Chapter 20 #2
“So that’s it, you’re just a one trick pony, you use invisibility to hide the fact that you’re just weak and pathetic,” I reply, striking a nerve.
“I’ll show you how weak I am,” he shouts, running at me. But in his anger he forgets to use his only advantage, and I dodge every attack with ease.
I watch as he becomes more and more desperate, as he wildly swings his hammer. Then he arches it at me and I grab it, slightly moving it aside, looking into his eyes.
“That will never cease to be funny, a demon that reeks of fear,” I laugh.
“Now it’s my turn,” I bark, viciously attacking him slash after slash, shredding his flesh.
As I continue, his screams ring out through Purgatory as the rest of the division joins me and we tear into him like a pack of wolves.
Ripping, biting, tearing and dismembering, until there is only a scattered mess of limbs and gore covering the ground.
Looking for Rathor I see he has almost made it back to Hell’s gate, but just as he reaches it he stops and turns around.
Like a flood, hordes of demons begin to pour from it. As Purgatory is quickly filled with demons, multiple roars and cries are heard from Hell. Then they appear, three Knights of Hell riding atop different Hell Beasts.
One is riding a Cerberus, another is astride a Leviathan, while the last one appears to have a gigantic five-headed water-like serpent that begins to spew fire from its middle head.
“That’s a fucking Hydra,” Perseus shouts with a quiver in his voice.
Then she appears. Lilith erupts from the gate, taking to the sky with an enormous smoldering, dragon-like creature. Instead of thick scales it seems to be covered in actual armor and the talons on its wings are equipped with long sinister looking blades.
“And that’s a Hellfire Drake,” Achilles says with a hint of concern in his voice.
“Listen to me, nobody engages Lilith or Rathor, leave them to me. All four of you work together to take out the Hell Beasts one at a time. Do not go at it alone,” I command. Looking back at them. “We can do this if we work together,” I confidently say, flaring my wings and taking flight.
Speeding toward Lilith I can hear the four of them devastating the horde as they carve through them.
Blazing fast I reach Lilith and smash the Drake in the head with my fist, hurling it towards the other Knights.
It recovers and shoots a stream of what looks like lava towards me.
As I dodge, flying around it, the Drake begins to follow me with it, causing the demons below us to melt and burst into flames upon contact.
“We came prepared this time. Evander, you and your mongrels won’t make it out of this alive,” Lilith laughs at me.
“You will be the one that dies here, Lilith,” I bark back.
Diving fast and hard toward the dragon, I hit its lower jaw so hard that I dislocate it. Flying around its neck I dig my claws in and inject my divinity into it as I push toward Lilith. Reaching her, she draws her dagger and slashes at me as we tumble from the sky.
The wound on the Drake’s neck begins to disintegrate as its head falls, separating from its body that we are still fighting on.
Grabbing the dagger as she swings it at me, I pull it free from her hand. “Let’s see how well you survive this,” I shout, driving the dagger through her leg into the body of the dragon, pinning her to it.
Then I push off it hard which spins the dragon back down and her screams are immediately snuffed out by the sound of the beast’s body crashing to the ground with a horrendous thud.
Looking around I see everyone is engaged with the Cerberus and they are just about to finish it off when the rider and Leviathan attack them, separating Perseus and Lucius from the other two.
Shit, that’s not good.
Rushing in to help, I’m blocked by the Knight with the Hydra. “Where do you think you’re going?” he snickers as the Hydra breathes fire at me. Plummeting towards them, I hear Lucius yell out as the Leviathan grabs a hold of him, trying to crush him.
“Hold on,” I shout, my will to protect surging through me. With a single swipe I remove two of the heads and pass the Hydra. Reaching the Leviathan, I drive my claws into its chest as it bellows out in pain. I expel my divinity into its heart and it drops dead almost instantly.
A quake is felt through all of Purgatory as a menacing looking demon steps through the gate. Achilles shouts, “That’s Beelzebub we can’t win this now.”
Watch me.
Bolting toward him as fast as I can, I turn every demon that gets in my way into dust. As I reach him and attempt a strike he back hands me with such force that it almost felt like Michael.
As I smash into the obsidian mountain, Lucius and Perseus attack the Hydra. Pulling myself together I get back up.
“Who are you to presume you can even look upon me,” Beelzebub demands.
“You know exactly who I am,” I reply, as that feeling of needing to protect fades and calmness washes over me, strengthening the divine power within.
Lunging, I reach him instantly and connect with a strike that sends him hurling into his demon horde. He immediately recovers and closes the distance just as fast. As his claws rake across my chest, the pain is unfathomable.
How is this possible? Is he really this powerful?
Without holding back we go back and forth trading blow after blow and slash for slash.
Through our brawl, hundreds of demons get obliterated as collateral damage.
He hits me in the gut as I drive my fist into his jaw.
The force from the blows push both of us back.
As I slide to a stop my wounds heal and I notice so do his.
Just as I’m about to attack something hits me.
It feels like my heart and soul are being ripped from me.
As time seems to stop I look over and that’s when I see it.
Rathor, the only reason we’re here, the one I was supposed to kill, is standing in front of Frida, with his right claws driven into her chest.
My heart beats faster as his wings begin to pulsate. I can feel their souls beginning to fade. Turning I try to rush to help her as the back of my neck is grabbed by Beelzebub.
“Now watch your precious loved one die,” he says in a sinister voice.
Even with all of my power I can’t break free from his grip as I see her clawing and struggling against Rathor as he continues to absorb them.
We make eye contact and she reaches out for me as a tear rolls down her face. As we hear her voice one last time.
“Frida, forgive me for not being stronger, and Fenrir, I love you.” Sarafine’s voice fades as Frida changes back and goes limp.
“NO!” Fenrir screams out taking over. “I can’t feel her spirit anymore, she is gone,” he cries out. His rage explodes which breaks us free from Beelzebub’s grip.
We appear instantly in front of Rathor and Frida and with a single swing Fenrir severs Rathor’s right arm and punches him in the face so hard he is sent flying into the distance. We catch Frida as she falls to the ground.
“Evander,” she says, looking up at me, causing our rage to subside and I shift back.
“It’s going to be okay, Frida, we are going to get you help,” I whimper as her hand caresses my face.
“Serafine sacrificed herself for us. So we could have this last moment.” Looking at me soulfully, she smiles. “I love you, Evander and no matter what happens I always will.”
Her hand falls limp, her beautiful green eyes fade as my soulmate leaves me.
“Frida… Frida,” I shout over and over, shaking her trying to bring her back. I pull her close to me as tears stream down my face.
Off in the distance the sound of laughter erupts. “She died like a bitch in a gutter, how fitting for a mutt,” Lilith cackles.
Gently setting Frida down, I close her eyes and kiss her forehead. I stand and turn toward Lilith, who is still laughing hysterically.
I wipe my tears and lock onto Lilith, as soon as I do I see she is helping Rathor up. Everything goes black as both my rage and Fenrir’s explode and I scream out, “LILITH!” As I do I shift and it turns into a thunderous roar, shaking all of Purgatory.
Instantly, I’m in front of them and I grab both by the throat. Digging my claws in I feel their necks break. I pull Lilith to my face. “Let me hear you laugh now bitch,” I shout, throwing her to the dirt.
Turning my focus to Rathor, who is limp in my hand, I slam him to the ground, over and over again.
Each time feeling something else break or snap.
Raising him up, I pull him close. “Since you took away the only thing I loved,” I gaze at Lilith who can only look back, “I’m going to return the favor,” I snap as I rip one of his wings off.
Then I walk over to her, dragging him by his throat. His bones protrude from his arms and legs.
“Lets see if you find this funny,” I shout as I pick him up, over the top of her and dig my claws into his chest, forcing every bit of divinity and rage into him. He quickly turns to ash and falls onto Lilith, covering her.
“Look at that,” I say, bending over. I dig my claws into her chest and pick her up off the ground. “He died like a mongrel,” I spit, void of all emotion.
When I’m about to kill her I get hit hard from the side, ripping my claws from her and sending me rolling through the dirt. Quickly getting to my feet, I see Beelzebub was the one who struck me.
As I run at him, without thinking, he pummels me again. This time when he hit me I felt my shoulder snap. Trying to get to my feet, I hear the rest of my friends crying out in pain and agony.
Without a second to spare he is on me again, striking me over and over in the head and chest, breaking my ribs, slashing at my stomach, and cracking my skull. He delivers a blow that throws me back to the ground.
I land in a heap right next to Frida’s body. I take a look at her even though I’m barely able to move, then get to my feet. Looking around through swollen eyes I see Lucius and Perseus pinned down by the Hydra and Achilles is getting pummeled by the Leviathan.
They are all about to die and there is nothing I can do to stop it. Gazing back down at Frida, I lose my will to live seeing her like this. I don’t care anymore.
“Fenrir, are you good for one last stand?”
“Let’s give this fucker everything we have. They all will pay for what they did to Serafine even if it costs me my soul,” he responds.
As we prepare to charge with our final attack a blinding light and tremendous CRACK rings out through Purgatory. From out of nowhere, now standing before me, is Michael.