by Ryan Attard
"Whoa, man," one of them exclaimed seriously to the other. "I really gotta lay off the acid."
I walked to the front door and extracted my gun. Already, people had gathered at the sound of broken glass, and panic began spreading when they saw me with gun and sword. I fired off a couple of rounds into the air, scaring off everyone in the vicinity.
Luke descended in a jet of fire. "You really can't get it through your thick skull, huh? I kicked your ass last time. I can do so again." He threw a blast of fire, and I rolled aside.
I swung my sword at him, sending a streak of azure energy towards him. Luke was sent crashing into the stairs by the front door of their apartment building.
"I'm a slow learner," I replied.
Even lying on the ground he managed to throw another fireball, but it was a weak one, weak enough for me to slice through with my sword and close the distance between us. I stomped on his shins to stop him from crawling away. He turned and thrust with both hands. I expected another blast of fire. Instead, he pointed two fingers at my shoulders and something thin and hot pierced through. He swung his fingers down and the concentrated flames cut through me like a blowtorch. It hurt like hell but this kid hadn't yet figured out that I could heal from almost anything. My flesh began mending itself the moment the flames moved away.
I wrapped my arm around his hands, trapping them under my elbow, and drove Djinn into his shoulder.
"Go fuck yourself," I snarled.
"I'd rather fry you."
A blast of fire shot straight into my back and I loosened my grip. He pulled his arms out and brought them together in front of my chest. Heat and fire began building up into a single point between his palms, and he drove all that energy into me. The blast was enough to send me flying backwards, slamming into a wall nearly ten feet away. Even Luke was thrown backwards, but he absorbed the blast better.
He got up and blanketed the entire area in flames. I took shelter behind a few trash cans, but I was in too much pain to fight until I healed a little. Given the intense light of the fire spell, he probably didn't see me take cover. Before I could decide how to counterattack, his phone went off and a Taylor Swift song started playing from inside Luke's jacket. As if I didn't have enough reason to hate this guy already.
"Hello," he said casually. "Yeah. Yeah, I made Donny switch over to the servers in New York and Jersey. Some asshole keeps coming after us. Yeah, the same guy from the convoy. How the hell am I supposed to know how they found us? You were in charge of security, for fuck's sake. I got stuck babysitting some idiots. Where are we meeting next? Okay, got it. Lemme finish up here, and I'll get back to you."
He spun and met my fist with his teeth.
"Thanks for the info, asshole," I said.
Luke wiped blood from his swollen lips and fire danced around his entire arms. "Ready for round two?"
"Bring it on, bitch," I replied.
But round two was interrupted when a blast of magic, stronger than anything we were slinging around, erupted from the park.
Luke and I were both top-notch magic users. We were used to serious firepower, stuff that would have the average wizard running for the hills. But despite our powers, Luke and I were both human, and so was our magic.
What we felt coming from that park was definitely not human. This was something so powerful, so vast that it had to have been from somewhere else. It felt as if the sky was falling on top of us and there was nothing we can do about it. As if the planet itself could not contain the vast powers of whatever phenomenon was displaying such awesome magic.
"I'm outta here," Luke said, as he turned and began running away.
"Like hell," I said and fired my gun at him. I missed him as he lifted himself into the air with a jet of fire. I shot him again, this time getting his hand. His cell phone exploded.
He turned in the air, jets of flame shooting from his feet. "You fucker, that was my good phone."
I dodged a fireball.
"Didn't like the ringtone," I said, shooting at him again.
The vast power flared up again, and Luke struggled to stay airborne.
"This ain't over, dipshit," he yelled and took off with a burst of fire.
Magic flared again, and my power reacted to it. Tendrils of darkness began slowly building up from my body, like ink blotting my outline. In my enhanced state, I began searching for the source of the foreign power. It was still in the park and definitely not human, although it felt somewhat familiar. Not the corruption of demons and the Sins, but rather the searing light of angels.
I groaned. This is exactly why you don't bring psychotic angels with severe anger issues out on missions, Erik, I thought, as I bolted towards the park.
Chapter 11
"Hey, hey!" I yelled.
Raphael completely ignored me. He was close enough for me to see him grab a middle-aged man by the collar and rip him in half. The entire park soon erupted in screams as blood showered everyone in the vicinity. The crowd came rushing out from the easiest entrance, which happened to be where I was standing. People were now caught in between a mad man who had literally just ripped a guy in half and me, the weird dude covered in black shadows and carrying a short sword drenched in blood.
I pushed past them and reached Raphael. "What the hell are you doing?"
He turned and his wings flared, a pair of supernovas that bathed everywhere in light. "Sinners. All are sinners."
I concentrated on my own power, and darkness rose from my body like overflowing water. For a second, light and darkness battled each other and the pressure of power drowned out the screams of people. Screw subtlety; this fluffy-winged fucker was on a murder spree.
"Back down, Raph," I warned, lifting my sword.
Instantly, I was blasted away into a lamppost. I felt it bend over my back and snap.
"Do not mock my name!” Power emanated from him and I began feeling nauseous. At the same time, Raphael's form shimmered.
"That man was a pedophile, a perverted molester, hunting for his next victim. I have enacted holy justice upon him." His eyes glowed deep red. "As I shall do to everyone here. You shall all be judged, and only the righteous will prevail."
His form disappeared, and he teleported next to a woman. "You are an adulteress."
She screamed and burst into ashes.
Next was a man who still clutched his phone pathetically.
"Liar!"
And he dissolved as well.
Raphael appeared next to an entire family. He raked the air, and the father was ripped to shreds. "You have made your daughter abort her child." He looked at the mother. "You stood by, calling down the name of Our Father."
"I'm innocent," she screamed, before she was set ablaze and reduced to ashes.
"Liar!" Raphael screamed. Then he teleported to the other side of the park and grabbed a child by the neck. The little girl struggled, but every movement just made the scorch marks around her neck burn deeper.
"You were conceived out of wedlock. Bastard!"
A whip of darkness shot from my outstretched hand and sliced into his arm, cutting off the entire limb. Raphael took a step backwards, clearly not expecting someone to be as powerful as he was. Keeping my momentum, I used the dark power to boost my leg muscles and closed the distance between us. I lunged for the girl, pushing us both away from the crazy angel.
"Run," I told the girl as I set her down. "All of you," I screamed at the rest of the park's population. "Run!"
People snapped out of their daze and made a run for it.
"Sinners! You will perish," Raphael roared.
"Shut the fuck up." A blast of blue energy shot from Djinn and into his face.
The angel, with all that immense power, turned his attention to me. "You dare go against Heaven's principles?"
"What principles? All I see is a homicidal monster."
"I am an angel!"
"Stand down before I put you down."
I may have said that with enough confidence, but it w
as just a bluff. True, I had no idea just how deep my own power ran, but I doubted I could have survived an encounter with an angel, especially a Virtue. This guy was possibly one of the strongest beings in the universe.
And he decided to call my bluff.
His giant wings flared. Trees, benches, even trash cans, were all evaporated and all that was left was a giant black scorch mark where he stood.
"You are the biggest sinner of all. And I shall cleanse you."
"Cleanse this." I threw one streak of energy and immediately followed it with another, but both fizzled out before they could reach him. No matter, they were just distractions. I bolted towards him. The one thing big guys don't expect is for the little guy to just charge towards them.
Djinn was over twice its regular size now, with a fat blue blade that made it look like it belonged in an action cartoon.
Before I could try and take his head off, Raphael disappeared... along with the ground beneath him.
I was swallowed by the gaping black hole. Black tendrils shot from every part of my body and grabbed the surface of the ground, pulling me back up like a bungee jumper. Raphael appeared directly above me, emanating fire and light. Still in mid-air I channeled the obsidian power into Djinn and stabbed at the angel. A giant spear of midnight black shot from the sword's tip and impaled one of his wings. I felt his power distort and the black hole was replaced by the original ground. Raphael roared and was suddenly in front of me, still in mid-air and descending. I channeled the black power into my fist. The angel was too close for either of my weapons to work.
Before I could hit him, a bolt of lightning pierced through me. I gasped for breath.
Raphael gathered fire and lightning in his hand until there was a ball of plasma energy crackling in his palm. He thrust it against my chest. I was sent crashing down into the ground. I skidded across the ground and dug a giant hole in the middle of the destroyed park.
Every part of my body was in pain and it was a miracle I was still breathing. Three cheers for awesome healing powers. But there was no way could I fight in this condition, and even at full strength, this guy was too much for me.
And he knew it, too.
The angel gracefully descended a few feet away from me. He folded his incandescent wings and raised his dominant hand. Fire and lightning gathered once more and formed a cruciform sword. He came on top of me and raised his weapon.
"By order of Heaven's justice, I purify you," he said ominously.
His blade fell, going straight for my head...
And clashed against a sturdy, dark metallic sword coming out of a guy's arm. The newcomer winked at me.
"That's one you owe me, Teach," Jack said with a big grin.
Jack heaved and pushed Raphael's flaming sword away.
"Abi, now!"
An eighteen-wheeler appeared out of nowhere and smashed into the angel, carrying him away. Abi jumped out of the driver's seat and rolled away to safety, just as the truck crashed into a wall and Raphael got squashed.
She smirked. "Not bad for a surprise attack, huh?"
"Yeah." I stood up and found my sword again. "Gotta give you points for the timing on that one."
Light came from where the truck had squashed the angel, and I felt Raphael's magic flare up again. The truck was sent hurtling towards us. Black tendrils emanated from my body and circled the airborne vehicle, holding it in the air like a javelin.
"Abi, pull some illusions and stay back. Jack, suit up and go for ambush tactics. Hit and run, don't trade blows with him. Our plan is to stall him until we get backup."
"Backup?" Abi asked.
"Gil will probably send reinforcements," I replied, hoping that was the case. Magical spikes like this were like giant neon signs. Even if she tried to, there was no way my sister would miss it. And besides, I wouldn't be surprised if this epic fight was already on the internet by now.
Social media is a bitch.
Jack and Abi nodded and fell into position.
I sent the truck back at him, but Raphael just blew it into dust. Jack appeared out of nowhere, right under the angel's wings, in his full transformation. He was covered head to toe in dark metal armor and had a long, thick blade coming out from his right forearm. He slashed at the angel, drawing a gash of golden ichor, and disappeared again.
I saw two perfect copies of myself materialize and run towards the angel, one to the left and the other to the right. Meanwhile, I felt a blanket of magic cover me. Abi was glamouring me, shielding me from sight. Jack appeared behind the angel again, this time quite a distance away. His arm turned into a spike which shot out like a spear. At the same time I covered the distance in a single leap and magically engorged Djinn into the size of a broadsword.
The pincer attack was perfectly coordinated, but before our attacks could find their marks, the angel let out an omnidirectional blast of light. I was thrown backwards, Jack's metal construct became dust, and the two illusions disappeared.
"You," Raphael said, walking towards Abi. "You dare use your cheap tricks on me, you filthy harlot?"
In a flash of light, he was on her. Abi's own channel, a golden staff, smashed into him and sent him reeling.
"More unholy sorcery?" he roared. The angel's hand was on his forehead where Abi had struck him. Sun Wo Kung sure packed one hell of a punch.
Abi twirled the staff around her, its size adjusting with every spin. For a second, I actually thought she was going to play defensive and stick to the plan.
Wrong.
She disobeyed my direct order of 'do not engage' and lunged at Raphael. His flaming sword parried and blasted her away. Fire surged around her.
"You shall pay for your sins."
I thrust my hand out and a giant black arm slapped him aside. I drove my magic arm sideways to the right, where a crescent-shaped energy beam shot from my own sword and met him head on. The blast ripped off one of his wings, and he screamed.
At the same time, Jack transformed. He took a wide fighting stance, planting his feet solidly into the ground. Metal struts grew from his ankles and bore into the ground. His entire arm, and part of his neck and shoulder, were plated in sheets of steel. All of the metal covering his body converged into a single construct: an oversized anti-aircraft cannon. He caught me staring at him and grinned widely. Then he took aim and fired at the angel.
The blast shook the ground, but Jack remained steady. The shell was so large I actually saw it traveling the distance: a giant black cylinder spinning in the air.
It blasted into Raphael. His entire right side exploded into a gory mess, showering everywhere with blood and ichor. That gave Abi time to recover and retreat back towards us.
I was beginning to think that we could win against him. Yeah, I was at a disadvantage by myself, but with these two, we actually had a shot—pun intended. It would be a great moral boost if we could actually kick an angel's ass.
"Had enough?" I yelled, feeling extremely cocky.
Why shouldn't I? Both these guys were my students. A few months ago, Abi could barely survive a fight with a couple of dumb vampires and after three minutes of using his powers Jack would be close to a coma.
Now, look at them.
The air popped and a pair of flaming wings, larger than the ones I'd seen on him before, flared into the air, draining out all the moisture. It was a strange feeling. The angel wasn't just a single guy with wings of incandescent, painfully bright light anymore. It was as if he was inside the atmosphere itself.
Jack fell first, unconscious, and his skin began blistering. Abi dropped her staff and gasped for air. She fell face forward on her knees and dropped down in a heap. I felt close to collapsing as well, but something kept pushing me. This black energy was actually an extension of my healing power, which in itself was supposed to be Life magic. I wasn't as easy to get rid of, but goddammit did it hurt. More than that, I was afraid.
I didn't want to fight this guy. No, I couldn't fight this guy. It wasn't fight or flight anymore�
�it was the run-the-fuck-away trigger. My first instinct was to save myself, to abandon my team.
No fucking way, I thought. If we were to burn, then we would burn together and take this motherfucker with us.
I gripped my sword tighter and prepared to go down fighting, even if it meant certain death.
Chapter 12
I had been burnt before. I expected searing pain as flesh melted and bones charred. I expected to cringe and bend as I lost my ability to hold myself upright. I expected fire inside my lungs as toxic gasses at high temperatures boiled me from the inside.
What I didn't expect was an orchestra.
The two demons appeared from opposite sides. Mephisto descended from the heavens like a phantom. His butler suit flapped in the wind as he hovered above us, like an ominous crow. His hands made slow motions in the air and the sounds of violins, flutes, basses, pianos, and cellos—pretty much an entire orchestra of instruments—came from thin air as he waved his hands like a conductor.
The ground rumbled and cracked. Amaymon, in human form, rose from the earth like a zombie with swag. He actually shot out doing some sort of break dance, pop-and-lock routine. He looked up towards his brother in the skies.
"That's some cool Two Steps from Hell jams, bro," he called out. "But I think you gotta pimp it up a little. Check this shit out."
He stomped his feet in rhythm and the resounding boom, boom, crash, boom, boom, crash of 'We Will Rock You' echoed throughout the entire park.
"Your taste in music is as appalling as usual," Mephisto replied with a sigh. "But at least as far as choices go, this certainly isn't your worst one." He lowered his gaze, looking down to where the fight with the angel was going on, and cocked an eyebrow. "What a drag. I was hoping to avoid ruining this suit."
Amaymon stepped in front of me, winking, and looked up to Mephisto once more. "That fucktard's all mine," he said. "Just one favor."
"Yes?"
He turned to face Raphael and cracked his knuckles. "Dubstep that shit."