Divine Wrath
The Unleashing
The world trembled as Jerry pushed deeper into his power. His vision blurred as time twisted and bent to his will. The air around him grew heavy, shimmering with the intensity of his newfound strength. His divine armor crackled with radiant energy, shifting and molding itself to accommodate the raw force surging within him.
Archibald stumbled backward, his once-confident sneer twisted into a grimace of terror. His monstrous form quaked under the relentless assault of Jerry's power. For the first time since his corruption, he felt fear.
"What are you?" Archibald shrieked, his claws lashing out in desperation. Tendrils of shadow whipped toward Jerry, seeking to ensnare him and drag him into the Abyss.
Jerry's voice was a rumble of fury, distorted by the power burning within him. "I am the one who will end you."
He tore through the shadows like they were nothing, his swords gleaming with pure, unfiltered light. Time itself seemed to warp around him, his strikes landing before Archibald could even see them coming.
The air was thick with the scent of burning rot and the acrid stench of Archibald's decaying flesh. Each strike severed limbs, shredded tendons, and obliterated the darkness trying to reform around him.
"No! This isn't possible!" Archibald wailed. His body twitched and convulsed as he struggled to piece himself back together. "The Abyss made me perfect!"
"Then you can tell the Abyss that it failed," Jerry snarled, his blades humming with lethal intent.
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Desperation's Cry
Archibald's madness drove him to new depths of desperation. He slammed his fists into the ground, tearing open a rift of pure Abyssal energy. From the darkness erupted horrors unlike anything Jerry had ever seen. Creatures with too many limbs, eyes that blinked sideways, and maws filled with jagged teeth.
Jerry's mind raced. His bond with Vrkane, Bengala, and Aviana was distant but not severed. He could feel their presence, their concern and rage echoing through their connection. But he could not call them to his side. Not now.
He was alone.
But alone didn't mean helpless.
Jerry's form shifted once more, his armor expanding and warping to accommodate his merging abilities. His eyes glowed a blinding gold as time itself bent to his will. He moved like a phantom, striking down the creatures the moment they emerged from the rift.
Steel clashed against bone and shadow, the sound rippling through the air like a thunderstorm. Jerry's muscles burned, his body teetering on the edge of exhaustion. But the power kept flowing, an endless reservoir of strength drawn from the very fabric of reality.
Archibald's screams only grew louder, his sanity eroding under the weight of his own failures. The creatures he summoned turned on him, unable to differentiate friend from foe in their mad hunger.
"No! Obey me!" Archibald howled as one of the monsters clamped its serrated jaws around his arm, tearing flesh and sinew with reckless abandon.
Jerry's laughter was cold and merciless. "Looks like your pets don't like you very much."
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Abyssal Reckoning
Archibald's attempts to reform himself failed over and over. His body, now a hideous amalgamation of man and beast, shuddered as the creatures of the Abyss feasted upon him. His voice cracked with rage and desperation.
"You can't win! The Abyss will consume you, godling! You are nothing but a tool to be broken and discarded!"
"Maybe so," Jerry replied, his tone unnervingly calm. "But right now, I'm the one with the power."
Jerry's aura intensified, the air itself quivering under the weight of his might. He raised his hands, light cascading from his palms and flooding the area with searing radiance. The creatures recoiled, their hideous forms writhing as the light burned them from existence.
Archibald clawed at the ground, trying to drag himself away from the carnage. But Jerry was relentless. His blades danced in arcs of gold and silver, cleaving through the darkness and cutting off Archibald's path of retreat.
"I will not—cannot—be defeated!" Archibald roared. His remaining limbs thrashed as he tried to stand, but his own monstrous creations tore into him, driven mad by the divine light.
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The Final Strike
"Enough." Jerry's voice was a command, one that resonated with power and authority. His eyes glowed brighter than the sun, and his swords trembled in his grip, eager to deliver the final blow.
He lunged forward, time itself slowing to a crawl. Every heartbeat felt like an eternity as Jerry's blades pierced Archibald's chest. Backbone and Dismay thrummed with a victorious hum as they severed the Abyssal power coursing through Archibald's veins.
The corrupted lord screamed, his body writhing as the connection to the Abyss was forcibly ripped away. Shadows poured from his wounds, coiling and dispersing into the air like smoke caught in a gale.
"Jerry… please…" Archibald's voice was no longer the twisted echo of madness. It was the plea of a broken man, his features shifting back to something resembling humanity.
But it was too late. The darkness had already consumed him.
"Rest in peace," Jerry said, his voice filled with a sorrow he hadn't expected. He pulled his blades free, and Archibald's body collapsed to the ground, crumbling to dust as the last vestiges of the Abyss evaporated.
The air was still. The silence felt deafening.
Jerry's body trembled from the exertion, his breath coming in ragged gasps. His senses slowly returned to normal, the divine light fading from his eyes. But the power he had unleashed still simmered beneath his skin, waiting to be called upon again.
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Aftermath
Jerry looked toward the burning remains of Tu'Xanz's home. His legs moved before his mind could fully register the destruction.
"Tu'Xanz! Mel'Imba! Yen!" he shouted, his voice raw with desperation.
He stumbled through the scorched earth, his eyes scanning the wreckage for any sign of life. His bond with his companions flickered, their distant voices calling to him through the chaos.
"Jerry…" The weak, trembling voice of Mel'Imba reached his ears. He sprinted toward the sound, his heart thundering in his chest.
He found them huddled beneath a makeshift barrier of stone and earth. Tu'Xanz's body was bloodied, his chest rising and falling with shallow breaths. Mel'Imba clung to him, her own strength nearly spent. Yen's small frame trembled with exhaustion.
"We held them off… but there were so many…" Mel'Imba whispered.
"You're alive," Jerry choked out, the relief washing over him like a tidal wave.
But even as he spoke, he knew this was far from over. The Abyss would not relent.
And neither would he.
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