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Chrono hated to do it, but he had to do something more permenant to stop Joshua. He dodged yet another attack before turning on his heel and leaping at the boy. With one sword ready, he was prepared to cut the boy's hands off. It might have been the only way for now to stop him.

The energies surging from Blaise and the other mages was evident to Jacob now, if all those troops were killed, this would not bode well for Jacob, he had very specific plans to execute. He knew he had to kill Chrono soon before he reaction to his presence became worse, but he had other priorities at hand. He had to kill Blaise now, before she could finish the job. With her out of the way, he'd be free to kill them all, Chrono and anyone else who tried to stop him from finding that Messiah...

Joshua vanished instantly from Chrono's line of vision. Chrono skidded to a hault after loosing track of him and quickly glanced around. His heart caught in his throat as he saw a dash of movement. Joshua had been slowed down considerably, but he was still none the less extremely fast...

And he was going for Blaise.

Jacob let out an enraged snarl as Kaden got in his way. he was sick and tired of these people getting in the way!

In a single, swift movement, he grabbed one of Kaden's wrsit and pulled him forward. With his other hand, her rammed right through Kaden's abdomen, his fist bursting right through his back. Covered in Kaden's blood, Jacob tossed him aside to let him die... that is if he wasn't already head.

"NO!"Chrono shouted, flinging one of his swords at Jacob. The boy turned his head, freezing the sword in mid air and only inches from his own face.

"These arm MINE Chrono! You can't have them BACK!" He yelled, as a pair of bloody protrusions burst from the side of his head. Jacob let out an anguished cry of pain, and touched his head with his hands. Showing his real power often had that kind of toll on him. It hurt... if only for a short while.

Jacob now stood before Chrono with horns coming from the side of his head. Only He Chrono, and Rosette knew the truth. he was sporting Chrono's own stolen horns. And now they were giving him all the power he needed, and he was pissed.

Rosette was actually pushed back several feet by the water. Her sword left a yard long gash in the earth, and water was beginning to leak around her.

"Blaise, help me!" she yelled, shutting her eyes. she didn't even know Kaden was dead yet. She was too busy trying to keep herself form being washed away by the flow.

Chrono picked up a heavier sword from one of his fallen comrades and launched himself into the frey between Jacob and Blaise. In unison, her struck out at Jacob with one, and blocked Blaise with the other. Jacob froze one of Chrono's blades, surprised to see that he'd also been defended by his attacker.

Just before Jacob threw them both back, Chrono looked blaise in the eye. Hers were wild and insane with hatred, but his... they didn't even LOOK like his own eyes. The color was too different. No longer did they sport the same unique cat-like color as Blaise had come to know... Now they were red. They were a deep, blood red, and though they were not a furiously focused as Blaise's were, the red hot aura that just seemed to flow from them was absolutely terrifying. This was not like the Chrono they'd known before, somehting in had changed... something had snapped.

With a wide backhand, Jacob threw the both of them back to the ground. Chrono left his frozen sword behind and caught himself as he hit the ground. Both feet and a hand were firmly planted as he skidded across the the ground.

"Leave him!" Chrono snarled, his back to Blaise, "This is MY fight!"

"Blaise, please hurry! Do it!" Rosette begged her loudly, "I have to stop them before they kill each other!"

Chrono sung his sword at Jacob wildly. It was too quick for Jacob to focus on clearly enough to freeze. The best he could do for now was get out of the way.

Rosette looked back at the two of them fight. She wanted to scream. They were going to tear each other to pieces! She had to stop them!

"I'm no savior! I can't even help the two of the right now!"She thought abismally,"Blaise! DO IT!"

(Who is Asmodius trying to attack?)

((It's all good. Don't worry about it, we understand!))

Blaise had gone into a mind lock. She couldn’t believe it. She had lost him – she couldn’t believe he was truly dead. Kaden died in her arms. She couldn’t save him. She would never forgive herself for that.

Blaise hadn’t heard Rosette’s first command but as the girl shouted at her once more she flinched and shook her head, ridding her eyes of tears. Now was the time. The time for her to finish the plan; the most difficult task. One she thought she would be doing with another’s assistance. But that changed, it all did, and now Blaise had to face it alone.

“Go!” she shouted to Rosette, “Help Chrono and for your own sake stay out of my way!”

Blaise took a deep breath, feeling her energy pull itself to her fingers and out to the water. The enemy was now on the opposite shore, she had them. She lifted all the lake water as a single mass – it moved slowly, slowly. Now only a slight trickle flowed down the river that carried water away from the lake. Blaise cringed as pain and exhaustion moved down her arms, but she would not be claimed. The water was far enough from the lake bed now to snake out and claim their enemy.

Maneuvering the large mass of water she brought it to pick up a vast majority of the Dragon Slayers. They would all soon find themselves swimming when just before they had stood on snow, on solid ground. As Dragon Slayers pushed eagerly against the borders to get out, the mass of water moved upwards again so no one on the ground could pull out anyone contained. No one else could be brought in, and no one could push their way out. Their fate rested in that watery grave.

Blaise had her eyes closed, giving it everything she had. Her entire form was quivering, she dropped to one knee but pushed herself right back up. The young Lieutenant’s heart ached with sorrow and hatred, the only thing keeping her strength there and letting her hold out. She didn’t know how much longer it would take. It had now been minutes, but she held the mass of water high above the ground longer; she wanted to be sure.

"Chrono!"

She had to stop him, Chrono was loosing it, he wasn't controlling his anger. He needed Rosette for this, because his anger was too strong an emotion for him to easily overcome. Joshua had alredy killed many people in a short time, and that was enough to send him over the edge.

Joshua looked at Rosette just a second before she plowed into him and sent them both skidding across the ground.

"Joshua!" Rosette said, grabbing his shoulders and pinning him to the ground. She was surprisingly stronger than he was, and kept him pinned.

Joshua was screaming at the top of his lungs and trying to throw him off, but Rosette wouldn't allow it. She slowly leaned down, and pressed her forehead against his. When they were younger, it was something their mother did to calm them when they were ill. When she died, Rosette did it to calm him when he was sick in bed.

Joshua stopped thrashing almost instantly, and locked eyes with his sister. He didn't think to try and freeze her, he didn't think to try and use his power to knock her off, all he could think to do now was cry. For a moment, Rosette had her brother back.

"R...Rosette..."

"Please stop..." She told him, shutting her eyes, "I don't want you two to kill each other."

Chrono was still standing where he'd been before Rosette had tackled Joshua. He blinked a few times after seeing Rosette, his eye color slowly fading back to yellow.

"R...Rosette....?"

Rosette had them both back. She had what she'd been searching for him her grasp. Her tears were falling off her face at odd angles bacuse her body was shaking just that much. She had what she wanted... if only she'd been able to say the right thing.

With one sentence, she broke it all.

"...Y-You... You have to give them back... give Chrono back his horns Joshua..."

Joshua eyes, snapped on her again, he'd previously closed them to try and fight back the surge of tears rising from them. Now they were bone dry, and looked as deranged as ever.

"Theses are... are MINE now..." He growled, his voice low and evil,"I won't let you have them...."

Chrono snapped to attention as he heard Joshua utter something else, an old word her could have only know from having the horns. Rosette didn't even know what he'd said.

"ROSETTE! GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

Now it was his turn to tackle Rosette out of the way. He grabbed her back and threw her off of Joshua moments before a burst of energy exploded from his form. It flooded across the ground like dark water, corrupting and killing all the plants that it'd touched. It soon spread to the edge of the trees, the Forester's hide-away.

Both Chrono and Rosette looke don in horror as he slowly killed the forest. Immense trees were crumbling like burnt paper, birds were falling to the ground mid-flight, and not even the smallest blade of gras was spared.

Chrono stood up, his last sword in hand, he had to end this before Joshua came at them both again. He doubted he'd be able to stop him again.

Chrono was just about to run at Joshua and strike while he was distracted, but something caught his arm and pulled his sword away: It was Rosette.

"No!" She begged him, tears flowing freely from her eyes,"Don't kill him!"

"He's going to kill everyone, Rosette!" he replied, pained to even have to consider this,"I don't want to, but we have to for everyone else!"

Chrono yanked his hand away from Rosette and bent down to pick up his sword.

"I know you will hate me, so be it... I will suffer all the consequences of this.

"DON'T!"

Rosette threw herself at Chrono again and held on with both hands, refusing to let go,"I can't let you do it"!

"...Sis... Don't worry, I'll protect you from him..."

Chrono turned just in time to see Joshua standing before him with a stolen blade lifted high above his head. Rosette was still holding onto his other hand, and he couldn't block it. He held up his hand instinctively to stop it, only to have those fingers sliced off as Joshua brought the blade down.

Joshua's sword cut cleanly through Chrono's left palm, a small portion of the right side of his head, and his right arm at the shoulder.

Rosette fell back, still clutching Chrono's severed arm in her hands. She made a strange, almost choking noise, before a loud scream tore from her throat.

"...A-A....AAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!"

To the amazement of all but perhaps the attacker, Joshua stepped in the way of Asmodius and stopped him from getting to Blaise.

"I'm not done with this one yet... I want to force the light from her defeated eyes myself..."

Without another word, Joshua impaled Asmodius upon the point of the same sword he'd used to slay poor Chrono. He yanked it out forcefully, and pushed him away. Slowly, he turned to face Blaise. He was epitome of horror. A once seemingly inoocent face dark with evil intent and drench in the blood of her comrades and love ones. He reached down and grabbed Blaise by the collar of her shirt and lifted her off the ground.

"Where is the Messiah?" He asked coldly,"I want to kill this one myself."