A/N: Music Sync - When playing music over a scene, the beginnings of certain paragraphs and various words are meant to line up with various lyrics during the song.

"Lyrics" or Beat Drop/Transition - When these are playing, do not read, simply skip to the following paragraph.

Paragraph - When reading, the first word of the paragraph should line up with the first word of the lyrics displayed above.

"Talking"

'Thinking'

"Flashback"

"Attack/Name"

"Narrator"

Play: Duel to the Death (A The Only Thing I Know For Real Remix) Metal Gear Rising by SLAD3

Both men stood silently, the cold wind howling against their forms, though neither of them cared. Karna's eyes sharpened to the point where he resembled a wolf. The Slayer stood like an obsidian pillar, unaffected by time and those around him, except for Karna.

"'Must you really fight?',"

Neither moved, studying the other.

"'Don't interfere,','This is between us!',"

Light bounced off of their eyes, showing the glee they both felt.

"'And it ends here…','Okay.. let's dance!',"

Karna lurched downwards, red lightning crackling against his legs before he burst towards the Slayer, wisps of air snapped behind him from the sheer pressure. The Slayer barely had time to react as he blocked the incoming Servant. His arms strained as both launched across the plains, the Slayer a victim to Karna's strength.

Both darted across the terrain, streaks of green and red chasing each other as both warriors hacked and slashed at the other. The Slayer held onto his chain, attempting to whip Karna while the nimble Servant weaved past the undulating metal.

"Memories broken, the truth goes unspoken, I've even forgotten my name!"

Karna slammed his lance into the Slayer's torso, sending him careening into a mountain, luckily the warrior landed on his feet before flying back at the Servant. With his sword behind him in his left arm, the Slayer slashed at Karna, the Lancer expertly blocking before both sent wild strikes at the other, merely testing each other's speed.

"A desolate place! Place! Without any trace! Trace! It's only the cold wind I feel,"

Sparks flew across the ground as both zipped across the environment, both subject to the momentum of their hits. The Slayer wildly spun his sword, creating a whirlwind of red plasma, deflecting Karna's lance, while the latter expertly stabbed at any opening he could see.

"The Only Thing I Know For Real!"

Both hastily backed off before recklessly jumping back at each other, both slamming their weapons into the other. Streaks of red and gold collided with each other as the two hammered away on beat, both on par with each other. The scene exploded into streaks of colors as both spun their bodies and weapons trying to get the upper hand against their opponent with whatever wild move they could come up with.

"Because the mountains don't give back what they take!"

Karna jumped over the Slayer's sword, slamming his lance into his helmet as the fiery streak of energy surfed under Karna's body. Sparks glided off his helmet as Karna flipped with the momentum of his strike, landing crouched down with his back towards the Slayer.

Both quickly snapped their bodies around to face the other, both warriors forcibly slamming their weapons together, a massive geyser of sparks crashing onto the ground from the force of the men's combined attacks.

"'Two years I've been working towards this, and on the last day blondie has me doubting the whole thing. We'll leave it up to fate then, shall we Wolfy?',"

The Slayer suddenly burst towards Karna, sending him across the white snowfields as both continued their wild combat. Jetstreams of air blasted from their hits as fire and flames undulated behind their weapons, highlighting the movements of their blades.

Both flew across the snow, twin trails red and green respectively spiraled around each other as both darted past the other's weapons, dodging rather than blocking while trying to strike at the same time.

"'What happens after that, is up to you, Wolfy,' There will be blood!"

The Slayer dragged his sword into the snow, a wall of the white powder blocking Karna's view as he sliced into the earth before hammering away at Karna's lance, the Servant being forced onto the defensive. Their hits tore into the Earth, the superheated tips of their blades leaving visible scars of molten magma before the frigid temperatures cooled the magma into a blackened rock.

Suddenly the Slayer whipped a beam of green energy at Karna, the light tearing away at the landscape, exposing the rock beneath the snow. Karna flew at the Slayer, going on the offensive as he expertly stabbed at the man, only to be blocked by the blade the Slayer held.

"There will be blood! Blood! Shed! Shed! It's the only thing I've ever known!"

Karna attempted to launch a flaming ray at the Slayer, however, the man quickly shoved the Lancer's spear down, forcing the attack into the Earth. The beam tore into the Earth beneath them, resulting in the rock the two were standing on exploding as though it were a dormant volcano.

Massive asteroid-sized rocks flew into the air surrounded by the impending fireball. Both men surged at the other, ignoring the abrupt change in scenery as both dashed across the stones, tearing into the surface of the boulders while hacking at the other, rings of light bursting around their bodies while they darted onto whatever piece of land they could find on their ascent upwards.

"Losing my identity, wondering, "Have I gone insane?","

The Slayer raced upwards past the topmost expanses of the fireball, holding his sword above his head conjuring energy around his blade. With a mighty roar, the Slayer swiped downwards, launching dozens of streams of green energy, each crashing into the Earth below.

Karna hunched down, his body taking the hits as hundreds of explosions echoed all around him, craters littering the ground as the Slayer bored into the Earth. Karna rocketed off of the ground, shockwaves echoing from his body as he soared towards the Slayer.

"There will be blood! Blood! Shed! Shed! The man in the mirror nods his head!"

Seeing Karna, the Slayer dove towards the Lancer to meet him head-on before both struck at each other once more. The Slayer kicked Karna down to get some distance between them before spiraling the weapon at its full length, a massive hurricane-like torrent of energy keeping Karna at bay.

The Slayer spun around, conjuring another attack before releasing a massive beam toward the Lancer. Karna flew underneath, the Slayer canceling his attack before wildly whipping his sword to strike Karna as the Lancer pursued him, deflecting the weapon as he gave chase.

Karna zipped towards the Slayer, punching him across the face, causing the man to rocket down towards the Earth, his body forming a trench in the wasteland before careening into a mountain, a final explosion booming upwards into the already blackened sky.

Song End

Karna slowly floated downwards, hovering over the terrain with only the very point of his spear making contact with the Earth, his movements similar to a leaf falling onto a still pond. The lancer remained silent, his nearly transparent white hair softly dancing in the scorched breeze as he watched where the Slayer landed.

Smoke billowed from the site, the environment now silent except for the occasional flames whipping around the god. To any normal man, it would've looked as though the Slayer was killed, but both men were far from ordinary.

A massive beam of green erupted from the mountain, the green fire expanded as any solid matter within the aura incinerated from the intensity. Both men locked eyes, the landscape now painted green from the Slayer's aura, the smoke above being blown backward.

Karna had a narrowed glare, remaining silent at the display shown off before him. It wasn't as though he was unimpressed, far from it, in fact, the Slayer was possibly one of his strongest foes, and easily the strongest he's seen in this new life of his. Setting himself down, Karna readied himself for another round of combat, however, both would be interrupted.

The sound of something snapping echoed out from somewhere nearby, it sounded as though an iceberg had broken off of a larger land mass. From behind Karna, the Slayer watched as the Earth began to crack, orange lava glistened from beneath the landscape, the rock highlighted by the eerie color. Torrents of red winds burst from the newly formed chasm, the air molting from the heat as the orange liquid bubbled upwards. The Earth turned orange from the heat before melting into sludge, the lava pool growing. Karna bounced upwards, leaving a trail behind him, watching as the land burned beneath him.

From the lava, bone-like horns sprouted upwards, the molten liquid harmlessly draining off of its surface. As the construct began to rise, its grotesque appearance became fully realized. The mass of flesh was molded into a tower, the very front of it looked as though its ribs had torn through the meat which housed it. Past the ribs was what could only be called some sort of heart, a green viscous fluid oozed from its orifices. At the base of the tower, the flesh shapelessly squirmed about, each and every tendril appearing as though they were alive, going through suffering which couldn't be described by man.

Suddenly the pincers at the very top of the structure opened up, Karna was sure that he heard some of the flesh tearing due to the movement. Its heart beat faster, orange energy spiraling up the tower as the conglomerate of flesh expanded its reach to whatever sturdy rock managed to remain solid at the very edge of the lava lake.

With an otherworldly screech, the tower launched a beam of orange energy. Karna thought it would continue past the Earth's atmosphere, however, it stopped shortly above the pincers, forming a black portal encompassed by a ring of swirling orange energy. The sight made him sick, not only was the Lovecraftian construct a sight for sore eyes, but the energy it emitted felt poisonous to Karna. He could almost see the sky being warped into a sickly orange color, it was clear this thing was corrupting the Earth.

Screams and cries, each one in agony yet alluded with an alien-like rage rung out from the nest, calls that could only be described as Demonic. Karna floated downwards, subconsciously remaining above the ground, he didn't want to be caught off guard.

His eyes widened, before he slashed behind him, his lance splitting through a strange creature. It had shriveled legs which evolution rendered useless long ago, and a misshapen fleshy bulge protruded from its underbelly, possibly an extension of its stomach to hold more food. Its body was a fairly light shade of red, covered in red armor plates. It had only one eye, green in color above a gaping maw filled with sharp teeth, and similar spines lining its body, both surprisingly white in color.

Karna's lance was covered in blue blood as the beast squealed, its body turning to ash before it could even reach the ground below. Without even needing to look behind him, Karna stabbed through the eye of another beast, the spear piercing through the back of the creature. The lancer flicked the ashes of the rotundus being off of his lance, watching as hordes of the creatures ran from the lava pool.

Each being was different, some took a humanoid form, some ran on all fours, and others charged like a bull. Karna lowered himself, staring down at the Demonic beings, prepared to combat them all alone, but before he could, green began to rain down on the site, boring into the ground. Some of the bolts hit Karna, though he couldn't have cared less, he knew the attack wasn't meant for him.

The screeches of the beasts rung out, the violent roars and groans echoing across the land as they disintegrated underneath the Slayer's might.

The Earth bubbled as it tore away, craters littering the ground before the Slayer finally stopped. The man lowered himself down, landing only a short distance away from Karna. Looking at him, Karna knew the two wouldn't resume combat, at the moment both had a much grimmer enemy.

"I assume you know of them?" Karna asked, though the question was obviously rhetorical. Karna had already realized the Slayer knew of the Demons, and it was made evident based on the ferocity behind the man's most recent attack, he knew that the man had a reason to hate them.

The Slayer nodded, a movement nearly imperceptible, as he hadn't even bothered to look back at the lancer. Sighing, Karna stepped forwards, standing next to the man he had fought mere moments ago as he said, "Then let's put our fight on hold for a minute."

The Slayer looked at him in surprise, after just one encounter, he was already willing to fight the Demons. It didn't matter, the man was able to rival him in strength, and it was more than likely he would be able to kill the Demons.

Play: Mick Gordon - The Super Gore Nest DOOM Eternal OST

Both men stared at the horde, their weapons at their sides as they both prepared for combat. The Demons grew closer, some opting to circle around the two as though they were the predators.

He felt an animalistic glee spreading throughout his body, as much as he hated them, it was just as much fun ripping them apart. Karna looked on at the Slayer, the way the man held himself, he didn't look like a noble warrior, he looked like a beast.

Beat Drop/Transition

The Slayer dove into the horde, whipping his chain across the valley as though he were taking a sickle over a field. Waves of green tore through the Demon's bodies as the man spun his chain violently around himself. Green flames undulated behind him as he raced through the mob, wildly swinging his blade at every Demon he saw.

Karna leaped upwards, flipping on his way up before launching dozens of bolts at the horde beneath him. Explosions rippled upwards as the Demons screeched in agony, their roars echoing with the explosions surrounding them.

Satisfied with his work, Karna dashed down towards the ground, slicing through the Demons expertly as though he were playing a mere rhythm game. Karna quickly spun around, his golden spear coated in red flames before launching a circular wave at the oncoming targets, each taking the full force of the blast, their bodies being utterly destroyed.

Beat Drop/Transition

The Slayer continued his assault, fiercely hacking and slashing at whatever he saw. He knew Karna, or anyone for that matter, wouldn't approach him when he was fighting like this, no one ever had, not even those in the world who fell to the Demons all those years ago.

The Demons began to hesitate at the expanse of the Slayer's reach, it was just as it always has been. No matter how long he went without killing one of them, it would end the same, they would fear him.

Beat Drop/Transition

The Slayer blitzed forwards, if they wouldn't come at him, then he would. He didn't even bother to use his sword anymore, he reached for the head of an Imp, before crushing it as though it were an apple. Tossing the body away, he slammed his gauntlet into the torso of a Hell Knight, caving its ribs inwards before ripping through its body, slicing the creature in half, its entrails flowing behind his now red armor.

The lancer nearby took his time, watching the Slayer, paying more attention to him than any of the Demons. The ferocity with which he fought, the speeds at which he tore them apart, and the fear that those creatures displayed in his presence. How long had he known of these things? The lancer sighed, stabbing through another Imp's skull, before turning around to see another horde running at him. Karna lunged towards them, if they thought he'd be easy prey, then they'd all be torn asunder.

Beat Drop/Transition

Yanking the beast apart, he mindlessly jerked his body towards the first moving thing he saw, grabbing it before ripping it apart. His helmet showed his indifference, yet beneath the black, now red, visor, was a smile, a man who enjoyed what he was doing.

As he fought, he felt his power grow as he absorbed the Hell Energy within the Demons. His eyes momentarily shone a brilliant green through his helmet, his sword burst with flames as he watched the hellscape before him. Looking up at the Gore Nest, he saw its heart sickly beating away within its exposed ribcage.

Turning behind him, he dove back into the fray, knowing full well that if he didn't destroy the damned thing they'd keep mindlessly killing the Demons, as much fun as that was, so perhaps just a little longer.

Karna slid underneath the legs of another Demon, slicing through its goat-like limbs before slamming his spear into the ground, kicking himself up with a cloud of dust. Another large Demon swiped away the smoke, roaring as Karna threw his lance through the Demon's mouth, the muscular beast falling over with a thud. Karna launched himself off of the ground, air snapping behind him as he caught his spear in midair.

Looking down at the Demons below, Karna flew upwards, fire conjuring around his body as he raised an arm above his head. His eyes narrowed at the sight, honestly, they weren't even worth his Noble Phantasm, but nonetheless, a powerful attack was necessary to clear them away.

"Brahmastra!" his spear ripped through the air, red and yellow bolts of energy swirling behind it before it raced into the ground. A sphere of white light flashed before bursting outwards, incinerating the ground before all the sound was finally let out. The rock cracked before boiling away, the Demons not even able to scream due to the sheer speed the flames expanded at. Suddenly a massive explosion erupted from the site, the mushroom cloud enveloping Karna as he watched.

The Slayer hacked another Demon before turning to watch what just happened, only seeing the mushroom cloud rise into the sky, further darkening the atmosphere above them. If he had to guess, Karna launched an immensely powerful attack, if the man could stand up to him, then surely he'd be fine against more of those Demons.

His sword quickly flashed red before bursting into a green miasma. The Slayer cranked his body around to face the Gore Nest as a massive beam gushed from his blade. The Slayer's eyes flashed with the same color as the pillar of light that burst from his weapon.

The flesh began to melt under the intense heat, the Gore Nest conjuring up a makeshift shield to block the attack. Green and orange energies swirled against the other, however as the Slayer put more force into his attack, the shield began to crack away. Suddenly the orange dome burst with white as it finally gave way, the nest screeching in agony as the Slayer continued to drill through. The nest screamed before the beam stabbed all the way through, the nest's blood gushing out as the beam continued on its trajectory, breaching the upper atmosphere before exiting into space.

The Slayer, seeing the nest was killed, finally canceled his attack, the beam fully dissipating away as the smoke above began to clear. Karna landed down nearby, the Slayer looking at the man next to him. Both turned around hearing the screams behind them. The men both dove into the armies of Demons as they spawned around. The Slayer knew this was going to happen, it always does when a Gore Nest is destroyed.

Beat Drop/Transition

The Slayer and Karna were back to back, the Slayer crouched low as he used his sword in ways it shouldn't just to kill. Karna gracefully twirled his spear around himself and the Slayer, almost as though he were dancing while happening to be killing the Demons around him. Both of their techniques were polar opposites yet both complemented each other perfectly, both were gods, yet both couldn't be further apart from the other, in fact, one of their only similarities was their contrasting love for fighting.

Flames twirled around the two, resembling a sphere of green and red slashes as the two men held their ground against the Demons. The screeches echoed in their ears, even as their numbers began to trickle down. In death those things found a way to haunt the very souls of mortals, luckily neither could be referred to as such. The Slayer ducked underneath Karna, the god backflipping above the warrior, both slashing at a cluster of Demons with the momentum of their movements.

As the horde relentlessly pushed against the two, the warriors found themselves having to attack in an increasingly more ravenous style. By this point, their slashes were no longer focused on skill or technique, rather, both were merely focused on killing the fastest. It became a competition to them, their eyes glowed red and green respectively, their swords leaking energy as they continued killing. The whirlwind spun faster and faster, the two littering the Earth around them with explosions and the blood of the Demons around them. Their numbers plummeted, yet the two continued to kill until the horde stopped.

Song End

The wind howled around them both, the flames dancing around their statue-like forms. The Slayer shifted in his armor, standing up as he observed the landscape around him. This was what Hell did to places, he's seen it before, and he'll see it again.

Karna flicked the blood off of his spear, facing the opposite direction that the Slayer did. His nearly invisible hair flickered softly around his frame, almost mimicking the flames around him. Taking a breath, Karna asked, "I doubt either of feel the need to fight anymore, besides, I need to report this to my Master. I'd suggest you report this to whomever you ally with, though, anyone who has a Servant would be able to recognize the events which went down today."

With his last comment, the lancer burst from the ground, a trail of rocketing from the dirt with an audible whistle. His eyes were fixed on Karna as he soared past the black clouds, the trail of flames behind him fading away. Above, the clouds began to fade away, the sun shining through the smoke as it began to trickle through the sky above.

The Slayer watched in silence as the sky lit up the scorched environment where he stood, his armor being the only thing that stood out from the barren wasteland. Looking around himself, he took a deep breath, reflecting on the battle, despite his hatred for the Demons, they weren't at the top of his mind, for once. Rather, he thought about Karna, specifically his strength. If all other Servants were close to his strength and able to rival himself, then he have a challenge ahead of him, but that was for another day. For now, he'd take Karna's advice and return to Chaldea, besides, he's sure that they were in a panic right now.

There was something else that garnered his attention, the presence of another Servant, it appeared again. Recently it disappeared completely, before appearing once more, roughly in Japan if he had to guess. Whatever it was, it was powerful, not nearly as much as Karna or himself, though it was certainly something that deserved investigation, especially if it was a threat.

A/N: Another difficult chapter to write, glad this, admittedly filler portion of the story is over with though and we can finally kick off season 2, hopefully, it won't be as long a wait, the motivation for this arc was all over the place. We'll be continuing the main storyline, following Sekaino as he continues his adventure, this time in a completely original setting.

As for the music sync, how was it? I didn't have lyrics to guide you guys while the song played, but I hope that the "Beat Drop/Transition" helped. Realistically, I wouldn't doubt you may have to play the scene more than once just to get a feel for the music, but it'll be worth it.

Lastly, a new artwork has been posted, this time it's a little more dynamic than the last, but I'll leave you guys to go check it out and see it for yourselves. Also regarding the art page, I will be making a new poster for the start of season 2 (though technically these last two chapters are a part of season 2, but you know..) while working on the next few chapters, so be on the lookout for that.

Art Page - gzyzzartist

Word Count - 4,245