by Troy Dukart
“I can regenerate it,” he said.
I sat him up and looked towards Azazel, “Don't worry, I won't let him hurt you or anyone else ever again.”
I waved the God Blade over him to create an illusion of invisibility. A blanket of energy floated on top of him to hide Zixin in plain sight, “Whatever happens, just know that I love you, and if I fall, take Yessa, Karma, and Mom and escape as fast as you can.”
“I... love you too, brother,” Zixin said for the first time.
Those words warmed my heart in a way unlike ever before.
We hugged each other and I turned to face Azazel. He was still berserk, flipping over airplanes and equipment. He smiled as I reapproached, “I thought you ran away like your coward father, hehe.”
“Lord forgive me for the carnage I'm about to unleash on you,” I countered.
“AAAAAAHHHHH!!!”
He took a swing at me but I teleported away from his punch. I jumped up and slashed his face a few times with the God Blade and fell to the floor. Side-stepping to avoid his second swing, I shot ephemeral weapons into his knees. He screamed in agony and I leaped forward and stabbed him in the chest.
“GUUUGGGHHH!” Azazel gasped.
The God Blade began to fill his body with holy energy, cleansing him of the Black Plague. To my surprise, hands of Slates burst forth from him and dug their claws into me.
I tried to teleport away but to no avail. They pushed me away until he grabbed me with his left hand. His strength was undeniable.
Karma shot through the airplane window and hit Azazel in the check. It blew off his jaw, and he kicked the plane across the hanger in retaliation. It flipped over multiple times, tossing Karma all over inside before she smacked her head hard on the metal ceiling which knocked her out. One of the Slates crawled over his shoulder and fused into his face and created a new jaw.
“Well lookie here,” he said as he snatched the God Blade away from me.
“Shit!” I groaned.
He must've drawn some of my blood and injected himself with it earlier.
“What'dya say Strafey? Eye for an eye?” Azazel said.
“I don't know why you have so much hate in your heart, but this is not the way to your salvation,” I struggled out while being crushed.
“You think you can lecture me! Fool! Hehe, I was betrayed by humans and those they worship. I will also take down the Venerates for their cowardly abandonment by using their own weapon against them. I will get my revenge, one life at a time.”
Azazel held me over his mouth and began opening and closing to intimidate me.
“You'll eventually fall because you stand alone,” I gritted.
“Tell me Strafe, would you die for them? Die for a bitch who fought against you, dumped you and left you for dead? A brother who tried to kill you and contemplates killing himself day and night? A nomad with no future? Or a world that views you as a liability? Someone that they want to disappear. Tell me, would you?”
I wiggled a bit and said between breaths, “Yes. I would die to protect them.”
“HA! As you wish!”
He pulled the sword back and thrust it into my chest between his fingers.
“Huhhh!” I moaned.
“STRAAAAFFFFEEE!!!” I heard a voice scream.
The feeling in my body began to dissipate. I looked down and saw the blade sticking in me. Everything went numb as my vision turned white and I faded out of consciousness.
CHAPTER 36
Strafe
Cascaded sunlight shined on my face through the swaying palm tree I laid under and woke me. The familiar sound of the ocean gently rolling up to the beach, as well as the smell could only be from one place. People ran around with their dogs and cooked barbeques.
I was home.
“Strafe!” someone called out.
Turning to the voice, I tried to locate the person. With so many people around, it was hard to tell. Drones raced above us. Someone bumped into my side, and to my surprise, it was Yessa as a teenager.
“You know, I could kick your ass in a race,” she teased while smacking my butt.
I laughed, “That's one way to say hello.”
“You alright?”
“I'm... not sure. I'm starting to think I can't die,” I answered, putting a hand to my forehead and the other over my chest where Azazel stabbed me.
“You're safe now,” she told me.
“I always loved this place. How'd we get here?”
She motioned for me to sit on the sand with her. I pulled off my shoes and socks to enjoy walking barefoot. The setting sun painted the sky amber red and hot pink.
“Do you remember when we meditated in that cave in Egypt and thought of this same memory?” Yessa asked.
I nodded back, “Yeah, of course.”
“I'm glad we did because that allowed me to invite some special people to come to visit us.”
She pointed toward the beach. When I turned, I couldn't believe my eyes. Walking together were my old friends, Zon, Rousseau, Gain, and Roya. Someone I missed very dearly, my spirit animal, Brutus trotted with them as well. I jumped to my feet, “No way!”
She took me by the hand and we ran forth. They started to run towards us as well. We hugged each other in an embrace. It had been so long since I'd seen these guys.
“How the hell?!” I grabbed my head with both hands.
“How you doing, buddy?” Rousseau asked as he high-fived me.
“Still getting yourself in trouble?” Gain ribbed.
“Strafe!” Brutus cheered.
“Don't tell me your skills have gone soft?” Zon asked.
It seemed like an eternity since we had been together. When you lose someone or you go on a different life path, it can feel like you leave a part of yourself with those people. But you never forget the good times.
Brutus nudged me in the side and I gave him a hug, “I've been waiting to see you, everyday.”
“I miss you every day. We love your pups,” my lip quivered.
Yessa tapped my shoulder, “Aren't you gonna say hi to her too?”
Roya stood there with her trademark smile, “Pleasure to see you Strafe.”
“Same here, my friend. Thank you for saving us,” I told her.
Zixin joined the dream and walked up behind me. He had on a black tank-top. I put my arm around his shoulder, “Hey everyone, this is my brother!”
They all clapped and hollered. Brutus came by and Zixin kissed him on the head. I could tell he felt bad about the day he passed away.
“How is this possible?” I asked.
“You think you can get rid of us that easily mate?” Rousseau kidded.
“While in that cave, I learned how to link Angel Spirits. Anyone who's had Guardian power can connect to the spirit of others who did as well. It's actually the sign of an Angel,” Yessa said.
“Even Tiras and his goons we fought? They carried marks too,” I questioned.
“You said it yourself. Inside everyone is a bit of good, just have to dig deep sometimes,” Brutus reminded me.
Zon crossed his arms, “All angels aren't cut from the same branch either.”
Roya came over and put her hand on my shoulder, “Strafe, you can't give up.”
I shook my head, “I don't know what else to do. Azazel is too powerful.”
“It has never been about the God Blade, or who fought by your side; it's what you possess in your heart. You said you would die for your friends to protect them. That is all you need.”
“My heart?”
“I loved how you always had my back, even when I gave you a reason not to,” Gain said.
“You were okay at Brave Ball mate! Never gave up there!” Rousseau winked.
“You have the heart of a true warrior,” Zon said with a bow.
“Thank you for always believing in me,” Zixin said while putting a hand over his heart.
“Every day was
an adventure with you,” Brutus barked.
“I'm lucky to call you friends,” I said as a tear dropped down my check.
At that moment, my body filled with energy. The love from my friends and family would give me the strength to continue this fight. Exactly what the doctor ordered.
“Remember who you are and why the God Blade chose you,” Zon advised.
“Do it for New Santa Barbara bro!” Gain said with a fist bump.
I closed my eyes and when I opened them, I returned to the real world and saw the light.
CHAPTER 37
Strafe
Light warmed my body. I didn't feel pain anymore. The Whiteclouds surprised Azazel and attacked him from behind. Goliath jumped up and bit his neck while the other two bit him on his heels. They distracted him long enough for the light to shine so brightly that it blinded Azazel and he dropped me from his grasp. He stumbled back and grabbed his wrist; the holiness of the blade burned his hand. The Whiteclouds ran besides me. When I hit the floor, I noticed the God Blade still sticking in my chest. As the light got more radiant, the sword entered into me.
The orb rested over my heart. My skin started to turn golden. All three of the Whiteclouds jumped into the orb. Their energy and ferociously flowed in my veins. They wanted to help me defend our friends.
The Tongwa traveled up my arms towards my back. Their wings cut through and transformed into angel wings. The golden skin turned into a sheet of armor covering me from head to toe. It looked like a cross between a medieval knight, Native American headdress, and wolf skin. The three colors of the Whiteclouds painted over my face; grey, white, and brown. Able to levitate without any effort, I floated off the ground.
Azazel recovered from the blinding light and gasped upon first sight of me. Orbs similar to the one from the God Blade protruded from my palms. I stood calm while he turned anxious.
“Ha! You don’t seem to want to die,” he snickered.
“I'm going to give you one more chance to redeem yourself Azazel. Enough people have passed away from what you've done. There is still time for redemption,” I said.
“There is no going back for the damned.”
“Even for you, there is a way. Let me save you,” I insisted.
“If I wanted to be saved, I would've asked millennia ago. Heheheh, but I like killing, I like destruction, and if I am destined to a life of agony in hell, I'm going to take everyone down with me!” he roared.
“Why are the Venerates so obsessed with annihilation?”
“They hate you because you hate each other. They sacrificed their entire existence with the hopes that humans might be different, but you're just as destructive. I thought Demons and Venerates could get along, but they despise us as well. We were not part of their plan. Most of you rejected the only thing that makes sense; can't blame you, so did I,” Azazel snorted.
“You're wrong. There is so much love here. I'm giving you one more chance,” I said as I reached my hand out to him.
“I've made a promise to my master. I will purge this place of the lost and damned,” Azazel said as he licked his lips.
“So be it. What is done is done.”
He let out a roar so loud that shook the entire building.
The Slates surrounding us backed away. He ran forward and threw a punch. I maneuvered out of the way as he began his barrage. Azazel leaped, kicked and punched at me but I easily dodged the attacks. He ripped two airplane wings off and swung them violently. Something inside told me to give him another chance. I kept dodging him until he tossed the wings at me. I teleported across the hanger as they crashed on the floor.
“Don't want to fight huh? Maybe you need some motivation,” Azazel chuckled.
The Slates brought over Yessa and set her down next to him. He raised his foot, “Time to smash this trash.”
I teleported in front of her and held up my arm. His foot came down but I was too strong, “It's over for you now.”
I punched him away, flew upwards, and landed a powerful uppercut underneath his chin. The punch shot him through the roof and up into the sky. I rushed after him, grabbed him by the throat, and dragged him into the heavens. We flew so fast he couldn't bring his arm up to swat me away. We passed through the layers of the atmosphere all the way up into space.
I released a series of golden dots in a sphere around him while we floated in zero gravity. These dots allowed me to teleport between them at the speed of light. I began going back and forth, attacking Azazel with my wings as I passed by his body. Over and over I slashed him until he was shredded with cuts, which glowed with holy energy.
Azazel wouldn't give up now so the only way to stop him was to get to Tiras. I grabbed him again by the throat and sped back down to earth. We broke multiple sound barriers before the hanger became visible. I wanted to destroy the Venerate machine and crack the husk, and slamming Azazel through provided a perfect way to do so.
I hurled him through the dome, which collapsed and shattered instantly. Azazel bounced off the ground and tumbled into some scrap. His body fractured and began to fall apart. I didn't let up on my barrage. I did a backflip and sliced off one of his arms. I then curled in a ball and cross-slashed over his chest. The plagued flesh cracked open and inside I saw Tiras's face. The giant beast fell on his side and laid motionless.
I approached the body to verify his defeat. I floated over and found him to be unconscious. I turned my back and gently flew toward Yessa and picked her up in my arms.
“Yessa? You awake?” I asked.
Her eyes fluttered open, “Strafe.... you beat him.”
“You helped me give into my faith and my belief in humanity. I couldn't have done it without you.”
She smiled but then she went wide-eyed. I turned around to spot Barzakh's body had turned bright red and he held a nuclear warhead in his hand.
“DIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEE!”
He cocked his hand back, ready to smash it but I teleported in front of him. Calling forth the energy of the God Armor, the orb from the God Blade glowed brightly. Unleashing all the power I had, I shot a beam of holy light at the creature. The beam disintegrated the warhead without detonating it and began to eat away at the plagued body. Azazel held his one hand up to shield Tiras but to no avail. He stepped forward but as he did the beam got stronger. Bit by bit, he evaporated in my blast.
“YOU.. ARE... DOOMED!!!” were his last words.
I unloaded every ounce of energy I had and destroyed his husk, along with Tiras and Azazel. The energy beam shot all the way up to the clouds and into space. The Slates converged on me to form a mountain of bodies. I snapped open my wings and gazed toward heaven. I shot another beam and it cast holy light on the Slates, which turned them bright white. Sparkles floated through the air and began to reverse-infect them. One by one, the Slate-skin melted off their bodies and they returned to normal human beings.
CHAPTER 38
Yessa
Strafe took my breath away. I'd never seen a suit of armor so cool looking since Iron Man. Every Slate insight fell to the floor and began to shed their skin; he saved them from the blight.
I ran over the bodies to meet him. He floated with his back to me. “Strafe?
Turning as if on a string, he said, “I'm sorry it had to end like this.”
“It's not your fault. Never was,” I said with a tear in my eye as I hugged him.
He turned to Zixin and moved over to check on him. The arm that Azazel ripped off was almost completely replaced with another God Arm.
“You did it,” his brother coughed with a smile, “You did it.”
Karma ran up and joined us in a group hug, “Not too often you kill a demi-god. Let's go celebrate!”
“Ha! I'm down,” I chuckled.
He nodded. “Go free your fellow Astronauts Yessa. Zixin, go get mom,” Strafe instructed.
“Got it,” Zixin replied.
We did as he asked. While walking away, Strafe raised
his hands towards the sky and shot out another beam of energy. The holy energy spread like an umbrella across the skies, as far as the eye could see. That would help heal the world from the blight.
After scavenging through some of the remaining scrap and airplane husks, I found one I thought they could be in. Bodies of people formerly Slates piled in front of the door to the cockpit. I brushed them away as they slept and knocked on the door.
“Hello? Anybody in there?” I hollered while banging on the metal hull.
“Urena? Is that you?” a muffled voice responded.
“Yes. Azazel is defeated. You can come out now.”
Guns on their Space Suits ready, they opened the hatch and sighed in relief. They were shocked to find so many people lying on the floor.
“Are they dead?” Lt Col Fabian asked while stepping out.
Iovine bent down and checked their vitals through his suit, “No sir, they're alive and breathing. I can try to wake them up if you want.”
“Not necessary at the moment. We need to ensure the area is safe,” Lt Col Fabian turned to me, “What the hell is that golden angel?”
“That's Strafe, in his God Form I guess. He saved us from Azazel. Evaporated him from existence,” I said.
“You witnessed this?”
“Yes,” I nodded.
“Well, I will make sure he receives the highest honor the world can offer him,” he crossed his arms and looked to the sky, “And I'll retire if they don't do the same for you too.”
A sharp pain of guilt filled my conscious. I disobeyed him and went AWOL. These actions often resulted in heavy penalties. Jail time or worse punishments weren't off the table.
I wanted nothing to do with the military anymore, seeing how terrible those with power could be. Yet, there were some rare people who led with dignity like Lt Col Fabian. Someone you'd go to war for.
“You honor us, sir.” I tilted my head down to avoid his gaze.
“We should've listened to you. We owe you an incredible debt. On behalf of the Space Force, please accept our deepest apology. You deserved better than how we treated you.”