Despite the king's years of experience fighting against beast and monsters alike, it had been a while since he left the confines of his palace after the descent of his madness.
Having lost all motivation to do anything and better himself, Ceremus had forgotten one critical thing about calamity and destruction level creatures. Regeneration.
It was an ability that only the most dangerous of beings contained. And it made fighting such monsters near impossible. No matter how much damage you inflicted on such a creature, it would mean nothing, since they could heal themselves and only get stronger from there. Therefore, only the gods, not mortals, could destroy such beings. Sometimes demi-gods or those blessed with the power of a god or goddess could accomplish such feats—someone like Orieles, for example, who could defeat the toughest of being all on his own.
The defeat of the fierce Nemean Lion, which he completed by wrestling the beast with his bare hands, the battle he faced against the Hydra—a beast so formidable and near impossible to defeat because of its regenerative abilities, but he did the impossible. He repeatedly showed that wit and strength could win any battle.
But no matter how skilled of a warrior you might be, you were but a speck of dust in the face of such a formidable creature. And as Ceremus watched the bull charge before them, he couldn't help but wonder how they even found themselves in such a situation.
Ceremus spat blood onto the scorched earth, his grip tightening around the hilt of his sword until his knuckles burned white. What kind of a god is petty enough to seek vengeance out on a man who wasn't even aware that they were killing his off-spring?
He wanted nothing more than to curse out to the heavens, drag that cowardly god who couldn't even bother fighting his own battles and send a bull in his stead and beat some sense into him.
Unfortunately, he wouldn't get such a chance if he died here. Casting a look at Hael, who was already staring at the king, he gave him one order. "Destroy that cow."
And just as he finished saying those words, the bull attacked. The aegis caught the first strike, but the force was tremendous—unlike anything Hael had ever experienced. He gritted his teeth and put pressure on his legs, fully prepared to be pushed back.
Ceremus tried to adjust his stance in order to keep Hael from getting pushed back, but he was a step too slow. The seven foot tall man nearly fell backwards but could catch himself since he had been prepared to be thrown back when he clashed with the bull.
The king's heart sank in his chest when he heard the loud crack where Hael had landed, worried that the warrior might've hurt himself.
"Hael," he called in a hurry, "are you alright?"
For a second, the guard said nothing, and Ceremus was tempted to turn back when he heard the guard say, "I'm alright, don't worry about me."
The king clenched his jaw and glared at the bull viciously. He was growing tired of this fight, and couldn't keep dragging the fight on. Their time was almost up, and Ceremus worried that Hael's injuries would worsen and if this continued. The young man had the toughest job—blocking any attacks from the bull as Ceremus struck it.
Being constantly pushed back like that couldn't be good for his body; therefore, he had to quickly devise a plan to kill the bull of judgment once and for all.
An idea suddenly came to mind.
"Maybe if I can get the cow to blow its flames…" He didn't finish his words and quickly sprung to action.
He noticed that every time they got closer to the bull, it would open its mouth and spit fire to prevent them from getting closer. This meant that the bull was protecting itself from getting pierced, as it was aware of its weakness.
His mouth curled into an evil grin, and he sprinted towards the bull with incredible speed. Hael pushed himself up, shaking off the impact. Ahead, Ceremus sprinted straight for the bull's neck. The beast reared back, fire swelling in its throat.
"Ceremus, MOVE!" Hael bellowed.
At the last second, Ceremus dropped, flames licking just past his head. He rolled, fast and fluid, and before the bull could react, his sword was already cutting through embers.
What he did next shocked the guard. The king seized this moment as he rolled to the side, bringing his blade near the flame, enveloping the divine spatha in its mighty embers.
The enhancement increased the sword's powers, making it significantly stronger than it was before. Ceremus used the weapon to cut the bull's head in one fell swoop. With his mind solely focused on the creature's neck before him, Ceremus failed to realize that the bull was already aiming his sharp horns his way.
Hael's eyes widened, and without thought he leaped forward, angling his body so that he would be the one taking the brunt of the attack. The guard's mind was only on Ceremus. He didn't think of anything else. Had he been more focused and alert, he would've had the time to calculate his moves more efficiently and could've protected Ceremus while simultaneously evading the bull's horns.
But he didn't.
The moment he saw the king was in danger, his body moved first, as if through some instinctual pull that couldn't allow his king to be harmed.
The bull twisted itself just as Ceremus lunged forward, aiming the divine spatha through the bull's throat. The animal roared in agony as it felt its tough skin being pierced through by the hot and flaming gladius.
Ceremus felt a euphoric rush course through his body as the blade went through, slaying the beast in half when he suddenly felt a powerful push at his side, sending him flying. His eyes went wide with surprise and he was about to scold the guard when he heard a squelching sound. The bull had twisted its head in that split second, piercing straight through Hael's abdomen.
A sharp, cold pressure buried deep in his stomach, twisting. Hael gasped, but no air came—just the thick, choking taste of iron. His fingers twitched toward the wound, feeling a warm slickness on his hand. Blood—his blood—painted his fingertips as well as the bull's ivory horns—coloured in crimson.
Time slowed.
Hael barely registered the force that lifted him off the ground, nor how the world blurred as he was thrown backward. He hit the earth hard, rolling limply before coming to a stop. Blood seeped into the cracks beneath him, dark and stark against the scorched stone.
"Hael!" Ceremus bellowed, launching himself forward in reckless abandon as he took the golden shield and used its tip to slam into the bull's skull, the force making the creature stagger for a bit before falling to the crowd.
Dicaeus from his throne rose abruptly, his eyes wide with disbelief as he witnessed the scene.
Ceremus' voice was distant, drowned by the ringing in his ears. His vision blurred. Every breath came ragged, shallow. The sky above swam in and out of focus.
The king dropped his weapon, kneeling to the ground as a sea of red filled his vision. He quickly reached for his guard, cradling his weak form in his arms.
"…No…" He whispered, his voice choking with disbelief. "No…no no no…"
An all-encompassing fear took hold of him at that moment. Not a sound could be heard. He even forgot how to breathe. The claw marks were the only thing Ceremus could see, his perfect skin torn to shreds right before him.
He could've sworn his heart had stopped beating as he felt the colour draining from Hael's face. The warm glint in his eyes slowly fading into darkness. A terrifying cry erupted from his lips, yet he himself could not hear it. The hand gripping his own was the only thing tying him to reality.
Hael breathed raggedly, his fingers weakly grasping Ceremus' arm as his lips parted.
Then he heard it, Hael's voice, weak and gasping for breath, his lips moving as he tried to sound out his words. Ceremus' heart sank, his vision blurring with tears, tears he hadn't shed since his father's passing.
Ceremus' breath came short and fast. His hands, covered in Hael's blood, trembled. He could still feel his warmth. "No," he said, shaking Hael, harder this time. "You're fine. You're fine."
Time seemed to stop and the King could feel himself losing strength, as the exhaustion from the battle took over, but before he did, he heard it. A soft, barely audible voice, a deep, and passionate voice that could only belong to the only person whom he cared for more than himself.
Hael's lips parted, breath shallow. "I… love… you…" he mouthed, before closing his eyes, embracing the darkness.