Crimson Rebellion

Location: Cocytus - Eastern Provinces, The Ryu-jin Kingdom

Though the rebellion against the Tacet was largely reinforced by a brave front thanks to the efforts of those from the Last Word, the streets of the draconian species were flooded by scores of Tacet. The monstrous oddities marched in a perfect military formation behind the back of the dark knight, Vili, towards their primary goal: The Palace of the God-King.

As the multi-tiered gold and crimson pagoda belonging to the great ruler came into view, Vili stepped forward with a mixture of exhilaration and excitement having drawn her blade. The newly blessed blade ready to be christened by the blood of the God-King was revealed as its honed surface reflected a prismatic sheen like multi-colored glass composed of the unholy Outer Darkness ready to devour any and all that stood in its path. She stabbed the ground that created a shimmering aura of bright violet and orange radiance around her body as she opened her mouth to make her declaration.

"AKARO!!! COME OUT AND FACE ME! LET US END THIS, ONCE AND FOR ALL!" she screamed with authority. It was an act of conviction showcasing how this duel would decide the fate of Cocytus and all of its inhabitants. As she awaited some form of response, Vili's mind drifted back to a time before time; the twilight of the Age of Gods and her place of origin.

Time: Unknown

Location: Valhalla & Nifelheim

The Twilight of Gods—an era of recorded mythos destined to be recognized by differing faiths in what would become known as Human History as the era of the Norse. In the decline of the Great War of the First Ragnarok, the land was torn asunder and split by two realms: a frozen tundra of cruel arctic torment called Nifelheim and the gardens and peaceful eden that would become known as Valhalla.

There were three siblings that would serve as the foundation of the modern day Norse age: Odin, Vili, and Ve; offspring of the giant Borr and giantess Bestla. Odin was a man showing signs of impeccable wisdom and courage, even in his younger years. He exuded wisdom that others could only afford to marvel at as he would often lead by indomitable nature and will. He was a sturdy man of incredible physique that often wore a silver breastplate over brown leather hide from cattle with a bearskin draped from his shoulders and hide wrapped around his waist. With ash blonde hair, dark blue eyes, and a thick chestnut beard, he was the definition of strength at that time.

Ve was the more rambunctious of the trio. He was one with wild, curly blond hair and green eyes with an unkempt beard. Unlike his brother who was more regal and refined, he was the unpredictable type. He communicated that mindset by his clothing, often only walking around bare-chested with a leather vest and the skin of a lion over his shoulders with other hides wrapped around his waist matched by leather shoes. He was the brawler of the three often letting his fists and great axe do the talking than anything else.

Then there was Vili, the balanced one between the two. She kept her blonde hair tied back in a ponytail as her blue eyes brimmed with peace and hope. She wore white and gold around over black and orange raiments that made her appear much like a crusading adventurer than a god of unparalleled renown and fame. Oftentimes, she found herself trying to keep her brothers at bay from killing each other over petty disagreements than anything else.

Their upbringing was less of what one would expect of typical children and more of preparing them for their responsibilities to come. They grew up as battle-hardened veterans equipped to handle any and all circumstances which ultimately came to a head once they found themselves battling against the primeval giant, Ymir. Everything they learned about battle was put to the test and ultimately, setting aside their differences and working together enabled them to slay the great titan.

As Ymir's death came, the trio utilized the power stored within his body to fashion the lands of the world. From his flesh became the earth which lesser beings could inhabit and flourish upon. Ymir's blood became the seas that segregated lands from one another, allowing life to flourish therein in the shape of fish and other great sea creatures. His bones became the mighty mountains that served as the borders between neighboring lands and from his skull became a vast sky that ultimately separated heaven and earth.

The first land that the trio landed upon would eventually become a land known as Scandinavia. When discussing what sort of creature would be allowed to flourish in this lesser domain, the trio proposed creating lifeforms in their own image but without divine powers; to observe them and see how they could grow, adapt and overcome mortality. The first humans were a man and a woman: Ask and Embla, forged from the trunks of trees. Vili gave them intelligence and the ability to think creatively while her brothers bestowed gifts of life and images reflective of their own.

As time went on and civilization developed, a war brewing between various forces of nature began: Ragnarok. The Gods of the region known as the Aesir, fought against rival forces that were as powerful as they were such as the Jotnar, a race of giants long thought to be remnants of Ymir, monstrosities such as the cursed wolf, Fenrir, the Migard Serpent–Jormungandr, and Surtr, the cursed god-devouring killer of hellfire and brimstone. As much as the gods tried to keep peace to avoid these forces from rising up simultaneously wreaking unparalleled havoc, Ragnarok was inevitable.

Odin, known as the Allfather in Norse faith, became the leader of the Aesir. Knowing that Fenrir was the greatest challenge of all the known beasts of ruin, he went off to confront him.

"Brother, please, I beg of you. Have you not heard the prophecies? If you do this, Fenrir will kill you as was foretold. If we lose you, then the Aesir will be lost," Vili pleaded with her brother during that time. Nevertheless, the Elder God merely patted his sister on the shoulder and just smiled. Even after losing one eye, that bravery and determination never wavered.

"This is my responsibility as a King."

Odin departed without a second's delay. He went forth and found himself descending into the den of the beast. The gigantic wolf as black as night whose poison eroded the earth it touched. It was a creature of a voracious appetite that never truly seemed to be sated regardless of how much life it consumed. As Odin confronted the yellow-eyed phantasmal beast, he could hear the laughter of Loki dancing in the wind.

"Foolish Allfather, do you truly believe you can defeat my fanged child?! Have you no sense of wisdom left in that old, wrinkled head of yours? The power of my beautiful child rivals that of Leviathan, the God Eater whom Indra deigned to fight!" Loki proclaimed.

"All beasts have weaknesses, boy. Something you shall find out when I slay this bastard of yours."

The battle was hardfought, but even with Odin's wisdom and skills, the Allfather was unable to conquer Fenrir. The great dire wolf of destruction swallowed Odin's vessel whole as foretold by prophecy. Bearing witness to this cruel fate was none other than Vili herself.

"BROTHER!" she screamed aloud. Out of anger and sorrow, she drew her sword and immediately charged at Fenrir; however, the grand beast exponentially grew in strength as it began to assimilate Odin's power into itself once the creature consumed the Allfather. Vili would only find herself defeated, covered in her own blood from head to toe with the monster looming over her.

"You were so desperate and pathetic that allowing my child to devour you would be a stain on his great legacy…" Loki insulted from afar. Knowing that she had a duty entrusted to her by her brother, she unleashed a brilliant flash of light to blind her foes before retreating as far as she could.

In the Northern Lands, she found herself licking her wounds amidst the snow swept mountains that oversaw the arctic-like north. Even from here, the scars of Ragnarok were growing ever apparent as the frozen lands were scarred by scorched patches of Earth and craters. As she mulled over the fate of the pantheon, two figures loomed over her: one muscular brute with a curse mark all over his body, the other being an eye-patched woman emanating overwhelming strength.

"Hey Cain, check this out…a silly god caught up in her own self-pity and helplessness. It's like the pattern just repeats itself no matter where we go," the female spoke in deference towards her partner.

"Now, now Bellona, we mustn't badger the weak. It ain't their fault they were born that way," the man known as Cain responded.

"Just who the hell do you think you're calling weak?" Vili cursed, a fire of defiance in her eyes.

"There we go, now there is something I can get behind. Ya look good with those flames of hatred burning within ya. Tell me, have you ever thought about bringing an end to this endless misery? War among the gods, war among men; it's all the same right? Just two sides of the same coin. Ever thought about just burning everything all the way down and ending it all?" Bellona proposed.

"What?" Vili responded in confusion.

"Y'see…we got a lovely band of misfits coming together, a team comprised of those fucked over by gods and men alike who just wants to watch everything burn and wipe the slate completely clean. The times we live in ain't nothing but a clever agenda organized by some bitch who occasionally plays god while fucking up everything else in her spare time. Our Abyss Order is dead set on ending that shit once and for all. A reject like you would be a perfect fit…so join us."

"Sounds interesting…but you talk about a big game and quite frankly, I'm not entirely sure if I should join up with potential weaklings. Why don't you back up your ambitions with a show of true strength?!" Vili declared as she forced herself to her feat and regenerated her wounds at the behest of her will.

"Ohoho…this is gonna be fun," Bellona smirked, "Hey Cain…give us a few minutes. Us girls are gonna have a fun little chat."

"Try not to break her too much," Cain chuckled.

Within an instant, the two war maidens burst into the sky with their blades drawn as they stared one another down. For Bellona, this Norse goddess was just another interesting challenge for her to test her strength out on. For Vili, she was grief-stricken and enraged having lost her entire pantheon and everything she helped build. As the two egos were face to face, in a flash, their battle began.

Thunderous echoes rippled through the darkened skies as the women began to duel. They matched each other blow for blow as the collisions of their blades caused sparks of lights to dot the sky, cracking the air like bolts of lightning. The rambunctious howls of their might shook the scorched earth below as they performed for an audience of one in the shape of Cain who stood idly by with his arms crossed.

Ragnarok consumed the land far and wide. Bodies of the dead littered the Norse Land as embers from war and strife mingled with the stench of blood and death turning all that was once green and beautiful into shades of black and gray from life ripped away by chaos. Divine and mortal victims were strewn about; this great calamity had no real winners. 

"Heh, well what do ya know? You're not all talk after all!" Bellona smiled as she stared at the prospect with a glint of delight in her eye.

"Don't ever underestimate the might of the Norse!" Vili remarked having batted Bellona away from her position.

Vili went in to close the gap and unleash a flurry of blows in a berserking combo to overpower her opponent, but even while knocked off balance, Bellona proved that she could parry each one of them.

"Come on now, surely you're more polished than this?!"

"Shut up, you don't know anything about me!"

They continued their bout with Vili slapping Bellona through the mountains causing the peaks to crumble into ruin. The One-Eyed Maiden chuckled as she bounced back to reciprocate the treatment as she caught Vili mid-charge and slammed her into a ravine nearby causing the plateaus to collapse on her.

"You fight with so much fury and pride. Why waste it on something lost? Don'tcha wanna reach the apex of your potential and put that wrath to use elsewhere?"

"Tch…Stop acting like you understand who I am, you clueless brute. You ask me to forsake my home for some cause not of my own?"

 "Heh, I mean…what else are ya gonna do? Your country is lost, your home is destroyed. Ya couldn't even deal with the man and beast that killed your brother. They will move on persisting with their nature. But you? Will you let stagnation and grief bring ya down? Why not take that rage and grief, melt it down and mold it into something that can be used to prevent shit like this from happenin' all over again?"

"And abandon my home?!"

Bellona gritted her teeth. As Vili rushed in with an overhead swing, the warrior of the Abyss Order blocked her attack with her own blade using one hand. She then used her free hand to punch Vili in the gut causing the Norse Warrior to fold over in agony.

"Look around you…your home is in flames; much like mine was and Cain's. Everything we ever knew or treasured was taken from each of us. All because mankind was too foolish and the Gods were too fuckin' arrogant. Aren't ya sick of it all? Let's wipe the slate clean and put an end to this madness. Or you can stay here and wallow in your own self-pity and shit-for-brains self-righteous bullshit. Stop wastin' that ravenous potential ya have. Put it to use for a better purpose. And who knows, maybe…just maybe…ya might be able to cross paths with Loki and his pooch again, except this time, they'll be the hunted."

Vili pondered the barbarian's words as her body gave out from their battle. She sat there, clutching her gut as her blade fell into the dirt. Her eyes scoured the lands as life vacated the scenery. All that remained was flames and ruination; even Asgard fell silent. Would she really want to waste away with nothing to drive her forward? Or would the alternative really be the better option? The Aesir thought to herself for a lengthy moment before looking up at her opponent who loomed over her, the warrior hoisted her sword over her shoulder with a confident grin upon her features.

"If I join you…will we truly make everything right?"

At that moment, she felt a strong quake shake her body to her core as a cold chill crept down her spine. From the void of darkness that ripped space apart nearby, a childlike girl walked through with another figure strolling behind him. With white robes and vestments, his shorter, chestnut hair was combed back while he wore a pair of thinner, black framed glasses.

"Fret not, child of Asgard. Follow me, and join us and we will make this world the way it was always meant to be. We will paint the canvas black and start over erasing all the misery associated with Samsara," the man known as Perdition proclaimed.

"You show much promise dear one, and your power would only grow if aligned with our cause. Join us and you shall never be alone again," Acedia proposed in a sweet tone as she knelt down and caressed Vili's cheek.

The overwhelming presence of all four of the foreign entities before her made her realize just how vastly outclassed she truly was.

"Very well…please, allow this lost Aesir the honor of serving you…" Vili remarked.

***

Vili snaps her mind back to the present after being assailed by visages of her long, buried past. She cast a glance over her fist before clenching it tightly recalling the allies she's lost since this war began.

"I swear…I'll avenge you and end this man who killed you and prevented a surefire victory for the Abyss Order, Cain," the Norse Maiden vowed within. Interrupting her thoughts, Akaro dropped from the skies landing comfortably before them with his arms folded over his chest.

The iconic red-eyed warrior with black hair was wearing a crimson and black patterned bomber jacket over a plain white t-shirt and black pants with matching colored combat boots. It was a little less fancy compared to the garments he'd typically wear, but he had the mindset of ending this sooner rather than later.

"You know, your bitching seriously killed the mood of the sweet Ryu-jin ass I was tapping. So let's wrap this up quickly, get you packed up and sent you on your way," Akaro remarked with an uncaring, casual tone already dismissing her as a threat.

"You impudent…" Vili gritted her teeth in fury before pulling her blade out of the ground and pointing the edge at his station.

"For a newly crowned God-King, you are quite arrogant. If you believe yourself to be such a mighty force of nature, then why did you order your Ryu-jin warriors to evacuate the kingdom and cower within the walls of your palace? After all, should they not be ready to do as their blood beckons and fight to the end?"

"I mean…I told 'em to take a load off. The ladies have been fighting for centuries after all. As the new chief in town, I gotta show my worth ya know? And besides, you're not exactly a threat. I mean I already beat you by myself, and Cain–who was much stronger than you'll ever be."

"That's…enough…come Naught, let us end this one," Vili beckoned, infusing the prismatic blade–whose name she just uttered–with further enhancement of her hatred towards Akaro that was forged by that emotion in tandem with her authority over the fires of Outer Darkness.

"Not even you will be able to resist the utter extermination brought upon my darkness. When I obliterate you into an unrecognizable husk of what you claim to be, the Lifeblood of the Ryu-jin is next on my kill list and there will be no one left to stop me."

The wicked aura emanating from the Dark Knight spread out and reached into the Tacet at her back. The beasts evolved into giant, grotesque, mega-scale monsters mimicking the horrors that were rampaging through Elysium unbeknownst to the Dragon King. The legions melded into these stellar beasts as they loomed over the Ryu-jin Kingdom. Their warped maws opened wide as they simultaneously relented chasms of purely, concentrated Outer Darkness blasts that melded together into one thus creating a super dense, massive singularity worthy of ripping all of the Eastern Lands from Cocytus' domain in one final act.

"Alrighty then, come on out Svarog, we got business," Akaro raised a small brow in slight amusement thus summoning the red and black, reverse S-curved blade that reforged itself in the resolution of his fight with Cain.

"Fire!" Vili commanded as her creatures of the apocalypse released their fury.

Akaro flipped his blade around in a reverse blade grip as he took a ready stance to brace himself for the oncoming strike. The Dark Knight observed this action and could not help but to chuckle.

"That thing is your weapon? It's only sharp on one side and looks pathetic in comparison to the sword you held during our first encounter! You're better off facing your demise with open arms at this rate, hahahha!" 

Akaro ignored the musings of the Dark Knight as he held his blade upside down and dropped it.

"Crimson Dragon Torrent."

Svarog glowed a hot, burning red before making contact with the ground. Just as one perceived it to do so, hundreds of thousands of smaller flashes of energy shaped like miniature dragons fill the heavens and earth surrounding the kingdom before pushing away the concentrated mass of oblivion. The clash between the opposing energies were deadlocked as one could perceive the outline of Svarog with its mighty aura holding back the Singularity.

As Akaro was seemingly distracted by repulsing the cataclysmic blast, Vili elected to capitalize on a limited opening by rushing towards the God-King while he was unarmed. As she approached, the Red-Eyed King gained the upper hand by enveloping her feet with tendrils made from her shadow.

"What the..?" she gasped in disbelief.

Then in an instant, her position was encased in ice; all of which transpired by a simple wave of the hand by the man himself. Next, he pulled her blade away using gravity before turning it around in hand to strike through her heart.

"Heh…" Vili smiled as her presence dissolved into darkness. The blade of Naught exploded in Akaro's grasp which forced him to relinquish his hold on it. A burst of ethereal, fiery darkness devoured his position momentarily while he hovered over the area.

From the overcast of Akaro's shadow on the ground, Vili erupted from the darkness trying to jump her foe from his blindspot.

"What are you? A discount Daniel Blake?" chuckled the confident King.

The Alpha of Crimson left a lingering smirk in her sight before he reappeared behind her thus landing a well-timed roundhouse kick to her side, outpacing her ambush with natural speed. Like their previous encounter, her armor was shattered under the pressure of this strength, however, he didn't need a weapon to do it.

Flipping backward and recovering, the Dark Knight clutched her side feeling the residual impact in her ribcage. She gritted her teeth with anger and frustration strewn across her face.

"How could he outpace me after everything I went through to attain the power necessary to battle him? Is there no end to the sacrifice I must endure to overcome this degenerate Ryu-jin monarch?" she thought to herself.

"Stand still," Akaro said casually.

Suddenly, a snap reverberated through the sky. Akaro clicked his fingers together invoked a stronger version of the ability of the Demon's Extract that was an Esdeath special. He froze the concept of time even against those not affected by such ideals to begin with.

"This was the destination you were trying to reach, right my old friend," the hero relented as he experienced the tiniest sense of recollection after summoning the ability.

Not allowing himself to be bound by memory lane, the Crimson Envoy rushed in and proceeded to just unleash a hellstorm of blows against her body. His countless punches and kicks were a whirlwind of movement that she was unable to follow to the tiniest degree. Helpless, the Dark Knight felt her breath ripped from her lungs as she had no choice but to absorb blow for blow. 

Akaro kicked away from her position and held one hand above his hair. Shimmering sparks of black and crimson emanated above his head as bolts of electricity loomed above him; the trademark crimson of his own design and the newly acquired black variant courtesy of his battle against Sakinah. In unison, he rained down both variants of lightning upon Vili's position, the resulting impact shattering her free from the bonds of isolated time, knocking her down. Yet she stood back up and reached out with her hand reforming the Naught blade before repositioning herself to rush in and strike again.

"Relying on powers that don't belong to you? What a filthy trickster you've become, O Mighty King!"

"Oh really, Vili? Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black? I mean, you're coming at me with borrowed authority from Perdition. How tragic, I would have preferred to face you under different circumstances. I'd have enjoyed a bout against the proud and cunning Norse warrior of the North who guided her brothers and the warriors of her land to victory," Akaro preached which caught Vili off-guard.

Her advance paused as she found herself drifting in the midst of astonishment. She dropped to the ground casting a glance to her hand once more. The fact that someone who gained familiarity with her past just from the heat of battle was an unexpected development. The Knight was unsure whether she should curse him or praise him for his perceptive nature.

The God-King used the opportunity afforded to him by her hesitation to recall Svarog back to his hand. He held the blade with both hands and charged his aura into the edge of the blade.

"Crimson Dragon Flash!"

The specter of the Crimson Dragon was released from his blade as the wave of energy consumed the monstrous beasts that lingered over the Ryu-jin domain. Having snapped back to her senses, she used Naught to slow down everything in her sight and proceeded to manipulate the Outer Darkness contained within her sword to protect herself from the all-consuming energy. After what felt like agonizing minutes, she managed to hold her ground; however, she almost collapsed to one knee having survived that onslaught.

Akaro stood before her absent of any sense of superiority or arrogance. Instead, he held a sense of strong responsibility in his eyes. He had to protect those that he cared for most, no matter the cost; but deeper than that, one could almost decipher a degree of sympathy. It was a shame to see someone of Vili's stature reduced to being a pawn of the Abyss Order; however, Akaro accepted that she chose her fate. The best thing he could do for her was release her from it.

"I…won't…give up here…I must…fight on!" Vili declared as she kicked off the ground with Naught in hand for one final push for victory.

"Very well…I shall end your misery," Akaro sighed before gripping Svarog tightly and rushing forward to meet her.

As the two warriors came close to colliding with one another, Akaro knew that if Naught touched Svarog that his sword would be erased. He feinted his swing and ducked under her slash, before readjusting his momentum to swing at an angle and sever her wrists causing Naught to drop through the air.

In a flash, Akaro grabbed the prismatic dark sword thus dual-wielding it along with his own to instantaneously release a point-blank X-shaped Crimson Dragon Flash which pierced through the chest of the Fallen Aesir. Sensing her coming demise, her mind flashed through memories of her time in Valhalla with her brothers and the times they shared in victory and in defeat; from their greatest conquests, to their tragic blunders. Regardless, it was a time that seemed so far away and distant from her reach.

"Not…yet…" she muttered even as the Hero-King attained an undeniable, clean-cut victory. Her despair allowed her body to be consumed by the authority contained within her as her vessel evolved into a giant towering beast of hideous, ravenous maws, bulbous forms, and parasitic venomous tendrils that sought to spread out and consume the Ryu-jin lands and drift to the ends of Cocytus. 

The newly birthed Eldritch horror dwarfed any monstrosity that came before. All sentience of the Dark Knight disappeared as she evolved into a manic, grazed beast devoid of reason and salvation mimicking the appearance of the terrors that were kin to the Great Old One and the Crawling Chaos.

"Not again…not you too…" Akaro shook his head as he witnessed Vili's fall into her own darkness. It was like watching Cain all over again.

"I will save you, Vili…that much I swear to do."

Akaro shattered the prismatic blade that he stole from the Dark Knight as the remnants of her authority was consumed by Svarog. His signature blade was engulfed in a flaming black and liquid crimson prismatic outline which reflected the nature of the Ryu-jin Lifeblood in tandem with the Outer Darkness. In the meantime, the kingdom was now drowned by the presence of the eldritch beast.

"Open…" Akaro spoke as the Lifeblood trapped the beast where it stood.

The Hero-King rushed in as the Newborn Horror sent its myriad of tentacles towards him. One after the other, endless limbs of darkness and corruption attempted to swipe the man off his feet and capture him for consumption. However, Akaro would not be thwarted by such miniscule threats. As he continued his approach, he clenched his fist and summoned his draconian might to invoke a greater wave of hope.

"Come forth!"

Vestiges that composed the spectral identities of the members of Team AKARA appeared within that moment: Kimiko, Akame, Adena and Raizo had joined the fray in pure ethereal fashion. They were sent forward into battle with one mission: Weaken the Beast.

Kimiko came in first with two knives in hand. She skated across the body of the beast carving up the monster's flesh with every precise cut. As wounds appeared, the outer darkness contained therein tried to burn away the concepts of scarring, but the embers were stalled by the vestiges' aura. As numerous tendrils came her way, they suddenly found themselves colliding with one another as if they had just barely learned to walk or fly. Upon closer inspection, the phantom of the Grand Ruler was utilizing her control of conceptual vectors to disrupt the sporadic movement as she traversed the monster's vessel.

Akame took flight with angel wings as the Murasame blade was embraced by miasmic energy. Courtesy of her standing as the Angel of Death, she further burned away the conceptual regeneration of the beast with the curse of Murasame. She swung her blade wildly as a whirlwind of crescent waves of dark matter energy boiled away the beast's flesh and eroded the maws that hungered for more power. She circled around the oncoming tendrils and hacked away at them as well which allotted her allies to close in to which the vestige of Adena did.

The burning ghost of Benihime traversed a similar path that Kimiko traveled leaving flames in her wake. As she coated the skin of the monster with fire, more layers of its protections and authority were weakened by the cleansing flames of light that mimicked the permeation of holy concepts held by the heavens above. In addition to her trailblazing, radiation wafting from her aura caused the exposed flesh to bubble up, fizzle, and burst as the cells of the monster were forcefully eating away at each other like cancer in the human body. 

Raizo stood confidently at the foot of the beast as he witnessed his companions perform their fair share of the leg work. Without so much as drawing a single one of his blades, he extended both hands upward before unleashing a net of crimson thunder all over the crumbling body of the monster. The damage dealt intensified once the lightning shifted from crimson to indigo in that mere moment. He then generated six blades composed of lightning to his hands and dashed around the base of the creature anchoring each blade at six distinctive points. In that moment, he quickly crossed from one blade to the other whilst quickly slashing at the monster at every conceivable point he could muster.

When the initial punishment was dealt, the quartet reassembled at the base of the lingering body of corruption. Kimiko snapped her fingers as a massive mirror that held a perfect reflection of the creature was cast overtop of it. The pool of the lifeblood that restricted the monster's position was then mirrored in the glass surface which further amplified the effect of the bounded field. Then, Adena, Raizo and Akame charged up from a triple point attack.

"Pyroclasm."

"Ruin Unyielding."

"Poisonous Wave."

Flames, lightning and poison energies coalesced together before striking the mirror which then amplified and reflected the energy by a thousand times its combined potency as it consumed the beast's position. Having served their purpose, the vestiges disappeared leaving Akaro to finish the horror once and for all.

"Time to free you," Akaro reckoned as he jumped backward and slashed open a portal to the depths of the Lifeblood. Within the confines of its richness beyond sight, a pure spirit that safeguarded the legacy was heralded.

"In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true…" a voice echoed across the realm.

In the vast stillness, a brilliant burst of golden light shattered the silence. It was like the rising of a new sun casting radiant patterns across the worlds, turning desolate wastelands into something briefly alive, if only for a moment. The wind carried the faintest of whispers as echoes of forgotten souls stirred as if awakened by the arrival of something sacred. From the heart of this radiant light, a woman stepped forward. Her figure, bathed in a warm glow, was a vision of grace and power. Her raven-black hair flowed like a river of midnight. She moved as though the very ground honored her presence. Her footsteps left no ripples, as if the Lifeblood itself refused to disturb her path.

Her red eyes, glowing with the wisdom of lifetimes, swept over the barren landscape with calm authority. The wind, once wild, now seemed to circle her in reverence, carrying the echoes of distant worlds and forgotten ages. She wore a pristine white suit, sharp and elegant, standing out against the endless desert. Her form was regal, yet grounded—an idyllic balance between power and humility, like one who had truly grasped the essence of the Buddha's teachings. 

"With our thoughts, we make the world."

A cheeky smile crossed the lips of the entity known only in this era as Samantabhadra. She pointed her finger at the beast and spoke one simple, yet authoritative command that would bring this nightmare to a brilliant end.

"Bang!"

Her voice echoed across all realms before a gargantuan tidal wave of a pure and fiery golden light consumed the Dark Acolyte like a tidal wave. To attempt to comprehend the destruction caused by this event could be compared to a number of phenomenon:

A book whose pages were gradually ripped out one after the other.

A document whose letters written in ink upon a blank piece of paper was forcefully rewound and unwritten as the ink was forcibly consumed by the eye of the pen it originally came from.

A file saved on a hard drive deleted from its destination folder only to be emptied by the recycle bin, which was further cleaned by a powerful junk removal algorithm.

A wet surface that was instantaneously dried by the intensity of a warm sun.

All of these euphemisms and more could illustrate the destructive nature of this simple gesture that consumed the berserking flesh monster that was its victim. After a moment, the enlightening and destructive radiance faded away as Vili's body was unmade from the eldritch horror and reconstructed together in the Lifeblood. Her consciousness returned to her as she saw her naked vessel reflected in the crimson surface. Overhead, the God-King loomed.

"Who… Wh-Who was that woman you called upon? W-Why did you bother saving me like this?" she asked as sanity slowly returned to her.

"The Lifeblood is more than the final resting place of all Ryu-jin; it is a place that together with Vaitarani as well as the original layers of Heaven and Hell connects all eras to the Unknowable Future; or the Dream that the All-Mother holds for creation. Caelum and Infernum are the pillars that hold together the continuation of this dream within our reality while the river between Life and Death is the stockpile of experiences and lost arcs in past cycles. Finally, the Lifeblood is a collective legacy of the past, the present and the future.

Through my Eyes of Truth, I was able to see who you really were… and after fighting you… I realized that even though you followed Perdition, there was still hope for you. After all, you held the Abyss Order's members as true comrades and fought for Cain's honor to the very end. Which is more that can be said for the Lord of Horrors," Akaro explained.

"Your kindness is meaningless when you are preoccupied here instead of in heaven battling against Perdition," Vili remarked with a deep, disconcerted sigh.

"Nah, you're wrong on that one. Elysium is in good hands. Raizo's got this, he won't need my help this time around. Besides, I can feel it in the Lifeblood… he's finally hit his stride and now it is time for Akasha's Destined One to grow into himself and bring home the 'W'."

"How can you be so sure of that? Out of all your allies… he's the one that may possess the most potential, but he showcases the least growth."

"I said it before and I will say it again. That kid's deeds will surpass my own and when the time comes for us to create a future beyond the Samsara—I hope you will be there too so we can welcome the birth of even greater warriors and heroes than ourselves."

Akaro rose from his position and proceeded to walk away about to exit the realm before leaving Vili with some final words.

"Now you get to live like the rest of us lowly Ryu-jin and humans who have to find purpose through faith in a better tomorrow," he waved before disappearing from sight leaving the woman alone in the Lifeblood.

"Heh," Vili chuckled, accepting this outcome, "I hope I will live to see that beautiful future too.."

At that moment, the woman took a seat before laying back. For the first time as she closed her eyes, she was able to fall asleep in peace within the wondrous eternity of the all-encompassing domain.