Chapter 27 - Hope Emerges From Disaster

Destiny dug her long fangs through the tough muscles within Noctis's body.

"I've never had a black stag before. So far, you don't taste half bad."

Her colony of snakes swarmed the slums, pushing back the beast army with their vast numbers.

Each snake slithered through the streets with purpose.

"My family… they are being murdered right in front of me… again."

Nick watched his army being dismantled and chased away just to survive.

It brought back a memory of his mother and father still being alive.

Before Demon Rabbit Lord Axel brought his young colony to the Human Kingdom.

"Not again… don't take them away from me…"

He heard his beasts cry for help as they were swallowed whole by snakes.

A flashback hit Nick so hard that it felt like a flashbang.

And the one person he saw in that memory was…

Demon Rabbit Lord Axel.

"That monster is taking everything from me again, Noctis…"

Nick's morning star swelled with power.

"Not this time… not again…"

The morning star doubled in size, slamming down onto Noctis's mane.

"It's my turn to fight for you all, just like you all protected me!"

The morning star's spikes grew longer and deadlier.

"I always wanted to be a gentle beast tamer."

Nick walked over Noctis's nose, his vengeful eyes locked onto Destiny.

"This is my final stand against that damn Axel…"

"WARDEN!"

Nick jumped off Noctis's nose, falling with a corkscrew spin toward Exe and Destiny.

As he pulled the staff down with him, the morning star followed as if it were flowing with Nick's movements.

Destiny looked up with her right eye as Nick came down.

"What does that little human think he is going to do with that weapon?"

Exe stared at him as he came down with a graceful spin and grabbed his staff with both hands.

Exe's eyes went wide with shock.

"Destiny! Brace for impact!"

Destiny didn't get to finish her sentence.

"What are you going on about—"

CRASH!

Nick brought down the morning star with the maximum amount of force he had, smashing it against Destiny's snout.

Her eyes snapped shut from the impact.

Her jaws loosened, releasing Noctis's body.

Nick landed on top of Destiny's eyelid.

"Noctis! Shake her off!"

Noctis shook his body violently, but Destiny's embrace was still deadly.

From the slums, the two black stags that had been with Noctis before showed up.

Noctis sat down on the street with Destiny still wrapped around him.

His eyes glowed pitch black as he turned and stared at them.

"Do it!"

The black stag with the missing antler lowered his head.

From his scalp, an antler made of obsidian broke free.

The stag with the wounded eye slammed his two front hooves onto the street, cracking the ground.

GRRR-NNN-GHHH!

His wounded eye ripped open, exposing a new obsidian eye as its replacement.

GISHI… GISHI…

His teeth grew wild.

Sharp.

Dangerous.

He charged, lowering his head toward Noctis.

His antlers became encased from base to tip.

Both stags rammed Destiny's body off Noctis, pushing her onto the street.

BAM!

Nick charged at Exe with his morning star over his shoulder.

"Prepare yourself!"

Exe gritted his teeth and gave Nick an annoyed look.

He yanked the scythe out from Destiny's head, severing the connection feed.

He kicked back from his position, dodging Nick's downward morning star slam.

Destiny raised her head from the ground.

"So you have more friends than just this human child, beast."

Destiny's eyes turned upward, trying to see what was happening above her head.

Noctis's hooves pawed the ground.

He kicked up the street with each scrape.

His muscle fibers swelled with strength, forcing the wound to close.

GUGI… GUGIGI.

"I'm coming, Nick!"

Noctis charged with his head low, his courage steady as his two black stags pushed themselves forward to help Nick in his time of need.

They all came to a halt after Destiny moved her head side to side, showing that Nick was still in her clutches.

Destiny laughed with a little sass at the end.

"Ha ha ha… haaa."

Her tail rattled with an order.

Two Hell serpent generals rose from the ground.

"I have my own children, too."

They were both the same size as the two black stags, and both had emerald eyes.

One had purple scales with one black line going down from its head to the back of its tail.

"I'm here, Mother."

The other had black scales with one yellow line going down from its head to the back of its tail.

"At your order, Mother."

Destiny hissed with her tongue.

SHHHH-KYAAAA!

They slithered fast toward the two black stags.

The stags ran together to another part of the slums, with Destiny's offspring following them.

Noctis stared above Destiny's head.

Nick was pushing Exe back.

"Please, be careful, Nick."

Nick held the staff with one hand, pulling it downward.

The chain and deadly morning star connected to it came crashing down toward Exe's head.

"This is going to finally end!"

Exe skipped to the side, twirling his scythe and tangling the chain, bringing Nick closer to him.

As they got closer, something moved inside Exe's jumper as if it was waking up.

Exe yelled for the thing inside.

"Ren!"

She climbed from deep within Exe's jumper, crawled around his side, and plopped herself atop Exe's head.

Her eyes shone violet.

Nick pulled back the staff, forcing them into a tug-of-war.

"Let go, Exe! You aren't a tamer!"

Exe gritted his teeth.

"As if I need to tame anything."

He pulled his scythe toward himself harder.

His eyes shone gold.

"I am the prince of the Demon Empire. I was born into demon royalty!"

Destiny smiled after hearing that.

She moved around the slums, keeping her distance from Noctis without removing her gaze from him.

"Child, I don't know how long I can keep you balanced. Kill him quickly now."

Exe slammed his foot against Destiny's scales.

His hands began to crackle with purple electricity.

He tightened his grip on his scythe.

He pulled back harder, forcing Nick off his feet.

"I'll be sending you to Hell, Nick!"

Nick flew past Exe, still holding onto his staff as he was sent upward into the sky.

Then Exe snapped his scythe downward, bringing Nick back down like a meteor, straight toward the streets of the slums.

"You'll make a good meal for her family!"

Exe dissolved his Blood Scythe back into his body, forcing Nick to fall by himself.

The colony of snakes showed up on the street with their eyes on Nick, their mouths wide open.

Each one crawled over the other, trying to reach him faster.

Nick fixed his form as he fell.

He opened his arms and legs, slowing his fall.

Noctis and Destiny didn't even see the bird coming.

HYUUUU—!

Warden snatched Nick by his jumper.

Warden stared at Destiny as if he were staring at prey.

Destiny felt insulted by the way Warden looked at her.

She blinked once, thinking it was her imagination.

Twice, realizing Warden dared to challenge her.

"Creatures with feathers and wings deserve to be eaten whole."

Nick raised his head, staring at Exe.

He pointed at him like he was a target.

"Drop me back, Warden."

Warden didn't move.

He hesitated as his eyes stayed locked on Destiny.

Her body coiled like a spring, ready to lunge the moment he entered her range.

Nick raised his staff, and the morning star turned dull for a moment.

"I order you to follow my command, Warden!"

The morning star smacked across Warden's chest.

As it returned to its deadly form, Warden's wings grew in size, and his feathers turned razor sharp.

His eyes glowed bright sapphire.

KREEEEE-AAAAAAAAH!

Warden dove down with his wings closed against his body, Nick still in his claws.

Destiny's eyes followed Warden like a predator, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Warden came in like a missile.

KYAAAAAA—!

Destiny lunged with the intent of swallowing Nick and Warden whole.

Warden spread his left wing and made a sharp turn, dodging her mouth.

HISSSSS—AAAAAH!

He opened his right wing and began scratching the side of her body.

Nick ran across Warden's wings, spinning his body and meeting Exe as he formed his Blood Scythe.

Exe blocked the morning star as he twirled his scythe like his teacher, Demon Rabbit Lord Axel.

"Why am I thinking about that old man now?"

Exe blocked the morning star, then Nick pulled it back.

Exe remembered what Demon Rabbit Lord Axel told him while he was learning the Warren Path.

Deep within Hell, in the colony of demon rabbits, Exe had been pushed into training by his father due to inheriting his bloodline.

"The path is paved in red, little Prince. If you run out of blood before they run out of lives, you weren't worthy of the burrow. Make them pay back every drop you spend."

The flashback ended like waking from a nightmare.

Exe caught the chain again and brought Nick closer.

"It's over, Nick!"

Nick headbutted Exe in the face, breaking his nose.

The crack echoed between them.

For a moment, Exe's vision went white.

A cut formed on Nick's forehead.

"I'D RATHER DIE THAN LET THIS CHANCE SLIP AWAY!"

Warden hovered in midair.

He flapped his enhanced wings once.

Hard.

Toward Destiny's face.

Razor-sharp feathers rained down like hail against Destiny.

She shifted her head to the side, forcing Exe off balance.

"CRAP!"

Nick Spartan-kicked Exe in the chest, knocking him onto his back.

Nick raised his staff with his foot over Exe, intending to smash his face with the morning star.

"It's over, Exe!"

Noctis didn't move.

He waited for Nick to finally finish Exe off.

Warden's barrage of feathers stopped.

He began to breathe heavily from the strain of the tamer's enhancement.

Destiny opened her eyes and felt Exe in danger.

She shook her head wildly, forcing Nick off balance.

"Stay still, you SNAKE! I'll be done quickly!"

Nick pulled his staff over his shoulder, dragging the morning star from the ground.

He struggled to keep his balance, sweat running down his face.

Exe covered his nose as he struggled to breathe through it.

"DIE, EXE!"

BA-GYUUUN!

Frank's shot didn't hold to its mark, but it went through Nick's shoulder as he pulled his staff.

Nick's arm dropped to his side.

His grip on the staff released.

It fell atop Destiny's scales.

"Why is that weapon still here?"

Destiny stopped shaking her head, and Nick fell to his knees beside Exe.

They both stared at the golf ball-sized hole through Nick's shoulder.

Nick's face went pale, and his good hand reached over to the wound that passed through his shoulder.

"…Huh?"