The Mythos Trials

Chapter Twenty-Eight, Part Two

Phenex heard it a fraction of a second before it hit; the unmistakable crack of rock before the ground began to tremble under him. There was something markedly different from these tremors than the kind Forneus created with his earthen arts, the smell of O-zone filling his senses like the onset of a thunderstorm. But it wasn't the lightning Forneus sent arcing here and there that was the cause.

He staggered out of the way just in time to see Kizah's legs buckle under him, the large, russet-skinned Akuma dragged down by a force none could escape; gravity. This meant only one thing.

"It's about time you guys joined the party." Phenex tossed a smirk over his right shoulder, meeting Gilgamesh's cerulean-blue gaze.

If Gilgamesh heard the gibe, he made no comment, the tendons in his neck standing out with his right arm raised. Deep concentration was etched across his sharp features, lines forming on either side of his prominent nose as his lips pulled back in a silent snarl. Raven curls stirred against his forehead and at the collar of his tunic, plated armour gleaming dully in the thin beam of light emanating from his upraised arm.

A concentrated gravitational pull flowed from his palm into the space surrounding Kizah, successfully bypassing any who could be considered allies—Phenex included.

A quick glance past him revealed Gilgamesh hadn't come alone. Behind him stood Jev, along with a handful of younger operatives Phenex couldn't recall by name. They didn't remain still for long, however, before the Silvestrian clans battling alongside the Scáth began attacking them in earnest; each stroke of their primitive weapons a sign of how desperate they were becoming against the growing number of opponents.

Fleetingly, Phenex caught sight of Ika among the Sixth Unit's ranks, Gilgamesh's second winking at him when she caught his eye before diving full-force into the fray. Red ringlets bounced against the dark fabric of her long sleeve, green-tinted skin appearing a darker shade in contrast to the near phosphorescent glow of her yellow-green eyes. Phenex's last glimpse was of a short sword materializing in her left hand before Kizah's thunderous roar filled his ears, dragging his attention back to Gilgamesh's battle with the brutish Akuma.

With this realization came another: Gwen was still in trouble.

Heat shimmered in the air around him, igniting on the tips of his fingers as he swung toward where he'd last seen Gwen, kneeling in the sand with Yurei cradled in her arms. Misa loomed over her, the ethereal blade in hand, arm raised high as she prepared to deliver the killing blow.

Just as he was about to release a gout of flame toward her, one streaked past him, impacting Misa's hand and forcing her to release the blade with a curse. Gwen rolled off to the side just in time to evade its sharp point before it plunged into the sand, Lyka's beta still in her arms when she sat upright. Phenex started to turn to see where the flames had come from when something tiny and bright flew past his ear, unleashing another volley of fireballs.

"Get back, you nasty little pixie!" Misa cursed again, swinging her arms wildly as she tried to get a hold of the Pari, her fingers closing on nothing but empty air. "I'll squash you like the insect you are!"

"Don't count on it, hell-spawn!" Niv continued to evade Misa's feeble grasping, little threads of fire lancing from tiny, balled up fists to burn every inch of the Akuma she could. More than once, her flames caught on Misa's short, platinum locks, wisps of smoke curling up from her hair before she patted them out.

Phenex could hear Niv laughing throughout the whole ordeal, but there wasn't time to just stand around, watching. "Niv, don't get too cocky," he warned. "She's more trouble than you think."

"Was that a compliment, fire chicken?" It happened then, a hint of Misa's usual, arrogant smirk, before her hand closed around Niv. She seemed nearly as surprised as the Pari when she caught her between her fingers, eyes lighting up with childish delight. "And would you look at that? Looks like I'll be killing off at least one of you Reg. Force dogs, after all."