181 'Tyrant's' End

Kas' arrival to the war room caught the attention of both siblings. Jakery arrived behind him in a flash of blinding light, while the tainted one mockingly sat on one of the chairs inside.

Demon grinned behind his helmet. Showing his devilish personality off to the Nine. Who continued to stare at the situation with full interest.

"Hmm," Kas wondered out loud. "Where is Alise?"

"The ally to brawn is not intelligence. Her mental, reshaped through unspoken means, coexists with putrid corruption," Demon mocked.

Jakery stumbled through the open door, daggers on the ready. His eyes narrowed to stare down at his killer. After so many months of fighting, the end was near.

And they all knew this. Which invited the eldest over. The room got drastically warmer, hot enough to burn banners. From the falling embers, a once killed Zesher emerges.

Now this was it. Murdered innocence stormed from behind, taken sanity from the front, and from his left was a raging heart.

"Well, this is a bit unfair, huh?" Kas commented.

Ether's hands folded into fists. "No. This is what we felt. Alone, isolated from each other. Back against the stone cold wall. Now it's your turn to feel it, too."

Demon pinned Kas in place using corrupted tentacles that eroded the armor away. Allowing Jakery electrocute-dash right into him. Bringing them bother over the war room.

Kas grabbed onto Jakery's head, then rolled mid-air to direct his head to the ground. On impact, Jakery felt the pressure of wood breaking beneath their collective weight, along with the hard knee-pads.

From the debris, Kas emerged. Waiting to see who was next. Demon ordered his Syndicate Dust to form a spike that penetrated Kas' stomach.

Ether jumped onto his back, then grabbed the bottom of his chin. With it, Ether pulled back with all his power. Driving the spike through different portions of his body.

Then Ether let go, sending Kas flying through the room. Crash landing right into a wall. It shook, as if the entire building was about to collapse.

From the siege it endured earlier that day, it was understandable. However, Kas needed to escape. Unless he wanted to die right then and there.

His mind was focused on seeing his daughter again.

Jakery emerged from the broken table with a fury. He instantly locked onto Kas, then took off in a blinding pace. Reaching him before he could get out of his daze.

He grabbed Kas by the leg, then dashed towards Demon at full speed. Before they reached him, Jakery let go, then parted. Leaving Kas in a direct path to Demon. Who drove his entire knee right into his skull.

It cracked just like Jakery's did. Kas fell onto the ground, trying his best to endure. Before he could get back up, Ether descended right onto him like an active bomb.

Piercing his chest with Tellendor's tip. Once Ether felt the sudden halt from the blade, he pulled back. Allowing any of his siblings to get their turn.

"Oh, so difficult," Jakery laughed. "So - so difficult, you see. We were raised into what we are now. If your brain functioned properly, you would've had three powerful war-fighters!"

Kas coughed out blood. "Don't be an idiot. It's because of me that devil is out. And you for your Third Rule. And also Ether for bringing out his worst."

Despite it being true, Ether still felt sorry. He battled so long and hard through these conflicts, often losing himself along the way. During these times, he lost many things.

Such as his Yonie touch, bond with Jakery, and friendship with Oria. However, as time passed, he rediscovered everything again.

Jakery gritted his teeth. "Don't be a -"

"Drop it," Ether interrupted. "Let him get back up, we aren't done."

It was a challenge, one Kas couldn't refuse. No matter how much he tried. He mustered the last bit of strength he has in his body and prepared for one final stand.

Once he was up, each brother approached differently. Demon transformed into a Distorted, using his dark frame to threaten. However, Kas was too far gone to be afraid.

Jakery's body cackled to life as lightning consumed it. Energy consumed his veins, making him seem worse than who he really was. As for Ether, he remained the same.

There was no reason to let his flames engulf his body. Mostly because this was unfair already. If this was how Kas would go, he at least wanted to be decent.

First up was Demon. He turned his arm into a giant blade to cut Kas down the middle. As it came down, he stumbled out of the way. Showing no motivation behind his movements.

What was left inside him was the dying memory of his family. And with that memory, he wanted to die.

Jakery followed up, driving both daggers into the already damaged stomach. Overflowing Kas' mind with pain, prompting him to pick Jakery up by the neck.

Ether tried to assist his younger brother. Before he could reach them, Kas struck Ether with Jakery. Sending them both flying off to the side.

Demon chuckled, sounding pleased as he watched his opponent bleed out in front of him. But to speed his death, he slammed down on the ground.

Sending several spikes up from the stone floor until they pierced Kas' knee. Bringing his already injured stance down even more.

"Ugh... is this what you wanted?" Kas grunted. "To torture me instead of taking me out quickly?! Heh - ah. You - you are worse than I thought."

Through corrupted vocal cords, Demon spoke. "I was destroyed by the Distorted YOU sent to kill us. Imagine how pretty my mentality is."

Kas fought off the spike, lingering on the severe pain. "No, you're wrong. It came to us. Telling us it's an old friend who wanted a little favor. Back then we had our reasons for wanting you gone, so we took it."

Ether ran Tellendor across the floor as he marched closer. "You believed we were going to go silent, huh? Jakery heard all of it. You three should've met in the War Room or somewhere different."

[How impressive. They caught onto our doing.]

Demon tilted his head towards the sky. Listening to his masters closer.

[It's because of us you three are alive. We have a general theory of who that Distorted could be. However, we need to go investigate for ourselves.]

After their brief interaction, Demon turned his attention onto the conflict again. Ether tackled Kas, sending the leader tumbling down.

Sparks lit his wake as his armor rubbed against the floor. Through mouthfuls of blood and agonizing pain, Kas was beginning to cease his fight. It was over.

As all three siblings loomed over him, he spat out the blood in his mouth before turning his full attention onto them.

"Ugh... hah... you three are so ungrateful. You were born into MY Legion, trained by MY Sherpas, and participated in MY events," Kas struggled to breathe. "Yet you came back. Not to apologize for your kind's doing, but to finish a grudge."

Through the ash of the overhead flames, Ether stepped forward. "You never carried me or my brothers in your womb, never taught us anything yourself, and never invited us personally to any event. Why should we apologize?"

Demon and Jakery stepped through the dust and smoke that clouded the place. Their fists ripe with anger.

"How pitiful. You lost everything. Your Legion is nothing more than dust waiting to get swept away by a gust of wind. Your buddies are now memories. All that remains is your daughter," Demon teased.

Rage fogged Kas' mind, numbing it from the pain. He wanted to strike that fiend down then and there. But before he got rise onto his feet, Demon planted his foot on his chest.

Ether placed his hand on his shoulder. "This war was not designed for your conclusion."

Golden flames danced down from the banners, hugging him an embrace only hell itself could give. Through each ember, he felt the Light's legacy dying. And the Coros lineage's triumph.

Kas closed his eyes. "Haha... ah... my reign ends here. But her's hasn't even begun..."

With a swift motion, Kas' organs went up in flames. He screamed in agony as Ether unleashed everything he had. For the next forty seconds, Kas burned alive.

Feeling each ember crackle in his body until he ceased to exist. His armor began to weaken from the heat, melting over his skin. Except for his other knee-pad. It remained strong.

"D - did we just... win?" Jakery asked in disbelief.

Ether nodded. "We did it. Us three, along with our Legion."

Tears rolled down Jakery's cheeks. "YES! WE DID IT!"

Demon stepped away from the group. "You have power, now. A lot of it. What's the next step?"

"Huh..." Ether murmured. "I'll have to see. Right now, I want to return to Pearl and my Orako."

"She has been real silent lately. She went off with Tinzor's battalion. We will meet them shortly. Right now, let's round up the warriors and bring the back home."