"Let us get this over with," Graldin replied, no trace of previous emotion showing. Asuman grinned and nodded. Not waiting for the minor god to strike first, the general launched himself forward, casting multiple debuffing spells within a heartbeat.
[Slowdown]
[Cripple]
[Blindness]
Neither debuff stayed on the minor god for longer than a second, but that hadn’t been his intention. All he needed was to close the gap between them. His main plan relied on staying close in on Asuman, within reach of his halberd, as the coiled whip was long and deadly.
Graldin's halberd arched through the air and slammed into the whip’s reinforced handle, releasing sparks upon impact. A left-handed hook caught him unaware striking his face guard, sending him staggering backward multiple steps. Graldin stayed on his feet using the halberd to keep himself from falling over. A swift move with the halberd sent sand flying straight towards the minor god’s eyes. A few grains of sand got through and blinded him for a half-second.
In a panic, Asuman jumped back to gain some distance, narrowly escaping the halberds reach, as he felt the parted air caressing his face.
Asuman continued dodging every blow with surprising agility. He countered Graldin’s halberd with a kick that forced him off balance, and unfurled his whip. The slash was faster than Graldin thought possible as the tip grazed his armour. The whip cracked as if thunder struck the earth and the smell of ozone lingered around, disorienting Graldin.
[Tempest discharge]
Bolts of lightning spewed forth from within Asuman’s body, striking his limbs and chest multiple times and paralyzed him for a brief moment. Graldin set up for a second attack and there was nothing Asuman could do about it, except some minor counter-magic that would be useless.
[Divine Flame]
A column of flame burst from Graldin’s hand and slammed into Asuman’s head. It did no damage except distract the god, barely long enough for what he needed. His halberd swirled through the air and slashed at Asuman with deadly intent.
Chips of armour, skin and blood burst out from the wound caused by the weapon. The god’s shoulder felt like it had caught fire and went limp. Unfortunately, Graldin was too slow to stop the minor deity as he flew into the sky, unfurling his wings.
Shouts of joy and hatred came from both sides. Graldin’s allies were bolstered by their general’s bravery and fighting prowess, while the legion's morale dropped by the setback.
Asuman, not waiting for his opponent to gain any more ground, flashed through the air, his foot connecting with Graldin’s cheek. A whiplash followed and slammed into the general’s armour as he connected with ammo carts, leaving dents and scars on the ground.
Pieces of plate and scales got ripped off and flew in all directions. Screams of pain came out from within the armour as the general was nearing his pain threshold. After all, he wasn’t immune to pain like the deities were.
More strikes followed, then the whip finally coiled around Graldin’s neck and threatened to force the life out of him. With one hand he gripped the halberd, and with the other he pulled at the whip, trying to get some air.
A sudden calm came over him as his and Milena’s eyes met. She was in tears, her agony plain on her face, but she didn’t flinch once. There would be no chance to do it over, or any other chance for them to survive. The one thing that could save Graldin was his artifact piece. He would use it again, even if it meant that he would lose even more of his humanity.
The armour moved around his body, adjusting and expanding. Thousands of tiny needles stabbed into his skin, drawing blood with each heartbeat. Letting out a deafening roar, Graldin pulled at the whip and ripped it in two. At the very last moment, Asuman pulled the whip towards him, forcing Graldin slightly off balance. He tripped face first into the bloody soil. Asuman took the chance and brought his knees down on Graldin’s back, breaking his spine. The sound could be heard in a radius of a hundred metres in the quiet night.
"You can not win, mortal! No matter how strong you might be, no matter how brave or skilled. You will always remain a mortal!" Asuman mocked, his hands raised into the air as he mockingly walked a circle around his opponent.
As if possessed, Graldin laughed like a madman and floated up into the sky. A renewed sound of bones grinding and rearranging chilled everyone’s blood. The armour was almost sentient and quite insane, and this was just one of the things it was capable of.
Oh I want this so bad. I want this more than any other artifact, Bardos thought to himself, an evil grin plastered to his face. He was about to attack Graldin himself when the general stopped laughing.
"You dare say we can not win because we are human? Because we are mortal? Who are you to tell us that!" the general roared in defiance.
[Berserker]
The armour swirled around him and rearranged itself for the second time to support his broken back. The halberd merged solid to his arm, becoming an extension of his body. Every single piece of broken bone and torn flesh was put back in place meanwhile, putting great strain on the mind during the process and draining half of his blood within mere moments.
The Berserker state was a last resort which raised his power tenfold, but at a great cost to his mind. A second big flaw was that the wearer lost all sense of good or wrong, forgetting who his allies and enemies were alike. He would pursue the target until one of them was dead, or until the transformation ran out.
"So that's the true power behind an artifact?" Asuman asked in surprise, his voice a pitch higher. The tremendous power radiating from Graldin was immeasurable, forcing both armies to withdraw a few steps as the shock wave pushed them back.
"Finally!" Bardos yelled. "Isn’t it exciting, Asuman?" Bardos mocked his own subordinate. The minor god just winced and studied the target for a moment longer, not sure how to take him on.
Graldin seemed like a different enemy than he was moments before, horns sprouting from his helmet, spikes from his shoulders, the halberd becoming a massive blade. For a long, Graldin just stood there, his head cocked to one side as he observed Asuman.
"Really? I get to see it in all its glory and then that idiot just stands there? Attack already!" Bardos yelled angrily. Not waiting to see who would make the first move, he cast one of his own spells right between the two.
[Holy Judgment]
A massive cone of light dropped almost on top of the Berserker who sprang to life instantly, much to Bardos’ excitement. With inhuman speed, he flew towards Asuman who barely managed to put up a defensive shield using his whip. Graldin’s blade cut clean through the whip, cracking the shield open with ease. Asuman narrowly escaped with his life, flying away from his assailant in panic.
"What was that?" Asuman yelled. "That was my best shield!" Angrily, he took a vial from his pocket and drank it. A second later, the minor god started laughing insanely.
His aura shifted, ran out of control and turned violent. His blue eyes turned black as the energy threatened to kill him from the inside. "You are not the only one with a special ability!"
Asuman put up his hands to chant and made some complex movements with them. A purple storm appeared out of nowhere above the battlefield, thunderbolts striking the ground everywhere around them. A high-pitched noise built up slowly, escalating into a sonic boom as hundreds of lightning bolts slammed straight into Graldin at once and exploded.
[Trial and Sentence]
A dust cloud rose up high into the air, covering the aftermath. ‘The problem here obviously is that his power can’t be lowered anymore. They are already at their weakest, so your magic spell didn’t affect him the way it should.’ Bardos laughed at his own subordinate.
Graldin roared something incomprehensible as all kinds of magical spells started flashing out of his body. Icicles, fireballs, thunderbolts, poison rays, life and death magic flew all around him, hitting enemy and ally alike. As if waiting for it to happen, Graldin’s officers threw up a barrier in front of their own army and deflected the
magic towards the enemy.
With unrivaled speed, the general threw his blade towards Asuman, who swatted it aside with ease and grinned as the halberd flew past him. Bardos’ laughter drew his attention towards his own body. Asuman looked down, his face turning to horror as half of his left side was missing. The blade had passed through him as he had held up his arm and leg trying to deflect the blade.
Blood gushed out of his wounds and panic set in. Cold sweat crawled down his back and forehead as he tried to understand what had just happened while trying to eliminate the pain with all his might. Losing control over himself, Asuman fell on his side and lay there, looking up at the Berserker. The minor god trembled in fear as his eyes met the pits of death that were Graldin’s eyes.
All kinds of rubbish left Asuman’s mouth as he pleaded for his life, but the general would have nothing of it. He strode towards his fallen enemy and stopped a metre shy. Lifting one of his massive feet, he crushed the god’s skull with one violent stomp. Brain matter and bone flew in all directions as the body twitched violently.
"Well done, human!" Bardos said as he descended towards the Berserker, a sword pointed towards him. Graldin, not able to think, launched himself at Bardos, his blade striking the god. A violent flash erupted between the two weapons as they collided in a flurry of blows. The god kicked Graldin with a metal boot, sending him falling beside Asuman. Upon impact, his armour disappeared, and he changed back to a normal human. The armour had absorbed most of the damage, but the general was in bad shape. Bardos dropped beside him, his face twisted in a disgusting sneer.
"Please, don’t ruin my mood. I know that it was the armour attacking me, but I'll have to punish you. How about a changed offer?" Graldin, who was barely able to kneel, looked up at the wicked deity.
"Are you going back… on your word, my lord?" Graldin asked, gritting his teeth. Bardos laughed out loud as if it was the funniest joke ever.
"No, my child. I never go back on my word, but I'll change the deal as you have displeased me. This sword wasn't used for thousands of years, and now I'll have to clean it again. Do you know how much that bothers me?" Bardos mocked.
"I understand, my lord. Please forgive me." Bardos rose so Graldin had to look up to him.
"Sacrifice that woman and I'll recall the army, giving you freedom for a hundred years!" he said with a strong voice that carried far and wide. "That much time will give you a chance to recover so we can wage war again. How do you feel about this?"
Graldin would rather have died at Asuman’s whip then decide who would live and die. The look Milena had in her eyes pleaded for him to choose the kingdom. His heart tormented by the choice given to him, tears flowed down his cheeks. Renewed emotions surfaced as his hatred and anger rose to an all time high. How could someone be a god, and so wicked at the same time?
"It's fine, Graldin. We will meet each other again one day." Milena spoke with more conviction than she obviously felt as her words radiated a pain that was almost unbearable.
Graldin looked around, searching for his friends and allies. Their eyes met and every single one of them thought the same thing. We are there for you. As if on cue, Ferris, Serdin and their better halves Selene and Helena walked over to their friend and helped him up.
"You know that we are behind you no matter what. You have been alone your entire life, without a woman, without a family. We will fight to the death if need be, so you can have the one thing we all treasure. Life with a loved one." Ferris’ words were gentle and soothing, yet firm.
"All of this time we have stayed alive, was due to you and Raikou. Too much of a burden had always been placed on your shoulders, my friend. Please, let us do the same for you now," Serdin added.
Tears rolled down his cheeks as Graldin had never felt something like this before. Grief, love, longing and a dozen other things.
"Will we fight for our brother?" Ferris yelled with all of his heart, turning towards the minor gods holding Milena’s hands.
"We will!" a loud roar followed a second later.
"Will we fight for our brother and sister, I ask you?" Ferris asked once more, tears flowing down his own cheeks. Emotions were overflowing the battlefield from man and woman, Elf, Dwarf and whoever was present.
"Yes, we will! For our brother and sister!" The second roar was deafening. Weapons and shields clattered in a rhythm, sword against shield. Milena looked at him one last time and closed her eyes.
"I'll do whatever you want me to, please, don’t do this to her. Take my life instead, but spare her and the kingdom," Graldin pleaded.
Bardos squealed in delight, enjoying every single moment of agony that had unfolded even more than he had hoped for. He squirmed and flew around, a strange aura overflowing from his body. When he came to rest a few seconds later, he spoke again.
"General. I'll help you this once," Bardos said, snapping his fingers. Before anyone could react, Milena floated mid-air with the two minor gods at her side. The expression on their faces said everything Graldin needed to know.
"Don’t you dare, Bardos! We had a deal!" he roared at the god as he got up on unsteady feet. Bardos smiled in return and nodded once. Before Graldin could even blink, the minor deities ripped the priestess apart and dropped the corpse to the ground. The general’s eyes glazed over, his soul shattered in an instant. Before any part of her hit the soil, Graldin was in mid-flight.
[Berserker]
Subconsciously, he knew that it would kill him as the strain on the body was too much, even for him. All the pain, rage and hatred filled and empowered him with an immense power that was solely motivated to kill Bardos. The deity cursed, as this wasn’t the outcome he had foreseen.
‘Kill them all!’ a giant of an Orc yelled as he joined Ferris and Serdin, then rushed towards the enemy line. The allied army, enraged by this show of cowardice and malevolence charged the Dark Lord’s troops, not caring about life or death. All that mattered was revenge.
Graldin slashed at the first god, who barely deflected the weapon, and counterattacked with a kick. Letting the halberd fly, Graldin grabbed the minor deity’s leg and slashed at it with his claws. Resistance was nonexistent as the leg fell off cleanly, followed by a stab that ripped his heart out. The Berserker roared in victory and turned towards the others.
The other two gods attacked together. A spear and a sword pierced his body in short succession, but it didn’t phase him in the slightest. Graldin looked at them in amusement for a long moment, a wide grin plastered to his face. A moment later, their heads exploded as he slammed them together with inhuman speed and force. The two lifeless bodies hit the ground with a loud thud, just as the two locked eyes.
"Bardos!" came a blood-chilling scream deep from within Graldin. Everyone, be they friend or foe, was affected by a debuff called [Broken Soul]. Over half of their power got sapped instantly, with both sides dropping down, too weak to do battle.
Power flowed into his armour as his victims’ corpses disintegrated and were absorbed, coloring it pitch-black with red, pulsating veins flowing throughout.
Bardos had no idea how to proceed, as this shouldn’t have been possible in any way. His own power fluctuated, one moment he felt it was there and the next moment he felt it disappear. Not wanting to see what would happen, there was only one thing that he could do.
Just as Graldin closed in on him, Bardos interlocked his hands, forming a triangle. A massive cone of light slammed straight into the general’s face, knocking him back a dozen meters. With another two motions, nearly a third of both armies combined had vanished, the Dark Lord’s army taking the brunt of the sacrifice. Bardos glowed red and white, as an immense amount of energy was pulled into a ball around him, and the next moment, he was gone. The Dark Lord, not wanting to die a useless death, cast a portal which pulled the rest of his army away from the battle and disappeared.
Graldin, upon seeing the god leave, lost all will to fight and changed back, crumbling into the bloody mess beneath his feet. His wounds were d
eep and eyes pitch-black. Something within had died, and would remain so forever. His breathing stopped and his pulse was gone, blood slowly dripping out from deep wounds. Screams echoed out around him as Selene and Helena both dropped to their knees and started casting healing spells for all they were worth.
* * * * *
Both Kaden and Laney were left in shock after witnessing the pure evil that was Bardos, the battle with the warrior called Graldin, the death of his loved one and the battle’s aftermath. They were shaken to their core, and knew at that moment that Bardos would have to be dealt with in any way possible. He was treacherous, scheming and cruel.
"Now do you see why he hates God so much? The wicked creature has taken half of his soul and his life just for fun and games," King Raikou said, appearing in front of them once more. "All he cares about is revenge, so if this has swayed you to help us, leave Graldin be and help him achieve his goal by not getting in his way. He will do anything to get even with Bardos."
"Yeah. I doubt that anything could stand against him. That guy has some serious power in that armour and halberd," Kaden stated, not quite liking Graldin, or at least not what he had witnessed. Not that he could be compared to Bardos in any way, but it was still frightening. Laney was quiet and looked downcast.
"Will you send us back?" she asked.
Raikou looked at her with a sad expression on his face and nodded. With a fluent motion, he clapped his hands together, and sent the two back to their domain without another word.
Chapter 8
The air felt damp inside the dark room they were in and was heavy with a foul stench. Slime stuck to their bodies as they squirmed atop of it.
"What is all of this? Kaden, where are you? Help me get up already!" Laney exclaimed, squirming around on the slime.
Kaden had his own problems as he tried to get up, but failed as badly as she did. "I’m sort of stuck myself," he replied. The darkness added an even greater problem as they couldn’t distinguish left from right. Kaden stopped struggling and just lay there in the slime, breathing heavily.
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