Cambrian
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The Age of Chaos Ch. 15 (Original Fantasy)
🕑 Added 2025-02-24 23:00:16 +0000 UTCA/N: Another flashback scene. Specifically... the day the Heavens fell.
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“Ready to save the world, Oren?”
Oren grunts, mostly because Raythe punctuates his question by helpfully yanking another strap on Oren’s armor nice and tight for him. Giving his only friend a look and a snort, he shakes his head.
“As ready as I’ll ever be, I suppose.”
Raythe hums at that, even as he checks Oren’s armor over, making sure everything is fitted properly. Admittedly, it feels strange to be wearing the armor and wielding the weapon after all this time. They’d told him he would have special armaments for when the time came, and Oren had even gotten a chance to meet with the blacksmith who had crafted these. A monstrous prisoner captured from among the Demon King’s armies, the demonic blacksmith had been muzzled and chained down to prevent his escape. But Oren couldn’t deny that the bastard did good work.
His armor shimmers and glows in a way normal armor doesn’t, and his sword… his sword is truly a thing of beauty, shining brightly like no mundane sword could. These are the tools Oren is going to use to destroy the Demon King once and for all. If he didn’t fuck it up, that is.
“Hey. You’ve got this. You know that, right? You aren’t going to fail or falter. I know you Oren… you don’t stop until the job is done.”
His best friend’s words are a balm on Oren’s weary soul. After years of training here with only Raythe for company, he can’t deny being a little tired of it all. Sometimes he even found himself wondering what the point was. But this was it. This was the point. Finally, at long last… they thought him ready.
“You’ve beaten me in every spar we’ve had in the last three months Oren. You’ve gotten stronger and stronger. The limitless potential of the Hero sings in your blood and flows through your veins. And with this armor and that sword… you will truly be unstoppable. They won’t know what hit them. The Demon King, his Generals, his soldiers… every last one of them will die by your blade.”
Oren straightens up, feeling bolstered by Raythe’s confidence. He sounds so sure of himself… so how can Oren do anything less than prove his friend right?
“I just wish I could go with you. I wish I could fight by your side.”
Immediately, Oren shoots a worried look Raythe’s way, hearing the wistful longing in the other man’s voice.
“You know you can’t do that, Raythe. The environment would kill you in minutes. You told me yourself that what we feel on the surface up above is a hundred times worse in the Demon King’s Castle.”
Sighing, Raythe hangs his head and nods.
“I know, I know. It’s just… someone should have your back. I know you’re the Hero and everything Oren, but it pains me that you have to go through this alone.”
What’s left unsaid is that Raythe might have been able to come if they’d had enough time for the Demon Blacksmith to create another set of armaments as beautiful as Oren’s current gear. Unfortunately, things were getting worse up top. Based on the most recent reports, their window to save the world from the Demon King’s madness was rapidly closing. Any longer and there wouldn’t be a world to save.
Reaching out, Oren takes his friend by the shoulders with both hands. It seems its his turn to reassure Raythe.
“You don’t need to worry. I can do this, just like you said. I’ll go to the Demon King’s Castle and I’ll kill anything and anyone who gets in my way. I’ll take down the Demon King. I’ll save everyone. You’ll see. Now… give me my helmet.”
Raythe hesitates for a moment longer before his face firms up in determination. He hands Oren his helmet and Oren puts it on, fastening the plate helm in place as Raythe turns and begins leading him through the underground hallways. Eventually, they arrive at another room where multiple robed figures wait for them to perform a ritual that will open a back door right into the Demon King’s Castle.
Turning to face him as the ritualists begin chanting upon their arrival, Raythe looks Oren in the eye despite the helm.
“You’ll go in, you’ll kill the Demon King and anyone who might replace him, and you’ll come back. No more, no less. Understood?”
Smiling softly, Oren nods.
“I’ve got this Raythe. I promise.”
The chanting reaches a crescendo and suddenly the air rips open, a rent in space torn apart and forming a nice big hole for Oren to step through.
“I’m holding you to that promise, Oren. Do it exactly as I said. Don’t make a liar of me now, my friend.”
Giving Raythe one last nod and wave, Oren draws his Holy Sword from its sheath and stomps forward into the portal.
Immediately upon arriving on the other side, he feels the pressure. It’s like the air itself has become weighted and difficult to breathe… but Oren doesn’t struggle. He notices the change of course and detects the harsh conditions, but he’s able to push through it rather easily. That’s a combination of his status as a Hero and the magical armor he’s wearing, of course.
Still… what he finds on the other side of the portal is awful. He’s in a castle entrance hall and… there’s blood everywhere. Chains and hooks dangle from the ceiling dripping viscera. The color palette seems to be red and black and not much else. It would be rather edgy if it weren’t for all of the horror movie elements everywhere Oren looked.
He was in the right place. This right here… this was the heart of the Demon King’s domain.
“Wha- intruder! Who are you?! How did you get here?!”
And there were his first opponents. Oren can’t help but grin savagely beneath his helmet as he turns to face the group of demons that has come across him. Their armor is impressively spikey and they all have red skin with horns and yellow eyes. They snarl at him, drawing dark blades and rushing towards him when they see him standing there with his own blade drawn.
Oren sets his stance and readies himself to meet their charge, but even as they approach… they’re just so slow. Even as they swing, he can dodge with ease. And when he brings his own sword up and hews through the first demon’s neck… they can’t react in time. Everything goes still for a moment as his first kill’s head falls to the ground, bouncing for a few moments before rolling to a stop against a nearby black pillar.
And then the remaining demons all roar in fury and outrage, attacking him all the harder. Not that it helps very much. Oren laughs as their blades bounce off of his armor and his own sword cuts into their flesh, killing them one by one. This… this was why he was here. To finally slay the evil of this world. To finally free the innocents still living on this forsaken planet from the Demon King’s tyranny. Suffer not the demon to live, right?
Grinning fiercely behind his helm, Oren doesn’t stop moving. Step after step is paid for with another demon’s life as he steadily makes his way down the entrance hall. More demons arrive, but it doesn’t matter how many soldiers they bring. Oren cannot be overwhelmed with mere numbers. Not anymore.
-x-X-x-
The passage of time gets away from him a little bit, admittedly. Oren isn’t sure how long it’s been since he entered the Demon King’s Castle. Minutes? Hours? Days? He hasn’t bothered keeping track of how many demons he’s killed either. He just knows he has to kill all of the biggest, most important ones so that’s what he’s done. Methodically treating this like an RPG level, he’s gone back and forth, hunting through every room, searching for every enemy.
Most of the time, they came to him to be fair. It wasn’t so much like a video game that they were ‘static’ or anything like this. No, these were living, thinking beings… they were just also all hell spawn and deserved nothing but his blade. Again and again, Oren had killed. Again and again, the demons had flung themselves at him as if they could stop him.
He hadn’t seen one for a while now though. In fact, Oren was starting to wonder if there were any left besides the Demon King. He would-
Oren blinks as he turns a corner and something runs into his chestplate. Or rather, someone. Slowly, he looks down with a furrowed brow at the demon who just bounced off of him and landed on her ass. Red skin, yellow eyes, horns atop her head. And yet… she sits there trembling in terror rather than attacking him. She’s not even armed. Is that… a dress?
Snorting derisively, Oren considers swinging his blade out anyways for a second… before ultimately deciding against it. The fear in her eyes feels unnatural. She’s likely putting on an act and will attack him from behind, giving him reason to kill her after all. But despite every instinct telling him to just slay her before moving on… he shakes his head and steps past her.
Tense, he waits for a backstab that never comes. The demon girl doesn’t even get up off of the ground from what his enhanced ears pick up. She just sits there trembling while Oren stomps his way forward, turning another corner.
Before long, he puts the demon girl out of his mind entirely. Not because he finds more demons to kill, but because he finally finds the grand prize. A pair of massive black metal double doors that just SCREAM ‘entrance to the Demon King’s throne room’ to his senses. Grinning, the Hero steps forward and with a roar, kicks out with all his might.
The black metal doors crumple and bang open to either side, slamming into the walls and staying there as Oren stomps into the throne room. And it’s definitely the throne room. There’s even more blood and bodies dangling from hooks in here. And on other side of the circular room is a throne covered in spikes and skulls.
The Demon King himself is also there, though he’s not seated on his throne. Instead, the hulking red monstrosity is standing tall, wearing the most ridiculous armor that Oren has seen yet. He also carries a massive sword in his hands, one big enough to act as a shield with how wide and long it is.
Eyes narrowing, the Demon King snarls at him.
“You then, are the one who has invaded my domain. Hero. You know not what you’ve done.”
He’s not surprised that the Demon King recognizes him for what he is. Only the Hero could have gotten this far. Oren scoffs and steps forward, raising his shining blade.
“I know exactly what I’ve done. I’ve slain your subordinates to the last. I’ve drowned these horrific halls in the blood of demons for once instead of men. And now that I’m done with all of them, I’ve come for your head as well, Demon King. This ends today. Your tyranny comes to a close at long last. With your death, those left alive will have a chance to rebuild and make something new from the ashes.”
The Demon King stands there for a long moment, staring at Oren. Finally, he sighs.
“You are a fool, Hero. A blight on an otherwise perfect universe. Those who have summoned you… it is clear I was far too lenient with them. Once we are done here, I will rectify my error once and for all.”
Oren narrows his eyes, Raythe’s smiling features flickering through his mind.
“Over my dead body.”
Lifting his massive blade, the Demon King just grunts.
“That… is the plan.”
One might think from looking at him that the Demon King was more about strength than speed. They would be dead wrong. He is upon Oren in an instant, swinging that slab of metal he wields faster than should have been possible. He is stronger and faster than every demon Oren has faced today combined. He is simply more powerful than them in every way.
… But he is not more powerful than Oren. Trusting in the weapon that’s brought him this far, Oren raises his holy sword and blocks the Demon King’s strike. It takes everything he has… but he doesn’t give an inch. He can see the surprise in the Demon King’s eyes. The shock at Oren being able to match him. Grinning savagely, Oren takes a step forward and pushes with all his might, forcing the Demon King to disengage to avoid being forced into a stumble backwards.
From there, the battle begins in earnest. They trade blows back and forth across the chamber, with Oren roaring his defiance, even as the Demon King wordlessly matches him blow for blow. It’s easily the toughest battle that Oren has had since being summoned to this world. In fact, he would say at first the Demon King has a distinct edge on him in some ways.
… But that’s the beauty of being the Hero. Oren’s potential is limitless. The more he’s faced with adversity, the more he’s challenged, the better he gets. Slowly but surely, he starts to overtake the Demon King. Sweat coats his brow and drips down his face under the helm, but Oren does not falter.
The battle takes its toll on both of them all the same. In spite of Oren’s armor and weapon, he does take some blows that leave him tasting blood. Not all of the liquid trickling down from his brow is sweat either. Some of it is more than likely blood. But he doesn’t give up. He doesn’t give in. Raythe is counting on him. This world is counting on him.
Finally, with one last shout, Oren does it. He shatters his opponent’s armor and buries his blade in the Demon King’s heart in one fell swoop.
They go down together, the Demon King on his back and Oren kneeling over him, pinning him to the floor of his throne room with his sword. The Demon King’s own blade has fallen to the side, discarded and forgotten. Choking on his own blood, the Demon King grabs Oren’s wrists, gripping them so tightly he cannot pull away.
“F-Foolish… Otherworlder… I will show you… what you have done.”
Oren’s brow furrows in confusion because… that is not the Demon King’s voice. Originally the Demon King’s voice was deep, dark, and monstrous, with a guttural inhuman quality to it. Now his words do not match his face. His tone is rich and sophisticated, and his voice is that of a man, not a demon.
Then… there’s a pulse. It emanates from the Demon King and pulses through the throne room. Oren couldn’t even dodge if he wanted to. As the pulse hits him, it’s like the world itself is peeling away. Like an old wallpaper coming off and showing what was hidden underneath. Oren blinks rapidly, even as his view of things changes dramatically. He wrenches himself free of the Demon King’s grasp and rises to his feet, staring uncomprehendingly as the world shifts around him.
The throne room remains, but the difference is night and day. Gone are the chains and hooks and bodies. Gone are the black pillars and the spiked throne made of skulls. In their place… is a glorious, gorgeous room of shimmering white marble and golden filigree. The walls are covered in stained glass that looks more beautiful than anything Oren remembers from Earth, depicting artwork that he can’t even begin to comprehend.
No matter where he looks, the story is the same… even when he looks back to the Demon King. Gone is the red-skinned monster wearing black armor with skulls for pauldrons and kneepads. In his place is a gleaming golden warrior, divine blood leaking out of the side of his mouth as he stares up at Oren with glowing eyes.
“An… illusion, Otherworlder… one that you… labored under for quite some time. Even my true words… could not reach you… until the very end.”
No… no this couldn’t be happening. Oren stumbles forward, collapsing to his knees at the side of what he now knew to be a god. It was like the knowledge was etching itself into his mind the longer he gazed upon the divine being. This was a god… and not just any god either. This was Law, King of the Gods, God of Righteousness and Justice, High Lord of the Heavens.
And he’d killed him. Oren rips his helmet off and leans forward, tears streaming down his cheeks as he finds himself hovering his hands over the blade buried in Law’s chest. Should he remove it? Or would that just kill the god all the quicker?
“I-I’m sorry… I didn’t… I didn’t know. I didn’t know! What can I do? Please, I’m so sorry!”
Law chuckles and even though its his final moments, the god’s voice reverberates through the Heavenly Throne Room.
“God Killer… though you might be… you were just their pawn, Otherworlder. There is nothing… to be done for me now. You ask what you can do? Your weapon… your armor… they are as much a blight on Creation as you. Such armaments… were never meant to be.”
Oren doesn’t understand, but then again maybe he does. Even in their duel, it felt like his armaments were just plain better than Law’s. Indeed, while he’s certainly bled from their exchange, his weapon and armor are blemish free, while Law’s sword is covered in knicks and scratches and his armor… well, his armor is shattered.
“Take thy blade… take thy armor… and flee this place, Otherworlder. Hide them away… so that your masters may not have them. And then… God Killer… you must…”
But whatever Law was going to say next, it never comes. Those are the King of the Gods’ final words before he expires, the light of life leaving his eyes as he slumps back on the floor of his throne room, dead.
Oren stares for a moment… before hearing footsteps in the distance. Knowing what he knows now, he can only assume that they’ve entered the Heavens through the portal after him, sure of his success. They’re coming now… which means he has to flee.
Picking up his helmet, drawing the blade slick with Law’s blood from the dead god’s chest. For a long moment, Oren stares down at the corpse. He’d thought he would be happy when he finally stood over the defeated Demon King. He’d thought he would revel in his victory. He’s imagined the moment a thousand times.
No joy comes to him now though. There will be no reveling, at least not from Oren. All he feels is sick to his stomach as he flees Law’s Throne Room, as he flees the Heavens… as he just flees.
It wasn’t supposed to be this way.
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A/N: Hm, wonder what Law was going to say before he croaked?
As always, leave a Like and let me know what you think!
Comments
SpectralTime
I do think, Law, maybe you should’ve led with the whole “anti-illusion” thing. I’m not saying you brought it on yourself or anything, just that maybe killing him in a sword fight should have been Plan B.
SpectralTime
Have some time, trying to catch up.
Vysirez
I was a bit confused how he could have killed the gods without knowing what he was doing. This explains it nicely.
robopanda56
"Make her call YOU daddy!"
anony
I think his last words were “protect my daughter”. And I assume that Raythe‘a domain includes illusion or deception? Regardless, another great chapter!
Alun Lewis
The illusionary veil cast over Oren...that seems like DEEP magic if it held for so long and on both the Mortal (presumably) and Higher Plains. Or...is there a Lower Plains, where the "everything but a select location is Hell," and Oren just helped a Hades-like figure gain control via being brainwashed by Raythe? Hmmm...
TheSinful
Nothing more dangerous than a magic fighting crackhead. Just ask Crocodile. Or Enel. Or Lucci.
TheSinful
"Breed her nonstop"
Cambrian
too much of a hater LOL
Sith2go
Law kinda brought that death on himself. If i was him, then i would have used the anti-psychosis spell the moment a crazed Sauron cosplayer showed up in my wine cellar with a sword and the temperament of your average crackhead.
Mike
"you must... Bang my daughter!"
