[IC] Anshin vs Lysander VII: How the Cookie Crumbles...

[Divorarel]

Once upon a time, the Gods of Asmeraka were at war.

For ten thousand years they used the mortal races as pawns in their games.

Until one day the King of Man forced peace upon them.

To celebrate this newfound peace the gods agreed to abandon their hatred.

Together they fed all of their hate and all of their sorrow to a lone beast.

Until it transformed into a mighty dragon.

And they named this malignant serpent Unaru no Hebi

***

William W Wonka had been terrorizing the good and fair people of Candy Land for some time now. His factory loomed over the land puffing clouds of noxious pink cotton candy into the blue sky, poured rivers of high-fructose corn syrup into their water supply, and poisoned the once fertile earth. Their children were forced to labor until their skin turned orange in hostile conditions like hostages in order to keep the population docile and their ruler, the once fair Princess Frosting, imprisoned inside of her own castle while the people cried out for justice.

And today justice had come…

Descending Dragon Splits the Heavens

The sky roared as thick pink clouds split overhead into four equal quadrants and allowed the sunlight to pour through for the first time in what felt like months. William felt his office shake from the force of it and was found hiding beneath his desk seconds later by the little orange security guard who trundled in to make sure he was okay, eyes wide with terror, staring through the stained-glass window he watched the oddly human-shaped dragon descend upon the courtyard where the guards were still busy picking themselves off the ground. Six-foot-five he stood with a longsword made of lacquered red wood in one hand a black coat hanging from his shoulders as he thumped into place. Tanned forearms covered in the little scars of a hard life peeked out from beneath rolled back sleeves and the first few buttons of his shirt hung open beneath his throat, brown hair tied behind his neck with the first streaks of silver finally beginning to show after so many thousands of years and still he loomed over the little orange men with their wide-mouthed blunderbusses. Prying his feet from the cracked concrete with the greatest of ease and stepping out of the dimple he’d created in the courtyard with a single mighty step, no pity spared for the first guard whose head exploded, nor a glance for the second or the third before itchy fingers slipped from their triggers and rifles began clattering to the floor whilst the red sword sprouted tendrils.

“William Wonka, come out and meet me or send your champion,” The dragon’s voice rumbled. “Either way you’re not leaving here alive today.”

[Forge]

“Sir, Sir!” A group of orange, tiny men ran into the security room - their little legs hustling hurriedly toward him. “There’s a situation upstairs, there’s a…I don’t even know what to call it. A dragon? A man? It’s attacking us!”

“Yeah, I see it.” The man sitting at the monitors noted, his hand slashing the air to change images. The security feed shifted to different angles. Then the voice boomed through them, a sound of challenge - a sound of familiarity, in some ways. Something deep in him resonated with the voice, recognized it from some distant, long-forgotten memory. “Tell the men to stand down, they can’t handle this fight.”

Long, thin fingers wrapped around the hilt of a large, oversized sword and swung it over his back - locking it in place with a string of souls. His gray eyes turned upward, toward the courtyard looming stories above the deep bunker. Technically it was part of the factory, those here lacked the intelligence to understand the doorway through realms.

He turned once again to the consoles, to the vaguely familiar man. “I know you, I swear I do. From where?” He stepped through the door forlorn, not knowing how he knew the man or why he felt so familiar to him - to a part of him buried deep. Vanishing through the shadows, he shifted his consciousness through them - flowed along the dark pathways of the Jigoku.

Materializing once more, he stood in the open courtyard where the other assaulted - looking at him head on. “I am the champion you crave, Sir Dragon. I’m not fully understanding why you decided to attack here, but if that’s what you want - then I suppose the only thing I can do is fight you in his place.”

He reached up to wrap his hand around Gekimetsu, pulling the Lord of Shadows free of the souls binding it - feeling the power flood in to him, through him. The darkness of his veins reflecting the darkness in his heart. The shadows pulsated rapidly as the sword pulled from his back. His gray eyes darkened. “If you wish to die, then who am I to dissuade you?” The sword touched the ground, and the concrete shattered under the sheer weight of it - though he moved it effortlessly.