Stars of Freedom

Chapter 48: The Flicker

Accalia: You all really thought you were so innocent this whole time!

Okami: Ly....please make him shut up.

Okami coughed as Kitsune lit up a flame to light up the area. Accalia walked slowly towards them.

Accalia: Now tell me, what would be your plan if you do manage to defeat me?

Lykos: Fix what you once broke.

As Accalia got closer, they all notice that all the damage they had done to him was no more.

Accalia: Broke? I was the one fixing everything, the one stopping the rule of useless gods who stood by and did nothing. My question to you is, how are you alive after that blow?

Lykos lifted his axe up again, Yuzui summoned her other dagger again and grabbed her other one tightly. Lykos lifted his hoodie to reveal that the wound that Alepou had given him had left a hole in his stomach which had healed up.

Lykos: Someone saved my life there.

Lykos threw his axe with extreme force towards Accalia. The sound of a metal clang indicated he blocked. Lykos recalled his axe and did the same but as Accalia kept blocking, Yuzui threw hers under him and was shifted under him. Yuzui swung upwards with her other dagger and dug it under his jaw. Accalia vanished into smoke as laughter was heard surrounding them all. Lykos immediately put his hand out towards Kitsune.

Lykos: Fire, around us, now.

She grabbed his hand and was swung up high. She turned herself around midair and created fire with both her hands. As she spun around gracefully, her hands spewed out fire in the surrounding area. Lykos jumped up and caught her midair and as the two fell, Yuzui shifted herself back with everyone. Lykos landed on his feet as he held Kitsune. The fire around them lit up the entire area a bunch of shadows resembling Accalia emerged.

Kitsune: You can put me down you know.

Lykos: Ah, whoops.

He put her down on the ground. Okami kneeled on one knee, still emitting smoke.

Lykos: Will you be okay?

Okami: Yeah, go get him.

Kitsune put her hand on the ground and created a phoenix from her fire and spirit energy. It flew above them shooting its feathers at a few of the Accalias which emerged. She coughed as she fell back.

Lykos: Kit...hold on a bit longer, we're getting out of here.

The shadows kept forming more and more of Accalia. They all started running at Lykos and everyone else.

Lykos: Well...let's do this.

Yuzui covered her mouth with her scarf as she grabbed both daggers by the blades. Lykos ran at the closest Accalia and swung through him. As he was about to be hit by another one, Lykos dodged to the left and swung the axe up through that one. He activated his lightning quickly and boosted himself back to dodge an attack once again. Yuzui ran past Lykos and took care of that shadow.

Lykos jumped over her and swung down at another shadow. Yuzui moved past Lykos with a spin and used the momentum to pierce through another shadow. Lykos threw his axe forward as Yuzui ducked down and hit a few more shadows. As he recalled the axe, Yuzui moved backwards and pierced through another shadow who had snuck up there. She looked back to see the phoenix covering Okami and Kitsune.

Lykos grabbed the axe and dismissed it, and put his hands together to create an orb of lightning which he threw at a group of shadows. As Lykos clenched his fist, the orb exploded and caused the lightning to surge through most of the shadows, making them disappear.

Lykos: One of these have to be him.

Yuzui threw a dagger to two of the remaining 4 shadows. As one of them caught the dagger midair, they confirmed who it was. She dismissed the dagger quickly and summoned it back in her hand. The ground started shaking as the room started to vanish. They were dragged down into the ground once again. They had reappeared back with everyone else. Volk was clashing his Telum with Accalia as Elias was charging him with Volk's shield.

Lykos: We need to break his Telum.

Kitsune coughed once again as she put her hand towards Lykos. An armor covered him as she started emitting more smoke. As she fell over, Lykos grabbed her.

Lykos: Why?

Kitsune: To- cough pay Argos back.

Lykos stayed quiet for a second. He put her on the ground gently and proceeded to grab the axe, more determined than before. Accalia had started to emit smoke himself now but that didn't stop him. He pushed back Volk and Elias effortlessly as Lykos ran at him. Accalia blocked a swing from Lykos' axe and pushed him back.

The two swung at each other multiple times following that, the sound of metal being hit against itself was the only thing they heard. Accalia hit Lykos' arm and broke the armor which then disappeared on that side.

Lykos failed to block a swing and got hit once more, his chest piece broke. As Lykos was going to get a solid hit in, Volk hit his Telum against itself and dampened Accalia's powers along with Lykos. As the axe dug into Accalia's shoulder, Lykos grabbed Accalia's axe by the blade.

Lykos' hand suffered tremendous damage while doing so. Elias ran towards them and punched Accalia back with the momentum. Lykos, with both axes now, threw Accalia's axe on the ground.

He swung down his Crescent Moon and hit Accalia's axe, it made a dent. As Accalia put his hand forward to dismiss it, Yuzui shifted behind him and stabbed his arm. Volk ran forward and swung up at Accalia's arm, completely dismembering it. Lykos swung down again and made another dent.

Acheron put his hand toward Elias and amplified his power by just a bit. Elias, feeling the small boost, ran forward once again and knocked Accalia back. Lykos, with all his remaining strength, swung down once again. The axe had been broken. Accalia, who was on the ground, smiled.

Accalia: Guess you won't have your happy ending either little Boreas.

Accalia began to disappear as his Telum was no more. Alepou ran towards Lykos but stopped in her tracks when she noticed his axe. Everyone looked over at him, Crescent Moon fell apart in his hands. Lykos looked at Accalia's last position and noticed an orb. He walked forward, limp, and grabbed it.

He looked at Kitsune and snapped his fingers. As everything and everyone but Alepou and Kitsune stopped moving, Kitsune stood up. Lykos coughed as he was losing energy.

He put the orb that he had grabbed in between his hands and crushed it, giving him the powers. Alepou ran towards him and hugged him from behind. Every bruise in Lykos' body was now open as the broken axe disappeared. Alepou had a tight grip on him.

Lykos: You...you wanted me dead earlier. Your wish came true.

Alepou: I didn't want this anymore...

Lykos moved away from her and turned around. He gave her a smile which she immediately recognized was fake.

Lykos: Thank you, Ale.

His hair turned black as his clothes changed color. He got up, Kitsune was approaching him.

Stella: ..you kept him safe for a long while...

He turned around to see Kitsune looking at him, worried. He let out a heavy breath as it became harder for him to even do so.

Stella: Th-

Kitsune: Drop it.

She went towards him, smoke still emitting from her back. She wrapped her hands around him.

Kitsune: You did enough, no one else can say otherwise. Let it all go Argos. After all you've been through, you both deserve to rest.

He chuckled as a tear hit her. Accepting what would come, he said one last thing to her.

"I'm glad I spent most of my time in this world with you two... "