Chapter 37
Fragile
Pressing his feet against the floor, Set burst forward, the floating glass shards around him rapidly following suit. The fallen prince charged, flanked by his wave of jagged glass. In a crimson blur, Set swung his left blade at Koschei, the old man countering the lightning-charged strike swiftly with a blow of his scythe. Repelled, Set somersaulted backwards, creating a pillar of sand from the ground behind him to land on. Simultaneously, the fallen prince was now out of the incoming barrage of jagged edges heading Koschei's way.
Spinning his scythe rapidly in circles round and round himself, Koschei began smashing the approaching glass projectiles piece by piece, squinting to shield his eyes from the bright bursts of lightning produced with every shard broken. But as the final piece shattered, Koschei felt an all too familiar chill race down his spine.
Throwing his hands upwards, Koschei felt a tremendous weight upon his muscles as he caught the full force of Set's downwards descent with his scythe's handle. Red lightning and swirling sand clashed against the dark magic of his scythe, resulting in a miniature explosion that broke the two foes apart.
Set however, wasn't giving up the struggle that easily. In one swift motion, he slammed his feet into the ground, dragging up dirt and stone as he skidded to a halt, stabilizing his stance. Without another moment's hesitation, the fallen prince lunged forward with a yell, muscles coiled as he launched himself forward again with blinding speed. The air rippled in his wake as Set closed the distance in the blink of an eye, raising his sabers, ready to strike again. But Koschei was already swinging his shadowy blade, manifesting a layer of spikes atop of it ready to retaliate.
The spikes dug into Set, inflicting cuts and gashes all across his body, dyeing his already bloody sashes in a fresh coat of crimson red. Unfazed, Set pushed forwards, bringing both his sabers together and forming a single crystalline glass blade once more, swinging it down in a blinding fast cleave. With equally quick reaction time, Koschei's scythe flew upwards, meeting the sabers with a mighty "CLANG!" as the two were locked in combat. Despite Chernabog's volund, Set was still much stronger than Koschei, and the old man felt his guard slowly weakening under the pressure of heavy weight.
"Well how about that?" Koschei joked as he struggled to hold his ground, "Turns out if you DON'T have someone crushing your shoulders half the time, it's much easier to move around!"
"Start retaliating…" Chernabog's voice responded telepathically in an unamused tone.
Rolling his eyes, Koschei slammed his foot into the ground, summoning another horde of hands to burst out of the ground. Balling into fists, the appendages swung relentlessly at Set's legs, staggering the fallen prince and giving Koschei the opportunity to counterattack with a mighty swing. But through the earthen elemental magic of his right saber, Set quickly erected a wall of sand between them, shielding himself from the swing.
Finding his scythe's blade biting into the coarse sand, Koschei leapt backwards. Not even a second later, a dark shadow was cast over the spot, as Set vaulted over the sand wall, weapons drawn, burying both his sabers into the ground as he landed with a ferocious roar. From the impact was produced shrapnel made from a mixture of sand and glass, as well as multiple tendrils of electricity, all surging forwards towards Koschei. The old man spun his scythe, creating another soulguard sphere around himself, the flurry of projectiles shattered with loud booms as each of them were repelled.
"AMAZING!" Heimdall yelled, "After performing what seems to be the act of Volundr with the creepy shadow monster behind him, Koschei, who was just struggling against the swift-footed fallen prince, is now matching Set's insane speed move for move!"
"Oh we are getting to the good stuff now!" Horus laughed, "That old codger's really now laying it out on that fool! Dear unckie Set is looking real pissed off now that human is able to keep up with his attacks."
"Hmm, you're not too far from the truth, dear." Isis replied, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes as she watched her estranged brother-in-law encounter a proper struggle in his match, "That human's certainly better when it comes to reaction time and defense, but Set still has speed and raw power on his side. It now depends on which one can push their advantage all the way to the finish line.
By their side, Nephthys wrung her hands, growing more and more anxious with each passing second. She did not care for her sister and nephews' blatant dislike for her husband, they were entitled to that sentiment. But as the goddess watched the match progress, the looming possibility of Set losing came closer to becoming reality.
"Please, Sutekh." Nephthys thought, clasping her hands together and hoping with all her heart, "Hurry up and win, win and come back to me, you idiot!"
…
As Koschei's sphere slowly dissipated, Set dashed forward, ready to strike the moment the old man emerged. All of a sudden, the dark surface of the sphere shattered, as Koschei erupted from the protective sphere. To everyone's disbelief, his trusty scythe, which he gripped tightly onto with one hand as he soared upwards, had sprouted two miniature wings similar to Chernabog on the back of its blade. Beating up and down rapidly, the scythe seemed alive as it pulled the old man higher into the air, Koschei laughing like a mad man as he ascended above the battlefield.
Set came to a halt, watching his opponent descend into the air with a mix of confusion and irritance. "What, so you just fly now?" He grumbled in an exasperated tone.
"Apparently so!" Koschei replied, still laughing, "No idea how, but I'm certainly not complaining!"
Rolling his eyes, the fallen prince crouched down on the balls of his feet, muscles coiling. In one swift leap, Set seemed to teleport into the air above Koschei, sabers held high above his head ready to cut the old man down. However, the fallen prince was met by the sight of Koschei already pulling his scythe far behind his back, charging up his strike. Swinging his blade forward, a wave of hands and spikes manifested from the magic that coated his weapon. The wings on the blade snapped forward as well, compressing the atmosphere and hurling the wave forward with incredible speed.
"VECHNOST CONTENT: WAVE OF THE DEAD!"
The horde of hands and spikes slammed into Set, sending him crashing down into the arena floor with a "THUD!". While the fallen prince was on the ground, the dark mass on top of him began to spread, attempting to pin the god down on the ground, but Set would not be so easily detained again. With a surge of energy, he ripped free from the shadowy constructs pinning him to the ground, shadows crumbling away as he shot into motion. Like a lightning bolt unleashed, the fallen prince blitzed across the battlefield, a blur of red zigzagging with electric precision.
Koschei smirked, the wings of his scythe rapidly beating as he flew towards the red streak that was Set rampaging across the battlefield. The two foes met in midair, trading blows as they moved around the battlefield at breakneck speed, fists and weapons striking with explosive force. The spectators on the ground barely caught the echo of their strikes over the roar of the sandstorm, as the two combatants weaved through the chaos, locked in a storm of fury and flashing attacks.
"Having fun yet?" Koschei taunted as the two of them entered close range, sparks flying as their blades clashed heavily against each other. Set narrowed his eyes, lips pulling back into a snarl,"It'll be fun when I watch you fall, that's for sure!"
The two fighters darted around the arena in a blur, their speed almost impossible to track. Set with his godly speed, moved with a slight edge, closing the distance in an instant. They clashed, the force of their strikes sent shockwaves through the air, weapons meeting with a sharp ring of steel and sparks. The fallen prince would press the advantage, driving forward with relentless aggression, but Koschei held firm, always managing to react just in time to block or deflect the onslaught.
Each clash was brief but intense, the fighters separating just as quickly as they came together. They would dash apart, circle one another and surge forward again, clashing with renewed force. The arena echoed with the constant rhythm of their battles—attack, retreat, and strike again—like a storm of motion and power, neither willing to give an inch despite the whirlwind pace of their fight. In the eyes of the spectators in the stands, all they could see through the swirling sand was the continuous strikes of two blinding streaks of red and black.
"There's Set!" Huitzilopochtli exclaimed from the God's VIP section as a streak of red flew past, "Wait no, he's there now! Hold up… no, that's Koschei, I think… Whew, getting a bit dizzy there." The Aztec Chief God sat down, feeling rather giddy, Amaterasu giving him an encouraging pat on the head for his efforts to keep up though.
"Still struggling to kill this decrepit old fogey?" Ra scoffed, watching his descendant and continuously strike against his foe. The entire God's VIP section was suddenly struck with an intense heatwave, as flames seemed to erupt from the Sun God's eyes, "Pathetic, Set… now clear your mind and STRIKE DOWN THIS INFIDEL!"
Out of nowhere, Set suddenly stuck out a leg, catching Koschei right in the chest with a well timed kick and sending the old man crashing back to the floor. But quick as a wink, Koschei had already sprung back up to his feet, his mind racing to find any possible solution to conclude this match.
"Hmm," Koschei mused silently to Chernabog, "we may have our defenses all set, but it doesn't matter how well we now can block his blows. Eventually he's gonna find a way to break through again and shut us down for good."
"Speed… is an important advantage…" Chernabog answered, "But when you're too fast… you often lose sight… of the smaller… things in life." As he said this, the magic swirling around Koschei's free hand glowed softly. The wheels within his head starting to turn, a wide grin soon appearing on the old man's wrinkled face.
"Old nuisance… for a Death Deity, you're really saving my skin on this occasion!"
In the sky above the two, Set brought his sabers together, once again combining their elemental might to form a single glass blade. Dozens of glass precipitates formed around him in midair as well, their jagged edges all pointing down towards their target. Holding his weapon high above his head, Set readied to swoop down and deliver his final strike. But as he did, the fallen prince caught the eye of his beloved Nephthys. Filled with determination, her voice was one of the few cheering his name. Set sighed, "I'll be back, Nephthys, don't fret. All I need to do now… is to SPLIT THIS CODGER IN TWO!"
"RED SKY BURIAL!"
Koschei grinned, fearlessly watching Set charging down, saber drawn and backed by the rain of glass shards descending upon him. Pulling his scythe back, the old man willed his dark magic to spiral around his blade, setting up his devastating vortex strike once again.
"VECHNOST CONTENT: ETERNITY'S VORTEX"
Releasing his scythe, Koschei sent his dark vortex hurtling straight up towards Set with all his might. The crowds held their breath, watching the swirling mass and the red streak in the air above came closer and closer to collision…
"BOOM!"
At the very last moment, Set had swung his weapon back in a blur, effortlessly batting Koschei scythe and vortex away with a single sweep of his blade, sending it spiraling away behind him. It seemed that in spite of it all, Koschei ultimate strike… had been nullified.
But as humanity groaned in despair, it was only the Deathless who smiled.
A second "BOOM!" rang through the air right behind Set, causing some spectators to shriek in surprise. Turning their heads, the entire arena gasped as they realized what happened. Koschei's scythe, thought to have completely missed its target, now spun rapidly in midair. The intense pull of the maelstrom had begun drawing in the multitude of glass shards trailing behind Set, each and every one pulled into its dark core and shattering into tiny bits. Koschei had used Set's own quick reflexes against him! But that didn't change the fact that the fallen prince himself was still very much on track, wind whipping around him as he raised his saber high.
"Hold…" Koschei whispered, standing motionlessly as his eyes locked onto the incoming strike descending with terrifying speed. Once again, time seemed to slow as Koscheu remained perfectly still, calculating each and every small movement made by the fallen prince as he brought his saber closer.
"Hold…" he repeated, his grip tightening as sweat dripped down his forehead, the chills racing down his spine were practically screaming at him to move at this point. "Hold… NOW!"
His and Chernabog's voice roaring as one, Koschei sidestepped the strike at the exact moment it would have hit his head, the blade whistling past harmlessly, missing its mark by the thinnest of margins… Or at least, it would. Had Koschei's right arm not been trailing, ever so slightly behind. A loud "SCHLIK!" echoed throughout the air, and Koschei tumbled to the floor, his right shoulder bleeding profusely, currents of electricity fizzing across his arm, rendering it numb and useless. Meanwhile, Set landed heavily on his feet, his back hunched and front obscured. Letting out rattled grunts as he tried to catch his breath. The crowds drew their breath, with their fighter's right arm immobilized, surely humanity's fighter was done for?
"Hah…" Koschei rasped through shaky breaths, "Born a prince… born a pauper, those who build the greatest legacies, those who lead the quietest of existence. In the end, whether you dread or run from it… death still takes us all. Should we then seek soulless immortality, through a glorious purpose that will never be sated? Or perhaps… through everyday struggle, build something worthwhile, before the inevitable?"
The crowd tensed as Set slowly began to move, lifting his head as though ready to turn around and strike his foe down once and for all! Then out of nowhere, the fallen prince's body went rigid, blood trickling from his mouth and down his chin as he collapsed onto his knees. The gasps of confusion from spectators all across the arena soon turned to shock, as they bore witness to the dagger that was lodged deep into the god's bloody chest, created from the same shadowy magic that covered Koschei's arms and scythe.
"You weren't slow…" Set coughed weakly as the intense sandstorm around them began to die down, "Not by accident at least, you were just waiting to spring your trap…" Koschei did not respond, slowly struggling to his feet instead, both combatants still having their backs turned on each other.
Set groaned weakly, his breaths getting more and more labored by the moment, cracks appearing all across his body. The fallen prince raised a crumbling fist up high, slamming it down on the floor with a cry of frustration as he hung his head.
"DAMMIT!"
"Why so angry, fallen prince?" Koschei asked, "I thought you said you didn't care if you won or lost."
"I don't…" Set murmured, "I… alright, maybe I am just a little angry. So many things I want to tell to so many people, and yet…" The fallen Prince glanced upwards, looking at his wife with melancholy clearly visible in his eyes. Tears were streaming down Nephthys face as the goddess crumpled to her knees, Horus and Isis momentarily forgetting their animosity to comfort her from the side. "And yet, now I'll never get to do it…"
"Mhm," Koschei answered somberly, "so many things to say, so little time… The fleetingness and regret, perhaps that is why so many fear death."
Set did not respond, his shared gaze with Nephthys never breaking until the very last of his essence broke apart, and the pieces of the fallen prince of the Duat scattered into the wind, lost to the desert sand.
"Through coarse sand and vivid voltage, through the crushing grip of death!" Heimdall roared, "Despite it all, the Deathless Immortal has still persevered and come out on top! Granting humanity their second win and tying the score, is KOSCHEI THE DEATHLESS!"
Ragnarok Round 4
Koschei VS Set
Winner: Koschei
Deciding Move: Chest Stab
Timing: 16:05
Humanity burst into cheers, Pandora and Göll hugging each other tightly as they jumped for joy. Meanwhile Prometheus looked up at the God's VIP section, specifically at Ra. The titan smirked, pointing at the Sun God and wagging a finger tauntingly. At this display of impertinence, Ra merely smiled, shaking his head as he got up from his throne to leave.
"Lord Ra?" His two attendants asked nervously, but the Sun God ignored them, walking down the hall as he pulled out his tablet. "Not bad, Prometheus, you've tied up the score. I suppose I shall just play this card early. You may have accepted it, but I wonder what would happen to humanity's spirit…" Ra selected the name of his next combatant, locking in his choice of fighter early on.
"When they bear witness to one of their precious archangels fighting against them."