SWNOVELXO Chapter 24: The Black Flower
"AAAHHH!"
Bartas and I let out our respective war cries as we traded blows across the highway.
Our weapons seemed like blurs tearing through the air, his arm colliding against my ax in a shower of sparks, but neither of us gained the upper hand over the other.
I raised my ax above my head and brought it down towards Bartas with all my strength, he put his metallic arm in the way, blocking my attack with a clang, but sank into the ground as a result.
We competed for dominance, looking at each other with amused smiles. I put my weight behind my attack, digging Bartas's feet deeper into the ground as the asphalt cracked and the highway creaked.
Rubrum circled Bartas and stopped on his left, opening her pages and accumulating magic before firing a barrage of luminous red orbs toward our opponent.
Magic ran through Bartas' metallic arm as he screamed in the effort. Suddenly, Bartas pushed his arm to the side, parrying my blow and tripping me immediately afterward.
I flapped my wings, staying in the air for a second before landing safely. Meanwhile, Bartas jumped back, dodging the orbs that covered the highway in explosions.
However, Rubrum continued her attack, chasing Bartas and circling him while firing orb after orb. Bartas moved as fast as lightning, dodging most of the orbs while slapping others away with his magic-encased arm.
"Noir, keep him in place." I spoke to the black book floating next to me.
Grunting in confirmation, Noir opened his pages with magic flowing through the paper. Then, small dark portals formed at Bartas' feet before several stakes shot out of the ground, impaling him.
Bartas screamed in surprise, spitting out blood as steam came out of his slowly closing wounds. Rubrum used the opening to bombard Bartas with her spells, tearing away chunks of flesh and bone with each blast.
I flapped my wings without wasting time, propelling myself forward like a missile and aiming for Bartas' head with the spike of my axe.
Bartas closed his metallic fist tightly, followed by a strong light and thunderous explosion. I spread my wings, stopping my advance and avoiding entering the resulting smoke cloud, but I received a strong punch to my face.
I staggered back as Bartas leaped out of the smoke cloud, unleashing a barrage of punches and kicks toward me.
I used the handle and flat of my ax as a shield, doing my best to block the blows. However, I did not come out unscathed; I received crushing attacks all over my body as Bartas slowly pushed me back.
Bartas pulled his fist back, encasing his arm in magic, but Noir created a Dark Hand, intercepting the attack and creating a shockwave followed by a boom.
Cracks ran through the Dark Hand as Noir and Bartas traded punches, fighting for dominance.
I took advantage of the moment to recover from the blows. I breathed heavily as my vision cleared and the pain in my body subsided.
I spat some blood onto the ground as I watched the grimoires fight Bartas, then twirled my ax in my hands, waiting for an opening.
Noir and Bartas exchanged punches while Rubrum kept up her magical bombardment. Then Noir tried to crush Bartas like a mosquito, but Bartas opened his arms, stopping both Dark Hands before they closed around him.
Noir created a third hand and attacked from above, intending to crush Bartas against the ground, but Bartas released his metallic arm for a second and fired a magic beam at the ground, propelling himself back and escaping the attack.
However, Noir fused the three hands, creating a huge hand and punching Bartas shortly afterward.
"AAAHHH!" Bartas screamed in fury as he flew away, bouncing against the ground like a ball and leaving a line of bloody marks behind.
Noir and Rubrum advanced simultaneously, closing the distance to Bartas from opposite directions. Noir with his giant hand and Rubrum wrapped in a magical bubble.
Bartas stood up quickly, wiping the blood from his mouth as his broken bones resettled in his mangled body, and then he pointed his hand at the ground, creating a magic explosion and launching himself into the air.
Now! I screamed mentally as I ran and raised my ax like an Olympic javelin, throwing my weapon when I reached enough speed.
My ax turned into an obsidian blur as it closed in on its target. I flapped my wings and flew after my weapon, watching as it hit Bartas in the chest, piercing him with its spike.
I closed the distance quickly, grabbing the handle of my ax and flying into the sky with Bartas attached to my weapon.
"Hey, where the hell are you taking me?!?" Bartas demanded, looking more amused than concerned about his situation.
"We'll go on a little trip, Bartas!" I responded in the same tone, going up and leaving the buildings of the Cathedral City behind.
"Oh, I love traveling!" Bartas laughed, kicking my face. It just did not hurt more than the sunlight burning me.
I stopped flying upward when I reached the clouds and turned around, flapping my wings and pointing Bartas against the ground as I descended.
"Is this your plan, to turn us into a meteor? Holy shit, you're crazier than me!" Bartas exclaimed, glimpsing the approaching ground.
"What can I say? Fighting you opened my eyes; it takes a little bit off madness to survive on Midgard!"
"You have no idea how true those words are, but I noticed a problem."
"Is that so, what problem?"
"You're not using your magic, throwing me against the ground won't do anything!"
"Oh, how mistaken you are! Using my magic is exactly what I plan to do!" I exclaimed, channeling my magic into my ax and causing my weapon to glow an incandescent red.
Bartas' eyes widened in a mix of fear and realization as my magic coursed through his body. Smoke rose from the pierced area of his chest as red energy covered his form, electrocuting him.
"AAAHHH!" Bartas screamed in agony, his body spasming as foam came out of his mouth and his blood boiled.
Effortlessly, Bartas pointed his metallic arm toward me, firing magic beams successively and covering the sky in explosions.
I maneuvered away from the attacks while maintaining our fall, aiming Bartas against the ground, but I received a clear shot to my right wing, sending us spiraling toward the ground.
"AAAHHH, you bastard!" I screamed in pain as I tried to stabilize myself, but it was impossible, the world spun around me as the pain clouded my thoughts.
I stopped spinning aimlessly when something collided with me, I did not have to guess who it was, as I saw a familiar metallic fist approaching my face.
"Bastard?!? Is that any way to talk to your friend?!?" Bartas laughed sadistically, throwing punch after punch.
I put my arm in front of my face to protect myself from the blows, but that did not do much as Bartas alternated between hitting me in the stomach, chest, and head.
"You're right, where are my manners?!? Please accept my apologies!" I responded in fury.
I waited for him to try to hit my face again and swung my arm to the side, parrying his punch. Therefore, I grabbed him by the shoulder and head-butted him right away.
CRACK!
Bartas' nose broke with a sickening crack and a gush of blood. Then I went on the offensive, accumulating magic in the tip of each finger on my left hand, closing my fist, and delivering a magically charged punch to Bartas's face.
What started as an elaborate plan turned into a fistfight in the middle of the sky. Our strikes echoed like thunder as shockwaves pushed the air violently.
We entered a cloud and the world disappeared. There was no sunlight, up, down, left, or right, even the noise of the air and our blows muffled in the gray void we found ourselves in.
The water droplets covered our bodies, washing away the spilled blood in a quick, freezing shower as we fought in free fall.
Finally, we broke through the cloud. It was as if someone had flipped a switch, the sunlight became blinding for a moment, the noise returned deafeningly, and I had a clear view of the Cathedral City approaching.
"Well, we are approaching our destination! I can survive the fall, but what about you?" Bartas mocked, pointing his metallic hand at my face and firing a magic beam.
I tilted my head to the side, dodging the shot but holding back a pained cry as the beam grazed the side of the face.
Enough, I wasted too much time on this! I turned into darkness, escaping Bartas' grip, but soon returned to physical form, piercing Bartas in the left shoulder with my ax while holding him beneath me.
I punched his face repeatedly from side to side with my magically charged fist, alternating between the knuckles and the back of my hand, and then struck head-butt after head-butt, my head moving like a piston.
I then placed my index and middle fingers in a V position while accumulating magic at the tip of each finger, thrusting them into Bartas' eyes right after.
"Not agai… AAAHHH!" Bartas screamed as his head swelled. Light coming out of your eye sockets, nostrils, ears, and mouth.
Then…
BOOM!
Bartas' head exploded in a shower of blood, flesh, and bones. I mentally smiled when I saw Bartas' body slowly regenerating, similar to our previous fight.
"AAAHHH!"
Soon came face to face with a half-regenerated, partially flesh-covered skull screaming into my face.
"Shut the fuck up!" I shouted in the same tone, firing another projectile at Bartas' face, flapping my injured wings, and increasing our falling speed.
Cathedral City was just below and I had a target in mind. I channeled magic into my ax again, electrocuting Bartas and affecting his regeneration as light enveloped us, turning us into a red meteor.
With a war cry from the top of my lungs, I impacted Bartas's back against the terrace of a skyscraper. The concrete and steel construction gave way with a deafening crack.
We crossed floor after floor, destroying everything in our path as the building gave away, glass rained down on my back, and dust clouds blocked my view.
We passed offices, meeting rooms, bathrooms, and much more, I glimpsed Bartas' body tearing apart on each floor we crossed, but the destruction around us was so great that I could no longer see what happened.
I heard the noises around us as we descended until we stopped abruptly and everything went dark.
-XXXXXX-
Caerula alternated her gaze repeatedly between the five children in front of her and the trail of destruction left up the stairs by Alan and Bartas. She clenched her teeth tightly, growling in anger as she frowned in frustration.
Sweat ran down her face as her breathing quickened. Then Caerula lost herself in fury.
"KILL THEM ALL, KILL THESE BRATS, AND KILL THAT ACURSED ANGEL AND BARTAS! THAT DAMN TRAITOR! DO NOT LET ANYONE LEAVE ALIVE! ANYONE WHO REFUSES WILL BE EXECUTED!" Caerula screamed madly, crushing her fan in her hand.
Shaxor and Gray walked away from Caerula, surprised and frightened by the outburst of the one who had always been the calmest and most reasonable of all the Lords.
The few soldiers and mages who survived all the chaos that occurred in that small chamber did not move but exchanged hesitant glances with each other.
They had a taste of what these children could do; however, the Lords embedded fear in their souls. Finally, the soldiers made their choice.
The spearmen advanced with a war cry, accompanied by the knights, while the mages and archers prepared their respective projectiles.
"Here they come! Sisters, are you ready?" One asked her sisters as she got into a fighting stance.
"Yes, Sister One!" The remaining girls responded in harmony.
"Then come with me! Today we will defeat the Lords and save Midgard!" One exclaimed, running towards her adversaries with her sisters following her.
The first spearmen thrust their spears downward, trying to pierce the red-eyed girl, but One jumped over the weapons, allowing them to hit the ground, and delivered a spinning kick to the head of one of the spearmen, sending him flying.
The remaining spearmen received a punch to the chin and a kick to the stomach, courtesy of Three and Two. The girls' superhuman strength dented the soldiers' armor and sent them crashing to the ground, spitting blood and groaning in pain.
The mages and archers on the stairs fired their arrows and spells towards the approaching girls.
Five and Four sang simultaneously, creating magic firing disks and intercepting the spells in the air, and green barriers, blocking the arrow rain harmlessly.
However, imperceptible to the girls, the Mercury Gate cracked as soon as they sang. Stone fragments fell to the ground as cracks expanded and destroyed the words written on the gate.
Two knights raised their swords and swung them down towards One, intending to cut the girl in two, but One moved faster, tripping the first knight, knocking him to the ground, and stepping to the side soon after, avoiding the second blow.
Three and Two rushed past their red-eyed sister, punching the standing guard in the stomach as Three sang, summoning her threads and wrapping them around the remaining knights, squeezing their necks until they lost consciousness.
The Mercury Gate cracked again and a black liquid oozed out of the cracks, slowly sliding down the gate and onto the ground.
The mages and archers exchanged attacks against Five and Four, but the arrows proved incapable of piercing the barriers and Five's shots overcame the mages' spells, hitting their casters and reducing them to ashes.
Caerula, Shaxor, and Gray exchanged a worried look. Their men were unable to defeat the girls and there was no way to escape, as the girls would catch up to them soon, so one option remained.
"Keep them busy!" Caerula said to Shaxor and Gray, stepping back and raising both hands as she muttered words in a strange language.
An unearthly wind blew around Caerula, a sigil appeared at her feet as two magical circles filled with symbols rotated around her, the smaller circle clockwise and the larger counterclockwise.
Gray raised his hand, casting a spell and creating a sigil in the air. Then, he slammed his hand against the ground, sending a wave of stone spikes towards the girls.
Two charged past her sisters while singing, creating a magic hand in the air before punching the spike wall, destroying them with a bang followed by a shower of boulders.
The gate cracked once again and the liquid flow intensified.
One and Three jumped through the dust cloud left by the attack and dove toward Gray. The Lord blocked the girls' kicks with the handle of his spear, letting out a pained cry as his arms screamed in protest.
Gray thrust his spear at the girls, knocking them back and swinging his weapon above, his head right after. The Lord pressed the button on the spear shaft and the dark orb rotated.
One and Three knew exactly what would happen. Three acted first, jumping back and out of range of the oncoming blast, but One was too close to the Lord to escape unharmed.
Then Three sang. Summoning her threads and pulling One to her side before Gray's spear hit the ground.
BOOM!
A huge explosion followed by a smoke cloud covered the place where the girls stood previously.
A large piece of the Mercury Gate broke loose and fell towards the ground, revealing a large, completely white, and empty eye watching the battle taking place in front of it.
Something glowed behind the smoke cloud before several bright shots shot across the chamber and closed the distance to the girls.
Four stepped forward, singing, summoning another magical barrier and blocking the shots. Simultaneously, Five sang again, summoning more disks and shooting at Shaxor who faced them with outstretched arms.
More pieces of the Mercury Gate fell toward the ground, revealing a second empty eye and a hand that slowly crawled out of the hole as the black liquid poured out like a waterfall.
Shaxor crossed his arms in front of his face, creating a light barrier and blocking the shots. Then, he opened his arms, turning the barrier into projectiles and sending them towards the sisters.
Four ran towards the projectiles, using her barrier as a shield as her sisters followed close behind. The shots rippled as they collided with the barrier, cracking it.
The barrier shattered like glass and the sisters jumped out of the way of the projectiles. Fortunately, their advance brought them within melee range.
Shaxor created a light blade in each hand and rushed to his father's side. Gray twirled his spear in his hands, preparing to fight the approaching sisters.
Four and Two ran towards Gray while Three and Five focused on Shaxor.
One, on the other hand, advanced towards Caerula, but a magical barrier appeared around the Lord, blocking her attacks. Then the girl intensified her efforts and delivered blow after blow to the barrier while Caerula laughed in amusement.
Gray tried to pierce Four with his spear, but the brown-haired girl deftly jumped out of the way, allowing Two to leap towards the Lord with her fist outstretched.
Gray growled in anger, swinging his spear around and hitting Two with the hilt of his weapon, sending her rolling away and enveloping her in a stone dome with a wave of his hand.
However, Four continued attacking the Lord, applying pressure while quickly throwing punches and kicks. Gray blocked and dodged the blows as much as he could, sweat running down his face as pain coursed through his flesh with each attack that hit him.
The Lord raised a stone wall in front of him and sent it towards Four, throwing the girl back and giving him time to breathe, but his relief disappeared as Two destroyed the stone dome that trapped her with a powerful punch.
Then the two Sisters and the Lord of the Land of Mountains returned to combat.
Shaxor swung his left blade towards Three, intending to decapitate her, but the purple-haired girl threw herself to the ground, dodging the blow as the blade boiled the air above her head.
Five ran towards Shaxor while delivering a spinning kick, but stopped her attack and reoriented herself in the air to avoid the blade aimed at her face. Five landed in a crouch as a blood trickled down her left cheek.
Meanwhile, Three returned to the offensive, trying to trip Shaxor, but the young Lord jumped over her leg and tried to pierce her with one of his blades as he fell.
Three rolled to the side, dodging the luminous blade that left a trail of molten stone on the ground. The sisters and the Lord took up their fighting stances again but stopped as mad laughter echoed through the chamber.
"HAHAHA! IT IS READY! IT IS READY!" Caerula laughed as magic flowed wildly around her. Strangely, her form diminished and her voice became more cracked as the spell continued.
The magical circles around Caerula rotated until they became red blurs, magical symbols floated in the air as red lightning trailed across the floor and walls.
The unearthly wind intensified, small rocks floated away, and Caerula's shadow grew and expanded on the ground behind her.
Then, a figure stepped out of that shadow, a gigantic being nearly seven meters tall. The being lay down while holding a colossal silver sword to its chest with both hands.
He wore full silver armor adorned with black and red fabrics, but no helmet, giving vision to his head shrouded in darkness, with a pair of glowing red eyes staring at the surroundings, and the crown of horns atop his head.
The being slowly stood up without using its hands, similar to a puppet pulled by strings and rose to its full height on the metal heels that replaced its feet.
The battle in the chamber stopped and the Lords and Sisters faced the new creature that had joined the fight, the Lords with relief and newly restored confidence and the Sisters with fear and doubt.
"IT'S TIME TO KILL THESE BRATS! TITAN, SEND THEM TO HELL!" Caerula ordered, pointing to the children in front of her.
However, there was something wrong with Caerula; all her beauty had disappeared, revealing a short, wrinkled, and pointy-nosed old woman in place of the young and beautiful woman from before.
The Titan acted without saying a single word and charged toward the Sisters, his thunderous steps shaking the chamber as the noise echoed off the walls.
The Sisters gathered in the center of the chamber, staring at the gigantic being with hesitation. The sisters prepared to sing, but One interrupted them, using her power of the song and activating her Intoner Mode.
Three things happened as One sang, the Titan raised his sword with both hands, bringing it down towards the girls, and Gabriela broke through the ceiling of the chamber, creating a large hole followed by a rain of rubble.
Finally, the Mercury Gate opened, collapsing and spreading dark mud across the ground.
Everyone present in the chamber immediately stopped as an unearthly dread gripped their souls. Slowly, everyone turned towards the gate only to see absolute darkness staring back at them.
Then something appeared in that darkness, a pair of completely white and empty eyes followed by a large mouth set in a distorted smile. As if this sight was not disturbing enough, several hands appeared around this face, opening and closing in search of something.
"BRATS, LETS GET OUT OF HERE NOW!" Gabriela shouted from the edge of the hole in the chamber's ceiling.
However, the girls didn't move, they shook with fear, their eyes wide and their mouths opening and closing as they stared at the approaching thing crawling out of the gate like living mud.
"GIRLS, GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Gabriela screamed again, gathering flames in her mouth, but there was no response.
The thing's hands reached towards the sisters at a blinding speed, it broke the girls out of their stupor, but they were slow to react, except for One who was in her Intoner Mode.
Hands grabbed Five, Four, Three, and Two, the sisters screamed for help as they struggled and slowly sank into the creature's body.
One recoiled in fright upon hearing her sister's screams, tears streaming down her face as she watched the cruel fate that befell them.
"ONE, GET OUT OF THE WAY NOW!" Gabriela screamed.
"BUT WHAT ABOUT MY SISTERS?!?" One replied desperately.
"THEN YOU BETTER ACT NOW! GO SAVE YOUR SISTERS! I WILL NOT ALLOW THIS THING TO WANDER THE WORLD, AND THEY ARE IN THE WAY!"
One nodded upon hearing Gabriela's words. Clenching her fists tightly, the red-eyed girl advanced toward the creature.
"Let's get out of here, these brats are dead!" Caerula exclaimed, walking up the stairs with the Titan following her.
"But what about the Mercury Gate?" Gray asked.
"Hump! The stories were nothing more than lies! I will return to my land and sail away from Midgard; I will not stay here to see the hell that will happen. I recommend that you both do the same!" Caerula spoke to Shaxor and Gray.
The two Lords stared at each other for a second before following Caerula with hurried steps, leaving the Sisters and the dragon to their fates.
One ran towards the creature in front of her. The mud focused its gaze on the approaching girl and extended its remaining hands to absorb her as well.
One nimbly dodged the limbs, becoming a blur as she jumped and slid away from the attacks.
Then, the girl climbed onto a piece of rubble and leaped towards one of her sisters, planting her feet on the being before grabbing the human arm hanging off the creature and pulling it with all her strength.
One and her sister fell to the ground with a thud as pieces of the being fell around them and crawled back into the mass of darkness in front of them.
"Sister One, are you okay?" A strange, feminine voice spoke worriedly.
One quickly stood up, rubbing her aching head in confusion, but her eyes widened when she saw the person staring at her, a young woman with long purple hair, a number III on her forehead, and wearing clothes too small for her body.
"THREE?!?" One shouted in a mix of confusion and surprise.
However, the sisters had to act quickly; this was not the time for distractions, as the creature advanced towards them. Three grabbed her small sister by the armpits and held her as she ran away from the being at an absurd speed.
"Three, what happened to you?!?" One asked mid-race.
"I don't know and it irritates me! I hate not knowing about something!" Three exclaimed irritably, planting her feet on the ground and turning towards the creature.
Three placed her sister on the ground beside her and sang, creating a series of threads and wrapping them around her remaining sisters' arms and legs, and then the girl grabbed the handful of threads with both hands and pulled them, removing her sisters from the creature body.
They also found themselves in the same situation as Three. Five, Four, and Two grew and aged until they had the appearance of young adults between nineteen and twenty years old.
The sisters stared at each other in surprise and confusion, pointing from one to the other while hurling insults and asking incessant questions.
"Sisters, this is not the time to argue, we need to get out of here!" One shouted, stomping the ground.
Despite her diminutive appearance, One was still the leader figure of the group; the sisters stopped their discussion and nodded with determination, preparing to leave.
Nevertheless, the being was not finished, as it still missed a sister. The creature punched the floor with one of its hands, opening a hole in the marble. Suddenly, the hand shot out of the ground at One's feet, closing its fingers around the girl.
"One!" The remaining sisters cried out in surprise, ready to help their sister.
However, that was not necessary as Gabriela could finally attack now that her friends were not in the way.
The purple dragon took a deep breath, an orange glow forming in her chest before she spat a sea of scorching flames toward the creature.
"SSSCCCRRREEEHHH!" The creature screeched in pain, freeing One as its smile disappeared and it retreated into the Mercury Gate in fear.
"What are you doing there, standing still?!? Take your sister and we'll get out of here!" Gabriela screamed, leaping into the chamber as she kept up her attack on the creature.
The Sisters nodded and helped One to her feet. Surprisingly, One has aged as well, becoming taller, with a mature appearance and long blonde hair. The group of girls left their questions for later and ran towards Gabriela, climbing onto her back before the dragon flew out of the chamber.
The sisters watched high in the sky as the courtyard where the small church stood cracked and shook, with pieces of stone flying into the air. Simultaneously, a red light flashed across the sky, attacking the corners of the eyes of everyone present.
Gabriela and her sisters turned to the source of the light and saw a red meteor breaking through the clouds and colliding with a skyscraper, crossing all the floors until it hit the ground and collapsing the building.
A massive earthquake shook the entire Cathedral City, and ruined buildings collapsed. Its steel beams creaked as the glass shattered and fell like rain, the deafening booms of the great buildings collapsing echoed throughout the city.
Suddenly, and in a violent movement, a gigantic cathedral broke through the floor of the courtyard, opening a great fissure in the earth as the colossal and glorious construction rose in all its form.
Gabriela maneuvered sharply in the air, dodging the rocks that flew toward her like cannonballs and making the sisters on her back scream in surprise.
The rocks fell across the city like meteors, further destroying the remaining ruins in a confusing cacophony, leaving dozens of craters behind. Then the noise subsided. The crumbling buildings and Gabriela's flapping wings became the only audible sounds.
A huge dust cloud surrounded the cathedral, obstructing their view, but Gabriela, the sisters cried in wonder as the dust settled, and the grand ancient building revealed itself.
It was a majestic white stone cathedral, surrounded by small lakes and large obelisks stretching towards the sky.
A long section adorned with stained glass windows made up the front part of the cathedral, giving way to a second circular section, also covered in stained glass and with a tall tower separating the two areas.
Gabriela landed in the courtyard in front of the cathedral, near the staircase that led to the Mercury Gate and bent down, allowing the sisters to descend.
"So this is the real cathedral. It is beautiful." One spoke, admiring the artwork in front of her.
"Hump! I've seen better!" Gabriela grumbled, making the sisters laugh.
"All the knowledge in the world is stored in this place; I wonder if I will find the answers I seek." One watched the cathedral with a twinkle in her eye as the wind blew her long hair.
-XXXXXX-
A group of people did not share One's hopeful attitude.
Gray, Shaxor, Caerula, and the Titan stood on the grand staircase of the Mercury Gate. The Lords looked surprised and frightened by the terrifying earthquake that had recently occurred. They remained silent, waiting for the next calamity, but nothing happened.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!?" Gray shouted, breaking the silence.
"I…" Caerula murmured, but soon fell silent.
All the torches on the walls went out simultaneously, and a primal fear gripped all the Lords. Sweat poured down their faces as they shook like a leaf in the wind.
The Lords used all their strength to look back and they only saw darkness staring back at them, darkness so pure that it was impossible to see the path they walked previously.
Then, two eyes and a mouth appeared in that darkness. The Titan raised his sword, ready to protect his masters, meanwhile, the Lords screamed as dark hands advanced towards them.
-XXXXXX-
"Holy shit, I'm still alive?!?" I shouted to myself as I scanned my surroundings, but I could not see anything as darkness surrounded me.
I accumulated magic in each fingertip and concentrated, intensifying the yellow glow of the lines on my body. The combined light from my actions illuminated my surroundings, revealing only rubble around me.
I screamed when I felt a strong pain in my chest, I think I broke some ribs, and I had a little space to move. If I act carefully, I will get out of here without problems. Suddenly, everything shook.
Know what? Fuck it! I do not have time to change form and crawl out of here!
I fired the magic in my fingers upwards, creating a large magic explosion and blowing a hole in the rubble. Therefore, I climbed into the hole, firing more projectiles and creating an exit as everything collapsed around me.
I saw light shining from some cracks above me, I intensified my efforts and broke through the rubble while screaming in the effort, taking deep breaths and filling my lungs with air.
Jumping out of the hole, I watched as it closed behind me until the tremors stopped. Then I focused on my surroundings, I found myself in a somewhat circular chamber.
The building remains surrounded me, with an uneven floor filled with water puddles, walls composed of destroyed concrete and bent steel beams, and a roof consisting of the outside of the building, with its windows facing the ground and electrical wires hanging like vines.
I scratched my head in confusion. Where is Bartas? Did he finally die? I will only know for sure when I see the corpse. I looked at my reflection in one of the puddles and cringed at how horrible I looked.
My hair was a tangled, bloody mess; my face was red and covered in blood, similar to the rest of my body covered in dirt, cuts, and bruises. I spat some blood to the side and watched my teeth stained red, as if that was not enough, my right eye was in the process of swelling.
I held my ax in both hands when I heard footsteps approaching behind me. Turning quickly, I saw Bartas jumping off a large piece of rubble and falling toward me. I turned into darkness, dodging the kick aimed at my head, and returned to physical form as Bartas passed me.
Bartas spun his body, trying to backhand me with his human hand, but I channeled magic into my ax and struck, cutting his arm off. Bartas did not seemed bothered as his arm flew away and landed in a puddle, staining it red.
Then he channeled magic into his remaining arm and tried to punch me in the stomach, but I turned into darkness again, easily dodging the attack. Bartas redirected his attack towards the ground, opening a crater as rubble flew everywhere and magic flowed across the ground.
I returned to my physical form and flapped my wings, taking flight and dodging the magical waves, and then I pointed my left hand at Bartas and fired a hail of projectiles, forcing Bartas to jump back, dodging the explosions.
We both landed in opposite directions of the chamber, breathing heavily after so much fighting.
"How the hell are you still alive?!?" I asked, pointing my ax at my opponent.
"HAHAHA! I could ask the same! You're a tough guy, aren't you?" Bartas laughed, pointing the stump of his arm toward me.
Bartas smiled smugly, waiting for something, but his confidence turned to confusion when nothing happened. Bartas raised his severed arm in front of his face and concentrated, but a jet of blood gushed from his arm instead of the steam we both expected.
"AAAHHH! FUCK, SHIT!" Bartas fell to his knees, screaming in pain as blood flowed from his wound.
A smile formed on my face when I realized what happened, he did not regenerate. Holy shit, he did not regenerate! My heart sped up as relief and joy pounded in my chest. Finally, this is almost over!
"YOU BASTARD, YOU DID IT! YOU REALY DID IT! THIS IS THE BEST FIGHT OF MY LIFE; NOBODY HAS EVER MADE ME REACH THIS POINT!" Bartas screamed in a mixture of pain and joy.
"Well, I'm honored that I am the first, but I think it's time for you to rest. Lower your head, a proper decapitation doesn't hurt a bit." I responded, approaching while raising my axe.
"HONORED? YES, YOU SHOULD FEEL HONORED, SINCE YOU ARE THE FIRST PERSON WHO WILL SEE THE APEX OF MY POWER!" Bartas screamed again and a light shone in his chest.
I flapped my wings, moved away from Bartas, and watched as his chest plate opened, revealing a technologically advanced orb, too advanced for Midgard. The orb quickly rotated, becoming a blur as it generated a strong light.
Bartas stood up as he screamed at the top of his lungs, the light coming out of his chest intensified, a violent gale blew around him, and the entire chamber shook as rubble floated and flew away.
The orb spinning in his chest let out a high-pitched buzzing sound as the light became impossible to observe, I had to put my hand in front of my face to protect my eyes.
"WITNESS! WITNESS WHILE I BURN! MAGIC RUNS THROUGH MY BODY, MY BLOOD BOILS, MY FLESH TURNS TO ASH, BUT I SHINE LIKE THE BRIGHTEST OF STARS! ALAN, MY ADVERSARY, MY ENEMY, MY FRIEND, I CAN ONLY THANK YOU, BECAUSE I HAVE FINALLY REACHED MY END, MAY THESE LAST MOMENTS ENTER THE HISTORY BOOKS!"
The light turned into a huge flash, I felt my body burn as the entire chamber became a luminous white void.
My God! Do not tell me that what I fought previously was not even its final form! I erased those thoughts from my mind as the light dimmed and the thing in front of me charged.
-XXXXXX-
The excited expression of the sisters and the dragon disappeared when the sound of footsteps came from the stairs leading toward the Mercury Gate. The ground shook as the form of the Titan walked out of the passage, but there was something different.
His previously silver armor was now pure gold, the pieces of fabric hanging from his body were an immaculate white, and a metallic mask representing the fused face of an adult, a woman, and a child replaced the darkness of the Titan's head.
The Titan's metallic heels touched the courtyard in front of the cathedral and a bed of white flowers appeared at his feet. This bed expanded until it covered the entire courtyard, forming a field of beautiful flowers.
Bubbles appeared in flashes of light, floating and creating colorful spots as sunlight passed through them. Then the bubbles would burst and more would appear soon after.
The dark clouds in the sky dissipated and the sun shone its calming light on the Cathedral City as a pleasant breeze blew and shook the flowers, carrying the pollen through the air.
Gabriela and the sisters watched these impressive events with a mixture of fear and admiration; it was a divine and perfect sight, too perfect indeed.
"Greetings." The Titan spoke with sickly sweetness, his voice a mixture of a man, a woman, and a child.
"Wh-what are you?" One stuttered, disconcerted by the sight.
"Hm… This is a difficult question, as I am many things. To some, I am a devil, to others, I am an angel, but to you... Well, you can call me Mother." The Titan spoke lovingly.
"Mother? This is just nonsense! Who are you?" One demanded.
"That's right, we would remember if we had something weird like you as a mother!" Two exclaimed.
"Hm… A false angel, a false devil, a truly cruel being, his divine mask hides his inner rot. I suggest immediate elimination!" Three spoke cryptically.
"We don't know who you are, but you don't bring good news. I think you better get out of here before we finish you off!" Four spoke.
"Hump! My sisters are right, and besides, I'm too pretty to be the daughter of something like you!" Five finished.
"You heard the girls, why don't you stay still while I turn you to ash, you ugly thing?" Gabriela asked, gathering flames in her mouth.
"Poor children, a fragment of myself gave you all the gift of life, but you forgot your objective. Do not worry; your beloved Mother will make sure you remember it." Mother spoke, as she raised her sword.
"Really, what goal is that?" One asked.
"HAHAHA! My little One, we will cause the end of the world, what else would it be?" Mother replied.
Then, the tolling of bells echoed throughout the Cathedral City.
END OF CHAPTER