Having finally arrived at their destination, Schrodinger and Saomi landed themselves within a safe distance of the battle between two powerful gods as the duo watched the clash of the titan unfold from afar. "Holy sh*t, that is enormous," she said without realizing what her words imply as the woman gasped in horror. "I apologize for my language," expressing regret immediately towards what she had uttered.
Schrodinger chuckled amusingly, finding her apology somewhat unnecessary. Although he isn't entirely focused on their arrival, he is more so in regards to the scene unfolding before their eyes while the fight continues to ravage the place.
Every direction they see is distorted beyond comprehension. The green sky is now a collage of colorful hues and stars as clouds, rocks, stones, and structures float helplessly upwards from the immense gravity surrounding the area. Monsters seem to spawn and vanish randomly wherever and whenever, appearing and disappearing, fighting against invisible forces or against each other.
To their credit, he and Saomi are safely on top of the highest cliff, allowing them to see what's below them while temporarily hiding away from the madness happening. And it's not stupid to just stand here like a sleeping duck, awaiting slaughter.
But neither can imagine watching their best friend hold its own against an otherworldly, powerful, and eldritch abomination that is written to be a key component of continuing the Kalpa cycle. Schrodinger sighed frustratingly, thinking of an idea to possibly interfere and aid their friend.
Janus was relentless, striking and dodging Cthulhu's massive appendages and limbs gracefully and effortlessly. He had seen all sorts of combat in battles before, knowing the right time and the wrong time to strike. His spear was a blur, a whirlwind of energy and speed.
The movements were precise and calculated, and Janus attacks were perfectly timed. Cthulhu was not unprepared, however, as his size was both an advantage and a disadvantage, especially the manipulation of his own body parts or skin altogether.
Cthulhu strikes were monstrous; his blows were heavy and deadly, using strategically placed attacks of his tentacles to throw Janus off balance or attempt to crush him underneath his weight. His octopus-like features were used to his full advantage, using his sticky slime and mucus to entangle his prey and trap them.
However, Janus was not just agile while flying through the air as if he were a speeding star; his strikes were fluid and smooth, his attacks were lethal, his blows were powerful, and his spear was a razor's edge. Each and every strike was aimed directly at Cthulhu's vital areas, and so far, he has managed to hit some before getting thrown off with an invisible telekinetic force.
Injuring him critically but managing to stand on his own ground to keep fighting. Janus was relentless. Cthulhu growls frustrated by their clashes, "You're not supposed to last this long," showing no fear or irritation toward his opponent, "This bothers me," an expression that made Janus happy to hear.
"Good," Janus answered with glee before dodging another group of tentacles with varied sizes to crush and grab him. "Because the feeling is mutual," he added while flying himself higher through the air until Janus was a speck, preparing himself to go down like a meteor.
Seeing Janus fall from the sky, Cthulhu smirked and prepared himself for the incoming blow, believing his opponent would surely perish. Janus had flown too high and had left himself wide open. But what he did not expect was that his own tentacles were being torn apart brutally the moment they made contact with him.
Allowing his spear to pierce through the wrapped tentacles of Cthulhu, he flew further down, faster than the eye can see, as his whole body became like a burning meteor. Janus piercing strikes manage to tore Cthulhu multiple tentacles apart like knife-cutting paper, causing the great old one to scream his mighty roar loudly across the Dreamlands and beyond.
Before finally, he made a body on the monster's forehead as the entire hundreds of kilometers around them made the loudest and largest explosion imaginable, shaking the entire realm in itself, forcing Schrodinger and Saomi to brace themselves from the massive dust of debris, shockwaves, and intense winds blowing rapidly all around.
Grabbing the cat, she quickly used her katana to impale on the ground in order to hold on for dear life. Her eyes closed shut to prevent dirt from entering her pupils. "Don't let go!" Saomi shouted loudly through her screams, enduring the immense and strong wind, "And whatever you do! Don't open your eyes or mouth!"
"I wasn't planning to!" Schrodinger shouted back. Both clung desperately to the ground tightly while their bodies continued to sway and push away from the extreme force of the wind. "When the hell is going to stop?!" Schrodiger cried, yelling his frustrations at the situation.
"Don't know, just hang in there!" Saomi answers, gritting her teeth together and enduring the harsh conditions when small pebbles begin to rain in her direction. Causing her to close her eyes even tighter until her eyebrows began to hurt.
Meanwhile, Janus emerged from the aftermath, injured and mentally exhausted from using so much power against a cosmic being, barely managing to hover himself slowly through the wind. Looking around, Janus realizes that not only had the impact managed to damage Cthulhu badly, but the entire surroundings became like a tornado.
Scowling at what he had down, he wasted no time in holding his weapon tightly before twirling it around with both of his hands, creating a vortex to suck all the wind inward towards his weapon, calming the environment down enough as Janus managed to descend safely onto the cracked grounds beneath his feat, stumbling a bit.
"Is it over?"
He said this under his tired breath, looking around to see the devastation Janus had caused. Trees were knocked off, numerous rocks were scattered across, and the grass and dirt were flipped away like an earthquake. The Dreamlands weather had seemingly returned to normalcy.
Once a sickly, green atmosphere is now clean and pure. Janus breathes relief, knowing there isn't a need to worry about the toxic gas affecting the realm anymore. Even Cthulhu, the terrible harbinger, has finally been laid to rest.
"His nowhere to be found." Realizing not even a sight of the monster's enormous corpse could be seen, he believed this wasn't over as long as he could get to see that deity's dead body, but even then, Janus eyes landed on the sight of his unconscious friends.
"Saomi! Schrodinger!" He can't believe they chose to come here even when he told them to stay. "Dammit!" Quickly flying through the flattened land, he carefully began to descend down on them, seeing her still holding the hilt of her katana and the cat himself.
As he moved closer to them, the entire ground around them began to violently rumble, "What?!" Alarmed and afraid, his eyes immediately widen after what he saw was the monster's large fingers intruding upward, bursting out of the land. "He was hiding all along!" Not thinking twice, Janus flew just in time before the hand formed into fists as it dragged them down to the depths of the earth.
Conjuring a forcefield with an appearance made out of the universe itself, Janus knelt with both of his knees down on the floor while his own forehead rested upon his spear as he continued holding it upright. "Please hold..." struggling himself with energy leaving him, Janus felt the punches banging aggressively onto the barrier.
Outside of the projected barrier, the terrifying sounds could barely be described. They were a mixture of guttural and inhuman growls, screeches, and wails that echoed throughout the world. Their ears were assaulted by the unholy symphony, and their minds were plagued with visions of horrors beyond their comprehension. Janus could only brace himself from the attacks as he struggled to maintain his barrier.
Janus had no idea how long the nightmare would last. He was unsure if Cthulhu could keep it forever or if his barrier would eventually collapse. He could only hope that his strength would last long enough for him or his friends to escape.
"Were going to die!" The horrified Saturn chimed in once more, preaching of his constant fear of their doom, "You stupid host! We should have run and hid!" Accusing Janus of his decision, Saturn attempts to scream through his host's head, only to be pushed aside by the other voices.
"Quiet now, you old weakling fool!" Quirinus angrily spouted, "Janus is going to win! We are all going to survive!" He reassures the others, keeping the morale of the host high. "Right, Janus?" Questioning his host's capabilities, awaiting his reply.
But the sound of Janus ragged breathing answered the voice's question, confirming Quirinus's doubts: "Oh, you got to be kidding me!" Being frustrated by his host, he still believed they would pull through. "Listen, host. You are going to beat that monster, understand?!"
Everyone is becoming tiresome; Janus exhausted mind is beginning to waver from the amount of strain he is placing. "I can't," managing to speak out, he was forced to stop himself, trying to maintain the shield. "I just don't know if I could keep doing this." Growing sad about his defeatist attitude, Janus could feel the tears falling down his melancholic eyes. "We were going to die."
"Don't lose hope now!" Quirinus shouts again, refusing to fall prey to the hopeless despair: "Come on, Janus! Everyone is counting on you!" Trying his best to motivate him, hoping his words reach his stubborn host, "Have faith, Janus! Have—"
All of his voices were shocked to see him now sobbing miserably from the amount of stress and pressure overwhelming him. Janus continued crying as his tears fell below him. "No," Saturn utters, realizing the host is finally giving up.
"No, no, no!"
It's too much for him, even for a god. He never imagined how humans would go through this type of thing. Now, after adjusting himself to be one, he is forced to endure an unimaginable amount of mental and physical exertion.
He doesn't know if he can handle anymore, and neither can his voice. Janus is tired, exhausted, and defeated. He has reached the breaking point. And yet, the familiar hand of a person had firmly grasped his shoulder. Looking upward, Janus sees the comforting smile of Saomi.
"We can do this together," she said with a reassuring tone, giving the weary Janus a confidence boost. "You are not alone in this." Squeezing his shoulder a bit tighter, Saomi encouraged him, "No matter the pain and struggles you go through, we will always be there for you."
"Giving up now?!" Said the smiling cat who stood at his side, "Your Janus, the god of everything! You're not going to be defeated by some stupid fish man now, are you?" Encouraging him, the cat could see his host's determination returning: "So get your head up and let's beat the crap out of that monster!"
With his tears almost dried, Janus nodded his head and then smiled apologetically. "Hold onto me; I'm going to finish this once and for all," he said to the two of them. With her agreeing, she wraps his free arm around his waist tightly as the young woman grabs the cat to her side.
In one final exhale of his breath, he closed his eyes before opening them to reveal a glowing pair of purple that rapidly grew brighter, engulfing his irises with a bright violet. Opening his mouth wide, Janus let out a reverberating scream as the entire place was then engulfed in purple light.
Leaving no more than the last moments of the monster's screeches from its demise. Turning everything black and silent with their consciousness vanishing into the unknown, somewhere between the lines of waking and dreaming, neither are sure who won at this time of day and night.
