[@VitaVitaAR][@Masterkeun][@supertinyking][@MacDuffy]

[center][h2]Magnus the Red - Area 2[/h2][/center]


Magnus was a horrific sight to behold. A towering devilish chimera of wings and horns and man. He had the bulging muscles of a beast, the clawed hands and feet of a dragon, and a fanged scowl. One blazing left eye glared down at Luigi as magic began to gather around him, stirred solely by the daemon prince's mere emotion. A spark flickered between his arm and his staff. Being this close to him caused a feeling of dread in any mortal creature, as if his very presence alone held some kind of infective, corrupting power. Staying too close for too long just might result in something terrible happening, something like losing one's mind. 

Magnus glared down at the human with the chainsword in the mechanicus robes and at the white-haired girl that had jumped in front of him. She was telling Luigi to run, but the fool had refused, not that running would have saved him anyway. The girl looked small and pathetic. Yet Magnus was more offended by her ignorance, for no mere physical weapons could possibly threaten the daemon prince, a fact that should have been obvious. If she had any semblance of wisdom, she would have run herself. Initially, he gave her no thought, until he suddenly realized there was something different about her soul... she only had half of one. 

Showing none of his undeniable intrigue in this, Magnus focused on more immediate matters. More enemies were gathering. A third human-type creature had appeared, jumping down from a rooftop, speaking his annoyance at the girl for having left him. Hmpf. Merely another hero, another casualty wasting themselves because of what they didn't understand. Then a fourth and final hero made his appearance, this one brandishing an energy that was the very antithesis of Magnus' current being. The light was irritating, burning, an echo of the holy power of order to which he had once belonged. That instantly identified Ryu as the biggest threat. 

Luigi's speaking the name of Emperor caused Magnus' lip to curl, and he finally addressed the assembled heroes. "Mortal fools. Your ignorance and judgementality come as no surprise to me. You act on assumption when you do not truly know anything." The red sorcerer demon laughed softly. "You foolishly bring about your own undoing. Wallowing here in your stupidity offends me, yet I am a benevolent god, and thus I will warn you of your fate." He glared accusingly at Luigi as a sphere of chaos energy formed around him and began to lift him off the ground slowly. "Your true enemy lies unrecognized before you. The minions of The Corpse Emperor have come to claim this innocent and pristine world, to compel each and every one of you into submission, and to purge every being that dare defy or dare call upon magic in any form. They will fall upon this planet with fire and with their unstoppable armor-clad warriors. All of us, will die." 

Magnus let his foreboding words linger, but he of course foresaw another outcome. If he had been at full power and had all his armies with him, he would have taken this planet himself and killed everyone that opposed him, but that wasn't going to be possible. In fact, Magnus wasn't certain of what his limits were now. He was fairly certain he wouldn't be able to repel an invasion of space marines alone, so his only option at this point was to prevent it. 

"This one belongs to them. I am taking him for questioning, and your ignorant efforts will not stop me. "Magnus brought Luigi's floating, chainsawing form closer to himself to stare him down. "You, mortal. You know more than you should, and now that you've recognized me, I cannot allow you to live." 

He turned back to the others, "I am the Red King! Join me, and I will help you to defend this world and your freedom. Refuse me, and I will be forced to destroy you." Lightning crackled up his glaive as he specifically locked onto Ryu, daring him to try something.