Chapter 46: Scarion Phase Three
No POV:
**BOOM**
[You have activated phase three of Scarion]
Yuri stepped back and chuckled. Not from amusement... but from pure frustration...
"Haven’t you had enough?"
Axel slowly brought himself to his feet. His form visibly vibrating and red energy pulsed through his body...
His skin had gone completely red. His body didn’t bulk but seemed more defined as the viens on his body visibly started pulsating. He flexed his fingers — a part of him that had turned to claws — the joints making a sick cracking sound before he clenched his fist.
On his face, a boney mask covered his left side and his scar ran across the right side as it bleed down his cheek.
Both his eyes had gone pitch black as only yellow dots remained as pupils...
He exhaled...
Must flowed from his mouth and the ground rumbled as he took a step forward.
Jax who was leaning on a broken wall, stared at the scene in front of him— disbelief laced in his eyes.
Axel was mere seconds of dying seconds ago and out of nowhere this happened.
He pressed his lips together...
’This power of his is really going to become a problem.’
Yuri flinched but didn’t move. His eyes narrowed as he accessed the situation.
’This power... it’s completely different from what I’ve felt until this point. Did her evolve? Nightmare didn’t tell me about this...’
"Ahhh..." A deep demonic voice cut through his thoughts.
His eyes snapped forward as he heard the voice. Axel stared at him with lifeless eyes — those ominous yellow eyes seemed to bore directly into his soul.
"I don’t like this at all..." Axel complained.
He stared at his hands and blinked twice.
It felt like his body was on fire — the sensation apparently feeling worse in his chest.
[You doing alright?] Hades asked after a brief moment of silence.
Axel exhaled then he shook his head...
"Better than being dead, I guess..."
[Try not to get carried away though.]
Yuri watched him in silence quietly contemplating his next move.
He could always run away, he thought, but he wasn’t sure if he actually stood a chance at escaping.
What he did now may seem cowardly but this was how he had survived all these years.
What you call cowardice, he calls it rational fear...
"—!!"
Before he finished the thought, Axel appeared at his side. He moved so fast that Yuri didn’t see him move...
"What are you doing?"
**BIFF**
"You came to kill me, didn’t you?"
Saying this, Axel dashed forward and planted a foot in Yuri’s mid section slamming him into the ground.
Yuri let out a pained groan before rolling away with Axel landing just moments later.
**TRRGH**
The ground shook and dust filled the air. Red energy arching around his body as it distorted the air around him.
"What? Are we running away now?" Axel said this as he stretch out his arms in a half shrug.
Yuri gritted his teeth. He had landed in a wet thud, half of his body from his shoulder to his waist had gone missing.
’When did he...?’
"Tch."
Turning around, he ran towards the pillar of light...
~~~~~
"Aggan!"
"ROOOAARRR!!"
With a roar, the stone beast surged forward slamming into Nightmare and sending him flying.
He steadied himself but Vax was already descending with a slash that tore into his side.
Nightmare clicked his tongue and slid backwards swatting the blade away.
Vax didn’t stop...
He followed up with a horizontal slash and Aggan rushed from behind— his steps thundering after him.
Nightmare pivoted and leapt into the air causing both fighters to slam into each other head on.
"Rah!"
Hayley descended with an axe kick while Nightmare was still in the air and it connected with him, sending him crashing down.
"Impressive..." That was all he said before he rushed at her again and kicked her in her stomach causing her to cough up blood.
She stumbled back but Nightmare was already preparing a follow-up.
"Roar!"
**BIFF**
Aggan appeared and slammed, planting Nightmare into the ground.
Vax followed with a slash of devil energy flying directly towards him as Hayley rolled away.
**BOOM**
However, when the smoke cleared, Nightmare walked out. He had moved at the last second.
He rushed at Vax, both of them locked in an exchange of blows as he parried every counter and delivered hits of his own.
Sparks flew as Vax’s blade collided with Nightmare.
Aggan tried to cut in but he slid to the side, pivoted and kicked the beast so hard it was sent flying in a pained growl.
Nightmare gripped Vax’s sword and pulled, forcing the hunter close and slammed their skulls so hard it left him disoriented.
Vax stumbled back and used his sword to keep himself steady but Nightmare was already moving.
He kicked him in the air and grabbed his foot, slamming him back to the ground and moving aside just moments before Hayley came blitzing through...
"Arghh!"
She roared in frustration as energy flared in her fists.
She used her hands to steady herself, pivoted and landed a blow on the devil and it caused him to spin backwards before Hayley kicked him again sending him tumbling and clearing a few graves on the ground...
The fight dragged on and Nightmares steadily grew annoyed as he grabbed Hayley’s foot, and Vax’s blade breaking before firing them with a condensed shot of devil energy blowing them both away.
Aggan landed in front him immediately.
"The Great Beast of the Earth. It’s a shame you have been reduced to nothing but a slave." He taunted.
This only served to anger Aggan as he let out a furious roar and surged forward.
**BANG**
*BIFF**
**TRGGH**
Each blow sent shockwaves through the air, the sheer might of the impact forcing them into the floor creating crates in the process.
"ROOAARR!!"
Aggan slammed his fist directly into Nightmare’s side forcing him to turn sideways and giving Aggan an opening to strike.
He grabbed Nightmare, lifted him and suplexed him so hard his neck snapped.
Nightmare hit the floor with his side so he laid there unmoving for several moments before finally standing up.
**CRACK!**
He forced his neck back in place and dashed forward.
Aggan was quick to move aside but Nightmare turned faster than the beast could react and blew one of it’s arms away.
Nightmare circled back and slammed into the beast bringing it down to the floor.
He charged an energy blast, aiming it directly at the beast.
Then...
**BOOM!!**
Light tore across the graveyard filling it with smoke and debri.
The the smoke cleared Aggan was gone, leaving nothing but the vaporized earth behind him.
"Ack—!"
Hayley doubled down, feeling the connection to the beast serverd as she choked on blood before glancing up with bloodshot eyes.
Vax staggered upright and also coughed a mouthful of blood as he used his blade to steady himself.
In her blurred vision, she could see Nightmare walking toward them.
She gritted her teeth as hopeless gradually settled in her heart. She was drained. She couldn’t move and dragging this fight out would only be a disadvantage for them.
Nightmare opened his palm as a ball of energy gradually formed in it.
He aimed it at Hayley ready to shoot....
"NIGHTMARE!!"
He turned. "Yuri. I trust you have the boy—" Nightmare’s words died in his throat as he looked at the incoming devil.
"What happened to you?"
Yuri was battered. Covered in dirt and blood and practically limping as he staggered forward.
His body from shoulder to waist was missing and a trail of blood followed him.
Yuri looked at him and replied. "He happened."
As if on cue, Axel landed the ground trembling beneath him.
His body and mask glistened in the pale light of the pillar as he stared them down.
Nightmare’s lips coiled. "What do we have here?"
He turned to Yuri. "He did this to you?"
"He did this Nightmare! It would’ve been worse if I hadn’t come." He shouted. "What is that?! This isn’t what you told me Nihgtmare! This wasn’t the deal!"
What unnerved Yuri most was the fact that Nightmare was still calm facing the devil in front of him. Like he had somehow expected this to happen.
He spoke. "Well, it seems things developed quicker than I thought"
Of course he knew. Of course he expected this. After all, only Nightmare knew the kind of power Axel possessed.
He just didn’t know all of it...
"You..." Axel growled as he eyes the devil.
He wasn’t going to hesitate this time. He was going to kill this devil right here and now.
Nightmare smiled and spoke. "Since you failed to kill him, I guess I have to do it myself."
**WHOOSH**
They both disappeared as only sparks and the sounds of battle remained.
The ground opened and sounds of fists slamming into each other thundered through the air.
The fight blew graves open and nearly wiped the cemetery clean but they didn’t care.
It didn’t matter if the place was destroyed. The wounds he carried didn’t matter to him either...
He just wanted this bastard dead.
"RAHH!!"
He threw a punch as it collided squarely into Nightmare’s face sending him flying.
Nightmare rushed back to hit Axel pushing him back as he swung, aiming to kick the devil in his neck.
"Arghh!!"
**BOOM!!**
As the dust cleared, Nightmare charged an attack and aimed. "This is your end child."
**BOOM**
[Warning: Host has reached physical limit.]
[Reverting...]
"Tch.."
His skin color slowly faded and his mask shattered in streaks of dull light.
He lowered his hands. Both forearms burnt and battered.
Nightmare walked up to him and grabbed him by his hair lifting him up...
**BANG**
A bullet tore into his side and before he could react, Jax blitzed through and pushed Axel aside.
**BANG BANG**
He pulled him towards a broken wall and hid after shooting two more bullets.
Nightmare was furious. His head snapped towards their position.
"You okay bro?"
Axel coughed. "Tch... I’m fine.. I’m fine... I’m —" he froze.
He wasn’t fine...
He felt something crawling up his neck moments later and placed his hand on it. When he brought them into view, his eyes widened at what he saw...
Darkness.. darkness stained his palms in a black mist.
Terrified, he clawed at his neck desperately trying to remove the substance but it didn’t help.
His neck started to burn with a hot, terrifying heat he didn’t want to remember.
His heart hammered against his ribs as he instantly understood what that meant.
"No no no no no no no no. Hades!"
[Axel. Axel calm down, it’s okay. I’m here]
His voice trembled. "He... he’s coming, Hades. He’s —"
[I know. Just relax.]
He clawed at his neck more desperately now bits of flesh and blood wedged in between his fingernails. "I don’t... I don’t want—"
[I’m sorry but there’s nothing I can do about it now. I’ll be back. Just remember, whatever you do, don’t let him take over.]
As she said this, her voice started to fade until he couldn’t hear anything anymore.
"You okay man? You just started screaming and—" By the time Jax turned his eyes widened.
He was completely and utterly horrified...
Because what sat in front of him wasn’t human. Not anymore..
[A new transformation has been unlocked.]
[Demonic Entity Linked: Nyroth.]
Comments