Death's pov:
in my opinion nothing worthy of being said happened after I met up with Max.
four days had flown by already since then which is six in total and we had 16 attributes or as we know half of the opponents, I was amused by my frying pan take down of that boy so I entertained myself by beating people down with pans and didn't stop.
most creatures that came at us were quickly dealt with by my deadly touch so not a problem to face, the only problem was that I was hungry but we were heading to the middle anyway since tomorrow is the seventh day so the end.
I am not worried about the attributes, either multiple teams had the 16 remaining split between them or one team had them all which would mean we would meet up and fight it out in the middle.
I slowed my walk to a stop and looked around.
"you heard that?" I asked.
"heard what?"
I stayed silent, waiting before several huge monsters rushed us from every direction.
"shit! run!" I yelled, these are not alive I feel no soul in them, only way for them to function is for someone to control them.
I yanked Max between two and just sprinted, running as fast I could but they seemed to be multiplying.
I made a choice, I quickly transferred the attributes I held to her pockets from mine and stopped, whipping back to face the monsters with a glare.
"Max, just go! run on!" I yelled while lifting my arms and a scythe appearing in my hold, spinning it in my hands, I favour a sword over anything else and let the reapers handle the scythes but I knew how to use one and it is time to harvest.
"what are you doing?!" she yelled.
"run towards the middle, I'll catch up" I said calmly, staring down the monsters.... things not even Life created or they'd have a soul... disgusting abominations made of ice.
"but---" "no buts! go! I promise I will catch up!" I twirled the scythe, slamming the back of it through the skull of the ice monster, it instantly turned to water and splattered on the ground, so they can die as if they had souls, this will make it much easier on me.
Max's pov:
I continued to run even if my heart was against the idea, I must trust her.
I hoped she would catch up to me before I arrived to the middle but it wasn't the case.
I was surprised as the water pond in the middle was frozen over when it shouldn't be.
(in case you need a reminder)
I walked to it when I saw no one around and touched it before I stomped my foot on it, it was ice, frozen water, but it wasn't slippery, breaking and behaving like dirt would.
I walked to the middle and tapped on in again, who can create ice like this? something is up.
"something's not right" I whispered, turning to run back to Death but a dome of ice appeared from the air and encircling the middle, shit stupid Max not the time to get distracted by weird ice now you are in a trapped.
my guard went up right away and took a few steps back, looking around but all I saw was the done.
"such a fool mortals can be" I whipped around and blasted whoever was behind me but he took it to the chest without move nor be affected by it.
"you are alone man and my teammate is just around the corner" I said but he laughed at my words.
"this ice is unbreakable, a mere human can't break it, you may see out it but no one can see in here, you are at my mercy" I backed away more and even summoned a few hell beasts but with on swipe of his arm ice spikes shot out of the ground and stabbed through them, eliminating the beasts in less then a second.
"let me present myself if you'll die anyway, I'm Págos, meaning ice in Greek and I'm the god of ice.... and I came to end you to keep any of you from raising an army to stop me" I was creeped out, my throat tight as I gulped and cold sweat dripped down my back, if he truly is a god I can never beat him.
"why?"
"for one no one with the ability of Hades' blessings will remain to create an army big enough to stop me and second you are the only one that was blessed by death himself, it would hurt him to loose you I am sure of it and then I could take his power to rule the world! ending all other gods!" the only thing that reassured me a little was the fact he didn't know death was a she not a he so he might not know as much about her as he thought.
I summoned my sword but a shard of ice smashed it into piece, the strength of the impact shoving me in the chest and sending me flying back against the side of the dome while he manifested a sword of his own.
I swallowed and grabbed my pained left shoulder as it took the brunt of the impact, so shaken up that I couldn't get myself to move just star in his ice cold eyes.
"bye bye oh blessed one" I closed my eyes tight as he brought down his sword... but it never hit me.
Death's earlier pov:
I was panting as I finished the last monster off, I looked towards the middle, ready to run but I saw a dome of opaque ice surrounding the middle, oh gods.... this was just a distraction!
I yanked my necklace of as I ran, bringing up my 'to die' list, the entirety of it was filled with Max's name.
I tried to trace one out but the ink flowed of the paper as is it was plastic and couldn't stick to it, I tried several more time in panic but nothing worked.
"fuck!" I pushed myself in a faster run along with shadow jumping when it was faster.
shadow jumping is simply teleporting from a shadow to the next one when they are connected, doing that to try to go as fast as I could, when I'm unable to stop someone's death it means that a god is to killing them..... the little shit I was supposed to look out for got to Max and I'm sure she's in that dome with him, I can't see in it but I know it.
I ended up half running in air at times, I don't care if I give myself away, I need to save her!
I arrive to the dome and hit it with my scythe but the scythe broke so I teleported inside.
my eyes widen at what I saw, my legs took off on their own.
Max's small pov:
I opened my eyes shakily to come face to face with the tip of the blade that was supposed to kill me.... why didn't he hit me?
I looked passed the weapon and gasped, it stabbed someone through.
"I-I told you to be careful" she coughed, holding on the blade with her hands "I-I will always save you from d-death but this time it w-was limit"
"D...... D-Death" I chocked out as I welt something drop on my face, I brought up my hand and touched it, staring at my bloody fingers.... covering in her blood as it dripped of the blade.
Death's pov:
I.... I feel it.... the blade.... it's through my lung.... through my heart... I feel the blood gushing out.... more and more... as each moment passes....with each movement.... each breath.... each heartbeat...
I coughed heavily, covering the god in front of my and myself in more of my blood as I held tightly onto the blade through me, not caring that the edge was cutting in my fingers.
"you? Death?!" he exclaimed in disbelief.
"m-me" I coughed, bringing on hand up and pulling off my headpiece and revealing my hidden eye to him, proving who I was without words as I grabbed the blade again, keeping him from pulling it out and using it again.
"w-why" Max asked, barely in a whisper, I turned back to her with a smile.
"because I stupidly fell in love with you and are unable to accept the fact that you could die.... always making what I can to keep you alive because you are the first person that caught my heart in this way....." I chuckled weakly and more blood dripped from my mouth, it hurts to breath.
"pathetic" he tried pulling his blade out by pushing on my chest but I grabbed his arm and yanked him closer, making him hilt the sword against my chest but this needed to be done.
I tightly held him with my hand and bit down on my other hand's glove and pulled it free from it, grabbing his face tightly even as he fought back with punches, I cannot fail now.
"I, Death, strip you from your immortality and will take your soul, god of ice Págos!"
I let him for and he yanked himself back from me, pulling his blade free from my body.
he screamed like a dying cat and clawed at his face, ripping the skin and flesh as it slowly turned to red before it started smoking and turning in red hot coal colour with flames appearing from his mouth, as if he was being burn from the inside out
"NOOOOOOOO!!!" he screamed, jumping at me in one last effort but only dust hit me.
I chuckled a bit, Max was finally out of lethal danger, no god will want to kill her.... my.... my job is done.
I staggered backwards and fell.
Max's pov:
I launched myself forwards in time to catch her, staring in horror at the wound and all the blood she shed, she was now even paler then her normal hue which is to say something.... a bad thing.
"no..... no no no no" I panicked, not knowing what to do as I held her.
I felt a weak hold on my hand and look at her eyes, her face covered in stains blood but she still smiled at me.
"y-you should be f-fine from here on o-out..... n-nothing will be actively o-out to kill you... don't d-do stupid shit tho" she said with calm and relaxed smile.
"don't freaking talk right now, keep your strength, help will get here, the time of the tournament is almost over and the ice should break soon with the god that created the dome dead!" I said in full on panic, tears streaming down my face.
"I-I had my reasons to k-keep you alive.... and it's because I-I honestly really l-love you, ever since y-you were born you h-had my eyes stuck to y-you.... for some reason.... d-don't forget.... Death loves.... you"
I felt as if a ghost had passed through me, a dull thud through my whole being, feeling something fundamental to life itself changed.... no...
"Death don't talk like you're gonna die.... Death?..... Death?!" I shook her but she didn't move nor react, eyes closed.... no..... no no no no no NO!
I shook her harder, still nothing..... please no!
I cried harder as I laid her on the ground, no please no..... you can't leave me now!
"there is one last layer but even I cannot do that, theoretically you could do it but it requires the gods to have given you a shit tone of their powers and for now only gods are able to do it"
my head snapped up at the memory... wait...before that part....she said summon any kind of soul.... I cannot summon Death.... could I summon her.... her soul?
I brought my hands together over her chest, leaning Death's head against my leg, I know what I was trying was suicidal but I sure as hell will do it! I am willing to take the risk!
a huge gush of black smoke filled up the dome as I tried to summon her soul, it could work.... it must work.... it needs to work!
I tightly closed my eyes with a frown, feeling my powers syphoned away.
until
I suddenly felt a shift in the air and it was kinda really hot around suddenly.
I opened my eyes and stood up in shock, taking a few steps around.
"did I..... did I just summon myself to hell?!" I asked myself, I looked down and Death's body was with me.... she was touching me so I guess that happened to bring her along.
"...... oh gods! hell! Hades!" I picked up Death in my arms and started running towards the huge black and red castle in the distance, if I was a god I would stay in a place like that!
I didn't care who and which type of creature I ran into or past but I made it to the castle and ran passed every guard I saw.
I kicked a huge door open and it was throne room with a very surprised god and another immortal staring at me, everyone here could easily tell that I was alive by a sort a brighter white glow around me that no one else seemed to have.
Hades halted the guards that rushed in after me, stopping them from grabbing me.
I walked closed and saw him sadly staring at the body in my arms before sighing softly.
"and this is how we loose Death"
"bring her back! now!"
"girl you don't order Hades around li--" "it's alright" he shushed the other immortal in the room.
"please bring her back, I'll even make a deal with you" I promised.
"and what deal?"
"my soul in exchange of hers"
"why would you do such things mortal girl?"
"I love her alright? I love her! I don't care if she did everything to keep me alive! I don't wanna this life without her in it.... please bring her back.... can we make the deal?"
"you do love her huh?"
"yes, a lot, I would do anything for her.... please Hades.... just this once...please..."
"go back home mortal" he snapped his fingers and I was back in the arena in one blink, standing with Death's body in my hands.
tears spilt over yet again as I started to sob, no.... please.
my head snapped up in shock as I heard a cough and the dead can't cough so.... she's breathing!
she was still unconscious and bleeding but she was alive again!...... but why am I here in that case? I made a deal with Hades!................... wait a second.................... he....he never accepted the deal! he let me off the bargain and brought back Death! now the big disturbance I and most likely everyone felt was no more.... the balance was back in the world with Death back in her rightful place.
I covered Death with my body as the side of the dome was blown open, minimizing any future possible injuries to her body but it was just the judges of the games.
we were quickly declared winners and took away to the nearest hospital every other person that took part in the tournament was in.
I was bandaged up and sitting next to Death's bed with a smile since she was alive, now I just need her awake but I can wait for that..... at least I have her back with me.... in the land of the living.