Tread Lightly

Surging relief encompasses my body, and I force Liberation to burn the matter in my skull so that I can speak to my mother. Time slows as Lennon clasps his hands around his sheathed sword, and Vincent turns his head and sands to the swordsman.

A race has begun. Who is faster? The draw of the humanoid monster or that of the monstrous God? I can only hope that my friend is capable. Because we need some time. And... we need Virgil. Or at least his Dominion. If anyone gets hit with the Endless... they will be out of the fight without exception.

"Ma. Find Silas. He has that glove, right? Get him to Virgil. We're going to need his help."

Inch by inch, the two move, and I can hear the sliding of steel against wood in the harshest of pitches. It grates my ears, but I focus on my mother's reply with LIberation matching our minds in speed.

"I can do that, but the Tricker's Glove can only copy Powers, not Dominions. You need his teleportation, no? What purpose does that have? Is it not better for me to get Alexos? Or Abraham?"

I mentally shake my head. Those two won't help here. They were essential in fighting the other Gods and keeping them back so we could corner Usen, but... they won't do for Vincent.

"Desolation is the perfect counter to Alexos. His illusions won't be anything but dust in the wind. As for Abraham... he'll die from the shockwaves. As for the Trickster's Glove... that bastard has some more tricks up his sleeve. I know he does. I just fucking know it. Plus, Virgil's Dominion is weird. It might work."

My mother's mind nods along with mine, seeing my point. She agrees, promising to do as I ask.

"You are right. Eli Weiss is not one to be missing a backup plan for his death's backup plan. In all the worlds, he might have just been the trickiest damn bastard of them all. I'll find him. Just hold on, little one."

As my brain feels as if it's melting from both the exertion and the Ether saturation, I cut off the connection, leaving her with my own oath.

"I'll be fine, Ma. Don't worry about me."

I don't hear her reply. Instead, I watch the race in real-time as the blade leaves Lennon's sheath and a wave of Endless speeds for the swordsman's back. My heart clenches within its cage of bones, but all I can do is kneel. I need more time to get back into the fight. Blodwyn is hard at work, and Lily is feeling better... but... we're not ready yet.

The swordsman swings at his target while Vincent retaliates with a wave of devouring sand. Lazarus shunts himself toward the Eleventh, but even the cackling bolt of electricity is too slow. The world's once-fastest man is held back by the Divinity attached to him, and a new one is forged.

With Lazarus' grasping lightning, the air crackles with pressure beyond the Darklight and Endless, and it's clear this confrontation will come down to a matter of seconds split into the millionths. My heart beats out of my chest, each thump echoing louder than the last—the clang of steel rings through the air, a sharp and clear note amidst the chaos. The chittering of the sandy devouring insects howls along a sinister counterpoint that makes my skin crawl.

My perception, still heightened from whatever I did earlier with my Sirza, allows me to see more than I otherwise would. And I take in every tiny detail, committing this moment to memory.

****************************

Lennon 'Godless Sword' Hull

Here I am.

I am staring down the most powerful man ever to walk, attempting to match him in a contest of strength and speed. It is utter hubris—an absurdly idiotic and nonsensical idea. After all, who I am? Some swordsman? No noble name to my head and not a single drop of magnificent blood. Two Primes come from above Vincent's bloodline, and I...

I am just a Godless man.

When I compare the two of us, I am no Monster. I'm not even a wolf. I'm a timid young child yawping and crying. My feats don't come close to Vincent's. Neither does my mind nor my mettle. He is unlike anything that has ever existed. And yet...

It is my job to beat him. Not to kill him. That is a significant difference.

Because...

I can beat anyone. Anything. Anywhere. My best...

I could have left. I could have rested and came back for a duel when I was healed. But I didn't. I stepped into this final clash at death's door. Wyatt could have healed me, but...

I will only ever have one shot. There is no better me than when my back is against the wall and all the chips are down. When the fate of everything depends on me, I don't falter. I don't stutter. I only dig my feet in.

There is no quarter given. Not for Vincent. Not for Usen. Not for the world, and most certainly,

Not for me.

If there is one last thing I will do in the world, it is prove that damned old man right.

All that I have ever possessed falls into my blade as I take both at once, the secondary blade melding with the first as it exits the sheath. The ringing of metal into the air pierces my soul as the two Concepts immediately war against each other, but I learned a great deal from Kaisen. I lost to him. Twice. And I have made sure that I'd never lose a third time.

The two Concepts fall into battle against each other, but their war, their War, births a brilliant cascade of power that rips through my body as all the Ether I have ever owned detonates at once. The entirety of Monster evaporates from the contest in less than a millionth of a second with a heat that eclipses my reasoning. I may not die from this. But... I will never swing a blade like this again. This is it, Kaisen. This is what you wanted to see.

My peak.

May it Sunder Gods Into Legends.

*****************************

Wyatt 'Limitless' Graves

A spark of light originates from Lennon as my eyes practically burn. Three Concepts at once battle in a triplicate along Lennon's blade. He...

He took the path least trodden. I was careful, walking the road of Concepts with the utmost care. But Lennon... His ambition has always been beyond imagination. Yet... at this moment, I see him. I truly see him. All his life, he has teetered between chaos and order, doing one or the other at every turn. He was often on our side, but he was always on that edge. One wrong day. One wrong word. It could have sent him overboard.

And yet... Right here. Right now. Lennon surpasses it all. His past, his present, and his future. He makes the bomb I conjured before seem tiny with the death held in his palms. They move, finally, as this infinitesimally short moment stretches into eternity for all of us.

The swordsman's eyes are focused, his muscles taut with the effort of his swing. Vincent's wave of sand is almost a living entity of a Concept, swirling with a vicious hunger that seeks to consume everything in its path, racing against Lennon's steel to claim the final blood. I watch in breathless anticipation, every fiber of my being hoping the younger monster is fast enough to overcome the older one.

I am praying to the Devil himself that Lennon has risen high enough to counter the one he's always looked up to as invincible both for everyone and for the man's heart.

And... he is. Lennon Hull, at his highest, surpassed the unsurpassable. He shows the world the grandest show of power that has ever been.

The swordsman's blade connects with a resounding force against the Mother Below's spider face, a colossal slash that cuts past the destination, shaving a ravine into the earth that stretches as far as I can see into the horizon. The sheer power released by the man creates Crossroads along the ridges, and unknown entities crawl out in the aftermath. Reality itself shudders. This rend in the earth will be eternal, the place of Usen's true death.

The God is obliterated, not just split in halves but decimated into imperceptibly slim pieces that are strewn into the skies before being ripped apart into nothingness. The air collapses in further, removing any possible trace of Usen and shoving her strength into nothing but history. Even her Divinity is nowhere to be seen. Whether it is shattered or lost, none could know.

But the victory is short-lived. The Endless, relentless, and voracious devour into the spent swordsman without another target. Lennon collapses to the ground before a single insect reaches him. I sprint toward him, but the wave of sand engulfs him too quickly, the insects within it biting and tearing at his flesh. He is tossed to the side, his body rolling across the ground in a contorted mess of limbs and agony. His screams pierce the air, a haunting sound that speaks volumes to the danger of the Endless.

Lennon is not easily brought to the ground. I've seen him withstand enough torture to put any and all without my second name into a grave. A golden eye in the sands attempts to prove this point, but Vincent catches wind of it too quickly, clasping his left hand closed as Johnny's Idol is annihilated by the sands near it.

A bolt of lightning centered into a man's stabbing palm pierces into Vincent's back, yet the Endless devours the gray electricity. Lazarus quickly disengages, diving back beside me while the battlefield falls silent.

That is, silent except for the perpetual chittering of the Endless and Lennon's agonized screams. Vincent turns and faces Lazarus, Bonfire, and me. His face isn't even angry... It is...

"Humanity. Never ceases to disappoint. Now? What was all this for? An admirable figure is set to die because you all... what? Didn't want me to grow stronger? So fucking stupid. Hmm? Anything to say, you three? I can understand Killian's grievance with me, but the rest? What have I done to all of you? Do you have a problem with saving the world? With making a better place? Where we don't have to fear the other races? Or live under their thumbs? We will be kings!"

I can only stare at Vincent's crinkled face as he points a hand back toward Usen, whose body was bisected and put to an end because of her continued weakness. We need time. We need Virgil's Dominion to save Lennon from the insects eating him, but I don't know how long he has until he isn't fit for salvation.

As my mind races for an idea, the Mother Below's death finally begins its ripples through reality. And it is massive, as the several Gods she had taken into her are killed, too. Thankfully, it is by Lennon and not by the devouring Endless. The swordsman has never grown from victory. He develops from failure infinitely more.

There are no words I can use to describe how the world changes. But it does. And it does so much. Colors shift to all eyes, turning drearier, while a quake shakes the entirety of the earth. The ravine split by Lennon caves in, quickly becoming a landmark that would last until the end of time.

The sky stills as air no longer flows. The spinning of our planet ceases. The glow of the sun increases in heat, burning the surface of the rocky landscape.

Lazarus steps forward, shifting his open palms toward the air.

"THIS! This is what we swore to prevent! YOU! You are destroying the world! And you will only continue to do so! You and your reckless ambition for power! All Primes make their oaths. And you have forsaken yours, Vincent Harvey. As the only other Prime and the highest authority in all the lands, I say this to you..."

The Thunderbolt Titan lurches toward Vincent as I witness his undead stature bulge with silver, not that of Darklight, but that of something born within him.

"You are no longer human."

Surprise wreaks havoc across Desolation's face as I notice genuine hurt. The man who, according to him, has always fought for humanity is no longer seen as one of us and is utterly stunned. With that distraction, Lazarus moves his hands. A streak of gray flashes toward Vincent. The Ether sings once last time, and I instinctively know this is a man's entire life placed on the line. It appears that my father has matured through his death, allowing his Primes to use their greatest strengths. Or... Lazarus just came up with this. Who could know other than the two themselves?

Thunderclouds Dictate Who Rules.

Electricity detonates with such focused precision and power that it actually pierces the Endless. Billions of insects flow to Vincent's call, but the silver lightning stabs through it all, striking the man straight in the chest. The impact sends him hurtling away, bouncing across the charred and barren wasteland.

But the carnage doesn't end there. The bolt of lightning continues past him, flying all the way back to Lazarus. It collides with the Undead's flesh, and he nearly topples over from the arcing power in his form. I can see his own Sirza sizzle his flesh and scrape off his fingers.

There it is. Like all Sirzas, they are self-destructive. The only person's Sirza who hasn't appeared to be so is Vincent's. Which... I can see this being the case. He's different, after all.

I waddle beside Lazarus, feeling some energy return to me. Limitless isn't just a word.

It is within me.

Every second under stress, we grow.

Without limit.

"How many times can you attack with that? It's strong. And... where were you earlier?"

The Third, the most significant of all other Primes besides the one I'm staring at, taught by the Second himself, laughs just like his name intends. He hops from foot to foot with a grim smile on his face.

"Killian wanted to wait for the right moment. He apparently believed in the swordsman's ability. It's a good thing he was right. Your father has parasitized Vincent, using his enormous well of strength to sustain himself. And me. As such... not too many times. Killian is stretched thin enough to weaken Vincent. You may not see it, but Desolation is at war on the inside. A terrible one. What we have seen is, at most, six-tenths of his total prowess."

I nod, feeling unsure of how to react to my father's condition. From what I heard earlier, he's the new God of Death, but what happens if Vincent dies? Does... he, too? I don't know. But... I don't think I want to.

Bonfire finally pipes up, the typically loud man making his mark after so much silence. It is not a positive one, unfortunately.

"This is... scary, man. I... How are we supposed to win? He... He's Vincent fucking Harvey. No one told me we'd be fighting him..."

Clearing my throat, I watch the man in question climb to his feet, a hole in his chest closing as the Endless heals him. He's... made of those insects. Completely. I see. No longer human. The God shakes his head as he curses the world.

"You... Lazarus. I always looked up to you. The man who held the heavens aloft after they fell with a smile and a laugh. You were the first real Prime... the first to truly bear the weight of the world for years and years... but I see you are no different from the rest, unable to see the truth of reality. You must believe the wars will end when I am gone. Fine then. Fine. If this is what you all want, then this is how it shall be."

My heart shudders as the Sirza that has lived within my skull's dreams for endless nights screams through my soul. I hold onto Bonfire's shoulder as Vincent's Endless blooms into death for the world.

The Endless Devours All.

"We have to, Bonfire. We have to."

My dear friend shudders as he looks around, and I can see the terror in his eyes. He's typically fearless, able to face down any horror with a smile and a joke in his other hand. But...

Desolation lives in all hearts as a shadow. He... has devoured our hopes. All our lives, he's been this unstoppable boogeyman—a true God among men. And here... he is one. Lazarus and I stand here unaffected because he is from another time, without that pressure and a legend himself, and I...

My mother raised me right. Bonfire, though... the Wastelander is THE nightmare for children. And even most adults.

"But... just us three? Lennon is... dying right there. Can we help him? What about Virgil? Where is he? Is he... Abraham? Anyone else?"

The hurt in Emmet's eyes when he mentions Virgil mirror my own. I don't know whether he is alive or dead. I grind my teeth as Vincent steps toward us and cracks his neck.

"So shortsighted. What if other Gods exist in the cosmos that wish to kill us? What if Usen isn't the end? What if there are more? We need a figure capable of killing them all. We need a shield. Not some disjointed world, filled to the brim with chaos."

A voice comes from behind me, agreeing with him, but only partially. I turn and find my mother carrying a man under her arms. She's made it to the battleground. No...

"That is true, Vincent Harvey. But none in the many worlds wish for that figure to be you. You would bring the chaos to kneel with an iron fist. There are others who can do it more... peacefully. Silas. Do it."

"I Wish for the Trickster's Glove to copy Dominions."

In the man's hand is the porcelain glove from Eli Weiss, while the other has... the Primare. How did he—? Ma. She must have taken it.

No answer comes to me as the legendary object, built from one of the most powerful Gods ever to live, on the same level as the Morning Star, shatters into a million pieces. Then, a coin sets into the glove as Silas falls unconscious.

I watch the Undead man fall to the ground out of exhaustion or trauma, but his feet catch themselves as his one fleshy eye is radiantly purple. Mie.

Shadows lengthen Virgil's Dominion returns to the battlefield. Aniwye nods to me and whispers within my mind as Lennon lands beside her, free of the Endless but nearly skinned to the bone.

"I'll see what I can do to get him back into the fight. We'll be watching from afar to help. But... Mie cannot use Virgil's Dominion as he did. Your shadow was too cruel to himself. Still, he only needs a few moments of rest. Then he will be back. He swore so to me across the sands."

I sigh at Virgil's incredible perseverance and face Vincent's furious glare. The God stomps toward us, with the Endless in the sky ramping up with its earth-shattering might. Clenching my jaw, I speak with Blodwyn.

"One more go. You think we got that?"

My partner nods within our soul, and Lily joins in. The Colt appears behind me, taking the gun from my hip as she prances to the side.

"Yeah. But... don't leave us out like you did last time."

"Yeah! It wasn't fair!"

Huh? What do they mean? I hardly have time to ask the question before Lazarus practically teleports beside Vincent, the gray lightning arcing off his flesh. Bonfire gathers his courage, too, and the flaming man accelerates off while motioning me to follow.

A Heart Beats For Three within my chest as I speed up, imbuing Limitless into every segment of my body. As I do so, though, I begin to understand.

I'm only placing Limitless within our entire Sirza. I've been taking their help but unconsciously pushing them away. That is the pinnacle for all other Gods. They only have one Concept, after all—even Vincent. Lennon isn't a God, so I don't think he's as restricted...

But me...

Heh.

Origin and Adaptation.

I take one step after another while I encourage my partners to do what they can. We all need to work together to our very core for this. This is bigger than before. It's more than just working together with our Concepts. We need them to fuse, like what Lennon did. Just... not as explosively.

"Use your Concept. We need to be careful, though. If they don't meld together... perfectly in our heart..."

"We die."

It is worse than before when we all met in the middle. That was just a brief connection, a tiny thing that brought great power. This, however, is a deadly union. The other two, of course, respond in unison, sensing the gravity of the situation. Step by step, my speed accelerates, and my heart beats with more danger. Limitless exists within my body, soul, and Ether while Blodwyn starts sliding Adaptation into our Sirza. Previously, he only used his Concept on our physical body to increase our durability.

While he does so, going first as he'll increase our compatibility with Lily due to his nature, I join the fight. The swarm of the Endless protects Vincent from Bonfire and Lazarus, and silver lightning and colorless fire meet in the middle.

Emmet's situation is the riskiest, as he only possesses a Dominion to protect him. While powerful in many aspects, from destruction to reconstruction, it is not enough to put him on par with Vincent. Nothing is. No matter if he is Desolation's natural enemy.

I leap to his aid, pushing him aside from a wave of insects that Vincent hurls at him. Bonfire can burn plenty of the damned things; in fact, he's the most efficient at it, but he can't get them all.

After doing so, I give my friend a nod as I dart toward the God himself—the amalgamation of the worst bits of humanity I've seen. I let the Endless fall onto me as new bone replaces the old that they devour.

Adaptation itself settles into my heart and the bones that grow from it with each pulse. I meet Vincent's eyes as I step close to him, a bolt of lightning surging from behind the man.

He sidesteps it without even looking, pivoting to reach closer to me. At this distance, I can see the Undying Curse in detail. No one has ever gotten this close to Vincent. Not truly.

The remnants of my father war with Vincent's insides, refusing to die as they use the God's own Concept and flesh against him. What he has done is a miracle. I will not let his sacrifice go in vain. He is forcibly bringing Vincent down to our level, allowing us to stand a chance with our exhaustion.

We might not have known each other all that well... but... I know who he is. Who he was. Who is always will be.

A man that cared for me above all else. And for that, I'll always be grateful.

I move in a mirror-like fashion with Vincent as I reach out with one hand, letting the Limitless Manacles call Lazarus' lightning to me. It arcs to me with a spark through the air, surging across my flesh and through my skin.

I can feel the Concept within. It's barely there, something that Lazarus must have only touched upon on his death. That of a Cackle. How he sees it is unique. An explosive spark of life, more beautiful than any other. It's a tiny Concept, one that few would even acknowledge, and yet, it is his.

And he controls every inch of it, preventing it from spearing through me.

It swerves along my arm and down my fingers as I swing a fist at Vincent, the cackle of the silver audible to my ears. Desolation steps forward again under my arm, getting in close so I cannot deliver the strike with those chittering deviants, but I know better than just to let him do as he wishes.

The best brawler taught me how to fight.

Stamping my foot into the ground, I smile at the monstrous being. I didn't put my all into the first one. I knew he'd find a counter.

How could he not? He's Vincent fucking Harvey.

So, my other hand, the one that is home to the Blooming Spider Lily, flashes with darkness as a trigger is pulled inches from his chest. Vincent, still manages to control his flesh out of the way in time for my finger to move that slight distance. But that, too, is a bluff. The gun in my hand doesn't hold Lily's power. It is just a figment of my Limitless Madness.

The real Lily stands behind Vincent, the darkness already on its way to his soul.