by Troy Dukart
“We'll finish this together,” Strafe grinned as he hugged him.
We fought them all in unison. I watched in awe of how easily Strafe and Zixin cut through the Slates. Endless waves of them attacked us, but then, a high-pitched scream froze them in place.
They stopped fighting. The sound of steam releasing and gears turning emanated from the machine. The Slates backed-up slowly and collectively from around us. The crack in the dome began to glow and opened gradually. I couldn't see much inside except for two glowing-red dots.
Suddenly, a massive creature jumped out. It was abhorrent.
Brown in color and with the smell of hot tar, this disfigured monster was the size of a house and had one giant arm. Its other limbs were deformed and dragged on the ground. It oozed black liquid on the floor. The only thing recognizable was bits and pieces of Space Force uniform and the Colonel symbol on its left shoulder.
“Colonel... Blaney?” I said in bewilderment.
“Not anymore. Prepare for your salvation!” he intoned. His voice echoed as if magnified by multiple people.
With great speed, he leaped towards us and took a swipe with his arm. We all managed to dodge Blaney except for Zixin, who the creature grabbed and started to crush. Strafe ascended forward and slashed the creature's face numerous times in an effort to rescue his brother but Blaney wouldn't let go. Karma climbed to the rafters again to get in-place to fire at the beast. I transformed my gauntlet into a cutting tool and equipped a sonic blaster on the other. We stood ready to fight.
We jumped toward the arm to slash and blast away at the oozing flesh of the creature. With Strafe keeping Blaney busy, we pried Zixin off and pulled him away. He spit a blot of ooze at Strafe which shot him across the room and trapped him. Blaney then slapped Iovine through an airplane fuselage and I had to jump away to avoid being splattered. Lt Col Fabian rushed forward to save him.
“Strafe!” I shouted.
With the God Blade, he burned the ooze off and teleported back to us.
“What the hell is this thing?”
“The Venerates created this. The machine is how they created the Black Plague virus. It also has the ability to merged Venerate DNA and the Plague, enhancing whoever enters based on their character. What you are seeing is his true self. I'm guessing Colonel Blaney wasn't inside long enough for the transformation to reach maturity,” Strafe concluded.
“How do we kill it?” Karma asked over radio comms.
“There is still some good in him. There always is for every person, no matter how far they fall. We must purify him by destroying the Plagued flesh with the God Blade.”
“So, we blast him to pieces?” I asked.
“Something like that,” Strafe replied as he snapped his fingers.
“AAAARRRRHHHGG!” the enormous creature roared.
I flew up into the air and began to fire my shoulder machine-gun canons and sonic blaster down on Blaney. He curled up into a ball and protected himself with the arm. Strafe reached for his gigantic ephemeral hammer and slammed it down on Blaney's back. He then spun around and smacked him across his face which tossed the creature into one of the airplanes. After rolling off the plane, Blaney shook it off and got to his hands and feet.
“My turn,” he hissed.
With a long black tongue, he snatched a large missile off from one of the airplane wings and whipped it at Strafe. Karma shot a few times at it but didn't make a dent. I flew away to avoid the blast but Strafe slapped it up with a shield he generated. The missile shot through the top of the roof and Strafe threw a spear after it. The explosion from the missile would've destroyed the entire hanger it was so massive. Blaney didn't even care about his own survival anymore.
Zixin and Sergeant Dill emerged from behind a crate and had hefty grenade-launchers in hand. With a satisfying “thooping” sound, they fired incendiary grenades towards Blaney. The canister exploded upon impact and burst into flames, which melted off some of the black ooze. Blaney panicked and violently rolled around, slamming into anything near him to extinguish himself.
“Die motherfucker!” Dill yelled.
The fire panned out and Blaney stared at them with his blood-red eyes. He charged after the duo.
Zixin fired off a few more shots but they were either deflected or missed. Blaney took a swipe at them and knocked Dill all the way through the hanger bay into the desert. Blaney then came down with his fist, attempting to squish him but Strafe stood over his brother and stabbed the God Blade into Blaney's wrist.
“AAAARRHHRRHRR!” Blaney screamed.
The blade glowed bright gold and began purifying Blaney's flesh. The arm turned white and started to shrink. Another giant arm generated and exploded out from Blaney's ribcage. He swiped his new limb down towards Strafe, but he teleported out of the way and drove the God Blade through both of Blaney's wrists.
Zixin jumped up and punched Blaney's face multiple times, which glowed white from every hit. Blaney yanked his hands skyward, shredding them but releasing himself from Strafe's control. He grabbed Zixin with his tongue and opened his mouth wide, ready to eat him.
“Not today you bastard!” I exclaimed.
Jumping as high as I could, I formed my gauntlets into blades and flew down toward Blaney. He didn't see me coming. I stabbed him in both eyes, blinding the creature. He screamed in agony and dropped Zixin.
“Let me finish him,” Strafe said.
Zixin and I backed away and he summoned as many ephemeral weapons as he could. He shot them into Blaney's flesh and his entire body started turning white. He then teleported around the monster's legs, slashing them at every turn. Blaney fell to his elbows. Strafe teleported in front of the monster and began to deliver lightning-quick slashes across his face. He smacked him skyward, came down with his ephemeral weapons on him and jumped away.
“Come here!” he motioned to us, “Grab the handle!”
The orb on the blade erupted with light when we did and the sword shot out a beam of energy.
The blast hit Blaney right in the chest and filled his body until it exploded. The real Blaney violently flew across the hanger and landed unconscious on the floor.
CHAPTER 34
Strafe
They all stood in awe of the God Blade. The orb of the sword pulsed various colors, just like our final battle on Eternia.
“How... did we do that?” Yessa awed.
“One person wielding this weapon is powerful, but with the help of others, the true power is unstoppable,” I explained. “Nice to see you again Karma.”
She jumped down in front of us, “I thought you guys died back in Moscow. The plague wiped out the whole city.”
“So, you heard, about the Salvators?”
“Being all a lie, yes. I spent years of my life devoted to their cause. I'm still in disbelief and heartbreak.”
“The people I worked for are good at manipulation,” Yessa added while folding her arms.
Zixin winced and grabbed his left wrist. His palm was steaming. “Ahhh, it burns!”
I knelt down and put a hand on his shoulder, “Do you still think... you have some of him inside you?”
He shook his head. “Azazel is trying to get in my head, but I won't let him.”
“Why would his arm hurt like this?” Karma asked.
“Because he is Nephilim. He has angel and demon power. If a demon is close, Zixin is susceptible to their influence. Both sides are at an internal war with each other, vying for control,” I said.
To our surprise, the remaining Slates began to shake and squirm. They swarmed towards the dome and clawed and slashed their way through the giant metal exterior. Hundreds of them jumped inside.
“Blaney was a diversion,” Yessa reckoned.
The power flickered on and off in the hanger. Electricity shot forth like lightning bolts. The machine started to smoke and filled the area, leaving us blind. Something banged the interior of the dome so violently the ground s
hook. The vibration reverberated in my chest. Yessa grabbed my arm.
A disoriented, monstrous creature that towered to the ceiling emerged. It made Colonel Blaney look like a rat. The smoke began to clear and it took everyone's breath away. The beast had chipped and flaked grey skin. Its eyes shined completely black and it had the physique of an insanely jacked bodybuilder. Its fists were the size of a small car.
“Ahhhhhhh! Much better!” the creature said with a stretch.
This thing intimidated everyone, including me. Each step forward it took created a mini tremor.
“Well, you aren't dead. Must mean Blaney is. Thank you for taking care of him for me.”
“Azazel, is that you?” I asked with hesitation.
“Ha,” it laughed, “Gotta give credit to the Venerates, they make the damnedest things. I really understand now why Barzakh tried to harness their power.”
Yessa stepped forward, “What the fuck are you?”
Barzakh was the demon that had possessed Zixin for over ten years before we saved him. If Azazel was his brother, he would be the most dangerous monster this world had ever seen.
“The hearts of humans are easily corruptible. Demons are everywhere and can go anywhere. Tiras and I had similar objectives. I required a host body and he needed a way to return to earth but we both wanted to fulfill the prophecy. I spawned a portal out of that piss-hole of a dungeon, built up the Salvators, and developed the Black Plague to revive the God Blade through combat. Now, I am one of them. I have what I need to go to their world and erase those abominations,” Azazel divulged.
“Go... AWAY!” Zixin yelled.
“Muhahaha! Maybe I'll make you my little pet when this is all over. A soul to torture just like my brother did. His blood is still inside you.”
Yessa threw her arms down in frustration, “Why did the military build you this machine?”
He looked to her and smirked, “This isn't human-made you fool. The Venerates created this eon before your ancestors discovered fire. After they all died off, it was lost in the desert. The Israeli's found it buried here three years ago and quickly moved in. They knew it could be weaponized but didn't know how to. That's where the Space Force and I stepped in.”
Why has the God Blade been involved with summoning such terrible destruction?
“So why tell us this if you're going to try to kill us? Seems like a waste of your time,” Karma said as she cocked her rifle.
Azazel clenched his fist, “There would be no try girl. The purpose of this machine is to counter the influence of that weapon. The only reason I tell you is that the rest of this world is not worth you dying for. You have proven that you are not like these sheep. My virus targeted greed and corruption, which humanity is engulfed with. They will eat each other. Enjoy this planet, my gift to you. With this body, I can end them. Once they're dead, order and balance will be restored.”
“The Venerates,” Yessa assumed.
“Yes.”
The three of them turned to me. I shook my head, “The whole point of us fighting on Eternia and Earth, was to save our family and friends, but we failed. Everyone we love is a walking corpse now, poisoned by your plague. You're not getting away with that.”
“So be it. I never liked Barzakh, but he was my brother. Killed by lowly human scum. I gave you a chance to get out of my way. Don't beg me for mercy when I'm ripping the bones out of your bodies!”
He slammed down his foot and shattered the entire concrete floor beneath us. Dust flew in my face and clouded my vision. Before I could react, Azazel hit me right in the chest with his car-sized fist and sent me flying. I had to use the God Blade to slow down by piercing it into the ground. That punch almost collapsed my lungs and ribcage; it hurt to breathe momentarily.
“AAAARRRHHHH!” Azazel roared.
CHAPTER 35
Strafe
The freakish strength Azazel possessed, frightened the hell out of me. No enemy I ever faced hit me that hard, ever. Not even Bethlehem.
That punch rocked my body. My chest felt on fire and my head spun worse than my college drinking days. If not for the God Blade's healing effect, I'm sure I would've died.
After a small recovery and shaking off the pain, I ran forward to join the group, who stood in front of the beast. The smoke cleared and he began his attack. With ease, he ripped one of the airplanes in two and threw them at us. Karma athletically flipped over the wing tossed at her. Yessa easily dodged the plane with her thrusters but Zixin didn't have that capability. I teleported near him to deflect the scrap with a swipe of the God Blade.
“Zixin! You need to get as far away as you can!” I warned.
“No,” he shook his head and grabbed my shoulder, “I'm not running from him anymore. I'm not going to be taken advantage of or lose myself in my thoughts ever again. I want to fight for you, like you fought for me.”
Karma hid behind some sandbags and readied her rifle. Something rolled to her foot; it was a grenade launcher attachment. She connected it to her gun and aimed at Azazel, waiting for the right opportunity.
Yessa's Space Suit had plenty of functionality and weapons she could utilize, but she decided to go old school. An old Air Force A-20 airplane caught her eye, the successor to the old A-10. That plane was always my favorite because of the gun mounted on it. The GAU-8/ A Avenger autocannon was so fricken wicked. It fired 70 rounds of tank piercing bullets a second. What impressed me was it measured almost 20 feet in length and weighed over 600 pounds but she handled the weapon gracefully.
Must be working out?
Ripping it off and attaching the gun to her suit, she revved up the cannon. Azazel jumped in the air to topple her with another small earthquake. She deployed spikes in her boots to stomp into the ground to stabilize herself against the shockwave.
She flicked the hair out of her face and smirked, “Nice try bastard.”
Yessa clicked the firing button and the barrel began to spin. Azazel ran at Yessa attempting to stop her. Karma fired a grenade round and hit him in the chest to unbalance him. He pulled his arms up but couldn't shield himself from the 30-millimeter firestorm. Each bullet pierced right through his tough skin and left gaping holes in his back. The gun turned bright-red and steamed because Yessa wouldn't let go of the trigger. After blasting him to pieces, she set the expelled GAU-8 down.
“Holy shit!” I exclaimed.
“Some God you are!” she taunted.
“Is he, dead?” Zixin asked.
The surrounding Slates swarmed the body parts and hovered around them like bees on a hive. Piece by piece of him was regenerated with their bodies. Azazel grinned and cracked his neck as he got up.
“You must be dumb little shits to think that would kill me hehe,” he snickered.
“Final bosses don't go down that easy,” I gritted.
“He's using the Slate's innate regeneration ability to heal himself,” Karma said.
“And there are endless waves of them,” Zixin added.
Azazel grabbed a box of explosives and threw it towards us. I shot forward my ephemeral weapons and pushed it over our heads before they exploded.
“Enough of this. I'm killing you first, weakling,” Azazel shouted.
The monster spat some black ooze into his palm and tossed it at Yessa. The ooze hit her in the chest and trapped her on the wall. The beast attempted to smash me with a wing from an airplane but I teleported out of the way. He wanted to separate me from my brother. Before Zixin could react, Azazel slammed his foot down on him.
“NOOOO!” I yelled.
To my surprise, Zixin held his ground by pushing back against Azazel. From the grimace on his face, I saw it took every ounce of strength to hold the foot back from squishing him.
“Strafe...help!” he grunted.
Karma fired at Azazel's head but he raised his hand up to block her shots. The Slates moved in on her and she had to retreat into an airplane.
I summoned all of th
e ephemeral weapons I could. With a flick of my wrist, I sent waves of them at the monster. They flowed forward with the intensity of a waterfall. The attack got him off balance. He swiped at me with his hand and I had to stop my advancement to avoid being hit. Zixin surprised me by jumping all the way up to Azazel's face and punched through his right eye. Azazel screamed in pain.
He eventually got a hold of Zixin with both of his hands and yanked him away from his face. He glared at me with a sinister smile, “What'dya think Strafe? Should we reenact history?”
“NO!” I wailed.
Azazel proceeded to rip off Zixin's right arm completely.
“AAAAAHHHHH!” Zixin screamed.
One of my weapons hit Azazel between the eyes and stunned him. He dropped Zixin on the floor. I rushed over to help.
Zixin was bleeding profusely.
“I've got you, brother,” I assuaged.
Cradling him in my arms, I teleported him behind some airplanes to escape Azazel. Zixin began to cry, “Why is this happening to me? Why do I have to suffer like this?”
I brushed his hair to try and calm him down, “I'm afraid you may be paying for the sins of others,” I said trying to comfort him.
“I've gone through enough,” he winced.
“Zixin, we have another brother. Dad told me in a dream before I came here. He said he's on another planet. Promise me you'll find him if I fall,” I cauterized his wound with the God Blade, “It's not your fault.”
“Strafe, why are we here? Why be born to die like this?” he mumbled between the tears.
Azazel was screaming and tearing up the hanger. Slates were flying in every direction as he went on his tantrum.
“You were born to inspire others. You inspired me to be the best person I could only have dreamed to be. To never give up. To always have faith that there is always a way to win. To believe in those you love. That's what you taught me. I never thought for a second you weren't alive,” I said.
His lip quivered. Zixin still carried a lot of emotional pain from what Barzakh had done to him.
