"Death." The Rank 9 stepped forward, in front of the rest of his companions, radiating power. "What are you doing here?"
The cloaked man tilted his head to the side as he turned to stare at the new arrivals. "For the same reason you’re here, I presume." His voice rumbled.
Ren slowly stood up, Lilith still clinging to him. He took a few steps back, Lilith and Thorn following his lead, putting distance between themselves and the aura of death.
The Rank 9’s eyes were drawn to their movement and he glanced at them before looking back at Death.
"We have no business with you, Death." The man spoke. "All we need are those three... ingrates behind you."
"Ingrates?" Death chuckled like he was having a pleasant conversation at dinner. It was the sound of a man with supreme confidence in himself. "Why do I sense a fascinating story?"
"They killed Lysa and Jamie." The Rank 9 snarled. "After we spared them from daring to tread on the same path as us, they repaid our kindness by killing two of the Seven. If it were you, would you forgive such a slight?"
The Rank 9 took a half step forward, breathing heavily, a golden bow appearing in his left hand.
"Wait a minute." This time, there was a clear note of amusement in Death’s voice. "You’re telling me that this weak group was able to kill two out of seven?"
"Get out of our way, Death. This fight isn’t yours." The Rank 9 snarled.
"You’re right." Death nodded. This time, there was a chill to his voice, and it somehow dropped the temperature of the air around them a few degrees.
He stepped forward, and as one, the Seven stepped back. Even they were not immune to his aura. They weren’t sure if a Rank 9 would be immune, but they were not willing to test the theory.
"This truly is not my fight." Death said, taking another step forward, and forcing the Seven to also step back. "But if you are truly on this mountain for the same reason that I am, then this fight is inevitable."
He paused, turning his gaze to the Eighth Peak. "The Furies wanted to pit us against each other, that’s why they informed us of the appearance. Why wait till you become a thorn in my side when I can just extinguish your soul right here and right now?"
Taking advantage of Death’s attention on the Eighth Peak, the Rank 9 pulled on their bow, faster than most could blink, an arrow materializing in the drawn bow before releasing it.
The arrow streaked through the air faster than lightning, then fizzled out into nothing as it plunged into Death’s aura.
"Oh?" Death turned back to the Seven with a chuckle. "I didn’t know the fight had begun already."
Fear immediately crept into the eyes of the Seven. If their most powerful ranged attack couldn’t pierce through Death’s Aura, what more could they do to defeat him.
"Don’t look so surprised." Death chuckled. "You were never a true Rank 9 in the first place. The seven of you were just wearing the facade of a Rank 9. And now, there are just five of you left."
He took a step forward and they stepped back, their legs shaking as the despair began to creep in.
"And guess what?" Through the haze of darkness covering his face, they could see the hint of a dark grin. "I’m now Rank 8."
"Well, damn." Thorn whispered from where he stood beside Ren.
Death took another step towards the Seven, forcing them to take a step back.
And that was when the atmosphere shifted.
Thunder rumbled, and the hairs on the arm of everyone present on the Eighth mountain began to rise.
As one, their gaze snapped to the Eighth Peak.
A pillar of lightning descended, striking the peak, and for a full second, it was bright like daylight.
The thunder faded away, the lightning disappeared, and for a second, there was silence. Then, the shockwave hit.
The wind howled, forcing them all to shield their faces as the snow was sent pelting them. Everything was covered in the white of the snow as the ground beneath their feet rumbled.
Ren held tightly to Lilith, while Thorn held his shoulders.
A few seconds later, the wind died down, and the snow gently fluttered to the ground, increasing visibility.
Everybody was still where they had been standing before the lightning had struck, but there was now one key difference.
Hovering at the tip of the Eighth Peak and casting a golden glow that could be seen from miles and miles away was a ball of light.
The Divine Gift had appeared, two days ahead of schedule.
"What the..." Ren trailed off, unable to believe his eyes. The Divine Gift had appeared early, and here they were, stuck next to a man that was Death himself, and five guys that were powerful enough to elevate one among their number to a Rank 9 Knight, albeit a weak one.
Then, the Eighth Peak began to change before their eyes. Miles around the Divine Gift began to morph.
A giant blizzard began to rage for miles around the peak, creating a ring. And around that ring was a forest. A third ring then formed, the snow disappearing, and lava erupting from the floor to create rivers of the hot orange liquid.
The Divine Gift had morphed the surrounding area, creating a ring of obstacles around it. And the three groups, Ren’s group, Death, and the Seven As One, were caught outside the three groups.
They were now all at the same starting point.
Immediately the realization occurred to Ren, he immediately activated his soulbinding.
There was a pressure stopping him, as if something was trying to keep him from using it, but he redirected the flow of soul energy that Lilith was still pumping into him into the soulbinding, and a second later, the three of them vanished into thin air.
Death’s head snapped to where they had been, before turning his attention back to the Seven As One.
He threw back his hood, revealing his face, and the dark grin that was on it.
"I guess it’s just us now."