End the Cycle V

Akaro and Akame, the greatest of heroes, the strongest of legends, a famous duo whose legacy would be stamped in the annals of the Akashic Records for generations to come, were on their knees before the might of the most benevolently, sinister goddess known as Arayashiki. After sending her message and running her fingers through her long train of hair, the doors to her throne room were blasted open once again.

"Ah, so the supporting cast has elected to take the stage once again? Good, then the final curtain call has come," she declared whilst snapping her fingers.

Raizo, Kimiko, Adena, Vesta, Reina, Inari, Hikari, alongside Akaro and Akame were simultaneously teleported to a new dimensional space. The luster of the throne room within the grand castle of the final showdown faded completely into nothingness as a new reality began to mold. In that moment, the landscape was consumed by a sea of deafening flames.

Smoldering ash littered the area as the rubble of crumbled building structures, great stone monuments, and proud skyscrapers were torn asunder by apparent war. Charred corpses of men, women and children were piled up throughout the area whilst acres of once lush and green plains and forests were being devoured by the raging inferno. Mountains eroded away in the distance as dark clouds wafted overhead steadily dropping beads of water. Then a crack split blanket of darkness revealing a crimson sky that was dyed in the shade of red akin to the bloodshed of the landscape. From there, the atmosphere chipped away further to reveal the presence of the all-encompassing cycle of life – The Root.

"This is...my world...just like how it was then," Raizo stammered over his words recalling the horrific nightmare he witnessed.

"So this is what we are about to face then?" Akaro said as he got up to his feet once more to rejoin the group alongside his wife.

"All of this death and endless destruction, surely this cannot be the reality we face?" Akame inquired.

"The stage has already been set for my imminent victory. I offer but a glimpse of what awaits you," the disembodied voice of Arayashiki echoed aloud for all to hear.

"Coward, you would disappear after forcing us to see this tasteless vision you have for the future? Do you seek to demotivate us with such delusions of grandeur?" Hikari called out in anger.

"No Devil Queen, this is what is to come. This is the fate of the old world. This is the death of everything you have ever known. None of you shall survive this."

"We'll see about that you damn pretender, why don't you come out so we can bust that pretty face of yours in?" Adena challenged brazenly.

"The always eager Benihime ready for a challenge, truly the greatest candidate for the mantle of War...alas, my time with you has passed for there is one who seeks to resolve matters with you once and for all. This is my bid farewell to all of you, Team AKARA. We shall never meet again."

On the far side of the forsaken Hellscape, the corrupted deity appeared upon the ruins of the original location that was home to the Order of the Blood Wolves. Now a place littered in quiet embers, ash, and dust, the female spawned her blade from the shadows and stabbed it into the ground. Infused with her energy, she fired off a singular beam of light high into the heavens towards the Root in order to connect the mortal world to it. This was the beginning of her ultimate goal of creating a proper path so that Sakinah could reach the Root and rewrite it using the Golden Ark.

As for the group of heroes, they were whisked through the plane of reality and transported to the outside of the fortress embedded within the side of the mountain that was home to the once elusive and powerful, Night Raid.

"This brings back a lot of memories," Raizo said to himself with Kimiko, Akame, and Akaro nodding in agreement behind him.

For them, this was where a lot of things began.

"How fitting of a location for this to be where it all ends," the voice of a familiar adversary echoed out.

From the shadows of the entrance into the hideout came the fully rejuvenated and healed body of Sakinah Vashti. Her body was pulsing with a constant heartbeat of gold and amethyst aura as she held the Golden Ark in her hand. The idea of the careful, toying, emissary of divine wrath that was before was erased all but entirely as her eyes communicated the desire for the deaths of her foes.

"If I nearly killed you in our first round, what makes you think that you can stop all of us now that we are together?" Kimiko called out.

"You merely caught me off guard the first time...now I am ready and this time we shall settle this by my rules. I do not intend on holding back anything else for this final showdown."

Her book levitated in front of her as a strong gust of wind blew it open causing its pages to rapidly turn.

"Vengeance is mine sayeth I, the one who wields the origin of the paths. Chaos I give unto you, my perfect hatred I bestow upon you. Let your actions not go unpunished, nor let it be forgiven. For thou shalt bear false witness no longer. As such I curse thee under my authority. Heaven's Divine Will – The Ruling Bodhisattva!"

Within that transpiration of a second, every orifice of the reality they faced—whether augmented or real—changed once more. The structure of the original Night Raid headquarters alongside the surrounding environment of the mountains and dense forestry crinkled together like it was being wadded into a paper ball. As if it was sucked into a bottomless whirlpool, the entirety of the dimensional fabrication was cast into nothingness. Silence wafted throughout the gap before a resonating quake shook the foundation of the realm.

A golden radiance akin to the shining luminescence of the sun consumed the darkness as a giant ring of crimson embers decorated what could be described as the sky. Floating ruins of temples with desecrated statues of various deities throughout the recorded histories now levitated helplessly in the air. The ground beneath the feet of the heroes dissipated into dust leaving them to stand upon an invisible veil of solid energy that gave them the ability to stand and maneuver upon. Then, a giant cascading shadow loomed overhead.

The visage of Sakinah consumed the skies as the size of her body increased by more than a hundred fold. Adorned in fine silks and golden fibers of clothing, the woman appeared as the mystical entity referred to as "Buddha" in human history. Six arms sprouted from her back then the spiritual energy of dozens more behind them. With two of her hands clasped together as if saying a prayer, the legendary text that she always carried floated in front of her as it opened rapidly for her eyes to behold.

"Behold, my will be done," the serene yet vengeful voice of the divine goddess bellowed outward.

Team AKARA grew tense from the current situation. The game was changed, they each knew of the stakes. However, it became a question of how to survive it. This was beyond anything they ever faced before. The Apocalypse form of Rias Makiri infinitely paled in comparison to this female.

"Well you know what they say...the bigger they are, the harder they get wrecked!" Akaro uttered as he recalled Svarog to his hand.

"Newsflash Sakinah, Kiara tried this same trick and I sent my big snake after her….so how about I do the same thing to you? Take this, Guren Ryu no Issen!"

Without delay or so much as uttering a single word of his chant, Akaro took the might of his fabled blade and swung it thus unleashing a giant energy blast in the shape of the Crimson Dragon. As it rapidly soared through the sky towards its intended target, the attack was not alone as Akame, Adena, Vesta, and Reina all stepped in for support.

"Poisonous Wave!"

"Pyroclasm!"

"Rain Unyielding!"

"Fire Stance: Yume no Haretsu!"

Miasma tidal waves, massive orbs of densely packed, infernal energy, a hailstorm of lightning bolts, and lastly a concentrated beam of multi-elemental energy were hurled together alongside the giant dragon to collide with the overwhelming deity. Attacks capable of insurmountable destruction on a grand scale that could topple lesser gods, celestial deities and even Primordial beings on the lower scale of things were culminated together in one harmonious strike. Surging through the heavens as a beacon of hope aligned with strong wills barreled its way towards the overwhelming goddess.

"Useless..."

As quick as the attacks came were as quick as they vanished. The divine energies of five of the strongest warriors humanity had left were smacked into nothingness faster than a snap of the fingers. This left the group partially stunned. It was worth a try even if it was a far cry from a possibility for it to work.

"You are in my domain now...cut off from the rest of the worlds you've known. No one can save you now...from the halls of Elysium to the depths of Purgatory. Nothing you can draw from will help you now, not even the Root itself," she boasted.

In that instant, a golden portal of light appeared before the warriors as the visage of the normal-sized Sakinah Vashti appeared. This time her clothing was altered to be fitted more for battle. She wore a black top that wrapped around her breasts and long, silken pants that matched with a translucent veil over her face. It was almost as if she took the appearance of a genie out of a bottle ready to grant its master a wish. She had six arms sprouting from her body, each emanating a different color aura reminiscent of the different fragments of the Arcana Crystal. Floating behind her was a tri-colored halo of different hues of warm colors. Her skin took on a golden shade as well as her purple irises radiated a brilliant aqua color. This was the full fury of her ultimate transformation, Progenitor of the Storm, under the added influence of her heavenly realm.

"Warriors of humanity, the fabled Team AKARA...and other notable background characters, this will be your last stand. Your gimmicks will not help you here. All that awaits you is certain death; however, I shall grant you the kindness of letting you fight to your final breath. Come, show me the depths of what each of you are truly capable of," Sakinah declared whilst opening her hands to summon six copies of Vajra.

"You're still trying to be cocky after the beating I gave you earlier. This isn't where we make our last stand, Sakinah. This will be your final resting place. We don't need cheap tactics to kill a one trick pony. All we need is the experience we possess, the trust we share, and the determination in our blades to kill you," Kimiko spoke for the group collectively.

"What a lovely speech," Sakinah said as she appeared behind the One-Cut Killer then dissolved into shadows and danced around the group before materializing in her initial position once again.

Each one of the warriors was slashed in some random location across their bodies six times; one slice per blade held in the woman's hands. Taking care not to cut any vital organs, they were merely flesh wounds inflicted by the goddess to prove her seriousness. This caused a bit of disorientation among them.

"Tch...damn...this bitch is fast," Adena gritted her teeth.

"Yeah...so much for being the Godspeed," Vesta remarked.

"Heh, at least she's not making this boring," Hikari smiled wickedly.

"We can't afford to conserve any strength at this point," Akame recommended.

"Agreed, it seems that we will have to fight with everything we have," Reina nodded.

"It's been a minute since I've seen this much of my own blood," Kimiko casually noted.

"No gimmicks eh? Guess it's time to flex our martial arts," Akaro chuckled.

"Yo...flexing is always nice," Inari smirked in approval.

"Looks like we'll just have to take this to the next level," Raizo said.

The nine auras of the group harmoniously emanated from their bodies forming a cloud that combined a myriad of different colors.

"Boundless Zen," Akaro spoke first as his hair color changed to platinum with fearsome golden eyes.

"Angel of Darkness," Akame followed suit when her skin faded to dark gray; her eyes also adopted a more devilish shade of red as black angel wings sprouted from her back.

"Heart of Eternity," Vesta echoed out as her body became enveloped in amethyst and white lightning.

"Power of Kings," Inari spoke whilst summoning the 13 legendary weapons belonging to past kings of the Mercury Kingdom. In that sense, a wave of cerulean energy wafted around the young princess as her eyes faded into a crimson shade.

"Guess it's time I tried this out," Kimiko exhaled softly as she dove into her subconsciousness to awake the rage she chained in her heart. While training with Reina, she learned to harness all of the power she could unleash when she lost her senses whilst simultaneously maintaining her reason.

"Solemn Berserker!" she cried out as her train of hair became dyed in red like Adena and her eyes began to glow crimson with hints of blue in them.

"Hey Legion, you're not the only one who can draw strength from Pandora. Let me show you just a taste of what this Queen can do when you try to pull her devil trigger!" Hikari uttered before her hair color adopted a brilliant shade of red as well while her eyes and body glowed with a raging inferno.

"Pandora Partial Release!"

"Ultima Stance: Zentai no Michi!" Reina chanted as the six-armed Tengu spawned behind her once more holding the might of the Founder of the Resolute Blade Arts.

"Now to take this even further. Gateway Trinity Release: Akuma Satsujin-sha!"

The mighty Tengu shadowing behind the Queen of Cocytus descended before seeming wrapping itself around the woman's body. In a radiant flash of light, the six-armed entity transformed into a Samurai styled armor set that covered the woman's body with six phantasmal limbs holding smaller scaled weapons from before. This was the second iteration of the Ultima Stance at its peak when the legendary figure achieved the perfect harmony of body, mind and spirit – Akuma Satsujin-sha [in the common tongue: "Demon Slayer"].

"Heh guess it's my turn then. Even though I am diggin' the redhead party. Let's go, Dragonhea-..."

"Addy," Kimiko interrupted.

"Eh? Oh come on...don't throw off my cool transformation scene, Aneki."

"Don't worry, I just wanted to tell you that it's okay for you to go to that form."

"Wait what? You serious? The first time I did it, I nearly melted everything on Earth. You sure about this?"

"We're not in our home anymore. And we can't afford to hold anything back. So you have my permission to go forth with it."

"Oho...so you're letting the firecracker use the form she gave me a little shiner with make its second debut eh? Well then...this oughta be good," Hikari suddenly interjected.

"Alright Aneki...you can count on me."

A ring of vermilion embers spun around the feet of the enthusiastic martial artist as the density of her flames ruffled off of her body. Stabbing the saber form of the Prometheus into the ground, Adena Zao-Long summoned her inner strength from the core of her being. In that moment, her hair color began to darken to a purple shade like in her Dragonheart form before brightening in hue to a lavender shade...then to a pink shade. Her cobalt eyes dyed itself in a brighter shade of red as the flames around her transformed into embers akin to petals falling from a Cherry Blossom tree.

"DRAGONSTORM!!!!" she screamed out loud as the mystical flames danced around her. This was the form she unlocked during the time Raizo was away from the world. She achieved it just in time to fight against the Devil Queen; but there was a significant cost. At the time, it burned away her life force which drew upon the latent abilities within her spawning from Agni's Radiance. In addition, the heat from her body was so excruciatingly hot that the concept of reality and space on Earth began to melt into nothingness. Though the Earth was restored after use, Kimiko expressly forbade her from using it if she was fighting on the planet they called home. If there was a point where she had to use this form, she would have to take her foe outside of the universe or into an alternate dimension that could withstand the might of those flames.

"Now then," Adena started whilst grabbing her blade, "Let the games begin."

"Oi Raichu, everyone else had a fancy moment to transform and shit...you gonna leave us hangin'?" Akaro raised an eyebrow noticing how the youth had not called upon his inner abilities.

"I mean...kinda hard to follow up that introduction right there. After all, Addy just stole the show..." Raizo shrugged.

"Oi babe...don't be embarrassed that I showed you up," the fire princess winked.

"Come on now, Raizo...you have shown the capacity for mastering the transformation that lies within you," Akame sighed.

"Yeah, yeah...I know. Anyways...let's go ahead. Soul of the Storm!"

Yet nothing happened.

"What the hell?"

"Yo wacky hair-do...stop fuckin' around. We got a battle to win here," Inari remarked.

"Raizo-san, jokes are fun and all but this is serious," Vesta shook her head.

"Soul of the Storm!" he cried out again...but once more there was nothing.

"Having a performance problem?" Hikari raised an eyebrow, "Distracted by the redheads on the field?"

"Devil Queen, this is not a joking matter," Reina said.

"I...I can't feel anything. It's like I never had the power to begin with!"

"I thought you made peace with the Primordial God of Thunder, surely you are merely lacking focus or something," Kimiko proposed.

"Soul of the..." the youth was about to say as his consciousness wavered.

"Oh dear, I should apologize. It would seem that your body is currently having a conflict of interest right now," spoke the enemy.

"You see...in my world, that wretched bastard's influence has no say whatsoever. My father will not be giving you any sort of aid in this fight. His essence was originally meant to go to his true, living heir. In this world of mine, whatever remnant of his will left inside of you is being forced to recognize that fact!"

"Tch...it doesn't matter, I'm not alone in this fight!" the youth reaffirmed as his eyes shifted into that argent shade again with the spiral of silver and blue aura twisting around his body.

"That's exactly right lil' bro, you're not alone at all," Akaro said as he suddenly approached Raizo from the side and pat him on the shoulder.

"Zen Shift Transfer – Indra's Judgment."

Upon the utterance of those words, Raizo felt the familiar power taken from him surge through his veins giving him the taste of his old powers once again. Furthermore, his body emanated an immaculate white color as he suddenly transformed. His hair lengthened becoming a trail of white plasma energy as white wings sprouted from his back. Once more, the boy achieved this transformation.

"Eternity of the Storm?" he gasped in surprise.

"Heh, remember that one time when I gave you that buffed version of Incursio? Well this time I'm givin' ya back your old powers again at their absolute peak. That form won't last for long so ya know..."

"Yeah Aniki, we better make this moment count."

"Yes...now that you all are dressed for the occasion, allow me to properly send you all to your graves!"

A hollow silence passed between the two sides. The tension in the air was thick, the auras emanating from both sides were already colliding through the empty space between them. This was the moment where everything would be decided. The beginning of the end...a prelude to salvation or a prologue of destruction, there was no turning back. In a snap, the duel of the fates began.

The combatants blinked across the narrow distance that divided them. From that point, the harmonious collision of steel striking against steel rang out like chirping birds in the wind. Sparks of light sprinkling throughout the divine realm as if a fairy was scattering its pixie dust through the air. Faster than the imperceptible, unthinkable as the impossible, incomprehensible as the unknown, the devastating collisions reverberated throughout the confines of this realm.

Akaro and Akame led the attack from the front. They used the same combination tactics that they emulated fighting against Arayashiki on Sakinah. The Crimson Envoy used the force of Svarog with heavy swings and arcing attacks to break through the deities guard whilst his wife used elegant thrusts and quick slashes trying to pry open small spaces in her foe's guard for her husband to breach.

Supporting them from the left flank was the combination of Raizo and Vesta. Being imbued with the might of thunder, the two speedsters went in for a ballistic rush of wild slashes that was unpredictable and dangerous. Raizo, armed with his Eclipse Blades, and Vesta, armed with two swords of densely concentrated electrical energy; both of whom enhanced their armaments with the Crimson Thunder technique closed the distance. They zig-zagged around in a random pattern that involved sudden bursts of feints and fierce attacks to put up a barrage that was meant to overwhelm the senses.

Similarly on the right flank, the visages of Adena and Kimiko came into view. The former changed the form of Prometheus into two crimson shortswords in order to match the dual daggers approach common of Kimiko's fighting style. Together, the pair came flying towards Sakinah in the criss-crossing pattern of a double helix akin to the shape of DNA as their strikes ran perpendicular to each other towards their foe.

From the rear flank was the might of the royals: the Devil Queen and the Princess of Steel. With her signature weapon—the Tamashii Gari (Soul Taker)—in hand, the red-eyed queen of terror charged ahead. In tandem with her movements was the young heiress of Mercury whose 13 blades danced around her body elegantly. Hikari paved with the way forward with a hard one-handed crescent slash attack with her blade. In kind, Inari attacked with one of the signature weapons rotating around her. With each motion, they alternated between attacks. Upon every offensive advance, Inari swapped between weapons to keep her rhythm spontaneous.

Diving in from overhead was the lone Sovereign of Purgatory. With the might of her Omniversal blade—Kanemitsu—in hand, she nosedived headlong towards her longtime enemy. Supported by the six weapons representative of her stances, she would finish off the combined assault by going forth with seven mighty blows from each weapon in hand. One to take out each of Sakinah's arms and the last to take the deity's life.

Being on the receiving end of this well executed offensive, any other foe would have been hesitant to see how it all would come together. Sakinah only cracked a twisted smile in anticipation. She took a glance at all of the directions in which she was about to be assaulted and instantaneously crafted a counter for each front.

In her first instance of motion, the female acquired the proper visual to analyze the pattern of Akame's and Akaro's dance of blades. Crossing two of her arms, she broke them apart at once thus stopping the Envoy's heavy slash from above and Akame's attack from the side before pushing them back for a brief second.

Immediately after that in the second instance of motion, she predicted the trajectory in which the speedsters would traverse in order to make the approach using vector analysis. With just one of her arms, the female enchanted the same Crimson Thunder element in her blade. A singular independent swing was released from her as she severed the concept of momentum from their speed causing the two speedsters to trip up and hit each other head to head leaving them stunned.

Next, Sakinah used two of her other arms for Kimiko and Adena. As the sisters flawlessly closed the gap and were just mere inches away from touching the deity's skin, the Progenitor thrust both her blades forward faster than either of them could perceive and managed to slice their shoulders. Tucking through their guards, she angled her blades downward before bringing them back up again causing both women to clumsily attempt to guard themselves. Their last minute parry caused them to stumble back as well.

Then, Legion used her last arm to spin the blade around in a circle behind her. This deflected all 26 consecutive strikes from the two royals from the rear. The momentum gathered within the rotation was then redirected back towards the women to disarm and disorient them and leave them in the same situation as their six previous comrades.

Lastly, the Goddess of Harmony turned her attention towards her fated opponent. The woman she idolized as a girl had every intention of ending her life in one decisive moment. However, the plan would not go her way. In spite of pulling off six distinct maneuvers to evade her foes attacks, she quickly recovered and was ready to meet the offensive of the aerial attacker. She batted aside all six strikes with each hand, however, Reina still had one more strike to follow through with. As the weight of Kanemitsu came down to cleave Sakinah's skull, the deity did something that was beyond imagination. She stopped the attack by catching the blade with her teeth. With a jerk of her neck, she pulled Reina in close before delivering a prompt headbutt against the Sovereign's skull to send her billowing back.

With all nine of her foes reeling back by disruptive counters, body blows, and feints, Sakinah went on the offensive. She turned in place like a ballerina performing a roulette and opened up with a tornado of slashes against each one of her enemies. Simultaneously, she shredded through their guards with overwhelming force as she managed to draw blood on each of them. With that, she sent out a shockwave upon finishing her rotation that sent each of them flying in all different directions.

She blitzed away from her initial point to switch into the aggressor role. Her first victim was none other than the Red-Eyed Envoy. With two blades, she crafted an X-shaped slash across his torso area before swinging around to perform 2 more attacks just like that with her four other blades. Then she zipped down towards Akame's position in which she swung one blade across her position from the left pursued by two more blades and alternated to the same method with the right. It was as if Sakinah opened a paper fan or her arms were operating like hands on a clock.

Dashing away from the married couple, she chased after the two thunder siblings as she reciprocated their earlier attack pattern by unleashing violent combo of rapid attacks. After about 33 attacks, she tossed two blades up in the air for a second to free her hands. Grabbing both Raizo and Vesta, she slammed their heads together before kicking them down into the ground. Catching her weapons, she chased after her next targets: Adena and Kimiko.

Sakinah spun her body with her blades protruding outward as the motion became like a drill. Curving through the air like a snake, she struck the women like a cobra trying to bite into its victim thus carving up their skin. Both women had the fastest regenerative factors in the group currently; however, their healing could barely keep up with the amount of wounds that Sakinah was inflicting. At the end of her torrential blade storm, Legion swung all six of her blades down at once dishing out a calamitous gust of wind that sent both soaring into the ground thus creating a small crater on impact.

Acquiring the next two targets, Sakinah tossed all six of her blades in the air and caused them to surround both Hikari and Inari. Similar to the setup of the Adamant Waltz technique that Raizo used in the past, the two women were imprisoned in a hexagonal cage of electrical energy. Clasping two her hands together and creating hand signs with the last four, Legion used the force of gravity to cause each blade to fly at the women like a speeding bullet. One after the other, she used her weapons to hack away at their blind spots about 52 times – 26 per female. At the end of her onslaught, she came rushing in with all six blades in hand and performed a somersault over their heads before kicking them down into the ground.

Finally, all eyes were focused on Reina Arashi. Still partially dazed from the earlier, vicious headbutt, Sakinah was able to rapidly close the gap as soon as the dark-skinned female blinked her eyes once. Just like before, the divine hybrid tossed her blades in the air for a moment. Clenching her fists together, she unleashed a series of punches against her opponent. She hit various locations against the woman's armor set at least a hundred times. Then she grasped all six of her blades again before dishing out similar punishment with rapid-fire slash attacks. She spun like a top again to cut up Reina's protected body then ended her charge with a drop kick that also sent her opponent flying down into the dirt.

All nine of her foes were bodied with ease in just a few seconds if that. Regardless of their well-timed execution and coordination, their opponent just saw through everything and took advantage of it. Yet this was only the beginning.

"Get up, there is much more to be had," Sakinah declared with eyes full of disdain knowing that this was not enough to put an end to their willpower.

The 9 warriors took a moment to catch their breaths and let their wounds heal, but they gradually began to rise up one by one. Seeing their determination burning within their eyes made the deity only crease her lips in a smile. She was not ready for the battle's end. No matter how much of a gap there was between their strength, Sakinah wanted to vent out all of her rage in one go.

"Wow...I admit, she got me there...but that doesn't mean she'll get me again," Addy cheekily expressed whilst wiping the blood from her chin.

"She's fast...that's for damn sure," Akaro coughed whilst standing up on his feet.

"Nothing we can't handle," Akame reassured.

"This isn't something we can make light of. She's much more advanced compared to when I fought her," Kimiko warned.

"Doesn't matter how advanced she's become...she'll die all the same," Hikari declared.

"Damn straight, that bitch damaged my favorite haori," Inari sighed heavily.

"Dammit Raizo-san...you have a really hard head you know?" Vesta grunted painfully.

"Coming from the one with horns on her headdress...ugh..." Raizo retorted.

"Everyone focus. Sakinah is growing stronger by the second. We need to end this now," Reina directed.

"No need to rush to your imminent demise, why not take your time to enjoy it? After all, I just want to make you suffer just a bit before I end your lives," Sakinah antagonized.

Just as the group came together and put up their guards, Legion began round two. She stepped towards them in a flash with her blades drawn ready to unleash hell upon each and every one of them. The group knew that they had to coordinate seamlessly once again. Just as they went on the offensive again, the deity struck first.

She turned heel over heel as she pirouetted around the combatants whilst gracefully swinging her weapons around her body. Narrowly, the 9 were able to maintain their guards against her; however, some of their footing was disrupted by the maneuvering. Determined not to let the mistakes from a few seconds ago repeat itself, they synchronized their movements to flow together by just passing silent glances to one another.

The Crimson Brothers stepped up to the plate with their guards raised as they inched closer towards Sakinah's location. Sensing that the duo was up to something, the deity paused to examine their postures whilst gripping the handles of her weapons tightly. In that moment, the two rushed at her head on without any warning or delay. They pressed in using a pincer formation as the two sharply cut across each other's path by crossing through an X-style formation. At each point of intersection, the brothers would deliver a simultaneous strike against their foe.

After doing this about three times, they then went into a full-on assault where they proceeded to use their speed to rapidly slash at their foe's body. Sparks of light emanated from their location as Sakinah effortlessly blocked each attack. The sounds of the ringing steel echoed out like hundreds of high pitched bells being rung at the same time. As the pressure of the attacks escalated, the force began to push Sakinah back as her feet slid against the mystical flow of energy that forged the ground below.

Even though it was mere inches at a time, it was a sign that ground was being covered. Taking note of their actions, the deity swiftly countered by crossing all six of her arms at once to hold them in a deadlock then breaking the formation to send them doubling back. Before she had a chance to take the offensive, Akame and Reina rushed in immediately by following with a synchronized motion of an exaggerated draw technique. As the duo of death brushed past the goddess, a multitude of strikes unseen by the naked eye passed through to which Legion merely spun around in a counterclockwise action to deflect them.

As Sakinah sought to pursue her new attackers, Inari rained down the weapons of kings from her arsenal supported by Vesta whom discharged blades of thunder at her foe. The projectiles quickly bombarded the deity's location thus preventing her advancement. Even though the Princess of Mercury only possessed 13 armaments, she quickly recalled them back to her location before launching them again in order to assist the Godspeed in keeping their enemy pinned down.

Sakinah stomped the ground underneath her once as a plate of clay popped up. The hardened rock turned into granules of sand that absorbed the onslaught of weaponry's impact. Then she channeled the particulates into tiny orbs of dust that was immediately released like a hail storm of bullets. This action forced the two girls to switch into defensive positions as Vesta put up a barrier of thunder while Inari grabbed onto one of the relics that was a shield.

Seizing the opportunity, Akame and Reina dashed in from opposite sides with their blades drawn. Sensing their approach, Sakinah entered a battle of blades as she used three arms to hold off the Angel of Death and the other three arms against the Specter of Death. A dance of steel unlike any other maintained Legion's attention for a few seconds giving Kimiko and Hikari time to get into position to mount their assault.

The death goddesses jumped away from Sakinah's position narrowly evading the swings of the divine hybrid's swords. They retreated back and got Inari and Vesta away from the immediate area. As Hikari and Kimiko charged together, the two Hanate females' crimson hair color glowed vibrantly like laser beams. Rushing in immediately, Sakinah's faced tensed ever so slightly knowing that these two fighting together was like a set of unknown variables.

Hikari with Soul Taker and Kimiko with her dual daggers, both women rushed in simultaneously dashing around and jumping over and sliding under one another like a pair of acrobatic dancers in a circus. Their free-flowing, non-conventional fighting style mixed the grace of capoeira and the principles of the sword explained to them by Reina. The whimsical pattern of the Hanate duo was enough to cause Sakinah to take a step back...then another after that. However, as the deity examined their trajectory, she began to adapt and counter; yet this would not go as she planned.

Suddenly, random crimson arrows appeared on the ground going in a myriad of directions. As Hikari stepped on one, her directional movement instantaneously shifted to another. For example, she was moving in a direction headed 60-degrees to her left; upon stepping on the arrow, the direction flipped to 60-degrees from the right whilst her attack went about a complete 180-degree turn. In harmony with this, Kimiko did the same thing going in the opposite direction running parallel to the same attack pattern.

Sakinah clumsily blocked the attacks, but not without being forced to bend backward in order to fully survive the brunt of the harmonious strike. A whirlwind of spontaneous motion ensued in a similar manner that temporarily overwhelmed her senses which caused her to stumble back even more.

"Synchronized Vector Manipulation, of course only these two would be capable of such a feat. To calculate each other's movements while manipulating and changing the course of coordinated strikes in such a way that continues the flow of attacks without disrupting the rhythm is something only these two women with their special eyesight can achieve. Impressive, most impressive," Sakinah concluded.

She pursed her lips in a wicked smile knowing that there was a way to stop them dead in their tracks.

"Gravideus!" she exclaimed.

A pulse of gravitational energy was emitted from her body thus capturing the two women in the air for a moment.

"Repulse!"

She drew them in closer to her before pushing them back with a great wave of internalized pressure that audibly shook the ground around her. As the girls went spiraling back, Kimiko could only relinquish a small smile.

"Congratulations on leaving yourself open for this."

During the entire time that the eight warriors were keeping her attention occupied, one fighter was notably missing from the fray. In the distance, Inari was seen using all 13 of her weapons to create a massive slingshot. Winding back on the improvised bowstring was the sight of a pink star charging up with a huge surge of infernal energy. The source was none other than the Dragonstorm infused, Adena Zao-Long.

She was flung through the air at a high speed breaking through the concept of sound in a fraction of a second. As she soared through the air, Vesta crafted a giant portal of lightning energy which would further enhance her speed whilst also adding another layer of energy around the girl's body. Adena flew through that and towards the next target.

Akaro jumped in the girl's path with Svarog in hand. As soon as his bestie passed near him, the Crimson Envoy gripped his blade with both hands and swung it like a bat against the girl's feet to send her flying even faster. As her momentum increased further, Akame flew in next alongside of her. She reached out with one hand and grabbed Adena's jacket by the collar. Then she went to throw her using the force of her wings by flapping them as hard as she could to add more power into the throw.

Reina jumped down into the fray. She held Kanemitsu in hand as she extended it outward for Adena to run across. As soon as the fiery warrior's feet reached the edge of the blade, the Queen of Cocytus catapulted her ahead towards the next person in line. Raizo then appeared alongside the girl and gave her a smile with a curt nod. As he reached out for her, their hands linked together. Then he used his own momentum to slingshot her even faster.

Lastly, the Hanate girls waited briefly as their plan came by. All of the mini skirmishes that just took place was in preparation for this moment. Their eyes glowed as a series of crimson arrows appeared one after the other. Adena's body hit each one of them allowing her to surpass a level of speed she never thought of achieving before. As she did so, her body soared like the concept of light piercing through the darkness of space.

She balled up her fist infusing everything she could instill from within her body. All of the hope entrusted to her by her comrades, and the strength to carry on, everything that she was and released it as singular punch straight to Sakinah's face. The impact was enough to rebirth the multiverse millions of times over and destroy it instantly to that degree. The blow made Sakinah slide back several feet across the ground while Adena continue to press further into the attack screaming with all her might. An explosion soon followed after that creating a mushroom cloud of dust in the air. The warriors watched on waiting patiently to see the results.

The clouds of debris faded away, the faint glow of Adena's energy signature could be seen along with the silhouette of the six-armed deity. Tensions ran higher than ever before. Did Adena land a critical blow? Was Sakinah wounded? Could this be the beginning of a turnaround? Such questions were visibly read upon the expressions of Team AKARA as they stared in anticipation. The answers to their questions was finally revealed.

"I admit, I actually felt that one. It was riveting even though it only tickled," taunted the Primordial Hybrid.

Adena's fist managed to breakthrough the woman's seemingly impeccable guard. However even though she was pushed back significantly across the ground, the result was clear. The fiery martial artist whom placed every ounce of strength she could muster into that one single punch only managed to strike her cheek without causing a fold within the target's face. To view the image was akin to seeing a piece of paper getting slammed against the surface of a brick wall.

"It was a valiant effort. Distracting me by forcing me to fight eight of you while the other was powering up in the background then as each pair backed off, you each jumped into a position to essentially create a bow whilst using another as an arrow. It was a clever use of motion. Adena became the unstoppable object, but as you can see, I am the immovable wall. As a result, the effort was canceled. Had I not been careful and faced you all in my previous mindset, that probably would have done significant damage. But fighting against Kimiko Hanate proved to me that you lot were not to be underestimated especially when you all come together as a team. I applaud you, but alas, there is nothing more you can do. Now..."

"Guh...ghh…!!!" Adena grunted in surprise mixed with anguish as she cast her eyes downward to her abdominal region. Sakinah stabbed one blade through the top of the girl's foot then used her free hand to pierce her gut straight through. At that moment, the girl's pink hair faded to her natural crimson luster instantly.

"ADDY NO!!!!" Vesta screamed aloud.

"ADENA!" Raizo shouted immediately after.

"BENIHIME!" Inari cried.

Akaro clenched his fists tightly whilst gritting his teeth, his aura exerting a greater amount of pressure than before was a clear indicator of his anger. As for Akame, she felt her normally cool-headed focus tilt as the familiar feeling of sorrow and anger stir as well. Hikari, the one who technically bore no real attachment to any of them, reflected a hint of emotion too. The Devil Queen had a high level of respect for the redheaded warrior, seeing her fate was not one she could idly accept. Kimiko tensed but also focused on maintaining her cool knowing that Adena's healing would inevitably take over. After all, Sakinah was not the type to finish off her foes one by one. As for Reina, it was next to impossible to get a read on her visible emotions. Yet if one were to stare into her eyes, then that was enough to communicate her inner feelings.

Sakinah ripped her hand out of Adena's gut and backhanded her to the ground before pulling the blade out and taking up another stance. Her aura flashed out from her body like a flame at that point.

"Relax, all of you are about to meet a similar fate."

The goddess rushed headlong towards the group. She was no longer holding her restraint and sought to take them out in one fell swoop. As she rushed towards them, the remaining eight warriors took up their arms again to defend themselves for the final push against this insanely powerful hybrid.

They coordinated together and moved in to attack at the same time once again, however, Sakinah was not having anymore of that teamwork. She disappeared from their sight then reappeared behind her first target: Hikari Hanate.

"Devil Queen, the woman whom sought the might of Pandora's Box. You are truly a noble adversary, one who should be esteemed in greater regard. It is truly a pity that you do not value your own might in comparison to a certain someone," she stated.

"Tch...I don't even know what the hell you're talking about. Don't assume you know anything about me!" she yelled whilst fiercely swinging her blade. As she followed through with that action, Legion effortlessly evaded.

She sidestepped the attack and danced around the next flurry of blows from the currently redheaded woman. Using the partial release of Pandora's Box was having a visible effect as the heat from her body began to melt away the fibers of her clothing. However, she couldn't afford to be concerned with such frivolities. Sakinah zipped in and landed a few clean cuts against the woman's flesh with her blades. This agitated the Devil Queen. A blur of motion that resulted in the collisions of steel eventually led to the long-haired female dropping her guard enough for the hybrid to capitalize.

"Got you," Sakinah said as she pierced the woman's leg with her sword. She then grabbed Hikari's skull and looked into the woman's eyes.

"Thou shalt succumb."

Upon invocation of those words, Hikari felt something gripping at her heart. It was like a horrific chill, as cold as the frigidness of absolute zero; like a hand literally reached into her chest to squeeze the muscle circulating blood throughout her body. Then she felt the density of something hang heavy on her shoulders. As Sakinah pulled the blade out of her leg, the woman clutched both sides of her head and dropped to her knees almost wanting to curl up in a fetal position.

The deeds that she carried out as the Devil Queen, how she killed the king to become the Queen of Neveir, how she tortured and tormented her victims in unspeakable ways, all of the people who fell to her blade throughout her life, and all of the nightmarish perils that she created to achieve her sense of justice. Everything that secretly turned her stomach on the inside was brought to light and that immense measure of guilty completely immobilized her.

"Fall to the pressure of your own guilty crown, let it enfold you and trap you under the weight of your regrets."

As she turned her back from the fabled Ruler of Torment, she then fixated her gaze on the next target whom had the daring to charge directly at her.

"HAAAAA!!!!!" screamed out Princess Inari with Kusanagi in hand supported by the 13 weapons of the kings.

As the bold swordswoman descended upon Sakinah's position, the six-armed figure cast a glance towards the girl.

"Thou Shalt Not Covet."

Those words stopped Inari's descent in the air as quickly as it began. Her treasures that floated around her dropped to the group before dissolving into blue dust as she felt her body being squeezed by some unknown force like she was trapped in a vice grip.

"The would-be Queen of Mercury...one whose fame and notoriety traverses continents in the world. Yes, I know of your story through some assimilated memories taken from Agni and Rudra. You always had a soft spot for Adena...you fell for her harder than you wanted to admit. Yes, but you knew her affections lied elsewhere. Though you tried to accept it, a part of you did not...it refused to. You desired her beyond all reasonable doubt, so much so that you were willing to give up your throne for her. But if you did that, then your home would fall into ruin due to the secretive agendas of your bureaucrats. So you wanted the power and the love, how greedy of you," Sakinah analyzed.

Inari gritted her teeth as she knew that a good portion of those words were correct. There was a strong connection that she felt for the woman known as Benihime. But she tried to deny it and move on as much as she could. Yet the more she denied it, the more her heart desired it. As a result, she was now being exploited by the commandment that brought that greed to light. And her punishment…

"Your treasures are of the past kings right? Perhaps it is more fitting for you to be crushed by the weight of your forefathers then," the divinity declared with a snap.

Instantly, Sakinah forcefully retrieved the 13 weapons of kings and caused them to pin Inari down to the ground. A few of the weapons pierced through her body thus nailing her into the ground below. The girl's blood drained from her body at a rapid rate as a result.

"Oh I forgot...this one was one of your other descendants was she not, Reina Arashi?" Sakinah goaded with a sinister tone as she eyed her old nemesis.

"You are getting out of control, Legion. Someone must put you down once and for all. Though I firmly believe in the capability of my students, watching you toss them around like ragdolls enrages me beyond reasonable means. I shall entrust my all into this blade for one last strike," Reina declared as the power surrounding her body spiked exponentially.

"Interesting, but you too shall fall. Thou Shalt Relinquish - Subject: Faith."

Like the combatants before her, Reina was stopped in her tracks. She felt her strength begin to fade as the body armor around her shattered into nothingness. Then her blade felt out of her hand as she felt like it was too heavy to hold.

"What is...happening to me?" she asked before being brought down to her knees.

"I made the concept of faith in Akasha taboo so long as you are in my presence. As a result, all of the blessings you were bestowed by the Great All-Mother are being revoked and thus..."

A giant dome of crimson light enveloped the Queen of Cocytus for a brief moment before revealing a short-haired female wearing a black body suit of an an assassin with a red scarf wrapped around her neck.

"You are being turned back into a human. Morana never existed."

Just as she was returned to her mortal state, Reina's body withered and shriveled up. She was essentially an existence that has been alive since the dawn of the Age of Gods. Without her divine powers, the aging process was catching up to her.

"It would seem that time has become your enemy. Within just a few moments, the last remnants of your life span will be burned up and you will die permanently. Consider it justice for what you did to me back during the Age of Gods...one that you have avoided for eons."

Adena, Hikari, Inari, and Reina were down, there was only Raizo, Vesta, Kimiko, Akaro and Akame left to fight against the deity. As the woman showed no signs of slowing down, the other five could not afford to let their emotions cloud their judgment. Legion focused her gaze on the remaining group before she chose her next target.

"The Envoy of the Crimson Dragon, Mankind's Greatest Hero and legend among legends, to say that you are not a champion of humanity is nothing less than an understatement especially considering your origin," Sakinah stated whilst closing the gap and batting the Red-Eyed Hero away from the quintet of fighters.

"Heh look at you bringing out all the titles for the flattery game; what are you, my number one fan? Guess I could take the time to give you an autograph, it'll only cost you an ass-kickin' first," the man cheekily responded whilst holding Svarog on guard.

"Your wit is truly entertaining, Akaro. However, should you really be joking in a situation such as this?"

Sakinah directed the force of her combos solely upon the strong male as she increased the speed of her swings exponentially. It was as if someone was beating a drum using the quadruple step kicker. This cornered the male to be solely on the defensive unable to move an inch against the pressure. The repetitious ringing of steel thundered audibly throughout the area as bolts of lightning emanated from the series of impacts. As Akaro continued to hold his own the best way he could, the goddess merely smiled.

"You truly are a fascinating case. Your prowess is the glue that holds Team AKARA together. Unfortunately in my eyes, you are still just a man."

Following her words, the goddess forcefully pushed Akaro back by breaking the deadlock using her superior strength. She quickly thrust her six arms forward in between the microscopic openings in the male's guard thus puncturing a few areas in the forearm and shoulder. Then she stared into his eyes and uttered a singular phrase.

"Void Stance: Lost Works of Endless Time..."

Akaro stumbled back in place, Svarog fell from his hand and onto the ground. Then he began to clutch his chest. He felt something crawl around inside him, like a parasite was burrowing into his body searching for a way to escape. Then he spread out his arms and began shaking like he was having a seizure. As his gaze was turned upwards, it felt like every cell in his body was cutting through him. To describe was nothing short of saying that it was almost as if he had razorblades coursing through his veins. Suddenly it happened.

Random spikes of crimson light began to protrude from his body. Tens, hundreds, thousands more soon followed thus turning the Envoy into what looked like an idle porcupine. The ability that Sakinah used was one that turned the concept of time within the body into a weapon. As time goes on, mortals age and their cells change proportionally to that fact. Akaro existed beyond that, however time still played a factor in his body due to the hundreds upon hundreds of years of experience he has in addition to the wisdom he acquired. As a result, Sakinah brought this fact to life and turned time into numerous swords that was impaling the man from the inside out.

Seeing the horrific display stunned the remaining fighters, however...Akame was the one who was sent into an immediate rage.

"SAKINAH VASHTI!" she yelled out releasing a miasma aura that corroded the ground underneath her.

"Oh dear, I broke your boy toy? Relax, he is not dead just yet...but he is out of the fight. You can come check if you would prefer," nonchalantly responded the ruthless entity as she gently pushed the body of the semi-lifeless male to ground. As Akaro landed, he felt his consciousness fading in and out knowing that this was no laughing matter.

"You bitch!"

Akame flew in with her blade drawn, soaring faster than anyone could hope to restrain her. Creaking a small smile, Sakinah laughed knowing that she had her prey.

"What do we say to the Goddess of Death?"

The Angel of Death went in for a killing blow with her blade intent at taking the Progenitor's head. As soon as Legion saw the figure approach, she changed her posture for a proper counter. Murasame was bearing down on her, but the Divinity was unfazed. She latched two of her swords onto the surface of the weapon and twisted it to rest the blade from Akame's grasp. Then she used two of her other swords to impale Akame through her abdomen while the other two sliced off her wings. Landing like a marshmallow on a skewer, Sakinah pushed her blades deeper.

"Rewrite – The Act of Fury..." she whispered in Akame's ears as she drained the current driving force to fight from the assassin's body. The deity then flung her body down into the ground with little care for anything.

"And then there was only three. So it has finally come to this, my victory is all but assured at this rate."

"Tch...Sakinah, you're gonna pay for all that you have done. Don't think that you have the edge right now because you unveiled a few new tricks," Kimiko uttered pointing her blade at the female.

"I respect your resolve Kimiko Hanate, but at this point in time, there is nothing else that you can do. So let us not beat around the bush any further, shall we?" Sakinah proposed.

"Kimi-neesan, I'll take her head on. You and Rai-...guh…?!" Vesta was saying before she was interrupted. Sakinah appeared behind her and stabbed her with a singular sword.

"You are the most bothersome nuisance out of the entire lot. Honestly, why do you still try to fight with them knowing all of the evil you committed in the past? You do realize that your freedom is only a temporary measure," Sakinah explained coldly.

"What the...hell...are you talking about? I am not a...puppet...I've never been...more free than I am now," Vesta responded.

The goddess ripped her blade from the Godspeed's gut before sighing heavily.

"A lie of a lie turns itself inside out does it not? Oh what webs you weave...Thou Shalt Witness."

Sakinah cast another one of her Ten Commandments, the fifth one since her resurrection. As she evoked those words, Vesta's mind was stolen away from the present world and whisked into a vision of an unfamiliar world. It was a desolate vision of all creation, the Omniverse imploding on itself. Planets decayed and turned to dust, black holes swallowed stars whilst others went supernova. Meteor showers bombarded planets filled with sentient life, and entire multiverses collapsed on one another before detonating. The Counter Force was at the end of its ropes, bleeding through reality as the haunting growls of agony filled the air. Floating in space were the tired bodies of Team AKARA along with allies from Elysium and parts of worlds yet known. In particular, the sight of a black and white long-haired youth dragging across the surface of an asteroid could be seen. In front of him was the limp body of a redheaded female whose radiance was fading away. Standing over her was a female with lengthy, white hair and hateful red eyes with an intense aura boiling around her like the majestic beauty of an aurora. Several other unknown deities lurked in the shadows behind her. The wounded male looked up, his words formulating one single question: "Why?"

As the vision faded, Vesta collapsed on the ground. Sakinah's judging gaze loomed over her while she aimed a single blade at her throat.

"You see, you are more of a threat than anyone here. That is your future should this reformation of the Omniverse not go through as planned."

The goddess took a look around at the fallen heroes. Though wounded and badly beaten, she knew that they still possessed the strength to at least see what Vesta saw.

"Behold, I shall share the same vision with you..." she said with a snap of her fingers. The battered warriors saw the vision in its entirety before Raizo asked the obvious question.

"What's that got to do with the current situation?"

"Simple dear child, Vesta is a threat. This woman is someone who will betray you in the future even if it is not of her choosing. She will bring about the end of days and one of you will indeed perish by her hand should you all somehow live after today. Regardless, I have a proposal. Kill Vesta and I will undo everything. I will undo the damage done to each of your bodies and restore you properly. I will even set aside my ambition with the Root and come to grips with the All-Mother, then I will help you stop Arayashiki and prepare for the coming Fall. All you have to do is end this girl's life."

"I'll speak for all those here that there is no way in Hell that's gonna happen," Raizo said.

"There is absolutely no way that we would become that desperate and fall for such a trap. No matter what comes our way, we will face it together as we always have. We set differences aside to come together like this so what makes you think some bullshit vision will break our resolve?"

"Yes...I expected you to say something of that degree, Child of Mercer. You never cease to amaze me with that proud bravado of yours even considering where you came from," Sakinah chuckled.

"Being fixated on the past gets you nowhere Sakinah, only what you do in the present matters. And that is what will ultimately decide the future," Kimiko remarked.

"Indeed...and killing her now would be the best outcome for the future. But then again, I knew it was a long shot. Even with all I was willing to offer. No matter, there is only two of you. Well then, let us make this finale a grand one."

Sakinah clapped her hands. The golden deity looming above opened her eyes for a brief moment as the irises flashed white. In that instant, space shifted. Kimiko was standing over the wounded bodies of the fallen members of Team AKARA whilst Raizo was separated from them now at the mercy of Legion's grasp.

"Raizo, look out!" Kimiko shouted as she went to sever distance to rush to his side.

"Thou Shalt Relinquish – Motion," Sakinah uttered. In that second, the goddess robbed the concept of movement from Kimiko's body as she ordered it to be taboo.

"Combination Arts – Cosmic Furnace + Hands of Chaos."

A bounded field of black lightning surrounded the members of Team AKARA as giant phantom limbs held their bodies in place. As that occurred, the deity looming in the air began to move as the pages of the Golden Ark flapped through the wind. The book then lifted up from the user's grasp as a massive golden circle filled with mystical runes appeared.

"Onee-sama...guys!" Raizo yelled out but before he could even move, he was captured.

"Thou Shalt Not Kill. Thou Shalt Not Envy. Thou Shalt Relinquish – Forgiveness. Thou Shalt Succumb. Thou Shalt Witness."

Sakinah sentenced Raizo to a prison unlike any other as she cast multiple commandments on him at once. The resulting pressure instantly canceled his form that Akaro lent to him. Like before, the youth was bound by golden chains similar to the ancient relic Enkidu. This was because of the sin of murder which he was guilty of by being an assassin and it also factored in the deeds his other self did in Shatterpoint. Then came the sin of Envy. This played on him because of his deep down jealousy that he experienced as a result of the vision he saw in Purgatory with Rin and Adena. A part of him felt inadequate and the idea of them as a couple actually got under his skin.

With the commandment of Relinquish, she targeted Forgiveness. For all the things he's done among other things, Raizo was forgiven by many, and deep down...he was trying to forgive himself. The belief that he already had was fresh and as a result, the commandment put him in a bad guilt trip all over again. This then tied into the Succumb commandment. Raizo tried to view himself as something better than he was before; however, he still felt unclean because of the fact that he believed in permanently killing enemies. Then there was the final commandment – Witness.

"You will always be your worst enemy because you try to deny the Arashi within you…," a voice said to him. That was the one thing that did weigh the heaviest on his mind. After all, he still felt some of those violent impulses welling up within him on occasion.

"Just relax child, you still have enough awareness to watch as I wipe away the last bastion of your so called family."

From that point in time, the woman charged her aura around her six blades once again. The Bodhisattva looming overhead revealed a mirror on the back of the book with six locks on it. A giant pulse of divine energy was gradually charging into it. Sakinah took aim with all six of her arms before hurling them at the foreboding display overhead.

"O Arkadia, Protect the Stars – Carpe Diem..."

The blades were lodged into each individual lock as the energy gathered was then added to what was already charge. From there, a lens appeared over Team AKARA's location. The concentrated energies then harmonized together and was discharged from the mirror and through the lens onto the location where they were now located.

"NOOOOO!" Raizo screamed out as he struggled to move his body from the 'chains' that held him back.

He could hear his heart beat heavily in his ears. It felt like time was slowing to a stand still. The totality of us view was caught in slow motion. He knew he was screaming at the top of lungs begging for Sakinah to stop, yet there was nothing ringing in his ears. His friends, comrades who became his new family that accepted him for all that he was, and even his worst enemy that spared the sword and saved his life from permanent death; they were at the mercy of the greatest threat he ever knew. And he was helpless.

"I'm gonna lose...I'm gonna lose everything all over again. What have I spent all this time training for? Was the power I gained really all for nothing in the end? How can I hope to become a hero when I can't even save those closest to me?"

His thoughts were running rampant with the idea of defeat. His heart was ready to sink into despair fearing that there was nothing left to stop Legion.

"Onee-sama...please...you can save us all right?"

"She could, but that would defeat the purpose of everything that has happened thus far. Now stop wallowing in self-pity and get up, Raizo," a mysterious female voice reached out to him from the corners of his mind...no, somewhere deeper than that; it was almost as if this voice reached his soul.

Raizo found himself floating in a cerulean abyss like he was underwater akin to being an Astral spirit. As he turned around, he found the visage of someone standing nearby with her arms folded over her chest. She wore a black sailor, school-girl uniform with a leather jacket over shoulders complete with a crimson scarf around her neck. Recognizing the long train of black hair and red eyes, the male was surprised to see her here.

"Akame? M...My world's Akame?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yeah the very same, been a long time hasn't it?" the woman smiled softly with a nod of affirmation.

"But...how? All of humanity was destroyed alongside the rest of the multiverse. Our world was erased in the process."

"Courtesy of the Bleeding Effect...and being some avatar of the Angel of Death or whatever. It's rather complicated, but to put it simply...Big Me and I are connected so I'm more or less in limbo. Anyways, I digress. What are you doing giving up when there's a battle to be won?"

"What are you talking about? This woman is beyond me...beyond all of us! It's like fighting Rias all over again...this isn't a foe we can beat ourselves, we need more...we need HER."

"Well she's not coming...this fight is the test, a trial above all other trials."

"What do you mean? Have we not proved ourselves time and time again? What more does Akasha want from us?"

"Raizo, your naivety is showing. Though, I suppose it is understandable. You're struggling with something which is holding you back. It's out of my hands to make you realize that, but for right now...you have a promise to keep from a long time ago right?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Come on you idiot, didn't you make a promise that you would protect your world? That you would become the hero that we all know you could be? If there was ever a time for that to begin, it has come now. All it takes is for you to take the plunge. But the journey ahead will not be easy. You will have to lay everything on the line. That should be easy enough though right? After all, look at who you are fighting for."

"Yeah...but I'm powerless."

"No you're not...you have everything you need within you. You just have to bring it to light."

"Right..."

"You'll figure it out. The time has come. Also...when all this is over, we need to discuss why I'm the only one you don't have a nickname for. You call Big Me, 'Aka-sensei', but you just call me Akame...after all we've been through together?"

"Eh? You're gonna pout about that right now?"

"I'm in limbo right now, I have every right to pout about what I want."

"Fair enough...well...would Aka-nee suffice?"

"What? You don't have any respect for me? I taught you stuff too. I mean, I don't mind the casual method but just a hint of formality would be nice. Or something with like a classic feel to it..."

"Well...Aneue then?"

"I like it. Now get out there and show that overbearing bitch what you're made of."

Raizo's consciousness cleared up as he was brought back to his senses. The attack was still charging up which meant he had time; but that window was running out. He pondered about how he could go about awakening the power within him, but he was drawing blanks.

"I need to...reach out to Relepagus somehow...I need all of that power now more than ever."

Yet he knew it was easier than done. Sakinah closed off that pathway so he could not access the Primordial abilities of the God of Thunder. Time was almost out. There was only one way...to reach out with his soul and draw everything forward even if it burned away the core of himself.

"Nirvana...I need you."

"Kakaka, I'm always here upon your request my master," the cheeky voice of the scythe spirit responded from the Astral Plane.

"That song...when we first met the Symphogears, you know the one I'm talking about. That melody that gave me a foreboding feeling...you remember it?"

"The Superb Song...yes, I recall that melody very well. Why do you ask?"

"I want to play it. If I can't reach out with my voice then I'll use Phonic Gain and force Relepagus' abilities out."

"That could work, but...if you do that, then you will burn away your life energy. And if you use all of that up then you will..."

"I know Nirvana, it's selfish of me to ask this of you...but I have no choice. Can you do it?"

"Yes my master...I can."

"Then do it."

"As you wish..."

Taking a deep breath, the male calmed his nerves. He felt Nirvana's energy emanate from his body as the familiar melody echoed from the Astral Realm. The ringing of the heavenly guitar rang out in a melody what words could not:

Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal

Emulstronzen fine el balal zizzl

Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal

Emulstronzen fine el zizzl

As the melody ended, Raizo felt himself reach out towards the core of Relepagus' being. He knew it was a stretch, but he was betting it all on this singular moment.

"Help me...help me put an end to your daughter's tyranny!"

Reacting to the youth's cry, a golden blast of lightning struck back as he felt his power levels spike.

"I won't let you take anything else from me, even if it costs me my very soul!" he declared.

Soul of the Storm enveloped his body once more, yet his body held a pale greenish color aura around his body. At this point, Nirvana's voice echoed in his ears.

"My Master, I did as you said but you are also burning away your life energy. I recommend you do not stay in this state longer than 10 seconds otherwise you will die permanently."

"Thank you for indulging in my selfishness, Nirvana," Raizo replied without reassuring the girl. From there, the high powered youth pulled on his chains.

"I don't give a damn about the weight of my sins, or my past. All of my history means nothing when it comes to my family. They believed in me when I couldn't believe in myself. They accepted me for all that I am. They push me to be better each and every single day. I will not stand idly by and watch you take them from me. NO MATTER WHAT, SAKINAH VASHTI!!!!"

With a strong jerk from both arms, the commandments that bound him shattered under the weight of his resolve. From there, he ran as fast as he could from his fixed position to the area where his allies were held captive. At the same time, the Goddess of Harmony unleashed the full weight of her attack. From the onlooker's point of view, it did not seem like Raizo would make it. The beam of light came closer and closer to erasing his family right before his eyes, then the youth felt like something carried him through the air and placed him where he needed to be right on time.

Then, it happened. The impact was massive. The light from the blast completely blanked out the concept of sight for a moment as the echo from the collision rippled outside of the alternate reality to the worlds beyond. The energy wave cascaded like a tsunami throughout the confines of space and time across the true void and infinite Omniverses. Sakinah's attack was indescribably powerful. If there was a shield capable of holding that attack back, it did not exist in the arsenal of Team AKARA for this spelled their demise. It was the end of heroes before the age would truly begin. Everything was lost and the vision to come for the Root would begin...at least, that's what the arrogance of Legion thought.

Standing between the pressure of the attack and the wounded warriors of Team AKARA was the solitary figure of one man. With consciousnesses fading in and out, the downed warriors looked upon the back of the radiant figure. Kimiko, being the only one actually standing with a clear view, stared in awe.

"Raizo...you..." she called out witnessing the miracle taking place. Yes, the one whom was self-proclaimed as the weakest of this group, was standing between them and utter annihilation holding the full might of this signature move at bay.

"Ngggh...I won't...lose...any of you...not now...not ever!" he spoke whilst gritting his teeth.

"Raizo, you can't physically take much more of this. Just let me take care of it. I can handle it!" Kimiko pleaded.

"Onee-sama...your skills are sealed by this realm...otherwise you would have bodied Sakinah like you did before. And...your connection with Akasha is still out of sync too. If this really is a test...then I'll make sure we pass it. Even if it kills me, I'll make sure we survive."

"Raizo..."

"Master, your ten seconds is almost up. You have to do something or else you'll burn up your life energy!"

"Heh...it's okay...whatever comes next, I'm ready to face it. Even if this is meant to be my true end. At least I can take a chance to protect the comrades I've gained and the people I love...for their sake, this is worth it."

"Master please! I did not do what you asked only so you could die!"

{He won't die. I refuse to let it happen.}

As Nirvana's voice faded from Raizo's mind, the sound of another took its place.

"Relepagus...so you did hear my voice then. That's good. Thanks for responding to me, you're just in time to watch me burn out I guess. Sorry that I'm taking you with me in such a way."

{No Raizo, this is not the place where you shall breathe your last. It is where you shall begin your life anew. As for me, it is time that I take responsibility for my daughter's actions once and for all and atone.}

"What the hell are you talking about? You're just a spirit that's within me due to your essence right? How the hell are you gonna take responsibility?"

{It is true, I have been reduced to just a fraction of what I once was. But your scythe said that you were burning away your life force on top of using my power to hold this attack off. Which means that this is just a stop gap, merely a last ditch attempt that can only happen for an extremely short amount of time. Unfortunately, this may not be enough. There is a chance that your friends will still die from this strike.}

"Which is why I'm putting it all on the line right now!"

{As I have said before, it is not your time to die. For me, well...it is long overdue. Listen Raizo, Son of Mercer, I entrust you with everything I have under the mantle of the Primordial God of Thunder. Any remnants of my power belongs to you now...and solely to you to be added to the wheel of hidden potential kept inside you. Your soul will not be sacrificed this day...mine will.}

"What the...but...you're just..."

{A primordial essence is more than just a vial of energy. It is the purest lifeblood capable of great and unfortunate things. I regret that I was unable to teach you the depths of my power, but in time I believe you will find out how to do so on your own. Until then Raizo Mercer, this is farewell. Use the opportunity I am about to give you to discern who you truly are.}

Like a star burning its brightest before going supernova, Raizo's body radiated a golden light greater than the ascended state of Soul of the Storm. The mysterious aura separated from his body as if the youth was dividing himself in half. As the anonymous cloud pressed its way into existence, it began to mold itself into the shape of a person whose eyes and facial visage were cautiously revealed. The first to notice this was none other than the assailant herself.

"So you managed to escape the strength of my suppression and dare to show your face before me? How brazen of you, father!" cried out the angered goddess.

"Yes, I am here at long last to accept my fate for all that I've done my daughter. Perhaps if I was there for you and your mother, you would not have traversed this path," the remnant of Relepagus replied.

"Spare me your civility, Father. You are naught but a relic of a forgotten age. You tried to stop me then just like how you are trying to do now. However, this time I prepared. Your antithesis shall not work a second time!"

"It matters not. All I am here is to atone for the evil I have wrought by letting your hatred grow over the eons. I am a sacrifice for hope to take root and grow."

"Your sacrifice is a waste. Spend eternity in the realm of the forgotten knowing that you have only delayed the inevitable. A goddess of the new world has no Father to speak of!" the insatiable deity declared, the hot sting of tears flowing down both the face of the giant Bodhisattva and the avatar within.

The beam consumed the area as the stability of the divine realm became compromised. In that instant, the sight of all those present was blanked out as everything shattered around them like broken glass. After a few seconds, the darkness began to fade and the gift of sight was returned.

"Ugh..." Raizo grunted in pain. The male crawled across what he could perceive as the soil of the earth as he dragged himself to a certain point. He looked up to see the visage of the Root pouring through the heavens above while everything else was dark and dreary around him. Continuing to claw his way through, he reached a point where a giant stone marker lied. Flashes of light consumed the skies in various areas with claps of thunder to follow. Piercing the veil of shadows, the male saw the words etched into the stone. It was the grave he created for his old self: Raizo Arashi.

Leaning against the stone, the dream he suffered through before was gradually becoming his reality. He saw the bodies of his allies scattered about on the widespread, verdant hilltop. Some of the members of Team AKARA were struggling to move while others were knocked out by the repercussions of that blast. Out of all of them, Kimiko was the only one able to freely move; but the weight of the bonds upon her body for that short period of time did delay her body movements causing her to move around awkwardly.

"I see...so even with Relepagus' sacrifice...we still arrive to this point," Raizo whispered to himself. Just as he exhaled, his mind was sucked into darkness once more.

The boy's eyes slowly reopened, his crimson irises bringing the sight of a clear blue sky embracing the softness of the clouds above. This made no sense to him. There should be a giant gaping hole in the air with the sight of the life source of the Omniverse—The Root—occupying the dark void of the cosmos. Blinking a few times, the male quickly rose to his feet. Amazed by how responsive his body was, he looked down and examined himself.

"I should be injured...damn near the verge of death right now..." he murmured aloud.

As he patted his body, he noticed that he was in the same clothing he was before unblemished by any form of damage, sweat, or blood. This kept becoming more and more incomprehensible. Then he looked around and saw that the deadened world and hapless emptiness splintered by the aura of death and despair was gone. Instead, it was replaced by an open meadow filled with countless flowers of different colors: pink, yellow, white, light blue, violet, and so on. As the serene wind passed over his surroundings, the gentleness of the breeze caressed the verdant plant life causing wave-like effects to ensue.

"This is...real right?"

He went to turn around when he noticed the shadow of a large tree blocking his view of whatever lied beyond it. As he felt the soothing presence of something reach out to him, he approached it. His eyes were able to better examine the massive organism as his memories brought to light a familiar visage.

"This tree...I've seen it before...in the Great Hall of Morana's...I mean...Reina-san's castle. But...what does it mean? And why does my heart weigh so heavily when I see it? Just...what are you?" he asked.

"It is the symbol of everlasting life, one that stretches infinitely in many directions. Though living things are all defined by different labels...race, religion, gender, species and so on, they are all branches of the same tree. Or from another perspective, vines attached to the same trunk. That is the true incarnation of the cycle of life brought forth by the Root," a voice explained from behind the youth.

Raizo turned on his heel once more to behold the face of a familiar woman. Wearing a pink, rose printed kimono with a yellow and white, lotus printed kosode over top; she had a long train of dark, brown hair and fearsome yet gentle bluish purple eyes. Her flawless, cream toned skin and serene expression upon her face communicated a type of otherworldly beauty beyond all human comprehension. Though identical to the woman called Kimiko Hanate, she was the entity that was referred to as the Goddess-Above-All.

"A...Akasha-sama...it's…you...it's really you..." Raizo stammered over his words. His eyes began to fill with water as the sting of tears flowed down his face. The last time he saw her was in a nightmare. Even now as she stood before him, he vividly recalled the weight of her words spoken in condemnation towards him and how she turned and walked away from him. Though he knew it was all a false reality, he still had the pain chaining him down. As a result, he dropped to his knees clutching his chest whilst sobbing.

"You didn't abandon me, right? You don't regret choosing me, right?" he cried knowing that the answer was obvious, but his weary heart still needed consolation.

"No, I regret nothing when it comes to you. Even in your darkest days, I still maintained my hope for you. The pain that you feel in your heart over those visions, let them go. Be at peace and smile again, because I am here," the divine woman assured as she crouched down in front of the male and lifted his chin. She yielded a peaceful smile before wrapping her arms around him and pulling him to her in order to hold him close.

"This is your reality...not those visions that flashed through your mind. As I hold you now, so I hold you in my heart. All that pain, let it fall away as my peace washes over you."

"Onee-sama...I'm so sorry...I'm so...so…sorry. I failed you again," he said.

"No Raizo, you have not failed. You are just unprepared for the final task ahead. Which is why I brought you to me now."

She gently released him before going to stand up encouraging him to do the same. Grabbing his hand, she reached out towards the trunk of the ancient tree. Looking over to him, she pointed with a nod of her head for him to do the same to which he did.

"Do you feel it, Raizo? The vestiges of life caught up within this tree? Do you hear the voices of the lives within the cosmos?" she asked him.

As he closed his eyes, he could hear the whispers of voices and other sounds; children laughing, men and women chatting happily, families entertaining themselves, warriors training to protect their homes, creatures of nature parading through the wilderness, and so on. Though absent from the present state of the world, their remnants, their collective wills and memories still lived on.

"Everything that was lost...is still alive?"

"That is correct, Raizo. Regardless of what Goetia did to human history, their memories are stored here. For the Root retains all aspects of creation even if erased from the planes of existence."

"Then...everyone can be saved. Sakinah has to be stopped first, but...we're losing. She's too strong, can we call upon you to finish her?"

"I cannot."

"But...surely you can. You saved us during the Pandora Conflict, so can't you do it again?"

"Though you have the correct idea, you are missing the point. If I step in and save you all from her, then what? Everyone survives and continues on facing challenge after challenge until the next major force comes in and stops you all once more? The process will only repeat at that point."

"Onee-sama...I understand that I am asking a lot, but what other choice do we have? Every person in Team AKARA was brought to their knees before Sakinah's might. This includes Hikari Hanate, and Morana...your sword! What more can we do?"

"This is a test. Quite possibly, the most difficult test you will ever face. As I told Kimiko, this is something I cannot help you with. If you become too dependent upon me then who can I entrust with the protection of my creation?"

"I see...I did not think of that. Guess my anxiety got the better of me...I just...I don't know. It's not that I fear Sakinah Vashti, it's just...I fear losing everything and everyone around me. I fear failing you...but what can I do?"

Akasha reached up and grabbed both sides of the boy's face.

"You can do more than you realize, but you have not taken the necessary steps to do so. I am here to tell you that it is time for you to face who you truly are, what you truly are. You and Sakinah are not that different you know. She knows who she is and stands by her convictions. You know where you stand, but you have not accepted who you are. It is time to change that."

In that moment, a black cloud appeared before the tree. The blob of phantasmal energy coalesced together and spawned a four-legged creature. After a few seconds, the entity transformed into a creature known to the boy from many years ago. It was the same beast that appeared when Assana's body was burning on the funeral pyre—the Obsidian Wolf.

As the mythical beast stepped forward, its gaze imbued with the similar azure glow that came from Akasha's eyes, it carried something in its jaws. It was a cylindrical object adorned in gold. When the wolf sat down beside the Goddess-Above-All, it dropped the item into her hand gently in a mist of cerulean flames. Upon closer inspection, the weird, metallic thing had seven different colored jewels on it, they were cuts of: a piece of yellow topaz, a blue sapphire, a violet amethyst, a green emerald, an orange tourmaline, a blood red ruby, and a pure white diamond.

"It looks like something ridiculously expensive…but what is it?" Raizo inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"This is something known as the Seven Sealed Scroll in Elysium. Personally, I refer to it as the Record of the Seventh. It is all that you are as defined and archived in my records. All that you are, were, and ever will be is kept within this item. The depths of it stretches far beyond your wildest dreams chronicling everything about you...and everything you are capable of."

"That's...a lot to comprehend all at once, Onee-sama. But...it kinda reminds me of The Golden Ark that Sakinah uses."

"Yes, it is rather similar. Whereas her book is the collection of her stories and journeys throughout her life whilst also being the source of her strength and will, this is something different. The Arcana is the means by which truth is unveiled, yes the very line she uses with the invocation of her abilities refers to the secrets and mysteries of creation that she defines through her will. Whereas this is a Sonata...a piece of life composed around you for you to play alone."

"So...it's my power?"

"It is more than that, Raizo. It is your truth that you have yet to reach out for. You took the name of Mercer to erase the sins of your Arashi blood, but you cannot change who you are no matter what. Regardless of the sins that you associate with that name, you are still an Arashi in your blood. You are as much an Arashi as you are a Mercer—a human as much as a Primordial. You are a hybrid birthed with the potential to become greater than both. But you never accepted it. Instead, you tried to put yourself inside of a box in order to define yourself how you see fit. You refuse to see yourself how I see you and as a result, you are only reaching half of what you are capable of. Thus, you must embrace yourself."

"But...I...I thought that...I needed to reject my Arashi blood in order to move forward. There was so much darkness during that time in my life. I thought that in order to truly become the man I needed to be, I had to abandon who I was."

"Your past does not define who you are, Raizo. Whether they be mistakes you made or actions you have taken. What you do here and now and from this moment on will. In order to truly be free of your past self, you must accept that it is a part of you. You cannot claim one over the other for both make up the man called Raizo who is standing before me right now."

The youth mulled over that point for a moment. He felt the sting of the past creeping up on him. The Arashi blood within him culminated in his other self known as Conquest. Then there was Mercer blood in his veins that he tried to aspire to be. That was symbolized by the God Killer that saved his life before and told him to protect Akasha with all his might.

"I am...neither one of them...but both," he said softly to which Akasha nodded.

"In reality, this item is kept under lock and key in Elysium; monitored by the Archangels that protect the realm. What I hold in my hands is the conceptual representation of it. If the might of a story represents Legion by the Golden Ark, then the power of a song, a testimony, is what is represented by this—A Golden Sonata. Taking it is the first step."

"What are the seven seals for?"

"That will be revealed to you when the time is right. For now..." Akasha said whilst holding her hand out with the conceptual item in hand.

"I...have to accept who I am...what I am..." he reiterated as he hesitantly extended his hand forward.

"Tch...I can't afford to hesitate. I have to do whatever it takes for their sake."

As Raizo grabbed the item, the scroll shined brightly in his hand before turning into golden dust. The particles rushed towards his body and stamped onto his chest as he felt like something was rushing throughout his insides.

"Onee-sama...what is this fee...mmph?!"

His words were interrupted as the Goddess-Above-All pressed her lips firmly against his and held him close for a few seconds. She wrapped her arms around him once more and held him close.

"I have prepared the path forward. Now it is up to you to traverse it. When you wake up, reach out for my gift to you in the Earth. Though you tossed it aside once unbeknownst to what it was, everything eventually comes back to its origin. When you find it, call this name: Soteria."

The Obsidian Wolf walked over towards Raizo and nudged his hand as if seeking the male's affection by touch. The youth looked down and gently rubbed the creature's head.

"Ah yes...she sent you a gift as well," Akasha smiled.

"Who?"

"You shall see. Now go forth and be reborn anew: Raizo Arashi-Mercer."