The Destruction of Rennaya

The sound of swords colliding, echoed across the field, with the random spurts and cracks from fissures popping up, as a result of tectonic plates, slowing down and crashing into one another. The planet's destruction was in progress, but nothing could shake Roku's focus, as he tried to get the upper hand against Rael.

"Terra Arts, Revolving Dome!"

Earthquakes reverberate all around them, as large walls, rose encircling them and covering the sky in a complete dome, twice the size of a baseball field. It began swirling circularly, with the viscosity of lava flowing down a volcano.

Even under the relentless tremors of earthquakes around the planet, the dome still maintained itself, with tremendous heat and pressure.

Rael looked all around him. Noticing he had blocked all of his exits with Rennaya's iko. It wouldn't be easy to escape.

"Making your coffin old man?"

He mocked as he gathered energy and searched for a way out. However, Roku ignored him, continuing his task and preparing his stage.

"Forbidden Art, Wrath of the Terracotta."

Rael watched as blood, trailed out of Rokus's mouth with a gleaming smile.

"No, this design was meant for you."

He began backing away, as Rael glanced around, noticing thousands of Azurian soldiers, made out of magma, rising out of the walls, ceiling, and ground. Each of them roared war cries, then charged Rael at full speed.

He cut down as many as he could, but he was completely outnumbered in moments. Some pounding down on him and the remaining exploding on touch.

Roku continued his assault, raising his hand above his head. The walls began to pulse as if they were alive, pumping more lava out of the ground and running it through its veins to the center of the ceiling. Morphing it into a sky cannon, ready to erupt.

Blood dripped down, his nose, yet he fought on, yelling at the top of his lungs.

"Forbidden Art, Terra Liberation!"

A laser beam of lava burst out of the cannon, absolutely destroying the entire domain, yet the walls still held on, containing the blast. With the disappearance of Rael's Iko, Roku felt satisfied, knowing there was no way he could move with the terracotta holding him down.

He let up the beam, as walls began to fall apart. Feeling his chest, he could tell many of his organs, were beginning to fail. Tears, forced him to look up at the ash-colored sky, remembering two and his family.

However, Rael's voice shook him back to reality.

"Unfortunately that wasn't enough."

As the smoke cleared, Roku was shocked to see, Rael, still standing, amongst frozen, broken Terracotta soldiers, climbing over each other, trying to reach him. The ground he was standing on, was carved in and pressed far below ground level.

The biggest shock to Roku was Rael's appearance.

"A Lost One..."

Rael took a deep breath, simmering in all of the dark energy.

"Not many people have driven me this far... Congrats, now I'm mad."

Dark energy reinforced the elemental phenomenon, revolving around Rael, as he crouched down, one hand on his sheathed sword. The skull on his face, painted or war in blood began to crack.

"Hod Erebos!"

Black lightning, ripped through the remnants of the ceiling, racing into Rael, then his sword, accomplished by an all-black magma coating. Ice condensed air pressure around his sword as he quickly unsheathed it, leaping with frightening speed, off the pillar, holding him up from the abyss.

Roku braced himself, preparing to defend, however in the split second that he blinked, Rael teleported, less than a meter in front of him and beheaded him, before he could react, passing by him.

Roku watched as his world tilted upside down and Rael sheathed his sword as his skull broke off completely.

"Forgive me, Ak-"

Rael obliterated the remains of his body before they could hit the ground. Staying true to his name.

"I'm honored for the fight, but I dislike, how much strength you had me exert. You may live on in my memory."

His side effects began to creep up on him, making it hard for him to breathe and stay standing. Regardless he would have to find find the strength.

He cursed as he turned around, seeing Calypso, floating right behind him, with a flaming white-hot sphere of fire, floating in front of her palm.

"Did you miss me?"

She said as she launched her gift, with deadly speed.

Akio vs Atlas and Mado...

"So, you've chosen to lose yourself?"

Akio asked, watching Mado's disturbing transformation. He shook his head in disgust.

"Savages till the end."

He launched the sphere at them, watching from above.

"Terra Arts, Core Formation."

The sphere began to descend at a rapid pace. Atlas glanced at Mado, hoping he might still have his wits about him, as a bead of sweat rolled down his cheek.

Quickly he thrust his hands in front of him, producing a condensed sphere of lava, then erupted it, trying to push back Akio's attack. However, instead, he noticed feet, digging into the dirt. Panic struck his mind, as life started to flash before his eyes.

Suddenly a beam of black fire and lightning, crashed into the sphere, stopping its acceleration. Atlas glanced over at Mado, still in his lost form, but choosing survival over death. Relieved turned back and yelled, following Mado's roar.

Pushing back with all of their might, resulting in the collision of forces in a draw, with a magnificent explosion.

Magma rained everywhere, as tension built up between the two parties.

"My, my, I didn't think you had that much fight, left in you."

Akio broke the silence while stroking his beard, suddenly his eyes went wide, as he turned around to block Mado, teleporting with a sneak attack. With ease, he blocked a few more, then punched him back down into the ground.

Atlas was next, using the distraction to crash into him as they both locked hands, crashing down to the ground. Akio used the momentum to break one of his hands-free and slammed Atlas into the ground, then threw him. Kicking a few boulders towards his direction, to keep him down.

"You're making this too easy."

He covered his hands in magma, just as Mado appeared once more at the worst time. Akio's fist connected with the skull covering his face, cracking it up.

Mado recoiled back a few meters, slightly withstand the strike, as dark smoke, began to escape the skull.

'He's getting stronger.'

Akio thought to himself. Then stepped down hard, and hammered his fist down in the air, simultaneously sinking Mado, deep into the planet. Leaving him to be attacked from all sides by the wrath of Rennaya.

He winced as Atlas appeared behind him, trying to jam a ball of green fire into his back. However, Akio had already anticipated him and sidestepped, allowing him to pass by, with a parting gift in the form of a sphere of condensed lava, lodging into his gut.

Akio smiled, seeing the emperor refusing to give up, rising out of the smoke and debris, with newfound strength as anger and desperation took over. At the same time, he felt tremors from down below, from Mado, making his way back up into the sky.

He noticed the left half of his skull remained, with his clothes in tatters. Showcasing battle scars woven throughout his life, all over his body.

Akio's smile got even wider seeing the look on Mado's face. Regardless, he braced himself, as his opponents yelled war cries, charging at him.

"It's almost time. Just a bit more-"

Black lightning cut him off, almost too quick for him to react as Atlas fired barrages of fire, at his location. He jumped back, as the smoke from the explosions, blocked his vision.

Mado teleported in first, punching Akio, in the face, just as he landed. Akio was stunned but didn't move more than a few centimeters, smiling.

"Not bad."

Quickly he slapped his fist to the side and socked him back into the distance. Atlas appeared next, however, his move was read with ease, as with, his next few follow-ups, until he threw a roundhouse kick breaking Akio's arm, as he tried to defend himself.

He let out a wince of pain, by mistake, which Atlas quickly noticed, as the strain of holding Rennaya's strength and the damages he was taking, were starting to take a toll on his body.

Atlas took the opportunity, lunging at him for the kill. However, a golem grabbed him from behind, suplexing him, with incredible force and Akio followed up by blasting the both of them away with a quick beam of lava.

Akio began to heave with ragged breaths. His body was beginning to ask him to go to sleep. He shook his head, refusing to give up, as Mado appeared once more and was sent back followed by Atlas.

However, they kept coming back, over and over, making progress little by little on a stubborn wall, as Akio, held on, coughing blood, and taking in more damage.

Then he snapped. Tired of their onslaught.

The next time Mado appeared, he was greeted with a sphere of lava in his belly, detonating at point-blank range. Mado was sent flying, however, Akio caught up to him. Striking him, each time he was about to descend.

"You who were born in darkness, don't you realize, you're being tested the most?"

Mado raged, trying to recover himself. He had almost regained all of his sanity back, but his driving anger kept clouding his vision.

Just as he thought, he had freed himself from Akio's combo, he was caught, with another strike to his back, as Akio appeared with a blur, sending him back down to the ground. He then followed up by landing with his entire might in his fist, knocking Mado out temporarily.

He jumped back looking for Atlas, smirking as he appeared just where he wanted him to be. He caught Atlas, by the neck as the emperor struggled to free himself.

"You will never rule in peace. You were never chosen. Accept your fate, you abhorrent imitation."

Atlas' eyes went wide, watching Akio pull his fist back superheating it to intense heat, with a coat of magma. He yelled out as he struck him with ferocity.

"Forbidden Art, Warriors Fist."

The impact was bone-shattering. Erasing the entire landscape, behind Atlas, every part of his body broke with ease, crashing him, into a crumbling mountain.

Akio looked down, seeing his body begin to crack and break apart.

"I guess it's time, now. Rennaya is ready. I am ready."

He spoke to himself, as Atlas appeared in the sky, in his basic form, but heavily injured. He noticed Mado, slowly getting up, but completely out of energy and skull broken to pieces in his crash site.

As Atlas' voice fazed in and out for him, Akio smirked, but he made out what he was saying.

"Think about this! You'll be putting your people in danger, your grandchild and what will you gain from this senseless sacrifice!"

A slight tear escaped Akio's eyes, but he shook his head, smiling with relief.

"Ahh Atlas. My people will be fine, besides, your frustration is more than enough."

He clasped his hands together in prayer formation. Sending the last of his energy into Rennaya's core.

Atlas, gave up, seeing it was too late, and began to run, jetting away towards the sky. Mado noticed his takeoff, then glanced at Akio, who just smiled at him.

"None of you will be leaving here."

Akio took a deep breath.

"Forbidden Art, Underworld Rising."

Mado looked to the sky and immediately took off, choosing to fight another day. However, below him, hundreds of fissures, broke open, flooding the land with a sea of lava. Then hundreds of thousands of hands, rose out of the sea of lava, grabbing hold of Mado's left leg and Atlas's right before he could teleport.

Dragging them, back down. They both looked back at him, as he gave them, one last smile.

"Release!"

Then Rennaya's core imploded.