The energetic woman with the brown hair had enough of her inactiveness and knocked out one of the attackers with a silver tablet she took from one of the buffet tables, followed up by Gieldan to deliver the killing blow.
“Emily, this is getting out of hand. We have to escape,” he said to her.
“I think Gieldan’s right my love, nobody could've anticipated something like this,” Balthasar agreed, holding the scared Olivia in his arms.
Almost reluctant, Emily obliged and the aspects readied themselves to rescue their human partners from the battlefield.
Chapter 26 – Resistance
Meanwhile, Gwyn and his aspect found themselves in one of the wings of the giant palace. To their surprise, it was completely empty, though loud noises and screaming could be heard all throughout the building.
“What in the world was that?! Haven't I seen those flames before?” Gwyn asked curiously into the direction of his companion.
“Kikiki, looks like we met him earlier than you had expected, huh?”, Delirias was fascinated by Gwyn's shaking fingers.
“Don't look at me like I've been longing for this moment. I thought there was still time.”
“Yes, I know of that marvelous excuse of yours,” the aspect replied.
“Shut up. Do you hear that?” The sound of raging explosions could be heard, as well as the crumbling of walls.
“Of course, it's exciting, isn't it? Even I'm not sure whether we'll make it out alive. How wonderful is that?!” Delirias was ecstatic. “But don't pee your pants yet, I will try to kill every last one of them if you should desire it, fufuf – we could even try to defeat Despair, wouldn't that be the most glorious thing ever?!”
“Don't be absurd,” Gwyn intervened.
“You thought about it too, didn't you?” Delirias joined Gwyn's side, getting closer and closer. “Don't you think I noticed how excited you are? That face you made when we took down Malice?! Just accept it, you love the adrenaline!”
“Whatever.” Gwyn averted his gaze, though luckily for him they were interrupted by the singing of an unknown voice in the room next to theirs. Gwyn broke away from his aspect, and both of them cautiously took a look.
“Die for your beloved fa-ther-land,
One-two houses turned into sand.
Fight for the shadows of a golden crown',
My Son, war is worth it - don't you frown.
Kill your enemies, be my guest,
The ones unknown to you are laid to rest.
A spot on the wall, one more spine to bent’,
And don't you dare ask who sent you to the end.”
With every word, Gwyn and Delirias recognized an uncomfortable sound that could be heard between the lines that were being sung. Like a post that had been rammed into a piece of flesh in rhythm to the lyrics.
“But, there are no screams,” Gwyn thought to himself until he realized what must have happened and he rushed to the door, closely followed by Delirias. It was yet another view Gwyn would have loved to forget that he ever saw it. His heart wanted to stop beating out of disgust. There was no end to it. A nightmare that was always reoccurring around him, without waking him up. He felt drenched in sweat. A prisoner to his mental escapades. Though this wasn't a dream, he knew it in deep inside him all along. This was the cruel reality he had to face.
In front of them, a large mountain had been erected. It was made out of the dead bodies of guests and soldiers alike, stapled on top of each other. He had to bend his head backward to even see the top.
“How is something like this possible? No, why?!” he mumbled as he inspected the scene. Some of the bodies were simply cut up and thrown together, without respect for their lives that once encompassed their bodies.
At the top, like an executioner, sat a creature that still held one of the spikes that were scattered all around the room. It continuously stabbed one of the dead Personas over and over.
“Huh?!” The creature tilted its head towards Gwyn and his aspect as it slowly took notice.
Nothing more than empty eye sockets were visible where its eyes should have been, like a black hole that was burying any gaze that looked inside it. Unkempt vines and branches were coming out of its head, which was covered with oily, black hair. His scrawny body and crestfallen back were turning towards them. With skin covered in something that looked like little tumors that were pulsating wildly on the surface, they were under the impression they were about to burst at any second.
“Are you here to challenge me as well?” The creature let go of the spike and pointed its frail fingers at Gwyn.
“DELIRIAS!” Gwyn’s expression switched to a face fueled by pure hatred and even he took up one of the weapons from the pile.
“Fufuf, this could get interesting. I'm quite eager to see how far this scourge can take me.”
The creature scratched its head out of confusion. “What did I do to you? You don't look like you belong to Pride, so why are you attacking me?”
“ARE YOU SERIOUS?! WHAT KIND OF PIECE OF SCUM ARE YOU?!” Gwyn was at a loss for better words, as he could not believe the answer he received.
While Gwyn was still agonizing over that statement, his aspect had already climbed the pile and let one of the weapons, which he wrapped his chains around, hail down onto their enemy. Unfortunately, this had no effect as the creature blocked the attack with his fingertips.
“Don't tell me you're mad because of these maggots?” It began to dawn on the creature why Gwyn was so furious. “They can be happy that I ended their existence prematurely since all of them were destined to die anyway.”
“Ho? So you're telling me every existence is meaningless by default?” Delirias objected before flailing down his chains onto the enemy in a barrage of attacks.
“Nonsense!” Gwyn yelled from below.
“I really don't get why Lord Despair sees you humans as such a big threat.” The creature suddenly let itself fall to the ground and rushed towards Gwyn at the foot of the mountain.
“So it really was Despair!” Gwyn said while biting his lip and thinking of a way to escape.
“Not so fast, big guy,” said Delirias who clenched his fists and pulled them towards his body. Without the creature noticing, chains came flying towards it from all directions and stopped its downwards fall at the last second.
For a moment their opponent stopped reacting and let his empty eyes watch over Gwyn.
“A scourge-user? How long has it been? I would've never thought they would come in this many different shapes.”
“What the hell are you talking about?!” Gwyn shouted at it again.
The creature began to flex every fiber of his body and burst out of the chains. It sat down on one of the body parts on the side of the mountain, looking at Gwyn and back to Delirias, who was seemingly waiting for something.
“For far too long, the human race has been the pinnacle of evolution. You just wait for the day something new and exciting happens. Something that will distract you from your empty existence, until your limited amount of time runs out and you obnoxiously wonder what happened to your 'life.'” The creature bent itself forward, seemingly fueled by anger as well.
“I am Cynisme, one of the mighty generals of Lord Despair. Your worthless existence will end here with me!”
With a hasty jump, Cynisme was about to strike Delirias, even faster than before, it catapulted itself into one of the interior walls of the room. Parts of the wall were collapsing, shaking the ground. Immediately it jumped back on top of the pile of corpses, and the branches that were coming out of its head began to grow. They were sliding into the dead bodies around them, rising them from the ground once more to move for their new master.
Gwyn tightly wrapped his fingers around an axe he had found and swung it around amateurishly, without care, at the empty shells walking towards him.
“I know you are quite the mental case, little one, but let's not overdo it for now, shall we?” Delirias yelled at him through the room before a
long chain came flying, hurling all of the corpses back into the pile.
“I was just checking whether you have forgotten our agreement,” Gwyn laughed with a fake smile.
“It's not over yet, Gwyn. This Cynisme-guy doesn't seem to be a fan of us either,” his aspect answered while locking eyes with the black eye sockets of Cynisme.
“Geez, you're starting to creep even me out,” Delirias grinned.
“I don't understand you. Why aren't you running? What good does it do him?” Cynisme asked himself. “I don't understand it,” he repeated to himself over and over.
“That makes two of us, buddy,” Delirias replied as he came closer to Cynisme after fighting off the newly made servants. “Stop hesitating, Gwyn. These idiots are already dead,” he shouted towards Gwyn while he continued.
“He is not even taking me seriously. This is entirely hopeless. A scourge-user will never be strong enough,” Cynisme mumbled to himself.
“You'd be surprised what someone can accomplish with the right mindset,” Delirias interrupted him, preparing to strike him with his fist wrapped in chains. Cynisme evaded and had to leave his position. It looked like a snake hunting its prey through the branches of a tree. Delirias’ chains were everywhere while the two danced around the pile of corpses.
While all of that happened, Gwyn did his best to deflect the on-going assault of the mindless corpses, running around the battlefield, trying to get a better overview.
“I don't understand them.” Another moment occurred were the creature stopped what he was doing and was open for another strike. Cynisme reacted in the last possible moment and took up one of the corpses to be his shield, which in turn was cut in half by the whip-like attack of Delirias’ chains, letting the blood of the body rain to the ground.
“Ksk, tough guy, huh? It's quite irritating to not have the advantage.” Delirias bit his lip as he brought some distance between him and Cynisme. Though, the creature only made time to watch what Gwyn was doing. His tumors were pulsating more than before, boiling underneath its skin. Delirias used the opportunity and jumped down to help Gwyn with his fight.
“Everyone says they admire hard work. They love it. The underdog is everyone's favorite. But at the end of the day, does anyone really care? No stranger cries because someone else has failed in their efforts. Ultimately, that's what they knew deep down. They were at a disadvantage, it's only natural to lose. All they do is say how nice and noble it is because they are lying to themselves. That they could accomplish just as much if only they'd give one hundred percent as well.”
Cynisme began to puff as he was extending his long, crooked fingers and spoke to them loudly.
“But who does that anyway? And still... and still you defend these pathetic creatures - humans and Persona alike. You even dare to use your aspect for your own selfish goals. How self-centered do you have to be?! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, HUMAN?!”
A squeaking scream, like that of a beast, concussed the room.
Without stopping, Gwyn had an answer prepared for the creature.“You talk about me like you know me, but if there is one thing I have learned in this never-ending nightmare, it's that I don't give a shit what any of you thinks of me anymore.”
The creature giggled. “Another pathetic example, just like I thought,” trying to ignore Gwyn's stance on the matter. “Like always, you humans only realize that you're missing something after its already lost. Whether that means your freedom, your integrity, or your life. You sicken me.”
Promptly Cynisme rushed down to the ground to pulverize Gwyn with its fist, but just as quickly as he dashed forward, two loud impacts could be heard, and sparks went flying.
Multiple hits had been blocked by chains, so fast, that even Gwyn wasn't able to clearly see them.
“Could we please let the little man finish his sentence before we try to impale him, okay?” After these words, Delirias sharp grin was only getting wider, and Cynisme took a step back.
“That's the point, Cynisme,” Gwyn started once more to lecture the monstrosity
“We humans have never been perfect, but that's why we have the ability to learn from our mistakes. For far too long I have been an observer of my own life. I was waiting for the magical day that would save me once and for all, a day that would never come. Yet, accepting the fact that it would never arrive almost cost me my sanity or maybe it already did...”
“That you did indeed. I stopped following your argument long ago. What you talk about makes no sense,” answered Cynisme, shrugging its shoulders.
Gwyn managed to struck down one of the mindless warriors all by himself and took a deep breath before answering.
“Maybe that is it. Even when I don't have a clue where my path will take me - I want to see it through to the end. Allowing your cruelty to spread any further would be the same thing as not doing anything. Even if I have to use others for my cause, I will make sure that all of you will fall. Starting with you, and finishing with your so-called 'Lord.'“
“Brave proclamations, boy, but that is all it ever will be. Words.” With another squeaking scream the being ran towards Gwyn, while the young man himself started to charge at his attacker.
“Careless and thoughtless. If that is your wish, then I will gladly grant it, little human. Experience the pain of your own naivety.”
“Fufufu, I hope you have not forgotten about me. I’m quite sensitive when it comes to that,” giggled Delirias who had appeared before Cynisme’s face.
“What the.. ?!” Almost shocked by his appearance, the entity struck out reflexively and managed to hit Delirias’ stomach. A shock wave followed, creating fissures in the floor and forcing even Gwyn on his knees.
“I just love it when things escalate to such a high level,” Delirias whispered to Cynisme as he used the impact of the hit for a spin, crushing his leg into Cynisme's face and flinging the monster across the room.
“How can this be, Lord Despair? You never said anything good about them. Then why does it look like I’m not winning?” In silence, these thoughts were scattering through the mind of Cynisme as he stood up from underneath the rubble.
Like an impregnable wall, he saw Delirias standing before Gwyn, with his green eyes glowing at him and his white teeth laughing in excitement. A big, wide, laughing face was taunting him, while clearly enjoying the struggle.
“It's not ove-” Right as he was about to finish his sentence something came flying towards him and smashed into his torso, bringing him down once more. “How can this be?”
“Did you really think I just sat there, twiddling my thumbs while you two were out-monologuing each other? While somewhat interesting, I'm not interested in letting my prey escape,” Delirias replied.
“Wh-what are you talking about?” But then it became crystal clear to Cynisme as he examined the room closely. Everywhere, even across the giant pillars that were holding up the room, the walls, the pile of bodies – all of it had been covered in chains, making them look like garlands, decorated with corpses.
“Almost a little bit romantic, isn't it?” Delirias started laughing as he extended his arms and walked towards his opponent.
“Such arrogance. Such complacency. I can't take it anymore.” Cynisme thought of his options, but he still couldn't wrap his head around how the aspect was able to do such an impossible feat. Every chain was decorated with corpses that were still moving while hanging from the chains “It's useless. Even if I revert the process of infestation, I will be bombarded with their dead bodies.”
The white grin of Delirias was only getting bigger and bigger as he stepped before Cynisme.
“Shall we play?”
Chapter 27 – Wavering Spirit
“What was that idiotic maniac thinking?! It's like Gwyn doesn't care what happens to him as long as we are fine,” Leandro protested loudly with no one around to hear him but his aspect.
“Is this really the time and place for that, Leandro?” Destare was concerned but also not ready to disturb the det
ermined young man.
“Of course it's not. Don't think I'll just ignore you, but he is just so infuriatingly naive. Doesn't he realize that if we have to fight, that I want to stay by his side? This splitting up bullshit is ridiculous. How am I supposed to face these insane monsters all by myself?” his voice was getting quieter with every word, as if the revolt from before distracted him from his own shortcomings.
“You shouldn't be so hard on yourself all the time. I'm sure he is struggling just as much. In fact, we should try to find them. After all, we saw Delirias rescuing Gwyn when it all went downhill.”
“Yeah, what was that all about? That was crazy. Seems like everyone left already, if they are still alive.” Leandro was about to ponder as this train of thought got cut short by resounding impacts, shaking the floor of the whole palace.
“Maybe this is some kind of coup?” Destare argued, looking like he was ready to march up a tall mountain. “What are you planning to do, Leandro?” he asked just before a scream could be heard behind them in the empty hallway, encouraging them to take a look.
“Get out of the way. No one is safe anymore. Get out I said, you fools!” A few guests were on the run and were storming past Leandro and his aspect, completely ignoring them after their initial words. The only thing that mattered was whether they would possibly stand in their way or not.
“Tsk, why aren't they just asking for help? Or that we flee with them? Why is everyone here just the worst?”
“Leandro, LOOK OUT,” Destare shouted quickly afterwards..
“Hm?!”
“This way. I can see them.” An incoming warrior of Despair, who had just turned the corner behind them,was pointing at Leandro.
“Mwhaha, running will get you nowhere,”, the second one that arrived added as soon as he got there.
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