felt his heart stop as he saw the glow of lightning from overhead about to rain down on him.
Then a shadow passed over him.
The impact of the bolt rocked the actual primordial itself, the massive being groaning from somewhere in its own consciousness at the sharp hit. Zeus merged his feet with the titan's volcanic hide to keep from being blown away, while Rattleballs struggled to keep a grip with just his thin sword and hand. A deep silence filled the air as the lightning's shockwave passed. Zeus waited impatiently to see the vaporized remains of his enemy. What he received instead caused even his superheated matrix to grow colder.
Standing above a prone Finn, a steaming, static-riddled Cinnamon Bun was now present, his lance, courtesy of Sibley's transmutation talents, impaled into the now scorched volcanic surface of the primordial, both serving to redirect the voltage as well as provide support in place of his missing leg. The grounded thunderbolt had missed Finn entirely, his fellow knight's actions keeping him in the fight. Zeus' eyes trembled with rage and disbelief.
Behind the two knights, Hades was too stunned to make a move. "You… you blocked that?!" CB, whose lips were pursed shut from the residual pain of his defensive move, cracked open as he turned just enough to flash the Olympian a grin, his one good eye glancing with unmatched fervor.
"Of course I did." His strength faltered, his body beginning to fall.
"I am the shield of the Fire Kingdom."
Before hitting the ground, the candy knight's charred form was snatched by a high-speed Jake 2, who carefully grabbed his master in his jaws before barreling over the side of the primordial. Zeus and Hades were left staring at Finn, who had just gotten to his knees when his body violently lurched, networks of cracks exploding upon his skin as he grew brighter. He gritted his teeth, the final convulsion tearing up his pseudo-matrix.
The grasslands bore witness to a flash powerful enough to mimic the absent sun.
…
Those fighting below covered their eyes. Marceline's vampiric instincts had her dive behind Jake's massive form, fearful of the light. The canine could feel the warmth of the phenomenon, his void pupils gazing in its direction.
…
Across the horizon, the people of Ooo watched in awe at the beacon of light, their current fears of the encroaching Olympian's lost to the view. Aecus, standing alongside them and his people, smiled softly, somehow knowing that his successor was involved. Perhaps an invisible bond between emissaries.
…
Bonnie observed from her position in the tree fort's perch, too amazed by the spectacle to remember her fear at what her friend had done. Sibley and Aleen were beside her, looks of wonder on their faces, no different than children seeing fireworks for the first time.
…
Phoebe and the six sages stared up towards the light. The elders all smiled warmly, each able to appreciate an aspect of what was transpiring. Adrian silently considered that Kalem would have approve as well. The fiery ruler among them finally got to her feet, driven by a calling she couldn't describe. Her legs moved, her powers reignited. She took only a few steps before leaving the ground entirely, rushing back into the battle as the light finally began to dissipate.
…
Zeus clawed at the primordial's hide, desperately trying to pull himself up. His body was already working to repair itself, but he had more pressing concerns. He'd been a fair distance from Finn when the explosion happened; Rattleballs even more so. Hades however, had been practically right next to him. He had to confirm his brother's status. When the Olympian leader at last dragged himself to his feet, his vantage allowed him to witness ground zero, a wave of dread quickly washing over him.
Hades had half of his head missing, as well as large chunks of his upper body. He sat in the side of a crater, nearly blown free of his attachment to the primordial. His breathing was staggered, his limbs merely twitching from his efforts to move. The beast he had enslaved had stopped moving altogether, dazed from the disrupted control.
Dead center of the pit, between the two Olympians, was Finn. Despite the unbelievable shock of what his body had just been through, he stood up, pushed on by some absurd adrenaline. Yet that wasn't what astonished those around him most. His hair no longer flickered with free forming flames. His skin no longer glowed in a pleasant yellow spectrum. Peach pigmented flesh coated one for Ooo's greatest heroes, his blonde hair, as well as his cloak, billowing in the wind caused by the overhead storm.
Finn the Human stood before his foes, his expression weary, but no less serious as he finally regained focus.
Phoebe halted in midair from far above, already feeling tears in her eyes as she watched her knight steady himself, the spitting image of he who she first fell in love with. Her shock was quickly being rewritten by joy, unable to contain herself. Unfortunately, this was put on hold as the young man suddenly winced and grabbed at his left arm.
Finn grinded his teeth as he kept an eye on his upper arm, his squinted eyes gradually widening as he watched seven lines of fire burn their way across his flesh, circling around until they formed the bands that he'd earned from the sages. His surprise was no different than anyone present, although Phoebe was the only one who received an explanation, Adrian's voice echoing in her mind.
"Those rings are binding elemental magic. They will not be undone by a mere transformation of the flesh."
Finn clenched his left fist as the seven rings finally finished branding themselves onto his limb. He moved his eyes behind him, already knowing what had to be done in this critical moment. In a flash, he bounded towards the weakened Hades, who couldn't so much as raise a hand to intercept him. Zeus rushed forward, only to trip and fall back over from his own numbness.
The hero slammed his left palm onto Hades' forehead, his necromantic powers nearly having repaired his head. The Olympian's eyes froze in horror, as the Third Ring of Cleansing glowed to life upon Finn's skin. It was here Hades recalled the entity whose contract kept him bound to the world of the living.
The undead-wielding fire elemental screamed, his soul in agony as its connection to the accursed pact was burned away. In tandem, the primordial bellowed a deep moan, thrashing about, causing the ground forces to retreat, them no longer dealing with the Phoenixian Legion. The undead elementals fell apart in droves, the magic trapping their souls fading away back to the Land of the Dead. As the process came to an end, the primordial finally couldn't handle the stress, collapsing forward, shaking the grasslands with its titanic mass.
Atop the creature's back, Finn finally let himself go, stumbling and hitting the floor, breathing hard, but keeping an eye on the image of Hades before him. The Olympian's figure was nearly gone, a skeletal visage remaining where a potent threat once stood. He struggled to look up, out towards his older brother, who lay watching, eyes trembling, as his last sibling faded from the world. Hades reached out an ashen hand towards his leader, but it broke off halfway through the motion, shattering into dust upon hitting the ground.
The rest followed soon after, leaving Zeus as the sole remaining Olympian.
Good to have you guys here once again! I really wanted to not have a single month without an update, but then February turned hectic, and I only managed to write about half this one. Well it's here now, so here's to finally wrapping it up, with just four chapters to go!
Gamelover41592: Glad you liked it.
Family: Oh don't you worry about that.
shadow-dog18: I will certainly give it my all!
Major144: I was very glad to hear I managed to balance the fight. No one wants an anticlimactic showdown.
The Book of Eli: Quite hard, perhaps too hard... you'll see.
Hope you enjoyed and thanks for any comments/reviews!
next: Chapter 47: Damocles