Dragon Falls (Indigo Apocalypse Book III)

Chapter Fifty-One: Rise Of The Battle Of The Gods, As The Dragon Falls

THIRD PERSON:
Both sides stared up in awe and horror as the Ragni Di Morte queen rose fully from the craggy crater in the Forbidden Kingdom, and roared again. Her humanoid face turned to the Ragni Di Morte scattered over the battlefield, then over the many many dracons, Centaurs, Satires, Fawns, and all of the indigo. Then, her attention turned, to the flaming dragon before her. The flaming dragon, the black dragon, and the blue dragon, all flying above her. Her pincers, as long as city busses, opened wide, venom dripping out in great splashes that boiled the shale. She screamed out her rage as she surged out of the Forbidden Kingdom canyon and attacked the great Sun Dragon. The dragon swooped, lashing out with it's tail. Arachne spun, a creature of that size shouldn't have been able to move just as fast, but her abdomen caught the tail and the tail bounced right off. Kneecora bellowed and lashed out with her wing just as Nyx wrapped her in a wind of night. Arachne threw herself on to her back four legs and roared as she lashed out at the night wind. Arachne moved as the night wind retreated, showing Kneecora. She crouched before flapping her wings and taking flight again. Arachne whipped out her abdomen toward Kneecora. A silk line, thicker than any of the indigo had ever seen before, lashed out and wrapped around the former queen's tail. Arachne contracted and flung Kneecora aside. Nyx snarled, the sound like roiling thunder. Both Nyx and the Sun Dragon attacked. Night roiled around the black dragon as daylight roiled around the flaming one. Arachne threw herself into their midst, roaring her rage as she attacked them both.
"NOW," shouted Kitana. "NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW." The indigo came out of their state of awe and turned to face the Ragni Di Morte, who still were watching the battle above. Kitana and the rest of the indigo ran, storm winds carrying some as they renewed the fight for their new world. Scorpions slashed at the Ragni Di Morte, as dracons of all races faced off with the Ragni Di Morte hybrids. Sarah ran a few dozen yards before summoning one of her ice dragons to shape under her as she jumped. She landed gracefully and swept over the battlefield. Wenzi bellowed and flaming dragons swept over the battlefield, slaying spiders with renewed ferocity. Holly lashed out, Amala and Kamala on either side of her. They fought in unison, fighting as one wolf, as one claw. Holly lashed out, howling in fury as Kamala leapt over her to cover her left flank. Sahara swept out one of her chains, the spiked ball slashing through a Ragni's leg. One of her scorpions came in, ripping it apart with it's claws. She moved forward, centaurs on either side of her. A satire fell, a Ragni over him. Sahara whipped out her chain, taking off most of the monster's body right down the middle. The satire looked up to see her face. He nodded and turned, lifting his sword.
Lashing out with lightning, Leia floated on a breeze, flying over the battle, her masked face hiding her expression. Her green sword and pearl shield in hand, she fought over the Ragni Di Morte hybrids, frying them by the hundreds. Arachne lashed out with a foreleg, Nyx swept out a wing, immured by night. Arachne bellowed as the night made contact with her. She snarled, the sound like roiling thunder. The dragon spewed flames. Arachne screamed as the flames engulfed her. Yet, she stepped right through them, her black eyes, those bulbous black eyes staring out at the dragon with puissant hatred. She leapt forward, her bulbous huge body bowling right through Nyx as she landed to bash against her. The dragon pounded the shale and ran at her. They collided. And the sound they made was deafening as they crashed together. Arachne was sent sprawling through the shale, her eight legs searching for traction. She slammed into Nyx as Nyx swept out her body. Arachne bashed her aside with a leg. Nyx bellowed and bashed her body into her again, night winds swirling around her. Great stars fell from the sky like a storm of multicolored lights. Fell, as the starlight twins rose over the battlefield, their hands clasped together as they worked in unison.
A star fell on to Arachne's abdomen and she screamed in pain and rage. She shot silk out, but missed the twins entirely. Nyx swept out a vicious night sword from her body that slashed into one of Arachne's eyes. She roared, raising herself to her back legs as she lashed out toward Nyx. Kneecora swept in, her body coiling as she wrapped part of herself around Arachne and flung her through the air with a great massive heave. Arachne rolled through the air as that great terrifying monster, and landed. The great flaming dragon rushed her, it's wings spread as flames roiled off it. Slashing with a night wind, Nyx roared. Arachne dodged the wind, yet was shoved backward by the great dragon. She hissed and sprayed venom. The dragon lifted off, sweeping over the venom spray. The dragon returned fire, literally, and it was Arachne's turn to dodge.
Kneecora loped forward, her gigantic talons lashing the shale as she leapt and slammed into Arachne again. Flames poured from above as Kneecora wrapped herself around Arachne and chomped on one of her legs. Arachne snarled in irritation and flung Kneecora off her. She turned, and snapped her pincers. They cracked like stones cleaving off a mountain. She didn't speak, but the words were clear. "You'll pay, for everything. The betrayal, the double-crossing, all of it." She sprayed venom, as Nyx lashed out with a night wind, as the great dragon spewed forth flames, yet, all, too, late. Kneecora stumbled to her feet, facing down Arachne. The venom spray stopped, just short of Kneecora's front legs. She eyed the great Sun Dragon, and the Night Queen. She bowed, then attacked Arachne full on. The Sun Dragon leapt to her defense, but, not, fast, enough. Kneecora bellowed in agony, as the great monstrous spider opened her pincers wide, and snapped them over her spine, snapping through her thick scales and into flesh, muscle, and bone. She flung the former Snow Queen aside and Kneecora fell into the very crater Arachne rose from. The Ilio Drakous could only watch, as, the, dragon, fell, falling, to, her, death. Within the minds they shared, memories of a life long ago burned to life. A girl, shoving him aside to protect him, as a dart lashed out for his chest. The dart lodging behind her armor, right into her breast.
    A time long ago, where she remembered him defending her against a long since dead succubus, a girl who'd been resurrected too many times. A time, where he was broken and made anew, slicing her in half. A time, where she was broken and made anew. A time, where they fell together, fell and rose as one. A time where she fell, falling along side him into death, and being awoken again. They had seen the dragon fall, seen that dragon fall, as they had seen many dragons fall. Yet this one, one who had repented, who had accepted her fait, then again, then again, then tried to rectify her crimes. Within their shared minds, they exploded. Nyx watched, as the Sun Dragon lashed forward, faster than truly should be possible, even within the indigo world. More dangerous, more alive, they lashed into Arachne and sent her sprawling. They clashed again, again, again, again, again, battling as the great gods, the great titans, the great forces of nature they were.
    The Snow Goddess swooped through the air as the Sun Dragons fought Arachne. She breathed, her body glowing with silver light. She stared around, her eyes emotionless behind her mask. Then, she exploded, power roaring out of her as she transformed with the ice dragon beneath her. Molding herself with her creation, the Snow Goddess rose as a sixty foot long snow dragon, her talons long and sharp as she bellowed her furor. Her excited and hungry furor. She stomped through the Ragni Di Morte forces, her ice breath taking out line upon line of them Spiders fled from the ice queen, the goddess of ice and snow. Arachne rose, roaring at them to fight back. The Sun Dragon lashed into her flank, cutting her roar short. Nyx swept in and bashed her other flank, trapping the Ragni Di Morte between them. Arachne's eyes bulged on all eight legs, including the eyes that protruded from her humanoid head, and the eyes that crowned her head. She pealed back her lips to reveal her tiny teeth and tongue. She opened her pincers wide and snapped for the Sun Dragon's head. Flames flashed and Arachne bellowed in agony as they licked her exoskeleton, then roiled over her. Night swept around the flames like loving fingers. The great dragon stepped back as daylight lashed from it in a great bolt, lashing into the place where Arachne could be heard, screaming her agony and rage.
    When the flames and daylight abated, when the night melted away, Arachne stood there, her humanoid face livid, yet still very much alive. "YOU CANNOT KILL THE QUEEN OF VENOM." She bellowed. "YOU CANNOT." Daylight lashed into her again as the dragon swooped overhead, blasting from on high. Arachne retaliated with her abdomen, shooting thick silk that melted whenever it touched the dragon. She bellowed in rage and rose to her back four legs, lashing out toward the dragon. A silk line went wild and slammed into Nyx who screamed in pain. She went sprawling and slammed into the shale. She rose, a night wind ripping the silk from her body. She crouched, and before she could spring, Arachne roared, and stomped the ground, then, turned, to, the, battle, below. Nyx bellowed a warning, but it was too late.
    Arachne leapt off the side of the crumbling cliff edge and into the battlefield below. The great dragon wasted no time in diving after her, as Nyx leapt too. Arachne landed, and the indigo as one, cried, out. She lashed out, sweeping aside indigo and Ragni alike. A centaur fled, trying to avoid the tree like limb of Arachne's foreleg. He leapt, the leg just missing him. Yet, the same couldn't be said for a line of satires, who screamed as the long pole like barbs sliced them all in half. Arachne reached down with her pincers and rose, lifting a clutch of indigo in her fangs. The races undefinable by the sheer mass of blood and venom that exuded from the Ragni queen. She crunched them before flinging their lifeless corpses aside. Kitana swept a wave of death toward Arachne, but it bounced off her exoskeleton. The Snow Goddess swooped in, and bashed into Arachne's side. Arachne roared and kicked out with three legs. The Snow Goddess was sent flying into a canyon wall.
    Flames blasted downward from the aerial dracon army. The flames, had, no, effect, on, the, queen. She glared up at the line upon line of dracons. Then, faster than should be possible, she spun and raised her abdomen. Ragni and indigo alike were swept aside, into still open maws in the ground. Silk shot out, targeting the flying dracon army. They scattered, their formation blown to shit as they tried to stay out of her web lines. Many fell, struck by the puissant force of her silk, silk, that was oiled with her venom. Dracons melted as they fell, melted by the venom. The Sun Dragon landed on Arachne just as a silk web line shot out. Wenzi bellowed in rage as it barely missed her figure, still beating her flaming wings as she tried to avoid getting hit. Wenzi dove, her form growing as her godhood struck anew. Lucy and Kupoa screamed out, their call echoing across the Forbidden Kingdom.
    Arachne roared and rolled the dragon off her back and pointed her abdomen at it. She fired, they fired back. Silk and daylight lashed together, cracking the air. Green lightning lashed out, lashing into Arachne's abdomen, and doing no damage. She roared in rage and searched the skies for that lone figure. Spotting the girl, she whipped up her abdomen to strike. Nyx swept overhead and lashed out with a dragon wing of dark night. Arachne's shot went wide, yet the tail end of the line lashed into Leia's flank. Clouds roiled overhead and fresh water scented of the coming storm. A figure stepped to an edge, and raised it's arms. Rain poured from above, pure rain from the north. Arachne bellowed in rage as her Ragni Di Morte continued to die before her, the hybrids falling along side them. She turned, her gaze beyond puissant lividity. The great dragon lashed into her and they slammed against a canyon wall.
    Arachne lashed out, slashing the dragon off her. Nyx swooped in and landed, her teeth bared as her green eyes watched the Ragni Di Morte rise to all eight legs. Watched, as the Ragni Di Morte watched her own kin melt under the pouring rain, watched them melt and fall into the open maws of the ground. Nyx dug her talons into the ground and more maws appeared, and the pouring rain turned into a hurricane, a hurricane that swept pure water over them all. Blue lightning lashed out, zapping the sky with clear roiling thunder. As Nyx stared into the face of what had once created her, she saw the clarion look, the luculent look of rage, and a little bit, of, hopelessness, as if she was only now coming to terms with the fact everything was over. Over, for, her. All the planning, all the backstabbing, the torturing, the slaughtering, the changes she went through, the agony of those changes. Slaughtering her own brethren to ascend, just to only be put to sleep. To be asleep for so long that she started to plan once more. Then, to, only, be, thwarted, by, these, underlings.
Arachne snarled at the great dragon before her, snarled at the night dragon by their side. She'd fought so hard to ascend to this level, fought so hard to ascend even higher to attack the Higher-Beings, to slaughter everything in her path and slaughter them for delisting her. The great dragon bellowed, daylight in it's jaws. Arachne stared around, at the indigo that scrambled to distance themselves from the great battle of the titans. "See if you can save them." Said Arachne, as she turned and chased after the indigo. She bashed indigo aside, lashing into as many as she could. She roared as silk shot out, lashing into line upon line of indigo. Camille screamed as a stray line lashed into Jeffry before he could dodge. Lorna appeared from the sky, dropped by a dracon. She grabbed Jeffry and ran along side him as Arachne bellowed, stomping about, slaughtering more and more indigo. Qudorzo bellowed in agony and rage as Quedesha was struck by Arachne's leg and sent flying into a wall. He flew through the air, slamming into Pheequa as another leg came sweeping in her direction. When Qudorzo looked up, all that could be seen of his sister's body was a flattened slab of meat and bones. Tinkers flew in great masses, trying to avoid the Ragni Di Morte. Arachne swept along, slaughtering as many of the forces as she could manage before the dragon could—, something lashed into her side, and from above, the great Sun Dragon lashed out again.
Arachne roared as she lashed into indigo as the great dragon lashed out at her, clawing at her exoskeleton, her humanoid face. Arachne reared backward and lashed out at a group of fleeing indigo. She slashed down at a group of scorpions trying to make their escape from her wrath. The Sun Dragon lashed out with a bolt of daylight. Arachne shrieked, much like her spiders. Wenzi and Vello herded the Molten, Snow, Selene, Sun and Earthen dracon armies. Theia and Seeka flew as many of those who couldn't fly as they could to safety, as Arachne took out her rage on the indigo army herself. Nyx lashed out with winds of night, sweeping dark bolts, with stars, gifted to her by the star-born twins. Arachne roared, her body shuttering, but she kept fighting. Kitana dove into Holly as a leg swept out, narrowly missing both mother and daughter as it slaughtered several fawns instead. Callianna screamed in pain and sorrow as one of the fawns went flying, ripped open and gushing blood.
The Selene dragons shot out beams of moonlight, raised their moonlight swords, yet they knew, against a creature like that, they stood no true chance. Sahara ran along side the indigo, her red eyes wide as she took in the sheer magnitude, the depth of Arachne's rage. She paused, indigo fleeing on either side of her. She was a child of Set, Set, the God of the desert, the God of Evil. She watched a flock of ravens pass overhead, a great raven ahead of them. She took a deep breath, and leapt into the army, but, from, the, wrong, side. She ran deeper into the fleeing army, letting all pretenses fall, as she assumed her true form. Power sang through her blood as she roared to life, a great scorpion rising to face off with the Dark, no, the Ragni Di Morte Queen. Arachne stared, horrorstruck, as a gigantic scorpion raced toward her. "SAHARA." She bellowed. Then the scorpion, vanished. Arachne's bulbous eyes wheeled as she tried to track the elusive goddess. The great dragon lashed into her abdomen, daylight, burning, burning, burning. Arachne bucked as daylight struck her again. Bellowed in agony as she was sent tumbling backward, away from the fleeing indigo.
Arachne bellowed as the dragon lashed into her, sending her flying again. Nyx and Sahara came forward together, eying the spider as she clawed the shale. Arachne shrieked, shrieked shrieked shrieked shrieked shrieked, but, no, Ragni, came. She looked around her, at the destruction she caused. At the desiccated, mutilated, corpses all around her. The slowly disintegrating corpses of the Ragni Di Morte she slaughtered in her fit of rage and hopelessness. Surrounding her on all sides, the great Sun Dragon, the Night Dragon Nyx, and the Desert Scorpion Sahara, all stared at Arachne. All that she tried to accomplish, all that was in store for her, all that she wanted, lost, lost to the winds, lost. She'd just only wanted to feel a part of the Higher-Beings, all she'd ever wanted was to feel like she was one of them. To not compete with them for anyone else's attention. All she wanted was that. And they delisted her, destroyed what she once was, and turned her into this creature for punishment. But she remembered, she remembered everything. She, created her kin, created the spiders, changed those Earthen Dracons into what she wanted them to be. This war, this whole war wasn't over, couldn't be over, would never be over. There was still one more contingency, still one more left back on Earth. Even if she fell today, even if the dragon falls, she knew there was still one more contingency. Still one more thread that would never be snipped. As more rage blossomed in her, she shrieked, and attacked.
The great dragon was ready, ready, as she lashed out for Sahara, they lashed out, cutting her off. A great daylight sword lashed for Arachne's foreleg, slicing, a, deep, gash, across, it. For the briefest moment, Arachne did nothing but stare, stare at the wound left on her foreleg, a wound that began to gush silvery-white blood. Then, she looked up, looked, at the comet that began to fade, as, a sun, dawned in the East. "No," It was hardly a push of air from her great humanoid mouth, buzzing as rage took hold deep in her, rage, and terror. The comet faded more and more, as the sun dawned in the East. On Earth, humans cheered as they saw the last of the stars sweep by, saw the comet began to fade, as the sun dawned in the East. Rosa Gardener cheered, jumping up and down as she saw along side the millions of viewers who watched her CNN channel. "YES." She cheered. "YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES."
Nyx lashed out with a whipping tail, slamming Arachne backward against the cliff. Sahara raised her claws and stinger, sand swooped around her and Arachne, as the great dragon lashed out with a blast of daylight. The sand melted instantly into glass, and the Sun Dragon roared, as they rose and smashed down on the Ragni Di Morte Queen. The glass prison exploded and Arachne roared in agony. She swung her body around, lashing out with her legs as she went. Nyx and the great dragon lashed out at her again, again, again. They roared together as they lashed out, opening wounds in her now weakened exoskeleton. She fell, one leg twitching as it was almost severed off. Sahara swept, lashing out with her stinger, sending the leg flying. Arachne screamed in agony as blood gushed freely. She lashed out, lashing into the great Sun Dragon. They went sprawling as she screamed and landed atop them. She rose on her back four legs, her three remaining front legs waving menacingly as the wound that was her first leg continued to gush silvery-white blood.
Arachne lashed out, lashing her legs repeatedly into the great dragon. Again, again, again, again, again, again, as her wound gushed blood, as her terror and rage took her completely, wiping all else away. Again, again, again, again, she lashed into them, her godly power roaring out of her. Silk rivets, spinnerets, opened in her forelegs, and silk shot out at the gigantic dragon. The Ragni Di Morte screamed in triumph as she began to slay the Sun Dragon, as the dawn broke, gilding them in it's beautiful incandescent daylight. Gilding the whole of the Forbidden Kingdom in it's rays. Across the battlefield, all the indigo could only watch as the wounded Ragni Di Morte bashed into the great dragon. Tears fell from Camille's face from within her rainbow mask as she watched with the others, Joy's arms around her. The Tinkers stared, all their tiny mouths agape as horror took them. "GET UP." Screamed Camille. "GET UP, GET UP, GET UP, GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP." Arachne laughed her euphoric furor as she continued her assault. She roared out as she stared into their three eyes, as she stared into their godly face. Arachne paused, paused, as she said, "I wanna see into your eyes as you both die, wanna stare into your souls as I rip you from this world and destroy all of you once and for all." The Sun Dragon grinned, and Arachne froze, shocked, aghast, as the Sun Dragon grinned a wolfish grin, then, lashed, out.
The blow didn't come from the dragon beneath her, it came from above. Claws dug deep into her abdomen, and ripped upward, opening her. Paralyzed, petrified, horrorstruck, Arachne could do nothing as the Sun Dragon beneath her continued to grin, and lashed out with a bolt of daylight. Only now did Arachne realize her error, her truly erroneous error. Her erroneous choice. Her abdomen bled copiously as it was ripped up and opened like an egg. She rose on to her back legs, shrieking in agony as the weight rose, lifting off her. She glanced around, and saw the Night Queen, still holding the upper half of her abdomen in her claws, in those talons. She grinned, as she snapped it between her talons. Arachne screamed in agony as her abdomen bled, as another bolt of daylight lashed into her underbelly, one of the only weakest parts of her exoskeleton. Her underbelly gushed blood as she stumbled away, her breaths labored.
Another lash of daylight sent her stumbling backward and she raised her legs, raised them to strike, but, another lash came from Sahara and sent her to the ground. Her abdomen screamed as more blood gushed freely, pouring into the Forbidden Kingdom yet again. Arachne stared, stared as the Sun Dragon rose, and swept toward her. The indigo armies all watched, open mouthed, as the Sun Dragon stalked toward the Ragni Di Morte Queen. "Kill her Best Friend." Murmured Camille. "Remember who you are." Said Amala. "I love you brother, always have, always will." Muttered Audrey. The great dragon rose, and, daylight growing in them, struck, the, final, blow. Power roared out of them as daylight blasted downward, lashing into Arachne. She screamed, screamed in pain, agony, and rage. Screamed, as that power lashed through her and bolted right through to her core. In that moment, Arachne knew, knew, she'd never would've won, never would've been able to rise to face down the Higher-Beings for that final battle. Even, with, her, contingency. Her shriek echoed across the Forbidden Kingdom, echoed across the whole of the Indigo Continent. As the power faded, they stared down at where the Ragni Di Morte once stood. Stared, as they all, all, all, realized, that the battle of the titans, was won, won, because of the fall of the dragon. Because of dragon falls. Because so many dragons had fallen today, today, both dragon, and water from the northern falls, fell today.