Tread Lightly

The figure with the oversized scythe sprints for Vincent with a howl of exhilaration into the air, proclaiming his 'oh so glorious' purpose. The scythe in his hands flips and twirls, with ash gathering across his body like ancient armor. The God Of War meets the God of Desolation with only bloodlust in his mind.

"Yes! It is time! Fight me!"

Vincent turns and faces him with a smile, utterly cackling into the air in a way I would never expect.

"Haha... haha... hahaha!"

Is the curse affecting him more than I thought? Did my father indeed fuck up his mind that badly? Even Kaisen raises an eyebrow, pointing his scythe at his enemy while the whole world collapses into chaos around them. Portions of the earth slip away into the darkened depths of nothingness, the dual forces of the Endless and War creating countless fissures.

"What? What are you laughing at?"

Vincent's head angles upward, staring downward at the God opposite him. The Eleventh Prime displays his arrogance to all against a being that possesses the same variety of pride.

"I'm just pleased, that's all. The world would be so incredibly bland without idiots like you in it to oppose me. I'll never turn down free strength."

My heart skips in my chest as a pulse of something passes through the air in a wave. Virgil, beside me, stumbles backward while Lennon holds his ground, but Leviathan's flight is affected and swayed.

Ash flutters away from Kaisen as the Nahullo lowers himself to the ground, a raging growl leaving the insides of his chest. He is enraged, and yet... I do not feel his strength. It is the shadow before him that is highlighted in my senses.

"What. Did. You. Call. Me!?"

Vincent's smirk doesn't change an inch, no matter the curse upon him. His arrogance is entirely unaffected by my father's Sirza. My insides boil at the thought of Killian Graves dying for literally nothing.

I almost root for Kaisen as the human replies.

"An idiot. That is what you are. Broken free of her leash, and yet, you still serve. What else are you but a bumbling fool?"

Space itself vibrates when Kaisen's foot slams into the earth behind him, and I can only see a blur of movement from the God of War's scream that he leaves behind. But I do see his destination, and it catches the hope in my lungs. No matter what I heard about Kaisen from Lennon, Vincent is simply a different level of foe.

Kaisen is halted, positioned in the air, raised by the tightened grip around his neck. The scythe in his hands lands an inch from Vincent's neck, but for the Endless that hold it there, it might as well be a million miles. Still, the human stumbles slightly, the curse crunching into his Ether and might, but it is not enough. Kaisen roars and fights back, but the Endless hold him utterly motionless.

With awe, I watch as Vincent's mouth opens, both words and countless insects coming from within.

"A fool, exactly. Allow your strength to become my strength. At least Killian knew better than to come so close. It seems the world has forgotten. I taught Marshall all he knew."

The Nahullo writhes in pain as the Endless devours him, a flurry of blows annihilating Kaisen's body in the span of an instant, and I glance over at Lennon. The swordsman's face is contorted into fury, but he doesn't move. I can see his faux hands clenched around his blade, the force enough to create diamonds, but still... He controls himself just as adeptly as he wields that sword.

"It isn't worth to fight him yet. Adding Kaisen to his mountain of corpses is bad really bad... but... it's not the end of the world."

I nod, already seeing the wisdom before he says it. I think... those words were more so for Lennon himself than any of us. The thing I'm shocked about is... how fast he died. I mean, he's not dead yet, but it's already been decided.

Kaisen. A God that overwhelmed Lennon. Twice. Lennon doesn't lose twice. Vincent... is killing him in one move?

I watch further, expecting a grand maneuver from the Mother Below to save Kaisen's hide, but she can't. The colossal spider in the distance races forward, obviously knowing how important the God of War is in her battle, but she simply isn't fast enough.

The Nahullo uses his all, Sirza, Dzil, Power, and Dominion, but it does not a damned thing to extricate himself from that execution. The Ash and War in tandem clash against the Endless, but it matters not. Kaisen's arrogance brought him to the most dangerous place in the universe—Vincent Harvey's hand.

In just moments, the once unstoppable force that was Kaisen, the God of War, the Saint of Scythes, turns to nothing but dust that Desolation promptly devours.

And it is in just enough time for the Mother Below to arrive on the scene, her two guards beside her at her side. Previously, she was letting her many Gods and Demigods hold back Vincent, but with our help, that is no longer possible.

I look at Leviathan's head, and she nods, diving downward into the sands with all the speed I imagined she was capable of. My fingers wrap tightly around her scales as she pivots with extreme force toward the ground. Feeling the inertia, I leap off her back, landing at a crashing sprint. This is our time. Our moment.

Glancing back, I find Leviathan's massive body rolling in the sand as one of Usen's guards has turned into an identical copy of her. My Concept speaks to me as I stare intently at the two dragons coiled together with screaming psychic Ether.

This is the God of Identity. Ironically, it has none, being a completely blank copy for the Mother Below to have to replicate another's abilities. Shit. That's...

A shiver runs through my spine as Blodwyn speaks for me.

"They can't copy us. We're three in one. I doubt it's within their capabilities. And... they left the other two alone as they are not Gods. Could be worse. They could have grabbed Lennon."

I nod, pushing away the idea of turning around to help Leviathan. She can deal with a copy of her. If not... I am not opposed to her death in exchange for our victory.

So, I rush ahead, darting past the oceanic wave of Darklight that washes over me. The Dominion of the Mother Below is augmented in countless ways from this close. I can spot that her twelve legs, where eleven are glowing, all possess some kind of Divinity stored within the luminescent orbs. The twelfth one appears to be damaged and impaired in some way.

Inspecting it leads me to be reminded of Remington's millenium war upon her. Eleven Divinities, huh?

My brain kind of halts as I stare up at the being before me, at least a hundred feet tall and with countless probing eyes. Virgil has already vanished to some other place, taking the other guard with him.

Damn it. He always does this kind of shit. I mean... it's a good idea to isolate Usen, but... he... fuck it. This is our only chance. If we don't kill her today, here and now, she'll disappear to some random corner of the cosmos and return when we've lived our lifespans to their ends.

Beside me, to my right, Lennon strides up, the Claymore in his sheathe rested there while a secondary one forms to his right. It floats as if waiting for its time to be wielded. I look at him while Vincent holds aloft the remnant dust of Kaisen to Usen.

"I believe this one was yours. Would you like him back?"

Usen hasn't said a word yet, but I can feel her many eyes peering down at Vincent and us. The Mother Below's orbs at the end of her feet vibrate as the sound of chittering comes not from her toothed maw of darkness but instead from the Darklight clouding the air.

The God takes a step forward, and I take one back. Lennon does, too, as an indescribable presence falls upon us. Yet... Vincent bears witness without a shudder.

A shadow clads the entire horizon, making even the Endless seem invisible as the eclipse vanishes. There is only a terrible darkness, with eleven twinkling pale lights. The shadow grows and looms over us, becoming the only thing I can discern as the voice from the God finally reaches my ears.

"Vincent Harvey. No creature has ever angered me as you have. None have brought themselves to me and thought themselves my equal. You have not only denied my love but forfeited it for your whole world. I will kill you and add your soul to my last leg. It will be a joy greater than eating a sun's worth of life."

I can't move under whatever is happening. My fingers and toes crinkle as all eleven pale lights augment Usen's power while the Darklight swims around me. I see why she's so strong. I'm three-in-one, but she's... so much more. How... how does she even control them all? Can she? I don't know, but she's certainly mighty.

Lennon has a similar struggle, and he can't unsheathe Dia from his hip. I can see his whole body tremble under the force of the Mother Below, and still, the Demigod doesn't fall. He doesn't have his own Concept within his flesh, but that doesn't matter.

Yet most impressibly, Vincent Harvey lives up to all that I've ever heard about him. For years, for all my life, I've heard countless legends about the eleventh Prime of humanity. His strength was always said to be unrivaled under the stars, only beneath the stars themselves.

I've seen it for myself before when he ascended, but it was... expected then. He was facing beings he had already won against in the past. He was simply pitted against more of them at once than before. But now... at this critical juncture with the paleness of the shadows, I see only the silhouette of his unbowed back.

His right fist rises to the sky, unable to reach Usen, but he does so nonetheless. Then, he opens that clenched palm as some scattering fragments of dust fall to the ground.

The man's voice is clear despite the fogged air and the countless Concepts, Dominions, and Powers that complicate my ears. I hear him as if he were whispering into my eardrum.

"You made me into this. Without you, Usen, as that boogeyman in the dark, I'd have... I'd have died a long time ago. I must thank you. Truly. Thank you, Mother Below, for cradling my hatred. Now, please be the one to receive it all."

The shadows recede in an instant as a sandy brown cataclysm saves me from all the Darklight in a single action. Usen's twelve legs retreat in surprise as if she was not expecting the Endless to match her Darklight. I realize in an instant that Vincent has been holding back all this time. Against the army of Gods, Desolation never gave it his all. Only now, when his target is before him, does he bear it all for her to witness.

I watch with awed eyes as two vast energies and forces meet in the air, earth, and the realms between.

An infinite tide of insects so small they appear to be nothing more than grains of sand intertwine with the tsunami of silvery darkness that moves like a thick, suffocating fog.

They hover in the air, their conflict so intense that the earth below us cracks open, apertures spreading out like a spider’s web. I stumble to the side, catching my footing as magma begins to well up from the depths. And before I can even recover from the ground splitting open, the sky shatters, and fractures form in the very fabric of reality. Beings from other planes slip through these cracks. I recognize only a few of them, but I can tell that most are of the Angelic realm.

However, their strengths do not matter, for they enter only to perish in the overwhelming power of the battle immediately.

I am behind Vincent with Lennon, shielded from the direct effects of their clash, but I cannot tear my eyes away from the spectacle. The display of the Concepts of Love and Endless evokes emotions I didn't know I had.

Darklight, the manifestation of the Mother Below's Love wraps around the tiny insects of the Endless. They battle at the tiniest fragments, down to the smallest motes of matter. But beyond those minuscule conflicts, the greater one still wages.

Awe grips me as I witness the raw power they wield. Even the eclipse that was hiding the sun is pulled from its orbit, revealing the light of morning once more. The warmth of the star, however, is not felt as the chill of the Darklight graces my skin. The teeth of the Endless glide along my flesh, too, but they do not bite me. They have another opponent. If Vincent has one skill above all others, that is his control of Ether and his Concept. It is unrivaled. Unparalleled. Perhaps, just maybe, Remington could have matched him, but none in the modern era can.

The Endless swarm forward, a tidal wave of minuscule death, meeting the silvery fog head-on. The fog engulfs the insects, turning them into nothingness, but the swarm is infinite, constantly replenishing itself as Vincent's raised hands turn into more and more of the critters. I catch the mark of signature upon Vincent's left palm during his efforts, and I can feel my father's Ether from it, too.

The Prime... He's... weakened... even with this..

They were right. Leviathan. Killian. Louis. They were all right. We fucking need him. He is so...

Strong. How can one person be this... How?

The Mother Below’s legs twitch and move with uncanny grace at his power. She controls the fog with precision and malice that is not unlike from Vincent's, but the human's hatred is simply... something else.

He directs the Endless with a mere thought, that of nothing but pure and unadulterated malice. His authority is absolute, yet the Mother Below somehow matches him at every turn.

I know something quite well at this point. Without those eleven Divinities powering Usen, she would have already lost. I don't know how it works, but they are the only reason she is nearly his equal. I look to Lennon as he can only shrug and point ahead.

"Why don't we join?"

The instant he asks, the ground beneath me shakes violently, and I struggle to keep my footing. Every clash of their powers sends shockwaves through the earth, the sky, and my very soul. The scale of their battle is beyond anything I have ever imagined.

I've fought Gods. I've killed Gods. But this? This is not a fight; it is a cataclysm, a war between primal forces that could shape the universe into their images.

My feet find their purchase as Lily emerges beside me. She rips the Colt from the holster and spins the cylinder within, smiling all the while. I can sense the sadness within her as she knows what has happened to her father, but she bears that grin for the time being.

"Let's go! I want her deader than dead!"

Lennon returns the little girl's enthusiasm, drawing his Claymore with a shriek from the steel, the lady within the blade howling for blood. Striding forward, he motions for me to follow.

"She speaks wisely. Come. There is no better time."

The swordsman swiftly darts ahead as I take in my surroundings. Blodwyn chimes in while I do so.

"Now or never. I'll start our Ether."

And he does so, Blood Nexus already heading towards the converging point for our Sirza. But... my eyes look to everyone else's struggle first, as I need to see it.

Just a few hundred feet behind me, Leviathan struggles for her life against an equal while in some unknown corner, Virgil fights for his life. I trust my closest friend to win, but that doesn't mean I'm not worried for him.

Beyond that...

Everyone else's lives are on the line. Every person I care about is... fighting with their all. I...

My hands shake. Fear.

I can feel it creeping up my spine.

It is a fear of failure, the killer of minds. But how? How is it upon me? I don't have an answer, only that it is wriggling deeply into my soul at such a critical juncture.

I don't walk forward as the consequences of what might happen swirl in my mind. If we fail here... If I fail here... If I'm not good enough... Everyone... Vincent is matching her, yes, but... she has more Gods. She isn't alone like he is. I need to... Move. Why?

Why is this happening? Why can't I move? This has never happened before! Move dammit! What the fuck is wrong with me! If I don't... If I don't fight...

Chill enters my blood and freezes my everything. I can't... I can't...

I...

"Little one. What are you so afraid of?"

A hand touches my shoulder as a single eye lowers itself to my height. My heart accelerates in worry as this is not a place Aniwye should be. It's too risky! What is she doing!? She needs to—!

"You need me. So I am here. There were many times in the past when you needed me, and I was not there. So, I promise. I will be here until I cannot be any longer."

The lone eye of the Ogre gazes into my dual pupils, and I can only utter a short question while the world ends behind her.

"Why?"

My mother laughs with a broad smile, grasping both my shoulders tightly as I watch her whole body tremble in horrible pain. Lacerations open across her flesh from the mere shockwaves, but she doesn't relent. She speaks softly and affectionately into my face.

"Because I love you, little one. Now. Get in there. What's there to be afraid of? I didn't raise a coward, did I? I raised a God. Show that fake bitch just how special you are."

Aniwye's grin only grows further, but the danger to her life is so very real. She's... she's risking her life for me? Just for this moment of hesitation? How? I... how did she know?

A kiss on the top of my head brings my attention to the real world as Aniwye's body is ripped to shreds by the impact of the Endless onto the Darklight. The silhouette of her bones escaping her flesh imprints itself into my mind for eternity.

Her mind speaks to me, no matter how many pieces she is in.

"Wake up. This isn't you. You won't fail. I know you won't. You're at the finish line, little one. Just a little further. Do it for Ma."

The blood and gore of my mother fall across my hands, legs, and face, and my eyes slide down to the single eye that now rests on my shoulder, the pupil swimming with Ether and meaning. My heart beats hundreds of times a minute on its own as my partners scream in horror.

My focus swaps from the eye to the two warring Gods before me with the speed of light. Then my fist tightens, and my heart beats for one extra soul as the freezing fear ignites into a volcanic inferno.