Marley ran into the throne room just in time to see Greyson duck into a corridor in the distance. He started to give chase, but was stopped as he was nearly grazed by laser fire. He looked and saw a handful of soldiers spilling out of the hall on the opposite side of the room. He shielded himself and growled in frustration. "I don't have time for this!" He enlarged his shield and shot it at the soldiers. It struck several of them with force and blasted them back into the hallway.
With a satisfied grunt, he continued his pursuit, diving down the hall where he saw Greyson a moment ago.
He spotted Greyson running at the far end of the hall. He used Azaacar's energy to close the distance. He grabbed Grayson only to have his form dissolve in a puff of purple smoke and distant laughter.
He looked around, confused for a moment. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He heard a distant whining noise, as if something was charging up. He dove to the floor just before the door next to him exploded into the hallway under the force of a massive beam of red energy.
Loud, haunting, maniacal laughter filled the air.
"OH Champion!" Greyson's voice loud and mocking, "Did I get you? Are you still alive out there brother?" He spat the word 'brother' as if it were a curse, then continued laughing like a mad man. Marley stood up slowly, unscathed. He looked through the hole in the wall at the man he once called brother. He was unrecognizable. The man who stood before him looked like the very specter of death. He had a wild look in his eyes as if all traces of sanity were long gone. To top it off, the aura he gave off was dark and oppressive. This was not Greyson. This was something truly evil wearing Greyson's face.
"Who are you?" Marley asked calmly as he stepped through the hole into the room. Greyson chuckled darkly as the two men began to circle each other slowly. They were in Wesson's lab and he kept the prototype of Wesson's weapon trained on Marley as he spoke.
"You're a clever one, champion. The fact that you would even ask that question tells me you know exactly who I am." His voice was low, menacing, and mocking. His eyes held a mix of hatred and amusement as he measured the man before him. "This vessel hates you. Did you know that? He always has. He volunteered to let me in just so he could beat you." more dark laughter, "How about it hero? Did you come with hope that you could rescue your poor brother?" He continued to mock Marley as he powered up the weapon for another shot.
"Actually. No." Marley dashed toward Greyson, a blur of motion and energy. He grabbed the barrel of the weapon with his left hand, made a blade of energy in his right hand, and cut the line that fed the weapon from the backpack. In the same motion, he brought the weapon around and slammed it into Greyson's face, knocking him across the room.
After Greyson's body impacted the bulkhead, the backpack that held the power core for the weapon began emitting a high pitched whine. Fully aware of the danger, Greyson pulled off the back pack and flung it at Marley. The back exploded brilliantly as it reached him. Marley shielded himself from the explosion but was still hurled backward.
Marley was able to quickly gain control of his momentum, and managed to roll back to his feet. He flared his aura and roared at his opponent. "You will not have this planet Alucard!" "FOOL!" he roared back. "I don't want the planet, I want to destroy it and everything Azaacar holds dear! I will have my revenge!"
Alucard flared his own dark aura and began hurling orbs of dark energy at Marley. Marley deftly evaded each one. He glanced over his shoulder and gasped when he saw the energy corroding the wall behind him. He manifested his energy sword and ran towards his opponent. Alucard laughed as he manifested a staff with blades at both ends. "Parlor tricks boy!" He roared as he parried Marley's strike then immediately attacked with the other end.
Marley quickly found himself on the defensive. defending against a staff turned the fight into a lightning fast affair. Every parry, every dodge was so quickly followed up by another attack that Marley could hardly get any offense in at all. Marley was getting tired and frustrated. Sweat was dripping into his eyes. Alucard was laughing hysterically as if deriving some sort of sick pleasure from the whole ordeal.
Finally Marley had an idea. He parried his enemy's staff then shoulder checked him hard, causing him to stumble back. Marley used the second he gained to manifest a second sword. Alucard growled in frustration and came roaring back at him.
The odds became even. Marley found himself able to stand toe-to-toe with his foe, blocking, parring, and attacking at lightning speed. Sparks flew as their energy clashed, a high powered stalemate for the ages. Alucard's rage grew as his thoughts drifted back to his battle with the god of the sky so many eons ago.
"Not again" he thought. He spun and planted his boot in Marley's chest, staggering the young man. He put his hands together and fired a beam meant to tear Azaacar's champion in half.
Marley recovered just in time and met Alucard's beam with one of his own. The clash was mighty. The light it gave off was near blinding. The temperature in the room rose to an oppressive level. Each combatant raged under the effort and strain of the struggle. Neither man gave an inch to the other.
Just when Marley thought his body might give out, he felt bolstered. His body felt stronger and lighter. His energy reserves began to rise. He smirked and poured more energy into his beam. He watched as it slowly began to overtake the opposing energy. He could hear his enemy panicking, "NO, NO, NO!" Alucard wailed, "This is impossible!"
All at once, Marley's beam surged forward slamming his opponent into the far wall. Marley was on him in an instant, energy blade in hand, ready to finish the job.
He paused. Marley looked over the bloody, burned, and broken body that lay beneath him.
Greyson coughed then groaned. He looked up at Marley poised to strike. "Do it." His voice barely above a whisper. "End me. I deserve it."
"Greyson?" Marley asked, his expression softening.
Greyson nodded in the midst of a coughing fit, blood spilling from his mouth. "He abandoned me as soon as he felt the battle was lost."
Marley nodded his understanding. "A powerful coward."
Greyson coughed up more blood as he tried to laugh. "I wanted to be king. I wanted to prove I was better than you. I didn't know he wanted to destroy it all." He pawed weakly at his pendant, the symbol of his rank. "Take it. Take it and end me. They…will…follow…"
Greyson's body went limp. Marley bowed his head and mourned his former brother.