***

Beregond spit out a tooth, his nose bleeding. Before him came an angry Jean as he stood up. Max had done his job and now maybe it was time! The Gods had their body and now Jean was offering his. Grabbing his blade Beregond charged forth as Jean followed. In a clash of steel their blades met in the center of the Marches of Couronne. One bearing the great sword that had been wielded by Jean's father, the other wielding the great sword that decapitated Jean's mother; "It ends now!" Beregond screamed into the night sky.

"What issss he doing?!" The voices shrieked in the dark abyss in undetermined anger, "He will ruin everything!"

Beregond's blade met with Jean's again and again as the angered knight threw himself at Beregond with full strength. Beregond was surprised at the young man's abilities but they were no match for his cunning as his blade swept across Jean's shoulders, a deep enough cut to wound him into submission, yet Jean fought on regardless.

Beregond was surprised in the frenzied determination- was this a knight of the Lady or was he something else entirely now? He must kill him, he must prevail! He swung again and again but parry after parry protruded from Jean's skill. "YOU! THIS IS ALL YOUR DOING!" Jean screamed at Beregond in a rage of fiery proportions as Jean kicked Beregond in the stomach, his strength booting Beregond back 3 feet and to the ground as he scurried to his feet. Beregond had unleashed something, anger... that may just outdo him. Jean's very muscles pulsated in strength to his vision, his eyes a fiery white. He had become cruel in thought, seeking vengeance and nothing else as all those around him watched, stepping back in awe and wonder.

Jean quickly raised his blade again in anger and cut down an imperial beside him, cutting him literally into two pieces as he then proceeded to jab at the man's dead body until Beregond was at his feet. His eyes had widened in disbelief, it was impossible- he had made Jean into a lunatic. Lines of tears could be seen pouring from Jean's eyes as he charged back at Beregond, sweeping at his feet first. Beregond took the blade unexpectedly, falling to the ground as Jean raised his sword above the evil man, his breathing intensely deep.

"It's your time now!" Jean shouted as he gave out a bestial scream. Beregond scrambled for his life as Jean's blade raise a little higher and as he began to plunge down, a ‘bash' was heard as Jean's body fell to the ground unconscious. Behind him was Dominique, breathing calmly from the punch he had delivered into the back of his cousin's head, feeling his gauntlet after. Drawing his sword with one arm and dragging Jean back slowly with his other; He looked at Beregond as the man of Chaos rose to his feet again.

"Stay away from him or it will be the death of you." Dominique stated firmly.

Beregond smiled in content. If he could best this man, he would have Jean dead. He lunged forward quickly at Dominique, a small skirmish beginning as the fighting around them had raged on, so did the warrior of Chaos and the Bretonnian knight. Their power was almost equal yet the skill of the Chaos man was beginning to overcome. Dominique pulled his shield from his back and followed with some small parries, hardly able to take the strength of this Champion of Chaos, but was able to get a jab at Beregond's shoulder in.

It was only in an unexplainable eruption of Beregond's body that had stopped the fight; his body floating in the air, shaking. The fury of the Dark Gods had been underestimated, played with, and their trust broken now as the whispers grew to shouts and screams in his mind over what to do with him.

"WE SHALL RIP YOUR LIMBS OFF AND BURN YOUR INSIDES!" One screamed in an ear-piercing shriek into one ear as the other continued: "WE WILL LET YOUR BODY ROT AND YOU WILL WATCH YOUR SKIN FALL OFF FROM YOUR VERY BONES AS YOUR SOUL AND FLESHY SKELETON BOTH DECAY BEFORE YOUR EYES!"

"Silence." A third one said. "This one is mine." It followed with a deep cackle as Beregond's body disappeared from sight right before Dominique's eyes in a sudden black warp. As it closed, a bang was heard, dust flying everywhere as Dominique covered his eyes and knelt to the ground. Silence followed as he then looked around in wonder. Everything... everyone... they were all dead, everything was dust. The field was burning and the encampment behind them in the Marches of Couronne was but ruins. Before him on the ground lay Jean, unconscious, and only him alive; rolling to his feet was a bullet. Picking it up, Dominique read the side; "M.V." was engraved into the side.

Dominique took in a long breath and let it out slowly, his shoulders relaxing. "What now?" He whispered to himself, the words catching in the wind and floating off.