Garden Of The Abyss

"Keep going! I\'ll handle this!"

Urging Iris forward, he began to cut away at the barrier of crimson, organic material.

"…Right!"

Pushing forward, she swallowed her worries and put her trust in him as she quickly approached Butcher, who stood silently with a smile.

What is he up to? Iris thought.

"Hongse!"

"Coming right up!"

Without any further words needing to be said, Iris flipped back, landing on top of the panda\'s heavy hammer before he catapulted her forward.

"Helios: Divine Rend!"

Approaching the monstrous entity quickly from above, she watched as he finally made his move, reaching his fingers inside of his own chest in a disgusting fashion.

From the bowels of his own body, he retrieved a blood-soaked cleaver before his body closed back up, slowly raising his sinister gaze to Iris.

Scarlet veins ran along the surface of its reddened silver, raising it as Butcher\'s lengthy tongue fell from his maw, caressing the blood as a sickened smile came over his lips.

Something is wrong…That weapon in his hand…It\'s soaked in such malice…, Iris thought.

"Blutesser: Slice, Cut, and Tear!"

As a crimson glow emanated from the cleaver, Butcher\'s attempted malice towards Iris was interrupted by a vicious fireball colliding against his body.

"Go! Now!"

Valerie called out, her weapon releasing a thick smoke from the released blast.

Pushing past the volatile uproar of heat, Iris released the blades of condensed light that extended from her arms, tossing them at the enigma within the flames.

The raging blaze of crimson was parted by the purified blades as they crashed down upon their target, revealing Butcher to have his chest eviscerated by the spell.

"Ah! Another…strong one!"

Not caring in the slightest for his very visible wounds, Butcher cackled before having his fit of joy silenced by another strike across the chest—this time originating from Ren\'s blade.

"…How?!"

"Did you really think some walls could contain me?"

While the fiend was distracted by his existence, Ren shoved the obsidian dagger he held deep into the killer\'s sternum.

"Release."

Just that singular word manifested a powerful blast that birthed itself directly inside Butcher, blasting him back against the wall of flesh.

I\'m glad Hongse helped me figure out the true ability of this dagger. "Store and Release"; it absorbs any residual mana and lets me unleash it all at once, Ren thought.

"Time for the real start to shine! Achelous: Three-Pronged Hurricane!"

Launching a series of water-blasts taking the loose shape of tridents, Macheo wasn\'t alone in his assault.

Moving at a heightened speed with no sound to her footsteps, Aiko reinforced her gauntlets in claws of light.

"Hey—! This is my turn!"

Ignoring the golden-haired noble\'s call, she pushed on, running alongside the tunneling Aqua as she attempted to outpace them.

Launching herself with a swift kick, her boot sank into the mushy surface of Butcher\'s chest, flipping off of him before letting loose an impact from her enhanced gauntlet.

Though she raised it only once, four of the same hits crashed against the monster in unison with her initial impact.

"Ah! Ah! Ah!"

There was no time for Butcher to react to the next attack as all of the tridents of magical aqua met their destination on his form.

"And—here—he—comes—!"

Ending the united assault, the red-furred panda spun in the air, violently generating an immense amount of force with his held weapon of bludgeoning.

The combination of pure magical energy and raw, unrefined strength bent the space around the head of the hammer just before it came down, a resulting tremor compromising the stagnancy of the chamber as it shook vigorously.

"Did you get it?!"

Standing alongside Aiko, Ren kept his arm raised as the generated winds pelted against his coat.

As if answering his question, Hongse was suddenly flung back by an unknown force.

"Hongse!"

"I\'ve got him! Wasser: Sphere!"

Acting in haste while Valerie yelled out worriedly, Macheo spawned a sphere of gentle aqua behind the flung demi-human, catching him inside its benevolent form.

While the others remained taken aback by this, Ren pressed forward with both blades in hand, watching as Butcher lifted himself from the ground with his permanent, contorted smile.

"I always wanted to give this one a try."

Ren only noticed what the fiend was talking about once he turned to face him; the right arm of Butcher had been morphed into a gargantuan form, a limb that looked like it belonged to a giant.

"Give it a shot then."

Taking the comment from the snow-haired human to heart, Butcher let out a cackle as he lifted his enormous appendage back before thrusting it forward as it carved through the air.

Sliding across the ground and ducking beneath the incoming mass of flesh, Ren spun his blades around its form before jumping back up to watch the limb fall over limply at Butcher\'s shoulder.

"Ah, I can\'t move it…"

I guess now might be a good opportunity to try it out against a real target, Ren thought.

While Butcher was hindered by his stagnant arm and overall distracted by its lack of movement, flopping it around like a dumbfounded child, Ren took in a deep breath. The others looked ready to blast the fiend with an array of attacks, but Ren gave them a simple "O-K" sign with his fingers and a smile.

Though he didn\'t outright say it, they all understood what he meant: "cover me".

"Really? Fine...Have it your way."

Macheo scoffed, but still respected the decision of the snow-haired man all the same as he let out a disgruntled sigh.

Sheathing both of his blades and standing tall as he looked the bloodthirsty fiend down with eyes that held no fear, he began the incantation.

"Hear me...Daughter of Chaos, Mother of Dreams, Death, Fate...Day, Night...Destruction."

Just from the very start of the utterances of magecraft, a bountiful, rich darkness ignited around his body, flowing with a strong wave of cold shadows.

"Oh?...Coming to me on a platter, are you…?"

Butcher suddenly squinted his eyes at the sight of the great magic being woven, lifting his cleaver to the air before in an act of fervor striking his own disabled arm with it.

"Gah! Gah! Gah!"

Repeating the repulsive strikes over and over in quick succession, Butcher managed to amputate his arm, allowing it to fall to the ground with a smile before licking his own blood from the tool of mutilation.

"Disgusting…"

Aiko\'s comment was the same thought, everyone, witnessing the act had thought, all freezing for a moment at the abhorrent sight. Even so, Ren stood there with utmost focus present in his eyes as the magical energy around him gathered.

"Let me taste your blood---!"

As Butcher dashed towards Ren, his speed put him face-to-face with the man in that one instant.

I\'m leaving all of my trust in you guys. All of you, Ren thought.

Before so much as a finger from the cleaver-wielding fiend could be lifted towards Ren, strands of powerful water wrapped around Butcher\'s form, resembling that of an aquatic ribcage.

"Achelous: Forgotten Locker!"

A knee came to Butcher\'s nose before he could even process that he had been compromised, watching as the beige-haired girl in eastern clothing was in the air before him, having hopped over Ren effortlessly.

"Light Enhance: Form Three: Slumbering Tiger!"

As per her words, the gauntlets that looked a size too big for her arms were engulfed in light, running along her arms in a form that resembled fur-covered claws. The blunt attacks she used as she pummeled Butcher\'s chest with a flurry of blows weren\'t just that; each strike also came with a three-clawed slash across his chest.

"Ah…! That one really, really hurt! Bad girl, bad girl!"

Speaking as if experiencing a high, Butcher\'s twisted words sent a chill through Aiko as she jumped back in defense.

"Blutesser: Hell\'s Kitchen!"

Finally, Butcher had managed to find his opportune moment to strike as his cleaver became engulfed in a scarlet glow, swiping it forward with its aim directed at the young girl.

"Aiko!"

Macheo yelled out, but it was too late. Even though she was far from the reach of the blade, scarlet lines appeared all across her body. She fell still to this attack, staring blankly forward before the lines released themselves into deep, merciless eviscerations on her body.

"Aiko---!"

Yelling out again, Macheo was the first one to be at her side, catching her before she fell over as her white robes quickly became dyed in her own blood. The boy with crimson eyes seemed to forget he was on the battlefield; a fact that Butcher latched onto with a smirk as he looked to prepare to introduce the same fate to the boy.

"Art of Zao Shen: Flatten!"

Interrupting the tall, patchwork fiend, Hongse barged in, spinning dangerously with his hammer carrying the generated force.

Spinning as fast as he was, the panda looked almost like a blur as he moved his unnatural, volatile self towards Butcher who smiled at the sight. Throughout this, Ren had fallen silent during his incantation having watched the girl he yearned to protect be cut up like so.

Not again...Why is it always because of me? If I wasn\'t so arrogant, if she wasn\'t trying to protect me, then…

Sinking into these negative thoughts, he was brought from the depths of his cloudy mind as the sensation of his cheeks being held between two hands came to him.

"...Huh?"

Looking up, his eyes met with the pearly blues of a being most precious to him; a face that struck the perfect balance between beautiful and adorable for him. The way her azure locks cascaded down her shoulders was so perfect yet natural.

"Focus!"

"Huh?"

Still left flabbergasted by being in such an intimate position with Iris, all Ren could muster was the default, puzzled word of humanity.

"Focus!"

Pausing for a moment as he got lost in those determined azures of hers, he finally nodded before replacing his worried expression with a smile. Getting her desired result, Iris gave him a smile and returned his nod before turning her attention toward Butcher.

"Hear me...Daughter of Chaos, Mother of Dreams, Death, Fate...Day, Night...Destruction!"

Pronounced with such vigor, this time the magical energy that gathered around Ren was much thicker with a powerful wind fluttering by his side.

"...I can still fight…"

To the surprise of Macho, the girl with neatly-kempt, beige hair sat herself up, wincing as one eye seemed to refuse to open.

"No way! You\'re not in any shape--"

"I said I can still fight!"

Yelling so fervently, Aiko clenched her fists as the words Valerie told her stuck themselves deep into her mind.

Weak, weak, weak. That\'s all I see myself as, and that\'s what others see. I\'m sick of it. I\'m tired of it, Aiko thought.

Standing herself up, the golden-haired Lucrauvian was left agape at the peculiar, fiery resolve present in the usually silent girl.

Her resolve was accompanied by Iris, who stood by her side as their sights were set on Butcher.

Moving together, Aiko and Iris both pressed onward towards the madded fiend, each step they took was in unison with the other. It was something he overheard them discussing during one of the cold nights camping in the darkness.

It\'s harder than I thought; standing still while all of my friends fight for me. All I can do now is place my trust in them, he thought.

It was hardly a sight he could get used to; watching the girl he deemed as a precious flower fight so fervently with her fists with such determined eyes. Through her tight-knit stance and straight punches, it was clear she was trained by Brahmi just as he was. Even so, she didn\'t have anywhere near the same smooth, natural flow as the abrasive outlander, that much was obvious watching her next to Aiko, who moved like a feather dancing in the winds.

"Kojin: Disaster Falls!"

The spell called out by Valerie from the backline of the battle was cast with pinpoint precision, manifesting itself directly above the head of Butcher as he was helplessly on the receiving end of the two girl\'s flurry of attacks.

A pillar of condensed flames descended upon the form of Butcher, wrapping itself carefully around his body as not a single ember found itself on either girl\'s skin. Even being swallowed by the element of crimson destruction, Butcher cackled maniacally, swinging his cleaver blindly as it reached nothing.

"Inside and out, the aspect of the night holds true to my soul, in honor of you and your overwhelming power. With this, grant me reprieve from the dangers before me."

Coming close to the release of his building great magic, Ren\'s mana amplified even further, shrouding his body in a vibrating sea of shadows as he kept his eyes tightly shut, only listening to the sounds of battle.

Feeling the rising mana signature reach its peak, the others separated themselves from Butcher\'s position, watching Ren as he finally opened his eyes with a smile.

"Be sent into the never-ending night forevermore! Nyx: Ultima Darkness!"

Placing the soles of his boots firmly against the mushy, flesh-formed ground beneath him, Ren\'s words unleashed the true form of the gathered great magic into existence as shadows engulfed the entire chamber.

Every inch of the accursed domain had its unsightly appearance veiled behind the absolute, immutable darkness as it coiled itself, spiraling about in its newly formed void.

"What? What? What?! My masterpiece! What have you done with it?!"

Watching the room be swallowed by utter darkness, Butcher shook his head so vigorously it seemed his head might fly right off.

A melodic, harrowing hum of multiple, disembodied feminine voices filled the shadowy chamber as the brunt of the darkness coalesced around the fiend.

"I can\'t see a damn thing…"

Macheo complained quietly, rubbing his eyes as if trying to cure himself of the loss of sight in such a domain.

"This is giving me the creeps."

The panda demi-human shivered as he listened to the hums come from all directions, being promptly comforted by a slap on the back by the draconic mage.

Soon the darkness that had swallowed the surrounding light began to collapse into a singular point, returning the domain to its previous state as it gathered into a sphere that enclosed around Butcher. With a snap of his fingers, Ren commanded the spell to reach its climax.

A silence filled the deathly chamber, the absence of noise and visual stimulation was just as daunting before finally--it released. The disembodied voices howled out as the sphere of darkness condensed itself further, the sounds of flesh squelching and bones shattering within it resounded.

"Nngh! Such pain, such delicious pain! Ha-ha!"

Butcher\'s voice rang out from within the shrinking mass of raw darkness before being abruptly silenced by the complete collapse of the orb, leaving nothing behind.

In place of the once existing fiend, four keys dropped down onto the ground.

"Holy--four?!"

Before Ren could relax after unleashing such an exhausting spell, Macheo pushed past him, retrieving the keys and presenting them to the rest of the group. Even amidst the brutal depths of the domain, glee was found in such a thing.

"Only two more to go!"

"Hell yeah!"

Macheo and Valerie exchanged a celebratory high-five while Ren slumped over, completely exhausted as he smiled weakly.

"This is…"

Bending down, the beige and crimson-haired girl retrieved something before Iris curiously checked what she held. As soon as her eyes met with it, they widened as her expression fell agape.

"...Crimson coins; a lot of them!"

"Almost as dyed red as you are, Aiko, you need to recover."

"That\'s right, relax so I can help you!"

Affirming Macheo\'s words, Iris placed her hands on the young girl\'s shoulders who almost didn\'t seem to understand the gravity of her wounds.

"I\'ve got you, bud."

Hoisting the snow-haired man up, Hongse helped him stand and walk, holding the young man close to his silky, bountiful fur and warm, soft body.

Ah, this is heaven, he thought.

With the battle concluding, both Iris and Macheo worked in unison to heal the various wounds that scaled Aiko\'s body. Once her treatment was mostly complete, Hongse took the burden of carrying her on his back, which was hardly a strain for him.

"Another day, another step closer to beating this damn thing."

"You\'ve got that right."

Valerie nodded her head in agreement with Ren, who led the group forward with his less-than-inspiring, lumbering steps.