~Wrathful Payback~

Elsewhere, during the time when War and Strife had to deal with Loki, Death and Fury were galloping on their steeds through the lush, autumn fields in the distant world. Judging by the architecture of some of the structures placed around the land, like pillars and statues, this realm appears to be ruled by the angels of the White City. And it is within this realm where the horsemen have picked up the trail of another of the remaining Seven Deadly Sins, though which Sin was in question is yet to be seen.

As the riders continued to gallop forward, far in the distance they noticed a flock of creatures flying in their direction. When they were close enough, they identified who they were.

"Angels." Fury said simply.

"Stay alert." Death said cautiously. Whether these angels are friends or foes, the horsemen will be ready for them all the same.

When they were close enough, dozens of Angel Champions, armed with swords and shields surrounded the duo, while the other champions aimed their Redemption cannons from above at the riders.

"Horsemen! Stay your weapons!" A familiar voice called out to them from above as the said angel descended and landed near the two riders.

"Uriel? What are the Hellguard doing here?" Death said curiously while Uriel raised her hand to the soldiers, prompting them to lower their weapons and descend from the sky.

"Lord Abaddon had tasked us to hunt Wrath down and put a stop to his rampage." Uriel said formally.

"Wrath is here?" Fury asked curiously.

"Yes, but that monster's rage is too much for my soldiers to resist. Everytime they attempt to engage him, they almost immediately succumb to mindless bloodlust, killing each other without hesitation and empowering the Sin further." Uriel said in calm, yet serious tone.

"As is to be expected from power like Wrath." Fury admonished Uriel, due to the foolishness of her soldiers.

"But i fear that if we do not stop it soon, it will destroy everything in its path until he reaches the gates of the White City itself." Uriel said in concern.

"The White City is well beyond his reach Uriel. Where is he heading now?" Death asked.

"Apparently he had made his way towards the Crystal Spire, the seat of the Archon Lucien." Uriel said seriously.

"The Archon? For what purpose would Wrath attack the Archon?" Death asked in mild confusion.

"Its intentions are still a mystery, but whatever they may be it bodes ill for the Archon. That is why we must defend him before the Sin claims his life. Lord Abaddon had appointed Nathaniel and a regiment of the Hellguard to defend the Archon against any who would threaten him, but i fear their defense will not last long." Uriel said seriously, with a hint of concern in her voice.

"At the very least they will buy time until we arrive there." Death mused outloud as he gazed at the horizon behind Uriel, before he looked at her again. "Pull back your angels, Fury and i will deal with the Sin."

"I will join you horseman, i intend to make the Sin pay for turning my soldiers against each other." Uriel said in determination as she took a step forward and gripped her sword.

"No." Death said simply, surprising the angel. "You are just as susceptible to Wrath's battle rage as any other Uriel. Stay behind if you want to live." He stated, more as a fact rather than insult.

"We will avenge the fallen soldiers for you, but only if you do not stand in our way." Fury added, more to end this conversation rather than for the wellbeing of the angels. Talking was never her strongest suit, and that much is yet to change.

It took a few moments of silence, but Uriel eventually relented as she realized that the riders were right. If her own soldiers are of any indication, she will succumb to Wrath's influence just as easily as her fellow angels, no matter how fortified her mind was. For better or worse, the fate of this realm is in Death's and Fury's hands.

"It pains me to admit it, but you speak truly. Go then, make him pay for every life he stole from the White City." Uriel said seriously. Death nodded before the riders finally strode forward, leaving Uriel and her angels behind.


After a while of galloping through the linear path leading towards the Crystal Spire, Fury's talisman was glowing with green light.

"We're getting close, the Talisman is reacting strongly." Fury stated.

"Remember Fury, when we face Wrath, do not give in to your rage." Death warned grimly as he looked at his sister.

"Do not worry, the outcome of our rematch will be entirely different." Fury said seriously before she glanced away from Death and looked forward again.

"We will see." Death said, not entirely convinced of the fact that she would contain her well known rage.

After a while of further galloping, the horsemen have finally reached the bridge leading towards the spire itself. When the riders crossed it, they stopped and dismounted from their steeds. As they did, they noticed dozens upon dozens of angel corpses strewn around the massive arena and around the spire.

"Kills from angel weapons." Death mused outloud as he and Fury looked around the corpses of angels while making their way towards the spire.

"Wrath wasted no time in having these wretches cut each other apart." Fury said coldly.

Their attention was soon drawn when they heard someone groaning and grunting in pain. And that someone was a bulky angel soldier, kneeling in pain near the entrance to the spire.

"One of them yet lives." Death stated.

But suddenly, both of the riders looked up as they heard a thunderous blow inside the building, at the very top of the spire. They can safely say that Wrath had reached the Archon and is battling him in his throne room.

"Aid the Archon, i will join you shortly." Death instructed in usual, grim tone.

Fury nodded silently without hesitation before she quickly used her Storm Hollow, conjured wind and lightning around her and bolted upward hard and fast towards the top, akin to being shot from the cannon. With her keeping Wrath occupied, Death marched towards the wounded angel, while the angel in question noticed the rider approaching him.

"Nathaniel?" Death asked, curious if the named angel Uriel spoke of was him.

"Death?" The angel said before he chuckled dryly a bit in pain. "Your arrival was not unexpected."

Since he didn't correct him, it's safe for Death to confirm that this angel is indeed Nathaniel.

"Can you fly?" Death asked simply.

After a few moments, the angel grunted in pain as he slowly stood up, but still holding onto his stomach wound.

"I'll manage." The angel grunted in pain.

"Good. Find Uriel, her healers can restore your strength." Death said before he turned away from the angel.

"Allow me to join you against Wrath. Against such a creature, every blade counts." The angel insisted as he gritted his teeth in pain.

"You are too wounded to be of any use to me angel. Go to Uriel, and remain with her soldiers away from the Crystal Spire until Wrath has been dealt with." Death said coldly.

"But-"

"No arguments! Now move!" Death exclaimed in frustration and demand, not feeling like arguing with the foolish angel at a time like this. Seeing that Death was adamant in his decision, the angel nodded before he flew away.

As the Reaper watched the angel fly away, his attention was again drawn above as he heard someone violently ramming through a wall from the top of the spire. His eyes went wide in surprise as he noticed that it was Wrath who was sent through the wall, flying backwards towards the ground, but he managed to flip backwards once and land at the other side of the bridge, dragging his feet and swords through the ground to stop himself. Who in the Nine Hells managed to send a Sin like Wrath flying through a wall like he was a worthless grunt?

In those moments, Death got his answer as Fury quickly followed through the wall, leaping up in the air. Curiously, her hair was purple now, but it wasn't just her hair that changed, but her power as well. She put that power in demonstration as the black rider spread her arms wide and conjured dozens of rocks and merged them into a ball, wreathed in purple energy. Then she launched herself like a purple meteor towards Wrath at fast speed. Before the Sin could even react, Fury hit Wrath straight on his chest, exploding in violent, purple energy and knocking the Sin backwards a good distance.

Now seeing everything he needed to know, and with no Uriel or any other angel to pester him with their moralities, Death raised his right hand as purple necromantic energy emanated from it. As he raised his hand above his head, the energy exploded from his hand, and dozens of angelic soldiers were reanimated, raising their weapons and waiting Death's command like the mindless thralls that they are. The Reaper then leapt up while Despair emerged from the ground, landing on the saddle and galloping towards his sister, while the reanimated angels took flight and followed him.


As for Wrath, he chuckled in amusement as he glanced from his chest where Fury struck him to the black rider herself.

"Do you know how beautiful you are? Especially when you are this angry." Wrath complemented as he opened his helmet, revealing an elemental, beastly face. He then followed up with an uppercut, hitting Fury and sending her flying backwards, but the black rider almost immediately flipped backwards and landed on the ground.

"In some other reality, i could've loved you Fury." Wrath growled in battlelust as he separated his large sword into two again.

"Certainly not in this one!" Death growled, almost like a beast as he leashed the undead angels at the Sin, while he slowly made his way towards Fury and eventually stood next to her.

Fury couldn't help but let out a muffled chuckle at Death's expense.

"Not fond of me having suitors Death?" Fury teased.

"No." Death growled slightly in frustration, certainly not willing to indulge his sister any further on that subject.

Fury smiled off his frustrations for a moment, before in the next she looked at the Sin with a more serious expression. Even though it amuses her greatly to tease her brothers about the subject, finding a boyfriend is the last thing Fury wants for herself in this universe. Blood and battle is all she had ever known, something that she intensely relishes in, and no power in all of Creation could hope to change that part of her nature, unless compelled by the Creator himself to be a loving, doting housewife, a thought that is outright laughable for the black rider.

"Let us subdue this Sin as well brother." Fury said in determination, while Death assumed his signature fighting stance.

As expected, Wrath decimated the undead angels with sickening ease before he locked his fiery gaze at the horsemen.

"Flesh and bone." Wrath said in annoyance before he pointed his weapon at Death. "Face me yourself Reaper, if you have not lost your nerve already!" He taunted.

Thus the battle between Wrath, Death and Fury began as the horsemen charged at the Sin and violently clashed their weapons at each of Wrath's weapons. The force of the blows pushed the trio backwards, but near instantly did they rebound and charged again at each other. Both sides exhibit eons of honed ferocity and battle experience, so it is only natural that only the horsemen could have hope of beating the strongest of the Seven Deadly, next to Pride.

Wrath threw a flurry of furious swings and thrusts, but Death and Fury have nimbly dodged every single one of them. At one point during the battle, Wrath roared as he set his dual blades on fire and threw them both ways in opposite direction, continuously spinning and circling around him like a protective barrier, before the Sin roared again and charged at the riders. Fury smirked confidently as she switched from Force to Storm Hollow and dashed directly towards Wrath, while Death stood behind and watched curiously as to what was Fury planning. But considering her recklessness, there was only one strategy the Reaper can think of that his sister would do.

When she was near, she narrowly dodged one of the spinning blades mid-air, supercharging her as she dashed like lightning towards Wrath and performed a maneuver known to Fury as the Arcane Counter, striking hard with a sound of thunder. But instead of making distance, Fury flipped and again narrowly dodged one of the spinning swords, performing another Arcane Counter and hitting Wrath again. Thus she repeated this cycle again and again, barely dodging the spinning blades and hitting Wrath violently many times over in a short span from all sides. On the final, narrow dodge as she switched to Force Hollow, Wrath roared as he picked up his weapons and was about to hit the rider, but it was too late as in her Arcane Counter, she turned her whip into a warhammer and struck Wrath right in the chest, cracking his chestplate and sending a violent shockwave all around them, tearing the land apart and sending the Sin careening backwards like a ragdoll. Seeing that lovely sight, Fury smirked as she cancelled her Force Hollow and stood up, while Death stood next to her.

But before either of them could utter a word, they heard a fast, flapping sound behind them, as if something was charging right at them. From the corner of their eyes, they noticed an angel rushing towards them like a meteor, prompting the riders to dash backwards while the angel landed violently on the ground, creating a light and black explosion and cracking the earth beneath him.

"Would this be the Archon?" Death asked cautiously as he locked his gaze at the archangel.

"Yes." Fury said simply before she narrowed her eyes. "Although, he appears to be… different now." She said, noticing that the Archon definitely appeared different than he was before.

As for Death, he can say for certain that the angel changed as he scanned his body, noticing how he had black, tar-like liquid across his wings and body, notably the black crystals on his shoulderpads and upper wings, along with malicious, black and yellow aura emanating around him. A phenomenon that he noticed all too well with the corrupted dragon king Vritra back in the Underworld.

"He's been corrupted." Death stated firmly.

"Corrupted?" Fury asked curiously.

But that trail of thought was interrupted when both of them heard Wrath roaring furiously in the distance, prompting Death to go back to back with his sister while looking in the Sin's direction.

"Fight the Archon, I will keep Wrath occupied." Death said sternly.

"I will join you as soon as I deal with the angel." Fury said seriously. Death nodded silently to his sister from the corner of his eye before both of the riders charged forward at their respective targets.

The Archon noticed Fury charging towards him, her bladed whip ready, but as soon as she swung it, the angel teleported high in the air and immediately raised his staff, shooting black and yellow projectiles at the rider. Fury then used her Flame Hollow and fired her own volley of fireballs towards the projectiles and hitting them, while the other fireballs were aimed at the angel. The Archon scoffed at the attempt as he raised a barrier around him, thus the fireballs that hit him had no effect. As soon as he lowered the barrier, he conjured his sword and swooped down fast towards the horseman. Fury saw the angel coming as she switched to Force Hollow, reared the warhammer backwards and hit the angel hard as soon as he was near, sending him flying backwards. In the next moment she switched to Flame Hollow and pursued the angel as a large fireball. The Archon stabbed the sword and bottom end of his staff and eventually stopped himself, but there wasn't a moment to spare as he noticed Fury coming as a large fireball straight towards him. Before she could hit him, the angel raised both his sword and staff in front of him, and when she did, she exploded from her fireball as her physical form was revealed, clashing the angel with her whip that took the shape into two bladed flails. When Fury flipped backwards, she reverted to her normal form and threw a flurry of whip attacks on the angel, forcing the Archon to block each and every blow. The angel retaliated as he thrusted his blade, aimed to stab her, but Fury dashed to the angel's left side, whirled her bladed whip around the blade of the angel's sword, passed his shoulder, burrowed her heels on his back and immediately pulled his blade to her. The Archon in that moment by instinct used his staff to block his own sword and put all of his strength to prevent the dangerously close decapitation, putting them both in temporary stalemate. Fury growled and gritted her teeth as the Archon's sword was indeed dangerously close to beheading him, but when the sword was about to touch his neck, the angel roared with rage as he raised his staff and created a potent black and yellow explosion, knocking the black rider backwards. But that didn't do much damage as Fury easily flipped backwards and landed, while the Archon turned around and took a fighting stance, with the black rider doing the same in her normal form.

"Only I can bear the Key, neither Wrath nor you horsemen will take it away!" The Archon breathed heavily in uncontrollable rage as he pointed his sword at the rider.

"The Key? What are you babbling about?" Fury asked in confusion.

In this moment of reprieve, Fury noticed that Wrath's influence is definitely there as the angel is raging and fuming beyond control, but the Sin was never known to physically alter his victims like this. Whatever Death meant by this angel being corrupted, it certainly doesn't bear Wrath's stench, or any of the other Sins for that matter, but something else entirely. But there would be no response from the angel as he charged like a lunatic towards her, which she obliged without hesitation as she attacked as well.


On the other part of the battlefield, Death and Wrath clashed their blades before both of them dashed backwards and temporarily stopped their bout.

"You are powerful Reaper, but even you know that death has no hold over me." Wrath chuckled arrogantly as he pointed his split sword at the rider.

"None are beyond Death." The Reaper stated adamantly.

"Then prove that claim rider, if you can." Wrath taunted as the fires within his armor started to ignite slowly.

Death's eyes narrowed as he's feeling the rising heat from the Sin, but not a moment too soon, Wrath roared with rage as the flames erupted through the armor openings of his arms and chest, sending a fiery shockwave in all directions for miles around, incinerating the very ground beneath them. Death reacted quickly as he used the Aegis Guard, creating a purple, arcane dome around him, protecting him from the fires as they spread rapidly all around them, quickly turning the battlefield into a wasteland of fire, smoke and ash.

Fury noticed the incoming shockwave of fire in her direction, thus she quickly switched to the Flame Hollow, nullifying the damage she would've otherwise received from Wrath. The Archon was not so fortunate as he put his staff and his wings in front of them, but failed to protect himself as the fires immolated his angel wings, forcing him to writhe in agony as he plummeted from the sky down to the Earth. Fury pursued the angel as he crashed into the ground, landing near him and immediately dashed in his direction. In those moments of her charge, she noticed how the angel's wings were completely burned away, leaving only charred flesh from the once bright, feathery wings he once had. As Fury once more attacked the Archon, the angel roared in rage and agony as he stabbed the bottom of his staff through the ground and created a yellow, protective shield around him, knocking Fury back. When she flipped backwards and stopped herself, she watched as the angel continued to roar in pain and rage, before a new set of wings erupted from his back, launching the burned off wings from their sockets. But strangely, these new wings were far more sinister, akin to Death's in his Reaper Form, only the black liquid between the wing bones formed and morphed into makeshift leather, allowing the angel to properly use the wings for flight. The angel recovered afterwards and continued his mindless rampage.


Back to Death, he dispersed his Aegis Guard and re-equipped his scythes, while Wrath charged at the rider, his swords gripped in both hands. As he did and swung his right sword, Death slid beneath the Sin, and when he was behind him, used his Death Grip to latch onto Wrath's back and yank himself towards him, pulling out his scythes mid-air and impaling the Sin on his back, penetrating his armor and making him roar in pain. Death didn't stop there as he pulled out the scythes, attached them, climbed above Wrath's head and impaled the scythe near his neck and collarbone. Wrath instantly grabbed Death and slammed him on the ground, making the rider bounce from the ground and land again. The Reaper grunted in pain as he slowly stood up, but Wrath attached his sword and swung it overhead, ready to cleave Death, but the rider quickly jumped and flipped backwards. But as the rider narrowly dodged Wrath's sword that slammed into the ground with a fiery explosion, a spectral image of his Reaper Form emerged and delivered two powerful strikes, and on the third it knocked Wrath back in potent explosion before dissipating, forcing him to drill his sword through the ground to stop himself.

When he did, Wrath growled in rage as he locked his fiery gaze at the pale rider, while Death again took his fighting stance. From what he is able to see, the Reaper is not exerting himself nearly as much as he did in their first bout eons ago. In fact, one can say that he is yet to take this fight seriously.

"What is happening? You alone should not possess this strength, not without the aid of the rest of you horsemen." Wrath growled angrily.

"While you were stagnating in your prison Wrath, my power grew over the eons." Death said grimly before he reared his arms wide and created an explosion of sickly teal-colored souls, signifying the use of the Unstoppable ability, tremendously augmenting his physical capabilities.

"And now, you shall feel it firsthand." He said grimly before he charged at Wrath at increased speed.

Wrath barely had time to react as he crossed his swords, but as he tried to parry Death's scythe attacks, he was hit with such impact that forced him to stagger backwards again and again, creating shockwaves from every collision of scythes with Wrath's blades.


Switching again to Fury, she whirled her bladed whip towards the Archon, but the angel teleported high above the black rider. Then he used his left hand to telekinetically pull out a massive boulder, slowly levitating it closer to the angel. But instead of trying to prevent the angel from whatever he's doing, strangely she stood still and smirked confidently, for reason only known to her at the moment. When the boulder was right above the Archon's head and was about to throw its weight at the rider, suddenly his chest was impaled with a lance. The Archon looked down on the electric weapon in shock before he glanced down at the rider, while Fury in her Storm Hollow with folded arms only let out a muffled chuckle of amusement at the angel's stupidity. Mortally wounded, his telekinetic hold on the massive boulder above him was cancelled, thus its massive weight crashed down on the angel, gluing him onto it before it crashed down and pulverized him on the ground, while the boulder itself crumbled in smaller parts.

And with that unexpected maneuver, Fury had defeated the Archon. That said, she reverted to her normal form and walked towards the crushed angel. When she was close enough, she used her crimson magic to telekinetically move and scatter the debris in her way and the area where the angel met his end. After it dispersed, Fury noticed how the Archon's body was grinded into a pulp, viscera and blackened blood scattered around the area.

"Amateur." Fury chuckled arrogantly.

To her curiosity, not far from the angel, an enormous, golden key rested where the angel was. And it was so enormous that it can easily be used a blunt weapon. Apparently there isn't even a scratch on it from the massive boulder that killed the Archon. She walked towards the key and picked it up from the ground with both hands. As she was inspecting the key, she could tell that this item was masterfully crafted, forged by the Makers if she is not mistaken, but in likeness of the angels. There were intricate pattern of lines and runes etched across the key's tip and blade, while on its bow was an emblem of what looked like a glowing, aqua blue tree. Whatever this key's purpose it must have something to do with this tree etched on the key's bow. And it must be severely important, especially since the Archon was so deadset of keeping it for himself, no matter the cost. With all this in mind, she dematerialized the key for safekeeping.

With this distraction out of the way, she turned around and made her way to aid her brother in finishing Wrath off and imprisoning it again. But as she was walking through the blackened puddle of blood, suddenly she was grabbed by a liquid tentacle by her right forearm. Fury gritted her teeth as she tried to break its hold, but the blood around the puddle blacked further and it spawned more tentacles, latching onto her limbs. Before she could even retaliate, the black rider was rapidly consumed by the liquid, drowning her in the puddle as she reached out her hand up to the sky, but it too submerged with the rest of her body.


The next instant, her eyes show open as she gasped for air, immediately being on guard as she checked her surroundings. What she noticed is that she was surrounded by a black and yellow void, the black patches of ground constantly floating upwards and disintegrating into nothingness. Then an enormous, monstrous image formed and towered above the rider, its head and shoulders concealed by darkness, and seeing only glowing yellow eyes and jagged mouth.

"Fury. We meet again." The entity spoke.

"Again? Who are you?" Fury asked inquisitively.

"Someone who Death murdered eons ago, along with the rest of you 'horsemen'." The entity said bitterly.

"That does not really narrow it down, does it?" Fury said snidely.

"Ever the apathetic soul Fury." The entity let out a brief, dry chuckle.

"You speak as if you know me, yet I do not know you. Why should I have sympathy for a faceless nobody like you?" Fury said coldly.

"Oh you knew me well, along with the rest of the Nephilim before their slaughter at Eden." The entity said in apparent contempt.

"The Nephilim?" Fury asked in mild surprise. That was the word she never though she would hear again, certainly not from whoever this monster is supposed to be.

"Yes. Your apathy towards your own kind is well known, but your betrayal is another matter. If Death and you 'horsemen' had not rode against them at Eden, the Nephilim would not only have a realm of their own, but all of Creation in their grasp." The entity said angrily.

"Death had slain countless fools across Creation who dared to oppose him. What makes your demise so special? And what do the Nephilim have to do with you?" Fury asked accusingly.

"Because unlike you Fury, he once called me brother." The entity said in seething anger.

"Brother?" Fury asked in rising confusion.

To emphasize his claim, the entity formed a yellow, glowing tattoo on his right shoulder. The design of it looked familiar to the black rider, it was similar to what Death has on his own shoulder. But a few moments later her eyes widened in shock and surprise, as there was only one Nephilim that had that exact tattoo in that particular part of the body, one from all other Nephilim have originated from, including her.

"Absalom." Fury muttered in realization.

"I have forsaken that name. Now I am Corruption. The day Death raised his scythe against me I was born. And soon, I will be all." The entity now known as Absalom proclaimed grimly, as the black blanket slowly enveloped Fury, threatening to corrupt her mind as well was the body.


Back outside the physical world, Fury was still enveloped by the gooish mass, threatening to corrupt her in same manner as the Archon. But before the black liquid of Corruption could overtake her, Fury roared as she immolated her entire body with the Flame Hollow, burning away the substance entirely. After a few moments of regaining her breath the flames around her body dispersed, and the realization of Absalom's return settled in her mind. But that only lead to so many questions. How is it that Absalom still exists? How did he return? Was he not killed by Death back at Eden as the monster claimed? What vile power brought him back from the dead? And why now after all this time, right in the period where they have to deal with the remaining Seven Deadly Sins?

But before any of these questions could be answered, a more pressing matter yet remains, to finish off Wrath, along with Gluttony and Pride. Perhaps when this is over, Death will have answers to questions she alone cannot answer. That said, she turned around, switched to Storm Hollow and hurled herself in the air like a ball of lightning.

As for Death, he once again clashed his scythes with Wrath's swords as they bypassed each other and turned around, taking their fighting stances. But before they could attack again, both of them heard a roiling noise, looking up to see what it was. Not long after Fury slammed violently on the ground, leaving an electric shockwave from the impact. Wrath chuckled ecstatically as this was the furious opponent he was waiting for, while Fury stood up and faced the Sin, with Death marching and standing next to his sister.

"Death." Fury said simply.

"Save your words after we defeat Wrath." Death said in dead serious tone as he once again took his fighting stance.

"Noted." Fury said in a serious voice of her own as she pulled her whip and shaped it into a lance.

With nothing else to say in that moment, the duo charged at the Sin, with Wrath doing the same with murderous battle lust. Although Death was handing the situation well on his own, with Fury's aid this fight will be over even sooner, which suits the Reaper just fine. As for Wrath, he believes that he will be able to exploit Fury's unbridled rage and give him the upper hand against her, just like he did last time. Maybe he could even turn her against her brother in her berserk state. But he will soon discover how severely he was mistaken with that belief.

For half an hour the horsemen have viciously fought Wrath, but the Sin's frustration is rapidly growing as Fury is not showing an ounce of rage in her eyes. Not surprising in Death's case, even in their first bout eons ago he had an unnerving amount of calmness during his lethal blade dance against him, but what was infuriating is that Fury was calm as well, despite her attacks being as ferocious as they were in their previous bout not so long ago. She is now a far cry from the berserker she was before.

"Where is your anger?! How can you fight without anger?!" Wrath roared furiously, while Fury only smirked confidently before she did several backflips, avoiding Wrath's attacks and making a good distance between them.

Wrath roared as he merged his swords again and threw it right towards Fury. The black rider smirked as she immediately switched to Force Hollow, grabbed the weapon and threw it back with greater force towards the Sin. Wrath had no time to react at the increased speed of the thrown weapon, thus it hit him hard in the chest and sent him flying backwards. Behind the Sin, Death transformed into the Reaper Form and plunged his massive scythe through Wrath's back, the two-pronged tip of his blade sticking out of the Sin's chest. With the Sin mortally wounded, Death viciously pulled out his scythe as Wrath placed his hands on the ground, preventing him from falling on his chest.

"Skillfully it appears." Fury proclaimed as she was walking towards the Sin with a satisfied smirk on her face, while Death reverted from his Reaper Form.

"Am I still beautiful?" Fury taunted in triumph before she promptly used the Talisman of Sin on Wrath, in the same spectacle eventually absorbing the Sin back where he belongs, leaving behind nothing but his sword on the ground.

And with that, another of the Seven Deadly Sins have been defeated, with two remaining to be dealt with before their threat on Creation is properly eliminated. Along with his defeat, they had obtained another shard of the Armageddon blade, which leaves only one more before they would have all the pieces, and reforge the sword when the time comes. If they are to venture a guess, the final piece must be held by Pride.

"Well done Fury." Death said in his usual, grim tone.

"Is that praise I hear brother? That is certainly unusual coming from you." Fury teased as she turned towards her brother.

"Show me that same control over your anger in days to come, and you will indeed earn a praise from me." Death said in usual, grim tone. But instead of being insulted, Fury let out a muffled chuckle instead.

"That's better." Fury smirked, feeling more comfortable hearing Death's sardonic quips. After all, what is her eldest brother without a grim mannerism and dry humor?

"That power that you used against Wrath. Another 'gift' from the Lord of the Hollows?" Death asked in more serious, if not accusing tone.

"Yes." Fury admitted in serious tone without hesitation.

Death's anger subsided at that. At the very least she isn't lying to him about it, otherwise his anger would've been much greater.

"Why did you not use it against Lust?" Death asked curiously.

"She was a foe that could not be dealt with by brute force, so the Force Hollow would be of no use against her." Fury said seriously.

"Fair enough." Death said simply.

Death has no idea when did she had this power in her arsenal, but it proved its use well enough against Wrath. Although, he will now definitely seek out the Lord of the Hollows himself when this is over, and give him a piece of his mind on the matter of using his sister for his schemes, whatever they may be. If they prove to be malicious, he will make sure that he casts his body and soul straight through the gate of Oblivion, Council's permission be damned on that front.

Not long after, the riders noticed that Uriel, Nathaniel and the rest of the Hellguard were soaring through the sky and quickly landed near them.

"Horsemen. You have saved Lostlight, for that you have my gratitude." Uriel said neutrally, having a usual, serious look on her face.

"The same cannot be said for your Archon." Fury said bluntly.

"The Archon? What happened? Did Wrath manage to kill him?" Nathaniel inquired in mild shock.

"No. He was taken over by some dark power, making him abandon all sense of reason and attack me. And he met his end for that foolishness at the end of my whip." Fury said coldly.

"You did not even attempt to reason with him, to save his life?!" Nathaniel said in outrage.

"I do not care for your lives anymore than I do your precious Archon! You are a fool to place hope on me to save him." Fury barked angrily at the angel, her coldhearted words swelling Nathaniel's own anger.

But before things could escalate between the two…

"Answer me this angel. Why would Wrath want to claim the Archon's life in particular?" Death asked curiously, breaking the ice between them in the act.

"Impossible to say, few if any could hope to discern the true motive behind that beast. The Seven Deadly are known to be aimless in their desire to bring about corruption and ruin, Wrath's invasion in this particular domain is as much a mystery to me as it is to you." Nathaniel said in calmer tone.

"Either way, Wrath won't be threatening this realm any longer, or any other for that matter." Death stated.

"Now the only Sins left to be dealt with are Gluttony and Pride." Fury mused outloud as she looked at her brother, with Death glancing at his sister.

"Speaking of, are any of you angels aware of their current whereabouts?" Death asked as he glanced from Fury back to the angels.

"We are not, but should we discover the remaining Sins, we will relay the information to you as soon as possible." Nathaniel said seriously.

"Horsemen." Uriel suddenly said as she took a few steps forward towards the riders. "I would have a word with you. Alone." She said before she glanced back at the angels.

The soldiers behind her took that as a cue to leave, flying towards the Crystal Spire, with Nathaniel doing the same, leaving the trio alone.


For additional privacy, Death, Fury and Uriel moved to the grassy field far from the Crystal Spire, away from possible prying ears.

"Speak Uriel." Death said simply.

"Word had reached the Hellguard that you have allied yourselves with the devils of humanity's Underworld. What purpose would the Council have for them?" Uriel asked curiously.

"Nothing that should concern the Hellguard or the White City." Death said dismissively.

"I beg to differ. Not only have you gathered the archangel Michael and his soldiers under your banner, but the fallen angels, the devils, along with the gods of the Earth's pantheons such as the Greek and Norse gods." Uriel said almost in accusation.

"How do you know of this?" Fury asked curiously.

"You know very well that when it comes to demons rider, we have eyes and ears everywhere. The devils are no exception." Uriel said seriously before she glanced from Fury to Death. "But that does not answer my question. Why would you gather so many factions to your will? Seems unnecessary, considering your power."

"Clearly you have not heard that Ophis escaped the Dimensional Gap, and is now leading a faction of renegades and traitors of the Khaos Brigade, bent on destroying the Underworld and invading the Earth." Death said, almost insulted at Uriel's ignorance.

"Ophis? The Ouroboros Dragon itself?" Uriel said in shock as her eyes widened at the news.

"The same. For that purpose, it would be beneficial if the Hellguard were to send their soldiers to bolster Michael's angels." Death stated.

"I will have to inform Lord Abaddon of the situation first. If i am successful, i will meet with the Devil King Sirzechs, whom you yourself have allied with." Uriel said seriously.

"'Allied' is a bit of a stretch, more like new management." Death said in sardonic tone.

"If that would be all Uriel, we would continue our mission." Fury said impatiently as she folded her arms and sighed a bit in frustration.

"Of course. Good luck in your search horsemen." Uriel saluted before she soared upward with her wings and flew towards her soldiers at the Crystal Spire.

"Obnoxious little brat." Fury commented in frustration. She was never a fan of any of Abaddon's pompous bootlickers, and Uriel is no exception.

"Agreed." Death said simply before he looked at his sister. "Yet she is one of the best that the Hellguard and the White City has to offer, she will prove to be useful in days to come." He said before he turned around and marched towards their steeds, with Fury following suit.

"I can understand that you would gather a mass of meatshields for your plots and schemes, but i am surprised that War would agreeable to your 'allies', especially the devils." Fury said curiously.

"It took some convincing to make that happen Fury." Death said before he glanced from Fury and looked forward. "Yet a far more pressing concern is occupying my mind of late." He said in contemplation.

There was no need to utter another word as Fury knew what her brother meant by that. But as the image of the monster who called himself Absalom flashed in her mind, that prompted Fury to grab her brother's right shoulder, stopping his advance, while the Reaper glanced curiously at his sister.

"I fear that another will have to be settled, very soon." Fury said in curiously grim tone.

"Speak your mind Fury." Death said curiously.

"After I defeated the Archon, when I was consumed by the dark tendrils, I saw in the darkness a monstrous visage. He told me that he was one of the Nephilim." Fury said seriously.

"The Nephilim?" Death said in mild surprise. Much like Fury, that's a name that he'd never thought to hear again.

"Yes. And if his words are to be believed, he told me he was the one you called brother. He revealed himself to be Absalom." Fury said grimly.

That revelation caused a genuine shock as the Reaper's eyes widened behind his executioner's mask.

"Impossible!" Death snapped angrily, surprising Fury as she took a step back from the sudden outburst. "Absalom and the Nephilim have been killed at Eden, there is no conceivable way that he would return!"

"Why would I lie about it Death?!" Fury shouted angrily.

"Because he died at Eden with the rest of the Nephilim!" Death shouted back angrily.

"I know what I saw!" Fury shouted louder in anger. But another moment later she calmed down to explain. "He revealed the mark on his right shoulder, the one that none but Absalom himself had on his body when he was alive eons ago." She explained in calmer tone.

Death stood in silence as the impossible news started to settle in his mind, but still incapable of believing them entirely.

"What happened that day Death? Did he truly die when you faced him?" Fury asked calmly.

"I most certainly dealt the killing blow on him." Death responded, before he looked down in thought. "But in his dying breaths, he was consumed by the dark waters, there was not even a corpse left to bury." He said as the memory of that event rushed in his mind.

"Do you believe that Absalom survived, and is the cause for this corruption that you told me about?" Fury asked inquisitively, trying to solve the missing pieces of the mental puzzle as much as Death is trying to.

"It is a high possibility." Death said grimly, before he looked at his sister and stood in front of her. "But if we are to stop Absalom's schemes, whatever they may be, we must act fast and eliminate the rest of the Sins. We cannot allow them to ravage the realms while we deal with Corruption at the same time."

"Then we must meet with War and Strife. If it's as severe as you believe, it will require the strength of all of the Four Horsemen to eliminate this threat. I'm certain that even War would put aside his loathing for you in this." Fury said seriously.

"That remains to be seen. I fear that this time he will not be so easily swayed." Death said skeptically.

"He has to be. You have my word that I will aid you in convincing him of the severity of the situation." Fury said adamantly.

"Then let's go." Death said. Fury nodded silently before both of them made their way to their steeds, mounted them and galloped into the horizon away from Lostlight.

Rare were the times when Death would doubt the words of his own siblings, but this time he can't help but be extremely skeptical about what Fury said. It almost seemed impossible to believe, and until he sees his supposed living brother again with his own eyes, he will remain unconvinced. For if that were to be true, if Absalom indeed lives and is the cause of this Corruption, then all of Creation might be threatened again by his crusade, this time far more dangerous than any foe that had come before.


A/N: DARKSIDERS TRAILER HYPE! That's the news of this chapter. Another Darksiders game teaser announced and I can't wait to see what they have in store next. Maybe some new lore bits and pieces to integrate into the story, who knows :D

-Gamelover41592 Thank you. And yeah, I imagined Strife to be the one to help her get through her daddy issues lol

-Super heavy weapons guy thank you

-DOOMRAIDER Yeah, and these types of villains are always fun to write cause they're so predictably idiotic, and it's always cathartic how they're shocked when they face a foe far greater than them, which in this case would be Loki being folded by War and Strife.

True, but I imagine Rossweisse to be an exception to the rule, judging by her character displayed in DXD (in anime at least.) She seemed the least possible candidate (to me anyway) to torture someone out of the Norse cast, even if it is for the sake of saving the world.

I mean, its rather unfair in general to compare DXD characters to the other franchises as DXD is for the most part an ecchi harem franchise, much less grimdark than franchises like Warhammer 40k, Star Wars or Warcraft, among others that can be named. Heck even Darksiders is grimdark as well, like how souls are used as currency to be carelessly spent like irl money. Like with Akeno, her sadism and torture methods are barebones basic and could definitely take a page from for example Warhammer 40k's Emperor's children (among other Slaneeshi followers), who get off on inflicting as much pain and suffering as possible for the sheer pleasure of it, or the Undead Scourge from Warcraft who do all kinds of horrific experiments on the living prisoners, first the body then the soul.

-187 Yup, always imagined a scene where they would all meet up and talk to each other, maybe even hold a bit of grudge between each other to spice things up like Zeus and Odin. Thank you, I do my best for them to have their emotional moments without losing their badass side unique to each horseman.

I imagined that scenario at first, but later on I didn't really see War having an issue with gods mingling with mortals, as they are ultimately deities of Earth. His primary concern would be that angels and demons don't come near the planet, everything else happening on Earth would be humanity's problem. At least that's how I see it happening.

-Deathwing Well we had the Suffering creatures appear in chapter 11, so that's a start. As for undead, I'll try to have more variations involved through Death's necromancy at least. Frostbane is dead since Death has his armblades. As for other Abyssals they're unlikely to appear, like Ashworms as you need an ash desert for them to be in, which there are none on Earth :D

It yet remains to be seen if the protagonists will be visiting other realms, other than Asgard and Underworld ofc.

-Arbiter3670 Thank you. Right now they won't be having Abyssal Armor as that would make them way too op, I imagined them to have the armor automatically when the seventh seal is broken, as they are forged for the End Times. Maybe they'll have even sooner, but I am yet workshoping that one.

-winterwolf23543 It's more like coordination between Sirzechs and Death rather than being ordered around like a dog.

Dunno about irl angels since I am yet to see one to make a comparison :D

-Marvelesque1Der Not quite, it just takes overly long for me to post each chapter.

Well, Kuroka's not dead. Yet.

Dunno who you meant exactly with third comment, but if you mean Sona, then yeah, I agree. But Saji's death didn't exactly sit well with Sona, so Corruption had something to latch onto, thus her demise.

Yeah, Issei got cucked real good by the horsemen as his harem is now a lot smaller.

-VileMaverick Not the only victim thus far.

Another chapter done and done. This one is shorter than my usual chapters, but i guess it doesn't hurt to have a shorter read at times. Could've finished it weeks ago, but this was one of those chapters that were tedious to get through for some reason. Well, thankfully it's done and we can move on now. Nothing else to say this time other than, see you in the next chapter :)