The Seventy-Third God

"I don't know," Ray quivered. Those words were rare from him but he couldn't think with all the exhaustion. The sigil of creation came at far too big of a cost. "We can only try and hope we succeed eventually."

 Aria surveyed the battlefield. "You survive as many hits as possible while we do damage and forget about defending Meline, Ray, and Celine. We have to focus on attacking only if we want to bypass his immortality. That is my guess," she said with calm and heavy breaths.

 Seeing the man come after them in the distance, Ken did as told and performed a leaping strike. However, he aimed for the floor this time instead of the god and crashed heavily. 

 *Boom! A loud shrill rang the battlefield and the ground cracked everywhere. This was Ken's intent as it allowed Celine to raise several large platforms of stone and use them to shield Ken in danger.

 The god blitzed towards the flamboyant man but lost velocity when the walls interrupted him. Just as he was in arms length and began to decay Ken, the same magical force sent Ken upwards. 

 Again, the squad repeated their attacks of lightning-fast sword strikes, volleys of thousands of sharp objects, and even holy beams of light from Melina. They endured and persevered together but couldn't win against the man's immortality.

 The god came for Ken again but he couldn't be stopped this time. Celine was far too exhausted and Ken could barely move himself. Everybody watched in horror on the battlefield as the vibrant decay slowly engulfed Ken when the god got close enough. Ken could not move and help wasn't coming. All their resources had been spent and more in this battle.

 "Shit!" Celine cursed and tried to act in time to save Ken but nothing could be done. She expected to see the god's triumphant look but instead saw him look relieved. "He is also exhausted?" She thought and prepared to continue the battle but the god had already appeared at her side!

 He pretended to swing for Celine but his hands actually moved to the figure at her side, Melina. She wasn't made for close range battles and the god's hand went through her skull easily. "I finally got rid of that annoying weakening field," he said arrogantly but Celine saw another sigh of relief wash over him.

 He turned and saw Celine breathlessly on the floor and slowly walked over. He wasn't psychopathic, he walked slowly because he was also exhausted beyond belief just like Celine surmised. Celine crawled away in horror as she couldn't even use her sigil nor her legs at this point but could only watched as she was about to submit to decay.

 Just as the hand approached her, a faint gust of wind flew by and Celine was roughly grabbed. Aria had carried her and ran out of sight. The rolled and tumbled after Aria stopped and both fell onto the ground. They were both silent for a moment. "He's killing Ray right now," Aria mumbled with tears in her eyes. She so desperately wanted to do something but couldn't at all because she already had a huge decaying wound on her back because of saving Celine.

 "He's weak like us right now but we can't beat him head on. We need a surprise attack," Celine proposed her plan.

 "I'll pretend to be dead. I already have the wound for it," Aria coughed out. Celine wanted to say something but the look on Aria's face made her hesitate. She had never seen her friend so determined and emotionally lost. Aria was always somebody who rarely showed emotion but she was crying right now at the loss of her lifelong companions.

 Celine's expression softened. In any other situation she would laugh at her friend and mock how she finally decided to open up a bit but it was impossible now. She believed her final moments would be coming because she would serve as the bait so her life flashed before her eyes. Thinking about it, Celine never really understood the way she felt or why she pursued power. She followed everybody else like a lamb, but that all changed when she met Aria and her companions. Celine finally understood that she fought for them and not because she truly enjoyed power but she had never realized it.

 Those thoughts, they made her feel something that she thought she closed off a long time ago. It was a deep feeling of wanting and needing to be with someone that cherished her as well. There was only one person who she could share that feeling with. 

 All of this piled up and Celine struggled to speak to Aria. "Aria, I-," she paused. "I want you to not use lightning when you surprise attack him. It will throw off the surprise." There was no use telling Aria when Celine knew she was going to die as bait. Celine didn't want to ruin Aria's life after this because of her awkward feelings.

 The duo's plan sprung into action as Celine rose to one knee as high as she could and looked at the man with decaying hands. "A bunch of mortals was able to nearly kill me, the 37th god. How pathetic on my end. I have lived far too long to die by your hands," he sneered and tried to quicken his walking pace but couldn't.

 "Well, I am being significantly weakened because my divine power is constantly being destroyed by the tower. My Divine Kingdom of Eternity or my immortality even protects me from the tower that's why I am the only god allowed in here," he was dangerously close to Celine now. Almost within arms length. The man was speaking but wasn't stalling at all. He clearly wanted this battle to be over immediately.

 What he hadn't noticed was a woman crouching below him moving slowly and silently. The duo's plan had worked spectacularly. Aria had brought her bright blade that was the peak of human engineering and Valerian magesmithing to a ready stance. She was prepared to cut off his legs because she couldn't reach any higher without getting noticed.

 The man hadn't expected a thing when he suddenly felt a sharp pain near his knees and crashed to the floor. Aria's blade disintegrated upon the first touch on the man's decaying legs. The 37th god hadn't died but started cursing profusely at the two.

 "The tower doesn't have the strength to kill him and he will have strength to recover his legs soon. I need to kill him but no other sword will pierce his body," Aria clenched her fist and said to Celine.

 "You'll die if you use your fist. There must be another way. How can you be so sure the tower can't kill him if he is like this?"Celine profusely protested.

 "He would've already died by now. I cut him in half earlier," Aria looked at the squirming body and knew she had to decide quickly.

 "But-"

 "You were ready to die earlier as bait," Aria's voice cracked for the first time in her life. Celine looked over saw endless tears streaming from her. "On this journey, I've realized that the power we attained and trials we conquered meant nothing. Seeing everybody die, it made me realize that they were more important than anything else. For that reason, I will not let you die," she cried so profusely. "You do not have the strength to kill him so let me save you. Please."

 Celine cried deeply seeing the state her friend was reduced to. With nothing to say, she choked up. "Any last words?" It sounded taunting but it was an earnest question.

 "Celine, I-" she paused. "I think you are the most courageous and kindhearted idiot I've ever met. I watched you prepared to die and I envy you because I lack the same resolve. I'm scared. I don't want to die. But my shaky resolve is why I am so willing to die for your future. Never stop being annoying, Celine. Never change, Celine. Those are my last words."

 "That stutter," Celine cried out so intensely that every other pain in the world seemed to pale in comparison. Even the gods outside the trial could hear her cries. When Celine wanted to profess but didn't to let Aria live happily, she stuttered the same as her. Aria hadn't known but this act told Celine what Aria really felt. Celine knew Aria wanted to confess so much more than what she said but didn't want to ruin Celine's future because Celine had felt the same way.

 All the duo could do was hold their silence as Aria had killed the 37th god with her hands. Following that, her hands fell off and the decay spread to her chest as she stopped moving.

 Celine's eyes blurred as a small altar appeared in the center of the slab but she quivered. "Was this really worth it?" She questioned. All that she lost and all that she endured for this one moment. Was it worthwhile? If she had known this was the outcome would she have chosen to live peacefully? She pressed forward.