Chapter 42 "Rest In Peace, Saint."
Ioki rushed forward and jumped to deliver a Superman punch to Arwen's defiled crest. The apparitions showed up again, throwing their own punches toward Arwen.
*BAM*
*Critical Hit!*
A chunk of Arwen's HP was gone... a single punch from someone under the Level of 100 enough to threaten a Level 150 Boss? What's more is the Boss before him equals to a Raid Boss more or less, considering the Quest is on the World's Grade.
Arwen was knocked back after the unified punches hit him. He stabbed his spear to the ground as if a brush stroke a canvas. A straight line beautifully carved the ground, crevasse resulting with stones and dirt served as the trace of the stroke.
"You literally have spirits in you, boy!" Arwen shouted as he grabbed his spear and rushed toward Ioki.
He jumped as he stroked his spear with a downward motion toward the ground where Ioki was standing.
Ioki raised his fist before he saw the tip of the spear was covered in purple flame, akin to the Will-o'-wisp skill Arwen had used before. Ioki dashed backward in response to the attack.
*BAM!*
The force behind the strike leaves an enormous crater on the ground while the purple flame rapidly spreads and covers the ground because of the wind generated from the powerful strike.
The purple flame came into contact with Ioki's sandals. Slowly, the flames started to dance wildly on his feet, reaching Ioki's calves.
"That's the flame of vengeance. Once it ignites you, they will not be extinguished before the very beings they are engulfed to, die..." Arwen explained.
Ioki's health was slowly drained as the flame burned his sandals and calves, the smell of burnt flesh emanating joining in the death aroma of decay.
"AAHHH! IT BURNS!" Ioki screamed as he rushed toward Arwen with his fist raised once again.
Arwen's spear halted Ioki's movement from quite a distance. Ioki tried to close in the distance, but to no avail. His effort is going to be paid off anytime soon...
As an expert with a spear, Arwen now fully gains control of his weapon with both limbs navigating each of the stabs and striking perfectly targeting Ioki's joints.
With his HP dropping and the sensation of prick, stabbing, and tingling thanks to the flame of vengeance. Made Ioki's mind race with thousands of thoughts... He was trying to deal with the formidable Knight before him, yet the burning pain from his feet disrupted his judgment.
Ioki backed off before he drank a Regenerative Potion and a Health Potion simultaneously, "If this flame deals DoT, then I just need to keep up with its damage by healing." Ioki thought.
His burnt feet were in the state of eternal suffering... Who would've thought the divine punishment for skipping school is having their feet burned eternally while constantly regenerating. The sensation of the burning flesh amplifies as new flesh regenerates while the flame rages on.
"Joki! Change place and hold his head with the other Kobold. The others come and assist me!" Ioki commanded.
"Yes, sir!" Joki rushed and took Arwen's head into his hands.
"I can't see anything! Do your job properly!" Arwen shouted.
"Geez, you talk a lot for a severed head..." Joki jokingly said before he turned Arwen's face toward the fighting scene again.
Ioki learned from his arrogance and did not want to follow in the footsteps of The Warden, where overconfidence is the root of his death.
"Great judgment, boy! A great commander shall use his soldiers to achieve a satisfactory result on the battlefield." Arwen commended.
Ignoring Arwen's comment, Ioki opened his inventory and took out a blue bag with brown bone painted on it.
o Dog's Treat
o Grade: Unique
o Buff the Canine units under your command by giving them their favorite treat!
o Cooldown: 1 Day
o Description: Nutritious food, happy every bite! Making tails wag since the dawn of creation!
"How do I use it?" Ioki asked.
"Try reaching toward the bag and taking out the treats?" DogChaser typed.
Ioki reached inside the bag and felt the endless space filled with crunchy textures. Ioki grabbed a handful and threw it into the air toward the Kobolds clashing with Arwen.
Magically, the treats were distributed evenly and found their way to the Kobolds' mouth, including Joki's.
*Crunch*
"Nyam, nyam, nyam. Hmm! This thing is really delicious!" Joki remarked with crumbs and saliva coming out of his muzzle.
"I really hate this so bad. I want to be mad at you, but I know you are just an animal... Of course, you won't have any manner..." Arwen said with an annoyed tone.
*Slap*
"Focus on your fight with the Leader," Joki chided after he slapped the behind of the helmet.
"You, mutt!" Arwen grumbled.
The Kobolds' bodies were enveloped in a blue aura as their movements became more sharp and each strike posed more of a threat.
While dealing with Joki's distractions, Arwen's body shows no signs of slipping with any mistake. His spear still beautifully navigated on each strike, parrying the Kobolds' attacks with precisions.
"Spread out! Split into groups of two and surround him. Let me take the front!" Ioki commanded as he finally joined in the melee.
Dealing with four Kobolds with buffed stats is proving to be quite a hindrance, even for Arwen. If the only thing he could do is simply defend himself, then he would find himself in trouble when Ioki starts to throw his punches.
"Know your place!" Arwen shouted before his body exuding a dark aura accompanied with the sight of haunting spirits coming out from the ground, "Taste the rage of amalgamated hundred years spirits! Ordo Ab Chao, Metus!"
A wave of chilling energy enveloped the whole place as the dark aura spread. The Kobolds were seen in frenzy and state of fear as they dropped their equipment and howled.
"WAIT! DON'T LET GO OF MY HEAD!" Arwen shouted as his head fell to the ground because Joki himself was affected by the fear and started howling in a manic state.
Ioki almost laughed upon hearing Arwen shout in somehow a panicked manner with his distorted voice.
Why is Ioki fine despite the fear-inducing skill of Arwen's?
Ioki's body could be seen lit with a red flame as the dark aura touched him; the burn cleansed his body and repelled the dark aura that approached him.
Strangely enough, the purple flame on his feet was gone as well... Somehow, the game registered the fear as debuff but not the burn effect.
The Hell's Grace has entered its cooldown.
"You are the one that should know your place!" Ioki shouted as he weaved inside, finally reaching the striking range of his fists.
With a large stride forward with his right leg, Ioki launched a powerful left straight to the defiled crest of Arwen's. The spirits of Ashura and Nine Paws could be seen following Ioki's straight.
*BAM*
*Critical Hit!*
Arwen's body was staggered upon receiving the powerful straight.
Followed by the opening straight, Ioki launched a barrage of punches to the clad armor before him.
Jab, another jab, straight, liver shot, straight, hook. The sound of the fists hitting the metal armor is like a war drum being stroke. The sound of the hollow rumble echoed throughout the sacrificial ground.
Ioki's feet were dancing along the brutal rhythm of the glossy armor being dented with each hit.
Sounds of cracking, hissing, splashing, spurts, and other kinds of sounds appeared as every punch resulted in statuses overlapping on top of each other, wrapping and restricting the movement of Arwen.
As if witnessing A sacred ritual happening before them through the lens of Ioki's sphere, the chat went silent.
*BOM BOM BOM*
A historic moment in Ashen Fantasy is recorded before their very eyes. The first and the last time known and recorded to the public, a World Grade Boss being brought to his knees written by the relentless barrage of fists from the mortal brat.
A magnum opus called "Chastised Saint" was created with Arwen's glossy black armor serving as the canvas and Ioki's fists as the brush. Each dent formed by the brush beautifully brought life to the monotonous, eerie ambiance.
Watching the masterpiece before them is enough to transcend one above the mortal realm. The apparitions fists matched with Ioki's tempo, synchronized their punches as the former Saint's body being chastised with the Divine Beings essences.
"HAHAHAHA! A MERE BRAT PUNISHING A SINNER IS BEING WITNESSED BY THE GODS ABOVE, YET WHEN HER SO-CALLED SAINT WAS ASKING FOR A HELP SHE WAS ABSENT! IS THIS WHAT THEY CALL A DIVINE COMEDY?!" Arwen shouted toward the Heaven.
"The Goddess of Light closed her eyes upon witnessing the things before her.
Tears ran through her cheek.
The Goddess of Light is asking you to stop!"
Ioki stopped his barrage of punches as he saw the blue window before him.
Another blue window popped up before him.
Suddenly, his chest tightened as he choked and had a hard time breathing as he finished read the blue window.
Arwen grasped his spear with all his remaining strength while his body was inflicted with the amalgamation of debuffs, "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, BOY? ASVALE IS WAITING FOR ME IN THE HIGHWAY TO HELL! END MY SUFFERING LIKE HOW YOU ENDED HIS!" He shouted as he stabbed the black spear to the ground to support his whole body.
A warm light enveloped Ioki's body as his body was slowly lifted from the ground. A memory of a man fighting valiantly on the battlefield protecting the lives of others, flashed into Ioki's head.
"No matter where he goes, his men would follow... Even knocking into the door of Hell itself... yet... yet... Why?
Why does the very thing he swore to protect turn their back on him and be the reason for his death?"
The flash of memories ended as the man's vision rolled to the ground as the flame's heat and a burning body in a stake came into sight...
Ioki opened his eyes and stared sympathetically at Arwen.
"The Goddess... she doesn't want it... hicc," Ioki replied while sobbing.
Arwen roared, "DO NOT JOKE WITH ME, BOY! NEVER LISTEN TO THAT WENCH! GOD KNOWS HOW LONG AND HOW MUCH I'VE SACRIFICED FOR THE GREATER GOOD... yet... Why are you the one crying?" His angry tone suddenly turned as he saw the crying boy slowly approaching his body.
The boy hugged his unsightly body while whispering something.
"What did you just whisper..." Arwen inquired. His distorted voice felt more humane as he spoke those words.
"I said, YOU'VE FOUGHT YOUR BEST TILL THE BITTER END!" Ioki screamed, "I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE GODDESS HAD IN HER MIND BACK THEN, BUT THANK YOU FOR PROTECTING THEM! YOU TRULY ARE A SAINT TILL THE VERY END, MR. ARWEN!" Ioki finished his sentence as he hugged Arwen's body tightly before sobbing uncontrollably.
From eerie and malevolent sounds of the gloomy realm to the sounds of trading blows and strikes, now? The sacrificial realm witnessed its first cry of sympathy towards its own groundkeeper.
The viewers behind the chat had their hearts torn into pieces as they saw the crying boy hugged the Saint before him.
Even the Divine Beings were baffled as they felt the mortal's emotions being conveyed through this play beautifully acted by the two actors reaching its climax.
"Thank you... You don't know how much that means to me..." Arwen said as his distorted voice carried a hint of sadness behind it.
After some of the statuses were gone, Arwen finally could move his hands. He reached toward the boy's back and returned the hug even tighter...
"Thank you... Our meeting today was fated... Now, end my curse. I've suffered long enough..." Arwen's words lingered in the air.
As they slowly let go of each other, Ioki stood up.
Rather than finishing Arwen off, he walked toward his head and picked it up from the ground. Arwen was baffled by Ioki's act, but he didn't utter a word.
Ioki then put his head on top of his body, trying to balance it before it finally fit perfectly.
"Hehe, how does it feel to finally see me through your body point of view?" Ioki chuckled as he wiped his tears and snot.
"Not that bad, I guess..." Arwen replied.
Ioki approached Arwen and put his hand on top of the black helmet, "Mr. Arwen. I swear, I'll raze down the Holy Capital itself if the Goddess is not gonna accept your soul into the Heaven."
"Haha! You truly are amusing till the very end! Tell me, what's your name, boy?" Arwen's distorted voice was slowly gone as he opened his mouth again.
"Ioki. Remember this name, for it has left its mark on this cursed land!" Ioki answered with a wide smile.
"Ioki... The likes of you... Us, is the very being the Empire swore to destroy. Be careful on your journey onward." Arwen warned Ioki.
Ignoring what Arwen just said, Ioki closed his eyes and put the other hand on his chest.
"How does the exorcist in TV do it, once again?" He mumbled, "Ah yes! Under Lumiere's name, your sins have been forgiven. Rest, O' vengeful Saint, for your suffering has come to an end. May you rest in peace..." Ioki prayed as his hands were slowly enveloped in holy light.
"Goddess of Light is surprised by your action!
Goddess of Light has answered your prayer.
Goddess of Light is eternally grateful to you..."
The holy light dispersed as the gloomy red sky was pierced by a pillar of light covering the both of them. As Arwen basked in the holy light, his dark armor shed its color, revealing a white-clad under it...
Adorned with beautiful lines and gold crosses with the crest in its full glory. Arwen's natural form showed himself before Ioki, long wavy brown hair beautifully basked in the holy light, highlighting his manly features. Kind brown eyes that follow the smile of the cheeks and shadow cast under his sharp jawline.
He smiled at Ioki before waving his hand as his Dark body slowly dispersed and his spirit faded into traces of white glow flowing toward the Heaven.
Finally, the tortured soul of the Saint could rest in peace...
***
"I---I'm sorry..." a gentle, quivering voice spoke.
"It's too late for a sorry, isn't it?" came the reply, firm yet contemplative.
"You don't know! If I let you live for another year, then the whole world would have risen against you! They will hunt you down toward the very ends of the Earth!" She explained resolutely.
"Should have let me be. Do you see that boy back there? Are you suggesting that, after seeing him fight in unison alongside the Kobolds and spirits from distant realms, I stood on the wrong side of this conflict? Tell me, Lumiere... Was I mistaken in fighting for my own cause?" The man's words carried a weight of melancholy.