Battle of Mythics

by Damon Glatz

  I wonder if he knows its true purpose... That would be impossible.

  Lance sent his black fire surging down the length of his own blade. He gripped it with two hands.

  "It’s finally time." Lance smiled. "The two of us, on even ground. Both Mythics of fire. Winner keeps all. I've waited my entire life for this moment."

  "This will be swift. My friends need my help."

  Daisuke prepared his stance.

  "Keep your mind on the battle. You can't afford distractions."

  Lance pushed his feet off the ground and launched himself at Daisuke. Daisuke exploded forward to meet him.

  Chapter Thirty One

  Final Stroke

  Sierra looked from case to case. Every book was a one in a kind edition that was thought to be destroyed in the fire. Lost forever.

  Falko... He saved the originals. How many more does he have? Why?

  The door flew open while two of the Spades darted forward and killed the men standing outside, their mouths covered before they could let out a sound. They were dragged back into the room and piled out of sight of the door or window.

  The lead spade gave the signal to move forward with a flick of his wrist and moved down the hall. The rest of the unit trickled out one by one behind him. A few more guards were eliminated similarly as they cleared the halls in the front of the palace.

  Marcus and his team were taking out the North wing simultaneously, the idea was to rendezvous back at the main gate once the building was cleared from both sides.

  As the team moved down, they would rush into each room to check and clear the insides. Never more than one or two guards in each, if any at all. Sometimes there was an unarmed civilian who had to be silenced one way or another. Sierra would usually knock them out if she could.

  Overall, the palace was surprisingly empty. Most of the men must have left to fight the battle for their emperor.

  Well... That was the plan after all.

  From her position, she could see Marcus fight briefly and kill a guard in a window opposite her, across the palace courtyard. The same courtyard Falko gave his speech in days before, when she first met Ohitekah. The rubble of the lighthouse was directly in front of the Palace gates, in the city square.

  It seemed the first level was cleared, now they had to work their way up a few floors to completely empty the building. Sierra looked out the western-most window. No sign of Nicholas or his men yet in the city, they must still be fighting on the docks. Hopefully, they could battle their way through and take control of the palace.

  Her unit paused in front of the staircase leading to the second floor. In a moment, Marcus and his group met them there.

  From the look of it, he had not lost any men, neither had she. Sierra and Marcus exchanged a nod and turned to run up the staircase.

  Sierra froze in her place.

  Deyanira stood tall at the top of the stairs, a hand raised above her head. She flickered a grin before slashing her arm down in a hard movement. Down from the ceiling dropped a dozen figures completely covered in black robes.

  "It’s an ambush!" Marcus shouted and drew his scimitar. The black figures landed behind several Spades members and stabbed them in the back before they had a chance to defend. The Shadow Corps had now evened the odds.

  The ground shook even as far as Ashland's volcano. Some people behind the wall thought they were experiencing the tremors of an earthquake. The knights found it hard to stay in formation as they watched their King and Daisuke explode into one another.

  Their speed and ferocity only seemed to accelerate as the battle continued. Neither man able to feel fatigued, neither man able to need rest. Only hatred for one another fueling them.

  Their swords clanged in a fury of sparks as they raced back and forth. Both able to move faster, jump higher, swing harder, than any man ever before. They danced in circles, each constantly trying to out-maneuver the other. Neither ever getting the edge. The knights stood in awe at their inhuman spectacle.

  "This is it!" Lance shouted between blows. "This is our destiny!"

  "How does this end, Lance? If you get the powers then what? What do you do?"

  They exchanged blows of steel. The fire of their blades matching one another in a mix of black and red flames. Each sword pushing the other to its limit.

  "Does it matter? I'll have finished it. Finished my goal!"

  "You've gone mad!"

  Daisuke suddenly saw visions flash through his head. Thoughts that weren't his; the Ashland volcano. The home of the dragon. The place the Sun God begins his journey across the heavens each day.

  Why am I seeing this? I'm in Lance’s head.

  Daisuke shook it off. He deflected a slash from Lance and countered with his own.

  He saw Lance climbing to the top of the mountain. Looking into the boiling volcano.

  Why did he travel there?

  "Keep your head in the game." Lance rushed forward and attacked with his scarlet sword. Daisuke moved out of the way and slashed back. Lance blocked it with the hilt of his sword and spun around, making another strike.

  Lance looked into the volcano. "God of the Sun!" he shouted into its pits.

  He's summoning the God of the Sun. Similar to the Northern Tower of Heaven and the Air Goddess.

  "Get out of my head!" Lance swung down on Daisuke. He lifted his blade over his head and blocked it.

  "Tell me, Lance… How did you get these powers?"

  "The same way you did." Lance exploded into an aura of black fire. He ran forward and clashed with Daisuke, shaking the earth. "I sold my soul to the God of the Sun!"

  "That’s impossible!" Daisuke shoved him back.

  "The Gods make the rules, Daisuke. The Gods do what they want."

  No. The God's power on our plane is only used through their Mythic. That's how it works.

  Lance halted his attack. He let a fire crawl up his arm and into his hand. He watched his hand burn in the black fire for a moment in reflection.

  "Shadow fire... That’s what this is."

  Daisuke lowered his arm and watched him carefully.

  "I can't afford to fight you distracted... My victory must be untarnished. So here's the story."

  Daisuke paused. "I am listening."

  "I met with the God of the Sun. Who, incidentally Daisuke, has been trying just as hard as I have to destroy you. We realized we had much to gain from one another."

  Daisuke could see the memories flicker through his mind. He could see Lance standing at the edge of the volcano.

  "I made an oath to him. To serve him, as a loyal Mythic. Unlike you have been. In exchange for the power to have one fight with you. Just this one to prove my worth. So, for one day, he sacrificed his powers on the plane of the Underworld to make me a Mythic, just like you."

  "They're not real. It’s just a shadow."

  "Oh. It’s just as real as your powers are Daisuke. And when I defeat you, I can claim the true fire for myself. No longer shall I live in the shadow of another."

  Daisuke watched the memory of Lance turning his back to the volcano. He spread his arms wide, shifted his weight back, and plummeted into the red hell below. Eyes closed. Giving himself to the God of the Sun.

  "I see," Daisuke spoke quietly. "You have truly been lost then."

  Lance braced himself. Daisuke rushed forward in a blast of fire. In mid-strike, he let out a groan and collapsed. He skidded on the ground and landed at Lance's feet.

  Lance frowned.

  Daisuke struggled to stand up.

  My power... I have used too much of it already...

  Daisuke raised his sword and swung at Lance. Who sidestepped it with no trouble at all. Lance swung his hand and smacked Daisuke across the face, knocking him to his side.

  "What is this?" Lance asked. "You can't be losing control already? Am I that much of a struggle?"

  Daisuke stuck his sword into the dirt and used it to help him stand. He raised it and aimed it at the king.

  "I w
ill not back down."

  "No," Lance spoke in a harsh tone. "No, you won't" Lance lifted his blade and threw it into the dirt to his side. It stuck out of the ground at an angle.

  Daisuke hesitated.

  What is he doing?

  Lance looked up into the sky. He stared at the bright sun positioned above him.

  "Sun God!" Lance shouted louder than Daisuke had ever heard him before. "If I am to have my battle with the Shogun. I am to have it be on even ground... Release your hold on his mind. Give him full control. Otherwise, I will not strike another blow."

  Daisuke breathed heavily.

  "Why?" Daisuke cackled. His voice was not his own. "Take him now. Finish the job."

  Lance turned and faced his foe. "I refuse."

  "You swore your soul to me."

  "I agreed to fight him. After that, I was to be indebted. Not yet. Not now. Release him. Give him no reason to hold back. Our battle must be even or there is no true victory to be had." Lance stood tall, he stared down the burning red eyes of Daisuke.

  "Take him now! Do as I command!"

  "Never!" Lance squared off with the demon inside Daisuke's body. "Not unless you give me this battle. As I want it."

  The god laughed. "I see you humans are more trouble than you're worth. Fine. Have your battle. But when it’s over you will be mine."

  Lance smiled and lifted his sword once again.

  "Much appreciated."

  The sailors on Nicholas' ship barely had a moment to position themselves before the Mythic roared through the hull. Everything behind Nicholas was gone in an instant, only the bow remained intact, and currently taking on water.

  Nicholas was spared from the attack.

  The king stood up and faced behind him. At first, he only saw the stomach of the Mythic. A blue wall towered before him. He traced it up and saw the face of the monster looking down upon him. Blood dripping from its mouth.

  His ship and his crew were destroyed, only Nicholas remained.

  "I won't be dying without a fight!"

  Nicholas ripped his sword from the deck and took a step forward.

  "You see what happens when men challenge Gods?" A voice crawled up his spine. He froze in place. Nicholas squeezed the hilt of his sword and turned his head just enough to see behind him.

  The Goddess of the Seas.

  "You." Nicholas turned around fully, his teeth gritted shut which made his speech hard to hear through his hatred. His eyes burning into hers. "You lied. You made a deal with us. With me!" He took a step towards her, almost crushing the sword in his grip.

  She made a forced laugh. "A deal! With humans? What is your word worth? You can't even begin to understand just how meaningless you are. How comically irrelevant your lives are. What could a man ever hope to do against a divine goddess such as myself?"

  Nicholas took another step towards her, water was beginning to lick his boots as the ship dipped down towards the Mythic behind him. The Goddess stood at the foremost peak of the bow, her body was a standing image of the seas itself.

  "You think you frighten me mortal?" She mocked "I fear nothing, not time, not death, not pain... They do not exist for me."

  Nicholas said nothing. He took another bold step toward the Goddess.

  "I want you to beg," The Goddess spoke quietly. "I want you to suffer the same humiliation you made me face. You made me a mockery in front of the other Divines. Beg and I will spare the rest of your men. Only you will die."

  "My men... Are ready to fight to the bitter end." Nicholas raised his sword to his side. "You won't be able to stop us!" Nicholas rushed to the front of the ship.

  "Oh, how noble." The Goddess smiled. "What exactly is your plan? Swing you're sword at me?" She glared. "How predictable, your pathetic steel will shatter before ever touching my being."

  She raised her blue watery hand to block the attack with a smirk. Confident the mortal steel would break as it came closer to her. Nicholas slashed down with all his might anyway.

  The blade sliced straight through her hand and down into her arm. The weight of the attack lodged his sword into the wood of the ship at her feet.

  The Goddess staggered back and let out a scream. Nicholas stood in shock, unsure of what had happened.

  She fell to her knees and grabbed her arm with her opposite hand. The water that composed her hand trickled away and fell into the ocean below her.

  "What’s happening?!" She screamed at a piercing volume. "Pain! I feel pain! It hurts! What is this?!" Her shrieks ringed in Nicholas' ears, her body began shaking.

  Nicholas reached forward to pull the sword from the deck of the ship to strike again.

  "No!" The Goddess shouted as she crawled away from the Vatnic King. "Mythic! Kill him! Kill him now!"

  The serpent raised its head and fired down a beam of boiling water that crashed over the entirety of the ship's remains. It came down with a pressure to send the hull straight into the bottom of the sea. The Mythic held the beam in a constant torrent for a long moment before relenting its attack.

  The Mythic collected itself and waited in place for a minute. The seas rushed in to fill the hole created by the blast and eventually calmed. The Mythic darted its eyes around to see if the man survived. After a moment, the Goddess rose out of the water at its side and placed a hand on the Mythic, reassuring him of a good job.

  "I don't understand," The Goddess spoke to her child. "What human could hurt me that way? I did not know such a thing was possible." She glanced down to her missing arm; the water would not heal and replace the limb. The wound was permanent. She frowned and looked away sharply, not wanting to be reminded of it for another minute.

  She scanned the ships around her. The Vatnic armada.

  "Kill the ones that don't run. None of them can make it to Orbis. That was the arrangement we made."

  The Mythic raged back into the ocean in front of her and vanished from sight. The Goddess watched the chaos that played in front of her. She wanted to smile but was reminded of the stump that was now her arm. Her eyes narrowed.

  "Curse them. Curse them all."

  Daisuke fell to his knees. His eyes returning to normal. He glanced around confused for a moment.

  "You are a free man, Daisuke!"

  The Shogun stood tall, he stared at the palm of his hand. His breathing cooled.

  "This... This is absolute strength. Power I've never felt before..."

  "You have nothing to fear from your limits, Daisuke. The Sun God is gone, he released his hold on you. The power is yours... All of it."

  Daisuke stared at Lance. His hand closed into a fist.

  "All the power... Of a God."

  "Now we may battle uninhibited. I've been limiting myself to your own strength until this moment. Until you were released. This is our true battle."

  Daisuke smiled, his body lifted into the air slowly.

  "Always have a plan, do you not, King Lance? This is what you wanted all along... From the beginning."

  Black fire spiraled slowly at the feet of Lance.

  "Yes."

  Daisuke rose higher into the air.

  "Then I will be happy to give you what you desire."

  Daisuke raised his palm and fired a thick torrent of spiraling fire down onto the King. Lance reacted and forced his own column of shadow flame to meet his in the air.

  The fighters gave no rest between attacks. Lance and Daisuke flew through the sky firing all they had at one another. The air was growing thick with ash and smoke.

  It took Daisuke more than some time to mentally overcome his barriers. He had been limiting himself for so long, he wasn't sure how to push harder.

  But he had to win. With this new ability, he could easily destroy Falko and his army. He could save everyone. He could redeem himself from his last battle as the Shogun of the North.

  There was only one man in his way.

  This fire is useless, Lance thought between blasts of attack. I don't even think we could burn one another if we land
ed a hit. The best use for this is the smoke it’s creating will make a good cover for a sword strike.

  A ball of flame shot out of the cloud and almost knocked Lance out of the air. He narrowly dodged it.

  That’s right. Daisuke has the advantage with his ability to sense the location of thoughts. The cover does me little use. I either have to learn that skill quickly or change tactics.

  Lance launched himself higher into the sky above the battle and drew his sword. After a short moment, Daisuke erupted out of the ash cloud and rushed him in a blur of speed. Lance blocked the strike with only a second to spare. They locked swords and stared eye to eye.

  "You're really going all out, aren't you?"

  "I have more important battles to fight. You can still walk away from this and help us with what matters."

  Lance slashed his sword and sent Daisuke flying away from him.

  "You would love to take the easy way out, wouldn't you? The only way either one of us is walking away is by killing the other. There is no way around it. Make peace with that, Daisuke. One of us dying right here. Right now. You or me."

  Daisuke hovered and stared at Lance. "I have no time to waste on you. No more."

  "Fine by me!"

  Lance exploded into a huge aura of black flame that swallowed him whole. Daisuke flexed every muscle in his body and did the same. They shot out at each other simultaneously. They traded blows at a blurring speed and soared higher into the air. The knights at attention on the ground lost sight of them entirely.

  Neither of us is taking the advantage.

  We're evenly matched.

  Their attacks mirrored each other to perfection. Neither feeling tired as the attacks were exchanged, both of their bodies healing from wounds as the fight progressed. Their swords clanged and glided across the other, never reaching their true targets.

  They battled in the sky continuously. Soaring through the clouds as they climbed higher to get the altitude advantage over the other. Striking at a blurring speed only the other one could match. Blocking and striking based on pure instinct, no time to think or plan, not a moment to hesitate. Both fighters realizing flame or strength would not determine a winner, but speed and technique would be the deciding factor. Their clashes echoing down across the lands below them, shaking the very ground itself. Two men with the power of Gods, each trying to find the power to win.