*The events in this story will take place as Ruby and Summer go off onto their own journey…*
Weiss and Irad roam the halls of 'their' castle, heading to the dining area… It was still a lot to take in for the white angel; the fact that Weiss now owns a castle, alongside her fiancé… Her thoughts would turn to her friend, Ruby. Despite what she thought at first, she really was worried about her and her mother. She silently hoped and prayed that they would come back ok. As they continued to walk, Irad noticed his lover was lost in thought,
"Something the matter, honey?" He asked.
Weiss sighs to herself that it was this obvious, but then again, Irad knows her very well, "I can't help but think if Ruby and her mother are really ready for… Whatever Everafter is. Seems rather strange that such a place actually exists…" Hearing about it through stories and myths. Despite that, she still fears that her friend and her mother are going to enter unknown territory.
"Though it may be treacherous, they should be fine… I believe in them." He said, pausing for a moment, before continuing, "Although, I do understand what you mean… I too would worry for the ones I care for. I've grown very fond of your friends, and I do wish the best for them, and want them to be safe and happy… But, for the greater good of all, it is how it is." It didn't change her mood, but she very much understood the meaning. Although a part of her still wanted to be with them.
"I see..."
He looks at her from the corner of his eye, and would smile, "But y'know, even though you are a ruler now alongside me… We will still do fun things, such as going on missions… I-I'm sure those two will be back… But It'd be boring to just sit around all the time… And I'd be more than happy to arrange a mission for your friends and you, for old time's sake…" He says, hoping that will ease her mind a bit. He chuckles, "I actually was thinking of having a sparring session where all of you go all out against me. I would love to see each of your teamwork put on display… And to see if the rumors are true."
Weiss would raise a brow, "What rumors?"
Irad thought, "The rumors that RWBY has a super secret team move… It sounds like something Ruby would say, anyways." He states, in thought.
Weiss raises her brow. "Ruby came up with many team moves. They are more situational than special."
He nods, "I see… I shall look forward to seeing them." Suddenly, jingles from a collar could be heard, and a pit bull came around excitedly, greeting Irad, and Weiss. Weiss' demeanor instantly turned happy upon seeing Irad's dog, Silver. His fur was a gray color with white spots. In the words of Weiss' when she first met Silver on her first morning in Irad's castle, Silver's face was "... so cute and squishable!"
Since then, Silver seemed to adore Weiss, and was always excited to see her… As for Irad though, Silver loved Irad, but not as much as Weiss. Silver licks her face, as Weiss squatted on the floor,
"Who's a good boy? Yes you are!" She cooed in a baby voice as she pet the dog's face. Irad would chuckle at the wholesome sight before him.
"Well what about me? Where's MY kisses?" He asked the dog with a chuckle, whilst petting it along with Weiss.
Weiss giggles. "Well it seems obvious by looking at it. He is that excited to see me." As much as she grows, she can't help but keep her snark. At the very least she feels more comfortable showing it off around her close partner.
Irad laughs, "Man, now that is cold… Come on boy! Dinner is ready!" Irad said, patting his leg as they stood, and the dog followed them. They enter the grand dining room, and take a seat. Weiss and Irad sit by each other on the long dining room table, and Silver would dart for his food bowl that is packed with dog food.
Soon, Irad and Weiss' meals were served, and Weiss raised a brow. It was chicken wrapped in a tortilla, with green bell peppers within, and smothered with cheese. A green mix was in a bowl to the side, "Guacamole" Irad had said. She grabbed her fork, and poked at it, observing.
"I was able to have my ma's recipe copied pretty well… It's… Still not the same…" He said, poking his meal and frowning, remembering his past, before smiling again, "But it's still very similar. I hope you like it! I'll brief you on our mission as we eat…" He states, as he cuts his food with a knife, and mixes his guacamole in.
She tries it, and it still is not yet what she is used to. Although it does have her taste buds jumping, so it was doing its job. After trying many dishes she wasn't used to, it was kinda refreshing at this point. "My compliments to the chef." She said pridefully.
Irad smiles gleefully, "I… I knew you'd like it. Almost like you're meeting my mother…" He says, as he wipes a tear. He'd then put down his silverware, and cleared his throat, collecting himself, before accessing his watch,
"Sorry… Let's get down to business." He then swipes up, and a picture of the tower, and Weiss' father appeared,
"I'm sorry to have to bring him up… But you see, when we brought Jacques into custody, Ironwood cockblocked me from taking him into our prison system, and had him put into the cells in Atlas of Remnant. When the process of transferring prisoners to Ragadol commenced, Jacques was able to escape. We've been searching tirelessly for him." He says, sighing in frustration before continuing, "Next thing we knew, we've had signatures of activity coming from the tower… I believe he could be there. For what reason, I'm not so sure." Irad says, and would turn to Weiss.
Weiss lets this sink in for a bit. Knowing that her father is out there concerns her. Although he is not likely a threat at all compared to everything she battled, she still can't help but worry with that though. Eventually, she speaks up. "So what is your plan?"
"We will make a ground assault, and defeat him. We'll be going solo. You and I will enter the tower, and apprehend your father… We can't take chances. Besides, I'm sure he'll be staying put if he knows we are coming along… Especially me. Knowing him, he'd do everything in his power to take me out since I humiliated him. Whatever is up there, it may aid him." He says, and he would take a bite of his food, and would think.
"Seems rather overkill if you ask me." Weiss scoffed, refusing to see her father as nothing more than a petty man, who only overpowered her through status. But now that it's gone, what even is he but a desperate man.
"The possibility could be this: a dark power could be up there, and could grant him great power… You must not underestimate the enemy…" He sighs, "I know it's a bit hard… But we must be weary. Jacques is sly and cunning. You never know what could be hiding… You don't know this, but he had contingency plans in store to go against me and anyone if he were taken out from his position… It took awhile to make things die down, and "drain the swamp". I was largely successful, but I think this is his final stand."
Ultimately, the Heiress sighs. "I have to see this for myself. No loose ends, right?"
He nods, "For now… Let's enjoy our meal together. We'll need all the energy we can gather." He states, continuing to eat. "Oh yeah!" He states as he swallowed, and he would switch the screen, and before Weiss was Irad's emblem… Except it looked different. The fox-dragon was present in the middle, with a cross above its head, as usual, but around the circle was Weiss' snowflake emblem. It seems he went for the emblem that combined both of theirs.
"I recently came up with the new emblem for our Supremacy. Every flag, banner, and currency will be changed to this… We are becoming one, after all, and we are the first of our lineage… What do you think?" He asks, hopeful that she likes the new emblem.
After inspecting it, she would give a smirk. "Pretty flashy. I like it." He smiles, glad she loved his idea.
Time passes, and the two are already in their gear and ready to start. Weiss would don a new outfit, lighter than when she and her friends went against Nightmare. Her hair was down, and she donned her heiress crown, which soon, as she was told, would be replaced with her Overlordess crown once the wedding ceremony comes, and she is crowned as Ragadol's ruler alongside the Overlord. She wore a white, sleeveless, form fitting bodice that had silver intricate patterns, with a white mantle draped over her bodice. Her collar would stick out, and underneath the material was a silvery texture. She kept her "combat skirt", but her skirt came down lower on the back, while the front remained thigh-length. On her clothing, she wore some armor in certain places. She wore white-lined with silver- armor on her shoulders and forearms. The new insignia of supremacy was etched onto her back armor plate. She wore white-laced with silver- boots that came up to her knees, with silver fox fur accents on the top. Around her waist, she had a White leather belt, with Myrtenaster safely adjusted. She also carried a pouch that held her dust, and another that carried the special dust from her lover. She wore white gloves, matching the armor on the top of her forearms. She was rather impressed by the craftsmanship, and how apparently her Fiancé came up with such an outfit. Irad just wore what he usually wears, much to Weiss' confusion,
"Meh, I'm fine with what I have. Served me well for many years… I can always use magic to summon armor onto me anyways." He had said with a casual shrug, but would continue to look at Weiss with love in his eyes, taking in her beautiful form, much to her embarrassment; but inside, she was very happy he liked how she looked. They would approach a small ship that Irad would be driving. It looked sleek and thin; probably to be fast and stealthy, Weiss thought.
"Shall we, M'lady?" Irad asked Weiss, offering a hand, and slightly bowing.
She softly puts her hand to his. "Let's."
He helps her onto the ship, Weiss would have to slightly crouch to move inside. She would take a seat, and would look to see Irad about to come in, but a woman with blue hair, and a black Ragadol general's outfit would rush to Irad,
"Wait! Irad!" She had called out. He turns to her, raising a brow,
"What is it, lady Lucina?" He inquired.
"Um… Sir, why not let the guard handle this? I'm sure-"
"Now-now Lucy… We spoke about this, this is a threat that not even the guard can handle at the moment. I'll be going with my dearest friend and lover, Weiss. We'll be back soon, perhaps a few hours, maybe a couple of days, it depends." Irad said. Lucina would look down,
"Well I…" She started, but stopped herself, forcing a serious, but concerned expression, "Just, come back safe." She says, and Irad would nod,
"Of course, general. Do have the guard ready for if any threats appear when I am away." Irad says without skipping a beat. "We will have that tea soon and discuss the progress with the training of your troops. I hope you won't mind my fiancé being there too so you can fill her in." He says, and she would nod, then walk off. Irad would then turn and enter the ship, closing the hatch behind him, and sitting in his seat, as he prepared for liftoff.
Weiss would admire her dress a bit more, then notice Irad back to sit next to her. "I never get tired of this, you know." She comments with delight.
He smiles, very delighted, "I'm glad! I try to do my best to be full of surprises." He says, as he gets the ship to rise up and fly off, "We'll take the teleport to Atlas, then we will go from there. It will take an hour or so to get to the Darklands… Or well, really they aren't that dark anymore since Salem and Nightmare were killed." He says, flying through the air traffic.
"Hm… What can we call it at this point?" Weiss asks, feeling like continuing this topic.
He'd think, "Actually, that's a good question… One of my advisors did suggest making it into a mining operation instead, and using the mole method… Basically, we send a machine drilling into a hole, and it would sift through the dirt as it goes. Clean and doesn't affect the environment, nine times out of ten… It would be called 'Sector X632' by then… I will say, most of the people of Remnant migrated to Ragadol, living in the cities and large fields, as per usual, anytime I really take in a realm when they catch a whiff of Ragadol. I haven't put much effort into Remnant that much, except you know, keep it running well, of course. It's only because of the lack of a large population now. Business is booming in Ragadol, basically. The only people left in Remnant are those that don't wish to part from their home, so making it onto a public space may not be an option. The other option would be to leave it to nature, which seems appealing."
The heiress thinks on it for a moment. "That location was her domain for a long time. I can't help but feel like there is at least some small margin of Salem or Nightmare's influence hiding somewhere." Expressing her own cautious two cents on this.
He nods, "I agree… Perhaps once we deal with this threat, their hold won't be there any longer. There may seem to be no darkness there… But those two locations, the castle and tower, are a mark of where they once were, and must be destroyed." He said, clutching the steering handles, before releasing his grip, "Your father is messing with forces he can't comprehend… Whatever plan he has in store, is stupid in general. And if he isn't careful… One possible outcome is he releases a Nightmare from another universe into Remnant." They enter the teleport to Atlas, and he continues, "That tower is capable of many things. It's how you and everyone else was able to reach the dimension of the Light and Dark idols."
"Strange how that fairy tail of those two brothers and the creation of dust being real isn't the strangest thing this year." She admits.
He grins, "With God, anything is possible… When you are with me… You'll see a lot more crazy shit where that came from. Grimm and magic is one thing…" He glances at Weiss, "Talking ponies, cows, alicorns, pigs, mermaids, you name it, it's just about out there. If you think Ragadol is advanced, just look at a few other universes. As I said, with God, all is possible, under His law." He laughs, "Even toilets with heads in them that sing this strange tune… And something about a… What was it- a camera head? A clock head? I dunno, but they had objects for heads. Yeah, it gets very weird. All things have a purpose though, no matter how weird."
Weiss could feel overwhelmed by the thought of these and shakes her hand. "Okay-okay, lets focus on the task at hand here."
He nods, "Roger that…" He looked down at Atlas as they flew, "A bit weird to see Atlas so empty… I heard there was a population reduction after the migration, but man… There's barely anyone here." He'd say, looking out at the floating city as they flew for the border.
"I don't like this..." Living in Atlas for almost all her life, for Weiss, this was unnerving to say the least.
He sighs, "Well it was their choice to leave… I'm sure some Ragadol citizens will come here. I'm not gonna let it lay to waste…" He then has a realization, "Wait, so Atlas floats… What exactly keeps it up?"
Weiss tries to remember. "As far as I know, the gravity dust."
He thought for a long moment, then cheekily smiled, a plan brewed, and he mischievously looked to Weiss, "What if we were to… You know…" He makes a plucking motion with one hand, "Pluck Atlas from Remnant, find a suitable place, then, casually place it elsewhere on Ragadol…" He'd then make a circular motion with his hand, "Of course I'd make it to where we won't rely on gravity dust because… Well… If you remember when you and your friends went after that Merlot guy, we were in the mines and we encountered that bomb that was in that one cave with the green grim… But my point is, Dust doesn't seem all that reliable as an energy source than Ragadol's… I dunno, those events were in a game anyways, with what I saw… Granite things ended much differently- in my old realm it was a running sequence..."
"Hm… I guess you're right." She merely shrugs. "Wait… Game?" That part she couldn't wrap her head around, since all she has been hearing is her whole life was a TV show on his end.
He sweat drops, "Uh- it's just a small game that captures one of your guys' small adventures… It follows along with the timeline I warned you about… Basically the player played as one of you, and we fought in a story mode, or a wave mode… It's… Complicated. I'd have to show you for you to understand." Weiss seemed confused for a moment, but would just roll with it. She did wonder though,
"In this… 'Game'… Did you um… 'Play', as me?"
"All the time… You were always my number one, and best…" He says, smiling to himself. But he would clear his throat and blush, Weiss being flattered, "B-but that's far from our original topic… Um, since we uh- are in agreement, I'll talk with some people and work on bringing Atlas over to Ragadol… Heck, we will even make it bigger and remake buildings while we are at it… How does 'New Atlas' sound?" He says, motioning a hand out to make the name seem more appealing.
Weiss nods. "Not too bad." She admits.
Irad squeals a bit in excitement, "Man, I kinda love making a plan… It's satisfying to me, and gets me excited to make it happen… Situations like these, I mean." He says with a smile, as they move at fast speeds, heading for the distant lands to their location.
She chuckles. "Okay, let's calm down." As geeky as he sounds, she can't help but find it amusing. He smiled and settled back in his seat. A few hours later, they reach the Dark Lands… Except it looked more cloudy, with patches of sun, and looked brighter than when they first came. Weiss would look down and saw that grass and trees were beginning to grow.
"It seems nature is taking back what is hers, eh?" He said as they were approaching Evernight Castle in the distance.
"About time." Weiss lets out. "When exactly will this place be completely colonized?"
"As soon as possible…" He says, looking out, "We'll have to ensure the area is clean of the dark energy though. Can't risk anything happening… By then, we'll have figured out what to do with this land." He says, looking before him. As they got closer to the castle, with the tower in the distance, Irad had a feeling in his gut… It would be then that he veered the ship around, as a fireball almost hit the hull.
"What was that?!" Weiss yelled out, and Irad looked up with an annoyed expression,
"The welcoming party…" He exclaimed as he veered around more fireballs. Irad would catch sight of the beast's shadow, but not the beast itself. Soon the two's luck would run out, and a fireball would blast the wing of the hull, and the ship would start to fall towards the castle's entrance.
"Hold on!" Irad said, as he unbuckled his seatbelt and grabbed Weiss from behind her collar, then sprung up and out of the glass, carrying Weiss with him, and flying into the air, as the ship crashed into the entrance of Evernight Castle. After gaining a bit of height, he tossed Weiss up due to the momentum, and she would flail around for a bit, but would be caught bridal style by Irad, who floated in the air with his wings expanded. Irad would touch down on the ground in the entrance of the castle, and would place Weiss back down, as Weiss was panting from the turn of events. Irad would peek outside, and he hears the beast roar ferociously, and retreat at the top of the castle.
"Hm… What an entrance…" He quips, looking upward, before turning to Weiss, "Are you hurt at all?" He asks, hoping his lover was alright.
"O-Of course not." Weiss would wipe her head from sweat, gaining back her composure.
Irad would summon his cane, and roll his shoulders back, making them pop,
"Alright, it seems we'll need to make a clean sweep of the castle… Who knows, maybe Jacques will be here." He says, looking around, and he would go wide eyed as Beowolf started to rise from incantations on the floor that looked similar to glyphs, but it looked… Altered. Irad unsheathes his sword and takes a stance,
"We're gonna need to fight through!" Irad states, as Weiss also prepares her Myrtenaster. The Beowolf growled, showing its sharp teeth. Its body seemed to have a flame burning throughout its body, its skeletal features being tattered and charred, while its fur looked like obsidian. Its claws were orange and seemed red hot with hellfire. The Beowolfs began to stalk their prey, as Irad and Weiss observed them.
"They should be weak to Holy Magic… Be prepared to use my dust… Fuck, what have you done, Jacques?" Irad says, ready to strike when Weiss is.
The heiress grips her weapon. She couldn't believe her father would be involved, as terrible as he is. But regardless, she is ready to confront him. But first, these Grimm to take care of. This is something she was more than ready for. "Let's get this over with." Her tone was as cold as ice, but brimmed with determination.
Irad and Weiss attack ferociously. Weiss would summon glyphs, and Irad would alter them to make them more effective. Irad cut off the head of one of the grimm, and another would slash down, Irad catching the claw with his sword, and was stuck in a sword lock with the beast, as it tries to bring its claw down on Irad. Weiss would be fighting two grimm at once, using her abilities against them. A Beowolf would attempt to slash at her with fiery claws, but she would freeze its hand, and it would scream in pain as its hand smoked. Weiss would then impale the grimm, and flip over another that tried to strike from behind, and would slash it down. Irad would finish off the grimm he was locked with, by knocking it back, and making a big slash after sheathing and unsheathing his blade. They'd look around the room, seeing that it was clear, and Irad would motion to the stairs,
"Let's go!" Irad ordered, and Weiss nodded, as they ran forward. More types of grimm would be summoned along the halls as they ran, and they would cut them down. Soon they would reach the throne room, at which her father sat… He looked at the two with a smug grin, his aura seemingly different since last Weiss met him… His aura felt darker, and his eyes seemed to be black with red iris'. His veins seemed to radiate darkness, alike to Nightmaratack.
"Well if it isn't my lovely daughter." Jacques walks closer, but not too close to the danger. "I feel a little flattered to see you actually coming all this way to see me." Weiss cringes at his words. Jacques' eyes would wander, and he would notice the engagement rings on Irad and Weiss' fingers. Irad would stand tall, gripping his cane-yamato tightly, and his expression would contort into a scowl at the man that stood before him. "Oh? So does that make you my son-in-law? I don't know how to feel about that." He doesn't seem pleased. He walks around them, beginning to smirk again. "I never dreamed you would find your own spouse. Personally, I would have selected one for you and been done with it. But you weren't one to follow the rules, weren't you?"
He steps up a bit in front of Weiss, standing off, "You are no father of mine… And you were never a father of Weiss. You lost that right a long time ago, heartless bastard…" Irad carries a dark expression, and would tilt his head forward, looking at Jacques dead in the eye, "Tell me, Jacques, did you ever put yourself in the shoes of the people you hurt? Have you ever once considered that your actions may have bad consequences?" He'd say, and Jacques would stop in front of where Irad stood, "No… No of course you wouldn't. As long as you had your money and power… But you see… God has quite a way to bring you back to reality. You see- money and power are material things. It cannot be brought in death… And no matter what you do, death always comes… That's what people like you forget- that money, power, houses, cars, gadgets… It's all material things that won't even be there in the future." Irad opens his arms, "And I'm the one that gave you that reality check… Now look at you… An old, frail man who made a desperate deal with a demon…" Irad closes his eyes, using his sixth sense, "Oh yes- I can sense it… The same powerful demon that was within Cinder… It seems it escaped at the last second when I struck her down…" He tsks, "Live and learn I guess…"
Jacques looks unimpressed, "What truly matters to me… Is the legacy that I leave behind of myself… I do commend you for ruining my reputation, and taking everything I worked for… But I have a bigger vision now." He says.
"Ah- by embracing becoming a monster… That- or thinking that demon will actually give you something you'd never be able to obtain… So clever." He sneered. Irad would then notice Weiss, holding the handle to Myrtenaster with a tight grip… She hasn't seen her father in such a long time… Their last meeting was when Irad took him down.
"Tell me…" She starts, a bit emotional, "Did you… For one second… Even care about any of us? Did you ever even love us? Or did you always see us as pawns in your little game…" She says, clutching her weapon harder at the last part.
Jacques Schnee finds himself shaking his head. "Do you hear yourself child? You are speaking childish nonsense. This is the real world Weiss, I thought you knew better." He would place his fingers to his forehead. "I don't know what they have been teaching you in Beacon, but it won't do you any good here." His tone shows even more of an arrogant air.
"As if someone like you would even comprehend love… The only person you care about is yourself…" Irad tsks, "You don't even know what the hell you got yourself into…"
Jacques grinned, "I know enough that I'll get what I want… The power to destroy you all, and take my place as the higher power… If you really want to know more… Then I suppose you both need to survive my parting gift." He exclaimed before laughing maniacally, and disappearing in a flurry of dark flames. Weiss ran to where her father was, and was angered,
"He got away!" She angrily stated, her emotions starting to overwhelm her a bit. Irad would put a hand to her shoulder,
"Look dear, don't let him get to you. We need to stay focused. We'll get to that tower and we will stop him. Just calm down… I'm as angry as you, but we just gotta keep fighting." He says, and Weiss would look to Irad's eyes, his eyes filled with determination, and Weiss would sniff, wiping a tear, before nodding. They crouched down though when they heard a roar, and heard something big fly outside the castle.
"Stay alert!" Irad says, having a hand on his blade. The duo looked around, listening for the sounds of the beast. It would roar again, and shake the castle a bit, and they looked to where the sound came from, and silence followed… Suddenly, Irad pulled Weiss down,
"DOWN!" He yelled, and the beast crashed in through the wall where the throne was. The beast would land afar in front of them, facing them and roaring.
"Oh- fuckin' Ridley!" Irad states, pulling his blade out. Weiss looked at the dragon, and widened her eyes.
Before them, Ridley stood tall, his skin a purple color that seemed rough and burnt. Much of his body was covered in obsidian-black armor, with molten cracks all over that emanated dark and fiery energy.
He had four wings, two large and two small. His wings looked tattered, and the tips of his wings were very sharp. His tail was covered in armor as well, and the blade of the tail looked very devastating, red hot at the tip of the blade. Ridley's eyes flared to life in a purple color through the helmet, and he opened his mouth menacingly, his mouth glowing red.
"Is it possible to see much uglier creatures each time we battle them?" The heiress said in annoyance, readying her weapon.
"Sorry to say, but they can get uglier than this. Hell hasn't been kind for this one here." He says, taking a stance, and they would charge.
(Battle Theme: Vs. Ridley (Doom Version) [HQ] from Super Metroid by Andrew Baena and Geoffrey Day zqhdXtDVF0c?si=uwK2ZGtna_ygdMLF)
Weiss starts off, as she stabs her sword down, and creates an intense ring of fire in front of the sword.
Ridley looks around at the blue flames, while Irad charges headlong, and Ridley would block his strike with his armored tail. Ridley and Irad would get into a heated exchange, as Ridley used his tail like a sword, stabbing, jabbing, and parrying, while Weiss slid in and casted glyphs to distract the beast. She would cast more glyphs to increase her's and Irad's speed, the duo working in harmony with one another. Irad would combine his aggressive and calculated form with Weiss' graceful and precise form. They would each flip over one another, as if in a dance, creating and combining attacks. Ridley would fly up and blast at them with intense heat, to which they dodged.
"Don't let that hellfire get you, it is much more potent than regular fire!" Irad exclaimed, while dodging a shadowy claw strike. Weiss then had an idea,
"Irad! Bring him down!" Weiss said, and Irad would smile, he knew she had an idea. He would grow his wings once more, and began to fly to Ridley's height, and would engage him. They'd exchange blows, but Irad would soon deliver a devastating blast to Ridley's chest that knocked him down, and cracked his armor. Weiss would then use time dilation glyphs to slow him down.
Irad and Weiss attacked on both sides, damaging Ridley more and more, and cracking his armor, before Ridley broke through the glyph and roared, exuding a large amount of dark fire that sent the two back. The couple would slide back onto their feet, and charge once more, but Ridley would teleport away, and would reappear at the columns above. He would roar fiercely, before toppling the columns, and making the castle shake. Irad would scale up one of the falling columns to get to Ridley, and he saw Weiss do the same. Ridley charges his mouth and starts firing fireballs all over the two. Weiss thinks fast and uses her glyph to block them, with Irad following her trail. Weiss would then charge the glyph to become another attack, and Irad would enhance the glyph further,
"This ones gonna be a banger!" Irad states with a smile, as he stored more magic within Weiss to use. Weiss could feel the flow of holy magic flow through her… When she first felt it, it felt foreign and strange… But the closer she got with Irad, the more it felt natural to her; as if it were a part of her. Once the Glyph charged up, she unleashed the attack, which created a large blast where two fox-dragons emerged from the glyph, spiraling around each-other and hitting Ridley, creating a huge explosion that sent Ridley out of the room through a wall, and into another room. Weiss and Irad would follow, and keep attacking the heavily damaged Ridley, which his armor was breaking apart by now. He struggled backwards, and was desperately on the defensive, parrying their hits with his tail, with the duo knowing the battle is going to end soon at this rate. Weiss then stabs the ground with her Mrytenaster and then slows down time across the whole room. With Irad ready to finish off the already damaged and tired Ridley, now falling victim of the slow down time. Irad comes down on Ridley, landing behind him, and would have a hand over the hilt of his blade,
"YOU. WILL. FALL." He says, and he charges at Ridley, and seemingly disappears, as time seems to come to a stop, even for Weiss. Irad would reappear in front of Ridley, facing away, in a kneeled position, and slowly sheathing his blade. Everything around them was covered in a fiery blue color, and looked warped, as if reality itself was bending. Once Irad snapped his blade back into its sheath, everything returned normal, with Ridley crying out as his armor broke, and he was cast aflame by Irad's fire. Irad stood tall, his coat billowing in the wind, and Weiss looked in shock, and in awe… Ridley fell limp as his body was disintegrating by the holy fire. Irad would then walk up to Weiss, and Irad smiled,
"Just a little trick I picked up on from the one who helped train me." He states with a wink.
Weiss shakes her head in amusement, with a blush on her face, "You never cease to amaze me…" She states with a big smile, and in reply, he would kiss her head. Their moment would be interrupted though, as they felt the castle starting to shake violently,
"This place is going down! We need to run!" Irad states
She follows. "Don't have to tell me twice!"
As the castle begins to crumble around them, Irad would knock away multiple pieces of debris that almost fell on them. They would reach the door, but debris covered the exit… Until, that is, Irad blasted right through it. They would run across the crumbling bridge, and would jump at the last second as the bridge collapses. The duo would tumble to the ground, and would look up to see the ruined castle. They both caught their breath for a moment, and Irad began,
"Well… That was intense." He states, dusting himself off.
"And my father just ran away from responsibility. As always..." She would say in a grimace.
Irad looked on to the tower… Clouds began to form and circle it. It was a bit of a walk…
"As far as you know… He's not your father… Now, he's a mere puppet for a darker force… We have no choice. He'll be too dangerous to be kept alive at this point." He grips his cane.
She nods. "I understand." It was something she didn't think would happen, but it is ultimately his decision to go as low as he did. He turned himself into a literal monster now. Regardless, it's something she isn't pleased to witness.
They both walk to a ledge that has a view of the distance to the tower, and Irad sighs, "I suppose, it'd be better if I flew you there…" He sprouts his wings, and his horns and claws appear. He would then suddenly scoop Weiss up, and dart towards the direction of the tower. Weiss was surprised of the sudden act of her fiance, and clung on for a moment,
"You could warn me next time!" She exclaims, a bit annoyed,
"Hey, at least it got your heart pumping!" He says with a grin. Weiss would pout, and Irad would look at her through the corner of his eye and sighs, "I wanted to say… I'm sorry it has to be this way… And I also never got to say this… But I'm sorry you suffered through your childhood… Someone like you never deserved to be treated the way you have… Your family included…" He says, as the wind billowed, making Weiss' hair flow, which had her have to occasionally pull part of her hair back with a free hand, as she held onto Irad's neck.
Letting out a smile, Weiss would speak her mind. "Always trying to be dramatic huh?"
He blushes, "I-I'm just concerned for your state of mind, as I saw how you were affected while your father spoke to us…" He says, looking to the side for a bit, "I… I had somewhat the same experience before with some older relatives, back when I was in my old home world… You believe they loved you for so long… Then you find out they never did, and it was all some elaborate game, and they only used you, all these years..." He looks down with a sad expression, "Really messes you up in the head, especially with what happened soon after; me having to part with the rest of my family…" He chuckles, "Maybe that's another reason why I can relate so much to you… Maybe it wasn't exactly my father… And our situations may differ a bit… But it's at least similar in ways." He says, as he continues to fly in the air. "Gotta love family issues!" He states, trying to sound jovial, but would sigh and look forward once more…
She wasn't exactly amused by that comment. "That's putting it lightly." Then smiled. "I feel we get along well not just because of our past, but because we both know what kind of future we want to build." She says her own opinion on it.
He nods, "A fair point, yes, yes." He says, his mood lightening. He'd then spot many grimm surrounding the tower as they got closer, "It seems we'll have a little more fun getting to Jacques…" He says with sarcasm, looking down at the groups of hellish grimm.
Fun wouldn't be the first word she would use when her father is around. "Let's hope we can put a lid on his foolishness."
"Let's…" He nodded, then continued, "I will throw you up, and you charge at that large group near the entrance of the tower, and we can make some noise." To this, Weiss agreed. Irad would toss Weiss up into the air, and she would use an enhanced glyph to propel herself forwards at high speeds, leaving a blue flame trail, as Irad flew close behind. They would soon collide with the group of grimm, and would engage them, cutting them down, Weiss being the first to slice the Beowolf, and quickly burns the ones jumping behind her. Irad would use his fire to freeze-burn many beowulf and Ursas, cutting them down one by one. The two would slowly make way for the top of the tower… Soon though, they would reach the middle of the tower that led to the top… Three robed men were around a mechanism, tampering with it.
"What the?" Irad said, as the men noticed their presence. Irad would then widen his eyes in horror, "No… How did they…" He said, reacting to the machine, as they powered it on. After powering it on, the men would slowly approach, drawing weapons.
"You've gotta be kidding me…" Weiss says, readying herself… But the duo would gasp in shock, as a scythe cut down the men, their souls leaving their body, as a rift opened, and a floating skeletal figure emerged. The figure wore dark purple robes lined with gold. Within his robes were a darker purple and black garment that covered its skeletal figure… Irad knew… This was Death. Death wore his hood over his head, and would study the two mortals before him. Irad widened his eyes,
"Castlevania's Death…" He said out loud, and Weiss looked shook,
"Death?! You mean Grim Reaper Death?!"
"I… I guess you could say that…" Irad says, as death would summon his scythe, and made a dark cackle, his red eyes gleaming. Irad grits his teeth, "This Death is from the castlevania universe… He's a monster that is Dracula's right hand man; a very strong being." He draws his sword.
"HOW do we beat the incarnation of death?!" Weiss asks, still baffled,
"We fight. Our weapons are holy, and so is my magic. We stand a good chance against Death… But we'll need to be careful. He's full of tricks." He says, as he readies himself. "For once, we're doing the Belmonts a favor…" He says to himself. He then turns to Weiss, "Destroy the machine, Weiss! I'll take care of Death!"
(Battle Theme: Portal to Dark Bravery - Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow Music Extended ByRwjbUV0MQ?si=QxWP-UlVijlM4u_u)
She quickly goes to work, rushing in and creating ice pillars towards the machine, going to destroy it in record time. As she was attacking it, a dark barrier formed around it and stopped her attack. It seemed to be protected by the same dark magic Weiss sensed from Death. Irad goes to work dodging Death's scythe attacks. Small sickles would begin to form out of thin air, and honed in on the Overlord. Death would reel back though, as Irad sheathed and unsheathed his blade, sending cutting attacks Death's way. Irad would then charge at high speeds at Death, and would clash with his scythe. Irad would be sent back, and slid back on his feet. Death dashes towards the stunned Irad, only to be hit by an ice pillar made by Weiss. Irad turns to see her giving him a smirk. Seeing his chance, he leaps on top of the pillar and starts his attack. Death parries the strike, but is on the defensive. He's lost to those Belmonts, and a mere boy who was the vessel for his master… But he refused to be defeated by mere mortals. Death raised his hand, a purple orb encased his hand, as two demonic incantations were on the floor. Gaibon, a large demon with wings on his arms, and Slogra, a humanoid monster with a bird-like head and a trident-spear rose up, and began to attack the duo. Weiss notices the minions appearing. Worried for him, she would create her knight to attack them and assist Irad. Irad would dodge the large strikes made by the skeletal being, getting in a few hits. Gaibon would spew fireballs his way, in which he would weave and dodge, and Weiss would use her glyphs to get to his level, and slice at him. He would attempt to grab at her with his clawed foot, but would miss. Slogra would follow up, and be grabbed by Gaibon, and hoisted into the air, then tossed to attack Weiss, but would be knocked back.
As she slashes them down, she points down, as the knight stabs down at both Gaibon and Slogra. However, Slogra would block the massive blade with its own trident and struggles to push it up. Irad would be in a heated exchange with death, dodging and slashing, with death using clones of himself to try to strike the overlord down. He though, would be fast.
"You are a strong one, boy. I can sense a strong presence within you… One that grows stronger by the day, and could even rival my master's power… But this will be your final resting place, child, for I have seen your death by my hand. Why resist Death?" The malevolent being asks, and Irad, in a blade lock, replies,
"You are not the true death… I have faith in my Lord, my God. Only He gets to dictate my fate. Just like every other time, you will be destroyed, Death!" Irad states, breaking the lock, making Death recoil. Irad would then unleash a flurry of slashes, which launched blue slash projectiles at Death, fatally damaging the reaper. Death would then send a barrage of magic sickles at Irad, which he would counter with his fire magic. As this was happening, Weiss broke Slogra's trident in half, and finished him off. Gaibon would grow red, and would be furious, and would unleash a flurry of fire, to which the woman weaved through with grace and finess. She would then use time dilation to slow her enemy down, and she sped fast towards the demon Imp, and would cut through. The demon would groan in pain, as its body disintegrated in fire, as had Slogra's.
Death would be on the ground, as Irad approached. Death chuckled, as his body began to become electrified by red lightning, and would change his form. His body was encased by a red essence with red electricity burning within, and his robes flowed on their own, red like his body. The reaper would fling himself at Irad, grabbing his body, and lifting him up,
"It ends now, child… God has failed you… Now… Your soul. Is mine!" He opened his mouth, and as Irad struggled, a white essence, Irad's soul, would begin to come out of Irad into Death's mouth, but it resisted. Weiss saw this, and grew afraid for her lover, and went on to attack.
"IRAD!" She then charges all her energy, and creates beams of light that spread upward and grabs Death's arms and neck, and pulls him off of Irad, disrupting the process of devouring his soul.
Irad breathed heavily once he crashed to the ground. He held his chest, and Weiss would fight Death, furiously striking at him. Irad would slowly muster his strength, he couldn't let his lover fight this being alone like this, he had to be strong, he felt.
"You mortals are all the same… You make me sick." Death says to Weiss, as he casted a spell that sent dark fiery orbs flying Weiss' way, and she would counter it with Irad's dust. Death would disappear while she was distracted, and would reappear behind Weiss, striking down with his scythe, and Weiss made a glyph to protect her in time. Weiss was having a hard time keeping the glyph together, and Death laughs, but he would then yell out in pain, as Irad had climbed up Death from his robe, and stabbed his head with his yamato. Irad would jump down, panting a bit, still recovering, but would say,
"Begone, beast of the night…! You do not belong in this realm!" Irad then sheathed his blade and reared back, and charged, as Death clutched the stab wound. Irad would jump up, and would deliver a flurry of slashes, and Death would yell out. Irad would drop back to his feet, slamming his sword shut, and Death would cry out in a warped voice, fading into a whirlwind into the rift that he came in, and the rift closed. After the rift closed, the machine short circuited, and would become unstable, creating a small explosion afterwards. Everything grew silent, and Irad would go to his knees, breathing harshly, still recovering from his soul almost being ripped out of him. Weiss would come to his side immediately.
"Are you okay?!" Weiss checks on him.
Irad huffs a bit, and Weiss would gently tilt his face towards her, and he would flash a grin,
"I'll be fine… Just really took me by surprise. It was a… Bizarre feeling of having my soul almost ripped out, is all." He says, while collecting himself. Weiss would sigh in relief…
"One thing I need when we get back is a nice shower, along with my clothes being tailored. Dodging fireballs, avoiding getting my head cut off, among other things really does a number." He says, chuckling. Weiss would give a small smile, but would then grow a pouty expression,
"Well… Don't make me worry like that again." She demands indignantly. Irad would look to Weiss, and would smile, putting a hand to the back of her head and kissing her forehead,
"I'll do my best, dear. I promise." He says with a sweet tone. Irad would then get up, using his cane as leverage, then went to examine the machine…
"Your father… It seems he was able to steal a bit of our technology for traversing universes…" He says, with Weiss close to his side, "These use a piece of technology called 'coils'… To make things short, they are cross-dimensional, electromagnetic devices from a universe called 'Dimension W'. If amplified in a specific way, they can tear a hole through reality, and inter-dimensional and universal travel is possible… These coils can also be used to provide an unlimited source of energy. A very good friend of mine introduced me to these at the beginning of my Supremacy's creation… I only had so many at the time…" He sighs, "But what is Jacques doing with these? Is… Is that how Ridley came?" He asks out loud to himself.
"Coils?" She never knew something that powerful exists out there. Not to mention how they can blow holes through dimensions this easily. As he mumbles to himself she checks on him. "Are you sure you're alright?" Wanting to confirm if what he said isn't just the product of his head injuries of the previous fight.
"Hm?" He faces his lover, "Yeah, I'm fine, my little Snowflake… Takes more than that to take me out." He says with a chuckle, "I'm just trying to make sense of things… Perhaps we should move on… But we should also be cautious, as there could be more of these things." He says, heaving a sigh. "It's just… Those portals we go through to get to Ragadol… These coils are the main source of our way of travel among universes… And for him to somehow have this…" He explains.
"Well… We should do something about that." She replies.
He nods, "Once we take him down, it should be fine…" They'd press onwards, traversing up the tower once more, with little to no opposition. They'd then reach the pinnacle, a large open space, just like last time. He then walks to the center of the room. Weiss joins him, and Irad taps his cane down, and the elevator operates using Irad's magic. Weiss felt tension within her, as she knew her father would be up there. She didn't know if she had the will to actually kill her father… But with Irad, she was sure everything would be alright. In a moment, the elevator reached the top, and Irad and Weiss stepped off. They'd walk forwards towards Jacques, who had his back turned. Irad and Weiss would pull out their weapons,
"Jacques… You will surrender." Irad demands. Jacques chuckles in response, his back still turned,
"And why would I do that…? I see you got a small demo of the new playthings I have now…" He says, facing his head upwards. The wind howled by the elevation, and Irad and Weiss grew more tense,
"If you would have listened to me, dear daughter… All of this could have been avoided…"
"What do you even hope to accomplish, Jacques? Was it money? Power?"
Jacques chuckles again, "To make the world pay for what it's done to me… And soon, I'll claim a place beside the demon, if I succeed… As promised." The corrupted man said, turning to them. In his hand was a button, "I'm going to rip a hole into reality… And then, the end of this realm can begin." Jacques states, turning and spreading his arms while facing the duo, "But first…" Suddenly, his form began to change, as a dark cloud washes over him. Once it clears, it reveals Jacques in a new outfit. Jacques dons a long, flowing black velvet cape with a high, regal collar. The inside of the cape is lined with a deep crimson silk fabric. Underneath the cape, he wore a tailored black frock coat with red silk lining that matches the cape, the buttons being silver. A blood-red silk vest is visible beneath the frock coat. Beneath the vest, he wears a black dress shirt with a high, ruffled collar. Jacques wore black trousers, and polished black loafers with silver buckles. Jacques had on a black leather belt with a silver buckle and a ruby gemstone. In his hand, he held a cane, which featured a twisted black handle with a silver demon head at the top. "It's good to be dressed for the- occasion…" He said with a grin, as he held his cane in front of him. "Much better… Now… I suppose you may be wondering… What am I doing with these lovely devices?" He holds up a coil, "You see, this tower, as you know, has the ability to rip a large hole into space-time… Quite fascinating, really… In fact, it's so strong that it can rip a hole into hell itself, after some research… And you see, the deal I made with the demon is this: that I gain all the power I could ever want… But I must open the doorway to hell… That was Nightmaratack's primary objective… But judging by what I've heard, he failed, thinking for himself…" He monologues. "With these devices, it will power the tower much better than all the dust crystals did, and then all of this realm will be subjected into the chaos and destruction of hell… And with enough time, both realms will be fused together! And in return, I will have all the power I could ever want!" He smiles from ear to ear, and Weiss widens her eyes in horror, and Irad looks out in shock,
"Are you insane?!" Irad exclaims. Weiss was in disbelief, speechless, horrified. She wonders to herself if this really is the true version of her father who oppressed her and many people.
Jacques points an accusing finger, "You took everything from me, Irad! Now I will take everything from you!" He sneered. "As for you, ungrateful daughter… I can always make another one who is more obedient!" He tapped his cane, and four beams began to rise from the ground, just like before, arching over to a singular point. Soon electricity would flow through them, and the sky darkened further. Jacques would unsheathe his cane to reveal a sword, red hot. He would point it at the duo,
"Let us dance!" Jacques exclaims.
(Battle Theme: Nothing to Lose - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate QgMPYWQ76XY?si=Ho6E3cEpF66Hsoi_)
She grits her teeth, the shock begins to turn to anger. She brings out her sword and points to Jacques' direction. She is ready now. "I will lead for once!" She retorted. Irad only hums in agreement, before Weiss begins to charge, with Irad following the deranged man at high speeds. Jacques, despite his appearance, would parry and dodge their strikes, and Weiss would be more aggressive with her attacks. Jacques would use multiple demonic glyphs to attack them, in response Irad would reach out with his magic, and disrupt them, Weiss following up with her own glyphs, creating blue fiery projectiles. She relies on Irad's dust to gain an advantage over all the unholy beings, and her father was no exception. As Irad and Weiss took turns at Jacques, Weiss would lunge into the air and slam down, stabbing Myrtenaster into the ground, and summoning a path of ice that was ablaze by blue fire, sending Jacques back. Jacques would use a glyph, and disappear, reappearing behind them, and he tapped his cane to the ground, as two demonic knights were summoned,
"Kill them!" Jacques ordered the tall knights. Weiss would just stab the floor and two giant glyph spots bounces the two demonic entities upward. Irad jumps up to reach them so he could strike while they are still stunned. Irad would deliver a flurry of strikes, after which he slammed his blade shut, and the knights disintegrated into black dust, and Weiss would jump over Irad, charging once more for her father. They clashed with blades, Jacques on the defensive. He would frown,
"You are a disgrace to the Schnee name… Here you are with improper form, and letting your emotions get the best of you!" He says, then pushing his daughter back, before blasting her back with a glyph that summoned hell-fire fireballs. Weiss would roll back, her aura had protected her… But it was almost diminished. Her clothes were a bit singed by the flames, but the damage was small… Irad though would cover Weiss' absence, and was quick with his attacks. After some time of clashing, Jacques laughs, taunting Irad,
"Oh Irad… How it fills me with joy to see you with rage… The demon has opened my eyes and has shown me your past… A poor man's son, you were…" He chuckles, "Tell me, do you really think my daughter would be with you if you were how you were then? Ha! She's only with you because you have money, son." Jacques states in a mocking tone. Irad would grow fiercer with his strikes, sending Jacques back. Jacques would smirk, continuing, "Without your little supremacy, would she ever give you a time of day?" He says, trying to instill doubt.
Weiss stomps the ground she stands on in outrage and shouts. "It is embarrassing how you keep on talking as if I'm not here!" She then shoots beams around Jacques in hope to tie him up. He would notice this, and would break away from his clash with Irad, and would teleport around, but then one beam caught his leg, and was dragged down. He would break away, reacting in time to make a defensive glyph to block the counter-attack of the duo.
He'd smirk, "But it's true! You've always basked in the lifestyle I so graciously gave you! I doubt you'd have settled for less, and stoop down to the level he was at…" At this, Irad would narrow his eyes, hesitating, and Jacques would use this and knock Irad away with a dark blast, and would knock Weiss back by pushing her. He would roll back and would slide back onto his feet, gnashing his teeth. Irad huffed and puffed, trying to regain himself after the dark blast hit him. Her father was getting into his head, Weiss realized. A classic trick, she thought, but clever, nonetheless.
She goes up to him. "Irad! Pull yourself together!" Weiss would be annoyed by his sudden self doubt. "Did I fall in love with someone who would let status falter him?! No! I became partners with a man who has a clear image of the future!" She said with true conviction. This has Irad flinching, hearing her words resonate in his heart. Irad internally cursed at himself for having doubts, and letting Jacques get in his head, but would snap back into action. He nods, and smiles, but he would then embrace Weiss and pull her into him, wrapping his wings, and creating a protective shield, as Jacques had attacked again with a spell. Irad gritted his teeth, frustrated. He let Weiss go, and summoned his sword once more,
"Let's finish this…" He said, taking a stance, with a determined expression. Weiss would nod, glad he had his head back together, and would take a stance as well. She remained calm, collected, and determined. It didn't matter that this was her father anymore. All she sees now, is an enemy in her path… They would both charge, and Jacques would notice something different with his daughter, as he quickly parried a volley of attacks. As he fought, he sensed something about the two… A force was between them, one that grew stronger… It was a bond like no other, and it made his daughter even stronger than before. Jacques can't help but be taken back to see this side of Weiss coming at him. He tries to get away from her, as she furiously dash towards him. Jacques would try to hinder her movements, but would ultimately fail, as Irad would quickly assist her, and the lovers would create a team effort that broke through Jacques' defenses, and ended up with him being impaled in the chest in the front by his daughter, and in the back by Irad. The duo would retract their swords, and Jacques would collapse onto his knees,
"Im… Possible…" Jacques coughed, coughing out black blood. He looked to his daughter, and Irad, who stood before him with a determined expression,
"To think… You…" He starts, but he goes onto his hands.
"It's over, father…" Weiss said softly, as Jacques felt the world starting to fade to black,
"May the Lord… Have mercy on your soul…" Irad said. Jacques, in response, would look up at them, with fury in his eyes,
"No… My plan… Isn't… For naught yet…" He then straightens his back, slowly, with Weiss and Irad stepping back, eyebrows raised. With a tired breath, Jacques spoke:
"Creature of darkness! Hear me! I offer myself as tribute! Destroy my enemies; wreak havoc! Tear… The world… Apart…!" Jacques said, and a black essence began to rise from Jacques, as his energy began to flow up onto the rift. The wind grew harsh, and Irad and Weiss covered themselves with their arms,
"What is he doing?!" Weiss yells to Irad.
"I don't know! But the rift to hell is opening!"
Jacques screamed, going into a fetal position, as a form came out from his back. Suddenly, a flash of white enshrouded the area, and Weiss and Irad uncovered their arms, seeing a new realm around them that was made of obsidian and sulfur… Screams could be heard in the distance, and the lakes flowed with blue lava.
"Where are we?" Weiss asked, looking at the hell-scape
"Inside the Lake of Fire…" Irad states, and he looked up in horror, "Weiss!" Irad said, pointing up, and Weiss looked in horror.
Before them stood a towering creature made of bone, meat, and flesh. It had large arms with large claws, its bottom torso was hidden in a dark cloud. Its horrific face was a skeletal bull, with the eyes being a piercing red, its teeth razor sharp. Its body would be covered in bony armor, but on its chest was an abundance of eyes, with a heart being faintly visible, and pumping. Chains would be on its wrist, leading into the dark cloud. It would also be visible on its neck. It roared out at the duo, as they stood in place.
(Battle Theme: Piercing Battle Fury - Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow & Harmony of Despair (Mashup) aGQaNl-D2wA?si=8SOCQYATG2uXnsoA)
She was completely in shock at what she was seeing. Unable to think of what possible word she can even say. The creature opens its mouth, and fires a giant fireball. Irad would grab Weiss, whom was still shocked at the horrific creature, and he would get them to safety,
"Weiss, we need to find a weakness! What can you see?" Irad says, keeping focus while turning his attention to the beast, dodging and weaving from the multiple fireballs and fire pillars trying to kill them, whilst carrying Weiss.
She would look at it, much to her disgust. "Okay… Searching on it… Ugh… Gross..." She focuses on the chest, and its faintly visible heart. "There! The heart!"
Irad smiles, "Alright, chances are it may try to guard it… I'll put you down: try to get us some openings, and focus on getting us to that heart, using glyphs. Be weary of your surroundings." Irad said, as he landed on a rocky cliff and set Weiss down.
With a wipe through her face, Weiss calms down. "You too." She swings her sword, readying herself.
He smiles, "You're the strongest woman I know…" He says, before jumping into the air, and summoning a dragon apparition to use for flight for himself. He flies fast towards the beast. She smiles back, but immediately focuses herself to create her knight to support her. She rushes on the side of the beast to give Irad the opportunity he needs to finish this. The knight would swing with all of its might towards the beasts side.
The beast would counter with an arm, and would use its other hand to try to backhand Irad, to which Irad responded by having the dragon shoot fire, which would encase part of the beast's arm, and burn it. He would then jump, and attempt to stab into the beast's heart, but the eyes on it would see him, and tendrils would solidify around, and block the attack, and the eyes shot lasers at Irad, blasting him back. The dragon, seeing what was going on, would dart for Irad, but Weiss already made a glyph for Irad to fall on. Weiss would wink at Irad, as she casted more glyphs, and the knight kept attacking. Irad would grin, and mount his dragon once more to attack. The knight, empowered by Irad's magic, would send blow after blow against the beast, and the beast would roar, making the volcanos in hell spurt out lava, and large fiery projectiles shot into the sky and fell upon them, making it hard to navigate for the duo, and Irad would fall off once his dragon was hit by a fireball.
Weiss would then summon something new. A lancer, which she rides on top. She grabs Irad's hand as they fly around with the wasp like Grimm speeds around the beast for cover from the raining fire. The beast would use the eyes around it to shoot lasers at them, but Weiss' beast would zip around,
"You know, I forgot to add you're also the smartest and most clever." He exclaims, adjusting himself on the back, and putting his arms around Weiss' waistband.
"Tone down the praise until we destroy this thing." She retorts, continuing to avoid all attacks from the beast.
He hums absentmindedly, and looks for openings… He could sense the eyes at the back of the hands seemed like vulnerable points,
"Weiss, how big of a spike of ice can you make?" He asks her.
"The real question is simply how big do you want it?" Weiss would reply back, ready to pull all the stops for this next attack under Irad's command.
"As big as you can make it, honey." He says with a smirk, "Give him the ol' hand treatment." He slowly gets onto his feet, steadying himself, preparing to jump once more. She smiles, then charges her energy as high as she could for her next glyph. Just then she creates a long ice pillar that scales many buildings that ever existed in Remnant.
Irad jumps down below, summoning his dragon once more, and distracting the beast. Weiss would aim carefully, and would see an opening, as Irad had made the creature slam its hand downward to try to squash Irad. Just then she creates another pillar. Not as big as the last one, but tall enough, and twice as thick that it penetrates the beast's hand. The beast roars out in pain, the pillar going straight through its hand, pinning it.
"Throw the other here!" He says, as the beast was using its free hand to try to break through the ice, which slowly melted, but it wasn't too fast, as it was extremely dense ice. Weiss threw the first pillar she made over to Irad, who was able to grab it, and held it up, aiming for the heart…
"STAY IN HELL, JACQUES!" Irad boldly yelled, as he threw the pillar
…And it struck! It hit the heart of the beast, causing it to cry out, as it was impaled. Irad and Weiss cheered, as the cloud was enveloping the beast's lower torso and began to envelope its body. Suddenly, Jacques face would form from the clouds, writhing in pain, and rapidly losing form. Hell itself seemed to react, as volcanoes everywhere erupted. Irad would notice what was going on, and jump off his dragon, spreading his wings, and darting for Weiss, who was almost hit by a large ball of lava. He would fly through a barrage of blue lava, heading for the rapidly closing portal back to Remnant. He was hit a few times by flying embers, but he grit his teeth and kept going. Just as the portal closed, they made it through, Irad clutching Weiss and wrapping her with his wings, as they rolled. The portal shook, and the coils rose into the air, and would spin around, imploding, then explode in the air. Irad would let go of Weiss soon after, smoke coming from his body, and there were scorch marks… But Irad would give a tired smile to Weiss: their mission was done.
"Is it over?!" She was uncertain if this nightmare was finally over.
Irad lays on the ground, breathing hard a bit… The sun rises, as the sky is clear… It's been about a day since they went away. Weiss stands over him, still waiting for a response,
"Hello?!" She says, but Irad waves a dismissive hand,
"I just… Need… A second…" He says, his body still smoking from hellfire. Now that Weiss looks, she notices her clothes are a bit more singed as well, but she knows it can always be fixed.
"Well… It goes without saying, but you need some new clothes." She states.
He laughs, "Boy, you think? Perhaps, it's for the best… I AM entering a new chapter in my life…" He says, in thought, but his stomach would growl, "Then again… I AM pretty hungry…"
Weiss sighs as she shakes her head. "Fair enough… I'm pretty peckish myself."
He smiles, but his smile would fall once he heard a creaking sound. Weiss would soon hear it too… Then they made a quick decision,
"JUMP!" They both said, and they jumped from the tower, Irad grabbing Weiss' arms as she fell, and spreading his wings, gliding down the tower, as it would begin to crumble and fall. They would look at the sight, and oddly had satisfaction the tower was destroyed. It created a large dust cloud, but Irad and Weiss were in the air, and weren't caught in it. They landed safely down, and looked at the wreckage.
"So… How will we get home?" Weiss asked, and Irad replied,
"Well… We can always wait for transportation to arrive here- OR-" He summons his dragon apparition again with a snap of his fingers, and it would land and lower itself,
"We can take the scenic route back to Ragadol." He says, indicating riding the dragon with him.
She chuckles. "You truly are a romantic."
He smiles and winks, "Daw, I'm flattered!" He would jump on, and help Weiss up. Once they were settled, and Weiss put her arms around his waist, he took off high into the sky. Once they went above the clouds, Irad flew a straight line, to their left was the setting sun. It was beautiful, Weiss thought.
"Hey… Weiss…" He asks, gaining her attention, and he would turn himself slightly, "I know you sorta made it clear… But I wanted to be sure…" He continues after a brief moment, "If we were in my previous homeworld… In a world where powers like glyphs and all that didn't exist… A world full of darkness, and which I would assume your father would thrive… If I were a normal boy, and you a normal girl… And if we met… Would you have ever given me the time of day…?" He asks, but quickly adds, "I'm… Sorry for worrying about this so much… It's just, a part of me still clings to my old life long ago, when it was me against the world, and I barely had anyone who cared for me in my old life… Thinking I had to be all big and popular to matter." He chuckles, "Funny enough, a part of me hates being rich… I'd like to prefer a more… Moderate life like I had once before- sure have some nice things, but… Feel normal, instead of being around suck ups who wanna make a quick buck or popularity points by being in my presence, and don't care if I'm dead or alive in the end… I'm sure you know what I mean." He says, sadly.
After some time, she gently puts her hands over his cheeks, only to pinch it a little. "You really are a silly boy. I don't focus on what if's. I know right now, we're here together. I won't have it any other way. And… A part of me does wonder what it would be like to be… Common… But, all I can do is look at what's in front of me. And in my opinion… It's not half bad." Her smile shines through Irad's eyes.
Irad would have lots of love in his eyes, and his stomach had butterflies… He was gonna keep her for sure. He soon had a playful smirk, "Half-bad, you say? And why is that?" He said in a playful tone, "Is my back hairy? Or maybe that hellfire made me smell a little raunchy… Care to smell?" He says, offering his neck, bursting out into laughter after, as Weiss would roll her eyes and smile at how much of a dork he was being. "Whaaat you said it's not "half-bad" what you see in front of you. What more does a man have to do?" He said with a big grin.
As he kept on going, she rolled her eyes and just held onto his face again, "Oh hush..." Then she plants herself a passionate kiss on his lips.
He kisses her back, turning his body a bit to face her… Whatever was in store, they both knew they could look forward to it… Irad could feel their connection… It felt so strong. In his mind- he knew her as his soulmate.