The Balrog's essence was akin to liquid fire and absorbing it was wholly different from that time I drunk a Daemon's essence and reduced the creature to nothing. The Balrog was... as close to infinite as things could possibly get. However, its well of power wasn't exactly bottomless – nothing was. But, my efforts honestly didn't seem like they were doing anything, because the Balrog very easily replenished itself by drinking up the ambient energies around us. I'd upgraded my reserves two more times after the first, bringing my reserve limit to 25,000 units, but that still didn't seem enough to even make a dent on the Balrog's reserves. However, I knew I'd gradually wear it down as my reserves simply grew higher and higher and I was able to absorb more and more [Warp Energy], enough that I'd eventually be able to drain the Balrog faster than it could replenish itself. My advantage was that the [Warp Energies] I did absorb wouldn't return, since I spent them on upgrading my maximum reserves.
This, I mused, was a battle of attrition and, as long as the Balrog didn't notice me right away or pay any significant amount of attention to my attempts at devouring its essence, then I'd win – or, rather, I'd weaken it enough for the God-Emperor to obliterate the entity.
I reached my threshold again, which meant it was time to upgrade my reserves yet again. And so, that's exactly what I did; 25,000 went up to 30,000. I felt a string of level up indicators, but I ignored all of it, focusing, instead, on the monumental task before me. I'd deal with it afterwards – if there was such a thing. Because, ultimately, if the Balrog actually bothered, then it was very easily capable of reducing me to ashes in an instant, something my brain likely wouldn't survive. Hmm... could, I perhaps, create a backup brain of some kind? Something that, in the event of total annihilation, could serve as means by which I could recreate myself? That was something to consider, after all of this was done.
It didn't take long for me to fill up my reserves again.
Nearly ten minutes passed, the cycle repeating itself again and again and again, becoming a monotonous, automatic act. My reserves filled up, I upgraded the maximum reserve, and then I'd have to fill it up again; on and on it went and it was only when the Balrog finally took notice of me did the monotony finally break. By then, my maximum reserves had climbed up to 390,000 – a very sizable amount, I figured, enough to finally catch the Balrog's attention.
A humanoid shape manifested in front of me, appearing from a haze of fire and darkness. It was no larger or taller than a man, a figure dressed in a matted and sooty black armor, dark long hair, eyes glowing like burning coals, and a thin and twisted crown about its forehead with a single crimson gem embedded on the center, glimmering like . Despite all that, there was an unmistakable air of nobility and grace about the figure, inhuman though it was. The pointed ears told me it was some sort of abhuman, however, a mutated offshoot of man. "Ah, it's you again; I was beginning to wonder where you'd wandered off to. Of course you've been here all this time, I should've noticed earlier – my kin upon this realm."
I breathed in steadied myself, still absorbing the ambient [Warp Energies] in the air around me, slowly filling up my reserves, which was now higher than it has ever been before. I also became faintly aware of the fact that my [Warp Shaping] had reached its maximum level, but couldn't go any higher because I apparently had to accomplish a quest of some kind to get it to attain [Skill Evolution]. I'd check that out later.
"You've left me no choice." I said, sending the Astartes Helmet into my Inventory to find my immediate vicinity was not at all a scorching hellscape that would burn my skin to ashes. I breathed in and found that the air was hot, however, though not painfully so. I forced myself up, still maintaining a constant drain upon the [Warp Energies] in the wind, which was slowly depleting with each passing moment. "You've engaged in battle with my lord. Though you've aided us in the destruction of the heretics and traitors, I cannot allow you to continue."
"Your lord offered to purge me of malice and evil, to free me from the darkness that has overtaken me. He offered to revert me to my former self, a pure spirit, a bringer for spring and warmth." The Balrog said wistfully. It turned away from me and turned its gaze towards its greater self, the orb of fire and shadow that clashed with the God-Emperor, unleashing great waves and plumes of black-flames that shook both the physical and spiritual realms. By now, I noted, whatever Daemonic presence had once been present on the planet was now gone, the vile creatures in full retreat. The Balrog then shook its head. For a moment, its face was almost sad. "But my nature can no longer be altered. Morgoth's corruption is absolute, wrapped around my soul fully and deeply – on a level that cannot simply be willed away, not even by your God-Emperor, despite all his power."
For a moment, I closed my eyes and reached out with... senses beyond the physical – not towards the Balrog's humanoid form, but towards it true shape, the ball of fire. And then, I saw, slithered around its core, a pulsating darkness, malice and evil in its purest form – not quite the same as the corruption of Daemons. No, it was deeper and more powerful... in a way I could not quite understand. But I knew that it lay beyond the concept of spiritual or physical, closer to an idea than it was to anything else. And not even I was sure if I could affect such conceptual and metaphysical things.
Having the Balrog on the side of humanity, even if it was technically a xeno spirit-creature, would've been a great boon – and terrible for our enemies.
"You were brought here against your will." I said, shaking my head. Try as I might, I simply could not muster any animosity against something that wasn't even from the same plain as I was. No matter how hard I tried, I could not see the Balrog as an enemy, only an obstacle that needed to be removed. Traitors, heretics, witches, xenos, and Daemons were my enemies – not metaphysical entities caged by the Guild. "You are not my enemy – not really. But you stand in the way of mankind's ascension; so, I must remove you."
The Balrog grinned, blazing eyes intensifying. Its form slowly shifted, blackened armor giving way to flaming skin of smoldering charcoal, wings of fire emerging from its back. "Oh? You're powerful, I'll grant you that, possessing a tiny sliver of the Flame Eternal, and that makes you kin - if nothing else. But you are nothing like me, cousin. You are small and weak. I am Maiar, an agent of creation. I am fire and shadow and death. You are nothing to me."
Breathing in, I reverted into my Enhanced Human form and summoned my first creation into my grasp, Alba Hasta, the white spear. Holding it felt right and natural. The weapon was mine and mine alone. I raised its tip towards the Balrog, my eyes narrowing. "We'll see about that."
I kept on absorbing the ambient energies, however, even as the Balrog took a single step towards me, its humanoid form fading away into ashes and smoke. Its true form emerged thereafter, thrice as tall as an Astartes, burning wings sprouting from its back, flaming black skin, a long and jagged tail, a demonic visage with long horns stretching backwards, and a crown aflame. In its right hand it held a sword of fire and in its left a whip of molten rock. Cloaking its form was a thick blanket of living shadows and undulating clouds of smoke. Those who did not know any better would very easily mistake the Balrog for just another Daemon.
The Balrog roared, unleashing a wave of intensely powerful and scalding hot winds my way. My eyes narrowed, I'd expected as much. Gritting my teeth, I dashed to the right. My left arm sizzled and burned to cinders in an instant, the winds cooking my enhanced flesh and charring my bones to ashes. I sliced off the stump with Alba Hasta and regrew my arm, before charging right towards the Balrog. Its form now was much smaller than what it should be, which meant the brunt of its power was spent in its battle against the God-Emperor, which also meant the foe before me was only a tiny portion of the Balrog – tiny and weak enough, perhaps, for me to defeat.
"For the Emperor!" I rushed forward and thrust the spear into the Balrog's exposed torso with as much force as I could muster. Its gaze snapped to me and its massive burning form stirred. And yet, I was faster still. The tip of Alba Hasta bounced right off, however, and it felt as though I just tried to drive a spoon into solid rock – impossible. My arms shook, my bones rattling from the impact.
"All that for... nothing?" The Balrog spoke, grinning, brushing off my assault with a wave of its hand, followed by another blast of scalding winds. Eyes wide, I willed forth a ruined Leman Russ tank to appear in front of me from my Inventory, the thick metal plates bubbling and slowly melting, but otherwise holding, as I leapt backwards and widened the distance between myself and the Balrog.
Disappointing.
"Not even close." Alba Hasta did not possess the sharpness or the ability to pierce through the Balrog's skin, considering it lacked the power field of a Power Sword. I'd have to remedy that somehow. Alba Hasta, at this point, was only good against unarmored foes. And, seeing as the Balrog's skin was as hard or harder than stone, my white spear would be useless in this fight. Unfortunate, but that was the whole problem with prototypes, I supposed. With a thought, I sent Alba Hasta back into my Inventory.
"Is there nothing else you'd care to show me before I destroy you, lesser kin?" The Balrog said. Strangely, I detected no mockery in its tone, only a grim sort of resolution. I also noted, however, that the Balrog was strained. Dividing its attention between myself and the God-Emperor must've taken a large toll upon its power. Not to mention the fact that, even as we fought, I continued drinking from the ambient energies around me. Little by little, the Balrog was weakening. And that meant I couldn't stop my assault.
Oh well. I was hesitant about doing this, but I didn't think I'd be able to harm the Balrog, even with a Power Sword and Power Armor. It was simply too powerful.
"Yeah, I still have something I'd like to show you." I said, willing away the Leman Russ before me and sending it right back to my Inventory, revealing the Balrog's fiery form, standing there, looking down at me with eyes of fire and ash. Its cloak of shadows and smoke billowed behind it, fluttering in the harsh winds that howled around us. I glanced briefly around and found that a whirling vortex of fire and dust had surrounded the God-Emperor's and the Balrog's metaphysical forms, creating an impassable wall.
"Show me all that you are, oh lesser kin of mine, before I destroy you." The Balrog said. It hadn't even used its weapons yet, I noted; in fact, aside from roaring twice in my general direction, the Balrog still hasn't attacked. As I was, I stood no chance. So, I had to even the odds somehow. Thankfully, I had an artifact in my Inventory for just that.
"Don't worry," I said. "You're going to find that I have plenty of surprises."
I pulled the [Mask of Death] from my Inventory and donned it right over my face.
The transformation was instant. A rush of potent energies flooded me, purple and green ribbons shrouding me. And then, just like that, I was in the Reaper Form. I was taller, bigger, and far-far-far more powerful than I ever was. The massive scythe in my hands weighed nothing, but a single swipe with it had been enough to slice apart an entire city, cutting down every ruined building in one, fell swoop. I raised a single, giant bony finger towards the Balrog. "Shall we finish this?"
The Balrog stiffened and took a visible step back as its burning eyes widened for the briefest of moments, a flicker of surprise and a tiny bit of fear about them. Good. It should be afraid.
AN: We're drawing closer to the end of Arc 1, my guys! Anyway, Chapter 29 is up on my (Pat)reon.