Arnec and Tangle walked out of the camp and into the forest. Tangle pulled something out of the pouch on her side handing it to Arnec. He looked at it, a small piece of what felt like plastic with what looked like a button.
"It's a tracker. Try and put it in a cranny in yer mouth so next time we... Have some fun... You won't taste plastic."
"You have one?"
"Yeah, Whisper gave Jewel one earlier and I got one too."
Arnec stuck it in his mouth and it stuck to his inner cheek. After about 20 minutes of walking they reached the tomb. It was a small temple, hardly the size of a house. Arnec walked in, only seeing blackness inside. Tangle went to go in but smacked into something. It was like there was an invisible wall. "Arnec, we got a problem!" She said, Arnec spinning around in a flash and running up to her. "Lucifer, what is this!?"
"You think I know everything kid!? Hugin and Munin were before my time!"
"It's some kind of force field! But it let me through!"
"Guess it's the demon blood. We've got to move though!"
Arnec sighed as he looked at Tangle. "I... can't...!" Arnec attempted to grab her hands, the force field blocking him. They looked at each other, worry in both of their eyes. "I'll be back, I promise!" Arnec yelled. Tangle nodded "I'll keep the door covered, go do whatever you gotta do!" She said as she pulled back. Arnec nodded and slowly turned, looking into the darkness... He walked forward, entering the tomb. "You alright?" Lucifer asked. Arnec shook his head but continued on. His eyes glowed in the dark as his devil vision kicked in, the tomb being cramped as he had to get on all fours to get through some partially collapsed corridors. Finally though he reached a large cavern and in the middle was a sword. It was a greatsword with a long and thin ebony blade. It's handguard was made of two raven heads that faced opposing directions. Arnec thought to himself... Twin ravens... A sword with two ravens... This must be them! Arnec went to grab the sword but suddenly his head had a sharp pain, like someone was jamming needles into his skull. He collapsed onto the ground as images flashed. It was too quick to tell what exactly it was, the only thing he could recognize was Tangle, some wings, and Tygrys. He then went unconscious...
-some time later-
Arnec's eyes slowly opened his eyes, cold and damp air creeping into his nose as he tried to regain his sight. He was in a cell, his hands bound to the wall. He saw Dr Starline just outside the cell, his hands shaky as he waited. Mimic was there too, across the room alone. Then from the stairway in front of him came some kind of demon he'd never seen before. It looked like a Mobian wolf, surrounded in purple and red hellfire. Each step released a short burst of flames onto the floor. His eyes red and his mouth too, permanently open as if he had a hunger that could never be fed. "Grendel, I got Arnec. I'm still working on how to get the Chaos Emeralds." Starline said, Grendel not saying a word. He looked at Arnec, his silence more frightening than any words. Then he pulled something from his side. Arnec didn't recognize it until he saw the familiar blue scabbard of the Deimos. He also wasn't wearing his jacket, likely stolen from him too. His own sword, his coat, and his freedom, stolen from him. Grendel then let out a small chuckle "The son of Szakala, finally I get to see you." Grendel said quielty, Mimic rolling his eyes. Grendel then growled as he noticed several bruises on Arnec's face. He looked at Starline "I believe I said, DON'T HURT HIM. Is that not what I said?" Grendel asked calmy, Starline nodding. Grendel pulled away, clasping his hands together "Then why does he have several bruises on his face and body? Oh well, he's here..." Grendel said before pulling the Deimos back out. He stabbed Starline, his void of a mouth curling into a sadistic smile "Our deal is over. You've expended your use to me." he said before ripping the blade out of him. Before Mimic could even move Grendel looked at him before spinning and twirling the blade, it piercing Mimic too. He twisted the blade and yanked it out, sheathing the sword and walking out. Arnec looked at his chained wrists and growled as he pulled on them, doing little. Starline coughed as he held his stomach, Mimic not moving at all. Arnec sighed, shaking his head. Suddenly he heard ravens cawing and two flew in through a window behind him. One looked around the room while the other landed on his arm. The ravens were unique in the fact that they had shiny golden eyes, their wings having a gold lighting pattern on the inside. The one on his arm shoved it's beak into one of the locks, prying it open. They swapped positions and the other raven got his other hand free. He rubbed his wrists as he walked by Starline, checking on Mimic. "Mimic's dead." he said before walking up to Starline. "You okay?" he asked. Starline shook his head. Arnec smirked before putting his hand on the platypus' stomach, using his healing power on him. Starline looked up at him in shock "Why... Would you help me?"
"Because I don't like to see people suffer. Even if you did kidnap me. You and Mimic close?" he asked. Starline smirked as he pushed his glasses up "Not close per se, more so business partners. Met him when I worked for Eggman. You already knew I did that though, don't you?"
"Yeah, called you Eggman Jr when we first met?" Arnec said, smirking.
"I remember." Starline said tiredly. Arnec groaned as he sat down beside of him "What made you turn villainous? You lose your parents too?"
"No... I wanted to study demonology, learn how to wield your kind's power. When I first discovered the warp topaz I was confounded by the immense power it contained. Eggman was kind of an inspiration for me. I saw what he could do with his machines and wanted to do something similar. Eggman wasn't what I thought he was, and after being his lackey for a bit I needed out."
"You wanted to control your own destiny. I can relate."
"Maybe it's not as grand as that, but... I just get controlled by everyone I meet."
"Maybe it's time to change your ways."
"And be a hero!? Preposterous!"
"Never said you had to be a hero. The world isn't black and white like that." Arnec said, Tangle entering his head. "Wait, did you do anything to Tangle!?" he then asked.
"No, I didn't even know she was there." Starline said, noticing Arnec tension. He then pulled out a small journal "Could I take some notes? I just want to know more about nephilium."
The term caught Arnec off guard but he knew what it meant. He smiled a little, never having been asked about before "Well, anything in specific?"
"Have you ever been sick?"
"No."
"Any foods you don't like?"
"Keep pineapple away from pizza. Anything else I don't mind I guess."
"Odd but okay. You mentioned Tangle. I'll assume you two are in a relationship."
"Well... Yeah..."
"That begs the question if nephilium can have children... Have you and her-"
"Woah, don't you dare even try and finish that!" Arnec yelled as he puffed up, growling as his fangs extended. Starline tensed up but calmed down before adjusting his glasses
"Of course... My apologies." he said before writing down some more notes. "Well you don't have to apologize." Arnec said, shrugging. Starline smirked before writing more down. Suddenly the sun shone through a window, red light cascading over them. Arnec thought of Tangle, hoping that she was okay. Meanwhile back at the Silent Shadow's camp, Tangle was with Whisper. She paced around the tent, shaking. Suddenly her ears perked up
"Hold on, you feel that?" she asked. Whisper shook her head. Tangle thought to herself for a second before realizing what it was. It was Arnec... She could feel him. She couldn't tell where he was but she knew he was alive. Whisper looked at her "He did turn on the tracker right?"
"I think so."
"Did you tell him?"
"No." Tangle responded, giving herself a face palm. Whisper groaned
"Tangle, how's he supposed to know how it works!? Maybe he's still alive..."
"He is." Tangle responded, crossing her arms. Whisper smirked "And how do you know that!?" She asked. Tangle shrugged
"I can feel it..."
Whisper tilted her head "Oh, you can feel it can you?? Can you feel where he is!?" she asked, resting her head on her hand. Tangle shrugged "No." she said quietly before looking out into the wasteland "Arnec... I know you can't hear me, but... Please tell me you turned on that darn tracker..." she whispered. Arnec suddenly felt an urge. He slid one of his fingers into his mouth, finding the tracker as his thumb was on his cheek before pressing it. Starline looked puzzled at him "What was that about?"
"I don't know. I just... Felt like I needed to do that." Arnec responded. It was a quiet few minutes before Starline looked over at him "I don't know much about Tangle, but I'm curious as to why you are attached to her. Surely being part angel you could-"
"As far as I know every angel is dead, my mother was the last one."
"Oh, Grendel never told me anything about your realm's history. So, what made you attracted to her?"
Arnec smiled shyly, his cheeks turning pink "It's... A lot. Okay, imagine the world as black and white for a moment. Everything's boring and the same. And then suddenly, you see a color... It excites you, gets you out of that boring world even just for a moment. Your cheeks get red and your heart starts beating faster and faster, then you feel a feeling you've never felt before... That's Tangle to me. She was my only connection to my humanity when my mother and my brother died."
"You had a brother?" Starline asked. Arnec nodded slowly, sighing
"Yeah, his name was Fayn. Means light in our language. Arnec means shadow. Fayn was meant to be the son who would be better, hence his name being light. He had the blue eyes, brown fur, and his hair matched his fur. Meanwhile I was basically a reject in comparison. I look like my mom, aqua green eyes, white fur, black hair..."
Starline looked over at him "You really are black and white..."
"Yeah... Tangle's the best thing to ever happen to me. The way she gets excited, pretty much ain't afraid of anything, and knowing how to have fun... It's exhilarating, I felt like the piece of me that had been missing for years was finally found! Without her, I'd be emotionless, an animal..." Arnec said, holding his hand above his chest where his amulet used to be. Back at the camp, Tangle smiled as she thought about him, knowing he was thinking of her... Whisper raised an eyebrow "Tangle, your boyfriend is possibly dying right now and you're smiling... Is there something you're not telling me!?" Whisper asked. Tangle chuckled
"No Whisp, I'm smiling because-"
Whisper stopped her mid sentence "His tracker is finally working!" she yelled. Tangle nearly tripped as she ran up to her "Where is he!?"
"Some fortress. I don't know this place that much so I don't know the name." Whisper said, data pad out. Lucifer appeared, having made his way back with Asmodeus, and looked at the map "He's in the Fortezza... I'll talk to Nero." he said before walking away. Tangle sat down by Whisper "You know, I like crazy and everything, but this? It's been less than a week and look at what's happened. Random wolf shows up and beats Mimic up for us, has apparently been in love with me for several years, is half demon and half angel, and now we're in a realm we hadn't even HEARD of, fighting to save possibly the entire universe! How did we end up here!?"
Whisper shrugged "Old saying that Slinger told me was, the only easy day was yesterday. Who knows what will happen in the future." Whisper said, adjusting her Wispon MKII some more. Tangle sighed, twisting her foot in the dirt so she'd have something to do. Asmodeus appeared beside of her, one her wings going around Tangle. Tangle smirked "Thanks, even if you do watch me and Arn making out..." she said, Asmodeus chuckling. "Just want to make sure he's treating you right. He's like his father, loving but is about as good at showing it as a brick sometimes." Asmodeus said, rolling her eyes. Tangle looked over at her and noticed that her feathers on her head were long and pointed, and her beak was longer like a canine's muzzle.
"I thought you were supposed to be an owl...?" Tangle asked. Whisper looked over "She looks like a Hedgehog to me!"
Asmodeus smiled "What can I say? Love can take many forms!" she said before laying back. Tangle sighed, rolling over and laying on her stomach with her head on her hands. Meanwhile at the tent serving as a mess hall, Sonic was with Beezlebub who had scarfed down his 8th steak and wasn't nearly full. Sonic tapped his finger against the table, bored as he waited for the mission to go green. Beezlebub looked over at him "I can be of use to you, you know that?"
"How? By eating all the chili dogs before me!?" Sonic asked with smirk.
"No- I mean yes I can do that, but rather... In combat..."
"Really now?" Sonic asked, looking over at him. Beelzebub nodded before disappearing into green ashes and a sword appeared on Sonic's back. It's blade was split into two, almost resembling the twin prongs of a barbecue fork. Sonic raised one of his eyebrows "And what kind of power do you have?"
"The more I feed, the more power we gain together." Beelzebub said before going back into his demon form. Sonic looked away for a moment, Beel stealing some of his food off of his plate. Sonic looked back "Hey, where'd all my food go!? Did you...!? Ah, come on!" Sonic groaned, Beel laughing a little. Nero and Whisper walked beside of each other "You have his location?"
"Some fortress. Maybe you can tell what or where it is."
Nero looked at the data pad before shaking his head "The Fortezza..." Nero said quietly. He then walked up to Leviathan "We have Arnec's location. The Fortezza. We can strike now and possibly compete two missions at once."
"The Fortezza, where Tygrys is!? Nero, we don't have a large enough army for that! We'll all get killed! We have one ship, he's got over 20 including a battle cruiser!" Leviathan shouted. Whisper smirked "Here's an idea. What if we steal the battle cruiser and use it as a distraction while a strike team infiltrates the fortress? That Corvette is nimble enough I think to outmaneuver them." she said as he looked at the map. Several Silent Shadows walked around them, wanting to hear what was going on. Within seconds most of the Mobians were there too. Nero crossed his arms "That... Is unorthodox, but I like it. Get everyone on board the Rotor Drache. We'll begin the strike immediately!" Nero said, the Demons each looking at their commander. Nero nodded and they all loaded up into the Corvette. Sonic looked at Amy as they stood next to each other in one of the ship's halls. "Well Ames. Been a crazy week hasn't it?" he asked. Amy smile as she put her fists on her hips, swaying them a little.
"Yeah, it really has. I thought Eggman was a big threat and there was all this, just out of sight... What if Arnec hadn't arrived, and this Tygrys guy just wiped us all out?" She asked. Sonic shook his head "I wouldn't let that happen. You know that." he said, smiling at her. Amy smirked "Sonic, you can't stop everything... I love you, but I don't think you could beat this guy alone."
"Never said I could. And who said I'd do it alone?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.
"You mean that as a "Me and you~" sort of way or a "me and the boys!" sort of way?" Amy asked. Sonic smiled embarrassingly "Uhh... Well... Why not both? I know you can fight!"
"Dang right I can!" Amy said with a smile as she pulled her hammer out and poked him with it. Shadow looked at Rouge, them being just out of sight
"Ugh, happiness." Shadow mumbled
"You brood more than a hen. You know that right?" Rouge asked. Shadow did a half smirk half smile "I was being sarcastic, you know that right?" he asked, Rouge hitting his shoulder. Shadow snickered as Omega was examining one of the Silent Shadow's weapons. It looked like a sniper rifle, carved from bone. At one point it was a beautiful metallic silver, but the rust hid that now. Omega then scanned it, adding a new weapon to his arsenal. Rouge turned and smiled "Omega's gotten himself a new toy..." she said as she walked up to him. Omega turned slightly "Flechette rifle added... Please try not to stand in the way, dismemberment may occur." he said, the rifle's barrel extending before the weapon turned back into a hand...
-Back at the fortress-
Arnec sighed before getting up, looking at Starline "Well, I better try and take Grendel down. Wanna come or...?"
"Why?"
"Because, why not?" Arnec asked, shrugging. Starline jumped up, stuttering as he tried to make sense of what Arnec was saying.
"I, I kidnapped you, tr-tried to get you killed, does... Does the list need to continue!?" he yelled. Arnec smirked "You can die here alone, or we can try and leave here alive. There, decide your own fate." Arnec said before starting to walk away, Starline following. they walked together through the dungeon. Arnec looked at one of the cells and stopped, him just staring. Starline looked over, Arnec walking up to the cell and kicking the door off it's hinges in a sudden act of rage. "Arnec... Who is it?" Starline asked. Arnec's heart had sank to his feet by this point as he laid by a body. It looked like a fox, but thin like he hadn't ate in forever. Arnec shook his head "Belphegor... No..." he whispered. The one thing that Arnec had thought was impossible had happened: someone killed a demon lord... Arnec punched the wall next to him, obsidian stone cracking
"Did you know this demon?" Starline asked. Arnec kept a straight face, trying to remember what Tangle had told him about letting his anger get to him.
"He fought beside my father, was basically my uncle. He... Also babysat me and my brother when my father went on business trips."
"Oh... I'm sorry." Starline said somberly. Arnec's attempt at staying calm failed. "Tygrys will be sorry when I find him and rip him limb from limb!" Arnec yelled, clawing the ground as he felt a power come over him. Snarls and growls echoed as the wolf's eyes glowed red... Then, the flash of light...
(Lullaby for a Deadman - Call of Duty: World at War ost)
Arnec stood in a new form. Two large angelic wings swayed, his body covered in feathers. Starline quickly pulled out his notebook, trying to write down every detail he saw. They suddenly heard noises, Demons coming for them. Arnec stepped in front of Starline, his talon like feet clawing the floor. "Is that... An angel form...?" Starline said to himself. Arnec could be heard growling as several geckos entered the dungeon, ready to kill the both of them. The first had it's skull caved in as Arnec grabbed it by it's head and slammed it into the wall violently. Another came and Arnec grabbed it in mid air, tearing it two. He then pulled out Hugin and Munin, four Hunters appearing. Arnec's slashes were less elegant and had pure rage put into them as he effortlessly cut through the Hunters, their bodies hurting the floor with a meaty thud. Arnec sheathed the swords before roaring with a rage that Starline had never seen, not even with Grendel. He then fell onto his side, the angelic form going away. Starline ran up to him, making sure he was still alive "What form of power was that!?"
Arnec got up and glanced at him "One i hope I never have to-" then his head started hurting before he went back into the form, shambling through the fortress. More Demons attacked, not standing a chance against the furious nephilium as he tore through them. Starline would cower behind corners and was barely able to keep up with Arnec. As he continued his rampage, six years of anger behind each claw swipe or head stomp. Arnec's vision was altered, like a red lens was covering his eyes. He also couldn't control it, his anger controlling his body. He tried to fight it off, slamming himself violently into the wall to try and knock it out of him. "What if Tangle was here!?" he asked himself. If she saw the monster he had become... No, he had to stop it. It didn't matter to him that these were Tygrys' Demons he was killing, it wasn't right for him to be this violent with it. Whatever was controlling him, if it even was actually his rage, enjoyed this... All the blood, tore apart creatures... But Arnec didn't... Seeing the Demons actually running away from him in fear... It made him realize something...
He was becoming Tygrys...
He internally growled as he slung his body with all his might into a wall, not feeling a thing. He kept on, the wall cracking. He grabbed his head in pain, feeling the rage try and take complete control. He wouldn't let that happen though as he slammed his face as hard as he could into the wall, knocking himself out. When he came to, the form was gone and he was on his back with Starline above him. Starline slowly extended his hand, Arnec grabbing it and getting up. They walked through a few hallways, Arnec shaking as he thought about what had just happened. Starline looked over at him "Are you okay?" he asked. Arnec stayed silent and continued. They walked through a few more hallways and then found an arena. There was a dragon in the middle, Starline cowering behind a wall. Arnec smirked as the dragon rose, four eyes staring at the wolf. "Who are you?" Arnec asked the dragon.
"I am Caliburn, the eldest of the 13 dragons. Or, was... My last brother was slain not too long ago... by you..." Caliburn said, flaps on his neck extending like a lion's mane. Arnec smirked "Your brother attacked me and my home, I was defending it." Arnec responded, putting a hand on his hip. Caliburn quickly switched the subject "Just by your scent I can tell who you are. Tygrys' nephew, Szakala's son..." his eyes narrowed "...I knew Tygrys very well once. In fact, I was the one who kept his anger in control. Until that day... Nothing I could do stopped him, unless I just killed him. But I couldn't do that. Back during the Divine war, when we fought the Mobians, he was one of our greatest generals, me as his partner. Your father however, was better. Imagine trying your hardest only for it not to matter... That's what Tygrys felt. And then when you were born, his reason to hate his brother was now justified. He believed that mixing demon with angel, Mobian, or anything would make us weaker. He did what he called a "cleansing" and he especially targeted your father and mother. You were not a priority at the time. Only when you escaped with your mother did you ever matter to him. Fayn... Such a tragic loss..." Caliburn looked at one of his claws, him having four legs unlike his brother. He then firmly planted it in the dirt, growling as his scaly mane puffed up "But the father's sins are now passed to his son. Your father betrayed his kind and you must pay!" Caliburn yelled, his four wings spreading before he flew up into the sky. Arnec sighed before drawing Hugin and Munin. Caliburn flew straight up before diving, spinning like a drill as he breathed blue flames. Arnec dodged and ran by him, slashing at his torso. While it did little, he knew it hurt just a little bit. Caliburn twirled in the air, spreading his wings as he briefly hovered before flying at the wolf again. Arnec dashed to his side before hopping onto Caliburn's side, jabbing Hugin into his stomach. Caliburn turned and flung him off, Arnec luckily having Hugin still in his grasp. He landed on his feet, sliding back from the speed. Starline peeked his head over, looking at the dragon and wolf fighting. Arnec then sighed "Screw this. Time to take it to the skies!" he yelled before going into his demon form and flying up. Both him and Caliburn flew at each other, gold flashes of light from the Ravensword, blue and purple flames from Caliburn flying at each other as they blazed past. Arnec grabbed onto his tail and hopped onto his back, jabbing the Ravensword into Caliburn's back. Caliburn spun around, slamming into the roof of the arena and falling onto the ground. Arnec split the Ravensword and sprinted at Caliburn, sliding under his flames before jumping and twirling in the air, becoming a deadly whirlwind of golden blades, slicing Caliburn's scales. "Time to end this!" Caliburn yelled before flying into the air. Arnec jumped high into the air, him and Caliburn flying straight at each other. As they crossed over, time slowed down. Arnec couldn't hear anything but his own heart beating. Then the sound of metal piercing scales and flesh... Everything went back to normal and Arnec landed, Caliburn falling with one final roar. It wasn't a roar of fury, anger, or jealousy... But of sadness. Caliburn, like his brothers, couldn't save their species. Arnec sighed, feeling guilty for killing off the last dragon. Suddenly he noticed something in the corner of the arena. It was covered in straw and was a pearly white. As Arnec uncovered it he soon realized what it was... An egg. Starline nervously walked in beside him "He's dead... Right?" he asked. Arnec seemingly ignored him as he picked up the egg and brought it to him
"Take care of this egg." Arnec said as he handed him the egg.
"Why?"
"Imagine trying your hardest only for it to not matter. Plus, I've got a job to do. You on the other hand... You owe me." Arnec said before pointing at Starline's stomach. Starline nodded "I guess I do... Once this is all over, I'll leave it in Spiral Hill for you."
"If I make it out of here alive." Arnec said, smirking. Starline shrugged "I... Um... Good luck!" he said nervously. Arnec smiled a little "Good luck to you too. Hopefully we'll meet again, on a more... Peaceful occasion." Arnec said before holding his hand out. Starline hesitated before shaking his hand. Arnec looked at the doorway and headed out. Starline looked down at the egg, rubbing his hand across it. "I don't get it... Arnec is one of the most powerful combatants I've ever seen, even rivaling Sonic and Shadow... So why does he care so much? He could have finished me off, he didn't seem to care about Mimic's death so why would he care to help me? In all of my years of research, I've never encountered anything like this..." he said to himself, sitting down in the middle of the arena. He pulled out his journal, taking notes on the egg. It's shape, texture and color. Suddenly he heard a crack, then a chirp. Then the egg leaned to the side, cracks spreading. Starline's pencil moved faster and faster as he tried to write it all down. Suddenly the egg busted open, a small dragon crawling out. Starline heard something behind him, Caliburn moving his head with what little strength he had left. Starline swore he saw the elder dragon smile as he looked at the little dragon. "Maybe... We... Can start again..." Caliburn said, heaving with each pause. "...Little Galatine..." Caliburn said, his eyes closing for the final time, his sadness turning to happiness... Starline couldn't help but crack a smile. Galatine rubbed his head against Caliburn, some of Caliburn's marks fading and appearing on Galatine, most notably the pattern on the inside of his wings. Galatine then made his way to Starline, waiting for him to lead the way. Starline smiled before holding his hand out, Galatine jumping onto his shoulder. He then got up, putting his journal and pencil away and walking out...
-On board the Rotor Drache-
Everyone was in briefing room. There was a hologram of a map with a large tower before zooming onto a large ship with several smaller ones in formation. Nero was the one to give the briefing "...Once we're in range, we'll deploy the Vampyrs. The Rotor Drache will cover you as you enter. Once inside, head for the bridge." a red line showed the path for Sonic, Shadow and Silver to take. "...You three are the fastest, so you'll most likely be the ones to take him down. The captain's name is Leonidas, a former member of the Silent Shadow. Don't give him mercy, even if he begs. Everyone else, do what you can to cut their numbers down and prepare for a counterattack. We can handle the other ships but that capital ship needs to be taken as quickly as possible. Once it is taken, we'll use it to push their fleet back. Does anyone have any questions?"
Nero finished, nobody asking anything. He nodded "Alright, we'll leave in just a few minutes." he said before looking out of the bridge, everyone leaving to get ready. Lucifer walked up to him, Nero crossing his arms and turning his head to him "It has been too long since I've gotten to fight like this."
"Same."
"What of Kervanos, or any of the other generals?"
"Dead. From what I've been able to piece together from Mammon, Beelzebub, and Asmodeus, most died shortly after the war. Who killed them? I don't know."
"Odd... I've mostly stuck with Leviathan. We thought for sure we were the only ones left. What about Belphegor, or your brother?" Lucifer sighed "Belphegor, I don't know... Satan... Lost, dead, I do not have any idea."
"Intriguing..." Nero said, looking out of the bridge of the ship. Tails was at the hangar bay where the dropships were. According to one of the Hunters, these ships were called "Vampyrs" and they looked almost like a bumblebee, with their large fuselage and small wings on the sides. The front almost resembled an eagle with the cockpit shape. There was a hatch on the rear for the troops to enter. Tails got into the first one, two others behind him as they got onto the Corvette's launcher system, which was similar to the catapult systems on modern aircraft carriers. Tails then heard the whine of the warp drive spinning up before the canopy frosted over, his breaths visible as everything went silent. Then out of the launch tube he could see light, but it looked like they were in a sandstorm. Tails quickly made his final checks, closing the rear hatch and starting up the engines. "Don't worry Tails, you'll be fine... You're the best pilot on Mobius and even managed to be able to fly an alien ship!" he said to himself.
"Attention everyone, we're in the war zone, get ready... It's about to get hot. Mobian, I need your callsign and if all your weapons are functioning..." Nero said over the comms. Tails had forgotten to give Nero his callsign and quickly darted his eyes around, seeing a tornado on the horizon that reminded him of an old invention of his... He smiled as he made sure the proper switches were flipped...
(Forget about Freeman - Half Life: Black Mesa OST)
He got onto the radio, smiling
"Chain cannons online, harbinger missile system online, shield systems engaging... Thrusters are hot... Tornado one, ready!" Tails yelled. Nero looked over at one of his crew members and nodded "Tornado one, you are cleared to launch when ready. Kanari and Sarkani team will follow. Good luck."
Tails grabbed the throttle and pushed it forward, blue flames spitting from the thrusters as the Vampyr shot forward out of the ship, the three others following. Chaos would not begin to describe it. Green lasers and red hot flechettes flew through the skies, the three Vampyrs making their way through the mess. Several Interceptors got onto their tails, one of the Vampyrs breaking off and shooting it's nose up into a cobra, turning the tables. Before the Interceptors had time to get a missile lock, Tails heard the screams of the Harbinger missiles as they hunted their targets like prey. Tails smirked "Kanari, thanks for that." He said over the radio. A few seconds later the pilot finally responded with an awkward "Thank you." to which Tails smiled a little. He looked over to his side and saw the Roter Drache tearing the enemy frigates to shreds, Nero being heard over the comms "Like a predator to its prey... Let out all of what we have, let us sink our fangs into their throats!" Nero yelled, letting out a prideful laugh. Tails smirked "Arnec isn't this proud of violence, is he?" he asked himself before getting back on task. The Fortezza was a large ebony tower, casting a long shadow over the desert around it. He kept his focus on the battle cruiser, the Rotor Drache covering their entrance. "Omega, get by the door. We're gonna be making a loud entrance!" Tails said over the radio. Omega turned one of his arms into a mini gun, two missile launchers coming from his shoulders. Tails flipped a switch and the rear hatch flew open as they entered the hangar. Tails slid the Vampyr across the metal floor, sparks flying as the other two landed. Omega and the others jumped out, Tails spinning the Vampyr up so he could cover them. The friendly Stalkers got onto some railings in the hangar and provided sniper support with their flechette rifles, the friendly Hunters and Geckos making their way from cover to cover. Sonic looked at Shadow and Silver "So, I assume I'm not the only one who wants to go fast?"
Shadow peeked his head up, looking at the enemy demons "With all that? We're fast but that's a lot of crossfire..."
Silver smirked before smiling "You two go as fast as you can, I'll catch their projectiles for you!"
Sonic smiled "Now that's an idea I like!"
Shadow nodded "I'll get Omega to launch some smoke at them. If we can disorient them, they'll be less stuff for Silver to catch."
"Sounds good." Sonic replied. Silver looked over and could see Whisper and Tangle, Tangle throwing some of Asmodeus' blades while using her wings for cover. Whisper had set up some cover with a cube wisp and set up a zipline with Mammon for when they moved up. Silver looked at the others "I'm ready!"
Sonic and Shadow looked at each other before nodding. Shadow got onto the radio "Omega, need some smoke grenades on them!"
"Omega to Shadow, copy that."
Shadow saw several gray canisters fly over him and land by the enemy, them hissing as they opened and released smoke. Silver ran out first, catching the enemy projectiles in mid air while the Mobians and friendly demons stopped. As Silver kept the projectiles at bay, Sonic and Shadow ran by, Silver spinning as he released the projectiles back at their original users and ran with the other two. Sonic got onto the radio "Alright, we're going towards the bridge!"
"Nero copies. We've taken some minor damage but we're still carrying on!" Shadow smirked "I hope he can keep up. That's a Corvette going up against a battle cruiser and an escort fleet."
"I think he can handle it!" Sonic responded. The three ran through tight corridors and long hallways, cutting through air vents on occasion by spindashing. Back in the hangar the battle was in full swing. Tangle, Jewel, Amy and Rouge were all at a disadvantage since they didn't have any ranged weapons, aside from Asmodeus' blades with Tangle but she couldn't throw them far enough. Tails and the other two vampyrs tried their best but it wasn't doing much.
"C'mon... How many are there!?" Tails yelled. Suddenly he heard his cannons stop and then clicking... Out of ammo. Slowly they were getting pushed back, Kanari's pilot getting on the radio
"We've taken too much damage, thrusters not getting any power!" he yelled as the Vampyr went into a violent spiral out of control and crash landed on the floor. What Nero would say next made things seemingly even worse...
"We've taken significant damage, all weapon systems are disabled! Get the crew out of here!" he yelled over the radio. Tails looked over and saw the Rotor Drache, it's hull having explosions occur all over it. He was able to make out several vampyrs flying out before the ship exploded and fell into several pieces... The Vampyrs that made it, four of them, got to the hangar with little trouble thanks to the lack of Interceptors and frigates. As they landed they dropped the rear hatches, the Silent Shadow pouring out of them. Tails watched as energy shields came out of their gauntlets, them pulling out swords. There may have only been 20, but it felt like 200 as they pushed forwards, their shields unbreakable. The Stalkers moved along side them, finally having some breathing room to actually snipe. It still wasn't over though, not even close to over. While they had breathing room, the hangar was still full of enemies...
-Meanwhile, in the fortress-
Arnec had reached the main room of the tower, Grendel standing before him. "Grendel..."
"Ah, Arnec has finally arrived. And I see you brought some friends..."
"I didn't send them an invitation to this party. Now, where's my sword!?"
Grendel chuckled before he pulled the Deimos from his side "Right here." he said, flicking the handguard so the sword popped out of the scabbard a little. He pulled it out, tossing the scabbard away. Arnec drew Hugin and Munin, smirking "Well, you might want to give it back, I ain't exactly in a good mood today!" Arnec yelled. Grendel chuckled "Come and get it. I'll defeat you, then your friends! All I need is the Chaos Emeralds, then I go to the Master Emerald and I will reshape reality itself to my liking! Don't worry, I won't kill you right now... I'll gather your friends and make you watch as they die... Especially Tangle... Everything you've ever loved will be destroyed, as it was for me..."
The words stung at him. But Arnec controlled his anger, instead smiling a little "Alright, if you hadn't mentioned them, maybe I would've held back just a little bit. But now? Now... Now I'm about to send you straight to hell!" Arnec yelled as he went into his demon form. Grendel sighed "Such foolishness, you would've made a great thrall... Die." Grendel said, his tone cold. He teleported behind Arnec, the wolf dashing to the side. Before Grendel could get out of his range Arnec slashed at him with Hugin, barely getting deflected. Arnec's style was more acrobatic, him doing a twirl as he slashed up with Munin. He twirled the blades back before doing a flip kick, launching Grendel back. While Arnec was in the air he swung the blades from side to side, gold arcs of electrical energy ribboning in the air as they flew at Grendel. He stayed silent as he slashed them away. Arnec landed and smirked before combining the two into the Ravensword. Grendel teleported behind him again but Arnec had anticipated it, doing a backflip over him.
-On board the Battle Cruiser-
Sonic, Shadow and Silver rushed together through the hallways, nobody stopping them as they headed towards the bridge.
"Hey Nero, how close are we?"
"I can feel the fear seeping through him... Finish the job!" Nero yelled. Sonic looked over at Shadow and Silver "Bridge in sight. I'll hit him with a spindash, Shadow you get him with a chaos spear and Silver, you get to take all the others out! Everyone comprehende?"
Shadow nodded, Silver smiling as he glowed cyan and gave a thumbs up. Sonic smiled as the door got closer, them concentrating on it....
(This world of absolution - His world/this machine/dreams of an absolution remix by xTrickyWolfy)
Sonic smiled, his fists clenched tightly. Shadow's concentration went unbroken and Silver smiled too. They reached the door and busted right through it, Claudius turning and getting a spindash to the face. Shadow went over Sonic and threw a Chaos Spear into him, Claudius falling to the ground as Silver used his telekinesis to use the room itself as a weapon. The crew were tossed around like ragdolls before getting frozen in mid air. Silver smiled before running up to each, giving each a swift kick or punch to knock them out of commission. Claudius got up, drawing a large sword from his back. Before he could hit Sonic though, the blue Hedgehog had Beezlebub in his hands, catching the blade between his and twisting it so it flew away. He put the sword away and smirked as Claudius looked at him. Sonic smiled "Hey buddy, might wanna look behind you."
Claudius spun only to have a blue and gold boot in his face, the three Hedgehogs standing above him. "Sonic here, Claudius is down!"
"Good job Mobians! Get here quick enough and we can finish these heretics off together!"
Sonic looked at the other two, smiling "You heard him, race to the hangar!"
The three hedgehogs ran out of the hangar, all at full speed. Suddenly a mech busted through one of the walls in front of them! It looked almost like a Tyrannosaurus Rex with it's large hind legs and short arms. It had a flechette launcher on it's right arm, firing red hot pieces of metal at them. Silver was able to swipe them away with his telekinesis before Shadow used Chaos Control to freeze it. Sonic smiled "Spin dash time!" he said before all three rolled up and flew at the mech, all three hitting it and shredding through it. The mech fell in pieces to the floor before exploding, the three Hedgehogs making it back to the hangar just in time for the final push. Tangle looked out of the hangar and could see flashes of cyan light from the tower and hopped into a spare Vampyr. "Tangle what are you doing!?" Whisper yelled over the radio. Tangle growled "Saving my boyfriend!" She yelled, punching the throttle and flying out of the ship, headed for the tower...
-In the fortress-
Arnec rushed at Grendel, Grendel raising the Deimos. Arnec's hand flew at the blade, Metal meeting flesh and blood as Arnec's hand pushed through. Grendel for once had an emotion that wasn't rage but rather, disgust. While he was distracted Arnec shoved Munin into Grendel's stomach, him hunching back. Arnec pulled his hand away, blood dripping as his hand was nearly in two. He healed it enough so it wouldn't fall off before yanking Munin and combining him with Hunin, the Ravensword almost glowing as Arnec charged at Grendel and stabbed him. Grendel looked at him "Nice knife. Your daddy give you it too?" he asked before giving Arnec a palm strike, launching him back. Grendel pulled the Ravensword out of his chest, tossing it aside. Arnec went to get up but Grendel kicked him in the stomach, knocking him onto his side. He rolled Arnec over before jabbing the Deimos into his stomach, Arnec yelling in pain as his own sword was slowly killing him. Grendel stayed silent as his lifeless red eyes just stared, the sword cutting deeper each second... Suddenly Arnec saw something in the window... At first it was just a gray dot, then it got bigger before Arnec recognized it as a Vampyr! His vision blurred from the blood loss before suddenly his radio went off and he heard Tangle's voice! "Pretty boy, you ain't dyin' today!" She yelled before the ship burst through the large window, glass flying everywhere. The dropship smacked into Grendel, it's gray hull less than an inch away from Arnec's nose as it flew over. At first Arnec heard the sound of metal striking flesh, then a loud snap. The dropship plowed across the floor before smacking the wall. Arnec looked to his side and saw a horrific sight. His blade, snapped in half. The one thing he had left from his father... He was too weak to do anything though. His vision faded to black as he went unconscious...
-A long time ago-
"Szakala, this is it... Limbo..." Lucifer said as he looked at Szakala. The knight smiled as he put his hand on Lucifer's shoulder "I wouldn't be here without you all. But let's finish what we started." he said, Mammon nodding as he pulled out a crossbow. Lucifer stepped beside of him, Asmodeus being on his other side. Limbo was dark, seemingly a world in between worlds. Although it did have another name...
"Final destination"
Szakala pulled the Ares from his back, the eagle on it's hilt shimmering. The ground shook and four figures rose from the black. One had the head of an eagle, gold in color with two mighty wings. "Solaris..." Lucifer whispered to himself. Satan smirked before punching his fists together and cracking his neck. Belphegor, who looked like a fox, readied his blade, a long rapier with gold accents along its hand guard. Another looked looked like a lizard mixed with a hammerhead shark. It's mouth opened up and an eye rose, more coming through the "hammer" part of it's head. "Dark Gaia, I can smell his stench." Leviathan said with a smirk. A third beast rose, having the body of a snake and wings of an eagle. Szakala smirked, spreading his wings slowly. "Typhonus... Just one more..." Szakala said in his head. Then finally one last one rose. It looked like a more angelic version of Solaris, with a crowned head and multiple floating "wings" around it. Asmodeus put one hand on her hip "And Artemis. That's four." Szakala looked at his friends "Let's do this. Lucifer and Asmodeus, handle Solaris. Satan, Leviathan, handle Dark Gaia. Belphegor and Beezlebub, get Artemis. Mammon, you're with me!"
Everyone nodded before getting into their battle positions. Mammon went beside of Szakala "Let's do this." he said, readying his crossbow.
(All or nothing - Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare OST)
"Let's begin." Szakala said before they rushed in. Mammon got onto all fours and ran beside Szakala as he flew straight at Typhonus. He looked to his sides, seeing his fellow Demons attacking. Typhonus growled, spreading his wings before breathing purple fire from his mouth. Szakala and Mammon rolled out of the way, Mammon firing an explosive bolt which did little to Typhonus. The beast roared before slamming down near the wolf, barely missing. Szakala took the opportunity and slashed multiple times, barely leaving scratches. But it did do damage. Typhonus rolled to his side, nearly crushing the demon knight as Szakala rolled underneath him. Mammon growled as he loaded a special bolt into his crossbow. It fired and struck Typhonus on his neck before exploding and releasing acid all over the left side of his face. Typhonus roared as part of his face was reduced to a green liquid. He breathed more flames, almost getting Mammon in the process. "That acid busted some of his armor. I think you can get him now!" Mammon yelled. Typhonus scooted back before activating a large shield.
"Damnit!" Mammon yelled. Szakala kept a straight face before looking at the Ares "I can do this." he said to himself, stepping forward. He leaned to his side, Ares pointing outward, before sprinting full speed at the demonic god. Typhonus simply held the shield, expecting it to protect him. Szakala jumped into the air and jabbed his sword into the shield, slowly shoving it through. The shield began to crack, the cracks spreading as Szakala twisted the blade. Typhonus dropped the shield, realizing that not even it could protect him. He did one last fire breath, Szakala flying around it. Szakala roared before slicing into Tyohonus' neck, the god crying out to his siblings. It was too late though as Szakala slid his blade down it's body, glowing purple blood shooting out of the beast's body like a geyser. He didn't get to far before flying onto Tyohonus' back, cutting his last wing from his head . Szakala landed by Mammon, Typhonus's body landing with a thud beside him before sliding off into the abyss. The three other gods retreated into the abyss, Typhonus dead. Szakala looked at the others, the blood of a god on his beak and body. Belphegor was the first to speak, sliding his rapier into it's sheath "Did we just... Kill a god?" he asked. Lucifer looked over at Szakala "We didn't... He did."
Szakala stayed silent, contemplating on what just happened. He then looked up at them "Don't tell anyone about this... As far as anyone knows, you all did it."
Lucifer walked up to him, confused "What do you mean? We can't just take the glory from you! You just killed a god, nobody has done that before!"
"Yes, but if people heard I did it, they'll want to be like me and we'd have a lot more people dead. Now, I've got to go to Mobius..."
"For what?" Mammon asked. Szakala smirked as the Ares rested on his shoulder "I have to assess the damage."
"They weren't attacked though!"
"We don't know that!"
Asmodeus walked up to him "There's somebody you want to see, isn't there?"
"What makes you say that?"
Asmodeus smirked as her appearance changed for Szakala. The feathers on her head pointed more upwards and her tail shortened, resembling a canine's. Or rather... A Wolf... Szakala turned around "The angel realm has already been lost because we weren't careful. We've got 3 Realms left... You all head home and celebrate your victory." Szakala said before opening a portal with the Ares and stepping through. Before he could be followed he quickly collapsed the portal. He changed his appearance to that of a timber wolf before walking through a forest. His timber wolf form had three pieces of fluff on each side and dark purple eyes. He wore a fancy purple coat with gray pants and brown boots, looking like he was more from Sol than anything. After a few minutes of walking the trees ended and he could see a village. Spiral Hill... Szakala walked through before seeing a familiar artic wolf. Lucetta smiled as she saw him "Silas, you're back!" she said as she hugged him. Lucetta looked a lot like Arnec, being an Artic Wolf with dark hair. She wore a dark blue jumpsuit with a orange jacket. Szakala smiled "Sorry I was late. Business took longer than expected. How are you?" he asked. Lucetta smiled, holding his hands
"Alright. Just missed you..." she said, looking at him. Szakala looked at her
"The child?"
"Just a few more months..." Lucetta replied "...Got names for them both?"
"Both?" Szakala asked in surprise.
"We've got twins! Two boys..."
"Oh... I..." Szakala looked up at her "Arnec and Fayn..." Szakala quickly thought, the demon and angel war being not too long ago and fresh on his mind.
"Unique names." Lucetta said with a smirk. Szakala blushed
"Will they work?"
"Of course."
Szakala smiled a little, putting his hand over the back of his neck "Lucetta, there's something I need to explain. Can we discuss this... In private?"
"Sure."
They walked onto a quiet hill outside of the village. "What is it?" Lucetta asked. Szakala looked down at the ground "Lucetta... Do you believe in... Angels, and demons?"
Lucetta smiled before grabbing his hands and pinning them to the ground "I already know who you are, "Devil knight Szakala" ." she said, smirking. Szakala blushed "You... Already know?"
"Of course. You disappear for a couple of months and think I just sit at home all day? I always knew... The day you strolled into my lab and just knew everything about demon culture, you just thought I didn't pay attention?" she said before sofly kissing him. Szakala, knowing his cover was blown, went back to his demon form. Lucetta smiled, stroking one of her hands across his ebony beak and through his feathered mane. "Is this... Really what you want? I'm a demon... If the others were to find out, we'd-" Szakala began, Lucetta shutting his beak "Don't worry. I wouldn't be birthing your twin boys if I didn't love you for who you are. And I know you just want what's best for your kind..." She said as she laid on top of him. Szakala slowly brushed her back with one of his talons, looking up at the sky...
-Present-
Arnec snapped out of the vision, breathing heavily as Grendel stepped away from the wreckage. He then fell onto one knee, Sonic flying in with his super form!
"Don't worry Arnec, I'll finish him off for you! Stay there!"
"N-no!" Arnec hoarsely yelled, Sonic not hearing him as he flew at Grendel. Grendel turned and used what power he had left to backhand him as hard as he could. Sonic was hit so hard he was knocked across the room and out of his super form! The Chaos Emeralds floated around Grendel's hand as he grinned "I have all the power I need, except for one last thing." he said before teleporting away. Sonic got up, sighing before walking up to Arnec who had picked up what was left of the Deimos "I'm sorry, I thought I could finish him off... So, we're done for now?"
"Not quite." Nero said as he walked in. He pointed out the window "His fleet lies in ruin, only two frigates and a destroyer escaped. We can still stop him."
Lucifer went into his demon form and nodded "There's only one place he could be. The place you Mobains call Angel Island. After all, the Master Emerald was all that he had left." Lucifer said, his wings flowing in the wind as he looked around. Sonic looked at Tails "You think Knuckles could handle him?"
"He has the power of the Chaos Emeralds, Sol Emeralds and Arnec's amulets. I doubt it."
Arnec shook his head before standing up "I don't think I need to say what's at stake right now. Is Tygrys dead? I don't know. But what I do know is that this Grendel character is about to do something that may never be undone. Look at what happened to the demon realm... This wasteland used to be my home! You want the same to happen to Mobius, the Sol Dimension!? Now... I'm not going to just stand idle and let him win. Anyone wants to coward out, just go back to wherever you came from. I'll be in the ship." he said before jumping out the window, almost hovering briefly as his demon wings appeared, him going into his demon form as he flew towards the battle cruiser. Nero looked at Lucifer "He's just like his father..."
"Indeed, It's too bad we lost Fayn. If both sons of Szakala fought together they'd probably be able to take us all down at once." Lucifer said as him and Nero walked out, everyone else looking at each other in confusion. Sonic then shrugged "You heard him, let's get to that ship and kick this demon back to whatever hole he crawled out of!" he said before hopping into the crashed dropship with Tails, the other Mobians following before it lifted off. Tangle however stayed, Asmodeus activating and spreading her wings as Tangle faintly glowed pink. She sprinted at the busted window as the wings curled up before jumping, the wings spreading again and her flying through the sky as several dropships could be seen flying into the hangar of the ship. She looked around for Arnec, who was headed for the ship and not too far ahead. She followed, flying right behind him. He didn't notice, keeping focus on the hangar bay of the ship. He landed and turned around, Tangle tackling him. Arnec was taken by surprise as his wrists were pinned to the floor and a very excited pair of purple eyes were in his face
"Pretty boy!" She yelled.
"Tangle!" Arnec yelled back. Tangle smiled "You don't know how happy I am right now. That's twice that I've nearly lost you!" She said as she lifted him up. Arnec smiled "Well I ain't dead yet." he said before they walked to the bridge. Nero stood, Silent Shadow hunters beside him. "Arnec, sorry about the late rescue. We had just learned of your location just a little while ago." he said, standing in front of the wolf. Arnec shrugged "Don't worry about it. There an armory on this new ship?"
"Yes. Updating your map."
Arnec turned the watch and the map of the ship appeared, the armory flashing red for a few seconds. Arnec nodded "Thanks." he said before putting his fist across his chest, Nero doing the same. Arnec left the bridge, Tangle following, and the two went to the armory.
"So, what are you doing?"
"You'll see. I'll be back in a sec." Arnec said as he entered, Tangle hanging back.
(Metallica - Turn the page)
A few minutes passed, Tangle not hearing a thing.
"Arns, you okay?"
"I'm fine!"
"Alright, just... Making sure."
A few minutes later and Arnec stepped out, revealing a new white and bright blue jacket. Tangle smiled as she saw him. The jacket had straps over the shoulders with what looked like leather padding covered in blue cloth over his shoulders. His vest looked the same except it was thicker, possibly having body armor underneath and had a harness over it. There were leather straps that went around his sides and were part of another harness on the back of his coat, Hugin and Munin attached to it. His gloves were the same, except they had armor that went up to his forearms. His boots were blue too, with the flame pattern being red and purple. He smiled "So... How do I look?"
Tangle smiled and gave him a thumbs up "Smoking sexy style!" she said before she walked up to him, adjusting his jacket a little before looking up at him and tilting her head so her hair would get in her face. Arnec smiled as he held her hands, Tangle smiling back "But what about the purple? Any particular reason you got rid of it?" she asked. Arnec nodded "Purple was my father's color. I needed a color that was more... My own. Thought it was time to change things up a little though."
"Yeah, I gotta do something too." Tangle said before pulling away and summoning one of Asmodeus' blades. She twirled it before slicing the sleeves off of her jumpsuit, ripping them off. "There we go, just like the old one!" She said, laughing a little. Arnec chuckled as he leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. "Wait a second, what about your sword?" Tangle asked. Arnec sighed "The Deimos was split into two pieces, I can't repair it. But there is something I can do." he said as he pulled out the broken sword. He held it in front of him, looking at it. He slowly lifted it in front of him, his demon form coming over him. He then jabbed it into his stomach, the gem on his chest glowing. Tangle kept from freaking out, knowing that he knew what he was doing. Still, she knew it was painful. Arnec then pulled it out, a new blade forming and the handguard changing shape. Instead of a standard katana handguard it instead took the shape of a wolf, the blade coming from it's maw. Arnec smiled while Tangle furrowed her brows "So... What ya gonna name it?" she asked, Arnec's smile growing as he looked at it
"Amaterasu."
"Ama-who-in-my-what-now!?"
"Another god from another time. Did some reading while I was in there. " Arnec responded as he looked at the sword. Tangle smiled "So that's why you took so flipping long in there!"
"Yeah well, reading the history of an entire realm isn't exactly quick!" Arnec said with a smirk. Suddenly they heard Nero on the intercom "Attention everyone, this Nero... It is times like these, when our backs are against the wall, that people fight the hardest. After all, a cornered fox is deadlier than a jackal... Us Demons know what it's like to lose everything, the last of our kind are on this very ship. Mobian, Sol, Demon, all of us are at risk of extinction. This is why we're going to Mobius, to save our worlds! I may have only known you Mobians for a little while, but our fights align. The Silent Shadow will help you get ready. We've been ready for the past 6 years... Nero out."
Arnec looked at Tangle and placed Amaterasu across his shoulder "Well, I'mma get some quick rest before we do all this crazy stuff..." he said before walking to the crew chambers and claiming a room for him and Tangle. Meanwhile in another room, Shadow and Leviathan were talking. Mostly about how similar the Black Arms and Demons were. But then Shadow brought up an interesting question to him
"So, Lucifer is a pair of gauntlets, Asmodeus is a backpack with wings, and Mammon is a crossbow. What kind of weapon are you?" he asked, Leviathan sighing "I don't think I'm as good but... Here you go." he said before disappearing. Shadow looked at his hand and noticed that there was a chain around his wrist with a spike at the end, like a harpoon. He faintly glowed purple as Leviathan granted him his knowledge. "A harpoon that can pierce nearly anything and is indestructible? I can make that useful..." Shadow said, Leviathan chuckling as he felt useful and not envious of the other lords for once. Tails was in the hangar, working on a mech that he had been designing when a hunter dropped a demon mech beside of him. Tails looked over as the hunter nodded "Extra partsss, if you need them." it said before starting to walk off "Thanks!" Tails said before getting back to work. He then looked over at the demon mech, it's wolf like appearance inspiring him. Meanwhile everyone else was getting ready...
A/N: Well... Never thought I'd be saying this anytime soon, but I broke the 10,000 word milestone... I remember when a year ago I acted like hitting 2,000 was huge. Legacy has been a passion project for me and well... One chapter left. Well, aside from Epilogue and all that jazz. Anyways, here's some art I did of some stuff that's in this chapter, some of this is already in my art book but some isn't:
Silas (Szakala's Mobian Form)
Lucetta
Amaterasu
Arnec's "2.0" outfit (with his Emblem)
Caliburn
Arnec's "angel" form (Rough concept anyways, not too happy with how this was going and just said screw it and pretty much gave up, lol)
Alright, I should probably get to work on the next chapter now...