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Damian hesitated at hear his name.
«How do you know my name and pronounce it in this language?» he asked incredulously.
«Because I gave you that name, my son. Near Yilawid» the man replied.
«Father?... It cannot be!» he said, then flung himself on him again, to no avail.
That’s man for a brief moment, that no one else could feel as well as the two of them, hugged him as a father and said: «I love you son». Then with a greek-roman wrestling move he pushed him over.
«I don’t believe you, you lie! My father left me alone, I was raised by animals and Dasmond» Damian replied, rising from the ground.
«You are right. Now I will explain everything to you, but we will have to continue fighting with fists, the crowd is here to see us fight and I can’t escape to this power that chains me. You listen with your mind and your soul, ours are connected by a special bond, the “father-son bond”. Your mother was a beautiful woman, I fell in love at first glance, but she was not my first wife. My first wife led me to an unintended death. I entered in the Hell, Hades was ready to have me in his ranks, but my father decided to save me and give me a new opportunity. The Father of my Gods, the one who resided on Mount Olympus, “Zeus” or as the Romans call him “Jupiter”, saved me from the afterlife. A new life, a new love I thought, unfortunately it was only a mere illusion. Your mother’s name was Lour, we loved traveling around the world together. When she was close to giving birth, the forces were about to abandon her. I wanted to save your mother, since Zeus did not respond to my pleas we went to that village in the mountains of the Kolgòta, the Village of the Gods, born from the Tree of Life. We discovered the existence of the Dragon and its legend. We went to the top of Mount Dragòr, where we discovered the sad truth. The darkness had subjugated the noble creature. I realized that even that last attempt failed. The Dragon began to attack me, the fight was more difficult than expected. She emanated a black fire from his jaws and my sword melted. A bloody fight began, despite this I was looking for the help of the Ishtar Dragon. My purpose was not to kill her, but to force her to help me. Your mother was suffering on the grass, while I suffered fighting. My fists barely scratched that creature and her flames burned everything around us. At one point in the fight, I heard a voice in my head that said: «Help me!». It was the Dragon, she was asking me for help. She was imprisoned in the darkness and she could not break free from the Dark Demonic power that chained her.
«Break the seal in my claw! The fourth finger of the right front leg!»
So with all my strength I hit with a punch that claw. My hand was filled with blood, but the spell broke and the Dragon came to his senses for a moment.
«Before leaving this world, I will accept your request» the Dragon said, and her body and your mother’s became one. A being was born who was a woman and a dragon at the same time and thanks to this fusion you were born. Because of very powerful magic, the claw turned into this dagger that you hold in your hands. The Dragon and your mother disappeared forever. I am your father, Hercules, son of Zeus» the man finished.
Damian, despite the fighting, started to cry tears of joy and bitterness. A piece of his life had returned to the right place. Incredulous of this, he no longer wanted to hurt and fight against his father.
«I don’t want... I can’t fight you, Father!» Damian pleaded.
«It’s not your fault. The only way to free myself is to defeat me. I fell into the darkness like before me the Gods, the same Zeus and the Dragon, we have all been subjugated by the unstoppable power of the Demon King, better known as “Satan”. Only you can eliminate his power thanks to the Dragon’s Claw» Hercules said as he struck his son in the stomach.
«Where is he now? And why can I only defeat him?» Damian asked as he quickly dodged his father’s fists.
«In this dagger lies the essence of the Dragon combined with that of the Demon, as if they were one, without difference between the parts. Evil has been tamed by the power of the Dragon, so your dagger can defeat the Demons. Satan tried to steal the power from Ishtar, but he failed and for this he put his essence, which is his black blood, inside her and now this same black blood together with its dark power is inside you. This demonic essence also flows inside me and for this reason my lucidity will not last long. Live for me Damian, defeat the Devil and free everyone from his chains!» Hercules said before received a punch in the face.
«How can I defeat him? I can’t control these powers. And then where have you been all this time?» Damian said this and then received a series of blows to the abdomen, legs and face.
He was battered, while his father burst with energy. The clothes began to tear, the crowd cheered the battle.
«You must make it your own and you must not give in to anger. The dark power takes you back to him and consumes you inside. Only when you have mastered that power can you use it. Now you must concentrate on using Dragon Power, so you can fulfill your destiny. I have little time now, as I am consumed by the darkness. I spent a few months with you, but then I became aware of this strange condition of obedience to something unknown. I had to run away and get away from you. Fortunately, you surrounded yourself with various creatures and friends who helped you grow without me. I did horrible things without my wanting, and the time has come to atone for my sins. Nothing remains of the Village of the Gods. The ancient seal, placed under the village, is destroyed and the Hell Gate, which has opened, frees every moment Demons that arrive in the Outer World, the world of men. I saved you from the rubble of that place and brought you into this world. I wanted to take you to a safe place, but Mephistofeles noticed my disobedience and I was again chained to this place. The power of time has had an effect on you, you should still have been a child, but time does not flow in the Village of the Gods, while in this world it does. You must continue this struggle that I can no longer fight, you will have to close the hell gates and defeat the Devil!» Hercules concluded, during that sad and joyful battle.
Meanwhile Diosmed and Tanya, having escaped from the Colosseum, had almost arrived near the palace of the Emperor. From a distance, it could admire the magnificence of the structure. After traveling a long decuman, they crossed the so-called Arch of Titus, an arch erected to celebrate the victories of Titus in Galilee. They were not far from the Colosseum, so they heard the confusion that that battle was creating.
«I wonder if Damian is fine, I don’t like those noises at all» Diosmed said.
«Quiet, he will win. Now we have to produce a plan to get into this huge building» Tanya said.
«This place is huge, it is surrounded by a three-meter-high wall and has four towers with lookouts. From here, I can see the entrance to the building. It’s the royal arch with the image of Constantine!» Diosmed said.
The tympanum of the arch was supported by four Ionic columns, it looked like the entrance to a temple. The splendor of the building distinguished it from the other buildings. There were bronze statues and mosaics in the exterior, while at the inside the walls there were a rectangular swimming pool and whirlpool, suitable for the Emperor and his family, surrounded by a colonnade that was holding a red roof sloping. They arrived near the entrance that would have given them access to the garden of the Emperor, rich in vegetation and flower arrangements. It had pines, oaks, poplars and olive trees over three meters high. There were red and white roses, primroses and carnations in the interior of the flower beds, where the flowers were arranged so as to form artistic forms. You could notice a female wolf of roses, carnations eagle and many other animals, in a series of flower beds one next to the other. In another area there was a peristyle surrounding it a green lawn where two peacocks lived, one with blue feathers and one with red feathers. At the center of this sumptuous garden there was the royal palace, with a rectangular plan, which had five floors. On each floor there was a series of square windows, with more than two hundred in total. The imperial palace was all of a golden color, the windows were red and white diamon
ds-shape were painted on the walls. The larger diamonds were positioned one by one but the smaller diamonds were arranged in a row and ran along the entire structure, halfway up the building. The entrance had a large door with a chestnut color and an arched shape, located between the bricks. Other secondary doors were on the sides of the building. Everything was surrounded by a small wall that recalled the city walls. It had four towers, at the corners of the walls, surmounted by dozens of archers with blue tunics and with a scaled armor. The external entrance was guarded by two tall and strong guards, wearing a golden armor and a helmet with a red plume. They held vigorously spears almost two meters long.
The two had only one way to enter, evade the guards with some trick.
«You will pretend to be my prisoner, my job is to bring you to the Emperor. I will tie you with this rope. You’ll have to shut up and be silent! I’ll take your sword» Tanya said and Diosmed agreed.
After binding it, they went to the entrance of the building and the guard shot them at the moment.
«Who are you?» he said in a sententious tone.
«Tanya, I came here to deliver this man to the Emperor, as he himself ordered me» the girl replied.
«Why would the Emperor would ask a whore like you to bring this man in the palace?» the guard said.
Tanya punched him in the nose so hard that he felt a great pain.
«Guar... as the guard was about to scream, Tanya tossed a double yellow dust on the two guards, so powerful that they took them to a state of trans.
«Go ahead» they said in chorus.
It was as if they had been hypnotized. As the blood ran from the nose to the guard, the two entered in the building. The guards from the top of the towers did not intervene, and after crossing the arc between the columns, Tanya cut the ropes that bound Diosmed and so they were inside the garden. They walked through the lobby escorted by the two guards who opened the main door to him. They entered that sumptuous architectural show, full of statues, mosaics and ornate vases. He was full of all the mess and royalty.
«You frighten me, are you a witch?» Diosmed said worriedly.
«Restrain your tongue, I might turn into a slug!», Tanya laughed, «The room of the Emperor is located on the first floor, in the center of the building. We must cross this long corridor and reach the stairway that leads us to him».
The two sneaked through a long corridor, walking above a red carpet, which led to each wing of the building. They came before the staircase that led to the room of the Emperor Constantine. It had large white marble tiers, on both sides there were two statues of Minerva with a shield and a sword. Along the handrails of the stairs small mythological depictions were noted.
«How strange, no guard» Diosmed noted.
They climbed the steps quickly, then went along another long corridor whose sides had statues and plants of all kinds. They arrived in front of the rectangular door of the imperial hall, three meters high.
«From here on out, we don’t know what’s in there. We have to be careful» Tanya said.
They opened the door and entered it. They found no one and suddenly the door closed by itself. That room was immense, featuring statues of the Emperor, beds, triclinium, chairs, antique vases, frescoes and mosaics on the walls. A faint light came through the windows and was reflected on the white marble of the walls.
«There’s nobody here, let’s go out» said Diosmed, when suddenly a voice was heard.
«Well, well, who do we have here? A simple gladiator with a woman-thief? Remarkable», said the Emperor, «and what have you come to do here?»
He began to turn into something horrifying. He assumed the features of that winged red demon, with a goatee and yellow eyes.
«What did you do with the Emperor? Answer!» Tanya said.
«But isn’t inside him?» Diosmed said.
«You will also be a Demon Slayer, but you have not understood that he has now taken total control of the Emperor Constantine. This demon replaced him and imprisoned the emperor’s soul in the most secret depths of his ego» Tanya said.
«But what good girl, so you know that too» the Emperor said.
Suddenly it was dark. Tents covered the windows and the light disappeared. From nothing appeared soldiers and handmaids with unusual features. They had red eyes, four canine teeth per arch of three centimeters long and sharp claws silver color, buttons veins on his neck, two skeletal arms and a height of one meter and seventy or little more.
«Vampires!» Tanya shouted.
«Where did they come from?» Diosmed said as one of them was about to bite him. Tanya gave him his sword and easily the boy cut the vampire’s head into two parts.
The darkness took over and the two were separated.
«I can’t see, I must rely only on my senses and the Dragalòs. Tanya where are you?» Diosmed shouted in that thick darkness.
He was trying to figure out where the girl was while the vampires kept attacking him. He could dodge them even though he couldn’t see them. It was dark, at one point he hit a vase and without dropping he took it and used it to smash the head of a vampire who had grabbed him.
«These demons seem to be walking dead, but they have great strength. That red demon will have transformed them with some diabolical ploy. Where will be that witch? This place seems endless!»
Diosmed tried to figure out what was happening when three vampires tackled him in such a way that he couldn’t move. They were about to bite into his body, but at that precise instant intervened Tanya, which launched on them some water by a strange smell. The vampires in contact with that substance screamed in pain and fell to the ground. Suddenly, a small ray of light entered from the window for a moment and so Diosmed saw that demon who had played the role of the Emperor had blocked Tanya.
«Stop! If you don’t, I’ll kill your friend» the Red Demon said.
Those yellow eyes, the wings and the features of the demon intimidated Diosmed, but he didn’t lose hope.
«What do you want to do?» he said as he tried to rescue Tanya, but the demon stopped his impetus with his strange power that he had used at the Colosseum.
«Vampires are weak in the light of the sun, but if they drink the blood of a priestess they can stay under the sun’s light for a few hours. This stupid priestess believes that the holy water mixed with rosa canina can do something to me» the Red Demon said and then laughed devilishly.
Tanya was in front of the demon who had locked her hands behind her back and with his right hand he was holding her neck. The vampires, at the behest of the Red Demon, blocked Diosmed. They deprived him of his Dragalòs, which was left next to a damaged wooden chair.
«Bring him to the jail of the building and do what you want! No one can survive to Mephistofeles! Our Lord will be very happy with our gifts!» the Red Demon said.
Tanya used that moment to bite the right ear of the ignoble demon, who felt intoxicated by contact with the woman and let go. Immediately Tanya took Diosmed’s sword and destroyed the nearby chair, thus creating a wooden stake. She took it and killed one of the vampires who kept Diosmed stuck, thrusting it into its throat. The young man was free and was able to resume his beloved sword. The two fought against the three remaining vampires, Diosmed cleverly killed two of them with his sword, cutting off his head. Tanya defeated the third, she threw the holy water into his eyes and they burned them upon contact. Meanwhile Mephistofeles was dazed in the dark because of that aphrodisiac contact.
During the fight, a tent was torn open and the lights of the Sun entered in the room. As soon as the light illuminated a part of the room they heard a scream.
«Whragraah!»
«Look! He is the vampire chief!» Tanya said.
Diosmed ran to the window and with the sword wrapped in green energy he destroyed all the curtains and the light could return. As soon as darkness ceased, Mephistofeles disappeared. They remained in the company of the vampire and the corpses of his fellows.
«Take those pieces of wood, they are the only ones who can save us!» Tanya said.
«I’ll attack first! Watch my back!» Diosmed said and Tanya agreed to do.
Diosmed with the sword tried to pierce the vampire in the throat, meanwhile Tanya sprinkled on that piece of wood, now become a stake, holy water, dog rose and garlic powder. Diosmed had almost hit him, but the enemy stopped him using his powerful arms. He opened his jaws and was ready to bite his neck when Tanya threw him a bottle containing the potion of holy water and rosa canina.
«Ghriii!» the vampire with red eyes cried.
When Tanya was close to the monster, at that very moment in the Colosseum Damian held the Dragon’s Claw with which he would have to hit his father to end his pain.
«I can’t do it, I finally found you! You are my family, I can’t do this to you!»
«Although this meeting will also be our farewell, remember that I will always be with you! The dagger will free me from these chains that keep me tied to Evil. Once you hit me, that little strength left in my body will be free. You will have to live son! You will have to save the entire world and yourself! You will have to defeat his powerful allies, “The Big Joker” and “She who ate the fruit of the Tree of Death”. They have the keys to return to the place where it all began and from there you can reach the Hell» Hercules explained and since his son held that dagger weakly and didn’t want to attack him, he went to meet himself at the Dragon’s Claw that he pierced him to his chest in the heart and in the same way Tanya, in that the instant, with the wooden stake pierced the heart of the vampire.
«Defeat Satan for me...» Hercules said as he spat blood, but despite this he embraced his son one last time. Then he fell to the ground and the darkness in his body was completely eliminated. He had a smile on his lips, and while that dark energy is dissolved, the earth shook. A strong earthquake destroyed part of the Colosseum and created a breach in the structure. The frightened crowd fled at the moment. The rubble fell on the arena and Damian paid no attention to them, in all that noise the only thing he cared about was his father.
