6 Taurak.

Munch! Munch! Munch! Celeste ripped off its flesh and gorged it all down, assimilating its lifeblood for her own.

"My dear daughter, is the birthday gift to your liking?" Vincent asked.

She let out a screech and wobbled her head up and down.

"Should also help myself out," he chuckled and grabbed onto one of its bat wings.

The Manticore looked back at him and gave a human-like grin. Vincent's eyes narrowed into slits; a slight ripple of emotion could be felt for the first time on his godly face. He shook off his daughter from its neck and rolled away.

"HAHAHA," The Manticore mimicked and laughed like a madman, its body combusted in yellow flames while it stood up on its hind legs.

"Been centuries since that Emperor released my seal," The manticore inspected its body and frowned. "The body of a manticore? Not that bad, I guess?"

It sniffed the air and looked at Vincent, "Not human? Well, not that it matters anyway. I shall leave your corpse intact if you give me a good fight."

Selena and Nathaniel rushed out of the cave and ran towards them.

"Stand back!" Vincent shouted.

"Vincent! I won't let you fight alone!" Selena said.

"Are you defying my order, woman?" he asked.

"Never," she said.

"I won't repeat again. Stand back."

"Al..right," she said in dejection. "Nathaniel, go help him!"

"I don't need his help either," Vincent said and pointed at the unconscious Hertha lying on the side. "Nathaniel! Take her inside. She just overexerted herself."

Nathaniel picked up Hertha and said, "Selena, we should also get to safety."

"No need, I will stay," she said.

"Just be careful then," he shook his head and carried his sister back inside.

"Well, well, if it isn't the princess," The manticore said. "But why are you with the enemy?"

"What enemy!" she glared. "He is the father of my child!"

"Nevermind, forget that I even asked. Your family's court politics are of no interest to me," it looked around and said. "Is Kendall dead?"

"I am here," a feeble voice crept in from the side. Kendall staggered forward with uneven steps. "I somehow survived."

"You only survived because I wanted you to," Vincent laughed.

"How did things turn out like this?" Kendall looked on in remorse as the corpses of the legions were laid to waste on the bloodsoaked ground.

"Kendall, there is still time to turn back," Selena shouted.

"I am afraid things are no longer in my control," Kendall pointed at the manticore.

"HAHAHAHHA," it gave a low growl.

Vincent turned to Celeste, "Observe how we fight. You will need it."

She screeched again. Wobbling her head up and down, she spread out her limbs and unfurled her fleshy wings, making herself look big.

Vincent laughed at her antics and looked down at his broken arm. Then, flexing his muscles, he forcefully sealed off the gaping bite wounds on his arm. His bones grounded and mended back together while the spider limbs receded inside and a new set of skeletal wings grew out.

The manticore placed a paw on its chest and gave a deep bow, "Battle spirit Taurak, from the Divine Lightning Empire."

"Vincent," he gave a slight bow in return.

Dust rose from behind them as they charged at each other. The flaming body of Taurak rammed into Vincent and made a swipe with its paw. Vincent crouched down, grabbed the paw from underneath and lifted its body up with a swing.

"Did you forget that you are fighting me and not a mindless beast?" it chuckled.

Taurak flapped its massive bat wings and rose up in the air while carrying Vincent along with it.

Then, it wrapped itself around Vincent and dived down like an infernal meteor falling from the vault of the heavens.

Boom! Vincent was slammed down below. His skin blistered and flaked off in the raging flames; his ribs and shoulder bones fractured like porcelain cups.

"P...A..PA!" Celeste guttered out broken words in distress.

Intricate patterns moulded on Vincent's skin, kindling his entire body in a deep violet glow. Arcs of violet light streaked across when he threw out a punch underneath its face.

Bam! Taurak was thrown up above.

Vincent then unfurled his skeletal wings and took to the air; grabbing into its gaping maw, he pulled it apart until its bones creaked on in pain.

A stream of flame gushed out of the manticore's throat and poured into his face, burning off his silver hair and blinding his eyes.

"That's it? Why did the Emperor even--" Taurak trailed out a voice.

Four azure eyes of different shapes grew out on top of his forehead and gazed into its crimson eyes; as though piercing through its entire being and peeking into the depths of its very soul.

"What are you?!" Taurak howled.

"Wish I had known myself," Vincent smiled.

Taurak bellowed, skewering his abdomen with its scorpion tail, almost severing him in two.

"Got you!" Vincent chuckled.

The black sphere inside him revolved and spat out violet threads. It travelled down to his abdominal area and wrapped itself around the foreign tail impaled inside his waist.

Blood congregated and morphed into intricate symbols, giving off the vicissitudes of time itself. These symbols were arranged in a sequence until the violet threads slipped in.

Pop! BOOM! The symbols ignited inside, rumbling his body with small explosions and warping his physique out of shape. Taurak gave an enraged howl of agony as its scorpion tail was severed off. Then they both plummeted down from the sky.

Vincent stood up with stiff movements and pulled out the severed tail from his body. His cheeks tore apart when he outstretched his jaws and gnawed on it.

Crunch! Crunch! Crunch! New flesh regenerated and crisscrossed around the gaping hole in his abdomen while new skin embraced his scorched face. The bones creaked and rearranged themselves to resemble the form of a human.

"You are actually the--" Taurak said.

"Played with you long enough," Vincent cut off its voice and threw an elbow towards its abdomen.

"Too impatient!" Taurak gave a hearty laugh and met his attack.

Boom! Thud! Splatter! It rained blood and flesh, forming a pool beneath their feet. They fought like rabid dogs in the back alleys, engaging in pure brute strength, using no skills, tactics, or strategy. Tentacles grew out of Vincent's body as time went on until his body no longer resembled a human but only a massive globe of grotesque flesh.

"Impre...ssiv….e," Taurak said as Vincent was devouring the rest of its mangled body.

A golden flash of light flickered out of the remains of the dead manticore and climbed across the horizon.

"If our fates were different, we would have fought side by side, hahaha," the voice trailed off and echoed in the wind.

Celeste flew to her father and circled around him in joy, but within seconds, she dropped to the ground and convulsed in pain.

The mass of flesh let out a deep growl that shattered the clouds above. The swaying tentacles around its body spread out like an umbrella that shadowed the entire battlefield. It slithered around the corpses and pulled them within its own flesh.

Selena closed her eyes as tears streamed down her cheeks; the tentacles pulled her in and placed her next to the convulsing Celeste.

"Vincent! Pull yourself together!" she cried.

She picked up the limp body of Celeste and hugged the mass of flesh, "Isn't this what you always wanted? A family?!"

The grotesque mass of flesh exploded and submerged the entire battlefield in a sea of blood.