Azimuth: The Elden Throne

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/BLAST!!/

/CRASH!/

Dale punched out with great force, forcing the girl back as she slid across the ground.

"HUPP!"

He followed through with another swift strike, aiming at her neck.

/COUNTER!/

/SLAM!/

The girl parried his fist by throwing it above her head with her left hand, taking this opportunity to slam her right palm on his chest.

/FWOOOOOSH!/

The impact wave was so strong the air pressure blew the stones behind Dale into the skies.

"GH!"

"!"

/SMACK!/

But he resisted it, without moving, grabbing her arm before pulling her closer and headbutting her forehead with all his strength.

/KICK!/

/BOOM!/

This was the first time the girl grew a bit startled, so taking this opportunity, he jumped and kicked her face with his right leg, sending her crashing against a large boulder.

"HAA!"

/BAAAAM!/

He ran, following up with another attack, punching her chest before grabbing her head and throwing her onto the ground before grabbing her foot and swinging her against the boulder again, causing it to shatter into a million pieces.

/FLASH!/

"!"

But suddenly, her body gleamed with blinding light, causing his skin to burn and blister.

When the light receded, the girl was now standing a few meters away from him, taking off her hairpins as she let her hair loose.

Strangely enough, even without wind, her hair floated slightly, following her head movements like algae in the water.

/Spit!/

She spat a bit of blood on the ground, wiping her lips as she smiled wickedly.

"Now that's more like it." She said as she moved her right hand to her staff, pulling a golden wisp of energy from within

"You know quite a few tricks… But you don't quite know how to use them."

"You're all over the place, like a Barbarian... Less than one even."

"Nonetheless, it's enough to deal with this girl."

"..."

Dale's eyes kept darting around as he kept increasing the momentum inside his body, getting ready for another dash.

"I wasn't planning to do such a thing, but why not?"

"Isn't there a saying for this?... You only live once?"

/Smile!/

"I like that!"

/CRACKLE!/

The Golden wisps around her hand started to change, gathering together, expanding, twisting… Releasing colorful lights all around.

They became more solid, and their color changed, from a golden yellow to a golden brown.

Atop her hand, a small squarish piece of stone formed.

It looked plain, but the eyes can trick. Believing it to be ordinary would only lead one to their doom.

It was constantly changing its shape, like air or a liquid, yet it was stone.

Collapsing into itself as it changed shapes, it gave Dale a strange sensation…

He was seeing something that defied creation.

/CRUSH!/

She crushed the rock, and it exploded like a firework, becoming multiple tendrils like the tentacles of an octopus floating in the air.

They looked gentle, like cotton, but they were stone.

"Thank you for waiting, though you weren't quite still were you?" She asked with a chuckle as she felt Dale's ever-rising energy

She raised her staff, and slammed it down.

/BLAST!/

Once again, Golden light was released into the surroundings, disintegrating the stones around them and cleansing the air of all impurities, creating a small void were no air stood.

This time, the energy wave was so intense Dale took a step back as his eyes sharpened.

By now, he already knew what this energy was, if it wasn't obvious already.

The power of the Gods, the same thing David always used when they were still together and when he performed the baptism on the Saintess.

What he was trying to figure out, however, was its origin.

If a Priest was a conduit, albeit that was quite the rough example, then what is the God? The Source?

The Divine power in front of him was so intense it could even be compared to David's, though it was important to remember he was weakened.

Nonetheless, no matter how decadent a Divine Relic was, it was still one, being qualified enough to even be compared to one is honorable in itself.

So who was the girl in front of him, or better put, who was possessing her?

Was the answer really that simple?

"This is my everything, the limit of this body."

"Warrior, Challenger, Champion… Whatever you're aiming to become..."

"Dale Houston!"

"..."

"Defeat me!..."

/ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAARR!!/

""!!!""

Just when they were about to start fighting again, a horrendously loud roar shook their entire world.

Coming from the dark depths beyond the green skies, the entire ground shook as something made its way to them.

/Tremble…/

But the ground wasn't the sole thing trembling.

"..."

At the presence of this creature, Dale's body shook.

It was something he never experienced before.

There was nothing special about the roar, only sound, power, and intensity.

Yet, his body reacted to it in such an extreme way, causing him to almost drop to his knees.

'My body…'

His mind was the first thing to recover, his empty head soon being filled with his usual thoughts.

He could feel the weakness in his muscles, the trembling on his knees, the chattering of his teeth...

"..."

He raised his still trembling hand to his eyes, trying to close it but to no avail, his fingers would not listen, it was already a miracle his arms listened.

Never had he been so shaken before to the point he couldn't even control himself.

At the very least, he hadn't pissed himself.

He was just... Immeasurably shaken.

[DING]

[Skill, Stable Emotions 4-Star has automatically activated]

[Skill, Inextinguishable Will 1-??? strengthens your resolve]

[Skill, Harmony 1-??? brings peace onto your body]

His Skills activated once more one by one, and his trembling body quickly went back to normal as his Adrenaline reached its peak.

/Baddum Baddum Baddum…/

His heart kept beating quickly as he breathed in and out, still a bit dazed.

[Skill, %!@=^#*^%! 9-Star has automatically activated]

Behind his head, without his knowledge, several dark constructs began to appear, like multiple pillars aiming at the sky.

These pillars contained a strange power within them, silent but heavy.

"..."

Their presence alone seemed to turn the world around them dark, even devouring the Golden light shining from the girl's body and staff.

His eyes quickly darkened, becoming like ebony gems, darker than the night sky.

"How troublesome." The girl said in an annoyed tone as she looked back

"... Tsk… Yeah, I know."

Tapping her foot on the ground as she impatiently thought about what to do, she eventually raised her right hand, pointing at Dale, causing him to get into a defensive position as he thought their fight would resume.

/CLUNG!/

Next to him, the sealed golden blue door manifested, causing the girl to laugh.

"Did I scare you that much? Or was it that pesky thing back there?" She asked with another chuckle as she suddenly got an idea

"It seems you have some backbone, still willing to defend yourself."

"Well, if you didn't have it we wouldn't be here in the first place..."

"... Here, take it." She said with a smug expression as she threw something at Dale

"?..."

But the moment he saw it, his expression darkened a bit.

It was a disk full of strange symbols, spiraling towards the center where the carving of a winged sword stood.

He recognized this strange object, after all, he received one not so long ago…

"You check all of the boxes, you just need some polishing~." The girl said in a teasing tone as she saw his expression

"..."

"You're quite the bore… Though that isn't the 'real' you…"

"I'll be waiting for when we can truly meet… Champion~" She said in a gentle tone as she pushed her palm in his direction

"?"

Dale felt a gentle tug around his body, pushing him back in the direction of the door.

He could easily resist it but he didn't feel like it.

[Ding…]

Without his command, his inventory opened and an item was pulled from within…

Babylon's Insignia.

/Fly…/

It flew to the door, entering the very obvious keyhole, thus completing the carving on its surface.

/Clang! Crack!/

/Spark.../

Once in place, the door sparkled with red light as the broken pieces of the carving all came together to form one cohesive piece.

With it, the many seals and chains surrounding the door all shattered at once before dispersing, and the door opened slightly, causing white light and a faint fragrance to fill the air around him.

"Go on now, Champion." The girl said as he was distracted

"Climb as high as you can, don't let me down, I will be watching."

"A girl can only choose once after all~..."

/SHUA!/

Like that, Dale was suddenly thrown inside the door unceremoniously, being welcomed by a pure white world of emptiness.

And with a faint smile, the girl smiled one last time before the door closed, vanishing in the distance as he flew deeper into this limbo.

"..."

/Light…/

The silence didn't last long as soon enough, an even stronger light shone behind him.

He didn't know what awaited him, and he couldn't say he was ready either…

But he knew this would truly be his last hurdle…

…

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Notes

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