Beginning of His End

"We'll begin by splitting off. Ken, you'll stick with me. Tama, Soul, and Fuki, you two will head for the disciples. Based on our current location... it looks like Zeus is setting up a defensive front right against the wall. This is good, it means my plan is working. He does have Disciples set up... will you three be able to handle it?" I asked them.

"Leave it to us, Anima. Are you able to find Zeus?" Fuki asked me. He drew his weird, crimson red sword and looked ahead toward the crowd of Disciples.

"No, but your actions will fish him out whether he wants to come out or not. Just attack the Disciples. Remember, if you can avoid murder, then do it." I told Fuki.

I slowly watched as Fuki ran toward the people attempting to defend the temple.

We stationed ourselves on top of the construction station, a place I first entered this city in. Lum and his workers were here and we figured out more about Rat Kid and we parted ways and people who had fulfilled our purposes. It's weird to think that from there, we eventually ended up here.

I had plenty of reasons to stop Zeus, as he's threatened my life multiple times and tried to steal my memory, but my motivation for killing him felt... empty. Maybe it was because I was comparing his awful character to Joro, and he took the cake on all, but it almost felt wrong for me to attack Zeus upfront like this. My biggest claim for this is because of Ono.

Ono threw a wrench into my works. I couldn't form a plan based on saving Ono, but Soul and Tama were expecting it from me. I don't have anything to save him, nor could I manage to work around Zeus's soul to save him. I discredited myself though, as the excuse of working too much to save somebody's life was pathetic. I'm a Hero, after all.

I've met terrible people that made me not want to be a Hero, like all refugees within Jane and Janice's small village, but that's it. The Demons that the King of Sieve once made me hate were not worth all of the hate they received. I still didn't understand that conflict, but I shouldn't divert my eyes right now.

"Anima, what should we start brainstorming?" Ruby asked me, crouching down beside me as we peered over the corroded stone wall on the top of the construction station. We could all see Fuki, Tama, and Soul slowly sneak up on patrolling members of Zeus's Disciples. I watched everywhere I could to catch a glimpse of him, but Zeus was still hidden. If he's not taking the bait to kill Fuki and the others while we're separated, he's not here.

"Nothing yet, we just have to wait, unfortunately... let the anxiety set in and take its course. Ruby and Hex, I want you to set up camp here, this should be far enough away from my Limit Breaker if I have to use it. Ken, can you track Zeus's position?" I turned to the group of people behind me and both Ruby and Ken agreed to my requests.

"I can, but it'll take me a bit," Ken said. I looked at him for five seconds while he sat there doing nothing, and he then decided to start tracking Zeus. Again, I peered down toward Fuki and the others.

The battle began! Fuki ran in with a sword covered in flames and swept it at the Disciples. The [Dismanip] set of skills I combined were used against it and they blew the flames away. I thought that was weird, considering Tama said that Fire is the Air Element's weakness.

I saw what she meant once she launched concentrated fire toward one of the Disciples. Many of them were running up the large stairs leading to Zeus's throne, now covered in ashes and blood, and running somewhere else.

Then... there was a standstill. Fuki and the others were staring at a group of Four Disciples. I couldn't hear them that well, but I was able to make some of their speech out.

"If you don't... then we'll... him! You... want... Then you... kill... Hero..." I was able to put together that speech for a few ideas.

It's obviously a form of blackmail, forcing Fuki and the others to do something to fulfill their desires. The Hero they were talking about, was probably me. They must've had a hostage and were telling Fuki and the others to kill me instead.

The Disciples running far away from Fuki and the others stopped and crouched behind the throne. They didn't have fear in their eyes... they had some sort of concentration based against the back of the throne. I immediately contacted Soul.

"[Do what you think is best with that person who has that hostage. Look out for the runners, they're concentrating on the back of Zeus's throne. Something bad is going to happen if you can't prepare for it]!" I told her with [Clairvoyance].

"Anima, I found him! Zeus is nearby... but I'm not quite sure where he's at. I just know he's close to us, but he's even closer to Fuki and the others..." Ken said. I ran through a million scenarios in my head before I settled for one.

My mana was drained and I quickly drank one of my potions to refill it, looking at the hostage one last time.

"[That hostage is Zeus in disguise! Run!]" I yelled out within the spell again. Soul and the others ran in the opposite direction and based on my original guess, the hostage turned into Zeus through weird malformations with the muscles in his face. The stone pillars broke after Zeus grew to his original size and he looked at Fuki and the others.

"Ken, let's go! Ruby, Hex, stay safe no matter what!" I yelled out to them, jumping down the station and sliding down the cliff until I finally reached the temple, standing right next to Fuki and the others. I primed my staff with my blood on the way down and went head to head with Zeus. I should avoid conflict for now, but I need to be prepared to engage in it.