The two supreme attacks pushed against each other with an invisible force. The arrow shook, its shaft bending and creaking against the weight of the ball. The sphere expanded to an unfathomable size, lava leaking from spots near where the arrow had collided. The shockwaves that they created lifted me off the ground and into the sky. I was shot back away from the attacks, bouncing across the dark floor.
My arm snapped back, sending piercing pain through my body. Gritting my teeth, I fought through the pain and brought my eyes back up toward the terrifying scene. Light bent and broke where the two attacks met. The flaming ball and arrow were still in the sky, both fighting to destroy the other. Lava burnt through the ground as it leaked from the sphere; its blue glow was being dyed black by the black flames that fell from the arrow.
A loud bang blasted from the centre.
"Bang." Another shockwave blasted toward me from the centre of the collisions.
It struck me, sending me farther back.
"Bang." Another one came flying toward me.
I lifted my one functioning arm to defend myself; the fury of the wave cracked it, sending me tumbling back once again. As I looked down, I saw a deep purple bruise forming where I had blocked the rush of air. My arm was numb from the blow, faltering and falling to my side.
Shockwaves blasted from the two attacks, both battling for dominance. Loud bangs followed each one, assailing my ears. A cacophony of screams roared during the attacks. They pushed against one another, black flames and blue plasma extinguishing one another. The clash was fierce and lasted for what felt like forever. The ball of plasma dripped and expanded, while the arrow was digging deeper in.
The woman stood below the chaos, breathing heavily and bleeding from her many small wounds. She looked up at the devastation above; the only thing keeping her from death was her arrow. Her hands shook, the bow falling to the side, as she summoned her sword to her hip once again. Her hands trembled, the katana releasing from the sheath. The shaft vibrated beneath her hands, its once-beautiful glow now just a dim light. She brought her sword forward toward the destruction above. Her chest moved up and down, sharp, shallow breaths escaping her mouth. She took a step forward, and with it, the world went silent.
The air around me froze, the screams from the colliding attacks turned silent, and the colour that once clashed through the dark was sucked away. The ball of plasma was no longer blue; its colour had been stolen and replaced with a shade of white. My body followed along with the ball. My paleness turned from just an exaggeration into reality. My colour, my tone, and my palette were taken from me. The crimson blood that dripped down my body had turned to a deep shade of grey; it was the only thing that contrasted my white frame.
I couldn't move my body; only my eyes obeyed my command. The demon king, who used to be a majestic red, was now a pale masquerade. The King's body didn't move; not even a breath escaped Orobas's mouth. The king was frozen in place along with everything else in this dark abyss. I looked down at the woman, who, like me, had lost all colour. She did not move, did not breathe; she was stuck.
Who did this? Was it her? No... If so, why would she be frozen, too? I was stuck with only my thoughts. I couldn't tell if time was moving or if we were stuck in a black-and-white prison. I willed myself to move, trying to force my legs to take steps, but it was in vain. No matter how much I forced, my body could not break through.
Suddenly, the air around me started to freeze, and shivers ran down my spine. Clouds formed as I breathed. My body was stuck, but I could feel it quake. Around me, the dark world began to tremble. Deafening wails filled the silence, cracks appeared all around, and the darkness itself broke. My head felt like it was melting, like my brain was being sucked out of my ears. More cracks appeared in the dark; blinding light was seeping through them, illuminating the black world.
With one final crack, the darkness shattered.
Colour soaked back into the world, the darkness now replaced by dazzling light. The sphere of plasma and the dark flame arrow roared once again, continuing their fight for dominance. I watched the two clash once again as I regained control of my body. I crumpled as I did, but oddly, I did not feel pain; instead, it was like I had been inflicted with calm, a bliss of some sort.
The Demon King also regained motion, but it seemed as if it had not even realized it had been frozen. Its eyes flickered in shock, slightly closing from the light. Its mouth gaped, roaring in anger.
The woman down below shone; the rainbow was gone, and in its place was a deep, dark red. She walked, and with each step, the world was dyed. With every step, screams followed, dead and hollow screams. Black skulls attached to her by dark tendrils; jaws chattered as they wailed. More and more of them appeared with each dreadful step. The woman's figure was covered in black; my eyes couldn't pierce through the coverage. The only thing I could see was her outline... and her sword.
Her sword... it looked... it was terrifying. She held it forward toward the Demon King and continued to walk.
Orobas flapped high above her, looking down upon the woman.
"What have you done?"
The pressure the king emitted was immense, but compared to the woman's, it was minuscule. Roaring, Orobas began trembling. Its head lifted as small balls of fire formed around its body. In a flash, the balls rushed toward the greater plasma sphere. They connected with the blue sphere and pushed it forward. With the granted boost from the smaller fireballs, the battle that was being waged between the two powerhouses' attacks finally ended as the black flame was overwhelmed, and the arrow snapped in two.
The two pieces fell to the ground, clattering against that invisible floor. The ball of plasma descended at an incredible speed, its heat distorting the air.
While the sphere plummeted, the woman did not falter; she walked with defiance, radiating power. Her figure was clouded by darkness and black skulls. Her sword pulsated. Red, fleshy tendrils were squirming all over the blade; dozens of small eyes were plastered to it, each darting from side to side. Moving flesh attached to her hands as she held the blade tightly.
Her figure looked up at the falling ball of destruction. Compared to it, she was an ant, waiting to be squished. But she didn't try to dodge; she didn't try to run; all she did was raise her sword toward it. With her sword raised, the clattering skulls began to scream louder, the black tendrils that held them begging to snap. In each of their empty eye sockets, a light began to explode outward. The skulls began to shine brighter than even the ball of plasma; their shadowy outlines were vaporized from the inside out.
From within, tiny lights flew out and toward the woman who was clouded in darkness. Each flew into her shadow. From where each one entered, the darkness began to fade. Dozens, maybe hundreds, of lights entered her, and with them she stepped toward the ball of plasma.
With a flash, she exploded into dazzling light. It enveloped me, Orobas, and the entire world. My eyes faltered for a moment before I forced them open. I saw a sight that made me shudder. The woman was now in front of Orobas, who was still in the air. Behind her, the ball of plasma was nowhere to be found. Its heat had vanished with its form, bringing an unpleasant cold into the air.
The Demon King tried to flee from her reach but was too slow to react. With a clean slash, Orobas's head fell from its shoulders. With a swift movement from the woman, she caught it by the base, holding its eyes up to her mask. The king's eyes were wide in shock, its last feeling plastered upon its face... Fear.
Orobas's body crumpled. Its wings stopped flapping, and with them, the king's body fell to the ground. Blood seeped from where it landed, its bony wings shattered, and its limbs were bent in unnatural ways.
Above, the woman extended her arm, bringing the severed head to the sky. In a flash, a black flame engulfed the head, turning its red palette black and eventually reducing it to ash. Below, its body followed, igniting out of thin air. Ash flew by my eyes as the smell of burnt flesh filled my nose. I flinched but fought the urge to vomit.
I looked down to avoid more ash, and as I looked back up, my vision was blocked by a figure. The woman had appeared in front of me. I hadn't looked away for more than a second, but she was already here.
With my broken body, I could not run even if I wanted to, but I felt that I had no reason to fear her. I truly felt safe for the first time since I had been born.
"W-what do you want with me?" I managed to stutter out.
The woman did not answer. She just stared down at my body. She brought her hand down and grasped my neck. A scream escaped my mouth as I was lifted off the ground and brought to her eyeline. My eyes, with tears welling up at the sides, looked toward the fox mask. I could feel my throat begin to restrict as she squeezed harder. It was impossible to breathe, and all that was left in my dry throat was blood, blood that oozed faster the more she squeezed.
I could feel myself begin to lose consciousness, my vision blurred and darkened. Kicking while fighting to break free, gagging as she squeezed even harder. My broken arms rose but then fell to the side again.
The white-haired woman brought me closer.
"Wake up."
She spoke those words, but I could not comprehend them. My neck snapped, and my eyes fell closed.
My eyes opened wide, pain blasting through my body once again. The flesh monster was in front of me. I was back in the cave, and in front of me, there was something that hovered.