Chapter 9. Conduit

Axelon and everyone else ran towards the gate just as Avorion said with the ground beneath them getting brighter, signaling that their time was running short. Luckily they all managed to escape just in the nick of time, with the kingdom's pillars started to irradiate light from them. Avorion and the other four watched as they pillars started to grow exponentially bright before huge beams of light suddenly burst from the top of them. Everyone but Avorion was captivated by the beams of light that seemed to reach towards the heavens. Avorion meanwhile shook his head and readjusted Covrus over his shoulder before he started to walk away from his former home, with the snow crumbling beneath his footsteps. The sky began grow dark as the roar of thunder could be heard, with the winds picking up. Avorion scans around him, taking note of the worsening weather and called to the others, breaking their attention from the illuminated pillars.  

"Come on, we have to find shelter. My strength is almost depleted, and I don't want to be caught in the worsening weather." 

The other four looked at Avorion and back at Fortis Gelu  before following his lead. The snow began to get picked up by the wind, making them more obscure as they walked further away from the kingdom.   

The King meanwhile slowly stood up, and looked at his foe who grew extremely annoyed with the fact that he was still standing before it.  The being was enraged that it's horde was paralyzed by the now white magical circle on the throne room floor, with it's narrowed gaze becoming fixed on the King and shouted.  

"What did you do?!"

It stood there shaking with pure anger, with the King simply saying. 

"I sealed us here. This will be your prison and my tomb."

The being laughed as it never imagine that such a seemingly silly statement would be made.

" A seal, eh? Well that's quite rich, but I'm afraid I cannot entertain your poor humor any longer. I see that this incantation you've invoked has hindered the corrupted ones from taking part in this battle. It makes little difference to me really but I admit that it's quite impressive to even perform such a incantation despite not being blessed like your brothers. Howev- "

"I'm afraid you have the wrong idea, this seal isn't to hinder the corruption. It's true nature is that of purifying, but unfortunately you'll still remain. There's always something in the world too disgusting to be cleansed and unable to be saved, but your lesser hordes on the other hand. They'll will be purified, leaving no trace of the body that once was."

The King said has he clapped his hands together with white rings of light formed around his arms, with strange symbols forming between ring. The entity got a nasty feeling from this and started to absorb all the corruption back into itself in anticipation of what the King would do. This left a great number of distorted and decaying corpses all over the kingdom as it now resembled a overturned cemetery.  The blood from two fallen knights started to gravitate and going into the rings, slowly reddening the color of them until the liquids were completely  absorbed into the rings. This resulted in the once pure rings and symbols becoming crimson. Finally with the last parameters met, the King finally revealed his wild card as he spoke. 

"Absolute Fortis."

A beam of light shot down from the opening of sunlight that bathed where the King stood. The  King closed his eyes as a voice spoke from within his mind. The dark being was overwhelmed by the intensity of the beam of light, that it was forced to closed it's eyes. He then opened his eyes to find himself within the clouds, facing a glowing featureless male figure. His first thoughts when facing this figure was curiosity but he had to withhold his questions as the figure spoke in a booming echo.

"Are you sure you want to do this? You're fully aware that this isn't like channeling where you give into the fury?  It's much more extreme than the version of the channeling your two former knights used at the cost of their life span."

The King immediately recognized the voice, knowing it was the voice of the being that he once served all those years ago. The King then smirked before replying to the voice.

"Yes, without a doubt. I played my part the best I could, and now that its over. My only wish is to burn to nothing in the heat of my last battle. I gave up my kingdom, along with the lives of innocent for this one opportunity to settle things once and for all. I refuse to let their sacrifice go to waste."

The Light then replied.

"Very well then, but know that you'll extinguishing your very own soul."

The King let out a boisterous roar of laughter has soon as he heard those words.

"You think my soul burning out is a price I'm not willing to pay!? Nonsense! I am King, I sacrificed my name for my kingdom, my wife for a chance to end this madness, and now I shall made the ultimate sacrifice for the world." 

The King comes back to reality, opening his eyes with the light slowly dissipating from the area around him, his armor was morphed and glowing white from the power. His pauldrons, and polyenes where molded into roaring tigers. His chest plate having a sculpt of one in the center with a additional one on its left and right. The helmet was molded into a similar akin to those who personally served him, but instead of having the mechanism that allows it open. His new helmet was molded to be permanently shut, as he thought of himself already dead. The last  change to the King's helmet was long white mane of hair almost reaching his center back that protruded from the rear of his helmet. Finally, with this suit of armor both of them were ready, the stage was set. Nothing to hold them back but themselves. 

The dark being waved it's right hand, having the black slug like fluids leave the bodies of the poor victim's, and seeming reabsorbed it back into itself leaving the distorted corpses to be vaporized by the light of the King's  magic circle. The two beings looked at one another for a moment before charging at one another, with the King performing a double round house kick. Kicking up his right leg to hit the dark being's chest, with the King immediately switching legs to kick up at it's face. However upon the second kick, the being grabs his leg and spun around to throw him into the wall and created a small creator upon impact. It then began to laugh as its dark aura grew, growing in strength before raising it's hand up and letting a few drops of the dark liquid seep from it's fingers and lets the drops find hosts. The King unaware of this got up from the kick before clenching his left hand with light forming within and around it. The King felt a start pain in his palm as the light formed but pressed on as the light then solidified into a staff before pushing it into the ground and pole vaulting himself at the dark being. 

However to his shock his attack was blocked by the left and right arms of his elite subordinates, with their armor now stained black from the corruption that seeped into them. The two of them then repel their former King, by moving their arms to upward, to have him launch back a bit. Fortunately he was able to stab his staff into the floor below to slow him a bit before firmly planting his feet on the floor. The entity smirks as it's face slowly began to get covered by the viscous liquid before running its hand down on it, hardening the liquid so now its new face with only its rainbow irises being seen. It would them said to the King.

 "Say hello to my new toys."

The being began to laugh as several corrupted knights came into the room, they carried a assortment of weapons such as curved swords, halberds and spears. The King looks at there were seven newly anointed Dark Harbingers before his eyes, he took a deep breath and simply raised his right hand. He then motioned for them to come at him, knowing that his time was still running out. The corrupted knights charged at him, being much faster then he initially expected due to the corruption being stronger then before. In a matter of seconds eight of them were three feet away form him with last one being leaping at him. The King lets go of his staff, causing the light constructed weapon to disappear so that his hands would be free. He catches the four spear wielding knights all try striking him at once, within that split second he had focused some power into his hands before catching them. Sure focusing that much power into his hands hurts due to the nature of this power, but it was worth it considering he was able to catch attacks that would've easily punched hole into stone with both hands alone. The sudden stop of such a impact made the floor crack beneath him with his blood getting on the spear heads before evaporating. 

The King would then barely dodge out of the way of the Harbinger wielding the halberd. The corrupted knight slowly raises its head to look at him with the remaining sword users charging at him. The King took several step backs as they each took turns slicing at him and masterfully flipping over the backs of each other to prevent any kind of counter attack. The King leapt back a few feet once again but this time he used the light's power to enhance his legs, and charged towards the four harbingers. He felt great strain within his legs as he grab closed the stance between them instantly, before grabbing two of the harbingers heads and crushes them with e viscous fluids leaking from their heads. The entity irritated and orders them all to charge.

"Stop fooling around and kill him already!"

The King looks as the halberd wielding knight roars as it pointed its weapon forward and charged with the two remaining sword wielding knights grabbing both of his arms to make use her can't block. His Highness saw the incoming attack and lets out a loud roar, denying his fate to end like this. He forces more power into his right arm and move it in front of him so that the harbinger holding onto it would get ran through instead of him. Luckily he was able to pull that maneuver as only the tip of the point hit his chest plate. His Majesty watched as the halberd was caught in the guts of the now dead harbinger, he would then form a small knight in his now freed right hand to stab the other one in the head. Being free from that sticky situation brought him a great amount of relief before picking up the curved swords that belonged to the harbingers.

Upon picking up the to blades, the corruption what wrapped the blades were instantly purified and slightly modified with the handles and hilt being made of pure gold. The blade was also changed back into its original straight form with the blade itself being pure white, having small golden decals that around the entirety of the blade itself. However at this point the Lord fell on one knee, due to the stress that this form was putting on him. He was getting a bit exhausted with the form burning through almost forty percent of his soul at this point, but he had no time to dwell on it with halberd wielding harbinger got it's weapon free and charged at him with the four spear users. All of them tried to stab him at once but he easily shatter their weapons with his newly acquired swords. Within the split moment of the weapons shattering the King formed a chain that connected to the handle of his giant sword that was below where he pinned the dark entity and pulled it to him.  It only took seconds as the chains dissipated the closer the weapon got him until his weapon was finally within his hand, in which he swings with full force, turning his body as he cleaved through the remaining dark harbingers. 

The being scoffs in disappointment with the King standing before it,  with its broken toys not even laying a scratch on him. 

"I guess the saying is true. If you want something done right, you do it yourself."

His Majesty replied to the arrogant remark.

"I could've told you that a while ago, but I'm glad you finally came to that conclusion. So now can we get to the main event?"

The corrupted Queen smirks and chuckled before replying.

"I suppose there's no other choice. So let's see how long you can last."

The dark entity laughs as it got a idea to break this seal, it'll just need to play with this arrogant King for a bit. It laughs before slowly forming two black ice blades in it's palms, showing that there wasn't anything that this thing can't corrupt. This display angered the King, as it turned another thing of his wife's that he found profoundly beautiful and twisted it into something ugly. The beings rushes at each other with the entity flipping over the King the very last second to try and slash at his back. This was a fruitless attempt thought, as the King blocks with his massive blade by putting it behind himself to block. The blade dug into the ground when he blocked and counter attacked by spinning around with the massive blade. The being was caught off guard as it blocked with its ice blades, but was unable to stop the momentum of the attack. The icy weapons cracked under the strain of trying to block the power behind the massive blade's swing, with the being inevitably being launched back along with some debris. Ironically it smashed through the thrones that him and his wife use to sit upon, before hitting the rail that was behind said thrones. His Lordship looking rather disappointed as when the being got up, it looked to have taken quite a bit of damage.

It's arms were mangled with its cheeks torn, exposing the teeth undeath it. The being soon regenerated with its eyes locked onto it's advisory before letting out a scream of sheer rage towards this man that just wouldn't die. The King moved to end things, but stopped in his tracks as three black massive serpents like creatures appeared outside the kingdom. Each one was going for the pillars of light that helped secure the seal. The entity laughed as it thought the King would seemingly unable to handle it's creatures and itself at once. It then proceeded to laugh at the Lord who it thought was stubborn to try and fight against it, believing the King would burn away for nothing. However the King looked at the being with his cold green emerald eyes and simply stated.

"You think this little of me? That after spending my life preparing for your arrival, that I wouldn't have come across this situation? If so then I'm afraid you're terribly mistaken. So bare witness and give into whatever form of despair you are capable of feeling."

The King leans over and pushes his hands together with a ball of light forming into his hands. The feeling that was within his palms and chest could be described best a ten boulders compressing on those three areas. Finally after a moment of the energy charging up he threw the mass of energy towards where the serpents were, with three massive white glowing tigers appeared.  The three radiating felines let out a powerful roar, before they charged towards the vile things. The being screams in frustration as it was once again countered, looking at the King who's three tigers on his chess plate disappeared. 

"What Kind of power of you using?! You don't have any powers whatsoever, but here you are matching me at every step! What are you?!"

 The lone standing man simply replied.

"I am but a man, one chosen to stop you so that our world can finally know peace. My power is righteous, fueled by the hopes and dreams of very people whos lives you snatched away like some dirty thief in the night. You're right though, I am nothing but a man. I cannot call upon storms to strike you down, I can't burn away your bright with holy fire neither, I cannot even form spells that can make the impossible possible. Yet despite me lacking such magnificent abilities, I was never fighting alone. I know in spirit that my people call my name, while feasting and cheering me on, in the great halls of whatever paradise awaited their souls. They give me power to stand before you now, all of their hopes and dreams condensed into the very form you see before you now, and that's something you can never comprehend!" 

The King let out a mighty roar of power as white glowing energy bursts around him before punching the throne room floor and shattering the throne room floor upon impact. The King then quickly grabs his massive blade and rushes towards the window, leaping out of it as the being fell to the lower levels of the castle. The King fell through the air in a free fall, looking around to see that most of kingdom was destroyed by the conflict between their beasts with no trace of them remaining. The King then grabbed onto a flag pole below him and just like his son once did, he spun himself around the pole before letting go. The King landed in the middle of the destroyed section of the kingdom that use to be the market place. He then looked up and watches his castle as the being bursts from the rubble that momentarily trapped it, now standing on a tall pillar of debris.  The corrupted being that was once his Queen was now more irritated than ever, as it looked down at the king and said.

"Enough! I'm going to put all my power into this, and settle this one and for all!"

It declared before clapping it's hands together with hundreds of black magic circles appearing behind it shouting at the top of it's lungs.

"Black Babylonia!"

The black magic circles begin to from the darkened ice spears in front of them, showing the King that it really means to end things here. He simply chuckled but abruptly leans over before puking up blood in his helmet. His crimson fluid seeped through the cracks in his armor, before slowly being evaporated by the Absolute Fortis technique that's burning through his spirit. The King fell to his knees in great pain, with about eighty percent of his soul devoured by this fearsome technique, but he couldn't stop. There were so many innocent lives counting on him to make their sacrifice meaningful. King sat up on his knees and began laughed his boisterous laugh except it was more manic then usual, perhaps apart of him was losing it in this titanic battle but it didn't really matter anymore. He clapped his hands together and threw his arms back making it seem like he was prostrating himself against his nemesis. The King simply stated the name of this technique, smirking under his helmet.  

"Age of Fortis Gelu: Wisdom of the Masses"

The being smirked thinking that it won, with it unable to hear the King from it's position before seeing the scattered weapons throughout the kingdom become consumed by light. The King smirks as all the weapons that were consumed by light now protruding from the magic circle that covered the kingdom in its entirety. See the King still not losing the will to fight within him made the entity laugh, as it would finally put a end to this inconvenience. It's dark magic circles start releasing a endless barrage of the darkened ice spears. The King responded in kind with his barrage of weapons meeting the entity's, their attacks colliding in a endless torrent of ice and steel. However the King planned ahead secretly forming chains from the shattered weapons on the ground with plains to restrain his former wife. Luckily his plan went off without complications as the collision of weapons stopped as the being was now restrained and struggling to break free. The King closed his eyes as he held his gut in agony as he once again threw up blood, with that counter attack burning up another fifteen percent of his soul. He knew his had little time left but before he could do anything, his eyes shot open as a massive sharpened pillar of ice erupted form the ground. The attacked piercing through his stomach and raising him high into the air.

The King completely surprised by this attack, tried to remove himself from the pillar of ice. He couldn't believe it at first but he then quickly pieced together that when he was coughing up the blood his restraints weakened enough for his opponent to make it's move. The embarrassment he felt failing to noticed the magic circle forming in his blind spot that was below his torso. His vision was slowly fading as his arms slowly lost strength, with is life draining even faster now. After a few moments of struggling he finally laid still upon the massive piece of ice. While that was going on his armor's glow started flickering in and out before finally fading to a dull white color. The entity smirks knowing that all it had to do was wait until the man finally died from his injury. 

The dying man couldn't help be reminisce on his past actions that led him up to this point. He recalled the most important points in his life, starting when he was summoned by the Light to become one of four who'd protect this world. The memory was when he was bestowed with the Gift of Courage, and fought along side the other Kings who he considered brothers at that point. It was a bitter sweet memory as they left him behind after his son was born, leaving his legacy a forgotten one at best with no songs to be sang about him. All he wanted was to be remembered as his sacrifice, as something like this was far beyond what his brothers could stomach. This made him doubt his actions for the very first time in his life, asking himself one very important question. 

"Was my path a mistake?"

He shed a tear at the thought of this, has he recalled his wife. She was Princess of Dark Hearts, someone that is meant to be profoundly ugly but instead was someone beautiful. He remembered her touch and how cold it was, her gently voice that in his eyes could've quelled the temper of any man or beast with just her voice alone. She was kindness incarnate with a love for others that knew no bounds. She tried her best to be motherly to those of the knights in his court that didn't get to grow up with theirs. She would tend to their wounds, even if it wasn't that serious because that just who she was, she'd give them hot beverages on the rough nights were the blizzards were especially fierce. She did all of that while tending to their son, despite her own weak constitution.

The man then thought back to his knights, sure not all of them joined of their own volition but he really thought of them as his friends and even one of them as family. They seemed like a band of misfits, but what do you expect to find in these frozen lands.  They each longed for something and he had hoped that whenever the times were good. That they were able to fill the void in each other's hearts, with the company of one another even just a little. 

Finally he thought of his own son, who he thought was a bit off at first glance but knew that he'd shine brighter then himself one day. Axelon was the future that would one day become the tomorrow he and his wife wished for. The King knew his love wanted to protect Axelon with everything she had and so created a gem that would do exactly that before finally succumbing to her illness. The King then shed another tear, as he remembered her last words to him before she went comatose with her weakened voice replaying in his head.  

"Even if I'm not with you, I beg that you protect our son. Could you do that for me, my sweet Xavier?"

The King's eyes shot open before grabbing the front of the spike that was in front of him at this point and squeezed tightly. He then spoke his reply to the request that replayed itself in his head. 

"Yes my dear. It's the least I can do"

He coughs up blood again as he crushes the ice that impaled him, resulting in him entering a free fall. He grit his teeth as now only two percent of his life was left and had to wrap this up there and then. The dark entity was in sheer shock that someone could still be alive after that, and tried to break free of it's bindings shouting at the top of it's lungs.

"I-I am Talif, the Beast of Corruption, the one who was chosen to start the fall of this world! You can't deny my destiny. Even if you kill me, the corruption will still exist!"

His Majesty ignores it's words before he lets out a powerful roar with a ball of light formed in his left hand,  that caused pieces of his armor to be chipped off and absorbed by sphere itself. The sphere then took a long, straight form before forming a spear head the at a foot long in width and length, before the glowing energy started to flake off of it. What laid underneath the energy was a massive seven foot spear with a fiery opal gem at the center of the spearhead with the King weakly speaking the name of the technique.

"Scared Treasure: Spear of Cassius" 

 The dark being known as Talif started to trembled in fear of the weapon as if it knew the end. It watched the King descend even faster being less then a hundred foot away, tearing up as it uttered one last sentence from it's lips. 

"I-I don't want to d-"

The King crashed down onto Talif's chest in a crouched position, making a creator underneath them with the spear being plunged into the being's chest. He clenched his teeth as he tried his best to not think of this thing's body as his wife's, with Talif slowly reaching up to him with it's right hand before being swatted by away by the King before he slowly stood up and limbed away. The armor started to lose it's shining color once more as the King looked around at his destroyed home, and saw his wife in a specter like form. She smiled and offered him her hand to him as if asking him to join her. The King was shocked by the appearance of his wife,  he closed his eyes and shook his head once more to see if it was real. He then reopened his his to see that not only his wife was there, but some of the knights that served them were also awaiting his arrival. He smiled and proceeded to walk towards them with his last words.

"My life was not a regrettable one...In fact it was one forth living for, and one worth dying for All thanks to you, my darling Elizabeth."

There was now silence in Fortis Gelu, as the once proud King stand there dead on his feet within a seal that'll be capsulated by time until otherwise with nothing but the howling winds as his requiem.