Chapter 234 – Hopeless

(Dermakvar) "The harbinger of death… little one! Under no circumstances do you get close to that thing, understand?"

(Ikarus) "Gotcha!"

(Dermakvar) "That applies to all of you, so get off me and decide on who's carrying whom. If the demon had told me this is what we were up agai-, no you silly old lizard. She would've lost control"

(Asmodeus) "Heh, correct ancient dragon. It wouldn't have made an inch of difference. If we're to die, then today's the day"

(Ariza) "Uh, we're not actually going to die, right?"

(Zeki) "Relax brother, they're only trying to make this fight epic… stay back just in case though"

(Charlotte) "Let's all have faith and we shall prevail through this!"

(Nathan) "Sorry Lotte… faith won't defeat something like Charybdis. This… may be too much"

(Petra) "Everything under heaven is in utter chaos… it's like looking into the face of death"

In addition to the world shaking from that creature awakening, father adds onto it speaking through his dragon tongue while everyone else just looks as concerned as me.

Just father causally using his voice like this in enough to make even the wife instantly activate her dark eyed mode. I can't help but question things because this fucker is unlike any opponent we've seen before.

'Aesa… activat-, no. I'm not sure what to do, especially considering who we could be fighting next'

Despite this creature looking like it could be considering a world ending catastrophe, there's still the issue with the two idiots who decided to awaken it.

[<Just look at what's in front of you Ikarus and act accordingly. If we can't handle what comes later, can always teleport out here>]

'Eh, guess we can flee. Still though, I feel like wasting anything could be the difference between life and death here'

Regardless, we quickly get ourselves sorted with all us phoenixes taking our base form while father and Asmodeus lead the charge against Charybdis.

Up and below us, fighting has already broken out with the dwarven ships and wyverns, all firing cannons or harpoons accordingly. They have as much impact as an ant would fighting an elephant though.

"Hmph… suit yourself if you wish to remain here"

"Heh, lighten up dragon. When looking into the abyss of death, what else to do but smile"

The only one to remain on his back was Asmodeus as they lead our charge. Naturally since I'm part carrier pigeon, I've got the two who can't fly.

'Can't Asmodeus at least try lying about our chances? And Aesa, you know why father is so carefree with his speaking?'

[<Don't think about it for now Ikarus. All Aesa knows is dragon tongue extremely dangerous and powerful to both the enemy. Father what he's doing>]

As we get into close enough range of the monster, all of us get ready to attack… but fate has a different story. The creature decides to open its mouth…

'Huh? There's nothing ther-, fuck fuck fuck!'

The gigantic mouth of Charybdis begins to consume all, not by releasing any magic or anything. All it does is inhale everything in sight into the void.

The water, air, clouds, dwarven ships, wyverns, us. Anything that can be moved by gravity begins to flow into the abyss of its mouth and once inside, it disappears without a trace. The force and gravity of the attack is so strong, my wings make no difference as all of us are forced ever closer to the beast. The vast emptiness of space is that fucker's mouth!

'Is this supposed to hurt as well? HP check Aesa!'

[Name: Ikarus | Species: Phoenix (Demon Lord) | Level: 1000]

[Health 164,913/166,666]

[Stamina 166,042/166,666]

[Magicka 166,666/166,666]

[You currently have 50001 unassigned points]

As well as being sucked towards it, the faint feel of death lingers over me as my HP seems to be draining as the closer we get to that thing. Obviously not draining all that much, I dread to think how it would be if any of us end up inside of it.

Thankfully, it closes its mouth after thirty seconds or so and we finally get a chance to regain ourselves. By that, I mean fly away and open the distance up again. There's not a chance in hell we can fight in touching distance to this fucker.

(Ikarus) "Everyone okay? This is going to be a colossal pain in the arse"

(Zeki) "Hahaha… this fucking thing thinks it can eat us!? I'm not ending up fish food for this dude that needs frying! Come and get me motherfucker!"

"Ikarus-sama, we've got to evacuate the ships! They'll all end inside that thing if we don't!"

Charlotte has every right to be concerned considering those ships don't have the power of flight. They're already in the process of turning around while keeping up the shooting. They'll end up being swallowed pretty quickly.

(Petra) "Ariza, reckon you can help some of them?"

(Ariza) "Uh huh Petra, I can do that!"

(Nathan) "Pass me your bow since you won't be using it then, Ariza. You're still okay with carrying us Ikarus, right?"

(Ikarus) "Of course"

(Dermakvar) <Are you able to provide any use demon, or are just carrying me down?>

(Asmodeus) "Heh, guess you haven't noticed you've been flying quicker, ancient dragon. Wind magic is perfect for support after all"

<Hmph… always remember you being useless>

As out party loses one to the ocean, all of us get ready to fire…

It starts with father spewing a cloud of poison, Asmodeus firing a wind projectile and Petra firing her dark hellfire. Not sure if all that dark magic is a bad omen but we'll need everything to take this guy down.

"It's time to repent!"

Then, things turn lighter as Charlotte use the light beam feature imbedded into her summoned sword while Nathan, or Apollo finally shows me what the God of archery can do. An invisible arrow, bright as the sun launches from my back and strikes the creature in one of its eyes. Both attacks seem to do little to no difference like everything else.

'Aesa… wait? Won't anything I do here put the dwarves at risk?'

The explosion wouldn't kill them, it's the fact the ships will be torn apart and then they'll be at the mercy of the ocean. I'm doubtful their firepower is doing much, still should leave that for last resort.

[<Ikarus shouldn't be thinking of causalities right now, but no. Dwarven ships seems to have an ego imbedded within them, -friendly fire- will detect it>]

'Ah, so it's okay? Then just a single nuking for now'

[<Ikarus is forgetting something… -atomic hellfire- now in effect but orb cannot be obtained>]

'Oh right, need arms'

"You two up there, I need to change…"

<…Form quickly>

Knowing I've just given them a good surprise but not caring in the slightest, dragon form Ikarus shows up again ready to throw at a moment's notice. This tiny orb that now hides within one of my paws must do something to this overwhelming monster.

The orb comes into my grasp and I launch that thing just as Zeki charges up a red fireball as well.

The explosion is magnificent, filled with all that mushroomy cloud goodness striking the lower part of the creatures head. No amount of self-enjoyment will change the fact this isn't close to being over though. The creature can still be seen moving a slow as a snail behind the nuclear armageddon.

'This guy can't be resistant to everything, right? Status'

[Name: Charybdis | Species: Undefined | Level: Undefined]

[Health 997,314/1,000,000]

[Stamina 999,000/1,000,000]

[Magicka 990,006/1,000,000]

'Fuck… This is absurd! That's it, can't preplan to fight against Zeus and Hera anymore. This guy has to go down'

Right on cue, the all-consuming mouth opens again and all of us are sent into that sideways freefall.

Before you ask, no, we cannot get around to the side of it. The mouth on that thing appears to be endless and the only safe spot in sight is the very top of its head. The four Gods up there are actually in battle, not like they can be a focus right now though.

Even as we're being forced ever closer to the beast, this doesn't stop us from attacking again. Aim isn't really an issue with the size it has, not one for fat shaming but damn. Charybdis really needs to put down the pies.

Father splutters up some more poison, Asmodeus's fires off projectiles made from wind, the boring couple attacks again. We pretty much repeat ourselves except now… I'm bringing out the big guns.

'Aesa… one hundred percent. I say no more'

Already feeling the orb within my grasp, I'm able to steady myself and let it rip…

The orb flies true, straight into the creature's mouth and then… nothing. No explosion, nor any sign of impact at all.

'What the fuck!?! Did it just swallow my supernova? It can do that?'

Every attack we've done up to this point has hit the side of his mouth or the endless tail that wraps around this part of the ocean. The inside of its mouth must work similar to how a black hole does, consuming all and no amount of energy will stop its hunger. Point is, I've wasted arguably my best ability!

Once we're able to regain our footing, or ability to fly straight, I swear this creature inhales for noticeable much longer this time. If we can't defeat this thing as soon as possible, I dread to think what will happen if it consumes more every time.

"Take this heathen!"

Another round in this painstaking annoying encounter, with the only difference from my party this time is priestess. The world lights up and blinds us all when she unleashes that flashbang attack.

'Of course, even that won't bring it down. There's no questioning it now… activate everything that I can use Aesa'

[<Aesa will activate everything that can be used at a distance Ikarus. Abilities -aspect mk 2-, -meteor shower-, -burning hellfire-, -sun kiss- and -raining napalm 2- are now in effect>]

The abilities all activate and honestly make me feel a little queasy with how much is mixing within me. All I have to do is launch the orb from burning hellfire, and everything else should follow…

Like a badly blended smoothy, everything begins to combine together after I make the throw. The meteors, the God rays and the crimson rain falls from the napalm, all of combining into one deadly mess when the orb hits.

The explosion is spectacular but surprisingly, the only thing that's still in effect is aspect. I'm not really sure how I'm supposed to use that when I'm already this far away. Getting too close would-be suicide…

But beforehand, of course the fucker begins to suck us closer again. Being able to fly saves us a huge amount of time but for Ariza helping drag those ships away, she's fighting against an ever-rising tide. I'm surprised she's able to keep that rope within her beak so well, haven't the time to watch our bluebird in action!

(Ariza) "Uh… phew. That was a close one!"

'You've got to give up on saving them soon Ariza. I don't think we can do this'

"Ikarus… need a place to land for a moment"

<Of course Petra>

Back to our regular flight path, Petra lands on my back while the rest of the party are launching their chosen attacks again, only to do something I don't expect.

Activating her non-upgraded version of aspect, she takes out a spear from storage and tosses the thing towards the creature. Then passes me one as well and I do the same, launching my paw as far as I can. Both of us land a hit.

'Always thought it had to be damage inflicted by hand but guess physical can transfer through thrown objects as well… status'

[Name: Charybdis | Species: Undefined | Level: Undefined]

[Health 829,258/1,000,000]

[Stamina 997,001/1,000,000]

[Magicka 970,024/1,000,000]

'Sweet Jesus of Nazareth, this fucker has got me praying to shit that don't exist. This might as well be hopeless now… should we flee?'

[<Aesa has noticed an anomaly Ikarus, so opening up the status page once again>]

[Name: Charybdis | Species: Undefined | Level: Undefined]

[Health 829,268/1,000,000]

[Stamina 997,001/1,000,000]

[Magicka 970,036/1,000,000]

[<Aesa's suspicions are correct, Charybdis regenerates stats at a rate Aesa has never seen before>]

'Heh… I'm losing my mind Aesa…'

<…Everyone, listen up! This fucker can regen health so don't hold back for a split second. It's now or never!>

Getting a confirmatory nod from those that hear me, once again we all lose control and the creature is again set on swallowing our world.

'Aesa, double my stats and let's let flame rip on this bastard'

[<Activating -doubled potential mk 2->]

Fire tornado, charged up as high as I physically can, bursts out of my mouth and makes contact like everyone else and their hits. I'll be honest and say I'm already clutching at straws; this just seems impossible. This guy is just a poorly designed endgame boss were the idiot developer thinks a good battle is endless HP and resistances. I'm freaking tired of it!

"Erk… why the hell do I have to use this!? It's a fucking disgrace!"

Even Zeki's lost the plot and using things he'd never consider in normal circumstances. Remember the flying shields and spears Ares was capable of? He's just launched them all towards the creature.

Father's puts more power into his poison, Asmodeus's his wind, Petra's hellfire, everyone tries their very best to do as much damage as possible but unfortunately, nothing seems to be working. We may actually die here…

[<If Ikarus can wait just for a few more seconds… backup is arriving>]

Unfortunately, help will have to wait for another round of avoid the creature capable of giving the strongest blowj-, I can't even make jokes anymore. This is pointless.

"Uh… phew! Mr Charybdis is terrifying this close"

'Just give up on saving those dwarves Ariza! It's not worth it!'

Ariza is starting to get dangerously close to that fucker's mouth, so much so I'd wish she'd just abandon the dwarfs by this point but I know she won't. If she perishes agai-, no Ikarus. Even if there was a body to find, I'm pretty certain you can't revive the same person twice. If things get too dangerous, I'll grab her sorry hide myself.

Once we finally regain our composure, Aesa finally shows us what type of 'backup' she's bringing. Teleporting herself and a few others in, my confidence has just grown a touch.

(Kellearzar) <We're here Ikarus… oh no. This isn't good>

(Penelope) "Look at the size of that thing! I'd love to show him to rocky if he wasn't trying to kill us all!"

(Dionysus) "Fuck… couldn't you have said we're up against Charybdis, Aesa? I would've enjoyed a final drink if I knew our days were numbered"

(Artemis) "Hahahaha… that fucking father of mine actually brought Charybdis down here!? I'm going to aim for that stupid vein on his forehead!"

(Aphrodite) "By the power of love, I command that you stop this! He's not stopping… oh well! I'll shoot you with the power of love instead!"

Riding on the back of mother, Aesa is joined by several others, all of which are able to provide some sort of ranged attack. Maybe I feel a little let down more haven't turned up, considering this is basically the battle for the world. We are quite far away from anything of note though, and Aesa is only able to teleport once a day. She became a real person before I had access to all those upgrades.

Anyways, seeing that mismatch of firing magic coming off of mother's back, she also joins in doing what I was incapable of. The strongest attack we have, it will overshadow everything everyone else can do…

"If this doesn't work Ikarus… Aesa is out of ideas"

Aesa joins in on the rampage and presumably activates everything she can as well. Unlike my attack, there's only one thing you can see when that orb goes flying.

The radiating colours and sheer power of supernova cause the ocean and the world to shake so much, it might as well look like we're the ones destroying the world. Everyone is blinded, everything is just a pure mess of colours exploding and reshaping the world.

I'm purposely ignoring the gigantic tidal wave that's bound to hit the coasts from the explosion. On the bright side, Ariza and the dwarven ships have been pushed a good distance away from where the explosion went off. It's bought us some more time but no idea how much, every swallow is lasting longer and longer.

[<Ikarus should be warned that everything Aesa is capable of, was just used. We may up against an undefeatable foe Ikarus>]

'And I'm supposed to be the reckless one, what if you had missed? Status'

[Name: Charybdis | Species: Undefined | Level: Undefined]

[Health 692,019/1,000,000]

[Stamina 995,001/1,000,000]

[Magicka 950,073/1,000,000]

[Name: Ikarus | Species: Phoenix (Demon Lord) | Level: 1000]

[Health 300,768*/333,332*]

[Stamina 326,518*/333,332*]

[Magicka 303,102*/333,332*]

[You currently have 50001 unassigned points]

'All that's left is to exhaust all my magic… heh. Like that'll do much'

Back to opening that mouth, I can't help but notice what's going on top of it even in my gloomy state. They've been in battle since this whole thing started and it's obvious just from a brief glance, they still can't defeat the moron couple that rules all.

(Poseidon) "Please, both of you, listen to reason! You cannot do this! It's too evil"

(Athena) "This is worse than anything the titans did, Zeus. You've finally surpassed their evilness"

(Zeus) "Bah, anyone with wisdom would never make that comparison towards me, Athena!"

(Hera) "Yes! Hit that ungrateful bitch Zeusy! Cut her to pieces!"

To add onto our misery when we're finally able to fire accurately again, both father and Asmodeus have completely stopped fighting and almost look to be arguing about something. Has he actually given up?

"Heh, aren't you forgetting something important, ancient dragon? Something only you have the power of doing?"

"Hmph, never forgot about it, demon. I'll never hear the end of it if I use that"

"Heh, you claimed we once fought together like brothers. The brother I knew would've let the world burn. But you… you've clearly changed too much to let that happen"

"Hmph, are you trying to make me abandon this world? By talking like that, I will" 

"Heh, you're all talk, ancient dragon. You can avoid it as long as you want, you'll do it the second your daughter is in real danger. It's just a matter of time"

Whatever it is those two are discussing, it's even got mother looking concerned. They're about to do something really evil, not sure what but I can just sense something bad is incoming.

"You know exactly what this means if I do this, demon? You decided to get on my back fully knowing what's about to happen… are you prepared for the inevitable?"

"Heh, I can take on some of the burden. Always wanted to go out on a high… my goal was to end up down there anyways"

'Wait wait wait! This isn't good at all, don't be talking ominously like that!'

Both me and mother try to get close to father but whatever suicide mission he's on, he can't be convinced. The stupid dinosaur has basically just shot himself right in front of that creature!

Unfortunately, his mind is set on doing whatever it is he's about to do. Instead of trying to fly away from the beast when it opens its mouth again, he travels even closer towards it…

"*Carnage*"

The world collapses into darkness, the skies are filled with dripping red and time slows to a meander. This may look badass but fuck that, get back here!

<Father! Stop this edge lord behaviour, right now!>

<Dermakvar, no! You say anymore an->

"*A-Armageddon*"

Next, the world turns fuzzy like looking through a pair of glasses and strange symbols start to spin around father, similar to kanji but even harder to translate. I think I can roughly make out what some of them say… peace, heartache… betrayal. It's almost like they're messages from someone being relayed through father.

<This isn't necessary Dermakvar! We can defeat it another way!>

With one word left, father looks in our direction and does something I've only ever seen a handful of times. He… smiles.

"*D-D-Death*"

To be continued…