St Chaos Healer

Lux had ascended to his demigod form, standing amidst the crater like a being beyond mortal comprehension. Five colossal light swords hovered above him, each towering like a radiant pillar of divine power. They revolved above Lux slowly, casting an ethereal glow across the battlefield, while Lux's bruised, armorless body radiated with energy. On his forehead, an ethereal third eye of light glowed intensely, and his golden hair flew in the air.

He extended his hand forward with a cold and merciless gaze. One of the massive swords responded, as the blade descended toward Damien, who lay impaled and helpless by multiple spears of light. His energy completely drained, and Damien’s body was pinned like a lifeless doll. His bloodshot eyes stared up at Lux, the resignation of his fate clear in his gaze.

"Your kind should have been extinct long ago. Now die, heathen," Lux muttered with disdain.

The blade moved closer to strike Damien with one final blow. But before the blade could strike, a metallic sphere, the size of a large cannonball, hurtled down from the sky, aimed directly at Lux with terrifying speed.

Lux's expression twisted in irritation as he turned his head. With a flick of his wrist, he redirected the sword intended for Damien toward the incoming projectile. In one swift motion, the blade sliced upward, cutting the metal ball cleanly in half. The two pieces fell to the ground with a resounding clang.

"I guess that fool of a friend still draws breath. No matter. I'll—"

Before Lux could finish, the two halves of the metal ball hovered ominously in the air. Thick, black smoke began pouring out, spreading rapidly and enveloping the battlefield in a suffocating fog. For the first time, the brilliance of Lux’s light seemed dimmed by the oppressive blackness.

"Another smokescreen, seriously? Show me something new," Lux scoffed, unimpressed by the spectacle.

But this fog was different. Lux's confidence wavered as a mysterious force within the fog began to pull at his swords. The colossal blades of light, floating above him, were gradually being drawn towards the center of the swirling darkness. Lux widened his eyes, his irritation turning to frustration as he struggled to maintain control over his celestial weapons. Suddenly, the black mass transformed into a vortex, pulling everything inwards with Lux at the center.

"What... spell is this?" Lux muttered through gritted teeth, watching helplessly as he and his swords were pulled deeper into the black fog.

Desperately, Lux slashed at the smoke with one of his remaining light swords, but to his shock, his attacks were futile. The smoke did not react to the strikes, and his light swords were useless against the smoke. One by one, the radiant light of his celestial swords flickered and vanished, swallowed by the vortex.

Damien, still pinned by the light spears, could feel the vortex pulling at him too. His body, weakened and bloodied, began to inch toward the swirling mass. Just as he was about to be consumed, a chain snapped around his waist, yanking him back and anchoring him firmly to the ground.

The black smoke continued to swirl violently, contracting and shrinking as it dragged Lux and his remaining light swords into its dark core. Lux, now visibly struggling, unleashed a final burst of energy in a desperate attempt to resist. But it was futile. The vortex had become too strong, even for his demigod form.

With a frustrated roar, Lux was sucked into the tightening mass of darkness, his body and remaining swords compressed into a tight, swirling sphere. The two severed halves of the metal ball floated back together, snapping shut with a thunderous clang. The black fog dissipated, and the metal ball fell to the ground with a heavy thud, trapping Lux within its impenetrable shell.

As the light spears impaling Damien vanished, he collapsed to the ground, his body bruised and bloodied, barely clinging to consciousness. His chest heaved with shallow breaths, the toll of the battle leaving him utterly spent.

From the shadows, Vex emerged with a cocky grin, twirling the chains in his hands as he strolled over. "Still alive, or what?" he asked, casting a glance at the battered Damien.

Damien, barely able to lift his head, blinked at Vex, a faint smile curling on his bloodied lips. "I saw the light... to the other side," he rasped, his voice weak yet laced with dark humor.

Vex let out a scoff, his sharp eyes gleaming with amusement, "If you can spout nonsense with holes in your body and being skewered like a kebab, then you’ll be just fine."

Damien smiled weakly as Vex approached, still feeling the weight of his injuries. Stretching out his arm, Vex used his other hand, the finger morphing into a thin, sharp blade. With a swift slice, he opened a wound on his wrist, allowing dark blood to drip directly into Damien's mouth.

"Time to fix yourself up. I’m not hauling you around on my back," Vex muttered, clearly irritated. "Honestly, I didn’t think that spell would be so effective. Have we really sealed one of the Virtues?"

Damien gulped down the blood, and within seconds, his vampiric healing ability kicked in immediately. His wounds closed rapidly, and his severed legs began to regenerate, bone and muscle knitting together in a grotesque but effective display of his power. Within moments, Damien was back on his feet, as if the life-threatening injuries had never happened. He wiped the corner of his mouth with a smirk.

"He’s not dead," Damien said, his voice steadier. "Just contained. We’ve bought ourselves a day or two, tops. But that’s enough time to get out of here before he comes looking for revenge." He paused, looking at Vex with a grin. "By the way, your blood tastes awful. How many times have I told you not to skip the vegetables? Your hemoglobin count is low. You need to fix that."

Vex’s face twisted into a scowl, clearly annoyed. "Eat my veggies? Are you my mom or what? How about a thank you instead, you ungrateful prick?"

Damien shrugged, rolling his shoulders as he stretched out his newly healed limbs.
"Yeah, yeah, thanks for the food. I guess I’ll keep you around a little longer," he said with a teasing smirk. "Now, let’s grab the brat and get out of here before the rest of those Virtues come crashing down on us."

Vex, his irritation still simmering, morphed his arm into a cannon, the barrel glowing with power. "Or… how about we blow up that metal ball and finish him off for good?" His eyes gleamed with a fierce determination. "We’ve got one of the Twelve cornered. This might be our chance to kill a Virtue. One less of those bastards in the world."

Damien's smirk disappeared as he quickly moved to block Vex’s arm. "Don’t be an idiot. If we damage the sphere, the Virtue will break free, and we won’t stand a chance against him in that form. He’s contained for now, and that’s the best we can do. The smart move is to escape while we still can."

Vex’s face hardened, glaring at Damien. "You’re seriously going to walk away from a golden opportunity like this? That Virtue’s right there—he’s vulnerable."

Damien tightened his grip on Vex’s shoulder. "Listen to me. If it were that easy to kill a Virtue, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. We’ve been over this—our mission wasn’t to fight the Virtues head-on. We came to rescue the brat, and we did that. Now, we get out before we invite more trouble. Even if we kill him, another Virtue will just take his place."

Vex let out a frustrated growl, clenching his fists. "Fine, I get it. But it pisses me off that we never get the chance to pay them back. Not after everything they’ve done to us."

Damien chuckled and ruffled Vex’s hair playfully, though his eyes glinted with understanding. "Don’t worry, kid. Our time will come. We’ll have our day."

Vex scowled, batting Damien’s hand away. "Stop treating me like a kid!"

"For an immortal vampire like me who lived for centuries, you're still just a pup," Damien teased, his grin returning as he started walking toward their next objective.

Vex growled, his expression one of annoyance, "Keep running your mouth like that, and I’ll take you down myself."

Damien laughed heartily.
"Take me down, huh? You have a good sense of humor. Anyway, let’s just grab the kid and get out of here. We barely survived this, and we need to move before the Virtue breaks free."

But before they could act, a sharp beam of light pierced through Damien's back. He and Vex whirled around, eyes locking onto the source. The spherical metal ball that had imprisoned Lux was trembling violently, a beam of light streaming from a small hole that had formed on its surface. The black fog inside the shell was now seeping out alongside the radiant energy.

Damien gritted his teeth and leaped aside, narrowly avoiding another beam of light. His wound began to heal rapidly, but the gravity of the situation was clear.
"That guy is still putting up a fight!" Damien growled as he steadied himself.

Vex, eyes wide with a mix of frustration, aimed his cannon at the sphere.

"I told you we should’ve finished him off when we had the chance!" Vex shouted, his hands twitching as the cannon hummed with power.

But before Vex could act, Damien grabbed his arm firmly.
"Stop! He hasn’t fully escaped yet. If you destroy the artifact now, you’ll set him free completely."

Vex shook off Damien's grip, his expression torn between action and hesitation.
"He’s going to break free either way. What do we do?"

The metal sphere began to shake more violently, pulsing as Lux pushed against its confines.

 Damien sighed, his eyes never leaving the sphere. The pressure was building rapidly, and they had mere seconds before Lux had fully escaped.

"We’ve run out of options. He’s getting out any second now, and we don’t have any more teleport scrolls. We’ll have to fight. We fight and hope we get another chance to escape," responded Damien.

Vex’s grin returned, wide and fierce,
"That’s more like it! Finally, we get to go all out. No more running away like cowards!"

Damien rolled his eyes.
"I’m not thrilled about it either, but we don’t have a choice. Hand me some of your gear."

As Damien’s body morphed, his muscles swelling to monstrous proportions, two additional arms sprouted from beneath his shoulders, bringing his total to four.

Vex, still grinning, reached into his body, inserted his hand inside his belly, and then pulled out a collection of low-grade but enchanted gear. He tossed it to Damien.

Damien caught the items with ease, quickly strapping on a breastplate and helmet while wielding four heavy swords—each gleaming with a faint magical aura. "This junk better hold," Damien muttered, testing the weight of the weapons.

"It’ll do. It’s not top-tier, but it’s enough to handle his light weapons for a while," Vex replied, his own arms transforming into dual cannons that began charging with raw mana. He readied himself for the inevitable clash, a manic gleam in his eyes.

Suddenly, the sphere began to crack, thin beams of light shooting out in every direction like deadly needles. The dark mist that had once held Lux in place started to lose its power, thinning out and collapsing as more beams punctured the metal shell. Damien and Vex dodged with precision as some of the light beams shot directly at them, each one capable of ripping through armor and flesh.

Within moments, multiple holes appeared in the sphere, and with a deafening blast, the artifact that had trapped Lux exploded outward. The black vortex collapsed with a soft poof, and the five colossal light swords that had been dormant reappeared, hovering menacingly in the sky. Lux emerged from the shattered remains of the sphere, his form still pulsing with divine energy. His irritation was palpable, the third eye on his forehead glowing furiously, casting a menacing light over the battlefield.

Lux’s voice cut through the air, icy and dripping with barely restrained fury. "You dare to trap me? Pathetic insects, know your place."

Damien and Vex, without hesitation, split in opposite directions, a coordinated move to divide Lux’s focus. Yet, Lux’s gaze immediately locked onto Vex. With a mere flick of his wrist, two of his massive light swords shot after him, slicing the air with lethal accuracy.

Reacting in an instant, Vex unleashed his cannons, firing spiraling beams of energy directly toward Lux. The attack was swift, but one of the floating light swords effortlessly intercepted the blast, its radiant edge deflecting the assault like it was nothing.

Lux’s eyes narrowed in disdain. With another subtle motion, he guided the swords to slash at Vex with surgical precision. Vex, with a display of incredible agility, twisted and flipped through the air, barely evading the massive blades as they tore through the ground beneath him. Each impact sent chunks of earth and stone flying, but Vex used the debris to his advantage, bouncing off the fragments to maintain his relentless momentum.

Meanwhile, Damien charged forward from the opposite side, his four blades gleaming with anticipation as he closed the distance. Sensing the approach, Lux sent one of his light swords spinning toward him. Damien met it head-on, muscles straining as he swung with all his might, deflecting the glowing blade off its deadly course.

Lux's irritation visibly deepened, his patience thinning. With an outstretched arm, he summoned a storm of light spears. They hovered menacingly for a heartbeat before rocketing toward Damien like a swarm of missiles.

Forced to adapt, Damien pivoted swiftly, dodging the barrage while deflecting those too close to avoid. At the same time, the relentless light sword still pursued him, its strikes growing more ferocious with each passing second. Damien had no choice but to parry, destroy, and evade in a desperate dance of survival.

Above them, Vex had taken to the sky, his body morphing into a mechanical weapon of war. His legs transformed into powerful thrusters, propelling him with explosive bursts of flame, while his arms became razor-sharp blades. His back sprouted metallic wings, allowing him to maneuver through the air with terrifying precision. Vex expertly dodged the light swords, determination etched across his face as he closed in on Lux, intent on delivering a deadly blow.

Lux sneered, his voice filled with cold amusement.
"You just won’t quit, will you?" He raised his hand lazily. "Fine, I’ll deal with you first."

In an instant, one of the light swords trailing Vex shifted form, expanding and warping into a massive, radiant arm. It lunged toward Vex with incredible speed, fingers of pure energy stretching out and seizing him in an iron grip.

"Shit!" Vex cursed, thrashing violently in an attempt to break free, but the hand held him fast, squeezing tighter with each passing moment.

Damien, after finally getting rid of the light sword that was attacking him, sprinted towards Vex in a desperate attempt to help. But just as he was about to leap into the air, a light spear whistled through the air and struck him in the leg, breaking his balance.

Up above, the radiant hand holding Vex began to glow ominously, the intensity of its light growing blinding. A second later, the sky erupted in a deafening explosion of pure energy, the shockwave rippling across the battlefield. Vex was trapped at the heart of the blast, consumed by the brilliant light.

Lux’s laughter echoed through the chaos, low and filled with cruel satisfaction.
"Death is what awaits you if you challenge me. Now it’s your turn next."

Damien staggered to his feet, his wounds knitting together with alarming speed, as though his body refused to accept defeat. Lux, now wholly fixated on him, summoned the last four of his colossal light swords, each blade gleaming with divine radiance. They hurtled toward Damien, relentless and unforgiving.

He turned and sprinted, the ethereal swords hot on his heels, cutting through the air with deadly precision. Each time he raised his arms to block or parry a strike, it drained him. The sheer force behind Lux’s Divine Swords was overwhelming, and Damien could feel the strain in his weapons as cracks began to spiderweb across their surfaces, threatening to shatter under the pressure.

From a distance, Lux watched the chase with a casual flick of his wrist, amusement dancing in his eyes. A smug grin curled on his lips. "Impressive," he mused, his voice carrying a taunting edge. "You’ve got some strength left to block my Divine Swords. But tell me, how long can you keep this up? I must admit, I’m enjoying this far more than I anticipated."

Every ounce of Damien’s energy went into survival as he fought off the merciless strikes. The divine swords closed in with terrifying precision, each swing aimed to end him. His weapons, though once formidable, were beginning to crumble, their edges dulled and fractured from the unrelenting assault.

Suddenly, a charred, black, curved shield fell from the sky, landing mere feet from where Damien struggled. Lux barely acknowledged it, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face, before the ground beneath him darkened with an approaching shadow. He glanced skyward just in time to see Vex plummeting from the heavens, his scythe-like limbs drawn for the kill. Against all odds, Vex had survived the earlier explosion. He encased himself in a protective sphere of shields, blasted high into the sky, recovered, and now dove with lethal intent, hoping to catch Lux off guard.

Like a bird of prey, Vex descended, his thrusters roaring as he prepared to strike. Lux reacted with lightning speed, bellowing as twin blades of pure light materialized in his hands. Their weapons collided in mid-air, the force of the impact sending shockwaves across the battlefield. Vex’s scythes ground against Lux’s radiant swords as he pressed his foe toward the earth, their struggle locked in a fierce, airborne clash.

Sensing the tide turning against him, Lux commanded one of his massive light swords to return to his aid. But Damien, catching sight of the scheme, raced after the floating blade. With a guttural roar, he threw every ounce of strength into his attack, his four swords moving in a blur as he struck the light sword with all his might. The divine blade shattered under the assault, releasing a violent surge of energy that detonated in a brilliant explosion. The blast sent the remaining three swords spiraling away and enveloped Damien in a blinding storm of light.

Lux’s irritation deepened as he fought to keep Vex at bay, but the pressure was mounting. Amidst the swirling chaos of light and debris, Damien stood his ground. While still standing inside the burning flames, he hurled one of his swords through the haze of light and smoke. The blade flew true, piercing through the dissipating explosion, and pierced Lux from behind with a sickening thud, the point tearing through his chest.

Lux gasped, blood spilling from his mouth, momentarily stunned by the sudden attack. Vex saw his opportunity. His mouth opened wide, revealing a grotesque transformation as his tongue reshaped into a long, cannon-like barrel. In one swift, brutal motion, Vex plunged the barrel deep into Lux’s mouth. Their eyes met—Lux’s wide with shock, Vex’s cold and unyielding.

Desperation flickered in Lux’s third eye, flaring as he summoned light spears that skewered Vex’s back. But it wasn’t enough. The cannon barrel in Vex’s mouth hummed ominously with gathering mana, the telltale sign of death. Lux struggled, trying to push Vex away, but the thrusters in Vex’s back roared with renewed fury, driving him harder into the ground.

With a deafening explosion, Vex fired. The projectile ripped through Lux’s throat, sending his severed head soaring into the sky. The ground beneath them was scorched and cratered from the blast, and Lux’s body fell lifeless, crumpling to the dirt.

Vex also retained a lot of damage and fell on the ground bleeding profusely. The intense battle had finally come to an end.

Lux Sentinel, one of the revered Twelve Virtues, was no more. His death marked a monumental shift in the world’s balance of power. Vex and Damien had accomplished the unthinkable: they had slain a Virtue, turning the tide of history in a single, bloody confrontation.