The Day of Reckoning

With slow, almost tranquil steps Mars found his way through the maze-like corridors of this cold, ancient temple, echoes reflecting back with every move, every inch he moved closer to his target. Breathing was somewhat difficult, the Second Seal not used to the vessel he was bound to. He was still locked within his cage, and as such, this manifestation was only a fraction of the Nephilim's power. He hadn't been free for a long, long time, and the confines of a mortal body were straining to say the least, though ultimately, this wouldn't matter. The time where he would be in control of this body would be limited, and as a consequence, the Lord of War would naturally have to make the best of it. He had access to his very own magic, the runes on this vessel's body glowing, flickering with crimson light, red sparks of arcane energy arching across the sanguine scripture. Mars' grin was wide, unchanging, though seemed to intensify ever so slightly at the thought that shot through his mind, his eyes narrowing as he raised his hand to his chest.

"I reject the chains that bind me, I deny the cage that holds me. I offer my body, my blood, my soul. Father, release what holds me if it is time and open the Second Seal of the Apocalypse, Einherjar".

The reaction to his incantation was ... sparse, to say the least. For but a few passing moments a jagged rune would appear where he had touched his skin, the clothing torn, ripped, and bloodied from Berith's attack with the blade, though vanishing almost as soon as it had come. "Hmmm ...", the Seal hummed in a disappointed tone, cocking his head to the side ever-so-slightly in what seemed like a second of confusion before closing is eyes, a soft sigh escaping him. "This will do for now then, I suppose". It was of no matter. The time would come eventually, but today was not the day, it seemed. Since this was the case he would ultimately push on, towards the sinister source of magic that was Berith, his vile, demonic scent ever-present, lingering in the air. It sickened the Seal. Perhaps, he thought, the devilish grin on the Nephilim's expression widening once again, perhaps it was time to wipe this temple from the face of the planet along with the leader of this pitiful conglomerate of degeneracy. The thought amused the Seal greatly, who couldn't wait to finally, after centuries, once again unleash his powers, his walk transitioning into a determined rush. Soon he would again feel Berith's warm blood on his hands ...

It didn't take long for him to find a way to the hidden chamber, passing an unconscious Artorias on his way there. It seemed the knight had collapsed, Mars paying him little mind. His only target was before him, almost within his reach, just behind this hallway ...

Mars arrived just in time to witness the scene that had begun moments earlier, the older woman expending all of her magical power to heal the demon before the breath left her and she sunk into Berith, Mars chuckling when her dead body hit the floor, his deep, taunting voice echoing through the chamber. "Oh? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb your little sentimental moment. Do you want me to leave you alone, Berith?". Of course, Mars' moment would also fall on the girl and the other two members of the Dark Guild, Mars cocking his head, grinning as he playfully spun the scythe in his hands. "And what have we here? More of your ilk? Tssehehe ...". He would chuckle once more, the soft sound gradually becoming a cackle before, at once, stopping promptly, Mars' expression changing, the glare in his eyes adopting a distinct tint of earnestness. "It matters not. One demon, ten demons, a hundred demons. In the end, all will fall to War".

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Word Count: 657

A twisted smile curling up his lips into a grimace Mars watched, stood, silently observing Berith's every move with caution, although his distinct notion of arrogance. He knew that his own power far outweighed that of this man who, through some measure, had managed to subjugate demonic power. At the end of the day, however, he was still that. A man. His ambitions, his mindset, while warped, remained human, the desire for power fueling him, so much so that he would implore the Lord of War to join him. A ridiculous, outlandish insult. Mars considered it a great favor that he wouldn't break out into cackling laughter right then and there. The very notion seemed too surreal. Would a human cooperate with an ant to form a kingdom as equals? Certainly not. At this point, however, Mars' demeanor changed. The other, in his ignorant delusions, believed himself to be on a level to make the Second Seal offers, or fight him on equal footing. Not only that, he called the girl on the altar "his", something that added another insult to Berith's list of insufferably uninformed assumptions.

"Mine? By no means, Berith. You seem to misunderstand the nature of my existence. Von Weiss, the old man, my vessel, whatever you wish to call him. He is gone. Consider him, hmm, asleep, tssehehe", the Second Seal's deep voice echoed forth, his voice resounding from the cold stone walls of the room that had been carved into the mountain. "I'm not here to save her or fulfill my vessel's foolish desires, nor am I here to accept your, tsehe, "offer". No, Berith. I am here to punish you. This-", the Second Seal paused, lifting an arm and pointing it at the 3 demonic mages before him, all that was left of Blood Seal, the grin vanishing from his face in an almost theatrical shift, the Lord of War making no mystery of his like for dramatic speech. "This will be a massacre".

The other wouldn't let Mars wait long for a reaction, either. Without delay, icy daggers would zip through the space between the two men, the Lord of War closing his hand into a cramped claw. The frigid blades stopped mid-air, losing all momentum, suspended in space for but a moment before finally, the Nephilim's magic took hold, every dagger, at once, changing color. Their frozen azure faded, making way to a sickly grey, taking not more than a second before falling apart and scattering into fine ash and leaving behind no trace of their existence apart from quickly dissipating puffs. That, however, did nothing to stop the brilliant rays of magical light from washing over his own form like an arctic ocean wave, the bone-chilling, freezing cold seeping into the Lord of War almost as soon as the light had touched him. The sting of ice bore into his flesh, the air itself beginning to freeze around his body, forming twisted crystalline structures all over any exposed portions of skin. "One last trick up your sleeve, little ant? How quaint, tsssehehe".

With every passing moment, the ice crystals on the Lord of War's skin grew, a sheet of ice beginning to engulf the left side of his face, creeping across the skin without any mercy or relent, although strangely, Mars seemed wholly unimpressed, the grin he had displayed earlier even returning to his face in a resurgence of petty amusement. The rambling of another demon behind the others seemed almost like background noise, Mars paying little attention."If this is all you have then it's time to end this. I grow bored with your antics. But ... rejoice, Berith!". The Second Seal's movements had become noticeably stiff, still, Mars raised his arms in a victorious pose, a deep, cackling laugh bursting from the depth's of Mars' frozen lungs. "Rejoice, for you shall bear witness to true demonic power!". His brows furrowing, the vessel's expression was twisted into a hateful grimace once more as the sheet of ice covered the Lord of War's left eye, the wide, toothy grin contrasting the trembling pupils of the Nephilim.

Naturally, Mars was not one to make empty threats, either.

Beneath the ice that coated his face, a burning carmine lit up where the left eye had been swallowed just moments before, steeping the frozen mask on his face in a sanguine red. Simultaneously, Mars released his unshackled magical essence, an unbearable pressure filling the chamber, the stone ground around his position splintering and cracking with a thunderous roar. Around them, the mountain began to rumble faintly, rippling waves of magical force resonating with the earth that formed this temple. An aura dark as moonless night engulfed the Second Seal, the ice that had formed on him boiling away with a steaming hiss before spreading throughout the room, filling it with a sensation that was colder than even Berith's ice, causing within every living being a reaction that awoke one of their most basic impulses: Deep-seated, primal fear. One thing, however, pierced the darkness, a single eye, the sclera bloodshot and entirely steeped in the same carmine hue as before, a pupil radiating with a darker crimson suspended in its midst, a dark, reptilian-slit parting the ocular in two through the center.

Before anyone could react, Mars, with a swift, lightning-fast movement, raised his arm again, the two demons that remained in the chamber with Mars, Berith, and the little girl from the West Fiore Trading Company, feeling their bodies freeze up before being lifted into the air. Unceremoniously, the Second Seal closed his hand into a fist, the blood in their bodies following the magical command immediately. With the sound of ripping tendons, breaking bones, and tearing muscles, their bodies twisted around their own axis, Mars wringing them out like sponges as blood, along with everything else their forms had previously contained, splattered onto the ground below them with two dark and ominous splashes. "Whoops. They break so easily, don't they? Looks like we are alone now, Berith, but do not worry". The wide grin would grow even wider, the Second Seal drawing intense pleasure from the despair the leader of the dark guild would undoubtedly feel, "Rest assured that I will take my sweet, sweet time with you. Tssehehehe ... TSSAHAHAHA"

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Word Count: 1,047
Word Count Total: 1,704