War continued to fight, his blade and strength resisting the push of the Devastator's attempt to overpower him; however, he soon heard the rumbling footsteps behind him and turned his head to see a third beast rushing him, its clawed arm raised high to cut him down.
"Damn it all..." the Horseman growled; he waited for a few seconds to let the monster get closer, then shifted his blade and pushed off with it to his left, causing the Devastator he was resisting to fall forward and directly into the path of the swing by the newcomer. An ear-shattering howl was heard, thick globs of blood spewing from the large shoulder wound of the red-skinned behemoth. Strangely enough, these monsters seemed to disregard the fact they attacked each other and turned to face the Rider, their eyes speaking volumes of their intent to kill him.
"Conquest...Pray I never find you, for what I am about to do to your little pets is but a sliver of what will befall you" War said through gritted teeth; a great surge of power coursed through him, flames reaching up to create a stunning column of white, red and orange before he charged at them, the monsters doing the same in kind. War's feet pounded the scorched earth as the distance between him and the nearest Devastator closed, both sides rushing to kill the other as quickly as possible. He then gave a small leap and as his body turned in a circle, it quickly transformed into a
being of pure Hellfire. The fire construct's lower body seemed to disappear into the ground, leaving only a hulking torso with its massive arms; the flaming right fist held high to drive down into the beast that dared challenge one of the Four. In a flash, War struck down with tremendous force; the resulting explosion created a rather impressive ball of light and blast of wind, causing the already destroyed crystal to fracture even more. When the smoke cleared, only two Devastators remained, their comrade vaporized into nothing. In the center stood War, his blade at the ready as he went after the next target; the second Devastator - the one whose arm War had cut off - too charged again, their blades clashing together. But now their chances of survival were even less; Chaos Energy was sucked into War with each strike of his colossal weapon, causing the Horseman's rage to escalate more and more. Once more the blades locked with each other; however, the Devastator was now the one being forced back, the Rider's strength reaching ungodly levels from the intensity of the combat.
"You were a fool to come after me, beast; you will know the fate of those that dare come between me and my original opponent!" War shouted angrily, to which the monster bellowed in the Horseman's face with its putrid breath. Twisting the sword, War leaped onto the massive set of claws mounted to the creature's wrist and in one fluid movement, severed the second limb; the massive appendage fell to the ground, the beast howling painfully as the wound was again seared shut from the heat of his sword. But right as War cut the arm off, he leaped high into the air, his blade inverting in his grasp before the point was driven into the creature's skull; the Horseman pressed forward and wrenched it, an audible and bloodcurdling 'CRACK' resonating throughout the space. As the creature fell over dead, War jumped off and turned to face the last Devastator, who now seemed to have some shred of cognition that taking down this enemy might be a fatal error. As the two stared each other down, War's chest heaved as the rage and flow of blood screamed in his ears, his teeth clenched so hard that they seemed to be on the verge of shattering. The grip on his weapon was one that could crack stone and bend metal, his flesh as red as the blood he spilled; the air shimmered around him, the heat of the fire that burned with unimaginable ferocity in his soul unbearable for almost anyone to be near.
"Damn your brother, sending such weak and troublesome creatures after us; we will punish him later though. Kill this fool and let us go after the Queen" that wretched voice spoke to him; War then swung his sword backwards, the power within seeming to grow without limit. The Horseman then gave a mighty cry as light and heat enveloped him; when it faded,
a new beast stood where War once was. Its entire form seemed to be made of scorched rock, veins coursing with magma crossing over the entirety of his flesh. Wings sprouted from his back, his feet looking more reptilian and his hands turning to large claws. Twin horns sprouted from his temple, curving under his hard-to-see chin and back up to resemble hooks with thorns along the outer edge. His blade too transformed, becoming larger and losing much of its metallic appearance, seeming to be composed of lava given form. The Devastator flinched as the heat dried its skin, causing it to peel and crack and reveal the muscle beneath; however, its singleminded nature eventually won over and forced it to rush towards War...And its own demise. The Horseman now let out a bellow of his own; when the Devastator was in range, he gave a wide swing of his sword, the length creating a deep sizzling cut in the beast's flesh. Another swing and the monster lost its left arm, a third and its stomach was sliced wide open, causing it to fall to its knees. Its head tilted up to see this new Horseman staring down, his pure white hues uncaring as the molten blade was raised once more and swung down hard, cutting the beast perfectly in half; for a few moments, neither moved, but eventually the halves of the last Devastator fell apart from each other, landing in completely opposite directions.
Little did anyone realize what would come next; War's mind fell prey to the darkness that clouded him in this form, and right now he could only think one thing: Destroy. For the longest time War just stood there, the heat rolling off his new fiery form in waves, the baritone growls leaving its slightly misshapen mouth causing plumes of flames to eject out. If anyone thought this was War at his ultimate...They would quickly realize how wrong they were.
"Let me out, War....The Queen, she will try to flee. She must pay for what she has done, as must this world for failing to keep her in check" muttered the dark voice; all the while, the aura around the Horseman grew darker and darker, the skies above where he stood becoming turbulent and foreboding.
"Yes...Let the symphony of blood fuel your anger, let it claw out and bring the divine obliteration of this planet into reality! A great rage, the greatest rage, stirs within! You must release it, Horseman!" the evil tone grew more gleeful; whatever spoke to War seemed to grow stronger, as if the Rider's endless aggression were giving it power. The molten blade too began to stir, rippling and bubbling like the contents of a volcano ready to blow; the heavens grew darker still, thunder and lightning resounding above. And then came screams...Not screams of pain or fright, but those of rage and bloodlust, the screams befitting those who fell in battle. They grew louder and louder, permeating the air around him and then spreading out; the Horseman's dragon-like form began to shift, growing taller and the wings becoming larger. The molten metal of the great blade to grow larger and larger; as it was raised to the sky, the length soon shot out to be even taller than the Crystal Palace, letting all see before it melt down and surround the Horseman, covering him with what appeared to be a second skin before expanding, shifting and transforming into a monstrosity that few would recognize; those that did however, would know just how dire the situation was becoming.
Death on the other hand, was just about finished with Setsuna; as much as he despised having to kill her, her inaction against Usagi was unforgivable. He knew that she knew their leader was beyond simple advising; action was required at the time and she failed to take such a path. Even if she had died in the attempt, Death would have worked to spare her planet; it was a shame that he made it to where no one could call them, but it was a safety precaution less anyone try to bind the Horsemen and use them. But at least she understood, even if it went against her beliefs; that was something that Death knew many claimed to do, but in reality very few could.
"No...We have not been done any injustice. While I wouldn't consider us destroyers, I can relate to why there are those that label us as such. In the end, it doesn't really matter what we are called; we have a duty and we will perform it". And with that, Death finally rose from his seat; it was time to end this. It was odd; even though he met in the flesh only now, he felt that she shouldn't have to suffer. But she allied herself with the Senshi...It was now fate that made it to where she would die. He stretched and rolled his shoulders, working out some of the kinks; curse these old bones, he thought. They were such a pain sometimes. Death took a moment to analyze his surroundings after he cracked his neck; there were certainly fewer energies around.
It seemed Mars too had fallen and War now had the Queen trapped; Jupiter and Pluto were still alive, but were currently out of commission. He could not sense Famine or Conquest’s presence, at least not in this plane; they must have somehow been sealed. Regardless, they handled their roles and Death would find a way to release them from their prisons.
"She's as good as dead; no doubt War will refuse to seek out the others and cut their throats or something. He won't harm an unconscious opponent...His honor won't allow it" Death mused mentally; once he finished with this one, he would reap the souls of Jupiter and Saturn, thereby taking the lives of the last of Earth’s defense. He then turned his attention back to Pluto, those orange-yellow almond-shaped eyes glaring at her from beneath his hood,
"Well, Setsuna…I’m afraid our time together is up. If we had met under better circumstances, perhaps we could have been excellent acquaintances". A sudden chill, one that even Pluto herself would feel, descended on the area and seemed to emit from Death’s very being; the immortal Reaper then brought his scythe in front of him, inverting the weapon so that the heel now rested on the ground.
"A shame really; there are so few people I find tolerable in the Universe. And it always seems I have to kill them…This will be over quickly though, I promise you". All of a sudden, a loud ‘DING’ was heard as the solid gold ring latched into the mouth of the skull at the bottom of the snath seemed to shoot up into the sky of its own volition; a loud exhale was given by Death, causing a rush of cold air to wash over the Senshi’s form as the ring then fell down to hover over the Rider’s head like an angel’s halo. All the while the glow of his eyes seemed to intensify. Green energy began to pour out from the Horseman, as well as the ring which rapidly began to spin and create a distinct whirring noise, both of which combined to form a shroud of green mist; a spine-chilling gust then dispelled the cloak and revealed Death in his true form. His weapon and himself had significantly grown, the former largely retaining its appearance with the addition of serrated teeth along the edge of the blade. The strange attire that the Rider wore was replaced with a ragged black cloak, the only portions of his body visible were the exposed bones of his hands. Titanic wings devoid of flesh and membranous tissue protruded from his back, giving him the appearance of a dead angel ravaged by time, which flapped and allowed him to levitate. A lantern hung from his neck, its light shining brightly in all directions while a worn book was strapped to his left hip and a small glass orb was strapped to his right.
”This may be what you humans call ‘overkill’, but I must finish this quickly and cannot afford to waste any more time” Death then spoke, his voice resonating in Setsuna’s mind, possessing a far greater degree of coldness in its tone.
However, a great rush of rage-saturated energy seemed to burst over them, soon accompanied by a loud sonic boom; a great sense of foreboding filled Death’s non-existent stomach. This power….No, it couldn’t be. He wouldn’t go that far…Just what had Queen Serenity done to drive War to this degree? How could it have happened? No…No, it wasn’t her, but he knew she certainly didn’t help her case.
”Conquest, you fool! You dare attack your own for such a petty reason?” the Horseman muttered, annoyance filling every syllable of his words. Death then felt his heart give out when an enormous shadow rose from the ground; off in the distance, a great beast grew and grew, taking on a form the Green Horseman had hoped to never have to see again.
”No….War, you couldn’t have. That beast was sealed!” Death’s voice shouted psychically, disbelief and a hint of genuine fear now replacing the annoyance he’d expressed towards Conquest as he now turned to face away from Setsuna. Eventually, the creature stopped growing, its height now well over three hundred stories and able to be seen by just about everyone; rage and the desire to annihilate exuded from every inch of its being, and before long the eyes shone a brilliant red, as did the rest of its metallic-looking flesh. The
monster then gave a great bellow, the wings upon its back shooting out to an enormous span and causing a release of energy so massive that Death had to sink the scythe blade into the ground just to stop from being blown away.
"LOOK UPON ME, NEO-QUEEN SERENITY, AND KNOW THE FACE OF YOUR DEATHBRINGER! IN ONE STROKE, I WILL TEAR THE EARTH ASUNDER AND WIPE MANKIND FROM THE FACE OF EXISTENCE!" the monster bellowed, his entire form tensed and ready for combat. The air itself shook with each utterance, and soon a soul-crushing force was felt by all, even Death. The Green Rider could see it though; Chaos Energy rushed towards the behemoth, filling the beast like water to a lake. Red tendrils seeped from every direction, flowing into the Destroyer's form and with each passing moment, the force grew more and more and made the fabric of reality seem to shake with greater violence.
”No...This much Chaos in one location! Is he insane!?” Death shouted in a stupefied fashion; another bellow was given by War's new form, making even Death resonate within his bones. And much to the Horseman's horror, tears could be seen forming in the sky...Forming everywhere! No, he was going to cause a massive singularity! If he brought the Void to Earth, he'd make it all collapse! But that wasn't the worst part...Death thought he saw something he'd been dreading this whole time onre in of the tears, his latent ability to analyze timestreams now able to be used despite being outside the Void; focusing more, a sudden intake of air was heard, rather loud and clearly a sign of great shock.
"No, this cannot be....How?!" was his only statement, conveying the disbelief he felt quite clearly; Pluto wouldn't be able to see what he saw, but he did and it made him realize the gravity of their situation. Giving a wide swipe of his hands, he extinguished the circle of fire around him and Setsuna, stating
”Go, Setsuna! Grab Jupiter and Saturn and bring them to where that beast is! I'll explain later, but hurry! We don't have much time!” His wings then flapped with great power as he took to the sky, rushing towards his monstrous brother-in-arms; he only prayed he would be able to stop War before he caused any irreversible damage.
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