The Realm Of Hojuku- [End]

[Okoye]

With a menacing glide, The ForeRunner descended from the clouds, his presence growing ever closer with each predatory strike. Sensing that mere physical attacks would not suffice against this formidable adversary, the ForeRunner's eyes narrowed in a malevolent glare. He muttered something soft- an incantation, unleashing one of his most devastating spells—"Crimson Meteor." A blast of deadly crimson energy erupted from his suddenly emerging third eye, tearing through the air with unstoppable force, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake. The projectile speed was unimaginable.

As the ForeRunner unleashed his relentless assault, Okoye moved with a grace that seemed almost otherworldly, her every motion a calculated dance with death. With each swing of his scythe and every blast of crimson energy, she evaded with precision and finesse, her movements a testament to her unmatched skill and agility.She ducked and weaved, her senses attuned to the slightest shift in the air as she anticipated each deadly strike. The scythe whirled past her with a menacing hiss, its lethal edge mere inches from her skin, but she remained untouched, her movements fluid and unhindered.

However, when the deadly crimson blast erupted from the ForeRunner's third eye, Okoye knew evasion alone wouldn't suffice. The blast was massive– larger than any attack she'd been faced with so far. With a split-second decision, she channeled her naten into her legs– more so than she'd already been doing, and leaped as far into the air as she could– pounding a crater into where she stood. She barely avoided the smoldering crimson wave as it obliterated the ground beneath her, the heat of it scorching slabs of flesh from her face and arms.

But Okoye was not just evading; she was biding her time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. With each dodge, she observed the ForeRunner's movements, noting the subtle shifts in his flight pattern. He was getting closer and closer.. she was simply waiting for her opportunity. However, the Crimson Meteor spell gave her an idea. Not only did Okoye jump out of the way, she jumped so far and so high into the skies, it seemed like she disappeared altogether. It created the illusion that she’d been vanquished in the blast..

..The ForeRunner didn't even bother to study the aftermath of his attack- he was more than certain that nothing mortal could have survived. However, his attention was immediately drawn to a suffocating presence of mana that seemingly sprouted out of nowhere.. The dark wizard held his scepter above his head, disengaging the barrier of energy surrounding him as a means to conjure up his own servant of his will.

..and gave her the opening she needed. Okoye saw her window of opportunity just as she began her free fall back toward the ground. She couldn't fly, but the ForeRunner's eyes were transfixed on Zol's majestic, and while timed distraction. This allowed her to nosedive toward the demented sorcerer unabated and unnoticed. And during all of this, Okoye's hand was still swelling with spiritual energy.

"Rend."

She descended upon the ForeRunner, fist ablaze with a fiery torrent of purple and gold, cocked far behind her head. She launched it forth as if she were swinging a bat at his head, creating literal cracks along empty space upon impact– whether she connected with him or not. These spectral fissures generated shockwaves that echoed across the sky and earth with incomprehensible power. At this proximity, the ForeRunner's soul could've been disfigured from the tremors alone, but a direct hit might have shattered his abhorrent collection of souls entirely.

[Zolgarious Gilden]

Yggdrasil, the sparkling dawn of new life wrought from its creators' combined wills and speckled hopes, stood firm, gallant in the blazing defiance of Hojuku defilers. It's light heralding a time of rebirth for not only the land itself but the many lives that once called this place home long before the cultist ambitions, long before the afterthought of the Forerunner. A numinous symbol of the mortal will to live, the perseverance in the hearts of the meek. The gal to survive, stand up, defy, and fight to the bitter end! Fate and destiny were all the concepts of those shackled and bound by their limitations. Perception gave reality substance; in Zol's mind, the cult allowed their limited relates to preventing them from experiencing all the grandeur of life beyond just the mundane. That there was another side to hurt, another face. Who knows what kind of man the Forerunner might have been if given the chance to experience joy or hope? Now, the world would never know for evil when faced with those who would oppose it; it will only reach inevitability and destruction.

The ForeRunner held the wand above his head, disengaging his energy barrier to conjure up the servant of his will. “Rip it out from the root, my pet!” He roared as a runic sigil appeared in the sky above the newly formed tree, beckoning forth an otherworldly terror. The Novik is a behemoth of terror unmatched in its nightmarish essence. This monstrous entity, a grotesque amalgamation of nightmare and reality, stood as a testament to the darkest depths of fear. One Zol would be all too familiar.

It's all too familiar, indeed. He could still remember it like it was yesterday. The pain...though his flesh might be new, the wounds on his soul still ache in remembrance.

Zol's face was stricken with an unequivocal revulsion as he heard the blended screams of what he now would assume were his comrades. Just as the light shined even the tiniest glimmer to reveal the monster's view, the Novik’s shadow arms and innumerable manners of the attack were too much for him to keep up with. In a last-ditch effort to shelter the body of his friend, Zol huddled himself over Meru, using every ounce of his Naten to turn his body as hard as he could.

And it howled in retribution.

When the Novik was summoned, its deplorable spiritual pressure hit the unseen world with a tsunami force—a tidal wave of terror bringing horror. At that moment, Zol felt it, moving his spirit with such vengeful indignation that it quaked the world both seen and unseen. The realm of Hojuko shook as the chassis began to crack light, each emitting a radiant glow, releasing a shrieking whistling like pressurized heat from a valve.

"It"

The golden incubator suffered another crack, more significant than the last, another tone whistle of fury.

"IS


Another blow this one would release a sizzling whale that, along with the other sound, erupted into an orchestra of howling rage of a wolf baying at the moon.

"TIME!!!

The hands of earth that shielded the chrysalis would now open, unleashing a blistering torrent of flames composed of light mana bursting forth with such purpose and speed that it cleaved through the Novik's arm and defended the tree in one fell swoop. That same torrent would coalesce and congeal, revealing Zol in total reflection of the very light of his soul. A form the Novik would remember well...

"I've never been one to believe in fate or destiny. But even I can't ignore poetic justice as sweet as this and pass it off as mere chance.."

His every word filled the world with purpose and sent ripples into spiritual space as if his every utterance were an incantation. His mana was swirling around him, its light resonating with the gilden hue of Yggdrasil's golden bark. Strong as an oak, Zol stood brazenly before the beast, who was the core of so much of the despair he had experienced two years ago.

"I told you didn't I?"

The air rumbled like a threat to boom like thunder, but no sound was made. Only the dense air of anticipation, the maddening calm before the devastating storm.

"No matter where you go, No matter how long you stay in hiding. I will find you! And I will collect blood for the lives you have stolen! DO YOU HEAR ME YOU MONSTER!! I WILL BE THE FORCE THAT ENDS YOU!

Flashbacks invigorated his spirit, fostering his vengeance. The pain, the searing agony he carried that day his friend and comrade devoured, the mortified faces etched into the tar-like body of the Novik. His hands, encouraged by the gain his father gave him, ignited with a string of runes not of the launched initially carved into them. They were now wholly repurposed for Zol. He would form a hand sign, his gauntlets dancing with power. Alawei taught him this particular sign. A single release ava that unlocked a fearsome part of Zol's personality—his rage. Zol has only been able to do so while unconscious. Within him, an arbitor so great it could burn through his very life force if he did not regain control in time. However, his gauntlets were created to maximize the output of his mana. He instead reenchanted them not to expand but to compress it, allowing him to control his fury without the need to enter a trance. Unfortunately, it requires quite a lot of time and mana, but thanks to Okoye's exceptional abilities, he has all the pieces to the puzzle aligned.

" For the giant lady, Aisha, Opa, and even Dwali, for making my father cry...I WILL BE THE FORCE THAT ENDS YOU!"

His mana roared, engulfing him in a turbulent blaze of divine fury, the likes of which would not yield itself to just the bounds of Hojuko. In truth, anything spiritually inclined on the entire continent of Madiera would feel the ardent presence of Zol might as he awakened the Etheral Besererker—a carnation of celestial rage, his torrid wrath given a form equal in size to the massive Novik bring them"face to face." Zol, bursting with mana, could feel the might of the Berserker state flowing through him; like a living sun, his aura washed over the Novik, his right leg poised, brimming with the same majesty as the world tree with all his might he sent the flaring foot barreling into the baloth of shadow with enough force to send it flying into the sky, should it connect, with all the incandescent force of an exploding star.

[Fate I]

..Okoye descended upon the ForeRunner, fist ablaze with a fiery torrent of purple and gold, cocked far behind her head. She launched it forth as if she were swinging a bat at his head, creating literal cracks along empty space upon impact– whether she connected with him or not. These spectral fissures generated shockwaves that echoed across the sky and earth with incomprehensible power. At this proximity, the ForeRunner's soul could've been disfigured from the tremors alone, but a direct hit might have shattered his abhorrent collection of souls entirely.

As Okoye's descended upon him, the ForeRunner, momentarily weakened from his earlier spellcasting, stood unsuspecting of her relentless approach. Consumed by the notion of his own stength, he was certain of her demise within the inferno of his "Crimson Meteor '' spell. And upon casting the summoning spell for the Novik, it forced him to lower his guard. He was oblivious to the imminent danger, until his third eye lurched in his direction. Drawn to the suffocating force oscillating from her hand. But the realization dawned too late.

Before the ForeRunner could react, Okoye's fist, a blazing tempest of violet and gold, hurtled toward their head with unyielding fury. And the impact of Okoye's strike shattered his heir of arrogance, unleashing a cataclysmic explosion upon the battlefield that looked to fracture the very fabric of reality. He took a direct hit, which was unfortunate.. but certainly shouldn't have been the end all. With his new found power, The ForeRunner was prepared to endure the physical pain and return with a lethal counter attack, but he underestimated her. Worse than the physical turmoil, the dark wizard felt as if his very essence was splintered at its core— the wealth of souls at his disposal, literally fractured.

The ForeRunner found himself ensnared within the tumultuous vortex of punch.. He was sent hurtling toward the shattered remains of the Abundi Shrine, the parasitic exoskeleton latched onto his body bleeding a deep purple discharge from his injuries.

"Impossible.." he muttered, his voice trembling with a mixture of disbelief and dread. His resolve was faltering as a stark realization dawning upon him like a harbinger of impending doom.

"She... she survived?" As the echoes of his words faded into the crumbling halls of the cult's sanctum, the ForeRunner prepared himself for Okoye's impending follow up. Sadly however, the dark sorcerer would not see a moment's reprieve.

..The hands of earth that shielded the chrysalis would now open, unleashing a blistering torrent of flames composed of light mana bursting forth with such purpose and speed that it cleaved through the Novik's arm and defended the tree in one fell swoop. That same torrent would coalesce and congeal, revealing Zol in total reflection of the very light of his soul. A form the Novik would remember well…

Zol would form a hand sign, his gauntlets dancing with power.. A single
ava that unlocked a fearsome part of Zol's personality—his rage. His mana roared, engulfing him in a turbulent blaze of divine fury, the likes of which would not yield itself to just the bounds of Hojuko… anything spiritually inclined on the entire continent of Madiera would feel the ardent presence of Zol's might as he awakened the Ethereal Besererker—a carnation of celestial rage, his torrid wrath given a form equal in size to the massive Novik bring them"face to face.. his aura washed over the Novik, his right leg poised, brimming with the same majesty as the world tree with all his might he sent the flaring foot barreling into the baloth of shadow with enough force to send it flying into the sky, should it connect..

The Novik filled the iridescent sky with its agony as Zol ripped through its arm--more than a million haunted screams. Zol's barreling kick would also connect, but it wouldn't send the Novik into orbit. Instead, Zol's leg would bisect its gaseous body like a hot knife through butter. And The ForeRunner felt those injuries as if they were his own, and succumbed to his knees from the astral shock. He needed to focus now if he were to control the eldritch beast, and his first order of business had to be the destruction of the world tree. “No!! I WILL NOT ALLOW THIS!!” his fury reacted directly with the Sardonyx staff, still tightly held in his bloody hand. The Konduit however, was lost.. but was unrequired to manipulate the Novik. His eyes began to glow with a crimson glow, allowing him remote control of the Astral monster. He immediately restored its body and sought to engage with Zol and the World tree with another deadly swipe of its claws. Only now its amorphous claw was large enough to mimic a cloud, big enough to strike both its target in a single swipe.

[Okoye]

.. And The ForeRunner felt those injuries as if they were his own, and succumbed to his knees from the astral shock. He needed to focus now if he were to control the eldritch beast, and his first order of business had to be the destruction of the world tree.

“No!! I WILL NOT ALLOW THIS!!” his fury reacted directly with the Sardonyx staff, still tightly held in his bloody hand. The Konduit however, was lost.. but was unrequired to manipulate the Novik. His eyes began to glow with a crimson glow, allowing him remote control of the Astral monster.

As the ForeRunner attempted to exert his control over the Novik from a distance, Okoye, fueled by a determination to bring an end to the relentless battle, prepared to unleash her ultimate assault. Emerging from the shadows, cast by the evil wizard's trembling form, was Okoye's demonic sentinel, its once-injured body now mostly healed, its eyes burning with an infernal fury that seemed to pierce the very soul. Though no longer towering at a height of twenty feet, the demon still loomed over its wounded target, a menacing presence that evoked the chill of death itself.

With a swiftness that belied its massive form, the demon's clawed hands closed around the ForeRunner, ensnaring him in a lacerating vice grip that promised no escape. Despite the ForeRunner's valiant struggles, his efforts were met with only cold indifference from the oni, whose loyalty to Okoye was unwavering, its allegiance absolute.

Meanwhile, Okoye descended from the heavens with the grace and fury of a celestial avenger, her every movement imbued with the wrath of the divine. With a thunderous roar that echoed across the battlefield, Okoye unleashed her devastating spiritual energy, channeling it into a punch enveloped in swirling hues of purple and gold flames.

".. Rend."

Her Devil Art, if it found its mark once more, would not merely fracture the air and the body of the ForeRunner; it had the potential to him shatter him and every soul bound to him into oblivion, leaving nothing but echoes of their former existence to be devoured by her spectral guardian.

[Zolgarious Gilden]

The aftermath of his kick connective sent a shockwave of devastating turbulence through the hollow realm, spilling the waves beyond Hojuko's borders. Its power is severing the beast like a blade carved out of the flesh of Xelphis. The blistering pain the beast bellowed was like a symphony of retribution for Zol. The air crackled, vibrating relentlessly as Okoye unleashed her might against the Forerunner, who, amid the Novik's appearance, was but a shade unworthy of Zol's time despite being the beast conjurer. He had left the fate to the demonic priest up to the honorary fang herself. Task eight, the duty assigned to him, was evident as the intersections of the prophecy he received all those years ago could not be denied. The Sardnyonx comet, his defeat at the hands of the Novik, its summoner abusing the fragments of the comet, and the state of the guild were all interconnected and linked alone by this one beast. A beast that had far eluded the fiery penitence of the thousands it had consumed and the even thousands more who mourned those lost.

"This end here!"

He threw his hands into an ava. One that pulled all his spectral might into it. This was it, the final straw. With everything he had, Zol unleashed the most excellent spell in his arsenal.

"Remember this name as you burn away into nothing. Novik. Let you and every fiend after you tremble in fear in the night, for a champion of the sun exists to protect the dawn! Zolgarious Gilden Guardian of the World Tree; Paragon of Helidor!

As the massive claw of the Novik was just mere inches away from Zol and the world tree, the glittering sound of crystal chimes dangling upon the air with a grateful chittering that betrayed the ferocity of the unfolding scene. The Novik would find its massive claw entangled in a glittering essence of light that solidified into a myriad of blazing chains. Underneath the beast would be a gigantic runic glyph that grew over 50 meters wide. It's etching burning with magic, not of this realm nor plane. This was Zolgarious's ultimate spell. Should the beast not muster up enough naten to overshadow his own, the banishment would commence, and with its conjurer...disposed of, he doubted it has the gal to resit.

Mystic Art of Banishment; Realm Of The Eternus Blaze!

From the surface of the glyph, a proverbial maw of unprecedented glory would open. From its orifice, a brilliant pillar of flames stretched far beyond the skies of Vescrutia, reaching into her very orbit—a flame that burned with not heat but the blazing fire of retribution for those ill fallen. A searing pyre of a realm of pure light in the form of flame whose blaze echoed into the farthest reaches of eternity. A plane Eternus

[Fate I]

"..Meanwhile, Okoye descended from the heavens with the grace and fury of a celestial avenger, her every movement imbued with the wrath of the divine. With a thunderous roar that echoed across the battlefield, Okoye unleashed her devastating spiritual energy, channeling it into a punch enveloped in swirling hues of purple and gold flames.

"..Rend."

Her Devil Art, if it found its mark once more, would not merely fracture the air and the body of the ForeRunner; it had the potential to him shatter him and every soul bound to him into oblivion, leaving nothing but echoes of their former existence to be devoured by her spectral guardian.

As Okoye's fist made contact with the ForeRunner, a deafening explosion reverberated through the battlefield, casting shockwaves of raw power in every direction. The air crackled with arcane energy as the ForeRunner's form was enveloped in the swirling vortex of Okoye's devastating attack.

With a final, agonized cry, the ForeRunner's essence shattered like glass, fragmented into countless shards of fractured souls.

As the massive claw of the Novik was just mere inches away from Zol and the world tree, the glittering sound of crystal chimes dangling upon the air with a grateful chittering that betrayed the ferocity of the unfolding scene. The Novik would find its massive claw entangled in a glittering essence of light that solidified into a myriad of blazing chains. Underneath the beast would be a gigantic runic glyph that grew over 50 meters wide..

"Mystic Art of Banishment; Realm Of The Eternus Blaze!"

From the surface of the glyph, a proverbial maw of unprecedented glory would open. From its orifice, a brilliant pillar of flames stretched far beyond the skies of Vescrutia, reaching into her very orbit—a flame that burned with not heat but the blazing fire of retribution for those ill fallen. A searing pyre of a realm of pure light in the form of flame whose blaze echoed into the farthest reaches of eternity.

The Novik's intelligible screams scaled far and wide throughout Hojuku as Zol's spell scorched it's metaphysical body from this plane of existence. The golden pyre that cemented its demise, now raining a iridescent shower of energy that immediately sought to the revitalization of this once sacred realm. The night skies gleamed with new life beneath the still cultivating leaves of the World Tree. The Paladin's promise already holding up its end of the bargain to restore what was once lost.

---

Within the ruins of the Shrine, Okoye may have noticed Meru and Cyrus pulling themselves from a pile of debris. They would have both certainly be dead, but Meru's capabilities to harness Zol's anthem allowed them to survive the ForeRunner's ritual. Though the effort exhausted Meru, Cyrus' body was more or less unscathed. He emerged from the wreckage of stone and bones, coddling Merus gingerly in his arms. The majestic beast was alive, but winded and fatigued. "..rest well, soldier.."

Cyrus was never a man for animal companions, but after today, he was certain he wouldn't be able to go another day without a Meru of his own. He looked around the devastation for Zol. He was unware of the battle that occurred and far more focused on the whereabouts of his ally. "Zol!!" He roared, but his search was immediately halted once he laid eyes on Okoye. "You- what has happened? Where is Zol?"

[Okoye]

The air crackled with arcane energy as the ForeRunner's form was enveloped in the swirling vortex of Okoye's devastating attack.

With a final, agonized cry, the ForeRunner's essence shattered like glass, fragmented into countless shards of fractured souls.

As the dust settled and the echoes of battle faded into silence, Okoye stood amidst the wreckage, her demonic sentinel looming behind her like a silent guardian. However, the creature was immediately attuned to the tantalizing remnants of the ForeRunner's fleeting essence. Without warning or instruction, the beast opened its mouth to unnatural dimensions and with a voracious hunger, generated a vacuum that devoured what remained. With each gulp, the demon's belly grew fatter, thicker, until eventually its entire body began pulsating with newfound power.

Okoye observed the creature's transformation with a mix of awe and wariness; she sensed a palpable shift in its essence. A metamorphosis unfolding before her very eyes. However, before it could reach its completion, Okoye swiftly dismissed the beast with a flick of her wrist, unwilling to allow its burgeoning power to threaten her own dominance.

Turning her gaze to the horizon, Okoye contemplated the implications of the beast's newfound strength. "..well that's not good." she muttered to herself, her tone tinged with concern. "I'll have to keep an eye on that." With a silent vow to monitor the situation closely, Okoye's eyes wandered over toward the Scepter of Sardonyx Crystal. It was still pulsating with a dark aura, calling her over to take it for her own. And truthfully, she couldn't deny its temptation–

.. Within the ruins of the Shrine, Okoye may have noticed Meru and Cyrus pulling themselves from a pile of debris. They would have both certainly been dead, but Meru's capabilities to harness Zol's anthem allowed them to survive the ForeRunner's ritual.

"Zol!!" He roared, but his search was immediately halted once he laid eyes on Okoye. "You- what has happened? Where is Zol?”

But Cyrus’ voice broke through its trance. Allowing Okoye to focus her mind on what was infront of her– and corruptive energies radiating from it would have poisoned whatever poor soul that stumbled upon it. "..I dunno’." she responded telepathically truthfully using her earrings, before kicking the scepter toward Cyrus. She figured hid armor would make him less susupectible to the sceptors thrall."When you find him, tell him I said th– tell him my name is Okoye."

She said before turning and leaping away. She had no intentions of returning to the Den of The Gilded Fangs, and trusted that Erigor and Zol would know what to do with the Sardonyx Scepter. However, before she left the ruins of the battlefield, Okoye was sure to retrieve the artifact the ForeRunner used. The Konduit, or whatever its name was.

[Zolgarious Gilden]

The Novik's intelligible screams scaled far and wide throughout Hojuku as Zol's spell scorched it's metaphysical body from this plane of existence. The golden pyre that cemented its demise, now raining a iridescent shower of energy that immediately sought to the revitalization of this once sacred realm. The night skies gleamed with new life beneath the still cultivating leaves of the World Tree. The Paladin's promise already holding up its end of the bargain to restore what was once lost.

As the portal to Evernus was closed the hollowed echoes of the Novik's lingering wales eventually would cease to be. All traces of the blasphemous beast would be devoured by the ever-burning realm. Eventually, the creature would succumb to its blistering light eradicated forevermore. The golden Titian of mana released a roar that shook the island booming beyond its bounds. A bellow of victory and whisky the Berserker carried on the body of light would twist like a whirlwind revealing Zol atop the world tree his chest puffed out his stance brazen proudly facing the now rising dawn.

"GGRRRRRAAAHHHHH!!!!"

It was the first and most primal emotion he could release to commemorate this moment. To Cyrus or anyone else this roar was one of determination, resilience, and perseverance Despite everything that happened to him in the last few years here he was more powerful than ever. More so it was for the first time in the last few years that he truly felt like he had become his own man. Not one who fits any molds preconceived from a derelict bloodline. When presented with some of the most impossible odds his very will shattered every barrier every design of failure. He never gave up on himself. He never allowed others' opinions of him to sway the greatness he knew to be within. He stood tall, strong, and navigated through it all. Zol was not only confident that he was a top-tier hunter, but that

He truly was the Mold Breaker

Meru and Cyrus stood amongst the rubble and could hear his triumphant roar. Once he stopped he would catch his breath before jumping from the top of the world tree down to where his friends were. Meru seeing him would run at him full speed. He hugged his friend nuzzling his face in his fur. When he saw the shrine explode he feared the worst. Though he had faith in his buddy's abilities the world was filled with all kinds of variables. But seeing Meru and Cyrus tired but not battered indeed made him glad. He saw the Sardonyx staff, despite the forerunner's excessive use the weapon still brimmed with power. He would sign swiftly crafting a barrier of aura that would hold its madness in place. He looked but did not see Okoye anywhere.

Cyrus: The girl, she left a message for you.

He said walking up from behind Zol and staring at the grandeur of the world tree A bud of peace, a symbol of new hope.

Cyrus: Her name, It's Okoye

His eyes widened yet simmered down to a soft narrowing and a smile.

"Okoye huh?"

He said as a breeze whisked through his hair. He was unsure of how, but their paths would cross again.

"Send word to the guild, we need a transport for the survivors. Well done my friends...let us make haste for home. I feel a celebration is in order!"


He said as they made the preparation. Eventually, the guild would safely escort them all as the sun rose high bathing the healing lands of Hojoku in it light.