Maruki's breaths came in ragged gasps, his chest heaving as he steadied himself against the relentless onslaught. Azathoth’s power coursed through him, repairing and revitalizing, but the damage Kou’s attacks inflicted cut through even the godlike fortifications he wielded. His health wasn't as down as last time but he knew if they spent any more longer than this, one of them was leaving in a box.
“Corvus-san…” His voice was quiet, pained. “This… this is enough. You’re barely standing. And I—” He coughed, clutching his chest, golden sparks flaring faintly around him. “Even I cannot continue like this.”
But Kou didn’t stop.
"...!"
The golden apple soared towards him, radiant and lethal like a meagre flash in time or a crack in his very space itself.
"ARGH!"
The first arrow pierced his shoulder, the other following soon after- burrowing its way into the arm that tried to attend to the first. Another one hurled towards one of Azathoth's tentacles- causing it to slice right through but Azathoth was quick to recover; spurting right through the cleanly dissected tentacle as it arched high- casting a harsh shadow across Kou's face as it buried itself into one of the railings of the higher levels.
Another embedded itself in his thigh, and the remaining three rained down mercilessly, Two graze his abdomen as he barely manages to slap away the other arrow and it flies down on one of the shadows.
Maruki fell to his knees, his bloodied hand clawing at the ground as his golden aura flickered. “Damn it,” he snarled through gritted teeth, his voice trembling with equal parts fury and pain. The colour of his irises flickered from brown to gold. Blood gushed down his arm- his slicked hair now a mess. His insides were screaming in pain.
He NEEDED to put a stop to this.
Azathoth's tendrils burst forth, writhing and snapping as if in fury, mirroring their master’s emotions. One thick tendril wrapped around the arrow lodged in his shoulder, yanking it free with a sickening squelch. Maruki threw it aside, roaring in frustration as he repeated the process with the other arrows. Each one came out with a spray of blood and a guttural cry from Maruki.
“Enough of this!” he bellowed, his voice reverberating with an unnatural echo as Azathoth’s presence surged to the forefront.
1/3
His health wasn't as down as last time but he knew if they spent any more longer than this, one of them was leaving in a box.
“Corvus-san…” His voice was quiet, pained. “This… this is enough. You’re barely standing. And I—” He coughed, clutching his chest, golden sparks flaring faintly around him. “Even I cannot continue like this.”
But Kou didn’t stop.
"...!"
The golden apple soared towards him, radiant and lethal like a meagre flash in time or a crack in his very space itself.
"ARGH!"
The first arrow pierced his shoulder, the other following soon after- burrowing its way into the arm that tried to attend to the first. Another one hurled towards one of Azathoth's tentacles- causing it to slice right through but Azathoth was quick to recover; spurting right through the cleanly dissected tentacle as it arched high- casting a harsh shadow across Kou's face as it buried itself into one of the railings of the higher levels.
Another embedded itself in his thigh, and the remaining three rained down mercilessly, Two graze his abdomen as he barely manages to slap away the other arrow and it flies down on one of the shadows.
Maruki fell to his knees, his bloodied hand clawing at the ground as his golden aura flickered. “Damn it,” he snarled through gritted teeth, his voice trembling with equal parts fury and pain. The colour of his irises flickered from brown to gold. Blood gushed down his arm- his slicked hair now a mess. His insides were screaming in pain.
He NEEDED to put a stop to this.
Azathoth's tendrils burst forth, writhing and snapping as if in fury, mirroring their master’s emotions. One thick tendril wrapped around the arrow lodged in his shoulder, yanking it free with a sickening squelch. Maruki threw it aside, roaring in frustration as he repeated the process with the other arrows. Each one came out with a spray of blood and a guttural cry from Maruki.
“Enough of this!” he bellowed, his voice reverberating with an unnatural echo as Azathoth’s presence surged to the forefront.