Hollow Victory

Impure White
"Who...are you?" Amon asked, glaring at this skeleton in white armor. The skeleton was much larger and taller than both John and Amon. It was empty from the inside, simply bones, but wore a white menacing armor on top of it, with the collar being jagged spikes around his head, and spikes forming on its head in a crown-like fashion. His eyes glew bright red, like two floating orbs, while his ribs were fully exposed, holding a white blade in his right hand, with jagged spikes on the sides of the blade.

The skeleton came down from his black horse. The horse's eyes also glew red, and it wore a white helmet shaped like its hate, appearing to literally stick to it. "The White Knight...." The skeleton's tone was gruff and chilling. His mouth didn't even move when he spoke. It simply echoed. "Imposter...Impure White...." The skeleton continued to mutter, walking towards John and Amon.

"What the Hell are you saying?!" John yelled at the skeleton, but it remained silent and continued walking "Who are you?! Speak now!" John ordered the skeleton, as it decided to halt, pointing its sword at John.

"I am Thanatos...the True White Knight, and you...you are an imposter who must be killed" Thanatos spoke, his reply and tone together causing John to feel a chill.

"What? What do you mean imposter?!" Thanatos ignored John, simply charging at him, swinging his blade towards him. A single swing from his blade, and from quite a distance, was enough for Thanatos to lay the first attack. The sheer air pressure of his swing cut through John's armor, something that Amon couldn't achieve without using all his strength.

"How....?!" John was absolutely shocked. Before he could even react, blood was gushing from his chest. He quickly clutched his chest, falling on his knees as his white armor became tainted red "Ugh...!" John coughed blood onto the ground, as Amon, appeared genuinely concerned for him.

"Can you stand?!" Amon asked John, kneeling to his level and grabbing his shoulder.

"I...ugh...! I might be...dying..!" Someone such as John, who was always reliant on his armor protecting him from harm, had no way of dealing with actual injury. Merely having his hand cut off by Amon left him off duty for weeks, if it weren't for Eva's assistane in creating him a new one.

"....Damn! I can't teleport because of your armor! It's effects are sti-...!" Before Amon could finish, Thanatos was already before him, swinging at close range, aiming at John's neck. Amon quickly got up, summoning a broadsword, grabbing it with both his hands, and blocked Thanatos' blade.

Atleast that was the plan. Thanatos' blade cut clean, right through the broadsword Amon summoned, cutting him as well, from his right shoulder down to his abdomen, causing him to fall on his knee. "Do not..." Thanatos' tone was noticeably irritated at Amon "...intervene in this affair" Thanatos delivered a powerful kick to Amon's stomach, sending him straight into the building behind John.

"This shall be my purging. Reclaiming the title as my own." Thanatos said to himself, grabbing John by his collar and lifting him upwards "You shall be purged. I shall be free. You will die"

"Who are you to say such things?!" John snapped, punching Thanatos in the head, only for it to have little to no affect on him, not even acknowledging it even happened.

"I am Thanatos. I am the White Knight, the True White Knight. You, imposter, shall die" Thanatos said, preparing to pierce right through John's heart.

"No!" Amon appeared behind Thanatos, his arms around Thanatos' waist, as he grabbed tightly "You will not murder him!" Amon lifted Thanatos, causing him to release John, as he performed a supplex on Thanatos. Thanatos' head hit the ground, breaking the ground and creating a small crater as a result.

"Not done yet!" Amon teleported himself and Thanatos into the air, high enough that people would look like ants "I promised not to kill anyone. And I won't let you kill those I've spared!" Amon summoned chains from his sleeves, teleporting behind Thanatos and successfully getting both around his neck "However...you're not human. You're an Automaton, correct?" Amon grinned under his bandages "That means I shouldn't feel bad for killing you!" Amon pulled the chains as they descended closer towards the earth, preparing to smash Thanatos into the ground.

10 seconds before they reached the ground, Amon threw Thanatos towards the ground, letting go off of the chains, allowing Thanatos crash into the ground, creating a large crater, as he teleported himself towards the ground, landing on his feet, and the impact of his landing breaking the ground.

"Ugh...!" Amon could feel his legs going numb. Atleast this time, he thankfully knew how to properly land, unlike last time. Plus, it wasn't as much height as before. Still, his legs were hurting, even though Lamia said she fixed his legs, he somehow had doubts it was done through normal means. "John!" Amon teleported next to John, who was lying against the wall.

John was gasping for air, blood dripping from his mouth "Y-...You...saved me...Even though...".

"I already told you. I'm not here to kill anyone, and I have a reason to let you live, you have a daughter to return to" Amon said to John, carrying John with his arm around Amon's shoulder "I'll help you out. I'll send you to the top for you to get medical help".

"....I..." John was absolutely stunned. This man, Amon, infamous for the assassination and killing of hundreds, was helping him, a man trying to hunt him down and even kill him, and kidnapped his daughter to boot. What can he say to him? Thank you? How can he bring himself to thanking a criminal? Even if he has assisted him, can he really do that?.

"Uh...Amon..." John was hesitant, but he swallowed his pride, just this once "Thank y-...." Suddenly, John was cut off, as his eyes widened in shock. He and Amon looked down, seeing Thanatos' blade going through John's chest "...No...Aly-..." John fell on the ground, with the blade still inside his chest, Thanatos threw it, as he rose from the crater, completely unscatched, minus the crack across his face.

"Jo-..." Amon was speechless, it happened so quickly, he didn't even notice it "John!" Amon quickly grabbed the sword by its hilt, trying to pull it out, yet when he did, John began screaming in pain ''"What do I do...? What do I...? Lamia! She can help him! But...can I get him to her on time?! Not just that! His armor negates my magic! I....can I...do anything...?" ''Amon felt hopeless, he didn't know what to do, as Thanatos was already next to him, kicking him in the stomach away, sending him away.

''"I can't let hi-...!" ''Amon stopped as a surge of pain crossed his body, stopping him from trying to get up. The kick and the gaping slash on his chest were to severe, not to mention the wounds he recieved from John, the hole in his left shoulder and the injuries from when they fought in close quarters.

Thanatos, without a care in the world, pulled his sword outside from John's body, ignoring his screams of pain, as his blade became blood red. "And now...I...am the White Knight once more".

John coughed blood, trying to move. But he couldn't, his vision became blurry, he could hear nothing. John was dying. And he had many regrets, many things left undone, but most importantly, leaving behind his only daughter.

''"Aly-....-ssa...my dear...little girl...Forgive this...foolish old man called your father...I couldn't keep...any of my...promi-..." ''John's breathing stopped, his eyes closed, and his heart stopped beating. He died. The man known as the White Knight, dead on the ground.

Don't...
"Target Analyzed" A robotic, monotone voice was suddenly heard, as Asterion tackled Thanatos, sending him flying into several walls, as Alyssa followed him. "Thanatos, Project Gamma. Recreated using the remains of the previous White Knight, Arthur Deschain" Asterion said, after finishing his analysis.

"What are you talking about Aste-...?" Alyssa stopped upon seeing her father lying on the floor "...Dad...?" She began walking towards him, and the closer she got, the more blood came out, the more tears came out of her eyes "Da-...".

"....No..." Amon tried to stand up again, but failed, seeing Alyssa fall on her knees next to her father's dead body.

"Da-...." Alyssa inhaled a deep breath, before screaming "DAD!!!" Alyssa began crying, she couldn't stop the tears, as Asterion walked next to her.

"Analyzing. Scanning. Heart Rate: 0. Bodily Functions: Inact-..."

"STOP IT! I know! He's dead! Just stop!" Alyssa snapped at Asterion, even silencing the machine itself "I just...dad...why...you said...you promised me...you'd come home...I waited...for...for...years...Why...?".

"Offspring" Thanatos chilling voice echoed through everyone's ears, as he walked towards Alyssa "I cannot allow more remnants remain" And with that, Thanatos decided to kill Alyssa.

"You...you killed him...?" Alyssa turned to Thanatos, her face completely shifting from sadness to pure hatred and rage "You killed my dad?!".

"Yes" An icily blunt reply. Thanatos had no qualms for showing any sympathy to this girl "And now, I shall do the same to you".

"No..." Amon forced himself up, ignoring the pain, as blood was gushing from his wounds, both from his shoulder and chest "I won't let you...do more harm" In an instant, Amon vanished, reappearing infront of Thanatos, pulling Thanatos down by his spikey collar with his left hand, getting cuts on his hand and fingers, but pulled him to his level regardless, and punched Thanatos' face with his right arm, the Lacrima's durability simply increased the blow from the impact, cracking his skull even more.

"You..." Alyssa recognized Amon. Asterion helped, and here he was, fighting the monster who killed her father. But why? Was he grateful? No, he was unconscious. So, what reason did he have, to feel such rage?.

"Incomprehensible" Thanatos said, kneeing Amon in the gut "A pitiful creature such as you cannot stop me, the White Knight. I will stop you. For good" However, Amon grabbed Thanatos' leg, still gripping his collar, and with his strength, ripped off Thanatos' leg, teleporting above Thanatos, and hitting him in the head, using Thanatos' armored leg.

"Asterion! Help hi-...!"

"No. He does not require assistance" Asterion cut off Alyssa, as he continued to watch Amon.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Amon landed on Thanatos' chest, making him fall on his back on the ground. Thanatos swung his sword at Amon. However, Amon quickly grabbed Thanatos' hand, stopping his swing, as his grip tightened "You just woke him up..." Amon muttered, being absolutely livid "You woke up a slumbering Demon" And with that, Amon crushed Thanatos' hand, and grabbed his blade by its hilt "And he won't even use this blade" Amon threw the blade away, instead, grabbing Thanatos' shoulder, and standing up, ripping off both his arms.

"Amon! Stop! You're really going to wake hi-...!"

"Let him wake..." Amon cut off Beast's warning, with a malicious end to his tone "I need some help here. To break down a wall" Amon said, grabbing Thanatos' skull.

"What are you going to do?!" Alyssa shouted at Amon, her eyes still full of tears.

"...." Amon looked at Alyssa, a daughter who just lost her dear father, and didn't even get to say farewell "...I'm sorry...I tried to save him. But I failed" Amon apologized to Alyssa, he had nothing else to say to her "And you...Asterion...I might not know John well...but I believe he'd want you to look over her". Amon said, vanishing, appearing high in the air, right next to the Council building, holding Thanatos' last remainning leg.

"I was going to use a stealthy approach but..." Amon spun around, throwing Thanatos at the building, breaking it using Thanatos' body "...I'm too livid right now" Amon vanished appearing inside the council building, as many Rune Knights witnessed his appearance, pointing their weapons at him.

"Hey, guys, how's your health plan?" Amon casually said to the Rune Knights, rather out of character for him, yet under his bandages, he simply grinned maliciously, while the Rune Knights didn't reply, they simple began charging at him all at once "Apparantly it's great!" Amon exclaimed, as he summoned two blades in both his hands, swinging at the Rune Knights, despite his body hurting almost all over.

"Oh no...Amon...you have to calm yourself! You're letting him out! You're allowing Moloch to-...!"

"I said let him!" Amon snapped at Beast for the first time, while fighting off against the several Rune Knights, cutting them one by one, but not doing any lethal damage "I'm too fuckin' impatient for this shit!" With that last statement, a surge of magic energy exited Amon's body, as Rune Knights who have yet to attack him stopped dead in their tracks.

"Aaah...Aaah..." The Rune Knight shivered as Amon walked towards them, his eyes gleaming with malice.

"Well..." Amon cracked his neck, pointing his sword at the Rune Knights "Come at me, boy" Suddenly, several swords appeared around the Rune Knights, stabbing into the ground around them, as Amon grin became more obvious under his bandages, causing the Rune Knights to throw their weapons and flee away.

"...." Amon dropped the swords in his hands, looking at his palm. It was shaking, and bleeding "Hmm...".

"You...thi-...-k...y-...-ave...won...?" Thanatos tried asking Amon, but his vocals being too damaged, causing it to break into static and cut words, being unable to complete them.

"No. You won" Amon said, putting his foot on Thanatos' skull "Because I failed. But...even so..." Amon crushed Thanatos' skull with his foot, leaving nothing behind "Thank you...for letting me wake up Moloch" Amon walked away, deeper into the Council building, focusing on the matter at hand "Wait for me, Lily! I'm coming! I won't leave! I won't let you cry! I won't break my promise!" Amon thought to himself. After seeing Alyssa's sadness over her father's death, he doesn't wish to see that happen to Lily in any way.