He disappeared back into the crowd, Azazyel roaring with displeasure as he tossed replicants out of his way.
More explosions; Lucian’s injurecrows continued to pummel the air and disrupt the battle, allowing Lucian to use his replicants to hide, gather his energy, and go at Azazyel once again, this time from a different angle.
He managed to crack the fallen angel in the back with his lava sword, disappearing again, Azazyel trying to lift higher into the air to get a better vantage point and failing as Lucian’s replicants did the same, matching his height.
It didn’t matter how many purple pillars of energy he conjured, Lucian simply summoned more replicants, his limbs tingling for a moment as if he were having a heart episode.
Lucian pushed on; he no longer had a heart.
Trying something different, Azazyel conjured a purple blast that went in a horizontal direction this time, nearly burning the soles of Lucian’s feet as he slipped away.
To get a better perspective, Lucian shot toward the other end of the bridge, conjuring replicants and injurecrows behind him as he reached the other side.
He turned back, watching the blasts of energy, the explosions, the shrapnel hitting the air, the clouds of smoke, all of it, all in a semicircle around where he knew Azazyel to be.
And rather than jump back into the fight, Lucian simply waited.
He waited and watched, pushing forth more replicants by the second, followed by fleets of injurecrows.
Lucian kept the pressure up.
He equipped his gun that fired an electric tripwire. His hand hovering over the pieces, he began focusing on his mantlecore, using some of its power to enhance the strength of his weapon. All this took place in a matter of seconds, Lucian alternating between what he was doing and making sure that Azazyel hadn’t sent a column of energy in his direction.
It seemed as though the fallen angel was overwhelmed as Lucian continued to send in his creations.
Azazyel had been alive for thousands and thousands of years, but Lucian was a product of a new era, one with different ideas when it came to combat, one who had been shaped by televised entertainment, video games, and technologies that Azazyel was unfamiliar with.
And this turned out to be Lucian’s advantage.
His ingenuity in making his power constantly replenish was what did the trick, allowing him to conjure mecha after mecha, all equally as strong as the last.
And even though Azazyel could easily cut through their ranks, he continued to tire himself out in doing so, which was where Lucian needed him.
Once the pillars of energy stopped raining down from the darkened sky above, Lucian floated to a higher position above the bridge so he would have a vantage point.
He waited there as his replicants continued to pour into the circle around Azazyel, several engaging the fallen angel at once, their attacks peppered by more explosions.
Azazyel spotted Lucian, and after doing so, he tore through their ranks in a mad dash to reach his opponent.
Just as he cleared Lucian’s replicants, Lucian squeezed the trigger of his weapon, striking Azazyel with the electric tripwire.
It did little to stop his advance.
Lucian fired more wire at him, the nets springing out of the muzzle of his gun, sparking as they flew in Azazyel’s direction.
Lucian sidestepped a pillar of purple energy as he kept the pressure up, Azazyel slowing in the air, his metal armor conducting electricity and making Lucian’s attack even worse.
Azazyel managed to press a single hand outside the tripwire, his giant sword appearing. He hurtled it at Lucian, which would have distracted him had it not been for his cape.
Appearing out of nowhere, Lucian’s cape managed to catch the sword, pull it back around, and deposit the grip in Lucian’s hand.
And that was all it took.
Lucian shot forward with Azazyel’s own sword and quickly decapitated the angel, his body falling to the bridge below.
Lucian caught the fallen angel’s head, and much to his surprise, Azazyel let out a pained sigh, his eyes starting to roll to the side.
Lucian watched the body hit the railing of the bridge, and then fall to the Connecticut River below, the electricity from his tripwire making matters worse once it hit the water.
Azazyel opened his eyes and screamed, a light pouring into Lucian.
He held onto the head, ignoring the light as he pressed his thumb and pinky finger together around the grip of Azazyel’s sword.
Lucian’s form took shape above the battle at the Congress of Death.
A few noticed his appearance, but not enough for him to get everyone’s attention, which was why he summoned Grimzilla, his majestic creation falling out of the sky and smashing through what was left of the platform in the center of the coliseum.
Rather than take to his compartment in Grimzilla’s chest, Lucian lowered to the top of his enormous robot’s skull, where he stood, holding Azazyel’s head in one hand and the fallen angel’s sword in the other.
“Enough!” Lucian roared, Grimzilla able to amplify his voice.
The fighting slowly started to stop, Deaths and angels alike turning toward Lucian.
Lucian dropped Azazyel’s head, which began to fizzle as it rolled down Grimzilla’s body, aimed at the ground.
“The fighting stops now,” Lucian said, holding his newfound sword even higher. “We have shared enemies, from fallen angels like Azazyel to injuresouls and Death Hunters. We also have another enemy, those above us who don’t see how much we have in common. That ends today. With Azazyel’s death, everything ends today.”
Lucian wasn’t sure if what he said would work. It shouldn’t have worked, but his dramatic entrance, and the fact that he had killed Azazyel had definitely caused a ripple effect to the crowd, a murmuring reaching his ears.
Danira was the first one to throw down her weapon.
It clinked against the rubble below and rather than vanishing, it stayed in place as it settled. Old Death and Leliel did the same, Mastima and Gaspard also dropping their weapons.
Other angels began dropping their spears and blades, Deaths doing so as well.
Not everyone agreed with what Lucian had said, but rather than stick around, those ones vanished, to be dealt with another day.
Lucian slowly lowered his new sword, amazed that he could even hold the thing considering its size.
There was a lot of work ahead, but as Danira came to him, Lucian knew it was possible.
Thousands of years of history had left a lot of bad blood, but Lucian represented a new hope, and what he had done had proved his power to both Progenies.
Danira glanced at him, trying to keep a firm look on her face but not able to contain her smile.
“You did it,” she said softly, looking out over the sea of black-and-white.
“I just want this constant fighting to be over,” Lucian finally told her.
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Breakthrough
Exhaustion set in as soon as Lucian and Danira appeared in Old Death’s world, his predecessor and Leliel with them as well.
Lucian nearly fell as his bone armor started to melt away. He quickly summoned it back, realizing he would have to artificially keep himself stable until his predecessor and Leliel left.
“I can’t believe a plan like that worked,” said Old Death, glory in his eyes as he took Lucian in. Old Death clapped his hands together again. “Quite the show! You actually killed that ninnyhammer! And good riddance! Azazyel has been a thorn in everyone’s side for so long that we’ve grown used to the annoyance. What a display, my boy. What a display.”
“I’m surprised everyone stopped fighting,” said Leliel, her golden ax now on her back.
“I won’t always take gambles like that,” Lucian said. “I had to do something.”
“And something you did,” said his predecessor. “Now, we will wait to see how they muck it up going forward.”
“That’s why we arranged the parties there, the
ones responsible for negotiating the peace,” Danira reminded his predecessor.
“I know, I know, my dear. With that in mind, we will have to see how this pans out. It could go either way, but at least you have made a name for yourself. What a way to display the power of your mantle!” Lucian started to say something but his predecessor stopped him. “It’s time for a beer. Let’s enjoy ourselves; let’s celebrate.”
“I need a rest soon,” Lucian admitted.
“Nonsense. After a display like that? What you need is a toast.”
His predecessor conjured a table and four frosty mugs of beer. He handed one to Leliel, and the other two to Lucian and Danira, taking the final mug for himself. “To new beginnings,” he said, raising the beer.
They cheersed and Lucian took a sip from the beer, shocked at just how good it was.
“You think you’re the only one that can create good food?” Old Death asked, a wicked grin on his face.
“You didn’t tell me you could make beer like this. Now you’re going to owe me a keg or so every couple days.”
“I’m sure that can be arranged,” said his predecessor, two kegs forming before him. He floated the two kegs over to Lucian’s workshop and set them down.
“Service with a smile,” Lucian said, drinking more of his beer. “I’m going to have to put some of this in my bottomless bottle.”
“That’s not a bad plan,” said Old Death, “if you want to go around as a drunkard.”
“I can actually get drunk off the stuff, right?”
Leliel laughed. “It’s alcoholic, so yes.”
“Is it?” Lucian asked, taking another sip, trying to tell if he could notice a difference this time.
He nodded, feeling just a slight buzz.
“Remove your armor and let’s sing some songs,” Old Death said merrily.
“My armor is the only thing that is keeping me standing right now,” Lucian admitted. “But if you want to sing some songs, by all means….”
Lucian took a seat on the grass and continued to sip from his beer as his predecessor started an old mining song about the general store owning the miner’s paycheck.
Lucian eventually interrupted him once he got to the fifth or sixth verse to ask Old Death to fill him up. He lifted his mug, and as he did it was topped off with beer, just a small amount of foam, a perfect pour.
He kept drinking.
Tomorrow would be the day.
He would see if all this was worth it, if he had enough power now to take on the parasite that plagued his brother.
Realizing he hadn’t actually checked his Soul Points yet, Lucian summoned them, his eyes going wide beneath his mask.
He had moved up by over fifty thousand points by killing Azazyel.
Lucian shook his head.
It wasn’t often that everything came together in a way that was to his benefit, yet he had made it through, he had slain what was looking to be his strongest enemy, and had done so mostly without injury. And he had somehow ended up with the girl.
“Why so gloomy down there?” his predecessor asked, who now stood before him.
Leliel and Danira were huddled together, speaking, Lucian and Danira’s crows beyond them, playing in the lake, Ezra the cat sitting on the shoreline watching.
“What?” Lucian asked, realizing he had been in a daze.
Everything was starting to slow down, and even his predecessor’s voice seemed distant, as if someone had adjusted the volume.
“I think you’re drunk,” said Old Death. “Ha!”
“No, I’m tired,” Lucian told him.
“Tired of what? Winning? You showed those good-for-nothings just how powerful you are, and what you have been able to accomplish in a short amount of time. Do you know how many Deaths in the fight have been at this for hundreds of years, doing the same old thing over and over again? Just withering away, if you ask me. That’s what I was doing when you first met me, Lucian, withering away. You remember, don’t you?”
Lucian recalled the way that the man had looked at the time, how he seemed weaker than he did now. Then again, he was in the skin-covered body of one of Lucian’s replicants, which naturally looked young and muscular. Still, there was something different about him ever since Lucian had rescued his predecessor from the South Wind.
A bounce to his step.
“I remember,” Lucian finally said.
“I wanted to die, and now look at me! I’m having the time of my life! Aside from the little affairs that you seem to always pull me into, I spend most of my day making sweet love, eating great food, and enjoying the company of the most fascinating, beautiful woman I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. And now, it’s your turn,” he said, nodding over his shoulder to Danira.
“I would say that I did that yesterday,” Lucian told him in a low voice, not that the fallen angels could hear them anyway.
“One day of pleasure? Pfft! Have I taught you nothing, my boy? Sure, save your brother, and use your power for whatever good you hope to use it for, but enjoy this. Not everyone gets this,” his predecessor said, gesturing around. “You could create anything you want at the drop of a hat. Hell, you could even make a diving board.”
“I already did that.”
“Fine, then how about a water slide? Like the ones they have in those water parks back in America. Did I ever tell you about hunting parasites in a waterpark? It’s a great place to find someone…”
Lucian shook his head, not able to hide his wry smile.
“What?”
“You’re twisted, I’ll give you that,” Lucian told his predecessor.
“No, I was just getting bored at the time. You get tired of lurking around in people’s houses and moving to crowded areas looking for easy targets. Sometimes, you want a little excitement, so you go hunting for parasites in Baghdad, or at a waterpark, or what in God’s name was that place?”
“Which place?”
“The one with all the movie characters, children’s movies, dribble, really.”
“Disneyland?”
“No, Disney World!” Old Death said, raising his mug to Lucian.
“You went hunting for parasites in Disney World?”
“I’ve hunted everywhere. Like I said, I got bored plenty of times. Anyway, that’s a story for another day. I suppose I should sum up what I’m trying to say here: enjoy this. Enjoy this time, and do your best to help your brother, but even if you aren’t able to, enjoy what you’ve accomplished. You have done in less than two months something I couldn’t do with over a hundred years. Now, I know that I’ve said that time goes differently after you look at it from our perspective, but trust me, a hundred years and two months is a very big difference. To you, my boy,” Old Death said, keeping his mug raised.
“Thanks,” said Lucian as he raised his mug.
“And don’t worry; we’ll be getting out of your hair here sooner rather than later. I’m sure you have other affairs you’d like to wrap up with your angel.”
Lucian slept better than he thought he would, no dreams, no memories that had been twisted into something else, some fabricated story.
He didn’t dream about what had happened, about his brother, Katy, his battle against Azazyel, his former heart condition.
Nothing.
He awoke with Danira in his arms, the sunrise over the lake adding a sheen of glitter to the water. The sunset also took place over the lake, Old Death’s world not one to observe the true gravitational pull of the sun and what it did to the Earth.
Once he was free of Danira’s grip, Lucian moved to the window of their home and summoned a cup of coffee, where he sipped it, his gaze focused on the horizon.
Today was the day.
And if today wasn’t the day, if he still wasn’t powerful enough to kill the parasite that plagued his brother, then there would be another day. Although, if that were the case, Lucian didn’t know who he would need to go after next to really power-up.
No, this was it. He could
feel it.
He looked down at his hand, seeing the lines in his palm stretch as claws grew from his fingers.
Today was the day. It had to be.
“Good morning, demon,” came a voice from the bed.
Lucian smiled. “You haven’t called me that in a while.”
“I thought you could use the encouragement,” said the fallen angel, who now stood at his side, Danira magically floating over to him. A white terrycloth robe lowered onto her shoulders, Danira slipping her arms in. “What are you over here thinking about, hmm?”
“What would your guess be?”
“Your brother, his parasite?”
“Remember what happened last time?”
She nodded, Lucian seeing just a hint of her reflection in the glass. “The more you attacked it, the larger it grew. I remember.”
“I will have to attack a little just so it grows some, but then…” Lucian bit his lip.
“I will pull you out,” she said. “You have my word.”
Lucian laughed. “I know you will.”
“Suddenly confident this morning, are we?”
“Not confident as much as I am just ready to get this done with, to finish this once and for all,” Lucian told her.
“I understand.”
Lucian summoned a cup of coffee for Danira, which she gladly took from him. He also conjured a plate of chocolates, which hovered in the air. Ezra the cat mewed from behind them, Lucian also summoning a plate of chocolate for him.
“Thank you,” said Danira, taking a piece of chocolate. “You should be very proud of yourself with what you were able to accomplish yesterday.”
“You think?”
“Not just anyone is able to change thousands of years of history in the span of an hour, yet you have managed to do just that. It’s remarkable, really. I don’t know what the future looks like, one in which the Progenies aren’t at each other’s throats and actually working together, but I’m glad to be part of it.”
“Do you think they’ll let you come back?” Lucian asked her.
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