God of Nothing

The arrival of the Herald of Betrayal shook the courtyard. The crowd had mostly left the scene, save for the unfortunate ones driven unconscious by the demon king's outburst. The ones rooted by fear looked more unfortunate still, as if the sight of the abominable creature had broken their mind completely. They stood with mouths agape, unmoving witnesses of the tragedy that was about to unfold.

"Hah, hah, hah…" The exhausted Rayse felt a moment of panic for Lacey and everyone around them, especially the noncombatants. He could only hope that Aleph's calm demeanor was more than just posturing in front of the face of death.

"Return him." his master said, looking straight ahead at the demon king and her dragon. It was only then that Rayse noticed a ragged figure hardly visible from within the creature's talons. Lost walked over to Betrayal's hapless victim, as if confirming their identity.

"No." She simply answered, satisfied at what she saw. "We are not done with this one."

Figures emerged from beyond the stage, attacking the dragon from the rear. All manner of magical attacks struck the beast. Tongues of fire, lightning and wind created a deluge of destruction that came its way. But the dragon needed only to unfurl its mighty wings once again, and the magic scattered like an illusion. The multicolored stream scattered harmlessly to the sky, where it split the dark clouds of mana that Rayse removed from the populace.

The gentle morning sun peeked through, providing a surreal contrast to such a brutal creature. With it arrived a graceful figure, standing by Rayse and Aleph's side like a hero from legends past.

"Father!" Lord Vaynard called out.

Lost stood in front of the dragon, obscuring King Mios from view. In response, Vaynard's sword shone with an evil light, black flames contrasting his billowing white cape. "Return him!" He screamed.

"Would you take his place then, future king?" The demon king answered coolly. "Lord Erebos had long since desired your body."

"Wh-what!?"

"Think about it. Why do you think we had you strung up in the dungeons? If you had stayed put until I arrived, your soul would have been purged, just like this doll." She shrugged, an odd gesture given her current appearance. "Well, that can still be arranged. So what do you say? I can give it back, as long as you return with me to the spire."

Vaynard reared back, as if struck. Clearly hesitating, Rayse could tell he was mulling it over despite his side's overwhelming advantage in numbers. It just goes to show how much apprehension the prince held for the situation at hand.

"I, I–!"

Finally, seeming like his mind was made up, he began to stride forward, only for Gunglain to block his path.

"Do not do this, brother." He said calmly. Vaynard wasn't having it, though, and tried to push forward.

"Let me go, Lain! Our father, he's–"

"He's gone, Vayn. That thing isn't our father. Not anymore."

"What are you saying!?" Vaynard forcibly pushed forward, his tear stricken face pushing against his brother's stone cold demeanor. 

Sssk–

A quiet sound cut through the tense air, followed by Vaynard's gasp.

"Y-you…" The prince said in accusation, staring right into his brother's eyes.

Eventually, he relaxed and slumped to the ground. Rayse was puzzled by the development, but was horrified when he saw Gunglain's bloodied hands.

"It was the only way to stop him, you see." Gunglain smiled, but his own tears flowed endlessly. 

He picked up his brother and put him over his shoulder. Before he could do so, however, Rayse got a glimpse of a blade that was lodged in his heart. "I cannot lose any more family today, Lord Aleph. Please understand. He will wake up as soon as I pull out the blade, so please resolve this by then…" He strode through to the castle gates and out into the city, fleeing with the prince.

Lost, never once showing a hint of fatigue throughout multiple clashes, sighed morosely.

"There was a time when Lord Erebos wanted him most of all. How the mighty have fallen."

"Enough of this farce, abomination." Aleph said at last, . A pair of blue lights descended from the heavens, only to settle on either side of him. They were Aleph's force gloves finally arriving at the scene, carrying a large object covered in cloth. "Leave here before I remind your kind of the manner of destruction I can wrought."

This time, it was Lost's turn to be outraged.

"Ha! Farce? Believe it or not, the whole point of this farce was to bring you under our rule with the least amount of destruction! But with your student's meddling, well, you can see the result." 

She gestured outwards. Rayse seethed with rage. Lost was basically telling him that all this; the ruined stage, the broken king, masses of the dead and unconscious, was all his fault.

"But I suppose, I could return this empty shell of a man." Lost continued. "That is, if you can give me this one in return."

Rayse's rage turned to shock, as the demon king raised a gauntleted hand and pointed at him.

That gesture triggered even more movement. Iona, Brig and Lacey arrived at the scene, surrounding Rayse. Even Brandon, who had been beaten back by the demon king a while ago had recovered enough to stand before him. He unfurled the cloth carried in by the force gloves, revealing his sword.

Together, their mana flared, courageously aimed at the strongest being in the world. 

"Stand down, insects. I have no business with you."

"Shut up!" Lacey shouted. Her mana surged with her emotion, Creating massive balls of fire overhead. They slowly became smaller, and the heat receded with it. They hovered around Lacey similarly to Iona's orbs, but these ones were made purely of her power.

Rayse stared in awe at such a display. I didn't know she could do that.

"You're not taking anyone! Not the King, and not Ray!" The hovering stars twinkled menacingly, as if to answer their creator's resolve. 

"Yet another with potential." The demon king stood her ground, looking unphased by the stars that sprouted with nary a chant. "But alas, the Lord of the Void has no need for you. You are welcome to join, of course, but the herald slayer takes precedence.

"An empty man for a broken one. It's a fair bargain." Her outstretched hand turned palm up in a beckoning gesture. "Do we have a deal?"

"Not on your life, bitch!" Lacey stepped in once again. She began to advance. In response, the atmosphere grew cold once again.

"I'm not talking to you. Sit down, insect." Waves of shadow erupted from the ground around Lacey, devouring the area where she stood. Soon, all that could be seen was a blob of murky blackness, and no sign of the stars could be seen.

"Lacey!" Rayse cried. She eventually emerged from the blob looking no worse for wear, but was bound to the floor and forcibly gagged. She struggled madly, but could not break free with her own strength.

"Don't be so quick to refuse." it was said casually, but the threat hung in the air all the same.

"The void's embrace can restore you back to your prime and more, bringing you to new heights of power. You can bring your lover, your teacher, your friend, and anyone you please. You will lack for nothing, just as long as you take my hand." The bright purple jewel was back in her outstretched hand. It shone wickedly, and for a second, Rayse considered the offer he received.

It sounds like a good deal. A promise of safety to him and anyone he chooses. Lost, who he had come to think of as a mentor of sorts, would be with him too. It was tempting, too sweet to even consider. Except…

"Rayse." Aleph called out, and the dream was broken. Rayse looked back at the sanctum with its countless graves, the massacre at Kyrios, and the siege at Hios. All those tragedies and uncountable others, laid at the feet of Erebos. He could not abide going under such a being.

"Yeah. I know." Rayse smiled wanly at him. He turned to face Lost, face a mask of determination and heart hardened with resolve.

"You know my answer, Lost. I'm sorry." He felt he had to add that last part. Incredibly, somewhere within the domineering strength of the demon king, he felt that Lost was still looking out for him somehow. 

They stood like that for a while until finally, Lost relented.

"...I see." She turned around and casually walked towards the dragon.

"Come, Betrayal. Negotiations have failed."

The dragon stood majestically, before letting loose a deafening roar as every other able bodied mage rushed to save the king.

The dragon shielded his master with its wings as tongues of black flame assailed them both. Rayse looked to the sky to see a furious Gunglain, wielding Vaynard's blade with surprising mastery.

"Save our king!"

Several prisms of light struck a beat after his, the sheer volume of which seemed to finally damage the beast. It breathed a wave of flame, somehow burning the incoming attacks to a crisp.

"Aaahhh!" Rayse winced as he heard the screams. It seemed that the dragon's breath did a lot more than burn magic. He gripped his spear tightly and began to charge with Aleph and his friends. Lacey, who was bound several paces ahead of him, began to stir. 

She shone like the sun itself as the inky black shadow melted off her skin. The stars she conjured up earlier emerged from her, making her a bit less bright each time. Eventually, the three stars were once again floating in a line, directly pointed at the dragon.

"I'M NOT FINISHED WITH YOU!! Celestial Spear!"

__________________________________

Aleph and the rest stopped as a wave of heat washed over them. Incredibly, even while staring directly ahead, he didn't even actually see the attack, only its result. A corridor of fire had emerged as a sort of runway between Lacey and the dragon who, most astonishingly, had been blown away by the sheer force that his student produced. It crashed into what was left of the stage, dazed for the moment.

"Let's go!" Gunglain said from overhead as he flew over to where the dragon lay. A few of the mages who survived the dragon's breath followed suit, along with Iona, Carrack and Brig. They went for King Mios, who was still clutched between the Herald of Betrayal's talons.

The demon king, the being Rayse called Lost, still had her back to them. Deceit's heart, which she had been using to pull the wool over their eyes, started to shine with activity.

"!?" She twitched for a moment, looking down in confusion as the light suddenly vanished. Her bloodlust mounted as she turned, switching her gaze over to them for some reason.

"You idiot!" She screamed, and immediately, Aleph knew who she was talking about. Rayse collapsed beside him, eyes bleeding as he disrupted the demon king's spell.

The demon king advanced, spear in hand. Aleph intercepted her, catching the spear away with his now gauntleted hands. That gave way to a struggle as neither of them refused to let go of the weapon. 

"Urkkk!"

Aleph's knees started to buckle. He grit his teeth as he used every last ounce of his strength to keep up the stalemate. For the second time since Agony had captured him, he felt his strength was overmatched. Thankfully, unlike with that time, he wasn't alone. 

A shadow emerged over head, dropping like a comet over to where they stood. It was Brandon, striking down with a massive blade.

"Earth splitter!"

Refusing to abandon her weapon, the demon king settled. She let of with one of her hands, which she promptly used to shield herself from the attack.

Sssssiiikkk!

Red blood emerged from her arm as Brandon's earth splitter finally struck a meaningful blow. The massive sword embedded itself for a mere finger joint's length, but it was enough to trigger a reaction.

"Insect!!"

"Oh, so now you acknowledge me." Brandon gritted, struggling to plunge his blade even a score deeper. 

The demon king turned with her spear, displaying a level of strength with a single hand that Aleph could barely contain with two. It was followed by a trip, and two swift stabs for him and Brandon, who was sent flying with the force.

Aleph felt numb as he felt blood leave his body. He rolled back immediately, though, escaping the follow up attack he expected would come. 

Swooosh!

He felt the air split inches from his face as he narrowly avoided the strike, only to feel the hair at the back of his head raise.

"Master! Dodge it!" Lacey said from behind him.

Heeding her words, Aleph quit rolling and jumped to the side, just in time to see a small sphere of light strike the demon king in the face.

Crunch!

The sheer force of the attack, powerful enough to take a massive dragon off balance, was able to shatter the demon king's helm.

Long strands of black hair swung out of it, stained with blood and flying in all directions. She herself managed to duck, but it seemed that the attack had still grazed the top of her helm. Aleph stood back up to continue the fight, only to hesitate for just a moment. Out from the broken helm came blood, dripping and running down eyes full of hate.

The demon king staggered backwards and took a knee, unable to shrug off this latest attack. She pulled out a white stone and crushed it in her hands, letting the fine sand drop to the ground ominously. A red beam erupted from her feet, coming from somewhere within the bundle of white substance. The light expanded to cover a large circular area, bathing the surrounding area in red. It cast a terrifying light onto the demon king, who looked even more crazed than ever before. She wailed in anger, trapping every single being around the area in intense fear.

"You are all DEAD!"