I won't say much this time for my own comments. I'll just give another shout out to PrefHerna/Somete Paint for this incredibly amazing artwork of the demon. She did a fantastic job as always and I can't wait for her next depiction of who is soon to be my new favourite character in this series to write about. Now, enough of me talking, let's get into this mega chapter. ENJOY!

-PoV: Krystal-

This was it. This battle we were about to begin with this demon would determine whether life continues and the world be showered in light, or whether we're all destroyed and everlasting darkness covers the land. There was no turning back now. 

And, according to what the king said, we just lost one of our trump cards in the shield hero's Blood Sacrifice technique. But, me and captain Xev never know when to quit, and we've got some tricks up our sleeves to show this demon. And once I was finished healing the shield hero's wounds, we'd begin our counterattack. 

"How's it going, Krystal? Are you almost finished?" Xev asked me as he started to make our ship circle the leviathan which was currently using the tentacles on the end of its tail to attack one of the other heroes ships. It crushed it to pieces and caused the sword hero and his crew to become stranded in the water. 

"Just a few more seconds. I'm almost done." I said to Xev as the leviathan went on to attack both the bow and spear heroes ships. And like the one before, they were crushed to pieces, leaving everyone floating in the water. 

"We're running out of ships fast, Krystal! We've gotta hurry things up, or else we'll lose all our backup!" Xev shouted to me as I removed my hands from Naofumi. 

"There, finished! Now, aim this old girl at that beast!" I said as Xev turned the ship to its starboard side, making us face the leviathan. 

"Everyone, get away from the bow. I'm gonna need a lot of space for this!" I told everyone as they rushed for the back of the ship, Raphtalia and Neela helping the shield hero get to his feet so he wouldn't get in the way. 

"Alright, here we go! As source of thy power, I order thee! Decipher the laws of nature and artillerize my target of choice! Luminous Heavy Cannon!" I shouted as I placed both of my hands down onto the bow of the ship. A huge circle of light appeared around me and from it, a massive seated cannon emerged. I took my place on the cannons seat and moved it into position to fire.

"Krystal, fire now!" Xev ordered me but the waves were becoming so rough that it was hard to line up a shot. Meanwhile, the leviathan was beginning to charge up some sort of attack, with a ball of black energy forming in its mouth. 

"Krystal, you need to fire now! That thing's about to attack the queen's ship!" Neela shouted to me as I finally had a shot lined up on the things head. 

"FIRE!" I yelled as I pressed the trigger for the cannon and fired a large ball of light from its barrel. But at the same time, the leviathan launched a massive black beam from its mouth that was headed straight for the queen's flagship. My shot managed to strike its head and cause the creature to flinch and move the beam slightly to the left, but it still struck the queen's ship. It left a huge hole in its left side and her ship quickly started taking on water and was sinking. We now had the only ship that could still sail. 

"Hit it again! That seemed to do at least a bit of damage!" Alex ordered me as I used my mana energy to form another cannon ball in the barrel. But as I was doing that, the leviathan finally turned its attention over to us and began moving through the water to attack us. It submerged its giant snake-like body but kept its head out of the water. It opened its mouth wide when it got close to us, trying to chomp down and break our ship in one gulp. 

"Krystal, if you have a shot, take it, right now! Before that thing gets too close!" Melty said to me but I was waiting for the right moment. 

"Not yet....." I said as the creature was now within 100 feet of our ship. 

"What are you waiting for!? Hit it again!" Raphtalia shouted to me. 

"NOT YET....." I shouted back as the creature was now within 50 feet. 

"WhHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WAITING FOR!? WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE IF YOU DON'T SHOOT NOW!" The shield hero cried as the creature was now less than 20 feet from our ship. 

"NOW!!! MAXIMUM POWER!!!!!" I roared as I amped up the amount of mana I was pouring into the cannon. I pulled its trigger and fired a massive beam of light right into the leviathans mouth. It stopped it in its tracks and the monster began to wail in pain. I pushed it away from the ship and, eventually, the leviathan fully submerged itself. I then stopped firing and reloaded my cannon, waiting for my next chance. 

"Krystal, switch tactics! If it's gone under, it'll probably attack us from below! So take us up!" Xev ordered me. 

"Yes, captain! Everybody, hold onto something! Things are about to get a little bumpy!" I said as my cannon disappeared and I placed both my hands down onto the ship again. 

"As source of thy power, I order thee! Decipher the laws of nature and grant my target the light that soars through the heavens! Golden Dawn Wings!" I shouted as a pair of huge wings emerged from either side of the ship, followed by a spear-like nose on the end of our vessel. 

"She's all ready, captain! Now get us out of the water!" I shouted to Xev as he gave me a nod. 

"As source of thy power, I order thee! Decipher the laws of nature and reflect my targets movements! Reverse Skyward!" Xev shouted as his hands, and then the ship began to glow with a dark blue outline. And a few seconds later, our ship began to rise out of the ocean. Xev was using the reflecting force to make us fly away from the water. And it was at no better of a time. When we got to about 200 feet above the water, the leviathan reappeared where we used to be in the water, most likely coming straight from below to hit the underside of our ship. 

"You two can make this ship fly!? That's so cool!" Filo shouted. 

"We can do lots more than make her fly! But right now, with Krystal maintaining the ships wings and me keeping us in the air, we need all you to be our offense now!" Xev ordered as everyone ran over to the starboard(right) side of the ship. They all drew their weapons or activated their magic and began to firing down at the leviathan. 

"Deathly Hades Geyser! Shining Drill Shot! Zweit Aqua Shot! Zweit Tornado! Fast Light!" They all shouted as they fired their attacks down at the enormous creature. They struck its head and upper body and made it flinch once again. The creature roared at us with anger as it then opened its mouth wide and began to charge that same attack it used to attack the queen's ship. 

"Hold on, everyone! We're gonna have to take some evasive maneuvers!" Xev shouted as he turned the ships wheel hard to port(left) right as the leviathan fired its attack. Its massive beam came straight up into the sky but we just narrowly avoided getting hit by it. 

"Xev, take us back down! Our ranged attacks don't seem to be hurting it to much! So let's see what physical ones do to it!" I suggested as he agreed with me. He then used his magic to angle us back down to the water, and decreased the power of his magic to allow us to glide down. 

"Everyone, keep that thing off of us until we land! It should only take a minute!" I shouted to them as they resumed their attacks on the creature. Melty and Filo, as well as, Neela and Alex even used combo moves to strike the leviathan. They seemed to be much more effective as, when they struck, they blew back the creatures head and nearly made it completely fall over into the water. But it was able to recover and roar at us once again. But, thanks to those attacks, we were able to land safely in the water. 

"Alright, Krystal! Prepare for close quarters encounter!" Xev said to me as I made the wings on the ship disappear and focused my mana onto the spear nose on the bow of our boat. 

"Shimmering Unicorn Horns!" I shouted as my mana pooled into the spear nose, splitting it into three on the end of the ship. 

"Do it, Xev! Take it to that thing!" I shouted to him as he used his reflector magic to push the back of the ship away from the water, propelling us forward at a blinding speed towards the leviathan. The creature itself roared up into the sky and caused more black lightning bolts to rain down. They came pretty close to striking us but our speed was making it so we could evade them. 

"Everyone, when we're right up on this thing, you all need to hit it with everything you've got, understand!?" I shouted to them all as they gave me nods. 

"Then here we g-" I began to say as a black bolt came down and struck the centre mast of our ship, snapping it in half in the process. 

"SHIT! Without that, we won't be going anywhere after this!" Xev shouted as we were coming up on the leviathan. 

"Well then we'll just have to finish it right here and now! EAT THIS, YOU DAMN MONSTER!" I roared as the three spikes at the front of the ship impaled the leviathan. It reacted violently, waving its head around and letting out a screeching roar of pain and agony. 

"Now, everyone! Attack!" The shield hero ordered as everyone went in to finish this thing off. 

"As source of thy power, we order thee! Decipher the laws of creation and bestow upon this sacred blade the power to cut down reality itself! Black Steel Warp Saber!" Neela and Alex shouted as they combined their skills, forming a black bladed katana in Alex's hands. He then swung his weapon at the body of the leviathan and created a massive gash in its skin. The leviathan wailed in despair as blood began to gush out of its body. 

"Keep it up! It's working!" I shouted as everyone else went in for their attacks. Raphtalia used her sword to slice up the creatures skin even more, while Filo used her sharp talons to dig holes through its body. And Melty finished it by using her water magic to wield a blade of water, which she used to make a small gash along its body. 

"Alex, hit my shield with that sword of yours!" The shield hero yelled to him as Alex turned and threw his sword right at him. The shield hero was still wielding that curse shield and it made contact with Alex's black katana. When it struck it, his shield unleashed a massive wall of flames that engulfed a section of the leviathans body. It moaned loudly from the attack as its body was left smoking. 

"Now Krystal! End this thing!" Xev shouted to me as I made the three spikes impaling the leviathan disappear. I then brought my hands together and began to charge my final attack. 

"As source of thy power, I order thee! Decipher the laws of nature and obliterate my target with a light that burns all shadows! Sparkling Heaven Star!" I roared as I reached both of my hands straight out and fired a huge beam of light from them that struck the body of the leviathan. It's roar quickly turned into a whimper as I blew a hole right through its massive body. 

"Give us back the 5th hero of this world, demon!" I cried as I kept up my assault. My light looked like it was burning away at the creatures skin and making it dissolve into liquid. And, after about 10 more seconds of me attacking it, the creature was nothing but black gunk in the water. 

"Did we.... do it?" Melty questioned as the gunk sank into the depths of the sea. 

"I think..... we did. Man..... that really..... took a lot.... out of me....." I said as I fell over onto my btt, breathing very heavily from exhaustion. 

"No...... No, this is just like before. Everyone, stay on guard. I don't this the demon is finished yet." Alex said to us all. 

"Are you serious? How can anything take a beating like that and still keep ticking?" I asked him. 

"We struck this demon with a similar assault when during the battle against the pope. It dissolved into liquid, just like it did now. We thought the demon was destroyed but, as you can see, it was far from dead. And I believe that's the same case right now." He explained to all of us. 

"He's right. This demon has grown exponentially stronger since it came to Cal Mira, granting it much greater resistances to everything we can throw at it. There's absolutely no way all that could take it down. So, whether you're tired or not, get back up and prepare fo-" The shield hero began to say as our ship suddenly began to violently rock back and forth. 

"What's happening!?" Filo asked as massive black tentacles began to coil around the body of the ship. 

"Oh crap, it's back! Everybody, try and get this thing to let go of us!" Neela shouted as we all began to attack the tentacles. But it seems we all used too much mana before as our attacks didn't even make the creature flinch. It raised its body back out of the water, looking like the leviathan again. It roared at us as it lifted our ship high out of the water. And then, it began to squeeze our ship tightly, crushing it to pieces. 

"Everybody, abandon ship! Get off or you'll be crushed too!" Xev shouted as we all ran for the left side of the ship and dove off into the water. The leviathan brought our ship close to its head and then bit down on it, ripping it in two and tossing the pieces back into the water which sank instantly. 

"It's all over..... Without our ship, we can't fight that thing...." I thought to myself as the leviathan roared in victory as it looked down at us all in the water. It opened it mouth up wide and once again began to charge up that huge black beam. But, in the midst of it doing that, dozens of cannon balls suddenly came flying out of nowhere and struck the head of the creature. The leviathan stopped its attack and turned to see who shot at it, as did the rest of us. 

"I will not allow you to cause any more harm to those I care so deeply about! Your opponent is me, and me alone! NOW, FACE ME, MONSTER!" Alex roared as he stood on a small metal platform which he was using to float above the water. He had both of his arms extended straight out on either side of him, using his metal magic to control all the cannons from the other fallen ships to fire at the leviathan. 

He managed to stop it from killing us, but attacks like that aren't going to do anything to this creature. I don't see any way we can beat this thing now, but all our hopes now lie with our king. Please, my lord...... 

".....Save us....."

-PoV: Alex- 

With our final ship being destroyed now, I was the only one left who could fight this seemingly impossible foe. I stood before it as it gazed down at me with its blood red eyes. 

"You......" The leviathan said with the demon's voice. 

"I'll give you one last chance, demon! Release Ayuma and return to the world which you once came from! Do so and I may spare your life!" I declared to it as the demon just laughed. 

"No being in this world can harm me! Not even Naofumi and his curse shield can hurt me anymore, so what good can you do against my power!?" The demon roared. 

"It's true my metal magic is incapable of causing harm to you! And it's true that you may be impervious to all forms of magic! But I have one final spell in my arsenal which I will use to finally put an end to you, demon! Your darkness will crumble, and we will save Ayuma and bring light back to this world! As king..... I WILL DEFEAT YOU!!!!" I roared as I suddenly calmed my body and clapped my hands together, keeping them in that formation. I then began to breath in, sucking in all the mana particles in the air. 

"Impossible! A weak creature like you shouldn't be capable of absorbing the mana of this world!" The demon questioned as my body began to glow with a bright golden outline. I then held both of my arms straight out to my sides, raised my head up high and chanted my ultimate magical ability. 

"As source of thy power, and as the king, I order thee! Decipher the laws of all time and space and grant me the power to surpass all limitations! Surpass all who oppose me! Surpass the darkness I strive to overcome! I cast the grand magic spell: LIFE FORCE MANA HEART!!!!!" I roared as I brought my hands back together again, completing the activation for the spell. 

This mighty spell can only be used by whoever holds the title of "king" in Melromarc, and it grants immense strength and the power of creation itself to its wielder. 

"With this power that flows through my veins..... I will finally end your reign of terror, you vile demon. Prepare to die." I said as my whole body began to glow with a rainbow colored aura. I could feel the energy coursing through me. It felt so amazing and powerful. 

"This magic contains the purest type of mana within this world! It was created by the very gods themselves! Now, here me, demon! The real battle begins right now!" I shouted as a pair of rainbow colured gauntlets appeared on my arms, followed by a pair of rainbow dragon wings sprouting from my back. 

"No matter what magic ability you possess, you will still fall to my power!!! Now, DIE!" The demon roared as it lunged its leviathan body at me with its gaping mouth wide open. I prepared to meet it by pulling my right arm back and waiting for it to get close. 

"Stay calm..... Stay calm and wait for the right opportunities. Picking the right moments to strike will bring me victory." I thought to myself as I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, trying my hardest to steal my nerves and focus on my objective.

"BEGONE, PUNY KING!!!!" The demon howled as it was now right on me, its mouth mere feet from engulfing me. I responded by opening my eyes and throwing a colossal punch to the leviathan's lower jaw. I struck it and the impact sent the monster flying backwards into the ocean. 

"I know that didn't put you down, so here I come!" I shouted as I took flight for the monster. 

"I'll admit, I actually felt that. But an insect like you has no hope in defeating me!" The demon bellowed as it instantly fired its black beam from its mouth at me. I was caught off guard by how fast it used it so I had no time to dodge. Instead, I held both of my hands out in front of me and took the attack head on. The beam collided with my hands and pushed me high into the sky. However, the attack wasn't able to penetrate my aura so it didn't actually hurt me. I then used my wings to fly underneath the beam and begin a dive for the leviathan. 

"You're unable to harm me when i'm in this state! Now, witness what this spell is truly capable of! COME TO ME! ETERNAL SHINING KNIGHT!" I called out as I clapped my hands together. I stopped my dive momentarily to call forth my creation. Appearing from the black clouds above was a massive ball of white light that floated down until it stopped in front of me. It grew in size and shined even brighter until my creation was fully formed. When it was complete, the light dissipated and standing in the ocean, with equal size to the leviathan, was a golden suit of armor wielding an enormous golden sword. 

"I am the knight that can strike down any foe! And you are no exception! Now taste the fury of my mighty blade of hope!" I shouted as I made the gesture of me wielding a sword with my own arms. The giant suit of armor mimicked me and it swung its massive sword downward and slashed the leviathan's body. 

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!! I WILL NOT BE DESTROYED BY SOME OVERSIZED PUPPET!" The demon roared as it dove underneath the water. With the water the same color as its body, it was impossible to see where it would come from. I just had to predict when it would emerge. But even so..... that's basically impossible as well. 

"DIE YOU WRETCHED KING!!!" The demon howled as it burst out of the water and wrapped its long serpentine body around my golden knight. 

"If it's a battle of strength.... then.... I will not falter to something like you!" I shouted as I began to spread my arms apart, causing my knight to do the same. It was slowly breaking free of the leviathan and, when it had enough space, I freed its arms and used them to grab onto the body of the leviathan. 

"Witness my strength, here and now, demon! THIS BATTLE IS OVER!!!" I ANNOUNCED AS I pulled my arms apart, causing my knight to do the same as it still gripped the leviathan in its hands. A loud *CRACK* sound filled the area and, within the matter of a few seconds, my knight ripped the leviathan in two. The leviathan wailed in absolute agony as its blood spewed from its body parts. 

"I'VE NOT COME THIS FAR TO BE DESTROYED BY BRUTE FORCE ALONE!!!! I WILL NOT ALLOW SUCH POWER TO KILL ME!!!!!" The demon roared as its two body parts in my hands began to reshape themselves. The bottom half took the shape of a kraken and the lower half took the form of a gryphon. 

"No, it can't be!? How can this still not be enough!?" I questioned as the two monsters began to attack my knight. The kraken wrapping its long tentacles all over my knight and the gryphon tearing apart the armor itself. 

"Your knight may be strong, but it's too slow! You can't handle two opponents at once!" Both monsters simultaneously roared as they ripped my knight to pieces. I felt a massive pain in my heart as my creation was reduced to nothing but dust. 

"This spell..... it drains the life force of its user..... and every creation I make..... is connected to me. Meaning I can feel their pain. I..... I have to end this..... I have to end it soon.... before.... before I run out of mana...." I said as the gryphon began to fly up to me. 

"Looks like your almost out of energy, king!!! It's time for me to finally extinguish your pathetic little light!!" The demon shouted as it bared its sharp claws at me. 

"NO!!! I AM NOT THROUGH YET!!! NOT UNTIL I SAY IT'S OVER!!" I screamed as I clapped my hands together once again. My whole body began to shine with an intense ray of light and it caused the gryphon to back away. I felt more and more power coursing into my body. I was calling upon every single mana particle in the world, no matter how big or small, to me right now. And I used it all to reshape my body, just as the demon did to itself. 

"MY MIND, HEART AND MY VERY SOUL ARE ONE!! THIS IS THE POWER OF HOPE, DEMON!!! THE VERY HOPE THAT WILL END YOU!!! ETERNAL RADIANT DRAGOON!!!!!!" I cried as my new form emerged from the light. I was now a massive gold skinned drake with enormous rainbow colored wings. I let out a mighty roar as I faced the demon and kraken. 

"Two can play at that game, puny king!!" The monsters shouted as they came together. They began to merge their bodies into one, creating a huge black mass that floated upward into the sky until it reached my level. And then, it reshaped its body once again, turning into the very same dragon I took the form of. 

We both let out mighty roars as we flew for each other. Our bodies collided and we entered a shoving match in the sky by interlocking our claws together. I then headbutted the other dragon in the head and made it flinch for a moment but it struck back by slamming its tail into the side of my chest. 

"This shoving match is pointless..... I need to finish this right now!" I thought to myself as I began to absorb more and more mana into my body. And then, simultaneously, both of us began to form balls of energy in our mouths, mine gold and the other dragon's black. We were charging up our attacks, each looking to kill the other with but a single blow.

"My flames will eradicate you, puny king!!! Fall into everlasting darkness!!!" The demon howled as it unleashed its deadly flame breath attack. 

"My flames burn away all that oppose them! They're light shines so brightly, they annihilate all forms of shadows!" I shouted as I unleashed my golden flame attack. 

When our attacks met, a monumental shock wave ensued that could probably be felt from across the world. Our flames burned away at each other but still, neither of us were gaining any ground on the other. 

And then, simultaneously once again, we both stopped our flame breath attacks and butted heads. I let out another mighty roar as I pulled my head back and lunged it forward, biting down hard on the black dragon's neck. It let out a bellowing roar but it struck back. It lunged its own head onto me and reached even further, biting down onto one of my wings. 

I let out a whimpering roar as the other dragon began to slam my chest with its tail again. With combination of it biting on my wing and striking me with its tail, I could feel my strength quickly leaving me. And we were losing altitude. 

"This is..... It's just too much..... I can't..... I can't keep this up...." I said as the black dragon whipped its head back, tearing off my wing completely in the process. I let out an ear deafening screech as the black dragon let go of my claws and let me fall into the ocean. I crashed into the sea with such force that it felt like my back had broken. And with my strength leaving me, I couldn't keep up this form any longer and I reverted back to my human form. 

"I can't...... I just can't....." I panted as the demonic black dragon landed in the water in front of me, reaching down with one of its claws and picking me up, holding me near its face. 

"I told you you were nothing to me! Now die, puny king!!!" The demon said as it lifted me over its head and opened its large mouth. 

"I'm sorry everyone...... I tried my best.... but it was just too much for me..... I'm..... so sorry..." I said as the dragon dropped me into its mouth, completely engulfing me as it shut its massive jaws. Everything after that went dark.....

I don't know how much time had passed but I eventually awoke to a place i'd seen before. It was the place where I spoke with the demon before. Just a dark room with a single light seeping down from above. 

"Look at you! Nothing but a worm to grovel at my feet!!" I heard the demon shout as it landed right on top of my back and grabbed onto my hair, lifting my head up and pulling it near its face. It was in its complete form, not the half and half form it had with Ayuma. 

"What...... did you do with Ayuma?" I asked it as I coughed up blood. 

"Why, she's right in front of you. Just take a look..." The demon said as it pulled my head back and made me look up. I saw Ayuma was dangling above with black tentacles penetrating all over her body, keeping her suspended and sucking away at her life force. 

"You let her go! Please, let her go!" I pleaded as the demon slammed my head back down into the ground. 

"Like I said, nothing but a worm! That power you wielded was very impressive. But in the face of my darkness, nothing can withstand my unrelenting might!" The demon roared as it kept lifting my head up and shoving it back down. 

"I will..... not.... submit defeat.... to the likes..... of you....." I said as the demon raised me back up to face it. 

"What was that? Say it again in worm words, please." The demon asked me. 

"I'll beat you..... I'll win..... and destroy you..... Once..... and for all.... I'll save Ayuma..... And you.... will no longer have..... control over her...." I as the demon lifted up one of its clawed fingers and then stabbed me through my right upper chest. I screamed in agonizing pain as the demon let go of my head. 

"Then tell me, boy..... How can you defeat me if you'll be so busy fighting your allies?" The demon asked which shocked me. 

"What..... are you talking about?" I replied as more black tentacles came down from up above and wrapped around my limbs. They injected themselves into several parts of my body and lifted me up right in front of Ayuma. 

"Like the girl, you'll fall into this state of death and be my puppet to manipulate. You won't have any choice but to do what I say...." The demon explained to me as I tried to break free of the tentacles. But they were too strong as they tightened their grip.  

"P.....Pl.... Plea...... Please..... Al...... Alex...... S... S.... Save.... M..... Me...." Ayuma said to me as she shakingly raised her head a bit. She was crying. 

"Yes, boy, try and save her! You know what happens if you do! She dies! And once your assimilation is complete, you will die too!" The demon roared as it laughed maniacally. And then, another tentacles came rising from the ground and hovered in front of me. The end of it opened up like a flower and latched onto my face. I could feel it sucking away at me, draining what was left of my mana and life force.

"See for yourself what you will become, my puppet!" I heard the demon shout as I started to see visions. 

"You're all weak!! This world doesn't need heroes like you!! Just die like those before you did!!!" I heard myself shout as I could see my body looked like the demon's. Ren, Itsuki, and Motoyasu all laid on the ground before me, dead. The only one who stood in my way was Naofumi. 

"Alex please, stop this!! This isn't you, you wouldn't kill anyone!!" Naofumi pleaded to me as I rushed him. 

"Shut up, you weak hero!!" I roared as I swung my claws at him. I ripped apart his shield and then stabbed him in the chest. I ripped apart his stomach until he was nothing but a bloody puddle on the ground. 

My next vision was of my sisters and mother. My mother was standing in front of them, shielding them from my fury.

"Alexander, my son, you must fight this darkness! You musn't lose hope!" Mother yelled to me as she used her ice magic to freeze me in place. 

"Alexander is gone! I am darkness!" I shouted as I broke through the ice and ran right up to her. I shoved my fist right into her chest and it went right through her body. I pulled out my fist and my mother fell to the ground, lifeless. 

"Mother, NOOOOOOOO!!!" Malty and Melty cried as I formed a black sword in my right hand. 

"Royalty is not a matter I see in my world. Now, begone!!" I roared as I reached over to my Malty and grabbed her head. I pulled her closer to me and then I impaled her with my blade.

"Alex..... I know I..... tried to kill you and all..... but know.... that I always loved you....." Malty said as her life now came to an end. I pulled my blade out of her and faced the final person. My little sister. 

"Melty, Melty, Melty...... You were always the one I despised the most. It feels so good todo this to you now!" I shouted as I lifted my left leg up and kicked her in the face. She fell over and I walked over to then step down on her chest. She tried to struggle free but could not. 

"Brother, please..... I am your sister, your own flesh and blood. You must remember who I am. You wouldn't do a thing to harm me or anyone else. Please..... look inside you and see that this is wrong!" Melty said to me as I raised my blade up above her. 

"I am not your brother anymore! Now, DIE!!" I roared as I shoved my blade down through her head. Melty's life came to an end in an instant. 

The next vision was of me facing Neela. We were in combat but it was clear she was the one who was losing. 

"Alex, you must fight back against this demon!! Find the strength to overcome its control! It's the only way you can defeat it and save Ayuma!!!" She yelled to me as I reformed my body into the shape of the dragon. 

"No, I quite enjoy this power flowing through me!! I don't want to fight the demon! The demon has allowed me to become one with both itself and Ayuma!! And we'll never ever be defeated by anything, ever again!!" I shouted as I lunged at Neela who tried to attack me with her black flames. But my dragon body was too impervious to the fire and I walked right through it. 

"Please, Alex!! Think about what Ayuma would really want! She'd want you to still have hope, stay strong and conquer this darkness!" Neela said to me as I broke through the rest of her flames and pinned her down in the ground by stepping on her. 

"Funny, Neela..... I know for a fact that you're wrong because I can hear Ayuma's thoughts. She's telling me how useless you were to her and that she wished she'd never found you that day. She wants me to kill you, and I'll give her whatever she desires!!" I roared as I brought my head down and engulfed Neela inside my mouth, swallowing her whole. 

"The darkness and I are one!! There isn't a single being in this world that can overcome our undaunting might!!!" I declared as I let out a powerful roar of victory. 

"Please...... Alex...... Save me......" I heard Ayuma's voice echo from somewhere. 

"Save me...... Save me...... Please...... Save me....." She kept saying as her current figure appeared out of nowhere before me. Still wrapped in tentacles and being stabbed by them, her body seemed lifeless as I stared at it. But, like before, she slowly raised her head up and looked right into my eyes. 

"I.... I lo...... I love you...... Alex......" Ayuma said to me as more tears rolled down her face. She then disappeared and everything around me went dark again. 

"This..... What am I doing!? This isn't..... This isn't me! I would never harm anyone, especially those I care about!! No, I utterly refuse to do so!! AND NO DEMON WILL FORCE ME TO TAKE AWAY WHAT I LOVE IN THIS WORLD!!!!!" I roared at the top of my lungs. 

I started moving my arms which were being restrained by the tentacles. I brought them together and used them to grab onto the tentacles latching onto my face. I used every ounce of my strength to rip it off, allowing me to breath again. 

"WHAT!? IMPOSSIBLE!! YOU HAVE NO MAGIC ENERGY! NO MANA!! AND YOUR LIFE FORCE IS ALL BUT GONE!! HOW CAN YOU STILL HAVE SO MUCH STRENGTH LEFT!!??" The demon questioned as I used my hands to rip the tentacles out of my body, allowing me to drop back down to the ground. I then stood up tall and gazed right into the eye of the monster that stood before me. 

"You listen to me, you bastard..... Until I defeat you...... Until I save Ayuma..... Until I bring light back to our world.... I will never..... Fall to the ground...... EVER AGAIN!!!" I roared as I threw a punch at the demon. My fist struck its chest and the impact blew off some of its scales on its body. 

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Th demon screamed as it backed away in pain, it's body smoking where I struck it. 

"How can this be!? You're not using any mana in your strikes, but yet you're harming me!! HOW!?" The demon questioned as I started walking towards it. 

"It's because I fight with the power of hope. Its light can never be extinguish by the likes of you. Now, feel its righteous fury!!!" I shouted as I threw another punch, this time aimed for its face. 

"No, get away from me, you worm!!" The demon bellowed as it ducked underneath my fist, reached up, grabbed my face and then pushed me down onto the ground. The demon pinned me down and began to punch my face several times with its clawed hands. 

"I wanted the king's power to become almighty in this world!!! But it seems you're unworthy of wielding my darkness!!!" The demon roared as it lifted its right arm up to strike me again. But, I took this small opening to reach up with my left arm and now grab onto its own face. The demon flinched and tried to break lose of my grip but I was not letting go. I pushed its head up and away from me which allowed me to stand up again. 

"I cannot accept all that you've done, demon!!! Harming my friends and family, threatening all life, and using the one I care about the most as your own dark puppet!!! I WILL CAST MY LIGHT THROUGH YOUR DARKNESS AND ELIMINATE YOU FROM THIS WORLD, ONCE AND FOR ALL!!!" I shouted as I prepared to punch the demon again. 

The demon struck first though by swinging its right leg and hitting me across my lower chest. I flinched a bit and coughed up some blood but I had to stay standing. I grabbed onto its leg before it could pull it back and I pulled it closer to me. I then reeled my right arm back and threw a strong punch right into the demon's face. I smashed one of its horns to pieces and broke off more of the scales on its face. 

"Your insignificant little light means nothing to me!!! I'll eradicate you and all others when I am finished here!!" The demon roared as we both simultaneously threw out left fists at each other. Our attacks collided with so much force that we shook the entire area. But, I used all my might to push back against the demon, and doing so, my fist broke through its entire arm, making it crumble to pieces. 

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" The demon cried as it used its wings to fly above me. It was grasping where its left arm used to be, with black blood spewing out of it. 

"You get down here, bastard! I AM NOT DONE WITH YOU YET!!!" I roared as I jumped up and grasped onto its right leg. 

"NO!!! LET GO OF ME, YOU WORM!!!" The demon wailed as I pulled it back down to the ground. I then used all my strength to slam its body into the ground. I then kicked it in its chest, making it slide away from me a few feet. 

"There is always some fool like you who wants to rule the world!!! Always forcing others to do..... what they cannot do for themselves!!!!" I shouted as I grabbed onto the right wing and arm of the demon. I pulled on them hard and loud *CRACK* sounds started to be heard. 

"I wanted to make you strong!! I can still give you the power to defeat all those who would harm the ones you care for!!!! If you'll just let me live.....!!!" The demon tried to plea but I wasn't listening to any of its word any more. 

"Your words all hollow to me!!! And, I cannot allow you to twist the minds of all those you wish to use!!!!" I stated as I pulled with all my might, ripping off the wing and the demon's other arm. It wailed in absolute agony as it used its last remaining wing to slowly stand up. 

"WHAT..... WHAT ARE YOU.....!? ARE YOU SECRETLY A GOD IN DISGUISE!? TELL ME!" The demon demanded as it turned to face me. 

"No, you bastard. I am no god! I am a human being, and my name is Alexander Melromarc the 3rd!!! I pray to no one..... nor will I be prayed to.....!!" I shouted as I raised my right fist up, preparing to end this. 

"But..... above all else....." I said as I rushed for the demon which was completely defenseless. 

"I will never..... forgive you...... FOR MAKING AYUMA CRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!" I roared as I threw one final punch right at the demon's face. I used every bit, every ounce, every fraction of power I had left in my body into this one strike. 

"THIS IS YOUR END, MONSTER!!!! NOW, FALL!!!!" I shouted at I blew the head of the demon right off its body sending it flying into the darkness in the distance. Its now headless body then fell to the ground before me and crumbled away into nothing but dust. 

"I told you..... Never again..... would I fall..... until you were beat....." I said as I fell to my knees. 

"It's all over...... You're..... finally...... gone..... for good....." I said as I heard a loud thud come from behind me. I turned and saw Ayuma laying on the ground. The tentacles that held her above had crumbled away too. I tried to stand but I had no strength left to even get up. I crawled my way over to her and held her in my arms. Her eyes were shut again, and I tried everything to get her to wake. 

-PoV: Ayuma-

"..ma...... uma..... Ayuma...... Ayuma, please..... wake up...." I heard a voice say as I slowly opened my eyes. I had no idea where I was, but holding me in his arms was Alex. He looked near beaten to death, puncture wounds in his chest, scratch marks on his body and face, and he had blood seeping out of his mouth.

"A..... Alex....?" I questioned as he began to smile and cry. 

"That's right. It's me. The demon is gone, Ayuma. It can't do anything to harm us anymore." Alex said to me as I tried my best to crack a smile.

"Th.... Thank..... you....." I said as, suddenly, a loud screaming sound could be heard in the area. Alex was pulled away from me and, latching onto his left arm and the left side of his head was the very head of the demon itself. 

"IF I AM TO DIE THEN I WILL MAKE IT MY GOAL TO SEE THAT YOU SUFFER AS WELL!!!!" The demon roared as it then latched onto Alex's chest. Alex screamed in pain as he tried everything to pull the demon off of him. But it wasn't letting go. 

"YOU BROKE MY CONNECTION TO THE AXE HERO, YOU WORM!!! SO I'LL JUST HAVE TO ASSIMILATE YOU INSTEAD!!!" The demon shouted as I slowly and shakily stood up. 

"AYUMA...... THERE'S ONLY..... THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY TO KILL THIS THING FOR GOOD!!! YOU HAVE TO..... KILL IT..... ALONG WITH ITS HOST!!!!" Alex explained but I didn't want to believe his words. 

"PLEASE, AYUMA! TO SAVE THIS WORLD..... TO SAVE YOURSELF..... TO SAVE ME...... PLEASE, KILL ME!!!!" Alex cried as the demon was trying to move into his mouth. 

"I..... what should I do!? I want this demon to be gone forever..... but I can't just kill Alex!! I love him, and I can't have him die on me now!!!" I thought as my axe suddenly appeared in my hands. It's blades burst into a furious white flame. 

"Don't worry, Ayuma. Even if i'm gone..... i'll still be with you..... always. Just remember me..... in your heart..... and know that I will always love you.... no matter what path we must take now....." I heard Alex's voice say in my head as I gripped my axe tightly in my hands and limped my way over to him and the demon.

"DO IT, AYUMA!!!! KILL ME, PLEASE!!!! END THIS FOREVER!!!!" Alex cried as I reeled my axe back to my right and then swung it forward. I struck Alex's chest where the demon was latching onto him and my white flames reduced that part of the demon to dust. 

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" The demon cried as it fully let go of Alex and tried to get away by crawling along the ground. But, I stepped onto one of its tentacles it had formed and pinned it to the ground. It turned to face me and its face was full of absolute fear. 

"Don't do this to me, Ayuma!! You need me to protect everyone!! You need my power!!" The demon said to me as I raised my axe above my head. 

"You threatened the ones I hold dear to me in this world, and for that, I have no mercy to give you!" I shouted to the demon as it began to whimper. 

"What the hell are you!? Some kind of monster!?" The demon questioned as I took a deep breath and calmed my body. 

"No, demon!!! I am one of the five cardinal heroes who was summoned to defend this world!!! I AM THE AXE HERO!!! AND YOU.... ARE.... HISTORYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!" I roared as I brought my mighty weapon down and struck the demon's head. It implanted itself into the demon's skull and burned away at it from the inside with its white flames.

"NNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The demon bellowed as its entire body burned away until nothing remained. 

"That's.... the last...... of you....." I panted as I suddenly realized what I had done to Alex. I dropped my weapon and rushed back over to where he laid on the ground. I held him in my arms and tried everything to get him to wake. 

"Alex...... Alex, please, wake up! Please, wake up!" I pleaded as I looked at the wound I had given him. It was a deep slash mark that went across his chest. 

"Alex, i'm sorry for what I did to you, so please, wake up!" I screamed as I shook his body a little. But nothing happened. I checked for a pulse, or if he was breathing.... but still nothing. 

"NO! YOU CAN'T DIE!! YOU CAN'T DIE LIKE THIS!!! PLEASE, WAKE UP!!! ALEX, I LOVE YOU, SO PLEASE, JUST WAKE UP!!!!" I begged as everything around us began to shake. The area around us was crumbling away just like the demon did. The walls were shattering and sunlight was leaking into the dark room. Everything around us disintegrated, even the ground and we both began to fall from the sky. We were above the ocean, black clouds above us that were disappearing, allowing the sun to rain down its rays of light. Both of us landed in the water and I kept a sturdy hold on Alex so he wouldn't sink or drift away from me. 

"Please...... Wake up, Alex...... I can't do this..... without you....." I said as I began to cry. Nothing I did was waking him up.... which meant..... Alex..... had died.....

"Everyone, look!!! I can see Ayuma and my brother!!!" I heard a voice shout as I turned to face them. Melty, along with Neela, Naofumi, and a girl with long silver hair were in a row boat and were making their way over to us. 

"We're over here!! Please, hurry!! Alex needs help, right now!!!" I shouted to them as they made it to us. Naofumi and Neela pulled us aboard and we laid Alex down on the bottom of the boat. 

"I'm so glad to see you're alive, miss Ayuma!" Neela said as she hugged me tightly. 

"Ayuma, what happened to my brother? What caused all these injuries?" Melty asked me as I lowered my head and kept on crying. 

"He fought the demon....... but it tried to make him its new host...... so he ordered me to kill it..... but that meant..... that I had to kill Alex." I explained to them as they all gasped. 

"No..... Are you saying..... he's......." Melty tried to say as I nodded. 

"Alex...... is dead......" I said as the girl with the silver hair placed her hands down onto Alex, her right on his forehead and her left on his chest. 

"Not on my watch, he isn't....." She said as I raised my head back up in surprise. 

"Alex here talked so highly of you, axe hero. And it would be too much of a shame if he were to die right after meeting you again. You two deserve to be together." The girl said as her hands and then Alex's body began to glow cyan. 

"As source of thy power...... I order thee! Decipher..... the laws of..... Life and Death..... and resurrect my target..... from the endless dream they sleep in! REJUVENATION OF THE GODS!!!!" The girl shouted as she and Alex were engulfed in a bright golden light. It lasted for a few seconds only before dissipating. When it was gone, the girl fainted and slumped over in the boat. 

".............Ayu...... ma....." Alex began to say as overwhelming joy rose over us all. 

"Alex, it's me! Can you hear me!? Can you wake up!?" I asked him as he slowly opened his eyes. We all grew huge smiles as we were so relieved to see him alive. 

"What's..... going on? You all.... looked like you'd seen a ghost before....." Alex said as I raised him up and hugged him. 

"You're..... alive....." I said as I cried into his shoulder.

"So..... is it over? Did you..... kill the demon?" Alex asked me. 

"Yes......." I said to him as I took my head away from his shoulder and kissed him. 

"Don't you ever scare me like that again, you hear me!? Do it again and I swear i'll kick you out of my party!" I jokingly declared to him as he chuckled a bit. 

"Big brother....." Melty said as she came in and hugged Alex as well. 

"So, it's finally over. That demon is no more. Thank god...." Naofumi said as he stepped around us in the row boat and over to that girl with the silver hair. He began to heal her. 

"Miss Ayuma....... Mother......" Neela said as I let go of Alex to turn and face her. She had her head down too like I did and she was also crying. I moved over to her and hugged her, holding her tightly against my body. 

"My daughter...... Neela...... I swear that nothing will separate us ever again...... We'll be together..... we'll all be together from now on." I said to her as she sobbed into my left shoulder. 

"I MISSED YOU SO MUCH, MOMMY!!!" Neela cried as I chuckled a bit. 

The battle against the dreaded demon had finally come to an end. What started out as a onslaught for the demon changed once the boy king, Alex fought the demon where it dwelled. And, in his struggle against it, he managed to free Ayuma, the axe hero from its clutches. And, at the cost of his own life, the axe hero struck down the boy king, ending his life as well as the life of the demon. But, thanks to a young mage and her unparalleled healing abilities, the boy king was granted life once more. The darkness that shrouded the world was finally gone, and now light shines down on our heroes. 

"Come on, everyone..... Let's go home....."