Salem waved her hand at the fog as they walked through the cloud of white, squinting her eyes as the ashy wastes came back into view, the eclipse still shining over their heads. And the moment her eyes adjusted, her jaw dropped. One by one the others stepped through, staring following her horrified gaze.
Swords, spears, axes, weapons of every kind jutted from the wastes, weapons of dead warriors who had fought the First Vao and lost their lives. And in the center of it all was him.
The First Vao was slumped on his knees, his head hanging from his shoulders as the gaunt, dead hand caressed his cheek. The Blood, taking the form of Summer again, crouched down next to him, holding him gently. Grimm Demise jutted from the ash in front of the First Vao, the blade buried in the ground. The Blood turned its head towards them, its grip on his shoulder tightening. Salem drew her rapier, Mono and Jasper following her example.
"You've got nowhere left to run," Salem growled. But the Blood only stared at her, tilting its head forward as it grinned.
"You don't sound very certain... You're remembering the First Timeline, aren't you?" It cooed with a voice like silk. "In the First Timeline, Yin supposedly saved Vao. But here we are; it's been explained to you, I would assume. That he was still infected even before Jack gave it to him. Despite Yin killing the Blood, it was still in Vao's body, in his Reality..."
Salem pursed her lips, her grip tightening on her weapon. The Blood was spot on. "... I've wondered about that," she replied with a hiss. "From his memories, you're the same Blood from the First Timeline... But you shouldn't be alive. The First Yin killed you."
The Blood chuckled, standing up tall and leaning against the First Vao. "He never did. That had been an abomination I left as a decoy; something to ensure my own survival. I was right there, watching to make sure he never caught on. I played the role of the dead woman, Summer, pretended to help him... And neither of them were any the wiser."
A vein popped from Mono's forehead. "This whole time... From the very beginning, you pretended to be Summer so Vao wouldn't disobey you... You manipulated him to the very end."
"I enjoyed it," the Blood snickered. "Watching him struggle was entertaining... You nearly undid all that work, bitch. I haven't forgiven you for that, and I won't..
Jasper gritted her teeth. "Fuck me... You're awful. How many people have died up until now for your sick little game?" The Blood stroked its chin thoughtfully.
"How many breaths have you taken up until now?"
There was no reasoning with the Blood. It was incapable of feeling guilt. They stood in front of the thing responsible for the continuation of the plan of the Gods. All the destruction that came in the Third Timeline, this monster was the cause. Watching it turn someone into what Salem was had been horrible; it felt no remorse. It only found entertainment.
Where the First Yin had failed, they swore a silent vow that they'd succeed. Salem took a deep breath in. She was nervous; fighting abominations was one thing, but fighting Blood was far more difficult. Exhaling it all, she stared back at the thing that took the form of Summer.
"... We've met terrible people," she said. "Iris, Leaf, Rojo, Jack... They were all monsters in their own ways. But you... You were among the worst of them all. You're pure evil. That's why we're going to destroy you. Mono..."
The maid looked at Salem from the corner of her eye, raising an eyebrow. "... What is it?"
Salem glanced at her for only a moment, her top teeth pressing against her lip. "... When this is over, New Atlas is going to try and kill the First Vao. Having seen everything we have, after meeting him as Ashley... When we kill this thing, take him and run. Even after the Timeline fixes itself and sends New Atlas to the Graveyard, take him and run. Give him... The life that no one else wanted to. The life that no one else can."
Mono nodded silently, turning her attention back to the Blood. Salem felt a certain nostalgia about her order to Mono. What she told Mono to do had been the exact thing the First Yin had told the First Vao to do. The Heroines ready themselves, and took a step forward. But the Blood's smirk grew, making them freeze. They were walking into a trap.
"... You think you have me cornered or something?" It snickered. "I've waited far too long for this. To have the chance to push him into being the perfect weapon, the perfect host so I can kill the Gods and usurp their thrones. I won't let you take it all away from me - I won't let you take away my godhood."
"You... You plan to turn on your creators...?" Saril stammered. The Blood chuckled.
"But of course. To control the fate of the world itself - who could turn down such a power? You have struggled for nothing. You will not save him. I will not allow it."
"Baloney," Sapphire growled. "It ends now-"
"Didn't I just say you haven't cornered me?"
Without warning the Blood pressed itself on the First Vao, its body vaporizing into a black cloud of evil, sentient mist. It flowed into the First Vao's eye socket, the murderer's Soul twitching.
Crack...
Crack.
They could only watch in horror as the First Vao lifted his head as his Soul began to crack, black Blood seeping from the wounds. Dripping from his nose, his mouth, his ears, and his eye socket. And finally his Scarlet eye glazed over, his face holding a death-like stillness as the Blood invaded his Soul. Mono shivered, nearly dropping her hammer.
"V-VAO!"
The silence was deafening. No one could move until his hand twitched, the First Vao beginning to rise. His cold hand wrapped around the handle of his cursed weapon, the same weapon he had used to wage war against fate itself, and pulled it from the ground. The blade gleamed in the light of the eclipse, the First Vao holding it over his head, his face unmoving. Salem felt her heart plummet as the stench of Blood began to grow stronger, the princess taking a step back.
"H... H-he..."
The Heroines readied themselves, the First Vao taking a single step forward, and then launching himself at them. His Soul was under the Blood's control; true to its word, it used him as a weapon, as a true host. The bloodstained blade of Grimm Demise crashed against Saril's fingernails as the arachne tried to defend herself and her friends, the sheer, monstrous weight throwing her off balance. Salem grabbed her spider-half, pulling her out of the way just in time. Where Saril had stood only moments ago, the First Vao blasted Blood from the ground in a violent eruption, the black veins beginning to snake their way down his body again.
He moved faster than they could even react, circling around them and leaping into the air, swinging his weapon and hurling an arc of Blood at the Heroes, forcing them to split apart. Jasper weaved a ball of fire and hurled it forward, but the First Vao lifted his hand. Before Jasper's magic could explode, eldritch tendrils burst from his palm and swallowed the fire whole, snuffing the flames out.
"B-Blood!? Where's his Darkness!?" The fairy screamed. She shrieked when Sapphire yanked her from the air, clutching her sister tight as the First Vao kicked the doll away, the Blood cackling hysterically from inside his Soul. Salem gasped as the ground begin to bubble beneath her feet, diving away just as the ashy ground split open into a deep set of jaws filled with teeth, seven tongues lashing out. The princess lifted her head, the realization she had made confirmed.
"He... He's turning," she rasped. "He's turning into the same thing that I was! It's using his Soul to fight!"
"Then we'll just fight back! It can't use his magic! It doesn't have the same skill as him!" Jasper shouted back.
"No!" Mono snapped. "It's using him not just as a weapon, but a shield! It's hiding in his body! We'll kill him too!"
The Blood had used its final resort to preserve its own life. It gave very few options to save him like they had wanted; if they couldn't find another way to get it out...
... They would have to kill the First Vao.
Salem blocked a blow from Grimm Demise, nearly knocked off her feet as the her mind began to spin, trying to find a solution as she tried to deflect the monstrous weapon - an easier task said than done. It moved far slower than the First Vao did. It didn't hit as hard as he could. He was nothing more than its puppet, paraded around on unseen strings. She noticed differences in how it used him to fight, but she couldn't figure out a way to draw it out.
(("Come now... Is he really worth saving?"))
CLANG CLANG CLANG!
Salem's rapier began to crack, the thin blade unable to bear the weight of her opponent. The First Vao spun around on his heel and kicked Mono away as the maid approached, leaping into the air. He hovered for a moment as Blood began to swirl around him, until he finally dropped down.
The Reality trembled as the Blood exploded, sending anything near away in a violent boom. The Heroes struggled to stand back up, Salem looking down at her weapon. Her rapier wouldn't withstand another blow. She doubted it would last even if she focused on attacking; it was close to shattering.
(("Think of everything he has done for his dream..."))
Visions flashed before their eyes. In a split second, they could see the First Vao's rampage through Atlas in the First Timeline as he made his way to the Vault, standing amongst the corpses of soldiers as he slaughtered the students of Atlas's Academy in his Blood-fueled psychosis, many trying to get away with no intention of fighting.
Sapphire's chainsaw revved, but the weapon was torn from her grasp when the First Vao knocked it aside with his axe and drove the blade into her artificial chest, nearly splitting the doll in two. Saril's fingernails were chipped by the Blood the moment they got close, the blade of Misery nearly goring her stomach open. The arachne fell back with a pained, terrified cry as she ran for safety, the First Vao switching his focus to Mono, the Cult Leader still recovering from the explosion.
Another vision. This time during his takeover of Vale in the First Timeline. They watched as the First Vao murdered and devoured children, some not even past grade school, in front of their screaming parents as Grimm and Cultists held them down, forcing them to watch. He had been making an example of them when he suspected that they knew where the First Yin had been hiding.
(("Tell me... Is he really worth it, just because he feels regret?")) The Blood cooed. (("He's just as much of a monster as Jack... Moreso. Jack was only a serial killer; Vao was willing to commit genocide for a better future."))
Mono let out a shrill, bloodcurdling shriek as Grimm Demise lodged into her shoulder, the First Vao's foot kicking her away and his hand swatting Jasper from the sky, crushing the fairy's tiny bones. The ginger slammed into the ash, blood trickling from her ears as she stared ahead with glazed, unconscious eyes. And finally he turned back to Salem, Grimm Demise dragging along the ground as he approached, his Scarlet eye unfocused. He wasn't even aware of what was happening anymore, having lost touch with reality as his psychosis bloomed.
Salem backed away, her hands feeling around in the ash for something to throw, trying to avoid using her weapon. "It... It was you," she hissed. "You're what drove him to do those things-"
(("Ah, but it was you who made the promise to give him a better future,")) the Blood countered swiftly. (("Had he not been promised something so appealing, I'd have had to wait for his mental state to weaken to create anything of the sort. And even then, it wouldn't have lasted for very long. Had you not revealed to him that Timelines are possible, he wouldn't be on the cusp of turning yet."))
Salem bit her tongue, nearly tripping over her words. "Th... That i-isn't true! It wasn't me! I was possessed by the Blood!"
(("Do not lie to yourself,")) the Blood cooed. (("I can see right through you~! You don't really care for his life. You only care about correcting what you see as your greatest mistake."))
Salem was silent. She didn't have any words. No matter how hard she tried, nothing would come out. Mono looked up from her wounds, gritting her teeth. "D-do not let its words get to you!" She shouted. "It's lying, isn't it!?"
But Salem didn't answer. Mono's face fell, the Heroines staring at the princess expectantly, waiting for her to say what they wanted to hear. That the Blood was lying. But that answer never came.
"... I... I-isn't it...?"
Salem looked back up at the First Vao, and very hesitantly nodded her head. She had been called out.
"... You're right," she breathed. "I do see him as my biggest mistake. That's all he was to me when he started visiting Twist. I turned him into a psychotic killing machine who's sole purpose is to fight to the death. I gave him more Blood than I did anyone else, until he wouldn't stand a chance at living a normal life."
The Blood chuckled from within the First Vao's Soul. (("So you admit it; you're a hypocrite. You spoke so much about saving him, fooling everyone into thinking you cared about him. But in truth, he was only a mistake; something that shouldn't have happened."))
"Yeah, I'm a hypocrite," Salem admitted. "I was fully prepared to kill him if it was necessary. But things have changed."
(("... Changed?"))
Salem nodded, lifting her cracked sword into her hands and taking a stance. "Yeah. When he lost his memory, I saw what could have been, what's still possible. Mono's capable of bringing him that sense of humanity he always wanted. I saw who he was as a person - not violent, not angry. I saw, I experienced everything he went through. That's why I'm not going to kill him: I'm going to kill you. I'm not Yin; I'm not a hero. But I'll be damned if I allow anyone else to suffer the way I did with the Blood. Until my last breath, I'll fight to tear your dying body from his Soul. And after that, Mono can take him. What happens then... I suppose we'll have to leave it to the future. A future without Blood. Seeing just how much you destroyed, seeing how much you will destroy, my mind has changed. I'm correcting my biggest mistake, and saving someone."
The Blood sighed, and then it laughed. (("... Your funeral."))
The wind began to howl, the moon's shadow cast down, the ring of fire in the sky burning as the ash stirred.
The First Vao, the most dangerous enemy they had encountered across their journey, stood in front of her. Billions had fought him, and every last one had fallen, their Souls stolen to fuel his rage,, feed his insatiable appetite for violence, and reach his dream for a happy ending. And behind it all was the Blood, who had driven him to the point of becoming so deadly; corrupted him with its power.
She thought about why she was doing this. She had initially planned for the Third Timeline to be the final one, where Yin and Vao could live the lives they deserved. But now she saw it was impossible; the Gods and the Blood would not allow it.
It was finally time that she took a stand. Running away from the past was no longer an option. It was time that she faced it.
The First Vao moved fast, but not as fast as he could; the Blood still had not grown accustomed to his body; it wasn't the First Vao. It was the slowness of its movement that allowed Salem to step backwards, out of the range of Grimm Demise. She held back from attacking or blocking; she only had one shot left with her rapier before it would break.
She squared her shoulders, her feet shifting through the ashy ground as she kicked her foot out, striking the First Vao's knee and nearly bringing him to the ground. The murderer's Soul backflipped away, Salem's eyes scouring his thin, Blood-ridden frame for a weak point. If the Blood was piloting his body, then there had to be some sort of weakness, some sort of place she could exploit.
THUD!
Before she even knew what had happened a tentacle burst from the ground and wrapped itself around her neck, slamming her into the battlefield. She rolled away just as Grimm Demise landed where her neck had been less than a second ago, the blade of Misery gleaming in the air.
For the dagger, she was able to block without worrying too much about her weapon. As long as she blocked with the base of the blade, where it met the cross guard, she could manage.
CLING, CLANG!
Hot sparks rained down on her legs, the princess struggling to, but not failing, keep up with his movements. She headbutted him, knocking him off balance. And finally she saw it.
Inside his eye socket, where the red flame of his Aura resided, was dark. Having lost control of his own Soul, his Aura had vanished. Inside the dark pit, a scarlet eye stared out at her, watching her every move. A bit of hope began to grow inside her. She had found the Blood's weak point.
But how was she going to get close enough, or have the time to enact upon it?
The First Vao pushed forward in a full assault, forcing her to lose focus on her thoughts. The princess struggled to dodge everything without using her rapier to defend herself, a powerful kick to her hip knocking her off balance.
CRACK!
Stars sparkled in her vision when she was punched in the temple, the world spinning around her. The Blood laughed from inside his eye socket, it's voice ringing out loud and clear.
(("You know, I've had fun in this Timeline,")) it snickered. (("He struggled to keep his own sense of self. As my power grew, he struggled to remember his own name at times. If it hadn't been for that Mono slut, I'd have gotten my way a lot sooner. I suppose it was luck that she left for a cure for an incurable disease. Jack wouldn't have been able to kill her; not while Vao was near and could still remember her."))
CRACK, CRACK, CRACK!
Holding her in place by the collar, the butt end of Misery's handle buried into her forehead, leaving a bloodied gash. Salem grabbed the First Vao's wrist and twisted, her leg sweeping his from underneath him. She watched as he toppled, the Blood yelping in surprise. That was when it clicked.
The First Vao knew CQC. But not the Blood; the Blood wasn't the one who spent countless sleepless nights training. Unnoticed by her due to being lost in the heat of battle, the Relics on her hip began to glimmer dimly.
Her rapier was nearly useless. With that in mind, Salem tossed the blade aside, watching it break when it struck the ground. She shifted her foot back, holding her fists up in a stance. The First Vao stood up, his death-like expression unchanging. The Blood growled lightly, the eldritch eye staring at her angrily.
(("Bitch."))
The blade of Grimm Demise shone, the permanent bloodstains dark. Salem's heart began to race. She was fighting the Blood without a weapon - her magic wasn't even viable. If she tried to use it to fight, she risked killing the First Vao's Soul.
The First Vao stepped forward, closing the distance. In an instant Salem pressed herself into his body, avoiding the axe. She could see Misery gleam, racing for her side. She pushed his wrist away just as the blade came, the razor sharp edge slicing open her skin and drawing a flow of crimson.
She drove the palm of her hand into his chin and used her other to punch him in the throat, testing for weaknesses. But the First Vao didn't go down choking. It gave Salem what she needed to know; he couldn't feel anything she was doing. As long as the Blood was inside his body, he was reduced to a state of unconsciousness, unable to feel or experience any pain inflicted.
She didn't hold back driving her knee into his hip, knocking him off balance and readying herself for a throw. The Blood, inexperienced, couldn't defend itself as Salem tossed the First Vao over her hip and into the ground, driving her heel into his forehead before stepping out of Misery's reach.
The First Vao rolled back to his feet, Salem taking full advantage to grab Grimm Demise by the long handle and pull on it. The Blood gasped, pulling back. It became a fight for the First Vao's most treasured weapon. Salem knew she wouldn't win when she was going against the sheer weight of the axe and the First Vao's monstrous physical strength. She dug her heels into the ground and pulled as hard as she could, watching as the Blood pulled harder. And with one sudden moved, she stepped her foot behind the First Vao's and pushed back.
The sudden change in resistance sent the First Vao toppling over, his hands releasing to break his fall. Salem immediately felt the strain on her entire body when she held Grimm Demise, her biceps burning as she took a heavy step back.
Grimm Demise weighed four-hundred and thirty-six pounds. She didn't have a chance at swinging it with two hands, nevermind one like the First Vao did. She let it fall to the ground before diving forward, tackling the First Vao to the ground.
CRACK, THWACK, THWACK!
Her knuckles drove into his nose, Misery shooting for her neck. It took both of Salem's hands to stop the blade just short of her jugular, the princess twisting the serrated dagger free and tossing it aside.
"Mono! Get those weapons!" She screamed. The maid, despite being injured, still had her strength. Her eye warped into a clock dial, and in an instant Grimm Demise and Misery were in her possession, the Cult Leader carrying them with ease.
The First Vao planted his feet into Salem's chest and threw her off, the Blood scowling in his eye socket.
(("Whatever."))
Salem jumped to the side as the ground burst with Blood, the First Vao slinging it from his palms and fingertips. She could hear it sizzling as it hit the ground. If it hit her, it was going to burn.
Even in the heart of danger itself, she felt a small bit of relief. If this had been the First Vao himself, she'd have been killed already. To her luck, the Blood seemed more reliant on weapons and magic, whereas the First Vao used his entire body as a weapon if he were to be disarmed.
She charged forward, the First Vao's arm twisting unnaturally as a spew of tentacles erupted from his open palm, driving the princess back.
(("You know, I've been able to erase his entire memory. He didn't even remember his own name,")) the Blood snarled. (("I've seen his memories, saw his thoughts. Do you know what surprised me the most?"))
Salem didn't have time to answer as thick, plated spider-like legs burst from his shoulder, slamming into her body and knocking her to the ground. Salem rolled away when he leapt into the air and crashed back down like a boulder, cracking the ground and releasing a shockwave of Blood.
(("You had him doubting himself. He started to wonder if he really needed to kill you."))
"And why would he do that?" Salem growled. "He sees me as the one who destroyed his life, right?"
(("He does,")) the Blood agreed. (("But he rarely had his Cult stalk you. He mostly did it on his own, watching your progress through Twist while learning more about this world. He saw your interactions with the Third Yin and Third Vao. He waited for you to betray them, so he could leap in and be seen as a saviour, and gain Light and Dark to help him in building another Timeline. But you never did. You had him beginning to wonder if the First Yin was right about you being different without the Blood. It was only me who managed to keep his murderous intentions, telling him it was the only way to bring about a new Timeline."))
Salem felt a cold sweat break out on the back of her neck. "He... He what...?"
The Blood chuckled darkly as it attacked, forcing her to scramble away for safety. (("He despises you, but he doesn't like to kill. You should know that better than anyone; he kills when he has to. He started to see you as less of a threat the more you risked your life to keep the Third Yin and Third Vao alive. All I had to do was make him hallucinate and remember the things you did, the things you allowed to happen while Jack slips more Blood into his body when he isn't paying attention. If that hadn't happened, he might've even left you alone."))
That statement pissed Salem off more than anything she had heard. "You... You mean that... That he didn't even want this war...?"
(("Nope. But I did. Fuck what other people want. In this world, in every world, it's about power! The weak are meant to bow to the strong; you've told him the same thing. 'The weak die, and only the strong survive'. In this world, you need to take whatever makes you stronger. The weaker insects are made to be stepping stones to success; their lives mean nothing. What matters is yourself. I wanted a war. I wanted power! And with it, I will take over the Timelines. I will slaughter the Gods. And then I can plunge every Timeline into a paradise for myself; where the weak suffer for my amusement. A world where I reign supreme. And I'll get what I want; that's all that matters."))
Salem pressed her lips together, narrowing her eyes. "... You're putrid," she hissed. "You mean to tell me... He wanted nothing to do with this?"
(("Partially. He was willing to do what it took to reach his dream, and it's true he started to lose sight of life's value before he began to grow closer to Mono,")) the Blood replied. (("But he never wanted this outcome. He was originally going to kill just you, and avoid collateral damage. Me? I wanted the world to know it's new master. Faralda was his choice; I couldn't control his actions once he realized Summer was alive in this Timeline. But Ragna, the Royal Capital? It was all me! He didn't need to kill as many people as he did! Man, woman and child, I drove him to cannibalize them all, watching as he suffered the consequences of his insanity! It's hilarious; even Jack wondered if I really worked for the Gods, my creators. But as their perfect creation, he'd never outright stand up against me. I'm the biggest, baddest bitch around, and I'm here to take the world!"))
Salem blindly charged forward, her fists swinging straight into the First Vao's body with powerful, resounding blows, her magic burning at her knuckles. Not enough to kill him, but she hoped that by filling him with her magic would be enough to force the Blood out. But the evil, sentient substance only cackled and laughed like a hyena, its arm stretching from his eye socket and grabbing the top of her head.
SLAM, SLAM SLAM SLAM!
The princess was thrown around like a ragdoll, her bones shaking each time she hit there ground, the First Vao delivering a devastating kick to her chest that sent her flying back, the murderer sprinting at her.
(("I am superior, Salem! I was designed for this! Everything you did to him, fucking up his head the way you did, it gives me strength! Don't you get it? I am the perfect creation of the Gods! I'm FUCKING invincible!"))
Salem felt his knuckles breaking the enamel off her teeth, her cheek splitting open and her mouth filling with the taste of copper.
THWACK, THWACK, THWACK!
Each punch hit like a truck, knocking her to her knees each time, the Blood clapping to the beat of its own war drum.
(("You're human, aren't you?")) The Blood cooed. (("Then surely you get it? Violence is just a part of us, it's how the Gods made us! Humans are the defected children; they think they know everything, talking about right and wrong! Creating a joke called 'morals'! But Blood and abominations? We know our purpose! War, atrocities, its in our genes! Mine, yours, everyone's! I love this shit!"))
A pair of hands grabbed Salem's shoulders and pulled her away just as the First Vao's foot came crashing down in a deathblow, the princess feeling her nearly broken body lifted into the air. But not very high.
"Sapphire, run!" Jasper screamed.
"I'm twying!"
Sapphire screamed in terror as the Blood began to explode from the ground, the First Vao's Reality bursting into a fiery inferno. The ground began to shimmer unnatural colors, the sky turning a shade of hot pink, the rare patch of grass among the ash flickering into a shade of blue. Salem knew what it meant.
His transformation was almost complete. His Reality was beginning to turn out just like hers did. The Blood chased them relentlessly as the Heroines scrambled away, Saril flinging webs at the First Vao's feet in an attempt to slow him down. But he only ran through it, swiftly destroying anything that was thrown his way with Blood, his arm twisting and breaking before transforming into the limbs of an abomination, then shrinking back to its human shape.
"How the hell are we supposed to take him down now!?" Saril screamed over the crackling flames. "Wasn't he supposed to be easier without a weapon!?"
"He's got magic! Just be glad it isn't Darkness!" Jasper shouted. "'Cause then we'd be capital F, FUCKED!"
Mono gritted her teeth, nudging Salem. "You. With me," she hissed. Salem opened her mouth to argue, but Mono cut her off. "Don't try to argue with me. Now!"
Mono and Salem dug their heels into the ground and spun around, Mono tossing Salem the serrated dagger Misery before wielding Grimm Demise and her hammer in both hands, the pair meeting the First Vao head-on.
Their weapons slammed against the Blood's evil magic, protecting the First Vao, it's shield, from being damaged.
(("Kehahaha! So you've finally decided to fight instead of running away like little bitches!"))
The fires of the First Vao's Reality sparked and burned hot, making them sweat. And with a sudden burst of life, they burned forward, catching the Heroines and the Blood off guard. Salem shielded her face as her skin began to burn, her blood boiling inside her veins. But to her surprise, to Mono, Sapphire, and Saril's surprise, the flames weaved around them - and engulfed the First Vao in fire. The Blood inside his Soul screeched, his arms flailing to pat out the orange tongues that raced along his body.
(("What the fuck!?"))
Jasper flew high out of reach, swinging her daggers in tandem with the blaze, weaving the flames into a weapon as her magic worked. The First Vao backflipped away and rolled across the ground, sliding to a knee. The Blood hissed, the First Vao turning his distant gaze to the fairy.
(("You trying to kill him!?"))
"Nah," Jasper snarled. "Killing people is behind me. I figured if we just hurt him enough, you'll come out. You need him alive, right? If he dies, then you're out of a shield - and a Reality to hide in."
The First Vao punched the ground, standing up. (("... Clever little bitch. That won't work though; I have a backup plan. But if you kill him, I'll be losing my weapon against the Gods. I'll have to spend years waiting for another, centuries even. So go ahead. Kill him. You'll only be delaying my rule, and causing a minor inconvenience to me."))
The First Vao raised his hand to his lips, his teeth sinking into his palm and drawing his black Blood. And with one swing of his arm, a scythe made from bone, sinew, and Blood twisted and formed, his fingers wrapping around the handle.
(("Now THAT'S more like it!"))
The blade shone like a sliver of the crescent moon in a starless sky, the First Vao wielding it as naturally as he walked, as if it were a part of him. It was no doubt the Blood controlling his movements; if it had been the First Vao himself, he'd have used Summer's scythe like he used an axe.
Under the sheer ferocity of the attack, Mono and Salem were forced to defend, Saril driven back entirely as the blade threatened to cut her fingernails clean off.
(("Come on! Show me what humanity is made of!")) The Blood cheered. (("Let loose! Go wild! Show me a good time!"))
CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG!
With ease their weapons were forced from their hands, Mono blown away by a blast of Blood, the Cult Leader slamming into the ground. A tendril burst from the ash and wrapped around her ankle, throwing her around like a ragdoll until she could barely move. Jasper was knocked from the sky by needle-like bullets, the fairy falling into Sapphire's arms before the doll was sent flying by a shockwave, slamming against Saril's jaw and knocking the arachne to the floor.
It was just Salem and the Blood now. The princess stumbled back, searching the ashlands for Misery. The serrated dagger had flown far out of her reach. She didn't have a chance to fetch it; if she tried, the Blood would kill her.
Salem spun around and clapped her hands against the sides of the scythe's crescent blade as it came down, sweat rolling down her body, the tip centimeters from gouging her left eye out. Her elbows trembled as she tried to hold back the sheer force behind the weapon, veins jutting from her arms as she strained herself, overworking her entire body. The Blood laughed hysterically from within the First Vao's eye socket, mocking her relentlessly.
(("Is that the best you can do!? Gods, humanity really IS the defected child of the Gods! You lack brutality! You lack any penchant for murder! War is supposed to be written in your genes, but you hold it back! You refuse to do what it takes to win! You're too focused on those 'morals'! Come on, fight like you mean it!"))
"N-no," Salem hissed through clenched teeth. "You're sick... You're the worst thing I've ever met... I'm not stooping down to your level-"
(("Bullshit!")) The Blood interrupted with yet another cackle. (("Is this about what Mono wants? About what the Third Yin and Third Vao wants!? To hell with what they want! Go ahead; fight to kill! Think only of yourself! That's what I did! And I loved every second of it!"))
The blade was inching closer. At this rate, Salem was going to suffer the same scar that the First Vao did. The Blood snickered, the Relics glowing a bit brighter at Salem's hip, still unnoticed by the princess. The Blood twisted from the First Vao's eye socket, Summer's gaunt and near-skeletal face glaring icy daggers at her.
(("Do you need some motivation then?")) The Blood hissed. (("Then let me tell you something else about the First Vao, something you never knew. Something not even Mono knew, something he kept to himself. The true reason he wanted her to kill him."))
"W... What...!?"
The Blood's lips curled up in a venomous smirk, its silver eyes lighting up with amusement.
(("He knew this outcome would happen eventually. He knew he was going to one day be controlled by me,")) the Blood whispered. Salem felt her heart stop, the princess staring up at that thing in horror. The Blood happily continued.
(("He tried so hard to fight it. He ignored my demands to wipe out that pathetic Cult; he cared too much for them, their safety, their lives! He ignored my demands to destroy this world; he thought it was too far! He tried everything in his power to limit his quest to only killing you, and involving no one else. Almost every atrocity he committed was my doing; Atlas, Vale, Ragna! All of it was me! And I'll do it all again! Not because I have to, but because I want to! When I create my own Timeline, it'll be MY paradise! Not his, not yours, not ANYONE'S! I'll kill, I'll torture, I'll enslave just as I please! You know Rojo? I'll make sure he keeps Verde, assaults her until she can never smile again. I'll make certain Sasha is never freed from slavery, tormented by Leaf. And Yin? Vao? Those two will be my punching bags. I'll keep them alive as I torture them to insanity, let them be defiled by men they don't know, let Jack have his fun with them, watch as they relive their worst FUCKING nightmares!"))
Salem pushed the scythe to the side and threw her fist forward, the First Vao backing away in and instant and the Blood clapping its hands happily. He stepped forward in the blink of an eye and lifted Salem off her feet before slamming her down on her back.
(("You missed!")) It giggled childishly. It's smile fell away, betraying the hatred it held for her. (("I'll do all that to the ones who dared stand against me. But you? You're special. I'll rip your fucking Soul from your body over and over again. I'll beat the hell out of it until it's near death, and then revive it at the last second. You're the only one who came close to stopping me. I won't forgive that. I'll NEVER forgive that. You'll be reserved, Salem. Reserved for my personal use!"))
THUD!
Salem coughed and spluttered as his heel crushed her ribs, the air forced from her lungs. The First Vao grinded his heel against her breasts, leaning down on his knee for the Blood to stare at her.
(("You see, you're weak. All humans are. That's why you should just submit already! Lick the dirt off my FUCKING HEELS, BITCH!"))
THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD!
THUD!
The First Vao jumped into the air and slammed both of his heels into her chest, the princess clutching herself painfully. She didn't have any time to react before the First Vao got a running start, and delivered a nasty kick that sent her hurtling through the air.
SLAM!
Salem dropped back down into the ash when she hit one of the swords sticking from the ash, the princess gasping and heaving. Her fingers curled, her knee wobbling - and giving out under her own weight. She pushed herself again, her legs screaming in agony, trembling dangerously before giving way.
She couldn't stand up. She couldn't fight. The Blood had royally whooped their asses. Not that she'd have won if Yin and Vao were here; if the Blood could take on Mono, it was more than capable of dealing with them.
The First Vao's boots stepped in view, the princess looking up at him through her blurry vision. He stopped out of her reach, his dull, lifeless scarlet eye staring ahead at nothing in particular, the Blood twisting from his eye socket in the shape of someone long gone.
(("Is that it?")) The Blood cooed. (("Pathetic. Weak. Foul. You can't stand, you can barely stay awake. And to think that you actually believed you stood a chance."))
"F..." Salem trailed off for a moment, struggling to catch her breath. "F... F-fuck you..."
The Blood scowled. (("... What are you going to do? You can't do anything. My rule is inevitable; this world is mine for the taking."))
Salem shook her head, trying to stand again. "N-no... I c... Can't let..."
(("Can't let me take what's rightfully mine?")) The Blood chuckled. (("I already have."))
Salem turned a dangerous glare at the monster, blood trickling down her lip, dripping off her chin. "No... I can't... Can't let you... G-get away with everything... Everything you've done... The people you hurt, and then his so we'd b... B-blame the First Vao... We... We thought... He was the monster... Th-that he... W-wanted this..." She broke into a wet, painful and bloody cough, her palm stained red as she tried to stand again. "M... Mono... Mono was right... He doesn't... Deserve to die... He deserves to... T-to live...!"
{"... Is that your choice?"}
Salem's eyes went wide at the sudden voice, her eyes scanning the flaming battlefield. The Blood seemed just as confused as she did. The princess finally looked down at the Relics tied to her waist, finally seeing the gentle, cold glow from the golden objects.
{"Is it your choice to save him? Even at the cost of your own life? Is it your choice to be the hero this world needs?"}
The voice belonged to one that offered the First Yin the same choice long ago. The voice of the Relic of Choice. She gritted her teeth, slowly, but confidently nodding her head. "... Yeah. That's... My choice..."
{"Then so be it,"} the Relic of Choice said. The Relic of Knowledge began to vibrate, Jinn's voice calling from within.
{"Sorry we couldn't help earlier. We've broadcasted everything that happened from the moment the First Vao brought us to you, to those outside. Everyone knows the truth now; everyone has heard the Blood's confession, word for word."}
The Blood's smile faded, its eyebrow twitching. (("What...!?"))
{"Now there is only one thing left,"} Jinn continued. {"Wake up, Salem. Recall your memories that have been wiped away by the Gods. Recall who you are, what you are. We are yours, your weapons. Awaken to your true power; the power of a Celestial!"}
The effect was instant. In a blinding flash Salem's strange magic that had appeared not very long ago expanded around her, shining from her eyes, her mouth, her nostrils, burning hotter than the blazing sun. The Blood fell back into the First Vao's eye socket with a shrill shriek, the murderer's Soul shielding it from harm.
Jasper shielded her eyes, squinting into the blinding light. "W... W-what the hell is this...!? She... She isn't human!?
They watched in awe as feathery white wings sprouted from Salem's back before disappearing, a blue ring of light circling her head and following the wings' vanishing act. The Relics pulled from her hips and swirled, the lamp remaining on her belt, the staff clipping to her back, the sword shifting into her hand, and the crown resting on top of her head. She was the spitting image of what one would think when they heard the word 'angel'.
Salem's eyes shot wide open as the memories came flooding back. The first war against the Gods, in the very beginning of the First Timeline before she was corrupted by the very thing she faced. It wasn't because of her lust for power; that had only been a fabrication created by the Gods. What she truly fought against them for was to rid the world of their evil control.
(("You... You're a Celestial!?")) The Blood shrieked. Salem could hear the fear in it's voice. It knew it was in danger. (("Your kind was wiped out by Them! How did you survive!?"))
Salem drew the Relic of destruction from its sheath, the blade gleaming like a star in the night sky.
"I'm the very last of my kind," she mumbled. "How could I have forgotten...? No. I shouldn't think about that."
She stood up straight, rising to her full height of one hundred and ninety-eight centimeters, easily towering over the First Vao's Soul.
"You're the worst thing I've laid my eyes on in over a thousand years," she hissed. "You're atrocious, hideous, and vile. And I'm going to send you straight to hell with the rest of your kind."
Salem took a step forward, and with a sonic boom she blasted forward, the First Vao raising Summer's scythe to defend himself.
BOOM!
The Relic of Destruction slammed against the handle, blowing the weapon to smithereens and launching the First Vao sky high, the Blood losing its temper again.
(("No, NO NO! KILL HER! KILL HER NOW!"))
The First Vao landed gracefully on his feet, his distant eye scanning for his weapon - and stopping on Salem. He had landed right in front of the Celestial. With one swift movement she sheathed her sword, her knuckles glowing with full force, and with all her might she punched him square in the face. The First Vao was sent on his butt in an instant, the murderer's face warped in shock.
"O-ow..."
Salem pulled him back up by the shoulder, pulling his chin so she could look him in the eye. The First Vao seemed dazed and lost. Her punch had freed only a portion of his mind from the Blood. And luckily for Salem, she had plenty of magic to spare.
She swept him to the ground, the First Vao yelping in surprise. Without hesitation, without pulling her punches, she pummeled him into the ground, the ash lifting from the ground into a cloud. With each punch the First Vao's eye became more clear, until finally Salem got off of him, waiting for his reaction.
The First Vao groaned and clutched his head, his face pressed into the ash. Until finally he sat up, and screamed. Free from the Blood's control, he could feel it writhing inside his skull.
The Heroines rushed to Salem's side, taking a stance. It was time they finally forced that thing from the First Vao's Soul.
Together they attacked. Mono and Saril seized the First Vao's arms and pulled them tight, Jasper and Sapphire struggling to hold his legs as he kicked violently, desperate to free himself. Salem vaulted onto his chest, punching his chin and glaring down at him. The First Vao stared back in horror, his eye beginning to water, his raspy voice breaking into a terrified stammer.
"S-Salem... N-no, don't kill me! Don't kill me!"
"Not the plan. I think your brother and Mono were onto something. You needed someone too, right? You wanted someone to save you. Am I right? Vao Dusty Branwen?"
The First Vao's eye went wide, Salem raising her index and middle fingers.
"This is going to hurt a lot!"
SPLLLLRCH!
An ear-piercing, bloodcurdling shriek echoed in their ears as Salem plunged her fingers into his eye socket, black Blood pooling around her fingers as she dug them around. She could fell the Blood moving around inside, trying to get away. But by hiding inside the First Vao, it had only trapped itself, made itself an easy target. Salem pinched the monster between her fingers, and with great effort she pulled the thing straight from his head. Summer's terrified face stared up at her, the Blood bursting into a slew of insults.
(("You fucking idiot! If you kill me here, he's going to die! I've already attached myself to him!"))
"Guess it's a good thing we aren't killing you here," Salem snarled. "Souls... They can only be killed inside a Reality, right?"
The Blood's face fell, giving way to the realization. (("Wait... Wait, you can't be serious-"))
Salem wrapped her arms around the Blood, the others pulling the First Vao's body away as the Celestial began to glow, the First Vao's Reality beginning to brighten. The murderer struggled, elbowing Saril in the face in a desperate attempt to break free. But the arachne only held on tighter, the First Vao's lips parting in another shrill shriek.
"Au-Auntie!" He cried. "No! Don't kill her! Don't kill Auntie!"
Salem ignored his delusional cries. She still wasn't sure how the Blood managed to trick him so well; even now when it was obvious that it wasn't Summer, he still truly believed it was his dead aunt. Gritting her teeth, she opened her mouth in a scream as the First Vao's Reality went white, dragging his Soul with them.