Chapter 20: A Feast of Lies
Circled in the strife of an Empyreal Catastrophe
Whorls of ire fan infernal flames on high!
Fire in the night
A scarlet beacon in the sky
Look up to the heavens, the firmament reddens
Throw open your wings and fly! Away!
Hexen Isle
Innominat was no longer caught unprepared this time. The Empyrean fought, mustering all his power and authority into defeating a contender to his rule. His bladed construct, while it held firm, never reached its mark, however. The two beings clashed, the shockwaves of each impact could be felt reverberating throughout the air and the waves, and yet the Empyrean's opponent held his own without so much as a strained look on his face.
The man… or at least the thing in the shape of a man was simply using two small knives to deflect each blow and after a few short exchanges, suddenly kneed Innominat before sending his foot crashing down on him. The Empyrean was down on the ground, rising up on his hands and knees looking terrified at what was going on.
"Pathetic," said the man, his eyes wandering over towards the rest of the group, "You're all having trouble with this piece of trash? Ha!" he proclaimed, stomping down on Innominat's back.
"Laphi-!" Velvet started, her eyes wide, but paused. Conflicting emotions coursed through her as she looked down at the unresponsive Ragna and then to the Empyrean in her brother's form. Trapped, they were all trapped right now. Escape was an option, but they had no way of getting to the ship without being pursued. And leaving even Innominat alone with that Thing didn't seem to be a good idea either.
"Ahh! I like that look on your faces! Such sweet looks of fear and despair! But maybe a bit more can do." He declared and a dark portal appeared beside him. He gestured once and a chain tipped by a serpent's head shot forth to strike at Velvet.
Magilou was quick to respond though as she stood in front of Velvet and formed a barrier. It blocked the serpent-headed chain for a moment before it simply shattered, the impact knocking the witch back.
"Not good. He's way out of our league!" Eizen said, bringing his fist down as the impact caused a wall of earth to rise up in front of them. Yet with another gesture, the opposing chain whipped about to slice through half of it before returning to the man.
"Well, I'll deal with those weaklings later. As for you though…" he looked down at Innominat, who immediately lunged for him, only to be caught by the throat and then suddenly slammed back onto the ground. "Stay down. I'm not done extracting that last bit of Malevolence, or whatever…" he chuckled and raised a hand up.
Before he could strike down, a cracking boom echoed from the sky. A single projectile, a person, descended at an angle and struck him, carving a gash through the land away from Innominat.
Saya looked down at her opponent, one hand on his face as she dragged him across the ground. He had to be stopped. She couldn't let him regain his composure. And yet, she only managed to drag him a short distance before her momentum slowed. The Ouroborus Chain clamped down on her shoulder and pulled her back away, separating them.
"Well, well! I was wondering how long it would take before you showed up. Ha! Maybe you can actually provide me with a little challenge given how much of a vegetable your brother is being right now."
Saya narrowed her gaze as he rose up like a corpse from a grave. She clenched her fists, looking back at Innominat and then to the rest of the group. "Terumi… you shall not remain long in this world."
"Is that a threat, you fake goddess?" he replied, tossing and catching one knife up into the air again and again. "My manifestation into this world is your fault you know? Well, you and your brother. I wouldn't even be here if not for your efforts, heh." He stopped, and then threw the knife straight at her face.
She tilted her head to the right and the projectile passed her, though it gave her cheek a small slice.
"Slow. The real one would have deflected or avoided it entirely." Terumi chuckled. "Still, I'll appraise your worth. Not that you have much of it left."
"Lady Saya…" Oscar murmured and then turned towards the group. "Now's your chance, she's giving you all an opportunity to escape."
"Now more than ever. Come on." Said Rokurou as he helped Velvet in dragging Ragna. Eizen picked up the fallen Zaveid and the group made their way towards the ship. Velvet looked back one more time at Innominat and then shook her head. They had different priorities right now.
"Oscar, come on!" Eleanor called out to him, but he looked back and shook his head.
"I'm not leaving. Not this time." He responded and leaped over the fallen rock formations. He made his way over to Innominat and hesitated. Everything had happened so fast, and the Empyrean was the cause of his sister's death. And yet now, circumstances were making things worse and worse. This new enemy… was not something any one of them could deal with alone.
"Get up." Oscar said.
The Empyrean said nothing and then rose up to look.
"You're supposed to be Lord Artorius' god and leader of the Empyreans. Act your part." Oscar said coldly and looked at the battle raging in front of them.
Saya had gone on the defensive, her constructs blocking much of the strikes from her opponent's knives and chain but she had to continuously raise them back up every time they shattered from the sustained onslaught.
She could sneak in a few of her attacks as well; an open-palmed thrust of her hand, devastating kicks that would have eviscerated any normal person, and her projectiles that shot out in a steady rhythm. Yet Terumi weaved in and out of those attacks like a snake, poised to strike on his own as he swiftly closed the distance between them.
Oscar blinked and Saya suddenly vanished in all totality. And as quickly as it started, Saya reappeared… behind her opponent, only to suddenly be caught by the neck and slammed down into the ground.
"You think I don't know all your tricks? Pathetic!" Terumi laughed, his foot stomping down on Saya's back before he kicked her away.
She rose up unsteadily, not willing to give up and raised her rib-like barrier once more, only for a cracking sound to be heard as the serpentine-head of her opponent's chain clamped down and shattered the barrier. Worse, she felt herself suddenly paralyzed and unable to move. That was when the other end of the chain struck, the tail section rushing towards her immobile form and skewer her at her stomach.
The chains lifted her higher and Terumi leaped up to kick her upwards. As he landed he pulled down on the remaining chain to drag her back down, only for him to leap and kick her again mid-air. He was above her immediately after, Terumi's entire body covered in a dark green aura in the form of a massive snake that brought itself down on Saya, her impact cratering the ground.
"Weak! You're way too weak!" Terumi looked down at her and stomped his foot down again and again. He was about to stomp again before he suddenly turned around to catch Oscar by the throat as he tried to stab him in the back.
"And who the hell are you?! Stay out of my way!" Terumi exclaimed. He dropped Oscar though as a beam of light was shot straight at him and he was forced to move away. Innominat was back on the offensive, this time using his spell-casting to bombard him instead of getting close.
Terumi zipped about, beams and other projectiles either blocked or avoided entirely as he moved away from the crater. Each spell slung at him was aimed to kill any normal person, but even Innominat was unsure if this would be enough.
Yet as their battle renewed, Oscar moved towards Saya and knelt beside her. Injured as she was, she still had enough strength to open her eyes and look up at him. "Still here? I had hoped you'd find yourself at a safer area." She said quietly as he helped her sit up.
"We're partners. I'm not leaving you this time." Oscar said, helping her down a few gels to help her recovery process. "Innominat is holding him at bay for now but I fear this will not last long."
"Out of everything that could have happened, this is the worst-case scenario…" Saya replied. "The longer he remains in this world, the stronger he'll become. We have to stop Terumi at all costs."
"Terumi…" Oscar murmured. The name of their enemy. But he also introduced himself by another name too did he not? He looked at her as she tried to stand up again, though it was obvious she hadn't fully recovered.
"I thought I could stop him, but I underestimated how fast he acclimated here. Not helping is his ability to devour malevolence as well." She clenched her fists and closed her eyes. "We are out of options."
Nothing else? Oscar had seen the battles. Saya held her own, Innominat as well, but their opponent would eventually overpower either one of them eventually with enough time. Was their really no other way?
"What about…" Oscar started, "…Armatus?"
Saya narrowed her eyes. "Have you mastered it already? I seem to recall you telling me it was imperfect before Melchior and Artorius took hold of my mind, however brief it was."
Oscar shook his head. "I have a little bit of experience with armatization before your brother tore the Malak I made a pact with from me. But the arte itself can still be used."
"And the side effects?" Saya replied.
"I did almost lose control and turn into a dragon. But I suppose that's a better fate than what will happen should this Terumi be allowed to continue on as he pleases."
"Are you that willing to throw your life away?" Saya said and turned to face him, though there was a rare hint of worry in her gaze.
"It's my atonement." He nodded his head and looked on at the continuing battle.
The spells had been effective at least, and right now even Innominat was conjuring up a swarm of meteors to strike Terumi down. The landscape of Hexen Isle were changing with each crater that was formed but their opponent was tenacious and difficult to hit. He was biding his time and from what Saya told him, this was intentional.
"A pact with you, at the very least, I wouldn't mind too much." Said Saya. "But I want to do this the correct way as that Wind Malak mentioned some time back. When you begin that Arte, Oscar, give me a true name. I shall let you decide what is most fitting."
He nodded and held his hand out to her. Renewing a pact, this time without the help of Artorius nor Melchior. He was certain this wasn't something that had been attempted before, yet he was willing to take this risk given the threat they now faced.
The arte was activated, and he felt both the push and pull acting on both their souls. The arte bound one's tethered Malak to his own soul but given the lack of a true pact between them, now was the time to make the necessary modification.
The world around them disappeared. Only the two of them shared their thoughts and feelings, no one else.
"Bear my true name," Saya said instinctively, her hand reaching out to touch his chest.
"Here, let our pact be forged. I offer myself to you as your vessel. And shall bear your burden."
A pillar of dark, purple flames erupted from where they stood, reaching all the way to the sky. It had begun, the merging of their souls. Saya saw everything, felt everything and Oscar experienced the exact same. A name most befitting of what she represented. A name she did not use but is now reclaimed. And he would act as her blade.
"Our pact is formed. In the name of Izanami!"
Terumi paused, tilting his head back to look at the intense aura of heat and purple light. He frowned, all attention on it without even a care for Innominat anymore.
The Empyrean was tired, breathing heavily as he stepped back, mildly grateful for the reprieve. But he too was curious about what was going on now. He leaped away from Terumi and watched.
Oscar's silhouette stood within the maelstrom of flames. The sky had darkened and the pillar of flames eventually dissipated enough to reveal his full form. His hair had noticeably lengthened, tied up behind him though it also changed to the same color as that of the Malak he is now bonded with.
His sword floated around him in a slow circle and a new layer of robes covered his body. On his back, the three parts of Saya's Ring-like weapon, the Magatama, spun about as it had for her before, though they soon settled on either side of him and above him. Energy radiated from them, coalescing into a form reminiscent of wings.
"Well this is new." Terumi chuckled. "Guess she's that desperate for her to get inside you eh? Would have thought it'd be the other way around-!" he was interrupted as the Armatized Oscar appeared right in front of him, the floating blade slicing down so swiftly it was a wonder he was even able to react.
But the clash occurred regardless and Terumi let out a hiss of frustration as he used his knife to block upwards. The impact forced him down on his knees however, much to his surprise before Oscar suddenly punched him directly in the chest, flinging him away with surprising force.
He would not be dealt with so easily though as Terumi raised both hands. One end of the Ouroboros chain shot out to bite down on the ground on his right while the other tail end dug into ground on his left. Like a sling, he pulled and used the momentum to launch himself back towards Oscar with more force than before, the knives striking but was met with the energy 'wings' of Saya's old weapon. He slashed again and again, though they were blocked and parried by Oscar's defenses. Oscar gestured with a slashing motion with his right hand, his floating blade doing the same as Terumi avoided the slice and jumped away.
The defensive armaments switched to offense though as the three wings formed a triangle abou Oscar, the tips shooting out projectile after projectile at Terumi and though he blocked them, explosion after explosion followed suite.
Innominat raised his hand, joining the battle as well in support as he casted his own spell once more. "All struggle shall cease, Annihilation Beam!"
The spell of concentrated energy shot out, sustained by Innominat's magic as Oscar's projectiles continued to bombard Terumi's form. The beam engulfed their opponent, though they didn't dare let up to make sure he was completely destroyed.
It was then that Oscar caught the glimpse of the two ends of the chains travelling across the ground. Just as he began to jump back, he found himself suddenly trapped as portals opened up underneath them. The Ouroboros chains forming coiling rings around both himself and Innominat. They didn't constrict, but it's as if the very space around them was restrained and they couldn't escape.
"What is this…?" Innominat wondered.
"Not bad…! You're actually forcing me to go all out!" Terumi's voice laughed from within the smoke. As it cleared, another more massive portal could be seen behind him, partially formed by the same chains that restricted the space around the two. He laughed once more as dozens of serpents shot out from his portal, constructs of a dark energy that would engulf them, forcing Oscar to go all-out himself on defense.
The three prongs of the Magatama wings formed a barrier in front of them, a cone that should stop much of any potential damage that washed over them like a dark wave as long as they stayed behind them.
"Let me show you…!" Terumi declared, shadows converging around him, completely covering his form.
Oscar and Innominat covered their eyes as the wind picked up, centered around Terumi like a Tornado. The serpentine constructs had since stopped, though Oscar maintained the barrier. Something else was about to happen.
There, just for a brief moment, Oscar saw the visage of a large man in strange armor. No delicate ornamentation, no polished luster. Darkness like hell, a bottomless black with the occasional green glow of their opponent just prior. It isn't that there were no details to see; everything was simply all blurred as the shadows danced about the armor.
Like an off-focus image, the outlines of the armor was always shifting like mist. Material made straight out of a hallucination and in its hands, a massive blade of the same dark energy.
"!" Oscar poured all his strength into the barrier. As much as he could right as the armored figure raised its weapon high.
"…The Sword of God!" Terumi shouted and brought the blade down.
Heaven screamed, and Earth shook. The blade struck down on the barrier, a barrier that held on for mere seconds before it completely shattered. Oscar dove out of the way, bringing Innominat with him as the blade was just barely deflected at an angle.
And then Oscar saw before his eyes the fracturing of the earth and the opening of an abyss. The entire section of Hexen Isle to his left was completely cut apart from the rest of the island. Not just the land, but a portion of the seas in front and behind, water rushing in to fill the gap and the magma underneath the island, causing steam to rise up into the sky.
And staring ahead, he saw the shadowy-armored figure just standing there.
"The Black Susano'o" Saya's voice whispered from within him.
But the shadows dispersed soon after and the armor covering their opponent vanished, Terumi having returned to his more natural form. Or at least, as natural as he was perceived earlier.
"I suppose that's the limit of my strength for now…" Terumi said, eyes closed. "Ah, but there is much to do. Thanks for helping me test all this out. But I assure you, the next time we meet, you're dead!" he pointed at Oscar before his entire body dissipated into a cloud of black mist.
"He's bluffing. That much expenditure of energy would have left him quite drained." Told Saya.
"Is he defeated?" Innominat asked.
"What do you think?" Oscar replied and stood up, surveying the destruction of the entire island. And this was just the start of it. Can they truly contend with such a foe?
Behind them, a flash of light heralded the appearance of a portal where Artorius, Melchior and Shigure stepped through.
Oscar glanced at them and frowed just as the Armatus was cancelled. Saya reappeared behind him.
"We have a problem." He said, before fatigue wracked his entire body. He fell back into Saya's arms before everything went dark.