Match 2: Darky vs. Zoke – The Abyss Devours Itself
Moonlight hovered at the edge of the maelstrom, its spectral form trembling. "Even as a Legendary Artifact... tracking their movements is near impossible," it whispered, awed and terrified by the raw power clashing before it.
Something's off, Darky mused, his attacks a relentless storm of primordial darkness against Zoke's shifting void defenses. How is this pawn keeping pace? A predatory grin split Darky's face as realization dawned. Ah. Clever rat.
Zoke gathered swirling necrotic energy, a vortex forming at his core. "VoidWalker's Wrathstorm!" A spike of pure entropy, sharp as shattered reality, lanced through Darky's defenses, impaling him. Darky went limp, crashing to the astral ground like a discarded puppet.
Zoke threw his head back in a guttural, triumphant laugh. "Fool! Divine power tastes exquisite! Soon, I'll stand above all Generals!" He savored the intoxicating surge of stolen energy.
"Shut your fucking mouth," Darky's voice rasped from the dust, cutting through Zoke's victory cry. Darky rose, the horrific wound in his chest knitting shut with writhing shadows. Zoke's laughter died, replaced by stark fear.
"Surprised?" Darky sneered, wiping astral grit from his lips. "Ordinary minds are open books to me. Your little 'Nullfield Vortex'... absorbing my power to fuel your own? Cute trick." He cracked his neck, darkness boiling around him like storm clouds. "Tastes great, doesn't it? Have another serving."
Darky unleashed a torrent of power, darker and denser than before. Zoke braced, his vortex greedily drinking it in, a manic gleam in his eyes. Good... GOOD! he thought, shielding his mind from Darky's telepathy. He thinks overwhelming me will work? Fool! A void is endless! He only feeds my ascension!
Moonlight pulsed with anxiety. If Darky falls... I'm next. Zoke won't hesitate.
The dark sphere containing the battle shuddered. Cracks spiderwebbed across its surface. With a sound like tearing dimensions, it exploded outwards. Standing amidst the dissipating void-energy, drenched in gore, was Darky. In his hand, he held Zoke's severed head, the body lying a few feet away.
Darky laughed, a chilling sound that echoed in the sudden silence. He tossed the head contemptuously towards the twitching torso. "Now," he said, his voice dropping to a deadly calm. "Do the small rats still think they can defeat the master of darkness?" He stalked closer. "Your little absorption art? Child's play. I let you hit me. So you couldn't whine about an unfair fight later."
Zoke's eyes, wide with shock and pain in his disembodied head, flickered with dawning horror. How...? He remembered the surge of power, the intoxicating rush... then, agonizing violation. Tendrils of pure demonic aura – Dominator's Essence – had erupted from within his own stolen energy, tearing him apart from the inside.
"Idiot," Darky spat, kicking the head towards the torso. "That's why you don't siphon my power. Too... demonic for your fragile void." With a gesture, chains of abyssal iron snaked from the ground, binding Zoke's remains and dragging them into a swirling portal – the Primordial Cage.
Moonlight floated closer, its form shimmering with hesitant admiration. "Darky... you were... incredible."
Darky didn't turn. "Don't look at me with those pathetic puppy eyes," he growled, darkness still clinging to him like a second skin. "Your betrayal isn't forgotten. Try to run... and you join Zoke in his cage." Moonlight recoiled, shrinking into itself.
"Should we aid the others?" Moonlight whispered timidly.
Darky's gaze remained fixed on the distant clashes. "No. We follow Nero's plan. No deviations. No mistakes." His tone brooked no argument. "This time... failure isn't an option." Moonlight fell silent, radiating fear.
Winner: Darky.
Dream: To become the Demon Lord worthy of Yamha's acknowledgment.
Match 1: ONI vs. Kanori – Honor in the Inferno
Kanori stood amidst her shimmering Dome of Mirages, breathing heavily. Hundreds of her reflections – past and present, perfect and wounded – surrounded the burning figure of ONI. "You'll never break free!" she declared, though exhaustion laced her voice. "These illusions are your tomb!"
Above, wreathed in incandescent blue fire, ONI roared. He became a comet, a miniature sun plummeting from the heavens. "RAGING SUN DESCENT!"
KRA-KOOOOOM!
The impact wasn't just physical; it was an eruption of pure azure annihilation. The Dome of Mirages didn't just shatter; it vaporized. The concussive wave hurled Kanori across the fractured plain, her armor cracked, severe burns covering nearly 90% of her body. She hit the ground hard, smoke rising from her scorched uniform.
ONI landed before her, the blue fire receding from his body like a retreating tide, leaving his human form visible – battered but unbroken. He lowered his fists, the intense heat fading completely. Kanori forced herself to her knees, raising trembling hands in a final defensive stance.
"Why...?" she gasped, blood trickling from her lips, confusion warring with pain. "Why extinguish your flames? Your victory was assured!"
ONI met her gaze, his eyes holding a fierce, unyielding light. "My battle law," he stated, his voice rough but clear. "Every fight... ends fair. No advantages. Just strength against strength." He settled into a grounded fighting stance, pure martial intent radiating from him. "Finish it."
A flicker of something like respect crossed Kanori's ravaged face. Then, raw survival instinct took over. They clashed. Fist met flesh, bone jarred against bone. It was brutal, primal, a dance of exhaustion and desperation. Kanori fought with the ferocity of a cornered beast, but her strength was failing. Finally, ONI's fist, driven by righteous fury and honed skill, connected with a thunderous crack. Kanori's eyes rolled back. She collapsed, utterly unconscious, her body a testament to the searing power of the blue flames she'd barely survived.
ONI swayed, the adrenaline ebbing. He looked towards where Spector – Levia – hovered weakly. His eyes widened, then snapped shut, a blush scorching his cheeks hotter than his flames. "What the hell are you doing?!" he stammered, turning away sharply. "We're in the middle of a warzone!"
Levia looked down at herself – her spectral form now fully materialized, but her dark mage robes utterly incinerated by ONI's apocalyptic descent. She blinked, adopting an expression of innocent confusion. "Your big fire attack... burned my clothes off?" she stated simply, as if commenting on the weather.
After hastily conjuring replacement robes for Levia (a process involving much grumbling and averted eyes from ONI), he gestured to Kanori's broken form. "So... what about her?"
Levia floated closer, her eyes thoughtful. "I have an idea..."
Winner: ONI.
Acknowledged by the Flame Calamity.
Fact: The merger succeeded not just through spirit, but physiology. ONI's unique blue flame core provided the only vessel capable of channeling the Calamity's apocalyptic heat without instant annihilation.