Chapter 20
After Lilith leaves to gather her Knights, all I can think about is how embarrassingly weak I was compared to Evander. The fucking Archangels I fought weren’t even that strong. Pacing across the room, I’m getting more and more pissed off thinking about it. Fuck it, something is going to die.
Kicking the door open, I work my way towards Hell’s gate. Before I get there Lilith stops me.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“I’m not going to follow that fucking piece of shit’s orders. I’m going to kill this fucker myself after I absorb more souls, stronger souls,” I reply back, pushing past her.
“And exactly whose soul is going to give you that much power? Michael, Gabriel or maybe Lord Lucifer will give you his?” she coos in a condescending tone.
Stopping in my tracks, turning around, I rush her, grabbing her by the throat and slam her to the wall. “What if I start with yours?” I snap.
A sinister grin creeps across her face. “Maybe you should look around, you are outnumbered, my pet,” she snickers. Looking over my shoulder I see her Knights quickly surround me, weapons drawn, poised to attack without hesitation.
As soon as I release her they lower their weapons.
“Get the fuck out of my way,” I bark, pushing my way through them. I’ll fucking show you how strong I am.
Passing into Purgatory, the stench of decay is ripening the air. Looking across the battle torn field to Heaven’s gate, I see five angels posted. That would be a nice little boost, let’s go have some fun.
Using the black mountain as cover, I shift and take flight. Gaining as much speed as I can, I climb towards the sun. Once I feel I’m high enough I fly over the field and once I’m in position I descend upon my prey.
With the sun as my cover I impact the ground in the middle of the five angels, sending them falling face down in the dirt.
Without hesitation, I drive my claws into the middle of one of their backs and rip him in half.
Sending his legs hurling towards the others, I bury my right hand into his opened torso too, feeling around.
Finding his heart I dig my claws in and begin siphoning his soul.
As I absorb it my wings flare out and pulsate a blood red, which fades once his soul is mine. Looking around, the other four get to their feet and draw their swords. Though their attacks are coordinated and precise it means nothing against me.
As I deflect their attacks, I boast, “You really think you can stand against me?” I laugh at all of them. Dodging their attacks, I jump into the air, then dive and smash into one, separating him from the others.
As soon as he hits the ground I’m on top of him and I thrust my head down, clamping onto his throat and ripping it out. Then I take my claws and drive them through the gaping wound into his chest, claiming his soul. As I pulse with power, two of the remaining angels rush me.
As they swing at me, I use the corpse to deflect their attacks. Finding it funny as they hesitate to attack.
“What, not willing to harm one of your own? Fine then.” I chuckle, ripping my gore-covered arm free, throwing the remains aside.
Anger washes over their faces as their attacks go from coordinated to savage. With this, I swipe at one of their blades, shattering it and I kick the other one in the chest, sending him falling backward to the ground.
Distracted by his disbelief, I slash at his arms, shredding them to ribbons. This allows me to drive both of my claws into the center of his chest, through his ribcage. I rip open his ribs exposing all of his organs.
He falls to his knees as I slowly grasp his heart in my right hand, feeling it beat. I dig my claws in enough to remove his soul.
With the third one shrunken and withered in front of me, I look around to see where the last two are at. The one I kicked reaches me just as I see the last one running through the portal to Heaven.
Son of a bitch, one got away. I guess four will have to do.
As the last angel slashes at me hopelessly I decide to use my speed.
I vanish and appear behind him. With a single swipe I sever both of his wings and spine.
As he writhes on the ground screaming in pain I repeatedly dig and slash and bite at him, until he is just a bloody pile of torn flesh and shattered bone, barely alive, before claiming my final soul.
“You fucking useless cur,” someone hoarsely shouts. Looking around I don’t see anyone, but I can smell them. The scent of a man, toad and cat all together.
“Bael, show yourself, NOW!” I snap.
“Who do you think you are, presuming you can order me about,” he says as I hear the voice circle around me. Honing in on the scent, I lunge and slash at it.
“That was a close one. I thought you were better than this.” He laughs at me.
About ten feet in front of me appears a tall, muscular, devilishly handsome man. With pure white horns, wearing a cloak that has a large cat head on the right and toad head on the left shoulder. He has a pompous aura about him.
“At least I don’t have to rely on cheap tricks to fight, you fucking coward,” I retort slightly crouching, my wings poised preparing to attack, as blood still drips from my jaw.
“RATHOR!!” is suddenly screamed long and drawn out, turning into a bellowing roar. It breaks my focus from Bael. Looking back I see Evander storming toward me with his entire division following him like a pack.
“This is why I came here. Get out of my way,” Bael snaps before he vanishes.
EVANDER
Since my training with Michael has halted because he has to deal with Gabriel, I’ve decided to rejoin my friends at the training grounds and help them all get stronger. We trained for a few weeks together with all of them getting a lot more powerful than they were before.
One day as I’m training with Achilles, we are trading blows when I suddenly stop and he catches on. “What is it, Evander?” he asks.
“Can you smell that?” I respond, then take off in the direction of the scent. It smells like fear. The closer I get to the infirmary the stronger it gets. I see an angel running madly down the hallway. He crashes into me and I grab him.
“What happened?” I ask. But all he does is stutter and mumble, obviously in shock.
“Hey… HEY!” I snap and slap him. “Get yourself together, what happened?”
“Rath… Rrraaat…” he stutters. I give him a shake. “Rathor killed everyone,” he says, pointing down the hallway towards the portal.
I look in the direction of the portal. “Let’s fucking rip him apparttt,” Fenrir yells.
“I couldn’t agree with you more,” I reply.
Just then everyone else shows up. “What’s going on, Evander?” Achilles asks.
Huffing through gritted teeth, I reply, “Rathor,” clenching my fists. As I walk toward the portal, I lose control and shift.
Frida puts her hand on my shoulder. “Relax, don’t lose control, we will kill him together,” she says in a calm soothing voice. Looking back, I see the whole division is with them.
“Let’s put an end to this once and for all,” I yell as my divinity envelops me and the others shift.
Passing through the portal all I see is Rathor standing with his back to us and uncontrollably I yell out, “RATHOR,” and it turns into a deafening roar.
We all start running towards him. We close about half of the distance and I notice something isn’t right. He hasn’t moved an inch, he is just standing there with a smirk. Then I feel the presence of someone else.
I stop suddenly which causes everyone else to halt. “He isn’t alone,” I shout, and just as the words escape my mouth something slams into me, sending me crashing to the ground.
What the fuck was that.
Getting up I see the confusion on everyone’s face as the same thing begins to happen to them.
Then I feel a sense of unease, but this time I brace for it and as I’m struck again, I hold my ground and slash where the strike came from, connecting with something.
“How dare you lay a finger on me, you insignificant mutt,” a voice shouts.
Then as if he materialized from nothing, a demon is standing in front of me, glancing at his bleeding arm.
He looks back at me. “Let me introduce myself. I am Bael. The one who will be ending your life,” he says in an arrogant tone.
“I don’t care who you are, but this is your only warning, get out of my way or die,” I snap back.
He begins to laugh and vanishes once more. “Let’s see if you can back that up.” He continues to laugh as he circles me.
Everyone else regroups at me. “We can’t fight him off unseen. Use his scent to track him,” Achilles commands.
With that we all engage Bael. Achilles lunges forward slashing at what looks like nothing, but his scent gives him away. Just as Achilles lands a blow, he gets struck in the head hard and smashes to the ground.
Getting some distance, Bael reappears with a giant demonic hammer. I check on Achilles. He is struggling to get back up.
“It looks like he couldn’t handle even a single strike from me. I doubt you will do any better,” Bael snickers.
Before he can disappear again, Frida, Perseus, and Lucius attack him with a well coordinated assault. Driving him back, but unsuccessfully landing a single attack.
“PATHETIC!” he shouts as he smashes all of them with three consecutive swings, like he was toying with them.
Lunging at him he vanishes and my swipe hits nothing but air. “Ha-ha-ha I thought you would be better than this,” he laughs.
“Stop relying on sight,” Fenrir shouts. “Smell him, scent his blood, his aura, and attack the center of it.”
Okay let’s try something.
Closing my eyes I sharpen my other senses and I can not only smell him, but hear him as I can hear the air moving around the head of his hammer as it is swinging toward me.
Ducking, turning and punching at the middle of the scent, I connect with his stomach, instantly making him visible and throwing him back about ten feet.
“That’s impossible,” he coughs.