Thanks go to Gray Kanzakai, Tbone8454, Wingah, Allagenda-domsitzers-chan, Monkey D. Chimera, bananahead1, fergusans18, Alrarora, 10burgers, Jack54311, NBoss01, MoltenLavaMan, BadDRUMMERboy15, and GenoWar.
Disclaimer: I do not own Undertale or Deltarune.
"Hah... Hah..."
Pale fingers wrapped around the gate of that chain link fence, the crimson liquid they were drenched in leaving smudged finger prints. He dragged his fingers over the metal, shoving the latch of the fence up before he batted the gate open with his hip.
His right foot dragged, streams of red running down from his pant leg, no doubt from the bullet hole in his right thigh. His breaths were labored, and the blood soaked hand he'd moved the latch of that familiar gate with once more grabbed at the aching and oozing gash in his left side. His back was peppered with cuts and the occasional bullet wound, each one sending streams of crimson trickling down his flesh and staining his shirt.
Each gasp for air brought that reeking iron odor into his lungs. It was inescapable. The dark red coated his chin, stained his teeth and stuck to his tongue and gums.
In the sadistic outburst that had prolonged his suffering and given him the opportunity to carry his corpse to the only Heaven he'd ever known, the blood that had filled his mouth was absolutely delicious. It spewed from the throat he'd used his teeth to rip open, washed down the salty chew of his victim's throat fat with the iron flavored spray from his punctured jugular.
An unusual flavor, but one The Anarchist knew well enough. He was a rabid dog who'd been known to get a taste for human flesh on occasion.
But now his fury had left him, replaced by the cold contemplation of his impending demise. Wood chips crunched under his feet, his weakening heart thudded desperately in his ears.
His left arm hung limp, fingers refusing to loosen their grasp on his one and only possession even as ruby streams wet them, no doubt from the knife still lodged in that shoulder. It was his birth right after all, his inheritance. That crowbar was all he had and all he knew.
He was the Bastard Son, the Son of a Bitch. He had clawed from the depths with those four letter titles branded on his flesh and the object of his torment in hand. He was a fighter, a killer, a survivor, and an array of much nastier, much more crude words.
But now that crowbar weighed heavy in his hand. The scars that branded him ached and bled.
His knees gave out, and he grunted as he dropped down to the earth he'd been born beneath. His chest heaved, and he doubled over, vomiting his crimson colors over the dull brown of the wood chips. he painted them, though it killed him. He made them beautiful.
Anthony coughed and sputtered, on his hands and knees as the clouds parted at the edge of the tainted sky, sending bitter sweet orange shades cascading across the skyline.
Though he was dying, though his body was going numb and his blood was running dry, The Anarchist still found himself snickering as the light finally washed over him. As if now, in his sorry state, it was finally ready to accept him.
"Heh... What, now you want me..?" Anthony's lips, cracked and blood soaked, curved up as he lifted his head, looking between the two swings of the swing set before him and out to the blinding lights of the sunset. "Now I'm good enough for you..?"
"Fuck you..." Anthony shook and lowered his head, light fading in and out of his ruby eyes. "I was good enough before and you pushed me away... Scorched my skin... Turned me into this..."
Anthony lifted his head again to look at the shining swing set one last time, and his eyes widened weakly as he watched a shimmering outline stand from the swing in which it sat. It approached him graciously, unafraid and without judgement.
Anthony slowly reached out, mouth hanging open with his weak breaths. He was stunned by this beauty. This act of KINDNESS, of MERCY. To be accepted here, at the end of his life.
But...
His fingers twitched as they grasped towards his guardian Angel, before The Anarchist hesitated. He gradually turned his open palm back towards himself, his vision managing to focus in to inspect the crimson that forever stained his hands.
Hands that were once a pure ivory, that once hopefully reached out to distribute their love, their MERCY. Filthy now, tarnished. All that love and MERCY scrubbed away, painted over with the blood of his victims.
The little boy stood before the bastard, a holy figure gracing an abomination with its presence. Ruby and emerald eyes met one more time in this playground.
... Pretentious.
His teeth ground together. His dying eyes ignited with fury as he reached out with his tainted right hand, and his fingers wrapped around his Angel's throat. The boy didn't struggle in Anthony's grasp, didn't try to wriggle out of his righteous vice grip.
"Don't you get it..?!" His body trembled, but he lifted his crowbar over his head nonetheless. "You never had any right to stand over me..!"
So he brought Angel down. Split his skull with his inheritance, beat in the child's head with the weight of his wrath.
Everything. All of his worthless life, climaxing in one vicious outburst. After being rejected a billion times, this time Anthony was the one to push away the kind act. Something he'd dreamed of for so long now unsweetened, bitter and sour adding to the disgusting flavor of blood in his mouth.
Angel had no right, after all. He and everyone else had abandoned him, tortured him and twisted him. This act was not MERCY, this was a cop out. A last second renege that made Anthony sick. That boiled what little blood he had left, filling him with enough rage to commit one last atrocity. One final act of defiance.
And when he finished, when his rage faded and was replaced by his bitter sorrows, the face of his guardian Angel was no longer recognizable. It was a malformed, red drenched mess. A grotesque outside to match it's grotesque inside.
"You... You were given everything, and I... I didn't get shit..." Anthony tossed the corpse away from himself, let it tumble limp to the ground a few feet away. That crowbar dropped from his grasp, drenched in red. It had grown too heavy, and Anthony had grown too weak.
The Anarchist dropped onto his right shoulder, and he grunted as he used what remained of his energy to flop onto his back, giving him a nice view of the beautifully colored clouds.
But he couldn't appreciate this sight. He couldn't understand. It eluded him completely. How could a good for nothing bastard like Angel be the one allowed to win? All Anthony had ever wanted to do was make people happy, and yet he was here, gargling his own blood while Angel was likely counting his money and laughing to himself like the demon he was.
Was the world really so cruel, to kill its savior and put its killer on a pedestal? What kind of God would allow this?
That made The Anarchist smile. A sick, bitter kind of smile.
So there wasn't a God. Or, if there was, they must be a lot like him. What a revelation. And on Death's doorstep, of all places.
... He was going to die. The Bastard Son, Son of a Bitch. Beaten and bloody, crowbar in the dirt at his side. All his worthless birthright and all his worthless life concluding as it had began, alone.
So none of it meant anything.
Anthony couldn't feel it, but... He thought that must've been pretty sad.
His eyes closed for the last time on the world that had twisted and maimed him.
And then he was... Falling.
*Not yet, my precious child... You still have a score to settle.
Chapter 24: The Bastard Son
Part 1
"And for you to stand there, pretending to be a saint... Who the fuck do you think you are?!"
"Step aside now, King." Anthony took a bold step forward, hands clenched into fists at his sides. "We don't want to fight you."
"Obviously." Methodically King climbed to his feet, turning to face the four heroes. "No one wants to fight a losing battle."
"Alright smartass," Angel growled with frustration, gripping his spear tight as he took a step forward as well. "I'm gonna make this real simple."
"Get out of our way now, or I'm gonna shine this spear up real nice." Angel started nodding, anger flaring in his eyes as he forced a smile that was less than friendly. "Then you know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna turn this SON'BITCH SIDE WAYS, AND SHOVE IT RIGHT UP! YOUR CANDY ASS!"
King frowned then. Deeply. He was clearly not amused. His fingers curled into fists, and slowly he exhaled a sigh of annoyance and disappointment.
"As furious as your disobedience makes me, you four have unknowingly done me a great service." King's lips curved upwards wickedly, his black cloak shifting some. "You have brought me the Vessel."
The four heroes tensed with his words, and Angel gripped his spear tight enough to whiten his knuckles.
"I do not know who among you will be the one to take Chaos Incarnate into their body. But that won't matter," King threw open his cloak then, and the gaping maw on his stomach opened wide with a berserk smile, it's pointed steel spade tongue firing out towards Angel at stunning speeds. "When I throw each of you in the Fountain!"
Angel only had time to take a stunned step back, before Anthony darted in front of him and brought up that shield. King's wicked chain deflected from Anthony's shield, and he and King locked eyes, a DETERMINED gleam in his ruby orbs.
"Hm." King grinned darkly, gripping the chain of his spade and yanking it back to himself. He planted his feet, eagerly awaiting a receipt for his attack.
"What do you wanna do, Anthony?" Lexi asked quietly, eyes darting from King to her albino companion.
"Do you want to continue trying to convince him?" Xander asked in the same manner, embers dancing on his finger tips as he sent Anthony a skeptical glance.
"He just tried to skewer my best friend." There was a stunning lack of warmth in the shield barer's tone, and his crimson eyes did not leave King as he spoke. His lips dragged down in a frown, and as he spoke, a droplet of black fell from above, landing just above his left eye. It ran in a dark stream, slipping along the bridge of his nose and then down his cheek. "Dust this bitch."
Chaos Bergentrückung by SharaX began playing.
Lexi and Xander nodded at once, both jumping further out to their respective sides. Lexi pointed her scythe out at her poor excuse for a father, and blades of ice fired from it's chilled steel. Meanwhile Xander opened both palms to King, and bolts of flame launched repeatedly from his grasp and out towards the twisted monarch.
King laughed at this show of attitude, gripping his chained spade and swinging it rapidly in front of himself, making a sort of guard that the ice and the fire broke against, embers and shards of ice flicking through the air with the black rain.
Anthony and Angel looked to one another and nodded, before they both rushed forward, Angel leading with his spear and stabbing it right into King's spinning wall. Just as expected, the chain instantly wrapped around his spear, making his defense disappear.
Angel grinned up at King, just before he and Anthony spun, standing back to back and switching places so that Anthony was facing King while his friend restrained the monarch's weapon.
Anthony's jaw clenched, and he yanked back his shield, bashing King in the face with it and making the much larger man stumble back a few steps, blood trickling down from his nose.
Before the dynamic duo could continue their assault however, Anthony's eyes suddenly narrowed, and he threw up his shield just in time to let a second chained spade fling from King's stomach-maw and smash into it. The force carried the albino hero off his feet, launching him a yard or two back away from King before he landed, glaring at the despot from behind his shield's protection.
He's got two?! Angel thought, the first chain rapidly uncoiling from his spear and returning to the tyrant as he jumped back to Anthony's side.
"Hiyah!" Lexi cried out as she dropped from the sky, slashing overhead down at King with her scythe, who stepped back and out of the way.
"Ah, daughter." King ducked back out of the range of her second slash. "I'm disappointed by your betrayal, but I can't say I'm surprised."
"Shut!" Lexi swung her entire body around after missing her second swing, slicing at King a third time after spinning all the way around. "Up!"
"I know you're scared, daughter." King reached out, and Lexi's eyes widened as his large hand wrapped around the snath of her scythe and stopped it in place, it's point inches from his cheek. "I was in denial, but looking at you now..."
Lexi's wide eyes darted to King's raised fist, a cold sweat breaking out on her forehead as a thousand unpleasant memories blasted through her mind.
"I always knew you weren't strong enough to be the Vessel."
"YEET!"
"Hm-? Agh!" King grunted with pain and stumbled back, letting go of Lexi's weapon to grab at his shoulder, which Angel's spear was now embedded in.
"Respect women, asshole." Angel glared, arm still extending after yeeting his spear like a javelin at the despot.
Lexi took this opportunity to jump back, pointing her blade down at King and firing several more ice blades down at her father, who was distracted by the pain crippling his left arm. He looked up to the oncoming attack with shock, before he was engulfed by the white mist that exploded out with shards of ice from the collision.
"Give it to 'em, X!" Angel and Anthony stepped to the sides, looking back to Xander, who outstretched two open palms. His muscles tensed and his eyes flared with the fire inside of him, before an explosive wave of flames blasted out from his finger tips, racing across the rooftop and smashing into the mist King was engulfed in and washing over it in a destructive orange burst.
"Who's not strong enough now, jackass?!" Lexi shouted spitefully as she landed at Angel's side. Then, without skipping a beat, she smiled over to him. "Nice save, by the way."
"Hey, what're boyfriends for?" Angel shrugged casually over to her.
"Wait what?" Anthony looked over to the two with wide eyes.
Before the two could explain, however, Xander's wave of flames died down, and all three pairs of eyes darted back to him as he dropped to one knee, panting heavily. Sweat beaded down his face, and the palms of his hands were blackened and cracked.
"Xander!" Anthony rushed to his side, kneeling next to him. "Are you alright?"
"Just... Takes everything to make an attack that big..." Xander spoke through labored breaths, smiling weakly up at Anthony. "I'll... I'll be okay..."
"Angel, you've got the healing items, right?" Anthony looked up to Angel, who nodded.
"Yeah, I got this." Angel popped open the satchel on his hip as he made his way towards the two, walking along the now ash covered grounds that made a straight line between Xander and the mass of smoke across the rooftop.
Anthony smiled with some relief as he watched Angel approach, before his eyes darted to the smoke as it suddenly blasted open, Angel's spear launching right back out towards its owner.
"Look out-!"
Angel's emerald eyes snapped open wide, his right shoulder lurching forward and sending him stumbling, before he fell flat on his face, sliding some over the concrete from the force that shoved him.
"ANGEL!" Anthony cried out, rushing to his friend's side and dropping to his knees next to him. His eyes darted to the spear that jutted straight up from Angel's shoulder blade, its point jammed deep into his bone. "Are you okay?"
Even while writhing in agony, Angel managed to open both eyes to shoot a glare up at Anthony for such a dumb question. Blood streamed in all directions from his shoulder, and cold sweat beaded down his now pale forehead. He was gritting his teeth and sucking air through those teeth, clearly in too much agony to speak.
"..." Anthony's eyes narrowed furiously, and he lifted his head to look in the direction of King. The despot's body had streams of ones and zeros running over it, healing the scorch marks upon his flesh. Black droplets ran in streams down Anthony's face as he looked upon his enemy, tainting his mane of pure white hair.
"... Sit tight, Angel. I'll handle this."
Lexi snarled furiously, ice blasting rapidly from her scythe at King, who casually spun one of his chains, shattering the ice to snow before it could reach him.
King threw back his free hand, yanking back his other spade chain before whipping it forward, Lexi's eyes widening as she jumped back into the air, the spade stabbing into the concrete where she'd been standing just a moment ago.
As she flew back through the air, however, her eyes darted to the glowing white spades that appeared around her, their points aiming at her with lethal precision as she was trapped in the air.
Just before her flesh was torn by the surrounding blades, however, one pale hand reached up and wrapped around her ankle, yanking her down from the sky and back down to the earth just as the spades fired, sailing over her head.
Lexi dropped down to one knee from the force she'd been thrown down with, and shook her head to dispel her confusion before looking up to Anthony with surprise.
"MC Sweetness..?" She asked almost skeptically, surprised by the... Oddly serious and less than friendly aura Anthony was generated. His back was to her, and he stood between her and King, fists clenched at his sides.
"Go fix Xander and Angel. There should be enough healing items left for the two of them." Anthony ordered sternly, beginning to step towards King. "I'll finish up here."
"Anthony, wait!" Lexi stood, reaching out towards her friend.
Anthony didn't speak, he just frowned over his shoulder at her, black dripping from his wet hair. Lexi nearly recoiled from just how cold his expression was, but she shook it off, deeming it unimportant in the grand scheme.
"Those ones and zeros a minute ago, dad doesn't have any abilities like that." Lexi narrowed her eyes, hands clenching into fists with the anxiety her conclusion caused her. "I think The Doctor is interfering somehow."
"Gotcha." Anthony looked back ahead. "I'll handle it."
Lexi watched him skeptically, before her thoughts were drawn back to her injured friend and boyfriend. And something told her Anthony didn't want to have to ask twice.
"You plan to take me on alone, boy?" King grinned viciously, tilting his head to the side. "With what, your little shield?"
"..." Anthony blinked calmly, and he slowly pulled back his shield bearing arm. "Yup."
King's eyes widened with surprise as Anthony whipped his arm forward, sending his shield spinning through the air right at the stunned tyrant's face.
"Gah!" He cried out, throwing his head back as Anthony's shield bounced off of his head, making him stumble back and grab at his face, which shrieked with pain. He felt blood fill his mouth, and judging from the horrible pain in his front teeth, assumed one or two of those were busted.
Anthony wasted no time breaking into a sprint to close the distance and jumping surprisingly high into the air, catching his shield back on his arm and pulling both knees to his chest, shotgunning both feet into King's sternum and sending him tumbling back onto his butt as Anthony flipped back off of him, landing a few feet back away from the tyrant.
King snarled, one hand over his mouth and blood dripping from between his fingers as his two chains reeled back on their own, like snakes preparing to strike.
Anthony jumped back as the chains snapped down towards him, the spades striking the concrete where he once was and chipping it, sending grey shards flinging into the air.
Anthony lifted his shield as he dropped back towards the ground, those spades curving up and flying right at him. The first struck his shield, pushing him back through the air as the second one sliced at his face. Anthony tilted his head to the side, black water flinging from his wet hair with the swift motion as the spade flew right by his cheek.
He reached out, gripping the chain tight in his hand as his red soul flared on his chest, being dragged right back with the chains towards King.
King snarled as he climbed to his feet, watching Anthony race back towards him on his own chain. He reached out, grabbing the metal links and whipping them up and down, sending ripples launching down the steel towards the hero that road them, who let go just as the waves reached him, momentum carrying him through the air towards King.
He landed on the ground, rolling and diving up at King, who cocked back one fist. Anthony lifted his shield, and the tyrant's fist smashed right into it, causing a stalemate between the two.
They stood there, glaring into one another's eyes as each of them tried to push past the other, but to no avail.
"Okay! Three! Two! One!"
"AAAAHHHHHH!"
Angel's scream was muffled in the ball of cloth that he had to bite down on while Lexi yanked the spear from his shoulder, and the moment it was free, he spat the ball out, snarling furiously over to Xander, who stood at the ready with a Dark Candy, already healed.
"Gimme the goddamn candy! NOW!"
"Okay, Christ!" Xander jumped from his companions harsh tone, swiftly holding the candy out to Angel, who viciously devoured it from his hands.
A second or two passed, and he slowly exhaled a sigh of relief as the shooting pains in his shoulder disappeared.
Angel gradually sat up, rolling his shoulder once or twice before glancing across the rooftop to where Anthony and King were battling. His eyes narrowed suspiciously as he saw Anthony's swift and acrobatic movements, and he leaned forward some to watch closer. "What in the..?"
"I know, right?" Lexi crossed her arms as she watched. "Had no idea he had all this in him."
"Angel, were you aware Anthony was this skilled?" Xander looked over to Angel, cocking a confused brow.
"... No." Angel slowly pushed himself to his feet, watching his best friend fight with a frown and a suspicious stare. "Because he's not."
"Then explain that!" Lexi exclaimed, looking to Angel and pointing to their albino team leader.
"I mean, he shouldn't be." Angel shook his head, not tearing his eyes away from the battle. "Anny has no combat experience, no training, and he's nowhere near this aggressive!"
"Well, he certainly went off after you got speared." Xander crossed his arms, arching a brow at Angel. "Abilities like this don't just appear in a person."
"This isn't right." Angel took a step forward, concern appearing in his eyes. "This isn't like Anny at all! It's like he's-!"
Angel paused just as a drop of dark struck his face from the fountain above, and he reached up, wiping it out of his eye and looking to it interrogatively. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the black water, before his slowly widening.
"... Angel?" Lexi spoke with some worry, arching a brow at her boyfriend.
Angel didn't respond. He just slowly lifted his head, looking to the Dark Fountain that loomed above. His pupils shrunk with horror, a realization washing over him.
"That's funny. In a boo hoo funny kinda way."
"Well everyone thinks it's me, but c'mon, there's no way right?"
"Free, free! Can't you see?! You and me will be free! Heirs to the throne! Chaos's Crown could be your own!"
"Angel?!" Xander repeated louder, putting his hand on his friend's shoulder.
Angel's eyes just narrowed painfully, dread and concern settling over his heart.
"... Anthony's the Vessel."
Anthony would have been shocked by his new abilities if he had taken the time to think about them at all. His motions felt natural, they all felt well within his limitations. Nothing about this felt unusual to him, it felt as if he'd already had these abilities and had just been choosing not to use them. Like all of this had been there already, and as if he'd known about it the whole time.
But this hadn't been here before, and he didn't know about it. Though none of these thoughts popped into his head now. Currently, he was laser focused on one thing and one thing only: Kicking King's ass.
And this aggression, too, was foreign. But Anthony didn't notice that, either. All of these things felt natural, they all felt like exactly what he would do.
So he slid to the side, freeing himself from his power struggle with King, who's fist slid over his shield, leaving the despot open for Anthony to dart forward, ramming his elbow right into King's nose and making his face scrunch up with pain as he stumbled back.
Anthony spun on his heel then, batting his shield upside King's head and forcing his much larger foe to once again stumble away, reaching up and gripping his throbbing skull as he did so.
King snarled furiously, throwing one hand out towards Anthony and sending the barrage of floating spades that appeared instantly behind him blasting out towards the hero.
Anthony narrowed his eyes, jumping back and throwing up his shield to block the brunt of the attack. Spades fired by, slicing across his shoulders and legs, leaving scratches in his armor and cuts that soon oozed red over whatever exposed skin he had on his limbs.
Anthony didn't seem to notice this pain as he landed, skidding back and letting his arms drop back to his sides after the barrage of spades came to an end. His cold ruby eyes locked onto King, who wiped blood from his chin with the back of his fist. The music faded out.
"You... You aren't like the other humans, are you?" King spoke in his deep and haunting voice, looking into Anthony's crimson eyes and upon his pale skin.
"What about it?" Anthony answered almost defensively, his jaw clenching as he read King's expression. It was easy, he'd seen the look a thousand times before.
It was the look people gave when they were questioning if he was really a human or not.
"I should have come to the conclusion earlier, what with how unique you are from your fellow man." King's lips curved up, and Anthony's eyes darted from his wicked smile to the mouth on his stomach, which was babbling nonsense excitedly. "Honestly, it's so obvious!"
"What's so obvious?" Anthony narrowed his eyes, unconsciously leaning forward some to listen closer to King's words.
"It's you." King grinned wickedly, black droplets running down from his crown and over his face. "It was you from the beginning."
King lifted his hand, pointing at Anthony from across their battleground.
"You are The Vessel!"
"What?" Lexi asked with a deathly serious tone, her eyes going wide with a mixed bag of nasty emotions.
"Angel, are you certain..?" Xander asked with quiet concern, his hand remaining on Angel's shoulder while he looked to him.
"It's the only thing that makes sense." Angel shook his head slowly, not taking his eyes from his best friend.
"But, he shouldn't be experiencing anything! He hasn't gone in the fountain!" Lexi exclaimed desperately, and Angel looked over to her, his face pale with his disturbing revelation.
"Lexi, look around us." Angel held out his open palm, letting droplets of black rain land on his hand. "The Fountain is raining down on us."
Xander and Lexi both looked horrified as they heard Angel's words, and their eyes scanned over Anthony, watching the black rain stain his ivory skin and hair.
"There's somethin' in that geyser." Angel got their attention once more, eyes darting between them. "And every drop of this crap that hits Anny is connecting him with it a little more."
"We have to seal that fountain. Now." Xander spoke, hands clenching at his sides.
"Well we're gonna have to get through King first." Angel looked ahead, before his eyes widened as Lexi darted past him, racing towards the battle.
"Well we ain't gonna get that done standing around here!" She shouted back to her companions as she raced ahead, cocking back her spear.
"Lexi, wait-!"
Anthony figured he should have been affected by King's words. Surprised in a way. But, after hearing it out loud, he realized he'd already known he was The Vessel.
"Heads and tails, one inside the fountain! Swim, swim! The red ocean is locked inside the basement!"
Jevil's babbling had been utter nonsense to everyone else, but every word had reached Anthony in a way he couldn't describe. And now, so close to the source of his darkness, specks of his blackened core painting his flesh, it all made sense.
Anthony was the Vessel. He was heads, and whatever lurked in the murky depths of that geyser was tails. He felt this truth, deep in his soul. In every droplet that struck his skin, he was becoming more and more whole.
"So what?"
But that didn't matter.
"'So what?'" King repeated, offended as he furrowed his brows. "Can't you feel it, boy? This is your purpose, this is your destiny!"
"My friends are my purpose." Anthony's eyes narrowed, and he lifted his shield, beating his fist primally against it. "Protecting them is my purpose!"
"So it doesn't matter if I'm The Vessel, The Hero, or the albino freak!" Anthony took a bold step forward, DETERMINATION flaring in the red soul on his chest. "I am their shield and I will keep them safe!"
"..." King squinted, his lips curving up ever so slightly as he watched over Anthony's shoulder. "Is that so?"
"Well we ain't gonna get that done standing around here!"
"Lexi, wait-!"
Anthony threw up his shield as King yanked back one of his two chained spades, twisting his body to put full force into this throw.
But, to Anthony's shock, it shot right by him, flinging by his shoulder right towards a stunned Lexi at a terrifying and previously unseen speed.
"Damn it!" Anthony spun on his heel, reaching out and gripping the chain, which quickly ripped open the palms of his hands, splattering his blood across the ground and sending unheard pain screaming up his arms. He planted his feet, dragging across the concrete as he attempted to slow the spade's rapid approach.
His knee jerk reaction proved effective when the chain slowed, giving Lexi enough time to dive to the side, tumbling to the ground and letting the spade strike the ground with lethal precision.
Just as Anthony breathed a sigh of relief, a new wave of pain shot right through his palms. Spikes suddenly jutted from the chain of the spade, stabbing holes clean through Anthony's hands and trapping him long enough for the spiked metal whip to rapidly fling back towards him.
Anthony screamed with agony as the chain wrapped around his body, digging its spikes into his flesh and restraining his arms to his sides. The weight of the metal forced him to drop to his knees, his eyes wide as he howled with agony.
"ANNY!" Angel shouted, horrified eyes watching his best friend writhe, before an enraged fire ignited in them, and he broke into a sprint, pulling his spear back over his shoulder.
"Sit tight." King grinned, planting one foot on Anthony's back and kicking him onto his stomach. This made the boy scream louder, spikes digging into his chest and abdomen, having shattered right through his chest plate.
King's stomach mouth chomped down, severing the chain connecting King to Anthony and leaving the Vessel restrained on the soaked black concrete, writhing in agony.
Angel roared furiously, whipping his spear at King while he sprinted across the plateau. The tyrant knocked the spear aside with his forearm, but Angel was right behind it. He dove up into the air, cocked back a fist, and rammed his knuckles hatefully into King's cheek.
The despot's head was forced to to the side, but even as blood ran down his chin from the punch, he smiled at Angel. In the next instant, King smashed his knee into the spearman's abdomen, making his eyes widen as he doubled over. Next, King yanked both of his giant hands above his head, bringing them together and slamming them down on Angel's back.
Angel coughed and hacked as the force threw him down to his hands and knees before King, who cocked back one leg, smashing a kick into him and throwing him back across the rooftop. Angel slammed into the ground, rolling and skidding to a stop, where he lay face down and unresponsive.
King winced, throwing up one arm to guard his face from the ice blades that shattered against his arm, leaving slices in his skin. With his free hand he pulled back his remaining spade whip, before throwing it out towards Lexi.
Lexi jumped to the side of the blade, gripping her scythe with both hands as she ran forward, low to the ground. She jumped as she reached her father and slashed down at him, only for him to step back out of the way.
Lexi snarled, landing on her feet and spinning all the way around, slashing at King once more. He leaned back, letting Lexi's scythe swing right by before throwing his head forward, smashing his forehead into hers.
Lexi recoiled, blood trickling down from her forehead and her brain pounding with agony. She clenched her eyes shut tight and grabbed at her skull in attempt to stop the tremors running through her mind, giving King the opportunity to lift one foot, planting it in her abdomen and launching her across the rooftop with a kick.
Lexi flung through the air, eventually landing and skidding until her back slammed into the two foot concrete wall at the edge of the rooftop. Her head fell forward, hair falling over her face as her body went limp.
King yanked his spade back to himself by its chain, turning his head and letting his soulless eyes land on Xander, who had both hands outstretched, flames rapidly swirling in his grasp as he once more prepared a massive wave of fire.
Just as the blast of heat fired, King whipped his spade at Xander, sending it launching right through the rapidly approaching wave of fire. Xander's eyes snapped open wide when the spade shot through his flames, slashing across his chest with enough force to throw him back, where he landed flat, a bleeding gash carved up his abdomen as his flames disappeared to embers.
King yanked his chain back to himself, snatching it from it from the air as he looked over the crumpled bodies surrounding him.
"This is it?" King questioned harshly, looking from the scythe to the spear to the flame. "These are the four legendary heroes that have the fate of the world on their shoulders?"
"One of you is strong, and the rest of you are liabilities!" King threw his hands into the air. "This is just sad!"
"Eat... Every inch'a my dick..." Angel snarled as he slowly got his hands under himself. He grunted, struggling to push himself back to his feet.
"N-no, Angel..." Anthony pleaded weakly, black streams running down his face as he lifted his head to watch his friend helplessly. "Please, stay down..."
"You have got a lot of nerve, boy." King grinned wickedly as he walked towards Angel. "I'll give you that."
"Yeah, that's why I made out with your daughter earlier..." Angel returned King's grin in a weak and exhausted form as he got to one knee, black water dripping from the soaked strands of hair that fell over his face.
"S-stop..!" Anthony begged through heavy breaths, even though every one hurt him.
". . ." King's grin became a frown in an instant with Angel's words, his jaw clenching with aggravation.
"And I'm gonna..." Angel grunted as he pushed himself to his feet. He stumbled, but caught his footing, raising his fists. "Do it again, after I break your fuckin' jaw."
"A lot of nerve indeed." King glowered down at Angel as he loomed over him, cracking his knuckles.
"Leave him alone!" Anthony shouted, before agony appeared in his expression, and he hacked up a glob of red onto the concrete before him. Streams of red dribbled down his chin, and he gasped for breath, eyes clenching shut tight.
Angel snarled, blood and rain alike running down his face as he yanked back one fist, throwing it forward and slamming his knuckles into King's cheek, once more sending the tyrant's head tilting to the side.
And once more King slowly pushed his head back into place, glaring at Angel. He reached out, grabbing him by the collar and pulling him up into the air, right off his feet as if he was weightless.
"Stop it..!" Anthony demanded, tears filling his eyes as he flailed pathetically, helplessly. "It's me you want, not him..!"
"So what, you're gonna kill me..?!" Angel growled, digging his finger nails into King's arm until he broke skin and blood overflowed. "You ain't got the nuts..!"
"Bold last words, you brat." King spat back just as venomously, grabbing where chain met spade on his weapon and pulling it back to stab Angel with.
"N-no... Stop..." Anthony slowly shook his head. Tears, blood, and this filthy rain all streamed down his face.
*Kill.
"Stop..!" Anthony's teeth began to grind, desperation and hopelessness starting to transition into fury in his eyes.
*Kill!
His feet kicked, his fingers clawed at his palms. Underneath him, his shadow began to writhe. It took on long, wormish shapes, squirming disgustingly over the black drenched concrete. Anthony thrashed viciously, not feeling the stabbing agony of the spikes digging further into his flesh with his every motion.
"I SAID..!"
King paused, he and Angel's eyes darting with shock over to Anthony as they felt the air suddenly pressurize. To King's pleasure and to Angel's horror, they watched as the puddles of black water began to slide across the stone floor, being sucked into Anthony, slipping into the chains that held him and disappearing into the many holes punched in his flesh.
*KILL!
"STOP!" Anthony shouted at the top of his lungs, just before a brilliant red flared from his body, a gust of wind blasting out from around him.
The light was blinding, making King wince and stumble back, still restraining Angel, who had thrown up an arm to guard his eyes from the violent flash. Shards of shattered metal blasted out from the ruby flare with the billowing gusts.
Lexi slowly lifted her head, dazed eyes spotting the swirling red energy that engulfed Anthony between the strands of black hair that fell over her face. Her jaw clenched weakly, eyes narrowing with anticipation.
Xander managed to prop himself up on one elbow, cold sweat making its way down his face as he gripped the bleeding tear across his upper body. He narrowed his eyes with worry at the DETERMINED light radiating from his friend.
As the light faded enough to be seen through once again, Anthony could be seen, his restraints laying a cracked and melted mess at his feet. He stood at the epicenter of a swirling red vortex, screaming bloody murder and digging his fingers into his skull. He held his head tightly, like he was afraid it would split open from the massive influx of foreign thoughts.
*RIP.
*TEAR.
*CRUSH.
*SMASH.
*KILL.
*SLAUGHTER.
*DESTROY.
Anthony's finger nails ripped into the flesh of his head, sending red streams into his tainted white hair, adding ruby to the ivory and the obsidian streaks. His armor had fallen to a broken pile at his feet, revealing the multiple puncture wounds throughout his upper body, which was now bare, awash in streams of blood, sweat, and chaos rain.
He flailed, desperately trying to push away the malicious thoughts in his head. But there was no end to them. They screamed and screeched, pounded on the wall of his skull and demanded that they be free. His mouth hung open in his screaming, saliva running down his chin and tears streaming down his cheeks. His eyes were open wide, bloodshot as they stared into the pouring black rain. With each and every drop that struck his flesh, those voice got louder.
At Anthony's feet, his shadow writhed. It whipped out in different directions, taking the shapes of worms with gnashing teeth. They began to lift from the earth, maintaining their 2D, paper thin shape. They struggled however, looking to be trying to take their full form.
"STOP IT! STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT!" Anthony doubled over as he shouted. He clenched his eyes shut tight, and everyone's eyes darted to the amassing orb of shadows in front of him.
King's eyes widened in sudden agony, and Angel's emerald orbs did the same as he suddenly felt himself dropping back onto the ground.
"AAGH!" King screamed with agony, dropping to one knee and grabbing his forearm, which now ended in a stump. In the air, a shadow worm writhed, chewing and swallowing the tyrant's hand after it had lashed out from that ball of shadow before Anthony at an inconceivable speed. Blood spilled from between its teeth, and it relished in this fact, a disgusting and long tongue slipping from between its sharp teeth to lick away the blood that had spilled over.
Angel quickly crawled back away from the filthy creature, before his eyes darted to his best friend. His heart ached with empathy as he watched Anthony scream and writhe, flail in his agony and claw at his skull.
"Anny, don't worry!" Angel climbed to his feet quickly, ignoring the ache of his body and beginning to run towards Anthony. "I'm coming!"
"N-no!" Anthony cried out, lowering his head and looking up to Angel with one shining red left eye. "Don't get any closer!"
Angel slid to a stop ten feet from Anthony, furrowing his brows with confusion and worry. "Anny, it's okay! It's just me!"
"STAY BACK!" Anthony screamed, stumbling back and shaking his head rapidly. "I-I don't wanna hurt you!"
"Anny..." Angel's shoulder relaxed, and he took a step towards his best friend. "You're my best friend. You'd never hurt me."
"No!" Anthony sniveled, lifting his head to look to Angel as tears streamed down his face. "I-I'm dangerous! I'm the Vessel, I'm Chaos Incarnate!"
"No you aren't." Angel spoke calmly as he continued to walk towards him, not a speck of hesitation in his eyes. "I know you, Anthony. You're gentle and caring. You couldn't hurt a fly."
"You're a big softy and..." Angel smiled sweetly as he stood before Anthony, only a few feet between the two now. "You're my hero."
"I-I... I am..?" Anthony's voice calmed some, and the shadows around the two began to slow, starting to lower back towards the ground.
"Of course you are. If it wasn't for you I... I wouldn't have ever had anybody." Angel smiled sadly, KINDNESS shining in his green eyes. "I wouldn't have any reason to work harder to be a better person every day."
"Everything I have, all of my accomplishments, all the friends we have now... It's all because of you." Angel reached out, putting his hands on his best friend's shoulders and looking him in the eye. "Because you inspire me. You inspire all of us. It's you, Anthony. Your kindness, your care, all the effort you put in to help anyone in need."
Angel pulled Anthony forward, and the red aura around the two dissipated, their shadows returning to normal under their feet as he embraced his best friend, hugging him tight.
"You're not a monster, Anthony... You are not a bad person."
The pain disappeared from Anthony's expression, and he sniffled, before wrapping his arms around Angel and burying his face in his shoulder, where he sobbed hysterically.
"That's it..." Angel spoke softly, rubbing Anthony's back as he cried. "Let it all out, it's okay..."
Anthony felt all of the twisted emotions that had been haunting him disappear, replaced by a feeling of acceptance and safety. He'd felt just a moment ago that his grip on reality was slipping, that he was losing himself a tidal wave of disgusting thoughts and desires, an insatiable thirst for blood was consuming him.
But here, in the arms of his guardian Angel, he felt those disturbing desires melt away. Sucked back into whatever drain they'd overflown from.
Angel smiled with great relief as Anthony relaxed. Nothing else mattered then. He had Anthony, and he was safe. There was no King, there was no Fountain, there was no Chaos.
THUNK THUNK THUNK.
Back to reality.
Angel's eyes went wide, and he stiffened with pain. Slowly he looked over his shoulder, finding three magic spades lodged in his back, blood streaming over them and down his shirt.
"Ah... Shit..!" Angel managed to grunt as he felt the strength leave his legs, making him drop down to one knee in front of Anthony, who's eyes widened and darted down to him.
"A-Angel?!"
THUNK.
Anthony's eyes went wide, his body jolting and his jaw dropping in a stunning kind of agony.
"A-... Agh..?" Anthony's eyes lowered to the chained spade that stabbed clean through his abdomen with it's pointed top, the peak of which went all the way through, jutting out of his back. The heat of of the pain was quickly being replaced by the cold relief of going into shock, the light dimming in Anthony's eyes.
King yanked back on the chain, pulling Anthony away from Angel and through the air. He reached out as his spade whip disappeared back into his stomach, catching Anthony by the collar of his shirt.
Anthony was unresponsive, limp in King's grasp as blood splattered in puddles under him, the spade being ripped from his flesh and returning into King's gut mouth. King held Anthony low to the ground, and his limp legs and arms dragged across the floor as he began to walk with slow, lumbering steps towards the Fountain across the rooftop.
"N-no... Stop..!" Angel forced himself onto shaky feet, stumbling weakly towards King, even as his face went pale and pain screamed through his body. "Y-you... Can't..!"
"I can and I must." King spoke coldly, frowning with hate as he stared through the lone hero before him. "Chaos Incarnate must return, and your friend must be sacrificed!"
"I won't let you..!" Angel stumbled towards his foe, coughing a glob of blood to the floor and placing one hand over his abdomen, clenching the other one at his side. "You can't..! Have him..!"
Angel's body jerked to and fro as more spades lodged themselves in his flesh. His shoulders, his arms, his legs. But his knees refused to buckle, his teeth never stopped gritting, and his fist never unclenched.
He stumbled a few steps closer, but just as he reached King, his legs gave way, and he dropped to his knees in front of the tyrant, gasping for breath and grabbing desperately onto his leg.
"I just... Got him back damn it..." Tears of indignation streamed down Angel's face as he clung to King pathetically. "I won't... Let you take him away..."
King didn't speak. He just continued walking, dragging Angel on his belly with him.
"Stop it! Please..!" Angel begged, dragging behind King and watching the Fountain approach. "Not him! Anyone but him!"
King came to a stop before the inky black geyser, staring blankly into its depths as he held The Vessel with his only remaining hand.
"Take me!" Angel pleaded desperately, turning his head down as his tears struck the ground. "Just please, God, not him! Take me instead!"
King pulled Anthony back, and the shield slipped off of his limp arm, clattering to the ground.
"He's all I've got! Please!" Tears streamed down Angel's grief stricken face as he shouted and sobbed his desperate pleas on deaf ears. "I'll do anything! Just don't take him away!"
And in one effortless motion, King tossed Anthony's motionless body into the vantablack geyser.
Angel's eyes went wide. His blood froze in his veins, his breath caught in his lungs, and his heart stopped in his chest. For a second that felt like an eternity, all was silent.
And then, a shock wave of power exploded out from the Fountain, slamming into King and Angel.
King skidded back on his feet, throwing his arms up in an X to guard against the vicious winds. Gradually he came to a stop, and he grinned wickedly up at the geyser, which was now a beam of black energy firing straight up into the sky like some kind of monument to doom itself.
"YES! I'VE DONE IT!" King laughed wickedly and hysterically, throwing his arms out to his sides as he gazed upon the end of days. "I HAVE FULFILLED THE DOCTOR'S WISH!"
"COME, CHAOS INCARNATE! RETURN TO US, AND LAY WASTE TO THE LIGHTNERS' PATHETIC WORLD!"
Angel let go of King's ankle, being sent sliding on his side across the ground to the middle of the rooftop before the winds died down and he came to a stop.
There he laid, beaten and broken, with a clear view of the end of the world. His tears stopped flowing. Any emotion at all seemed to be crushed under the gravity of this moment. Of the sight before him.
This is how the world ends. Not sad, not desperate to survive. Just... Numb. Watching death race closer with cold eyes and an empty heart.
And in Angel's mind, only one thought could survive.
... We failed.
Concrete.
Anthony was laying on a concrete floor. Staring up at wooden planks, though they were hard to make out in the basement's dim light.
Footsteps echoed, and a very familiar face came into view, standing over Anthony with a hand in his pocket.
He had ivory skin and hair, and dull, hopeless red eyes. One of his hands was halfway in his jeans pocket, and his other hung limp. In its grasp was one blood and dust soaked chunk of metal that Anthony recognized just as clearly as he recognized this other self.
"... Hey." Anarchy spoke with stunning calm, blinking those lifeless eyes down at his Heads.
"..." Anthony slowly propped himself up on his hands, staring up at his Tails. "... Hey."
Anarchy didn't speak for a moment. He walked leisurely to be across from Anthony, where he calmly took a seat. He crossed his legs, laid his crowbar across his lap, and gripped his knees while he slouched forward. "Do you remember me?"
"I... Didn't for awhile, but..." Anthony's eyes glossed over to the shield that lay at his side as he crossed his legs, before he looked back to his other half. "... Yes, I remember you."
"Good." Anarchy's lips curled up in a smile that was entirely devoid of joy, those dull eyes not leaving the bright eyes of his counterpart.
"Because you n' me need to talk."
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