New Beginnings Part 4

 I Phoenix Dashed above Abaddon, a desperate Phoenix trying to escape the crushing weight of his presence, but danger still clung to me like a shadow. With a sudden, terrifying grace, he unfurled his massive bat-like wings and shot upward, catching me off guard.

'How could such a colossal beast move with such terrifying swiftness?'

The specter of death hovered ominously, its jagged claws stretching out, eager to drag me into the abyss, but this time, it would not claim me.

Orochi lunged at me with the ferocity of a falling star, hurling me back from the precipice of oblivion and granting me a fleeting breath of relaxation. In an instant, Abaddon grasped Orochi, wielding him like a bludgeon to strike me from the shadows, my body slamming into the earth with a sickening thud before he shattered the serpent in a grotesque display.

I sprinted toward Mason as the dark splintered remains of Orochi slithered back to their master, the aftermath of the chaos released by Abaddon.

"You think stature makes me slow, little pup? How foolish of you! That arrogance would have sealed your fate were it not for the presence of your companion."

'He's talking, good. I need to stalk for time until Arnold gets here.'

"Why would I ever underestimate something so pathetically beneath me?" Abaddon flashed a grin that chilled my soul, a sinister smile that could haunt the dreams of the innocent for ages.

"How audacious to speak boldly when you lack the power to inflict even a mortal blow upon me! But alas, the same cannot be said about me!"

In a swift motion, Mason lunged forward as Abaddon's words hung in the air. Orochi surged from beneath Abaddon, seizing the serpent and tearing it asunder. The creature dissolved into a pool of writhing shadows, its tail crashing into Abaddon's back, propelling him violently against a gnarled tree.

I faced Abaddon head-on, my blade slicing upward with desperate resolve, ready to unleash a spell that could shatter his unstoppable combo. Our swords clashed violently, sending a bone-rattling shockwave through the air.

Again, I felt my strength waning, but my spell became my only salvation in that moment of despair.

"Rising Phoenix!" I screamed, my sword engulfed in a hellish crimson blaze. The inferno twisted and coiled, morphing into a monsterous bird of fire, a Phoenix, embodying the very essence of my lifeline as a fire mage.

The incantation enveloped Arondight in flames that twisted and danced like a Phoenix, conjuring a force that surged twentyfold beyond my usual might. With this terrifying power coursing through me, I confronted Abaddon's titanic strength, yet it proved futile.

He began to overpower me, inching me backward into despair, when Mason struck.

Orochi lunged with ferocity, weaving through Abaddon's legs, and with a brutal flick of its tail, sent him soaring, a devastating blow to his groin.

In that fleeting moment, the opportunity I had longed for materialized before me, a glimmer of hope amidst the encroaching darkness.

The power of Rising Phoenix surged through me, propelling me skyward, searing Abaddon's hand and torso in a blaze of fury.

The howling wind clawed at my skin, a relentless force trying to drag me back into the forest below. As Rising Phoenix flickered and vanished, severing our contact, I refused to yield, summoning my next spell with desperate urgency.

"Meteoric Descent!"

The name speaks volumes about the essence of the spell. I plummeted onto Abaddon with the ferocity of a falling star. My impact ignited a cataclysm of fire and fury.

Abaddon was hurled away from my grasp, a mere puppet severed from its strings. The forest around us succumbed to chaos- trees splintered like fragile bones, bushed erupted in a frenzy of foliage, and the lucky creatures of the wild fled in terror while the unfortunate ones were sliced to pieces.

Yet it wasn't enough. A voice boomed and shook the forest.

"Meteors, Leon?!? I can summon those as well!"

A sickly purple glow engulfed the forest, and the remaining trees crumbled into nothingness, their whispers of despair echoing through the air.

"Leviathtan's Breath!"

"Get out of here, Mason!" I screamed, my voice cracking with horror as the danger loomed closer, an inevitable doom creeping toward us.

As the meteors rained down from the heavens, I weaved through the gnarled trees, narrowly escaping their cataclysmic descent. Abaddon remained blissfully unaware that this chaos was my ally, bestowing upon a brightly lit, invigorating power.

With Ifrit by my side, I absorbed the searing heat of the falling stars, amplifying my strength until it pulsed through every vein, igniting my very essence. A torrent of infernal energy surged from my core to the tips of my fingers, igniting a feverish anticipation within me.

Empowering by this newfound ferocity, I twisted my body, halting abruptly as I lifted Arondight high into the air.

"Incineration Wave!" This spell morphed Sever into a relentless barrage of slashes, each one carrying the weight of a singular Sever. It drained my very essence, yet the overwhelming force coursing through me allowed its activation.

I hurled a relentless flurry of sword strikes at the descending meteors, consumed by a desperate need to thwart their cataclysmic descent upon the mountain range and beyond. The thought of those fiery rocks detonating sent chills down my spine; the barrier shielding the mountains could shatter under their wrath.

Should the worst-case scenario befall me, the obliteration of my home, my loved ones, and the sacred duty bestowed upon me would shatter my soul into a billion pieces. The mere thought of harm befall Elaine, or the cherished souls I have come to rely on in this desolate place sends icy tendrils of dread coursing through my veins.

Every second dripped away like blood from a wound, and I was compelled to act without hesitation.

As I obliterated the meteors, I channeled the explosive energy into my chest. The force spiraled within me, rivaling the devastation of a nuclear blast.

I envisioned a spell, one of the many trump cards I had. Gripping it tightly in my thoughts, I pulled the raw power deeper into my being, into the core of my heart, and unleashed it in a torrent of destruction.

"Flames Of Rebirth!"

Colossal wings, wreathed in a hellish blaze of crimson and gold, erupted from my back, curling protectively around me like a mother's embrace.

With a thunderous beat, they spread wide, casting an ominous shadow over the land, with a contradicting blazing light cast from them.

From the depths of my soul, waves of fire erupted, slithering across the ground, occasionally soaring into the air above before crashing back down, a dance of destruction and despair.

Abaddon stood there, arms wide as if inviting me into a chilling embrace, a grotesque mockery of warmth in the suffocating darkness.

"GIVE ME YOUR BEST SHOT, PUP!"

The flames writhed and twisted, weaving a sinister ballet as they slithered toward Abaddon, who awaited their embrace with ravenous hunger.

The acrid aroma of searing flesh permeated the atmosphere when they finally consumed him—the air thickened with suffocating steam, carrying the haunting wails that reverberated in my mind. The repulsive odor of scorched skin coiled around the air as my stomach churned in a grotesque dance of despair.

Yet, I was aware that this was not the end. As if to taunt me, Abaddon's screams turned into laughter.

"Excellent! Most impressive, you two! It looks like a third has come along to help you!

Arnold hurtled through the air, his descent eerily smooth as he touched down beside me. His gaze fixed on the horror unfolding before us. Abaddon loomed from the swirling steam untouched, a chilling specter devoid of any sign of injury.

Arnold's voice trembled as he fixed his gaze upon Abaddon.

"What is that abomination, Leon?"

"Abaddon, The Destroyer, Ghost of The Battlefield," I replied, my voice laced with a chilling blend of irritation and hopelessness.

At the sound of these words, Arnold's body stiffened, his gaze snapping to mine; his icy blue eyes shimmered with a sinister light. "Ah, now it all makes sense- why you two vanished and left the others to cower in the shadows."

He advanced toward me, drawing Mason and me into a tight formation. Now, the three of us stood like wall, shoulder to shoulder, confronting our fabled adversary. At that moment, a torrent of battle strategies surged through my mind, as effortless as the flick of a wrist, each one a desperate attempt to outmaneuver our nemesis.

"At least I have the two of you by my side. I need all the help I can get to fight a living legend," I said, a chilling resolve in my voice.

Abaddon charged ahead, brandishing Darkdrinker with demented glee, its sinister dark purple and black luminescence pulsating like a heartbeat of dread. With each thunderous step, the glow intensified, echoing the foreboding presence of The Grim Reaper, ready to harvest our very souls.

"The blade is devouring his desires," Mason whined.

With some resolve, Mason unleashed a torrent of shadowy projectiles upon Abaddon, each detonating with a vicious hiss, drenching him in a viscous cloak of darkness. Yet, Abaddon remained unfazed, his gaze locked onto me as if I were the only flicker of light in a void.

I coated my blade with the power of Pyre, shrouding Arondight in a hellish blaze of blood-red flames. As I unleashed Blaze, an overwhelming torrent of energy coursed through me.

My very being transformed, with strength, speed, reflexes, and defense, magnified twentyfold as if I had become a living embodiment of destruction.

It felt as if I were pushing my body beyond its limits, a reckless gamble with my very life essence. Yet, this time, the cost of my vitality was a mere whisper in the storm of my ambition.

I had discovered a dark wellspring of power, siphoning the searing heat from the fallen meteors, fueling my transformation with their fiery wrath.

Arnold's ethereal power called forth spectral, fairy-like summons that fortified my being while sapping the strength of Abaddon.

The fairies glimmered in vibrant green, their luminous blue eyes sparkling like the morning sky. They wore pristine pearl-white tunics that gracefully draped overt their petite forms.

Our connection was an illustrious tapestry of threads, shimmering light green for my soul and a sinister crimson red for the demon.

I Phoenix Dashed behind Abaddon, but he anticipated my move, deflecting my strike with a chilling grace. Instantly, he seized my arm, lifting me as if I were a mere feather.

With a bone-rattling crash, he hurled me to the ground, the impact reverberating through my very soul. A merciless knee drove into my gut, stealing the breath from my lungs.

As he relinquished his hold and lifted me back up, a vicious kick struck my right arm, propelling me into the air, a helpless puppet in his cruel game.

The sequence of events happened so rapidly that I could not react or comprehend what had just occurred.

I soared through the air my body mercilessly assaulted by the howling winds, each gust leaving me bruised and bewildered. At last, I plummeted into the jagged embrace of the nearby mountain, the impact forcing crimson blood to flow from my lips as I heard a sickening symphony of bones snapping and flesh tearing within me.

Blood seeped from my myriad wounds, a grotesque tapestry of cuts, scrapes, and gashes that marred my skin like a macabre constellation.

"Dozing off, are we, Leon? How dare you when I am still STARVING!" A dark figure materialized from the shadows: Abaddon, the Grim Reaper.

His eyes burned into me, and his lips oozing with hunger sent chills down my spine, like a beast poised to pounce. With a terrifying snarl, Abaddon surged forward, his sword slicing through the air, targeting my skull with lethal intent.

Just in the nick of time, my brother came to my rescue.

As Abaddon crept up onto me, threatening to consume me, Arnold sprang into action, whisking me away from the brink of death with his Spirit Dash, leaving only the echo of my impending doom behind.

"Keep in mind that our only goal is to buy time. She possesses the power to defeat this beast effortlessly. If anything, her not coming might signify that we still have a flicker of hope left." I spoke as Arnold's spirits started to mend my wounds. The connection between me and the spirits intensified, glowing with a dazzling bright green. With every heartbeat, the pain in my body and the exhaustion, both mental and physical, faded away, moment by moment.

"I shall toy with you all a while longer; behold the raw power of my primal mana!" Abaddon's sword crashed against the frigid earth, the chilling clang slicing through the eerie silence of the woods.

A malevolent smile twisted his lips as he thrust his hands deep into the hollow of his chest, fingers burrowing into his grotesque, burly flesh, searching for a lost treasure.

The disturbing sound of tearing flesh echoed ominously, revealing the quivering heart that throbbed in the darkness of his ribcage.

A deluge of scarlet gushed, pouring like water freed from a dam. The blood, heavy and cloying, soaked into the ground below. Yet, no agony showed in Abaddon's eyes.

Instead, a perverse joy shimmered within, a melody of insanity. The edges of the gash wove together, sealing the wound with an eerie elegance.

Abaddon's laughter echoed through the barren wasteland, a sinister symphony that sent shivers down my spine.

With a surge of dark energy, he grasped his sword from the earth, its blade shimmering with an ominous glow.

Darkdrinker emitted a terrifying wail as Abaddon yanked the sword, splitting it into twin blades mirrored each other in wickedness. The air around him turned frigid as if the shadows had been set free, wrapping the forest in a chilling embrace.

A sinister chant echoed through the air, "Blood Art Manifest."

The blood on the ground defied the laws of gravity, ascending and swirling around the twin swords. The scarlet liquid gracefully through the air, creating an ethereal aura around them.

"Show me the fire in your eyes you had before, Leon!" he taunted, his voice dripping with malice.

With adrenaline pumping, I braced myself for the impending battle. This would be the final showdown, the ultimate test of will. I was determined to give it my all, to fight with every ounce of strength I possessed.

Arondight, my loyal ally, emanated a brilliant light as it harnessed the entirety of my strength. Flames surged from its blade, burning with a ferocity that paralleled the fire in my spirit. It served as a shield against the grasp of death, representing a beacon of hope in this chaos.

I firmed my hold on my weapon, my knuckles paling in color. I observed that Abaddon was still enveloped in liquid shadows, which was good.

Arnold's steadfast wind spirits stood beside me, prepared to aid our confrontation. With this assurance, I dispelled any thoughts of defeat and concentrated solely on Abaddon.

My primary objective was to elevate Abaddon and maintain his position in the air. With a firm grasp on Arondight, my essential tool for survival, I initiated my advance toward him.

Abaddon parried my sword with his own while lifting his other hand to attack me.

Mason released Orochi from beneath Abaddon, which consumed the middle section of his arm and sent his sword hurtling away. In a rapid sequence of movements, Arnold grasped the fallen sword and employed wind magic to forcefully drive it into Abaddon's chest, straight through his body and hanging out of his back.

A river of deep crimson blood erupted from his usually fatal injury, something that did not happen before his innate mana technique was activated. The blood lingered in the air briefly before racing towards me like comets.

In a swift response, I slide beneath Abaddon, resulting in him stumbling forward. With calculated precision, I managed to deflect and evade the majority of the blood projectiles while simultaneously severing Abaddon's tendons during my slide.

Despite one of the projectiles striking my right shoulder, left ear, and left big toe, I squeezed out a groan of pain and rolled forward, narrowly escaping a lethal strike to my head.

With the assistance of Ifrit, my summon, the intensity of my pain was diminished. Delicate flames of crimson and amber enveloped my form, resembling fiery dogs of red and gold tenderly licking my wounds, healing them.

Abaddon cast a joyful glance in my direction, his grin wide, just before Orochi struck. The serpent emerged from the shadows beneath him, propelling him high into the sky. Abaddon's laughter resonated in the air as he deftly sliced the snake in half, making his descent back to the ground.

Arnold released a flurry of wind mana spears aimed at Abaddon, intending to divert his attention while simultaneously lifting him into the air with an updraft. The monster adeptly evaded and retaliated against each spear, radiating assurance and strength.

"Leon! What drives you to resist me? Why do you choose to challenge me and continue to live? What fuels your determination, pup?" Abaddon seized the remains of Orochi, spinning him around to ward off the incoming attacks.

I stood below, completely healed, prepared to cast my spell that embodied the essence of my pact with Ifrit. With this final attack, I would use all of my remaining power to strike down my opponent in a last-ditch effort.

"You ask why I stand before you? Isn't it obvious, Abaddon?" I firmly held Arondight behind me. Channeling the explosive power of my summon, Ifrit, I envisioned my spell as Abaddon uttered a thunderous roar of excitement.

"My drive to protect what is dear to me pushes me forward. Do you know what it means to have someone waiting for you at home? A person so precious that you would venture into hell itself to rescue them? Of course not; monsters have no need for love."

As the flames of Arondight blazed even brighter, their might grew exponentially with each passing moment. When they finally reached their zenith, I gathered every ounce of my strength to draw my sword, executing a swift arc toward the sky, releasing the full might of the flames in a breathtaking flourish.

The thrill that surged within me as I unleashed this spell was overwhelming. It burst forth as a jubilant laugh, resonating with the very essence of the incantation.

"Dawn of The Phoenix!" My sword burst into flames, transforming into the fiery form of Ifrit—a majestic bird crafted of golden and red flames.

Abaddon glanced downward, observing the impending assault, and swiftly retaliated with his attack. With a menacing slash through the air, crimson projectiles flew toward me, propelled with lightning-like speed.

At that moment, Arnold skillfully switched the places of Abaddon and his attacks. The look of genuine astonishment etched across Abaddon's face as my attack struck him head-on, while his own blood-infused attack propelled him deeper into the enraged flames.

With a swift motion, he released his grip on the swords and attempted to subdue the raging flames with his bare hands. However, Mason was well prepared for this.

Mason manipulated the liquid shadows covering Abaddon's body with deft precision, crafting them into a Straight Jacket that ensnared him.

Meanwhile, Ifrit ascended, propelling Abaddon far beyond my line of sight, straight into the atmosphere.

As the last wave of mana left me, I collapsed, with the ground catching my fall. Gazing up at the heavens and struggling to breath, I became acutely aware of the immense strain my body had experienced during the fight.

I had never exerted myself to such an extent in a fight before this. Even engaging in sparring sessions with multiple adversaries, proficient mages, or swordsmen did not compare to this experience.

Despite the fear, a part of me relished the thrill of such a challenging fight. If this was a glimpse of my future, I couldn't help but feel excited. A chuckle escaped my lips as I realized this moment would forever be etched in my memory.

However, my excitement was short-lived as I noticed something descending to the ground.

"Are you kidding me???" Mason shouted as I saw Abaddon coming back.

Abaddon descended ominously, a mere stone's throw away, and summoned forth a gaping chasm. The atmosphere thickened with swirling smoke and flying fragments, the thunderous roar intensifying with each heartbeat, bearing down upon me.

With every deliberate stride, the earth fractured and splintered beneath his weight, drawing ever closer to my trembling form.

I didn't have the strength to get up, much less swing my sword, but I wasn't worried.

"Oh my Leon, that was quite the show! As for the three of you, excellent teamwork! However, your opponent was ME. That alone set you all up for failure!" Abaddon cackled as he stopped in front of me, creating a blood barrier separating us from the others.

"Abaddon, what was the name of the spell I used?" A sinister shadow loomed above, descending ominously just as the barrier went up, and a wicked grin crept across my face.

"Dawn of The Phoenix, why?" Abaddon wondered briefly in confusion before snapping his gaze toward the top of the barrier.

With the force of a raging bull, the fiery phoenix-shaped flames broke through the protective barrier and collided with Abaddon, causing the ground beneath us to crumble.

As the barrier vanished into thin air, my sight was engulfed by a spectacular explosion of flames.

As I plummeted, my head collided violently with the jagged earth, unleashing a torrent of agony that rippled through my ravaged body. A tempest of vertigo enveloped me, intensifying the torment that gripped my body, leaving me paralyzed, unable to lift a single finger in the suffocating darkness.

A cloud of inky smoke invaded my lungs, forcing me into a fit of desperate coughs and groans of pain. As the pandemonium finally subsided, Abaddon and I found ourselves sprawled on the cold, broken, unforgiving ground.

"You have passed my test, Leon; you have strength worthy to be my rival. Your strength lies in protecting what family you have left, while my strength comes from casting all my mortal connections away to have nothing holding me back. What an interesting parallel!"

"I wasn't alone; my brothers Arnold and Mason helped me make this fight possible." I laughed as I would never have expected to receive such words from a literal monster.

"Such honesty is refreshing." Abaddon roared as he heard me.

After that, we stayed there, the only sound being the heavy breathing coming from my mouth. Surrounded by silence, my mind was overrun with troubling thoughts.

Where are Mason and Arnold? Could Abaddon have snuffed out their lives, leaving nothing but corpses in his wake?

A chill gripped my heart as dread coiled around my thoughts. I attempted to rise, desperation clawing at my insides, but my body betrayed me, collapsing back onto the ground.

"Calm yourself, pup. Your companions are safe. They were merely put to sleep, allowing me to savor this tender moment with you. BUT!" Abaddon grabbed my now bare body, tearing away the shirt I was wearing with brute force while his other hand pressed down on my back.

Initially, it felt soothing and comforting, but soon my body was wracked with spasms of grotesque transformations - my bones were breaking down and rebuilding from scratch and my limbs snapped and twisted abnormally, just to heal and redo their tormenting cycle of agony again and again - an indescribable agony.

The blood vessels that filled my body ruptured, leaving my body riddled with nauseating holes. With every new injury inflicted upon my battered form, I felt my warmth, sanity, and life draining away.

The agony was the most unbearable, seizing control of my mind and leaving no room for thoughts beyond the torment of my body being shattered, reconstructed, and shattered again, even more than before.

No sensations remained; only the haunting echoes of my inhuman screams poured forth from my ravaged form. After what felt like a millennium, Abaddon threw my decimated body onto the rough ground, causing me to fall face-first.

My lips trembled as I sank my teeth into their flesh, releasing a coppery-tasting flood of blood that coated my tongue in a sickening warmth.

Before Abaddon, an unyielding terror, I was nothing more than a puppet, utterly defenseless against his whims and desires. A paralyzing fear wrapped around me like a noose, squeezing the breath out of me.

Each inhalation turned into a frantic cry for life as if I were suffocating on the very air that sustained me.

"What... is this?" The words clawed out of my throat, a desperate whisper barely escaping the suffocating darkness surrounding me.

"Your life is tethered solely to me and my will. You shall not perish by any hand not my own. You must confront and defeat me in battle to rid yourself of the cursed mark I have given you. You won this prize by intriguing me and making yourself worthy of being my prey."

Abaddon flapped his massive bat-like wings, propelling himself above me.

"In return for such a thing, I shall tell you something." his sinister cackling filled the air, ringing in my ears.

"The child you took in as your child shall be your undoing, and when your time comes, I shall be there to add you to my Collection. Mark my words; the child's curse will lead you to death."

Abaddon ascended into the sky with a thunderous flap of his colossal wings, leaving me and the now barren wasteland of the forest behind.

In the last bit of consciousness, all I could think about was my family before I closed my now heavy eyes.