- Caduceus -

Plummeting fast the serpents toil as they descend. The helpless blue oni looks on in abject horror. Thinking fast she remembered something.

“ASMODEUS! FALL TO THE EASTERN SIDE OF THE SPIRE!”

Hearing his disciple’s voice the snake momentarily regains consciousness. With a quick and powerful thrash he bounces his enormous body off the spiral. The snake does his best to aim their bodies to the ground. And then-

*BWOOMMMM

Large and small explosion litter the bodies of the conjoined snakes. The area Aoi suggested was the area they created as a no man’s land with the multitudes of mines placed upon them. Certainly not enough to seriously harm or kill, maybe not enough to even slow them down.

The intent was to create a gap where Asmodeus can escape from the White serpent’s iron grip, which he succeeds in doing!

Asmodeus flies straight up upon release. When the White serpent tries to give chase he flips in the air with a tail swipe knocking her back down. The tremors of the impact could be felt throughout the entire battlefield.

“TREBUCHETS! NOW!” Elaine shouts, they fire volleys upon volleys towards the snake!

“CATAPULTS BOWS EVERYTHING THROW EVERYTHING AT THE WHITE SNAKE!” Aoi screams til her voice cracks, all of her forces throw everything they have at it.

Lyla stood on an elevated platform with both hands outstretched,

“INFERNO-”

“YOU INSOLENT WRETCHES!!” The White serpent curses,

……

Deep within the trembling tower Akari slams her body against the cracked wall to no avail!

“Damnit! It just won’t budge!” she cries,

*Cough *cough

Taro coughs sitting up against the wall.

“Taro!” She stomps towards him angrily, “I knew it! Something is wrong!”

“Akari… Please -!” Taro pleads,

“No! Don’t ‘’please’’ me!” She says, her eyes filled with tears, “What is going on?! Tell me the truth!”

Taro looks away for a moment. She holds his hand with both of hers.

“You said we’re in this together right?! I said you can rely on me…” she looks at him wistfully, “Please…”

“I… I’m dying…” he finally relents,

“What?!” Akari says scared,

“Lucifer, when she nicked me.. I think there was poison in her nail.” Taro explains, “We’ll have enough time… We just need to find Shion, right?”

The oni thinks for a brief time.

“Shion… right..” she starts, “She’s her daughter, if anyone can cure you it’d be her, right?”

“Heh,” Taro pats her head proudly, “You’re thinking with your head a lot more now?”

“Don’t start,” she snaps with still wet eye,

She gets back up to try again.

*Cough! *Cough!

Taro coughs a few more times, when he looks at his palm he sees blood on them. He reaches for a handkerchief in his coat pocket, only to knock off the pouch necklace he wore.

From the pouch, the empty Serpent’s Tear fell into view.

“*Cough *cough Try this Akari… ” he tosses the Tear at Akari.

She catches the gem, while stealing worried glances at Taro.

Touching the stone against the pallid wall had a reaction. The shards shimmer like light on water. Fully pressing it caused the wall to deform. Akari kept pushing it further and further until-

*Crash~

A gentle crash of the wall occurs, like they were in space, the shards float in the air like they were not influenced by the natural forces of this world.

Taro gets up to see that behind the wall a hidden hall stood before them. There they see a pale girl hung by her arms. They saw Shion. The real one.

The two hear a hollow voice as they walk the halls:

“What is it you desire…?”

……

“YOU INSOLENT WRETCHES-!!” The White serpent curses,

*FWOOOOOMMMM!!

Lyla’s blast made everyone’s ears ring.

When everyone could orient themselves they held their breath in anticipation.

All they could see was billowing smoke rising from what was once the great White Serpent.

Even the revered Asmodeus warily watches in fear.

…

She snaps out like a viper and grips the Black Snake’s tail, then slamming the full length of Asmodeus’s body down into the ground. Spinning around she swings him like a rag doll against the ground and the tower.

“Gods…” David cries holding the incapacitated lyla in his arms, “Not even her Inferno could scratch that monster…”

Eventually the tail gives way and its tip rips off from the Black Serpent.

Asmodeus was launched and landed in front of Lyla’s army.

Aoi ran to her master, when she got close she cautiously approached him.

The giant’s head towers above her small stature.

“Asmodeus…” she says fearfully and stretches her hand to touch him.

Just before contact. He opens his eyes.The great Serpent gets up, billowing with rage. Aoi could see a dark aura steaming off her master.

“Asmo- ” she was about to call before Asmodeus rushes to attack the White serpent.

The massive wind pressure from his movement blew tents and siege artillery over.

Aoi’s stomach sank.

“Asmodeus, w-wait!”

“LUCIFERIII!” He roars,
“YOU DARE TO CHALLENGE ME?! ME?! YOU KNOW NOT WHAT YOU DO, CHILD!”

Lucifer moves fast, she flies to the thorns on the spiral. She coils from one thorn to the next. Asmodeus follows suit in the exact way.

“I WILL SHOW YOU THE POWER OF THE BLACK SERPENT! I WILL REND YOUR FLESH FROM YOUR BONES! I WILL TEAR YOU ASUNDER!!”

To the untrained eye it appears as though the snake was simply trying to escape the other by coiling and turning into different thorns, but after the both serpents coil around a thorn the Spire seems to glow a bit more ominously.

Aoi who noticed this cries out to him,

“ASMODEUS! Calm down! She’s-!”

Finally the two wrap around the tip of the spear. The twin snakes coiled around the spire’s point made a profane caduceus. Their wings spread to their maximum span.

“Get out of there! Asmodeus!” Aoi screams,

But it was too late, the snakes activate the tower. The ground shakes as it coils further into the heavenly realm.