Chapter Thirty-One: Sinking Despair

Lydia knew they had a plan to prevent Jormungandr from unleashing his breath once more, but her confidence was faltering. Witnessing his body slam against the massive buildings, ripping chunks of debris and rubble from their exteriors, was enough to make her second-guess their strategy.

"Shit... Wain, is this really going to work?"

Wain tried to reply, but as his mouth opened, words were never spoken. Instead, blood forcefully exploded out from his mouth, spilling over the front of his chest.

"WAIN! What's wrong?"

"Nothing! Focus! I just forced myself too much."

Lydia turned back to the unending dragon pursuing from behind. Jormungandr seemed to be an unstoppable force that pressed onward no matter what they threw at him. She thought they had accomplished a major victory over the dragon when they tore through his eye, but seeing it fully restored crumbled any hope she had left.

"How much longer could they continue this futile battle? It was only a matter of time before they ran out of holy mana, and without an Arch Knight, their chances grew thinner every minute." Lydia thought to herself as she pondered a possible solution.

"A distress signal was sent out a long time ago... Where the hell are they?"

Lydia smacked the back of the tyrannosaurus. 

A purple light grew bright far down the street.

"WAIN! Prepare yourself!"

Jormungandr channeled more mana into his mouth, causing the fire to burn brighter. The purple flame burning within his mouth was unnervingly beautiful. It was such an unnatural color for a flame, yet Lydia was mesmerized by its appearance.

"To think such a flame could bear such destructive force."

Upon reaching the capacity he could store within the confines of his jaws, Jormungandr slammed his mouth shut, clenching his jaws shut with all his strength. 

"HES PRESSURIZING!"

Lydia jumped onto her feet.

"EAT THIS YOU BASTARD!"

Lydia channeled holy mana into her arm, causing lightning to arch along her skin. She threw her arm up into the air and expelled forth a blast of lightning that soared into the sky. The golden lightning ripped through the air, proclaiming its existence like a beacon that alerted those around. 

Jormungnadr's eye twitched upon the sight, causing him to hesitate momentarily. To Lydia's surprise, he slowed his approach just enough to prepare himself for whatever they had planned. He was no fool to believe such an action was meaningless. To help slow his momentum, he slammed his body up against a nearby building, dragging it across the glass and metal.

Then, he came to a halt and watched from afar. He chuckled internally, knowing their escape attempt would be pointless. It was futile to try and run. He would simply unleash his breath and incinerate the entire block. As the pressure grew, he prepared to open his mouth. Within Lydia's mind, his words were forcefully heard as if they were spoken directly into her brain.

"It is time to end this human. Thy end is here."

Jormungandr's jaws began to open. 

"Now, Mel..." Lydia cried out as Wain turned around with wide eyes. "Don't be late."

Before the flames could travel an inch from his mouth, an enormous explosion of holy fire erupted as a missile slammed into his eye. The explosion slightly shifted its monstrous head, but it was just enough to redirect the beam of fire upward to their right, causing it to miss the two priests. The fire tore through the rubble, leaving nothing behind. Wain winced and tried to lean away, but the heat from the flames seared his skin. 

Lydia cheered as she watched Jormungandr reel in agony, screaming from the wound left where he once was. His eye socket was empty, leaving nothing but a hole with scorched flesh from the explosion. "They had managed to stop his attack! Their plan was a success!"

Standing on a building across from Jormungandr, Mel sat perched on the floor with a massive missile launcher strapped to her shoulder. The bulky silver rectangle was filled with seven holy rockets lined up and prepared to be sent towards the serpent. The gun's body was so large Mel had to form a brace that wrapped around her chest and shoulder to deal with the recoil. Kneeling, she closed one eye, aiming the next rockets directly at the open wound on Jormungandr's face. 

"Eat this, you damn snake!" 

She pulled the trigger, and each missile ignited one by one, causing amber flames to shoot from the back of the launcher as each missile shot out from the barrel. Within seconds, they traveled from Mel's location to Jormungandr's, crashing into the open wound. The volley of missiles exploded one after another, tearing through the snake's flesh as the immense force expanded within his skull.

A large cloud covered the side of Jormungandr's face, making it difficult to see the extent of the damage. However, Mel could not contain her excitement as the large serpent fell to the ground. Jumping joyfully, she ran to the end of the floor to look down at the serpent that had now filled the street. The sight of his elongated body was terrifying. It seemed to go on for miles, making it nearly impossible to gauge just how endless this monster was.

It seemed as if the creature had no end but would consume the world with its presence if allowed to continue entering their realm.

"I did it! It stopped!"

The smoke began to clear, revealing half of his face had been blown off by the eight missiles. Mel could see half of his skull with dangling flesh barely attached, a sight she never thought would be the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Its brain was torn in half and burnt from the explosion... "It has to be dead..." 

Wain commanded the Tyrannosaurus Rex to slow down and turn back. Sitting on its back, Lydia was in awe of Mel's firepower. "Mel managed to kill an Apocalypse!" The inconceivable sight made her cheer. The Paladin threw her arms up and shouted with joy towards Mel. 

"YOU DID IT MEL! YOU BEAUTIFUL WOMAN YOU!" 

While laughing, she grabbed onto Wain's shoulders and began shaking him, making him laugh too. Relief and exhaustion swept over the three as the realization they were safe began to sink in. Wain fell forward, resting his upper chest on the large saddle as he breathed a deep sigh of relief. 

"I cannot believe we did it. Praise God for his help!" 

Lydia laughed as she watched Wain rest. His heavy breathing displayed the amount of stress plaguing his mind. Patting him on the back, Lydia sought to comfort her comrade as they walked towards Mel's location.

Mel was visible as she stood at the edge of the building, looking down. Lydia froze before she could call out to Mel, her face twisted in terror in the distance. Her eyes widened, and her mouth partially opened as if she were about to scream. In seconds, Mel disappeared as she turned and jumped back into the building in desperation. Confused, Lydia turned back to Jormungandr's body, the direction Mel was looking in. 

Jormungandr let out a blood-curdling hiss as his body whipped towards Mel's building in the blink of an eye. The sight of Jormungandr moving with half of his face and skull missing made her skin crawl. Blood poured from the wounds as it opened its large jaws, revealing its disgusting state. The smell of scorched flesh flooded her nostrils, making her nose scrunch with disgust.

She couldn't help but watch in horror as Jormungandr's half-dead head smashed into the building. His entire body instantly pierced through to the other side as if it were made of paper. In mere seconds, the once-standing building collapsed into a pile of rubble. Lydia could only let out a quiet prayer for Mel, knowing the likelihood of her living was slim. 

Dust covered the street in a large cloud, causing the two to panic as they fled from where Jormungandr was. Wain whipped the reins without hesitation to turn the dinosaur back around, commanding the T-rex to sprint as fast as possible. Lydia grabbed onto his shoulder, shouting at him angrily, 

"WE NEED TO GO BACK AND SEE IF MEL IS ALIVE!" 

Wain shook his head vigorously, refusing her demand. 

"WE CAN'T! HE IS COMING BACK! FROM THE LEFT UP BY THAT BUILDING!"

Wain pointed at a half-destroyed restaurant down the street.

"What? How do you know-"

Suddenly, to their left, as they raced down the street past the restaurant, Jormungandr exploded forth from the side of the building. Rubble rained down sporadically in all directions into the streets.

Lydia tried to prevent most of it from striking Wain or her, but the debris rained down like a raging storm of hail. Channeling mana into her fists, she shot forth lightning as she struck each chunk of metal and rock that approached. However, a piece slipped through her defense, striking Wain in the back. The shard of metal gouged his flesh, leaving a gaping wound right next to his spine. Blood poured from the wound, soaking the back of his shirt.

Wain groaned in pain and clenched his teeth, trying to power through the pain. Noticing Wain's distress, Lydia dropped down next to him. She pushed one hand up against his skin, pouring mana into his flesh. She did her best to heal his wound, but it would take time. Time, they didn't have.

Desperate to protect him, she wrapped her body around him to shield him from the oncoming storm. She bit her lip as large rocks and chunks of metal slammed into her body, causing her bones to fracture. She gasped as a large piece struck her lower back. Wain tried to push her off, pleading with her to protect herself. 

"Let go! I'll be fine! Protect yourself, Lydia..." 

"I've endured worse. Try getting jumped by older kids in an orphanage. This is nothing." 

Through the falling debris and rubble, the Tyrannosaurus rex pushed onward. Its thunderous but graceful footfall was a testament to its determination. Unfaltering, the large king of dinosaurs continued its sprint as a large chunk of concrete slammed into its head. Wain expected it to disperse immediately from the impact, but the T-rex staggered.

It recovered from the blow after a few staggered steps, returning to its natural stride. Wain couldn't help but feel reassured by the dinosaur's primal roar uttered right after the blow. He laughed alongside the dinosaur's roar, applauding its determination to save its owner and friend.

"YOU BEAUTIFUL BEAST! KEEP GOING!" 

Behind them, the large serpent chased after its prey, letting out a continuous roar filled with boundless rage. Fueled with animosity towards humans his frustration grew to fury. At first, he was toying with the priests, amused by their attempts to fight back. Now, it was no longer a game. The wound left upon his skin was unforgivable. The mighty and noble dragon race was flawless... "To be stained by such ants was an insult to his kind." A fire grew within Jormungandr's heart, one of pride and loathing. 

Lydia was appalled by the sight of Jormungandr. His face had yet to recover from its previous wounds, giving the impression of being undead. Saliva and blood mixed as they poured from his mouth onto the street below. Around the large wound, his flesh was peeled back, flapping in the wind as it slithered at high speed after them. Like a zombie, the large half-blind dragon moved erratically.

Slamming uncontrollably back and forth between the buildings, Jormungandr pursued the two as rubble crashed into him. Before they could reach the end where Ash and Rose were, Jormungandr would certainly bring down every building on the strip. 

Despair gripped Wain's heart as Jormungandr closed the distance between them. They were not fast enough to outrun the large serpent, and eventually, he would catch them. Wain tried to use evasive maneuvers to lose the Apocalypse, but his attempts proved worthless as the large snake crashed through the buildings without care.

Sprinting around tight corners, the T-rex used his muscular hind legs to round the corners easily. Wain expected to lose Jormungandr after making such an abrupt turn, but Lydia's declaration and the loud explosion of a building collapsing confirmed his assumptions were wrong. 

"HE'S STILL AFTER US!" 

Wain whipped his head back to catch a glimpse of Jormungandr emerging from a cloud of dust as his body bounced off a crumbling building. Although the impact looked painful, Jormungandr seemed unfazed. Rather, his overwhelming rage became the only thing that mattered to him.

Lydia cursed as she realized Jormungandr's face had begun to heal. The once flapping flesh stretched alongside his muscles, reattaching to his bones. An angry snarl became visible as his lips formed and his face pulled back into place. The serpent's lips were pulled back, revealing his teeth and fangs, displaying his seething anger toward their existence.

The sight of thousands of teeth in rows alongside the fangs was unsettling. Snakes were already menacing enough with their poisonous fangs, but to add razor-sharp teeth in rows ready to saw through its meal felt excessive to Lydia.

Lydia knew if he ever reached them, that was it... The dragon would be unwilling to show any mercy, consumed by his rage he would savor every moment when he devoured his prey. Wain's palms began to sweat profusely as Jormungandr drew near. They were only two blocks away from Rose's and Ash's position, but their guts twisted with Jormungandr only a few yards away.

Desperate to survive, Wain urged the dinosaur to muster all of its strength to gain any advantage over Jormungandr. However, the herb of creation used to form the T-rex had long been used up, without the constant supply of smoke its body began to fade. Wain would have to use another, but after using the herb of time and location earlier, his body was reaching its limits. If he pushed himself any further, death was an inevitable possibility.

All they needed to do was to get close enough to Rose. They had planned a trap for Jormungandr before they split, but it would be worthless if they could not get close enough to spring it. As the T-rex continued to run, the wind began to disperse the smoke, creating its dense body. Wain could feel the density thin out as the large dinosaur took each step. 

"Come on, buddy! COME ON! KEEP GOING! PLEASE!" 

Wain anxiously shifted on the saddle, urging for it to stay together mentally as if it would somehow keep the dinosaur from completely disappearing. Lydia watched as the anxious priest fiddled with the saddle, knowing at any minute that it could mean the end for them. The T-rex pushed onward for as long as it could, but as it entered an intersection, it finally met its end as the strong gust took hold of its body, completely erasing his existence.

Wain gasped as he suddenly fell through the air, but before he smashed into the ground, Lydia grabbed onto him. Shifting him into her arms, Lydia braced herself for impact as her legs struck the ground. However, instead of having her bones absorb the heavy blow, she entered a roll to disperse the force.

Tucking Wain closely, she did her best to prevent him from getting injured as the two tumbled across the ground. Instead of completing the roll and stopping, she got to her feet quickly while carrying Wain.

"That was rather graceful... You do that before?"

"Hahaha, now is not the time, Wain!"

Sprinting for dear life, the two tried to get to the other side of the intersection, but their fate appeared sealed as Jormungandr approached. 

"It's been fun, Lydia..." 

"Yeah, buddy, it sure has..." 

Lydia turned her head to look at Jormungandr, deciding to get one last glimpse of their killer.

"At least it wasn't to some weakling but an Apocalypse. A ranked monster that has not been seen in hundreds of years... Maybe my story would be written down somewhere in a book. Lydia, the Paladin who fought the Apocalypse!" The thought made her give one final dry laugh. 

"This isn't so bad of a way to go." 

Preparing for the worst, the two stopped and turned as Jormungandr entered the intersection. Jormungandr's mouth was outstretched once more, ready to devour them. The sight of his massive maw opened made Lydia think of hell. The gnashing teeth, partnered by the black void in the back of its throat that seemed to lead to hell itself, could not be a better symbol of such a damned place. The sight certainly filled her heart with hopelessness and despair. Perhaps this was a prophecy of where she would go in her afterlife. Her hell is in the belly of a serpent. 

Before Jormungandr could reach them, a large object became visible at the edge of Wain's periphery. "Is that a large sphere on fire... Wait, sphere? White Fire?" Wain thought as the unusual object soared through the air. It was a metal sphere. For a second, Wain thought it could possibly be Rose and her ball and chain, but this one was far too large to be her holy weapon.

Its size led Wain to believe it was ripped straight from a crane. The large steel chains attached to the forged steel ball helped add to his assumptions. Rose could only produce black ink, yet this large sphere was coated in a white flame. Lydia smiled,

"Reinforcements?!"

Wain turned to his right and looked at another street that led to the intersection. A figure stood with his arms outstretched as if he had released the chain after swinging it. Lydia was speechless as she watched the large steel ball punch through Jormungandr's head. As it forced its way through his skull, the white fire coating its spherical shape poured out from the steel sphere.

Shooting out in all directions, the fire exploded with such force it ate through the flesh and bones. Lydia became coated in a mist of blood as chunks of flesh rained down upon her and Wain. The two were dumbfounded by what occurred, leading both her and Wain's jaws to drop open as Jormungandr's body crashed into a corner building on the other side of the intersection.

The two were stunned by the sight of Jormungandr's motionless body in the large pile of rubble surrounding him.

"Can you pinch me?" 

Lydia asked as she stared at the corpse of Jormungandr. 

"Why would I do that? I told you he would be back." 

"This can't be real... Wait, who would be back?" 

Without looking, Wain knew it was Asura who caused such devastation.

"Only that crazy Ogre could accomplish such a feat with such stupid antics."

Lydia whipped her head in the direction of where the ball came from. Before them stood Asura, accompanied by a wounded Mel sluggishly following behind him. Grinning from ear-to-ear, Asura seemed rather pleased with himself as he approached. 

"Miss me?" 

Lydia, without hesitation, rushed towards the Ogre and embraced him with a hug. 

"God, I could kiss you right now." 

"Please do!" 

Lydia laughed at his response. To think she would go from preparing for her demise to laughing within seconds. She kissed Asura on the forehead, repeatedly appreciating that she could still do such an action. As she gave her final kiss, Lydia watched Mel smile as she propped herself up against a pole. 

"You're alive, Mel!" 

Lydia rushed to her side, embracing her in a big hug as well. Mel groaned in pain as her broken ribs shifted in her chest. 

"Stooopppp! It hurts!" 

"Sorry!" 

Lydia shifted her embrace into a princess's carry, taking Mel in her arms. Before Mel could protest, Lydia began to pour mana into her body to aid her healing. The soothing warmth spread through her body, causing Mel to close her eyes. Although she wanted to refuse, her body prevented her from opening her mouth as the agonizing pain began to subside. 

"We better leave... Jormungandr will be up soon." 

Asura declared as he watched Jormungandr's body shift, causing the building to shake. Lydia's eyes went wide upon hearing this revelation. 

"He is still alive!?" 

"Oh man, you would not believe what that guy can come back from. Damn, wiggly worm finds his way out of everything." 

Asura's mouth burst into flames, causing Wain to smile as he struggled to spit the fire out. 

"I see you got the curse from Uriel and holy mana now, dude." 

"How did you know I was cursed by Uriel?" 

"Same way, I knew you were gonna show back up. Thanks for coming back." 

"No problem, although next time, tell me where the hell the cup is. Could have arrived sooner, bud." 

"Nah, any sooner or later, and we were dead." 

Asura furrowed his brow as Wain spoke the statement with such certainty. However, due to the circumstances, he did not have time to sit around and chat. Instead, he grabbed Wain and slung him on his back. Before Wain could protest, Asura stopped him. 

"I know you are hurt, so don't refuse. We need to get to Rose and Ash quickly. Lydia, you lead and carry Mel, I'll take Wain." 

Lydia nodded in agreement. The severity of the situation prevented either of the wounded people from arguing. Entering a sprint, the two continued running down the street, leaving the large dragon behind. It was only a matter of time before Jormungandr rose back up, with previous experience fighting against the Apocalypse Asura knew even with his injuries it would be impossible at the moment to kill the dragon. Lydia called out ahead of Asura. 

"We are close! It's right up ahead!" 

"We need to trap him! Get his head stuck somewhere and sever it." 

"Sever it? How would we do that?" 

"I, personally, was just going to try to explode his head with a big enough bomb of mana. But if you come up with a better idea, let me know." 

"Uh... no. I have no ideas left. Let's try your plan, Asura. How do we get him stuck?" 

"That... I have no clue. IMPROVISE!"

A warmth spread over Wain as he held onto Asura's back. Confused by the sudden mana pouring into his body, Wain looked down at the Ogre's arms. In a line from the top of Asura's hand up to his shoulder, white runes were now visible on his black skin. As if they were tattoos made of fluorescent ink, each one glowed faintly as mana coursed through Asura's body. Wain recognized them as holy runes, but their meaning was unknown to him, as if they were an ancient predecessor to the ones they currently used. 

"You know how to use holy mana like this?" 

Asura shrugged before turning to flash a grin at Wain. 

"Uriel somehow instilled the knowledge of how to use it in my brain. Gave me some rad tattoos too."