My Brother’s Keeper Part 03

MEANWHILE…

"So yeah, I got this neat little trick I use from time to time called 'Omnifiction' and I just took the fact that you had hostages and turned it into nothing. Granted, it's not as fine-tuned as Sakinah's Golden Ark in the meta-bullshit department and if it was then trust me… I would find it absolutely hilarious to just outright bypass your protections and make you all become tricycle-riding monkeys. Still it's at least good enough to save the little bro and the ladies," Akaro nonchalantly expressed with a slick smile and wink after the fact.

"Most impressive, Akaro-san," Reina nodded approvingly before taking a deep breath and exhaling in relief to steady her nerves. It was then that she reached out and grasped onto the edge of the Kanemitsu blade, twirling it around with one hand. Upon flicking it out to the side, her aura instantaneously exploded out from her body in one singular moment indicating that she was not going to hold back anything else during this battle.

"Gateway Trinity…Release - Demon Slayer…"

The silhouette of the strongest shadow guardian of Cocytus appeared behind her before enveloping her person. It was then that she became draped head-to-toe in black armor mimicking the guise of a Tengu and with it, the full weight of her authority as the Sovereign of Purgatory added with her new station as the Primordial Goddess of Fate mingled together. The resulting outpouring of pressure shook the entire battlefield, so much that frightening chills ran up and down the spines of the Abyss Order members thereby making them tense up. However, there was something else to this awakening that not even Reina knew about.

"Something feels…different about this…"

A strange rattling noise reverberated in hollow echoes surrounding her body as a shadow, violet-like hue began to engulf the appearances of her aura. Rather than panic as would be the normal reaction to such a unique phenomenon, the disciplined warrior closed her eyes once more as she felt her consciousness slip through the view of her mind's eye. From that internal perspective, she saw the symbol of the Obsidian Wolf that was engraved into her alongside another symbol belonging to the Royal Butterfly.

"Reina…" an all-encompassing voice called out from the depths of her spirit ringing into her ears.

"Akasha-sama…?" she responded knowing that such a voice that could cause such elation and peace could only belong to the one, true Goddess-Above-All.

"Reina Arashi, my blade in the dark, you have walked an eternity in the shadows of history to forever serve the light. Your valor has earned you the eye of both my Wolf and my Butterfly. If you wish to attain your full prominence as the True Goddess of Fate and Future Aspect of mine…here and now, choose your destiny."

"My destiny…"

She paused for a moment to reflect on her circumstances. How many centuries have gone by since she began this journey? For her entire life, she walked the path of a warrior. From when she was a child up until now, her whole life was the sword. Admittedly, she felt defeat when she was imprisoned in Purgatory; an all-enveloping sense of failure consumed her for a time, but she found purpose in liberating that domain and uniting it under her leadership. For a time, she was content…until her descendant came into her life. That boy…the child of promise who was destiny made flesh was the future she sought.

With Raizo, she knew that complacency would get her nowhere. Therefore, she had a new purpose and a reignited devotion to serve Akasha. Even when she had to come face to face with her Fate, she knew that the journey had to continue. Now it was time for her to settle into her role…one of which served as protector and the trailblazer of the Way.

"The legacy of the wolf has been trusted to the next generation. As Your Blade, I will forever remain an agent of the night; but right now, I am also a warrior that stands against those who seek to destroy our Way. Like a Butterfly, I will take flight and dazzle our opponents with the wings of our faith."

With that decision, a way for change was paved giving birth to something new. Golden highlights appeared to extend from Reina's long train of hair as her upper armor seemingly shattered thereby revealing her toned upper torso bound by a lone white, armored-like brassiere. The blade wielded by the goddess took on a reddened hue similar to Svarog whilst her violet aura was perfectly condensed inside her body maximizing efficiency, power and speed. Her long cloak was bound into an octo-leafed combat dress that mimicked the design of her black and gold, high-heeled greaves. The shattered armor reformed itself into a circular shield patterned with four golden leaves. Kanemitsu reflected with menacing pride in her right hand, while the stalwart shield glimmered over her left arm. Her tremendous aura which would have consumed the entirety of the desert was controlled within her, yet the pressure was clearly felt by looking into her piercing eyes.

"Art of Truth - Cho Ga Gotoku: Kagemusha!" Reina announced with purifying intent as she quickly rushed towards the members of the Abyss Order.

Her first targets were Vili and Bellona. Moving beyond their cognitive speeds, it was like she was traversing threads that determined the outcome of their respective existences–their fates. She flowed through that concept like a sailboat along a coursing river appearing before them without leaving much room for the women to react. It was beyond simple movement; it was as if Reina imposed her presence prior to their reactions as a fated fact in the intersection of their narratives.

The Dark Knight suddenly fell towards the ground howling in pain as motion surrounding the pair continued showcasing an action had taken place. With a single swing of the almighty Kanemitsu in an elegant crescent motion at her first target, Vili's being regressed to a point in time when she was struck by the Crimson Dragon Flash. It was like someone rewound fate on her body thereby undoing her recovery; however, it was beyond that. Instead, it was like Vili was forced to repeat the final outcome of her battle with Akaro as if she was taken from the paragraph in a story and set back into the part of the narrative where she received the wound. Unlike that last time, however, her protection was nowhere near prepared to repel it.

Seeing her comrade fall over to the ground thereby allowing her senses to finally catch up and acknowledge the foreign intruder in the vicinity, Bellona quickly turned to attack with Jigokumaru. She summoned a great sum of energy to instantly discharge through sheer force that would make her previous assault against Raizo, Satsuki and Ryuko look like child's play. However, just as she went to strike, Reina merely held up her new shield to stop the blade dead in its tracks.

"Shinko to Kenshin [Faith and Devotion]..." the Sovereign murmured the name of her shield as if she always carried it with her. Upon invocation, Bellona's energy seemed to stop surrounding her. In an abrupt manner, the woman was then faced with a wound that splintered her right shoulder down to her lung as her blood sprayed out of her body uncontrollably.

A blade that had gained the power to freely weave and control fate as means to defeat the opponent by conjuring outcomes and a shield that took whatever fated outcome was desired by the enemy and rewrote it so that such a turn of events is applied to them. The combination of these two powers left the Abyss duo floored as if there was no real bark to their mighty bites after all.

"Tch…" Vainglory gritted her teeth whilst preparing to rush at the empowered goddess showing genuine concern for the first time.

"This bitch… That damn form is different from what she used earlier. It's driving me insane. Why? Why do I feel this way? My authority should easily allow me to understand this, but I can't. I refuse to submit to this feeling…this…ridiculous notion of insecurity. I have to force myself to believe that I am above this version of her…and I refuse to admit otherwise!"

She proceeded to kick off the ground to begin her attack while her prey seemed to revel in the defeat of the others. Just as her toes touched the sand below, she felt like something gripped her by the leg as if forcefully dragging her back. Reluctantly, the witch turned on her heel to see that her shadow was outstretched and connected to none other than the Crimson Envoy himself.

"The Kazanari Clan's Shadow Weave + Kali's Retribution, courtesy of Genesis. I hear your authority can return all damage to the opponent, so how about I just keep you right where you are?" the hero joked much to Vainglory's disdain.

With that, his smile turned into one with a serious expression as he reached out with the golden gauntlet covering his hand.

"Lifeblood…open!"

Upon his command, he and Vainglory were absorbed into a realm which collectively embodied the legacy of all Ryu-jin. Their culture, joy, sorrow, triumphs, defeats, dreams, suffering, a grand history spawned by countless generations strewn together in the great red canvas that trickled down from the legacy of the Crimson Dragon…and beyond. A sea of red, an endless expanse greater than any mere ocean was the stage that the witch currently stood upon as she felt her authority fade away altogether.

"Let's go, Samantabhadra," the hero's voice echoed as a silhouette rose from the Lifeblood and stood back to back with him.

The woman's features materialized into one with long black hair stretching down to her waist and bangs that barely overlapped her red eyes with a semi-straight ahoge. She had a beautiful, vixen-like figure with shapely curves and a well-endowed chest. Moreover, she wore a white suit with six buttons down the front and twin coattails in the back. The suit had a dark section at the center in the shape of a vertical rectangle and at the cuffs contrasting with the pure white. Gold sections outline the black portions matching the color of the buttons on the front.

The woman in question casually chuckled before relinquishing a wise, soothing voice, "Not that I'm against being invoked by my king—but the two of us against a child of the Abyss is a bit of overkill don't you think, dear?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way. Let's try not to kill her though. This time around, I'll be taking prisoners," Akaro mused.

"This realm won't stop me!" Vainglory howled, flying towards the pair while forcing her authority to explode from her body in the form of dark miasma.

Samantabhadra opened her hand unveiling the ethereal shape of a golden card swirling above her palm.

"The Fool," she uttered as the immaterial visage of the card appeared to shatter within her closing fist. Immediately afterward, Vainglory's authority disappeared like a passing breeze and she fell to her knees. At the same time, her voluptuous form evaporated as her body changed to who she was as a child.

The power couple of the future God-King and the mysterious Keeper of the Lifeblood pointed their index fingers at Vainglory as if aiming invisible guns.

"Bingo!" they spoke in unison as a colossal beam of rainbow light was fired from their joint attack, creating an unrivaled tsunami of true strength. The power within the entirety of the Lifeblood overseen by Samantabhadra, all Ryu-jin across all eras, and that of Akaro himself created this one attack that was apparently fated to end Vainglory and everything related to her in a flash.

The witch's vision faded away in the light before she woke up, still contained in the Lifeblood; however, Akaro and Samantabhadra loomed over her. The changes to Vainglory's body were undone.

"Hahaha…just kidding silly! Darling wants you alive so I'll only put you to sleep!" the wise woman chuckled with a calm but subtly threatening tone before nonchalantly kicking the Abyss Order member in the teeth, instantly robbing her of consciousness.

Akaro then reached down, scooped up the woman before tossing her over his shoulder and prepared to exit the Lifeblood domain.

"Ahem, not so fast," the other woman in the 'room' called out as she intercepted his path, grabbed both sides of his face and proceeded to kiss him directly on the lips. She was not so shy as to keep her tongue back from invading his mouth allowing them to wrestle for a bit. Indulging in her desire for a small bit of time, she pulled away with a satisfied smirk.

"Gee, aren't you being a bit too clingy for a simple realm guardian, Samantabhadra?" the hero cheekily asked.

"That name is for those who revere me, but do not know me. You will one day come to know me as…" she leaned in and whispered a name in his ear.

"Take good care of me when the time comes," she said after pulling away as the Lifeblood domain vanished into light.

"There you are," Reina commented as she came to see Akaro reappear once more with Vainglory over his shoulder. Beside the Sovereign were the chained up bodies of Bellona and Vili.

"Adding one more to the pile," Akaro remarked as he sat Vainglory down which led to Reina pointing at the body of the unconscious woman as she was embraced by chains.

"These bonds are made from my powers as the Goddess of Fate. They will hold any being whose destiny I have touched," the Swordswoman stated.

"Okay… that's just fucking broken," Akaro noted which led the goddess to smile.

"We make a really good team. Though I have trained you and Team AKARA before, you and I have never truly fought side-by-side like this," Reina noted with calm elation.

"I guess our fighting styles aren't that different after all. Feels like I can always tell your next move and back you up. Plus I got a chance to see you go full exhibitionist and show off more of that bod to the world. That's a win in my book," Akaro teased.

"Right…right…w-wait…eh? W-What the hell are you talking about? Do not be so simple-minded…idiot," Reina nodded at first before becoming flustered and turning away.

"I can see where Raizo's tsundere genes came from," the hero remarked before turning to see the Last Word hovering in the distance over Egypt.

"All joking aside, you will make a wonderful God-King at this rate. I may have to tell Shugo-chan to get the throne polished and ready for you in the Eastern Kingdom. And do not worry, the cold of Cocytus is hardly anything to worry about," Reina complimented with a little joke at the end.

"Heh…I'm honestly not too sure about that," Akaro expressed reluctantly, "I've been fighting on the front lines since forever. Becoming some kind of a ruler feels like I'd be acknowledging the wish that my father, Hirce Hajime, had for me…to become the ideal tyrant."

"No, Hirce took the throne for himself. He was never chosen by the people around him," Reina swiftly countered before touching her comrade's shoulder.

"I felt the same as you do after seeing many corrupt rulers take power over the course of human history… but even so, you should never hesitate to lead the people who sought your guidance and protection. That is what I had to do for all the tribes in Purgatory after liberating them from Tartarus. You are a good man, Akaro. You are nothing like Hirce was, and you should not hold yourself accountable for his sins."

After taking a deep breath, Akaro felt his anxiety fade thanks to the Sovereign's words.

"Thanks Reina, I appreciate the encouraging speech. You know, you almost sounded like a big sister there."

"Well…I have the experience given the company I have kept."

Akaro smiled once more before attempting to contact the members aboard the Last Word telepathically. However, what he found on the receiving end was the cold voice of the longtime foe.

"You're too late, hero," mocked the devious one called Acedia, "Both of you stand down or death will come to everyone on this vessel. You will watch this fortress fall down and scorch Egypt to the core, unrecognizable to the annals of human history if you both do not surrender."

"Shit…" Akaro remarked. Hearing Acedia's threat voiced aloud, Reina tensed up as well.

"Can you pull that Omnifiction trick one more time?"

"Not with Acedia there…no…"

Without further choice in the matter, Akaro stowed away Svarog and relaxed the power emanating from his gauntlet. Whereas Reina depowered down from her Kagemusha transformation to her natural state.

*****

Aboard the Last Word, what was meant to be the safe haven overseeing the battlefield and provisional center of logistical support became a bastion full of hostages under the looming threat of the mysterious entity known as Acedia. Alexis, Semiramis and the crew of SONG were gathered in an incomplete circle as the girl loomed over them like a teacher peering down at her kneeling students within an open-air classroom.

"Take away the Vanguard unit by forcing them on the frontlines of battle and the home base becomes an easy conquest. It's simply so amusing how for all of the great innovative technology and prowess put into this construct, you failed to detect Cain and myself when we snuck aboard the vessel," she mused in a condescending tone of voice.

"The Abyss Order won't get away with these horrible deeds. Your plans will fail and all of you will have to answer for the atrocities you've carried out across the various worlds!" Genjuro bravely spoke up for the collective as his muscles tensed in his body showing his immense agitation towards the villain's domineering ways.

"How adorable, the captured mutt wishes to bark," Acedia expressed with a calm smile as she reached out slowly as if grasping the air in front of her. Genjuro's body was raised off of the ground in tandem with the girl's hand. As her fingers curled inward like she was squeezing something, the man felt his windpipe close up and his ability to breathe being stolen from him. His legs flailed helplessly in the air as an audible choking noise filled the chamber.

"Genjuro-san!" Elfnein cried out as tears filled her eyes.

"Commander!" Aoi, Sakuya and Shinji remarked in unison as well.

Alexis and Semiramis felt a surge of emotions grab a hold of them as well, yet maintained their countenance until suddenly…

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" a voice filled with desperation and anger filled the room.

Everyone's eyes turned towards the source of the noise as the figure of a highly panicked Chris Yukine appeared holding the docile body of the Abyss Order Hibiki in her clutches. Given the horrific situation she observed by a quick glance at the state of things, the boisterous rebel resorted to a tactic that was completely out of character for her. She pulled one of her revolvers out from her side and held it to the back of Dark Hibiki's head. In the meantime, the other gear users filed into the room taking up various positions to surround Acedia.

"Fascinating, truly fascinating. Shall we play a game then?" Acedia smiled towards the gear user's fragile effort. At that point, she relinquished her grip on Genjuro thereby letting the man abruptly plummet to the ground. This time, she focused her attention solely on Yukine.

"Out of all of these girls here, you are perhaps the most foolish of them all," she marked as she simply pointed at the Ichiaval user. Before Chris had a chance to fire a quip in response, a violet beam of energy discharged from Acedia's finger and pierced through Hibiki Alter and Chris simultaneously. This attack destroyed Abyssal Hibiki's heart and punctured through the latter girl's right lung. As the duo fell down in a kaleidoscopic mess of blood and charred flesh, the room was sent into a panic as numerous screams echoed out from different parties in the room.

"Quiet please. Now if you other gear users would be so kind as to clean up the mess, that would be great. Just because the animals have been wrangled up, doesn't mean it needs to look like a pig sty in here. Then again, if you girls refuse, I could always make a greater mess to pass the time," Acedia proposed.

Regardless of how sweet and eloquent that voice was, the girl was quite serious with her threats. Everyone in this room knew just how capable Acedia was at following through on her word. As much as it pained them to be in this situation, as angry as they were seeing one of their own fall by the wayside…there was no room for error.

"Don't risk it everyone…please…just comply for now," Elfnein pleaded, serving as the voice of reason in the room albeit one filled with anguish. As a result, the girls powered down from their transformations and grabbed some cleaning materials to tidy up the mess.

Hibiki seeing her other self dying on the floor was a rather startling experience, one that scarred her deeply because it was like she came face to face with her own mortality. As far as Chris, she was heavily wounded, but there was a faint pulse.

"Bring her to me," Semiramis called out, sensing the small vein of life pulsing within Yukine. It was risky attempting to treat someone under the watchful eye of the enemy. However, Acedia would not stop them given how she had total control over the situation. As the Abyss Hibiki was positioned in a way like she was laid to rest, the girls brought Yukine's unconscious body over towards Semiramis' position. With the cluster of prisoners gathered, the devious young Witch of the Abyss Order allowed a thought to run through her mind.

"Now all that's left is for Cain to shepherd the remaining sheep to the slaughterhouse…"

Traversing the ever winding hallways of the Last Word, Raizo carefully navigated the halls with Arcueid, Musashi, Satsuki and Ryuko following close behind. After their abrupt return to the vessel, there was an ongoing sense of uneasiness that weighed the atmosphere causing a surge of tension to be shared among them. Something was off about their arrival, someone was present that did not belong. As a result, the Stormbringer took the lead in the group activating his unnamed ocular technique resulting in his eyes becoming infused with a shimmering garnet color that granted him a special 'Energy Sight' ability courtesy of Kimiko's teachings.

As he examined the confines of the ship with each passing step, he was able to effectively map out the entire interior layout of the vessel by way of 'seeing' how energy flowed throughout its full structure including any and all electrical signatures that passed through it. This included the same wavelengths that traveled through the nervous system of all organic life. With that, he was able to observe the presence of an unfamiliar male with an imposing build that was navigating another part of the hallway further away. This silhouette was created by the observation of his mind's eye and was similar to that of a bat using echolocation.

Focusing on that man's energy signature, a more concrete picture was painted for the youth inside his head which allowed Raizo to see noticeable similarities between this unknown figure and someone else.

"That build is similar to Aniki, but…there's no way it can be him since he should be fighting on the frontlines still. So who the hell is this guy?"

Raizo analyzed the possibilities of who the mystery gentleman was. The only other male he knew that could even remotely come close to such a robust physique would be Genjuro; however, that man's height was not matched with this individual. Just then, the unknown guest turned on heel and headed towards the group's direction. Knowing that they just barely got out of a grueling fight, there was no way that he could risk a full-on confrontation in this narrow corridor.

"Ladies, take cover inside the room. Someone's coming and I'm not sure who this guy is. He could be a member of the Abyss Order that we haven't fought yet," Raizo suggested.

"Don't tell me you're gonna try and fight this mystery guy all alone?" Musashi partly whined as she was always itching for a good fight.

"It's not so much as fighting him…I just need to observe to get an idea of who we're dealing with. Just listen to me for now, please Musa-chan?" Raizo turned his head back to look at her while the manner of his tone calling her by that nickname did something for her.

"Tch…dammit…you got such a good lookin' face…and saying my name like that…fine," she muttered before nodding in agreement.

"Musashi-chan…I hope you aren't getting any ideas about my beloved, maybe we should have a chance to talk about the hierarchy in private?" Arcueid said with a slight tinge of irritation as she grabbed the samurai's shoulder and forced her along. Satsuki and Ryuko shrugged before following suit.

With the girls out of harm's way, Raizo took a deep breath peered up above his head. He saw the opening to the ventilation shaft and leapt up into it by way of becoming intangible for a moment to pass through the steel grates. Next, he started to sneak through the vents unable to emit a single sound per Akame's training as he eventually made his way towards the man's location. Eventually, he found himself hovering over the individual. In spite of being around a potential threat, Raizo's presence was completely erased for the moment thereby giving him the edge of anonymity. With the distance closed between himself and the unknown figure, the image of Cain the Butcher of the Abyss Order formed in mind.

"Don't be afraid now! Uncle Cain just wants to meet his little nephew and bash his fucking skull in!" Cain exclaimed as he noticeably started kicking in different doors in an effort to uncover his prey. From Raizo's perspective, he knew that eventually he would uncover the location of the girls.

"If I don't make a move, they'll be in trouble considering what he's capable of. But…he's more of a wild beast than a man. I try to make a stand…I'll lose, simple as that. But of all people…it just had to be Cain, the same man from Sakinah's memories. Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me, but he's just another victim of the Age of Gods. Still…why does he resemble Aniki so much? It doesn't make sense to me," Raizo thought.

"If I want to have a shot at victory, I'll have to fight smarter not harder," the youth ultimately concluded. As a result, the Stormbringer erupted through the ventilation shaft as Cain approached the last door. The Butcher immediately reached up to grab Raizo as he descended upon him, but that was part of the young man's plan. The moment the Son of Mercer felt Cain's hand grab onto him, his eyes flashed with energy. Instantly, the visage of the Last Word around them dissipated leading the way for the advent of Cosmic Foundry.

"Later," Raizo cheekily remarked before teleporting to one of the infinite swords in that reality only to vanish into sparks of light.

"What?" Cain scratched his head, perplexed by his current circumstances. Taking a breath to check out his surroundings, he noticed that he was encased in some form of space where countless blades dotted the endless sky. Within it, constant dancing of lightning bolts streaked across the atmosphere thereby creating more causing the field to expand. It was then that he surmised that he was trapped inside an alternate realm of existence which only fueled his hatred.

"No time to waste, gotta make this moment count," Raizo said whilst reappearing in the empty hall. He did not hesitate to power up to the full glory of the Oversoul state as he went to where the girls were hidden.

"Things just got a little more complicated, I'm getting everyone out of here," the boy remarked. Before they could even open their mouths, the Crusader scooped up each female and escorted them all the way to the Kiryuin Manor back in Japan. He brought them here one by one before signing off with these words.

"This place is the safest location on Earth outside of the Last Word. I'm not saying that you all need to forget the fight; but for now…given the increasingly complicated situation, stay here," he pleaded.

"Raizo, I don't understand. Why are you dropping us off like this?" Arcueid asked in slight confusion.

"The presence I detected on the ship belonged to a man named Cain…and let's just say, he is absurdly powerful; probably even more than the combatants we faced outside of Cairo. If he's on the ship…then I fear for the others' safety. Listen to me, everyone…whatever happens next, don't come back to the Last Word until I can come back to you. I mean it…"

"What? You cannot expect me to just sit idly by if I feel something happening to you. This link between us isn't just an ordinary vow. It is our bond. We are tied to one another. If you die, I will do so as well," Arcueid spoke with firm resolution.

"Arcueid…please…you and the others have to stay here to continue the fight. You, Musashi, Satsuki and Ryuko can't afford to be captured by the enemy. If the Last Word falls, take the girls to Elysium or go to Cocytus. Promise me," Raizo said whilst grabbing the True Ancestor's hand.

"C'mon Arc-chan, it won't be easy. Rei-chan and Akaro-boy will be there too. Just gotta stay patient, that's all," Musashi expressed with rationality.

"Fine…but I won't let your soul rest if you expire prematurely," Arcueid responded with a small pout.

The Crimson Flash of Redemption cracked a small grin as a result before taking off from their view and returning to the exact position of his initial departure from The Last Word. Just as he seemingly settled in, he saw a hand rip through space and heard a ferocious roar as Cain broke out from the artificial reality of Cosmic Foundry with his bare hands.

"I'd consider it a surprise, but Onee-sama did it before so I knew it was only a temporary solution…"

"Here's Uncle Cain!" the maniac howled as he barreled at Raizo faster than the young wolf could respond physically. However, the sound mindset of the boy played a key move.

With his enhanced vision, Raizo saw the electrical signals sent throughout Cain's body. Granted authority over electrical energy as part of his new mantle of the Primordial God of Thunder, the boy had a few tricks up his sleeve. With a flick of the finger, Raizo disrupted the basic commands sent by Cain's brain activity causing him to 'misfire' which caused him to bend and maneuver his leg muscles in such a way that caused his punch to narrowly miss Raizo's cheek. This caused the Butcher to tumble and roll onto the floor.

"Hahaha…well ain't this amusing…" Cain cracked up with laughter upon realizing what occurred. It was then that he took a small respite to gather himself before standing up once more. With a quick glance, his fearsome gaze sent a subtle chill that led to Raizo tensing up as a result.

"Annoying one, ain'tcha? If you're gonna keep running away from me, then maybe I should pay that world of yours a visit. What were their names again? Adena and Vesta? I'm sure they wouldn't mind getting pounded by a real man instead of a useless punk like you," Cain goaded with the raging insults whilst gradually approaching the Stormbringer's position. As he extended his right hand out to his side, a bloodied, black blade took shape giving his imposing advance a sort of intimidating presence like something out of a horror film.

Hearing the names of those he cherished being threatened in such a way would make the Crusader's blood boil. In fact, he could feel a surge of emotions bubble up from the pits of his stomach tempting him to dance in fury; however, there was no point in giving in to such tactics. Instead, he calmed his breathing and steadied himself in that position–something he achieved through the lessons of the Resolute Blade Arts. Secondly, he erased his emotions like a flip of the switch in order to suppress the effectiveness of Cain's psychological warfare. Last but not least, Raizo's next words were like the perfect counter strike.

"Such a moving threat you just issued. Tell me, is that something you'd use to win Sakinah over if she was here right now?"

That name caused Cain to stop in his tracks. Hearing her name triggered something within the killer like a haunting memory, a fleeting dream, a final remembrance of better days taken away by overwhelming hatred in his heart; something brought upon by the curse within him.

Seeing Cain waver gave Raizo another opening. At that point, the youth discharged a small spark of electricity directly into the Primordial Sinner; a tried and true ability to transfer experiences and memories. Unlike previous cases, he was not sharing his own memories with Cain, but the ones he experienced through the influence of Sakinah Vashti within him. As a result, the weight of the torment that Cain suffered and how the would-be Legion delivered him from it and the happiness he shared with her caused the man to be confronted by his past thereby dropping him to one knee while screaming in emotional agony.

"Nirvana, do it now!" Raizo beckoned with one of his armaments. At once, Cain was enveloped in a rainbow aura. Soon, the sinner felt like something was being taken from him, a sensation as if some burden was being lifted from his shoulders like he was going through a cleanse. This sensation was a gradual severance of all his emotions being torn from him. In this realm, he was experiencing the actual concept of Nirvana–achieving true freedom of the individual to the universal domain. All of Cain's attachments to reality were being lifted from him. Everything he felt, he experienced, all that he was, is, and would become was absconded and forced to flourish in a field of flowers underneath his feet.

The Crusader approached and loomed over the man, "I'm not one to enjoy a hollow victory like this, but right now it is the only way I can win."

He held the Eclipse Blades in an X-shape around Cain's neck, setting upon a swift beheading as a parting kindness to end the man's eternal misery. However, just as he attempted to follow through with the action, his blades were unable to cut through the man's skin.

"What a pleasant dream…but now, I JUST WANT TO FUCKING KILL YOU!" he howled, catching Raizo off-guard. Cain grabbed onto the young wolf's neck before slamming him through several walls and raced with him in hand through the varying corridors until the two ended up back on the command deck. The Stormbringer tricked to 'hack' Cain's mind again only to find his efforts to be in vain.

The calamitous and abrupt interruption sent the hostages into a small panic as the two combatants made their grand entrants. As soon as they crashed through the threshold, Cain let go of Raizo only to extend out his arm and lariat him through a cluster of nonessential terminals. The impact completely severed the monitors and machinery in half leaving the youth stunned. This allowed Cain to pick the boy up by his face and slam him into a small clearing on the deck. From there, the First Sinner ruthlessly beat on Raizo's face with one punch after the other. The Janus Armor would regenerate to protect the youth only to shatter instantly upon the next blow which was a process that repeated itself several times.

Raizo lost consciousness at some point during the devastating exchange. In a distant corner of his mind, he heard an alert sound off from his armor system:

[WARNING: Damage sustained beyond current repair algorithms. Janus system deactivation protocol engaged. System failure in 3…2…1…]

Regardless of what his armor called for, there was nothing he could do at that point. The armor encasing his body sparked outrageously from the damage as every possible trace of power flowing through his body dissipated. His swords faded back into their separate dimensions as the youth lay unconscious and helpless before Cain's relentless assault.

"Perdition ordered us to bring the child back alive, dear Cain. The Lobos cannot go against their Master's wish," Acedia finally spoke which snapped Cain out of his tirade.

"Huh…seems I lost my cool there for a second. This little shit is actually more trouble than he looks. Give him a few thousand years to work with, maybe he'll be a worthy punching bag by then," Cain remarked finally calming down. The Butcher stood up and dragged Raizo by the hair all the way to the other hostages. He tossed the boy into Semiramis' arms where he was next to be nursed alongside a half-dead Chris overseen by Maria, Kirika and the other members of SONG and Alexis.

Minutes passed before a waft of void flames burned through empty space as a dark portal opened on the bridge. Vili, Vainglory, and Bellona were fully restored–courtesy of Acedia's abilities–and they currently escorted their captors turned captees with them: Akaro and Reina. As the group joined the rest of the gathering, the fearsome duo that brought the trio of warrior women to their knees looked around the room to get a survey of what was going on. However, Reina's eyes lay fixed on one sole individual standing in the room.

"You…" she gasped recognizing Cain after the drought of time that passed since she last saw him. The sadness and hatred she witnessed in his eyes the day he lost Sakinah was something she could never forget.

"Don't waste your breath, Reina," Acedia interjected, "The man you saw ages ago is gone. Cain here has long since forgotten his past and embraced the cause of the Abyss Order. Now, take a seat by your fallen master as the curtain falls on your living hope."

Acedia's words weighed ominously in the atmosphere for the Sovereign of Purgatory. A slight nudge from Akaro was all she needed to be reassured to go along with it for now. As the woman was guided away from the Crimson Envoy, she circulated the damage in the room towards Raizo's position who was still unconscious in Semiramis' lap. His face was covered in blood and was visibly swollen, the last effect of that relentless assault. Hurriedly, she sat down beside the sleeping wolf expressing concern while also taking note of Chris, whose chest extremity was gradually closing up thanks to Semiramis' treatment remedy. Reina wanted to ask what happened, but allowed herself to try and figure it out via context clues as well as to avoid any provocation towards the enemy.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the Last Word! I would say thank you all for coming, but it is not like you had much choice in the matter; nevertheless, after that grand party over Egypt, the main event is about to begin! Tonight you get to watch your leader die!" Cain proclaimed with open arms before walking up to the Red-Eyed Hero and staring him down like he was less than.

"Buddy…if I had a coin for every time I've heard that exact same sh—

Just as Akaro was about to deliver his rebuttal, Cain punched the man hard enough to cause him to bend forward. The Butcher grabbed Akaro's face and pushed him away thereby causing the Envoy to regain his balance. However, just as he was about to do so, Vili appeared behind him and stabbed him through the core with a blade made of black flames. She followed up with a swift yanking motion and slashed the back of his knees with her ax that sliced through his tibia causing him to fall over.

Vainglory filled in by focusing her authority on the man's body which caused him to be crushed by the weight of something that could only be compared to the might of gravity. Bellona concluded the onslaught by shoving her greatsword down his spine, paralyzing the hero as he howled in agony. That cry was enough to stir everyone's emotions amongst the hostages.

Despair, anguish, helplessness, and anxiety painted the faces among the collective prisoners. Feeling the weight of their situation combined with their powerlessness was enough to stifle the atmosphere with raw emotion and frustration. It was a storm of feelings that could be keenly felt without any need for further context; and that thunderous sensation sent a striking signal to the brain of Raizo Mercer who began to stir amidst the chaos.

"Wh-....what…is…" the young wolf tried to speak, but found it difficult to do so. His consciousness narrowly returned to him as his eyes parted open allowing him to see Reina and Semiramis looming over him. As he recognized their faces, he noticed the visible sorrow on their features which caused him to affix his gaze towards the source. As he found it painful to move, he managed to get a glimpse of the torment that Akaro was being put through.

"A…ni…ki…" he murmured. His heart twinged with disdain and sorrow as he saw the terror unfolding before his eyes. He felt himself commanding his body to move, but to no avail.

"Dammit…my body won't listen to me…why am I so damn useless when I'm needed the most? These…bastards!"

["All you have to do…is give in…"]

A harrowing voice called from the dark corners of Raizo's mind at that moment. Once again, this unknown source was reaching out to him trying to tempt him into succumbing to the weight of his emotions. Yet it was more than that…it was more than just mere emotions; there was something darker…something primal, a beast-like entity with no regard for anything. One that behaved solely on impulse, an entity far more terrifying within than any sense of rage he's ever felt before. Nevertheless, the boy's resolve suppressed that feeling as he relented to watching helplessly alongside the others.

"Not again…" Reina mumbled to herself. Her mind flashed back to what she saw the God-King of the Lost Future do to sacrifice himself to save everyone else in a similar scenario against the same force. It was once again a moment where the unacceptable, no, the unthinkable present was coming to life. She could not allow this to happen a second time and just as she felt herself about to rise up to fight, Acedia called out to her.

"Think it through, Great Sovereign of Cocytus; if you move, the hostages will be executed one by one without regard to a particular order."

Not wanting to risk anyone's safety, Reina relinquished her impulses and forced herself to stay fixed in her position as they were treated to a presentation of horrors.

The torture never stopped. The savage warriors took turns beating and kicking Akaro while he was helpless on the floor of the Command Center. They never let up for a single instant, relishing in every second that his blood splattered all over the floor and his bones cracked and snapped under the weight of their blows. Acedia would make Akaro relive the same pain over and over again by using her authority to rapidly accelerate his regeneration just enough so that all of his major wounds recovered before her companions inflicted grievous injury to his body all over again.

Vili eventually generated a heavy chain wrapped in barbed wire from her black flames and proceeded to lash Akaro's broad back and shoulders, searing through his shirt and jacket thereby reaping into his flesh and beating him relentlessly like he was a slave trying to run away from his master. The charred flesh and open wounds immediately festered from curse and infection as his blood boiled out of his body in a grotesque fashion.

"Damn…that looks like a bunch of parasites trying to get out. Here, I can take care of that with a little game of whack-a-bitch!" Bellona declared gripping Jigokumaru with body hands and proceeding to bludgeon his back with excessive force like she was taking a sledgehammer and smashing it through concrete at a work site.

The lengthy presentation dragged out for the longest stretch of five minutes that everyone in this room has ever felt before Vili and Bellona put their toys away to help the man up. He was hardly in the shape to stand, yet something gave him enough strength to do so.

"Time for the grand finale: the strongest of the Abyss Order vs. the strongest of the Last Word," Cain smiled sadistically.

The Crimson Envoy was bathed in his own blood. Battered, beaten, completely vulnerable for his opponents to exploit; he was broken down and stripped of all that he represented as a hero and was presented as a common man with no zeal behind him. That was what the Abyss Order tried to make of him before his allies. Barely able to call upon Svarog without any utterance of his signature wisecracks, he stood against the impossible odds before him.

Cain was perfectly healthy and felt no remorse in the current circumstance surrounding his advantage over the man. He did not care about honor, fairness, or a fight against a worthy, equal opponent. For him, it was the pinnacle of enjoyment as the ability to crush living hope was just in his grasp. As a result, the infamous murderer came in like a wild force of nature dealing one decisive slash after the other thereby adding further wounds all over the bloody body of the great hero with ease. This whirlwind of motion caused Akaro to lose his feeble grip on his fabled sword; however, just before it fell to the ground, Cain managed to grab a hold of it.

"Heh…all too easy."

In a horrifying turn of the century, Cain drove Akaro's own blade–the one that his family had forged for him as a symbol of their memories–through his heart. A wave of silence gripped the prisoners as nothing but the culmination of pure astonishment and despair painted their faces, their eyes widened by the result. Out of everyone witnessing the display, only one person cried out. Yes, the young Stormbringer who was nearly beaten to death, had his consciousness fully restored to him in that critical instant as an audible cry came from him that emanated a wolf's howl into the night.

"ANIKIIIIIIII!!!!!" reacted the Stormbringer to the sight of Akaro's death.

A sharp twist from Cain's hand seemingly fixated the blade's position as he forcefully broke the hilt upon jerking away thereby leaving the red blade within Akaro's body as the man fell over. Seeing that tragedy unfold, the weakened crusader felt his consciousness slip once more from beyond his control rendering him vulnerable to an unknown, negative force.

That same feeling from before came back except stronger than ever. Its cold, cruel touch was far beyond any sensation he had ever known. Beyond anger, hatred, and despair, evolved several phases past the concept of negativity in itself; it was something unrelenting, grasping at Raizo's thoughts.

["Break….everything…."]

Raizo merely clutched his head from the sudden compulsion, unable to form a concrete thought to ascertain the source. In the meantime, Cain was satisfied yet disappointed over the result of the execution.

"It's over. Kill the others and bring the boy with us," he nonchalantly ordered without skipping a beat, having grown tired after his fun was cut short.

The curtain was about to fall on the Last Word as the brave heroes assembled to halt the Abyss Order's advance was effectively nullified. Just as the wild fiends prepared to slaughter the insignificant beings where they sat, a new presence emerged on the bridge of the ship.

"So uh, I hope you guys don't mind but I grabbed the last puddin' out of the fridge," a playful voice echoed thereby startling Cain and the rest of the Abyss Order while simultaneously captivating the attention of the hostages. There stood a singular woman with long hair donning an outfit of a long-sleeved shirt and black pants with an elongated train of hair that flowed behind her back and was carrying a blade that was wrapped in cloth strapped over her shoulders. She held the delicious blend of chocolate and vanilla in her hand whilst joyously savoring every bite with a small, metal spoon.

"Well, well… to think an Aspect of Akasha would appear in the flesh, Akatsuki, correct?" Acedia slyly smirked.

"Yep… that's the name, try not to wear it out though," the Aspect said before taking another bite.

"Don't know who you are, but you picked the right place to die!" Vili called out as she, Vainglory, Bellona and Acedia went on the offensive.

"Damn this is a nice blend. Really good flavor…hey y'all don't know…oh, okay," the mysterious woman was about to brag before realizing what was coming her way.

"Let's see…boop."

The long-haired beauty took the spoon out of her mouth and poked Acedia in the forehead thereby sending the dainty little girl flying back before yielding the image of being crucified against the metal bunker. Then in a wild blur, she seemingly swept underneath the next attacker being Vainglory.

"Secret Utensil Jutsu: A Thousand Jabs of Death!"

In a swift stabbing motion from a lower disposition, the woman proceeded to jab the end of her spoon right into Vainglory's left buttcheek which actually numbed the muscles from her glutes down to her quadriceps. The pain instantly shot up her spine to her brain which led to the female seemingly rocketing off into the air as her head shot through the ventilation in the ceiling. Immobilizing two of their combatants, Akatsuki wasn't prepared to stop there as she set her sights on the next target.

"Snacking Art: Reversing Dipper!" the leader of the Aspects channeled as she tossed her pudding up in the air for a brief moment to bend the body of the spoon back and flick it forward thereby causing Bellona's momentum to reverse and upend the female. As a result, the woman was flipped over and slammed down into the steel bulkhead of the room and dropped onto the deck underneath the command center.

While her pudding was still seemingly floating mid-air, Akatsuki targeted the last member of the assault squad: Vili. She slid over towards the dark fire wielder's position and cracked a smug grin.

"ORAORAORAORAORAORAORA!"

A series of rapidfire jabs followed suit as Akatsuki "spooned" Vili in her gut hundreds of times over until the girl was knocked back into the opposite wall of the room. With the four females rendered useless, the noble Aspect wiped her spoon clean then caught her pudding as it dropped down to her possession allowing her to savor another bite.

"Tch…you…of all people…after all this time…YOU SHOW UP NOW, MOTHER??!!!" Cain gritted his teeth before flaring up his aura in response to his mother's presence. All of the pain and torment that he endured at the hands of the Architect was something he laid blame at her feet. To him, she did nothing for him and abandoned him when he needed her most just because of the blatant favoritism she showed towards Abel. While one who knew his story may admit that this thought process held partial truth, he was unable to capitalize on it over the account of a small gesture.

"He ain't dead by the way. In fact, I think you may have broken something you really shouldn't have; but hey, that's none of my business," she pointed with her spoon towards Akaro's position while adding a cheeky remark. It was at this point that the raging individual turned his attention back to Akaro.

The man thought broken, beaten, and defeated, left for dead by his foes after a gruesome, tumultuous beatdown that left witnesses speechless was now rising to his feet as if waking up from a brief slumber. He ripped Svarog's broken blade out his chest as his wounds seemed to instantly vanish from his body.

"Alright bitch, time for Round 2," Akaro muttered to himself before blitzing Cain's location and delivering a mighty right hook that sent him flying back through the sliding steel doors of the bridge thereby creating a colossal hole for entry to the hallway. This left the Butcher astonished by the abrupt development, but he was able to gradually raise back up off of the ground and walk through the shattered entrance to the command center. During that time, Akaro reconvened with Reina and the others.

"How's everyone holding up over here?" Akaro asked whilst scanning over his allies to check on their conditions.

"Everyone is doing fine for the most part…the worst of the damage done was dealt to…" Alexis went to report as she noted how Akaro's attention was drawn to Chris for a moment.

"I see…" he said while analyzing the severity of the wound. Semiramis was carefully using her mana to gradually restitch the damaged organs on the cellular level while trying to heal all of the damaged tissue.

"Here…let me," he said while pouring out a portion of his aura over the girl's grievous injury as it miraculously closed up.

"Her armor absorbed most of the impact and mitigated a solid chunk of the damage to her internals. It might take a bit of time for her to regain her consciousness; however, the worst of it is in the past," Akaro remarked.

The other gear users were too overcome with emotion over the events of what felt like hours to properly form words; however, they knew that they could try and breathe a little bit easier.

"Semi-chan…you did a good job of healing the girl even though you're notorious for being a poisoner. Still, try not to carelessly use up your mana. We need you to pilot this big vessel and all," the hero advised with a smile.

"R-Right…" she nodded while being slightly embarrassed.

"Well…just have the tsun over here give ya a shot of mana later when everything gets quiet if nothing else," he winked which caused the Assassin to blush intensely.

"Aniki…you dumbass…" Raizo strained to raise himself up after hearing the exchange.

"Damn kiddo, that's quite a set of shiners ya got there," Akaro chuckled.

"Well…someone had to tell that look alike that there was only room for one big lumbering jackass in the world and he needed to steal that face from someone else."

"Oi…aren't you a little too injured for all that big talk? Who taught you anyway?"

"That's a joke right? Take your pick…"

"Alright…no more hanging out with Lucy for you."

"Actually, your wife taught me first."

"Which one?"

"…Good point."

"Good grief, you two…" Reina sighed heavily whilst shaking her head.

"Anyway, you good lil' bro?" Akaro raised a slight eyebrow.

"Yeah I'm fine…just a little headache, nothing I can't get over," Raizo remarked.

"Well this is quite the interesting exchange considering the moment," Akatsuki approached whilst finishing her pudding.

"Yo," the Aspect of Akasha waved thereby obliterating the tension in the atmosphere.

"Lady Akatsuki, it is an honor for you to join us here. To say we owe you our lives is an understatement," Reina instantly bowed, conveying the weight of respect for the entire collective.

"Whoa, whoa…chill out there with the formal stuff. That shit gets a little creepy for me after a while. Everyone here is welcome to call by my name. Well…except you and Akaro, little Rei-chan. You two can call me, Mom," the Aspect shrugged.

"Huh?" Reina and Akaro reacted in unison which then spread to the others on the deck.

"I'll explain everything later, but right now you two should just listen to your hearts over what I just said. Now then, your big brother over there is about to get up and throw a major temper tantrum so I got a gift. It's dangerous to go alone, take this," stated the Crimson Aspect as she took the item from her back and handed it to Akaro.

The male held onto the mysterious item wrapped in white cloth as its covering slipped away thereby unveiling a katana inside a black and red sheath. At the same time, Cain's curse started to overtake his senses. The crimson markings over his body shined as he held onto his heart in pain. An aura of deep red began to fill the Last Word until everything and everyone was consumed by a reality of blood; an ocean of ruby under a gorey star with its eternal lord at the center of it all. That ruler was the manifestation of the First Killer's authority.

He was a creation of swirling anomalies, the memory of a world that was lost, the premodern world made to manifest in a form of hatred for modernity, the new, the humanism and the smiling coldness that marks day-to-day existence. Forged from a perfect balance of irreconcilable anomalies and the breaking minds of sentient life, he was an entity created by this overwhelming, unavoidable tension–the whole of the old world when faced with the cold, gray, purposeless new. He was the revenge of the fallen past, the idea of the ancient in a world that discarded and fetishized it.

It was he, known as the Lord of the Throne of Despair, that was more of an abstraction than a true physical form. His fists were simply massive in scope and gnarled, holding the chains of his consorts and concubines that were forced to succumb to his whims. The Rapist King's voice was similar to that of the chittering of a billion infinitesimal insects, swirling and constantly moving; a voice whose pitch was neither high nor low, nor cacophonous nor methodical, it simply existed.

He was a figure with a crown-like ornament over his head showing royalty as his disfigured face showed naught but a maw filled with jagged teeth. His physical form was an abstract silhouette cut from the cloth of the void blended by the conceptual idea of sin and carnality mixed with every connotation of bloodshed shaped by this new reality. Hundreds of eyes littered his body that was black as night strewn with red irises and lighter shades of red for the corneas. His skeletal, muscular frame adorned by robes of blood extracted from his victims over time dragging the chains that once bound him deep within nightmares.

When this Defiler of Worlds appeared, all of existence became encapsulated in a red sea of death bringing an end to life in all its forms. The absence of life was made the unchanging Primal Truth of the World. The reality was a red apocalypse defined as Pralaya, the utmost ocean of nonexistence. The King who rose from the Bleeding of Mankind was a nightmare that even Perdition feared, wielding his chain-bound concubines and slaves into battle; he'd allow his wives to bring carnage to the world before breeding them for their efforts. The nightmarish collection of eyes on his chest represented the collective agony of all he slain and to gaze upon them was to invite true madness into one's own mind.

Engulfed in the clutches of the red reality, the crew of the Last Word was robbed of their ability to stand; drowned out by the weight of the ocean of red. It became clear that merely being there in that place was more demanding and draining than any other domain. One moment of weakness was all it took to fully vanish. To withstand the weight of this pressure, Reina powered up into her newest form while Akaro was seemingly unmoved thanks to the protection of the sword he was blessed with. Meanwhile, Akatsuki just stood by with a bored expression because of her status as an Aspect.

A million voices echoed from the Scarlet God:

"All my dreams have been torn into pieces,

Hear the screams of my eternal pain.

Fear deep inside, is it madness that fueled my ecstasy?

Now I'm drowning in my sorrows…

Lord, answer my prayers, lost in despair…"

All that is Cain reverberated within the domain of crimson, an endless ode to a life of hopelessness.

Akaro took up a fighting stance and brought the might of the Dragon Sword sent by the Supreme One out of its sheath. The Golden Splendor of its outer layer once more reached out into infinity, cleaning and saving his allies from being consumed by the horrors of the blood ocean. Soon after that, the same radiance bathed Akaro himself, restoring but also changing him. In his mind's eye, Akaro saw the Ryu-jin Lifeblood and the God-King of the Lost Future.

Within the distance of his consciousness, that pillar of hope's voice echoed, "You are never alone. Forever remember that united the red kings will always be victorious. Believe in the hope you are, and keep it alive where I've failed. Rise above the universe tonight…"

A second wind came over the Crimson Envoy as the flowing blood-like blade came into full prominence. Behind him, the echoes of Team AKARA, Elysium's pantheon, the Aspects of Akasha, as well as every single hero in the Throne of Heroes and even all whom Akaro fought throughout his history of battles appeared extending outward into the eternity of the crimson horizon.

The light of all these vestiges meld onto the hero infinitely, causing his outfit to be recreated with greater luminance. A white and silver, long-sleeve blazer that wrapped over in the front like a two-piece suit with high angled flannels stretching down in the back. Its buttons and metallic pieces were dyed in gold as the black cuffs were rolled back with splashes of crimson underneath. This jacket covered his long black pants with silver stripes stretching down the front of the fabric, embroidered by six blocks of diamonds. His iconic crimson scarf draped around his neck as a waft of blue flames danced off the tail end of its velvet surface. With the golden scale gauntlet brandished to his right arm, the man stood proudly ready for battle.

"I'll deal with my butt-ugly brother over there, you guys deal with the rest," Akaro remarked, rushing off to face the Scarlet God in an epic showdown.

Reina and the others were still under the protection of the Dragon Sword Akaro which enabled everyone to regroup within the golden field isolated from the ocean of red. Akatsuki took it upon herself to become the field medic and elected to inspect the injured to check whether or not they were healed while simultaneously breaking the bonds of the other captives.

"Well…you ladies are robustly built, you'll recover just fine," she remarked with a cheeky grin. However, the six conscious gear users were noticeably flushed in the face whilst gripping themselves nervously.

"Did…anyone feel something just now?" Maria nervously asked while hesitantly covering her chest.

"It felt like a unique disturbance in the air for a moment," Tsubasa said while clutching her hips.

"Something brushed against my butt, desu," Kirika remarked shyly.

"Strange…" Shirabe stared at her legs and then grabbed her sides.

"I'm sure we're just imagining things, right?" Hibiki smiled wryly even though she inadvertently covered her chest as well.

"Speak for yourself, Hibiki," Miku said with a slight pout as well.

"Oi…y'all are forgetting about Chris-chan," Raizo pointed out even though he felt a slight sting of red fill his face as well.

"Raizo-san…why are you blushing?" Semiramis inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"I…don't know, maybe it's just hot or something," he swiftly turned away whilst looking down.

"Something definitely grabbed my crotch area…and I know Aunt Jibril isn't around. It…couldn't have been the….wait, if she's Aniki's mom then…crap…" Raizo thought of something but elected to keep it to himself for now.

"Good grief, our family has such dysfunctional habits," Alexis quitely muttered to herself, having an idea of what exactly occurred in that moment.

"Lady…er…M….eh…" Reina tried to speak, but couldn't form the proper words.

"Oi, take a deep breath and just ask me anything, kiddo," Akatsuki expressed.

"Are…we really related?" Reina elected to ask to avert her own confusion.

"Listen, kid. I've lived a very long life. After Eden, I might've chilled with the Okami clan and fallen for a good-looking fella with the correct religion. I might also have a thing for crazy geniuses with a god complex," she clarified without actually specifying anything; however, the Sovereign connected the dots.

"Wait…then that means that I am Akaro's older…" Reina made a realization which caused her eyes to widen.

"Hold on…so that means Aniki is actually my great…." Raizo chimed in when overhearing the conversation.

"Yeeeep. The Lovecraft nightmare over there is your older brother," Akatsuki said while pointing to Reina, then turned to Raizo and said, "Which makes him your…great uncle; after you tack on a few duplicates of the word 'great' in front of that. Crazy, ain't it? Man, I need some tea," Akatsuki concluded.

".....my family tree is so bizarre," Raizo scratched his head.

"I'll say. But one thing, you are not allowed to call me Grandma, like…ever; 'kay? Now 'Ane-san' has a nice ring to it."

Not long after the banter ended, armies of trillions of men, women, and children alike began to emerge from the red sea. Chained to the Scarlet God were those that were broken and killed. Leading the charge against the golden haven of safety were the husks of mages from the world that was home to Fairy Tail. In particular, it was the leading ladies that were consequently caught, raped and killed by the hands of Cain before that world was destroyed. They were made into brides of the monstrous being, forever trapped in the scarlet prison.

"I know those women…they were mages I saved when I was hunting for the Arcana Crystals," the Stormbringer said as he tried to shrug off the lingering pain that stung his cheeks to prepare himself for battle.

"No one moves, I will take care of this," Reina said, motioning everyone to step back and she readied her blade.

"Shori no Yakusoku, Owari no Kyoukai!"

The Sovereign of Purgatory unleashed her first Art of Truth guised under the power of the Pathfinder coupled with her new form. This allotted her the capacity to slice through every falsehood present. Placing her long sword over her shield like a spear, she charged forth headlong into the crowd. She visibly impaled many of her targets in an oncoming spear rush that blasted through them like someone unloaded a cannon blast from a shot with a bow and arrow. In tandem, she spiraled around and smacked aside stragglers with her shield before swapping between a wild foray of exchanges between shield and sword, In the end, she batted the Shinko-to-Kenshin shield with Kanemitsu like someone holding a bat and hitting away a fast ball causing the shield to fly forth and bounce off of all of the targets caught in its wake and cleansing their fates thereby freeing their existences.

Expressions of shock and awe dotted the faces of Raizo, Semiramis, Alexis, the gear users and the other members of SONG. Reina's power was so far ahead of the curve that they couldn't even sense it; much like with Cain's and Akaro's new power.

"Yep, that's definitely my daughter," Akatsuki boasted with pride. Then, as Reina rejoined her mother and the others, all eyes were turned to the battle of the brothers in the distance.

The Red-Eyed Hero strolled over towards Cain the Butcher, his eyes shimmering with the golden radiance indicative of the beautiful luster of the Mystic Eyes of Truth. As he approached his foe, the vestige of Hirce Hajime–Akaro's biological father–stood in his way. He was a tall man with long, black hair that cascaded down his shoulders and back only to contrast with the clean white regalia he wore. The sight of the man ultimately did not deter the Envoy of the Crimson Dragon as he simply passed through the mirage.

The second was the lumbering guise of Izunia, the Architect, chaining up Cain in the mist of memories projected by the Eyes of Truth. The cruel god that lost his way not long after succumbing to the poisoning of divinity and walking away from the Path was the representation of hopelessness that mankind was meant to keep before the might of the gods; nevertheless, Akaro passed through it.

Finally, there was the Butcher of the Abyss Order in his human form.

"A man who can't truly take up a throne and embrace his conviction without room for doubt will never beat one who has sacrificed everything to become faithless incarnate," the vestige remarked.

"You're right," Akaro says, which caught the man off guard.

"Hirce was the kind of man who only felt joy when he saw others in pain. Over the years, I've realized that trying to talk sense into these types is a waste of time. I'm done doubting myself over the sins of a man I never considered a real father.

I've walked an eternity through the fire and flames, been reborn countless times. Cain–brother of mine–you gave away your humanity to make the pain go away, but I was taught differently. Through despair, we rise beyond ourselves and become the future that God dreamed of for us.

I am Akaro Tenbatsu Hajime, the God-King of the Ryu-jin. Now…let me show you the power of human potential!"

Akaro's words cut through the phantasm of Cain like a myriad of sharp blades. Without fear, the Red-Eyed Hero walked through the ghost of his older brother and toward the Scarlet Monstrosity that remained. The colossal creature towered over Akaro both in height and in stature. As it saw the hero approach, its limbs stretched towards him from the depths under the bloody chains aiming to enrapture its target. Akaro leapt high into the air, batting away several of those chains; however, many more rose from the depths of the crimson prison seemingly consuming the hero as he ascended.

The myriad voices within the Scarlet God cried out emanating all emotions–pleasure, anguish, ecstasy, despair, rage–all that is foul in humanity echoed from the ultimate beast, an evil that transcended Eldritch nightmares. What Cain had become after losing himself to the curse that haunted him was nothing short of the antithesis of hope, a true lingering amalgamation embodying that which humanity so often falls to: their own vices snowballing into unavoidable damnation. The Scarlet God continued to howl, appearing victorious. A toxic black miasma began to flow from him in that very instant.

"Where did all of this malice come from?" Reina asked curiously while observing from a safe distance with the others.

"If following virtues and discipline in spite of all of life's hardships is the essence to Akasha's enlightenment, then that beast is everything standing in opposition to that Zenith. That is what myself and the Aspects of the All-Mother have come to call Nadir. This is certainly a display worthy of Mara herself," Akatsuki identified

"But by proxy, that means Akaro is…" Reina murmured.

"Yes," Akatsuki concluded with a warm smile.

From within the cocoon of chains, Akaro's scarf was seen piercing outward in an energy form before ultimately blasting into a kaleidoscope of red lights that disintegrated the Prison of Nadir. The eyes all over the Scarlet God's body widened as he saw the hero emerge from the chokehold that exceeded the weight of all of humanity's evil nature and all that he experienced under Izunia's curse. In the hero's eyes, the monster saw the stellar golden sheen of a burning sun.

"Image of the Dragon God - Draconis Invictus!" Akaro called out summoning the might of the draconian avatar that he used in his earlier confrontation against Vili. Instead of fully transforming into the armored creature, the ephemeral presence appeared behind him like a massive extension of his character; like a spiritual guardian that watched over his master with ease.

"Strike."

Draconis Invictus delivered a quick right hook followed immediately by an attack from the left to the neck of the Scarlet God obeying its master's commands. After that, all 48 wings detached from the armored titan and the totality of which befell on Cain's monstrous form thus piercing his body and many of its eyes. Invictus vanished after that volley allowing Akaro to rush forward and pierce the eye at the center of the Scarlet God's chest causing the beast to howl in agony with its innumerable voices. Akaro ruthlessly yanked the dragon sword out of the false deity's eye and descended back towards the 'ground'. Amidst the incomprehensible howls of pain, the hero could hear Cain's voice becoming more and more prominent.

"HOW?! YOU HAVEN'T FELT PAIN LIKE I HAVE! HOW CAN YOU STAND THERE WHEN NATURE ITSELF TELLS YOU TO SUCCUMB!"

Cain's words caused the realm itself to tremble. The crimson star hanging above the domain was suddenly grasped by the Scarlet God and plucked out of the sky as if the beast was about to slam it down against this Prison domain to end it all here and now.

"How? It's simple, brother. It's because I'm human. The pain we felt will never define our individual 'selves', the heart does!" Akaro proclaimed with intensity as the stellar flames in his eyes grew brighter and brighter until a golden crimson radiance enveloped him with greater pressure.

"COLLAPSING CRIMSON STAR!" shouted the Scarlet God as he brought the sun upon the shining luster.

Nevertheless, Akaro jumped towards the coming blood-red celestial orb of fire while still enveloped in the transcendental light around him. As he ascended, the Dragon Sword Akaro in the hero's hand seemed to flow and meld into him briefly, coating his visage in the Lifeblood's essence as if he was absorbing the almighty Idem Arma into himself.

On the sidelines away from the great confrontation, Raizo and the others watched with curiosity and awe at the oncoming phenomenon. For the Crusader, he felt something pulling inside of his chest as if he felt a distinct kinship with this.

"This…reminds me of what happened when we battled Sakinah…when I was bestowed the power of the Golden Sonata and the Obsidian Wolf," he thought aloud

"This sensation…it is just like when the Violet Butterfly appeared before me," Reina also commented in tandem.

"You are both correct with your feelings. What you are witnessing is the dawn of my successor… The successor of the Crimson Dragon," Akatsuki concurred as she continued to watch her sons battle against one another.

When the luster settled, the Crimson Hero was clad in golden armor. This mythical regalia appeared to be composed of various triangular and semi-circular shapes along the chest plate and set of broad pauldrons. Golden gauntlets similar to those seen in Ancient Roman armor adorned his hands leaving the upper length of his arms visible. Red accents could be seen along the exalted armor of the God-King giving its presence both a sense of tantalizing value and also an ever-present emanation of the Ryu-jin Lifeblood's essence. The structure of the great bastion appeared impenetrable and the Sagittarius-like wings that adorned the armor's backside were akin to the sight of an archangel's holy wings oozing its divine prominence upon those grounded to the dealings of mortality.

As he pierced through the falling Scarlet Star using his sheer presence, the God-King's face was clad in a helm that left his two crimson eyes and a sliver of mouth visible from behind it. These features were bright red and golden and glowed with an aura as if they had been freshly painted into reality. The rest of his head seemed hidden beneath the large golden helmet that resembled that of a Roman warrior. In the face of this glorious defense the Scarlet God's ultimate attack meant nothing.

After emerging through the other side of the Scarlet Star, Akaro's helm faded away unveiling the guise of an older God-King with a more defined jawline and a more gallant appeal as well as long flowing black hair. The God-King held out his hand out as energy poured into it. A distinct radiance containing a darker and lighter shade of crimson, magenta, sapphire, violet, emerald, black, and white swirled up and melded into a pristine golden radiance–a luster akin to Akasha's Gungnir itself in its truest form.

Armed with this ultimate light, Akaro closed his fist and delivered his new attack–something that he had never used prior but the memory of which flows within him due to the Resonance phenomenon.

"Star Fang: Universe-Piercer!"

The God-King's voice resounded into eternity as the might of his crashing fist shaped into existence an ephemeral, drill-like construct of unlimited, peerless light that rotated and reverberated through the face of the Scarlet Nightmare. The light flooded through the monster after piercing him, appearing within the creature as glowing veins escalating in brightness until the colossus reigning over the twisted domain exploded into a heaven-piercing pillar of glorious radiance.

After the light subsided, particles of gold rained over the blood ocean. Akaro stood over a defeated Cain who could barely hold his balance as he struggled not to collapse to one knee. Even after all of that, the Butcher of the Abyss Order continued to maintain this bizarre reality and feed into the darkness of his curse. Akaro merely watched his brother with pity as the man summoned his signature black blade, ready to attack the God-King.

"Come to me once more, my Cainsleif," he muttered, channeling his energy to his signature sword dubbed 'Cain's Legacy'. As the blade of sin fizzled with the remnants of his strength, the muscular entity focused his attention on the resolute hero.

"I'll never let you win…I have to bring that boy to Lord Perdition. Once Rakshasa has broken the traitor, she'll be satisfied and end the war of the cycles once and for all. I can…give Bellona and the others a place in that new reality–a world where my curse will no longer have a meaning."

Akaro felt his eyebrow go up in shock over Cain's mumbling for a moment, yet his resolve remained undeterred.

"Traitor? As I recall, Pariah told us the one who supposedly betrayed Rakshasa to follow Akasha at the dawn of the cycles was Satanael. What does breaking Raizo have to do with any of that?" he asked.

"Huh…I see… You still haven't realized it, have you? Well it doesn't matter now. Once you're dead and that boy is returned to his maker, Perdition will make sure that his mother stops the advent of Azoth."

"So somewhere deep down the Butcher of the Abyss Order was trying to save his people by giving into sin. I can respect that, brother. Though you're more of a fool than me if you think Acedia or her so-called father will ever fulfill that promise."

"You'll never understand! I relished the killing, the raping, the butchering! This damned curse made me into an animal! I had no choice but to seek salvation in the darkness!"

"There is always a choice, kyodai," Akaro concluded.

Interpreting that the Hero was dismissing his motive, Cain flared up in one final fit of anger and charged at the Envoy with his blade in hand. At the same time, the golden armor and more mature appearance that the hero took vanished in a burst of light thereby returning him to the visage of the Red-Eyed Hero-King. Now with the sole radiance of crimson in his eyes, words began to flow from his lips.

"Akashic Law - Crimson Dragon Victorious…hmm…sorry Kimi, that's a little too fancy for me. How about we go with…Absolute Victory!"

Cain's blade came bearing down upon the hero, but it was stopped by Akaro's single index finger.

"I'm sorry, Cain. I can't lose to you anymore," the Hero-King calmly expressed. Thereafter, the reality of blood they found themselves in dispersed into light returning everyone to the Last Word. Aboard the Command Deck once more, Reina was immediately forced back to her base state while the items like the Janus Armor and the Symphogears ceased their functionality thus reverting to their unprotected states. In the meantime, the other members of the Abyss Order were grouped together and gradually regained their consciousnesses.

"My head…" Acedia, Bellona, Vili and Vainglory remarked in unison before they came to the full realization that their enemies stood before them completely unharmed. Immediately, the girls tried to power up for battle once again but found they were unable to do so.

Akatsuki saw their futile attempts and laughed gleefully, "When the Crimson Dragon chooses to show itself, everyone else is forced to stand down regardless of their strength. All abilities, curses, skills, techniques, or anything in-between, everything is negated–even the law of another Aspect of Akasha. All that remains is the victory of the dragon. Pretty unfair, ain't it? No one here is doing a damn thing until my son is finished beating up his brother."

Akatsuki's remarks brought the collective eyes of those gathered and redirected it towards the brothers who appeared a sizable distance away of just a few meters. The early skirmishes leveled the structure of the commander center in the Last Word thus making the bridge a lot more roomier than before.

Cain took a step back and helplessly watched as his accursed weapon fell apart. He then tried to throw a final punch, but his hand stopped just short of hitting Akaro. It was here that Cain noticed the markings on his body fade away alongside the weight that had clouded his mind for so long. At the same time, the regret over his actions which had been twisted into pleasure by the curse was back in full force. It appeared that Absolute Victory overcame even the Curse of the Abyssal Butcher.

Cain looked to his allies in the Abyss Order finally able to recall all the evil they committed thus far. He felt sick to his stomach, but some part of him could not bring himself to hate them. This especially doubled for Bellona who he always saw as a friend…like a sister. Then his eyes met with Akaro's, followed by his younger sister, Reina and lastly…his mother - Eva, now known as Akatsuki. Tears welled up in his eyes before flowing down his face marking the arrival of pride and regret. The former Butcher could not help but cry over how much his family had grown.

Lastly, he saw Raizo emerge behind Reina and Akatsuki. Though a fledgling in the eyes of his seniors around him, he could tell that the boy had gone through his own share of problems over the course of his life. His eyes could tell a story of trials and tribulations; the amazing fact was that he still had a long journey of growth to go. Nevertheless, his youthful demeanor never detracted from the potential to face everything and rise. All the boy needed was time. Just from that glance, it made the Primordial Sinner ask Akaro a question.

"Is he really the All-Mother's Chosen One, brother?"

Akaro turned and glanced in Raizo's direction for a brief second before turning back to his older brother with a small smile.

"He is," Akaro said with the confidence of a king resolute in his words.

"Then he will…break the cycle," Cain nodded as if accepting his fate.

Turning his attention away for a moment, Akaro reached out with one hand. At once, fragments of the broken Svarog and Cainslef meld together to create a greater mutation of the original sword which the Envoy held with great respect. With the reverse S-curve shape of a Scimitar blade, the red and black sword had a glistening shine that gave it a ferocious air of intimidation with the fearsome determination of hope. Taking note of the pain in his brother's eyes, Akaro drove the sword into his brother's heart before gently holding him as he fell to the ground.

During his last moments, Cain looked over toward Raizo one final time before uttering the following words:

"If you want the cycles to end… then you'll have to find a way to save both of them, Sata–" he drew his last breath before he could finish. As if trying to follow along with the man's last words, this left Raizo with a tense yet confused reaction.

Acedia and Vainglory were surprised by the man's demise, but their emotionally complex personalities kept them from openly reacting. Bellona and Vili on the other hand were different.

"CAIN!" they shouted in unison as they rushed over towards the man's side. Vili slid in and held the Butcher in her arms while Bellona held her hands before her in disbelief. The complex state of emotion, the visible anguish, and the silent fury that was wafting from her person.

"She reminds me of Adena…" Akaro noted in the back of his mind.

"We'll settle this another time. Give him a proper farewell," the hero regarded. That air of sympathy enraged Bellona as her aura wafted from her body while tears streamed down her face, seeping through the eyepatch she wore. Though her rage was warranted, she instinctively knew that fighting here would be suicide.

"One day, I'll make you suffer for this," Bellona swore in vengeance for her fallen brother. She went around the other side of Cain and picked up his body as she and Vili rejoined the witches of the order. In that next moment, Acedia teleported the group away.

"Wait…they left her behind," Hibiki noted in regards to her alternate self who was buried underneath some debris until now and somehow barely had a pulse.

"She's still alive?" Tsubasa questioned in disbelief.

"There's still a giant hole in her chest, how can that be?" Maria followed up.

"Shirabe-chan, help me lift her desu," Kirika noted as she and the twin-tailed girl went to collect her.

"The number of miracles that take place around here never ceases to amaze me," Miku said.

"Though I was initially focused on Chris-chan, I cast a portion of my mana off to that alternate version of Hibiki as well. I was unsure whether it would work and kept quiet in case that Acedia woman would finish the job."

"We can put her in a suspended animation chamber down in the med bay if we are quick enough," Elfnein suggested whilst joining the girls.

The gear users shuffled off at that moment to carry out the operation knowing that they were on the clock. Though the thought to ask Akaro to help was on the table, considering what had occurred, they did not want to burden the hero with anything more than he already did. As the Gear users left, Arcueid appeared from a portal generated by the light of the moon with Musashi, Satsuki and Ryuko following behind.

"Raizo-san, I don't give a damn about your rules…what the hell ha…ppened?" the True Ancestor was about to say until she saw the result of the bridge. The current state of things left all four of the women speechless.

"It's a long story ladies, I'll catch you all up," Alexis offered as she approached the quartet.

Akaro's Svarog vanished into particles of red energy as he turned on his heel to face his allies. Though the gear users and Elfnein didn't say anything on their way out, they did owe the man their gratitude. The other members of SONG also issued their thanks before filing out the room as well to rejoin the girls in the Med-Bay as well.

"So…you and Reina-san are siblings eh? Jeez…just when I thought my family life wasn't weird enough," Raizo chuckled whilst gently patting his brother on the back.

"You both kicked a lot of ass today," he said.

"Just another day in the family business, kiddo," Akaro chuckled.

"Nevertheless, this was a major victory for us in this war with the Abyss Order. It is a huge step forward, but there is still much more to do," Reina commented.

"Yeah, yeah, but save all that for another day. Where's the booze for celebration?" Akatsuki casually pointed out with a slight shrug.

Just then, Akaro's body seized up from all the strain of his abilities stacking on top of one another as the pain amplified thousands of times over, leading him to collapse on the ground and go completely unconscious. Reina, Raizo, and the remaining company rushed over to the man's side as his mother held some insight over what just happened.

"Resonance Recoil, eh? Well…it'd be one thing if you only borrowed my law for a bit, but you went ahead and used the leader card to resonate with the other beasts. Not to mention you used that Idem Arma I gave you to summon your ideal Zenith. You really are one insane son of a bitch…oh wait…"

"Well…someone better let the girls know that another patient is coming down to the med bay," Raizo said as he went to pick up his brother.

"Make that two…because we need to have a long talk about why I felt a lot of strategic recoil snap back at me after you abruptly dropped us off," Arcueid remarked, clearly unhappy over being left at the Kiryuin Manor.

"Do not be a brat, little ancestor. The situation was complex," Reina sighed in disbelief.

"Oh boy…here we go," Musashi chuckled as she knew that those two were about to have their own argument.

"Hm…never a dull moment around here, eh?" Akatsuki observed from the side.

"I just want to know who will be helping me repair this mess of a bridge," Semiramis' eyebrows twitched as the sparking machinations shot up all over the place.

"Just leave that to me," Alexis saluted.

As the light-hearted moment continued while the noble Red-Eyed Hero was carried away, the guardians were able to celebrate the first true victory over Abyss Order.