“Michael, I wasn’t thinking clearly. I’m sorry.”
“You worry about me switching sides—and you’re the one helping to take out our comrades.”
Zack said, “Claudius, it’s okay. Don’t let him try to persuade you. Nathan got what he deserved.”
“Do you really think that, Claudius? A human deserves to die like that? Would you kill me like that? Your best friend?” Michael’s armor left his body in a shimmer of light, and he was in his official uniform. He raised his hands out and walked closer to Claudius. “Would you kill me like that?”
Claudius backed away slowly. “Michael, I don’t want to do this either. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Then take off the glove.”
“What?”
“Take off the glove and destroy it. You see what it’s doing to you. It makes you rob a demon’s power from their lifeless bodies—and you killed Nathan. Any weapon that can do that is not a blessing. We need to destroy it.”
The armor slowly melted away from his torso and his upper arm. Claudius was about to remove the glove.
Michael grinned. “That’s it, kiddo. You’re doing it.”
Zack yelled, “Claudius, no! Don’t take it off! He’s trying to persuade you! Nathan is alive!”
“What?” Claudius backed away.
Michael grabbed his gloved hand. “Take it off now!”
Zack flew toward Michael and was about to tackle him until Michael sent a roundhouse kick that connected to the side of his helmet. Zack recovered in time to see that Claudius was about to touch Michael to purify him with the holy light. Instead, Michael sent a back kick to Claudius’s stomach. He fell to his knees, holding his abdomen.
“Ouch, that hurt.” Michael hopped around on one leg. He looked over at Zack and said playfully, “Your head is tough as a rock, mate.”
“How are you able to do that?” Zack asked.
Michael had a perplexed look. “Do what?”
“You’re able to fight us without your armor. Even Gedulah said something was strange about you.”
“Oh, I’m special, you know. There’s a mystery to me that no one knows about.”
Zack shook his head. “You have a secret and I think I know what it is.”
“Oh, really?” Michael jumped over and kicked Zack in the head; knocked him on his back. “You talk to much.”
“You were trying to trick me,” Claudius said.
“You almost fell for it too. How naive of you.” Michael’s armor covered him again and he walked over to Claudius. “Do you really think we would let the original Nathan be here? If y’all take him out, our plans will be ruined. Even though Garrison thinks he’s the most important one, I don’t believe he is.”
Zack chuckled. “Let me guess—you think your weapon is the most important one.”
Michael said impudently, “Of course it is. I’m the top dog around here.” He patted his chest.
Zack snickered and shook his head. “Same old Michael. Thinks the world evolves around him. Always the brownnoser—and Garrison still doesn’t recognize your so-called talents.”
“You think I’m a kiss-ass? You have the nerve to call me that? You were the one who was trying to persuade Garrison to give you the weapon. You were trying to impress him to show him you could handle it with your condition. That’s more of a kiss-ass move if you ask me.”
“Oh, come on, Michael. That’s a low blow—even from you. You knew I had arthritis and the tumor. If anyone deserved it, it was me.”
“We helped you by giving it to you—and what did you do? You ran away. You stole the weapon, and I’m here to take it back. Both of them.”
“You and what army?” Zack said. “You can’t take both of us on.”
Michael laughed. “Don’t get cocky. I am the one who taught you most of what you know. I deserve your respect.”
“If I remember correctly, respect is earned.” Zack created two Naginata samurai weapons with broad, heavy blades and black dragon carvings on the sides. He rushed at Michael.
But then, a giant black earthworm shot up and swallowed Zack. The demon twitched around in delight.
“That’s impossible,” Claudius said.
“Impossible? Now you see why I said I was the most talented one.”
“But I destroyed Talia’s weapon. How do you still have her ability?”
“I think you just answered your own question.” Michael folded his hands.
“No way!” Claudius was in amazement. “Are you telling me you were able to store her ability?”
The ground began to tremble, and the worm that swallowed Zack expanded like a balloon. The creature squealed, twitched, and exploded. Inky blood and demon guts flew everywhere. Zack and his seven clones rained down on Michael.
“Not bad. The most clones I’ve seen Nathan create were five. Your friend here is on another level. Don’t you agree, Claudius?”
Michael created a large sword that was bigger than a Zanpakuto. It was twelve feet long and five feet wide. When the clones got close enough, he slapped them away from him. A few of them were sliced open, and they dwindled away in the dirt instantly. Michael failed to notice Zack coming at him from his blind side.
Zack tackled him, picked him up, and flew off to collide with a mountain a few thousand feet away.
Three of Zack’s clones rushed over to Claudius and one of them uttered, “You might want to activate your weapon back to its full power. We may need your help in dealing with the Zero 2.”
Claudius focused, and the alloy rushed to cover him again. He walked over to the clones, and one of them prepared to fly him to where Zack and Michael were dueling.
Claudius felt an invisible force pulling on his armored side. “What the…” He looked to the right and felt the force coming from where the statue was attacking the tower. He was pulled out of the clone’s grip and shot toward the tower. He rolled around in the air and felt someone grab his throat.
* * *
Wong witnessed that Claudius had detached Crouzer’s arm that was connected to his throat. He then saw that Claudius had teleported away from the scene and he decided to go after him. A silver cape emerged on his back, and he shot up into the air. He scanned the area to see if he could tell were Claudius had teleported to. But then, he heard a loud thud and saw his leader getting stomped by the statue. Wong flew in the statue’s direction to check it out.
A beam of black energy shot out from the giant’s foot, and the statue stepped back. Gears, bolts, nuts, and electrical wiring flew everywhere.
Father Davis shouted, “You son of a—”
Crouzer reached out with his detached hand, and rapidly it grew back in place. He looked down at his fingers and tried to get the feeling back into them. ‘Not bad.’ Crouzer grinned and fidgeted with his goatee while his other hand rested on his lower back.
Father Davis navigated the machine to use its other feet to crush Crouzer again. The priest yelled, “You arrogant piece of sh—”
Crouzer jumped a few feet and jammed his hand into the bottom of its feet. He ripped the foot off at its ankle and threw it at the robot’s head. The strike caused the neck to split. Both the damaged foot and the neck short-circuited. When the statue fell over, Crouzer jumped and landed on the statue’s chest. “Thy Savior does not live up to the hype.”
The statue was attempting to get up. Crouzer aimed his hand at the head and released his purple energy.
The head exploded into a million pieces, and Father Davis screamed. He tumbled and fell over a few feet away.
Crouzer landed near Father Davis, played with his goatee, and said, “What shall I do with you? Should I throw you to the lions or annihilate you with my own hands? I’ll let you decide.”
“Do as you like.” Father Davis had small wounds throughout his body. “I’m ready to meet Christ and for him to reward me for my holy actions.”
“To meet Christ? I thought you said you were the savior. I thought you claimed to be Christ?”
<
br /> “I did say I was the Savior of this World, but I never declared myself the Son of God. I am not worthy of that title.”
“Very well. I will send you to see him. Tell him I said I’m waiting. He should know what I mean by that.” Crouzer raised his right hand and was about to slap his head off.
Out of nowhere, Claudius appeared and grabbed his hand.
“The son of Gevurah? How brave of you to come to me.” Crouzer snatched his hand away, and took a few steps forward.
“I was never afraid of you.”
“Of course not. I don’t bite.” Crouzer saw that Wong was about to shoot Claudius with a bazooka, but Crouzer looked over at him and shook his head. “After all, we are family.”
“What are you talking about?” Claudius asked.
Crouzer walked over to admire the statue he had destroyed. “I guess your father never told you. I am your grandfather.” He looked over his shoulder.
Claudius shook his head. “What? Why am I being told all these things today? I should’ve known about that a long time ago.” He helped Father Davis to his feet and smiled at the priest.
One of Zack’s clones picked up the priest and shot off in the distance.
“So how are we related?”
“Your mother is my adopted daughter. She was special, Claudius. And like her, so are you.” He turned to face him with a smile. “You’ve unlocked the Glove of Xerox’s full power in a short time. Imagine how powerful you’d be if you had all five pieces of the armor.”
“Five pieces? What do you mean?”
“That glove is a part of a very special armor that granted Sir Lancelot the power to destroy all of King Arthur’s enemies. It’s the very armor that the apostle Paul spoke of—the Armor of God.”
“The armor of what?” Claudius shook his head.
“The Armor of God is said to be able to destroy any evil, any demon, and even the devil himself. But that’s just a legend. No one has ever challenged Lucifer—so that’s out of the question. There is no proof that it can destroy him, but I have seen this armor. I know of its power. Even though you are my grandson, I can’t let you have it.”
“I don’t need the whole armor to destroy you. I can defeat you now with the power I have.”
Chapter 31
The Second Coming
Claudius teleported before Crouzer and grabbed his throat. Though Claudius was much shorter than the lord of the nine circles, he easily picked him up. The radiant holy light came forth in the hands of Claudius. He pressed his hand on Crouzer’s chest to cure his body of the evil he possessed.
Crouzer screamed in torment as the light exited through his eyes, nose, and mouth. The holy light surrounded his body, and he shook like he was having a seizure. When he was still, Claudius loosened his grip. Crouzer fell on his back, and Claudius panted in exhaustion.
From a distant, Claudius saw that Wong was charging over to them, but Claudius wasn’t afraid. He assumed the assassin was next to be purified and he was ready for him to get close.
“I did it,” Claudius said. “I’ve destroyed Gabilon.” He began to laugh and rested his hands on his knees. He readied himself, watching the assassin coming to him. He still had enough strength left to fight Wong.
“A few days ago, that light could’ve destroyed me.”
Claudius gasped after he heard the voice.
Crouzer sat up and dusted off his sleeves. “But thanks to your father, I’m immune to the holy relics.” Crouzer walked closer to Claudius and stood before him.
Wong halted and smiled under his mask. “Should I take care of him, my lord?”
“Not yet. Let me have a word with him first.”
“What do you mean?” Claudius asked.
“That’s a good question. I don’t know myself. Your father tried to destroy me with a relic of his own, and something marvelous happened. Something uncanny changed my physical form. Before this, I had to transform to use my full power, but after my rebirth, I can tap into my powers without much effort. It seems that when I exploded, a part of me hung on to this existence. Some part of me wanted to be here to witness the destruction of heaven. In Sheol, I’m invincible, but your father almost destroyed me. That’s my only explanation for why I’m still here. Being in Sheol and your father’s doing have given me abilities that have been sleeping.”
Claudius hung his head in sorrow. He wished he was smart enough not to have gone to the tower. He wished he had stayed with the Order and done what his adopted father had appointed him to do. Claudius didn’t know if he should give up or cry for help. But a feeling in his gut told him to fight till his last breath. He knew it was too late to turn back. Everyone was depending on him—Dawn, Ella, Zack, his father, and his uncle. He didn’t want to let them down.
“Wong, chop his arm off and give me the glove,” Crouzer said.
“With pleasure.” Wong focused and created two replicas. The clones created a pair of sai blades and charged at Claudius.
Claudius was ready for whatever they were going to project at him. He had a clear mind and waited for them to get close. One of the clones dove in, but he maneuvered out of the way and slammed him on his back.
While his back was turned, the other clone stabbed him with the sai blade. Claudius swung his armored arm and caught the clone in the jaw, out pulled the blade, and cast it on the ground. The clone flew a few feet away, and Claudius threw a ball of green flame that burned the clone instantly.
The clone on the ground tripped Claudius, sat on top of him, and raised the blade.
Claudius caught it and punched him to the side.
The original Wong was charging toward Claudius with a katana blade. Claudius teleported behind him, created five talons on his right hand, and jammed them into Wong.
Claudius heard Wong groaned and kicked him away. Another clone came behind him and grabbed him around his torso.
Claudius struggled to get free.
Wong borrowed some of Zero 2’s strength and squeezed the lad.
Claudius cried out from the pain and tried to shake the clone off.
The real Wong recovered, jumped in, and swung his kitana at the lad’s chest.
Sensing danger, Claudius called forth the power of Bolverk and burst into a furnace of magma and lava. His entire body was guarded by the demon’s power, and Wong and his clone flew away from him. The clones disappeared from the intense flame.
Claudius navigated inside the chest of the giant centaur. He walked over to Wong, and the ground trembled under his feet. With the burning sword made of brimstone, the centaur swung down on Wong. The assassin managed to block the blade with his sword, but the power blew him away. Wong flew a hundred feet away and remained still.
‘Remarkable.’ Crouzer smiled. ‘The boy has managed to summon the demon’s full power. He has completely learned how to use the Glove of Xerox.’
Claudius attention shifted to Crouzer. With each step, his hoofs scorched the dirt.
“Not bad, boy,” Crouzer said. “A person of your capacity would be a great threat if you had the other four parts of the armor. The universe would be in balance.”
When Claudius got close enough, he stopped before Crouzer. The specter vanished and Claudius dropped down to the ground, and dust fluttered as he stood up. “What do you mean?”
“Your composite DNA of demon and angel make you a perfect host for the armor. Like the antibiosis, you will have the influence of another being. An even darker supremacy from the armor or a guiding light will aid you in the darkness.”
“Influence?” Claudius scoffed.
“Yes, just like when rage took over and you punched Nathan’s head into pieces. Don’t you see? The glove’s influence over you is increasing. The more powerful you become, the less control you have.”
Claudius look was sorrowful. He remembered the anger he felt towards Nathan's annoyance, and wished he'd handled it better. He wished he had more control.
“I, on the other hand, can handle it. So far, I’
ve collected one of the five pieces of the Armor of God. With the armor, I can change the shape of this universe.”
“So that’s it?” Claudius looked Crouzer in the eye and said, “You were not worried about the power I could possess. You want that power for yourself.”
Crouzer smiled, rested his hands behind his back, and took a few steps toward the son of the Demon Slayer. “You know, with this armor, I could challenge the two most powerful beings in the universe. I’m tired of being Lucifer’s errand boy. I want to be the king of the underworld. I want Lucifer and his father to bow before me—and I can do it with the armor.”
Claudius backed away in fear when Crouzer approached him.
“I’m going to ask this one last time—give me the glove.”
Claudius pushed the glove behind him and said, “No.”
“You fool.” Crouzer reached out his hand, caught the lad in a telekinetic energy.
Claudius was unable to move his body.
The hand with the glove reached out toward Crouzer. Crouzer walked closer to take off the glove.
With the glove’s power, Claudius focused and called upon the power of the demon Minosa. Though he could not move, Claudius still managed to have a clear mind. The ghostly burning demon appeared with a hundred tentacles. Pulsing veins ran over its egg-shaped skull, and a thick layer of alligator skin covered its body. The creature shrieked, and Claudius was a bit horrified. Though he had the power within the glove, he had never created its full body. He just called upon the tentacles to pull things in or other demons toward him.
A tentacle from Minosa rushed toward Crouzer, wrapped around his waist, and tried to pull him away from Claudius. He was rooted to the ground and would not budge. The demon wrapped numerous tentacles around Crouzer’s body and pulled on him again.
When Crouzer feet began to slide, he snapped his fingers and made the demon explode. The demon’s squeal echoed. Sulfur and black smoke filled the area. Crouzer’s attention shifted back to Claudius, and his power was still preventing him from moving. Claudius struggled to pull his hand away or move his body, but it wouldn’t comply.
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