The silhouette which floated silently before the combustion of monsoon crossed its razor-sharp ungues before its chest. Its eyes snapped open and burned with purgatory and sharp ferocity. Two feathered pinions stretched from his back and a wave of murky smolder caused the feathers to shed and reveal leathery bat-like wings.

As the silhouette released more smolders, its appearance became more defined and much sharper. Its muscled form was bare and a dark tattered cloth was tied around its waist. Its tail was hard-armored and resembled a scorpion's tail. It had lengthy horns that resembled a goat's. A scythe that looked very familiar to me materialized in its left open claw and it gripped it tightly with murderous intent.

The stygian monsoon which was a bright red scarlet in its earlier phase dispersed and showed the scalded form of the God who was still unfortunately alive. The giant shakily grabbed the steel rose which skewered him like a grilled vegetable and painfully yanked the steel bar out of its mouth.

"Right in the butt...He must be really butthurt about that!" Crowley cringed causing the two children to roll their eyes.

"I'm ashamed to call you an adult," Rui muttered with his nose scrunched up in distaste.

Once the giant succeeded in extracting the bar from his body, he extended his left arm to the side and his spear latched to his palm.

The horned creature which appeared out of nowhere spun in his direction and they clashed weapons creating a shock wave of black fire. My eyes searched for Sin, Saint, and Skwak but found no trace of them. The pain in my leg didn't even distract my mind one bit as Caleb held me securely against him.

"Skwak couldn't have survived that fire," Crowley said and placed his hand on my shoulder in sympathy. "I'm sorry but he tried. You were right about him."

I gripped Caleb's supporting arm and leaned further on my good leg.

"It's too early to declare his failure. I trust Skwak to keep his promise," I denied Crowley who pursed his lips and looked away in sadness.

"You are far too innocent Young Prince. It pains me to have you here in this bloodbath."

The movement of the horned-creature started as slow but then it gradually became scheming, potent in each attack, and precise. Its speed was hard to follow with the eyes and even the giant was helplessly receiving blows after blows by the dark vigor of bewildering strength which just...came out of nowhere.

"Where did this guy come from?" Caleb asked in astonishment.

"It doesn't matter where it came from as long as it's beating Garmir's sorry ass," Rui huffed with amusement.

The God continued to use his spear to clash with its destructive scythe but Garmir's weapon proved no match with the hack as it sliced whatever part of the spear was offered to him like a spinning wheel.

With Garmir unarmed, the God summoned his lightning, and clouds formed around him which could potentially cage the horned creature like what had happened to Skwak. The lightning got the revolving death blade restrained for a few seconds before it broke the element and regulated the surge throughout its body.

Garmir was losing options to win this game of death and the newcomer seemed to have more cards in his void of darkness to use against him. Garmir caught the creature between his palms and hurled it away from him but the being flickered back to him and slashed its defending hand off his wrist. Spiders crawled out of the injury and his white-tinged blood turned into creatures similar to Vincenzo. The bodies clamped together and twisted around each other as they renew the hand that was cut off.

The God wailed, his deep voice causing the tremble of earth, and compelling surges of electricity shot out from the threatening skies and strike the creature.

"Come on...fucking get out of this one. You can do it!" Crowley cheered.

"Yeah, kick his sorry ass scary-ass monster!" Rui rooted.

"Get him! Get him!" Ziru joined in.

The pressure in my chest welled up and my hands curled tightly as I watched the display of the intense battle before us. That horned being didn't seem to be driven by the desire to just kill. It was like he was just doing a daily chore that needed to be done because it was his responsibility.

"Do not underestimate him, he is still a God after all," Kox's voice popped in. There was a tone of insult when the word God came out of his mouth. "That creature could use some help to get out of this one," Kox said.

Crowley snatched Kox from the ground and strangled him at the angle of his arm.

"So what do you propose hah? Suddenly disappearing on us you got some nerve!"

"Can't this innocent boy get lost at a time of crisis?" Kox tried to explain in a struggling voice.

Crowley dropped him to the ground and crossed his furry arms before his chest. "What can we do to help that...bakemono (monster) beat that colossal?"

Kox shrugged. "It is simple really; Garmir's main power is electricity. Just throw in a conductor to attract that power and the monster can focus on defeating him rather than dying from the shock of voltage."

"Conductor? Maybe I can—"before Caleb could volunteer himself, I pricked him with a thorn that was coated with a substance that will put him to sleep for a couple of hours.

The werewolf clamped his pricked arm and looked at me with fear and concern. He stumbled back but fought the feeling of fainting.

"Luci...an..."

I caught his body before it could land ungracefully to the floor and Crowley helped me lay him down.

"Ah, you'd do it?" Kox acknowledged but had a tone of "I knew you would".

"Caleb's body won't handle another detonation. Just tell me what to do," I deadpanned.

Kox smirked. "Just turn yourself into steel and you're good to go. You just need a little more mana for that right? I'm sure your body is worn out from building that steel bar of rose."

My skin began to harden and Kox's next statement caused Crowley and the two children to panic.

"But don't become steel for too long. A steel heart cannot pump and keep a body alive."

"Think this through nephew. This is a dangerous task. It is way too risky. How sure are you that that creature can beat a God?!"

More panicked voices washed over my head and my surroundings became even more chaotic with the murmurs and gasps of concerned individuals residing in my mind.

"What the fuck?!" Crowley growled. "What kind of idiotic plan did you just come up with?!"

"Isn't it brilliant?" Kox teased blankly. "I put a lot of thought in it for two seconds."

"Throw me, Crowley," I commanded the hanuman.

"But onii-chan!" Ziru protested.

"There is no time," I cut them off.

I hopped towards Crowley and the hanuman reluctantly reached out to me.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked me.

"If I am not ready to sacrifice myself for the sake of the people important to me, then what right do I have to let others put their lives out for me?" I questioned him.

Crowley's jaw tightened and the children stared at me with great concern with Rui's face bearing a frown of disbelief.

"I will be fine. I grew up with a steel heart. It only started beating recently," I assured them.

The Hanuman gripped my uninjured leg and arm before spinning around and flinging me towards the eye of the storm. I used zephyrs to boost me further and closer to where the creature was being electrocuted and felt my core starting to harden.

My breathing halted and my arm extended forward. Just as I was about to fall from the pull of gravity, my fingertips touched the erratic voltage and attracted the surge of electrical energy.

"Lucian...can you hear me?" Kox's voice entered my mind.

"Yes..."

"Your digestive system is naturally made of diamonds. Do turn it back and store the electricity there so that it wouldn't come out of your body."

How convenient.

As I collected the element disabling the horned being, it managed to break away from the restraint and proceeded with its mission to torment the God with its unending deathly slashes and tail whips.

My senses were dulling and the creature's movements accelerated. Its body sparked with an obsidian inferno.

Garmir, though weakened and shamed, still bear his pride as a God. His recuperating limb elongated like rubber and attempted to penetrate the creature with the stinger-like edge of his limb. Once all the electricity was absorbed, I quickly returned my form into its natural state and felt the exhaustion washing over me like a bucket of ice water.

Instead of my body falling as it should, a magnetic force held me up causing tingles all over my figure.

My eyes widened when a few conjoined grape-like purple figures emerged beside me where surges of electricity can be seen and heard.  Three more spherical sparks of charcoal pollens appeared in different directions and Garmir's lips spread in a wide grin.

"I, Garmir acknowledge your strength and resolve. It is only right that I shall serve your death with all my power," he declared.

A ray of white light linked the pollens creating three separate rings that caged the creature and me. The horned being turned his head to look at me and I saw his piercing eyes gleam in interest.

"Atom..." Garmir muttered as if declaring his victory with modesty and respect for those he had won against.

A thunderous clamor of deafening voltage and a blinding flash of light occurred and I was sure of my abrupt end.

But instead of meeting my end, my eyes blinked at the face staring down at me. A warm hand supported my lower back and red eyes observed me curiously. Fangs can be seen from his ajar pink and thin lips and as if he removed the mask concealing the sharpness of his features,  a strong and well-defined jawline framed a charming face with spellbinding features. His peach-colored hair was radiant and pleasant and just then I felt my heart quicken its thumping.

"You..." He spoke in his thick, smoky, and sotto voice that sent shivers and tingles of warmth in my spine and cheeks.

Everything that can pulsate on my body had already done so.

Our intense and heated gaze at each other broke when Garmir snarled in frustration. The peachy-haired fruit man glared at Garmir and flashed his very bewitching jawline at me. His inky black lashes complemented his sharp and penetrating gaze that made my legs feel as if they were turning into jelly.

"Could it be that the Prince—".

"But no, he already has a deep connection with the werewolf."

"Does he not have some bond with the dragon twins as well?"

"Ah yes the twins, wait...huh?"

"I am lost on who to root for now."

"But the way he dreamily describes this man...it's obvious that he wants to—"

"Shhh, you are confusing my nephew!"

Peach haired fruit threw his scythe towards the rampaging giant who was on his way to trample us. Just as he got closer and closer his legs slowed down as his head began to detach from his neck. Just then he realized the fatality of the scythe that went past through him and the burning seal that the scythe left so that he could no longer recuperate any further. The giant's eyes widened at first but lost its shine as he submitted to death.  He fell on his knees in defeat and his head which rolled from his shoulders caused a loud tremble of vibrations on the ground.

His body disintegrated into glittering particles of light and Kox's voice emerged in my head.

"May you return peacefully to the Tree of Fertility and never be born again...useless microphallus of a God."

Peach-san returned his gaze at me and his lips pursed and his hold on me tightened.

"You will be the origin of my sin..." He murmured. "In God's name...I must end you now."

I tilted my head at him in confusion.

"I do not mind breaking another leg if it's you."

"Nephew!" The dominating voice in my head gasped.

Peach-san lifted his open palm and his scythe returned to his grasp. His weapon was reflected in my eyes and my gaze softened as I finally remembered where I saw it from.

"Squawkey-san...you're safe."

The man's eyes flashed a quick show of affection but before he could speak again, two fists collided with his face, and I was grabbed by my waist and carried away.

"Seriously...what the fuck?" Slade snapped before looking at me in disbelief. "No seriously you shitty blonde...what the fuck?"

"Lucian are you alright?" Sevor asked.

I placed my hand over my chest, feeling rather pleased to meet both of them again and still having the effect of meeting Peach-san for the first time.

"I feel like I'm walking on a cloud," I sleepily replied.

Slade clicked his tongue. "You got a broken leg. Talk about walking again on your state and I'll break the other one for you."

I looked to where Peach-san's body was punched away and slightly waved.

"Peach-san, I still have one good leg. It is available in all seasons."

"Shut up dumbass!" Slade snarled at me.

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A/N: what do you think of Lucian's attempt of flirting? Hahaha