The Valley of Death [Chapter I]

[Shai]

Kyal was done playing games.

Quite casually he raised his free hand, feeling the full force of the gravity crash down atop it. His arm quivered slightly but he held it firmly and seemingly without effort as he lifted his gaze to look at neither in paticular.

"You wouldn't understand, and I do not mean that with offence. But this creature seeks only balance, as do I. No doubt if we simply stepped aside it would usher them through the portal without bloodshed. It attacked because it has no concept. We got in the WAY of it. All of us, even those who wish to help."

He paused, still holding the seemingly crushing weight off of him, fingers tensing and flexing before he resumed.

"Balance can be achieved through either means. While it is very true that if it had given you more time, you could have. But sadly, we didn't have that time. And thus it came to make them leave. Those lives have been lost because you put to the defensive and attacked it."

Now he looked to Miracle

"I do not wish to see you harmed, young one. You are pure of heart and of noble intension. You seek to defend these people, and I admire that." He paused once more "But you cannot continue to do so Or you will die, and I do not wish to be the one to do that. Not to one so noble."

His voice darkened slightly.

"But if this world is destroyed because of the imbalance, We will ALL die. And I wish to get home. And thus, I will ask one final time for you to step aside. And if you do not, I will kill you. All of you, if I must."

[Aper]

Miracle’s prayers had not gone unnoticed by the Arashi, and until this moment he had tolerated them but the child’s faith had been her benefactor in working against the hand of fate. Sword in hand, he had begun a steady approach towards the prodigy but Aper stopped himself upon hearing Kyal’s words. He observed as his enemy tried to reason with his own until finally choosing to aid in his mission. For an instant, Aper contemplated what the winged being had said, to find common ground with the mortals, and for that fraction of a second the beast’s weapons lowered – only to be greeted by the blasphemous annunciation of the witch and the curse of her magic.

The Arashi stood as devil and robot went on their assault, and then remained still as the pressure of his own power reverted upon itself. The sheer force heaving on Aper was such as the pillar of flame slowly crashed down upon itself – the black inferno gradually breaking apart as it licked the border of an invisible barrier that pushed it down, until it utterly receded. After a moment, even the living-shadows that characteristically clothed the Arashi withdrew and left the figure standing alone on a parcel of fragile soil, and about to be eaten by the shark’s voracious maw. Still, it didn’t move a muscle, and instead obstinately held onto it’s blades despite the terrifying amount of weight that pulled on them.

‘‘Scitote finem Vestrum fieri…’’ It spoke at length, the voice edged with disgust.

A terrible metallic grind exploded in a deafening shriek as Clash’s jaw closed-in on its prey: Sparks flew from the razor-like daggers, shredding and breaking around Aper as though the very air surrounding him was made of an unyielding substance. Then stinger struck: A second booming noise came as the blade of the Devil Hunter pierced through the barrier. Like glass the space around the sword cracked, ribbons of crackling red energy seeping freely from the massive stroke. It dug deeper and deeper into the screen, grating against the solid invisible membrane around Aper like a knife in stone. The surgically precise lunge eventually slowed and then stopped altogether… inches away from its target. The shadow, on its own end, was still very much trapped by its own mass.

Neither the shark nor the hunter would find either respite or possibility to move until the force began to gradually push the both of them with overwhelming surges of energy – forcing open the predator’s jaws while pressing against the devil’s blade. The fissure gradually restored itself upon expelling Sparda, leaving Aper standing in plain view, once again unopposed and unscathed. A feeble luminescence surrounded the Arashi, and then it could be seen that it was not longer a simple feat of gravity that held down the agent of chaos, but also the constant energy he had been forcefully injecting within it. The space bent around Aper, the nearby oxygen hopelessly trying to fill the void that now surrounded his figure due to the compression. The small traces of carbon crystallized on his skin and weapons – turning to dark diamonds under the sheer pressure of the warrior’s power. By this point it was unmistakable that the witch’s spell was no containing the raw power of the Arashi – but rather that he was manipulating it through simple will.

‘‘…in prece sola mortuorum.’’ It finally said, the apathy mingled with an air of finality. Trillions of pounds of pressure surrounded the Arashi, and yet in an impossible feat it began to move its arms: A loud rasp could be heard with the subtlest of gestures as it raised one of its swords…

And blood splattered on the mask.

A sudden burst of wind violently surged through Aircano – hurling back the mass back with the full force of the singularity. Black diamonds disintegrated the walls of the city before disappearing into the night, and the remains of the church were swept aside by the hurricane. The kingdom of heaven was now little more than a desolate, barren wasteland.

And at its centre was the Arashi.

A ripple twisted the form of the beast before it disappeared, reappearing in the same instant by Miracle – the dark figure towering over the child. Both stood opposite to the other; one lurking in shadows whilst the other stood within the only ray of light that could filter through the clouds from the heavens. There was a long moment where the warrior remained immobile, carefully analysing every detail of the child, her mannerism, her determined gaze… and her innocence.

‘‘A wanderer will pass through the ancient lands, trailing chaos in his wake. The realms will be reunited and the mortal world will tremble before them.’’ It began, as an ominous choir of damned souls sung in the remaining living minds of Aircano. ‘‘A true servant of God shall never teach false doctrine. It shall, in return, never deny new revelation. It will never tell one that the canon of scripture is full, or that Testament, new and old, is the last revelation ever intended to be given to man.’’

A light traversed the azure stars that were Aper’s eyes. ‘‘The beast shall be upon the earth, and it shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and it shall devour the whole earth, tread it down, and break it in pieces.”

With no further add-on, the being drew his blade and pointed it at the child. The chorus reached a peak with thunderous clamour – lightning once again ripping through the sky, the heavens weeping.

‘‘Let it be heard that Yahweh’s will cometh not from the faith of man – but from Yahweh itself. It is in His divine law that Arashi draws blade – and in His duty that destruction must come to pass; for all of His creation.’’ It revealed with prophetic drive. The azure gaze shifted to Amoura further in the distance. ‘‘A sacrifice of blood is what it demands for the cleansing of this world.’’It repeated to the demoness, before returning its full attention to Miracle. ‘‘Until this moment, the Arashi spared this sanctuary; it will tolerate no further hindrance by the hand of man: Like Sodom and Gomorrah before you, if repentance is not sought so shall Aircano be swallowed by a storm of brimstone, salt and flames…’’ It paused, grimly. …as result of the sins and abominations committed against and in His name.’’

[Miracle]

Miracle shook her head not at all convinced by the words of Kyal.

"Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God!"

Those were not the words Miracle believed a god would say. It had to be Satan speaking through Kyal. Nothing else made sense. Yahweh would have told her if this was all about restoring the balance but that warning, that warning made it sound like the Arashi only sought death for the refugees here and she would not, could not, allow such a thing to happen to them. It was then that further chaos erupted all around them.

The Arashi was like that of a singularity and now threatened everything unfortunate enough to be around him. Miracle was protected by the power of her faith and stood there unaffected but what of the others? She wouldn't be given the time to check up on them as already the creature was in front of her. On instinct did she hold up her blade readied for the beast to attempt to smite her, but that didn't happen. Instead the Arashi would do with words what it's swords and power could have never done. Left the child prodigy in total silence. Stunned. Confused. At a lost for words. Miracle couldn't even bring herself to move from that single spot on the ground. All she could do was stare at the beast, her lips trembling at what she was told.

"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. This was never about offering shelter to the lost was it? I was leading these people to their deaths to restore what was damaged. I rounded up the sheep so that you could come and take them in one fair swoop."

Tears were very much present in the eyes of the child, falling down her cheeks in steams of sorrow as she began to fully understand her role in all of this and why Yahweh did not explain everything in full.

"He knew I wouldn't have the stomach for such a task. He blinded me so my conscious would remain clear."

Miracle dropped her sword to the ground. Unable to wield it any longer in the wake of this starling new revelation.

"My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death."

Miracle did not wish to defy the will of Yahweh but allowing so many people to die did not sit right with the High Priestess. It went against so many of her convictions. But if it was the will of her god what could she possibly do? Many of the refugees would have resisted leaving the Arashi no choice but to cut them down, her mind was open to that fact now. She fell to her knees before the Arashi and closed her eyes shut, praying. That was all she could think of doing. Pray. Miracle had to make a choice and no matter what she chose she would have to suffer a deadly consequence Unless....

"Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done."

Thou was not willing.

Her body shook as she slowly stood up to her feet. Many would curse her for this decision. Without another word even spoken Miracle stepped to the side allowing the right hand of God to continue on his path. The Arash would suffer no more resistance from the prodigy.

[Clash]

Clash had him, standing around like a bloody idiot. He slowly closed his jaw, sand becoming molecules in the unseen horrors of his digestive tract, his jaws started to pull shreds from Aper's garments.

G-SHRRRRRNNNNNK!

HOLY CRAP THAT HURT! Clash pressed his jaw in harder, suddenly wincing and relaxing as his teeth were reduced to shrapnel and filings, watching them spray into the air like buckshot and feeling his ruined maw tensing and relaxing. It was only the teeth, though. He could feel a few of them already repairing thanks to the earth he had already ingested. He watched as the one with the silly white hair- one of the ones with the silly white hair-was just as easily repulsed by the gritty coating on their target while the hooded winged figure turned coat.

And the ponce with the white hair didn't even get a scratch on him. Lucky jackass... Clash just lost all his teeth and all that guy got was a few dumb-looking hairs out of place, bet he cheats at cards too. Clash was about to launch another attack, he didn't even care who on at this point, when someone threw some blood on his infernal teething toy. That seemed to piss it off and made it flip out at the small one and brandish it's sword at her.

"thwyew yew guyth... I Bwoke mwy theeth!" All this religious mumbo-jumbo was just as bad as atmospheric entry, it built up an appetite in Clash and caused massive and painful damage to him, It was probably high time he acknowledge the MASSIVE structural damage and internal bleeding he'd suffered from his initial yet inadvertent attack on his decided target. Lord knows It'd be a while before Clash stopped squeaking what with how many gears and pistons and muscles he'd strained past their limits... He dove back into the ground, leaving a pit as he took in a huge mouthful of dirt, chewing it painfully and meekly with his mangled array of teeth before feeling several new sets starting to grow in.

He'd wait and see how this turned out, then maybe pick off a juicy morsel before properly exploring this new world now, though he had already made up his mind by virtue of being here. This world was his now.

[Ayen]

When the fight began the combined might of The Arashi, The High Priestess, The Demon Slayer, The Dark Knight, The Night Angel, The God of Paradise and The Witch was enough to shake the very foundation of the dimensional walls. By the time the singularity hit those walls finally came crashing down, collapsing on themselves in the wake of so much deadly power coming together for one glorious battle. Everything had happened so quickly it would be easy to assume that Maricul was destroyed but that was not the truth. She had been saved by being pulled through a dimensional rift that opened up next to her, cheating death once more as she was taken to another realm.

After The High Priestess made her choice not to defy the will of Yahweh another dimensional rift became visible up above. A green dragon pass through it, flying through the air and breathing fire down to the ground as from below a great round blue body surrounded by eyes and tentacles came up, the many white eyes of the beast looking at every direction available in the open expanse of destruction as it tentacles came down to crush both the High Priestess and The Arashi where they stood. South of their position opened another dimensional rift, a man covered in worms led a group of zombies towards the group. One could tell by merely looking at them that they did not belong to this realm. Their aura, their very being, it defied the laws of this world. Before now it was not even possible for any of them to exist in this dimension. Soon it would be all too clear.

They had caused the very anomaly they were here to rectify.

[Shai]

Kyal watched as realization sunk in for the young girl and she dropped to her knees. A pang of pity speared through his breast as he knelt down in front of her, brushing a strand of hair back from her face.

"Thank you." He whispered quietly, a pair of blue eyes glowing under the hood for the first time. "If your God has send one such as the Arashi... It must be serious enough to warrant the deaths to save so many more, no? I did not mean to offend you or upset you... I do not know what you mean to me yet, young one but I will not see you harmed this day."

He was suddenly aware of something, as he was sure everyone else. His eyes snapped up to the sky just in time to see a massive tentacle come down to crush Miracle. Quicker than he'd ever moved before he shifted himself, taking the blow upon his back he hissed in pain.

"Be safe." He spoke to her before his massive wings carried him into the sky towards the dragon like creature. He could feel the barriers within himself fading away for this moment; those below would notice his feathers would start to fall out, more and more until it was nothing but bones, yet still he carried on flying.

His eyes faded a dark red and a malicious fang filled grin formed within the darkness under the hood as his blade turned into a large scythe. The Dragon turned its gaze towards him and spat fire, but twisting his scythe he blocked it, laughing madly he sped towards the dragon-

And quite literally tackled it from the sky. They fell, twisting as it whipped at him with tentacles but they made no difference. He drove his scythe into one of its many eyes, letting the fire wash over him this time the impact of the ground dazed the dragon just long enough for Kyal to raise his hands, still laughing a ball of pure white formed within his palms-

And he promptly forced it into the empty socket. The Dragon howled, thrashing, before it lay still, the eyes burned out and its insides turned to ash. Shaking, the God stepped off and turned, flexing the bony wings.

"More."

[Silver Eyes]

Did it work? Had her sacrifice of blood stopped this discord? No. Again, Amoura had only succeeded in making things worse than they had to be. The female covered her eyes with her forearm as the winds picked up, destroying all in its path--she could hear the strain of the ruins as it all fell apart at the seams. Now, all that remained of the beautiful city of Aircano was a barren wilderness.

Amoura lowered her blood stained hands and dropped the dagger she had used. It was something more wasn't it? It wasn't a simple matter of spilling some blood, claiming it to be a sacrifice.

‘‘A sacrifice of blood is what it demands for the cleansing of this world.’’

That confirmed her fears: the sacrifice of blood couldn't be from just anyone, but the refugees that had to die. How could she be so ignorant?!

Amoura choked back tears; no it was something more than just sadness that had taken hold--it was helplessness. Again, like so many times before, she couldn't do anything and no power accessible in the universe could stop this Arashi. Helplesness...Amoura hated it more than anything.

Then, a disturbance distracted her. Rifts tore open, ushering in a dragon that Kyal quickly rid of in an impressive display of power. Where did these anomalies come from? Aper couldn't have done them so it was something everyone did. Things always seemed to get worse just when people thought it couldn't and that dragon probably wasn't the end of it. If there was nothing they could do against, there was no other choice than to be for it.

"This is why I despise gods. Many claim to be merciful, loving and only want the best for their creation. Yet here we see this Yahweh's true face as a bloodthirsty, merciless deity that uses his followers like chess pawns. That poor girl must be heartbroken."

Truer words never spoken. The poor thing. With all the power she had from her faith in that mortal coil there was nothing she could do either. And she was the bravest of all who stand here. Amoura resigned herself from her earlier choice and turned her head in the direction the survivors had fled. Balance was still alive here and the scales had to be evened out.

"We can't stop the inevitable. I'll help make sure their deaths are quick and painless." It pained her to even say that but if it comes down to it, will she be able to take even one life? Amoura had begun following after them, careful to avoid the tears and anything that could come storming out.

[Ayen]

The ground in front of Amoura rose up and acted as a wall blocking her from the path of the surviving refugees.

Somehow I expected more from you, said Maricul in the hybrid’s mind.

Unaffected by the chaos and floating down from the skies above with her arms held out wide was The Witch herself, Maricul, looking out to everyone that were still on the battlefield. She didn’t seem at all troubled by the fact the universe was spiraling into chaos all around them.

“Gods are weak and pathetic! They require prayer and worship. If they do not have a band of loyal followers praising their name they have nothing. They are nothing. While we neither require nor desire worship!”

Maricul spoke boldly and for the first time in her existence with conviction as she had found a new purpose in this life. The Witch then pointed over to Kyal before she continued with her speech.

“He is not interested in what’s best for all of us. He only wishes to restore the balance he so carelessly destroyed in his own world! You all see this as a crisis in need of preventing, I see it as the dawning of a new era. I said it once and I will say it again; mankind has no need for gods! Nor do they have need for walls that only serve to divide our species!”

A burst of energy erupted from Maricul’s body which caused the dimensional rifts in the air to open up wider, causing the worlds to further collide into one another as more unknown and powerful creatures came through the rift attacking anything that stood in their way, relying solely on instinct as they had nothing else to guide them.

“It is not man that should fear god. It is god that should fear man!”

[Miracle]

Miracle covered her ears and closed her eyes. She did not wish to see the blood that had to be spilled. She did not wish to hear the screams that had to be heard. Miracle wanted to be oblivious to it all. Yahweh knew her better than she knew herself, he of all things would understand her feelings. It's why she had been kept in the dark all this time. Miracle barely heard the words of Kyal while having her ears covered but she could still hear the "thank you" he had to give. Miracle didn't want thanks. There was nothing to be thanked for. A most terrible thing had to happen to restore balance and that only cast sorrow on her heart. And just when the situation couldn't get any worse she could feel something tearing through the air.

Miracle opened her eyes just in time to see the tentacle coming down to crush her where she stood before Kyal intervened. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw the rifts that were tearing open in the sky and the unknown beings coming out of them. The High Priestess didn't know what to do as Kyal attacked the dragon in the sky. The only thing she could think of was talking to the Arashi. Something she wished she had done from the very beginning. Miracle was ashamed, ashamed for being a hypocrite. She had judged the being on looks alone as a creature of darkness and as much as she desired to find a peaceful solution before violence she didn't even consider it this time around. If it wasn't for hell erupting all around them she wouldn't have been able to even look the Arashi in the eyes.

"What's going on? What are these things?"

Miracle heard the ground rise up not far from her position. She turned her head to see Amoura's path being blocked by something, or someone.... That someone soon revealed herself as Maricul reappeared, Miracle hasn't even noticed she vanished prior to the on-going chaos as she listened to the vampiress words. Miracle had to do a double take. Was she honestly proposing the things she was proposing? The High Priestess slowly began to approach the vampiress, looking upon her with her eyes as she drew her holy staff just in case yet another battle would happen here.

"Maricul, have you lost your mind? Do you have any idea what would happen if you go through with this? Any idea at all?"

Miracle saw the leech man and in-coming zombies marching towards them from the south. She held up her staff and pushed them back with a wave of holy energy before turning her attention back to Maricul.

"Your fight with Yahweh should stay between you and Yahweh. Don't pull the other worlds into it I beg you!"

[Shai]

Kyal couldn't contain his anger anymore, and it exploded from within him like a flood.

"HOW DARE YOU!" He roared, eyes glowing a darker red as he took off into the sky once more, hands glowing bright. Anyone could tell she'd crossed a line with what she'd said. He was shaking so hard he could barely walk straight, and something else swooped down for him. With a flick of his wrist a wave of energy ripped the creature to pieces.

"YOU KNOW NOTHING!" He snarled louder "IT IS WE WHO KEEP THE DARKNESS AWAY! NOT YOU! YOU SIT AND PREACH, CONTENT TO JUDGE US FOR WHAT WE DO FOR YOU! YOU ARE SO FUCKING BLIND! IF NOT FOR US EVERYONE WOULD HAVE DIED LONG AGO!"

His hands began to glow brighter and he grit his teeth beneath the hood, but then he simply laughed, harder than he ever had before. It was a madmans laugh, but scarier than that. Maricul had pushed him too far this time.

"You are an idiot. No, you are even less than that. Where you so wronged that you turn your back on your only defense here? Do you really wish to incite my wrath?"

He met her gaze, and his hands glowing as he cracked a grin.

"I'm going to show you fear." He whispered, and seemingly vanished-

And appeared right by Miracle, his fist connecting solidly with Maricul's stomach. It had enough force behind it to shatter a mountain, and would probably toss her straight across the battlefield. He didn't wait for the attack to land.

"I am sick of playing games. I am sick of holding back for others sake. In you? I'm not going to stop until i've torn you to pieces!"

[Ayen]

As usual the High Priestess Miracle was the first one to act. It pleased Maricul actually. It pleased her to see that someone would always take the stand that needed to be stood no matter what. Only this time their beliefs would divide them on opposite sides. No thanks to gods. That went straight back to Maricul’s original point.

“On the contrary, midear, my mind is quite clear. The clearest it has been for centuries.”

It was much unfortunate that they would find themselves on opposite sides after just having fought together. But that was the way the cookie crumbled. Miracle and Amoura both had chosen to step aside and allow The Arashi to continue its duty in the name of Yahweh. Maricul would stand in their way and see to it that Yahweh will is not realized. The refugees would survive this encounter of The Arashi. And she would use all her abilities to ensure it.

“The grand design is flawed. I plan to redesign it. Make it better. Soon these creatures that do not mesh with the realm will be made anew. They will belong here just as much as you and I do now. The Creator could have simply made us in the same universe but instead it chose to separate us. To create gods to rule over us. Now our people are divided by different religions that all worship a different god further dividing us all. But what the gods fear the most is that mankind has indeed evolved beyond the need for them. We’re no longer afraid to venture into the unknown possibilities of the universe and has expanded our minds to a level of intelligence that makes them obsolete.”

Maricul firmly believed everything she said to be true. It was only a matter of convincing the others.

“Even you, Miracle. You have surpassed Yahweh himself. Why else would he keep you in the dark? As if it would matter if you weren’t on board? There are many people in Aircano who would have gladly led these sheep to the slaughter but instead he chose to keep you around. To keep you in the dark so that this moment could take place I ask you why? Was it really for your benefit? Or was it because Yahweh knew if you were aware of his plans from the very beginning you would and very well “could” stop him before he had the chance to get it off the ground? It is not you who needs Yahweh, midear, it’s Yahweh who needs you.

Maricul watched Miracle’s expression. She would allow it all to settle in before she continued.

“The only thing these people The Arashi and Yahweh want dead are guilty of is being the victim of a flawed system made by their creator. Do they really deserve death for that? Do they deserve death for the gods that allowed their worlds to perish leaving them with nowhere to turn? All they desire is a new realm to give them hope. Think about it, Miracle. REALLY think about it!”

And that was when the angry god came to unleash his vengeance upon Maricul. After his attack was said and done and the angry god said his piece Maricul’s voice would carry through the air right next to him.

“You missed.”

Kyal would soon realize that Maricul was standing where Miracle once stood. And if she was now standing there then that meant….

[Silver Eyes]

...that the god's wrathful attack was going to hit Miracle! It was fortunate Amoura had been watching the bantering, otherwise she may not have seen this happen in time for her to intervene. The hybrid broke into a sprint, held her arm out to the side, wrapped it around Miracle's waist, pulled her into a tight hug and quickly flew away should there be a disastrous aftermath--gods were unpredictable. How she managed to move that quickly was shocking to her since she was still learning how to use her abilities in this form. Everything had moved so slow for a moment...

"And I expected you to have more self control." Came her calloused response. Amoura loosened her grip around Miracle but felt it best to stay in the air unless the human stated otherwise. With so much chaos erupting around them, it didn't feel right to leave Miracle alone without someone to watch her back.

"I know you are more than capable of defending yourself, so I will be at your command until this is all over--tell me what should be done and I'll do it as best as I can." The issue with balance and the refugees will have to be dealt with later.

First the Arashi, then the destruction of Aircano, finding out he's only doing what Yawheh asked and now everyone has to put up with a vampiress that had all of her screws loose. Other already had a good idea on how to describe all of this:

Best. Day. EVER! And you are out of mint ice cream.

[Clash]

And that's when shit got unreal.

Clash emerged from the ground a new set of shiny and pointy teeth. Yeah the crusty laundry bundle couldn't hold his attention, and all this talk of gods and balance and religion and Yawgmawth or whoever was grating on his nerves. However Clash was the self proclaimed king of this world and this woman called Maricul just declared that all gods are obsolete and a new order will rise to unify everyone. This seems to have pissed off the dramatic turncoat, who turned out a rather nasty looking attack. Too bad this Maricul has played the ol' shell game at the fair before and it turns out she swapped places with the short one, who was now carried by the other hot one. SUCH CRAZINESS!

Yet one thing could be gathered from all this. Maricul was founding her own religion. And Clash was a king now, all rulers needed a powerful religious backing and all kings needed good bedfellow. The shark moved, emerging from the ground and moving over to Maricul, circling slowly. "A noble goal, uniting everything- everything under one banner, I'm in. If the gods had wanted to live they would not have created me!" And with that Clash's pykes detached from his back, their ravening forms uncoiling and extending to their full lengths, floating in the air and staring up at Kyal with deep red eyes. He'd made his choice. He was going to rule a godless world with this hottie's help.

"aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

A new light appeared in the sky, near the tip of the Downward Spiral and getting bigger and bigger as it drew closer and closer. The weakened dimensional barriers had shifted and a reality had thrown one of its denizens out into this realm. It was an interesting site, remarkably familiar, moreso to some than to others. The being hit the ground like a meteorite- Like another being who hit the ground like a meteorite. He skipped, leaving a large gash in the ground and the impact loudly echoing before vanishing below the surface, leaving no real distortion in the ground but sending a massive cloud of dust into the air as his momentum and the air he was trailing behind him dispersed violently.

A pair of headlight eyes focused upwards from the ground, spotting Amoura Ethelia. ZOMG IT'S AMOURA! "AMOURAAAAA! HAAAAIIII!" The being shouted upwards, eyes like flashlights sending pale beams of yellow light up to his friend from their home in Devil May Cry. "I was at home, and waiting for someone to show up, then suddenly there was this sound sorta like "WOOMP!" And then another sound sorta like "VOIP" and I was flying through the air, and now I'm here, and I'm looking at you!" He had been back in her home dimension, but now he was here. He was Clash.

Clash stared in shock, flashlight eyes narrowing. "WHAT THE ASS?!" There was another shark, and this one looked a lot like him, Something FISHY was going on here... The Clash didn't like it one bit!

[Aper]

The Arashi looked down upon Miracle as the sudden realization of her destined role struck her. Though it had been an eternity, the warrior could still remember the feeling of betrayal – it was one that was usually met with anger or sadness, enough to break one’s mind even. Truth be told, at this point in the conflict the beast had expected the child’s faith to leave her but yet again, through some miraculous tenure the High Priestess remained in the graces of her lord, and in one reluctant but noble gesture stepped aside.

And then there was the witch…

Just when salvation was at hand, she unveiled herself as the damned being she was and spewed words intended to weaken the heart. Her utter insolence would be soon forgotten by the Arashi however, as she would quickly overshadow it with the full extent of her insanity. Wielding the blackest of magic, a roaring crash resonated before snakes of energy would pour from Maricul’s hands and fly into space, which then began to bend unto itself before forming bulbous masses of light. Aper’s eyes widened as the vampiress, in an act of petty defiance, would willingly undo all of creation. He watched as the world he had so fervently protected was slowly torn apart by the now-frail fabrics of reality. Portals ripped earth and sky, unleashing unspeakable abominations of fire and flesh upon the ashes of Aircano. The defenders of the city did their best in face of the new threat, but in tragic irony it would prove that it would be sooner than later that they would begin to turn on each other. The chaos was palpable – overwhelming even... and the Arashi, with all his infinite might, could only stand and observe the progression of events as they unfolded.

For a moment, the warrior could feel the sharp edge of guilt. His presence had drawn too many powerful beings, and in an effort to save mortal life the conflict had lasted too long: The power he had used had twisted the laws of the realm beyond their intended function until they had been utterly shattered, leading the realm left under his watch to its current predicament. For the first time in all of its existence, the Arashi was washed over with a grim sensation – the bitter taste of a terrible illusion that crawled up its spine like a voracious parasite and ate at its core…

Rage.

The damned echo of screams returned.

‘‘Words of a witch…’’ The living shadows became agitated as though possessed by some frantic notion. They folded around their master like vicious tendrils of black ink; twisting and writhing in impossible shapes – growing in size until the darkness began to cover the entirety of Aper’s form. When a mystical haze seeped from the Arashi’s supernatural eyes through the opaque veil – everything went silent. As though everything stood in suspense, the invading monstrosities began to fade; turning to ash and carried by some unnatural zephyr before any one of them could even do so much as grasp the realization of their own death. ‘‘ Fell thing that conspires against God…’’ The Arashi’s gaze fixed itself on Maricul as the shadows continued their frenzied dance. ‘‘Mortal and devil, you are part of two worlds and yet belong to neither. You corrupt man and set mind to motion: An abomination to be eradicated along with your machinations.’’

Subtly, beyond the echo, beyond even the tremor that lingered in the atmosphere as the Arashi’s power visibly grew, something tingled at Miracle’s mind. Like an itch scratching at her skull, a single syllable.

‘‘Flee.’’

[Sparda]

"Silence, creature."

How the Dark Knight had pulled himself through the chaos to stand unbowed before the Arashi now was quite inexplicable. Revelation in his hand and a singular malevolence in his eyes, the demon fixed his foe with a gaze that could only connote challenge. Foolish, perhaps it was, to continue to stand against such a seemingly omnipotent being as this; but Sparda had something to fight for, and that was the only reason he needed.

"You speak as if you rule this world. As if you have authority to decide what is allowed to exist and what is not."

The very ground around the demon's feet trembled beneath the power and density of his aura, visible now as a plume of roaring violet flame engulfing his body.

"You would slaughter these innocent people, brought here through no fault of their own, for no crime other than existing in this realm."

Across the blackened sky above spread a purple stain upon the clouds, and even the lightning was commandeered and tinted violet by the demon's otherworldly might. Around the stricken city, the air fell dead and no aura could be felt, as if the hand of Yahweh himself was keeping the Arashi's power from holding any further sway upon the land.

"I will fight alone and forever. I will die a thousand deaths upon your blades if I must."

Upon the deathly gaze leveled at the scion of balance by the Legendary Dark Knight, all else seemed to fade to black. Only he and the Arashi stood visible in the darkness that had consumed the ravaged landscape.

"But you shall not harm those people, over whom you and your gods hold no power. Raise your blades, Arashi."