The fight was nigh. There was time to turn back. Usane could turn and move. He could move faster than either of them could possibly imagine. But he wouldn't. If he let this creature, Lucifer's spawn, get loose and free on the mortal plane, untold terror and havoc would erupt. That simply could not be. No Upper God would allow of such a thing, and no divine conscience dare give permission - none aside from the twisted mind of Satan.
It was odd. Not too long ago, yet hundreds of millennia before, he would not forbid of an invasion on the mortal realm. In fact, he might have taken place. There was something now right about the mortals as they were, they had no fear for the Keybearers. So, he would descend upon them and bring ruin to their lives. Now, though, he felt responsible for them. Like they were a seed of his form. That if they were to fall, then it was his fault for not saving them.
So it was that fear vanished from his chest. So it was that he watched as Joshua began to ramble. As Lucifer lent his voice to Josh's, any remaining doubt in his boundless mind vanished. The Devil had claimed this one, and Joshua now possessed a threat to the innocent. He stood, an aura of calm enveloping his body. He grew tired of the Lower Lord's voice. As the soundwaves met his sphere of light, he canceled them. The rambling continued, and only as he sensed the vibrations cease to hit his shield did he wave his hand. Sound returned to him.
The ground coiled and slunk deep down. A pit now lay between the two and it smelled like Hell. Only more reason for Usane to take a stand. He judged its depth. Not deep enough to even begin to hurt either of them... it would give the height advantage to whoever could force the other in. More so, it would let him funnel...
He continued to watch Joshua. He flung his hat, a fedora, to the side, causing Usane to smile sadly. Typical. Usane's eyes traced the tension in Joshua's palms. It suggested that he was about to-- Yep. There it was. Flames sprung to form in his right hand, taking shape of a blade. A shield of supercool ice appeared into his left. It was more difficult to judge on his sword, but it was definite. There were marks and runes lined along both. Dork? If that's what he wanted on his weapons of choice, who was Usane to judge. Oh. Right.
'Gotta go with the classics Tom, a little class can go a long way. Now, feel free to make the first move.'
It was am invitation, and like with Fate before, Usane was inclined to accept. And if he was going to act, then he had to act big. Reveal your cards early, so they fear from the start. If they fear, then they rush; and rush causes mistakes. Of course, there would have to be many mistakes in this battle. It was going to be long. it always was. Because it was becoming clear that Lucifer had done more than a deal with Josh. It was clear that the Great Contract had accepted Joshua and transformed him into a deity. A deity of natural forces, or elements. Which made things interesting. So, if this was a God of The Lower Kingdom, then this was truly the start of the war. So Usane had to come out swinging, and bring swift end to this little uprising. Remind Satan why he was fearful of Christ.
Usane sighed, and dropped his hands to his side. His body went lax. The orbs of sunlight that had gathered on his palms dissipated. He clicked his right, then looked to the sky.
"Why did you do this Josh? I thought you would have more sense than to sign a deal with the Devil. Us of the Key were supposed to have more sense than that," Usane called, his voice resonating with unbridled power. He raised his hand, lowered his head, and pointed. "Now, I have to end you." A huge bolt of intense heat dropped from the sun. It burned with the same ferocity of the stellar object, the extreme heat and force of nuclear fusion. Even gods had come to accept science into their being. Usane threw his hands to the heavens, and more sunlight fell to his hands. The orbs returned, and he spun thrice. As he spun, his hands wavered. On the second spin, light burst forward, searing the trees to dust, burning the grass alight, and slashing at Joshua. The land turned to pandemonium, oblivion. As his third spin ended, he stepped forward and jumped in the new gods direction. His feet touched down, and he punched out. A small ball of fusing hydrogen and helium burst out, heading straight towards Joshua.
Usane was content with the way he started the fight.
The Lord's last words rumbled into his head, muffled and quieted: 'Gotta go with the classics Tom...' Tom. He still called him Tom. So, knowledge still had to impact his mind. It would surely be growing. Soon, he would come to the conclusion that Usane was different now. Well, to a degree. There was one similarity. Usane would still wipe the floor with Joshua.