A Legend... or Destruction?

[Xenoxice]

As Zenithe rushed skyward to meet his grandfather's killer, he managed a barrel roll to the side to dodge the energy blast that was aimed at him, although just barely in time.  As he came up upon Xavelthius, he attempted to make a hard bite at his side as he would fly past him.  Listening to both Jolene's words and Xavelthius', he responded to Jolene first.  "My shadow only covers a small area compared to his size and would make us a stationary target if he chose to blast the whole area... If I made one large enough to give us some leeway, it would only exhaust me to the point I wouldn't be able to move for several minutes... This is the only way I can protect you and I will do everything I can to save you!"

After his statement to Jolene, he halted his ascent and turned back around to face Xavelthius, speaking loud and clear above the wind in the sky. "I know I can beat you now because I believe my fate is to stand as the greatest of the Guardians.  Stronger than my parents... stronger than my grandfather... stronger even than you!  I will start a new generation of Guardians!  Beginning with the children of Jolene and myself!  I'll bring about a more noble bloodline than you ever could have dreamed of...."  Zenithe narrowed his eyes as he stared at Xavelthius, knowing full well he was about to play not with fire in his next statement, but with a blazing inferno.  "A bloodline more powerful than even Xinkerra could have hoped to make.  I will bring about a new age!  I will create... the Twilight Guardians!"

[Relairah]

Xavelthius had paused, waiting to hear Zenithe's response before he'd attack. He had no problem taking down the last of his line. But to have Zenithe join him for a new age... that was all the more pleasing. It seemed Zenithe just didn't understand. His expression curled into a grimace as this lowly infant of a dragon dared to suggest he could ever be greater than him. Especially with his pathetic human wench. The grimace now was snarling disgust. But it seemed Zenithe wasn't done.

How did this... this... thing think he would be the bringer of the Twilight Guardians? And how dare he utter Xinkerra's name in his presence! His face continued twisting into something darker than anything imaginable. A stir of emotions rising in his chest, then finally falling into cool nothingness. He didn't even emit the roar that rose in his throat. Instead, he flew closer toward Zenithe, closer... closer. "No, my descendant. Because even my blood flows through your veins. You will regret the day you ever made your claim. That you ever uttered those words to me. I will take everything from you. Until you have nothing left. And when you do. You will be begging me to take your life and save you from your misery. Truly, for what you have said, you will suffer. More than even the great Salathen just suffered."

Immediately, Xavelthius tucked his wings against his body, going into such a rapid free-fall that one might think he were committing suicide. At the last instant, his wings burst from his body, and as he plunged to the earth, he grasped Jolene's body in his hand. The momentum from his fall caused her to slam backwards in his grasp until she slumped against one particular old tree.



Everything happened so fast. Below, Jolene hadn't even had a chance to notice what was going on. Perhaps she should have fled... but she couldn't. She couldn't abandon the one person who had actually cared about her. She saw when Xavelthius started plummeting, and she turned, trying to get away from where he was headed. But she wasn't fast enough. As she felt his scaly fingers curl about her body, she gasped, feeling sharp pains as her body hit the tree. She raised an arm to her lips, wiping blood from her mouth. Her fiery orange eyes looked into Xavelthius' defiantly.

As Xavelthius met her gaze, he now saw that she was indeed more than merely human. But clearly she wasn't part dragon. "She is an abomination!" he roared into both of their minds. This only fueled him on further as he pushed her into the ground beneath him. "She is not worthy of your offspring! Of ours! Of mine! Never will I allow such to happen!" He looked into her face as he drove a claw through her chest. Laughter rumbled in his throat and he turned, looking to where Zenithe was, his expression having resumed that wicked grin. "Now come! And die with your abomination of a lover."

She felt entirely helpless as her body was flung about like a mere doll. She gasped, guessing one if not more of her ribs to be broken. As she felt his claw through her chest, she realized now she could barely breathe. She was fading, as was her consciousness. "I love you..." she said to Zenithe, before she slipped into black.

[Xenoxice]

Everything happened in what appeared to be a blur. From Xavelthius diving to the words he spoke and watching as he attacked his one and only love. "No! get out of the way!" he tried to to scream to Jolene but it was too late. He had already reached her and his attack succeeding. His eyes widened as he watched in horror his claw piercing through her effortlessly. "JOLENE!!" he began diving to her location at a remarkable speed that seemed to match even Xavelthius' as he had approached her. Unlike Xavelthius however, he didn't attempt to slow himself down in the least bit, he allowed himself to land on his legs at full force, cracking and splitting the ground beneath him as he did so. Shifting back to his human form within a mere second he ran to Jolene's side just as he heard her words in his mind. He drew his sword without even thinking and attempted to cut through Xavelthius' claw not even knowing if in fact his grandfather had been right or wrong about it being strong enough to cut through dragon scales. Whether the attack had succeeded or failed, he would kneel down beside Jolene on his right knee. Looking over her lifeless body, his mind blank, a whirlwind of savage emotions began to stir up inside him as though it were a typhoon ready to overtake him in a matter of moments.

Zenithe placed his sword with the blade in the ground, holding the handle with both hands. He remained silent as he struggled against the anger that was swelling inside of him. His hands began to shake as the struggle began to grow within him. Controlling his breath he began to regain a little control of himself.   I'm not going to let it end this way.... I won't end up like him, full of hatred and anger..... It's not what Jolene would want from me or for me.... he thought to himself silently. Gradually his anger faded and turned to sadness and regret.   I wasn't strong enough to protect her... now she's gone.... His head bowed down and his eyes closed slowly. A single tear began to form in his eyes and start to roll down his cheek. His emotions were more powerful than he had ever felt before. Nothing in the world could explain the depth of love he felt to his one love he had finally found and spent so little time with. His hands began to release their grasp and his sword fell to the ground with a quiet thud. The tear on his cheek rolled to his chin before finally falling. The single tear drop landed upon the center of his blade. Usually where it would react to water and become brighter in color and darker around the edges, something different happened this time. Something entirely new Zenithe had never seen before.

The sword while laying on the ground seemed to absorb his tear. From the center of the blade slowly radiating to the tip and base of the sword, the green in the middle began to glow and shine brightly in an acid green color. The edges didn't just turn black, but instead began to radiate the same black smoke that usually accompanied his spells. Zenithe's eyes opened slowly as he began witnessing the new phenomenon. The smoke began to come alive as it no longer just dissipated into the air but rather became more profuse and moved specifically towards his body. A few moments after the smoke began to envelope him he heard what appeared to be a whisper in his mind.   I have felt your pain... you have suffered a tremendous loss at the hands of evil yet lack the power to serve retribution...   Zenithe's eyes opened wide as he heard the voice and tried to communicate with it.  "Who are you...? What are you...? A spirit..? A magical being..?"   The voice replied and gave him an offer.   I am neither. I am what I am because I was created by fate to find you. Nothing more. I offer you my strength. My power. My might in order to serve justice to those deserving of it and protect the love that exists in this world. Take the blade in hand and be imbued with strength you didn't imagine possible. A new form shall be born this day. Embrace it... as well as your fate. The voice trailed off as it finished its proclamation and Zenithe reached out slowly before he took the sword into his right hand.

The glow from the blade grew exponentially in brightness as though it were a sun right before his eyes the moment he grasped the handle. He could feel his body shifting into a form he was unfamiliar with, but he could feel the immense power that came with it start to flow through his body as though it had existed all along. He could feel the shift start in his feet. He could tell his form would be of dragonkin but something felt different. His legs weren't as big as a normal dragon form but felt more powerful. His hips didn't bend their usual way but instead stood upright, his balance perfect on just the two legs. His height grew and he could feel the muscles in his body growing stronger and stronger, tendons tightening and bones hardening. What normally would be his front legs turned into stronger arms, his clawed hands keeping their appearance of his dragon form, but in the shape of human hands. His sword itself grew in size with him and his clothes began to change. They shifted into his body and formed an outward armor in addition to his scales. The armor as black as a moonless night and his wings now sprouting from his back. Their strength felt significantly higher than his normal form and the webbing no longer a jet black but a gradient of transparent navy blue with a small tinge of a dark orange that faded to black.  His hair maintained its appearance as his tail elongated with a sharp point covered in the same armor.  His head shifted to that of his dragon form, only smaller with an upright, short neck like a humans.  His teeth long and sharp with an eyesight to match.  Everything appeared sharper, clearer and more detailed than before.  He now stood with sword in hand, the center having lost its glow, but retaining the bright acid green color with the edges an opaque black that no longer emitted the smoke.  His tail swayed gently side to side.

Zenithe wanted to test his new strength before engaging Xavelthius.  Several trees were in close range nearby.  Without moving an inch, he swung his tail in a blur that completely splintered the closest tree to him, causing it to fall over with a shattered trunk that split half way to the top.  With a single fluid motion he swung his blade outward and cleaved the next closest tree to him.  The tree never falling until a breeze caught the leaves and revealed the clean cut all the way through as though it were paper as it toppled over.  He flared his wings out as he gazed up at Xavelthius.  "Now.... Let the real battle begin..." his voice calm and stern.  Confidence as well as unbending resolve laced his tone.

[Relairah]

As Zenithe approached the girl, Xavelthius stepped back. But before he could speak or even do anything, Zenithe's sword caught his eye, particularly because of the light and smoke and reactions. Xavelthius took another step back, earnestly curious. As the glow brightened, Xavelthius turned his face, hiding it from the light. When he finally looked back, he no longer recognized the being in front of him. How was this even possible?!

He stepped back once more, sensing that not just appearance had changed for Zenithe. There was something else present. Though he couldn't quite tell what it was. He watched as Zenithe cleared some of the trees around them with ease, though on that motion was not as impressed. Rather, his focus was entirely on this new being that was neither dragon nor human but caught somewhere in between, it seemed. Xavelthius wasn't sure what to make of it. But he knew he would gladly take down whatever new strength Zenithe thought he had.

Then, as Zenithe flared out his wings and spoke, Xavelthius took another step back. 'No... it can't be...' he thought to himself. He burst skyward, perhaps feeling he'd gain the advantage somehow, and as he did, he fired another decimating blast of black energy toward Zenithe.

[Xenoxice]

Zenithe watched as Xavelthius took to the sky and launched another attack at him.  The burst of energy coming towards him seemed far less threatening than it did before.  He folded his wings over him like a dome and knelt down with his hands on the ground next to Jolene, waiting for the blast to hit.  The force of the attack was incredible to say the least but his wings held strong and he could hear the landscape around him being destroyed and feel the ground beneath him shifting from the sheer force.  After it had dissipated, he could feel his wings stinging and a little sore from taking the direct hit, but it was another test as Zenithe got used to this new form.  A desire to see just how much he could withstand from Xavelthius.  He unfolded his wings as he stood back up and gave them a few flaps to try and get the sting out of them and shake off the soreness.  Turning his gaze back to the sky he looked to Xavelthius.  Clearly issuing him a warning as he held his blade in both hands and took an attack stance, holding it to his side and down toward the ground.  His voice rang like the purest of crystals as he spoke with his mind.  "You won't find an advantage in the sky anymore."  Spreading his legs and crouching down just a bit more, he flared his wings and made ready for a take-off.  "You're big.  And you may be powerful....."  With those words he gave a mighty thrust of his wings and bolted from the ground, easily managing close to triple his previous speed in his normal dragon form as the ground beneath his feet had slightly cratered under the pressure of nothing but air that was forced upon it.  He soared into the sky like a bullet and flew right past Xavelthius.  "But you're slow..."  He finished his sentence finally as he reared back and turned himself to face the ground, thrusting his wings to give himself another burst of speed like his initial launch.  He held blade in hand as he rocketed towards the ground, not wanting to finish this too quickly but rather put Xavelthius in his place and cut his ego down, Zenithe attempted to drive his blade clean through his tail and sever it from his body as he passed by him.  If he had succeeded, he would allow himself to land in the exact spot he had originally launched from, next to Jolene, staring up at Xavelthius once more.  If not, then he would catch himself half-way to the ground and turn around to make another attempt while flying back up.

[Relairah]

Xavelthius' wicked expression dimmed as he watched his blast have nearly no effect on his now opponent. It was almost as if Zenithe's wings had split the blast around him... the black energy had even avoided Jolene's body resting safely behind her guardian. But it seemed the behemoth was not yet deterred. Instead, he flew higher, waiting for Zenithe to attack. He knew at some point the other would leave himself open. Xavelthius was yet too proud to allow himself a hint of fear or disquiet... a hint of suspicion that this foe might defeat him on his own.

Zenithe's words were true. With his enormous size, it was difficult for him to evade things quickly. Though as of yet he had never faced an opponent that this mattered. His scales had thus far been nearly impenetrable and if anyone had gotten close, his dark energy had kept other attacks at bay. His sheer power had always put him at the advantage. Now, this confidence would cost him.

As Zenithe came straight for him, his wicked expression grew once more and he prepared to strike at Zenithe directly... however his face twisted as instead of striking Zenithe, somehow this thing's sword managed to cut clean through his tail! Fortunately, it wasn't the entirety of it... but a large chunk indeed. Xavelthius almost watched it in disbelief as it fell lifelessly to the earth below, just that piece breaking through foliage, aided by momentum of its fall. A sickening roar was emitted from his throat along with another decimating blast. As the blast escaped him, he followed it, diving to the earth the same way he had when he had killed Jolene.

Xavelthius swooped at the last moment, attempting to grasp Zenithe's body like he had his abomination lover. If he were successful, he would try to squeeze until he crushed him. He wanted to watch the life drain from his eyes. If he were unsuccessful, he would follow Zenithe, striking at him relentlessly with claw, tooth, and blasts of black lightning cackling in unguided directions through the air.

[Xenoxice]

Zenithe stood strong as he watched the next blast headed toward him and Jolene again, duly noting Xavelthius this time was following close behind it.  His eyes narrowed as he thought of his next move.  Turning his body at the waist so he bent down and backward slightly he folded only one wing over.  Waiting for the right moment when the blast was just in range, he swung as hard as he could, using his wing to deflect the blast back toward Xavelthius.  The severe impact caused him to twinge in pain as it felt he may have possibly sprained his wing.  Not detrimental to his abilities but very painful none the less.  He gathered himself in that brief moment, taking a deep breath and lunged in behind the blast he had now sent back towards its user.  Every flap of his wing sent sharp pains through him since he knocked the attack back.  But he followed through with his strategy still.  With a sly smirk, he extended his hand forward and enveloped a small enough area so as to not exhaust himself in a shroud of black smoke to obscure the trajectory of the blast and the timing of when to counter it.  Giving himself a boost of speed so he caught up to the blast when it was in the middle of the shroud and his actions unseen, he took his sword and split it straight up the middle into two separate, but weaker blasts hoping to make it harder to avoid and counter.  He followed between the two blasts at the same speed they traveled to form a three part attack.

[Relairah]

Xavelthius seemed to have a draconian smirk as he watched Zenithe cringe in pain, spurred on all the more. He hadn't been expecting him to send his own attack back at him... but wasn't entirely surprised as he had already witnessed that somehow Zenithe's wings could divert his attack. He wasn't sure why they were so impervious... but to him it didn't matter. He would go as long as necessary. Perhaps Xavelthius still believed himself to be more powerful - enough to win. As Zenithe obscured the blast, split it, and came at him at all once, Xavelthius flew higher and away, his powerful wings allowing him speed and mobility. Suddenly, with another powerful flap of his wings, he pushed himself toward Zenithe as he was coming to him. He intended to collide and perhaps gain the advantage in a similar way to how Salathen had fallen.

The blasts hit Xavelthius on either side, but seemed to have no effect. In fact, they absorbed back into his body. His wicked grin grew, eyes focusing on Zenithe. "Fool! To think my own attack would harm me! Do you know nothing of the nature of one's own magic?" As he said this, he clapped his hands together mid-flight and pulled them apart, a massive orb of dark lightning growing in the space between his draconian palms. He then released the blast, straight for Zenithe, the ball an enormous size and the cackles of lightning thundering as they flew.

If they collided, since Zenithe had been in flight toward him, he hoped the mass of energy would wound the other at the least. Xavelthius would then strike out as he had before, seeking close combat.

[Xenoxice]

Zenithe watched as Xavelthius reabsorbed his own magic and a wide grin spread across his face as the next blast he tried to deliver flew towards him.  "I am very well aware of the nature of ones own magic!  Apparently you are not a very advanced magic user or you would have realized what I did with that last attack!"  Pulling his left hand towards his chest and clenching his fist, the blast Xavelthius had sent towards him condensed into a minuscule ball before blowing up into a large puff of smoke that dissipated harmlessly.  "That shroud wasn't just to serve as a cover you overconfident novice!  I infused those blast with my own magic when I split it in half and you absorbed it back into your body.  Every attack you throw at me will be laced with my own power and I can cancel it out with ease!  If you want to have any hope of defeating me...."  As Zenithe continued flying up towards Xavelthius, he grasped his blade with both hands yet again and readied himself to strike.  "...Then we'll just have to see how much brute strength you really have like you used against my grandfather!"  Zenithe prepared to thrust his sword through one of Xavelthius' front feet and attempt to split it as he would try to pull the blade across once it pierced.  If he was successful, he would try to go for the other feet and claws.  If not he would ready himself for however Xavelthius' would attempt to counter attack.

[Relairah]

Indeed perhaps Xavelthius had been out of the game too long. As he observed his attack dissipate, it threw him off only for but a moment. He didn't need this blabbering explanation. He saw it for himself. But it was no matter. For indeed before Zenithe even suggested brute strength, he had already been in flight toward him. Now he only continued that, meeting Zenithe head on. He plunged to the side, avoiding this blow of the sword. He had learned he must avoid the blade when his tail had been sent plummeting below. At least as best he could. Xavelthius arched his neck, snapping for Zenithe's body. At the same time, he tried to bat at him with his tail, once more attempting to grasp a hold of Zenithe's body.

[Xenoxice]

Zenithe's attack missed and he saw the next one coming.  He barely managed to avoid Xavelthius' teeth as he bit at him, but he did take the full blow of the tail as he crossed his arms in front of him to guard against the strike as best he could.  As the tail hit his body, he attempted to drive the sword through what remained of the tail to get rid of it for good.  Still, the impact felt like a barrel of bricks had just been thrown at him at high speeds.  His armor taking most of the brunt of the attack, it did crack under the pressure.  Seems he has more physical strength than I gave him credit for.... at least I wont have to worry about dodging his magic anymore... Looks like I'll have to kick it up a few notches.  Let's test his strength against my speed...  Thinking silently to himself, Zenithe determined what his greatest asset was and adjusted accordingly.  Having been thrown down toward the earth like sack of potatoes from the hit of the tail, Zenithe caught himself just before touching the ground and stopped his descent.  Looking back up to Xavelthius, he smirked.  "What say you to testing just how good your reaction time is to my top speed eh?"  Setting himself upon the ground, he stood for a moment without moving.  This is going to be tricky with my wing the way it is, I'll just have to push through the pain...  Crouching down he closed his eyes, gathering his strength and preparing for the pain that was sure to follow in his sprained wing.  Opening his eyes and looking up once more to Xavelthius.  His expression no longer contained a smirk or any form of grin.  Zenithe was starting to get serious now as his pupils narrowed with a scowl in his eyes.  Pushing off the ground with his legs first followed by an immediate flap of his wings as hard as he could, he left the earth far behind him in what seemed to be just a split moment.  Trees had splintered all around him simply from the air pressure as he flew as fast as he could straight at Xavelthius.  This time, he was going to attempt to drive his sword straight into his back leg.

[Relairah]

Once more, Zenithe slipped from his grasp. Xavelthius had to admit he was indeed swift. With the impact, a bellowing roar escaped him, black fire rising in his throat and flying in random directions as his tail was wounded but not yet entirely removed. Zenithe's fall had prevented it. That blasted sword! He had managed to give Zenithe a good blow... but now it had pushed him out of his range for the moment. Though just as quickly, Zenithe was headed straight for him yet again. His limegreen eyes narrowed as Zenithe had crouched and then suddenly burst toward him in some sort of renewed determination. Rather than trying to get away, however, Xavelthius remained in place, and when his leg was skewered from his body, he then suddenly burst toward Zenithe, attempting to close his powerful jaws about his arm. If successful, he would try to sever his arm with his teeth... or at the least weaken it. If unsuccessful, he would pursue once more with relentless attacks, swiping at him with tooth and claw. Losing one leg was no loss to him if he could still defeat his opponent. His eyes were focused, fury lining his features.

[Xenoxice]

As Zenithe severed one of Xavelthius' legs, he smirked a bit.  Good... now if I can last long enough, he might just bleed out and weaken enough for me to finish him.... Zenithe thought to himself silently.  His goal never being to cause immediate fatal strikes, but smaller losses that added up in a different way.  Turning his head just barely in time to see Xavelthius' jaws coming at him, he debated his next move.  Maybe that can buy some time.... it's worth a try, but it's risky.... Holding fast, he trusted his armor not to completely fail him as he allowed his left arm to be bitten into.  Luckily his faith wasn't misplaced as it didn't completely fail but it did suffer severe damage.  The armor on his arm cracked and punctured under the immense pressure of the sharp teeth.  Blood began to slowly run from the punctures in the armor, but his arm wasn't completely torn off at least.  The pain increased with each passing second as the pressure became greater and greater and punctured deeper into his arm.  His sword resting in his right hand as he cracked his eyes open through the pain to look into that large disgusting mouth.  I know as well as any other dragon one of the most sensitive places to get you... his thoughts ran through his mind as he gave a snarl in pain, but at the same time a grunt of anger.  Plenty of main blood vessels there too.... let's see how well you can handle having a nerve struck!  Turning his blade upward towards Xavelthius' mouth, he thrust it upward hoping to strike directly into the gum-line above the largest tooth that held his arm.  If successful, he would twist the blade sideways to pinch the punctured nerve and hit the adjacent blood vessels to it before pulling the blade outward to split the gum-line open.  If not, he would attempt to cut through the upper teeth that held his arm to free himself and continue to do so repeatedly.

[Relairah]

Xavelthius gave a dragon like smirk as he managed to practically crush Zenithe's arm. As soon as he had, he attempted to fling Zenithe toward the ground, hoping to create an impact with his body to land another blow. Before he could release Zenithe, however, it seemed his opponent had planned something extra. As soon as his jaws opened to release the arm, he felt the sting of Zenithe's blade piercing his mouth and blood spewing as he cut and wrenched the blade. Xavelthius roared, this time reacting purely out of pain as he whipped his body about, tail, legs, neck, and head all flailing. He writhed, roaring. Who knew if he might slam Zenithe's body in some direction. As soon as he seemed to regain himself, he plunged toward Zenithe, eyes furious. "You... will... die!" he roared, attempting to slam into Zenithe's body. He attempted to use his momentum to push Zenithe into a crater-like impact the way he had was Salathen.

[Xenoxice]

((ooc: For those reading along, yes, this is power-playing but it was decided by Rel and myself that Xavelthius would die as part of the plot going on here!  And Zenithe can only use this spell combination one time before completely exhausting himself for a very extended period of time.))

Zenithe managed to get through Xavelthius' mouth and cause him enough pain that he was flung away. Not quite enough to be flung all the way to the ground since it wasn't a concentrated throw, but it was enough that he was now away from him. Blood ran down his left arm and dripped slowly from his hand to the earth below. Watching as Xavelthius roared in pain. Flapping his wings to keep himself neutral hovering where he was at, below Xavelthius, he looked up at him and his coming approach as he listened to his words and narrowed his eyes while holding his blade to his side. "No.... it is you who will die here and now for all the pain you have caused to myself and others before your sealing..." Bringing both of his arms in, he folded them across his chest and brought his knees up as well, curling himself into a ball almost, still keeping himself hovering where he was. Shadows began to amass around him and form into small, condensed orbs. At first just a few.... then ten... twenty... fifty... hundreds... soon it seemed thousands of these small orbs orbited around him rapidly. Throwing his arms and legs outward, the orbs scattered in every imaginable direction, surrounding a very large area around both of them.  "I want you to feel the ultimate power of the leader of the Twilight Guardians!"  He shouted towards Xavelthius.  "Twilight Shadow Web...." Zenithe muttered quietly under his breath. He reached his bloodied arm out and snapped his fingers. Every orb all at once seemed to shoot streams of smoke to every other orb aside from itself. A large sphere of intertwining shadow strings within it formed in just a few seconds. He turned his gaze up to Xavelthius with a scowl. His crimson eyes though within the web were bright and more red than ever as though they were filled with blood-lust. "Twilight Rift Step..." he muttered once more. This time vanishing within an instant of his words being spoken.

Unlike normal shadows on a surface where a trail could be seen in the air where he traveled, the web concealed such weakness as he used the nearly infinitely connected trails themselves to move.  Appearing directly behind Xavelthius within the blink of an eye of his disappearance, he aimed to strike into his spine.  Instantly as he drove his sword into Xavelthius' back, he used his rift step again to re-appear next to Xavelthius, driving his sword into his side, between the ribs.  Again, Zenithe went for a broad slice across the neck.  Another jab into the jaw.  Some strikes less lethal than others, but each strike occurring within no more than a half-second of the one before.  Again and again Zenithe struck into Xavelthius' body like a pincushion in a blur or movement.  Only reappearing for a moment to strike before hitting somewhere else.  Small puffs of smoke filled the air for every reappearance he made.  Cuts, stab wounds and broad gashes now along nearly every inch of scale to be seen.  Zenithe re-appeared for one final time, this time, next to Jolene's body where one small orb had taken place out of the entirety of the sphere.  Falling to both of his knees and sword dropping to the ground, Zenithe struggled to catch his breath he uttered the final words.  "Twilight's......" He had to breath a few times between to even get the words out.  "End....."  With that, he waveringly raised his right hand this time and gave a single snap of his fingers as he leaned over Jolene's body to protect it.  The orbs all severed their ties before forming into a single large orb that condensed itself to the size of a pea directly above Xavelthius' back before exploding with immeasurable force in what would be described as a miniature big-bang.  A loud pop was followed by a shock-wave that shattered most of the ground in the area into chunks of rock and clay.  Trees were completely obliterated with almost no trace they even existed.  The ground directly underneath the blast formed into a deep, massive crater under the pressure.  Dust slowly settled and Zenithe's vision blurred and strained to focus.  He barely remained conscious after putting such incredible strain on his magic supply and his body by keeping up that severe speed in movement.  Still kneeling on both his knees with sword on the ground flat by his side, he didn't even have the strength to lift and sheathe it.  His eyes lay half closed as he fought to stay awake.  He awaited for the dust to settle more to see the condition of Xavelthius' body.