Chapter 16
Reborn in Darkness
"So you've finally arrived.", Sanctus said, smirking. "Sanctus, before we do this, what is this Ascension Project?", I asked. "The Ascension Project is a system created by our Lord YHVH who art in Heaven to allow normal people to become divine being like He.", Sanctus replied. "It's just that I have this feeling that the Ascension Project is inherently harmful for the world. Not just Earth and Nintentopia but every world and every dimension. If that's the case, then I need to stop it before the project harms many people before I miss my chance.", I said. Sighing, Sanctus then said, "That heroism of yours is going to be a detriment one day.". "Maybe so, but it's my choice and my decision.", I said. The two of us looked at the other firmly in the eye, undeterred by the red magma underneath our feet. After a moment of brief reflection, Sanctus then rushed at me, a holy light surrounding his form. Firing up my Tao Mandalas in response, I prepared myself for the attack.
Firing off a volley of light and lightning, Sanctus then unleashed a radiant bolt of energy that I dodged like a baller. Feeling time slowing down to a crawl, I then rushed forward to begin my attack, unleashing elemental power in the form of a fireball followed by a splash of water which was in turn followed by a lance of stone which was subsequently followed by a blade of compressed air. Blocking them effortlessly, Sanctus then unleashed a radiant storm of lightning that I blocked by forming a spherical dome of orange energy around myself. "Nice trick, at least for someone whose powers are not fully unlocked yet.", Sanctus said, smirking. I rushed at the man, unleashing a violent flurry of rapid punches and stomps which Sanctus in turn countered with his own punches. Spearing me in the chest with a blade of light, Sanctus then smiled at a dark flame the wound unlocked. "What's happening to me?", I thought. Giganto's energy then coalesced around me, forming a pair of improvised red boxing gloves around my hands. I promptly proceeded to not waste this golden opportunity, unleashing a more potent flurry of rapid punches, Sanctus just taking it like a total badass mofo who don't take no crap from anybody. The energy then dissipated, Sanctus taking it as a sign that my full power had yet to be unlocked.
Warping into the air, Sanctus unveiled a green sphere of energy not entirely dissimilar to the energy the Archangels used to unlock my Semblance (albeit incompletely). Unleashing the energy upon my body, Sanctus then said, "Receive thy power and rejoice.". Striking my bosom like a boulder, the energy coursed through my veins as I felt a strange fire begin to blaze within me. I writhed on the ground in pain as a dark flame covered me; at this point, the pain in my right eye started up again. "Do not submit like a weakling. Overcome it.", Sanctus boomed. "I-I will survive. I will defeat you. And I will destroy YHVH!", I thought as the blaze completely covered me. A golden light covered my hands and face; as the two energies combined, my eyes suddenly opened. I unleashed a glorious pillar of black and dark orange fire, the energy piercing the very Heavens themselves. The energy then dissipated as I found myself glowing with a dark orange light as a sword, axe, lance, gauntlet, whip, staff, chakram, fan, bow, dagger, mace, rod and scythe all appeared and surrounded me like Armiger from Final Fantasy XV, only orange this time. Not only that, but I was also flying above the ground as the Crest of the Sovereign from Tales of Arise appeared in my right eye. "Is it done?", Sanctus asked. Smiling, I said, "Oh, yes.". "Well, now the real fight hath begun.", Sanctus declared, rushing at me. I laughed, unleashing a burst of gravitational energy in the vague shape of a sphere and having it surround Sanctus in an attempt to crush him. Just managing to escape by a hair's breadth, Sanctus then unleashed a holy bolt of energy that I easily crushed with a gust of wind before I unleashed a flaming spear at him in return. Immolated by the fire, Sanctus then tried to flee only to be pulled back by a gravitational ring of energy that I unleashed. "Where do you think you're going?", I asked. "You monster.", Sanctus snarled; at this, I replied, "Now you're just being nasty.".
Forming a giant sword of light, Sanctus then felt a chill of energy; I had formed an icy scythe from the power the Crest of the Sovereign afforded me. "So you have four powers, huh?", Sanctus asked. "Wrong. My Semblance only has three powers- elemental magic, gravity manipulation and weapon summoning. The scythe came from my Sovereign powers. But I don't expect you to understand that part.", I said. "You presumptuous little ingrate, you are a heretic of the lowest order!", Sanctus said with barely concealed venom. "Maybe you're the actual heretic, gramps.", I said. "And will you apologise for what you just said to me?", Sanctus asked. "No, I won't.", I replied. As the scythe and sword collided, I saw the radiant energy from the sword and the icy void of the scythe combine, forming a strange dimensional rift. "Besides, why should you care about what people say about you? You're going to die here. You know that.", I said. "What?", Sanctus asked, shocked. "Your purpose in the plot has been served. Thus, you have no further option but to die.", I said. Smiling, I then said, "And I'm going to enjoy killing you very much.". "You've lost your mind.", Sanctus said. "That is irrelevant. Die.", I said, unleashing an onslaught of 169 meteors. "Now I know why this place is called Death Mountain.", Sanctus said as the meteors fell, crushing him. As Sanctus' corpse fell into Death Mountain, I then felt myself get dragged into the dimensional rift as the Crest of the Sovereign in my right eye disappeared.
The story continues in the next chapter.
