For several moments she managed to hold it off, but then yet another giant engulfed her with his ice breath. She valiantly kept the gargantuan foot above her head, but as her body rapidly froze, her resistance faded. No one else could help her because they were all busy fighting for their lives. When she became more ice than flesh, the Nephilim’s came all the way down, smashing her into countless pieces. Freya stared in horror of the gods who, once upon a time, had been her friends. They may have chosen separate paths, but she would never have wished this upon them.
The remaining gods, beaten and exhausted, turned to face their impending demise. “It’s been an honor fighting alongside you guys,” Freya said.
“The honor is all mine,” Atlas said.
“And mine as well,” Aphrodite added.
Brandon was silent. He felt no satisfaction, no pride, in dying here today. Instead, he felt something he hadn’t felt in a long time: rage.
Freya looked at him. “Brandon…?”
He was positively seething. “This isn’t….”
“Yes?”
“This isn’t right!” he yelled. “We can’t let it end this way!” He let out a roar that could have reached the heavens, and his body was suddenly aflame. For the time being, at least, he had cast off the mantle of “Brandon Strong” he had adopted after the Lost Gods split into two factions. Now he was again the monster he had once been. The Nephilim hesitated before moving in to finish them.
Aphrodite gasped. “This is…”
Atlas finished the sentence for her. “Him.” Freya said nothing, but Brandon knew what she wanted to add. The man we all feared. The man we hoped would never reappear. Well, too bad, but that man was back to save them all. He had kept his fury, his hate, bottled up inside for millennia.
With only the slightest effort, he leapt forward and implanted his fiery fist deep into a Nephilim’s chest. It was one of the giants that wielded fire, but no matter. None save a god could withstand his flames.
He went to the next Nephilim and ripped his head clean off. An eruption of crimson essence burst forth. The other gods present stood agape at the gruesome display.
The third giant he roasted in a tornado of flames, in essence avenging Shinigami. She let out a wordless gasp as she fell to the ground. The intense heat and smoke had taken her words.
The remaining four Nephilim looked terrified. They obviously wanted to run for it as Quandisa had done, but the power Belial had over them was such that they couldn’t disobey him. So they flung themselves at Brandon in a hopeless bid for victory. He almost felt sorry for them, but pity had no place in his heart on this day. The only thing that would save the people he cared about was the hate he had for his enemies.
When it was over, he rejoined the others. Out of all of them, Freya looked the most concerned. “Brandon, are you all right?”
“I told you—that’s not my name. Not today.”
Nevertheless, she replied, “To me, it always will be.”
“Never thought I’d see the Destroyer again,” Atlas said.
“It’s only for today,” Brandon said. “After I finish off Belial, everything will go back to normal.”
They all looked towards the TV station. “He’s still up there. I can feel it,” Aphrodite said. They could all feel it. Belial wasn’t making any attempt to hide. Arrogant.
“You three stay here. I’m going to go end this.”
And with that, the man normally known as Brandon Strong launched himself into the air. To the top of the TV station.
To Belial.
* * *
Ev, Jaysin, CiCi and Daryn ran up the flight of stairs, through the door, and onto the roof of the Otto Ernst Memorial Building. A violent gust of wind greeted them along with the afternoon sun.
Ev stared straight ahead. “Maya!”
Sure enough, she was standing there, behind Belial who seemed oblivious. He was just staring out into the city. “Your friends have arrived,” he said without turning to look at them.
“Why?” Maya said. Her eyes pleaded with them. “Why did you come back here?”
“We’re your friends,” Ev said. He thought those three words were the only explanation needed.
She waved her fist through the air in a show of defiance. “No, you’re not! Don’t you understand? I don’t have any friends except for Master Belial.”
Even though Belial’s back was turned to them, Ev could feel the arrogance hanging in the air like carbon monoxide. “That’s right, kids. I’m all she needs. Although, technically, we’re not friends. That would imply equality. She’s my loyal servant until the end of time.”
“You’re a sick yur is what you are!” Ev yelled.
“That’s right,” Jaysin added.
“Aren’t I your friend, Maya?” CiCi asked her.
Maya stared at them for a moment, looking conflicted, like she was being torn up inside (which was probably the case). Finally, “No. I’m not allowed to have any friends.” Daryn said nothing. He clearly didn’t care either way.
“Can’t you see how wrong this is?” Ev said. “Just because Belial saved you doesn’t mean he gets to control your entire life.”
But Belial said, “That’s exactly what it means. I saved her. That means I own her. She belongs to me until the end of time.”
Ev was seething at this point. “Why, you…!”
Belial suddenly turned around to face them. He strode past Maya putting himself between her and her friends. “You’re really starting to annoy me, kid. It’s time to put up or shut up. You say you’re her friends and you’re going to save her? Fine. I’m right here. Kick my ass and take her.” He then added, “If you can.”
Ev balled his hands into fists and fought to control the shaking. He was both pissed and terrified. All along, he knew he would have to defeat Belial to save Maya, but now that push had officially come to shove, he didn’t know how he was going to do it. After all, Belial was a full-fledged god, and he was just a student.
Ev shook his head. Now was not the time for such thoughts. The only thing to do was attack before the full reality of the situation hit him. Because once that happened, he would most likely drop to the ground in a fetal position.
With that in mind, he took a step forward—
“Belial!” A flaming figure came soaring above the building from below. To their amazement, it was Brandon. Only, this clearly wasn’t the Brandon Strong they knew. He was on fire, and looked positively demonic, like something out of the Bibliographa.
“Well, well. The Destroyer returns,” Belial said.
“Shit,” Daryn said. It was the first word he had uttered since coming out to the roof.
Ev was blown away. “P-Professor Strong?”
Hovering over them all, Brandon’s attention had been on Belial, but when Ev spoke, he noticed the students for the first time. “Ev? What are you doing here?”
“We came to save Maya,” CiCi said.
Brandon’s fury remained, but he managed to keep it in check. “I’ll deal with your four later. For now, get out of here!”
“But—”
“Do it!”
“What’s your hurry?” Belial said. “I was waiting to start phase two of my plan, but if you made it here…” He turned his attention back to the city. “Yes. While I was dealing with these brats, you killed several more Nephilim.”
Brandon looked at him with undisguised hatred. “So what?”
“So…” Belial held out his hand. The blood-red key from Victory Square appeared in mid-air and he took hold of it. “You’ve spilled enough blood for me.”
“Do you actually feel bad for the Nephilim?” Brandon asked him.
Belial looked disappointed. “It seems it’s been so long you’ve forgotten. But I never forgot. The Blood Key works in stages. The first stage releases the Nephilim from Gehenna. The second stage requires the blood of said Nephilim.” He raised the key above his head. A dozen streams of red liquid suddenly came up from the ground below and jo
ined with it. “Now witness stage two!”
The building started shaking. Ev was afraid the whole thing would topple to the ground. In the distance to the west, over the ocean, another portal opened up, only this one was so much larger than the ones that had released the Nephilim.
Out of the portal something came down. Whatever it was, it was massive, cylindrical and light brown in color. It damn sure was no Nephilim, or anything Ev had ever seen. “What the hell is that?”
Brandon gaped at it. “The Tower of Babel!”
“I think we’re gonna need a few more details,” Jaysin said.
However, the details would have to wait. The tower kept coming down until it reached the sea. It hit the water with such force that they could feel it all the way back at the TV station. The building rocked violently, sending the students off their feet. Ev looked around desperately for something, anything to hold onto. There was nothing.
Ev lurched forward, off the edge of the building. His eyes went wide as he realized just how far up they were and how far down the drop would be. It was much higher than the drop out of Divine Protector Academy.
He seemed to fall in slow motion. He tried wrapping the wind around himself, but with everything that had happened within the last hour, he was too exhausted. The recklessness of his actions dawned on him at that moment. He couldn’t even fly. In his weakened state there was no way he could have defeated Belial and saved Maya.
So he fell. He was too tired to even keep his eyes open, and at moment he slipped into unconsciousness.
* * *
Brandon watched in horror as the Tower of Babel came down. Even worse, its impact shook the building. Ev, Jaysin, CiCi and Daryn fell off the building.
He had no choice but to forget about Belial for the moment. Swooping down, he summoned a large gust of wind and wrapped it around his imperiled students. While most of them were still conscious and visibly scared, Ev’s eyes were closed and he seemed to be out.
A far-off roar caught Brandon’s attention. Where the Tower had fallen into the ocean, a tsunami was heading towards Stiftung. It impacted the shore and engulfed a good mile of the city before receding.
Just what this city needs, he thought.
* * *
He opened his eyes. To his surprise, his teachers at the Academy were staring down at him with worry. “Ev! Thank goodness you’re alive!” Professor Freya was in tears.
“Didn’t know you had it in you, kid,” Atlas said. There was approval in his eyes.
“Quit encouraging them,” Brandon said.
Ev looked around. They were all gathered in front of the Otto Ernst Memorial Building. “What happened?”
“When the Tower of Babel came down, the resulting impact knocked you off the building,” Brandon said.
“No, I mean, what happened after I fell. I don’t remember anything.”
“Oh,” he said. “You blacked out and I brought you all down safely.”
“What?” Sure enough, Jaysin, CiCi and Daryn were standing around, looking concerned.
“You weren’t the only one who fell off the building,” Daryn said.
“We all did,” Jaysin added.
CiCi nodded. “It was super scary! We didn’t have the strength left to fly. Thank Bethos Professor Brandon was there to save us.”
Brandon said, “Now why don’t you tell us how you got here from the Academy and how you ended up on top of that building.”
They explained everything. The drop from the hangar, learning to fly, getting chased by Nephilim, using the vault door as a shield, dealing with the crazies in the TV station, and, finally, confronting Belial and Maya on the roof.
“Bethos be damned!” Atlas said. “You kids are nuts. In a good way, I mean.”
But Brandon said, “Knock it off, Atlas. This is serious. You kids should have stayed at the Academy. You put yourselves in a lot of danger, and for what? A single girl who betrayed you.” He went storming off down the street.
Freya gave them some encouraging words. “Don’t hold it against Brandon. He really does care about you. And I, for one, really appreciate you trying to save Maya. It shows you are her friends.”
Ev hung his head low. “Yeah, but we failed. She’s still Belial’s prisoner.”
“Don’t give up hope. I believe she can still be saved. We just have to keep trying.”
“But we don’t even know where they went,” Daryn said.
Aphrodite said, “They flew off to the Tower. We tracked their energy signatures until they got inside.”
Ev remembered the Tower. “What the hell is that thing?”
Arms folded, Atlas said, “A relic of the past, just like the Nephilim.”
“But where did it come from? The same place as the giants?” CiCi asked.
“Yes,” Freya said. In the previous universe there were a host of religious Artifacts we gods used for various purposes. However, after the last great war, we sealed them away inside the mystical realm of Gehenna, intending to never use them again. Only the blood of potential gods could open the way to Gehenna. As you know, Belial collected that blood.”
“Seems like a lot of trouble to seal away a giant tower,” Jaysin said.
“It was important no one ever try to use them again,” Aphrodite said.
Freya concurred. “Each one is extremely dangerous. And the Tower is where they are stored.”
Daryn pointed west. “The Tower? You mean, the place where the egomaniacal god is? And he now has access to all of them? Well, that’s just great.”
“Take it easy, kid,” Atlas said. “You can’t simply grab them. It takes time to release the most dangerous ones from their vaults. And if I know Belial, he’ll be going for the most dangerous ones he can find.”
“Then we have to stop him,” Ev said.
“Absolutely not!” Brandon returned in a huff. “You kids are staying here while I deal with Belial.
Ev argued, “I’m an adult. I can make my own decisions.”
But Brandon would not be so easily swayed. “Bethos will have my ass if anything happens to you.”
“I thought you gods had higglers,” Jaysin said. Higglers was Chrichton slang for balls.
Atlas smiled at Jaysin’s cheekiness. “They’ve got a point. You afraid of Bethos all of a sudden? What happened to all that ferocity you showed earlier? ‘That’s not my name’.” He laughed at something Ev had not been privy to.
Brandon gave an exasperated sigh. “Fine. Ev, you can come with me. I’ll deal with Bethos when we get back.” A smile crept across his face. “Or maybe I won’t even tell him.”
“All right!” CiCi said. “Let’s go save the day!”
A female scream cut short their determination. “That sounded like it came a few blocks over,” Freya said.
They all exchanged worried looks. They weren’t sure what to do. Fortunately, Brandon quickly came to a decision. “There are still people in this city who need our help. Here’s what we’re going to do. I’ll take Ev to the Tower. The rest of you, seek out the people in distress and help them any way you can.”
Freya’s face displayed concern for her colleague, and perhaps a bit more. “But what about you? You really want to take on Belial by yourselves?”
He said simply, “Two of us. Two of them. Seems like good enough odds to me.”
“But he’s got the Artifacts in there,” Aphrodite said.
“All the more reason for us to hurry up and get over there. Trust me; we’ll be fine.”
“I trust you,” Atlas said. “Kick Belial’s ass for all of us.”
“What about us?” Jaysin said.
“Go with your professors and help them clean up Stiftung.”
Daryn nodded resolutely. Clearly this was more to his liking than saving Maya Brünhart. “Understood. Let’s get a move on.”
And with that, the group split in two. Brandon grabbed Ev and together they took off into the sky. They rose up over the Otto Ernst Memorial Building in a dizzying display
of speed that would have put any roller coaster to shame. Ev thought it was a good thing he hadn’t eaten much today, because it all would have been deposited over Stiftung. Truly Brandon Strong was in a whole other class. Even burdened with Ev, they managed to reach speeds unthinkable when it was just Ev flying on his own. In fact, Ev suspected the veteran god was using an entirely different method for flying than the students had been employing.
They soon reached the Tower of Babel, which was about twenty miles west of Stiftung. Previously Ev thought it was much closer because of its relative size. But no, it turned out to be far larger in diameter than he ever suspected.
They stopped just outside it and hovered for a moment. Ev looked it over with utter fascination. “I don’t see any windows or doors. How are we supposed to enter it?”
“The only entrance is at the bottom.”
“But…the bottom is under water…”
“Yep. Sorry about this, but we’re gonna have to dive in there.”
“Wait. Isn’t there another—”
But Brandon didn’t wait. He plunged deep down into the cold, salty sea. At this time of year, the water was positively freezing, and Ev felt a tremendous shock the instant they went under. It felt like a giant snowman had just punched him in every part of his body. Worse, he hadn’t had time to get a breath full of air into his lungs before Brandon sent them into the deep.
Despite his intense concern and curiosity about their situation, Ev kept his eyes closed. He had learned from previous experience not to open them in the water lest he come under attack from all the salt.
And so they went flying through the water like a torpedo. Ev desperately wanted some fresh oxygen, and he didn’t know how much longer he would last under these conditions. He never realized before just how terrifying the threat of drowning could be. His lungs felt like they were going to explode and implode at the same time.
He tried calling out for help, but that only released more air from his body. He was scared. He could admit that, at least to himself. Brandon probably knew it, too. The eighteen-year-old was supposed to be a proud god in training, but at the moment only felt like a helpless mortal.
God School Page 15
