Deicide: To Kill The Gods

XĪNG FENG'S POV

I had kneeled before her. After making my way into one of the waiting rooms, my hand slammed into the wall, teeth gritted as my fingernails dug into my palms. That brat was likely out there, enjoying the cheers of the crowd with that commoner boy, considering the fool she had just made out of me. I couldn’t– I wouldn’t– stand for it. Hua had lived through one too many attempts. Jasper had failed, and he was.. Top-of-the-line. For their strength level back then, it should have been easy. But like cockroaches, they managed to rise. Time and time again.

Biting down hard onto my finger, my thoughts blurred into one as my anger rose. Why did she have to come back now?! After all those years spent in hiding, all those years she had spent running. Why did she have to come back now, holding on tightly to the crown like a leech?

Alone, she was worthless. Useless. But that commoner boy knight of hers… he was a hidden gem. How had he defeated two knights, trained from birth for that to be their only purpose? It was inhuman. At that moment, something clicked within my mind. It didn’t make sense for it to be her– that boy was the only reason she was doing as well as she was. He was the crux, the catalyst for all of their recent wins. Despite Elowen’s… failures– he had proven himself useless, defeated by a twelve year old– we had still won, with a point under our belt.

If I could get that boy on my side for the final round… she would still be forced to participate, but it would be an undeniably easy win. Having done my research on his family, I knew that they were of the working class, his father a former adventurer from Krystallos and his mother born a simple farmer. Not rich, but not struggling either. I wasn’t in such a position that I could threaten them, but it wasn’t unlikely he did need money.

Atlas Reyes was a mere commoner boy. He’d come running to my side at the sight of money he’d never be able to obtain in his lifetime– after all, I was certain he was working for Hua for free. They were all the same… nothing but a means to an end. And so was he– not only would I be stripping Hua of her knight, but also her little crush as well… How pleasing.

Getting to my feet, I straightened my uniform, as well as my hair. Being presentable was the essence of a princess. We had been situated in three different rooms at different points within the colosseum, from where we would enter the final battle soon enough. But for now, I had to get that child on my side.

Briskly walking to Hua’s waiting room, I knocked sharply on the door. It opened promptly, Hua answering as I watched her face visibly curl into a frown, watching me stare down at her. Those eyes. I had always hated those eyes, reminding me of our mother. Truthfully, I hadn’t always hated her. In the beginning, I had loved her dearly as a sister, truly excited at the chance to be a big sister. However, from the moment she had shown an ability to manipulate the soul, it was her. Always her, and only her, in our parent’s eyes. She was the brightest jewel in their crown, the only one they’d ever look at, the only thing that existed to them.

And so their neglect fuelled my hatred, becoming a burning desire. They were untouchable. My hatred turned towards the cause of it all– Hua, my little sister. Did I regret it? Yes, some parts. I regretted the fact we couldn’t be a normal family. But now, there was no going back. Our relationship would never be the same. I had dug my grave, and I was perfectly fine being buried in it.

“What do you want?” Hua’s voice resounded through my head, breaking me from my thoughts.

“I am not here to speak with you,” I snapped, pushing past her roughly, forcing her out of the way as I headed further into the room. Atlas sat, head down with a towel over his neck– I assumed his bond had been left with his family in the stands. Likely thinking about something– what, though, I didn’t care to find out. His head shifted, turning upwards to face me. A small shiver crawled up my spine– the look in his eyes one of utter callousness. He truly… didn’t care that a princess stood before me. A princess, a peasant, a god. It didn’t matter– he would have looked at me with the same unflinching gaze.

I didn’t even realise I had been spoken to until he waved his hand in front of my face.

“You there? I asked you, ‘What do you want to talk to me about?’” Embarrassing. Clearing my throat, I extended a hand.

“It has come to my attention that someone as talented as you is being wasted on the likes of my sister. Join me, and I will pay you double– no, triple whatever she has used to bribe you into joining her sinking ship.”

—

ATLAS REYES’ POV

Her question took me a couple of minutes to process and comprehend. She was trying to… bribe me into joining her for the final round? What the hell? I let out a scoff, which probably wasn’t the best idea in this situation, but I simply couldn’t stop myself. How dare she? Hua was glaring daggers into her back, but she was intently focused on me and my response. But there was no thinking about it.

“I appreciate the offer, but no thank you. I am perfectly content with where I am.”

“But– she’s just wasting your talents. There is no point being with her–”

“Rationally, yes. Logically, yes. But I’d like to say I’ve grown past simply considering logic and treating people like tools. I chose to be at her side because I want to be. Not because I stand to gain anything from it.”

“She’s useless. Why would you ever want to–”

My soul energy output flared, and Feng fell silent, the words dying on her lips as my gaze turned to something of anger. My hands never left my sides, but my words were clearly a threat.

“Leave, now. We will leave all grievances on the battlefield.” Attempting to save face, she glared at me once more, turned around, and stalked out. As she left, slamming the door shut, I heaved a sigh, allowing my output to go down to its usual levels. Not only had she planned Hua’s murder, but she also had the sheer audacity to ask me whether I’d betray her trust and leave her alone in this. The reasons why I wanted to give her a satisfying punch were slowly stacking up.

My eyes glanced over to Hua, who was seemingly rooted in place, her eyes searching mine. Right now, she seemed more afraid than anything else. I quickly concluded that it was the thought of me leaving her, the thought of being betrayed by someone she trusted once more, that left her in such a state. I couldn’t fathom what it was like– considering I had been the one to push them all away.

I’d always regret that, but now, I could only press on and try to not make the same mistakes in this life. My hand rested on her shoulder, her eyes finally taking in that I was right there in front of her, arms wrapping around my back as I was pulled into an impromptu hug. I couldn’t hear sobs, but the moistness of my shirt alerted me that tears were flowing. I wasn’t used to this, used to comforting people. It wasn’t me.

However, I tried my best. My hand stroked her head, mumbling words underneath my breath in efforts to calm her until she finally pulled away, rubbing her reddened eyes.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I said. “We’re fighting together until the end.”

“Promise?”

“I promise. We’re going to win this thing, and we’re going to do it together.”

She sniffled, before rubbing her nose, and fixing up her clothing in order to look more presentable. I did the same, though I was conscious of the fact I’d likely need new ones, considering the age I was at and how fast puberty kicked in. But that was a concern for another time.

The horn blared, alerting us both that the final round was upon us. Here, it would all come to an end. Our hard work, our hopes and dreams, fears of years past. Here, all those we had met would culminate into one final fight. I had no doubt that our journey would continue even after this battle. But for now… this was our end goal. Pushing open the door, I stepped out.

The plateau had fallen and was now the same level as the ground, a simple, circular battlefield. Since this was a two vs two vs two… it would get chaotic, and quite quickly. I was sure that Feng and Yuxi were in tune with their knights, considering both their elemental combinations were complimenting…. Us, however? We’d need to be a bit more careful and wise with our choices.

From the battles I had partaken in and watched, I knew that Feng was a wind sage, Elowen a fire sage, Yuxi a water and ice sage, and Liam an earth sage. If we combined our moves enough, we could likely overcome the elemental advantages. But only time would tell. Nodding to Hua, who held her metal staff in hand, I glared Yuxi and Liam down, waiting for the horn.

On cue, it sounded. And the final match began.

–

I was met with Yuxi’s spear, stabbing three times at me in quick succession, which I parried fairly easily with Genesis. In the background, I could hear Hua clashing with Feng and Elowen, the sound of steel on steel familiar to me. As I dealt with Yuxi, an earth golem rose behind me, large hands attempting to grasp me and crush me, most likely. However, as its hands closed, and pressed inwards, I was gone. Opening up to thin air, the extended whip-blade of Genesis wrapped around its leg, breaking it down and crushing it into small pieces as it fell to one knee.

The golem was large and bulky, crudely fashioned from the earth of the battlefield. Flames blazed to life at my feet, and leaping into the air, I did a quick spin before slamming the top of my foot into the head of the beast. The head shattered, yet it continued to move, albeit slower. So, this was a higher-class golem than most. Going for it didn’t work, so the only option was to go directly for the caster, but I was interrupted by a wave of ice forming between me and Liam.

Defeating the two separately was easy. However, once they were together, they posted a legitimate threat. Imbuing Requiem with flames, I cut through the ice wall rapidly, but Liam was gone, and I was instead met with Yuxi’s spear, which I blocked, sending it off to the side.

Electricity sparked at my fingertips as I grew more restless, rolling out of the way of more coordinated attacks of frost and earth. It simply wasn’t a good matchup for me– my flames not being strong enough to break through her ice directly. Though I had access to all the elements, it wasn’t the same as someone who had dedicated themselves to one.

Jack of all trades, yet master of none.

Hua seemed to be struggling as well, my eyes following her as I continued to evade. Elowen’s fire seemed to be causing her plants to wither due the sheer heat, if they weren’t turned to dust by the attack itself, and Feng’s wind didn’t seem to help either. We couldn’t fight them. Not with these elements.

“SWITCH!” I yelled. The sudden outburst caused the four to stop in their tracks, wondering what the hell I was doing. But Hua seemed to have gotten the message, turning on her heel and sprinting away from her enemies, towards me, with me running towards her. Soon enough, she was where I once stood, facing off against Yuxi and Liam, and I stood against Feng and Elowen.

Now this matchup, I could get behind. However, in the back of my mind… there was the constant nagging about the princesses’ plans. When were they going to attempt to execute it? How was it going to happen? There were too many variables, and being occupied by the battle, I couldn’t think it over properly.

Meeting Feng’s wind with a blast of lightning, since my flame would no doubt be overpowered or snuffed out by it, I watched as Elowen charged up a blast of flames as covering fire. The princess and I duked it out in the centre, rapier clashing with my own two blades, the pace of our collisions increasing as I managed to slowly but surely leave gashes on her body that racked up as time went on.

A funnel of wind crashed into my body, sending me flying backwards into a wall. However, despite her likely wanting me to hit it back-first, I quickly used a slight bit of wind magic (enough so that it was undetectable by her) to orient myself, knees bending as my feet made contact with the wall before pushing off at high speeds. Electricity cloaked my body as I flew towards Feng, blades tearing into her torso. However, it wasn’t enough to severely injure her– but blood still dripped from the wound to the floor, forcing her to take a backseat for a while. Such was the power of having the correct elemental matchup…

Eyes searching for Elowen, I caught him, all the way across the battlefield, running towards her. He had removed a dagger from his pocket, and had it raised behind Hua, preoccupied dealing with Yuxi and Liam. The dagger was, I assumed, poised to–

To drive right through her skull, ending her life.

My eyes widened. Time itself seemed to slow as I moved, but I wasn’t nearly fast enough. Not like this. I could stop it– but at what cost? Could we win the fight if I was fatigued and on the brink of fainting? Inwardly, I slapped myself. For her, I’d do anything. There was no time to even think on the matter.

“Fuck it.” I cursed beneath my breath. If it was to save her life, I would act without thinking of the consequences. The cold rationality of my past life had been dispelled by her and those around me. And for them, I’d pay any price.

[Chronosphere]

The entire world fell silent as even the soul particles froze in the air. Activating Divine Incarnation, my vision becoming a lifeless monochrome, I moved quickly from my previous position to in front of Elowen– so fast that it likely would have taken less time to blink– who stood still as a statue. I had to work quickly, considering time was of the essence. Dispatching all three of them…. But leaving one conscious. They would pay for their crimes, but I needed one conscious and all three alive for that.

[Blink]

My body shifted slightly, and the dagger in Elowen’s hand broke. It wasn’t clear exactly what I had done– and it wouldn’t be, not until I released Chronosphere. Blink only allowed me to do what I was capable of achieving in the future from the current moment, and I could only place myself forward a small amount of time.

Dispelling Chronosphere and my Kismet's second stage sent Elowen flying backward. Luckily, for his sake, his flight was short lived as he hit the wall with an all too familiar skin crawling crunch. His body slumped to the floor into an unnatural amalgamation of cloth and man. Had it not been for the brown of the cloth contrasting against his pale skin I wouldn't have been able to tell where his clothes ended and he began.

Liam, who had watched the altercation like a deer in headlights, unable to guess what had happened, remained motionless where he stood. If it hadn't been for his golem which stood ready to slam down Hua's head, I would have thought he was still under Chronosphere's effects. She wouldn't see it coming. Despite what had happened to Elowen, he was still committed to that damned goal. Regardless of his motives, I couldn't let it happen. My body had a mind of its own, reducing the golem to nothing more than gravel as black lightning danced across my fingertips, having engulfed the stone giant just moments before. Liam quickly joined Elowen on the floor as my electricity coursed through him, locking up his joints, body hitting the hard dirt in a manner that reassured me he would not be trying to get up anytime soon.

Yuxi was the only one still standing, but I doubted it would be for long. Her body, as slender as it was, was a canvas of gashes and red paint (which there was seemingly an endless supply of). She was ghastly pale. Despite her deplorable state, she instinctively reached for her spear. When she moved to lunge, her knees gave out, too weak to carry her body any further. She collapsed into the crimson pool below her. Admittedly, I was thankful she did, despite the blood curdling sound of her screams. I doubted I had enough strength to move another step, my energy completely depleted in the prior encounters.

Falling to my knees, Hua stared around in disbelief, before her eyes darted to me. I smiled weakly up at her, a smile that the monster who had harmed the three in such a manner shouldn't have been capable of. My actions were… horrid. Terrifying. But somewhere deep down in my soul, I told myself they deserved it. I consoled myself using the fact that with all the horrible things they had done to Hua, they all deserved to rot in hell.

Tian’s voice, amplified by sound magic, resounded across the battlefield.

“Well, in a surprising turn of events, it appears that two teams have been left unable to fight. And so, I declare Xing Hua and Atlas Reyes the winner of the Succession Ritual Tournament!!”

The stands were filled with roars and cheering, my eyes scanning the crowds before finally landing on Hua. She was… shaking. With joy or fear, I couldn’t tell, until she hugged me, tears streaming down her face as she jumped with excitement, the words “We won!” repeated countless times to me.

She sobbed, and I bit my lip to stop the tears from falling. We had… won? We had… done it? The look on her face solidified my views on my actions a few minutes prior. It was all worth it to see her as happy as this.

However, that happiness came to a standstill due to Feng, who had pushed herself to her feet.

“They… cheated!” She spluttered. “I don’t know what happened at the end there, but they cheated! They must have done some sort of trickery– or something!”

Teeth gritting as I leaned on Hua, I glared at her. Now, whilst everyone was listening. Now, whilst everyone was watching. Now, she would pay for her crimes.

“Says the one who plotted to kill Hua from the start.”