Stepping Ken

*************

Wyatt Graves

A grim smile lingers on my face as I rush toward my friend and my father, barely able to slow down Eldest. But as I take a single step forward, the cosmic sky cracks and shatters abruptly. Within a single moment, the entire realm relinquishes its hold on us and delivers us back to the arena's dusty floor.

But it's the second we return that I realize just how awful of an opponent Eldest is. In that cosmos, the minor realm, it's difficult to surmise the absolute catastrophe that he is. Here?

Space itself warps around him, and the arena lengthens, likely in preparation for the Motherbound's retaliation. An anguished yet furious voice rings out into the Court's sky.

"Down they go. How... disappointing. Unable to kill even one. I expected more of my siblings. I suppose it's not so easy to raise Gods, eh, Killian? Louis? You two would know. Kaisen is still down there. You have heard of him, yes? Just you wait."

My father utterly ignores Eldest's words, but an earth-shattering explosion hurtles his limp form past me. Killian Graves slams into the rocky ground, delving nearly a hundred feet deep into a crater.

Shocked, I twist my head back toward Eldest as the demon sighs, his body shifting and warping to match that of a human. Only the right hand is missing. The human, however, is also abnormal. Darklight washes over his body with such volume that cavities and troughs of the substance line his everything, making any identity impossible to guess. But an idea blooms somewhere beneath the surface of my mind.

"Rude. I was speaking. This has been fun. But, I must speed things along. The Gods are waiting, after all. And so is Mother. It is unfortunate that neither Ireful nor Gorgeous were capable. Four Unnaturals would be... delicious. No matter. I cannot be still doing this when she arrives."

My steps slow as Virgil falls to my side, his breathing labored and with bits of Darklight sinking into his body like leeches. Waving a hand, I have my soul extend and wash away the filth that seeks to devour him. With that, I stare right at Eldest, feeling many pairs of eyes watching us.

And the eyes only grow as the arena distorts, gaining millions of seats in a moment. And those seats are quickly filled by every manner of Motherbound, demon, human, Nahullo, anything, and everything. Only a tiny, hardly noticeable section is awash with humans. And one lone demon.

Seeing my mother and the cheering Birdie, my feet stabilize despite the exhaustion that wracks my whole body. What was this? A test for his siblings? And... Four Unnaturals?

"Four?"

Eldest grins, his sole arm lifting into the air as the Ether in the air begins to tremble. It resonates with him. It... heeds his call. My skin shivers, and my spine flutters as I backstep to the motion.

"Ah ah ah? I let something slip, didn't I? I wonder. Was it on purpose?"

A shadow clouds my sight as understanding fills my mind. They already have an Unnatural, this 'Kaisen' fellow. I think... I remember him. He was the one of Remington's group that was corrupted. Shit. And the terrible news doesn't end there. Eldest is going to become a God? That would invalidate Vincent's rise! As I manipulate my soul in advance, my father falls to a knee in front of me, his wounds too grievous, too wholly ignored. But they are not why he has hit the ground.

"Now is the time. He wanted to see if they were good enough. I wanted him without their gifts. All four of you. Get ready. A clash of Sirzas will level mountains and raise oceans."

I step back even further, realizing that this was my father's plan all along. He simply wanted to waste time in this fight, never giving it his all, for if he did, Eldest would, too. And when it comes to their bests...

Dominions are decisive aspects of any arsenal, capable of changing the course of wars. The gifts of Darklight, bestowed by a God, are similar in their own rights. Even Powers are still cards at this level, able to affect the scales.

But Sirzas? They are what truly matter. I know that from Aniwye.

Sirzas can shift heaven and earth. They can Shatter The Sky, they can be a grand Fist Raised Against The Heavens, and they perform even such feats as Earthly Destruction. The limits are... well, they don't exist as that is what a Sirza is—to push beyond the limits of self, Ether, and Sigil.

I pull Virgil and Bonfire in retreat as my father's hand digs into the sand. Ether is woven into reality as the very fabric of everything trembles. I've seen a few Sirzas before, but they were all from grand distances. Being this close...

"It's terrifying."

Virgil shudders under his breath, and I can't help but nod. I don't feel scared, but I can certainly feel that I should be. The air distorts as the Motherbound takes the above, and the ground rumbles as the human takes the below.

Bonfire takes a step forward to strike while they are preparing their attacks, but he doesn't make it to the second step. The Ether in the ground and in the air hold him down like he is nothing—nothing but an ant.

I open my hands and form another Soulbone, knowing that I will have to use my everything to even have a place in this fight. Virgil nods, the light within his soul covering him and rotating through his hands. Only our most extraordinary moves will be able to do anything here. Bonfire, too, is covered wholly by a dual-flame. Lily steps beside me, smiling with bits of sadness as she sinks back into the Colt.

The moment we are ready, the few instants it took, the two are already done. Two voices pierce through the air, but they are not from the men. They are born from the Ether itself responding to the Ether, from the universe itself respecting their mastery. A Sirza cannot exist without reality bowing.

"Reaper's Seal."

"Land Of Blessedness."

Eight dreadful maws cut through space, opening beside Killian Graves as coffins ripped out of an abomination's belly. And they are, as eight figures step out from the seals. I see the familiar form of the Thunderbolt Titan and his grandson as the former opens his mouth, but no sound comes out.

But my attention does not linger on that oddity. Instead, it falls on the other end of the arena, where all the Ether in the air halts. Utterly. But that is not all.

Sound stops.

Then, I can no longer smell anything.

Then, I can no longer see anything, not even Virgil or Bonfire, just an inch away.

Then, I can no longer taste the saliva in my own mouth.

The only thing that remains is my sight, though I wish it was taken, too, for the Ether burns with such a radiance that closing my eyes does nothing. I watch the Hurricane Hunter lift a hand in confusion before a spear of pure Ether forms in the air beside her. It is... just Ether given form. It does not possess any attribute or Sigil's touch. It is just that, Ether, woven into the deadliest weapon.

None of my senses ring out other than my eyes, which I think might only remain thanks to my Dominion. The others appear to be blind, or close to it, as that spear explodes with force, stabbing right through the Sixth's neck.

Still, the Hurricane Hunter is not dead. She twists, grabbing the spear without seeing it, but it does not matter. The momentum sends her thousands of feet away. removing her from the battle for the foreseeable future. Even worse, the arena continues expanding, and when she finally crashes, the plume of smoke rises to the top of the Underworld.

But that singular strike is not all that there is. More attacks land on the other Primes. All of them uniquely obliterating in their own way. Firebrand Keeper has his heat doused by a tornado of wind that throws him into the air. Then, the winds turn into a million cutting blades. He wars against it, but it is obviously beyond him.

The Crimsoned Knuckle has his mighty physical strength reduced to nothing as his hands go to his skull, the Undead shoved to his unbreakable knees. Blood flies out from his ears in every direction while the nearby Prime, Heraldic Wolf, manages to dodge a colossal serpent formed of translucent Ether.

I start moving to help, sprinting right for the Prime, yet he is quickly swallowed by the serpent as it twists without following the laws of reality. Bulges come from the serpent's insides, moving it aside, but that doesn't make me feel any better.

The Death Bringer and the Night Sentinel, Arnold Pilner, go back to back, only to have space distort around them, and then they're gone an instant later.

What... what is happening? I look around, trying to understand the destruction, but it is simply everywhere.

Bonfire spins in a panic before his flames replace his eyes, and then his focus falls onto me. I watch his lips move, mouthing the words I cannot hear.

"What do we do? They're getting their asses handed to them. Blessedness? Fucking bullshit."

Virgil stands wholly still, the light continuing to revolve ceaselessly around his body. While he does so, I think, watching my father groan in pain to reach his feet. The Ether swarming from his flesh is enough to turn anyone I know into rot. Nevertheless, he holds on, and Eldest is no different. He greets my father with a broad smile.

What is his Sirza? This... Blessed Land... what is it? How does it work? The attacks are all different and are explicitly formed for their target. Is that the secret? Eldest creates a counter for the target using raw Ether?

Then... why are Lazarus and Lychen not affected?

The Third and Fourth rush toward Eldest, moving with invisible speeds, the only knowledge of their passage being the light and lightning. The Radiantal Palm is the first to strike Eldest, his hand opening into a searing pyre as Eldest backsteps, and the Ether in the air moves, seemingly on its own, to slam Lychen's skull with a hammer.

The 4th Prime is like a sliced kite as he tumbles into the air. His grandfather follows his attack as I start to realize what this Sirza is. A blade of physicalized lightning extends from Lazarus Hem's hand toward Eldest's throat. The Motherbound doesn't even have time to respond to the slice.

The fastest attack I've ever seen doesn't land, however, as the Ether in the air solidifies into a pane of glass, breaking yet also negating the momentum.

Ether... this bastard! He's given the Ether in our air actual life! And minds! They're acting like a hivemind, protecting him and attacking for him! But there is a limit! Lazarus is so fast that they cannot retaliate, only defend.

My thoughts are proven as the Thunderbolt Titan continues his unending assault, forming thunderous knives on his elbows as well as his other hand.

Eldest is unable to even react, relying wholly on the Ether to safeguard him. Unfortunately for us, it's working. Lazarus cannot break through. And even more, unfortunately, I can feel the Ether around me shifting as the Sirza continues to expand, seemingly without end.

Shit!

My body moves wholly on its own, Shiver, shattering my shins as I kick forward with such force that I fall and eat dirt as well. But as I roll and throw up dust behind me, I can only thank the Dzil as I see the crater.

I traversed several thousand feet in a moment, and I only escaped it by a hair's breadth. Inhaling a deep breath, I internalize the fact that it is the fastest I have moved in my whole life. And I need to move again as I see an orb form above me. Ether is also attacking Bonfire and Virgil, but I have to focus on myself for now and trust in them.

Scrambling toward the three Demigods locked in combat as Lychen returns, I dodge the Blessed Ether as much as I can, earning more and more wounds. All the while, I dread what would happen if space warped like it did to the Ninth and Tenth. Is it chance-based? How does it work?

Nonetheless, as I scamper more and more over the dusty arena amidst the war, Blodwyn speaks, offering some advice after his investigations.

"I can sense a bit more than you, I think. The Ether seems to attack differently depending on the location. I think it's... I think the Ether attacks are based on the Ether there, the different motes. So... stay away from where those two were, and we should be fine from that one. Oh, and stay away from where the Hurricane Hunter emerged from. That spear... it might kill us."

Biting my lip, I can only push onward with more speed, the two spikes in my hand prepared to do their damage. I also attempt to wrap my soul around the Ether in the air, but I'm quickly rebuffed by the legions of motes, their 'minds' throwing me off without a hint of effort.

Not yet. I can't do such things with my Dominion quite yet. Shape is not that powerful, but I know it can be.

In just a few scarce moments, the landscape of this arena, which now must be the size of an entire Territory, has shifted. Mountains have formed from the impacts to the west, where the Hurricane Hunter was sent. Meanwhile, the winds of that tornado against the Firebrand Keeper have transformed into a sky-tall, fiery, whirling blaze of cutting winds that turns the sands to glass everywhere it goes.

And in the next moment, I arrive at the four.

Killian blocks a crushing axe hundreds of feet tall for Lazarus, being slammed into the arena floor until he's invisible. Meanwhile, the man of lightning darts forward, still blind due to his closed eyes, and pierces toward Eldest's eyes with two outstretched fingers.

A wall of muddied Ether guards the Motherbound this time as he twists, his soul shifting to form... an explosion. Gritting my teeth as Blodwyn already knows the plan, we dive to protect the Undead. I hardly make it in time, even with my proximity, as my vision goes black, and I end up in the ground.

Coughing out blood, smoke, and dirt, I amble back to my feet, finding Bonfire to have already joined the battle. Glancing backward, I see that Virgil is still preoccupied with the Ether in the air. Unfortunately, he cannot simply burn the Ether in the air like Emmet Knox.

While shaking my head to focus, I realize how similar this is to the fight against Eli Weiss. Now, it's a five versus one. Killian Graves, Lazarus Hem, Lychen, Bonfire, and me, against Eldest.

Fuck... They weren't lying. This bastard would give Vincent a run for his money. His Sirza is just as effective at making you feel absolutely powerless. Nonetheless, I don't give up.

I inhale.

A deep breath of Freedom. Then, two, and I go one step further for a third, not waiting a single moment as Blodwyn also gives it his all, reigniting Blood Nexus. My vision narrows as I can see Lazarus move. He's fast. Very fast, but he's not impossible to witness with all that crackling electricity. Lychen still is, but only during his movement. When he attacks, he's nowhere near as speedy.

Time feels to slow as I kick forward, appearing behind Eldest and stabbing a Soulbone toward his back. Ether warps in the air, conjuring an open palm of spikes to close around my skull. Gritting my teeth, I shout to my partner in my skull, throwing my head forward.

"Bone!"

Blodwyn listens, curdling bone around my skull as Lily joins in, too, her Petalshield's dark amber guarding my brain. The impact against the hardened Ether leaves me stunned, yet I am forced into action as another open palm comes for me.

I squint as I know what to do now. His soul is moving differently, but I can still cancel it with Shape! This isn't the explosive one, but likely the paralyzing one! Tightening my soul into a conic shape, I send it toward the hand.

Eldest's palm wraps around my bicep as my soul twists his, damaging it and negating the Dominion's effects. A howl of pain follows as I sink a Soulbone into his side. Then, everything goes black as something strikes the insides of my lungs.

*********************

Waking up, I find myself on my hands and knees while Lychen's body is beside mine. Blinking rapidly, I don't understand why he's not moving until I notice the bone spike in his skull. The fires in his eyes are gone. He's...

Gone. That's what Soulbone does, after all. It... it damages souls. Whether or not that has killed him forever is unknown. I haven't tested its efficacy yet.

Pushing myself backward, I feel how much Blodwyn has continued the fight as our muscles are beyond strained. But more than that, I see the bodies on the ground. Every Prime that joined the battle now lies on the floor. The only exception is the Thunderbolt Titan—the man trained by Remington Shaw himself as a child. Though, distant rumbles tell me the Hurricane Hunter isn't dead yet, either.

Killian is fine, well, as fine as he can be with more spilled blood than internal crimson. Virgil is, too, likely because of flicker, but so is Bonfire. That is the curious one. He has no way to escape the spikes, but... how did he—

Oh. I see. His soul. It is moving with that unique rhythm. It's regenerative yet destructive in nature. I can see... 'scabs' on his soul from hasty recovery. How interesting. But... things are not good. For any of us, and that includes Eldest.

He's almost as bloodied as Killian, yet he refuses to fall. Groaning in pain as Blodwyn is unable to even speak from exhaustion, I draw Lily. She is excited and ready to rejoin the fight, but I need to use this last bullet wisely. I need to land it, no matter what.

Again, I dart forward to rejoin the fight, delighted that I had my partner to protect me while I was out.

Lazarus welcomes me with a nod, speaking without words by using his hands. The language is simple; most of it was taught to me by Virgil for cases such as these.

"Spike dangerous. Spike good. Kill with spike. I will distract. Fire will, too."

Undestanding what he means, I wait for the old Prime to begin the play. Of which, he starts nearly instantly. Lightning cloaks his muscles and long hair as he slices a Claymore of electricity for Eldest. Ether, like always, blocks him, but I notice it is more powerful than before.

Yet, so is Lazarus. His lightning is more expansive and explosive.

Ether meets Ether, clouding my vision as I run around our opponent, witnessing Bonfire diving in a flurry of flames toward the Motherbound as well. Even Virgil Flickers to toss his scythe and daggers into the fray.

Seeing a moment of weakness when all the Ether around Eldest is preoccupied, I dive in, stabbing with a newly-formed Soulbone. The spike is quickly blocked by a hand made of Ether, but that's not all. The hand trails down to create another full body. Gritting my teeth, I take the risk, knowing what will come to me.

This is the thing that stabbed the rest. I know that. Lazarus knows I can get past this based on earlier.

Inhaling deeply, I don't stop the expansion of my lungs until daggers and spears form within them. Tightening my soul, I compel the Ether to obey me as I pierce through the weakened figure of Ether. Only then does the spike sink into Eldest's flesh.

I meet the Motherbound's frenzied gaze as he grits his teeth, swiping for me with his hand, filled with those explosive dangers. Unable to spare my focus from my lungs, I let his hand hit my face.

Yet, I don't fall back. My legs dig into the floor as Lily creates hands of ichor to anchor me. Her cheerful voice guides me through the agony of the detonation. Tipping away on my heels, I pull the trigger through the smoke.