Lancaster Plains...
3rd Person POV
Satanael: What the hell is this thing!?
*RRRRAAAAAWWWWWRRRRR!*
With the roar of a thousand lions, the Ashborn that stood in front of Satanael took the first turn in this fight to the death, pouncing towards the God Eater with its activated thrusters like a speeding bullet. As it pounced towards him, Satanael dashed aside it at a similar pace, feeling its boney armor tear through the skin of his left arm as he spun himself around. His God Arc transforming into an axe mid-spin, he used the momentum he had built up, alongside his unnatural strength, to slam the serrated blade into the side of the Ashborn's skull as it landed paws first.
Satanael: HAAAAH!
*C-C-CRACK!*
*RRRRAAAAAAA....!*
The Oracle cells that formed the Ashborn's armor on the side of its skull shattered as the four-legged beast was knocked aside by the impact of the weapon. As it rolled aside, Satanael charged towards the beast as electricity began to surge throughout its body. Spotting this, he backed away as the beast held its chest up in another earth rumbling roar. As it did so, several large bolts of thunder struck all around it in three consecutive waves. Watching it roar, Satanael cursed himself under his breath as blood dripped down his arm from the burning scratch; His weapon returning to its chakram form.
Satanael: Dammit... it got me pretty good.
Fenrir: As did you.
Satanael: Pfft... I did no such thing.
He then pointed out the beast's shattered side of its skull.
Satanael: It's skull is shattered, yet its still moving.
Satanael: And that was in the weapon's axe form, no doubt. And with its aggression, it sure as hell isnt gonna let us go...This is gonna take a while.
Fenrir: Oddly enough, its glowing, like a mineral vein.
Satanael: It's clearly an Aragami...
As the thunder bolts dispersed, the beast's two boosters on its back began to merge together before rotating a full 180 degrees.
Satanael: But as it is obvious...
His eyes widened in panic once more as he noticed a laser pointer blinking slowly at his bleeding arm coming from the beast's merged boosters. Dashing towards the beast in a zigzagged pattern, the laser pointer altered back and forth between speeds before he lauched himself towards it.
Satanael: I've never seen such a thing!
As he launched himself towards the beast's boosters, the laser pointer on it began to violently blink before firing off a large beam of electricity like a cannon. As the beam was fired, Satanael had deployed his shield, awaiting the impact of the laser's beam. Unfortunately, he soon discovered that the laser itself was less of a beam and more of a plasma cannon as the projectile bashed against his shield, launching him into the sky as the Ashborn gave chase, its boosters separated to provide extra mobility.
Satanael: JESUS!
Looking down at the ground as he flew across the air, the Ashborn had already caught up to him as it lept up to take a bite out of him, its boosters serving as makeshift gyros.
Satanael: Quicker than Hannibal, arent ya!?
Changing his Arc into gun form, Satanael made a guick aim and fired off what few blaze shells he had. The first hitting its paw while the second hit rhe shattered part of its skull. As the shells exploded in a fiery blaze upon contact, the Ashborn fell back short as the impact of the shells interrupted its trajectory. As the God Eater touched ground, his Arc retracting back into his chakram form, the Ashborn pounced once more towards him. Though in this instance, a few blue orbs of electricity had formed on both sides of it. In response, he sprinted towards the beast with his head down and used the serrated edge of his chakkram to aim upward as he cut through its underbelly while running.
Satanael: An Aragami that learns from its mistake, and won't let up... The absolute worst.
Running past while cutting its underside, Satanael turned around towards the Ashborn as it landed, the orbs on its side firing off towards him as its paws touched the ground. Dashing forward, Satanael weaved past the two orbs and swung his blade upward as the beast's tail swiped back at him. The ending result being a spewing mess of a black and amber substance as part of its tail was cut off by the God Eater.
As the Ashborn jumped around, spewing its blood behind it like a loose firehose in a desperate search for its tail, Satanael had proceeded to aim his God Arc at the tail that waved itself in the air and commanded.
Satanael: Predator form, devour.
As he spoke, the chakram quickly compressed itself as the weapon's core reached out towards the tail in the form of a black dragon's skull, its mouth wide open in joy. With a loud crunch, the core began devouring the tail as it retracted back to its base form. As it devoured it down cell by cell, both the Arc and its wielder, produced an amber aura around themselves as Satanael's armlet spewed the familiar black and amber gas.
Satanael: A little late to get your tail back.
Facing the Ashborn, Satanael had newfound confidence, as the predator form's devourment had initiated Burst, a way for a God Eater to temporarily power up. Wasting no time at all, he charged forth towards the beast as it stood with its backside up, a wicked smile plastered onto his face as he yelled out to it.
Satanael: But its not too late for me to devour the rest of ya!
*Vrrrrr......*
*C-C-CRAAAAASH!*
Smashing his shield against the Ashborn's skull, Satanael knocked the beast back a bit as he spun his chakram vertically, forcing the weapon to transform mid-swing as he then lept forward to slam the newly formed axe into the top of its skull.
Satanael: HA!
*C-C-CRAAAAASH!*
*Vrrrrrrrrr..!*
Satanael: Hmm?
Upon smashing the axe into the top of its skull, another shattered area form as the Ashborn stood motionless, something Satanael had just noticed.
Satanael: Something's not right....
Fenrir: The "boosters" as you call them, are getting bigger.
Satanael: !?
It was then that he had noticed the boosters that resided on the beast's back had rapidly produced more thrust, powering themselves up. By then, the boosters had reached their third and final stage, producing the sound equivalent of a car's supercharger. The beast's saliva coated its teeth with the same black and amber blood as it stared on at the God Eater as he landed back onto the ground in front of it. With an insatiable appetite, it unleashed another earth shattering roar.
*VVVRRRRRRRRRRRR!*
Satanael: !?
*RRAAAAAAAAWWWWWWRRR!*
And it was through those teeth that Satanael recognized the type of beast he was up against.
Satanael: An Ashborn!? Here!?
Satanael: OH SHI-!
*THOOOOoooooommm.....!*
Satanael: !
The Ashborn destroyed everything it touched as it launched itself off like a rocket, leaving only a massive crater in the ground as it aimed at Satanael. Dashing aside as fast as he could with his own newfound speed, he discovered that it was still only enough to scrape by as his right leg had suffered a similar cut as his arm did.
Satanael: Damn!
*thooOOOOOooommm.....!*
Turning himself around, he found the Ashborn once more in front of him as he dashed aside in the same direction, this time cutting deep into his left ankle.
Satanael: Fuck!
*thooOOOOOooommm.....!*
Turning around again, he found the Ashborn once more in front of him as he dodged a third time, the beast cutting his side as it zipped by him. There, he realized then that the beast had overloaded its boosters to blindly charge into the God Eater, in the hopes of devouring him. But as each time it charged, Satanael barely dodged them, with each charge leaving some form of scratch from its boney armor. In Satanael's mind, it was a game of endurance: Would his Burst status outlast the Ashborn's overloaded thrusters? But knowing very well the reputation that Ashborn Aragami had... he knew he was doomed to fail.
Satanael: If this keeps up, I'm deadmeat. Whether these wounds become too much, or the Ashborn finally hits, or Burst runs out, or... God, theres too many ways for me to die! But I just can't just keep dancing here! Fuck!
*thooOOOOOooommm.....!*
*thooOOOOOooommm.....!*
*thooOOOOOooommm.....!*
*thooOOOOOooommm.....!*
*thooOOOOOooommm.....!*
*thooOOOOOooommm.....!*
Satanael: Fuck it!
Facing the Ashborn as it began to charge once more, Satanael bent his legs forward as he transformed the chakram once more into an axe.
Satanael: If I'm gonna die no matter what I do, I might as well not go out like a bitch!
Fenrir: Wait, what?
*thooOOOOO-!*
Fenrir: Young one....
As the beast closed the distance, Satanael lept off the ground with the axe pulled back and aimed squarely at the top of its skull as its unkempt jaws widened.
Fenrir: SATANAEL!
Satanael: HAAAAA!
*C-C-CRUNCH!*
___________________________________
Several Minutes Later...
Satanael: At the very least, I got its core, alongside a few other goodies.
Fenrir: We'll have to have a chat regarding your... brash ideas.
Satanael, no longer in Burst, resigned himself to leaning against a large rock that sat upon a small hill in the Lancaster Plains. The hill itself oversaw the entrance to the northern forests, alongside what was once fertile soil that is now the remains of a harsh battle between man and beast. Coated in large wounds and resilient in moving due to several of his ribs breaking, Satanael rested peacefully as he discussed the fight with the apostle beside him.
Satanael: What about them? I'm alive, aren't I?
Fenrir: And should that have failed, then what? You'd be in much more dire shape than you are right now.
Satanael: That, my friend, was an Ashborn Aragami. I'd been dead if my burst were to run out there. Still.... A fucking Ashborn... I devoured one...
The man chuckled.
Satanael: Hehehe.... I honestly don't know whether to be giddy or to be pissed.
Raising his paw, Fenrir pressed it against Satanael's chest, causing him to yelp in immense pain as he responded.
Satanael: GAH!
Fenrir: Whichever one makes you self reflect.
Satanael: Get your paws off my chest, dammit!
Letting off, Fenrir walked around the rock Satanael rested against as he stated.
Fenrir: I understand the reputation your people have with those... things... those plagues on nature, but to brag about it so openly while there are gods among us is quite disappointing.
Satanael: Well fuck you, too.
The apostle rolled his eyes.
Fenrir: To truly think that the gods are on par with that thing, then you're miles out of their league.
Satanael: They're not!? Have they ever, I don't know, TRIED to fight such a thing!?
Fenrir: I'll put it into words that even you can understand: If a god is capable of summoning such a monstrosity, then what does it say about the god?
Satanael: Oh.... fffffu-.
Fenrir: I have no doubt that either Aries, or Pisces, summoned that thing here, though my suspicions lean heavily on the former. Why, I do not know. You're a capable warrior, Satanael, there's no doubt about it. Rude, brash, ill tempered, but strong, cunning, versatile. I am not denying you your victory against the Ashborn, but instead advising you against the threats that we may soon face.
Satanael: ...
Looking onward towards the plains, Fenrir continued on as his fur waved against the gentle breeze.
Fenrir: For now, you should just rest. If even one of those adventurers reach the capital, they'll be no doubt that a high ranking caravan will be sent out. When they come here and see this mess, there will be questions.
The young man nodded and concluded sarcastically.
Satanael: Right... Well... by the sound of it, It'll be back to training on top of all this other shit once I'm all patched up....yay.
Fenrir: Of course.
The young man slowly began to close his eyes as sunlight recolored the plains from behind his rock.
Satanael: Good night, I guess...
Fenrir: Keep your guard up, of course.
Fenrir: Cause who knows what'll happen next?
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