Despair to the World

General Summary

Descending into the Chasm, the group began their search for the hostages. The sky above them began to thunder and abyssal lightning began to strike the Chasm. However, their pursuit was cut short by Vendetta and a small force of cultists. They engaged in battle and both Michio and Benkei were killed in the skirmish. As Vendetta was felled, she mocked the group, telling them that she had accomplished her duty. After taking a short rest to revive Benkei and lick their wounds, they set out once again to stop Laxius. Throwing caution to the wind, Conradus and Benkei raced through the Chasm falling victim to several traps and false passages Laxius had set for them, causing further delay and injury to them while Genji opted to lag behind and take time to avoid the traps.   Conradus and Benkei reached the altar to find Tamamo no Mae suspended above the abyssal rift and subjected to the abyssal energies pouring out of it. Laxius welcomed the two and bid them watch as he subjugate a deity. In a desperate act to stop him from mistakenly releasing Izanami , Benkei initiated combat. Laxius retaliated by teleporting Conradus out of the Chasm into a random area in the Sabaku, leaving Benkei injured and alone. Genji, hearing the combat turned tail and ran back the way they'd come. Although the odds were against him, Benkei managed to successfully retreat and catch up to Genji, and the two were able to dive into the demiplane they'd prepared beforehand, leaving Conradus for dead and returning to Tengoku.   Upon returning to the capital, Genji raced to the barracks to report the situation to Masahige while Benkei remained behind to monitor the demiplane. Though no creatures came through the doorway, thick black and indigo smoke crept through the seams and began manifesting portions of a cityscape before collapsing and repeating the cycle. From the other side of the doorway, Benkei heard the sounds of an infant crying, a woman wailing, and the lamenting cries of hundreds upon hundreds of individual voices. And as the doorway vanished, he heard the haunting phrase: "Despair to the one who abandoned me. Despair to those who forget their loved ones. Despair to the world!" A heralding cry fitting as the three demon lords who had been locked away in Yomi step foot into the Material Plane once again.