49 The War Wages On!

Nye was unconsciously falling from the sky, spiraling down out of control. She was nearing the ground by now, but that didn't stop Jackyn from running after her through the war zone. Just as she was about to crash, Jackyn leapt in, grabbing hold of her safely as he skidded along the ground. The same instance Skyletra's corpse hit the dirt at a distance, being left in a mangled mess of blood and guts hanging out of the broken openings of her body. Nye however seemed mostly unscathed outside of her previous injuries in the fight.

"Nye." Jackyn spoke up, looking to the girl in his arms.

"..Jack?..." Nye softly asked, as she opened her eyes to look up at him.

"... Are you alright?" He asked anxiously, shifting as more combat was commencing around them.

"Aye." She smiled, leaning close to his chest.

Jackyn decided Nye was pretty hurt, so he took her through the swarm of the ongoing warfare, in search of a safe spot for her to rest.

"What are you doing?" She asked, shifting a bit.

"You're in no condition to be on the battlefield." He said, sternly as he ran through incoming enemy templar, parkouring over them as he headed for the safe side of the battlefield.

A set of fiendish twins ran passed Jackyn in the opposite direction as they lunged into the air to strike down incoming Templar knights with fury. Clearly more allies of Koron's bunch, eager to slaughter some Rhyme. They were joined by some of the others, but many were falling in combat around the duo, not only their foes either. They cleared the way for Nye's forces along with their allies from Heath's faction of soldiers. Leaping over corpses, the twins sped through, lopping off heads and blasting away foes with magical elemental powers of fire and ice. Their sinister manner made them pretty unpredictable, for the Templar general they were coming into range of. Siegfried was upon armored horseback, fending off walking corpses like a pro, but quickly his target had shifted. The Templar Knight met the eyes of the devilish twins, who were eager to shed his blood.

"Well-well, what do we have here, brother?" The sister grinned, playfully.

"L-Looks like a T-T-Templar, sis." The brother stammered, somewhat anxious, behind a slowly forming smirk.

The fiery sister grabbed to her brother, pulling him close into an embrace with their faces nearly touching.

He blushed anxiously as his timid eyes gazed over to the Templar. "He's watching, Eerie...." The brother softly spoke.

This made Siegfried gawk, watching what was clearly twins getting a little too close to each other. "Hey... What are you two doing?.." He asked, trying to be prepared for anything. This HAD to be a trick or something!

"So what if he is, Grimsly?" Eerie licked his nose. "I want us to destroy him together, as one." Her sharp eyes panned over to Siegfried, before pulling her brother into a kiss.

As their lips met, the twins suddenly began to shift in mass, their bodies pulling to each other like slime constricting back together. They seemed to melt into blaze ooze merging into one whole rapidly, and growing massively in size. The twins shifted in form, changing into a gigantic fiend of pure nightmare fuel. Claws and eyes began to emerge from the monstrous fiend's combined body, with a cyclops skull face that trailed into tendrils hanging down. With a shrill roar, the creature of terror leapt at the Templar like a savage demonic presence.

With Haste, Siegfried urged his stallion to move, evading the beast. However as he circled behind this fusion monster, the creature hammered down it's spiked tail with great force. It narrowly missed the Templar, but the ground around began to crumble and the horse struggling to get out of the sinking pit, and back onto the solid ground. With luck, Siegfried guided his equine back to safety, but the fiend was already inbound for another strike, slashing out it's back claws, that tore apart fragments of his armor. He was bleeding, and his mount rattled, but Siegfried continued to flee, rushing away on horseback as the fusion fiend was stampeding after him, and crushing more templar foot soldiers in the process.

Chaos was ensuing elsewhere however, the conflict between Shane and Flint was only just beginning to heat up. "I'll make sure to put you out of your misery!! How dare you interfere on MY fight!!" Flint howled, angrily at Shane. The injured wolf leapt into the air, to come down with a heavy blow of his axe to the soil.

Shane weaved back to avoid the attack, but his cloak was shredded in the process of the axe tearing down into it. "You fight for your friend, I fight for mine." Shane showed that crooked grin of his.

As Shane got back, the wolf swung around, smashing Shane backwards with his pawed feet, to skid him back roughly. "You PUNK!!" Flint snapped, this time leaping high into the air.

From above, the fast movement followed Flint as he grabbed Shane's head, slamming him roughly into the ground hard. Dirt rose into the air, causing the nearby Templar to cough from the derbies, allowing the undead to get them easier. As it cleared, the wolf's claw was in place, holding Shane's face to the ground.

Shane's back skulls began to crunch down on Flint's arms, giving a brief moment for Shane to raise his hands up to elevate more corpse marionettes to repeal Flint's next attacks, with at least five of them leaping on top of the wolf to drag him down, as the fiend rolled out from under him. Flint quickly spun around, as he lunged his path to Shane, knocking off his unwanted passengers. Shane back flipped as Flint swung his axe at him again, countering with several slashes of his waveblades. This was followed by the skulls that were attached to Shane's back shooting in close to latch down on the wolf's upper arms.

Flint's forearm was immediately cut up from the blades, bleeding down to the ground as he reared backwards to avoid his arm being taken off, but his axe was knocked out of his grasp in the process. As he pulled away, Flint proceeded with another attack, jumping up to elbow smash Shane in the chest, before grabbing his shoulders to bash his skull with a fierce headbutt. Shane fell backwards as Flint dropped him, who proceeded to take his large fists to punch down into the ground. Urgently Shane rolled out of the way, and once Flint got to a distance the crooked smiled was back, as he summoned his skeletal equine from a dark vortex to mount it. Flint proceeded to chase after the skeletal unicorn, that proved evasive with it's careful maneuvers.

"I'm getting sick of this!" Flint scoffed, his eyes turning to glance to Trigger who was scattering to grab her sword from the ground to narrowly deflected the incoming edge of Enoch's bow-staff. "I have more important things to deal with. Revenge can wait." Flint grunted, shifting targets to engage a new foe in Enoch.

He stormed in, slamming Enoch backwards with an elbow to the collarbone. Enoch was knocked back, holding to the bone that was struck. His eyes watched from behind his mask, seeing that the Lupis knelt down to Trigger.

"You always show up when I need you the most." She smiled to Flint, somewhat hurt, but breathing, as she grabbed to her sword.

"What kind of man would I be if let my lady die here? Stormy may be gone, but I'm not gonna lose you too, Trig." Flint nudged her with his muzzle, as he helped Trigger to her feet.

"I still loathe you." She turned up her nose, with her eyes shut, before peering one open to look to Flint with a teasing smirk.

"Loathe, huh?" Flint chortled, before he sharpened his gaze to leer over to Enoch. "This guy used to be one of us, right?"

"Enoch. One of the recruits who died in the Bad Lands of Demonia." Trigger stated, flipping out her steam powered riffle in her other hand. "He's one of them now."

"Huehue...." Enoch devilishly chuckled from behind his mask. "You two done playing catch up?" He scoffed, rushing in at them. His bow-staff spun around, launching towards Flint as the masked fiend leapt onto the wolf's back.

Flint took the slash to his face, but as Enoch stepped to his back, Flint grabbed his arm. "I think that's NONE of your BUSINESS!!" Flint boldly stated, thrusting him around before spin tossing him into a swarm of undead.

Enoch managed to get up, seeming mostly unphased, despite several locations on his body beginning to bleed from impact with nearby swords of the dead, and other sharp objects they carried. Flint came charging in, summoning back his axe as he swung it for Enoch. The fiend swiftly shifted his upper body and neck to avoid the blow, before jerking his bow-staff forward, striking Flint's bare leg. The wolf stumbled back, nearly losing his footing. Shane had been observing briefly before galloping off through the hordes of templar to fight back more; leaving Enoch to handle the two solo.

"Perhaps I should take out the weaker prey first?" Enoch pondered, as his attention instinctively swapped over to Trigger, bounding into the air with his bladed end of his staff thrusting onward upon her.

Trigger quickly raised up her rifle, firing off shots into the air as Enoch was coming for her. Flint rushed to action, lunging for Trigger to grab her into his arms, just barely rolling out of the way last moment to raise to his feet, before the blade stuck into the ground. Rather than halting, or pulling the staff's blade out, Enoch gripped on with both hands into a running lunge. Both his feet went into the air as he held on, kicking into Flint; Knocking both the wolf and Trigger down. The blade pulled out as he landed from the action, rushing for them, before striking for them again. Flint acted quickly, using his back as a shield to protect his lady. The blade sunk into his lower spine, before twisting quick and yanking out. This caused the skin to tear open, as Flint's entire vertebrae was ripped out like a wishbone

Flint immediately yelped, holding onto Trigger as the metal was removed along with his spine. The majority of his body fell limp and he started to bleed out. Nothing would move, he could only lay there as Trigger held to him in panic.

"F-Flint!?" She cried out, watching his face in sheer terror as she could see his life force leaving his body. "No-No! You can't die!!" She shouted, as she fumbled on top of his chest in tears. "Don't leave me..." She pleaded. "I haven't told you how I really felt about you yet..." She could only cry and plead as he passed on from this world.

"How pathetic. You're not even worth my time." Enoch boredly commented, heading off from the weeping woman holding to the wolf's corpse, to find a new opponent.

The centaur duo, Sally and Max, came rushing through like jousting knights with their lance and spade barraging through Templar forces. Feathers floated down as Merric hovered around the vicinity of them, with tome in hand. "Hmhmhm. Well, what have we here? Not one, but TWO traitors? Egad, what has this world come to? Maker, oh whatever shall I do with them?" The silver haired man chuckled, menacingly.

The centaurs continued storming through the templar forces as Merric swooped in, to cast a barrier in front of their line of attack. This had both stunned, "Crikey! What gives!? How'd we get bogged here?" Maxwhyld exclaimed, in frustration.

"Tis feasible to assume that we hath been thwarted, by one of thee Templar." Sally spoke strongly, as she held tight to her lance.

"Oh yooo-hoooo!~" Chinned in Merric's voice as she descended behind them. "Long time no see, you traitorous scoundrels. I do believe you're trapped like fish in a barrel." He smirked playfully, with a demented undertone.

"Ace... It's this clucky bludger." Max groaned sarcastically. "You ought to bail out, before shit comes a guster. You ain't built like a brick shit house, but good onya for trying to make a quid." Max scoffed, holding his spade in Merric's direction with a disgruntled expression. "You might be bailing up on us, but that don't mean we're not gonna be bloody hard yakka, mate."

Merric scoffed, "I don't understand a word you're spouting, so listen here, clod! The both of you impious fools will be in my torture chamber by the time I'm finished with you!" He coldly stated, as he began channeling magical power.

Spells casted, colliding with the area around them, before both centaurs lunged out of the smoke to charge for Merric. As they did, the focus shifted to Nobou facing off against the other Terra, Manik, whose tail had been sliced off.

Manik was already getting back to his feet in rage. "Consider yourself DEAD, freak!!" Manik roared, pulling to an explosive arrow before firing it at Nobou.

The smaller Terra stumbled to the side, narrowly evading the arrow that quickly decimated undead not far behind him in the explosion's proximity. Nobou was shaken, but quickly was forced to the ground with Manik's clawed foot holding his face down, and his other claw pinning down both hands that clutched the swords. It did not help that his knife he had escaped his tail's grasp, leaving him vulnerable.

"Anything that stands in the way of the Grand Master's views will cease living!" Manik exclaimed, growing enraged as he fired off more explosive shots that took out more and more of Koron's zombie forces. "We'll win in the end! You're dooming everything making the choice to side with THESE WALKING CORPSES!!!" He was getting out of hand, like he had snapped.

After expiring his supply of bomb arrows, Manik immediately swapped to his standard set. "(Normally he's more meticulous than this, why is he wasting his arrows on the horde?)" Nobou couldn't help but wonder, as he was trapped below this other Terra. Then it hit him, it was a distraction to lure all the zombies their way.

The other Templar forces managed to break through, as the undead locked onto Manik as they were drawn by the sounds of explosions. The others were open to being attacked now, which triggered Nobou to finally knock off Manik, and get his weapons. As he turned, his attention was immediately drawn in to notice Phish with her paws around Tyr's neck, and Tyr's fangs in her arm.

"Tyr!" Nobou called out, trying to reach the fiend, from his fight with Manik. He could see the blood escaping the other man's ears even at this distance.

His focus was quickly obstructed, as he collapsed into the dirt, from a knock to his back from Manik. "Don't EVEN THINK about running!" Manik hissed, stomping down hard on Nobou's back.

Nobou gripped to his swords, slashing his tail up to use the knife to tear open the cloth covering Manik's spine. This caused the other Terra to stumble off, as pull his bow rapidly forward to aim an arrow for Nobou's face. Before the shot could be fired, Nobou swung one of his katana's, cutting the tip from the arrow. Immediately he followed up his strike, destroying the bow in the process as it collided, along with the cloth covering Manik's mouth.

"You... Broke my... bow..." Manik was stunned, shaken even, holding to his now bleeding face. "... and my..." He seemed caught off guard, scared even.

"You sure love to complain." Nobou scoffed, taking grip to his swords to slash off his legs, letting the rest of Manik's body collapse to the ground.

Nobou listened as Manik screamed, gripping to the other Terra's hair as he placed a foot to his back, before proceeding to scalp him. Nobou so gingerly removed the flesh from Manik's head, along with his hair attached to it. The entire ordeal Manik let out a blood curdling scream, but Nobou's tail curled in with the dagger, plunging into the exposed top of Manik's skull. The impact cracked it open, impaling the brain inside. The victim jittered violently before suddenly ceasing any movement all together.

As Nobou shifted to look at Tyr's situation, he spotted that Asmodeus was dead, and Dimitri was now facing Tyr to protect Phish. The fiend was clenching his claws angrily, as the spirit-fire began to appear, floating around him. He then said something that was inaudible to Nobou, but the Terra was determined to join Tyr's side. He stormed through the Templar foot soldiers, slashing off parts of their heads, and body part as he hurried across the desolate battlefield. Nobou watched events unfolding as he rushed to Tyr's aid, his eyes recording every moment as Tyr levitated up with a dastardly grin, casting out his ghostly flames upon Dimitri, who quickly countered with a light shield formed of magic, proceeding to bounce back the flames at Tyr. With a claw extended, the flames whooshed around, redirecting back at Dimitri without even a subtle resistance to Tyr's control.

His eyes suddenly glowed, as each flame impacted onto Dimitri and Phish, lighting up like mini explosions. His eyes lingered, watching their moments, as he phased over to them, biting down on Phish's neck. He began draining her blood, but Dimitri snapped back fast, quickly firing off beams of light magic, thrusting Tyr across the ground with ease. The silver haired Viceroy gripped onto Phish, making sure she was still alive, before shifting his gaze back to Tyr. Suddenly his path was obstructed by Nobou, with multiple swords angled towards him.

"Yet another one of the traitors. Do you roaches ever DIE!?" Dimitri shouted, forming a sword from his magic, striking for Nobou.

The blades struck together, sliding as those eyes behind the long hair locked onto Dimitri's. Clash! Clash! Clash! The blades from both parties rapidly struck together, like they were mirroring each other's movements.

"Get OUT of my WAY!!!!" Dimitri roared, striking even harder, before sneaking in his second hand to cast a light explosive spell, that flung Nobou backwards harshly.

To Nobou's surprise, he found himself caught, rather than hitting the ground. Glancing up with surprise, he noticed Tyr holding to his arms with delicate care. "I wish you weren't out here fighting. I know what you're thinking, Nobou." He groaned, his eyes focusing purly on Dimitri and to Phish who was rising to her feet.

"I am not going to falter. I have my duty to fight along side you." Nobou replied, earnestly.

"You're the one who follows orders to the tee. Me, I'm the one who disobeyed, by taking matters into my own hands. So why are you still standing around? Go." Tyr said, forcing Nobou to stand as he slipped passed him, beginning to turn his attention back to their engaging opponents.

"Tyr. I can't leave you here to fight alone." Nobou protested softly.

"You have to." Tyr insisted, rushing for Dimitri with his claws outstretched, and a vicious grin upon his lips.

As Tyr phased a brief distance in front of Dimitri, appearing in front of him. Taking opportunity of the point blank range, he quickly grabbed to the other man's arm. Flames emanated around him, as the area started to reverberate; pulsating with an eerie tension above them, then the sky went black. Around the two was complete darkness, with no sight of the outside forces or friends, just Tyr and Dimitri in this pitch dark void.

The thorns from Tyr's arms burst out of his sleeves, piercing into Dimitri's wrist. Some blood floated into the air in slow motion, before the fiend directed his spirit fire to strike Dimitri's torso like homing missiles. Dimitri tore himself free from the thorns, smoke rising from the impact spots of his body. He made sure to put enough distance between himself and Tyr.

Without hesitation the silver haired Viceroy held his palms together, cupping his hands, leaving an opening in the direction of the fiend.

". رات کو منسوخ کرو. روشنی کی شعاع" Dimitri began to chant. A white light began flickering behind his curled in fingers. He then shifted his position, moving his hand forward, leaving a triangle shaped opening between them; which carried the magic energy inside. "روشن چمک!"

A beam of light was then fired at Tyr, who side stepped urgently, phasing out of the blast zone. The beam shattered the dark void, and went blasting through the hordes of foes, ending their life in the same manner that took Tyr's beast's life. Tyr rushed at him once more, but the spell caster swung his free hand to the right, swirling up a twister of magic, to throw Tyr to the side with ease. Tyr crashed into the ground, noticing Dimitri's shift in attention to Nobou. This made him quickly rise to. "Nobou." He said in worry as he firmly stood to his feet.

A breeze kicked up behind Dimitri as he flew at Nobou, his wings gliding through the air. "Your life IS MINE, TRAITOR!!!" He shouted, his voice gradually growing more harsh and projecting. In the moment the light sword reformed in his hand, preparing to strike the Rōnin warrior.

Nobou scrambled for his swords, holding them up like a shield, while his eyes slammed shut. He immediately heard a phasing sound, followed by claws wrapping around his shoulders. Something wet flicked onto his cheeks, as he felt soft breath blowing against the damp specks. His eyes timidly opened, peering from parting strands of hair. If front of him was Tyr, with his back facing their foe, standing in a protective stance; he had used himself as a shield to protect Nobou's life. One of Tyr's eyes was shut with the other squinted narrowly, and there was blood trailing down from the corners of his mouth as he winced behind barred fangs.

However, the light blade has pierced through the center of his collarbone, inches away from the bridge of Nobou's nose. Swiftly the saber made of light was retracted out, and Tyr collapsed into Nobou's arms.

"Tyr!? Why did you get in the way?!" Nobou cried out, holding onto Tyr as he noticed the ashes beginning to trail from the fiend.

"I told you that you shouldn't be here... I had no choice.... You are precious to me..." He said as he carefully placed a hand to Nobou's bandaged stomach. "You both have to live..."

"You can't die! Don't you dare die!" Nobou pleaded, starting to cry as more particles flew off of his lover.

"Don't even think about killing yourself, Nobou... The kid needs you..." Tyr reached his hand for Nobou's face, giving him a stern look.

"Tyr..." Nobou was tearing up terribly, struggling to even keep his eyes open as he looked to Tyr, dying in his arms.

"Get someplace safe..." Tyr said, before kissing Nobou. "I'm sorry...." Tyr barely said as his body disintegrated into the air rapidly.

"Tyr!" Nobou cried, his tears flying from his cheeks, as he reached in panic for the ashes vanishing off.

There was a scoff ahead of him, as Dimitri stared in disgust. "How abhorrent. An intersex thing like you carrying a foul demon's offspring? I ought to kill you just for that!" Dimitri said harshly, preparing to engage. "So stop blubbering like a bitch! You'll be joining him momentarily!"

Nobou quickly scrambled backwards, falling to the ground as Dimitri came for him, with his elemental blade raised.

"Perhaps I should cut that babe right out of you!!" Dimitri said, in an almost maniacal tone.

From no where a large red scaled tail thrusted into Dimitri, knocking him off his feet to a distance, in the very instance Talis landed just about where he had stood. Her eyes turned to look down to Nobou. Her tiny wings carried her here, but she seemed relived to see Nobou in one piece. "Talis?" Nobou was shocked to see her, his voice shaking.

She extended her hand to him, pulling her brother to his feet. "It is not safe here... What Dimitri said, is it true?" She asked, with an undertone of urgency. Nobou hesitated, but nodded, looking to see the present position of Dimitri who was pulling himself up. "Then we must leave!" Talis said as she took his hand, flying out of the way just as Dimitri cast projectile spells their way.

In the same instance his concentration was broke; missing his mark as Dimitri was struck back by a blade of sorts. He fumbled to the ground, lifting his head slowly to discover the edge of a sword hovering before his already scarred over face. The one standing on the opposite end of the blade however, was the very man who gave him his scar, Ashewyn.

"YOU!!" Dimitri snapped.

"Yeah, me." Ashewyn scoffed, keeping a firm grasp on the hilt of his sword.

Before Ashewyn could make his next move, Phish leapt to action. She made her way for them preparing to strike. "Get away from him!" She growled.

Her path however was quickly obstructed, as Eclipse positioned herself between them with waveblades sparking around. "Your fight is with me, Phish." She said sternly.

"...And here I thought you might be dead." Phish had skidded to a halt, as she boredly focused to the elf. "Get out of my way or else, you traitor!" She demanded.

Phish lunged at Eclipse, clashing her claws into the elf's blades. As they shuffled back and forth with repetative motions of attacks, Dimitri and Ashewyn had also began their duel.

"I'm going to obliterate you, for what you did to my face!!!" Dimitri roared, kicking Ashewyn back as he shoots himself up into the air upon feathered wings, with his spell book hovering into the air above his hand.

Ashewyn caught his footing, swiftly leaping out of the way as a light spell crashed into the ground where he had been previously standing. He urgently formed his wings, in attempt to give chase, but they were far too badly damaged from his previous battle with Gaigas, and he was unable to fly. He was now at the mercy of Dimitri's aerial attacks. More spells flooded down from above, and the red haired Amygdala struggled to avoid them, before drawing to his sword that Eclipse gave him. Using it, he swung back the blasts of light, knocking them right at Dimitri. Dimitri took some of the hits before catching on, and evading further counter blows. Ashewyn had to get creative. With his free hand, Ashe began to cast out his fire aura attacks, causing the flaming faces to rush at Dimitri like savage banshees.

The flames scorched passed Dimitri, getting Phish to grow more wary of him. "Dimitri! Hang on!!" She called out, seeing his strength dwindling. Eclipse wasn't letting her pass however, forcing Phish back with electrical based strikes.

Dimitri struggled to stay airborne, as the feathers on his wings began to burn into soot. His descent began, moments before one more flaming attack engulfed him like hellfire. "ARRRRRGHHH!!!" He screamed, as his body erupted into flames. He came crashing down, but the flames would not go out. Dimitri's skin began to melt off, including his entire nose, as his body brutally continued to be burned alive. Dimitri ran at Ashewyn, his entire body lit like a burning torch. "HYYYYYAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!" He practically roared, with his hand raised up with glowing explosive energy.

Ashewyn caught his wrist, as the spell was cast from Dimitri's palm, causing a surge of power to shoot across the battlefield, and knock back units from both sides of the war. As the derbies cleared, there was a glimpse of the two combatants in point blank range of each other. Ashewyn had thrusted his sword through Dimitri's abdomen to sever his spine, allowing the bones to escape with the blade from the exit wound. With one more rapid swing, the blade sliced Dimitri's body in half, letting the inflamed Rhyme to collapse to the ground in anguish, as his internal organs were immediately exposed to the flames covering him. Ashewyn took a few steps back, shifting to turn his attention to Eclipse's situation.

"Nooo... Dimitri..." Phish stared in distraught panic, leaving herself open to be thrusted back into the dirt, with her tears flying from her cheeks.

On the opposite end of the conflict, Merric had completely let his guard down. His terror stricken eyes focusing on his brother's burning body as he screamed his final death cry. Merric was in panic, his body shaking with horror. He completely disregarded the centaurs engaging him, quickly abandoning the battle with them to reach Dimitri's smoldering corpse. Sally and Max weren't expecting that response, but as the shield fell they decided to press onward to deal with the majority of the threat. Merric landed there at a distance from Ashewyn, dropping to his knees.

"Brother?..." He shakily muttered, his eyes casted over by shadows as his glasses slid down to the tip of his nose. "How could you.... How could you die!?" His voice cracked as he cried out. His vials around his waist were suddenly snatched into his hands as he urgently began to collect the ashes of his beloved brother. "I won't ever let you leave me, Dimitri! I won't! I CAN'T!!" His tone was crazed and in panic.

Ashewyn cautiously watched the Rhyme, ready to fight if he turned on him from this position. He needed to get to Eclipse, but he wasn't sure what this lunatic was planning. He waited, tensing up as Merric rose to his feet unexpectedly. Without warning, the Rhyme retreated from the battlefield in a crazed manner, flying off for the kingdom in the sky.

Jackyn saw this briefly, as he was still on his set path, running through hordes with Nye unconscious in his arms. The flapping of wings were suddenly heard, followed by ice reaching for his heels. "I fouuuund youuuuu!" A female voice sing-songed in a dark tone, accompanying the ice behind him.

Jackyn briefly glanced behind, to realize it was Lyra close behind him, as he tried to get Nye away from the battlefield. He was just coming up upon Miles and Minerva, who were finishing off some Templar foot soldiers, as the ice wielding Rhyme behind him was hot on his trail.

"There's no escape, Angel of Death!!" She cackled sadistically, as she flew closely behind him.

"Dammit." Jackyn gritted his fangs, he couldn't fight her here with Nye in this condition. "Hey! A little help here!" Jackyn called to them, in a disgruntled tone.

"Looks like your friends could use some help, kitten." Minerva stated, drawing to her bow.

"Can definitely vouch for that." Miles' ears went backwards as he shifted his blade to angle for Lyra's direction.

As Jackyn passed them, Minerva unleashed an arrow that quickly struck into Lyra's hand that was enchanting the spells. However, it immediately shattered into ice as Lyra fiercely looked over to them. "Leashed! You disgusting things are always getting in my way!" She huffed, before yelling out, "I think you pests need to chill out!"

Ice spread across the ground as a snowy blizzard picked up, all channeled up by Lyra's magic power. Flames suddenly shot out as Miles' Phoenix, Ember, flew in from above, to protect her rider.

Lyra kept back from the scorching flames, with a definite rise in her anger. She reacted, flipping her hand up to enchant magic in their direction. From her palm, she casted a massive stream of ice, blasting back the swarming horde of zombies that came her way through the flames. Their bodies were completely frozen solid, and the flames put out without much effort. Their frozen bodies fell to the ground instantly, shattering like glass. Miles seemed more uncomfortable now, after seeing what just happened to those undead soldiers.

"You two are NEXT!" Lyra snapped in rage, as her eyes darted for the felines and the giant bird.

As ice magic spell came blasting their way, the scene quickly transitioned back to Koron and Titania. The Gashadokuro was in view behind them, decimating Templar forces with it's massive skeleton fingers.

"Take the battalion head on, prepare the ballista for another strike!!" Aoba's cape was waving in the wind as he commanded his army to continue the onslaught, flying through the air with his multiple feathered wings. Several of his forces didn't linger too far from him.

Koron and Titania were locked onto him, knowing he was their prime target, being the head of the Templar. "If their King falls, then the war is already won!" Koron exclaimed, flying in the path of Aoba.

"Then let's finish him for good!" Titania replied, guiding her equine mount to fly after her Queen.

Koron and Titania stormed though various aerial opponents, leaving many behind on the ground for their allies below to finish off. However a dragon rider swept in, separating the two of them as Koron was forced to take on the Templar rider solo.

"Koron!" Titania gasped, trying to get to her.

"Don't wait for me, Titania! You must claim victory over this war! I believe in you, my beloved!" Koron stated, forming her sword to combat the the dragon fiercely.

"I can't leave you..." Titania was conflicted.

"JUST GO!" Koron demanded, striking back the mouth of the fire breather.

Titania hesitated, before turning her gaze begrudgingly to Aoba. "Yah!" She exclaimed, getting her corrupt Pegasus to proceed in the Grand Master's direction with great velocity.

As she made her way to Aoba, she would leap from her mount, tearing through incoming Templar, with such elegant grace of her rapier, before her equine caught her, flying even closer to the grand master. Eventually she bashed her way through, inching closer to her target with sword at ready.

"I got you now!" Titania sped towards the six winged angel, releasing her grasp on the reins to take her blade and slice open part of her hand in order to cast blood magic.

The spell spiraled around her with red inchor, forming multiple arms, taking the reins once more with one hand. With four of her free arms, she raised her hands in Aoba's general direction, casting out a major blast of blood magic. His attention was suddenly drawn to her, shifting from serious to startled. The blast quickly knocked Aoba out of the sky, before he swiftly caught his fall while aerial, and zoomed back into the combat zone with Titania.

"So you finally show yourself, you vile woman!" Aoba grinned quaintly, summoning the Holy sword Excalibur as he charged for Titania.

Aoba thrusted the blade for her, but only to be countered by her rapier in the process as her equine hovered there in the air.

"I know all about your little scheme, with the imposter posing as you. How dare you, madam! I shall not be so generous to you, as I was to your little scapegoat!" Aoba went on in a certainly offended manner; pulling his sword back to hack and slash at Titania, who quickly deflected the incoming strikes with the swords she was had armed her multiple limbs with.

"Is that so?" She grinned, playing into his suspicions. She pulled back on the reins, guiding the winged equine to fly backwards to avoid further incoming attacks.

This seemed to aggravate Aoba further, with many of his aerial forces beginning to close in on them. "Templar soldiers, prepare to engage!" Aoba commanded.

"Maker save the king!" "Long may he reign over us!" The knights rallied, diving inbound, as Titania leapt from her steed to spiral around, her many blades circling as the knights quickly fell to the soil below. Her mount swooped in as she landed back on it's back, proceeding to circle around to take on the stragglers as Aoba prepared to engage her once more.

As more and more Templar fell in battle, new undead would emerge, prepared to side with the Queen of Fiends' army. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, were those men yours?" Titania provoked, in an obviously mocking manner, while she smirked. "Seems you're trapped in my web, dear 'king', with is no one left to defend you. Now that they're out of the way, I'll bleed you dry!" Her tone darkened, with shadows under her eyes. Titania's equine quickly whisked her Aoba's direction with all blades angled his way.

"Oh, such witty repartee. Madam, I am wounded, truly I am." Aoba scoffed, almost amused in his usual whimsical manner, but still with an undertone of agitation. He dove through the air at her as well, both hands to the hilt of his mighty blade. "You'll soon discover what happens to those who go against the will of the Maker!!"

The two clashed in mid air, before circling around to dive at the other once more. They Continued this motion, zipping quickly around and round, to strike blow for blow with their bladed weapons.

"I must commend you, darlin', but your efforts will prove futile!" Aoba exclaimed in the process of distancing himself, as he freed one of his hands to hovered below his crystal Phylactery at his waist. It began to glow vividly, as Aoba casted a spell, hurling the magical attack at Titania fiercely.

Titania realized what Aoba was doing, narrowly avoiding the incoming spell, and leaping from her mount into the air in a twirling motion, with her six blades spiraling. However, her equine could not evade the blast, taking a direct blow through it's magical blood wings. Titania's eyes noticed her corrupted Pegasus crash into the ground with a rough impact of dust and soot picking up. This was unavoidable, but Titania had to make the sacrifice. She boosted herself towards Aoba, like a torpedo, preparing to dice up her opponent. Just as she came into range with her swords ready to strike, Aoba sent off another magical spell, hitting hard into her gut, and causing the blood made arms to shattered away from her body. unfortunately before she could make another move, Aoba's free hand shot forward, catching her by the neck. His hand firmly clutched around her throat, holding his fingers tightly around her jugular with a devilish smirk, as he confidently said, "Checkmate."

Koron, on the other side of the conflict, was having her own struggles with the dragon rider. Her blade had been flung off in the struggle as the winged reptile flew her way. She however was making better progress fending off the beast, and the Templar riding it than Titania was with Aoba. Side dashing out of the way, Koron flew up, back down and around to avoid it's incoming fire breath. Her eyes suddenly took notice of Titania's situation, as her heart sank, while she got distance from her opponent. She needed her sword, and this aggravated her, forcing her teeth to grit tightly.

Quickly her wings flapped, raising her hand to the necklace dangling around her neck. "Arise I summon thee! Chaosblade!" Koron called forth her sword, letting her aura channel through it to form the bladed weapon in her tightly gripped hand. "I beckon the call of the night-" Koron began to enchant, holding the chaosblade to her side, sharply as she prepare to charge through the dragon rider to reach Aoba. "-Foreboding darkness, I call upon you and the darkest void!" She arched her back. "Screams of despair ignite!" Koron swung as her body torque forward, unleashing a slash of dangerous aura strike, tearing through the beast as she gallantly rushed through the air. She was already panting, but she was not done just yet. Without delay, Koron turned the hilt of her sword, rushing right into more swarming Templar intersecting her pathway. She began attacking with great speed, in a repetitive motion. "Take this memento, and fall by the hand of the Angel of Darkness!" Koron soared into the air, dive-bombing the last few in her way. "I lead thou's souls to oblivion! Otherworldly despair! PERISH!" She screamed.

Their death cries followed, as they were shattered into feathers flying through the air, that coated in blood. The hellbent Amygdala's wings urgently brought her within range of her prime target, the Grand Master of the Templar army.

"Your actions and movements against the crown break the very foundation that kept your kind alive after the previous great war. You're dooming each and every one of them by even attempting this treacherous path! So, Under jurisdiction under the the Maker and the Templar order, I, Grand master, Aoba Zephos, King of the Rhyme, sentence you and your followers to death!" Aoba proclaimed, preparing to strike.

Before he could take the blow, a voice spoke up behind them. "You speak of that genocide as if it were a benevolent motion! Unhand her, or I shall make your death swiftly." Koron spoke up, as her wings gusted up wind around her. "The altercation you seek is with me."

Aoba tilted his head as his eyes boredly panned over to Koron. "And whom might you be, darlin'?"

Koron's tone suddenly grew more daring. "I am the first of her bloodline and true Heir to the throne, The Manipulator of Monsters, The shadow in the Dark, Invoker of Fear and Breaker of Sorrow, The Slayer of Blades, Mistress of the Dead, The Black Winged Angel, The Remanent of blood, Corrupter of Life, The Angel of Darkness, Instrument of Rebirth, The One and only True Queen of Fiends, and master of the Four Horsemen. Otherwise known as Koron Ghestro."

The realization seemed to click in Aoba's head as he suddenly got more smug in demeanor. "It seemed you have fooled me yet again with another decoy. Well played, madam. However, this plight is only just beginning, 'Queen of Fiends'."Aoba asked, pulling Titania closer, with his arm around her and sword to her throat. "You and your forces have slain many of my generals and Templar, but at what cost? Is her life worth all this, Koron?" Aoba's eyes kept on her with a smirk, "Are any of these casualties of war worth it? Surrender now and face your consequences. Maybe then, I'll be charitable enough to pardon their treason."

"Koron, do not surrender to him!" Titania exclaimed, as she attempted to get loose from Aoba's clutches. She was clearly badly hurt from his last attack, and her efforts weren't that strong.

Before she could even make a decent effort, Aoba roughly shifted her forward, gripping tightly to her hair as he violently pulled her head up to face Koron with great force. "Now why is it you two are so insistent on protecting each other? How repulsive, you're lovers aren't you?" Aoba scoffed in disgust.

"I said UNHAND her!" Koron demanded, viciously desperate.

He suddenly recalled something that Nye said to him, the memory echoing through his head. "Are you stupid!? If Jackyn dies, I DIE!" Followed by his reply, "Oh come now, everyone knows that is nothing more than an old wives' tale." Concluding the final part of this memory, he heard Nye's voice reply, "You must have forgotten why your Grandfather forced my kind into a life of solitude in the first place."

"So it must be true then..." Aoba muttered to himself, as he suddenly grinned. "You've just made my victory that much easier!" He chortled, holding Titania in place, as he held Excalibur in his other hand tightly.

"Stop!" Koron gasped, as her panicked eyes widened, seeing the blade lifted. Within a matter of seconds it rose to horizontally slash Titania's head clear off her shoulders, before Koron could even react. Her terror stricken gaze stared in horror as Titania's life left her eyes and her disintegrating body dropped out of the sky.

"Hahahahaha!!" Aoba began to laugh, holding the corpse's head still by her hair, as it began to break off into the air life ashes.

"Noo..." Koron faintly gasped as she held to the sides of her temples, with her sword accidentally being released from her grasp, and fading off as she struggled to stay airborne. Her eyes were filling rapidly with tears as her outstretched face grew more traumatic in expression. "Titania?... How... could she..?" She was breathing heavy as she immediately held to her chest in panic.

Koron was completely in anguish, unable to move as Aoba was already upon her, shifting to grab her by the fluff of her coat. Koron's eyes had already glazed over as they weakly shifted to Aoba. Her emotions were rapidly increasing as well as her heart rate, but her heart seemed to waver by the second.

Aoba pulled her close, with his lips nearly touching her ear, as he whispered ever so softly, "You'll be seeing her again soon enough, darlin'." He said, grinning as he pulled back to look as Koron, "I'll even be generous and speed up the process!" He chuckled in a sadomasochist manner, "So again, under jurisdiction under the the Maker and the Templar order, I, Grand master, Aoba Zephos, King of the Rhyme, sentence you to death!" Aoba grew twisted in expression, as he clenched tightly to his sword, thrusting it through her abdomen.

Koron's stunned expression was what was left, as blood exited through her mouth in the same instance the sword tore through her internal organs, and roughly pulled out to release her into the open sky. Koron stared in terror, as she fell to her doom, while her life force rapidly declined, before she passed on from this world. As Koron's body descended, everyone allied with her, including Nye's and Heath's forces, stared up into the sky all completely shocked at what just happened. Even Nye was coming to in Jackyn's arms, having to be held back by her lover as she watched her sister's demise. The look of devastation amongt these mutuals, even the ones far away from the battle, was felt together in unison. They had lost their leader,perhaps even friend, the one who was meant to save them from this sadistic madman. Koron's body struck the ground, bouncing off it slowly with the look of panic still resonating in her hollow eyes. With that, the undead soldiers began to swiftly collapse into dust, row by row until the entire skeleton and zombie forces had turned into ash. With the Queen and her entire horde of undead gone, their victory was starting to seem far out of reach...