The Grand Chase held their stances ready. Fighting through their weakened self with their unyielding spirit their remaining source of strength.
While everyone else stood at one side, Rin, Dio and Ley floated in the air surrounding the Demoness.
The circular hall was silent. With nothing but the rumblng of the earth, the sound of falling rocks and dirt and the ominous sound of the dimensional vortex beneath them.
"Why return Demon?" Dio demands holding his Death Star in its Blaze Lance form.
"Oh... Nothing much." she answered with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Just coming back for what is rightfully mine, your Majesty."
Dio didn't react at the childish mockery. He simply turned his attention to the very person that holds the Demoness' attention and what he saw had him frowning.
"That woman... Aack... Used to be... Arrgg... A Royal Guard... of Kanavan"
The boy, –Ronan– his words echoed in Dio's mind. Wondering even if that were true, why hold such level of obsession?
'Is there a deeper connection between them? No. Not possible, he was not yet born when she became what she is now, that much I am sure of.'
Dio's train of throught ended as the Tower suddenly began shaking even more so than before.
From above, chunks of the ceiling fell and from the cracks appeared a familiar five eyed giant demon with four tentacles.
"...the Beast of The Apocalypse..." Dio remarks.
"Tsk!" Dio rushed forward, lance aimed at the Demoness' heart.
Kaze'Aze dodged with ease, and shooting a black orb at Dio's back. Lire shot her arrows attempting to stop her only for the Beast to block her efforts with its near torn tentacle and the orb exploding at Dio's back. Ley retaliated with her own darkness, supported by Rin's beams of light. And while Kaze'Aze took the effort to dodge Ley's attempts, she ignored Rin. Letting the reincarnated Goddess's attacks fall empty.
The others tried to join sending the remaining ranged attacks much like Ronan's [Brash Gram] where he sent three lances made of explosive rune magic at his enemy. But despite the explosions, when the dust settles all that remained was a smiling Kaze'Aze who simply found their attempts–
"Amusing."
With but a wave of Kaze'Aze's hand a massive wave of wind sent them toppling. Less of the spell's power and more due to exhaustion. Elesis could no longer deny it, they are ill-fit to face such a creature.
Her eyes looked to Mari who was going through a translucent bluish screen, typing through the same keyboard with inhuman speed. But in the end, the girl shook her head no with defeat shining reflecting through her eyes.
"...Ok. It's time to retreat then." Elesis turns to her comrades a d commands. "Provide cover and cross to the other side."
In response to her words, Rufus unloaded both his shotgun –Executioner– while his gatling–gun –Arbiter– cooled itself down. Lire and Arme sent both enchanted arrows and spells ranging from frost spears to fireballs. And with effort, Ronan joined them releasing [Bram Gash] and [Lunatic Force] in quick succession.
Up in the air, Dio recovered enough to continue his battle against Kaze'Aze. Keeping her focus against him with Ley continuing her support and attack.
Rin on the other hand was forced to shift her attention to the badly wounded Beast of the Apocalypse. She uses her innate capabilities to create personal talismans and blessed skills where she would focus her attacks on the remaining limbs of the creature. Preventing it from being a threat or a distraction to the already chaotic battlefield.
And while Rin worked with desperation, Ley fought with manic rage. Summoning Taurus' giant reverse jointed leg, his fiery purple breath to even his Dragonic and obsidian–scaled arms.
The rest of the team started crossing the teleportation platform that Mari had created. One by one each crossed to the very gates of the entrance and those that did joined in on the fray as they unleashe their range attacks ranging from Jin's [Chi wave] to Asin's [Shuju bomb].
As more and more crossed to safety, the more Elesis felt uneasy.
'Its All happening according to plan... as if she's letting us!' Elesis thought but try as she might, she couldn't picture what her true aim was.
"Go." said Lass.
Elesis was hesitant, but the determination from the white haired half-breed was familiar enough that she knew it would be foolish to question.
She gripped Ronan's thighs tightly and ran... only for danger to scream at her senses.
Elesis looked up and saw Dio and Ley distracted both by the Beast and the mobds. Allowing Kaze'Aze to create a ball of death. Surging from her palm and traveling at slow enough speed but getting larger and larger as it went. Till it was twice as big as a warhorse by the time it reached her.
Elesis didn't stop but forced to escape and reach the portal platform before it was destroyed from the impact.
"[Laser Cutter!]" Lass' voice tore through the noise and in a flash of silver, Elesis smiled wide as the Demoness' attack was rendered useless. Cut clean in half.
Elesis followed the trail of light and saw Lass, kneeling atop a floating platform with his Nodachi halfway back it's scabbard already.
Kaze'Aze looked displeased, an expression that stuck with her as she sent a whole volley in her direction. Again, Lass intervenes as he reapears just between Elesis and the orbs.
"[Phantom Blade!]" Less unleashed a barrage of slashes in front of him. His hand turned to a blur, his scabbard unmoving yet the sword hard turned to nothing but curving flashes of light forming a tight net that protected her.
Elesis felt elated and just a meter away from the portal– *swish! *Shatter! Everything slowed for Elesis as her eyes watched an obsidian blade pierce and shatter the platform like glass.
A spark erupted from the device and then –*booom! the platform exploded.
Elesis screamed as she felt herself hurling into the void. Her hand found purchase at floating rock, with her fingers curling as much as she could at the ball sized debris she was clinging onto.
Panic then surged into her veins and she turned looking for Ronan. Finding him slumped and unconscious at a floating platform. His still form slowly sliding off of it.
Explosion after explosion erupted far above and looked up to see Ley struggling against the clawed hands of Kaze'Aze wrapped tightly around her throat. Ley opens a rift beside her, sending Taurus' giant clawed hands against Kaze'Aze, only for the rift to suddenly fizzle out making the rift and the arm vanish in a plum of purple smoke.
Dio on the other hand felt the shift and felt himself overflowing with power.
With a forceful unfurling of his wings now twice their wingspan and glowing blue in luminescent light. He surged forth, only for Kaze'Aze hold Ley in front of him and squeezed. The grunt of pain leaving Ley's lips froze the Demon King midair.
Long enough for the Beast of Apocalypse to strike at Dio with the spoked end of its tentacle. Dio grunted at the attack and was thrown off to the side, successfully defending himself with his Devil Arm.
He stretched his hand summoning his scythe to him. But again, the Beast kept pushing towards him sending two more of it limbs and pin Dio down.
Rin did her best to attack and while she is doing damage to the creatur, it ultimately ignored her.
Realizing her efforts proved pointless, Rin focuses instead on Kaze'Aze. Drawing on the Divine power resting within her, she gathered them till they condensed into a single point and released it in an explosion of light.
Everyone fought the urge to look away from the sudden blinding light. And as Rin emerged, all felt relief flood through them as they gazed at her familiar Goddess form.
She appeared nearly twice as tall as any human. Garbed with revealing white clothes that looked transparent under the right light and a pair of white, feathery wings each as tall as a grown man. Equipped with golden accessories around her bicep, her ankles and golden claws attached to her fingers.
Light gathered above her palm, condensing in-between her clawed fingers. And with a point at the Beast of the Apocalypse, it flew at blistering speed and *BAAANG! exploded like the mightiest thunder ever heard.
The Beast flinched, screeching as a large chunk of its right jaw was obliterated but the Beast still refused to let go of Dio. She turns her attention to Kaze'Aze, and in barely a blink, Rin was immediately in front of her.
She clasped her hand around the Demoness' throat. The Divine flowing from within Rin made a searing noise as wisps of smoke emitted from between her fingers, coming from Kaze'Aze's neck.
The Tower was in a standstill. Not the mobs, not the Beast nor the Grand chase made any noise.
"Release her." said Rin.
Her disembodied voice, as if a mix of three different women echoed from her lips. But Kaze'Aze only smiled.
"Now~ why would I do that?" the Demoness said so innocently as if all were ok. It made everyone scowl, gripping their weapons ready.
Rin made her threat more pronounced by pouring more Divine Energy from her body. It made her skin shine more brilliant, and her wings take on a golden hue at their edges of each feather. The reaction was instant, more smoke emitted at their point of contact where Kaze'Aze's own dress looked to be smouldering at the edges and the searing sound of her skin echoed through the silence.
"Incarnation of the Divine. You actually think this power would mean you victory. Oh child... you forget one important thing..." Rin showed her confusion till– "Why do you think I'm using my hostage?"
Like an invisible tsunami, Rin didn't know it till she felt it. A thick tide of darkness that smothered her light. Dropping pure pressure from all sides that made her looked like a candle snuffed out by a breath of dark.
*Hummmm!"
The very air in the Tower of Disappearance trembled. Catching the Grand Chase by surprise, as a terrible pressure pressed against their hearts. The pain instantly brought them all down on their knees.
"Hahahaha!" her laughter cut through the tension. With an unfurl of batlike wings with magenta membranes, Kaze'Aze caught within her grip the unconscious Rin, dangling the helpless girl by her neck.
"Oh child... even with all the power of the Agnesia! you could not hope to defeat me within my own domain! This is now MY tower! I decide who has power here! Something you should have realized by now!"
"AHHH!" with a burst of [Black Space], Dio slowly freed himself as his corrosive magic started eating away at the offending tentacle pinning him down. Black sparks of lightning shattered the armored flesh into broken chunks, further destroyed by the purple misma that is engulfed within the black sphere that melted what little remains.
Ley's eyes snapped open with her horns glowing with demonic power. She held her palm against Kaze'Aze's face, casting her spell at point blank range. But the spell died in her throat as Kaze'Aze –whos eyes and hair wrapped horns had started to glow just the same– suddenly squeezed her throat with strength Ley didn't know she had.
Freeing himself Dio summoned his Death Star Scythe and shifted it's form into the Burning Lance and rushed forward at great speed.
Kaze'Aze smiled widely and with a mere thought, she sent six obsidian spikes towards Dio. Each spoke empowered by Demonic Flames much like Dio's own.
*BAAAANG! the thunderous explosion displaced whatever dust or smoke they would have created. Revealing how Kaze'Aze was able to hold the Demon King, Dio into a standstill.
Enraged at the challenge, Dio pushed through. Taking in more Demonic Energy within himself. Pushing back ever slightly.
Kaze'Aze felt it first before the sound reached her ears. *crack- It was small, but she could feel her powers failing against her foe. Her own blades are far too inferior to match against a tested relic that the Demon King holds.
With a desperate attempt, Kaze'Aze focused on her control of the tower and allowed more Demonic Energy to flow from the very dimensional rift that the tower stands on. While simultaneously crushing Holy Energy, and snuffing out more and more powers of the Divine, not caring at how she is also empowering the two Demons.
And as the balance of power shifts in her favor, Kaze'Aze's grip slowly began to crack the Goddess' kneck. Success spilling golden blood from her wounds.
"AAHHG!" she shifted her attention at the cry of pain and felt her mortal heart pound against her chest. She saw the entirety of the Grand Chase on their hands and knees, each feeling the pressure she had imposed into the very tower itself.
Now that she is seeing it, she could finally put to rest her curiosity as to how such gathering of teens managed to get as far as they did. Defeating Monsters worth of Heroes, Legendary Creatures known only to myth and even defeating Gods.
'A group of Celestials... It is no wonder then. But that also proves...' Kaze'Aze turned to him. Unconscious, yet clearly in great discomfort. To think that one of her descendant could show the potential of Divinity at such a young age.
With all the trials the young man had gone through. It would only be natural that his potential exceed hers. But at the same time... once word of his deeds reached home...
'They would fear him... Hate him... Condemn him... Just like they did to me.' her memory flashes before her, the anger of the royal families and the barely hidden smiles of those she called family as she was casted out with nothing, not even her name for safekeeping. 'Never again.'
Ronan would need guidance, that much she had decided on.