Kyle grimaced in annoyance as he glared down at his own hands in self-loathing (“This is no time to get depressed damnit!”) he chided himself and turned around giving the corpse his back, stepping back through the rift he watched as the shadows that previously assaulted him were dissipating away.

But his mind ended up elsewhere as he noticed Karnage standing there, her expression pale as she cautiously watched him. Kyle looked away as he spoke “Let’s go before that dumbass get’s himself killed.” ashamed of his own loss of control there were also other more important matters to attend to at the moment. Like his suicidal guildmate.

Karnage broke out of her daze and quickly nodded without responding, taking it as agreement Kyle willed himself to fly then soared through the mansion’s walls this time undeterred. Both of them flew out of the mansion like ghosts going through it’s walls then immediately made their way towards the tower, behind them the peace and tranquillity of the district had been set aside as complete mayhem took it’s place.

The streets of District 1 were turned into a battlefield as squadrons of Raiders charged through supported by backlining mercenaries while droves of androids tried their best to swarm the robots with numbers. Tanks set up outside the main streets trying ready up shots on the charging GAIA units due to their large size making them incapable of fitting in the side-streets being used. Yet the large black barrier, even though diminished in it’s power was still very much active.

Karnage glanced back at the clash “Shouldn’t we help them?...” she asked.

“You help them you help this world, you help me and Sly you help Chaoz. That is not my fight and I won’t interfere, you can do whatever you want.” Kyle replied without looking back, his gaze solely focused on the large tower ahead. Invisible at first the tower also had a barrier around it yet once they had re-emerged from the mansion it had been already shattered and all that remained was it’s dissipating green energy.

Furthermore at the very top of the tower where it’s metallic walls were once smooth and untouched a large gaping hole had been blown open, violet sparks of lightning also surged through the building’s side from time to time.

“We’re not late…” murmured Kyle as they approached the tower at high speed. A sudden flash of dark purple light blinded them briefly as they reached through the dissipating barrier, as they did so Kyle suddenly felt the multiple surges of mana emanating from the tower.

Kyle sensed the miasma in the air and he sensed the divine mana powering it, yet he also sensed another kind of mana. A mix of multiple kinds of mana flowed through the tower, a massive concentration of it flowing like a river into one single pool at the very top.

“What is this mana?” asked Karnage with wide eyes as she also sensed the flow.

Kyle stopped at the shattered hole in the tower’s side “I don’t know but whatever it is, it can’t be good for us.” He glanced around with his senses trying to pinpoint a spell or mechanism flowing the mana but he couldn’t find a single thing. As he did so he suddenly noticed that the mana flow had abruptly stopped “Or…was”.

Just as suddenly a surge of mana blasted out from the tower’s centre sending shivers down his spine, mana engulfed the area all around the tower where before there was nothing at all. Kyle had only felt this kind of horrible mana once before, an energy that produced darkness, a power that smelled like death.

It was nothing like the Nogitsune’s intoxicating mana, it was nowhere near the emotionally filled Spirit nor the sinful Miasma. This mana was the product of corruption that produced rot and decay, the raw incarnation of evil. The mana that had engulfed the entirety of the tower and it’s surroundings was none other than Dread.

Kyle shut off his senses of mana detection as he felt the mana practically choking him, like poison it burned his lungs and made him sweat. “Stop detecting it!” he exclaimed back at Karnage with wide eyes, seeing her pale and breathing heavily but still conscious “It’s fucking Dread, I’ve never sensed so much in one place…” said Kyle as he remembered just how terrified the inhabitants of Chaoz were of this mana.

Realisation hit him as Kyle suddenly rushed inside the tower “Shit! Sly don’t be rash!” he exclaimed out loud as he remembered when he had sensed Dread before, under what circumstances they had to face that kind of mana and what they had lost due to it.

Kyle flew through the broken down corridors, following the destruction he found his path to Sly which ended on an untouched closed door.

“What is it?! What happened?!” asked Karnage in panic as she followed him to a stop in front of the door.

Kyle stepped forward to pass through it when suddenly it opened, on the other side stood Sly with enraged eyes. Kyle felt his guildmate’s anger and guilt, he sensed them eating away at Sly from the inside. He glanced around Sly to see two individuals inside the room, a young woman dressed in purely white clothing and a guard with a strange aura.

“You coming Lilith?” asked Sly with a harsh tone “This is your fight as much as it is mine.”

Kyle realised what the strange aura was as he watched the Lilith possessed guard turn to face Sly “I am.” The guard replied with a misplaced voice before turning back to the young woman nearby.

Long blond hair with mixed in silver strands, light brown eyes and a freckled face the girl sat on her bed hugging her legs close to her chest. Shame on her expression as she stared down at the white floor that lay as blank and empty as the entirety of the room.

“It won’t be long Reyna, you’ll be away from this place soon enough.” Lilith assured her before turning to follow after Sly.

“Reyna?” repeated Karnage in surprise as both her and Kyle stared at the pale woman.

“Do you sense it?” asked Sly as he watched Lilith exit the room and close the door behind her.

“Dread everywhere.” Replied Lilith with disdain clear in her tone “We’re facing a necromancer…”

Sly snorted “With this much mana? No a mere necromancer isn’t what he is, I can feel the mana circling around this entire building like a barrier…He’s a Lich and this is his domain.”

“We’ll follow closely, get ready to emerge at any second.” Said Kyle as he grimaced at Sly’s guess, in any game or story he had read fighting a Lich inside his domain was equal to suicide.

“How can he sense the Dread without being effected?...” asked Karnage as they followed after the two Devils like phantoms.

“I don’t know.” replied Kyle as he watched Sly closely, mainly sensing his temperament at being reminded of his failure back at the dungeon.

“Shouldn’t we just emerge and ask?...They don’t even know we’re here!” exclaimed Karnage as she gestured at them.

“That’s the point, if they don’t know we’re here then there’s a good chance Scythe doesn’t. I’m not giving up our surprise advantage…” Kyle explained as he glanced at her (“Although I probably fucked that up already…”) he then thought as his real reason not to appear yet was not to deal with Sly’s reaction.

Karnage sighed in exasperation “Fine…”

Closely they followed the two Devils, through long and tediously similar corridors they travelled towards the centre of this floor. The closer they got the thicker the Dread around them became, so much so that Kyle even felt himself being drained of his stamina.

Glancing to the side he saw that this also affected Karnage, as she breathed heavily her complexion had paled too. Yet when he looked at Sly and Lilith they seemed unaffected by the mana, as if immune to the deathly energy.

(“This is too easy…”) thought Kyle (“Where are the guards? Why is there no security? Did they put their faith in the outer defences so much?”) he wondered dreadfully.

At one point the mana had gotten so thick that it became visible, a white mist had formed on the ground that reached up to their knees. As they walked through the mist, through this dimly lit and gloomy corridor, as the floor creaked and cracked below every step as if they were walking on bones finally they reached their destination.

A set of metal double doors lay closed ahead of them, identical to any other door to the naked eye this one had a specific difference about it. The sheer amount of Dread that permeated out of it’s cracks had taken the form of oozing white mist that engulfed the doorway like a comically flooded room.

Yet there was nothing comical about the energy that radiated from inside, even as Kyle shut off his senses the power condensed around him and squashed him under it’s weight. The four of them, Devils and Ghosts stood there staring at the door shuddering at the thought of what awaited them on the other side.

(“Or maybe…it just doesn’t care?”) Kyle thought as to the ease they were met with as they made their way inside.

“What might you be waiting for?” suddenly asked a chilling voice from within, it reverberated throughout the corridor echoing back and forth several times “Please make yourselves comfortable, the show is just about to begin.” Just as suddenly the double doors creaked open on their own revealing the room on the other side.

A massive laboratory lay within, about half the floor’s size at fifty by twenty-five meters with bright white metallic walls and ceiling over a light wooden floor that lay as a single floorboard with no cracks or indentations. Long metallic grey tables lined the edges of the room bursting with machinery, monitors and tools. Going back and forth between tables were androids stripped of their human skins, machinery and organs fully visible through their transparent skin. The thick mist wisped around the room like tendrils ever moving and expanding while their form dissipated behind them.

In the very far centre of the room sitting on a lone office chair and giving them his back was a man wearing a lab coat, with coffee mug in one hand and a tablet in the other he glanced back at them briefly “I never liked how human they looked, or tried to. Makes them much easier to work with…or well…order around.” explained the man as he turned around with the chair “I’ve been expecting you Devils, I’ve been wanting to meet you Blue Fox and I must say I am quite surprised to see one of your kind here Witch.”

“Scythe…” hissed Lilith as she glared at the man with pure hatred.

Scythe chuckled as he stood up from his chair, his appearance as average as one’s could get with short black hair, dark brown eyes and a slight Asian complexion. Yet his pale skin, so white that it mixed in with the walls made him stand out a fair bit.

Kyle stared at him intently “There goes our advantage…” he whispered before willing his flames to engulf his right arm and form a claw. Kyle slashed at the air ahead of them cutting open a rift as suddenly the mist around them dispersed, one by one Kyle and Karnage stepped through the rift fully revealing themselves.

Sly glanced at Kyle in slight surprise but quickly refocused back on Scythe “You shouldn’t have come.”

Kyle smirked “Too bad, I’m here now. Doesn’t seem like you’ve got much room to bitch either, he’s been expected you.”

Sly chuckled coldly “It won’t matter.” He opened his hands wide and black claws expanded outwards from his fingers reaching twice their length “Not once I’m done with him…”

Scythe simply stood there with a smile as he spoke “Oh a feisty one, it’s nice to be dedicated kid but careful not to get too focused. You might miss some details that are out of focus.”

Sly snorted in response as violet lightning surged through his body, sparking through his wings and claws as he suddenly surged forwards. Dispersing mist, androids and tables as he charged, Sly clawed through the air as he reached out at Scythe.

Scythe’s smile grew wider becoming a wicked grin as suddenly the mist converged on Sly’s charge, engulfing him entirely for a brief moment before expelling him outwards and back towards the direction he came from. Sly crashed through more tables and priceless equipment before tumbling to a stop in front of Karnage, laying on the ground while facing upwards he groaned in both pain and annoyance.

“Children…so impatient.” Scythe sighed, his tone a mirror opposite of his wide grin “But I guess you will have to do as a final requirement to my masterpiece.” Dropping both the mug and tablet to the ground he opened his arms wide as the mist converged onto his own body, wrapping around his limbs the skin seemed to be absorbing it.

“I must say I have quite outdone myself, I expected a Devil to be among the bunch I sent through but who knew so many mythical beings existed even here on this plain and boring realm!?” Scythe laughed, a cackling laugh that made their bones shiver “So many…disgusting monsters.” His face warped from grinning amusement to sheer disgust as he glared at them all “The Avatar made one mistake when it created the Gods same as they made one mistake when they created us lower creatures.”

Suddenly Scythe’s clothes tore away as mist moved to immediately replace it, changing colour and form a shrouded cloak of dark grey formed around Scythe as did a long crooked wooden staff of grey ending in a rusted curved blade forming his namesake.

“They did not make their creations equal. I will fix that, with you here I can now begin” Scythe explained as the mist formed around his feet and allowed him to levitate.

“Begin what?!” asked Lilith as she took a step forwards, summoning flames in her possessed body but not capable of changing to her true form “What have you been plotting behind our backs? What have you done all this for?!”.

Scythe chuckled once more “Have you not figured it out yet little monster? I’ve been gathering mana into the artefact and myself, I made it accept my and only my commands. Now I will use this rash Devil in his true form as a key to other realms, I will gather my allies and lay waste to Chaoz and any other realm after! I will force out the Avatar and destroy it! I will hunt down the Gods and enslave them! No longer will they rule over us like deities, no longer will they play with our lives!”

Lilith’s eyes grew wide as realisation hit her, which only served to amuse Scythe further “So now you comprehend, you’ve been completely played. Every step you’ve taken has been predetermined, every action you’ve chosen merely placed there by me. You’ve brought me my key, I have no use for you anymore.”

Lilith grimaced as she glanced at Sly, the flame in her hand growing larger as suddenly she lunged down at the still prone Devil. When suddenly a rush of mist engulfed her entire form, slamming into the wall behind them before moving around the room and returning to Scythe leaving nothing of her behind. “Not so fast…”

Kyle and Karnage could do nothing but watch, Scythe’s mist too fast to predict and the events happening ahead of them almost too much to understand.

“Now what to do with you two…” mumbled Scythe as he approached them “He would be very pleased if I captured you alive Blue Fox, honestly I don’t really care but he has been quite helpful. As for you Witch…I have no use for you either.”

Kyle broke out of his daze as he watched the necromancer move closer, his mind racing against time as he realised his current situation. Lilith had been removed from the equation, Sly was prone and dazed from being thrown around, Karnage stood to his left stalk still and frozen in fear and he stood the same.

As Scythe approached closer and closer Kyle found that he could not move, that what stopped him from moving wasn’t just fear and something else was amiss. Scythe reached out at Kyle’s ears “Intriguing isn’t it? What fear does to you, even more so when induced by Dread. A state of full self-awareness yet incapable of moving, incapable of thinking and incapable of speaking.”

When suddenly a clawed hand grasped Scythe’s “I honestly couldn’t give a single shit.” Said Sly as he managed to stand up and grab Scythe’s arm.

Scythe simply smirked and flicked his arm to the side, sending Sly with as he was thrown aside like a piece of thrash and into a table “Do not overestimate your safety, you may be of use to me but I will not care for a few scratches and scars.” He turned towards Sly who with some effort managed to stand back up from the dent his body made in the metallic table “Unless of course you willingly assist me. Think of it, what are you truly other than a discarded bloodline? A discarded toy of which the Gods had no longer use for? Trash the Avatar couldn’t be assed to take out?”

Scythe extended his left hand open towards Sly “Join me young Devil, so we can watch existence as it stands burn. Join me so we can show the Gods that we are not mere mortals which they may toy with. Join me and we shall destroy the being who created all our misery.” He extended his hand to it’s fullest “Become like I have, like the monster of Void, like the Demon of light and like the created God. Become a Horseman and we shall together write our own reality.”

Sly stared at Scythe’s outstretched hand “Destroy…the being who created my misery?...” he asked causing Scythe’s grin to expand before suddenly Sly also grinned “Screw you.” and he surged forwards. Grabbing hold of Scythe with both arms Sly surged forwards while batting his wings, at full speed he rushed forth dispersing the mist that engulfed Scythe and slamming into the rift moments before it closed.

As they passed through to the Spirit Realm he let go and surged aside, coming to stand shoulder to shoulder with Kyle who was engulfed in bright white-blue flames and Karnage wielding her two swords encased in twirling darkness.

Scythe came to a stop as more mist oozed out of his clothing “Then embrace your shackles!” he exclaimed his voice turning into a screech, he pulled forward the scythe from his back and wielded it with both hands as suddenly the white mist that re-appeared to surround him turned blood red.

---

Author: BOSS FIGHT!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6vAy_G8aYA

---

Kyle glanced at Sly briefly “Can you last?” he asked seeing his comrade’s skin growing patches of mana cracking through, seeing that Sly was overusing his mana.

Sly chuckled weakly “If I don’t…my Miasma won’t be there to shield you from his Dread.” He pointed out the black-violet fog that permeated the air around all three of them.

“Then sit back and support, we’ll take the front.” Said Karnage with a smirk as she stepped forwards “That or he’ll come to us.”

Scythe hovered up into the air as blood red mist encased the room’s entire floor, eyes closed and hands together in a fist he focused as the ground suddenly began to quake. The ground below them shattered, the walls fell apart and the ceiling exploded outwards as the entire tower fell around them.

Karnage and Kyle floated in the air as Sly held himself up with his wings, glancing at either of them he shook his head “Too many questions…” he mumbled.

All three of them were focused on Scythe but as the tower disappeared around them, out of the corner of their eyes they noticed the red mist falling to engulf the district below. Like a thick fog it covered the buildings and streets leaving nothing but a red mist visible below.

Kyle dared to look down at the swirling crimson, it’s surface a forest of red tendrils of smoke that reached out upwards while entangling with each other. Trusting Sly’s Miasma he reached out with his senses, down into the sea of red below.

Kyle sensed the magic taking form within the mist, he sensed misshaped souls being warped further and sealed away into some solid forms within. He sensed those forms moving, as if swimming through the mist he sensed dozens of them circling around. “Below us!” he suddenly exclaimed as he willed his Frostfire to burst out from his palms which he aimed downwards.

Just as he did so the mist below them exploded upwards pushed aside by the creatures within, engulfed in a red mist the serpents of bone flew out and met with the white-blue flames. Kyle pushed himself further and further, creating more and more Frostfire to block out the dozens of serpents that continued to burst out of the mist only to disintegrate to his flames.

Yet he was outmatched, his output of Frostfire not enough with his current mana stores to cover the entire ocean of red mist as several spinal serpents ascended through the mist and reached out towards them. Maws open revealing fleshless mouths full of sharp teeth the skeletal monstrosities surrounded them.

“Your struggling is futile, I have absorbed countless spirits and am draining thousands of souls, my mana stores might as well be in-” Scythe’s eyes opened wide as if he suddenly realised something “finite?...”

Kyle chuckled as he pulled back his flames and circled it around them defensively “Welcome to the Spirit realm ass hole! Your little draining pen in D2 was destroyed! And just in case you had more, well I doubt you can send mana through the veil else why would you need Sly?”

“Taking all the credit…” mumbled Sly as he rolled his eyes.

Scythe huffed in annoyance “Finely deduced. Yet that was your only card, your hand now lays empty while mine…” he clenched his hands “Contains multitudes of monsters.”

The serpents of bone surrounding Kyle’s sphere of white-blue flames suddenly began to encircling them faster and faster until one by one they began to slam into it, their bodies destroyed by the flames they still managed to displace it forcing Kyle to replace the fire. The serpents grew faster as swiftly some managed to get through the holes made by others and before Kyle could do anything multiple serpents of bone were lunging at their position.

“Not so fast!” exclaimed Karnage as she bent her body forwards “I activate my trap card.” and suddenly her form shimmered into shadows before disappearing. In quick succession a shadow burst to life next to each trespassing serpent, humanoid in form and wielding dual short-swords it slashed, stabbed and kicked at the serpents breaking their husk-like bodies and sending them back into the flames in which they were disintegrated.

Sly chuckled as he watched “Bet that sounded better in your head.” his expression growing paler and skin cracking further.

Karnage re-appeared next to them and smiled coldly at him “Go to hell.”

“Now that you mention it…” Sly straightened himself as a violet aura expanded out of his body and took form, slower than before his Aurei armour took shape “I’ll transfer my ticket to him.”

Kyle grinned awkwardly as his eyes moved from left to right keeping no serpent unchecked with his senses, working in full force on mapping out the battlefield “Thought you were playing support?”

Sly grinned from ear to ear “That’s what they all think.” as the aura engulfed his face fully taking the shape of a massive purple Aurei “It’s my time to carry now!”

“Don’t get full of yourselves.” Exclaimed Scythe as he opened his eyes revealing pearly whites, unclenching his hands he swayed his arms wide open as each serpent turned and converged on him to encircle him briefly before he willed them forward. Over two dozen serpents of bones, about as large as a wyvern, rushed towards their position with jaws readily open.

“Now or never!” exclaimed Kyle as he pulled back his flames and formed them within his hands into a large condensed sphere, briefly he waited as the serpents flew closer until he felt the flames pushing back. Quickly he released the Frostfire forwards in a single wave, like an explosion the white-blue engulfed the serpents and headed straight for Scythe.

Scythe slashed forwards with his weapon one-handedly, cutting through the wave of Frostfire as if separating a wall of smoke revealing a massive purple form behind it. Sly reached out with his large Aurei hands to grasp at Scythe while the tentacles on his back moved to wrap around the Lich.

At the same time Karnage flew in from the left engulfed in shadows as the wind around her seemed to propel her forwards and Kyle did the same from the right wielding his longsword two-handed whilst engulfed in white-blue frenzied flame taking the shape of armour.

As Sly’s arms grasped Scythe, as his aura entangled around him, as Karnage’s blades streaked towards his back, as Kyle’s sword lunged towards his chest, Scythe smiled amused “What a shame.”

Blood red mist surged upwards from the ocean below, engulfing each of them as it seemingly solidified and entangled around them before pulling them down and into the mass of red. The mist slammed them to the ground hard making dents in the stone and cracking it.

Kyle coughed weakly as he tried to breath, opening his eyes he felt dizzy from the impact but tried to rise anyway yet something held him down. As the blurriness from his eyes dissipated he saw the red mist engulfing him, thinner than the red tendrils that held him down, thin enough to see through but still worrisome as he felt his energy being drained.

“To think after offering you the world you would go this far, how ignorant can you get?” scorned Scythe as he hovered down to stand in between them, each one of them being held down to the ground by multiple tendrils of thick red mist “No matter, I will find what drives you and with that…you will break.”

Scythe turned towards Karnage and raised his scythe towards her “Starting with the useless one, be gone.” As her eyes opened wide in fear, red mist swirled around the staff’s tip before a skeletal spike lunged out of it and at her chest.

“Over my dead body.” Hissed Kyle as he suddenly appeared shielding her, grasping the bone-white spike with both clawed hands as his eyes shone a bright blue.

Scythe smirked “Then I’m afraid Void will have to stop piggybacking on my plans and search your corpse.” As he said so the spike shattered and exploded sending Kyle tumbling back and over Karnage.

Coming to a stop on a wall with a mild crunch Kyle fell to his knees as the mist continued to drain him, his eyes losing their light and dimming out as his fangs and claws turned back to the norm.

Scythe walked passed Karnage as he rested the scythe over his shoulder, mist swirled around him forming whirlpools of red from which two large skeletal arms emerged with claw like fingertips. A sinister smirk on his face as he approached the prone Kyle.

“No!” exclaimed Karnage as she resisted the mist, her form bursting into shadows before reappearing mere feet away held down by more mist.

“Truly it has been a pleasure, to witness a creature as rare as yourself.” said Scythe as he stood over Kyle, the two skeletal arms backed up ready to strike down “But alas I have no business keeping you alive.”

“Stop…” when suddenly Sly spoke from behind him, Scythe turned to see Sly forcing his way through the mist and standing up. Still shackled by the tendrils of red his mobility was highly limited, his face pale white from exhaustion and his breathing erratic.

“I…give…” said Sly as he stared blankly at Scythe who sneered back.

“Was it that hard?” asked Scythe as he turned away from Kyle, one of the skeletal hands reached down and grabbed the Spirit Beast while the other held it’s claws to his throat. Scythe approached Sly who stood completely entangled in tendrils of bloody mist, long patches of his skin laying crumbling to dust while the colour from his eyes slowly paled.

“Then let us shake on it.” Said Scythe as he lowered his weapon and ran his free hand’s palm over it’s blade, cutting the skin and revealing pitch black blood that dripped out of the small wound. Scythe extended his wounded hand to Sly briefly before smirking “Oh right.” and the mist around Sly’s right arm dissipated but the rest remained entangled around his body.

Sly extended his now free hand towards Scythe’s as the Lich lowered his blade and cut open Sly’s palm “Speak three rules to our pact, Devil. I shall warn you, this is the magical sort of deal. Break it and-”

“I’m doomed to th-the abyss…I know.” Said Sly as he closed his wounded hand into a fist and glanced around, Karnage being completely held down by the mist while skeletal arms held Kyle hostage.

“Well?” urged Scythe with a raised brow.

Sly grimaced as he nodded weakly “You-”

But Scythe cut him off by clearing his throat “Do remember that I can and will break the pact if those three rules aren’t to my liking. Please, go on.”

Sly’s grimace turned uglier as he grinded his teeth “You leave me no choice huh?...” (“Neither you or I like each other, neither you or I wish to help each other.”)

Scythe chuckled wickedly “You never had one to begin with.”

Sly looked up at the sky and closed his eyes (“But if you truly love your people, if you wish to just as I do keep that world safe. I only ask for one thing, let this spell go through.”)

Scythe who was staring down at Sly expectantly suddenly lunged forwards, grabbing Sly by the neck with his outstretched hand almost choking him “What are you plotting?!” he asked with an enraged expression.

Sly smirked weakly in response (“Kali, lend me your power once more.”) “Release my restraints” he spoke as suddenly miasma emerged to engulf him forcing Scythe to let go and step away from the black smog “Break away the limit, for I care not of the consequences.” as Sly cast the spell the miasma tore away at the mist releasing him from his bindings “Deus Ex Machina!”.

The Devil no longer visible as in its place lay a mass of black smog surging with violet lightning, it twirled and swirled before converging on itself and taking form.

Scythe slammed down his staff to the ground and red mist moved to engulf the miasma “Fool, you’ve only doomed your friends to a painful death and yourself to an existence of slavery!” his expression warped with annoyance.

Suddenly the miasma shrunk down revealing what lay within, standing ten feet tall the skinless, black fleshed monster glared down at the Lich with it’s empty black eyes. It growled revealing two sets of long black fangs that dripped with a green ichor, yet it hadn’t finished changing. A carapace grew over it’s skinless flesh as it’s fingers elongated and hardened into sharp black claws. It’s face elongated into a snout as did it’s tail and wings both gained bladed tips and ends.

Scythe grimaced as he held his weapon ahead of himself summoning several serpentine skeletons to emerge from the swirling mist around him, the serpents encircle and entangled themselves around the demonic creature while biting down onto it’s armoured body. The monster reared back as it opened it’s mouth wide open and roared.

The sheer pressure emanating from it’s open maw sent Scythe spiralling several meters back, with a bit more effort it pushed the serpents off shattering their boned bodies using it’s monstrous strength.

“Ter-rance!” coughed out Kyle as he managed to raise himself up to a knee.

Scythe who had stopped his movement by cushioning the impact with his mist had returned to the sky as mist swirled thicker and thicker all around him, raising his scythe towards the now monstrous Sly he grinned evilly as several dozen bone serpents emerged from the mist and charged at his position.

Sly quickly turned around and grabbed Karnage in one hand and Kyle in the other, giving Scythe his back he opened his wings wide and with a single flap created so much force that not only ascended him into the sky but shattered the ground he once stood on.

“You shall not escape!” exclaimed Scythe as he moved to give chase, more and more serpents forming out of his mist each faster than Sly as with ease the skeletal creatures caught up with them. Yet Sly didn’t look back, he flew forwards as fast as his wings could take him whilst the serpents lunged at him.

Like blades their spine like bodies slashed at his sides and tore away at his wings, headbutting him in the back and stomach, biting away at him the serpents tried to tear Sly apart as they swarmed around him until he began to fall.

Still holding his comrades close to his chest and surrounding them with his arms Sly shielded them from both the serpent’s attacks and the impact that followed as he used what remained of his wings to turn around and let his back take the brunt of the fall. The stone street below shattered as he hit the ground as did similarly the carapace on his back sending ichor to splatter all around him.

Sly looked down to see both Kyle and Karnage were still alive within his grasp before glancing up to see dozens of serpents descending upon him, quickly and painfully he stood back up and evaded several as they crashed into the ground where he once stood.

Suddenly from the corner of his eyes as if it was always there but he had never noticed, Sly saw a bright white light flash at him. He turned towards the light to see a large sphere of it hovering above the ground, confused he stepped away from it.

“Ru-n into i-it!” exclaimed Kyle through several bloody coughs. Convinced Sly dashed towards the portal ignoring the pain in his sides and the agony of his tattered wings, evading side to side as serpents plunged down at his position without a care in the world.

“This doesn’t end here Devil! Maybe losing what you hold dear will make you comprehend who you have opposed!” exclaimed Scythe as suddenly all the mist around them began to move and converge on the Lich chasing after them.

The life of his friends fuelling him he charged straight at it, grasping both in each hand as he suddenly stopped several meters away from it. Sly threw Kyle into the portal as a serpent bit down onto his left shoulder, ignoring it he then threw Karnage as well and turned to face Scythe just multitudes of serpents entangled themselves around his legs and arms.

Sly looked up to see Scythe far off behind with several hundred serpents of bone flying towards him, inside the Lich’s palms a green mist had formed which he pointed down towards the portal. Sly roared out shattering the serpents that held him down to fragments and dust as he rushed towards the portal, bleeding from every place possible he lumbered over as a green light expanded out behind him.

Sly stopped in front of the portal and with all his might opened his wings and arms wide covering it as the green mist rushed onto his spread out back. The mist seeped into his wounds as it covered his back, it oozed around him and entered his body as suddenly he screamed in a guttural tone full of agony.

“Fool!” exclaimed Scythe as he pulled back the green mist, having almost caught up with Sly he stopped and willed more serpents forward.

Yet before the serpents could reach the broken down and tattered monstrosity, it fell forwards limply entering the portal and a flash of light followed as the portal suddenly closed behind it.