Fade to Black Part 2

The visage of the lush green forest in combination with the azure sky was distorted almost instantaneously as jet black clouds of miasma and ultraviolet tears on the air appeared. It was like someone was unzipping space as a mysterious void oozing ominous energy rippled out below. Horns blared in the settlement as all of the warriors in the village gathered weapons to prepare for battle while the younglings and the elders were escorted to other safe havens. The Ryu-jins would not be invaded without a massive stand of resistance in return. In addition, believing firmly in the Dragon God's protection as well as their ancestors watching over them sent their fighting spirits into overdrive.

Bizarre, humanoid, non-corporeal creatures devoid of any semblance of features sprawled across the ground as they twitched and howled like frenzied predators. However, the Eastern province was not the only place where they spawned. They were slowly appearing all over Cocytus. As the great conquest on the ground was about to begin, the trio from before led the charge: Nebro, Pariah and Perdition. The only thing separating the forces of darkness from their prey was a massive wall of aura appearing like scales of a dragon.

Another trio loomed overhead of the ongoing invasion witnessing the carnage from below. The first was a male figure draped head to toe in black armor like a dark knight with spikes and horns protruding from the shoulder pauldrons and the skull on the center of his belt. Purple fabric hung underneath the armor around the waist and off his back like a cape as he boasted a pair of matching black angel wings. His skin was ashen gray with steely blue eyes and long, flowing white hair covering a set of pointed ears. In a sense, he almost held the same appearance as the Silver Fox, Aquilo except far more powerful.

The second was a female figure that sat on a throne of black flames mixed with a violet, cosmic aura. She too had long flowing white hair, vanilla skin and boasted demonic yellow eyes. She wore a white battle dress with black, knee-high, silk stockings along with silk gloves to match. Imbued with a large ruby that sat on her chest plate that showed off her ample cleavage, the woman juggled a small orb of energy in her hands like she was messing with a stress ball. Though clearly corrupted by malevolent forces at bay, the girl showcased a striking resemblance to the fabled Godspeed.

The last figure was a mass of pure, unadulterated chaos and insidious energy that was like a mixture of tentacles from sea creatures combined with the clustering of trees in a forest. The entity held some features that gave it a face except the visage was like a carving in stone. The surface of its pruned skin was like a mixture of gray and cerulean with aquamarine jewels acting as eyes around the tentacles surrounding the face.

"To think that wrenches such as these wander throughout Akasha's domain. No matter what race they are, land they hail from, or cultures they practice, they are all naught but of the same cloth cut from the robe of insignificance. To think that the one whom hails herself as the Goddess-Above-All advocates for the preservation of miserable piles of flesh. Their total annihilation is a blessing for their lost souls," the dark angel in armor remarked whilst overlooking the territory.

"To that end, I agree with you, Saklas; however, their destruction must be taken in stride. Once our Mother has her victory, we may not be able to have any more fun until we are called again. We should take our time and relish in their suffering. I particularly cannot wait to witness the hope fade from their eyes as they come face-to-face with the inevitable," the female remarked with a sadistic grin.

"As wicked to the core as always, all with a youthful smile. I must say Nyarlathotep, even with your new vessel that part of you will never change," Saklas responded.

"Yes. Which is what makes this woman the perfect vessel. I cultivated her and marked her as mine for the taking a long time ago. Giving her a sense of purpose was but a delay in my plan. Though, the death of a beloved will always lead one to despair and that was all I needed to enforce my consciousness over hers all over again. But alas, I digress. Shall we begin the fun?" Nyarlathotep inquired with amusement.

"Indeed. Let us see what entertainment can be cooked up from a feeble resistance."

"Yog-Sothoth, break down this pesky barrier. The Dusks are hungry. Let them hunt," the woman ordered.

"As you wish," the tree-like monstrosity nodded as the aquamarine jewels glowed on its body. Just then, a colossal beam of sapphire blue energy blitzed through the sky and collided with the wall of dragon scales. The barrier shattered under the weight of the attack as the beasts of darkness were given reign to wreak havoc.

As the monsters were about to breakthrough the frontlines to assault the Ryu-jin warriors, two melodies rang out in distinctive harmony.

"Balwisyall nescell Mjolnir zizzl…"

"Croitzal ronzell gungnir tron…"

A torrent of azure lightning rained down from the sky as Hibiki and Honoka rushed into battle wearing their respective Symphogears. The legendary God Slaying Fist used Mjolnir to eviscerate the vanguard of the Dusks in the initial rain of electricity. Her daughter followed suit as she rapidly punched her way through the next horde of enemies with phantasmal spears firing further ahead to increase her range. The Mother-Daughter combo took down a couple hundred in a split second with their destructive display of power; however, the mobs continued pouring in by the thousands nevertheless.

As the beasts sought to overwhelm the duo with a swath of numbers by ambushing them from a wide cone angle, a streak of crimson lightning rushed in almost on cue. Appearing before the two women was the Stormbringer oozing crimson energy as his eyes focused directly on the enemy ahead.

"Breath of Wind, Third Form Alternative…"

A puddle of electricity spiraled underneath his feet before arcs of lightning crackled out and encapsulated the mob. He reached to his left hip with his right hand emulating the idea of grabbing the hilt of a sword. The motion of the enemies stopped as if time ceased all around them thus suspending them in stasis. In that instant, crimson afterimages of the youth rushed forward as a barrage of lighting-imbued crescent sword slashes covered the immediate space. Raizo moved to draw before standing straight up to sheathe the conceptual blade once again.

"Dreamscar, Weeping Willow."

The motion around the mobs resumed before thousands turned to dust.

"Wow Sensei, talk about impressive. Looks like you polished your techniques since the last time we fought beside one another. Heh...this makes me want to show off something new of mine too!"

Another wave was pouring in when Hibiki generated a rupturing current of energy from her Phonic Gain. Two blocks of steel enhanced by blue lightning spawned behind the girl as they were revealed to be hammer heads. As the girl punched the air, the two heads surged forward thus clamming the cluster of enemies together. As she clanged her fists together and leapt up into the sky, the heads came back and ran parallel to one another before connecting by a thick, yellow tube appearing like some form of a handle thus creating a double-sided hammer like the weapon of legend.

"UNLIMITED BEAT!" Hibiki cried out as she punched the air downward thus letting the hammer drop upon the cluster and crushing all of her foes under the immense weight of a mighty thunderstorm.

"Heh, look at these kids trying to show off. Maybe we should show 'em what the masters are capable of?" Musashi joked whilst tapping her sword over her shoulder.

"Try not to fall behind Musa. Your blade tends to be slower than your mouth when you get cocky," Reina smirked.

"Oho, still got your own wisecracks at your age eh? You sure you don't want to reevaluate that statement and try to keep up yourself?"

"Hmph, let us see who can gut the enemy fastest. Future or not, this is still my home to protect."

Musashi took hold of her two blades as a great aura mixed with colors of red, green, yellow, blue and lavender gathered underneath her feet.

"Let's see you keep up with the true essence of my sword! Six Paths, Five Rings: Kurikara Divine Blade!"

A massive male figure of pure muscle with ashen brown skin, black hair gathered in a top knot, red eyes with an amber wheel star floating behind his back wrapped around him with two red sashes appeared. He boasted four arms of intimidating bulk that gripped onto four golden blades, each imbued with a sacred art that defined the Samurai Maiden's understanding of the sword: Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. As the figure's presence caused the ground to quiver underneath her pressure, the army of Dusks seemingly slowed their advance as the overwhelming sense of power covered them.

"Ultima Stance – Zentai no Michi!" Reina uttered in response.

In that moment, a similar phenomenon occurred within the Grand Saber as a mixture of aura spiraled underneath her feet before billowing out and coalescing into a singular figure. The being with a long nose appeared as it changed into that of a giant completely decorated in black samurai armor with the emblem of an Akashic blue wolf engraved on its chest plate; in addition, the fur of a wolf was wrapped around its six-armed body. As the entity known as the Tengu appeared, it held six swords in its hands representing the principles of Reina's Resolute Blade Arts. Though they walked down different paths in their swordsmanship, their understandings of the sword ultimately mimicked one another.

Musashi and Reina stood side by side with their blades drawn as their spiritual guardians reflected the same behavior. Their auras resonated harmoniously as the gorgeous display contrasted with the murderous intent and desire to protect that the imposing women held inside their hearts. Regardless of the situation, the Dusks had their compulsion to advance and ravage; however, the monsters still reflected the notion of fear buried within their base instincts.

The female warriors' pointed their blades at the enemy as their summoned spirits charged forward. The Tengu and the Niou spirits swung their blades imbued with the element of fire at the same time in perfect succession. Titanic pillars of radiant, vermilion flames erupted from the ground in a domino effect thus blasting aside the Dusks by the hundreds. Next, the two spiritual entities swung their weapons imbued by the wind causing multiple tornadoes to spawn. As the funnels of compressed air whirled out of control, they caught the embers of fire cast before causing and infernal vortex to consume the landscape which melted the ground that the dusks marched upon.

In the next sequence of movement, the deities stabbed the ground and parted the molten earth thanks to that respective elemental effect. Thousands of Dusks were devoured momentarily beneath the lava surface returned to piles of shadowy waste. As the waves of dark creatures continued to adapt by jumping over the affected areas using their fallen comrades as stepping stones, while also creating sacrifices for 'human bridges' to be established, they never relented in their assault. To teach them their place with their foolery, the Tengu and Niou swung their fourth blades.

Just then, a colossal mass of water taking the shape of a tsunami washed down upon the horde taking out another insane number of countless Dusks. At this point, the death toll for the creatures numbered in the hundreds of thousands. But even so, they would attempt to continue their assault.

"Relax, I got this one," Reina motioned.

Her Tengu spirit held two more blades holding the concepts of Void and Heaven within them. Simultaneously, the entity swung down both blades as mystical energies of gold and amethyst rippled out. The space around the hideous foes ripped apart like pieces of paper as rifts of distortion took the shape of jaws of predatory beasts and devoured them. Particles of light pierced through others as time was seemingly robbed from their bodies causing the Dusks to shrivel and wither away. Others were seemingly purified as their husks turned ashen white and dissipated into spectral dust.

"Not bad, I can see going six paths had its perks...but you forget about the fifth ring," she smirked.

Recalling the Niou spirit, Musashi's eyes glistened with fiery pride as she stabbed one of her blades into the ground and held the other with both hands. The sword was then consumed by a pillar of lavender light representing the void path.

"Witness the might of my blade as I pierce the void to reach Zero! Ishana Daitenshou!"

Upon the invocation of her battle cry, she swung her blade down in grand esteem upon the battlefield. Instantly the concept of fate was cut for the enemies consumed by that mighty blow as death cursed their wretched existences and wiped them away from the memories of the Ryu-jin Domain instantaneously. With a satisfied grin upon her face, the woman grabbed her second samurai sword and sheathed both at the same time.

"How do you like that one?" Musa cocked a confident grin.

"Not bad, but...I did not stop at six with my way of martial arts. I also went even further beyond."

The aura surrounding the Goddess of Fate intensified which caused the Tengu spirit to integrate into its master thus creating a spirit armor around the woman.

"Gateway Trinity Release: Akuma Satsujin-sha," she muttered whilst holding the Kanemitsu blade with both hands. Staring down along its edge, she honed in on the enemy like targets caught within the scope of a sniper rifle.

"Pierce through! Mugen no Shinseina ishi!"

Following through with a thrusting motion, a wave of crimson and indigo energy rushed forward and caused the entirety of the area surrounding the immediate horde of enemies inside a black sphere. Their perception of reality was disfigured. Immersed inside the cosmic tundra that consumed all of Cocytus, a spiritual figured representing Reina loomed overhead staring down upon them like a goddess overlooking creation.

"Shatter."

Reina's voiced echoed throughout the space causing the world to crack like melting ice. Then as a glass dropped on concrete, everything broke apart. Outside of this domain, the vessel of Morana was seen holding her hand out as if holding the black mass of energy and crushing it in the palm of her hand as another million or so was wiped away.

"Well I'll be damned, guess you surpass me in flashiness. Still, I ain't about to give up the title of best swordswoman just yet!" Musashi winked.

"Good luck keeping up, my skill develops everyday. Also, who said you had permission to cut 'fate'? That is technically my domain now," Reina raised an eyebrow.

"Oi, since when did you become a stickler for details?!"

"Since my sense of humor broadened."

"Dammit...the fact that you can troll with such a serious expression at any time…"

"All right you too, you had your fun in the spotlight. Now it's my turn. Jeez...hogging all the fun is so selfish you know," Akame sighed as she lunged past the two women.

She dove headlong into the thick of the enemy without hesitation. From afar, all one could see were blips of light sparking out from her presumed location as she unleashed a torrent of vicious slashes. To the Dusks, all they could comprehend was a brief silhouette of Akame's form as she swung her blade upon them. In their eyes, they could not even track the movement of her sword. Instead, it was almost as if the woman was wielding hundreds of blades simultaneously as she snaked her way through their ranks.

Dashing all around the dense concentration of monstrous shadows, Akame was unafraid of showcasing just how fast she could maneuver. She severed space around her thus warping all around her targets via rifts in the air. The woman cut a circle in the air above her at one point causing a stellar mass black hole to spawn thus devouring thousands. As they were consumed, their bodies were transmuted into giant masses of flaming stone as the pit of darkness inverted and began spitting out a hellstorm of meteors.

"And now to finish you with this," she said as she gathered a dense concentration of black and crimson miasma around her blade. In one hard swing, that aura became a tidal wave of plasma that simply erased everything swallowed up in its path leaving only ashes in its wake.

"Wow...Aka-neesan is not messing around out there," Raizo whistled as he observed from afar.

"Well...there is a reason why she is the one that sits on the throne by Akaro at all times," Hibiki smiled wryly.

"Aka-san is on a whole other level!" Honoka cheered.

"Heh, not bad at all. I'd love to fight with her sometime!" Musa grinned.

"This girl…" Reina observed whilst thinking to herself for a brief moment.

"If Sakinah walked the path of the sword, her performance would be much like this one."

"Well, that was quite an entertaining show you all put up, but I'm a little bored now," Arcueid yawned as she strutted her way towards the outer edge of the shattered barrier; her crimson eyes shimmering in delight.

"Let's see how you handle this…"

Archetype Earth snapped her fingers. She activated Marble Phantasm instantaneously causing the air around the nigh innumerable spawns of evil to fragment into sharp blades. With a flick of her wrist, the blades dropped upon them bifurcating into bits of chum without delay. Using her other hand, she raised it above her head and used the Moon Drop technique. As a sudden, large moon was summoned from thin air, it crushed hundreds of thousands of the creatures in such a feat of destruction that it shook the entirety of Cocytus. This caused the Aspects of Rakshasa took notice of the overwhelming display of power.

Perdition took the initiative and warped over to Arcueid's location. This caused the White Princess to tense up knowing that taking on an Aspect suddenly would not be an easy task. However, she was not against standing up to the task.

"Your little illusion trick won't work twice against me," she announced as she brought down a rainfall of moons upon their location, unafraid of self-sacrifice as a result. Billions upon billions of celestial objects assault the entirety of the ground they were standing on as if someone created a bulletstorm of machine gun fire.

The calamitous cloud of dust created by the torrential onslaught fizzled away. Arcueid stood upright and popped her shoulder back into place and dusted herself off before flipping her hair back.

"Burn in hell you evil bastard," she said with an elegant smile on her face. Just as she turned to walk away, something felt like it had reached out and grabbed her.

She was risen up into the air by forces unknown as Perdition reappeared unharmed by the display of strength.

"Evil? Your understanding of such trivial concepts is insignificant. In fact, your minuscule awareness is so obtuse and vain that to even consider yourself sentient would be a monumental disservice to those who are."

Perdition used his open hand and began closing it as if clenching a glass in his hand tightly. This resulted in the Ultimate One getting choked.

"Know your place, worm," he concluded thus snapping her neck and tossing her aside onto the ground below causing her body to splatter. His fellow Aspects approached while he rose up into the sky. Spreading his arms victoriously, he boasted aloud for all to hear.

"You cannot resist us. You cannot destroy us. There is no prison in the World that can hold us. We are the storm that approaches...our family crest is a demon of death. We are Rakshasa's chosen and you are naught but living trash in our wake."

Suddenly, the red-eyed, blonde female reappeared in front of the self-righteous entity only to deliver a quick punch to his stomach which sent his body barreling back down towards his allies.

"Did you really think killing me would be enough to make me die? Fool!" the amusing vampire declared in an open forum.

Perdition stopped his rapid descent effortlessly. Just as he was about to dash back towards the female, Nyarlathotep raised her hand to stave his rashness.

"Let them come to us…" she ordered which caused Perdition to reluctantly stand down.

"So be it," he answered knowing that the small hours of rest granted upon this victory to the mortals was rent with the promise of screams and nightmares in the Crawling Chaos' advent.

*****

The Dusk assault persisted even after the main generals receded from the frontlines to lead them. The Ryu-jin capital was engulfed in flames as longstanding monuments and stone structures crumbled to ruination. The draconian warriors were still putting up a fearsome resistance and showed no signs of slowing down even in the face of overwhelming adversity. However, they were not alone.

After repelling assaults from their respective regions, tribes from all over Cocytus converged to the Ryu-jin territory which boosted morale significantly. The great menace was losing ground gradually, but victory would not be complete until every single one of them was eradicated from this world. This was not just a war of survival, it was a war of preservation of ideals, culture, and life in itself. There was no time to falter beneath the might of these troublesome foes.

On the battlefront, six hooded figures draped in all black carrying dark, phantasmal blades stood out as they surrounded a singular target. Raizo was already powered up as the Janus armor switched into its silver and white plated robes indicative of when the youth unleashed Eternity. The youth's eyes, currently dyed in an oceanic blue, focused carefully on the movements of his foes as he held onto two copies of random katana in his hands. Even imbued by Crimson Thunder and Indigo Rain, these foes had him on the edge.

"Guess I should be impressed that you got me this far, but since you guys are gonna take the liberty of covering me in such a perfect circle…"

A field of white electricity wafted over the ground encompassing the surrounding foes. Upon analyzing their positions, cerulean sparks of electricity then proceeded to lock them down into place as six rods spawned behind them.

"Breath of Wind, First Form – Dance of Wolves!"

Raizo burst forward from his location proceeded to blitz the six targets with his two swords in tow. He slashed at their position multiple times constantly attacking them faster than they should theoretically comprehend. Taking his old school techniques of Adamant Waltz and Bladed Whirlwind, the youth showcased the fruits of his training with Reina in grand display further amplified by the power of Eternity. After surely slashing at his foes insurmountably, the male dropped down to his initial location and detonated the field around him to ensure that the creatures were dead. However…

"What? But how?" The Crusader's jaw dropped as the dust cleared revealing the six shadows still present.

Taking a look at their footing on the ground, the small imprints in the dirt gave the impression that they either evaded the attacks or parried them altogether; yet he felt no pressure indicating it whilst in motion.

"How were they able to read my movements?"

Perplexed, the youth knew that he would have to reevaluate his approach to these enemies. He faced enemies capable of matching his speed before; however, to match him at this level in the current transformation was extremely off. Adding onto the seemingly nullifying effects of Crimson Thunder and Indigo Rain threw him off even more.

"Could these guys be specifically created to keep me contained? No...using raw speed isn't the only trick in my arsenal. I'll just have to do something a little more conservative," he thought to himself.

In that following instant, the six figures launched themselves at his position going in for a hexagonal attack from all sides. Just as Raizo went to guard, another figure blazed onto the scene faster than the male could have anticipated. Materialized before the Stormbringer from a blur of smoke, the silver-haired man that he knew little about appeared.

"Yozora?" the Crusader questioned in slight confusion.

The swordsman seemingly morphed one of his arms into a lion-like monstrosity which he then jutted out and swept aside three of the figures by devouring them into its jaws. Alarmed by the presence of this new threat, one of them attempted to leap out and rush in for a surprise attack from behind. In the blink of an eye, the stealth-like assailant was suspended in time and the momentum generated behind the failed attack was reversed and sent back to the creature's body. This then created a small shockwave which emanated out and hit the remaining monsters causing them to break apart and absorbed by the mysterious entity.

"Are you all right?" the samurai inquired in deference towards the boy behind him.

"Yeah...that was pretty impressive," the Stormbringer responded whilst reverting to his base form. He could only respond to what little he managed to observe during the entire sequence of events that just took place.

"It's more of a curse than a gift, but if consuming my opponents will bring my brothers and sisters victory...then so be it," the enigmatic samurai warrior clenched his fist whilst gazing onward. In the distance, the Aspects of Rakshasa gathered ahead once more in advent of the final battle.

In the middle of the battlefield which was now devoid of anymore of the Dusks, the main cast of heroes gathered. Raizo and Yozora were joined by Arcueid, Musashi, Reina, Akame, Hibiki, and young Honoka. As the forces of Cocytus helped the wounded Ryu-jin among others retreat, the group was then joined by the Dragon King himself—Akaro.

"Well that was an entertaining show, good going everyone," Akaro smiled with pride.

"Papa, Papa, did you see me and mommy?!" Honoka rushed over to hug her father to which he hoisted her up in the air in joy.

"Yeah I did, you're strong just like your momma. That's my little girl for ya!" he smirked.

"So...pretty sure I took down more than you Rei-chan," Musashi chuckled off to the side.

"Where did you learn to count? We were clearly even," Reina sighed and shook her head.

"Come now ladies, you both know that I managed to slay more of those pesky creatures than you. What's the point of having giant brutes swinging their blades all around when you have someone that can drop the moon on you repeatedly?" Arcueid scoffed as she flipped her hair back.

"What an interesting crowd you surround yourself with, Raizo," Yozora casually stated.

"I'm sure you know this is just the beginning of all the complications I have to deal with…" Raizo groaned whilst slapping his hand over his face.

It was then that the pressure over the area grew dense once again as the Aspects of Rakshasa dispelled the sense of joy in the air. However, just as the moment of truth was about to occur, a golden radiance encircled Akaro and Akame.

"Seems like it's time to go eh?" the Dragon King said as he put his daughter down and patted her on the head. Then he walked over towards Raizo with that fearless smile on his face as always.

"Now is the hour of our reckoning. Here we make our stand against the inevitable, but that is only true for those of us who are of this time. Raizo, go back to your era. Create a world where none of us have to go through this, will ya?"

And just like that...he and Akame vanished in golden dust faster than anyone could muster a voice of protest. As the particles of light ascended into the sky, the clouds parted. From the fractured heavens fell matching crimson comets that slammed against the world in a grand display that caused everything to just stop and watch on in silence.

"Alas the so-called heroes return. Foolish Team AKARA, burn like the trash you are!" Perdition spat in disgust as he rushed towards the smoking crater left by the blast, Pariah flying after him.

As the duo moved in, time appeared to slow down. In that tiniest instant, the true King of the Ryu-jin appeared donned in his Envoy attire complete with dragon scale armor along the shoulders and waist emerged with his sword in hand.

"Die…" he uttered in a ruthless tone.

A singular slash was all it took. From the king's blade, the embodied image of the Akashic Crimson Dragon was unleashed. Burning at plank temperature, the conflagration of hellfire consumed the two Aspects of Rakshasa thus reducing their vessels to ash.

Knowing that this would not be enough, Akame jumped into the action. Reaching out with her blade, the young woman used her authority as the true embodiment of death to seal and fully assimilate the souls of the two fallen Aspects into her personal version of the Metanoia Murasame once used by Arayashiki.

Even so, the Aspects refused to die. The two started to regenerate both their astral and physical elements through their abstract origin and essence alone. Yet just moments prior to their return, another figure leapt into the fray.

A man appeared wearing a black suit with a white shirt underneath complete with a black tie around his neck. Over his left shoulder, he boasted a silver shoulder pauldron with the head of a wolf engraved in the surface bound by a black leather strap that stretched across his body. At his left side, he had a black scabbard linked to his hip. With black hair that was tied into a long ponytail, his iconic white patch of hair still glistened among his bangs as his crimson eyes held a certain flair of serenity mixed with killing intent. Of this time, he was the Crimson Stormbringer at the ripe age of 27 years old – Raizo Arashi-Mercer.

Carrying Soteria in hand, the Adult Raizo swung down upon the two origins of the Aspects before summoning a black sword to his hand engulfed in deep purple miasma.

"Morana, Devour!" he shouted out. The weapon then morphed into the flesh of a wolf's jaw as it reached out and ate the two shattered essences which was then absorbed and transferred into the man himself.

The trio stood together on the battlefield—Akaro, Akame (of the Gamma Universe), and a grown-up Raizo—ready to face the remaining four Aspects. They were noticeably tired and fatigued from their previous encounter, the strength they once boasted clearly diminished for the most part yet they still had enough gas to keep going.

"Hmph," Nyarlathotep chuckled as she descended from the sky with Saklas, Nebro and Yog-Sothoth at her back. This was a three-on-four showdown for the fate of the Seventh Cycle.

The group that traveled through time alongside the Mother-Daughter pair of Symphogears and the Silver Samurai could only watch helplessly as they knew that the fate of all that was to be rested in this singular moment.

"It took us a while, but we're back to put an end to your asses once and for all," Akaro called out towards the Aspects first.

"Yes, I must say I am surprised to see you here. How did you manage to defeat the Fallbringer?" Nyarlathotep inquired.

"We had to pick up on a pattern of movement which took some time, but after establishing a set pattern to lure Azoth into a trap…" Akame proceeded to explain.

"I devoured him and made his strength into my own, which is more than enough to finish you," the mature Raizo completed.

"It's over Aspects of Rakshasa, victory is already within our grasp. You're all that's left," Akaro boasted with calming pride.

"No. As a matter of fact, I should thank you. You all just assured our victory," the Chaos Queen laughed insidiously before snapping her fingers.

Just then, three phantasmal orbs of light glowed within the body of the Elder Stormbringer indicative of the essences of Azoth, Perdition, and Pariah. Saklas, Nebro, and Yog-Sothoth morph into mysterious astral ghosts as they were hurled towards the youth's location thus forcefully merging into his being. The shockwave from the phenomenon sent Akaro and Akame flying back like puppets on a string being tossed aside. To that end, bolts of crimson electricity mixed with black clouds of miasma boiled out from the man's location.

From there, an absolute entity was born as the fusion of the Aspects of Rakshasa consumed the Raizo of this time. A horror outside of all description was born as its semblance of a human being emerged. A black silhouette of a man with soulless white eyes and countless crimson edges of crescent-shaped blades protruding from his back stood tall. Nyarlathotep continued laughing triumphantly as she watched the display unfold in the air.

"Raizo!" Akame yelled out as she attempted to rush ahead and break the youth from the nightmare.

In a split second, the entity reached out and caused a black sun mixed with crimson and indigo miasma to engulf the girl's position. The spherical domain rotated around her body haphazardly as it imploded on itself. As a result, Akame's being was unmade on the spot. Despite her many protections as the Primordial Goddess of Death, no bloodshed or any other fanfare occurred. She simply ceased to exist, erased on a level beyond words. The only indicator of her life was Murasame as it felt to the ground.

The Crimson Dragon King was instantly enraged on the spot. Without a word, he entrusted all of his remaining power into Svarog whilst rushing out to strike. However, a wall of corrupt, cosmic energy prevented the man's advance as the creature shattered Akaro's blade with but a flick of the wrist and sent him hurdling back.

The being of black chaos held up a red and black, mutated blade that was once Soteria as he darted in to deliver the merciless blow against the fabled Envoy.

Akaro Hajime, the man renowned as the Red-Eyed Hero, was about to have his life ended before everyone watching the epic battle unfold. As Raizo looked on from the side, he recalled all the times he shared with the man. From the moment they had a chance encounter as his early years as an edgy avenger, to his darkest times when the Stormbringer temporarily rewrote the timeline. Akaro was there for all of it.

"You were always my brother...and you were my hero too. I look up to you even now. Sometimes I ask myself in the back of my mind, what would you do when faced with the things I've come across. That's why...I can't...I can't stand idly by and watch you die!" Raizo screamed out in his thoughts feeling an insurmountable wave of anger come over him.

"NO!" the young Crusader screamed out unable to control his emotions anymore.

In response, the boy was instantaneously powered up into the golden radiance of Oversoul as his eyes changed into the full influence of Mugen. Drawing Soteria, he imbued as much power as he could into its edge to battle 'himself'.

"KIERU-SEN!" he angrily yelled out as he dashed in to meet the corrupt blade with his own.

One uncaring slash from the Chaos King against the full might of the Crusader. The former prevailed as the force alone brought the boy down to one knee instantly smacked out of his transformed state.

"Tch…" Raizo gritted his teeth in anger. He looked over to see that the man he admired as his older brother was safe, but the situation still looked grim.

The two Stormbringers merely stared at one another eye-to-eye as the battle was preparing to reach its shocking climax.

*****

The Godsbane and his blade of ultimate victory were all that stood between the great horror and absolute triumph.

"Raizo…" King Akaro could only muster up enough strength to struggle back up on his feet. He could not help but be in awe of the resolve displayed by the Stormbringer's continued crusade which aimed to push back the Chaos King, but at the very best barely managed to stop his extremely casual attack.

The God of Thunder growled in pain, his feet firmly planted as he gave it his all to make one last stand.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing dumbass?! We're here to stop Azoth and these fucking Aspects, not join them!" he yelled from the innermost depths of his soul. Raizo's loathing for his future self was undeniable.

The Stormfallen had but enough left of himself to display a broken and wicked smile in retort, shockingly able to communicate in human language

"Ah… yes. Now I can truly remember. I recall standing where you are right now… facing down my future self with a sense of unrelenting disgust in my words, wondering how I could ever fall so deep into the abyss. The truth is… I understood that it was inevitable. Rakshasa desires true unity, to be one again with her sister and all that is. In her almighty eyes, Akasha's creations will always fall when faced with duality; but Azoth, her creation, is the death of that wretched cycle. It is a Supreme Entity with no beginning or end. All life in the past cycles was united in the form of a perfect being that is neither good nor evil and resides outside all logic. Azoth simply is.

The Team AKARA of this time believed that they could end Azoth by subduing and absorbing it… but that, young one, was a fatal error. In allowing 'Raizo' to Devour it, he would only become part of the almighty one. The Fallbringer's contempt for Akasha is now mine… and even though I thought I would never allow this… I now feel better than ever because of it. As will you…"

"I'LL NEVER BECOME YOU!" Raizo's power roared with an intensity never seen before. The innermost essence of his being flared to the surface. His intense golden lightning reemerged as it swirled and clashed against the black electricity of the nightmare he faced.

At that moment from the mouth of the Chaos King echoed the voice of the Janitor that Raizo had met atop the Tower of Heroes, twisted by the voices of Perdition and Azoth.

"Did I not tell you this day would come? The day I would take everything from you. In this future… there is no hope. I am here. In this future you are powerless… you have always been powerless deep down, without me… and now I am against you. Without that sword, you are that little boy, without Her umbrella to block the rain…"

The Chaos King's aura of corrupt crimson flames and black lightning started to ooze like an unstoppable waterfall of unrelenting strength that soon intensified into a turbulent maelstrom sweeping aside both Akaro and Raizo. The two Crimson Brothers were sent flying into the air like ragdolls. The Chaos King's energy became a vortex so potent in its destructive potential that the totality of existence—be it past, present, or future—threatened to break like glass and simply cease to be. Akaro and Raizo could do naught but tremble in pain as their bones shattered over and over.

"People of this World, I am Chaos, Lord of Nightmares. Here are your saviors, tortured and broken. I have crushed them as easily as I have crushed all who dared to oppose me throughout the cosmos… as I will crush you. I am power unlike any you have ever known: absolute, infinite, and unrelenting. You have no choice but to prepare for a long dark future as my subjects and my slaves…"

An indescribable surge of energy began to manifest from the torrents of the Chaos King's words, as all Worlds were held asunder to his mercy.

"Your saviors are merely men, but I am a God. Your imperfect ideals, your foolish stories, all for naught… humans attempting to capture true divinity, but no matter how you struggle, what you perceive is merely only the reflection upon the endless lake of despair. As you continue to resist, as you continue to defy the merciful unity we offer… your plunge into despair only becomes that much more pathetic."

By the end of it all, both warriors found themselves back at the fortress city of the Ryu-jin. Immobile and broken in ways they would not dare try to describe.

But even so…both warriors forced themselves to go beyond. Akaro violently punched the ground and gritted his teeth as a way to force the adrenaline to kick in. He was successful and thus managed to get up. Soon after, Raizo used Soteria as a form of support to stand.

Arcueid, Reina, Musashi, Hibiki, and Honoka darted over to the duo ready for the final battle. The females were battered and beaten, in fact, they could barely really fight at all. However, they knew that to give up now would mean the end of all that is.

"You all have to go now… if you stay—…"

Akaro could hardly speak, his ragged breath made that clear.

"That horror will seal away our memories of the current events and send us back to our time; thus dooming us to walk down the same path as we did in this future," Reina interrupted the Dragon King. Akaro could only really muster the strength to nod slowly.

The Ruler of Cocytus considered her options. She frowned as she looked down and ran over every possible outcome. Alas, she glanced back at her realm and smiled.

"Hibiki and Honoka… take everyone and leave Purgatory. I will keep this animal busy… for at least long enough for you all to escape…"

Musashi refused whilst shaking her head from side to side, "No… Rei-chan. Even as you are now that would be a suicide mission."

"We have no other choice…" Reina shot back standing her ground. Raizo and the others could only reluctantly concede, a look of dread washing over their faces in that moment of desperation.

"Nah… I won't be allowing that," Akaro stood up against the Grand Saber's wishes and merely patted her on the shoulder. He walked ahead of her taking the lead.

"You have done enough, sister," he uttered with a genuine smile, "I'll handle this… so go!"

No response was needed for as soon as Akaro was done talking to Reina, the king teleported his retainers and the group of time travelers back to the castle in a flash of crimson electricity.

In the end, Akaro slowly strolled over to the blackened horizon amidst the chaotic backdrop of a raging storm. There he waited—The End of Stories, the Lord of Nightmares, the Chaos King. He and his Queen Nyarlathotep awaited for the Red-Eyed Hero's march without a care in the world. For they were perfection, those who had followed the enlightened path, and he wasn't.

But even so… Akaro smiled in the face of the end.

"Y'know Raichu, I see you got pretty big. You uh compensating for something in your old age, pal?" he mused with comedic grace.

"You are a fool…" Nyarlathotep interjected. The form of the Crawling Chaos then shifted. The smooth white skin of the one who once was none other than Vesta Arashi morphed into a rosé radiance that gave way to a see-through spectral appearance.

"In unity… we become like the two who are Supreme," their voices rang as one across the remnants of creation. The glistening and omnipotent Nyarlathotep merged into her king whilst the blackened individual held a cursed, broken smile.

Alas the Lord of Nightmares had been given his ultimate form. He whose presence made the very root of creation quake. Seven Aspects of Rakshasa coalesced into the body of the new Progenitor of the Six Paths establishing a new absolute force. This Almighty entity was armored in a godly white vest and possessed what appeared to be a kaleidoscope of unending scythes that acted as both wings and weapons.

There was no moment to think. The Chaos King immediately used his scythe-kaleidoscope as individual claws to pierce Akaro's limbs. The Living Terror then proceeded to lift Akaro's weak body into the air and brought him up close.

"Once upon a time you told me:

'Don't just aim to be an equal; it's your job as the prime child of the next generation to go beyond those who preceded you. Strive to surpass my deeds and those of your father. I know you can do it.'

Rejoice, brother! I am that which you have always dreamt of! Absolute strength!" the mad creature feverishly uttered. Nevertheless, the hero could only look at him with pity.

"No…" Akaro muttered only to shortly afterward grab hold of one of the crimson scythe blades lodged in his shoulder. The King of Dragons breathed heavily, but every limit that was imposed upon him seemed to mean absolutely nothing in the end.

"You're no brother of mine… not anymore," he remarked with blood dripping down his lip.

"Fret not… once it is all over we will all be united in Azoth… Rakshasa's dream of unity in a Supreme One will prevail. No more pain, no more war, no more life or death… no duality," the Stormfallen recited with great pride.

` "Now… sleep," the Chaos King declared whilst his blades start to absorb the little that remained of Akaro's life. The fire of the hero had begun to leave his body, the flame of life burned bright orange as it was taken from Akaro and entered the Chaos King.

The world seemed to grow dark, Akaro's vision blurred and he ultimately closed his eyes for the final time. Or so it seemed even to the omniscient Chaos King…

"Why is it that you fight, Akaro?"

In the depths of his mind, he saw his dream.

The beginning & the end.

A homunculus — a weapon born of one man's desire to rule the world.

Born to rule yet he only wished to be.

"Oft humble beginnings came the greatest of heroes. He who was born to lead merely found himself satisfied with being a human."

"It was in accepting that humanity and humility… that I found the strength to be reborn as an Envoy."

"And now… you are ready to go beyond who you were once more. Awaken O' Mighty Dragon."

For a moment Akaro saw it in his mind's eye, the endless and omnipotent beast known as the Crimson Dragon of Akasha. The majestic creature resided in a domain of infinite fire, its body stretching beyond the horizon. When his gaze met with that of the Envoy… a resonance unlike any other took place.

Alas… Akaro opened his eyes.

That was when the Chaos King discerned something startling. A crimson flame ignited from the Dragon King's body. The heat alone blasted the Chaosborne and his scythes far away.

The darkness covering the world was then parted by the radiance of the growing flame. Finally, as the Red-Eyed Hero dropped down onto the scorched battlefield, he reached out with his hand. In the distance… the broken Svarog flew over to his grasp. The Burning Dragon looked down upon his old weapon.

"I always wondered why she made me the Svarog…" he stated with a slight smile.

"If Soteria can bring certain victory to the lone individual even against impossible odds… then what about the Svarog?"

"What are you—…" the Chaos King went to say as he could naught but stare on in astonishment.

"Over the decades, I have been stabbed and jabbed by a number of things… but who in the hell would have ever thought that you were the key…"

Turning the broken blade onto himself, Akaro impaled his chest with the Svarog. The Chaos King sent his scythes to dismember the hero at once, but as the stigmata of the dragon in his arm was erased into a bright flash of crimson… a presence that surpassed even that of the Aspects of Rakshasa was awakened.

The very idea of Akaro was elevated by the Crimson Dragon's absolute strength. The flames grew stronger, the world brighter, and everything else utterly irrelevant. The symbol of ultimate victory was given flesh. The domain of Cocytus trembled as the energy around the Red-Eyed Hero was funneled into a spiral of fury that pierced the heavens.

"The Dragon becomes me," his voice echoed.

Shortly afterward Akaro himself parted through the fire and flames. In this strange new form, he was akin to an Emanation or a Resonance of the Crimson Dragon. His body was now slimmer and carried an aura bathed in the crimson aether that the Ryu-jin called their lifeblood. His torso was covered in bandages not all too different from that of a mummy and his lower body enraptured in dark flames representative of the cosmos. Lastly, his long hair now flowed unimpeded and his eyes burned with the unparalleled crimson brilliance of stars.

Art of Truth: Ryu Ga Gotoku.

The God and King of the Ryu-jin had become the living image of Akasha's Crimson Dragon given flesh. The power that he now embodied was more than enough to make the Chaos King tremble in fear.

"I…" the Lord of Nightmares stuttered, "This did not happen when I lived through these events. This isn't supposed to happen!"

Those who watched from the safety of the Throne Room could only awe at Akaro's outburst of strength. Reina, in particular, was exhilarated to see one of her students exceed her completely.

"I can not even sense… much less measure the strength of that form, but the pressure alone makes every small inch of my body tremble. It is just like how it felt back when I was a human and had my first meeting with Akasha," she reckoned.

"This is our chance… we should escape back to the past," Arcueid noted to the group. Despite their emotions over leaving this world behind — it simply had to be done.

Holding tightly onto the book that contained the plans of the Outer Gods, Raizo silently swore that he would change fate as he watched Reina slice through the fabric of reality like it was made of paper in order to open a portal home. The group comprised of the Sovereign, the Crusader, the Samurai Maiden and Archetype Earth, disappeared in a flash, but their safe return was still in question. The Chaos King was in shock, but he was still a threat.

Somehow the immutable fate the Chaos King had set in motion had been shattered by this Burning Dragon. For the first time in his brief existence, the Chaos King experienced anger.

"You are nothing compared to me… I am the Stormbringer — Son of Mercer and Slayer of Legion! You are a mere amalgam with no strength to call your own! A weak human destined to perish in my advent! I will destroy your existence and then I will force my past self into walking down this same fate!"

The entirety of existence, what remained of it, started to be unmade in the wake of his hatred. The end of the seventh cycle had come at last. Not a moment later, the hideous monster known as the Chaos King rushed at the Dragon God-King with endless killing intent oozing from his grotesque body. In his hand, he wielded a corrupted version of Soteria that now looked to be composed of human bones and thick, red flesh.

It was then that Akaro closed his eyes.

"This time of your making is one that should never be… for the future is naught but an infinitely spanning web of possibilities for men to grasp. No one fate can bind us, no God can force us to submit. That was her gift to us, Raizo. Allow me to show you… human potential."

Thus came the ending hour.

As his fiery aura burst forth, Akaro held his arm up straight like a clock that had just reached midnight. The crimson and black flames funneled into a magnificent and radiant pure, Akashic blue, energy katana that for a moment outshone all stars in existence. Nevertheless, the Chaos King fast approached. The whirlwind of ultimate destruction born in his advent disfigured the landscape and the World at large.

"O' Goddess of Deliverance Soteria… Bury the Light!" the Chaos King proclaimed with a booming voice only to alas swing his almighty blade. At that moment, a horizontal tsunami of pitch-black darkness was released from the once pure sword.

But even so… the World could hold Akaro no longer.

"Slothful God of Gods Svarog… Bless me with Akasha's gift of light and reveal the Myriad Truths behind this infinite falsehood!"

So it came.

The omnipotent blade cut apart this false reality as Akaro swung it down like a lightning bolt. It washed away the infinite black void brought upon by the Chaos Kin''s Soteria like it was nothing. As the light severed the endless darkness, tears appeared in the textures of existence thus releasing even greater amounts of heat and light from therein. Akaro's strength met by the Chaos King's resistance was causing the collapse of everything.

"Wha— what form of power is this?!" the voices of those that made up the Chaos King echoed in mutual disbelief. In the end — all that remained was the embrace of the foundational blank page. Akaro's Myriad Truths had wholly deleted Rakshasa's ideal future whilst at the same time obliterating the very idea of the Chaos King. His body granulated into dust, soon after nothingness would be all that remained of the monster.

*****

Alone in the endless page, Akaro stood with a heroic smile as he began to feel himself vanish. Myriad Truths was a skill that could erase falsehoods no matter how strong, eternal, or infinite. Nonetheless, he too was a key part of that forcefully established false future, so he would also cease to be.

Akaro's body now felt heavy, every fiber of his being overtaken by exhaustion. The mummy-like dark tatters wrapping his body evaporated into bright crimson sparks leaving his torso exposed. In that lonesome setting, a peaceful, feminine voice called out to the Once and Future King of Dragons.

"You truly were magnificent, Akaro."

A figure in black kimono adorned in the imagery of crimson flowers emerged in front of the vanishing hero. Behind her followed the Seven Aspects that epitomized her omnipotence.

"Heh… figures. The ones we fought were just avatars weren't they?" the Red-Eyed Hero reckoned.

"Indeed… beings who serve as either Aspects of Akasha or myself are far too potent to exist in the material worlds of the stories in their true forms. Being able to defeat their avatars at all is impressive though…" she inferred with a curt nod.

Akaro chuckled and acknowledged, "You really are Akasha's sister… Rakshasa."

"Know this hero, no matter how much you fight… I will always win in the end. It may be true that you momentarily halted my experiment, but here and now you're just a pawn that is about to fade away," she asserted with a smug tone.

"You and your allies are destined to fail and die. After you're gone, I will merely remake that doomed fate and imprison you all to that en—…"

Before the Other Goddess-Above-All could finish gloating, Akaro simply walked up to her and patted her on the head.

"Wait up for a second, okay? I have unfinished business with these guys," he declared with the same casual indifference for the omnipotent entity in front of him. Rakshasa could do naught but smile in admiration of such an act of what in her eyes was foolishness of the highest order, but her Aspects were not as kind.

As the hero walked past Rakshasa, Azoth's sword came crashing down upon him with enough potency to rip apart the Archaeus. At the same time, Perdition's Outer Darkness and Pariah's True Void coalesced into a black tidal wave that deleted entire stories off of the white page of Akasha. The latter in particular seemed to be afflicted by pain, almost as if resisting the will to attack. However, when Rakshasa glared at him the pressure made his resistance to her whims evaporate.

Yog-Sothoth attacked the mind. Nightmares, unspeakable horrors, the very essence of the hero was put to test as infinite evils assaulted him. In equal measure, both Saklas and Nebro swung their holy and demonic swords through the Archaeus. Innumerable stories came to an end as their divine light and unending evil were integrated into the prior attacks unleashed by Pariah and Perdition.

Moreover, Rakshasa's whims would bring upon this battlefield the energies of beings not yet bred. Order in chaos, Chaos in order, and the archetypal representations of other entities yet to be. The strengths of all eras were taken to their utmost and consolidated in the Almighty Maelstrom.

But even so… the hero remained steadfast. In his hands materialized what appeared to be a somewhat unremarkable katana. Still, when partly removed from its sheath a fiery golden pierced through the glory of infinite stories. The fire reflected off of Akaro's red eyes unearthing the undying courage of the indomitable man.

The golden fiery light reverberated through the unending threats shoved his way while at the same time breaking the waves of Aspectral power like glass. Even Rakshasa watched with curiosity as Akaro's very essence was ignited. The six Aspects who had attacked him stepped back in confusion as they watched their attacks be nullified, but Nyarlathotep having familiarity with the Red-Eyed Hero knew what this meant.

"Idem Arma - Dragon Sword Akaro…" the name of the weapon the hero wielded came to her mind as soon as she looked at it almost like the blade was telling her the truth.

"What is this mortal's power, Mother?!" Perdition pondered whilst his eye twitched in anger.

"This is unacceptable! A mortal is not allowed to touch an Aspect of the One True Deity!" Saklas spewed out with a voice drenched in arrogance and insecurity. At the same time, Nebro observed with both confusion and interest at the knight's power.

From within the Archaeus, the volcanic torrent of Rakshasic crimson slowly subsided within Pariah as his emotionless expression would momentarily falter. It revealed a distant and forlorn expression as if to communicate his satisfaction within the Red Knight's actions, as well as expressing his internal regret of not being able to assist more than he has already attempted.

As the crimson torrent continued to momentarily subside, his efforts to regain control of his own vessel, nay, of his own existence had continued—as every aspect of his existence fought to rebel against the tyrant who brought these falsehoods upon him.

Rakshasa looked at Akaro for a moment before parting her perfect lips to speak, "Once again, I shall say this: You truly are magnificent, Akaro. To think a human's will alone could ever reach the state of Atman. To overcome dualism… incredible."

Alas, Akaro fully unsheathed the golden-bladed katana. The radiance enveloped the hero like a whirlwind and spread like a storm so potent it pushed the seven Aspects across the infinite page.

Readying his supremely potent blade for a one-handed horizontal slash, the hero spoke:

"Art of Truth: the Hero's Journey… unleashed!"

The infinite white page wherein all stories are told by the All-Mother was consumed by Akaro's golden fire. The transcendental bodies of the Aspects of Rakshasa were washed away from the annals of continuity. Their essences forced them to return to their creator. What once was a white void had become an endless, lustrous domain.

Akaro then finally turned to face Rakshasa with a tired smile, "I know you'll just bring them back eventually, but only when the time is right."

She grinned meekly, "An imperfect being reaching the state of the Supreme Beings… how curious. Very well, Akaro. Your precious present era will be allowed to make use of your free will… but you'll see in time that only the same end awaits them."

"I disagree, Rak-tan," he beamed before piercing the Archaeus with his almighty blade and leaving it there at the end of eternity.

"I believe in our ability to change. You can take pride in your omnipotence if you want… but regardless of how infinite or eternal you may be, it was a group of mortals who believed in your sister and never gave up that defeated you here and now!" Akaro's voice roared with passion.

"Know this… when you believe in something with all your heart, you'll never falter against anything," he defiantly concluded only to finally vanish into a vortex of golden dust.

For the first time — Rakshasa found herself holding back a solitary tear. Beyond the lake of certainty she called home was unveiled the hero's miracle illuminated.

"You truly were my sister's best knight to the end… Akaro…"