The view was clouded and so were his eyes.
Zabulus couldn't feel a thing. Not the ground beneath him, not the air whistling around him, he couldn't 'see' Phronta's corpse in his arms, and certainly, he didn't believe Onofre would live a second longer than she already has.
"H... h..." His throat croaked like a frog being squashed against a tree by an elephant, dry and scratchy, and any words would probably leave him hoarse. Yet, he forced every syllable and uttered them in the most strident and haunting tone. "I'll kill you..."
"Boyo?" She tilted her head and twisted her expression with a wave of her arm.
"I-I'll... I'll..."
"Are you okay?" Her smile went from ear to ear, her irises shrinking in on themselves as if in anticipation, her fingers tapping on her palm with excitement and... something more.
"I'll end you the same way I'll end the Gods, because there's a time and place for all beings, and yours isn't long for this universe..."
"..."
"Say something, Onofre."
"Ohoho, you called me by my actual name? I don't deserve such an honor, and yet... I think I'll take it and cherish it before I decide to throw it out! Amazing day, isn't it?"
"Answer me. Onofre."
His hands and body felt numb as he remembered what it meant to stand on two feet.
"...I'm just a tiny cog in a massive machine, did you know that, boyo?" She whispered, her voice an echo of what it once was, what he once knew. The ground itself shook in fear for everything it had known.
His heart shuddered as he lifted Phronta's body, every crevice of his body tingled in anguish, a piercing sensation crawling through his veins.
"Why did you... do it...?"
"They told me to..."
"Who?"
"God, the Forty-Eight, the Angels, the Librarians, the Wardens... Everyone. Every single being that's ever been here told me to. They made me... want to kill you. I can't explain why, it just had to be this way. I never truly liked you in the first place, you know? Maybe, it's better this way. Because I get the feeling that someone in the past wished you away to save another life, and here you are. The stars aligned and created an oddity that keeps destroying lives."
"Are you a prophet or a killer, Onofre?"
"Aren't we both killers in our own rights? Haven't you had enough of coming and destroying every place you go to?!"
"I don't like it, and it's not my choice to make."
"You made a lot of choices that have consequences, boyo!"
"Not as many as you think. Why was it I who was put into a cell or cage of some sort? Why was I trapped in there, and who had I offended by being who I am?!" He grabbed a scroll and stood up, readying his muscles and stance.
Onofre chuckled, "You're the worst, and I should- No, will kill you, and have the stars erase every memory of your dying face."
"Ah... The stars won't remember me, anyway. The universe and time will just be carried away with their energy and nothing will be remembered."
"Are you really so useless that the only way you can contribute to the world is by dying? You're pathetic. You'll never have a life that's worth anything. It's all a waste."
Zabulus pulled at Phronta's hair and grabbed her head to prop it on his knee. He closed her eyelids and caressed her cheeks, holding back his own sobs.
"Are you going to sit there and pity yourself or actually do something? You're even worse than her." She scoffed. "She tried her best to defy a fate that would've otherwise been as destructive as you; and it got her killed in the end."
"Shut up..." He whispered, trying hard to breathe through his nose, his muscles constricted as his lungs started to scream.
"What did you say?" Onofre huffed.
"Have you had enough of your own bullshit?" He said as he got up and threw a scroll at her.
It whiffed and nearly grazed her shoulder as it hit the wall with a thud. She was left confused and staggered backwards.
"See what they did to you? You're so stuck far up your own ass you can't even see straight!" He roared as the walls began to shake as their structure was challenged by the dent made by the scroll.
"W-well." She collected herself to not show a sign of weakness, looking back at the hole where the scroll had entered. "It's not that simple, is it?"
"No. It's simple. Everything was simple when I just wanted to fight, everything was simple when I just wanted to kill. Nothing was simple when I cared for others. Everything is simple now."
Onofre could feel the tension in the air, her fingers itching for a knife or a dagger. She didn't have one on her, or she wouldn't be standing so openly. Perhaps, she knew he couldn't hit her, but she still itched for something.
The air was hot and sweat dripped from her forehead, her body visibly showing an ounce of fear that shouldn't be. This was something she couldn't understand. To her, Zabulus was someone she only knew for a few days, so for the moment, her brain was just a blur, 'why care about this one person more than you need?' To shed the armor of her emotions and expose it to the naked eye was something that was considered a death sentence in a lot of ways.
To let go of something as complicated as self and be reborn is a true masterpiece that only comes once in a lifetime. It wouldn't be now for her, though. She denied it.
Shaking her head, she tried to think clearly. But all she could see is her 'boyo' tearing up in anger as he clenched his teeth. The root of his anger... being herself.
"Tears... is the least you could've done. I wish I didn't have to see this." She murmured to herself.
"You're disgusting." He hissed as he picked up Phronta's corpse and hid her from sight in a manner of respect. He couldn't let himself disrespect her; but that was the last sign of respect he planned to show to anybody.
'Play dirty, Lamb.' The voice from the depths of his soul spoke to him, 'See your own nature? This is how it was always meant to be, unshackle your darkness and let it consume your body...'
'...Phantos, crush this woman's bones until she begs for mercy. Remember, there is only one mercy and that is death.' Zabulus' inner voice spoke to a certain book.
'...' It contemplated responding to him in a manner of mockery but it understood the gravity of the situation and what Zabulus felt.
One quick jerk of Zabulus' fist, and another scroll the size of his head flew straight at Onofre's forehead. There was no time for her to react, not even the wind knew what to do, and then...
Phaboom.
It hit her so hard she flew several meters back and into a pile of books, the dust from them flying and surrounding her as she proceeded to stand up; the next moment, a gigantic shadow began forming from above her... It was the shape of a square, a cube, a massive building made entirely out of rock and steel, the sounds of screeching and metal on metal resonating throughout the tower.
She realized that she couldn't see the sky anymore, and attempted to run away. But a pace too late she was as the metallic rock cube began falling, the gravity pushing her down like an anvil from the sky and crushing her weight.
"Huh. Dead already? I'm disappointed... I had plans for you and me to have a battle that would allow me to forget all that's wrong in this world. But you're weak." Zabulus shook his head.
A thud came from the cube and Zabulus quickly pulled a scroll out and threw it at the cube; piercing the entire structure in hopes that it would ensure Onofre's death.
A crack. A sound. Another crack. A groan of pain. And the next sound was not from the outside, but the inside of the cube. The thuds began growing louder and stronger, the steel and rock being chipped away from the inside-out, causing Zabulus to tilt his head and watch carefully as the thudding grew more and more. It continued being chipped away at, cracks forming from top to bottom, the dust and debris sprinkling all over the ground and mixing with the sweat and blood pouring from her eyes... The cube was then just a pile of dismantled rocks and parts, and Onofre was standing there, blood covering her hands and her lips curling upwards in a sickening grin.
"Ah... Hah... I had fun there..."
"I doubt that..." Zabulus whispered.
"Now... Now, boyo. Don't you worry too much." She walked towards him. "Your little friend is no longer here, it's just the two of us, you know? You don't have to be... So loyal to her, no, no." She smirked as he pulled her scythe from behind and held it up.
Zabulus watched her as she pointed her scythe towards him, as she said, "Let's have a proper duel and see if your bravery and prowess outmatches mine, don't you think?"
"...I'm not playing by your rules, or your words. You bastardized her existence and for that, you die."
"I thought that'd be the case. Let me remind you, I'm only giving you a chance at winning!" Her smile curled upwards as she shrugged, the blood covering her face and clothes almost completely. But she showed no signs of weakness or tiredness.
She got into a stance, similar to a charging bull, her eyes narrowed and she focused on him with utmost determination.
Inversely, he took the stance of a slouching wolf, his back bent over, his 'eyes' down on the ground as he calculated his actions.
"Don't think you'll win this," Onofre hissed through her teeth as she spun her scythe behind her and stood still in her posture.
"That line comes from the losers in books," He said. "Now, enough of your shitty voice. Give me the last good thing in my life; that is, a good fight."
He charged at her with a limp in his stride, but that limp would quickly shift into a powerful step, a blast of energy from his feet and his legs rushing forwards, his arms reaching back and pulling out a scroll that was on the ground, becoming his main method of attack, he threw it at her as he commanded Phantos to swipe at her from the side with a rock wall.
Onofre reacting this time to the scrolls simply had it cut in half in its trajectory through her scythe, before attempting to dodge Phantos's attack and barely managing to get out of the area of the wall.
His attacks, though simple and easily predictable, had a ferocity that was difficult to counter or tank.
Onofre managed to land on her feet properly as she rolled on the ground and attempted to swipe at Zabulus.
Only that he was not where she saw him. He moved fast enough that he left behind an after-image and began winding up a fist to punch her right in the face.
"Literary conventions are meant to be broken," The punch landed on her chin, sending her flying upwards as blood trickled from her nose, "I'll bring the stories to life, and my blood will not be spilled on the grounds of those who fear death," He lept upwards towards Onofre, her head reeling backwards from the hit during her upwards journey to the clouds within the room. "But I will bring the sky to its tears, and you will be the first to witness it."
Zabulus commanded Phantos to create a falling wall atop Onofre, hoping that she will crash through the wall, or better yet, into it.
She brought no words since the hit was dizzying and her brain couldn't tell what to do or why.
The wall emerged out of thin air, falling onto her in a matter of seconds, and it began falling down with her. Zabulus leapt into the air in an attempt to crush her intestines through the wall.
'My blood is your blood. My life is your life.' Onofre's philosophy rang through her head as her vision returned to her, seeing a flying Zabulus coming her away with his fist balled and arriving at her stomach like a rocket.
She struggled to move as the inertia of the falling wall continued, but her arms were fast enough that she launched herself off the wall and came to meet his fist head on, with her own.
Their fists clashed, and they met eye-to-eye in a moment that seemed to stop time, and the only thing that she did next was grab his head as they began falling down and headbutt him. Once, twice, thrice, then the fourth headbutt was stopped when his open palm cupped her chin, and he said with a bloody smile, "No wonder I was fated to meet you..." His nose was bloodied and completely out of place, "You were the one that would show me the way to become the greatest, wasn't that it?!" His fingers were digging into her mouth and her teeth, and his words were distorted with a dribbling and spit filled tone as he shook her off.
They both hit the ground, debris, books and scrolls flying everywhere.
They were both coughing off the impact, the dust around them rising like a sandstorm in the desert.
Zabulus quickly grabbed another scroll that was nearby and looked around for where Onofre could be, while he got a response from Phantos, 'The woman is behind you, go east by ten steps, I can sense her Ardour rising to an ungodly height.'
Zabulus took a dozen steps and heard her rustling at his heels.
"?!" He quickly turned and found her standing still, her scythe coming flying to meet her hand as he ducked and ran to grab her.
Her ardour was pulsating within her, as if she was never injured... At that moment, Zabulus had a sense of clarity that perhaps, he was going to die. But he wanted to defy that, he wanted to win. He wanted to avenge.
He threw the scroll at an apex towards her neck, but her reflexes got the best of it and cut the scroll in half with her knife.
Wiping away the blood from her mouth, she sneered at Zabulus, "Oh, now, that was stupid of you. I'm not going to tread lightly anymore, so I'm sure... that YOU'RE fucked!" The scythe cut through the air with a high pitched ring as it was thrown with an aim to cut Zabulus' head off.
But he moved aside and rolled on the ground, it was clear to him now. A battle of attrition was not his forte, it was hers. He needed to win it outright.
He commanded Phantos to throw a mountain-sized rock at Onofre.
'Sir... it is impossible for me to create a rock of that size.' Phantos spoke up.
'Shut up and do it. Go as big as you can.'
As the rock materialized, it became apparent that it would be difficult for Zabulus to find an advantage.
The rock grew, and grew and Onofre simply watched, unamused. "Is throwing stuff all you got? I mean, where the hell did your strength go? Where was that same man who devoured those Amalgamates?! Are you even trying, boyo?"
She smirked as the rock began to grow bigger than the walls of the room, causing every single book now to fill the battlefield, the walls collapsing into nothingness and the floor shaking in fear, the tower itself was beginning to tilt, and Phronta's remains were swallowed by the rocks and debris falling down, to the point where her body was completely and utterly crushed. But Zabulus did not notice.
"Let's have our time on the outside then, is that what you want?" She spat as a blood bubble came to her lip and exploded. She chuckled, "That'd be a nice change of scenery and... Ah! Something else for you to attack later! If you live to see it..." The walls completely broke apart as the roof of the tower began to rush down, but ultimately only hitting the top of the rock.
'It's big enough now, release it.'
As the rock dropped onto Onofre, began to glow a deep blue colour, and she smiled as the rock hit her...
...Her body completely passed through it without a scratch, the rock falling and burying her beneath it, and as it passed through the tower, it began to be destroyed from within, creating a dust storm that blinded the both of them.
The walls were now completely gone, and the roof had crumbled down to bits. Rather, the room itself was simply no longer. They were now in a wall-less room, the sky could be seen and the stars shone brightly.
Onofre was crouching low as her hands dug into the dust and her breathing was calm. Her muffled voice couldn't be heard under the pressure.
Zabulus moved back and reached for a scroll to use it against her, only to feel a pang in his stomach and a sharp sensation.
"Don't keep using that stupid tactic... haha! It won't work against me anymore. Get that into that tiny head of yours." She pointed her finger at her own head as if to indicate his.
She pulled out her scythe and ran towards Zabulus. In response he sent an amount of walls her way using Phantos.
But she was a warring dance machine...
Dancing, weaving through the walls with her scythe in movements that flowed perfectly as if flowing from a river, her scythe growing and twisting and curving like a willow tree, flowing through the space between the walls. Her movements were almost... too perfect.
Realizing that mindlessly throwing things at Onofre no longer works, he resorted to more unconventional methods.
He willed a flame to engulf Onofre, but she danced out of it before it could harm her.
He willed vines to grow from the earth to capture her, but she chopped them up effortlessly.
He willed shards of glass to pierce her from every direction, but she merely grinned as they bounced off of her like a wall, with not a scratch on her.
Then, he summoned a sword, and tossed it at her.
"Haha! You must have the intelligence of a raisin," She sneered as she blocked the sword with the sharp edge of her scythe, and swung it at him in a windmill motion.
"Fuck!" He cried as he ducked, the blade cutting his cheek. He was furious at himself for not being able to get an opening, and to make matters worse, the sky began to be covered with black clouds, it was getting darker and darker.
The thought crossed his mind that he could try and simply use brute force on her. That would be the only way left.
But before long, she was up in his face and said, "Hey, hey, I bet you haven't fought someone like me before, have you?"
A burning, piercing pain erupted in his stomach.
A blade was going through it.
She had deceived him, in the darkest depths, her arm morphed into the scythe and had plunged right through his body as her human arm swung and landed a hit on his face.
Not even the respect of being killed by a proper weapon.
Though.
In all the pain that he felt, he did not flinch.
In the midst of the roaring dark clouds above him, he held onto her shoulders with two hands, and held her face with the two others.
"Look at me, damn you." He hissed with gritted teeth.
"Get- Get your hands off me! Disgusting creature!" She tried to push him away. But he put all his strength into grabbing her.
Not only grabbing, but even trying to crush her head and rip it apart, off of her neck, to gouge her eyes out, but the strength he had was only comparable to a small child, compared to her.
She wrung his hands off of her and pushed him onto the ground, and brought her scythe-hand back out of his abdomen.
"That's what you get for not keeping your guard up, boyo." She held his elbows to keep him down, and stomped on his face until his mouth bled, his empty eye sockets filling with a red puddle as his body grew weaker.
But he attempted to persevere through whatever pain was given to him and bit down on her ankle. She screeched and backed away, or at least tried. But he kept his hold on her ankle, biting harder. Blood seeping out where his canines sunk into her flesh.
"Get... OFF ME!!" She continuously attempted to stomp the ground to shake him off her ankle, but he only proved to bite down harder and harder, her Achilles heel threatening to tear off and leave her crippled.
Finally, the pain becoming too unbearable, she let out a blood-curdling scream, as the bones of her ankle shattered and her foot was wrenched off with a sickening squish.
"AHHH!!" She screamed in agony and limped backwards, as she could no longer stand on her two feet. She used the debris behind her for support, but the blood kept pouring out.
Zabulus spat out the blood that came into his mouth and spat out the flesh, and with her leg being a hindrance, she could only limp.
"Damn you, fuck! Damn you! Fuck! I hate this, I HATE THIS! Don't take me out of here! Leave me ALONE!" She frantically screamed as he crawled weakly towards her.
It was not over yet.
The two creatures approached each other slowly, both crawling as one had lost nearly all strength, and one lost an entire leg. The sky began raining a cold and misty rain that caused their bodies to become slippery with blood and water.
The scythe was long gone, having reverted back into a simple pole. It wouldn't even respond to her command to fly to her arm, she was weaponless.
Similarly, Zabulus couldn't summon Phantos anymore to crush Onofre as he had used all his willpower to continue fighting.
"Come. I'll... Finish you, Onofre," He grimaced, as his lips dribbled with blood and spit. He knew he was not going to win, yet he was going to try.
As the two came in close proximity, battered and bloodied, Zabulus threw a weak punch at her dirty face, and she responded by swinging her left arm at him, her nails scratching his face and tearing off part of the skin.
Spitting and scratching and biting, they continued to rustle like animals as the both of them bled out amidst dirt and rubble. It didn't seem like a battle was happening, just two desperate beings clawing their way to stay alive.
Zabulus took a bite into her shoulder. Onofre Clawed his neck. Zabulus gave a weak gut punch. Onofre spat in his eye socket. They were beyond trying to finish each other off, just surviving in a rain that caused the earth and blood beneath them to slide around.
The Ardour in Onofre's body began to fade.
The will in Zabulus' body began to be extinguished.
As they were on the cusp of death, Zabulus weakly coughed, and Onofre shakily reached a hand to take apart his jaw.
They stared at each other's bloody and pale faces as the world around them grew hazy and dark.
"Was this all just... A joke...?" Onofre asked.
"Joke...? No... It was something more profound than that..." Zabulus responded.
"Do you understand your place in the world now... Boyo?" She asked weakly.
"I've always... known..." Coughing blood, he clutched his stomach wound and shook his head, as if to shrug off her words, and chuckled. "A fleeting glimpse of what could have been... Hah..." He laughed weakly to himself.
With that exchange, Zabulus drew his last breath.
"Haha... What do losers say in books now... Boyo?" And as such, so did Onofre.
A battle between two beasts ended as they collapsed atop one another, their eyes still wide open as if their souls were still lingering around for more.