"He can't win!" Tyrannus hissed, firing another ball of black flame Tetsuda's way. "And neither can you!"
The ever-burning flame just barely missed Tetsuda's side, instead scorching a long path across the crater-filled ground. Erectus tightly gripped in his hands, Tetsuda swung and clashed with the monstrous scythe, his movements just quick enough to keep Tyrannus from aiming straight. They'd battled for what felt like hours, exchanging stabs and slashes and bursts of energy. The torrent had only worsened since their conflict had begun, turning the earth into a muddy marsh that made each step heavier than the last.
Their weapons collided in a deadlock, and their gazes met evenly. Tetsuda's armor was mostly gone, with just a few pieces hanging here and there, and Tyrannus's body was pockmarked with cuts and bruises. The Ira was tiring, Tetsuda could tell, but he was by no means close to defeat—except for now.
"Give yourself to—"
Just before Tetsuda could complete the connection, Tyrannus kicked him back and swung Falce Mortis, leaving a giant gash across Tetsuda's torso. The incubus hissed in pain, and all he could do to avoid being diced apart was run back. Tyrannus continued swinging, each attempt more vicious than the last, yet Tetsuda managed to keep himself together long enough to retaliate. He thrust Erectus forth, grazing Tyrannus's side, and punched him hard enough to break the skin. Tyrannus swung his good wing out, sending Tetsuda flying back. Just before he could collide with a hillside, however, he froze in midair and slowly began to float upward.
"I've had enough of you," Tyrannus growled. His hand was outstretched, and purple mist drifted about his body. "So I'll end this just how I did Tairo. Think of it this way, Tetsuda—you'll become one with your precious love again."
Tetsuda's breathing hitched, as if a pair of hands choked him, and bits of bluish mist drifted from his body down to Tyrannus's. No...no! He was using Anima Effusio!
"Come to me," he said hypnotically, the purple mist thicker now. "Come to me, incubus. Become one with your king!"
Tears welled in Tetsuda's eyes, for that was all he could do—weep. Weep for himself, weep for Iyan, weep for Tyrannus—he wept for everyone that he could not save.
I'm sorry, Tyrannus, he thought. I wanted to save you, but...I wasn't strong enough...I'm sorry...please forgive me...
Suddenly, Tyrannus cried out, and he covered his red eye with his hand. "What the fuck are you doing?" he growled. "Get back in there!"
As he pulled his hand back, he pulled Tetsuda with it. The incubus flew down from the air like an arrow, one flying right at Tyrannus. Shaking his head, tears still in his eyes, Tetsuda held Erectus before himself, the tip of the blade right at Tyrannus's heart. There was still time. There was still faith, there was still hope—
A stalagmite rose from the ground just before Tetsuda reached him. The rock impaled him right through his abdomen, and a waterfall of blood gushed from the wound. His body went limp, Erectus fell to the ground—and Tyrannus got to his feet.
"You almost had me," he said. "Shameful. You were so determined, so in love. But you just weren't strong enough, were you?"
Tyrannus cupped Tetsuda's cheeks and lifted his head, viewing closed eyes and a lifeless countenance. He placed their foreheads together, and in an almost alluring tone, he whispered, "You never could have saved him."
Tetsuda's hands placed an iron grip on Tyrannus's wrists, and his eyes shot open to reveal orbs of pure sapphire. The Ira widened his eyes, but he could not move his body.
"Give yourself to me!"
