Judge the Sins I (The World of Seven Deadly Sins)

"So it would seem the Arcana Crystal is being revealed once more; how interesting," spoke a dark and bellowing voice cloaked in shadows observing the energy pattern of the fragments scattered throughout the multiverse. As the mysterious male stared intensely in a crystal ball, he saw that one fragment was on the move throughout the cosmos contained within a streak of lightning.

"Of course you would have something to do with it Indra. Still trying everything to avoid your fate of being cast down into Inferno aren't you?" the male inquired as he passively continued to observe the flash.

Inferno, colloquially known as Hell, was a realm that was similar to Elysium in structure. Those who were deemed unworthy to enter the paradise that was Elysium were cast to this dimension where there soul would be punished accordingly. There were four parts to this place like its divine twin.

The first area was called The Threshold. Much like The Crossroads, this was the gates where condemned souls were sent and judged based upon their sins by archdemons before being sent inside. This area appeared like long trenches dug out in the ocean floor. The wails and screams of the dead littered its walls welcoming all unfortunate beings that were cast down here reminding them of their new reality that waited for them with open arms. If that was not enough to send fear down the spine, the gates were decorated with twin skeletons with glowing red eyes appearing like they were opening doors using their rib cages as handles.

Upon entering through The Threshold, the next area was called Necrosis which was also known as "The Dark City". This fiery abyss opened up with screams of terror echoing out almost like a melody of torment and was the largest area of Inferno. The city itself was bleak in nature as the buildings that lied inside were all black appearing like charred structures as the searing flames consumed the streets around them. Necrosis has approximately seven zones referred to as the "Seven Circles". Each circle was different from the last where the souls of the dead were forced to atone by punishment for all eternity. However, there were beings that committed sins in their times that were so heinous and unforgiveable that the punishment within any of the Seven Circles of Necrosis was not enough.

These souls, no matter if they were mortal beings or supernatural, were sent to the deepest part of Inferno known as Purgatory. This part of Inferno was the concept of eternal suffering personified where it made the Seven Circles look like a vacation on an island paradise. Much was unknown about Purgatory for its visage was only known to those who were forced to experience it firsthand. All that was known of it was its existence.

The location in Inferno where the cloaked individual was observing the lightning streak through the stars was called Apollyon which was ironically the Dark Eden of Inferno. Miasmic green rivers flowed through the ashen land where not a single living organism appeared vibrant with color. The brown forests of black trees designated the plant life as various territories claimed by castles of imposing, gothic design were constructed. This area was home to the beings that were cast out of Elysium. Many divine factions resided in this area of Inferno and the faction that the cloaked man allied himself was just one of them.

"Lord Ars, we have gathered here upon your request," spoke another male cloaked figure as a few other similarly veiled individuals stood with him. The observer turned his attention away from the mystical orb and cast his dark gaze upon the small group that stood before him.

"Good, now we can get started. Indra is on the move guiding the Child of Thunder to gather the other fragments. Currently there are 5 pieces left meaning the child will have to visit 5 universes. Four of these fragments are free and up for grabs while one has vanished…more than likely being in the possession of some entity within the universe that it is resting in. I have ascertained the precise locations of the other four pieces so I need you all to fan out to the other universes while I go after one myself. Do whatever you have to do to get the fragments so that we may finally have the Arcana Crystal in our grasp. Bael, Asmodeus, I want you both to head to the universe where the boy is headed next to try and take his fragment and bring the next piece as well," the being known as 'Ars' ordered.

"At once my lord," Bael responded while Asmodeus merely yielded a slight nod underneath his cloak.

"This child should not be too hard to deal with. Despite of having Indra's abilities, he still has yet to master the essence of Relepagus contained within him. So long as the Seven Sealed Scroll in Elysium remains intact, then that means the boy has not awoken his true power. If we obtain the Arcana Crystal, then that lofty prince will actually find himself in an easier position to start another great war," Ars explained aloud.

"Do you really think that man will be able to rally all of the other celestial and lesser gods after The Architect's failure and the results of the Second Primordial War?" the female of the group asked stepping forward even though her appearance was still hidden.

"Of course it will; that war may have led to Akasha's rebirth but it has also pointed out a glaring target. The Architect was a fool to go after Akasha's vessel without accounting for more than just Mercer and Team AKARA, hence why he was erased and his pet destroyed by the Aspects. That man knows all about the Chosen…and that boy will prove to be a viable weakness to exploit in due time. For now, we Demon Gods have been tasked with gathering the pieces of the relic."

"At once!" the group nodded together before setting off to the different universes to spark the flames that would lead to a greater war to come.

"I should head off myself. After all, someone needs to shut down those pathetic heroes that constantly fight for that overly glorified grail. I can already sense that crimson bastard among them…" Ars chuckled sinisterly before dissipating into the night.

*****

Rolling hills, sweeping valleys, grassy plains, a gentle breeze, the clear blue sky and a radiant sun rising to its apex was the calm and serene nature that surrounded the country side along a lone road headed westward. Traveling along this peaceful road was a large, giant green board marching along happily despite of it being considered an unusual existence for most. Strapped on top of its back was a building that took the shape of a conical hat. Named after its shape and the location it was sitting upon, this strange structure was known as the Boar's Hat which currently served as the home of the great and powerful heroes of the Kingdom of Liones, the Seven Deadly Sins.

As the title of the group suggested, there were seven of these mighty warriors inside the unique structure. Gathered inside a singular room, the team of warriors were currently concerned over one of their closest friends, the Third Princess of the Kingdom of Liones—Elizabeth Liones. With her long, silver hair that reached her waist when she stood up in which her bangs covered her right eye while leaving the left exposed; the blue-eyed woman was currently lying in bed unconscious from a sudden mental condition caused by using her powers being the reincarnation of a goddess.

As she slept, her allies merely stood silent worried about her well-being. The first one acting as her doctor and caretaker was known as the most powerful mage throughout the world. She was a slim, immensely attractive, tall woman with three beauty marks below her right eye. With shoulder-length black hair and golden eyes, the woman wore a highly revealing, open fur collared long coat that featured heart shaped buttons, short shorts with a heart on it and thigh high boots. Known as the Boar's Sin of Gluttony, she was addressed as Merlin. As she held Elizabeth's wrist monitoring her pulse trying to monitor her vitals, another one of her colleagues was casually floating around behind her.

Cuddling a leopard printed, green pillow, the male appeared like a young boy with short brown hair, a high forehead, thin eyebrows and brownish-orange eyes though he was actually a being that was at least 1300 years old. Wearing a long orange and aqua, hooded sweatshirt with navy blue sleeves, quarter-length navy blue pants, and short boots with large buttons matching his torso wear, he was the current Fairy King known as Harlequin; however, in this group he was the Grizzly's Sin of Sloth called King.

Beside him was another female among the Sins. Sporting a one-piece orange suit with a skirt that had an inverted triangle cut on the chest which hugged her curvaceous and well-developed body, the fair maiden with medium length brown hair tied into large twin tails and purple eyes stood by with a dejected look upon her beautiful face. Being of the giant race, she normally stood at a staggering height of 30 feet but was currently standing at the typical height of an average human female thanks to Merlin's magic. Among the group, she was the Serpent's Sin of Envy known as Diane.

Standing a distance behind the human-sized giantess was a feminine looking male with amber eyes and reddish, magenta hair that reached barely past his jaw. Wearing a gray long-sleeved shirt underneath a sleeveless white top complimented by dark pants and short boots, this being was actually a doll created in the image of his creator's love interest. Despite of that, he was a fully sentient and understanding lifeform that was known as the Goat's Sin of Lust, Gowther. As he stood in the back of the room, the male merely kept quiet while staring off into the empty space before him.

In a lone space in the corner diagonally across from Merlin was a man dressed in a suit that looked like a bartender's outfit. He had blue eyes and orange hair. He appeared frail and could act meekly at times but of course, appearances were deceiving. After all, the man was currently identified as the Lion's Sin of Pride and there was a significant reason why he could be regarded as one of these strong warriors. The man known as Escanor was someone who was full of surprises.

About 4 paces in front of him leaning on the wall was a tall man standing at about 6' 11". He was muscular with pale skin identified by short, spiky, pale blue hair and thin black eyebrows along with scarlet-red eyes. On the left side of his jaw and neck was a large scar given to him by the captain of this squad. His body was covered in a red leather jacket and pants with metal studs sown into both articles of clothing completed with a pair of shoes of a darker shade. Known by the title of the Fox's Sin of Greed, Ban was his real name.

The last member of the Seven Deadly Sins was none other than the captain himself. He was the shortest of the group but definitely the strongest, partly because he was a demon. Being the oldest of the group as well betrayed his youthful appearance but he was not meant to be taken lightly if faced in a serious situation. He had messy blond hair and a pair of emerald eyes complimenting his short, muscular figure. Wearing a clean, white button-front shirt and a black sleeveless vest on top with a loosely worn tie, white pants and black boots without socks, the Dragon's Sin of Wrath was called Meliodas by his peers.

The man was sitting by Elizabeth's bedside with a saddened look upon his face feeling an indescribable pit of sadness in his heart. The reason being was the fact that the young princess was suffering from a curse that was placed upon her and the leader of the sins. During a battle in his past, the woman who was then known as the Goddess Elizabeth fought side by side with Meliodas despite of the man being a demon. Because of their love, they were bound by an unfortunate fate. Every time Elizabeth reincarnated she would always find Meliodas and fall in life with him but when she regained her memories of her past lives, she would die in three days. As for the normally upbeat demon, he was cursed with the immortality to live this fate over and over again.

The reason for the trigger of her memories returning at this point was during an unfortunate accident while she and Diane were bonding back at the palace where she hailed from. The giantess inadvertently caused the girl to have a trip down memory lane which led to her beginning to regain the thoughts of her past life. As a result, the Serpent's Sin was torturing herself with self-loathing over the state her friend was in upon finding out about the curse though the man who also shared in this reality did not try to lay blame on anyone. After all, he knew this day would eventually come but this time he wanted to do something about it.

Finding a cure for this cruel condition became the latest objective on the Sins' agenda. Their other goals included finishing their enemies that were currently wreaking havoc throughout the world, The Ten Commandments, and liberating the neighboring Kingdom of Camelot for Merlin's sake. The only significant enemy that was left to deal with was Zeldris, the strongest of the demonic syndicate who was also Meliodas' brother. With the other 9 major adversaries defeated, one would assume that the enemies were crumbling but the sheer number of demonic forces scattered throughout the land coupled with the fact that they were indoctrinated so many human beings to become willing sacrifices or just mindlessly slaughtered the opposition made it hard to truly have an advantage in this war. Hence why the team was heading towards Camelot, they had to gain a formidable ally in the counterattack.

"She's stable but she's in a small coma unfortunately. It's probably from the mental shock of the barrage of memories from her past lives coming in at once," Merlin explained while letting go of Elizabeth's wrist releasing a small sigh.

"Do you think she'll wake up anytime soon?" Diane asked worriedly twisting her hair around her index finger to try and stimulate her anxiety.

"I'm not sure. The mind is fragile so it may take some time for her to mentally process all of the information that's assailed her mind," the mage spoke with a concerned tone holding her chin while casting a gaze over the girl's body.

"I see…this never would have happened if it wasn't for me," the giantess murmured as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Diane…" King called out softly in concern over the beauty he held a relationship with. He floated over towards her and patted his hand on her shoulder to try and console her but she could only shake her head.

"I caused this…and now I…"

"Diane, it's not your fault at all," Meliodas called out cutting off the girl before standing up and turning towards his comrades.

"If anyone is to blame, it's me for not realizing the fact that this day would come sooner or later. But feeling guilty is not going to help us find a way to break this curse so we all have to do our part as her allies and close friends to bring her through this," the Dragon's Sin of Wrath reassured speaking with determination over the matter.

"Hopefully we won't run into any annoying demon bastards for a while; at least until we get to Camelot," Ban yawned casually while scratching the back of his head.

"Come on now Ban, you know excitement always loves to follow when all of us Sins are together," the captain of the group smirked.

"While I do admire the flair of your usual self popping up Captain, do you really think we'll be able to afford encounters with the enemy anytime soon? We are on the clock as far as Elizabeth is concerned," Merlin expressed with a casual tone.

"True but we're all a lot stronger than we were before. I'm sure we can handle a few small fry here and there before we get to our destination," chuckled the midget blond but that optimism would soon be grinded to a halt.

A violent quake shook the entire structure of the Boar's Hat causing the creature it was resting upon to stop. It was then that a smaller pig, pink in color came running into the room. He was the official custodian of the establishment as well as the son of the mount that this house was strapped to commonly known as Hawk. The pig had a panicked expression on his face as his ears flapped about in excitement.

"Guys, there's serious trouble brewin' outside! You have to see this now!" the creature shouted urging the seven to follow him out to the balcony so they could see the commotion for themselves. Doing just that, the Seven Deadly Sins saw that the peaceful blue sky was gradually turning to night and fires raged from villages in the distance. A few hundred miles or less away, a massive pillar was bursting from the Earth becoming clearly visible to anyone with a working pair of eyes. The echoes of mortifying screams resonated across the land as pillars of smoke rose into the sky. To these warriors, they would think that the Ten Commandments were making their move for the end game but a far greater and even more sinister power was at play here; one that would threaten to alter the very fabrics of this universe and they would not be powerful enough to stop it with their own unique abilities. In fact, they would have to wind up seeking help from another.

*****

Before the shift began to affect the land in the outlying lands between Liones and Camelot, a lone presence stood inside an abandoned castle remaining solitary as his cold and cruel gaze peered over the landscape. Calm and collected, the being was a male with black hair growing in a counterclockwise direction wearing crimson clothing; a jacket with a unique flared collar that was open in the front revealing his pectorals and upper abs followed by a normal set of similarly colored pants. Donning silver gauntlets and holstering a singular blade on his hip, Zeldris was his name and he was also the youngest son of the Demon King being Meliodas' younger brother.

Although he was the last one standing of The Ten Commandments, he stood silent in what would have been identified as an antechamber within the stone structure. He was waiting for the time to come when his father would unleash the full might of his power on the world once more. Yes, losing his brothers and sisters was a slight issue but it did not hinder the greater purpose that he was set to achieve. Demons were still collecting souls and wiping out any human being that dared to stand against their might so he only needed to wait. Even with his older brother out there, what could they possibly do now? The sun was setting on humanity's time and there was little that anyone could do to stop it.

"Hmm?" Zeldris paused turning around to see a goblin-looking creature standing before him. The monster was grasping an unknown, glowing jewel of sorts extending his hand out towards the black-eyed elite before him. In a language that was incoherent to human beings, the beast was speaking about how it stumbled upon this while subjugating a village not too far from here. Given the energy coming from it, he brought before the commanding presence.

"Interesting…it's something I've never seen before," Zeldris pondered as he took the fragment from the beast, "And you just found it with the humans?"

The monster nodded in affirmation to this. The son of the Demon King was unsure what to do about it but given the fact that there was a strange aura emanating from it made him curious of what it could do. Perhaps it would be of help to his father when the plan would come to fruition or maybe it would be able to help him wake Meliodas up from his accursed self? He was unsure; however, being able to explore the depths of what this thing was capable of would escape him.

"Look brother, it would seem that one of the lesser beings in this universe got their hands on the fragment," spoke a sudden voice from behind.

"At least we don't have to do any extraneous searching for the fragment; now we just have to remove the annoying obstacle," another voice responded in accordance with the first.

Zeldris turned around only to discover two imposing presences obscured by black-hooded cloaks. They were giant in size not only having height but also apparent muscle definition that could be perceived by the way the cloth adhered to their body shapes. He was unsure as to how these beings were able to infiltrate the castle undetected but upon drawing a deep breath, the familiar scent of blood filled his nostrils. In addition, he saw the dark crimson color dripping from their hands onto the stone floors as they advanced. Given the amount of minions he had stationed in this area, these two were quite skilled but trespassing was an offense that would not be forgiven.

"I don't know who you are or how you even got in here but don't think I'll let you off easy for the intrusion," the demon also known by the title of The Piety spoke in slight agitation.

"Hard to believe that these creatures are considered demons in this universe. Lesser demons are easily stronger than this thing before us," one of the pair spoke.

"You forget Bael; we are deities as well as demons. These beings are no better than humans who sold their souls for demonic powers," the other being responded.

"Asmodeus, there are times where I wish I had the same knack for seeing the brighter side as you do."

"I just happen to have a realistic perspective from time to time Bael. I share the same sentiment as you; I'm just trying to be somewhat lenient on this unfortunate life form before us."

"Fair enough brother, but for now…how should we deal with this runt? Should we erase him where he stands or just send him away for a time?"

"That's quite the tough decision. Just toss into another dimension for a time, at least long enough for us to draw that Child of Thunder here and take his fragment. Once that is done, he can continue writhing in his own wretched existence."

"You both seem to be having quite the interesting conversation underestimating the might of the Demon King," Zeldris spoke with a commanding tone. Hearing that, the two assailants before him could not help but to laugh at his hubris.

"Boy, you are quite deluded. If you are the 'Demon King' or of any relation to a being of that title then I think you should all find a new species to call yourselves because you're no stronger than a human in our eyes. It's amusing to see lesser beings boast about their strength in the eyes of gods," chuckles Bael as a result. Before the black-haired man could move, he was rushed by the cloaked lifeform.

"Why don't you take a vacation for a while and stay out of our way?"

Zeldris found himself coughing up blood as the being had swiftly buried his fist into the male's gut instantly knocking him out. With his left hand, Bael opened a black rift in space taking the green jewel from the lad before tossing him inside. As the hole sealed up, Bael held the fragment in hand while Asmodeus approached from behind.

"Now all we have to do is get the other fragment from Indra's vessel. How should we go about this?"

"Why not make a show of it? If this Child of Thunder is of any real significance, then it won't be long before he plays into our hands."

"You think anyone else will interfere in the mean time?"

"Probably this world's heroes but they will be of little consequence. Why don't we unleash the Hellhounds to keep them occupied for the time being?"

"That sounds like a plan. Let's get things started then Bael."

"I'm with you brother."

In that next moment, the cloaked brothers began to radiate a dark aura of intimidating might. Black and purple ripples of energy waved out from their position altering the ground all around them. The castle began to shape as splits along the ground began to separate the Earth's crust in the surrounding area. Suddenly the mold of the landscape began to alter itself pushing the castle upward as a large rock formation began to take shape in the form of a mountain. As the seconds passed, a mountain had arisen from the Earth where the old castle had previously sat flattening off at the peak in the shape of a demonic arena. In addition, great fires began to burst forth from where the mountain came from and out from it sprung massive four-legged beasts taking the shape of dogs. The smaller ones had one head but the larger ones had two heads and even bigger ones had three heads. As they emerged, their ruby red eyes glowed immensely as acidic liquid oozed from between their razor sharp fangs. They growled with hunger and bloodthirst as they howled into the sky as the azure heavens above grew dark from the presence of this insidious force.

"Go forth and feast to your heart's content!" Bael ordered sending the creatures out into the land to slaughter anything and everything they came across.

"Now we just have to wait for that man to show. But just being around the fragment of this crystal is giving me an insurmountable boost to my power," Asmodeus remarked.

"Same brother, and I can feel the presence of that other fragment drawing closer and closer. Soon we shall be able to bask in the glory of two pieces of the Arcana Crystal."

"Yes but for now, we should both draw what we can from the fragment we have to make for an easier fight. I refuse to underestimate this demanic vessel that Indra has occupied."

"Indeed. This child being the son of Alexander Mercer does have me concerned but he is probably unaware of how to tap into his own power if he has yet to unleash Relepagus' abilities."

"Then it seems we both must make an effort to stop him here. Let's have fun, shall we Bael?"

"With pleasure, Asmodeus."

*****

A small village in the countryside that makes its living off farming and small time trading of cloth and linens located on the route towards the lands of Camelot in the outlying lands of the Liones Kingdom. Enjoying the peace and quiet of being away from a busy city and such, the local townsfolk were just going about their day happily without any cause for concern. The demons that have been ravaging the lands fortunately did not go out of their way to find this small human settlement but that didn't mean that they were safe. As such, the villagers just tried to make due with life as they could while providing shelter to some stragglers that managed to escape the demonic tyranny. Then everything changed when the Earth began to shake violently and the skies grew dark.

No one knew what was going on but the ground quaked heavily splitting apart the crust that began to tear apart the buildings within the small settlement. Unsure of what was going on, the people began to shout and scream in fear scattering around to get somewhere safe. It was then that just about few hundred miles in the distance; a large mountain began to burst forth over the horizon. Mere minutes or so after its ascent, howling noises combined with a thunderous rumbling like the galloping of hundreds of horses followed suit. More terrified screams rattled the air as horrendous, red-eyed beasts came scrambling towards the settlement.

What happened next could only be described as the very definition of gruesome in itself. The stampede of beasts barreled enclosed upon the village in droves tearing through the homes of the settlers destroying everything in their path. Shrieks of pain and terror followed suit as people found their lives cut short as a result of becoming meals for their invaders. Blood splattered in the air like a fountain as the people were clawed apart. Heads rolled upon the ground, intestines and other human organs decorated the ground in pools of crimson as neither man, woman nor child were spared from this vicious rampage. The chaos consumed the small town as fires began to burn turning the once peaceful settlement to ash while plumes of smoke rose into the sky.

Closing in fast upon the area was the Seven Deadly Sins in force. They rode upon the back of the giant green pig for a few miles before electing to spring into action on foot. Hawk was left to look after the place and watch over the sleeping Elizabeth while they headed into battle. Using their superior combat prowess, they traversed the landscape in seconds reaching the source of the flames as they were greeted by the horrific scene. The scent of smoke, burning flesh, blood and death filled their nostrils while the massacre continued. Spotting the enemy, they wasted no time springing into action just to be able to at least save the survivors.

The strange, hound-like beasts took notice of their new opponents and merely roared at them. The seven warriors did not show any fear over their opponents and braced themselves for what would be an annoyingly long fight due to the numbers they faced. It did not matter though because the lives of the innocent were on the line and they were not about to back down from this fight. Meliodas stepped forward drawing a curved short sword with the Dragon tattoo emblem that mimicked his brand as the Dragon's Sin of Wrath into its hilt along with five holes along the sharp blade. Being his Sacred Treasure—which each one of the Sins possessed that could help them maximize their power—known as the Lostvayne, the captain of the legendary yet infamous heroes stepped up with a glint of hostility in his eyes towards the gruesome foes before him.

"You beasts won't be living to see tomorrow," the blond knight spoke before bracing himself for battle, "Let's go!"

The battle between the heroes and the monsters of unknown origin began. The first beast that elected to bear its teeth upon the short captain was a two-headed hellhound. Though it was significantly large in size comparable to a small house, the monster was swiftly cut in half before being further chopped up into large chunks by the captain with ease. With first blood being spilled by the team of knights, the monsters began to rush in all at once without delay.

"Chastiefol, Form Five: Increase!" yelled out the boyish fairy, King. His Sacred Treasure was the Spirit Spear Chastiefol that was crafted from the Sacred Tree found in the Fairy Realm. The spear has ten different forms but he normally kept it in a pillow state to use as a lounging device when he was just listing about. When engaged in battle, it usually takes the shape of a long, broad sear with two out-turned lugs at the base of the head which causes the guard to form like a boar spear. The current form caused the spear to transform into hundreds of kunai knives floating in the air as the Fairy King rained down the weapons like bullets upon the hundreds of encroaching smaller beasts from above by shooting the blades directly into their heads.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Diane shouted holding her Sacred Treasure known as Gideon and swinging it down upon the massive, three-headed hellhounds crushing them with the might of her war hammer. Currently, the girl was back into her original form of being a giant of an imposing 30 feet in height. Despite of her stature, she moved gracefully like she was a normal sized human being taking care not to crush any buildings where any possible survivors might be holed up. She swung her hammer batting away another oncoming beast out of the settlement before chasing after so she could prevent any further large monsters from rushing in.

"Weak…lame…boring…sit down mutt," Ban uttered as he casually cruised through the battlefield batting down his foes using a three-section staff. The aloof fighter was the only one of the Sins who has yet to recover his Sacred Treasure since it being taken from him years ago when he was imprisoned. Given the fact that the weapon he was wielding was immensely similar to it, it didn't much matter to him whether he had it or not. Killing these animals was nothing more than child's play to him and lacked a real challenge without zeal hence why he was so distant. Yet that behavior could only be afforded to someone who owned a significant amount of experience as he still maintained his awareness to change with the flow of combat if needed.

"Pew pew," uttered Gowther as he unleashed bolts of energy from his Sacred Treasure, Herritt. Unlike the other Sins, the Goat's Sin of Lust had a weapon that materialized in the form of purple energy bows which could lock on and fire magic at any target the user desire. As the beasts leapt around trying to escape through the holes of defense that the warriors occasionally showed, Gowther was quick to fire at them causing them to explode with each projectile discharged.

"Endless Whirl," chanted Merlin as she floated above the fiery village with beauty and grace. A great gust of wind of intense, destructive nature spiraled on the ground just before her drawing in the hideous hellhounds to its center. The violent vortex was so strong that it literally hacked apart the beasts being drawn into its depths before churning out their chunks into piles of mincemeat below. Floating in one hand was Merlin's Sacred Treasure, Aldan. She rotated the spherical crystal before her as a group of around 20 of the savage beasts elected to charge at her before her devastating eyes glared at them sharply.

"Exterminate Ray", she uttered as a beam of disintegrating light burst forth erasing the targets without any further delay. The vixen merely smirked silently before turning around to see that a group of villagers were hiding behind one of the wrecked houses nearby. Before she could call to their attention, she could see the frail-looking human of the Sins already there trying to help the villagers escape. With that, she only smiled softly before returning to the task at hand.

"Come on, this way is clear. Run as fast as you can," Escanor spoke with a kind tone as he helped the people escape safely. Though he would be on the battlefield with his friends, his strength only erupted during the day. Unfortunately, the skies were darkened like night and the sun obscured so his normally insane prowess was currently stifled at the moment but he still found himself committing to his comrades' cause.

The skirmish continued as the former knights fought hard to push back the demonic creatures away from the once peaceful settlement. The beasts fell one by one and their losses increased in number as time passed yet more and more of these unknown spawns continued to come. The Sins never wavered because they would do anything they could to save as many people as they possibly could. However, they had yet to realize that they were being observed from afar from a foreign presence that they did not know anything about.

"It would seem the heroes of this world are giving our spawns a run for their money," Bael spoke observing the scenery from afar with his superior eyesight.

"Is that so? Well it's not like we were expecting the hounds to do anything of major significance. The child still has yet to arrive so why not play with those lesser lifeforms? Give them a real challenge," Asmodeus suggested.

"Fair enough brother, let's see them handle this," the nefarious demonic deity responded as his body began to radiate a red, flaming-like aura materializing a silhouette of sorts that burst forth away from the caster's location at incredible speed to give the unsuspecting protectors of mankind a greater adversary.

Back on the battlefield that was now taking place about a mile or so away from the wreckage of the village, the Sins were still pushing back the hellhounds with haste. The battle may have been easy for their skills but the numbers would eventually begin to wear them down if it carried on for too much longer; however as they worked together as the cohesive unit they were always known to be, such limits could be circumvented.

"Hey Cap'n, I know we're savin' lives and all but what's your kill count right now? I think I'm up to at least 50," Ban called out towards Meliodas while swinging his weapon around bashing skulls of the mutated dogs like it wasn't a big deal.

"I just hit 63 actually. These overgrown pups are really nothing but glass cannons," Meliodas responded casually as he chopped another one of the 'pups' in half with a blank expression on his face, "Make that 64."

"Hm, sorry Captain but it looks like I'm ahead of you since I'm raining down hell from above," King chimed in as he swooped down unleashing hundreds of knives upon two of the bigger hellhounds, "That makes 102 for me."

"Guys, are you seriously worried about who has more kills right now?!" Diane called out after pulverizing another beast into the ground with her war hammer.

"Boys will be boys," Merlin sighed while shaking her head before blasting another creature away with her magic.

"To be fair, we are thoroughly obliterating these beasts so having some modicum of entertainment would be effective for passing the time," Gowther added with an astute analysis.

"Yeah but what about all the people in the village?!" Diane shouted.

"Hey, why do you think we're fightin' all the way out here now? Besides, Escanor is gettin' everyone out of harm's way Diane. No worries right?" Ban spoke out before yawning in turn.

"That's Ban for you Diane, you should know by now," King added pausing in flight beside his giantess lover.

"Oh you were just boasting about your kill count too King!" the tall beauty swiftly criticized.

"Er…sorry, I guess I got a little caught up in it," the fairy chuckled in embarrassment while scratching his cheek.

"Everyone, it looks like the enemy is pulling back," Merlin interrupted taking note of the sudden change in behavior of the monsters.

The hellhounds seemingly stopped charging and began to back away from the area. Some turned around full force in an all-out retreat while the larger beasts merely stared at their opponents as if conveying feelings of resentment and hatred. Given how their meals were interrupted by the group, their frustration over how much of their kind was been torn asunder and how they were being pushed back, it could be concluded that their frustration was apparent. It was then that a flying projectile in the shape of a massive fireball came barreling in on the location where all the fighting was taking place landing a mere 200 feet away from the bunch of fighters. The ground shook from the violent impact as a bright flash of red combined with a plume of smoke exploded into the darkened sky.

Unsure of what that anomaly was, the Sins merely stood by on guard waiting to see what was about to happen next. It was then that the silhouette of a person emerged from the impact zone walking through the smoldering flames like it was nothing. A giant of imposing nature taking of what would be some semblance of a human being standing at a staggering height of 8 feet tall marched towards them. The entire vessel of the being was some phantasmal form of a muscular being with scarlet eyes. Upon closer inspection, the being had hair tied into a top knot sporting a black and red karategi. A mass of red, orange and black colored the rest of the body giving him a form that made even the remaining hellhounds submit.

"What the hell is that thing?" King asked as his voice shuttered with anxiety.

"I don't know but it's time to really get serious guys," Meliodas spoke out tightening the grip on the handle of his blade.

"We should probably take advantage of the fact that our new foe is farther away from the village and take the fight to him," Gowther suggested.

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Ban shouted before dashing towards the unknown enemy without any further delay.

"Ban, wait a second! We don't know what we're dealing with yet!" Diane yelled out but to no avail. Ban had already reckless charged in ahead with a sadistic smirk on his face leaving his comrades behind.

"Damn that lanky bastard…" King sighed heavily collecting his sacred treasure into its original spear state.

"Well Captain, we should probably go back him up before he winds up getting killed," Merlin suggested with a light sigh. Around this time, Escanor was rejoining the Sins despite his powerless state right now.

"The people are all out of the village. They should be fine," he reported while being out of breath.

"Hey Merlin, you think you can cast a spell to get rid of all this darkness? We might need Escanor's strength against this thing before us," Meliodas inquired curiously.

"Hmm…given the fact of the sudden change in landscape, I imagine that its only dark because of whatever is on that mountain but I should be able to erase just enough of the darkness for the…"

"GAH!!"

Ban's cry echoed out amidst the tumultuous environment which effectively cut off Merlin's words. The Fox's Sin of Greed found himself trying to attack the mysterious attacker and was swiftly overpowered in an instant. The ghost-like presence merely threw one single punch at his oncoming attacker thrusting it into Ban's torso shattering his entire ribcage completely. Suspended for the briefest of seconds in the air, the flaming giant followed up with a left uppercut before hitting him again with the right fist batting him into the ground. The sheer force caused Ban's body to bounce right back up as the beastly powerhouse then kicked the battle-hungry male back to where he came from. The male was soaring through the air at speeds that eclipsed the speed of sound with ease causing the Sins to have to react fast.

"Shit! Chastiefol, Form Two: Guardian!" King shouted out as his spear transformed into a large, stuffed bear. The new pillow-like giant caught Ban's flying form but the thing was stumbling back as a result from the force of the impact borderline making content with a wrecked building. After saving his skin, the bear gently sat Ban down on the ground as it reverted back to the spear form. King rushed in to check on the man.

Ban's body was a bloody mess as his entire torso was unrecognizable due to the mangled mess of bones and flesh being severely warped and damaged. If it wasn't for his immortality, the man would have surely been wiped away from this life but he was slowly regenerating. The other Sins took note of this and realized that this wasn't an opponent that they could take on easily. Meliodas gritted his teeth with agitation seeing one of his closest friends getting thrashed like that.

"Altogether guys…we're taking this bastard down."

Merlin shot a beam of light into the sky towards the darkness. It was in that next moment that a hole opened into blackened blanket of clouds allowing the blue sky to show along with the might of sun. Doing that, Escanor was able to gather his strength as his body began to take a more muscular build which caused him to grow in height as well. Ban's regeneration was nearly finished as he stood back up cracking his bones. A glint of rage showed in his eyes as he licked his lips deviously. Now they were standing as seven ready for a real fight but their opponent merely crossed his arms waiting for them by waving his hand to come.

The Sins pressed in to attack their target. First to strike was Diane swinging Gideon at the phantom with all of her might. However, the brute force of a member of the giant clan was hardly able to shake the being as he stood there virtually unaffected by a strike capable of splitting mountains in half. Seeing this, Diane withdrew Gideon for another attack by using a technique on the foe with more seriousness behind it.

"Mother Catastrophe!!!" she cried out upon swinging down the weapon upon the head of the fiery vessel. The earth was torn apart as massive boulders from the shattered ground were hoisted into the air. It was then that the chunks rained down like bullets upon flame-engulfed individual with immense force that could easily topple a large town. But once more, the attack was little more than something akin to a pest to be swatted away.

The figure jumped into the air to meet face to face with the giantess. Her eyes widened in surprise not expecting to see the being before her. The humanoid beast smirked sinisterly before swiftly delivering a devastating right hook into her jaw with enough force to cause her to spin around in the air dropping her hammer. The phantom grabbed the handle of the nearly 3,000 pound weapon and swung it around in the air before letting it go which the head hit the beautiful maiden right in her ribs sending her soaring over the field and into the river rendering her unconscious.

"DIANE!" King shouted out in horror from seeing the woman he loved being tossed around like that. It was then that he felt an insurmountable amount of rage well up in him like he was ready to just unleash pure unadulterated hell upon his foe. He extended his arm and brought Chastiefol to form before moving in as fast as he could upon his foe.

"Increase! Fight Fire with Fire!" the Fairy King exclaimed causing his magical spear to transform into kunai once more. This time the countless amounts of daggers were sent hurdling towards the singular target with an excessive amount of force according to the will of the angered Boar's Sin. As they beat down upon their target creating a series of explosive sounds in rapid repetition, King would soon discover something that was impossible.

Standing in one position, the massive assailant was merely throwing jabs batting aside the projectiles like they meant nothing to him as his movements seemed like a blur of motion that was hardly traceable to the human eye. In fact, upon further inspection it seemed like the powerhouse had hundreds of arms flying around all at once. The miniature steel-like knives were swatted down one after the other in rapid succession which caused the small, flying warrior to have to rethink his approach even though his mind was cluttered with anger.

"Damn you bastard!" he yelled lifting his arm upward to recall his weapon back to him reverting it back into its base form but he would find himself having company as well. The muscled figure grunted before charging across the ground stepping around avoiding contact with the other Sins before jumping high into the air once more.

"King, lookout!" Meliodas shouted but it would be all for naught.

The boyish-looking fairy found the gigantic figure hovering over him before receiving a soul crushing blow to his solar plexus effectively knocking the wind out of the poor boy. His body was sent spiraling towards the ground instantaneously as the impact shattered the sound barrier right then and there. When King hit the ground, the boy was sprawled out without any form of consciousness indicated by the lack of light in his eyes. The blow was so devastating that the ground under his body dipped into the shape of a small crater.

Within a blinding moment of action in which time seemed to lose its presence, two prominent members of the Seven Deadly Sins were rendered useless for this battle. Everything happened so fast that it was hard to understand the events that had unfolded but if anything, this beast proved that the remaining Sins could not afford to let their guards drop even for a second around the monster. Meliodas, Ban, Escanor, Merlin and Gowther readied themselves once more bracing for the intense struggle awaiting them. Their opponent merely walked towards them as his flaming aura burned even more intensely around him conveying that this was nothing so far.

Ban and Meliodas dashed in acting as the vanguard while Gowther supported from the middle guard. Escanor was steady powering up due to the growing strength of the daylight while Merlin covered everyone from the rear with her spells. They were taken advantage off when trying to follow up attacks one at a time hence why they lost Diane and King so prematurely. They couldn't afford to botch this assault because this threat was something that they had not expected to face especially coming down off of defeating most of the Ten Commandments main forces.

The pair of energetic fools assaulted the silhouette by trying to keep the being off guard from simultaneous attacks from both the left and right side. Meliodas unleashed a barrage of slashes with his blade while Ban pursued with a flurry of martial strikes with his three-sectioned staff. At speeds in which sound like the wind was repeatedly being sliced apart, the pair found them engaged in a martial arts struggle with the giant. As the blows rained in one after the other upon their target, the shadow found himself having to dodge and deflect the blows one after the other. To the untrained eye, it seemed that the duo was giving the monster an unexpected run for his money but in reality it was not the case.

The humanoid pillar of might was successively swatting aside attack after attack as if they meant nothing to him. In the blur of motion going on, the monster waited for an opportunity which came in the form of him catching both combatants' weapons in his massive hands. Before he could make a move, Gowther elected to release a giant arrow of pure energy with his Sacred Treasure upon the imposing man but the demonic vessel caught the oncoming bolt with his teeth before crushing it. His eyes lowered to Meliodas and Ban before a smirk creased across his features.

What happened next was something that occurred in a flash. First up, he threw the blond demon in the air before backhanding him with his massive fist across the field into one of the hellhounds in the background that was just loyally sitting there. The sheer acceleration of the lad's body was enough to kill an entire group of 10 effectively turning them into giblets of meat before the Captain slammed against a small gathering of trees. As for Ban, the giant first crushed the Sin of Greed's weapon in his hand before stomping down upon the male's foot crushing it into the ground and shattering the joints. After that, he grabbed the man's skull and began wailing on his torso with his free hand over and over again. Then he began to repeatedly beat Ban into the ground with his fists before stomping on his body. He stopped for a brief second picking up the battered body of the man before slamming him down once more into the dirt. This process kept repeating for five times before Ban was thrown towards his comrades.

Rushing forward, the beast's next bit of prey was Gowther. The puppet was rendered unable to act as the giant grabbed the doll by the face and slammed him into the ground as well. He picked him up and tossed him in the air before doing a jumping roundhouse kick that sent the feminine male flying back towards the village splatting him against a burning house. With three more of the Sins now down, Merlin and Escanor were the last two standing.

"Merlin, he's mine," the musclebound Lion's Sin of Pride uttered in a foreboding tone drawing his Sacred Treasure, Rhitta. The giant ornamental axe with a crescent moon shaped blade harnessed the power of the man that gathered his strength during the daylight threatening to cleave any enemy in two at the behest of its wielder. He stared down his opponent as the beast marched towards him as well.

"You seem pretty confident in your strength taking down my comrades as if they were nothing more but annoying children to deal with. But I must ask you; do you think you have the power to take me on? After all, I'm the pinnacle of power itself and your pride could never eclipse mine," Escanor taunted with a calm tone with seething fury underneath. The sun was currently approaching its apex which meant that the man of Pride was about to reach the true peak of his power. It was in that form that the man would be completely unstoppable.

"Hmph," the demon fighter grunted with an annoyed tone. Suddenly dashing at Escanor surpassing light speed out of nowhere, the beast began to assail the man with attacks. He threw hundreds, no, thousands of punches upon Escanor's body so much that it sounded like a rapid firing succession of claps of thunder upon the man's body. Each blow escalated in strength that overwhelmed the strength unleashed by Diane when she swung Gideon with full force. But that still wasn't enough as the beast intensified his attacks by adding in kicks as well.

Escanor was being pushed back. In fact, he was being utterly destroyed by this monster. The phantasmal terror gripped the muscled knight's collar and began assailing his face. If only time was moving faster to where the sun would hit its apex at noon, then this battle could have been turned around. The Lion's Sin tried to maintain his consciousness for just that much longer. Those agonizing last few minutes…or even less until noon where he could unleash his true invincible might were all he needed. Suddenly, the beast gathered dark energy into his right fist charging up his power.

"I won't let you!" Merlin shouted out unleashing every bit of elemental magic she had at the monster capable of erasing small islands in rapid succession but with enough precision to target only the monster before her. But that was only a useless endeavor as the being just tanked every single attack thrown at him. He merely turned his head and glared at the woman before letting go of Escanor and walking towards her.

"Get…back…here," the old man spoke in a strained voice before finding his strength needed to get up and fight again. He brought his axe high above his head and began to swing relentlessly down upon the monster. To that effect, it looked like Escanor had the advantage on him at last but that was erased the moment the knight felt a strong elbow collapse his ribs. The beast kicked Escanor away a few feet before gathering energy once more. The charging of the monster's fist had enough power to obliterate a small country and the man was about to feel the full wrath of it but…

"Merlin? Wh…what are you doing?!" he uttered in disbelief seeing the woman pop up before him with her arms spread out about to cast a spell to protect the man.

"I'm not going to let another comrade fall before me. I should have been more proactive with my magic but he was too fast…" she uttered looking back at the man with a smile upon her face.

"We're going to get through this…just hurry up and unleash that power of yours," she nodded trying to stall for those last few crucial seconds necessary to save all their lives. Unfortunately, something else was going to happen.

"No, no, no, not now!" she shouted out as she saw the skies darken once more. A spiraling cloud filled with thunder and decorated with crimson flashes of lighting appeared in the sky as the weather seemed to change. The greatest mage of the land felt that this was it here but this was not defeat coming; rather it was their saving grace.

"He's here…" the creature uttered with his first words since fighting the sins. Observing the activities of the heavens above caused his guard to drop as he backed away from his last two opponents' position. King, Gowther, Ban and Diane were all unconscious and grievously injured. As for Meliodas, he was just recovering from where he was batted off to trying to stave off his grogginess. The Captain looked up to the sky and saw the storm unfolding gasping in surprise.

"No…No way, it can't be!" he spoke having a feeling about who it was about to come through that storm.

Back in the midst of the field, a pillar of lighting spiraling in a twist of crimson and indigo struck the ground just a few feet away from where the beast and the two remaining Sins stood. As the area became blinded by this phenomenon, it was when the light faded that there was a new silhouette in black robes and bronze-like armor joined the fray with a red-patterned, steel colored mask glaring over the state of affairs.

"So you've finally come…" the phantom remarked towards the man expecting his arrival on behalf of his master's will.

*****

And so he lands in the second universe along his journey. As Obsidian landed onto the new world, he finds himself scanning the location like before. Just like the last place he visited, he could instantly grasp the fact that he was amidst some sort of battlefield only he felt the chills of something terrible that had occurred prior to his arrival. As he took a deep breath, the scent of burning flesh and blood filled his nostrils through the mask. Scanning over the horizon, he could see the damage and carnage spread throughout the vicinity as he took note of various bodies from what he could only surmises as dog-like beasts and victimized human beings. Alongside that, he felt the fading of strong energy patterns scattered about analyzing that whoever tried to fight these monsters off had reached their limits and fallen in battle.

[Boy, the fragment is near…but there's something else here, presences I have not felt since the era of the old war.]

Taking an active stance of paying attention to who was around, Obsidian saw a giant muscular man brought down to his knees covered in severe cuts and abrasions as if he was forced into a one-sided fist fight. In front of him was a woman spreading her arms out as if to protect him from any further assault upon the man. Just a short distance in front of them stood a towering, overly built, burning specter that spewed insidiousness. He could also see the presence of four-legged creatures in the background but they dared not advance. Taking what Indra said inside the recesses of his mind, he wanted some information.

"Indra, do you know who or what that thing is?" Obsidian asked quietly to himself in reference to the old deity.

[That beast is just a projection, a shadow clone if you want to be technical, of someone that I once fought against millennia ago. If I'm right then it will be safe to assume that obtaining these fragments just got a lot more difficult.]

"Well…it would be boring if it was too easy now wouldn't it? I don't sense the fragment here but I know it is nearby. It's more than likely on top of that giant ass mountain in the distance along with the person who created this…monstrosity before me," the male in armor analyzed.

[Indeed. It would seem the heroes of this world have been all but completely wiped out.]

"I can see that…but they shouldn't have to die over an enemy that should not even be here in the first place."

At that point, Obsidian clenched his fists and began to walk forward focusing a quiet fury that could pierce through the soul directed at his phantasmal foe that was in sights. The dominant presence on the field felt this astral energy that oozed with disdain and resentment wash over him. Even though he was a mere doppelganger of his master, the clone was able to perceive everything in accordance to his five senses which were being directly linked back to his master to feel. The survival instincts kicked in which led to the beast putting up his fists to guard himself from the approaching figure.

Meanwhile, Merlin and Escanor passively observed what was going on unsure of what to make of it. The Lion's Sin of Pride felt his mind waver in and out of consciousness for a time but became weirdly focused on what was going on with this new figure that appeared from the bright pillar of light. As for the vixen mage, she felt a sort of familiarity with the new being. Despite of being obscured by a mask and cloaked in robes and armor, she felt like she knew this man. Her mind instantly flashed back to a man that donned armor and wore a red scarf around his neck along with a woman with long, black hair and showed peerless swordsmanship. It was then that she had an idea of who he was but she could not believe it.

In that fraction of a second, the walking silhouette of death disappeared before rushing at the enemy before him. The clone was unable to react as fast as he did before being caught completely by surprise. Obsidian ducked low before launching up off the ground punching the beast in his jaw sending him flying into the sky. As the shadow was soaring in a vertical incline, the warrior in black ascended after him in a blink of an eye. Meeting the monster in the air, Obsidian wailed upon his body with a series of punches quickly surpassing the hundreds with every blow capable of shattering a planet. He then concluded the barrage of hits by kicking the monster down to ground.

A massive explosion echoed out from the monster hitting the ground with great force effectively wiping out all of the remaining creatures that foolishly gathered in the background to avoid being in the battle. Obsidian quickly dashed down towards the impact zone not trying to give his foe a moment to recover. The beast was disfigured from broken bones and scars in the makeshift flesh that game him form as he stared at the looming shadow that was already towering over him.

"Are you going to fight back or should I just erase you here?" Obsidian asked with a sarcastic tone uncaring of the state of the being before him.

"Heh heh, you may have won this battle but my master was just waiting for you to arrive, Spawn of Indra. The fragments of the Arcana Crystal will be ours. You're only delaying the inevitable," the shadow responded with a grind upon his reorganized face.

"Yeah…you're just obstacles in my way."

With those words, Obsidian merely opened his palm and discharged a beam of lightning that took the form of a blade and lodged itself into the brain of the target causing the monster to disperse into dust. Albeit short, the destructive skirmish came to an end with Obsidian's intervention. However, the heroes of this world now had to deal with a problem even greater than they ever imagined but they would not face it alone.

During this time, Meliodas rejoined Merlin and Escanor who just watched the stunning bout come to an end in just a flash of movement that was incomprehensible to their eyes. What was the fight of their lives was just settled by someone they knew next to nothing about in just a few seconds if that. What kind of battle were they about to face and who was this visitor that they had to deal with now? So much has happened in just a short period of time that only caused more and more questions to be raised.

"Captain, you're okay?" Merlin asked with concern turning her attention to the blood-soaked male as he leaned on his Sacred Treasure for support.

"Yeah, just a little banged up but the others are…" he began to say as he looked around the field. Diane and King were still knocked out from what he could perceive and Ban was out cold as well regardless of his wounds having regenerated gradually. Gowther was nowhere to be found either which concerned the leader but he was relieved to see the woman in good shape as well as Escanor even though he was covered in wounds as well.

"We need to regroup…" Meliodas sighed feeling the sting of defeat settle in.

"I agree but we do have a visitor to attend to as well," Merlin responded as she watched the hooded figure approach them. It was then that the figure just dashed over and stood among them right then and there. They were unsure whether he was friend or foe although they were praying for the former given how he utterly trashed their enemy from before.

"Yo Red Knight, long time no see. How's Akame?" Meliodas waved casually at the figure before them dismissing all caution and seriousness to the wind. Obsidian merely turned his attention towards the shorter male and tilted his head grasping the man's language clearly and catching onto the names he just dropped. This…was unexpected in many different ways.

"How do you know my older brother and sister?" he asked plainly being taken for a loop by the blond man's nonchalant familiarity with the names aforementioned. Hearing that response, the trio of Sins merely looked among themselves being astonished over that response.

"This is an unexpected development that I'm curious to explore but…we have wounded to tend to so we should get back to the Boar's Hat," Merlin suggested in reference to the others that were still wounded.

"Yeah let's do that first then," Meliodas nodded in approval.

"Alright, everyone just stand still so I can lock onto the others' energy," the woman requested as she began to cast a spell. White light appeared under her as runes appeared under the bodies of Diane, King, Ban, Gowther, Escanor, Meliodas, and herself. In that next instant, they all teleported away from the area as the mage cast the ability known as Shunkan Ido.

As they vanished, Obsidian was left there alone on the field of battle. He rubbed the back of his head unsure of what just happened but it wasn't like he did not know where they went. He felt their wavelengths still nearby just a few miles off into the southwest. It wouldn't take him long to get there but something caught his attention first pulling him to walk towards the smoldering settlement that was the victim of the ruthless onslaught that took place just before his arrival. Unable to ignore the compulsion, he proceeded to do so.

Everything around him burned as the crackling of fires continued to spread gradually consuming the structures without delay. Silence wafted through the area aside from the sound of the hot flames. All around he could see the mangled and partially devoured corpses of villages that fell victim to the incident that occurred. The male just observed the desolate home that these people must have cared for greatly. He could feel the presence of their happiness…rather, what once was their happiness as he strolled through the area. It was tragic that an area thriving with life was just consumed in an unsuspecting moment because of something that should not belong here.

Obsidian continued his walk through the small town until he came to a small shed located about six burning buildings away from the open entrance along the dirt road in which he traversed. The structure was torn apart much like the rest of the buildings but there was something that caught his attention, something that temporarily shut off his mind from paying attention to anything else in this environment. The hooded warrior stepped closer to the scene and kneeled down slowly feeling his heart beginning to ache. It was underneath the wreckage of the wooden structure was the bloody body of a little girl holding a stuffed animal wearing a blue dress as her green eyes were devoid of any sign of life.

Going by her small stature, she could not have been any older than 4 or 5 years old. She was just an innocent child probably playing hide-and-seek with her parents or a friend before the attack began. The poor child was probably too scared to run without her parents to guide her to safety. So young, so precious, taken from this world just like that. Probably thought of as nothing more than collateral damage to the people behind this since only heartless individuals would carry out such atrocities disregarding anyone affected. The man in black could only imagine the sweet girl's smiling face as she relished in the enjoyment of a peaceful day. Seeing the youngling in this state reminded him of the Shatterpoint world line when all of those innocent people died because of one woman's selfish ambitions and intoxication with her rule . To that effect, she was robbed of a chance to truly live and experience life.

"This world…these people had to suffer this fate because of a damn fragment. They didn't deserve this…not a single person deserved this. This little girl will never know what it's like to grow up and see what the world can offer her, the friends she could make, or even the love she could feel. All of the possibilities she could have experienced, taken from her in an instant. This place may not be my home but I cannot help but to feel enraged…" the Crimson Harbinger spoke gritting his teeth behind his mask trembling with anger.

[These are the consequences of war, boy. You should know that better than anyone. This is who it affects. It is tragic but it is a constant that you should be familiar with.]

"You never get used to seeing what war does to people, to their livelihoods, to everything they've ever known. If I was only faster if only I could have shown up sooner and saved these people; if I could have saved this little girl…then maybe."

[What's done is done…you can't change the past; you should know this by now.]

"I know…but I can damn sure rectify it by making sure this world has a future. I don't care who these bastards are that you fought against in your war but they won't live to see another day," the male declared before turning his attention towards the direction where those people he met before went off to and ran after.