Wrath Reincarnated

JULES

"Let's fight to the death, here and now," Jules said.

"That's very easy for you to say." Patience removed his left arm from behind his back. Alright, here we go, Jules. Piece together what his fundamental Class is, then figure out a way to exploit it.

« Impale » [Patience]

Patience's rapier Vessel lit up, but the only thing that changed was the Virtue's off-hand, where a jagged, black blade emerged from the bottom side of his left wrist. Blood's dripping out of that wound. I'm glad he can't Regenerate, but if that's how his Vessel activates, then I better be weary of that blade over the rapier.

Patience launched his nine-strike combo again. Instead of attempting to deflect every thrust, Jules spun around to the side and whacked the Sound of Fury against his enemy's head. Its orange and crimson fire singed Patience's scalp, and the pungent aroma of burnt hair filled the scorching air. The Spider ignored his festering and smoldering wound and lunged to the side with his wrist-blade. It plunged into the wooden surface of the Sound. Shit!

Jules spun his sword around and wrenched it free of Patience's clutch. Dark veiny lines extended past the splintered hole in it. At least the lines stopped growing outward. Definitely don't want to get struck by that blade.

Patience thrust once, and Jules parried it, then Patience followed up with his jagged blade again, and Jules made sure to block the strike at his forearm, and not the blade itself.

"I haven't fought like this in years!" The Virtue's eyes were wide with exhilaration, his smile cruel and wicked, even though the thin skin on his temple still smoldered to the bone below it. "Come on, Jules—Let's fight fire with fire!"

«« Darkness Flame »» [Patience]

« Fire » [Jules]

Patience's jagged blade lit up in black fire, and Jules launched a stream of flames straight at him—

Why? Jules' mouth dropped. Why isn't he defending himself? Patience held both arms out to the side and let the flames lick his body and robes, which began to burn and tatter away. His wicked grin remained, and then the fire turned black like his own and launched at Jules.

«« Ryoku Shield »» [Jules]

Though he was too late to stop the initial impact of flames, Jules' Scroll managed to block the rest. But it won't last long, and these flames won't die out. Jules was used to consumption by fire, after all his training with Kaizen, his possessions by Wrath, and his arduous training with The Painter. Combining that with his innate Wrath powers, he'd built up at least some defense to fire, but the Darkness flames were different; they never died out on their own, and would continue to sap his Ryoku and flesh until he found a way to extinguish them.

Rukia—I think I'm gonna need your white fire to combat this—

Kinda busy, Julesie!

WITH WHAT!?

Spider hunting, I've got him just in my—

The Spider is right here!

Hold that thought—Told you I'm on the hunt…

Get back here you damn fox!

She is detaining Patience's Familiar for you, Jules, Kaizen advised. But you can borrow my strength to overcome him.

CR-RACK! Jules leapt backward as his Ryoku Shield shattered, and the stream of dark flames continued straight without following him. Seems he can't control fire like I can…

Kaizen coughed in Jules' mind. Uh, did you hear me, kiddo?

Patience crept toward Jules; black flames danced around them both, burning them away slowly. Jules blocked both Rukia and Kaizen from his mind to think over his options. I could Integrate with Kaizen and end this, but comes with a few problems of its own. First of all, if Kaizen is Death, and the Black Sacrament has taken hold of Lust… I mean, that alone is daunting enough. Then again, he helped me take out Zeke. But I feel Wrath creeping in after the Shrine, and I'm afraid he'll possess me here and now. Salvos, no good option here other than to Integrate. Guess I'll just have to go to plan B.

Patience turned his body sideways and held his rapier perfectly horizontal with the ground. Jules reached in his shirt and pulled out the tsuba he'd earned from the Shrine, then slid it into place on the wooden Sound of Fury. The wooden blade hardened into tempered steel, and at last Jules held a real sword, though the blade was dull. Just another temptation to fully assemble the Sound. Ah hell, here goes nothing!

« Integrate » [Jules]

Without even having to think about it like before, Jules slotted a portion of his own soul into the Sound of Fury, and his personal awareness was fractured into two pieces. From his body, he felt the searing pain of Dark flames and growing second-degree burns and a severe aversion; but from his Vessel, he felt its raw power, and an irresistible attraction. You really are the weapon of Wrath, aren't you?

Jules dug into that awareness and desire, and simultaneously pushed the fire away from himself, from his body, and to himself, at the blade. His Regeneration began to work its magic, but—besides the Regeneration aspect of it—Patience did the same, with a smile.

The Virtue's flames concentrated around both of his blades now—the rapier and the blade emerging from his wrist. Jules grabbed the Sound with both hands and swung up and diagonally across Patience's chest. With his sword now held vertically and close enough to his body that the black flames continue to scorch his robes, Patience leaned to the left and right and danced around Jules' blows.

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He can't defend himself with either of those weapons well if I lay on a thick onslaught. I haven't figured out his Class yet, but that seems to be one weakness. Jules stepped back just in time, so the rapier only pierced his shoulder and not his Seal. He thought back to stabbing Katarina's Seal in the Shadow Realm, and fear of Wrath inserting himself took hold again.

THE TIME IS GROWING SHORT.

"Shut up, you bastard!"

LEAN INTO MY POWERS AND CLAIM AN EASY VICTORY. WITH ONE FELL SWOOP, WE CAN EXTERMINATE ALL OUR ENEMIES.

I knew it wouldn't be long before you showed up. But why does Patience hesitate? He could have stabbed me a second time just then. Patience's grin, which had surely endured through immense pain, finally faded away.

"You…" Jules began. "You hear him, too?" So that wasn't a lie. Is Wrath really your master?

"Go on." Patience looked side to side, as if Wrath were somewhere near. That's why you can control—or at least wield—his Darkness flames. Jules tightened his grip on his sword.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

Heavy armored boots dug into the sand with each step behind Jules. He felt no gust of wind, but the flames on the Sound of Fury danced and pushed backward as if they'd be swept away, or extinguished. Plate metal scraped against plate metal with each thud as the demon grew closer. Inch-by-inch, Jules turned his head away from Patience and toward the monster, but without letting the Virtue out of his peripheral.

Crunch. Crunch.

Crunch.

Jules looked him up and down. The stag helmet. The fiery, crimson eyes that shined through, and the armor fused to whatever remained of Wrath's flesh.

"How…?"

"PATIENCE, JULES. PATIENCE."

The Darkness flames extinguished at once with a whir, on both of their weapons. Jules' heart could have beat out of his chest. The oppressive heat that followed Wrath singed his skin worse than the black flames had.

"Why are you here?" Jules asked slowly. His knuckles were white around the Sound. "I never summoned you here." Wrath laughed once.

"I NEVER NEEDED YOU TO, JULES TIDESHAPER."

"What would you have us do?" Patience asked.

"MANIFEST MY POWER, MY BIRTH RIGHT, AND YOU SHALL REIGN VICTORIOUS UPON ALL TONIGHT."

"Never—"

"Deal." What!? "Integrate with me."

"But—He's not us!" Jules protested.

"TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN. GOOD LUCK, JULESSSS."

Both Wraths stared into each other's eyes, until, like the rest of his body, Wrath's finally disintegrated. The dust of his body—or his soul, Jules wasn't sure—rushed into Patience's. The Virtue held his arms out high and wide in exaltation as pure evil manifested itself across his body.

From his scalded scalp, past where his hairline used to fall, a lone jagged horn shot out, nearly one foot long and filed to a sharp, singular tip. The flesh of his bladed hand turned to black ash, and each knuckle grew pointed tips of their own, and his nails turned to claws. Pectoral muscles burst past his flesh and hardened to black iron. Patience's right eye remained in tact, but his left eye shifted to Wrath's crimson shade.

Soon, Patience's body reminded Jules of some demented chess board, with alternating segments of black and white. Fuck.

Time to Integrate, Jules. You need me.

How can we win, Kaizen? I still have Greed, Lust, and The Iron Maiden Herself to fight next—not to mention Wrath, if he tries to hop bodies!

None of which will matter if you fall here to them.

For some reason, he's only half Integrated with Patience. Maybe I'm still enough—

PRECISELY, JULES TIDESHAPER. I LEFT THE OTHER HALF AVAILABLE TO YOU, SHOULD YOU ACCEPT MY DEAL AS WELL. TWO SIDES OF A COIN, NO?

Jules gritted his teeth as Patience's transformation neared the finish line. Beyond them, he felt Cyrus and Katarina struggle in their fights. He felt their pain, and green flames flickered around Jules' eyes; his Seal burned.

Kiddo, there's only one way out of this. Patience Integrated with Wrath, you must do the same with me.

Jules glanced down at his barren chest, at his Seal. As long as he'd remembered, the numeral 7 on it would always glow some shade of red. But tonight, it'd turned emerald. Wrath's words echoed in his mind. 'Manifest my power. My birth right.'

Beneath the demonic horn and ragged remnants of hair on Patience's scalp, Jules noticed a faint outline of a Seal. Birth right…

No, Kaizen. Jules loosened his grip, then held up the Sound's hilt, close to his right shoulder. On Patience's first attack, he'd bet it all. There's one more option.

Jules…

Heya, Jules! I'm back—Wait, WHAT!?

Patience tossed his rapier aside and held up his wicked wrist blade up, preparing for to strike. Jules blocked Rukia and Kaizen from his mind again, he couldn't afford a single distraction now. Hand raised high, Patience rushed him. Jules dug his feet into the sand, ready to launch forward. He was five feet away. Four feet.

Wrath—I'll claim our birth right now.

Three feet. Jules released the Sound. Two feet. The Sound hit the sand. One foot. Patience and Wrath's blade pierced Jules' right shoulder. Jules' left hand palmed the Virtue's head, on the hair and burnt skin just above his Seal.

« Wrath »

Patience shot back in an explosion, like one from a cannon, and crashed into the nearest dune, which caved in on him and buried him beneath. Jules dropped to a knee and grabbed his newest wound, which oozed festering blood that leaked out darker than it should have. I need Tensa, and as soon as possible. But first…

Jules picked up the Sound and marched to Patience, who dug his way out of his sand coffin. When he emerged, most traces of his Integration with Wrath had disappeared.

"What the fuck—Did you do!?" he demanded. Jules' hand had left an imprint on the Virtue's head. A patch of hair was missing in a similar outline of all five of Jules' fingers, and the Seal laid exposed for all to see.

"I did exactly what Wrath wanted me to. I manifested his power, something you will never truly be able to do. I activated my Seal."

"You fucking pig! You coward! Fight me like a true man, not with—"

"Some tricks?" Jules knelt down to Patience, who scrambled backward from his back. "That what you were gonna say? Bold, coming from you."

"I will kill you, Jules Tideshaper. Just wait—" He coughed up blood.

Jules had been down this road before. He'd been firm and resolute on letting Zeke live back in Marina Veridia. Information first, execution second. But now, the stakes had changed, and there were too many loose ends on this battlefield to leave behind. He raised the Sound of Fury directly above his counterpart's head. Patience's eyes grew wider.

"N-No! Stop! You need me for the next—"

"Stop, Jules." The betrayal would never end today, it seemed, as Rukia crawled on top of Patience's head, right where Jules had intended to plunge his Vessel into.

"Rukia, I will say this one time. Move, or I'll see you when you revive."

"I will make you one promise, Jules, just one." Rukia's voice shifted deeper and darker with her next words.

"Spare his life, or I will summon Wrath to your world in his true form."

Jules clicked his tongue. "Why him." It was a statement, and Rukia and Jules both knew it referred to Patience.

"With you, he will unlock the final piece of the Sound of Fury. If you do not assemble my weapon—my masterpiece—the Apocalypse is all but guaranteed to arrive. I shall ask you once: Are you better than Death, or will you submit to vengeance in the heat of the moment?"

Jules' hands shook.

Am I better than Death?

Death!?

Jules noted Rukia's eyes for the first time. Cerulean? Not crimson anymore. As soon as he noticed, they shifted back to crimson.

"So whatcha gonna do, Julesie?" Rukia asked.

So that… Just now, that was the real Rukia speaking to me. Jules recalled the massive beast he'd fought in the Shrine. The one he'd never truly seen, but had sensed and generated his own image of in his mind. The version of you that retains her memories…

"I'll spare him," Jules said. Rukia wagged her tail, then hopped off Patience, whose face and posture dropped in relief. The Virtue let out a heavy sigh and practically melted into the sand. The relentless confidence he wore earlier had all faded away to the sheer release of someone who just begged for their life and succeeded, against their better pride. "But not without some punishment due."

Jules slashed down the Sound of Fury and removed Patience's sword arm.