SKYFIRE AND HELLFIRE

Crimson rain spilled from the sky like a waterfall, followed by heaps of listless corpses. Y'se watched it all unfold with a grim, saddened expression. Some of those who fell she knew personally, and a few she would even call friends. However, there was little she could do; she was already pushing herself beyond limit, constantly casting shields and trying to heal their frontline as much as possible. The clash between the two sides was colossal. The greatest problem proved to be Ijoni – False God of War. Like a mad bull, the moment two sides clashed, she dove in while wielding two blazing war axes, spinning and diving through the sky mercilessly. Wherever she passed, limbs and heads and blood flew, and she had already inspired terror in the hearts of those who stood opposite of her.

“You two,” Y’se said, frowning lightly. “If we let her run rampart any longer, our morale will plummet. Can you at least stall her?”

“… aah, why not?” Oy’oh said, smiling bitterly as he brandished his sword. “Ly’el, let’s give them hell, no?”

“Aye,” Ly’el said, smiling lightly as she took out a massive spear and tightened the grip on it. “Support us, Lady.”

“Leave it to me.” Y’se said, nodding lightly.

Although neither Ly’el nor Oy’oh had reached the Divine Magus Realm, the two were considered unstoppable beneath it. Unlike Y’se, who had Divined Rejuvenation, Oy’oh followed the Path of Light while Ly’el followed the Path of Space. The two were unparalleled within their generation, but, they were still up against one of the most famed False Gods – one of War.

For a Magus to follow the Path of War, it was no different than to follow the Path of Slaughter – one had to be bathed in the blood of countless foes. The more one slayed, the stronger they grew. They could raise hell with a swing of their weapon, and completely ignore all wounds inflicted on them as they continued to run amok. While Y’se wanted to hold back Oy’oh and Ly’el until the later parts of the battle, it was clear that was impossible. She was the only Divine Magus currently present, as the white marble city behind her was considered the least important. The reinforcements wouldn’t arrive for at least a week, which is how long they had endure.

Ly’el suddenly tore open a vortex before her as Oy’oh stepped in it and disappeared. He appeared behind the rampaging Ijoni and brandished his silver-clad sword as its cold blade began emitting faint, golden light. Sensing something was wrong, Ijoni turned around and saw a golden array of light drawing upon her. Grunting lowly, she spun both his axes and parried the attack, roaring immediately. However, despite the fact that she managed to block it, she was still blown backward and onto the ground. Just as she was about to hit it, the space behind her tore open and she, once again, found herself falling from the sky. She was immediately welcomed by yet another array of golden light. However, this one appeared much sharper. Realizing that she was no longer battling small fry, Ijoni’s expression grew serious. Her raid hair fluttered in the sky as her muscles bulged to the extreme. Rather than blocking the golden light, she brandished her war axes and bellowed from the depths of her lungs, causing the sky itself to shake. The axes suddenly blazed crimson as they collided against the golden light, causing a massive explosion which sent even great shockwave for miles on end, interrupting hundreds of battles and causing all those unaware to be blown backward, even killing some.

While she did manage to counter the golden light, it was clear she sustained some injuries; both her forearms bled slightly, but not to the point of worry. Rather than the expected pained expression, she suddenly smiled grimly as she licked the blood off her lips.

“Interesting…” she muttered as her gazed locked onto the source of the golden lights – Oy’oh. The latter smiled bitterly; the crazy woman took one of his strongest attacks head on and barely received surface wounds. Just how thick is her skin?

“We can’t defeat her,” Ly’el said as she calmly analyzed the situation. “We can only control her. Refrain from using any longer chants, and try to guide her to some of the Spacial Locks I’ll set up. Don’t try to get tangled up with her, Lady Y’se is already going all out and even her Mana isn’t infinite. She’s probably already saved close to a million lives.”

“Understood.” Oy’oh nodded solemnly. Despite his usual, easy-going nature, he was well aware of the stakes. They can’t lose this battle. Even if the city behind them was considered of the least importance, it was still one of the main strongholds of the mankind. If it were to be lost, not only would the loss of lives be grave, but the morale itself would plummet. He tightened the grip on his sword and looked up at the still-smiling Ijoni.

“Come, mortal,” the woman spoke in a grave tone; were it not for massive bulges on her chest, one could easily mistake her for a man. “Let us dance.”

“Who’d want to dance with your ugly face?” Oy’oh said, laughing lightly. “I’d rather remain dry until the day I die.”

However, Ijoni completely ignored her words; a pair of crimson-blazing wings towering at nearly fifty meters suddenly sprung out from her back. Droplets of blood fell from them like rain, and she immediately dove down at speeds almost reaching light itself. Oy’oh only had a brief glimpse to react; but, after all, he was well-endowed in Light, the fastest Element in the universe. No matter how much this crazy woman pushed herself, she could never at least match his speed.

His body flickered as he sidestepped, Ijoni blowing past him; even just a shockwave of her movement causing him to take a few steps back as cold sweat poured out of his forehead. What a crazy bitch! She crashed into the ground, sending resounding earthquake throughout the entire realm. The place was now a massive, burning crater, and she stood at its very center, looking up at him, still grinning. Damn, I might really die today!

However, death was but a journey. If it meant saving his brothers and sisters who didn’t even get a chance to fight for their lives, who wouldn’t give up theirs? Oy’oh’s expression grew serious as he glanced at Ly’el who merely nodded. She understood it all from his gaze: hold nothing back, otherwise we’ll die without a cause. She suddenly brandished her spear and swung it downwards. Ripples of space phased through as they crashed against Ijoni’s body; the latter merely scoffed coldly as she flayed her wings and took to air. Oy’oh’s body flashed in brilliant golden as he turned into a mere blur, circling downward through the sky as he kept swinging his sword in all sorts of arcs; a mere blink later, thousands of arching, golden lights were flung from virtually every direction, all aimed directly at Ijoni. The latter laughed madly as she threw both her axes high up in the air and crashed her knuckles against each other. The space around her rippled outward sporadically as she suddenly threw a simple, straight punch. Space around her first warped and distorted, and as the full energy of the punch was released, a thick, nearly a thousand miles wide shockwave blasted upward, destroying all golden lights it encountered, and falling nearly a thousand people who were battling in the air. Oy’oh’s eyes flashed in surprise; he had long since heard the tales of this mad woman, but what tales aren’t exaggerated? Apparently, hers. She indeed could throw a punch that could cause the entire realm to quake, that was for certain. Still, even if Oy’oh knew they can’t kill her, he was more than confident in being able to stall her. Ly’el and him had been fighting together for a long, long time, and their combination of Space and Light was simply perfect for movement and control. If executed perfectly, no one – living or dead – could match their speed.

Meanwhile, a whole realm away, in a small valley, Lynne stood on the cliff and stared at the figure hundred or so meters away from him, hovering in the air. That gigantic eye in the sky disappeared and formed into a human-like creature. The difference was that it had four arms, and featureless face where only a blazing vortex spun. Its entire body was blistering red, veins like fire pulsating beneath the skin. The sheer amount of Mana present within that small body astounded even Lynne for a moment; it was at least fifty times his own. And that was just the Mana the figure in front of him was leaking out. Who’s to say that it didn’t have more stored?

“… God of Fire, eh?” Lynne muttered lightly, smiling. Although his voice was barely a whisper, it easily reached the figure’s ears amidst the otherwise silent world.

“Fight fire with fire,” the figure said, its voice ancient, unidentifiable. It reminded Lynne of his brief journey into the Primordial Realm of Gods. “Isn’t that what you, humans, say?”

“… why don’t you fight in your original form? You can probably just fart and kill me.” Lynne said.

“A destroyed realm returns to the source,” the figure replied honestly. “What worth does it have to us, then? Your kind truly is restless,” the figure continued. “Had they waited another cycle, unless our Forefathers came, we would have no means of defeating you. Yet, they sent you to us in such young form. What a shame.”

“… maybe, maybe not,” Lynne said, smiling indifferently. “Who’s to say you can defeat me now?”

“I am.”

“Ha ha, isn’t that a bit biased?” Lynne said, laughing lightly. “I can just the same say I can defeat you. However, I’ll admit that I can’t kill you. That should ease your mind somewhat.”

“… why profuse arrogance, when there is none inside you, human?” the figure spoke, its voice suddenly turning somewhat soft. “The only way you can restrain me until the portal closes is if you were to sacrifice everything, including your life. Would you go that far?”

“… why not?” Lynne said. “After all, that was the Deal.”

“… indeed,” the figure said. “Only someone of your stature could beckon the Source to a Deal. What did they give you? Skyfire? Hellfire? Invincibility?”

“… Time.”

“Impossible!!” the figure roared out, causing Lynne to widen his eyes lightly.

“Why do you say so?”

“Time is one thing they never gave to anyone!” the figure bellowed. “Not even us, their Sons and Daughters!”

“… and yet, Time they gave me,” Lynne chuckled. “But, time is fleeting old one,” he continued, his voice somewhat solemn. “What worth is it when, no matter how much of it you have, it will eventually expire? I’d rather have a year of joy, than a millennia of sorrow.”

“… you don’t understand, child,” the figure said. “Time is something that exists only in finite amount. Once they gave it to you, they can never take it back. Giving it to you means taking it away from the rest of the World – from Us, from you, humans, and from all other beasts. Can you shoulder than burden? Or even comprehend it?”

“… I don’t know,” Lynne said honestly, smiling. “Just the same as I don’t know why they would give me, of all beings, Time. Just the way I don’t know why we’re even waging this war. Just the way I don’t know why everyone is hell-bent on pursuing the Source of Magic. Many things in the World confuse me.”

“… you fail to understand your own worth,” the figure spoke, sighing lightly. “If you did, you wouldn’t be here, battling a hopeless war you don’t even believe in. You don’t need the victory, just the same as I don’t. Yet, here we are, nonetheless.”

“… I do need the victory, though,” Lynne said. “If I were to coldly shrug it off, then all those who died paving this path for me… wouldn’t their deaths lose all meaning?”

“No death has a meaning,” the figure said. “You should know that.”

“… I’ve grown soft, it seems,” Lynne said, chuckling lightly as he looked up at the gigantic hole in the sky. “Not only do I give meaning to the death of others, I also want to ascribe some of it to my own.”

“… your Mana is calm,” the figure said. “Were I not able to see your shape, I’d never take you for a human. Your Soul is scarred beyond what any one person – human or a God – should be able to bear. Yet, your Mind is clear, void of everything but this very moment. Why is it, then, that only your Heart of all things bleeds? You’ve nearly reached the perfect harmony, human, something that not even my forefathers are able to do. Yet, you’ve failed at the easiest one to control.” Lynne looked at the figure for a while before suddenly smiling and replying.

“Because that’s where the largest scar is, old one.” he said. “I’m Lynne. Lynne Hyorn. Child of Median Iylox and Yunchi Hyorn. A Skyfire Magus.”

“… I’m Ignis,” the figure spoke calmly. “God of Flames.”

“It was a pleasure talking with you, Ignis.”

“… likewise, human child.”

Only fire flashed as the two suddenly disappeared, blasting against one another within a millisecond. White and black suddenly erupted in a beautiful symphony of colors, devouring all life around and turning it all into an Infernal Paradise. Two figures were both clad in their respective Flames – Skyfire and Hellfire – and neither gave way, as the world around them burned on and on.