The Lore of Vritra
In the depths of the Forgotten Abyss lies Vritra, a being born of chaos and destruction, a demon whose name is feared across dimensions. Once a celestial Serpent tasked with maintaining balance, Vritra fell into darkness after his heart was corrupted by greed and rage. He slaughtered entire civilizations, devouring both mortals and gods alike, leaving scorched earth and ash in his wake. Legends tell of his dark flames that could burn even the soul, his scales harder than any weapon, and his aura, which paralyzed even the most fearless warriors.
Eras ago, Vritra was sealed within the Abyss by a coalition of deities, his power too great to destroy outright. But his seal weakened as time passed, and rumors whispered that his madness had grown during his imprisonment.
Arrival in the Abyss
Ravihiro and Samael stood at the entrance of the Abyss, a desolate wasteland shrouded in black mist. The air reeked of death, and every step forward felt like dragging oneself into the mouth of a monster. The oppressive darkness seemed alive, whispering in their ears, amplifying their fears and doubts.
Samael chuckled nervously, "This place makes me miss the scorpions... At least they didn't mess with my head."
Ravihiro smirked. "Focus. If you lose yourself here, you're as good as dead."
Ahead, a faint glow pierced the gloom. It grew brighter, revealing a massive cavern surrounded by obsidian spikes. At the center of the cavern, a colossal figure sat on a throne of bones and molten rock. Vritra's crimson eyes opened, glowing like twin suns. His scales shimmered black and gold, his body a mix of dragon and serpent, with massive wings that seemed to blot out the light.
"So, the insects have come to die," Vritra's voice echoed, a rumble that shook the cavern.
The Battle Begins
The moment Vritra rose, the entire cavern trembled. Lava erupted from the ground, and the air turned suffocatingly hot. Ravihiro summoned Kageha, his blade glowing with the power of his previous rings. Samael coated his arms in a green, venomous mist, his expression uncharacteristically serious.
Vritra struck first, unleashing a torrent of black flames that twisted and screamed like lost souls. Ravihiro barely dodged, his Ryugan activating to track the flames' erratic movement. Samael retaliated by hurling poisonous spears at Vritra's eyes, but they shattered against his impenetrable scales.
"We're just ants to him," Samael muttered, his grin returning. "This is going to be fun."
Ravihiro lunged forward, using Shadow Formless Sword, his body vanishing into shadows to deliver a devastating slash across Vritra's chest. The blade struck true but barely left a scratch. Vritra roared, his tail whipping toward Ravihiro like a battering ram. The impact sent him crashing into the cavern wall, blood spilling from his mouth.
Samael dashed in, releasing Venomous Tempest, a swirling storm of poisonous mist and corrosive acid. The attack engulfed Vritra, the acid eating away at his wings, but Vritra laughed.
"Pathetic. I have faced gods. What are mortals to me?"
Descent into Madness
As the fight dragged on, Ravihiro began to change. Bloodied and battered, he started laughing, a low, guttural sound that sent chills even through Samael. His eyes glowed with a dark, crimson light, and his aura became suffused with an unholy power.
"Do you hear them, Samael?" Ravihiro said, his voice distorted. "The voices of all the beasts I've killed... They're singing to me."
Samael didn't respond. In his own berserk state, his quiet demeanor replaced his usual chatter. His movements became methodical, every strike aimed with surgical precision.
Ravihiro unleashed Tandav: First Form, the battlefield shaking as ethereal blades rained from the sky, each one striking with the force of a meteor. Vritra roared in pain, parts of his scales cracking, but his retaliation was swift. He summoned chains of molten rock that bound Ravihiro, dragging him into the lava below.
"You will burn for eternity!" Vritra bellowed.
But Ravihiro emerged from the lava, his body cloaked in hellfire. His laughter grew louder, more deranged. "Burn me? I'll show you what true fire is!" He activated Tandav: Second Form, his flames fusing with his sword. The air itself screamed as he swung, severing one of Vritra's wings.
Samael's Final Gambit
Meanwhile, Samael climbed onto Vritra's back, injecting his Necrotic Venom directly into the beast's spine. The venom spread like wildfire, causing the dragon's movements to slow. Vritra bucked and writhed, but Samael clung on, stabbing his poisoned daggers repeatedly into the same spot.
"Just die already!" Samael growled.
Vritra roared, summoning shadowy apparitions to fight alongside him. Ravihiro countered with World of Scales, creating a dome of bladed scales that shredded the shadows upon contact.
The Final Strike
As the battle reached its climax, Vritra unleashed his ultimate attack: Eternal Calamity, a black sphere of destruction that consumed everything in its path. Ravihiro and Samael combined their powers, Ravihiro using Sword of Gravity to create a concentrated force field, while Samael poured all his venom into the barrier to corrode the attack.
"You think you can defeat me?!" Vritra roared.
"Not think," Ravihiro said, his voice cold. "I know."
He summoned all his power, channeling it into one final attack: Heavenly Tandav Strike. His blade, infused with the power of all his rings, cleaved through Vritra's attack and struck the beast's heart.
Vritra let out a deafening roar before collapsing, his body disintegrating into ash.
Aftermath
Ravihiro absorbed Vritra's soul, forming a crimson-black ring: Ring of Cataclysm, granting the ability Cataclysmic Blade, which unleashed devastating energy capable of annihilating entire armies.
As the ring formed, a fragment of Vritra's heart embedded itself into Ravihiro's chest, pulsing with dark energy. Samael, still in his berserk state, stared at Ravihiro before laughing softly.
"You're insane," Samael said, his voice returning to its usual teasing tone.
"And you're not?" Ravihiro shot back, his body trembling from the strain.
As they left the Abyss, the cavern crumbled behind them, the echoes of Vritra's roar lingering in the air. Ravihiro clutched his chest, feeling the fragment's sinister power.
"This isn't over," he muttered.
Samael smirked. "Oh, it's never over."