|
alpha mephistotle's defeat
The atmosphere in the throne room is suffocating. The mere presence of Mephistopheles is almost unbearable. You can feel your senses being dulled. You must concentrate. One misstep against Mephistopheles and it could easily mean the end for you. As Mephistopheles steps off the throne, the ground splinters and fissures open up along the ground. This is not the same Mephistopheles that you fought back in the Land of Water. At first glance, its hard to recognize this is the same foe but the feeling you felt as you encountered the demon-possessed Cefka is the unmistakably the same.
Mephistopheles: Do you tremble at my true form? When I fought you in your pathetic world, that was only but a portion of my strength. Here in realm, my strength is unfettered. You were barely able to defeat me then. What chance do you have of standing against me now?
You: I will defeat you no matter the cost. Your reign of tyranny shall end here even if it means my life.
Mephistopheles: You insolent fool! Then this shall be your end and I will ensure that your death shall be a long and painful one.
As Mephistopheles marches towards you, the oppressing atmosphere grows, causing your head to throb. You can hear the screams and wails of tortured souls within your head making it hard to concentrate. Your vision blurs, and sweat pours down your forehead. You continue to retreat upward, so that you can formulate a plan. You can see Celesta visibly struggling as well.
Mephistopheles: If you truly want to stop me, why do you run?
You know Mephistopheles is right. You must quell the fear inside yourself and face him. There are no guarantee that you will be able to defeat him. But if the fear exists within yourself, all hope is lost. Perhaps that is the sign of a true hero. Someone who can put themselves into battle no matter the stakes. You feel a warmth in your hand as Excalibur starts to glow. It was only moments ago when sword was lifeless in your hands. Perhaps the blade channels the might of the user… The throbbing inside your head subsides and your vision comes into perfect focus. You run towards the end of the cliff and launch yourself at Mephistopheles. Your boldness catches Mephistopheles off-guard and he is barely able to raise his arm in time to block your attack. Excalibur plunges into the forearm of Mephistopheles as he roars in anger.
Mephistopheles violently flails his arm, and you are thrown across the room crashing against the throne room wall. The impact jars Excalibur from your hand and it slides across the floor only to fall through the fissure. You run toward the fissure, but there is no sign of the great weapon. Before you have a chance to dwell on the lost sword, your attention is quickly brought back to Mephistopheles as he descends upon you. As Mephistopheles rumbles across the throne chamber, parts of the ceiling start to collapse. His massive right fist comes toward you, which you barely dodges. He whipped his tail around. You jumped in the nick of time. You weren't so lucky the next strike. His left fist propelled you halfway through the throne chamber onto a marble pillar. The force of your impact cracked the once solid column. Mephistopheles grabbed your head with ease, lifting your entire body. He laughs. Your body was flung and slammed over the broken pillar. A deafening crack resounded in your mind and body. Your spine, your backbone! Snapped and broken.
Mephistopheles: Human, do you know why you are not dead? Simple. I want you to witness the rebirth of this world under my reign of terror! You will live to see all of it!
All of a sudden, the large marble throne room doors burst open. Reinforcements! The Dwarves, Elves, Knights, Paladins, and Angels! Leading the charge is Vulcan. He must have gathered the allies when you were journeying up to Heaven. Mephistopheles attention quickly turns to the invading army. The Dwarven warriors, carrying their large battle axes, swarm to encircle Mephistopheles and ferociously charged into Mephistopheles. Although many are quickly decimated by the strikes from the great demon, but some successfully break through and start chopping at the legs of Mephistopheles. The Elven archers launch volley after volley of arrows at Mephistopheles. Although they are seemingly mere annoyances to Mephistopheles, unable to pierce his demonic hide, the Elven barrages distract the demon long enough for the Knights and Paladins to attack the flank of Mephistopheles. Meanwhile, legions of Angels and Phoenixes swoop down, striking at Mephistopheles when opportunities present themselves.
Your heart swells at the sight of all your allies cooperating to take down the great demon lord. However, at the same time, you are lying helpless on the broken pillar. Right then, Celesta appears by your side along with Zarevok and Elin. Zarevok and Elin easily moved your immobile body from the pillar onto the floor. The pain was so blinding you literally lost vision.
Celesta: I can mend your spine but only partially. I do not have all the necessary power to cast a greater healing spell. It should help, but you will still be limited. It will also take some time since your spine is severely damaged.
You: Thank you, Celesta. Do what you must, but hurry. Our allies will need aid!
A warm glow emanates from Celestas as she murmurs cryptic, magical incantations. The feeling in your spine is unsettling as you feel bones, nerves, and flesh mend. The pain subsides, but barely. You can feel your legs again. You turn your eyes back to the battle with Mephistopheles. Your allies are doing the best they can, but you can see they are slowly losing the tide and momentum as the demon lord slowly but surely eliminates each of your allies one by one. Mephistopheles snatches the Angels in mid-flight and fling them to the far depths of the throne room as if they are just dolls. A truly frightening scene unfolds as Mephistopheles inhales and unleashes the flames of Hell upon your allies. Even though you are quite distant from the main battle, the heat seared away the hair of your uncovered limbs. Numerous lives of your allied army are lost with that one, single attack.
Celesta: I have done the best I can. Be careful.
You slowly and shakily rise to your feet. Your entire body bombarded with pain, but there is no time for that.
You: Zarevok, your Cleaver! I must join this battle!
Zarevok: Sure, Boss!
The cleaver is heavy, almost unwieldable but it will suffice. You rush toward Mephistopheles. He is distracted by the remaining Silverlight Angels. Here is your chance! You run towards the right trying to avoid Mephistopheles field of vision. You drag the heavy Cleaver along the floor and with all your might raise it above your head. Your target? An eye for an eye, a spinal column for a spinal column. You bring down the Cleaver with all the strength you can muster. The Cleaver penetrates the red flesh of the demon lord. Mephistopheles unleashes a deafening roar of pain. He whips his massive tail around. The tail hits you square in the chest, instantly knocking the wind out of you. You are again sent flying, losing your handle on the large Cleaver. You land with a thud against the marble floor. As you open your eyes, you see Mephistopheles marching toward you. He has wiped out all your allies. In the distance, you can see Celesta lying motionless. Is she alive or dead? Your pupils focus onto Mephistopheles.
Mephistopheles: You humans are all alike. You hang on to your worthless hopes and dreams. However, the one and only truth is me! I will rule and enslave your kind. Despair shall spread across the land like a plague, and I will break you.
Mephistopheles, is he right? You were the last hope for man, and this is the result: your allies are all gone, Excalibur is lost, and the demon lord will enslave all of the living world. Is there anything you can do? You close your eyes and weep. The tears rolls down your face and hit the cold marble floor. A faint, holy glow appears in your blurred vision. Silhouette of an Angel? Is this your escort to the afterlife? Have you already passed on? You move towards the light, and it glows brighter and brighter. Your hand reached out to shield your eyes. Something touched your hand. You closed your fingers. Your touch can recognize the familiar indentations of the warm grip, the nicks on the golden pommel, the perfect weight and balance. You open your eyes. Excalibur? Why is it in your afterlife? You know it was lost, so why is it here now? All of this feels real. Just as real as the Excalibur you were wielding during your journeys.
A large crash brings you back to consciousness. Mephistopheles is two strides away from you. You try to gather your wits, and you realize Excalibur is in your right hand. How? You muster your last bit of willpower and strength and raise the blade. You feel a strange power course through your body, and a blue glow envelops you. You close your eyes again, but this time you envision your target: Mephistopheles chest. You recall memories of all the people in Valeria as well as the allies that have helped you on your journey: Strider, Dragan, Sophia, Penelope, Zarevok, Vulcan, and of course, Celesta. You know the fate of all the living is upon you, but you cannot help but to remember the memories of your closest friends. The power coursing through your veins can no longer be contained. Without opening your eyes, you thrust Excalibur in front of you. You feel the sword sink deep into flesh. The blade meets little resistance. All is quiet. Peace and calm washes over you.
You open your eyes. Mephistopheles stumble backward grasping at his gaping wound with his two enormous hands.
Mephistopheles: It cannot be... HOW?????
Mephistopheles falls to his knees, causing large debris to fall from the ceiling. The hole in his chest starts to expand outward, revealing a dark, endless void.
Mephistopheles: If I cannot enslave this world, I SHALL DESTROY IT!
The abyssal hole originating from Mephistopheles chest continues to expand and loose debris starts to fly towards the vortex. If Mephistopheles is true to his word, it appears he will destroy the Kingdom of Heaven with his death. What will happen if the abyss destroys the Heaven? Channeling energy from Excalibur has left you drained, and your mended body starts to ache again. Your allies still incapacitated. There is no hope to save them nor Heaven. You may have defeated Mephistopheles, but mankind is still doomed in the end. The trials of your journey have left you drained. You look up at the light streaming through the opening of the collapsed ceiling. Seems like a shadow from the sky begins to focus. Wait! There is something headed this way.
Azriel! She flies down and lands gently by your side. She is alive? How? She perished in your battle.
Azriel: Human... I have witnessed your deeds. Your courage, your will, and your determination. I may have.. erred on my opinion of man. Perhaps, there is can be change. Perhaps, there will be a day when war and fighting ceases. At the very least, you have rekindled my hope in the world, and now I see the error of my ways. I will pay for my sins with this last deed. Promise me, human. Live. Continue to live as you have. Be the beacon of Light for all of mankind for I see in you... a trace of the Creators.
You nod, understanding that those will be her last words. She swoops down toward the tempest of the ever-growing void from the corpse of Mephistopheles with effortless grace. She lays her hands on Mephistopheles and the void. A shining light erupts from the union of Azriel and Mephistopheles. You turned away and when you looked again. Both of them are gone. You turn your head towards the sky again. The darkened skies began to shine, and sunlight surges through. You look towards your allies, and one by one they began to pick themselves up. You limp towards Celesta.
You: We have done it. It is finally over...
|
