Deimos

Back to the present--- Deimos twists his neck gazing towards Joshua. Running his bloodied hand through his hair, the red stains his ghost like hair. “So you've finally come crawling back to me, ready to join your big brother? Or have you decided to finally surrender yourself to me.”

“I didn't come all this way to bow to you Deimos; I’m the one who’s going to cut you down.” His scarlet hair flows with the wind. A laugh tears from Deimos’s lips.

Dents and torn red leather wraps around his frame as he stares defiantly towards his demonic adversary; his muscles bulging. Deimos’s gazes deeply into his eyes, taunting him.

Succumbing to the taunt, Joshua’s rage boils over. Memories of loss race back as he launches towards him, enhancing his movements with flickers of aura. His blade clashes against the demon’s claws. A faint golden light encircles his blade. The air around the two of them grows still as the two colliding energies collide.

The pressure of Joshua’s strike carves into the demon king’s hands. A look of surprise follows as demon king recoils, spinning around with his four wings spreading outwards towards the sky. Violet rays of light shine out disorientating Joshua as he jumps back.

The demon king floats above him cockily. "I guess you are a man now, but to be honest I'm surprised that you're even still alive and kicking at this point, given your track record! What exactly do you plan on doing here? With your power this is the most you can do to me.”

Deimos flaunts his hand as a purple energy restores the damage, the gash closing itself up. In mockery he performs a bow, his hair glistening under the purple sky.

“The last time we met, I watched you run away like a coward as I killed your eldest brother. It was sweet, the mad dog of your clan giving his life to protect you; a worthless low life.” His eyes go wide as his insane smile fills with glee.

Glaring at the demon; Joshua grits his teeth and clenching his sword with such a vice grip that his knuckles whiten. He launches at the demon king rage blinding his judgement. Deimos still playing around sends a shock wave of demonic energy towards him, the air around stirring. “You really didn’t think I’d be going all out on a brat like you now did you!”

Joshua not having a moment to react is sent flying backwards by a powerful kick to his ribs, knocking him off his feet. His sword nearly slipping from his hands. As he skids across the ground. Scrambling back to his feet he readies himself for another strike.

His legs tremble as he puts up his guard. He predicted Deimos to lash at him with his claws again, instead a powerful blast of purple energy fires from the demon king’s palm; The torrent of purple light threatens to consume him. “Bloody hell.”

Wide eyed, he changes his stance now holding his blade in line of the attack, he braces for impact as the blast is cut off by a golden barrier. “What the hell. I don’t remember him ever being able to do that… Dialos we never stood a chance.”

The faint image of his brothers battered and bloody form flickers in his mind as he recalls his command him to flee. His body wants to run away gain as the golden barrier crackles, the purple energy threatening to pierce it. Joshua falls to a knee breathing heavily. Taking in his immediate surroundings he watches the golden barrier dissipate around him. “Sera, thank you.” He rasps out.

Coughing up a small bit of blood in the process, the kick had done more damage than expected. Looking down at his cracked chest plate, some of the metal plating breaks off. “Dammit, Roxanne is going to kill me.” He sighs aloud before being interrupted from his thoughts.

t. “Hey Joshua, I appreciate you buying me some time to get here, but now isn't the time to internally monologue. I can feel his power from here. He really is on a whole other level like you said."

The golden-haired woman flips her hair around as the wind blows in her face. Finishing her chant in the angelic tongue, a pair of golden ethereal angelic wings and armor materialize across her body, wrapping her in brilliant light.

Her once hetero-chromatic eyes now glow with a golden radiance. Immediately getting into a fighting stance her outfit flows along with her form.

“Prepare yourself Demon.” She launches towards him at ridiculous speeds as the demon king reciprocates, their clashes send shock-waves throughout the battle field.

They fly up into the sky, golden lights and purple energy tearing through the scenery. Blow after blow the ground beneath them shakes from the sheer pressure being exerted.

As the two clash once more, reality itself beginning to warp as Joshua’s vision starts to blur and his head begin to pound. “I didn’t know you got this strong. Damn Seraphina.”

A distant smile crosses Joshua's face. “She’s fighting that well against him... I know she’s the saintess, but sheesh. Is aether really that broken against demon's?” Looking towards the battle, he feels left out before the two behemoths of power.

Clenching his fist he looks to his blade. His damaged pride stirs him back to his feet, as a strange voice calls out to him, its presence causing confusion in the mercenary.

“Call out my name. Joshua.”

Shaking his head in confusion, he mumbles aloud. “I must be having delusions from the tremors." Ignoring the voice, he runs back into the battle. His gaze laser focused on Deimos. “That bastard is mine.”

His gaze darkens. Gripping his blade, a flicker of red dances across as he looks to the sky. Seeing the two of them launch further into the air Joshua groans in annoyance. “I guess I don’t have much of a choice then.”

Immediately Joshua stabs into his non-dominate hand, blood oozing out. Gritting his teeth, he draws a rune with the blood finalizing it by drawing a circle on his head as the blood drips down. The circle lights up with a fiery red glow.

Taking a step forward, he can feel red wings form upon his back as he lifts into the air. Rapidly increasing his momentum, he rushes recklessly headfirst towards Deimos. Screaming out “Your fight is with me you bastard.”

“If you don’t accept my power, this battle is lost, he’s just toying with both of you, he’s not even at full power.” The strange voice echoes in his mind.

Joshua stops mid-flight clutching his head. “I don’t know who or what you are but shut up. I’ll have his head on a pike by the end of this day. His eyes burn red as he tries to purge the voice from his mind. “Get out of my damn head,” he yells swatting his non dominant arm around as his gaze returns to the fight at hand.

"Dumb brat..."

Getting back into the fight, he whips his blade forward to strike Deimos, aiming for his head, but the demon reacts instantly as a claw of purple spectral energy launches in a counterattack at him.

Swiftly moving to the side, he dodges it landing a counter strike along the demon’s back clipping one of his wings. “Grrr,” Deimos grits his teeth as he turns his head. “It seems you’ve re-entered the fray boy; nice wings you've got there, but I think mine look better.”

Deimos tauntingly spins around before lunging at Joshua fangs bared. The demon king barrels into him as he's sent reeling into the ground. Cratering the earth on impact. “Urgh, damn you.” Joshua spits out blood as cracks began form on his armor. The leather as well beginning to fray. Slowly returning to his feet, Joshua looks vengefully at his adversary.

Deimos, quickly after deflecting an attack from the saintess begins taunting Joshua again. “It’s truly a pity child, I planned on killing you quickly, but I'll offer you another chance. Become my right hand.” "You don't have a choice!"

The mark on Joshua’s right arm elicits a purple and black glow, burning through his armor. Joshua screams out in pain, its shooting throughout his entire body. One of his eyes turn purple in the process as some of his veins stain black.

The demon king stares into Joshua’s eyes, reeling his arm back blocking another strike from the golden-haired lass. His purple eyes hypnotically glow as Joshua’s form goes limp. Casually blocking her strikes with ease, he returns his gaze to the young mercenary.

His eyes glow a deep purple as the saintess looks on stunned. Recomposing herself, she sends her crystalline blade towards Deimos throwing it from her hands with God-like precision delivering a deep gash along his side alongside slicing off one of his wings. The blade whips itself back around as it returns to her palm; a golden tether re-wrapping itself around her wrist.

Deimos looks towards her with fury, his body in pain as the blood drips from his wounds. Reeling back a few feet, purple spectral daggers summon around him as he steadies himself to continue their fight. “You’ll regret that, wench.”

“We’ll see about that. DIVINE JUDGEMENT.” Seraphina calls out in the angelic tongue. Soon from portals in the sky, golden arrows form around her as she launches them towards him, colliding with his spectral blades as a few zip past the other. “Let him go, demon!” Seraphina screams out, her voice straining in panic.

Watching Joshua at his mercy, her heart races. Acting erratically, her emotions for him causing some lapses of judgement, she flashes from place to place, sending strike after strike his way. Looking for any openings to kill the bastard.

Deimos surrounds himself with a strange purple mist in response before taunting her. “You know, if it were just me and you, you’d already be six feet under. Why would a god go all out against a child. You’re nothing like Cyrus. and he wasn't even a real saint.”

His eyes flash black as purple energy swirls around his in palms, more blades spawning from the void. A devious grin stretching across his face. The name of her predecessor causes her to lash out and send another barrage of golden arrows his way in frustration. “By Serox, shut your damn mouth.”

“Looks like I struck a nerve my dearest Seraphina. How about I put on a show with your little boyfriend over there.” Deimos maniacally cackles out licking his lips sadistically.

“Let him go you bastard.” Seraphina growls trying to catch her breath. Her chest rising and falling with each syllable. Golden letters form in the air as a ball of light forms her hand, crackles of energy sparking around it.

“Watch me you useless saintess, watch as he becomes my puppet and takes his place at my side. I'll even give him the honor of killing you!” Deimos screams out, his eyes bulging. Venom laces his words as he floats up higher into the sky.

“No chance in hell! BLINDING LIGHT OF SEROX STRIKE HIM DOWN!” Screaming out with fury, the mass of golden light launches his way. Striking the demon kings in the face and chest, searing his flesh on impact, the explosion of holy energy burns through his body.

Reeling back, his eyes fill with fury. Slamming his hands together, beams of demonic energy race wards her. "Stupid Bitch, Die! " She continues to dance around his strikes, sending blasts of concentrated aether back whenever an opportunity presented itself.

------------------

Moments earlier, Joshua stands around in shock, his body bound in place becoming bound in purple chains. “Just like father…” He reminisces to himself, his memories recollect the patriarch having to restrain the eldest from going on rampages. Unable to move, he takes a deep breath, closing his eyes in defeat as suddenly he sees enters a place he’s never seen before.

Looking around confused he attempts to move, but before he could even take anything in, black and purple tendrils swirl around him ready to crash down. He tries to let out a cry, but what feels like a shadowy hand grasps his mouth as his eyes go wide.

“What the hell, I can’t move,” he struggles in the demon’s grasp. In a last-ditch attempt, he tries to carve a rune into his left hand with his nails, but to no avail. The mass of black and purple wrap around his body clinging to every fiber of his being.

“I told you kid; you should have just accepted my help, now you'll pay the price.” The ethereal voice mutters, it noticeably more raspy this time.

Joshua’s vibrant red eyes gloss over as they transform into a dull purple. He continues trying to break free from the demon’s grasp, but without any fight left in him; his mind is consumed by the ‘demon king’.

A dark purple and black aura cocoons around Joshua as dragon-like scales and demonic sigils stain his form all over. His once banded red and metal plate armor was now coated with something resembling the black dragon.

A few moments pass in silence as both Deimos and Sera look on in awe. Eventually the cocoon explodes, fragments of energy launching out in every direction, some hit the saintess, others Deimos himself. Tearing through his flesh he cackles. “Well that was fast. Although you don’t look how I thought you would. Nonetheless come on up and help your new master, Joshua Von Terra.” Deimos grins sadistically.

Joshua mindlessly nods his head, blindly obeying his orders launching towards Seraphina blade in hand. Seraphina goes wide eyed in shock as this form seems vaguely familiar to something she's seen before. "Joshua."

She tries calling out to him, but there’s no response. Only a blank husk. Blow after blow, strike after strike, Seraphina gets pushed to the brink. Unable to keep up with her former ally and demon king at the same time. By the mercy of Serox she’s continues to persist. As the energy of God himself is poured into her body from the stigmata. The aether passively restores her health and stamina to a great degree.

Noticing an opening, she lunges forward slicing off one of Deimos’s arms off leaving him writhing in pain. “Eat this demon!” Pouring aether into her left hand she fires a point-blank blast, slamming it in the demon king's chest as he's sent soaring backwards.

Before she has even a moment to catch her breath, she immediately senses a strike from above and spins out of the way, narrowly avoiding a lethal blow from Joshua. Taking a second to catch her breath she eyes down her two foes; flabbergasted that things have turned out like this.

Looking at Joshua a memory flickers comes to mind. A dream, a world consumed by fire and destruction with two silhouettes standing in the precipice. One she couldn’t quite make out aside from it having eight wings and having bejeweled eyes and another of a man coated in a blood red aura… Immediately her train of thought is halted as a purple dagger tears through her dress leaving her mid drift exposed.

As blood starts leaking from the gash, she grits her teeth as she chants “Regenerate" in the angelic tongue.” A thin patch of Aether like armor coats the wound as she puts her guard back up. “Don’t get distracted Seraphina, this is a battle of life and death…”

In the distance some of the remaining holy knights finally make their way into the fight. Seeing her predicament their leader cries out. “Assist the saintess and bind the puppet NOW.” All the men begin chanting in the angelic tongue in unison as their concentration of aether was much lower.

“By the light of Serox let thy wickedness be bound in chains.” A massive golden cage is summoned as chains launch from it wrapping around each and every one of Joshua’s limbs as he is quickly drug inside. Deimos is left pissed as Seraphina flies in blocking his attempt at interfering.

Despite their appreciated assistance, Seraphina commands them to get out of the battle field after thanking them for the help. “This is not a place for regular soldiers, I don’t want to see anyone else die. LEAVE NOW, THAT IS A DIRECT ORDER!” Deimos twists his head around and launches himself backwards turning towards them as purple energy envelopes his claws.

Sending the blast out, Seraphina jumps in the way. Ending up getting hit point blank, her armor cracks under the pressure as her left arm is left with a massive gash, blood now beginning trailing down her dress. "Damn it." She grits out.

Looking down, she smiles seeing the holy knights safe and sound. They follow her orders leaving Joshua bound in Serox’s light. Having a moment to himself, Deimos regains his composure and reattaches his severed arm as black tendrils wriggle before stretching it about.

At her wits end, exhaustion mounting, she chants aloud “Oh Dear Serox whose light envelopes all of creation open the gates of paradise le--- she's cut off. A purple blast to the chest shatters her golden armor, knocking her back nearly twenty feet. Speeding in front of her, he lifts his arms into the air slamming her down into the ground.

Caught off-guard, she struggles back to her feet as Deimos gloats above in the sky. “How in the world is he so strong; I can't do anything to him..." Sweat pours down her brow, her outfit now completely in tatters.