THE END OF HELL
THE END OF HELL
"The Greater Core of Suffering", Eirot said as she took the core toward her Crucifix.
"Wait a minute, what about the Xerrus in this pool? Don't you have an Incarnate to merge with?" Ratatouille asked Alfred.
Alfred was the Incarnate of Xerrus, the guardian of the Pools of Sufferings in Hell. When Eirot claimed every pool of suffering, an Incarnate of Xerrus would appear to stop her.
However, when Eirot claimed the last Pool of Suffering in hell, no guardian appeared.
Suddenly, something was happening to Alfred.
"What is the problem?" I asked Eirot.
"It is not because there is no Incarnate to stop me in the last and final pool of suffering in hell. The last guardian is Xerrus himself, or Alfred", Eirot told us to our shock and surprise.
The pools of sufferings in Hell were all protected by one of Xerrus' incarnates. But if every pool in hell were taken, all the incarnates return to guard the final pool and Xerrus is awakened.
"Damn, must we fight with Alfred now?" I asked.
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A dense, dark smoke billowed above the drained pool, twisting and shifting until it formed a recognizable, menacing shape. It was the silhouette of a wolf—strong, muscular, and full of raw power.
As the smoke began to dissipate, the creature's true form was revealed: Xerrus, the Guardian of Hell.
"Rawwrrrrr!"
A deafening roar echoed from the beast, a cry of pain and fury.
Though Xerrus had once been our friend Alfred, his mind had been consumed, transformed beyond recognition as he awakened into his true form.
This was the rebirth of Xerrus.
Without hesitation, Xerrus charged toward the Core of Greater Suffering, desperate to reclaim it from us.
His attack was ferocious, but his path was suddenly obstructed by something extraordinary.
From the ground shot up a colossal tree, its branches spreading like tendrils toward him. This wasn't an ordinary tree—it was imbued with the magic of a soul, the soul of a sacred and ancient garden.
This was the tree from the Garden of Eden, reborn within Rinna's mind.
Its massive, coiling branches were alive with legendary serpents, their scales shimmering in the eerie light. Two golden orbs of magic, hanging from the tree like forbidden fruit, radiated power. These were the offspring of the serpent tree, embodiments of Wrath and Sloth—the sins of mankind.
The Serpent in the Tree barred Xerrus' way, preventing him from reaching the Core of Suffering.
Enraged, Xerrus unleashed a devastating wave of force toward the tree, determined to obliterate the barrier. But the Serpent in the Tree countered, summoning magic from deep within its roots. The clash of powers was immense, the air vibrating as their energies collided.
The magic of Xerrus and the magic of the Garden of Eden met in a violent surge, each force canceling the other in an explosion of light and shadow, leaving the battlefield momentarily still, but far from settled.
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"Stop it Alfred", Eirot screamed toward Xerrus the Guardian of Hell.
"To claim this Core of Suffering, you must pass the Trial of Killings", Xerrus replied to her.
"No, I am not going to kill you. You are my friend. Please remember", Eirot tried to convince him.
Xerrus shook his head as his head was filled with visions of his time with Eirot confusing him.
"I am the guardian of the Core of Suffering that you seek, we are not friends", Xerrus replied to Eirot defiantly.
Xerrus, even in his current form, was dangerous but not impossible to deal with. We were not afraid of losing in a fight with him. We are afraid of killing him because he was our friend.
"Capture the Core of Suffering first. I'll try to hold him", I told Eirot as I cast my chaos magic on Xerrus.
Xerrus's body was captured by a mysterious force that threw him right and left, back and forth.
"Greater Upheaval of Restrain"
"I will not cease until I stop you or is killed", Xerrus shouted and insisted on stopping us.
Suddenly, Xerrus was overcome with the feeling of lethargy.
A scrawny character with long limbs and droopy eyes rested on Xerrus, infecting him with his laziness. This was Sloth the Anti-Saint.
"I… I am … tir … tired", Xerrus protested to us.
Suddenly, the realm inside Eirot's Crucifix exploded in a show of light. She had captured the final Core of Suffering in Hell and completed her conquest of Hell.
"N…noooo…..oooo", Xerrus protested as his form quickly disintegrated.
Soon, Xerrus' body disappeared.
"Nooo…", Eirot shouted and screamed at the disappearance of Xerrus or Alfred, her friend as she mourns his passing.
The mood was somber as we witnessed the passing of our friend.
"I should not have taken the last Core", Eirot lamented sadly.
Suddenly, the earth tremored violently.
"What is happening to Hell? Get on my Behemoth", Sara told us as we boarded her Behemoth.
The following scene shocked us to the core.
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Hell itself descended into a true nightmare as the very ground beneath us trembled violently, splitting open in jagged fissures.
Rivers of molten magma shot into the air, casting the sky in a blood-red glow. The oppressive heat thickened the atmosphere, while smoke suffocated the horizon.
Even the sky of Hell, a place of torment, was not immune to destruction.
Reality itself began to tear apart, as rifts formed in the sky, revealing what lay beyond—a realm of molten fire and chaos. In comparison to the inferno now exposed, our Hell had been a mere shadow, a playground of lesser horrors.
Panic surged through us as we raced for the Fortress of Salvation, urging our ship forward at breakneck speed.
But Hell was collapsing all around us.
The ground crumbled beneath our feet, dissolving into nothingness. The sky, too, disintegrated, devoured by the terrifying world that lurked beyond the rifts.
On the horizon, something monstrous and godlike rose from the ashes of our dying Hell. It took the shape of a wolf, like Xerrus, the guardian of the former realm, yet its presence was far more terrifying.
This being was no mere guardian—it was the god of this forsaken place, now awakened and its wrath was aimed directly at us.