The Dragon Within

by SlyOkami

  (“Hah…Well done.”) The voice then said, (“Now…It’s my turn.”) It mused.

  Brazath’s expression then returned to surprise.

  As the Scythe suddenly returned into Kailu’s grasp, the boy’s eyes now pitch black as he stared straight into the Devil Prince’s.

  Losing its form, the Scythe turned fully to darkness and engulfed Kailu, forcing Brazath to step back and away.

  The tendrils of darkness swirled, quick and sudden movements, they formed a sphere the size of Brazath himself.

  As out of nowhere, the staff rose up and dove into the sphere, disappearing within…

  Followed, by the thousands of corpses which splattered this beach they stood on.

  Barraged by flesh, Brazath flew away, taking perch up in the sky he watched the amalgamation of dead squelch and squish as the black hole devoured them all.

  To the very last bone, the orb of darkness absorbed it all.

  A pause then followed, a moment of cold silence.

  Followed by the dark orb dissipating, revealing Kailu within.

  Unchanged…

  Unarmed.

  Until a dark hole opened within his chest.

  And out of it, first a skull rose out.

  Wickedly black, horned too, the skull was unlike any being of Faetera.

  Following the skull, was a staff of bones, as it bent forwards whilst pulling itself out.

  Ending, in two double-edged and curved blades.

  The whole thing was massive, sending an explosion of sand as it fell to the ground before Kailu.

  As Kailu himself fell to his knees, breathing heavily, he couldn’t even explain to himself what he had just felt.

  As the weapon lay before him, all too large for him to wield, still he placed his hand upon its handle.

  Dark tendrils of violet energy grew out, surrounding his arm and holding the weapon tightly into his palm.

  Kailu raised it, effortlessly just like before albeit its size.

  He, just as Brazath, scanned the weapon’s appearance.

  Its dreadful accessories of bones and remains.

  Its wicked blades, wide enough to slice off a Mammoth’s leg with enough force.

  And…Kailu then saw the inscription at its peak, laying at the widening staff between the two blades.

  He rose to his feet, staring at the symbols…at the words he somehow understood.

  Kailu read the inscription as a single word, as a name he thought…

  And that name read as…

  “Zeokul…” Kailu whispered, and the skull’s eyes lit up violet.

  “Hah…Hahahaha~” The skull laughed.

  “Guess who’s back?”

  B2; Chaos - Ch 59; Collapse - Part 4; A Hellish Duel

  “Hahahaha!” The Skull cackled, “Guess who’s back…” It growled, as Kailu suddenly felt himself being lifted off the ground.

  Hovering now, he glanced about with wide eyes, as a wind-like force spun about him.

  Forceful it was, as it tore at the ground. The mana was physical, he realised.

  “This, is aura kid.” The Skull explained, sensing his thoughts.

  “Aura?…” Kailu mused, feeling a connection with the energy, feeling control over it as it surrounded him.

  “W-w-w-wait wait! Who in hell are you?!” Brazath stuttered, paling at what he sensed within the scythe.

  As the skull’s violent sockets shone brighter at his question, “For Eons I’ve slept…Through realms I’ve travelled. To this one I arrived…Oh who the hell am I kidding, none of you all would fucking know the Devil that is me!” it exclaimed, a crooked smirk forming through its bony mouth. “I am Zeokul, descendant of Wrath. And I’ve been watching, I’ve been listening. Hah, how interesting this world is…”

  “D-Descendant of…Wrath!?” Brazath exclaimed, sheepishly chuckling then. “Impossible! I-Impossible! The Original Devils were wiped out before this realm even flourished life!”

  Yet the skull chuckled, “Oh so you…Ahem…So you do know of me.”

  “Actually no…I’ve never heard of you. Who the hell are you!?” Brazath exclaimed once again.

  “I don’t know either…” Kailu whispered, still wide-eyed as he stared at the weapon within his grasp.

  “Heh, neither have I, care to share?” Then spoke a voice from behind them, as the ground nearby Kailu rose up.

  From beneath, a skeleton ascended, fleshless and unclothed it wiped the dirt off its bony body.

  “A-A-and…” Stuttering once more with further confusion, Brazath’s expression twitched with frustration, “Who’s this!?” he demanded, a headache quickly forming as he was utterly lost at this point.

  “Ascal, you know, the guy who just…Oh nevermind.” Ascal sighed, somehow, “So we killing one another or what?” He then asked to the awkward situation.

  “R-right!” Kailu agreed, stiffening into a stance as he refocused on the Devil Prince before him.

  Seeing that, Brazath’s body trembled where he stood, as his gaze lay lowered to the ground.

  Brazath shook, as his eyes twitched, as his lips quivered.

  Confused,

  Enraged that he was,

  Brazath snapped.

  As his gaze rose up, eyes aflame as more and frost suddenly burst out of his widening wings. “I’M DONE WITH YOU ALL!” He bellowed out, sending the sands about them blasting aside, as he soared forwards.

  “Ah, well.” Ascal coughed, “I’ll be watching from…elsewhere.” He mused, before his skeletal body suddenly sunk into the ground.

  “S-S-Sir Ascal!?” Kailu stuttered in surprise as Ascal strategically retreated…

  Then finding himself faced with a maddened Devil, as Brazath summoned forth a massive two handed fiery blade from hell, cleaving into the scythe while Kailu raised it before himself defensively.

  “You’re facing the wrong way shrimp!”

  A resounding clang filled the air as the two weapons clashed, each combatant feeling the hellish energy vibrating through their bodies as they met.

  Cackle, snarling and fuming with frost and flame, the Half-Angel Half-Devil pushed his face into Kailu’s, sneering. “You hold power, within you flows the strength of hell…I sense it!” Brazath exclaimed, suddenly shifting his stance, Kailu found himself being sent flying aside as the prince spun.

  Regaining his balance several feet away, Kailu once again found Brazath charging.

  “Yet…Young…Foolish…Unexperienced…” Brazath mumbled to himself, as he grinned, as his weapon split into two halberds once more. Knocking aside Kailu’s scythe with one, his second cleaved down towards the boy.

  “Untrained!” Brazath bellowed, growling later as a forcefield of violet energy surged to block his attack. “I won’t-”

  “Oh shut your blabbering,” The skull mused, as the violet energy suddenly burst, sending both combatants soaring away from one another.

  Immediately regaining balance, Brazath though did not charge again, cautious now he studied his strange foe…foes?

  As Kailu stumbled to retain his, wielding this massive scythe albeit weightless was still beyond him.

  “Oh yeah, this kid’s got much to learn.” Zeokul chuckled, as Kailu felt something surge within him. “And I’ve got plans, to teach him. Yet, I can’t have my vessel be destroyed now before that…can I?” As the bound Devil’s voice grew fiercer with each word.

  Kailu, suddenly let go of the scythe, as agony filled his body.

  “Don’t resist it boy.” Zeokul said, as a barrier of violet formed around Kailu.

  As Brazath took the opportunity to attack, summoning forth blades, axes and spears.

  Spewing hellish flames and unholy ice.

  Yet the barrier held.

  As Kailu keeled over, screaming, it felt as if his gut was afire.

  As his skin began exhuming a blackish smoke.

  And as Kailu screamed,

  As Brazath unleashed his full power on the barrier,

  Zeokul chanted.r />
  “I am…the incarnation of destruction. I am…Haha…the depiction of the end.”

  The other worldly Devil chanted, “How did it go again?…Ah right.” to which Kailu’s form began to change.

  “Custom School;”

  Time seemed to slow down, pausing Brazath’s assault on the breaking barrier.

  As lines of bright violet energy formed all over Kailu’s body, flaring up like flames before his very skin began to crack.

  Then shatter, Kailu’s skin turned to dust revealing the now violet pulsating flesh and muscle below, his blood glowing a dark purplish hue as it did not drip out.

  Kailu’s eyes turned black then, and his screaming paused, his now skinless face filling with a calm expression.

  As two horns grew out of his head, alongside a single horn from his forehead. All three curved back, and grew longer as violet lightning-like energy pulsed through them.

  The energy surged out, blasting the barrier and shattering it outwards, recontinuing the normal flow of time as Brazath was sent flying far back.

  “Chaoz;” Zeokul now spoke through Kailu’s changed body, as his form grew…

  As he rose to his feet, and began walking towards Brazath.

  The Devil Prince, enraged still, charged once again.

  Summoning forth wicked claws of hellish metal around his wrists, Brazath bellowed his warcry as he advanced at top speed.

  As in the distance before him, Zeokul grew faster than he should have from the prince’s perspective…

  Slowing down, Brazath took one last step as he came standing before Zeokul.

  Who now stood four times the prince’s own monstrous height, and as the now correctly sized scythe flew into this new Devil’s hand.

  Zeokul’s flesh was suddenly covered by a dark-purple carapace-like armour, as his fingers elongated into dagger-ended black claws.

  As his face, grew into a snout.

  And a tail burst out from his behind, night black as the rest of him, it ended with a crooked blade for a tip.

  Zeokul’s snouted face grinned widely, as he glanced down at Brazath. “You wished to know who I am? Bow, puny Devil of this new generation, for I am Zeokul Descendant of the original Wrath.” Stomping his foot down, Brazath was forced to take a step back due to the tremor it caused. “Cursed by the Gods of another world, outcast from Hell, once Dreadknight, Lich killer…but,”

  Zeokul’s grin widened, “You can call me daddy.”

  Fury filled Brazath as he soared up, bellowing maniacally and incomprehensibly, the Devil prince spun like a whirlwind as he clashed with this monster’s clawed hand.

  Zeokul, with a mere slap, sent the prince tumbling over the sands.

  As if, he had just swatted away a fly.

  * * *

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAp6M8Ln4Ug

  * * *

  “I…will not…be…” Brazath croaked out, as he rose from being buried beneath sand, wings spreading wide as his eyes shone red and blue. “BE MADE A FOOL OUT OF!” The Devil prince exclaimed as miasma spewed out of his body.

  As his weapons dissipated, Brazath raised his hands forth. “Minions of my master come forth, From the deepest depths of the void! Crawl, slither and stomp, Growl! Bellow! Roar!” Brazath chanted, as tendrils of hellish energy formed all around him.

  “Devil Script; Apocalypse Chapter; Seven Realm Summoning!” Brazath bellowed, and rifts tore open before him.

  Seven in total, each just as large as the monster he faced.

  And out of those rifts, a monster each stepped out.

  “This takes…a lot out of me…” Brazath weakly mused with a sneer. “But nothing will stop me, from concluding my plan!” He cackled wickedly.

  His own laughter, outspoken, as Zeokul too laughed.

  As a four-legged monster of pure flowing lava stepped out of one rift.

  A serpentine beast of shifting shadows out of the other.

  A lanky creature of violet tentacles out of the next.

  A bulging mountain of black flesh from the fourth.

  A hundred-legged armoured insectoid from the fifth.

  Brazath did not allow this rogue Devil to bother him with their uncaring laughter, “I am Brazath, 8th Devil Prince of the Sixth Hell, Son of the mighty Greater Devil, King Xokith! Monster Tamer! World Breaker! Realm Conqueror! I…I won’t…” Insanity filled Brazath’s expression as the last two monsters stepped out.

  A giant suit of armour made purely out of blackened ice, pulsating flesh laying within, it had no recognisable features nor intelligence.

  And finally, humanoid yet hunched forward, the largest of all seven. Red thick hide for skin, and massive muscles riddling its bulky body, veins of magma flowed visibly through cracks within. The Daemon stepped forth, ahead of the rest of Brazath’s pets, and twice the size of its common cousins.

  The beasts bellowed, hissed and roared.

  “I won’t be defeated!” Brazath exclaimed, continuing his maniacal laughter, “Greet my babies! Captured or raised by myself! A Fire Titan from the first Hell!” He announced, to which the giant of lava shuddered, exhuming a toxic pillar of gas upwards.

  “A Shadow Naga from the second plane of Hell!” Brazath gestured to the shifting darkness next, a serpent’s maw briefly forming within the blob of shadows, it hissed.

  And as he turned to the next beast, ecstatic to continue.

  “Oh yes I know this one, it’s a hent-” Zeokul mused but paused as Brazath’s eyes turned to glare coldly at him. “Please, please go on. Don’t let me take you out of the mood, I love it when villains monologue their entire plan!” He chuckled.

  As Brazath’s expression twitched, “Oh…Oh here’s my plan. These Titans from hell, apex predators one and all, alongside myself a Devil Prince! We shall take the impossible monster that is you down…Surely, I’ve heard the stories. The legends! Of your generation, of the power…Of how close you came to conquering the veil itself!”

  “Ohohoho, go on go on, Oh don’t stop just yet!” Zeokul mocked, smiling widely as he faced seven goliaths of his own size.

  Cutting Brazath off once more, the prince’s entire head twitched now.

  “Ah, apologies.” Zeokul then said, bowing forwards, yet his grin only widened. “I just can’t help myself, from talking shit, when royalty such as yourself…” Speaking the next few words slowly, but loudly, to emphasize them.

  “Is, Sucking, Me, Off.”

  Brazath’s twitching stopped, and instead he began shaking.

  As a massive clawed whip appeared within his hands, his expression twitched briefly between a smile and a grimace. “I’m done…Hah…Hahaha…I’M GOING TO RIP YOU APART!” The Devil prince bellowed, fuelled solely by rage, him and his monsters charged.

  As the Naga and Tentacle monsters surrounded Zeokul like a cage, followed by the Fire Titan and Daemon who’s charge turned into a tackle.

  A swift darkness then slashed forth, and reality rippled.

  Sliced in half, each of the four monsters fell dead.

  Revealing Zeokul once more, as he suddenly threw the scythe, sending it soaring into the insectoid. Its blade dug straight through the creature’s carapace and head, killing it instantly.

  Brazath had not a moment to react, as Zeokul now stood before the giant of black ice.

  Raising his clawed hand to the monster’s helmet, as it struggled, punched and kicked at him, Zeokul was bothered not.

  As with sheer strength, he ripped the Hell beast’s head off before shoving his claws down its fleshy chest.

  “Well?” Zeokul asked, all the while violet lightning surged through the last beast’s body.

  Bursting it like a bubble, black flesh went everywhere.

  And as Zeokul wiped the viscera and gore off his snout, he smiled widely.

  Stepping towards a shaking Brazath, “Where’d your spunk go?” Zeokul asked.

  As Brazath stepped back.

  “Where’s your strength? Devil Prince.” Zeokul hissed, as su
ddenly his scythe flew back into his hand.

  “Weren’t you gonna…rip me apart?” Zeokul asked, as suddenly Brazath’s angelic wing was sliced cleanly off.

  “Well!?” Zeokul exclaimed, grasping him by the other wing and raising Brazath to his fanged smirk. “Well Monster Tamer?! Well World Breaker!? Well Realm Conqueror!?” Zeokul bellowed, raising the scythe to the Devil’s struggling body, Brazath fell still.

  “Well son of Xokith? Where the fuck did your balls go?” Zeokul growled, “You wannabe half-blooded, narcissistic, multi-personality, son of a Devil bitch.” The Original Devil asked, as he crushed Brazath’s last wing into a mess, tearing it off.

  Brazath fell, crashing down into the sands splattered with black flesh, he crawled backwards and away from the monster before him.

  As Zeokul raised the butt of his scythe over the puny prince, aiming the large skull upon him.

  Brazath’s expression was horrified, “No…N-No…” He begged.

  As Zeokul stomped down the staff.

  Yet, also shrunk down, as black smoke spouted out from his form.

  Returning back to Kailu, the staff missed as it now stood straight up with the young Xilfir holding it by the bottom.

  Facing the trembling Devil Prince, Kailu glanced at Brazath and was immediately confused.

  (“Don’t…screw…this up kid…”) Zeokul spoke into Kailu’s mind.

  (“W-What?”) was Kailu’s only response as he tried to catch up, having no memory of what had just occurred.

  (“I ran out of juice…”) Zeokul quickly mumbled out, as an awkward silence filled the gore-decorated shore.

  (“I don’t…understand.”) Kailu responded, still meeting eyes with a petrified Brazath.

  (“Oh for fuck s-Just say what I say!”) Zeokul shouted, making Kailu’s expression twitch with brief pain.

  A twitch that made Brazath crawl back further.

  “W-Well? Where’s your power now?” Kailu parroted Zeokul’s words, “You’re not even worth finishing off,” trying his best to remain as calm and cold as possible, “B-Begone from our sight!” Kailu exclaimed with another stutter.

  (“Well, you’re not getting any acting prizes this century.“)

  To which Brazath’s expression narrowed.