“But I don’t feel any different from before?” Peter looked at his hands. “I don’t think my powers are back.”
“Of course not. You should know you wouldn’t feel anything in here. You’re in hell for crying out loud.”
“Yes, of course. We need to get out of here. Did you find a way out?”
“Did you actually think I would come here to rescue you without a way to get out?” She tossed his coat and sword to him.
After he put his coat on and strapped his sword to his back, Peter slapped his bracelet on his wrist. He looked around for his gun and his brother’s scythe in the dark.
“Peter what’s going on? Are you looking for something?”
“My brother’s scythe. I can’t find it … or my gun.” Peter rushed to the other side of the room.
“Do you mean this?”
Peter walked over to her. “Thanks for the gun, but I need the Scythe of Judgment.”
“I didn’t find any scythe when I got your weapons. All I found is what I gave you and what’s in your coat pocket.”
Peter felt the amulet and the key in his pockets. “Wow. You managed to get everything back.” He chuckled. “That’s just like you—always having my back.”
Celina smiled and folded her hands across her body. “Sorry I didn’t recover the scythe. If it was here, I would’ve found it.”
“If it’s not here, where could it be?” He looked around for it again. “Maybe I should call Terrence to help me out. He is good at helping me when I’m lost.”
“It might’ve gone back to its owner. I have a strong feeling about that. And who is Terrence? I hope you don’t mean that useless angel with six wings who can teleport from place to place and other dimensions.”
“Don’t speak of him in that manner. He’s been helpful to me. But that makes sense if we can’t find the scythe here.” Peter stopped looking around. “Okay, let’s get out of here.”
“This way, sir.” Demeekur bowed to him playfully.
The Demon Slayer shook his head and walked over to her. “So, how are we supposed to get out of here?”
They both left the room to go back to the area she had found him in.
“This baby right here has a elevator built into it.” She tapped against the tower. “It can take us to earth, but there is one problem.”
“And that would be?”
“This baby is so long that it would take us days to get back to earth.”
“What? That’s not good. By the time we get there, the gates may already be open. Come on. There’s got to be another way.”
“Nope. Sorry.” Demeekur shook her head.
Peter shook his head and sighed. “Wait a minute.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the Amulet of Kismet. He put it around his neck, and a sparkling sound echoed in the area they were in. He began to glow. His scrawny body got toned, the tattoos covering his body began to darken, and his full strength returned.
“The scythe … it’s really not here,” Peter said. “I can’t feel it. In fact, it’s nowhere around here. You were right, Judgment is definitely not here.”
“What? You thought I was lying to you? Of course it’s not here. Have you forgotten I can sense things like that too? All that amulet does is let you sense if a weapon is around? That’s a useless relic if you ask me.”
“Demeekur, come here.”
She walked over to him, shook her head, and folded her hands across her bosom. “Nope.”
“Would you stop that?” Peter said. “Can you just be nice for a change?” He pulled the ball of energy out of his pocket and transformed it into its original state—the Key of Cronus. The golden cross gleamed in the dark. He pointed it toward Celina, and she backed away in fear.
“What is that?”
“This relic was supposed to get me out of here when I rescued the boy, but now I don’t need it.”
“What do you mean you don’t need it? It beats using the elevator in the tower. Do you have another way to get out of here?”
Peter laughed and rested a hand on her shoulder. “Of course I do.”
A bright light suddenly surrounded the two, and in a twinkle, they disappeared.
Torah swooped like an eagle, dodging the flying demons as they flew above everyone else. He chopped the ones before him in half with his long, heavy sword. For days, he had been slaying the demons—and his white and silver armor was covered in demon blood. He had tied his long hair in a bun to prevent blood from saturating it.
The young Kabbalist knight was beginning to feel weary. The shield in his left hand grew heavy, and it was not easy to fly with it. He had lost track of time, and he could not keep up with the amount of demons he had slain or how many days had passed. Most of his lieutenants had met their demise at the hands of the demons. It was a sorrowful time for him, but he didn’t have time to weep. He did not want their sacrifice to be pointless. He fought gallantly, and he was a force to reckon with—none of the Kabbalist knights were. That was what the knights of the Kabbalah were born to do. It was what they were trained to do—for that day, Armageddon.
The warrior saw trouble below with one of the captains and swooped down, descending a few thousand feet per second. The Temper Ragge demons flew toward him, trying to stop him from reaching his goal, but he sliced them away like knife cutting butter.
“Aliyah, look out!” Torah screamed.
The Fritz Claw behind Aliyah prepared to jam her in the back with its long talons. She was too busy firing arrows at the Slangers to defend her lieutenants that she didn’t see the danger she was in.
Torah slowed down moments before he crashed into the earth. He spread his wing and his shield and maneuvered his body to pick up the demon. He jammed his sword into the demon’s side and shot back up like a hawk grabbing a rodent. Though the demon was in pain and near death, it decided to defend itself and fight for life. The demon jabbed at the knight with its talons, but he blocked it with his shield.
Torah pulled his sword out from the wound and knocked the demon in the head with his shield. The demon shot away from him and howled on its way to its fate.
Torah noticed that Aliyah had no idea that she was almost injured or killed. Torah shook his head and flapped his wing and shield to stay level.
Aliyah looked up at him as she grabbed another arrow and smiled.
Torah smiled too. He looked toward the tower and saw that the living statue was still banging against it. Demons were attacking it, trying to get its attention. The knight knew he had to help. His mission was to destroy the tower at any cost. He noticed another creature attacking the giant statue. The man looked like a demon and was shooting RPGs at the statue. The silver and black demonic attire didn't scare Torah though, he was more thrilled to see if he could defeat him. He could tell by the way the man dodged the living-statue’s feet that he was familiar in martial arts.
Torah flew in that direction and tackled the demonic-looking man. They toppled over and rolled nearly thirty feet away. The demonic man was first to his feet, and Torah was next. Torah raised his sword above his shield and placed his left leg forward.
“You know, it’s funny how all you one-winged people have the same fighting stance,” the man said with a Japanese accent. “Your stance is pathetic.”
Torah smiled. He wasn’t offended by his words. People had been picking on him since he was young, especially about his wing.
A ninja sword appeared in the man’s hands, and he too was in his fighting stance.
“A demon that speaks.” Torah chuckled. “Never thought I’d live to see this day. Never thought the world would end—and I would meet a talking demon.”
“You fool. I’m no demon.” The ninja mask disappeared from the lower part of his face. “My name is Wong Kei Ling, an enforcer from hell.”
“Wong Kei Ling? That’s sounds familiar. The famous assassin who wiped out twenty Yakuza clan members in a single night?”
“Actually it was a hundred, but who’s counting,” W
ong said after he chuckled.
“It’s an honor to be in your presence. I get to defeat the famous assassin.”
“You defeat me? How foolish. We’ve wiped out half of your army already, and from the looks of it, you’re almost out of strength. It’s pathetic to face you. I don’t even have to use my full fighting potential.”
“Okay, talk is cheap.”
Torah dashed at Wong with his sword.
Wong readied his sword to block Torah’s swift attack. When both swords collided, Wong flew back from the knight’s strong swing. He did a backward somersault and landed on his feet. When Wong looked at his sword, it had a crack in it. “Here’s something else you might find amusing,” Wong said. “I fought a guy a day ago, and he was a lot stronger than you. He was really big and powerful, but it took me little effort to kill him.”
“What?”
Wong snickered. “Yes, the one with the lance.”
Torah was shocked by his words. He refused to believe Samson had died.
“But I see this sword won’t work against you.” Wong said as his ninja sword disappeared into thin air.
With a thought, Wong created a large black sword with a broad blade, the radius of an ironing board, and a curved, pointy tip. The hilt was small and skinny with bandages wrapped around it. “This, my friend, is called a Zanpakuto.”
Torah chuckled. “I think you read to many Japanese Manga, my friend.”
“A Zanpakuto is not a fictional weapon. That was the name we used for a really large sword in the warring state of Japan. Get your facts straight. By the way, this was the sword I used to cut your friend in half.”
“Enough with the talking. Let’s do this.” Torah banged his sword on his shield and rushed at Wong. With all his power, he swung his sword. Torah saw that Wong had the same defense, and he smiled. His goal was not to crack his sword but to break it in half. When his sword connected, a loud clang roared. Torah cut through the large sword—and Wong’s body.
The assassin rocketed backward at least a hundred feet away. Wong lay still for a moment before he sat up.
Chapter 30
Without Hope
When Wong eventually got to his feet, he had a large bruise on his chest and was bleeding heavily. Before he could heal it, Torah slashed from above. Wong managed to block it with the back of his left hand—his hand almost was split in half from the impact—and his will kept him holding it. The powerful blow pushed Wong to his knees.
Wong tried to pull the sword from the warrior’s hand, but his grip was strong. Wong tried to create another sword—until he felt the knight’s shield on his chest. He stumbled back and fell.
‘He’s wielding a heavy sword, a shield, and armor, but he is swift.’ Wong thought. ‘This man deserves my respect.’
Before Wong could get to his feet, Torah was already close enough to damage him again.
Wong reached out to the left and closed his eyes for a split second—and his armor became denser and the star-shaped metal headpiece was replaced with a small helmet. The helmet was carved from a dragon’s head and had two extra pairs of eyes on the forehead. The wound to his chest began to heal rapidly.
Torah swung his sword again, but Wong blocked it with his forearm.
Torah lost his grip, but he still managed to position himself to use the edge of his shield to chop Wong’s head off.
Wong swiftly rushed in, grabbed the hand that held the shield, and slammed him on his back. Wong grabbed the shield and stabbed it toward Torah’s neck.
Torah managed to roll out of the way.
Wong kicked Torah’s chest, sending him flying almost a hundred feet away. Torah’s helmet flew off upon impact, and he vomited blood. His armor was damaged, and his ribs felt broken.
Wong walked over to Torah with the shield in his right hand. “You put up quite a fight—a little more spark than the others. I had to borrow my friend’s ability just to match your power and speed.”
“So that was it? I was wondering how your strength and speed increased instantly. You had to cheat to beat me. How pathetic. I thought Samurais had honor.” He coughed and rolled onto his back.
“See?” Wong said. “That’s where you’re wrong. I’m not Samurai. I’m a ninja.”
Wong jumped twenty feet in the air, raised the shield above his head, and came crashing down toward Torah.
Torah raised his hands momentarily to catch the shield from entering his stomach. He felt the assassin’s grip getting stronger and the shield was cutting in his armor. He knew for sure he had lost the battle. But something changed his fate. A lifeless body collided with the assassin. The body struck Wong so hard that it knocked him a hundred feet away.
Torah gasped, sat up, and looked over at the body. It was headless and had the same design as Wong—but it had red armor with black scales. Torah recognized the body and knew it belonged to the knight who could duplicate himself.
Torah grabbed his shield and shot up toward the sky. He knew it was time to retreat and get some medication.
When Wong recovered, he saw that Torah was retreating. He focused again and copied another one of the knight’s abilities. A silver cape flickered in the wind behind him, and he squatted down to take off.
“Let him go,” A voice said calmly.
Wong stood up and turned around. He gasped after he saw Crouzer before him. “My lord.” Wong dropped to his knees.
Crouzer wore a black leather coat, black gloves, black slacks, and dress shoes. He had a smile on his face and a pack of Fritz Claw demons behind him. The Fritz Claws were much larger than the ones from before. “The one-winged warrior is of no concern to us anymore. No need to bother with a fly at this moment.” Crouzer gestured for Wong to stand up.
“I await your orders, my lord.” Wong reverted back to his original armor.
“For now, yield. I will take care of the problem at hand.”
Crouzer walked toward the tower slowly and confidently with his hands behind his back. The demons that were attacking the giant statue halted and looked in their lord’s direction.
The statue also noticed Crouzer and slowly turned to him.
Father Davis’ voice said, “William Van Crouzer? I must say that it’s an honor.”
“The honor is mine to be in the presence of thy Savior. That’s what this machine is, right?”
“I will accept no impudence from you, Crouzer. Show respect to the Savior—or I will crush you under my heel.”
“By all means, go ahead. I would love to see thy Savior’s full potential.”
Father Davis moved the statue toward Crouzer. “Why have you come to earth? Don’t tell me you are threatened that the tower might be destroyed. Your precious soldiers cannot handle the task you’ve given to them?”
“Not exactly. Something else has piqued my interest. I have come to see to this problem personally.”
Father Davis chuckled. “I am flattered. You didn’t have to come all the way here to see me. My next stop was to your doorstep as soon as I destroy the tower.”
“Don’t flatter yourself. I’m not here for you. I came to retrieve something important that I lost a long time ago.”
Crouzer reached his right had out and closed his eyes. A crackling sound was coming from his body, and a dark purple energy suddenly surrounded him. Crouzer smiled and opened his eyes. “There you are.”
Everyone heard a yell and it suddenly increased.
Claudius shot toward Crouzer, and he was caught by the throat.
Crouzer said, “The son of the Demon Slayer? Surprised to see me?”
Claudius gasped and struggled to get free. “Who are you?”
“I’m embarrassed. You’ve forgotten me—the most important person to you? You loved me when you were a small boy.”
“Let me go, you lunatic. I have no idea what you are talking about.”
Crouzer looked up and saw the statue’s foot coming toward him. He smiled and raised his free hand to stop it.
Claudius channele
d the electric energy in his right hand, yelled, and aimed to chop off the demon lord’s hand. His hand struck Crouzer’s hand and went through it. Blood splattered in his face. Claudius didn’t mind the gore, he was getting used to it. He grabbed Crouzer’s hand from his throat and threw it aside, but the humongous foot was still coming at him.
Crouzer looked down at his hand and smiled. “Not bad … the boy managed—”
Boom! The giant foot stomped Crouzer.
***
Claudius heard someone yelling and looked past Nathan and Michael to see Wong doing battle against one of the Kabbalist knights—almost two hundred feet away. The knight was on his knees and coughing up blood. Wong kicked the knight in the chest, and Claudius gasped.
Claudius looked back at Nathan and saw that he was still jabbering with Michael standing by him. He focused and teleported over to Nathan in the blink of an eye.
Claudius screamed, “I’ve had enough of you! Shut the hell up!” He summoned a power within him that he never knew he had, forced that power into his fist, and punched Nathan in the head. To his surprise, the head exploded.
Claudius gasped and shielded his face from the debris. He looked at Michael and saw that he was backing away and he looked behind at Zack also. He could feel the fear coming from them.
In the distant, Claudius saw Wong jumped twenty feet into the air and came crashing down on the knight.
The headless body jerked before Claudius and was about to fall down. Claudius aimed his punch and socked the body toward Wong. Nathan’s body took off toward Wong. Claudius smiled after he saw the body hit the assassin. He almost burst into laughter when Wong fell over awkwardly.
“Wow. Now that’s overkill,” Michael said.
Claudius turned, and the anger in his heart disappeared.
Michael clapped and walked toward him “That’s the demon side of you. You’ve known Nathan for many years. He was like a brother to us. Do you think he deserved to die like that?”
Hellbound Second Advent Page 28
