The void trembled as Salem was pushed back by an invisible force, sending her hurtling through the trees. It felt like she was swimming through a bog; it was difficult to breathe, to move as fluidly as before. Shub-Niggurath, far larger than anything Salem had seen before drifted around, almost as if with no real aim. Even the Blood, which had stood at three hundred meters high when they pulled it out of the First Vao's Reality, was tiny compared to her.
Her sword flashed as she attacked the God again, but with no results. No, her weapons didn't bounce off diamond-hard skin like most strong opponents. They just phased through, as if Shub-Niggurath wasn't even there to begin with. Salem gasped, twisting her body away and swimming through the air as this incomprehensible nightmare poked at her with a tentacle.
Just like when she was masquerading as Baphomet, Shub-Niggurath seemed more intent on just fucking with Salem rather than attacking. Her mouths continued emitting awful sounds, but from the rhythm Salem could only be left to assume she was being laughed at. The Celestial snarled, whirling around and kicking off a stone, beelining it for the God's face. Well, the closest one anyway. Her magic expanded out like a pair of white wings, her sword flashing brighter than the sun as she drove the blade forward, aiming for Shub-Niggurath's eyes.
"Give them back," Salem hissed. "Give me those Souls-!?"
Shub-Niggurath wrapped herself around the blade, stopping it dead in its tracks. Even with the Relic of Destruction at its full power, even combined with her Celestial magic, she wasn't even tickling this God. Salem bit her lip and released her weapon, switching to her staff. Shub-Niggurath flicked the sword back at Salem, the weapon grinding to a halt and stopping in the air.
Using the staff's power, Salem let loose an asteroid shower in the void, the massive chunks of rock beginning to orbit the God. Shub-Niggurath stared at them curiously before they closed in. Normal creatures would have been crushed to a pulp, but not a God of this scale. They just ceased to exist on contact with her skin. Salem tried everything she could think of creating - black holes, supernovas, and even some sort of box that could contain Shub-Niggurath's power. Nothing ever came of it though; there was next to nothing that could contain a true God, as Shub-Niggurath called herself. She had beaten the Relic of Creation, Salem's instant-win button.
The Celestial collapsed the staff and returned it to its holster, her sweat rolling upwards on her face, defying gravity. She had met a lot of cocky villains; Rojo had claimed he was invincible. Leaf had claimed they couldn't win. Iris had been so full of himself that he thought everyone's will should be under his complete control. And Jack thought that he was chosen by the Gods, or something. But Shub-Niggurath stood out amongst them all; she had come in unexpectedly and declared she was a God. And now Salem was beginning to believe it.
She began to feel the urge to flee, the red trails on her cheeks painted fresh as her eyes began to bleed again, the sheer absurdity of Shub-Niggurath's entire existence threatening her own sanity. Were there really more like her? More Gods with power far exceeding comprehension? Gods that made the Gods of Light and Darkness look like infants? That was a scary thought.
She slashed her sword at the tentacles again, Shub-Niggurath letting out an abhorrent fit of that same odd laughter. Salem gritted her teeth, diving at the God again, her Celestial wings beating through the air in a flash of wispy blue light, unleashing a flurry of attacks. They wouldn't have affected Shub-Niggurath, but the God played along, dodging with surprising agility for her size.
Blood trickled from Salem's ears, from her nose, every orifice in her body dripping scarlet. Facing something this eldritch was taking its toll not just on her mind, but her body. If she had been human, she'd have lost her wits by now.
But at this point, she didn't care what happened to her body. She wanted, no, she needed to save her friends.
She staggered forward, her knees wobbling. Shub-Niggurath stared for a moment, her eyes blinking at different intervals. The Celestial used her magic to support herself, panting hard. She could feel the Souls of her friends inside the God. It was her one source of motivation to keep standing, to keep her sword from falling from her hands.
A flash of Shub-Niggurath's humanoid form flashed before her eyes - the horned woman wearing an ear-to-ear toothy smile with her tongue lolling out, followed by a deep laugh that made her bones tremble. It was enough to startle Salem back to life.
The Celestial blinked, staring up at the unstoppable, immortal behemoth before her, realization settling in.
She couldn't beat Shub-Niggurath. This wasn't a fight she would win. This God was a true immortal; it wasn't the pseudo-immortality that the Blood had, where the only thing capable of killing it had been either Light, Dark, or Celestial magic. Neither of those things affected this enemy. Salem wasn't a God - she was only a demigod, still mortal.
Yet again, she could feel herself losing hope. Only this time, it was diminishing into no hope at all. She didn't want to die alone. She thought of her friends, the friends she couldn't save. She took a step back, her lip beginning to quiver. In the end, she had failed.
She thought about Yin. If he was here, he'd be able to offer her support, healing her wounds in the case that Shub-Niggurath did anything dangerous. She wished Verde were here too; Verde was far more intelligent than any of them. She'd be able to formulate some kind of strategy, placing them in advantageous positions. She wished Sasha were here. The tall tomboy had the strength to back them up, and a smile that could brighten entire worlds. If Vao was here, he'd say something stupid that would raise her spirits.
If Mono were here, she'd feel more secure knowing she had an ally who could control time itself, along with being physically the strongest, and having a strong enough mind to resist eldritch influence. If Jasper were here, the fairy would boast, pumping them up. If Sapphire were here, her laughter would make this a lot easier on her mind, her preciousness giving even more incentive to fight. The same went for Midori, who was still just a child; she had a whole life ahead of her.
Would she see them again if Shub-Niggurath claimed her Soul? Would she ever see them again? She didn't want to die alone. She didn't want to die at all. She had grown to love adventuring with her friends. She had even grown to hope they could continue exploring Twist if the Timeline was reset. A world of adventure, with excitement and fortune to be made at every corner, filled with many races that had been fun to meet.
But she felt she'd never get to experience that again. If only her friends had been there with her. They still wouldn't stand a chance, but at least they'd be together. She tearfully closed her bleeding eyes, her lip beginning to quiver, her weapon slowly drooping to her side. She was on the verge of giving up.
THUMP!
Salem cried out when something heavy landed on top of her, crushing her into the floor. She could hear several groans, the Celestial lifting her head to meet the scarlet eyes of a living doll.
"Kyahaha! Hi, Salem!"
The Celestial jumped to her feet, staring at her friends in utter shock. Vao's headless body sat up, Verde placing his dazed head back on the stump of his neck. Mono was helping Sasha and Midori to their feet, Yin leaning against his katana with a cigarette hanging from his lips. Jasper was lying on his shoulder, her eyes spinning dizzily in her tiny head.
"U-ungh... Where are we now...?" Yin muttered. "I thought- WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?"
They stared up at Shub-Niggurath in complete horror that froze them in place, Verde's voice reaching a new volume as she screamed.
"I-is that Shub-Niggurath!? That perverted woman was Shub-Niggurath!?"
Salem wasn't focusing right. "H-how!? She took your Souls...!?"
The God giggled, her voice twisting so they could understand her clearly; forming into the sultry voice of Baphomet. "Haven't I said~? I just want to have a little fun! I was waiting for you to think about them so I could wake them up~! Now we can get this party started~!"
They stood together, Verde on the verge of a panic. "W-we can't fight Shub-Niggurath... We can't possibly win...!"
Salem finally snapped out of her stupor, looking at the witch curiously. "You know her?"
Verde shakily nodded. "When I lived in the Great Swamp before Vao found me, there was a cult I had encountered once. They worshipped Shub-Niggurath! She's a God of Fertility! I admit, I prayed to her when we were trying to have Midori and V..."
She trailed off. She was having trouble saying her dead daughter's name. Salem decided not to push her. She changed the subject. "D-do you have at least some sort of strategy?"
"No... Nothing we can do will work... The best thing we can do is... Is just give it everything we have! But that won't be enough, so do not count on winning!"
They turned to Shub-Niggurath, drawing their weapons. Mono sighed, shaking her head. "Vao... I might not be able to see you one last time after all..."
"Wot? I'm right here-"
"Not you, illiterate wanker."
Everyone seemed to share a similar thought after all, and it wasn't helped by Mono's doubts about winning. Jasper groaned. "Died fighting a God... There's a first for everything, I guess..."
"Big scary goat," Sapphire mumbled.
"Shub-Niggurath," Verde groaned. "Will we even survive against the All-Mother Goddess of Fertility...? Midori, Jasper, keep your distance with me. Yin, you provide healing support when necessary. Vao, move for critical hits with Mono - critical hits, as in whatever looks like it may be a weak point, or an opening at all for that matter. Whenever you see a big opening, Vao will team up with Yin and Sapphire, and use as much of your magics as you can against Shub-Niggurath. Sapphire, Sasha, Salem, you'll be keeping her as occupied as you can; you're the most suitable out of all of us for full-frontal combat!"
They began to take their positions, Shub-Niggurath wiggling in place awkwardly as she watched. Verde directed Midori and Jasper to surround the God as best as they could, Mono grabbing Vao and vanishing with a simple time stop. Yin was jogging around, keeping himself light on his feet. Salem, with Sasha and Sapphire at her side, began to rush towards Shub-Niggurath, their weapons gleaming.
Verde pinched the wide brim of her pointed hat, her eyes gleaming as the power of the stars swirled around her and her staff. "... The stars have aligned; this is Fate... Our Fate was to war against the Gods... But to think we'd fight this one. Let us pray to whatever God is willing to protect us that our Fate does not end here."
They began their assault, with Verde and Midori blasting gouts of fire that Jasper exploded into a massive ball, wrapping it around Shub-Niggurath in an attempt to restrict her movements, Vao and Mono reappearing on top of one of her goat heads, driving their weapons down on her horns. Down on the ground Yin focused his healing miracle as the flames arched upwards, singing the legs of his brother and the Cult Leader.
Sapphire's chainsaw revved as Sasha held the doll out in front of her and Salem, the teeth of her weapon sparking to life with Dust, freezing solid every tendril that moved towards them and shattering them into millions of pieces, Salem driving the tip of her sword into the wounds. Shub-Niggurath gurgled and let out a twisted, deformed bleat: it sounded like an absurd cross between a tiger, an elephant, a llama, and a goat, with the goat being the most prominent and loud. It was loud enough to almost pop their ear drums, the Heroes stopping to cover their ears in the midst of the intense pain.
BOOM!
Two shockwaves sent them flying into the air, Shub-Niggurath squirming as she floated without wings, the wind pressure from her massive body soaring through the air blowing the mortals off their feet and to the ground. The black void began to take form, the wind howling through the mountainous terrain. The sky writhed with angry yellow storm clouds, Shub-Niggurath dropping into a ravine, still staring down at them.
She was bigger than the damned mountains themselves. Her tentacles gripped the natural formation and squeezed, cracking their playing field, making the ground uneven and hard to maneuver. Verde's plan wouldn't work here; they didn't have the vast space of the void to get into position. It was chaos, with the Heroes immediately acting on their own.
Yin slid down a plate of rock as it tipped over, his crotch slamming Vao in the face and flooring the dullahan. The healer frantically hopped to his feet and pulled Vao back to his feet, who only glared at the blonde. They hooked arms and ran together as Shub-Niggurath engulfed another mountain, spewing boulders into the sky that then rained from above, Vao lifting Yin onto his shoulders. The blonde drew his katana and infused it with his Light, using its power to cut the house-sized rocks in half before they could crush them, Vao's natural agility from his Thief class propelling them faster, closer to the God as he vaulted and kicked off walls to get over obstacles.
"Vao, can you run a little faster!?"
"I'm goin' as fast as I bloody can, you cockhead!"
"... How about a little faster?"
"Oh, like that! I got ya, mate!"
Vao pressed his hands into Yin's feet and pushed hard, tossing his brother high into the sky before jumping after him, catching him mid-air. Yin braced himself when he felt Vao grab his hips, holding his katana at an angle as the dullahan spun in the air once, twice, and then threw him with the power of a cannon. The healer soared through the air, Shub-Niggurath turning a few of her eyes to him. He twisted his body so he could drive his heels into one of her faces, plunging his Light-infused sword into her flesh, running alongside the immortal God as he cut her eyes wide open.
Shub-Niggurath didn't have any reaction. The fact that he was even hitting anything meant she was allowing him to do it. But why? Yin couldn't figure it out. But he'd take whatever he could.
With Shub-Niggurath's eyes seemingly nonfunctional, Salem jumped on top of Mono's hammer, the maid swinging, flinging her through the skies like a comet - complete with the glow of a Celestial and everything.
SLAAAAAAM!
The force of Salem striking into the center of Shub-Niggurath shattered the mountains all around as if they were made of crackers, throwing the Heroes into the air. Shub-Niggurath's goat legs left the ground as the God was launched away, leaving a moon-sized crater as she skidded across the ground. Salem landed on her feet, the Heroes staggering next to her.
They panted heavily. They had knocked Shub-Niggurath down. But they still hadn't done anything to her - the God was already rolling back to her feet, her eyes regrowing. The Heroes lowered their weapons, exhausted. Verde had been right; they weren't going to win. They tried to hold them back up, their eyes dripping with scarlet. Shub-Niggurath's mouths curled into smiles, a deep, abhorrent laugh bubbling past her goat lips.
And then she began to shrink, taking the form of Baphomet again. The ruined mountains vanished, the dark swamp growing again, the night sky visible as the darkness retreated.
"Teehee~... That was fun. You even knocked me down~!"
They stared at her, distant looks in their eyes. Baphomet waved her hand in front of Salem's face and snapped her fingers, the Celestial blinking in surprise. Baphomet giggled, swaying her hips as she spun around, giving them a full view of her indecent figure.
"Well, I only really wanted to play a bit~... If I wanted to kill you, I'd have done it like I did with that Lisa girl~!" She giggled. "I hope we see each other again~! Buh-bye~!"
She vanished without a trace in an instant, the Heroes turning around to the direction of the castle of the Gods, mindlessly wandering through the swamp, slowly processing what had happened - or at least trying to.
Why had she come here if she wasn't going to kill them? Was it just for entertainment like she said? Something sinister? Something benevolent? Salem tilted her head to the ground, list in thought.
Shub-Niggurath didn't feel the same as the Gods of Light and Darkness. She felt... Stronger. And on top of that, Shub-Niggurath didn't seem to like referring to them as Gods. In fact, she even said Salem was capable of killing them. But that brought up the question: just what were the Gods of Light and Darkness, truly?
She'd soon find out. One of the Gods was not pleased, and she had invoked his ire.
...
The God of Light had become so accustomed to his younger brother's constant pacing and mumbling that he had tuned it out entirely, reading his book in peace as he sipped from a glass of wine.
{"What is taking so long?"} The God of Darkness hissed. {"The Judge should have killed them in no time at all! Will you stop ignoring me?"}
The God of Light didn't reply. He turned the page of his book, only looking up when the double doors creaked open, the undressed woman striding in, her wide hips swaying with each step. Baphomet beamed and waved enthusiastically.
"Hello~! I'm back~!"
The God of Darkness was the first to speak, stomping towards her. {"And Salem? What of the last Celestial?"}
Baphomet flicked him on the forehead, sending the God of Darkness stumbling back in surprise. "Oh, her? She's still alive. I didn't want to kill her."
{"Then why the hell did you even get involved!?"}
"Because I thought it was interesting~! Oh, the other Gods would be thrilled to hear that even you two were capable of creating life so complex~!"
She had the God of Light's attention now. He closed his book, standing up. "Lady Judge, please do not mention word of this to the rest of the Black Court," he almost pleaded. "This is our private matter, not theirs."
But Baphomet only chuckled. "That Celestial, Salem... You didn't create her species, did you? They've always existed to handle troublesome ones like yourselves... After seeing her power, I have no doubt she's going to win~! After all, you aren't real Gods~!"
The God of Light was not offended by her remark, but the God of Darkness had a short fuse.
{"You're as insufferable as ever, Shub-Niggurath!"} He snarled. {"Fine then - I'll prove I am a God. I'll handle this matter myself!"}
The God of Light cleared his throat. ("Brother, that is not a wise decision-")
{"I ain't waiting any longer,"} he hissed. {"Bitch wants a fight, she'll get one!"}
He didn't wait for a response. Baphomet didn't even try to stop him as he burst through the wall, flying through the air to the swamp. She flashed a wink at the God of Light before vanishing, the golden figure rubbing his featureless face with his hands.
("... I suppose it would be quite the learning experience to watch...")
Down in the garden of the red spider lilies, the First Vao looked up when he saw the God of Darkness soaring through the air, furrowing his brow.
"... Wot is he doing? Is he... Going after Salem...?" He mumbled to himself. The schizophrenic voices in his head spoke to him - not the voices of the Souls he carried, but his own mental illness. The First Vao sighed, crawling down the side of the building for a better look.
...
The Heroes trudged through the mud, afraid to stop now. After having met Shub-Niggurath, they feared encountering another immortal being. Midori shifted uncomfortably as she walked, catching Verde's attention. "What is the matter?"
Midori bit her lip. "... I have to pee."
"Just pee yourself," Jasper muttered.
Salem wasn't having that; it was humiliating. "Verde, Vao, can you take her to a tree? We will wait. It shouldn't take long to pee now, should it?"
"Hey, Shub-Niggurath took both of them down," Sasha commented. "It doesn't seem safe to send that few."
"A-alright... Yin, could you go with them?"
The healer nodded, following his family into the trees as the others stopped, waiting for Midori to finish. As they walked, Vao pointed to a tree. "Just go behind that. Scream if you run into trouble," he said. Midori nodded, walking around the trunk and rolling up her robes before squatting down. She could hear her father and uncle talking about possible dangers they could run into, her mother keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings. Midori picked up the dryest looking leaf to wipe herself before she froze.
She thought she saw someone in the bushes. And before she could call to her family, the figure shambled into view, turning Midori's face very pale.
The Heroes jumped when Midori's shrill scream echoed through the swamp, the one-armed witch sprinting from behind the trees as the others raced to their sides.
"M-Midori, what happened!? What did you see!?" Yin shouted. Midori wouldn't need to answer. The figure had followed her, the Heroes staring in a mixture of disgust and horror.
It looked like a woman. Or used to be a woman. Her face had begun to rot, maggots squirming in the wound, her eye dangling from its socket. She didn't wear any clothes; her left breast had been torn off, her arms and legs bent in all the wrong angles with her guts hanging from her stomach.
"G... Gughnnn..."
Sasha jumped in front of everyone and plunged her greatsword through the woman's chest, the blade bursting from her back in a bloody mess. The woman let out a groan, her rotted hand grabbing the edge.
"W... W-what the f-fuck...?" Sasha stammered. She pulled her weapon away, the zombie still shambling forward. Twigs began to snap around them, dozens of eyes staring at them from the darkness as more made their way towards them. Men with their bodies mutilated, their genitals turned into deep cavities, women like the one in front of them. The Heroes stared in horror, attacking the ones that got two close with their weapons. But even after Yin had cut one in half, the upper body began to drag itself towards them, the legs still shambling forward.
"S... S-Souls," the remains of a man hissed. "Gib... Gib usss..."
"RUN!" Mono screamed. The Heroes turned and bolted for the castle, the creatures dropping from the trees, crawling from the ground.
They were wrong. Something like this wasn't life; it was a failure. They moved so unnaturally, so wrongly, that they couldn't be counted among the living or the dead. Mono's hammer swatted the Failures away as they lunged, clearing the path forward. But one of them attacked from behind, grabbing ahold of Salem and bringing her to the ground with inhuman strength. The Celestial cried out in terror as she tried to fight the man off, Yin and Vao sprinting towards her.
"S-Saleeeeemmm," the Failure breathed with a decayed throat. Salem froze as realization dawned on her.
These things didn't have Souls. They weren't human, and there was no quick way to tell what they were without feeling their Souls. But she could feel the lingering magic.
CRUNCH!
Yin kicked the Failure in the ribs, knocking it off her as Vao helped Salem to her feet, the three backing away. The Failures were beginning to surround them.
And then they heard loud laughter from above from a voice they didn't want to hear. The God of Darkness floated above them, his arms crossed over his chest.
{"Well, howdy!"} He cackled. {"Shub-Niggurath was useless, wasn't she? Don't you worry, I'll give you what you wanted!"}
"You!" Salem shrieked. "These... These things... Th-they're-"
{"Oh? So you recognized them after all. I guess you aren't a heartless leader who led them to their deaths,"} he snickered. {"That's right, Salem... Go ahead. Kill your old comrades."}
The Heroes backed into each other, Verde looking at Salem. "O-old comrades? But that means..." The God of Darkness burst into laughter, all too energetic to explain to them.
{"That's right! This is what's left of the Celestials after Salem had her little meltdown and waged war!"} He boasted. {"Didn't Shub-Niggurath explain why you'll never meet another Celestial? You shouldn't have met one at all - I should have killed her when I had the chance. But my oh-so-intelligent brother wanted to toy with her. Should've just accepted the resets, shouldn't you?"}
They ran the moment they saw an opening, the God of Darkness and the Failures following.
{"Let me tell you a little story~!"} The God called. {"I'm sure you know by now that little old Salem tried fighting us once. Gathered up every Celestial she could, and marched through this very place! I wiped them out, and my brother took their Souls. And we'll just do it again! You hear me!? History repeats itself! This is what happens when you fuck with a God!"}
How far was the castle? It seemed like they would never step foot near the gates. The Failures lurked in the shadows, thousands of them filling the swamp, their eerie groans and whimpers filling the night air as the God of Darkness followed them from their air, watching as they fought their way through the near-endless horde.
Yin cried out when his arm was scratched, the healer bumping into Vao and knocking his head off his shoulders before they tripped over it. Verde and Midori's magic was doing better than most of them, but no matter how many Failures they turned to ash, more took their place, slowly overrunning the Heroes.
In an instant the Failures exploded, Mono gasping for breath. She had stopped time, giving them the chance to escape. The God of Darkness chuckled as he followed, floating down a little lower so he could drift around the trees.
{"And you know what the best part of your little tantrum was? It wasn't just wiping out your worthless race. It was what came after; not all were killed. That's why we have these little Failures,"} he hissed. {"When Brother Dearest took their Souls and destroyed them, they became our slaves - they can't die, they'll never feel that release. It's just endless agony for them as their bodies decompose, as we tear the women limb from limb as we fuck their brains out, ripping the dicks off the men and feeding them to the abominations."}
Salem skidded to a halt, turning to stare at the God of Darkness. "W-what...!?"
The God laughed at her shock, leaning forward, but staying out of reach. {"Come on! Do you expect any less of me? That's all the Failures are good for - sex and labor. So what if they didn't want it? What are you gonna do about it? Kill me? Get real, bitch. That's all women are for men, right? Sexual relief, and for humans, they're just there to breed."}
Salem knew what he was trying to do. He was trying to set her off. No doubt he was telling her exactly what he did and how he felt, but his ultimate goal was to make her more predictable. The God of Darkness inched forward, poking his own cheek.
{"Go on! Don't you wanna hit me? Do it, pussy! Hit me REAL hard!"}
She shook her head and turned before the Failures could grab her, biting her lip in fear. If she had wasted time punching him like she really wanted, the Failures would have had her. The God of Darkness scoffed, chasing after them.
Their legs threatened to give out, the Heroes beginning to slow down. Their adrenaline was the only thing keeping them conscious at this point. The wails and cries of the Failures echoed through the trees - unlike the Heroes, they couldn't feel exhaustion. These things would chase them to the literal ends of the earth, relentless in their pursuit. Sapphire picked up Jasper as the fairy dropped from the sky, too tired to flap her wings. Midori couldn't even stand, Vao carrying her on his back while he nearly dragged Verde along so she could keep up. Yin looked like he had twisted his ankle when he fell, limping with each step, Mono having slung his arm over her shoulder to keep him standing. And then Sasha, who fought the hardest among them with her strength, looked ready to fall over.
Salem could barely remain on her feet herself. Sapphire was the only one who couldn't get exhausted - she didn't have lungs to breathe through, she didn't have muscles to overuse. She was still stronger than the average man, but she couldn't carry all of them and walk, nevermind running.
Sasha gritted her teeth, jumping behind Salem and giving the Celestial a hard shove forward. "Go!"
Salem fought against Sasha, trying to drag the tomboy with them. "I can't leave you behind!"
She was knocked to the mud when Sasha headbutted the Celestial off her feet, hoisting her greatsword over her shoulder.
"Get real, comrade," she snarled. "They're going to catch up. I'll hold them back!"
"You're going to get killed!" Yin screamed. But Sasha just chuckled, bouncing the back of her sword against her shoulder.
"You mean to tell me you weren't ready to die? I'm not letting them eat everyone. I'll slow them down - and I like to bite back."
The Heroes had to drag Salem away, the Celestial shouting for Sasha to go with them. The tomboy sighed, pulling her hair tie away, letting her red locks flow in the breeze, turning her gaze to the sky as the God of Darkness chased after Salem. The Failures loomed in the shadows, rotted eyes locked onto her.
"S... Ssssouls..."
Sasha huffed, flashing a smirk. "Then why don't you come and take it?"
She gripped her sword in two hands, her biceps flexing, purple veins pulsing around the thick, nearly seven foot wall of muscle that was Sasha Steel.
CLANG, CLANG!
She lunged forward, her weapon butchering the Failures into hamburger, her bare fist cracking the skull of one that charged from behind. She moved quick on her feet, her armor beginning to crack as her body flexed - it had already been damaged from the fight in the Royal Capital. In the sorry state it was in now, it couldn't contain just how big of a woman Sasha was.
CRACK, THWACK!
Three of the Failures shrieked as Sasha batted them with the flat side of her sword, turning them into red mush against the trees. The Failures didn't seem to end, but they looked more cautious around her, circling her like thousands of sharks, mumbling about her Soul. Some ignored her completely, resuming their pursuit after her friends.
Sasha glanced around for something to use, something to crush them by the dozens. And for a split second, she thought she saw something in the trees, her teeth grinding together.
"They can fuckin' climb... You're shitting me."
It didn't seem like any of the other Failures could climb up there. In fact, a few of them even turned around, their stupidity knowing no bounds - they could only experience pain, live in endless hunger for the Souls of the living. Sasha heard a metallic click, the elf taking a step back.
BANG!
BOOM!
She shielded her face with her arms as a ball of fire erupted in a dense crowd of the Failures, the monstrous, disgraced Celestials shrieking in horrid agony as their burning bodies staggered and trilled in an effort to get away from the flame. In the orange inferno, Sasha could see a silhouette of someone with absurdly long hair, with a massive axe slung over their shoulder and a glowing scarlet flame where their left eye should have been. She tensed as the First Vao stepped from the smoke, nodding his head at her.
"... 'Ello."
"You," Sasha growled. "So you really are alive!"
The First Vao groaned, resting the head of his axe against the ground. "Are we really going to do this now? Or do you want to live to see daybreak?"
Sasha furrowed her brow, considering what he said. It sounded like he was offering to lend a hand - something she could really use. She couldn't keep swinging forever. His voice sounded different, too. It was still raspy and hoarse, but it didn't sound like he was about to start coughing. And on top of that, she didn't feel the intense cold he usually gave off - a slight chill, but nothing more. "... Ain't you out to kill people like me?"
The First Vao didn't react positively. He glared at her, leaning on his weapon. "... My goal isn't killing you. It's killing Salem. Now do you want my help or not? I'm not here to kill you, but I have no problems leaving you to die."
Sasha gritted her teeth, slowly nodding her head. "... Fine. Let's just hope Mono was right about you."
The First Vao lifted his axe and lazily walked to her side, the two staring down the Failures. Sasha hated to admit she felt more secure around someone who regularly fought armies single-handedly without getting exhausted. The First Vao nudged her with his elbow.
"... Sasha, right?"
"Yeah... You know me or something?"
"Nah... Just wanted to know the name of a fellow killer."
He knew more about her than she thought. But she wasn't about to strike him - that would be her last mistake. They two marched in step forward, swinging their weapons forward.
"Alright, you Boogeyman. Let's do this."
"Nyeheh... Couldn't have worded it any better myself. Mate."
The First Vao slapped a rocket down the barrel of his rocket launcher and dove to the side, squeezing down the trigger. With a freezing explosion, he froze several of the Failures solid, simultaneously throwing himself backwards to cleave a dozen of them in half with one swing. Sasha swung her greatsword and shattered the frozen monsters into millions of bloody chunks, stomping towards the monsters closest to her.
The air was soon filled with the shrieks of the Failures as Sasha and the First Vao dyed the swampy ground bloodred. The elf turned when she heard him call out to her catching something small and metal that he had thrown.
"... The hell is this?"
"A grenade," the First Vao hissed. "Filled with lightning Dust."
"Dust? Have you lost your damned... Nevermind."
The First Vao dry-fired his rocket launcher against a Failure's chest, blowing everything from the waist up to smithereens. "Trust me, it'll work. Ever wonder how I can use fire and ice without possessing that kind of magic? Just pull the pin, release the spoon, and throw it. You got five seconds after the spoon pops off to get it away from you before it explodes. Give or take half a second."
Sasha wrapped her teeth around the pin, the First Vao scoffing. "You'll break your bloody teeth-"
CLICK.
PLING!
Sasha ripped the pin out with her jaw and released her fingers on the spoon, throwing the grenade at the ground between a horde of them. The explosives detonated, electrocuting the Failures until they exploded with the First Vao staring. He was impressed; he hadn't met someone strong enough to do that aside from himself and Mono.
"Huh. Well, nevermind then."
Sasha spun around, giving him a thumbs up. "That was fun. Got any more?"
The First Vao smirked. "... You're fun. I like that."
He tossed another grenade at Sasha, this time pulling the pin himself and releasing the spoon. Sasha twirled her greatsword and swung the flat side against the grenade, sending it to the Failures like a baseball. A Failure snuck up on her, nearly knocking her to the ground. The First Vao jerked her shoulder and swung the tomboy back to her feet, the pair crushing the living corpse beneath the monstrous weight of their weapons. They glanced at each other with a knowing look, sticking side by side, fighting as a duo.
The First Vao sent his Darkness bursting from the ground, wrapping around the Failures and holding them in place for Sasha to attack, his back bursting into a mass of shadowy tendrils that tore through the air to keep the Failures away. Without the Blood, he couldn't see what was behind him anymore.
SPLLRCH!
Sasha drove her Sandstorm into the hip of a Failure, and before the monster could shriek the First Vao slammed his Grimm Demise into its opposite side, splitting it in two like a giant pair of scissors.
Their shoulders pressed against each other as they charged, the Failures finally reconsidering engaging them. All it took was killing a few hundred. But even as the Failures began to step back, Sasha's forehead looked ready to explode as her veins bulged.
"Where do you think you're going, cyka? I haven't had this much fun since I butchered that Leaf fucker!"
The First Vao lifted her off the ground with one hand, the giant yelping in surprise. "Well then, go wild!"
He threw her at the Failures, her bloodstained hair blowing in the wind as she began to spin, taking the corrupted Celestials out in a tornado of guts and blood. The First Vao burst into laughter as he dry-fired his rocket launcher, painting the trees scarlet.
Sasha hadn't had an easy life after escaping slavery. It had been mentioned before, but she had been a bandit for some time afterwards. It was the same story as the Second Timeline; just without mechs and helicopters. As much as she hated to admit it, she loved killing whatever she saw as pure evil. It had been ingrained in her head since her days with Leaf, the Archbishop using her size to attack and murder the other slaves for his own amusement.
The Failures were finally beginning to thin out as they tore through the crowd, the First Vao pointing at Sasha. "Weapon switch!?"
"Hell yeah!"
Sasha nearly fell over when she caught Grimm Demise. It was almost unwieldy even for her. It was too thick, too heavy. It was clear what the intention behind its creation had been - to cause as much destruction as possible. She tossed the First Vao her Sandstorm, growling under her breath when he caught it with ease.
The weight of the First Vao's signature weapon threw her off balance with each swing, the First Vao swinging her weapon with ease.
"Hey! That isn't an axe!" She shouted. "Why are you using it so well!?"
The First Vao threw a Failure at her with his Darkness, letting her have the kill as she split it in half. "I got into a warrior's academy for my combat skills alone," he snickered. "While I was with that slag Salem, I learned how to use other weapons. It was my best bet for survival to know how to use something else."
Fair, she thought. She tried squeezing the trigger of the rocket launcher, her arms trembling as she tried to take aim. The recoil was devastatingly strong, knocking her right to the ground as the rocket soared through the air and exploded.
"You know what, fuck this thing! Switch!"
They exchanged weapons again, Sasha leaping into the First Vao's outstretched hand, the murderer throwing her high into the air before following her with another dry-fire of his weapon.
SPLAT!!
The Failures exploded under their combined weight as they dropped down on top of them, those that were left beginning to flee. Sasha heaved a sigh, sliding her palm across the blade of her sword, wiping the scarlet away. She couldn't wipe it all away. "F... fuck... Thanks for the save..."
The First Vao didn't answer her question. He stared at the ground, his brow furrowed in thought. Sasha waved her hand at him. "Hello?"
The First Vao looked up and patted Sasha's shoulder, jerking his head to where the rest of the Heroes had run off to.
"Go. They ain't comin' back," he rasped. Sasha groaned. She still had adrenaline pumping through her veins.
"And you? What are you going to do?"
The First Vao's smirk fell away, betraying his anger. "... I'll be waiting ahead. When we meet again, I advise you don't get involved if you know wot's best for ya."
Sasha tried to grab him, but her hands only grabbed a cloud of ash. The tomboy groaned, tilting her head to the sky. "Shit..."
She didn't have time to be worried about the future. The fact that he lended her a hand meant there was still a chance this wouldn't end with Salem dead, or Mono attacking them. Hopefully. He was still unpredictable. She bit her tongue and sprinted after the others, sheathing her bloodstained greatsword, Sandstorm.
...
"Let go of me!"
"Just give it up! We can't go back for her!" Jasper shouted. Yin and Vao were struggling to drag Salem forward with them, the Celestial fighting back with all of her strength. Salem whirled around and pried herself free.
"I-I can't let anyone... She could still be alive!" She protested. But Verde shook her head.
"Sasha is strong. But the likelihood that she survived against that many Failures on her own is next to none. She did what she could for us to make it to the castle-"
"So you're just going to pretend it was for the greater good!?" Salem snarled. "You're not even affected that your friend is dead!?"
Yin's face began to darken, a closed fist rising into the air. But before he could punch Salem straight in the teeth, Vao caught his wrist.
"Mate, the anger issues can wait!" The dullahan growled. "Of course we're all thinking about Sasha! But she died for nothing if we get ourselves killed!"
Salem's eyes watered, her shoulders trembling. Verde and Vao had a point. Sasha didn't want them going back for her. Verde and Vao were the most comfortable with death aside from Jasper and Sapphire, with Verde having killed people before she was found, and Vao killing people to protect his family in exile. And Salem was no stranger to it, either after having survived the Timelines. But Sasha was one of the ones she had wanted to protect, to keep alive until the very end. It felt like she was gravely disrespecting the vow she had made to herself when she first woke up on Twist.
Mono scowled, looking behind them. "We do not have time for this. I can hear them; they're catching up!"
Sure enough they could hear the groans and grunts of the Failures, followed by the sounds of the underbrush being crushed under a hundred broken feet, their rotted eyes gleaming in the dark. And above them, silhouetted by the pale moon, the God of Darkness finally caught up with them.
{"That's one down then,"} he growled. {"But it wasn't the one I wanted! Are you going to stop running away like a little bitch, Salem? Or are you going to keep delaying the inevitable!?"}
The Failures lumbered into view, their horrible arms reaching out. The Heroes turned and kept running, their lungs beginning to ache. Mono glanced at the sky where the God of Darkness continued following, staring at the sky behind him. It was getting brighter, the sun about to rise.
"Not much longer! The sun will be out soon!" She shouted ahead. "When the sun rises, we won't be ambushed from the shadows again!"
Sapphire shrieked when three of the Failures pinned her to the ground, Yin driving his heel into the ground and leaping for the doll with his katana drawn.
SPLAT, SPLAT, SPLAT!
The heads of the Failures exploded before he could even reach them, Sapphire scampering past him and to Vao, the healer looking around in shock. He was sure of it - he had seen a flash of Darkness kill the monsters.
"Yin, wot are you standing around for!? You killed them, good job!" Vao screamed at him.
Yin felt his face go pale. If Vao thought he had killed them, and the God of Darkness was the one using the Failures to attack, and the Second Vao was back at the base of operations, then that left only one other option. Only one other person could use Darkness, and be strong enough to kill the Failures in one fell blow.
He saw the shadow leaping from tree to tree in a cloud of black fog, the gleam of something made of terribly heavy metal catching his eye, his heart sinking.
The First Vao was following them.
"Sh... SHIIIIT!"
"Hey, what's wrong!?" Jasper cried out. But Yin shook his head.
"K-keep moving! J-just keep moving!"
Yin spun around and shoved his friends forward, the God of Darkness spinning around in confusion. The First Vao left his hiding place the moment the Heroes were out of sight, landing on the ground quietly, his Darkness dissipating into the air. The God of Darkness drifted to the ground, glaring at the murderer.
{"It's the idiot,"} he hissed. The First Vao looked at him, twirling Misery in his hand. And with one swing, he slashed open a Failure's throat before it could react, leaving it to choke on its own blood.
"... You're the God of Darkness," the First Vao rasped. The God glared at him, his shoulders trembling with rage.
{"And you're getting in my damned way, you bumbling stooge. So what is it? You want to be destroyed?"}
The First Vao looked down and kicked a rock into the mud, the Failures watching silently, slowly shifting away. They remembered him.
"... No. I just want to be the one to deal with Salem. That's all."
The God of Darkness scoffed. {"Jack passed word to you, did he not? Twist was your chance. You blew it."}
The First Vao sniffed, nodding his head. "I know... I'm not saying I'm stopping you from fighting her. I want to see you fight her. To see how she fares against a God."
That didn't make any sense. From those words, then he had no reason to be interrupting. The God of Darkness furrowed his nonexistent brow. {"Then... Why the interruption?"}
The First Vao looked up at him. "... I want to see her fight a God. Not a bunch of Soulless husks. And I think I know the weakness of these 'Failures'."
The God of Darkness scoffed, then snickered. {"Oh? And what's that? You're telling me you're just learning about them tonight, and you already know their weakness?"}
"Yup," the First Vao confirmed. "I've been thinking about it since I helped Sasha. I find it odd you waited until nighttime to use them - and I'm guessing that weird black cloud I saw earlier stopped you from doing anything right away. On top of that, your castle has no windows. The weakness of the Failures... It's sunlight, innit?"
The God of Darkness went rigid. Vao wasn't the brightest of the humans he had helped the God of Darkness create. The First Vao was the same, only he could read. But above all else, he was observant. The murderer sighed, checking his nails.
"... And just like that, I've done my job. The sun is about to rise, and the Failures outside will perish."
The God of Darkness was fuming, raising his hand with a charged ray of magic - more than enough to kill the First Vao if it made contact, demigod status or not. But the murderer clicked his tongue.
"If you waste time on me, Salem will get into the castle... Won't that be humiliating, to have failed in catching the last Celestial?"
He knew just what to say to piss people off. The God of Darkness growled, his magic disappearing, his finger pointing straight at the First Vao.
{"... This isn't over,"} he snarled. {"The moment I'm finished with the Celestial, you're next."}
The First Vao snickered. "There's a reason you're so afraid of her, isn't there?"
{"Afraid!?"}
The First Vao lifted his axe, folded it, and clipped it back to his belt, flipping Misery in his hand as he swayed side to side with one hand behind his back. "All this work to kill her... You didn't put the rest of her kind through the resets, either. I'd bet she can kill you, can't she? That Celestial magic, it destroyed my Blood. And the Blood came straight from the very Gods, right? There's no guarantee you'll win, and you know it."
The God of Darkness threw a ray of Darkness at the murderer, but the First Vao vanished into a cloud of ash before it could hit him, his signature laugh echoing through the air. The God of Darkness hissed and took to the air again, resuming his pursuit of Salem.
Not long after he left, Sasha sprinted past the Failures, running at top speed. The elf slowed down as she saw her friends, the Heroes spinning around to face her just as they finally broke through the last bit of trees. They stood together, drawing their weapons as the Failures staggered through the trees - and into the light of the rising sun.
Their bodies began to steam and smoke as they shrieked, scratching at their rotting bodies in an attempt to remove the burning areas, the Heroes watching in disgusted horror as the dead Celestials began to melt and decompose, their cries slowly dying out.
They were safe. For now. With the threat of being eaten alive gone, they were able to focus on someone else.
"S-Sasha!? You're alive!?" Yin stammered. The tomboy nodded, her teeth clenched.
"Yeah, thank that creepy bastard for that," she growled. "Really saved my fuckin' ass."
Mono looked hopeful. "You mean Vao? Then he's truly alive!?"
Verde held up a hand. "Wait a moment; you are saying you ran into the First Vao, and he helped you?"
Sasha nodded grimly. "Yeah... Just as shocked as you. The moment I saw him, I was convinced I was a goner. But he told me his fight wasn't with me. He still wants Salem."
Yin thought back to a few moments ago. "Th-those Failures that had Sapphire," he mumbled. "I saw Darkness kill them... A-and then I think I saw the First Vao hiding in his Darkness..."
"Then... He saved Sapphire too?" Midori asked quietly. "Then destroying his Blood worked... But then why does he want to kill Salem? Shouldn't he have realized by now that her past actions were caused by the Blood?"
They looked to Mono for answers. She was the one who knew him the most. But the Cult Leader looked just as confused as the rest of them. "... I do not have an answer," she admitted quietly. "I'm... I am just glad he is alright, and that I was correct in assuming he wasn't as foul as the rest of you thought... Then that means this can end nonviolently."
"I think you missed the part where he still wants Salem dead," Sasha muttered. "We might still have to kill him-"
Mono interrupted her harshly. "Was I not clear with our conditions earlier?" She growled. "I will have no part in killing him."
"Then sit back and watch."
"I will do no such thing!"
They had forgotten that Mono was only a temporary ally. She wouldn't let them kill the First Vao. As Sasha and Mono argued, Salem lowered her head in thought, wondering aloud.
"... If he really wanted to kill me," she said softly. "Then... Why hasn't he done it yet?"
The Heroes turned to stare at her in confusion, Verde breaking the ensuing silence. "... What do you mean? Shouldn't you be glad he hasn't killed you?"
"Of course I'm glad," Salem replied. "But... It doesn't make sense. The First Vao would normally jump at the first opportunity to kill one of his targets. If he was following us without our knowledge through the swamp, then that would have been the perfect chance. He could have killed me in the swamp, and I wouldn't have had any means of defending myself."
"Maybe he just didn't realize?" Yin suggested. But Mono shook her head.
"No, he'd have seen that opportunity as if it were the sun. He notices tiny details like that in a heartbeat," she admitted. "The fact that he didn't attack Salem... Even rescued Sasha... It means he knowingly and willingly refused to attack..."
They stopped. That contradicted what Sasha said. Actions spoke a lot louder than words, but the First Vao tensed to follow through with both. It left them confused, unable to predict his next move.
Just what did he want? Did he really want to kill Salem? If he did, then why didn't he attack them?
They didn't have any time to think more about it. When they looked up, they saw the God of Darkness hurtling towards them, blinded by rage.