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Zedekiah would smirk just a little bit as the illusion around Valerie was dismissed, apparently finding it more amusing than angering to be tricked in such a manner.
"You fooled the shapeshifter with that little game... But knowing that it's only another insect to crush will make this all the easier." She'd comment with a slight nod towards Valerie, almost looking past her, barely acknowledging that the Amazoness even existed. In fact she seemed to be doing that towards anyone that wasn't wielding a Tome, ignoring Alice and the ninja just as much as she did Valerie. Though she would seem less amused when Deva said that she knew what Zedekiah was speaking of... seeming just slightly annoyed at that.
"No... You do not understand what I mean. You interpret my words too metaphorically... I do not call them fake... I do not call them insects, no... less than insects... just because I am more powerful or intelligent than them... THAT was the mistake of the fools I manipulated into their little 'Tome War'. It is not that I am better and thus deserve to rule. It is not that I wish to guide these people into being better. It is not that I want them under my heel. It is that they do not truly exist. They are meaningless words cobbled together pretending that they exist. They are LITERALLY not people like you and I. I have no desire to rule over fake worlds full of words signifying nothing. I do not wish to be a pretend God on a pretend throne. No... I aim for something greater. You ask me what the caterpillar thinks as I look down upon it... My answer depends on the question. Is the caterpillar real? If it is fake I do what I wish with it, as its feelings are pretend, words on a page, a story and nothing more. If it is real then I only care that it does not stand in my way. If it does not I will leave it to whatever it wishes to do." The shapeshifter explained, further going through their views on the world around them, on the things that Deva spoke, of the empathy that Zedekiah seemed to so clearly lack.
"If I were the lesser being between you and I? An interesting theory... But one that is false. I have seen the real world around us while you labor and worry about what those that are fake think. I have tapped into the power of these Tomes... the power BEYOND these Tomes... in ways that you still do not understand. And ways that you will never understand while you accept the idea that these words have any real sentience."
Valerie would give Deva a smile and a nod as her wounds from a fireball were cured, smirking and looking just as ready to get back into the fight, rushing Sanguira, dodging even faster this time as the 'scientist' started launching attack after attack at the woman. She'd even get close and land a hard kick to Sanguira, slamming her in the gut and knocking her across the room, something that would've put a normal person down immediately. Unfortunately, the madwoman still had more than enough fight in her, getting back up to launch attacks at Valerie, the two squaring off at a near standstill. Though the moment that Sanguira was charging up what looked to be a rather powerful spell, an arrow would fly through the air and nearly strike her shoulder, the woman having to disrupt her spell to dodge it just in time. Looking over, Cyliarra was stood tall now, glaring at Sanguira with a bow and arrow in hand. There was a stoic expression on the elf's face, one that looked ready for battle, but one that had no intent to kill. Even now she didn't plan on just murdering Sanguira, instead working with Valerie to keep her occupied.
"I won't sit here while you two destroy all that I love a third time!" "Odd... If I recall, that fool Spera had erased her memories of the Tome War... Strange that she remembers us from then... Ah well... questions for another time."
Deva could only feel the faintest hint of worry coming from her Tome... It trusted her, it trusted in her plan, and it would fight with her. Perhaps it was only surpressing the worry so she didn't feel it too much, or it was truly that confident in her ability and thought... in her ability to end it. Either way when she made a request of it, it would only hesitate for a short moment.
"Got it. Whatever you need." It was scared... It had faced against these two many times in the past, and each time it lost people it cared about... But it couldn't let that stop it now... it couldn't fall apart when they had a chance to stop them for good. It believed in Deva as much as, if not more than, its previous wielders. So it'd flip through its previous pages, calling upon the energy that Deva needed, sending out the need for help towards all those that were willing or able.
In that time though, Zedekiah would move surprisingly fast, trying to get in close to strike a severe blow against Deva, suddenly being blocked by a shield, tilting her head a little at the power she was calling upon. She wouldn't even move as the shadow hands moved in to grip her. The moment that they so much as touched her, they'd seem to disintegrate, Zedekiah's Tome glowing when they got near to protect him. Though they were slowing him down, as was the goal. Her eyebrow would raise a bit as Deva continually called on all these different sources of strength and magic, genuinely impressed by the amount of power she was showing, it was something that she thought would be impossible. And all of it was getting annoying, it made it so difficult to land a decisive blow against the angel, and she had to dodge certain attacks such as that divine smite, needing not to be too damaged from this fight. To make matters worse, he could barely count on Sanguira's assistance, as she was being held off by both Cyliarra and Valerie. Though when Deva asked her question... when she mentioned sealing Zedekiah in the graveyard and what she wanted to see before she died... the manipulative shapeshifter's expression would shift just a little and she'd smirk a little more.
"Ahha... ha... ha ha...
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"
She cackled, a harsh and cruel laugh, one that echoed around them. And despite how insane it sounded, Deva would see a surprising amount of clarity in Zedekiah's eyes... she wasn't going insane, instead it looked as though she had just thought of something twisted and cruel to counter Deva. "Oh my... You are interesting! But before you claim you can seal me in that pathetic graveyard... I've made 3 failed attempts at gaining this power... Did you consider that perhaps I already gained some of it? Did you consider that I had achieved even a fraction of my goal? And IF I had done that... Imagine how dangerous I could be. I think it is time I demonstrate that to you... You claim these fake people are strong... You claim that you pulling strength from them proves how real they are... But you are not the only one that can pull from them... And while they are indeed your strength... they are also your weakness." Her grin would grow more evil at that though, taking a pause before her next sentence.
"Or more accurately... I should say that YOU are THEIR weakness..."
She'd open her Tome, a strange and unfamiliar power swirling around both Zedekiah and the Tome before small portals would open up around them, showing a variety of different scenes, showing people that were familiar to Deva... Actually they were people that Deva recognized, many of them being people that Deva had just called upon... She could see them all in whatever world they resided, going about their usual lives while Zedekiah lifted her hand up and balled it into a fist, that strange energy she had been building up launching into the worlds around them. The first place she'd see it go towards was... Robyn?
Robyn stood in the center of his Grand Cathedral, praying, giving his strength off to Deva in response to her calling, while a few of his knights swirled around him. Deva wouldn't be able to see the magical energy anywhere... But suddenly Robyn's eyes would go wide and he'd wince in pain. The knights around him rushed to his side to help him up. He'd look down at his hands and both he and Deva would be able to see his hands dissolving into... words? He looked almost as though he were turning into words, the words being flayed apart and rushing off of him, flying off into the ether. Words such as 'Knight' 'Artimediose' 'Leader' 'Betrayer' 'Protector' 'Ally' 'General' and many others would start to fly apart, being pulled from him and dissolving more and more of his body before only the words 'Care' and 'Help' remained... and even they would be stripped away, leaving nothing where Robyn once stood. And his knights would suddenly stand up, and look around confused as though they had forgotten something. And then they would just walk away as though nothing had happened...
Meanwhile, in another place Deva could see Fortem and Praesidia standing tall, about to face the armies of the world that had united against them just as the two had planned, their ruse to fool the gods about to start in earnest. The two stood side by side, until a similar fate befell Fortem. He'd fall to the ground, clutching his chest as words such as 'Strength' 'Power' 'Help' 'Love' 'Praesidia' and others were stripped from him, his wife rushing to his side, trying to help him, tears in her eyes as she saw him slowly ripped into nothingness. Word after word was pulled apart until only 'Hope' remained, and that too was pulled away, leaving nothingness where Fortem was. Praesidia, meanwhile cried earnest tears for a few moments before getting a confused expression on her face... She'd hold a hand to her face and feel the tears, the deep and powerful sting they brought... but otherwise couldn't tell why she was even crying. She'd wipe away her tears and stand tall, looking upon the armies assembled, ready to face them alone...
Serp and Isa stood in their new 'Lands Between' now, speaking with one another, both looking worried about Deva as the entire crowd of story remnants stood, almost able to sense that the end was coming one way or another. Serp and Isa were trying to help the others keep calm, when Serp felt the same effect as Deva had already seen. Getting the words 'Villain' 'Hero?' 'Darkness' 'Ally' 'Wise' 'Tricky' 'Supportive' pulled from him, until the last word pulled was 'Protector'. And just as before everyone around him, including Isa seemed to forget him a few moments after the last words disappeared... Except for Isa? She seemed to remember and was desperately trying to convince the others of what had just happened. But as she spoke and tried to convince them, she looked down at her own hands, seeing them dissolving into words as well, fear and anguish on her face as the words 'Wolf?' 'Ice' 'Guardian' 'Spirit' 'Caring' and others were getting ripped from her. Her last two words would end up being 'Isa' and 'Friend', and with them flying away both Serp and Isa would be gone, the crowd around them not even remembering them whatsoever...
And all of those words would fly towards Zedekiah, but as they got near they ceased to be words, becoming that same strange energy that Deva had seen earlier, and they'd flow into his Tome, the magical energy emanating from her and her Tome spiking to extreme degrees as she pulled in the very essence of the people that she had done that to.
"And just like that... They are gone. Well... not gone I suppose... It's more accurate to say they never existed. No memories of them, no actions they've taken, no world changing events. All that they were, are, and ever will be is gone. These pathetic fake creatures won't remember them because they can not see past their false existence... But you and I... I suppose we will remember them. Though if you stand in my way then you will perish and only I will be left to remember them... And my memory of fake people isn't exactly great. So who knows? But you will NEVER get them back. They are erased. Gone. Forever lost to the void... The only impact left over from them is the power they've given me." She gloated, chuckling to herself, her own power reaching an incredible degree...
Meanwhile Valerie would get hit by a fireball the size of a meteor, Sanguira exploiting an opening to send Valerie crashing into the ground, a large smoke-filled crater being impacted into the floor. Deva wouldn't be able to see Valerie from where she was standing, nor could she hear the Amazoness as she had been launched into the crater.
"You will NEVER see those false people again. They do not exist... They've never existed now. It is so easy to rewrite them out, but I couldn't do that to you... these powers wouldn't work on you, or Sanguira, or even Cyliarra. Because you are REAL. That is what you fail to understand. These others do not exist, they are words that can be stripped away without any true fear. You will never see that which never existed. They will never be back. You will never be able to bring them back. You will never see them, and they will never be remembered by anyone other than those here today... Give up your hopeless attempts at justifying the existence of that which never was real. That is the answer, and the key to find the true power of reality."
She explained, giving a demonstration of how she saw the world around them, Zedekiah's power rising as she continued to erase more and more people from all different stories, pulling them apart to become even more powerful. And at the same time, there'd still be no signs of life from the crater that Sanguira had created... The Tome scientist was even taking the moment to dust herself off, a bit tired but otherwise still able to fight...
"Don't believe him..." Cyliarra's voice would ring out.
"I spent decades with him in my head without even knowing it... You love that word 'Never'. It's your favorite. 'You'll never see Alice again' 'The Stories will never be safe if you don't do this' 'You can Never get them back' 'You will never be strong enough if you don't keep pushing'... They're your favorite words to manipulate people... You use the word Never like a sledgehammer to break someone into pieces... Then put them back together to your liking... The word 'Never' coming from you is a disgusting lie..." As she spoke, Sanguira would look just the slightest hint doubtful, looking over to Zedekiah with just the slightest hint of suspicion. It would appear that even Sanguira had heard the word 'Never' quite a few times from Zedekiah, and was only now wondering, if even just a little bit, about what he was trying to do when he said those things.
"Never is your biggest li-Urk"
Before she could say another word, Zedekiah would appear behind her near instantaneously and drive a sword through Cyliarra, pushing it in deep and pulling it out. "And you'll NEVER take another breath." She spat before withdrawing her sword, watching Cyliarra fall to the ground before him. Though as the elf crumpled to the floor, Deva would be able to tell that she was still alive, still hanging on, but it was doubtful she'd be of any help in the fight going forward.
"You draw strength from others... I can see that. So now I rip those people away from you. Permanently..." And as he said that, the strange magical energy would burst forward into the crater that Valerie had been knocked into. And while the smoke would still keep Deva from seeing what was happening, she'd see words start to be drawn out towards Zedekiah. Words like 'Werewolf' 'Amazoness' 'Guardian' 'Lover' 'Fighter' 'Competitive' 'Chieftan' 'Futa' 'Powerful' 'Caring' and so many more would start to flow out... And Deva would see the last words fly out of the crater 'Mistress' and 'Alpha'. The words would start to fly towards Zedekiah, about to become that same energy he had turned the others into... But right before those last two words reached him, Deva would hear a familiar voice speak up...
"
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" And the words would seem to stop in midair... Those last words not reaching Zedekiah, her eyebrow raised at that, not having ever seen anything like it before. Then those two words would go rushing back down into the crater, and the previous words would all fly out of Zedekiah as well, being pulled back into the crater at incredible speeds.
"I didn't train for... Grrrrr... For DECADES to fail those I love. I didn't work to be her Mistress without EARNING the title! AND I WON'T HAVE IT PULLED AWAY BY A MONSTER LIKE YOU!" The voice would shout from within the crater, those words flying right back in where they came from... And then Deva would hear a wolf's howl from the center of the crater, the smoke finally starting to clear as a bright light burst from within the crater, all of those words returning where they belonged...
Valerie jumped out of the crater at full speed, her werewolf form making her even stronger and faster now, that black and red fur and fiery expression showing Deva that her Mistress... Her Alpha, wasn't giving up this fight. And this time she'd lunge out and catch Sanguira by surprise, gripping her by the neck and throwing her to the ground, landing a few decisive blows against the Tome scientist rather quickly, barely looking affected by the power that Zedekiah had used on her.
"GRRRAAAAAGH!" She'd growl out loudly, throwing Sanguira around some more, knowing that she could take it, having seen her durability over the course of their fight already...
"Wha? No... No she should be gone. Erased. Lost to time. This is impossible!" For the first time Zedekiah sounded genuinely concerned and confused, as though this was the first thing that hadn't been going to plan in this fight. Meanwhile, Valerie would take just a moment to turn towards Deva, a proud expression on her face, clearly having faith in Deva, clearly believing in her, clearly proud of everything that the angel was and was doing.
"I've got this one... Grrrr... Covered! You have this Deva! I know you do!" But before she could say anything more, she'd return to rushing Sanguira, keeping the woman off her toes and stopping her from fighting off Deva...
"What I want to see before I die? Oh I'll show you myself... It seems I need more of the power that reality brings..." And with that her Tome would shoot out even more energy, and Deva would feel the world around them shake. Not the manor they were breaking apart, not the ground below their feet, not the planet they were on, but it felt like the reality itself was shaking around them.
"I'll show you the true nature of Pages Unfold... With this I will be unstoppable!" And as she spoke, rift would tear open behind her, not one to any world Deva would recognize, it was tearing open reality itself, a gigantic mass of power and energy emanating from that rift, as though Zedekiah was tearing into somewhere, the same place he got the power to erase people the way he did. He was opening something, and even looking through the rift that he had opened would reveal nothing. Deva wouldn't be able to see what place the rift was opened in, all it looked to be was a realm of pure darkness, bolts of lightning and energy shooting off from around the rift as it took such a large amount of power just to open. Whatever was on that other side, it was tearing things apart at the seems here, bits of reality would seem to warp around them slightly, Zedekiah pulling through some sort of power that was clearly not meant for this world.
"I can feel it... The power it brings... With it these fools will be erased and I will rule a throne of reality... Not some pathetic kingdom in make believe... I will bring all of this true power under my boot... And you WILL NOT STOP ME!" She screamed, pulling in more and more energy as the rift started growing wider and wider, and time and space continued to warp around them. Pillars of the manor would age and crumble in seconds, the space between her and Zedekiah would seem to grow longer and shorter at the same time, the two appearing to be simultaneously directly next to one another, and miles away at the same time, reality almost fracturing under this power he was pulling through...