Higher and higher, the crystal tower grew. Veins of gold surged through the Zehirut - No, the Septuagint's body as directives even older than its taskmaster activated.
All was lost.
The only recourse was total annihilation.
Yes, it was the Judge. Nothing would be spared before it, and as Aberon's control over it faded, it blossomed like a titanic shard of death, with a roar like a thousand crumbling mountains of glass. Canyon-sized spikes burst from its surface as it grew at an alarming rate, preparing to commit to the terrible duty it had been given.
But... What was this?
Overhead, something shone brightly, like an emerald star. It vaguely registered an enormous energy signature gathering - one distinctly familiar, that should have been impossible...
Origin Law.
Reactively, it turned the entirity of its focus on the aberration, the abomination, the thing-that-could-not-be. An enormous magic circle pulsed to life across its surface, and as the hammer came crashing down, connected with its surface with a thunderous crash that sent cracks rippling across space in all directions.
It wouldn't be enough, it calculated. It would be hit. Would be damaged, but not critically. It had enough time to wipe this monster from existence, if it gathered all of its strength.
He had taken Aberon, but it mattered little. He too, was not exempt from its verdict.
Particulate gathered in the heart of the crystal behemoth - a swirling storm of biblical proportions, as it prepared to snuff the Geminion out of existence with equally overwhelming force-
With a sonic scream, the black form of Ze'ev's mount charged from below and behind the Septuagint as it threatened to block out the sky. The man within it curled his features into a grin, eyes alight as the G-forces pressed into him. The dark shape twisted into a black wing, bursting through magic circles that pulsed into being in its path - once, twice, thrice!
Like an enormous arrowhead, the black jet slammed into the underside of the Septuagint-
And in that moment, pinned between two unstoppable forces, even the unstoppable crystal mass could only part. James' hammer and Ze'ev's fury met one another in its heart - and everything went white.
Only six enormous wings, stretching out between the two of them, as all of creation parted, leaving James and his nemesis, balanced on the tip of infinity for the briefest of moments that seemed to stretch for a lifetime. A world of nothingness, the kind that the followers of Lasfitot had dreamt of for so long, temporarily enveloping them.
"The Sun Eater is no more."
Ze'ev raised a finger... and pointed it at James and Merida, giving him a smirk. He knew what had transpired, because of course he did.
"Good!" He laughed, spreading his arms wide.
"At last, you've become someone worthy of my time, James Steelheart! No, rather..."
The shattered space around the two collapsed, reality "healing" the wound caused by their clash, picking up the pieces around them hurriedly. The warm morning sun once again bloomed into the sky as Ze'ev paused, cocking his ear towards his machine. Around them, the burning chunks of the Septuagint - now mercifully inert, littered the once formerly prosperous town. Enormous, glittering towers of scorched, shattered crystal, like a hall of mirrors for giants.
All was lost.
The only recourse was total annihilation.
Yes, it was the Judge. Nothing would be spared before it, and as Aberon's control over it faded, it blossomed like a titanic shard of death, with a roar like a thousand crumbling mountains of glass. Canyon-sized spikes burst from its surface as it grew at an alarming rate, preparing to commit to the terrible duty it had been given.
But... What was this?
Overhead, something shone brightly, like an emerald star. It vaguely registered an enormous energy signature gathering - one distinctly familiar, that should have been impossible...
Origin Law.
Reactively, it turned the entirity of its focus on the aberration, the abomination, the thing-that-could-not-be. An enormous magic circle pulsed to life across its surface, and as the hammer came crashing down, connected with its surface with a thunderous crash that sent cracks rippling across space in all directions.
It wouldn't be enough, it calculated. It would be hit. Would be damaged, but not critically. It had enough time to wipe this monster from existence, if it gathered all of its strength.
He had taken Aberon, but it mattered little. He too, was not exempt from its verdict.
Particulate gathered in the heart of the crystal behemoth - a swirling storm of biblical proportions, as it prepared to snuff the Geminion out of existence with equally overwhelming force-
"Hunt, Shurouga Sin!"
With a sonic scream, the black form of Ze'ev's mount charged from below and behind the Septuagint as it threatened to block out the sky. The man within it curled his features into a grin, eyes alight as the G-forces pressed into him. The dark shape twisted into a black wing, bursting through magic circles that pulsed into being in its path - once, twice, thrice!
"GENESIC NOVA!"
Like an enormous arrowhead, the black jet slammed into the underside of the Septuagint-
And in that moment, pinned between two unstoppable forces, even the unstoppable crystal mass could only part. James' hammer and Ze'ev's fury met one another in its heart - and everything went white.
Only six enormous wings, stretching out between the two of them, as all of creation parted, leaving James and his nemesis, balanced on the tip of infinity for the briefest of moments that seemed to stretch for a lifetime. A world of nothingness, the kind that the followers of Lasfitot had dreamt of for so long, temporarily enveloping them.
"The Sun Eater is no more."
Ze'ev raised a finger... and pointed it at James and Merida, giving him a smirk. He knew what had transpired, because of course he did.
"Good!" He laughed, spreading his arms wide.
"At last, you've become someone worthy of my time, James Steelheart! No, rather..."
The shattered space around the two collapsed, reality "healing" the wound caused by their clash, picking up the pieces around them hurriedly. The warm morning sun once again bloomed into the sky as Ze'ev paused, cocking his ear towards his machine. Around them, the burning chunks of the Septuagint - now mercifully inert, littered the once formerly prosperous town. Enormous, glittering towers of scorched, shattered crystal, like a hall of mirrors for giants.
"Ambriel the Dawn Breaker. That... will be your name."