Arc 4: What families entail
The Warriors took to their posts all over Athens. Raylice split up her top Elites, sending three to Cretan, and two to Panzer, allowing them to lead a mix of their own units through their designated cities. Panzer and Cretan, leaving the Coliseum City to Crevasse and the Gravestone Pirates. Some of the prisoners from every cell, including the Towers, were all shipped to the Coliseum City. They drank, took Elixirs, gathered their tamed beasts to sniff out the Red Arrows. They had everybody ready.
And in Athens Tower, Beauregard stayed peacefully at the top. Calgary guarded Rosemary and Julius' dragon stone door, along with the top elite Frank Will, protecting the castle with many Warriors along with them. As Beauregard still had his esteemed guest there, talking into the night, until the purge could begin.
Arthur: "If this all goes well, Athens and Walgonia could become an unstoppable force."
Beauregard : "...I do hope so. Dearly. But if you help us now, give us some of your forces, we would surely win this battle!"
Arthur: "We've been over this man. You must claim Athens yourself. Before a force like the Sect comes along and does it themselves."
Beauregard : "The Sect has never been in too much trouble in Athens, not until recently with my uncle Stern. Even then they seemed to vanish with the criminal factions. The only parasites are those Red Arrows claiming to be Athens children."
Arthur, still somehow keeping the fact Walgonia had become the home of anarchy, and the fact he led it all under wraps. But they were both keeping things from each other. They just didn't know they were hiding the same truth. Arthur still sat with a smile, in back and golden Valatrocitus robes, scratching his growing stubble while sipping some high quality whiskey. Like Athens itself was already in his hand.
Arthur: "I guess we can only hope that war has kept the Sect out."
He didn't know Rosemary, not Julius, was just a floor below. That Gray and Soku were coming. That Edward was off near Mount Yelira. But for some reason, in all of their hearts, they felt he was here. You could see the glare on the back of their eyes. The rage, the fear, all the memories that came with it. Pushing them to move father. To act harder. Rosemary continued meditating, thinking of her friend still in the tower's dungeon. Of Soku, of Edward, and especially Gray. Julius kept smiling beside her, awaiting the moment she was. To escape, without relying on anybody or anything but themselves.
Gray {We're coming, and I'll save you, I swear I will. I have to, after you saved me so many damn times. I owe it to you, and I owe it to the world. There isn't anybody like you, with that smile, that joy and hope, that love you have for everybody, the way you can always find a way to move. I'll save the world's hero, the world's light. Or I'll explode trying.}
The Red Arrows all around Athens moved. The many outposts in the forests, outside villages to cities, are surrounded. The Warriors didn't even wake up before their homes, tents, and entire camps were lit aflame.
"Sound the horn! Call for back up!"
Red Arrow: "FOR ATHENS!!!"
The trees they built bases in were cut down. The boats passing through rivers were frozen, trapped by earth. Their spirit beats poisoned and left sick while their riders and users got their throats slit almost a deep sleep. Birds, Beasts, horns, magical flares broke off one by one everywhere. Red Arrows were stabbed, sliced, thrown through the forests. The Warriors better trained, with better gear, with more hate. But the Red Arrows had numbers, the moment of surprise, and the will to surprise their hatred. The Warriors couldn't keep up, and this wasn't even the main event.
Panzer, The Coliseum city, and Cretan all felt a shake of war. Groups of Red Arrows moving in packs. Coming out of the gutters, the sewers, the caves, the basements of buildings. Fake homeless people took out their gear, fake shop owners, fake business men and traitors. Living fake lives for hours, days, or even weeks to keep up appearances. Perpetuating why the Warriors were even going after civilians in the first place. They began to fire out magic, use torches, fire crystals, anything to spark the flames. For the many Warriors and Elites within civilian homes and shops, were executed quietly. In the first few minutes there was nothing but the silent night. And in the first twenty, streets were filled with rampaging battles and flames. Civilians ran screaming from their homes or locked them tight, flooding the streets with innocents while Arrows, magic, and blades were thrown indiscriminately.
Leo {I'm ready.}
As for Leo and Garly, they were in the front lines with their best Red Arrows. Leo sent his golden spear coated in bright yellow lighting through the streets like hope taken form. Through the Warriors, erupting with electricity to fry them inside the Elities Dragon stone armor, or send normal Warriors flying back, before the spear was snapped back into his hands. Garly instead pounced across the streets to leave shock waves behind, tearing through the Warriors thick leather and bashing bones to dust through Dragon Stone Armor. She was six feet tall, her skin took in the earth mana from the air to create a thick dense layer of stone, and her teeth were sharper than steel. Biting, ripping, smashing through anybody who dared to get in her way.
Amidst the screams, the flames, the smoke, the flares, were the Top Elites. Kacy Kast, Olivia Trude, and Lorane Ena stood at the top of Cretans tallest tower. The mayor's office, looking down at a once again warning city, taking in a last breath before leaping down to the Sparks of Valentine.
Olivia: "I'll try and keep the battle away from the civilians, and take out any Red Arrows on the way."
Kacy: "If you find a sweet treat, bring it back, I'll be up to her till then."
Ena was completely silent, instead she was making sure her steel and Dragon stone arrows were ready in its quiver. Leaping into the chaos, seeping into the clouds of battle, to become completely invisible. Leaving Kacy to extend her large arms, puff on her pipe, and begin pulling massive amounts of both wind and fire spirit mana ahead of her. In Panzer, the two youngest, the two nobles prepared. Grace with her Unique mana, while Ethan began to take in enough Spirit mana to break into the Spirit Stage. Looking upon Raylice herself, her Blade of Athens and incredible Dragon stone armor, unable to breath with such strength in front of them. Finally gasping when she vanished faster, harder, louder than Garly. Pushing right to her location amidst the chaos unfolding in the streets.
Grace: "All, all, allright! We -
Ethan: "RED ARROWS! COME ONE COME ALL, TO MEET ATHENS BEACON OF HOPE! THE BOY, NO NO! THE BEAUTIFUL, PROUD, GREAT, KIND MAN, ETHAN HOLLOR! I WILL BRING YOU TO SALVATION! I, THE MAN THE SPIRITS OF ATHENS LOVE THE MOST! I, I! I WILL FREE YOU ALL, AND SEND YOU BACK TO ECLIS! WHERE YOU'LL BURN, ROT, CORRUPT FOR ALL OF ETERNITY! NEVER TO BE REINCARNATED, NEVER TO BE LOVED BY THE GREAT DRAGON! NEVER LOVED NEVER EVER EVER!"
Ethan moved into action quicker than Grace, leaving her alone while he took off. Floating between Red Arrows while seamlessly dragging his mana coated rapier through their thick black armor, their joints, their bones, before appearing past the dead men proudly bowing. Awaiting the next group to try his luck.
Ethan: "El-Walnic!"
In an instant a large, bright transparent blue dome formed around the street. Trapping in Civilians, Red Arrows, and even some Warriors. Before bursting out into a crazed laugh, again and again, while their lives spitted onto the ground like their organs.
Ethan: "DON'T YOU JUST LOVE ATHENS!? THAT CONSTANT SOOT, SALT, AND BLOOD IN THE AIR! IT MAKES YOU JUST WANNA SCREAM SCREAM SCREAM TILL YOU'RE EYES POP!"
Soku: "Starting to hate Athens."
While the Red Arrows emerged within the Colosseum City, Panzer, and Cretan, Toll pushed under the Capital with about two hundred soldiers. The mix of Red Arrows and Spartans followed behind and around Gray, Soku, and even Peter, while everybody walked behind Toll and Caesar. The mining tunnels soon connected into an old set of sewer drains, through currently used disgusting sewer drains. Thousands of footsteps above shook the dark they sloshed through, trying not to puke as they ran, as the chaos had spread all around Athens. There weren't even Red Arrows fighting in the Capital, telling just how far it had reached. Spirit messages, birds, flares, all across Athens. Connecting them, warning them, but they were all likely fighting anyway. All aside from the King, Arthur, and all the Warriors within the tower.
Beauregard: "NO NO NO NO!"
Running across his office, screaming at Warriors and the few bunch of Elites still in the castle, sweating. Arthur just watched over with an annoyed stare, drunk off the whiskey he keeps scarfing down. Still he clanked glasses with Frank, triggering an explosion of wrath.
Beauregard: "WILL!? WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? WE NEED TO HOLD THIS CASTLE TIGHT, AND WHERE THE HELL IS CALGARY!"
It took about forty minutes for chaos to spread all around Athens. Forty minutes of hell. Spells of all kinds from all sides, weapons clashing, arrows flying. So much death. Kacy had prepared her massive sun, a bright ball of fire, that soon came flashing down as a volatile blast. Through the streets, across the buildings, right toward Leo. The wind mana mixed in with the fire created a more combustive effect, weaker, but far larger, enough to force Leo into action. Swiping his spear up with all he had, before slamming it against the street hard enough to crack. Throwing out a burst of pressure strong enough to separate, and throw the fire backward. He instantly leapt through the air with a coating of lightning, lunging forward mid-jump with a burst, before he pulled his spear in defense.
Olivia: "EL-GAS BLOW!"
A large torrent of blue wind came surging forth, strong enough to send Leo flying through a shop, break the shop with the pulse of force, while Leo continued bursting through three more walls. And on top of it all, he was covered in thick cuts, through his reinforced Red Arrow gear and lightning cloak.
Leo: "Not good."
Above him was earth gathering, flames pouring forth, circling and circling. Soon to create a moon of earth and magma that would drop on an entire block. All from Kacy, still holding her arms out and slowly pulling in mana with her far too strong Mark of Providence.
Kacy {Couple more attacks like this and I'm pooped. Gotta make these next count! And take Leo, take the sweetest spot I can get, and drown in gold!}
Smile, puff, laugh, puff, laugh, exhale, grin. Nothing but the world, nothing but pushing her Mark out. Nothing but gathering destruction, without trying at all. Losing stamina and mana, her strength, her will, but it didn't matter. She would kill Leo Valentine. And for Garly? Running through an endless crowd of everything, toward a natural disaster. Pure wind pressure, pure might, tearing through countless lives. Raylice, crushing the city that kept her captive by just fighting, before swinging her blade right before Garly.
Garly {...it can't be…}
Hundreds of memory's, what felt like hundreds of years of pain, surpassing her instincts. Raylice however couldn't help but take a succulent joy from sending Garly flying into the air. Bleeding, trying to hold a cracked stone form, while the blast from Raylice swing sent all the buildings around her soaring. Warriors and Red Arrows, enormous shards of rubble of once the once pristine white stoned and white columned buildings of Panzer, as well as the rest of her swing.
Raylice {Fade away, uproot, remove. Die. Go away. Leave. Hurt. Take my anger, take it all! I'll destroy everything if it means I can take the title of strongest, if I can finally step above it all.}
The woman is thought dead by most in Athens, and all across the world elsewhere. One of three people to ever rival Lincoln in sheer physical might during his prime. The person who came the closest to defeating Lincoln, aside from from the Last Dragon. And after decades of imprisonment, on top of the person she was before, has made her quite insane. Eyes bloodshot, teeth grinding, sweating and even bleeding from rage, pouring with what could only be called retribution. Revenge. The need, the unrelenting need to win this fight. To free Athens like she was always meant to. From these monsters in heroes' clothing.
The panzer was shaking. The Warriors were separated, overwhelmed, with only their resources and Top Elites to carry them past the sheet number of Red Arrows packed together. Of civilians, fighting and running. Chaos chaos chaos. Minute by minute. While the tower of Athens was held . As tight as can be. Warriors at every hall, Elites filled to the brim, along with Frank, Arthur, and Calgary to hold the force. Frank kept the middle safe, Arthur was at the very top with King Beauregard, but Calgary should have been down stairs in the dungeon. As his own request. But while the Capital was screaming with fear and flares, the tower was rushing with guards to their posts, Calgary was opening the door to Rosemary's cell. Finding Julius smiling ever confident, and Rosemary, angry after being broken from her mediation. Even angrier to find it was Calgary than always. But this time he simply walked forward and dropped his Dragon stone mask. Smiling through his broken, mostly metal teeth, and getting down on one knee.
Calgary: "This could be it, or the beginning of the war. I promise I'll keep you safe. The Goldenwinds can't die with us. I've worked hard to get my place in Athens, and -
Rosemary: "Do not speak to me. You've made a point for escape to be pointless. You've forced me to sit here as nothing but a liability. Why do you even try? Why can't you understand I'd end it all before I let you do anything, especially try and bring a child into the world through it."
She was so disgusted she could puke, but she was far too angry. Clenching her nails to slightly bleed, before jolting as far forward as her chains would allow. Just far enough to stop a headbutt.
Rosemary: "You're disgusting, inside and out. You're a failure of the Goldenwind name, just like me. You've done nothing but become utter shit. Go out, fight for psycho king, die for me? Okay?"
Calgary: "That mouth you have is so cute. Glad you dropped that cutesy shit."
Rosemary: "This…"
It wasn't her. But that hate was earned, it was true, it was obvious, so obvious how terrible he was. Yet she pulled back. To meditate, and let Calgary walk. Before jolting to grab her arms and force her against the ground.
Calgary: "YOU THINK YOU'RE SO HIGH AND MIGHTY! THAT YOU'RE IN CONTROL! YOU'RE NOT! I HOPE YOUR FRIENDS TRY AND SAVE YOU, SO I CAN SHOW YOU WHAT YOUR RESISTANCE DOES TO PEOPLE! WHAT YOU DO TO PEOPLE! I'LL BREAK YOU, AND YOU'LL UNDERSTAND, BUT FIRST I HAVE TO GO KILL THEM!"
He threw her against the wall before rushing out the door in the third stage. Zapping through the halls in hefty bursts. To make his way to the dungeon. Rosemary crawled forward, shaken, but unwilling to let Calgary make her cry. Let Calgary do anything to affect her. Looking toward Julius, only to find his smile a bit bigger.
Julius: "Look."
The Dragon stone door, not fully closed. Her eyes lit up, her soul erupted, and she instantly went back to her mediating position. To finish what she's been doing since she was thrown into the room. While below such a dungeon was a large number of forces. The Capital group had made it through the mining tunnels, skewers, and old drain tunnels. Now their Earth mages were using magic to open a hole around a thick Dragon stone door. The dark stone pushed out, in, and all around like a smooth river before solidifying in place. Letting Toll, a large number of Red Arrows, Spartans, Caesar, Soku, Peter, and Gray Kyojin run into the connecting drain tunnels. The same tunnel Soku escaped from before, staring up at a large Dragon stone drain. Replaced from the old one Soku got through.
Toll: "How many do we sense?"
A few Spirit mages and Demi-humans focused just as Toll focused, but Gray tried his hardest to keep up. Taking in a burst of spirit mana into his body to enter the Spirit sense and stare up. Nothing, look closer, nothing, harder, nothing. Close your eyes, breathe, breathe , breathe, exhale, and see.
Gray: "There's a bunch of people in the cells! -
Toll: "SHHH! But keep going."
Gray: "Sorry sorry! But it seems like they haven't moved the prisoners."
"Well I sense a strong dude heading down the stairs!"
Toll: "Then we act. Stay behind me."
They couldn't even breathe before she leapt. Throwing out a burst of pressure that threw them all back, while she flew up. Her large muscular leg, and opened hooved foot straight up. Building even more power before she slammed against the Dragon stone. It slightly bent the faulty dragon stone, but the stone and steel around the grate combust anyway. Sending the grate through the dungeon while she slid across the stone floor. Inside, and staring at a single man. Covered head to toe in thick Dragon stone armor.
Calgary: "Beauregard will definitely get happy when I told him I was right. And slaughtered the invaders."
Toll instantly stood firmly. The army below simply awaits her word. Leaving Gray, Soku, and Peter broken by anticipation.
Peter: "I,i,i shouldn't be here should I?"
Soku: "You wanted to fight, and you have the tools to help."
Gray: "Yeah, there's a lot of us right! We should be able to win."
Caesar was the only one smiling. His hands on his sides, staring through the broken sky. While Calgary began moving toward Toll. The loud thumps of his Dragon stone sending shocks through all of their hearts.
Toll: "Just you, with all these prisoners?"
Calgary: "Prisoners? You mean like the two people still in here? Or do you mean those prisoners?"
All of the Dragonstone cells slid open, aside from two far away from each other. Out came packs of Warriors, filling the three stories, and circling Toll. All while Calgary got closer.
Toll: "What of the Goldenwind and Cromwell?"
Calgary: "Those are special kids. Locked up tight near the top floor. Have fun trying to get there."
Calgary attempted to burst right into the fourth stage, but the moment Toll incensed the battle beginning, she broke the floor with her lunge. Appearing ahead Calgary, her leg high in the air, before smashing him across the face with so much force he flew into his own forces. Fourth stage and all.
Toll: "FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRR THHEE TRRUEEE AAAATTHHHHEEEEENNNNSS!!!!"
She screamed so hard her throat felt like it was gonna bleed, but it was enough. Like a broken water pipe came rushing the true Warriors out of the shattered drain. Demi-humans lunged, other Demi-humans threw the humans up, some used mana. But Gray surged with bright purple mana at his feet before turning it blue with an intake of spirit mana. His arms out, his face filled with a mix of fear and rage, while his mind only saw Rosemary. Flashing through the drain and into the sky, his mana bright, his cloak extended, and his mask on. Before Soku flew past him like a green ball of light. Flashing between the railing, to the floor, right against the body of a Warrior.
Gray {LET'S GET THIS STARTED!}
The Warriors and Red Arrows clashed like they did everywhere else.
"IGNIS!" "DIGVAL!" "WIGAP!" "WIGLAR!"
Spells again and again from the Red Arrows, anything they had, while the Warriors did the same. The Elites however silently mumbled spells under their breath, focusing on the crystals with affinities embedded into their armor, and enhanced their Dragon stone weapons with powerful elemental mana. Or used ice, stone, and flaming shields to rush down the Red Arrows trying their best to hold them back. Spears snapped, blades broke, spells fizzled away, as the Dragon stone would always survive. Allowing the large Elites to cleave through stomachs, spines, arms, through heads, all on their own.
Calgary: "EYES RIGHT HERE!"
Toll threw out rapid kicks all around, sending Warriors and Elites flying into Calgary while he broke the floor sprinting. Before throwing out a large swipe of air pressure. Throwing his own soldiers back in an attempt to hold Toll still. Yet that only put Calgary in her sight line. Calgary didn't lunge, instead he threw a punch, a punch, over and over again. Forcing Toll to block with a rampage of wind blasts smashing against her.
Soku: "GET AWAY FROM HER!"
Soku was jumping over Warrior heads to slam them into the stone, throwing out wind blades to help Red Arrows, still making time to surge with power. Her Mark took in the spirit mana in the air in a quick burst, causing her wind coated sword to erupt with blazing green might. Powerful enough to force Calgary to try and punch it away, only for the slash to go right through, and explode on the blue lit Elite. Sliding across the second floor railing right after, right before falling backward with the small cuts blasting through her body. Calgary was once again sent flying back, only for two black tendrils to wrap around his arms.
Gray: "WHERE'S ROSEMARY, AND WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER!?"
Calgary: "So you're one of her friends right? I was just telling her what I was gonna do to you guys, before I moved on to her!"
Grays mana poured out with his erupting rage. So when he grabbed hold of the extended Cloak to rocket forward, he moved like a bullet. Flickering into a clash, sword to Dragon stone. Gray's blade instantly cracked under the backlash of force and the fourth stage aura, yet he took in more Spirit mana, forcing his blade through Calgary's blue aura and into the slit of his Dragon stone gear.
Gray: "WHAT DID YOU DO DAMMIT!? IF YOU TOUCHED HER, IF YOU EVEN LAID A FINGER, I'LL -
It was only enough to draw blood. Calgary however hit Gray right in the stomach, the resulting pressure knocking the surrounding fighters back, and forcing all Gray's mana away. Again, again, again. Across the face right as he forced out more mana, tossing Gray's mask into the air. Out of breath. His rage is now suppressed by sheer shock. Then against his leg to trip him, and right in the stomach to send him right into Toll's arms.
Calgary: "YOU'LL WHAT!? DO THIS!?"
The weak seals on his armor turning his gold aura blue struggled, but managed to keep up with his burst into the fifth stage. Throwing a large torrent of pressure forward, picking up the wind in the air, to almost smash right into Gray. It felt like the roar of a Dragon, felt like an earthquake, and sounded like a missile had shot through the air. Yet Toll took the hit yet again, this time with the Dragon stone brace around her leg after tossing Gray into the air for Soku to snag. The force was enough to crack the stone of the first floor, and go up the walls of the others. As the continuous force he was letting off shook the old dungeon, before he sent even more power through the space with his leap.
Soku: "Calm down! We're not strong enough to fight that guy, we have to support Toll!"
Gray: "You know how that plays out!"
Instead of Rosemary, he saw Kioshis body exploding into thousands of bloody pieces. Musashi's very soul gets ripped out in a single strike. Al gets stabbed in the heart in front of a burning mansion. Ophelia, scorched in seconds. But Soku saw it too, over and over again just like Gray and everybody else. Which is why she had to grab him by the Cloak and pull him forward. Only for the Cloak to instantly become good, sticking and snatching off Soku's thick glove, and let Gray dash forward to an almost certain death. Wiping blood drooling from his mouth, holding a stomach screaming with such pain he was crying, while trying to exude mana.
Gray {LIKE PULLING A BUNCH OF TEETH AT ONCE! JUST GET IT OVER WITH! DO IT, DO IT YOU PIECE OF SHIT! DO SOMETHING FOR ONCE!}
The Elites were pushing, the Warriors following behind, but as this dense battle went on even for a few minutes, their stamina was dropping. Fear, constant thought and movement, so much pain from everywhere all at once. They didn't have much mana, most without an affinity. Their armor couldn't protect them from all of the heat, the frost, or half of the force. Breaking their bodies from the inside, while anything that got through the large gaps in the armors plaiting bled them out. The Red Arrows using daggers and spreading flames had the easiest time. Slashing guts, throats, any tendons or arteries. While the fire burned them from inside the armor. It couldn't spread through, trapped like an oven. Disgusting, horrific, creating a battlefield drooling with blood and yelling with pain. Until Toll stomped her foot against the ground and pushed everything back.
Toll: "PUSH THROUGH! PUSH PAST THIS BLUE ELITIE AND GO UP THE TOWER! SAVE THE GOLDENWIND, SAVE THE CROMWELL, AND BREAK THIS DAMN TOWER! ORDERS FROM THE EX LEADER OF THE WARRIORS! ORDERS FROM THE SECOND IN COMMAND OF THE RED ARROWS DAMMIT!"
Caesar was in the shadows picking off Elites only. The Red Arrows focused on the Warriors, grouping up on the Elites, but Caesar just let them chop away at his body indefinitely. Either setting up a kill or breaking them down for a future one. Laughing and moving in a constant day dream.
Calgary: "WELL THE CURRENT LEADER OF THE ELITES SAYS THAT EVERY RED ARROW IN THIS DUNGEON IS NEVER LEAVING! CAUSE IT'LL BE IMPOSSIBLE TO PICK UP ALL THE PIECES!"
Still in the fifth stage he clashed with Toll again and again. She twisted, kicked, and recovered. Calgary threw out pretty strong strikes, but they created more wind pressure than his real strength. Toll however was moving off pure strength, mixed with actual skill in weaponizing the air. Each strike let her feel a crunch in Calgary, a pivot in his strength, a slight weakness with every move, before her eye was drawn to the wall ahead. Soku looked too, instantly thrown into a deep panic, before exploding forward with even more wind to try and do something.
Gray {I have to try before I break myself, I have to get to Rosemary, I have to prove I've gotten stronger!}
He was on the wall, bursting with power. His eyes in the spirit sense, his mana at Half power, and his cracked sword cracking even more with the dense, bright, intense flow of Spirit mana around it. Soku had no idea of how much stronger Gray had gotten, but two months? He wasn't a Helsing, he wasn't some secret God of War. He was just a boy with too much mana and too much hate to fuel his pain tolerance. Even if he had gotten better, it didn't mean he should be doing this. Jumping, bursting, worse and worse, but he'd keep going if that meant a brighter future. Blasting off the wall, slashing forward with all his might.
Gray: "BREAKER!"
A blade of Spirit mana spiraling through the air, slicing through a wave of wind from Calgary, to explode in a bright blue burst against his face. Stunned just long enough for the Cloak to wrap around his arms. Holding him for Gray to grab hold, push his arms into Full Power flow, and lift Calgary into the air while he spun. Like Donte, he flipped Calgary off the ground, through the air, right onto a handful of Warriors. All while Toll sent even more Warriors flying, broken, screaming with a massive kick. Again and again, destroying walls, causing cells to cave in on themselves, while earth and fire erupted between.
Gray: "TOLL! GO NOOOOWWW!"
The Red Arrows and Spartans kept coming out of the drain, past a frozen Peter. The Warriors were dropping, now evenly numbered and soon to be outnumbered. By the handful they broke past the Elities at the door, added by the massive explosions of force from the battle, and especially Toll. Clearing a path to rampage forward like a Spirit Bull. A shoulder charge from hell, turning Warriors to nothing but bloody pools of meat five Warriors at a time. Even getting touched sent so much stress and energy against every bone, muscle, and vein that the body could only combust. The tower shook and shook. More soldiers poured from the floors above. And then there was the King, holding a face melting with anguish.
Arthur: "What'll you do if Leo wins huh? Have you thought of how you could come back if the tables were turned? With Leo as King and you as the rebellion?"
Beauregard: "...That would never happen. But yes, sadly I have something in mind. I just hope it doesn't come to that."
Arthur: "Aren't we all right?"
The many fighters in the dungeon began running out, either to follow Toll or try and stop them from fleeing. Gray on the other hand swung with his Cloak to kick Warriors aside, Soku pinballed across soldier soldier soldier and the few bunches of fighters stayed behind to clear Athens troupes.
"EL-DIGHO!"
A Red Arrow shot forth a powerful burst of Earth mana that created a dense shockwave within the stone. A pure trembling cascade. Causing the left side of the first floor to collapse like a landslide to bury the few Elites in their path. Other Spartans gave their lives fighting like animals. Light armor, standing out in their dirty white Cloaks, covered in endless cuts. Through their sides, hands, faces, impaled and sliced again and again. Screaming out, gritting so hard it broke their teeth, fighting as hate filled as the Sect. So similarly that Gray couldn't help but be distracted. Until he felt Calgary's power once again within the crowded chaos.
Calgary: "I SAID YOU'RE ALL GONNA DIE IN HERE!"
He roared, throwing his arms out with all he could. Letting out a blood curdling cry of rage, as the pain accumulated from the battle was already becoming too much, and the fifth stage was eating away at him every second. Still he sent everybody flying, even Soku, but Gray pulled her forward with the Cloak to save her from crashing into the wall. Gray kept flying forward, screaming with his own horrid pain, while he pulled in as much Spirit mana as he could hold. Cracking his maxed Spirit Sense.
Gray: "MANA, FULL POWER!"
Gray swung, faster than Calgary moved, breaking his sword across the Dragon Stone mask. The resulting power still cracked the ground beneath them, but Calgary just grabbed Gray's leg and smashed him against the ground. Letting him bounce off the stone, blood pouring out of his mouth even with so much mana protecting him, and a bright green blazing savior right behind him.
Soku: "GET AWAY FROM HIM!"
She had her wind flooding out across her body, her Mark empowering even that, to let her break her sword as well. But she threw everything with it. Like a missile, larger than anything Gray could perform, so much so Soku's body erupted in thick slashes. But an insane flash of wind rushed forward, with Calgary right at the core, smashing him against the ground. The middle of the first floor was crushed. Most of the Red Arrows and Spartans were near the front, but the last few coming out of the drain were forced to create walls of stone for protection. Which still broke under the pressure.
Calgary: "DAMN!? WHAT ARE YOU PEOPLE!? WHY DID YOU HERE DAMMIT!? WHY COULDN'T YOU JUST LEAVE ATHENS BE!?"
His fifth stage was forced away, while the vents of his armor all splashed with drooling blood. Soku was left on the floor about to be emailed by a Warrior, before Gray punched him so hard he felt his spine crunch through the leather armor. Calgary caught the Warrior before throwing him away like trash, surging to the third stage. But Gray, flaring back into full power, pulling in even more Spirit mana, was still faster. However Calgary caught his fist hit, no matter the boom it let off, and the constant air force. Again, catch, block with forearm, dodge, block with leg. Gray punched and punched and kicked and pulled with the Cloak and slashed with his wrist talon again again again -
Gray {Shit!}
Only for the Wrist talon to crack like an egg, erupting like one the next second. Leaving him open for Calgary to grab Gray's splintering arm and twist it upward. Before snapping it back down and grabbing Gray by the throat.
Calgary: "YOU'RE THE HERO!? TOLL LEFT YOU BEHIND!? A FEW MORE HITS FROM HER AND SHE MIGHTA KILLED ME! BUT YOU!? AND THAT KID!?"
The Spartans were already gone, the Red Arrows pushing past. However the Warriors had faded, hardly able to stand, the ones that could have gone to chase Toll. Unlucky enough a few Elites remained to hold Soku into the air with a single arm. Gray didn't even think before his fingers swarmed with blinding purple tornadoes like mana.
Gray: "JUST GO! AWAY!"
Smashing his face with a punch, harder than full power, at complete Overdrive. The crushed stone now dust, the Elities thrown off enough for Soku to surge with wind and shoulder bash Calgary away from Gray. Standing tall together. Her brown jacket levels cut open to show her small bleeding arms, hardly able to stand. Her legs wobble uncontrollably. Gray on the other hand was hunched, holding his broken fingers with tears and blood drooling from his face. His Cloak was wiggling with anguish, panic. His OD was crying with pain from the Spiritual pressure.
Gray {You're…you're serious!?}
He made quite the ugly, broken, beaten expression at the sight of Calgary standing once again. Wobbling, before standing his ground firmly.
Calgary: "GET OUT! GET OUT GET OUT! LET ME KILL THEM! LET ME DO THIS, SO I CAN BREAK THAT BITCH ROSEMARY, AND MAKE HER MINE! I'LL BE THE KNEW GOLDEN GOD, THE LEADER, THE MAN WHO'LL REACH THE TENTH STAGE DAMMIT!"
The Elites were confused but scared enough to run past Gray and Soku, flowing up the stairs to fight the many Red Arrows upon them. Gray and Soku, after hearing Calgary say Rosemary's name like that, say such things, and lose all sight of Athens. Soku heard Ophelia's screams past all the pain, while Gray lost his mind. After all he had done, after trying to come back from running away, after Gordon and Ryo - . He made it here. He did it. And now, when it all seemed impossible, his eyes flashed white.
Gray: "I'LL -
All that time trying. Fighting over and over. Watching it over and over. Doing it over and over. From Jeremiah, to crushing Donte, to Zhao bursting Charlie. Anybis, Conroy, Carla. The scar that Zhao left, it should have been enough of a reminder. Zhao would agree though, that the next words that fell out of Gray's mouth were reasonable. If Gray lived he'd regret it. If Gray heard it he'd laugh. But right now, with all this pain, and all the pain he was gonna feel, he roared this time. His body flared bright blue, his eyes a bright white. His Cloak stretched out slightly, breaking into small slimly pieces. Leaving Soku frozen in fear, for what Gray was gonna do to himself. Reaching forward and about to scream, but Gray was far louder.
Gray: "I'LL KILL YOU BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING TO ROSEMARY EVER AGAIN!"
The Cloak surged past Calgary, smashing into the stone wall near the exit. All while Calgary laughed and laughed.
Calgary: "Sure you -
Gray and the Cloak pulled forward, the Cloak like tight rubber, to become a Spirit Bullet.
Gray: "MANA OVERDRIVE!"
When Gray first used Mana overdrive, it was closer to full power. He couldn't really control his mana, and he didn't have much mana to use. Still, his mana was strong enough to do very impressive things. But in the Castle he managed to consistently use "Overdrive" a few times before breaking. But ever since his training with Gordon and Ryo, when he used Overdrive, his limb broke instantly. From throwing Prissy through multiple walls to crushing Donte's face to bits. He was growing, and that growth was going to destroy him. To ash.
Soku: "GRAY STOP!"
His fist was swarming like a tight tornado of mana before unraveling and expanding into a massive blast. He tried to make it dense, he tried to hold it in at the last second, but his arm still ruptured within. But he stayed mid-air, gasping in disbelief.
Calgary: "What was that again!?"
Calgary's arm was in the fifth stage, about to break like Grays, with Gray's fist caught firmly in his palm. The dungeon shook so hard the ceiling began to drop in pieces around them, the walls and upper cells broke open or caved in, like a landslide of power. It wasn't all Gray, but the accumulated pressure in Toll, Calgary, Soku, Gray, and everybody else to fight within this hellish prison.
Gray: "I SAID I'LL KILL YOU!"
The Cloak grabbed hold of Calgary's body in small pieces, snapping Calgary's arms together while Gray backhanded Calgary with the constant overdrive. Just enough to stun, hit the ground, and force his leg leg into that same tornado like state. Smashing Calgary's stomach with another dungeon shattering blow. Soku continuously got pushed back from the wind pressure, Gray's body fractured while his arm shattered to a purple splintered thing, and he kept going.
Gray {I'M SORRY! I'M SO SORRY!}
Everybody that died for him. Everybody that was going to die because of him. Rosemary Rosemary Rosemary. His parents. The whole world he left for this. The world he was leaving again. But he would take Calgary with him. Al did it, Kioshi did it, Musashi did it, and now Gray was going to die to ensure victory. Like the Heroes before him.
Gray {BUT I HAVE TO! FULL BODY OVERDRIVE!!!!}
The overwhelming power that came forward instantly cracked his armor, tore through his Leviathan Clothes, like bubbling magma bursting forth. Around and around, like a powerful gust of wind that never stopped. Around. Around. A full body tornado of blazing purple mana, his eyes white with the Spirit stage, and Blue Spirit mana fizzling out everywhere. He could only hold it for a few seconds, just like he did when he fought Jeremiah for the first time. But in those few seconds, he danced.
Kick across his face, hit to the gut, carry with that force around his body instead of flying away, hit his back. Calgary was pushing out the fifth stage for defense, but it was being flattened, broken and pushed away. For the power to come forward. Through his body, through the ground, working to crumble this damn dungeon
Gray: "DIE DIE DIE DIE!"
Every hit felt like years of Gray's life were fading away. His OD shaving away, his unlocked mana reserves plummeting to nothing and then some, his bones about to denigrate. So many body breaking battles over just four months in this world, ending with a flash. The pain didn't matter anymore, as he didn't really feel it. All the Spirit Mana, shock, and rage took care of that. But what he did hear, see, it was so much worse. Rosemary, Soku, his family Walgonia or Earth. So angry at what he's done. Why did he give up like that!? Why did he think he could win!? Doesn't he know we need his mana!? Why is he so reckless!? Why is he always such a fool!?
Gray {I'm sorry I couldn't be the Hero I thought I could be. I'm sorry I failed, when you're so close.}
A final punch into Calgary's shoulder, the mana flying off of Gray's left arm after. Still he ran under and above Calgary, kicking with the last mana he could in his left leg, before kicking off Calgary's face with the last of his right. A single right arm, and it was all he needed. Calgary dashed toward Gray with a blazing fist of blue mana, but Gray moved faster for the last time.
Gray: "MANA OVERDRIVE!"
And punched Calgary in the face. Throwing him past Soku, past all the rubble, and right into the front wall of the dungeon. Leaving a spider-web set of cracks, before Calgary dropped to the ground in front of the exit. Gray swayed back and forth, what was left of his armor fell to his feet, letting the world look at his ravaged body. Cuts and bruises everywhere, his eyes blank and blood shot, his crushed face swollen, his messy hair hanging low. The Cloak torn to shreds, overwhelmed by the torrent of mana. Before he fell with a harsh crunch on the ground, forced to watch the world seep into the abyss. But Soku held him tightly, held his hand tightly, and prepared to do the same. As Calgary stood once again.
Gray {It was…for nothing…? Figures…}
Calgary was going to fight again. Soku was going to fight. And the only thing Gray could hear was constant laughter. The laughter of the man he hates the most.
Gray {I'm so useless…I can't even help but laugh right?}
Calgary's Dragon stone mask broke, at least the part holding the mask together. Showing Calgary's own destroyed face, if not in worse shape than Grays. But blazing behind him was stronger than them all. Golden. And she punched Calgary in the back of the head. Knocking him down before blasting to Gray. Leaving Soku in complete shock, before the tears ran down.
Soku: "You're…YOU'RE HERE!? YOU GOT! GOT OUT! YOU DID IT YOU -
Rosemary. How she did it, how she made it, it didn't matter right now. What did matter was what was in her arms. Her broken hope. Now covered in her tears. Unable to speak. Unable to breathe. Only able to scream in anguish.
Rosemary: "HELP PLEASE! PLEASE WE NEED HELP PLEASE!"
Soku got up to look around for any Red Arrows, only to find rubble and bodies. The battle had gone by and she hadn't gotten a second to take it in. The horror. How many lives were lost. How many lives she added in killing. All the blood on her hands, her wounds, the immense pain she was really in. How dangerous her injuries were. Leaving her crying out, unable to bear it any longer.
Rosemary: "WE NEED SOMEBODY PLEASE! BANDAGES MAGIC SPIRIT SOMETHING! AN ELIXIR! WE -
And then she saw her. Her only friend in the prison, aside from Julius. The woman who helped her stand. Holding out her withered, scaly hand, ready to give it all away for the heroes in front of her.
Rosemary: "Wait, your body can't handle it! YOU CAN'T -
"I've been ready to go for a long time. This…this is the perfect chance to finally do something for Athens, after sitting away for so long."
The battles around Athens had all begun. Some had ended. And so, so many were already dead. The rest on the brink of death. When the battles all came to an end, and Athens got to breathe again, this war will be over.