Gates of Valhalla

The massive power source—belonging to none other than Behemoth—inches closer to us.

"I will make myself scarce. Remember what I said: You are more powerful than him. Use your mind to outsmart him. And completely eviscerate him, to rid him from existence."

"I will." The demon flies into the forest, and he erases his presence before Behemoth arrives. As Behemoth approaches me from a far distance, I look around at my surroundings. "A forest is not ideal," I say, travelling east—away from my original position. As I move, so does Behemoth. That's good. Follow me; you battle-crazed beast. I fly until I reach a spacious field of grass. I remain floating—my wings flapping crazily. Is it fear? Or excitement? I can't tell anymore. No, I jest. This feeling I have is something similar to what Behemoth feels. It is the feeling of battle craze. I want to fight against Behemoth. I want to beat him to an inch of his life. And when I do, I want to see him grovel on the ground beneath my feet.

"His presence is not too far off," I say to myself. And as I say this, his presence disappears. It reappears behind me. I swing my body around, and there he is. That disgusting, decaying body. That immense presence. That smile, like a clown's. Here he is—Behemoth.

"Did you miss me?" he asks.

"Miss you? Well, in a way, yes. I missed you, Behemoth. I missed you so much. It was like a hole developed in my heart. A hollow hole of defeat. A hole filled with the corpse of my past self. A wonderful funeral for my weak self. I wanted you there to witness my evolution, Behemoth. But the moment has passed. And now, I will use my power to destroy you. You, the failed experiment."

"Failed experiment?" His intense aura spikes. "Failed experiment, you say?" He disappears again and appears behind me. He strikes me with his razor-sharp claws. I turn around and grab his claws before they hit me. "What!? How did you...?"

"It's not hard to follow the movements of a tortoise."

"Tortoise?" He frees his claw from my capture and jumps back. He jumps forward for another claw attack. However, I dodge it. He leaps past me over and over again, gaining more speed with each jump. Soon, he is like a bolt of lightning zapping past me. "Try to catch this." He spreads out both arms. His claws grow longer and sharper. He proceeds to cross his arms into an 'X' and aims for me. His sword-like claws aim for my abdomen. "Take this. Death X!!!"

I equip Yugure, ready my battle stance, and strike with all my strength. We clash. The wind runs from our clash—vaporising the grass and creating a small crater below us. Our attacks cancel each other out.

Behemoth jumps back, shocked. "How did you get this powerful? Your strength is absurd."

"I told you, did I not? I buried my former self. You will not experience beating another being again as you did to me."

"You buried your former self? That makes no sense!! Not only do you look different, but your presence has changed as well. You are a completely different being. What did you do!? Tell me!!"

"I evolved, Behemoth."

"You... evolved? What does that mean?"

"It means what I said. I evolved. I am no longer Haruki Ryu, the dragon. I am no longer Haruki Ryu, the vessel. I am Haruki Ryu, the first Acceelos."

"Acceelos? Very first? That's impossible. You can't become a new race."

"So says you, the failed experiment. But it's true. I am now of a new race." He ignores me and starts charging up for another attack. "You know, I only now realised..." I disappear from his sight.

He pauses and asks, "Where are you?"

"...you are a one-trick pony," I say, appearing before him. I kick him in the jaw, stunning him. "How does it feel?" He walks on wobbly legs, looking around, dazed. "Is your brain scrambled? Can't stand on two feet? Did the kick hurt? Or did you feel no pain? I'm curious, Behemoth." He regains control over his senses. He attempts his speeding attack again. "This again? Did I not tell you..." I disappear again; however, this time I appear next to him—flying side-by-side with him. I grab him and toss him to the ground, "...how useless it is to attempt one move on me?" I stand on him and raise my fist. I start punching him. Over. And over. And over. And over. And over again. I punch him until I feel satisfied. His face is covered in blue blood. I feel no pity for him. I feel no remorse towards this beast. Only disgust. Only disdain. "Pathetic," I say. I jump off him and fly to the sky. "A powerful move, you say? I have the perfect move." The thunderclouds start to cover the clear blue sky. I look at Behemoth, "Open Gates of Valhalla," The powerful winds disappear, and the thunderclouds disperse. The forest disappears as well. In its place, clouds appear below Behemoth. Behind me, a gate sculpted from pure gold appears. "Welcome, Behemoth, to my dimension."

"What is this?" He quickly loses control over his mind and, like a zombie, walks towards the gate. He stands before the gate. It opens up. As it does, the voices of singing angels fill this domain. He walks through the gates, and they shut behind him. He continues to walk until his figure disappears like a cloud of mist. The forest returns and so does the thunderclouds and powerful wind. I look down—Behemoth's body is gone.

"What the hell was that?" asks the demon, finally showing himself.

"You told me to erase him, right? That is the speciality of that spell. I take my enemy to another dimension, called Valhalla. Once they enter, they lose control over their mind and become zombies who cross the Gates of Valhalla. Once they appear before the gate, it opens, and a choir of angels sings a song to lead the soul into the afterlife. Once the gates close, the enemy disappears from existence. And their soul wanders through Valhalla, aimlessly."

The demon remains silent. Did I know about this spell beforehand? No, it appeared in my mind that very moment. Behemoth, you were a strong opponent. May your soul find eternal peace.