Pestillence, Part 5

"STAND ASIDE!" Pestilence orders as he kneels down besides the rubble, using his Cursed Power reinforced arms to fling it off of Clarabella. But when he does so, Pestilence's eyes widen.

Because every inch of Clarabella's body, from the chest down…was crushed completely flat.

"Clarabella…" Pestilence whimpers. "CLARABELLA!!!!!"

"M-mom…" Aether sobs.

"Pestilence…Aether…is that you…?" Clarabella weakly asks, then coughs out a glob of blood.

"Yes it is!" Pestilence answers with a tearful smile as he takes Clarabella's hand. "Save your strength, we'll get you some medical attention in a moment!"

"I can't feel…my legs…" Clarabella croaks out.

"It's fine, I promise we'll save you!" Pestilence cries with a nervous smile. Meanwhile, Aether drops to the ground and begins sobbing.

"Pestilence…?" Clarabella weakly asks.

"Yes, my love, what is it?!" Pestilence cries.

"Will you…marry me?"

Clarabella's eyes flutter closed as her hand slips out of Pestilence's and limply flops to the ground.

Clarabella…has died.

"Clarabella…?" Pestilence softly asks as he shakes Clarabella's body. But it's too late Clarabella is dead. Pestilence drops to the ground beside Clarabella, and sobs into her chest. Meanwhile, Aether jumps to his feet and begins screaming.

But Pestilence's sobs and Aether's screams are interrupted when they hear a round of applause come from the right, and the two demons turn to see Death strutting up to them, clapping as he walks. Behind Death, is a cackling War and a smirking Famine.

"Bravo, bravo, you put on a good show, Pestilence," Death says as he stops before the demon.

"You did this…" Pestilence growls as he peers up to face Death. "YOU DID THIS …DIDN'T YOU?!"

"Woah woah woah, is that anyway to greet an old friend after fifteen years?" Death smirks.

"Why…but why now…?" Pestilence asks.

"BECAUSE WE HAVE CONQUERED EVERY OTHER HUMAN VILLAGE!" Death booms as he spreads his arms out to his sides. "ALL THAT'S LEFT IS YOUR VILLAGE, PESTILENCE! NESTAND VILLAGE!"

"Dad…who are they?" Aether shudders as he turns to face the three Horsemen.

"Death, War, and Famine…" Pestilence answers. "My old comrades, whom I've told you about."

"Aw, I'm glad to see you haven't forgotten about us," Death swoons. "BUT NOW, YOU DIE!"

Death brings his bone-scythe high above his head and twirls it through the air, before slamming it into the ground.

"Necromancy: Skeletal Brambles!" Death shouts as he sends thorn-vines of bones jutting out of the ground and flying towards Pestilence. But before Pestilence can be pierced by Death's attack, Aether jumps in the way as a rush of dark-blue Cursed Power bursts from his body, sending Death's bones flying away.

"Woah, you're a strong one!" Death comments. "Though it shouldn't come as a sunrise that the son of Pestilence is so impressive!"

"So you killed my mom…?" Aether growls as he draws the lime-green katana against his hip. "Didn't you…?"

"So what if I did?" Death smirks as he peers down his nose at Aether.

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

 Another burst of dark-blue Cursed Power explodes out of his body, causing Death's eyes to widen as he stumbles a step backwards.

"This…Cursed Power…" Death stammers.

Aether's Cursed Power explodes even further outwards, then wraps around Death, War, and Famine.

And then…Aether's body begins to change.

Aether's veins begin to glow a dark blue as his hair turns white. Aether's hands and feet morph into black, scaly claws and talons, as his skin turns pale blue. The whites of Aether's eyes turn black, as his pupils turn white.

"Aether…" Pestilence softly says. "You…look more demon than human…"

"This is my "half-demon" form, father," Aether replies. "SILVER DEMON!"

"Aether, what are you doing?!" Pestilence cries. "Death, War, and Famine are the three strongest demons, we have to run! We can't defeat them!"

"NO!" Aether snaps, causing Pestilence to shut up. "Mom would never forgive us if we ran now! She always wished for a world where humans can live freely, without being prosecuted! So I'm not backing down now! I'll defeat Death, War, and Famine… even if it kills me!"

As Aether's rush of dark-blue Cursed Power wraps around Death, War, and Famine, the bodies of the three demons slowly begin to fade and disappear.

"Wh-what's happening to us?!" Death cries as he peers down at his vanishing hands.

"Aether…what are you doing?!" Pestilence asks.

"These demons are too strong to kill! And even if we can defeat them, there are still thousands of demons spread all across the world that are enslaving human kind!" Aether answers. "So what I'm doing…is trapping the demons. I'll create a new world for them, known as "Hell!" I'll separate the demons into nine different circles, based on their strength, and assign a ruler for each circle, so that Hell runs in peace!"

Pestilence then looks towards the hordes of demons behind Death, War, and Famine, seeing Aether's dark-blue Cursed Power wrap around them as well, and the bodies of the demons begin to disappear.

"I'm tapping into the Cursed Power in the atmosphere…" Aether grunts in concentration. "By taking control of the world's Cursed Power, I can greatly strengthen my own Cursed Power by mixing it with my own. That is my Cursed Ability…APEX CURSE MASTER!"

Aether continues grunting in concentration, until his dark-blue Cursed Power wraps around Pestilence as well, causing the demon's eyes to widen. Blood rushes from Aether's nose and eyes, the amount of Cursed Power that he's controlling puts too great of a strain on his body.

"I'll just…need you to hold them off, dad…" Aether grunts, as the Cursed Power wrapped around Famine weakens. "I can't…fight while focusing on controlling all this Cursed Power…"

"Don't worry, son," Pestilence replies as he takes a step forward and resumes his demon form. "I'll protect you!"

"Well then, Famine, it looks like he's all yours," Death smirks.

"Aw man!" War groans. "But I wanted to fight Pestilence!"

"Don't worry, Lord Death," Famine smirks as she takes a step forward. "I shall avenge you for the mockery that Pestilence made of us all those years ago."

"So you're still on that…?" Pestilence growls.

"Pestilence!" Famine then calls to her ex-comrade. "Don't you ever find it strange that we were able to find you so easily, after you dropped off the grid? As if someone knew what you were up to with your constant disappearances, before you ever even announced your betrayal to us?"

"Now that you mentioned it…" Pestilence growls. "How did you know that I was here, anyway?"

Famine's lips curl up into a sinister grin, as she lets out a witchy cackle. "IT WAS I, PESTILENCE!" Famine boomed. "I WAS WATCHING YOU FROM THE START, SPYING ON YOU IN THE FORM OF MY CHIMERA, SO THAT YOU WOULDN'T NOTICE!"

Pestilence's eyes widen. "You bastard…" he growls. "SO THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT?!"

"YOU BROUGHT THIS UPON YOURSELF, BOY!" Famine cackles.

"But why would you be spying on me?!" Pestilence cries. "Don't you trust your comrade?!"

"It's simple," Famine smirks. "You just took too long to report back to us."

"So I take it that you sent those Demon Knights too?" Pestilence growls.

"Of course," Famine growls back.

"In that case-" Pestilence replies, as a poisonous, lime-green gas begins leaking out of every pore in his body. "I SHALL KILL YOU WHERE YOU STAND, FAMINE!"

"I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY, PESTILENCE!"

And thus; the fight between two members of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse…begins.

The fight between Pestilence and Famine begins when Pestilence extends a hand out to Famine and shouts; "Poison Pores: Corrosive Killer!"

A noxious green, toxic gas begins leaking out of every pore across Pestilence's arm, then flies towards Famine, like an emission of Cursed Power.

In response, Famine says; "Chimera: Satan Serpent."

Famine's body then begins to change. Green scales sprout across Famine's body which elongates, growing longer and longer, and taller, as Famine's mouth and head bulges and extends, and Famine's front teeth morph into fangs, with a long, flickering tongue. And there Famine stands, in the form of a giant snake.

Pestilence's Corrosive Killer then blasts into Famine, but Famine wiggles her serpent body and shakes the poison cloud right off, Pestilence's poison having no effect against Famine.

"What the…" Pestilence mutters to himself.

"Satan once disguised himself in the form of a serpent to tempt Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, in the Garden of Eden-" Famine begins to explain, her snake tongue flicking at Pestilence with each breath, with each word. "So in the form of the father of all snakes…YOUR POISONS CANNOT AFFECT ME!"

"Well then, let's try this-" Pestilence mutters to himself as he extends both arms out to his sides.

"Poison Pores!" Pestilence begins to shout as poison gas begins leaking out of every pore in his body, forming a giant cloud of toxic gas around him and Famine.

Pestilence then reaches into his satchel and pulls out a match, which he strikes against his pants to light, before holding the match out to his poison cloud.

"GAS CHAMBER!"