Rhenvar cleaved a man in half with Souleater. He and the sword sang as one, but they just kept coming.
(Damn. Where the hell did all these villains come from?)
(Thirst.)
"Bunnygirl-"
"Call me Anna!"
"Okay? Anna. How many villains just sat back and waited?"
"There was… a lot. From petty thieves to murderers. But this many?" Her voice cracked. "Someone must've released them all from Super Prison."
"And now they're free. No offense, but you're weak. I know you don't want me to kill them all but-"
"Then do your best!" she shouted, blasting a flying brute back with a kick. "We need Ultimateman! We need order!"
A nearby TV rang.
/Breaking news: Ultimateman was just… killed on live broadcast. Tune in./
"What?" Bunnygirl staggered.
"Seriously? Fuck the news." He cleaved another attacker. "We need to focus. You need to live- "
"Ultimateman is dead…" she whispered, staring at the screen like a ghost. "How…"
Rhenvar snapped. "Because your powers come from your souls! And Corvessa and I feed off souls. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy killing villains. But I was sent to protect you!"
"Without Ultimateman… we're finished."
He grabbed her by the shoulder. "No, you're not. I might still be kinda drunk, but you are not finished. Understand me? You are… Bunnygirl. And I'm guessing you're the true protagonist of this story."
"Huh?" She blinked.
"You hold the Worldheart, you idiot! You die? Everything ends!"
(Fuck, it was like talking to a wall.)
"That's why I was sent to you, by your Gods!"
Bunnygirl went silent then-
"So, my safety means… the world survives?"
"Yes!" Rhenvar shouted over the chaos. "Which is why I've been killing these dumbass villains."
"But where can I go?" She asked. "If that's true and my death destroys the world… no where is safe, no where in this world."
(Wait. That's perfect.)
"I can send you somewhere safe. Just accept it. In your heart. I'll bring you back, trust me."
He reached out his hand. She took it without hesitation.
"If it means everyone lives, I won't hesitate!"
But before he could warp to the chaos temple, a shout rang out: "Hey, that's Bunnygirl! Kill her!"
(Damn it.)
Rhenvar blocked the incoming hit, shoving Bunnygirl behind him. She was already getting a battle stance ready, ready to fight beside him.
(Brave girl.)
"I don't know who's who," Rhenvar growled. "But Souleater is hungry and so am I."
(Consume.)
He sliced a man in an orange suit in half.
(Devour.)
"Yeeeessss."
(This world. These souls. I'm losing control. I didn't even channel it… Souleater's pulling me under.)
Rhenvar his left arm, Souleater vanished, recalled to the chaos temple.
(I needed something else… Charles's sword!)
A man dressed in polka dots charged.
"Seriously?" He told the lame villain. "Run and you live."
"You will all pay, hero!" He kept charging. As if in slow motion.
He swung the legendary sword. The villain vaporized in gold fire.
(Damn! I can't wait to give this to Willow.)
("Unworthy.") The sword whispered.
It had a soul. It was rejecting him. Hurting him. And then it whispered again:
("Do you feel love, tainted soul?")
(What the fuck?)
It tugged at his core, twisted inside him.
("Do you?")
(Love is useless right now. Stupid fucking sword. These freaks won't stop. Maybe I'm better off using my fists.)
He sheathed the blade.
"Annoying." He gave a left hook to a man charging him. His head exploded in one punch.
(Urithax's power doesn't disappoint.)
"Yo, RPer! You got some serious good drops! Let's duel, Nya~?"
That voice. He knew it.
"Anna! Get behind me. Now!"
Meowfunction floated above, her body a glitching nightmare. "You totally stole Charles' gear! Not cool!"
"World's ending and you wanna fight over loot?" Rhenvar argued.
"I mean… duh! You're not even using it, man!"
"I'm giving it to a friend."
"Laaaame~! Sharing gear makes sense, but I could actually use it."
"If you want it, come get it." Rhenvar readied his fists.
"Ooooh, I plan to, RPer~!"
She lunged. He darted, fists flying. She twisted unnaturally.
"Nope! I play serious with players like you. Monk class? Bold!"
His fists wouldn't land. She was laughing. As her plush sword cut him. Rhenvar was bleeding.
Anna joined the fray.
"Rhenvar, duck!" She shouted. She moved fast, throwing a kick at Meowfunction. She dodged it.
"Nice support," He muttered, diving back into the fight.
They traded blows, Meowfunction's blade carved glitching scars across Rhenvar's chest through his armor. He healed with blood magic but the odd wound took a toll.
(Too many hits. I'm dying, not soul-deep, but something else. What the fuck is this?)
Bunnygirl was still fighting, taking blind spots where she could, kicking smaller villains out of the way.
"Ha! You suck noob!" Meowfunction laughed. "Nya, sorry, but you need to grind more. Spend less money on micro transactions!"
Something inside Rhenvar snapped.
(Fuck the sword. Fuck control.)
(She thinks I'm beneath her.)
(I will eat this cat.)
"Final boss phase? Let's GOOOO!" Meowfunction cheered.
Rhenvar exploded, transforming. His black bones ripped from his skin, extending, and reshaping. The armor cracked pouring out a waterfall of blood all around him. The blood goo has taken form and Rhenvar launched with his claws wide.
He ripped Meowfunction apart. She reformed. He didn't care. He could do this forever.
"Respawn!" She grinned, bouncing back.
He tore her apart again. And again. Blood dripped from his wings like rain.
"Are you unkillable?" She asked. "Like… am I supposed to lose to you? Damn scripted fights."
He shredded her. But then he felt it. A soul. Crying. Begging.
(Oh, you poor thing.)
He opened his mouth, blood fell from his jaws like saliva. "You want to be eaten?"
"What? No way, dude!"
He gripped her tighter, claws digging into her broken form. The soul whispered.
("Please kill me…")
"With pleasure," He said, licking the blood from his cracked lips.
(I intend to eat you. All of you.)
But he wasn't talking to her. He was talking to everyone.
Because in that moment, only one thing filled his mind:
(Thirst.)
(Drink.)
(Consume.)
Nothing else mattered. And he wanted to feed-
On everything.
Bunnygirl watched in horror. And for the first time… she understood what he really was.