Dark thoughts swirled in his mind, telling him that what he was doing was an insensible thing.

"Alexus!" Crystal shouted.

Alexus' mind kept buzzing. The wind picked up, and the cave walls fell. Opening up to the daylight.

Dark clouds overhead started to come together, and lightning strikes sprouted down from the sky.

Alexus bolted, heading straight toward Pride. His sword slashed in the air, straight at Pride.

Pride roared. His voice expelled a blast of bone-shattering energy that caused the caves to break down.

Everyone bolted, running out of the cave, trying not to get squashed.

Pride shot upwards. A giant hole was broken in the ceiling, separating a large portion of the cave. He screamed, sending out another energy blast, completely breaking away and opening the entrance.

"It will all end today!" Pride screeched. "This world will be remade!"

Shadows of demons rushed forward, crashing into everyone. Even the ones that were outside the borders ran in,

The Ouroboros was in chaos.

Demons poured from the back and front, making a full-blown mess. They fought for their lives from left to right, trying to keep themselves from getting killed.

Alexus slashed, kicked, and even punched a Demon. Trying to get closer and closer to Pride.

Pride screeched, summoning up more demons.

Alexus ran, jumping and sliding. He dodged to the right and the left. His sword slashed through another demon, cutting it in half.

Eventually, Alexus was able to make it to the end.

"You." Pride snarled.

"Yes, me," Alexus replied. The power in his weapon glowed ferocity gold, almost like a stream of the

river as it pumped.

Both collided as sparks flew out.

Pride swiped and missed. Alexus ducked, barely making his hit as he slashed against Pride's chest. A hiss followed after, leaving behind a bloody black gash.

Aurelius spun, backhanding Pride. Pride stumbled, and Alexus lunged, kicking him onto the ground.

"Do it!" Timothy shouted. He was on the ground, heavily injured.

"Don't stop!" Simon replied.

Everyone's power was exhausted and unable to move.

The wind blew hard, pushing them all down. The only one who was able to stay up was Alexus.

In his hand was a golden sword, as he looked down upon Pride under his feet.

"Do it." Pride smiled evilly. "You'll all never get to see him again the moment that you stabbed me."

Alexus hesitated.

Pride grinned. He didn't care.

Suddenly, the voice of Pride changed.

"Do it!" Marcus shouted.

"Marcus?"

"For christ's sake, strike!"

"But!

"Do it! I can't hold much longer!" Marcus gritted his teeth, blood seeping out of his lips.

Alexus, once more, was unsure.

The familiar look that Alexus remembered was gone. Instead, Pride came back with a snarl. His right hand went straight for Alexus.

The sword slid effortlessly into Pride's heart.

Pride froze, surprised by Alexus' action.

A burst of golden energy flowed outward, annihilating the other demons in the area.

Pride coughed, throwing up black blood. "So, you have chosen this path."

"Our world is not broken to need to be fixed. You are a bane to our world."

"If you only knew what's out there…." Pride opened and closed his mouth. His eyes were fading. The black scales started to fade away, bringing back Marcus' normal features.

"We'll be able to handle it," Alexus reassured him.

"And you have killed us…..bo…th." Pride words slurred as the last breath escaped from his lips.

Without hesitation, Alexus picked up Marcus. Hoisting him on his shoulder. He headed straight towards the Animus Progression. He dropped Marcus on the floor right in front of it.

"I hope this works," Alexus mumbled under his breath.

Leaning down, he placed his hand on the Animus and Marcus' bodies. Then, summoning up all the energy inside his body, a jolt of electricity shocked the Animus in Marcus' heart.

Alexus was thrown back.

The Animus groaned, glowing. The monument pulsated as it slowly started extending wires out and headed straight towards Marcus. Each wire wrapped itself around Marcus, dragging him into its very body and swallowing him up.

Crystal ran over, placing her hand on Alexus' body. "What's happening?"

Before she could ask for anything more, a spark of fiery blue light beam erupted upwards, creating a canopy of energy that raced across the sky.

The pulsating energy continued one after another. Then, another burst of energy shot out, connecting to Alexus, Timothy, Simon, Gerald, Jones, and Crystal.

"Uhhh, what's happening?" Timothy cried out in panic as they all lifted into the air.

A shock of pain erupted throughout all their bodies.

Black energy from their heart was forcefully pulled out as they dropped to the ground.

"What…." Jones asked, stupefied.

Gerald screamed, "no! That was mine! Give me back my power!"

The energy was pulled into the very machine. Another wave of energy, this time calmer than the next, washed across the whole planet.

Millions upon millions of demons out and about were eradicated entirely in a blink of an eye.

Everyone felt the surge of energy poured into the living as life was once again restored. The deserts had clouds coming in as rain blew through, empty dead areas had plants growing from the ground, and even the seas that were murky with demons were slowly turning blue once again.

The Animus machine shifted, turning smaller and smaller in size. A statue of Marcus, sitting down in a lotus position, was present, leaving everyone in awe.

"He did it." Alexus smiled. Eyes sparkling with excitement. "He did it." He let out a deep sigh of relief.

"What do you mean? Is Marcus alive.?"

"Yes and no. Now, he's part of it."

"I think I understand." Crystal replied.

"We're safe now."