I Wish You Hadn't

Soul deflected the lightning with his blood dagger, redirecting the bolt harmlessly into the ground. Without wasting a moment, he launched forward, propelled by Nia's buff that enhanced his speed. Ayame and Lilith coordinated their attacks, moving in unison.

Ayame focused on the earth beneath Ur, causing it to shake and buckle, disrupting his footing. At the same time, Lilith moved alongside Soul, her sword at the ready. The two approached Ur from different angles, forcing him to take a defensive stance.

Soul reached Ur first, sidestepping a retaliatory strike from the god's sword. He slashed with his blood dagger, drawing a deep gash across Ur's leg. As Ur stumbled, Lilith seized the opportunity and swung her sword, aiming for his shoulder. Ur managed to block her strike with his gauntlet, but the force of the impact sent him reeling.

"It's over, Ur," Lilith declared, her voice filled with determination. "I'll put an end to you, you monster."

"You don't understand… None of you do!" Ur's voice echoed with desperation. "You're all pathetic beings! I am a god! A god!"

"God of what?" Lilith retorted. "Don't delude yourself into thinking you're anything but a tyrant who thrives on the suffering of others."

"You're still here?" Ur's tone was incredulous. "I bring order to chaos! My methods may be harsh, but they are necessary to maintain balance!"

"Balance?" Nia scoffed. "Delusional bastard…"

Ayame hurled a series of firebolts, each one striking Ur and further destabilizing him. Nia manipulated the ground, causing stone spikes to shoot up around Ur, forcing him to dodge and weave. This nonstop assault left Ur off-balance, unable to mount a proper defense.

Roaring in frustration, Ur summoned a burst of divine energy, sending a cascade of power outward. Soul and Lilith leaped back, narrowly avoiding the blast. Ayame, undeterred, continued her barrage, combining earth and fire to keep the pressure on Ur.

"Why are you betraying me?" Ur demanded of Ayame. "I blessed you with my power. I gave you everything you have!"

"I wish you hadn't," she replied evenly. "I prayed for you. When I was a child, I believed I was blessed by you, I could feel it. But now that I've seen what I've seen... now I know your true face. You're a selfish god. You don't care about human life or anything else. You're cruel."

"Cruel? You're working with a demon and a blood mage!"

"Hey," Ayame countered with a sly smile. "At least they're interesting, unlike you."

Soul moved in again, his movements fast and untraceable. He delivered a rapid series of strikes with his dagger, each one precise and aimed to weaken Ur further. Lilith matched his pace, her sword flashing as she aimed for Ur's vital points. Ur's defenses were failing, and blood flowed freely from his wounds.

Soul leaped back, extending his hand outward to begin draining Ur's blood. But, not long after, a lightning bolt struck Ur's wounds, closing and healing them.

Meanwhile, Zindra came crashing through the broken wooden door. Ji-Hye used a basic air spell to propel herself forward with a gust of wind. As she reached Zindra, she hit her with the hilt of her sword, connecting with Zindra's head and forcing her to lean against a wall.

"Enough!" Ur bellowed, spreading his arms wide. "It ends here, right now!"

"Careful!" Lilith shouted. "Look up!"

"Demon Queen!" The sky crackled with energy as hundreds of lightning bolts formed, streaking towards them. "Die! Die!"

The group huddled together, Ji-Hye delivering one final punch to the champion before joining the others. All except Soul raised their hands, conjuring a barrier that shimmered with a bright blue light.

The lightning bolts rained down upon them, crackling and sizzling against the protective barrier they had created, but none of the bolts managed to breach their defenses.

Ayame was getting tired and fell, her mana running low. Since Ur-blessed people weren't well-known for their highest mana pool, she was the one who first went down. Then, lightning struck inside the barrier, throwing the group in all directions. Soul and Nia ended up in the corridor, hitting their backs against the wall.

"Ugh…" Nia got up. "Are you okay?"

"Hmm." Soul used the wall for support as he stood. "That hurt."

"Yeah… let's go find the others."

"Okay."

Sensing imminent danger, Soul instinctively pulled Nia back, narrowly avoiding the brunt of the lightning bolt. However, the force of the blast still struck him, sending him hurtling backward. With a loud crash, he smashed through a nearby wall and tumbled into a basement area filled with barrels of wine and beer. Soul landed heavily on a vine barrel, its contents spilling out and drenching his already battered clothes in alcohol.

Nia rushed to his side and crouched beside him.

"Gods, I'm sorry," she exclaimed, assisting Soul to sit up. "Are you alright, Soul?"

"Hnng…" Soul winced in pain, his eyes struggling to stay open. "Shit…"

"I'll use a healing spell…" Nia offered, her voice filled with concern.

"Won't work," he replied between ragged breaths. "Blood mages can't receive healing."

"Okay, so – so, what can we do?" Nia asked, her brow furrowing in worry.

"Nothing, let's move," Soul insisted, attempting to stand.

"Slow down, you're hurt."

"Hmm… you go first. I'll catch up with you."

"Okay… be safe."

Ji-Hye swung her sword, deflecting Zendra's attack and ducking to avoid Ur's lightning bolt. Nia rushed to assist, cast buffs on Ji-Hye and attempted to charm the champion. For a brief moment, both Zendra's and Nia's eyes glowed purple, but the champion managed to shake off the charm, breaking free from Nia's influence.

Seeing Zendra momentarily stunned, Ayame seized the opportunity and hurled consecutive fireballs at her. The champion was unable to dodge or deflect a single one, and all six fireballs struck her squarely.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Ji-Hye grabbed Zendra by the hair and pinned her to the ground, delivering a strong kick to the back of her head that rendered her unconscious. However, in her focus on subduing Zendra, Ji-Hye failed to notice Ur closing in on her. Ayame, sensing the danger, manipulated the earth beneath both Ur and Ji-Hye, causing them to lose their footing and fall.

Lilith reacted quickly, using an air spell to pull Ji-Hye away from Ur's reach. The god, his eyes ablaze with rage, stood up and retrieved his sword, his expression a mix of anger and frustration.

"Thanks," Ji-Hye said, slightly surprised. "I just thanked a demon… gods."

"No problem," Lilith replied with a smirk. "You should get used to thanking me more often."

"Oh, shit!" Ayame's voice pierced through the chaos. "Careful! Above!"

One of the floating houses began to descend rapidly. With only moments to spare, they reacted quickly, rolling in random directions to avoid being crushed by the falling structure.

"Bastards! Bastards!" Ur's voice thundered with anger. "That's enough! Enough!"

"Now, now, don't throw a tantrum," Lilith taunted. "We know you're a big boy, Ur."

"You'll regret crossing paths with me," Ur growled, his eyes turning red as the gold armor he wore began to glow. "You're done."