Reinforcements

Dorma's intuition had always seen her through--and the pit which formed in her stomach at the mention of Atroma's transformation was no different. When Pale returned to report that nothing short of a living mountain was carving its way through the valleys of Anjima, Manyu's request that every able pair of hands be recruited to stop it no longer sounded like an exaggeration.

There was no reason to inspire any of the city's soldiers to the cause, for even with their weapons and armour of solid steel, it would require more than sheer numbers to combat the mutated Atroma. While Manyu was thoroughly out of commission for the time being, his strength was more than made up by the combined might of Dorma, Shilahi, Fusala, Pale, Witilla, Lotte, and Yula. As each of them was alerted to the situation, they quickly made preparations before moving straight to Manyu's Gate, every last one of them vastly underestimating the unbelievable threat they saw casting a shadow over the entire valley.

"By the Goddess…" Lotte managed, "How is this even possible? A creature of pure fire, smouldering from within… by all rights, it should already be dead! And where is Lord Barion?"

"Doing what he does best, I imagine." Dorma answered, "-Charging forth with only his fists to accompany him. I predict he'll be moving towards its head at the moment. In the meantime, we should come up with a plan of attack."

"What an excellent opportunity to break in my new lover." Shilahi grinned, brandishing a steel spear which seemed to glitter with blue light, "Surely ice will be our greatest ally here, no? Or is it the other way around?"

"I imagine we'll be making extensive use of Witilla's talents." Dorma replied, "-That is, assuming the young miss is willing to put her health at risk?"

"Yes… of course…" Witilla nodded, "This can't be allowed to continue… I was hoping it would never come to this."

"Would you mind explaining exactly what 'this' is?" Shilahi questioned the girl, "My memories of 500 years ago aren't the clearest, I must admit. But I certainly don't remember Atroma transforming into a mountain."

"It's a crisis response from Black Luna." She explained, "Barion and Manyu… well, perhaps this isn't the best time to explain the part they played in this mess, but their continued existence beyond the events of 500 years ago triggered an error in Black Luna's Artificial Intelligence. Atroma's transformation is the culmination of a 'resetting' contingency which triggers a rapid and uncontrollable mutation in its D.N.A."

"D.N.A…?"

"Deoxyribonucleic acid." She clarified, "I won't overwhelm you with the details… but you should consider it as the central pillar of life itself, responsible for everything from growth to reproduction. It is an essential component to the greater machine of intelligence, and the secrets of its manipulation have been long sought-after by the Primeval Humanity responsible for the creation of Black Luna and this planet."

"It appears as though the 'Caretakers' Miss Witilla refers to have made several major breakthroughs in their understanding of the material universe." Fusala spoke up, "Microbiology is currently an emerging science within our society. A perfect understanding of how the universe operates at a molecular level would surely grant a plethora of opportunities to alter creatures genetically."

"Please, the two of you…" Dorma interjected, "Let's discuss this at another time."

"I believe the application of anti-matter bombs may be effective at destroying Atroma, considering its supposed durability." Fusala replied, "However, Manyu reported that there are Demons in the vicinity. If a path could be cleared to Atroma's legs, it may be possible to cripple it, which would allow us to reach the head quickly."

"We'd better get moving, in that case." Shilahi commented, "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to do this the way we always did--warriors like myself, Pale and Witilla at the front, spellcasters and alchemists towards the back. We carve a path towards the beast's legs, and then Fusala destroys its ankles to immobilise it."

"What about Barion?" Pale asked, feeling just a little overwhelmed by the idea of fighting through a horde of Demons.

"By the time that fool finds a way to come crashing back down, I'm sure he'll have some useful insights into any potential weaknesses. Why, he may even win the battle for us, if we should be so lucky." The Hermit answered, "-In any case, Atroma isn't getting any closer. We had better start moving before it crushes any more mountaintops."

Their plan was simple, but effective. With Dorma and Shilahi in tow, there were few threats which could pose any significant danger to the group, but manoeuvring around the pits of molten flame left in Atroma's wake and the landslides which had stolen down the mountainsides into the valley would cost them valuable time.

As the group began to move, Barion--who was wholly unaware of the fact that help was on its way, busied himself with the slow ascent to Atroma's head, forced to climb around glowing-hot patches of skin which bubbled with magmatic blood. It would be too risky to recklessly attack the body, he noticed, with how likely it was that a fiery rebuke would await every blow. Not to mention that even his tremendous strength would struggle to penetrate the creature's skin.

As he rose to Atroma's shoulders, Barion's gaze fell upon a peculiar sight. The back of the beast's head, which he had unceremoniously caved in while chasing the Fiend down, appeared to not have healed completely. Like the entrance to some grand cavern, it was large enough to accommodate a castle, with chunks of viscera leaking from the open wound like crimson hail.

"That'll do nicely." As he stood to his feet on its shoulders, the view he was afforded was one of the most exquisite he had ever enjoyed. An endless expanse of mountains ran all the way to the far horizon, where the beginnings of Tor's grasslands could be spotted. Only, he wasn't to enjoy the sight for long, for barely a second later, a shadow fell upon him like an eclipse, as as his gaze was drawn to the sky, he noticed Atroma's gargantuan arm rising above his position, blotting out the sun entirely.

"Oh dear…" Barion muttered, "Has it noticed me?"

He was given ample time to dodge, but the average man would have been dead then and there, simply unable to move out of the way in time before Atroma's hand came crashing down upon its shoulder, attempting to flatten Barion like a bug. Tactfully, he leapt to the side--a feat that was nigh-impossible even for him, careening past the mountainous reaches of Atroma's neck before scrambling his way up to the plateau of its opposite shoulder.

But his minor respite from the creature's rage wasn't to last. Almost as soon as his feet found the floor, the craggy, dried flakes of Atroma's skin began to glow an eerie red, giving him barely enough time to roll out of the way as a geyser of flame and molten rock erupted from the Fiend's body. Not a second later, another eruption threatened to catch Barion from below, forcing him to sprint along Atroma's shoulders in order to avoid the wave of attacks seemingly summoned by the creature's very will.

"So it's not as vulnerable as I thought…" He resisted the urge to cast a glance behind him while running towards the neck, "No army in the world could hope to defeat this monster!"

The thought occurred to him that if Atroma--or indeed any other Heavenly King--had pulled this tactic on Barion during his youth, there would have been no chance of victory. Even his current strength likely wasn't enough to put the Fiend down for good.

"Hah… but I have to win." He panted, "-Because I know Black Luna is going to put up even more of a fight than this!"

Before Atroma could lift its hand in an attempt to crush him yet again, he jumped towards the creature's neck, grabbing hold of its bark-like skin and scrambling towards the gaping hole in the back of its head. As he hoisted himself over the lip of the cavern, a stench of sulphur and iron assaulted him. The heat within Atroma's body would cook him alive if he didn't wrap up his business quickly.

Bulging out from the creature's shattered skull was the soft, pulpy flesh of its brain, impaled with shards of bone and suffocated with smoke rising from the burning flaps of muscle surrounding it. Barion didn't hesitate in the slightest, rushing forward to sink his hand into the turgid organ, forced to retreat almost immediately as he felt a scalding heat running through his arm. Atroma's most exploitable weakness was directly in front of him, and yet he remained completely incapable of delivering the final blow. It wasn't a job for one's limbs, unless they wished for them to be melted off in the process.

"Shit…" He cursed, "What am I supposed to do?"

His answer came in the form of a tremor which quickly found Barion losing his balance and falling to the visceral floor. Atroma's stance seemed to wane--its body shifting from side to side as a deep, bellowing groan escaped from its throat. Barion lifted himself back up and retreated to the entrance of the living cave, spotting a peculiar sight through the haze of smoke rising around the creature's body.

Bursts of cerulean magic could be seen flaring against the faraway earth, beneath the smouldering treeline corrupted by globules of liquid fire. As the beast leaned forward, he noticed that a circular portion of Atroma's leg had been cleanly disintegrated, as if removed from reality itself. He couldn't be sure of the attack's origin, but one thing had been made clear to him--that Manyu was successful in calling for aid.

Without much apprehension at all, the young man hoisted himself out of the cavernous wound, beginning a scenic descent to the valley floor. As the ground drew closer, he could make out the silhouettes of innumerable Demons dancing beneath the blackened canopies, launching themselves towards an unknown threat. A Hound which sensed his approach had barely a second to react before its crimson, sinewy body was cast to strands by Barion's heel, leaving a substantial crater in the soil as he made his landing.

"Wha- Barion!?" A voice exclaimed. He craned his neck to spot Pale contending with a small group of Demons emerging from the treeline, "Dorma was wondering where'd you'd gotten to!"

"It's nice to see you too, Pale." He greeted, "Watch your back."

Returning her attention to the enemy, Pale reacted just in time to bring a heavy fist down upon the head of a lunging Hound--shards of bone flying every which way as its skull was shattered by the impact.

"Hoh… what a wonderful transformation of anger into power." Barion admired, "It makes me a little proud to see you growing stronger. Seems to me like you've taken to Senpo quite well."

"Is this really the time to be complimenting me?" She panted, "Ah- watch out!"

Something launched from the burning undergrowth--an amalgamation of life, accompanied by one thousand thrashing maws filled with razor-sharp teeth. Its body was sleek-red and muscular, and its stance low like that of an apex predator. Pale's eyes widened as the unfathomable creature lunged towards Barion with ferocious speed, but found herself even more surprised as its wicked arm--large enough to cleave a troop of guardsmen in two, came to a sudden halt as it collided with Barion's body.

From the perspective of the creature, it was as if it had just attempted to swat aside a mountain. But incapable of recognising fear, its many maws charged forward to consume its prey entirely.

"Dear oh dear…" Barion muttered, "I'm trying to have a conversation."

His fist ended the beast's life in an instant, sending its gargantuan form careening past Pale as its corpse tore through Demons and terrain alike, coming to a stop as a mangled pile of unrecognisable flesh.

"Where are the others?" He asked, "Don't tell me you were the only one they sent?"

"You…" She muttered, ears drooping, "Aren't you… a little too strong?"

"Well, think about how strong you've become in a matter of weeks." He replied, "As for me, I've had just over five centuries to train. Although, I haven't had many opportunities to practise recently. The tournament really helped to warm me back up."

"Even so… there's such a thing as a limit, you know?"

"I certainly won't complain about it." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Hah…" She sighed, "I was separated from the others. We were moving towards Atroma as a group, but we lost cohesion when the fighting began. Judging by the blow they seemed to have dealt, we must be trailing behind them."

"I recognise that wound on Atroma's leg… Fusala used an anti-matter bomb, didn't she?"

"If it wasn't for those, I wouldn't be alive to fight this battle today." Pale reminisced, "She plans to cripple it. If the beast can't move, we'll have a simple time putting it down… assuming such a feat is even possible."

"We'll see. I may have a plan." Barion assured, "Let's move on before more Demons arrive."

It wasn't difficult to pinpoint the group's location with the dreadful racket they were making. The mangled corpses of Demons rested in the thousands as the two of them pushed ahead, using the flashes of magical particles and explosions to plan their route. Eventually, they emerged into a clearing where the rest of their companions appeared to be taking stock of their most recent encounter.

"You lot!" Pale shouted, "Some team we are, abandoning one-another so casually!"

"Oh. Pale's alive. And she's managed to drag Barion along with her." Dorma blinked, "Do you see, Witilla? I told you she would be alright."

"Even so… I think we should have returned to help her…" The Lady of Ice replied.

"I see Manyu didn't have any trouble creating that Gate." Barion noted as he approached the group, "Pale's informed me of your plans."

"It may very well be the only plan we can rely on." Lotte, who had been scanning the treeline for any threats, joined the conversation, "I doubt anything else could possibly harm this Godless creature."

"We'll need to start moving again as quickly as possible." Barion instructed, "Atroma is slow, but if we dally, the amount of enemies here will only increase. No doubt we've gathered the attention of just about every Demon in Anjima with how much noise we're making."

"A sound point." Lotte replied, "We had no trouble approaching Atroma at the beginning, but once they became aware of our presence, things quickly-"

Barion's stomach turned.

"Move!" He screamed.

Not a fraction of a second later, a bright flash encapsulated the clearing as a beam of pure light carved a path straight across its centre. The telltale attack of a Barrel Demon left a seething line of disintegrated foliage as it rose into the sky, only to dissipate an instant later. Those without a keen sense of danger couldn't have been expected to react to such a sudden attack. As Barion leaped backwards, reaching forward to yank Dorma alongside him, he was afflicted with temporary blindness as the beam's light darkened his vision.

"A Barrel Demon!?" Dorma exclaimed, "How did it know we were here!?"

"Our body temperatures!" Skidding across the soil, Witilla was quick to answer her query, "Laser-class Angels use thermal detection to identify targets! We're at a disadvantage in this burned-out forest!"

"Is everyone alive!?" Barion called out.

The responses he received ranged from passionate to exasperated, but he was quick to notice the absence of one particular voice--the voice of a man he'd been speaking to only a few seconds prior to the attack. As he blinked, Barion's vision started to return, immediately scanning the clearing for any sign of Lotte.

He was at first relieved to see the man still standing, but quickly horrified upon realising the truth--that half of his body had been directly in the path of the Demon's beam attack. Steam rose freely from the boiling hemispheres of his organs, and a look of unending surprise occupied what remained of his face.

"No…" From the far end of the clearing, Yula's voice trembled, "That's not… it can't be…"

Seconds later, Lotte's bisected body fell unceremoniously to the ground. The young man had been killed faster than even his impressive mind could comprehend. The sudden shock of seeing an ally's life stolen so quickly caused an eerie silence to fall upon the group.

"Shit…" Tightening his grip on Dorma's wrist, Barion cursed under his breath, "How could I have let my guard down like that…"

"Lotte!" Yula cried uselessly, "Damn it all--get up! You can't be dead!"

"Oi, you lot! Get a hold of yourselves!" Shilahi shouted, brandishing her spear, "Hesitate only if you want to follow him into the afterlife! We need to kill that Barrel Demon, and quickly!"