Itadaki no Hecate

Day of the Void

The Black-clothed Noble quickly closed the distance between it and his opponent and snapped its huge pincers at the spot where the Princess had been a second prior. The Princess had leapt in the air, preparing another set of swarms around herself. The giant centipede reared its massive body to reach her, it struck at her with its pincers again. The Princess barely managed to send her insects to its exposed underside, where its exoskeleton was weakest, before catching the incoming scissors as they closed together. It was not unexpected, however, and Oonamuchi blocked them by wrapping its underside with its many large legs.

As the Princess grappled against the pair of huge mandibles, she concentrated to manipulate the Unrestricted Method shrouding the splattered insects. Oonamuchi, as it continued to wrestle with the Flame Haze, used its full weight as it slammed her to the floor. The Princess lay sprawled, and struggled to regain her bearings. As she was dazed, the centipede prepared to lunge again, when it felt something odd from under its belly. It seemed like a strand of hair poking at it, followed by more, and more, and more, until the feeling spread completely through its underside and began to sting all over.

As Oonamuchi writhed and wriggled, it realized that millions of maggots had spawned from the insects that had collided into its legs, and had somehow made their way into its body when it came down again. The Princess Who Loves Insects got back to her feet and took the chance to strike, but before she could, Oonamuchi flicked her away with an enormous leg.

The Crimson Lord came closer to her, trying to ignore the millions of insects gnawing at its once sensitive zone, and raised its leg again to impale her, when suddenly, a large boulder struck it in the head, just a few feet away from where the Princess lay, and knocked the giant centipede off the wall.

"You almost hit us, Mobilizer of Ceremonial Equipment," said the Princess, looking over the battlements to a large golem of stone.

"I apologize for that," said the golem with the echoing voice of a boy as it waved.

Within the golem itself was indeed a young boy who looked little more than twelve years old. He had tanned skin, and his hair was long black hair was tied into a braid.

"Come, Khamsin Nbh'w, and let us continue moving forward," said a deep and aged voice within the golem as well.

"Right, Behemoth, we'll be of more use if we keep up the push," Khamsin said with a smile as it charged into a group of Denizens, battering through a number of them. The golem kicked and pounded several foes until his foes were a mass of flames. With the colossus among their ranks, the Flame Hazes managed to put more pressure on the Denizen army and advance.

"I'm not letting you through, Steadfast Sharp Peak Behemoth," said a man fully clad in armor with a large-bladed halberd over his shoulder.

The golem stopped its rampage and turned to face the new opponent, as did the Princess Who Loves Insects and several other Flame Hazes.

"It's hundreds of years too early for you to challenge us," said the man as he whirled his halberd before changing his form.

"Do not underestimate this one," said Valac. "He is a foe beyond any one of us."

The man, a Crimson Lord, grew many times larger, and gained the body and head of a lion with a long horn, as well as large bat wings, hands and legs like those of a bird, and a long lizard's tail; a huge Manticore straight out of legend. And along with him, his weapon grew to match.

"Thousand Changes Sydonay, the General himself," said Behemoth.

"We can match him if we attack together," said the Princess Who Loves Insects. "I'll support you, Mobilizer of Ceremonial Equipment." The golem seemed to nod, and he rushed at the beast barring their way.