Chapter 11: Malice's Sparring Match
The 2nd child of Nefarious faced his royal guard male warriors of the Akujin race representing the 14 kingdoms of animals- uplifted Danger Beasts. He stood in the courtyard.
Malice is a dark gray humanoid of average height wearing a full-body bio-mechanical black suit. His bald head had a humanoid face that was relatively similar to a human being, aside from his skeletal nose, sharp eyes with blue sclera and red iris pupils with a series of purple corneal limbus that formed a ripple and he had noticeable sharp canine teeth in his mouth. A thick black tail grew from his backside, demonic black wings emerged from his back, and a dark halo hovered over his head.
The male guards were as follows-
A tall humanoid of above-average height with bulky musculature and a manly frame, round ears, clawed dinosaur feet with a long leonine tail, and a round, featureless mask of yellow coloring covering the top portion of the face, but stopped at the top half of the fanged mouth. His skin was dark indigo and possessed a mane of blue hair that went down his back. He wore a black bio-mechanical sleeveless tank top with baggy pants.
Monstrosity- Heir to the Black U.L.F. Evil Beings/Royal Guard of Malice.
An average-sized mummy with large black sclera eyes with round red irises exposed through the eyeholes of his bandages. He wore a ragged steel gray haori over a black, biomechanical robe, he wore fingerless gloves that showed dark skin, a color shared with his exposed feet. He wore steel sandals that were biomechanical. His hair was black and went out of his bandaged head like tendrils. His build suggested he would be a little older than a young man, but not by much. Sword pommels emerge from his back, knees, and elbows. He had a wide-eyed and large grinned expression on his face.
Sora- Heir to the Black Warrior Evil Beings/Royal Guard of Malice.
A pitch black-skinned, muscular armored skinned humanoid of above-average height, with sharp yellow teeth, an upper mouth ending with a crude beak with no visible snout, massive leathery wings emerging from his back, clawed hands, hippo hoofed feet, a clubbed tail and red embers in otherwise featureless eye-sockets. He wore a biomechanical set of long black bio-mechanical pants.
Diabolo- Heir to the Black Hellspawn/Fiend/Devil Evil Beings/Royal Guard of Malice.
A short young male humanoid resembling a young human boy with spiky, waist-length blonde hair with jagged bolt highlights in his hair, pale skin, his eyes were unusual, blue sclera with lightning bolts markings protruding from his golden tripled rippled pupils, and no eyebrows on his forehead. Lightning markings extended from his eyes. He wore a black biomechanical jacket with eight sleeves over a no-sleeved black shirt and baggy pants.
Electro- Heir to the Black Elemental Evil Beings/Royal Guard of Malice.
A large winged male with jet black, biomechanical armor had horrific faces of demons, skulls, dragons, and other monstrous creatures engraved on random parts of his armored body, which was fitted over his extremely muscular physique. His hands had five claws with five-toed talons on his feet; his wings were less like bird wings, being more like shadowy matter shaped like wings and his head was covered by a vulture-shaped helmet, which had black sunglasses over his eyes.
Necron- Heir to the Black Avian Sorcerer Evil Beings/Royal Guard of Malice.
"Why do you allow that?," asked Necron, referring to how Vacuo, Aome, Engima, Mammut, and Automata- some of the female members of Malice's Royal Guard had discarded their usual nightmarish appearances in favor of more feminine looks.
"They just feel more comfortable.," Malice said as Necron lunged at him, but Malice quickly adapted and launched a clothesline move onto the avian.
Malice's blow had dismantled Necron's armor, revealing a blackish gray 7'3 humanoid wearing sleek, streamlined black armor over his muscular body. His armor included: a black, transparent visor shaped like a beak that covered the top part of his head; two circular ebony shoulder guards of large size with the words Nemo dat quod non-habet etched in blood red, had beaked demonic faces on his respective elbows/kneecaps/wrists, a smooth breastplate armor with two vicious red eyes etched in the center, a raised diagonal grid shaped stomach armor, a skeletal pelvis shaped armor around his waist, upward pointed spikes on the sides of his arms/legs, two pitch black arched wings emerging from the shoulder blades on his back and a purple line that went down to the chin and to both sides of the head. His yellow sclera eyes with red irises stared from behind the visor.
"With the exceptions of my superiors, none have ever destroyed this armor meant to restrain my full power. I expect great things from my Liege...," Necron said with a steely tone of voice, while also being civil at the same time.
Malice smirked under his halo, "I'm flattered, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. We're just sparring, after all."
Necron agreed as they proceeded to engage in fisticuffs till one of them fell to one knee nonverbally, the code of honorable men.
The courtyard echoed with the sound of metal colliding with flesh as the two powerful beings traded blows. Malice's tail whipped through the air, adding to the frenetic dance of combat, while Necron's wings flexed, allowing him to hover slightly off the ground, giving him an advantage in speed and agility. Each strike was met with a counter, each dodge with a swift retaliation. The air crackled with the energy of their clashing fists, the very ground trembling beneath their feet.
Malice then launched a punch to Necron's solar plexus, causing him to go unconscious mid-flight. The avian crashed into the ground with a thud, his body leaving a small crater in the stone floor. The other guards watched on, knowing it would be one of their turns next.
Electro stepped towards Malice as he generated torrents of lightning. Malice countered with the hell lightning technique, Luxuria and fired the hellfire technique Limbo to catch Electro off-guard, but the attack phased through him via the intangible technique Fraus. It was a strategy game to see how one of them would make the wrong misstep for the other to take advantage of.
Malice utilized a reverse Avaritia to fly into the air with Electro generating electricity to zoom after him, using the purple emission beam, Ira to knock out Malice. But the prince used Vehemens' alternative shadow move, demonstrated by Insidious to negate the attack. Electro used Haeresis to restrain Malice. This forced the prince to activate his Hubris technique- Dark World to generate a pitch-black world of eldritch shadows as Electro felt the chill of Proditio to freeze him in place as Malice summoned his Vanitas, Red Dragon, the seven-headed crimson dragon guardian to put Electro in checkmate.
Electro sighed as he gave up as the realm vanished and he walked back to the others, "Your Highness, you never cease to amaze."
Diabolo was next, he summoned the dead skeletons to rise from the ground as Malice cut through them and slashed the demon. Suddenly, it was Malice on the cutting side and Diaboro on the slashing.
"Learn to never lose your guard, my liege. Your position can always change.," said Diaboro as he summoned a trident, but Malice was quick to partially summon Red Dragon via one head ready to breathe fire.
"Magnificient.," Diaboro said as he gave up and surrendered. "Your power is indeed worthy of your lineage."
It was now Sora's turn as he pulled one of his swords from his body as he tossed it to Malice as Sora pulled a sword from his shoulder for himself to wield.
"A swordman master attacking without a weapon is unfair.," Sora remarked as both grinned. Malice caught the sword in mid-air, feeling the weight of it and admiring its craftsmanship. It was clear that Sora had a knack for melee combat.
The prince's grin grew wider as he eyed the sword in his hand. "Then let's make this interesting," he said, and with a flick of his wrist, the sword transformed into a whip of crackling hellfire. Sora's eyes narrowed as he raised his sword, ready for the challenge.
Their blades clashed in a symphony of sparks, the sound echoing through the courtyard. Malice spun the whip of fire around him, the flames licking at the air with a fiery grace that seemed almost otherworldly. Sora met each strike with the precision of a seasoned warrior, his blade a blur as he danced around the prince. The two were evenly matched, their movements a blend of power and skill that could only be found in those born to battle.
Suddenly, Malice feigned a strike and disarmed Sora with a swift kick, sending his sword flying across the courtyard. Sora then surrendered, a smirk playing on his lips. "Your Highness, your ingenuity knows no bounds."
Now it was Monstrosity's turn as he walked forward. He didn't bother with a weapon, his bare fists crackling with energy. Malice took a defensive stance, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"Mad because my uncle, your father, Dominate was passed over for Nefarious, my father for the right to be king?," Malice asked as he went for a headbutt, cracking the visor to reveal that Monstrosity had a triceratops head.
"I've come to acknowledge that some stars are meant to shine brighter than others, my esteemed cousin.," the indigo-skinned monster replied, his fists still crackling with power. The two locked eyes, the air around them charging with tension. Monstrosity knew that Malice's question was more than just a jab; it was a test of his loyalty.
Without warning, Monstrosity launched himself at Malice, his powerful legs propelling him forward with the force of a charging bull. Malice met him with a roar, their forms colliding in a burst of bio-mechanical light. The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the air, the ground beneath them cracking as they grappled.
The two wrestled, each trying to overpower the other. Malice's tail wrapped around Monstrosity's waist, pulling him closer as he rained down punches. The heir to the Black U.L.F. retaliated with a series of headbutts, his horns cutting through the air with the grace of a seasoned fighter. The clang of metal and the grunts of exertion filled the space, a stark contrast to the serene silence that had once reigned in the courtyard.
Suddenly, Malice's tail released, and he leaped backward, a crimson aura enveloping his fist as he unleashed a punch that shattered the very fabric of space itself. The blow struck Monstrosity's chest, sending him flying backward into the wall of the castle, leaving a crater where he had stood. The guards watched in awe as dust and debris fell around them, the sound of the impact resonating in their ears.
Monstrosity then gave up as the girls that comprised Malice's Royal Guard arrived-
Instead of the usual black void hovering ominously, hiding their true form, Vacuos now appeared in their true form- an average-sized youth with an androgynous appearance with a thin body, pink hair, lavender eyes, and tall stature. Their hair is quite short with several long, large clumps, bangs straight-cut, and ends above the eyebrows, but do not stay very uniform. Two long pieces of hair extend from the bangs and hang low over their face Their attire consists of a long black bio-mechanical old-style robe that is tight-fitting and ends at the mid-calf level on their legs. The robe is completed with large white cuff links at the ends of each sleeve and a tall white button-up collar at the neck. Black slipper-like shoes with a tall white cuff protruding out of the top are also worn. It had been modified to be a two-piece outfit to reveal her midriff and the bottom portion of their endowed bosom.
Aome the Black Undead Heiress discarded her bandaged and cloaked look in favor of a labcoat of black bio-mechanical material and black bio-mechanical pants while being topless rather than hiding her face. Rather than being a decaying corpse like the rumors said, Aome was an attractive young woman with a well-endowed bosom, thick, wild long black hair that reached the ground, and heterochromia eyes- the right having red iris and the left having a blue iris.
Enigma the Black Divine Heiress had discarded her bald, cloaked genderless look of a monster in favor of her true self- a light-purple-skinned young woman with dark magenta hair reaching to her back and yellow sclera eyes with red irises. She wore a black bio-mechanical bra with a long black bio-mechanical long skirt with high heels.
Instead of a mammoth humanoid female in a full-body suit, Mammut the Black Beast Akujin Heiress now appears as a chubby but attractive dark-skinned girl with shaggy light brown hair, brown-iris eyes, and two tusks emerging from her upper jaws. She wore a black bio-mechanical long-sleeved crop top with baggy bio-mechanical pants.
Automata, the Black Golem Akujin Heiress had exchanged her intimidating appearance of a bully robot with a single orange eye, for a slender, fair-skinned cyborg girl with lime-green back-length straight hair and opaque orange pupils, she wore a black bio-mechanical tube top with a black bio-mechanical pair of pants with sandals.
A teenaged, bespectacled human-like girl with back-length green hair and green iris eyes. She wore a black, biomechanical bra exposing her bosom and stomach; and black baggy pants with sandals. Her hands and feet were brown and wooden like bark.
Arbor- Heiress of the Black Plant Evil Beings/Royal Guard of Malice.
A small, young girl with long silver hair with two straight braids in the front with a third in the back reaching the floor. She had a cute human-like face with a large forehead with small spider compound eyes encompassing it. The iris's eyes were green in color. She wore a black web-patterned biomechanical crop top with large sleeves with similarly patterned pants ending with black sandals with four spider legs emerging from the back, keeping her hovered as an alternative means of transport.
Weava- Heiress of the Black Insectoid Evil Beings/Royal Guard of Malice.
A bespectacled teenage woman wearing square glasses with pink rims and long dark vermillion hair braided into a ponytail that reached her ankles. She wore black fingerless gloves and a small bikini that barely covered her breasts and revealed her curved, womanly body that had tattoos of ancient runes adorning it. She wore baggy pants that ended in knee-length black biomechanical stockings that ended in pointed witch boots. She wielded a long black sorceress' staff that was biomechanical in design, with a trident with a single eye at one end and an elderly wizard's face engraved on the other half.
Dorina- Heiress to the Black Sorcerer Evil Beings/Royal Guard of Malice.
And lastly, a curvy-figured young woman with long aquamarine hair that reached her waist, and a whale fin emerging from her back; she wore a black biomechanical corset over her otherwise exposed figure with a long chain mail cloth made of obsidian metal covering her legs. A large whale tail emerged from behind from the tailbone.
Whala- Heiress of the Black Sea-Life Evil Beings/Royal Guard of Malice.
"Seems like you managed to get things done. Are you ok, Necron?," asked Whala as she went to comfort Necron. While she was one of Malice's lovers, it's implied that Necron is the one she has her heart truly set for.
"That stupid mask was overrated anyway.," Aome remarked as she observed Monstrosity's face with indifference, which felt like a relief in his eyes as his father, Dominate forced him to wear it to appear more evolved and advanced.
"How is your father, Mume, the Black Undead King going to take it?," asked Monstosity as he looked at her attractive features.
Aome smirked, "Let's just say, he's not thrilled with the new changes, but he knows he can't control us forever I'm going to be the next head of the clan. So I get to decide what we represent."
"It was always hard to move in that cape. This is easier and lighter on me.," Enigma stated. Her eyes gleamed with excitement as she twirled around in her new attire, revealing her curvaceous form.
"I just feel like this is me. I hope you can like, Electro.," said Mammut to Electro as she glomped him. His blush indicated that he had feelings for her of the romantic kind, but was too proud to say it.
"Acknowledging new form confirmed. Happiness levels- 100%.," spoke Automata as she blushed. It was clear that she was excited to finally show her true self.
"I still intend to turn humans into Akujin after we kill God, the Great Divine One, and the asshole grandfather who caused harm to my father.," Malice declared as the others nodded. "But first, we need to strengthen our forces and forge alliances."
"Say, what comes after that?," asked Arbor as she hugged Malice from behind before Malice's wife- Angroboda- Heiress to the North Akujin- a silver-haired giantess with royal blue-iris eyes, and light blue skin wearing a two-piece black-furred Viking attire exposing her midriff, appeared and hugged them both.
"We Akujin live for eons. We don't have to rush.," the giantess replied. "But when we do, it will be to ensure peace and freedom for all our kind, and to avenge those who have suffered under the tyranny of the Great Divine One."
"Let's leave the complex stuff for later. I wanna have sex again." said Dorina. "You're always so intense during battles. It turns me on." She winked at Malice, her voice dripping with desire.
Sora, Diaboro, Monstrosity, and Necron showed no interest. Weava then walked to the avian and said-
"We're supposed to be stoic statues of resolution that the others look up to, but that's what the elders want. We're the inheritors and we decided our path. If you have any arguments. Go to Malice."
"You refer to the prince so casually.," Necron remarked. His voice was a mix of bafflement and irritation that gave into reluctant acceptance.
"We're classmates with benefits.," the spider girl replied. "Let's fight. Akujin girls have both penises and vaginas so we're just as male as you."
Necron sighed as he sparred with her, the girl beamed with a grin as the others looked on with contentment.
Helping to find the prince...was the best thing that happened to us so far..., thought Whala referring to the operation that led to the rescue of the queens of 500 years imprisonment and the birth of the 4 heirs, which led to them being under Malice, who changed their entire world view after taking Angroboda's advice.
Whala looked at the sky and smiled.
Author Notes: Malice's group has shed their preconceived notions of identity to develop as their own people. Now it's Pure's turn to face her male Royal Guard.