quick bursts, but instead generated a ball of fire five times larger than she had unleashed so far. “Don’t!” her mother yelled.
Her daughter didn’t listen.
* * *
Hiruko was currently wrapped around his father like a living rubber band. Try as he might, Izanagi couldn’t escape; Hiruko was on there tight, and he couldn’t get his tanto into position to stab him.
“How about I show you my other ability, Father. Can you feel yourself getting weaker?”
As a matter of fact, he could. Izanagi found his strength being sapped rapidly, and he didn’t know why. “How…?”
“I am called the Leech of Zero Grade. Both my sister and I have the power of absorption through physical contact. While she can steal bones and internal organs, I can siphon off energy. It won’t be long now before you can’t even move. So what do you say? Ready to admit defeat?”
“Never.” But he needed a way to back up his words. Overpowering his son clearly wasn’t an option in this situation, and he wasn’t positioned correctly to fly, either. But…perhaps he just needed a little push.
Concentrating, he generated gale-force winds which proceeded to buffet them about. “What are you doing?” Hiruko said, alarm rising in his voice.
“We need some fresh air,” Izanagi said, slightly embarrassed at the terrible pun he had just made.
The wind rocketed them across the cavernous chamber where they collided with the wall. Since Hiruko was pretty much covering his father, he took the full impact and came loose. Wasting no time, Izanagi stabbed him in the chest.
However, the attack merely stretched Hiruko’s skin without actually penetrating it. “It’s useless, Father. You can’t cut me.”
Nevertheless, Izanagi wasn’t about to give up. Among the Lost Gods, he had the rare ability to manifest his god-energy as a physical force. He summoned his remaining strength and poured it all into his blade which began to glow with a golden light.
“What is this?” Hiruko shouted.
“My responsibility as the father who failed you.”
The power erupted from the tanto’s tip, exploding into Hiruko’s body and tearing it wide open, unleashing a torrent of blood and organs.
As he fell, Hiruko reached out to touch his father, but couldn’t quite reach. Izanagi leaned forward and grasped his offered hand, but there was too much blood and Hiruko fell slowly into the abyss.
From below them, he heard his wife yell, “Don’t!” Awashima was there, and she had created a massive ball of fire which she was preparing to rain down upon Izanami.
* * *
Awashima hurled the ball at her mother. Izanami knew she should get out of the way, but that would only lead to more fighting with her precious child. It was better to just allow herself to be killed right there. She didn’t have her husband’s resolve or his will to fight.
But right before the incendiary attack hit her, she was whisked away in a blur and reappeared above Awashima with her husband by her side. “That was close,” he said.
The ball fell into the maelstrom of Ultimus Point energy and was absorbed by it. That appeared to be the end of it. Now there was just Awashima to deal with.
“Where is my brother?” she demanded.
“Dead,” her father replied.
“You lie! I’ll—”
She never got to finish that sentence, because the entire underground area began to vibrate violently. Below them, the roiling energies were twisting and shaking about in a frenzy.
“What’s going on?” Izanami said.
“Awashima’s attack must have destabilized the Ultimus Point,” Izanagi replied.
Apparently having forgotten her fallen brother, Awashima
Her daughter didn’t listen.
* * *
Hiruko was currently wrapped around his father like a living rubber band. Try as he might, Izanagi couldn’t escape; Hiruko was on there tight, and he couldn’t get his tanto into position to stab him.
“How about I show you my other ability, Father. Can you feel yourself getting weaker?”
As a matter of fact, he could. Izanagi found his strength being sapped rapidly, and he didn’t know why. “How…?”
“I am called the Leech of Zero Grade. Both my sister and I have the power of absorption through physical contact. While she can steal bones and internal organs, I can siphon off energy. It won’t be long now before you can’t even move. So what do you say? Ready to admit defeat?”
“Never.” But he needed a way to back up his words. Overpowering his son clearly wasn’t an option in this situation, and he wasn’t positioned correctly to fly, either. But…perhaps he just needed a little push.
Concentrating, he generated gale-force winds which proceeded to buffet them about. “What are you doing?” Hiruko said, alarm rising in his voice.
“We need some fresh air,” Izanagi said, slightly embarrassed at the terrible pun he had just made.
The wind rocketed them across the cavernous chamber where they collided with the wall. Since Hiruko was pretty much covering his father, he took the full impact and came loose. Wasting no time, Izanagi stabbed him in the chest.
However, the attack merely stretched Hiruko’s skin without actually penetrating it. “It’s useless, Father. You can’t cut me.”
Nevertheless, Izanagi wasn’t about to give up. Among the Lost Gods, he had the rare ability to manifest his god-energy as a physical force. He summoned his remaining strength and poured it all into his blade which began to glow with a golden light.
“What is this?” Hiruko shouted.
“My responsibility as the father who failed you.”
The power erupted from the tanto’s tip, exploding into Hiruko’s body and tearing it wide open, unleashing a torrent of blood and organs.
As he fell, Hiruko reached out to touch his father, but couldn’t quite reach. Izanagi leaned forward and grasped his offered hand, but there was too much blood and Hiruko fell slowly into the abyss.
From below them, he heard his wife yell, “Don’t!” Awashima was there, and she had created a massive ball of fire which she was preparing to rain down upon Izanami.
* * *
Awashima hurled the ball at her mother. Izanami knew she should get out of the way, but that would only lead to more fighting with her precious child. It was better to just allow herself to be killed right there. She didn’t have her husband’s resolve or his will to fight.
But right before the incendiary attack hit her, she was whisked away in a blur and reappeared above Awashima with her husband by her side. “That was close,” he said.
The ball fell into the maelstrom of Ultimus Point energy and was absorbed by it. That appeared to be the end of it. Now there was just Awashima to deal with.
“Where is my brother?” she demanded.
“Dead,” her father replied.
“You lie! I’ll—”
She never got to finish that sentence, because the entire underground area began to vibrate violently. Below them, the roiling energies were twisting and shaking about in a frenzy.
“What’s going on?” Izanami said.
“Awashima’s attack must have destabilized the Ultimus Point,” Izanagi replied.
Apparently having forgotten her fallen brother, Awashima
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