《Gehenna》 Chapter 1: Code Black Whenever Gods congregate, a devil is sure to be born. Cape Town, South Africa. A warship was anchored on solitude dock with no other ships or boat in sight. Near the ship, that bore the words ¡°El Verdugo¡±, was a group dressed in tactical clothing headed by a middle-aged man. ¡°To a father, there¡¯s nothing more glorious than meeting his children after a long time.¡± A smirk crawled on the man¡¯s, Gustav Fernandez, face as he looked down on the soldiers kneeling before him. ¡°Even if he plans to lead them into hell.¡± His tanned skin glistened under the rays of the hot summer sun as the sea breeze moved his tall gray hair into his face. He moved the hair away while the soldiers¡¯ faces reflected in his shades. ¡°Now, a question to my troops. Are you all willing to go to hell for me?¡± ¡°Do you even need to ask, Gus?¡± The female soldier at the front stood up. She pulled her tiger-fangs-themed mask under her chin and grinned. ¡°You rescued us from war zones as children, fed us, clothed us, and made sure we were given the best education possible. The lives we¡¯ve lived, the families we¡¯ve built, everything we have, we owe it to you.¡± She placed her hand over her heart. ¡°You are our lord, our king, our father. Our lives are yours.¡± The soldiers behind her stood in unison. ¡°Hail the General!¡± ¡°Hail the General!¡± Gustav took off his shades. His emerald green eyes were watery as he wiped them with his fingers. ¡°Looks like I didn¡¯t waste my time picking up random brats all these years.¡± He burst out laughing while the soldiers wore grins behind their masks. ¡°I thought you¡¯d all learn some common sense after being away from me, but it looks like I polluted your brains too much.¡± ¡°You certainly polluted our lungs with all that smoking you used to do around us.¡± The soldiers laughed. Gustav pointed at the female soldier. ¡°Roxanne, I¡¯ll appreciate it if you didn¡¯t dirty my good name.¡± He took a seat on the railing of the pier. He lifted a communicator in front of them. ¡°Anyway, I declared a Code Black and call you all here for one purpose.¡± He coughed awkwardly while looking away. ¡°My daughter Melissa is getting married.¡± ¡°Oh, congratulations.¡± The soldiers started clapping. ¡°Thank you, thank you.¡± Gustav stood there as they clapped, even when the applause ended he did nothing but look at them. ¡°And?¡± Roxanne spoke with wrinkled brows. ¡°And?¡± Gustav repeated what she said back at her with confusion in his voice. ¡°And what else?¡± Roxanne asked again. ¡°What do you mean, what else? That¡¯s what I wanted to say.¡± ¡°¡­Huh? You¡¯re kidding, right? You didn¡¯t call us for any other reason?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± The soldiers looked at each other puzzled. Soon, fire started burning in their eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t fuck with me, you senile old man!¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Roxanne was the first to roar. ¡°I broke up with my girlfriend to be here!¡± ¡°I had to quit my job! I just got a promotion!¡± ¡°I sold my car to get a ticket for the fastest plane here!¡± ¡°Oh my god! I dropped out of my dream college!¡± The soldiers cried out one after the other. ¡°Why would you guys do all that?¡± Yet, Gustav only looked at them with bewilderment. Roxanne walked up to him and pulled him by the collar. ¡°You declared a Code Black. A Code Black normally means to prepare for a battle to the death. Its protocol for us to cut all ties so it will be easier for your organization to make us disappear in case we die. This is all so our deaths won¡¯t be traced back to you. And yet¡­¡± She lifted Gustav and slammed him on the ground. ¡°You used it to gather us here just to tell us that your daughter is getting married!¡± She put him in a headlock. ¡°Drop dead, Old man!¡± ¡°Ow ow ow! Didn¡¯t you all just call me your king?! This is mutiny! Ahh, I¡¯m starting to get lightheaded! Raphael, save me!¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± A dark-skinned man with black curly hair walked onto the pier, also dressed in tactical clothing. ¡°Calm down, everyone.¡± He touched Roxanne¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re gonna kill the old man.¡± ¡°He deserves death after what he did.¡± Roxanne increased the pressure on Gustav¡¯s neck while the rest of the soldiers cheered. ¡°If you wait a few months then you¡¯ll get your wish.¡± Roxanne paused to look at Raphael before releasing Gustav and standing up. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Raphael pointed at the heavily breathing Gustav on the ground. ¡°He¡¯s dying from a terminal illness. According to his doctors, he won¡¯t live past 3 months, even if he¡¯s lucky.¡± The soldiers looked at each other in confusion as the blood drained from their faces. ¡°How can this be?¡± This included Roxanne. ¡°Apparently, this bastard has been hiding the fact he was exposed to deadly chemicals in that incident in Istanbul.¡± ¡°You mean the one when we help eradicate that terrorist group who tried to overthrow the Turkish government? Or the one where Gustav was kidnapped by those Romanians who hid him in the Basilica Cistern?¡± ¡°The latter.¡± Raphael kicked Gustav. ¡°This idiot didn¡¯t tell us the cistern was filled with poisonous water when he was down there. We came in after he escaped and was having a shoot-out in the middle of the street.¡± Roxanne kicked him too. The other soldier walked over and started kicking him too. ¡°Hey, hey! Didn¡¯t you hear?! I¡¯m sick! You¡¯re bullying a dying old man!¡± The soldiers ignored him as Raphael and Roxanne continued their conversation. ¡°The reason we¡¯re gathered is to find a way to cure the illness.¡± Raphael said. ¡°So are you the one who called a Code Black? This guy doesn¡¯t care about living that much, so I don¡¯t see him calling us for help.¡± ¡°No, he really called a Code Black to tell you about Melissa¡¯s engagement. He wanted us to kidnap her fianc¨¦ and test if he¡¯s worthy of her.¡± ¡°This freaking geezer¡­¡± Roxanne gritted her teeth ready to kick Gustav again. ¡°I allowed him to do it because there¡¯s a different mission we all need to risk our lives for.¡± Roxanne halted her kick. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°We need to find a cure for Melissa who was also kidnapped with him in Istanbul and was exposed to the poisonous waters.¡± All the soldiers stopped kicking Gustav and allowed him to get up. He dusted off himself and spoke. ¡°When Melissa and I got back from Istanbul, I had all my best doctors run every test imaginable on her. They didn¡¯t find anything but it looks like we got exposed to a slowly acting toxic substance. I always made sure to invest millions in her health, so that¡¯s why she isn¡¯t sick now, but according to my doctor she won¡¯t live more than 5 years after I¡¯m gone.¡± Gustav clenched his fists. ¡°I can¡¯t allow that! My Melissa deserves to grow old and play with her grandchildren! She shouldn¡¯t die before reaching her 30s! I don¡¯t care about my life, but she must continue to live on!¡± All soldiers wore solemn expressions. Roxanne patted his shoulder. ¡°We all feel the same way, Father. Melissa is a sister to us all. Just tell us how and we¡¯ll give our lives to make sure she gets to play with her great-grandchildren.¡± Gustav looked at his children with a warm smile and nodded before tapping his watch. It projected a hologram of a news report. ¡°Breaking news! Reports are coming from all over the world that an island the size of New York suddenly emerged from the Pacific Ocean! It was picked up by various state own satellites and many countries are preparing to send their personnel to investigate.¡± He swiped to the right and a different footage started playing. ¡°The United Nations have declared the mysterious island that appeared in the Pacific Ocean 3 years ago off limits to all countries. This comes after thousands of soldiers and drones have entered the island to never be heard from again. A strange fog surrounding the island also prevents satellite images from investigating the island thoroughly. Since the danger levels are too high, the island will remain closed off from the world.¡± The video stopped. ¡°Wait, don¡¯t tell me you want us to go to Gehenna?¡± Gustav nodded at Roxanne. ¡°Fuck. You¡¯re really sending us to literal hell.¡± ¡°I asked you guys in the beginning. No takebacks.¡± Gustav smiled. A soldier lifted his hand and stepped forward. He was an Asian man with his hair groomed in a ponytail. ¡°Yes, Chul.¡± ¡°Why are you certain that Gehenna has a cure? While I have no problem dying for you or Melissa, I have a problem with my death being meaningless.¡± ¡°Good question.¡± Gustav grinned. ¡°Alright, Chul. Shoot me.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Chul took out a gun and shot Gustav in the head. His head was flung back with blood spraying. Everyone looked at Chul in shock. ¡°What? I thought he wanted me to put him out of his misery. It¡¯s an honour to put a bullet in his head.¡± ¡°Damn, no hesitation huh?¡± Gustav brought his head back to the front. He smiled with a hole in his head. ¡°Just like I thought.¡± ¡°Ahh, zombie!¡± Raphael stopped Roxanne from drawing her gun. The skin on Gustav¡¯s face started regenerating. The bullet in his head was forced out by muscle tissue and fell to the ground. ¡°No way.¡± Gustav burst out laughing at their shocked expressions. ¡°Did none of you stop to think how a terminally ill person can be so energetic and show no signs of weakening?!¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s you so no. I mean, I¡¯m sure your corpse would dance at your own funeral.¡± The soldiers nodded in agreement to Chul. ¡°With his negligence of physical health, Gustav should¡¯ve died years ago when he got poisoned. The only reason he¡¯s alive is because ate something he shouldn¡¯t have.¡± ¡°¡­.What?¡± Gustav showed a peace sign with the biggest grin. ¡°I paid 20 million for a strange fish that was caught off the coast of Gehenna and ate it! After that, I somehow evolved into a superhuman!¡± Chapter 2: Demon Fish Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Chapter 3: Hell鈥檚 Spawns ¡°Mr. Fernandez, all 6 have stopped showing symptoms of evolution.¡± A servant reported to Gustav who was observing his children. ¡°Any causalities?¡± ¡°None, Sir. Also, their vitals have stabilized. We believe it¡¯s only a matter of time before they wake up.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Gustav clenched his fists tightly. (Six hours, they endured that hellish pain for six hours. That¡¯s longer than I did.) He gritted his teeth a bit before letting out a big sigh. ¡°Raphael, Roxanne, Chul, Ryder, Damini, Gina, that¡¯s the order the symptoms stopped. That¡¯s also the order of strength among them. So the stronger you are the quicker you evolve¡­.¡± He turned to a servant. ¡°I¡¯m going to check the equipment we got from Ashton Myers. Call me when they¡¯ve all woken up.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Gustav walked away with a frown on his face. (As I thought, Melissa won¡¯t survive eating the fish. We need to get as many samples from Gehenna as possible to create a less dangerous way to cure her sickness.) His eyes sharpened. ¡°We¡¯ll find a cure even if we have to sink the island again.¡± The next day, everyone who had eaten the demon fish had woken up and was freed from their restraints. ¡°Any problems?¡± Raphael spoke to the others while clenching and opening his fists. ¡°None, but man do we stink.¡± Roxanne covered her nose. ¡°With all the bad blood we excreted that¡¯s not surprising.¡± Chul stood up and did a few stretches. ¡°I was sure we were going to die. I was certain I saw Yama.¡± Damini mumbled while getting off her table. ¡°Good morning, My children!¡± Gustav burst into the room with a loud voice. ¡°I¡¯m glad that you¡¯ve all survi¡ª¡± He was cut off by a few tables being thrown at him. He broke the metal tables with swift kicks. ¡°Alright, I guess I deserve that.¡± He laughed. ¡°I swear if I had died, I would¡¯ve haunted you for all of eternity.¡± Damini grumbled. ¡°I see that you¡¯ve all gained superhuman strength. That¡¯s great. Now nothing can stop us.¡± Gustav laughed off their hateful gazes. ¡°Anyway, get wash up and meet me for breakfast. We need to discuss a few things before we reach the island.¡± He evaded another table and left the room. After an hour they were all gathered in a dining room. ¡°I hope you didn¡¯t put demon meat in these meals.¡± Ryder was inspecting his dish with his fork. ¡°Are you guys gonna make the demon fish thing your whole personality? It¡¯s not like it¡¯s the first time I made you do something that almost kills you.¡± Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Gustav grumbled while eating his meal. ¡°More importantly, I need to brief you on our military prowess before going on the island.¡± ¡°You¡¯re bringing other soldiers?¡± Raphael asked. ¡°Yup, but not humans, droids. I bought them from Ashton Corps.¡± ¡°How many?¡± Roxanne asked while eating a piece of toast. ¡°105, 15 for each of us. I also bought 7 Powersuits.¡± ¡°Weapons?¡± Gina sipped her coffee after asking. ¡°Anti-tank rifles, High-Frequency Blades, elemental bombs, revolving canons, camouflage cloaks, miniature railguns, and drones armed with lasers.¡± ¡°Sounds stacked, but there¡¯s a chance none of those will work considering how heavily armed past exploration parties were when they went to the island and never returned.¡± Chul played with the eggs on his plate with a fork while looking at Gustav. Gustav nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why we had to bulk up with the Powersuits. However, we won¡¯t rely on them. I¡¯ve confirmed since eating the Demon Fish for the second time that I¡¯ve grown even more inhuman.¡± ¡°Are you saying we can grow stronger the more specimens we eat from that island?¡± Damini was devouring stacks of pancakes and speaking with her mouth full. ¡°It¡¯s a theory, one we might have to try out when we get there. If it turns out to be true, we will grow stronger than the Powersuits limits and any other weapon.¡± ¡°So our objective is to eat, grow stronger, survive, and return with enough specimens to create a cure for Melissa?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Damini.¡± Gustav smiled while looking at their faces one by one. ¡°The best outcome is all of us returning alive, even if we¡¯re no longer humans.¡± The smile fell from his face. ¡°Worst-case scenario, we all die, and Melissa follows us years later.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Father. At least one of us will survive.¡± Roxanne grinned. ¡°And the survivor will walk Melissa down the aisle.¡± ¡°Over my dead body!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the plan.¡± Everybody started laughing. Gustav looked around a bit and raised his coffee mug. ¡°May Lady Death¡¯s embrace be warm when she comes for us.¡± The others raised their individual glasses. ¡°And may Life be jealous enough to steal away us from her!¡± They drank and then started laughing. Like this, they ate together chatting away. For the next weeks, they tested the limits of their new bodies and took time to adjust. They finally entered the Southern Pacific after three weeks. ¡°Gehenna is near Tahiti and according to the GPS we¡¯re near Samoa; which means we¡¯ll reach in the next couple of days.¡± Ryder mumbled while wiping the sweat off his face. ¡°A couple more days until hell huh?¡± Gina was with him. The two had just finished sparring. ¡°I questioned why Father had us meet in South Africa and travel here by boat, but I guess it was so we could properly adjust to our new strength.¡± She clenched her fist. ¡°I think I can send a car flying with a punch.¡± ¡°Same. This new strength kinda gives you a rush and makes you feel invincible.¡± Ryder pointed at Gina¡¯s face. ¡°Thanks to our new superhuman senses you don¡¯t need to wear contacts anymore. Isn¡¯t that great?¡± ¡°Yeah, but thanks to my new eyesight I can see how big your pores are. You need to take better care of your skin.¡± ¡°Lay off. We¡¯re probably going to die anyway.¡± ¡°¡­Aren¡¯t you afraid to die?¡± ¡°What kind of question is that? Of course, I am. I¡¯m sure we all are, but it¡¯s reality. We were taught to embrace reality no matter how harsh it is.¡± Ryder frowned. ¡°What? Are you getting cold feet?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s just that I had a hard time adjusting to life when we were disbanded. Everyone around me lived their lives differently. It makes me wonder if we¡¯re the odds ones.¡± ¡°Of course, we¡¯re the ones who are sick in the head.¡± Damini walked into the room they were in. ¡°I learned that the hard way when I went back to India. My common sense and theirs didn¡¯t match up, so it was hard to fit in.¡± ¡°It was the same for me when I just moved to the States. They¡¯re more used to violence in some parts, but they still feared death and let that fear control them. In fact, they feared a lot of things I don¡¯t.¡± Ryder sat on the ground after speaking. ¡°That¡¯s just proof Gustav fucked with our brains as kids.¡± Damini walked up to Gina and helped her dry off the sweat on her back while talking. ¡°Come on, Damini. We were fucked in the head from the beginning. That¡¯s the only reason why we survived everything we¡¯ve been through.¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re right, Gina.¡± The three of them laughed. Outside the door, Gustav stood smiling. Behind him were Roxanne, Chul, and Raphael. ¡°As the eldest three, it¡¯s your job to make sure they survive no matter what.¡± He turned around and faced them. ¡°And it¡¯s my job as your father to ensure that you three survive.¡± Roxanne placed her hand on his shoulder. ¡°And it¡¯s all six of us job to ensure you survive.¡± Gustav nodded. ¡°None of us will die. We¡¯re gonna walk into hell, bitch slap everything in there, and walk back out.¡± After a few more days, the ship halted and the anchors were dropped. Less than a kilometer away, there was a veil of red fog blocking anyone from seeing what lays ahead. Flashes of light illuminated the fog every couple of seconds, strange silhouettes could be seen dancing in the fog, and incomprehensible wails echoed through the area. ¡°Looks like the literal pathway to hell.¡± Gustav stood on the deck looking into the blood-coloured fog. He was wearing a metallic suit with a large rifle on his back. ¡°Father, the droids are ready.¡± He turned around and saw his children with over 100 people behind them. These people were androids he bought from Ashton. Raphael and the others were wearing similar suits to him. Gustav nodded and spoke. ¡°My soldiers, what stands before us is the entrance to the most mysterious and terrifying place on this planet. What stands before us is what people call Gehenna, what they call hell.¡± He grinned. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it suits us who are feared as Hell¡¯s Militia?¡± Savage grins crawled onto his soldiers¡¯ faces. ¡°We are demons who are going back to where we belong! It¡¯s just that simple!¡± He lifted his rifle in the air. ¡°My hell spawns, are you ready to go home?!¡± ¡°SIR, YES SIR!¡± He pointed his rifle at the red fog. ¡°Then let¡¯s go, my children! Let¡¯s go to hell!¡± Chapter 4: Welcome To Hell Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Chapter 5: The Locals If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Chapter 6: Magnax & Janx Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Chapter 7: Paradise Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Chapter 8: Cooperation Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Chapter 9: Kelz鈥檚 Objectives Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Chapter 10: Battle Under The Moon This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Chapter 11: Madness The battle under the moon had gotten even more intense. Gustav skipped around dodging punches from Julius. He leapt backwards grabbing debris lying around and threw them. Julius rushed at him while evading the debris. He clenched his fists and threw swift punches. Gustav blocked them by putting his arms in front of him. A punch broke through his defences and slammed him in the face. He stumbled back. Julius stepped into his chest with a flying kick. He was forced to the ground. He looked up and saw Julius¡¯s heel falling toward his face. Gustav rolled out of the way. He sprung to his feet and ducked under a roundhouse. (I underestimated him at first, but this guy really knows how to fight.) Gustav thought as he tackled Julius. He lifted him off the ground and kicked off the earth with explosive force. He slammed through several trees and into a wall. Cracks ran through the wall before it crumbled. ¡°That guy is abnormal.¡± Drax, on the other side of the wall, grabbed a piece around his size. He used it and swat away Kelz who leaped at him. She bounced off the ground a couple of times before stabilizing herself. ¡°?!¡± Drax was already above her. He aimed a stomp at her head. She leapt back to avoid it. His stomp burst open the ground. Kelz rushed at him with a palm strike. He countered with a punch. A thunderclap rang out as the hands clashed. Drax¡¯s hand was blown back, opening up his body. Kelz slammed her fist into his chest. ¡°Guh?!¡± All oxygen was forced out of him. Kelz punched him in the throat and again in the chest. She cut off all air supply. She then aimed for his eyes. ¡°E-Enough!¡± He grabbed her arm and broke it at the elbow. He stepped on her shoulder while holding her arm. Kelz¡¯s arm was ripped off in an instant. Yet, she didn¡¯t stop. She stepped on Drax¡¯s knees forcing him to kneel. She kicked him under the chin. He flew back. Kelz chased after him with her arm growing back. She punched him with the still regenerating hand. The exposed blood vessels burst as Drax¡¯s body slammed to the ground. The skin around her arm fully regenerated as she grabbed at him. ¡°?!¡± The newly regenerated arm was severed and fell to the ground. She leapt back. Her clothes were cut open and blood sprayed from her stomach. ¡°I was cut?¡± She landed dozens of meters away and watched as Drax sprung to his feet. In his hand was a black hilt that formed a blade made of blue light. ¡°You brought a sacred artefact?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want to but I¡¯m glad I did.¡± Drax stabbed her severed arm. It turned into ash and scattered into the air. Kelz looked at her wounds, they showed no signs of healing. She ripped a piece of her uniform and wrapped the around wound to stop the bleeding. ¡°I see that you came prepared to kill me.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t kill you, even with a sacred artefact.¡± He pointed the sword at her. ¡°But I can subdue you. Back down now and everything will go back to how they were.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not backing down.¡± Kelz¡¯s golden eyes started glowing, her muscles tightened up, and the gems in her body lit up. Drax¡¯s eyes narrowed and the grip on his weapon tightened. ¡°You always have to make everything difficult.¡± Meanwhile, Gustav and Julius'' battle was forced into the streets. Julius smacked Gustav with a street pole. His body bounced off the ground. He looked up. Julius thrust the street pole down at him. He jumped out of the way. The street pole broke when it hit the ground. Julius threw the broken pieces at Gustav, stopping him from charging at him. ¡°You have a lot of experience.¡± Gustav said after dodging. He charged at Julius with a grin. Julius rushed at him. Julius ducked under a hook and replied with two swift jabs to the head. He flew back avoiding a kick. He hopped around with his fists up. He rushed at Gustav again. He threw a jab and Gustav blocked it with an arm. Gustav countered with a hook. Julius evaded with a step back and stepped back in with a body shot. (I got the advantage in agility.)The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°No, you don¡¯t.¡± Gustav slammed his fist into Julius'' stomach after denying his thoughts. ¡°Ugh?!¡± He aimed an uppercut at Julius¡¯s chin. Julius evaded with a step back. ¡°?!¡± Yet, a fist was inches away from Julius¡¯s face the next instant. Julius moved his head out of the way. However, the hand stopped mid-thrust and grabbed the side of his face. (A faint?!) Gustav slammed his head onto the road. He held Julius¡¯s head down and started kicking him in the ribs. ¡°You thought you had the advantage? Well, sorry to burst your bubble but I was only fighting with the strength I had when I came to his island. Now, I¡¯m fighting with the new strength I gained from Kelz just earlier.¡± He stopped kicking him and lifted Julius by his head. Julius started kicking and punching, but Gustav didn¡¯t let go. He didn¡¯t let go even when the sounds of bones breaking came from his body. ¡°What the hell is this?! Don¡¯t you feel pain?!¡± Julius roared while attacking Gustav¡¯s body until it started changing colour from bruising and bleeding. ¡°Ahhh?!¡± He screamed out as Gustav¡¯s grip strengthened on his head. Gustav threw him back into Kelz¡¯s yard. He sluggishly got to his feet. He watched as Gustav walked into the yard with blood oozing from his wounds. ¡°His regeneration is slower than mine, but why is his physical prowess so high?¡± Gustav tore off his top revealing a muscular body covered in scars and a devil over his heart. ¡°Come on, the fight isn¡¯t over yet.¡± His savage grin and ghastly green eyes illuminated under the moonlight. ¡°I still haven¡¯t lived enough yet.¡± ¡°¡­What is he talking about?¡± Gustav kicked off the ground. Julius readied to meet him. Something popped up between them. ¡°?!¡± Gustav twisted his body as a blue light flashed before his eyes. He stumbled with a burning sensation coming from his torso. He looked down and saw a large cut stretching from his shoulder to his waist. ¡°Impressive. I was trying to cut you in two.¡± Drax stood before Julius holding his sword. ¡°Julius, did you beat Lady Kelz?¡± ¡°No.¡± At that moment Kelz landed beside Gustav. ¡°The fight was getting too complicated and the chance of me losing was too high, so I took a gamble. I attacked her ally hoping she would help him even if it means he¡¯ll drag her down. As you can see¡­¡± He pointed at Kelz. Gustav could see a large wound on her back. It showed no signs of healing. She was breathing heavily and was pale. (She lost too much blood?) Gustav examined his own wound. It also showed no signs of healing. He then looked at the sword Drax was holding. (A weapon that can stop our regenerative abilities huh? The question is if it inflects permanent damage or just temporarily stops our healing factors?) He smirked. ¡°This is bad, we¡¯re in a dire situation. Hahaha.¡± Kelz looked back at Gustav after hearing his low laugh. ¡°Why are you laughing?¡± ¡°Why, indeed?¡± Gustav laughed again. Drax frowned at Gustav¡¯s behaviour. ¡°That guy is abnormal.¡± Julius spoke up. ¡°Despite being human until recently, he showed no signs of fearing death. His strength is abnormal too.¡± ¡°Then, he must die.¡± Kelz stepped between Drax and Gustav. ¡°How long would they need to be stalled for us to escape?¡± Gustav whispered in her ear. (Does he want to run?¡­ No, that¡¯s the correct decision.) ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen from your fight, if you run to the north for 10 minutes you¡¯d meet up with my people. Magnax and Janx will recognize you.¡± Gustav became quiet for a bit before speaking again. ¡°So it should take you 5 minutes give or take.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Gustav stood in front of the confused Kelz. This action shocked the other three. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Kelz grabbed his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re in no condition to continue fighting. As things stand, you¡¯ll lose and they¡¯ll probably lock you away or something to stop your plans. I can¡¯t afford for that to happen since you¡¯re the ticket for my daughter¡¯s life.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re going to sacrifice yourself?!¡± ¡°Sacrifice myself?¡± Gustav burst out laughing. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?!¡± Kelz was visibly upset. ¡°No, it¡¯s just the younger me would laugh at the thought of me dying for someone else.¡± Gustav clenched his fists. ¡°But the current me laughs for a different reason.¡± His eyes were swirling with savagery. ¡°I¡¯m laughing because I couldn¡¯t be any more excited. I get to pass on the torch, save my daughter, save a goddess, and drag a god down to hell with me! Darling, I¡¯m ecstatic!¡± Kelz looked at him with her eyes peeled open. ¡°Lady Kelz, it seems you¡¯ve partnered with a maniac.¡± She looked at Drax and then smiled. ¡°I guess I have.¡± She turned around and ran without looking back. ¡°What?!¡± Drax moved to chase her. He stopped when Gustav popped up in front of him blocking his path. ¡°Do you really think you can block me?¡± Drax swung his sword at Gustav¡¯s head. His eyes widened when Gustav vanished. He was hit under the chin by a foot. He rose off the ground. (How?!) He looked down seeing Gustav on a handstand. Julius attacked him with a kick. Gustav pushed himself several meters off the ground and avoided the kick. He landed like a ballerina with his arms spread. He bowed and stood up straight with a laugh. ¡°The things I¡¯ve always wanted to do in fights are now possible because of my new strength.¡± Drax landed on the ground glaring at him. ¡°That¡¯s the face I wanted to see.¡± Gustav pointed at him. ¡°The face of a god being humiliated by a human.¡± He burst out laughing again. ¡°I¡¯ve learned something from fighting you people and watching you fight. You don¡¯t have that much experience when it comes to true warfare.¡± ¡°And you do?¡± Gustav spread his arms. ¡°Bitch, war is all I do.¡± Drax pointed his sword at him. ¡°Then you¡¯ll die fighting in a war that doesn¡¯t concern you.¡± ¡°Drax, I¡¯ll handle him. You go after¡ª¡± Julius swallowed his words when Gustav attacked Drax with a kick. Drax countered with a kick. Their legs clashed and cracking sounds came from Gustav¡¯s leg. ¡°Hahaha!¡± Yet, he was laughing after being pushed back by Drax. ¡°¡­This guy isn¡¯t sane.¡± Drax wore a disgusted expression looking at Gustav. ¡°Julius, since this guy is obviously going to be a nuisance help me kill him as fast as possible, so we can catch up to Lady Kelz.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Julius glared at Gustav who wore a mocking smirk. ¡°We¡¯ll kill you in a minute.¡± Gustav pointed at his face. ¡°Remember these green eyes, because you¡¯ll be seeing them in your nightmares until the day you die.¡± Chapter 12: Death Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Chapter 13: Grief & Rage This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Chapter 14: The Next Step If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Chapter 15: The Assault Begins! Three days after confronting Kelz, Drax was in his office with Julius. ¡°So you still haven¡¯t discovered where they are?¡± Julius asked. ¡°It¡¯ll take time. During her time as the ruler of Paradise, she obtained quite a number of subordinates. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s using them to hide.¡± ¡°This is what I don¡¯t understand. Why did the Lord not kill her when he rose to power? He even gave her one of the islands to rule.¡± ¡°Because they¡¯re family. I don¡¯t know how you outsiders do things, but the greatest sin one can commit is killing a family member. If the Lord had killed her, he couldn¡¯t have become Lord.¡± ¡°Then why not lock her away?¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s a bit complicated.¡± Drax sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know about Lady Kelz, but the Lord doesn¡¯t hate his sister. They just had different visions for the future of our people. Sadly, it had to lead to bloodshed.¡± ¡°I can understand that, but our ideologies really are different. My people don¡¯t mind killing their family if it¡¯s to get what they want. You can call it cruel and savage, but we call it being cautious or doing what must be done. I believe the Lord is being na?ve.¡± ¡°Well, your opinions aren¡¯t important. The Lord will do as he likes.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. I understand.¡± Julius became silent for a bit before speaking again. ¡°Gustav Fernandez didn¡¯t come alone. We need to find his comrades or they will find us.¡± *BOOM!* A thunderous noise reached their ears as the building shook vigorously. Julius stood up and look out the window. A strained smiled appeared on his face. ¡°¡­Looks like they already have.¡± Outside, he could see dozens of soldiers standing on rooftops surrounding them. These were droids Alfa controlled. Let¡¯s go back for a bit. ¡°Are you guys ready?¡± Raphael stood before his siblings with a determined expression. ¡°Yes, General!¡± Their answer was filled with resolve and energy. They were all dressed in black military clothing and wearing animal-themed half masks. Ryder¡¯s was a wolf, Gina¡¯s was a scorpion, Damini¡¯s was a Cheetah, Chul¡¯s was a viper, Roxanne¡¯s was a Tiger, and Raphael¡¯s was a Lion. ¡°Hell¡¯s Militia, today is the day we avenge Gustav Fernandez and get one step closer to saving Melissa.¡± Raphael placed his fist over his heart. ¡°I swear to send my enemies to hell no matter the cost!¡± The others placed their fists over their hearts and shouted¡ª ¡°Send them to hell!¡± Raphael grinned. ¡°Hell¡¯s Militia, let¡¯s burn everything to the ground!¡± They opened the latch and climbed out of the hole. Kelz and her subordinates were watching them. ¡°We move an hour later, so prepare yourselves!¡± ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am!¡± Raphael and the others walked through the city hidden under cloaks to hide their identity, while being led by Magnax and Janx. ¡°Alfa, did you finish installing what I asked for?¡± ¡°Yes, Gina. Everything is ready to go.¡± Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Gina placed her hand on the back of the droid¡¯s head. ¡°Alfa, activate Commander Mode: Model Genghis Khan.¡± The droid¡¯s eyes lit up and changed to red. The droid leapt into the air and disappeared into the night. Dozens more descended carrying weapons and military equipment. Gina and everyone else equipped their powersuits and weapons. The droids then disappeared into the night leaving them. Chul slung a revolving cannon over his shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s give them hell.¡± Present time. Raphael and Roxanne were walking towards a skyscraper with a hole blown into it and smoke pouring out. ¡°Give them a warning shot, not out of courtesy but to make them know death is approaching.¡± Raphael walked with a miniature railgun in his hand. ¡°Show them that once death sets its eyes on you, there¡¯s no outrunning it.¡± Roxanne pulled two high-frequency blades from behind her. ¡°Make them fear death, make them fear you.¡± They spoke in unison as they breathed as one. ¡°Those are the words of the Great Gustav Fernandez!¡± They sprinted towards the building. Raphael aimed the railgun at the entrance. A burst of electricity erupted. The doors were blown open. Roxanne suddenly accelerated past Raphael. ¡°Defend the tower!¡± Soldiers started pouring out of the building. Roxanne ran straight at them. They aimed their weapons at her. *Boom!* They were swallowed up by an explosion. ¡°A sniper?!¡± Over 200m away, Chul was looking through the scope connected to a revolving cannon. He squeezed the trigger and the soldiers were cleared out by rapid explosions. Roxanne ran through those explosions and into the building. ¡°Intrud¡ª¡± A soldier was cut into pieces before he could scream. Roxanne stood in the entrance facing a sea of soldiers. ¡°I have a message for the man called Drax.¡± She pointed one of her swords at the soldiers. ¡°Gustav Fernandez had children and they¡¯re fucking angry!¡± Raphael leaped into the room firing his railgun. Explosions erupted as soldiers were blown back. ¡°Kill the outsiders!¡± The soldiers roared and returned fire. They charged at the two. ¡°Damini, you¡¯re up.¡± A blur past Roxanne. Like an arrow, Damini flew at the soldiers seeking blood. She cut through those at the front and leapt into the air. She twisted her body and kicked off the walls, moving through the room faster than the eye could follow. Soldiers guarding the staircase were greeted by the swiftness of her blades. Heads flew and hit the ground long after she was gone. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s time to do my part.¡± Roxanne met the soldiers¡¯ charge. She ducked under a slash and cut the attacker in two. Raphael fired his railgun at those attacking from a distance. She plunged at the soldiers defending Raphael¡¯s attacks, cutting them down one after the other. Raphael didn¡¯t hide as he rapidly fired his railgun. Blue lasers bounced off his powersuit causing cracks to appear in it. Even so, he continued to support Roxanne from a distance. ¡°The number of them is starting to become a problem, Gina.¡± At Raphael¡¯s mumble, holes were blown into the walls on all sides. Droid soldiers started pouring into the lobby firing their weapons. The native soldiers divided up to combat them. Chaos ensued. ¡°My soldiers, slaughter the enemy until none stands in our way!¡± Alfa¡¯s voice emitted from the droids. ¡°Slay them all in my glorious name! Slay them all and let them know we are superior!¡± The droids fought as if in a trance. They slaughtered everything before them without fear of their own demise. ¡°General, we¡¯ve reached the designated points.¡± Chul¡¯s voice played in Raphael¡¯s helmet. ¡°Ok, Roxanne and I will meet up soon. Give them hell.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a promise.¡± Elsewhere, Drax and Julius were watching the attack from a projection emitting from a box with runes on it. ¡°They¡¯re pretty skilled. They must¡¯ve been trained by Gustav.¡± Drax said. ¡°You¡¯re surprisingly calm considering they¡¯re coming for your head and want the Holy Gate.¡± ¡°They¡¯re skilled but they¡¯re not Gustav Fernandez. If they were it would be a problem, but still a solvable one.¡± Drax took up the box and ended the projection. He exited the room and Julius followed behind. ¡°The outsiders don¡¯t know how difficult it really is to take this tower. Even Lady Kelz doesn¡¯t realise the magnitude of this task. After all, she¡¯s used to being all-powerful and tends to misjudge situations. Like how she openly rebelled despite not having the power to take on the Lord.¡± They climbed a stairway as Drax continued. ¡°She most likely believes she can make up for her side¡¯s lack of strength with her own. The problem with that is she isn¡¯t a Lord anymore and she refuses to accept this. Thus clouding her judgement.¡± After climbing for a while they stopped in front of a giant double door with a serpent and a Phoenix on each side. ¡°We¡¯ll take advantage of this lack of knowledge and clouded judgment to strike them down.¡± Drax pushed open the door and a loud creak resounded. Blue light rushed out and illuminated the area. The scene of a golden monument standing in a massive space opened up before them. The monument was shaped like a rectangle with a hollow center. It was dozens of meters tall and wide and had blue gems forming runes on the sides. ¡°The holy gate and me, their targets will be at the top of this building. If they wish to get any they¡¯ll need to fight their way to the top.¡± ¡°They¡¯re strong so I don¡¯t think it will be a problem if they¡¯re fighting soldiers.¡± Julius smirked. ¡°But they won¡¯t be fighting normal soldiers, right?¡± Drax smiled and the monument lit up. The hollow center was filled by blue light. From it people dressed in silver armor walked out holding weapons. They numbered over a hundred. Drax approached them. ¡°Welcome, Holy Knights. Just as the Lord expected, Lady Kelz is trying to reach the Promised Land. She has enlisted the help of outsiders who are now attacking this tower. I implore you to go down and end this farce once and for all. Don¡¯t worry about the damage to the building. The closer you get to the Holy Gate the more sturdy the building is. It can handle a war between hundreds of High-Class warriors. As for the lower floors, the pillars holding up the building are indestructible for anyone other than the Lord. So the building won¡¯t collapse.¡± He grinned. ¡°Long story short, you¡¯re free to slaughter any enemy of the Lord without restraint.¡± Chapter 16: Repaid In Blood Let¡¯s go back to the night before the assault. ¡°Once you guys attack the tower, Drax will definitely bring in reinforcements from the Promised Land. It will most likely be the Silver Order of Holy Knights.¡± Kelz explained. She was showing a diagram of the tower. ¡°What¡¯s the Silver Order?¡± Raphael asked. ¡°They¡¯re the Royal Knights in charge of public order in the Promised Land. Unlike the Golden Order that protects the Lord, they¡¯re allowed to maintain the peace by any means necessary. This includes leaving the Promised Land.¡± She pointed at the top of the tower. ¡°They¡¯ll come from the gate and head down to lower floors to destroy you. So how do you intend to handle it?¡± ¡°¡­Are there any windows?¡± Raphael asked. ¡°Other than Drax¡¯s office, none.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll station some droids outside to keep watch in case any jump out the building and try to catch us with a pincer attack.¡± ¡°Are you planning to fight your way up the building?¡± Raphael nodded. ¡°No tricks, we¡¯ll just cut them down.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Raphael¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Because every debt must be repaid in blood. We will unleash all of our resentment and tear them to pieces, painting the halls with blood.¡± ¡°And if that plan fails and they¡¯re too much to handle? Do you have a backup plan?¡± ¡°I have a plan B.¡± Kelz smiled. ¡°What is it?¡± Raphael and the others showed a savage grin. ¡°Don¡¯t fail Plan A. It¡¯s slaughter or nothing.¡± Present time. Damini was practically flying up the flights of stairs passing floor by floor in instants. She was racing to the top. ¡°?!¡± She stopped in front of a door leading to one of the floors. Her eyes narrowed. *Bam!* With a bang, the door was blasted open. Damini leapt down the flight of stairs. Several silhouettes shot out from behind the door and leapt at her who was still midair. She twisted her body to avoid stabs before her feet touched a stair. She leaped backwards again observing her attackers. They were dressed in silver armour with the serpent and Phoenix sigils on them. (The Silver Order.) The knights flew at Damini again. She clenched her short high-frequency blades and poured power into her legs. She blasted off the floor and bounced of the walls in the stairway. She evaded slashes from the knights and circled behind them. She stabbed their necks with her blades and stomped them into the staircase. She leaped off them distanced herself. The knights slowly got to their feet. The blood draining from their necks quickly stopped as the wounds closed. (So this is the level of regeneration in the Holy Knights?) The knights glared at Damini. Her eyes widened. ¡°Hold on a minute, who the hell are you glaring at?¡± Her grip tightened on her blades. ¡°Are you pissed off? I¡¯m the one who should be pissed off.¡± Veins bulged in her neck and head. ¡°It¡¯s your friends who killed my father.¡± She started walking towards them. The knights flew at her. ¡°I¡¯m the one who should be mad, goddammit!¡± Her figure vanished. The knights¡¯ world started to spin. The next moment they were looking Damini in the eyes. ¡°We might be outsiders; we might be butting in what doesn¡¯t concern us. Either way, I don¡¯t care.¡± Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. The knights slowly realized they couldn¡¯t feel anything below their neck. They were forced to maintain eye contact with Damini. ¡°You people killed my daddy, and now we¡¯re going get back in blood.¡± She threw the heads away and turned her attention to the top of the stairway. There, a group of knights were glaring at her. ¡°Good, there¡¯s a lot of you.¡± She smirked. ¡°I¡¯m grateful because I have a lot of pent-up rage I need to release.¡± ¡°Kill her.¡± The knights flew at Damini one after the other. She smiled and snapped her fingers. *BOOM!* Explosions erupted in quick succession. The knights were blown apart as projectiles burst through the walls. Those who were spared heard a whisper in their ear. ¡°I¡¯m not an only child.¡± Slashes flew and the knights were cut into pieces. In seconds the stairway was covered in rubble and body parts. Damini was nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, Chul was on a building looking through a scope. He was watching Damini climb the outside of the skyscraper-like tower using her blades. ¡°Damini stop after another 3 meters.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Damini¡¯s voice came from the earpiece he was wearing. At the same time, inside the building. ¡°She disappeared, sir.¡± A knight was reporting to his superior on the floor Damini wasn¡¯t able to enter. ¡°Idiot, she couldn¡¯t have disappeared! Go find her and the others! Kill them all before Sir Xan gets here with the main forc-¡± The wall behind them exploded and the knights were blown back. ¡°What the¡ª¡± Damini shot out of the smoke and at the superior. He pulled his sword but his shoulder was blown off. ¡°A sniper?!¡± His eyes widened as Damini¡¯s blades thrust towards them. He swung his leg up and kicked the blades out of her hand. He spun around with a kick. She leapt over it and distanced herself. The superior rushed at her. He twisted his body and evaded a projectile fired from behind Damini. His arm regenerated enough to pull his gun from his hip. Damini pulled hers. The two fired at the same time. They evaded the shots and ran at each other. They continued firing, evading each shot, and attacking each other with kicks. (This woman isn¡¯t bad! But!) The other knights surrounded them. ¡°I have the advantage!¡± Explosions erupted rapidly. The knights scattered as they evaded projectiles. The superior was no exception. ¡°Advantage?¡± Damini grinned. ¡°Let me tell you an advantage of being the youngest of 6 siblings.¡± Two people flew through the hole and landed in the building. They were Ryder and Gina. Damini pointed at them with her thumbs. ¡°Your older siblings will come and kick your bullies¡¯ asses.¡± The knights surrounded them ready to fight. ¡°Damini, you wasted too much energy here.¡± Gina started scanning the room. ¡°These are most likely scouts sent to check us out before the main force gets here. We can¡¯t afford to waste too much energy on them.¡± She tapped Ryder¡¯s shoulders. ¡°As such, you can handle them. We¡¯ll go ahead.¡± ¡°Go ahead? You dare mock¡ª¡± The superior body moved back on instinct. A loud boom reached his ears as the ground shook. He looked in front of him and saw Ryder¡¯s fist embedded in the ground. ¡°Don¡¯t raise your voice at my sisters.¡± Ryder stood up and looked the superior in the eye. ¡°?!¡± His body stiffened. (What the¡­) His heart was pounding and his breath was quickening. (What am I looking at?) For some reason, he couldn¡¯t register the being standing in front of him as a person. ¡°With that said, we¡¯ll see you soon Ryder.¡± Gina and Damini left to climb to the higher floors. ¡°Gina.¡± While they were climbing, Damini called out to her sister. ¡°Was it alright to leave it to Ryder? Normally, I would agree but with recent events, I¡¯m certain his mental state¡ª¡± ¡°It was Raphael¡¯s orders.¡± Gina cut her off. ¡°I know the risk of having Ryder going out of control, but his normal strength won¡¯t cut it in this situation¡­.We need Spawn.¡± At the same time, Drax was with dozens of knights. ¡°Xan, I heard your knights have already engaged the enemy.¡± He spoke to a tall and robust man with a bald head and blue beard. ¡°The scouts are having trouble. Looks like your worries were valid, Drax.¡± ¡°They should be heading here as we speak. Your plan?¡± ¡°Kill them of course.¡± Xan lifted a gigantic axe and rested it on his shoulder. ¡°If they¡¯re tough, they might serve as entertainment.¡± (He¡¯s completely underestimating them.) Drax frowned while looking at Xan from the corner of his eye. ¡°Sir Xan, Sir Drax!¡± A knight approached the two. ¡°We¡¯ve spotted two female outsiders heading towards us.¡± ¡°Just two? They¡¯re either suicidal, stupid, or arrogant.¡± Xan laughed. Soon, explosions reached their ears. They saw knights being blown back after getting attacked by two girls. ¡°They¡¯re brave I¡¯ll give them that.¡± Damini and Gina scanned the room before Gina spoke. ¡°Before we start, is there someone named Drax here?¡± (They asked for me by name? Revenge, huh?) Drax lifted his hand. ¡°That would be me.¡± He could see Damini and Ginas eyes lock on him. Damini smiled. ¡°That¡¯s great, I was afraid you went beyond the gate.¡± Her eyes became bloodshot. ¡°Today is the day we collect on your debt.¡± Damini rushed towards Drax, passing dozens of knights without them being able to stop her. Xan stepped before Drax. ¡°You¡¯re brave, but you¡¯re also too brash.¡± Damini clenched her blades. Xan did the same. ¡°Relook your final moments when you¡¯re in the underworld!¡± He swung down his axe. ¡°?!¡± However, it didn¡¯t hit anyone. He looked in front of him and Damini was being pulled away from him. He focused his eyes and saw wire around her waist. The wires were being pulled by Gina. He blinked and three orbs were inches away from him. The orbs exploded with a thunderclap. ¡°Ahhh?!¡± Screams rang out as explosions of water blew the knights away. Gina threw orb after orb aiming for those trying to recover. More explosions erupted damaging the knights. Damini snuck up and brutally beheaded those heavily wounded by the explosions. She only retreated after she saw a silhouette moving through the steamy room. She narrowly avoided Xan¡¯s axe. She pulled her gun and fired at him while retreating. He evaded the shots and threw the axe. ¡°?!¡± Damini ducked under the axe. It stopped above her before flying back in Xan¡¯s hand. ¡°Is that thing a boomerang?¡± She retreated to Gina¡¯s side. Xan looked around the room at the knights wailing in pain. ¡°Get up, you fools!¡± With a shout those surviving all sprung to their feet without a word. (They¡¯re well-trained and tough.) Gina thought. ¡°Do you see why you shouldn¡¯t underestimate them now?¡± Drax walked up to Xan and asked. He nodded. ¡°They fight with no honour just like their predecessors.¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t come to fight.¡± Gina spoke up. Her eyes narrowed as she pulled a steel whip with blades from her powersuit. ¡°We came to murder all of you.¡± Xan grinned while Drax frowned. Xan pointed his weapon at them. ¡°Then come and kill us if you can!¡± Chapter 17: Grudge ¡°Then come and kill us if you can!¡± Xan¡¯s voice was commanding and powerful. Excitement was overflowing from his smile. ¡°Is that an invitation?¡± A new voice reached his ear. Soldiers flooded into the room and stood beside the girls. Raphael walked into the room covered in blood and holding a bust-up gun. Behind him were Roxanne, Ryder, and Chul. (These four are dangerous.) Drax measured up the newcomers. Xan¡¯s smile slowly dropped. ¡°I take it from you¡¯re here you took care of all our soldiers and knights?¡± ¡°My sister and I took care of your soldiers. The ones who terrorized your knights were my younger brothers. Being sniped and being ripped to pieces¡­¡± Raphael shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s not how I would want to go.¡± ¡°You might not have a choice.¡± Drax spoke up. ¡°You mentioned you all were siblings, why?¡± Raphael glanced at Damini and Gina, and they nodded. ¡°I see¡­So he¡¯s the one.¡± He faced Drax again. ¡°I wanted you people to know that this is personal. I wanted you to know your death wasn¡¯t because of whose side you fought on. It wasn¡¯t divine justice or whatever other reason your Lord and Kelz are fighting for.¡± He pointed at himself. ¡°It¡¯s because 6 kids lost their father and now they want to burn the world down as tribute.¡± He threw his gun away and pressed on button on his powersuit. The suit disassembled and fell at his feet, revealing his military clothing. ¡°Your death screams will make a great requiem for my father.¡± He flicked pieces of the suit in the air and launched them with lightning-fast kicks. Drax evaded the pieces of the suit while locking eyes with Raphael. ¡°Sir Xan, let¡¯s send them to meet their father.¡± ¡°Gladly!¡± Xan pointed his axe with a huge grin. Raphael fastened gauntlets on his arms and pointed his fist at his enemy. Xan and he roared simultaneously. ¡°Glory to the Almighty Lord!¡± ¡°Death to the Devil¡¯s enemies!¡± The two sides rushed at each other and chaos erupted. Droids clashed with knights without fear. Even as they were ripped in two they lodged their weapons in their enemies and fired at their heads. ¡°My soldiers, no retreat no surrender! Fight and die with honour!¡± A droid controlled by Alfa roared at the top of its voice. That voice didn¡¯t lose to the explosions erupting from the grenades Gina threw. She threw orbs that released bursts of water, fire, air, and lightning. The knights forced through these explosions and charged at her. ¡°Do you think I can only throw bombs?¡± She rushed at them swinging her steel whip. The whip ripped through armour as it slapped the knights. She ducked under a club and lifted her attacker off the ground with an uppercut. She caught them with her whip and flung them into their comrades. She hit a knight with a backkick and launched them backwards. Several shots hit her torso breaking her powersuit. She took a fragment of the suit and slit the eyes of the knights closest to her. She then threw the fragment into another knight¡¯s neck. ¡°Fuck off!¡± Ryker grabbed one of the knights closest to her and smashed their face into the ground. He sent several knights flying with swift but monstrous punches. Knights pounced on him, stabbing him in the back. Their blades penetrated his powersuit and into his flesh. With a swoosh, Gina¡¯s whip wrapped around their necks. She pulled it and the blades ripped their heads off. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Ryder, are you okay?!¡± Ryder didn¡¯t respond. He started charging through the knights mowing them down. His punches grew stronger with every impact. Soon, he was smashing through armours and bodies with his bare hands. ¡°There¡¯s no one left to stop me¡­¡± He easily evaded attacks from every angle before crushing skulls with punches and kicks. With every step he took, blood and flesh would dance in the air. ¡°Tsk.¡± Gina saw this and closely followed behind him. Meanwhile, Chul and Damini were combining to clear a path. Chul was firing railguns without pause in every direction. Damini would slaughter those who did everything to defend themselves. She looked for any opening to cut them into pieces. ¡°Little girl!¡± She looked up to see Xan swinging his giant axe down at her. She leapt back and the axe shook the building as it crashed into the floor. Damini didn¡¯t get any time to breathe. Xan chased after her swinging at her waist. Chul pulled Damini back causing him to miss. Chul slammed his leg in Xan¡¯s head. Xan stumbled but only for a second. ¡°So big brother steps in?!¡± Can swung his axe at Chul who tried to block it with his rifles. The axe shattered the guns and cut into Chul¡¯s side. ¡°?!¡± But it only cut a few inches deep. Damini had kicked the handle of the axe the moment it cut through Chul¡¯s guns. This caused Xan¡¯s strike to fall short. Chul pulled a serpent-shaped handgun and fired at Xan¡¯s face. His head flew back but quickly returned with a grin on his bleeding face. He stomped Chul in the stomach and sent him flying through a wall. Damini stabbed at his neck. His body flickered and he appeared behind her swinging his axe. ¡°Hey, old man!¡± A foot clashed with the axe and stopped it mid-swing. Xan¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at a droid that had its leg destroyed by the axe. It was being held up by three other droids. They worked together to stop Xan¡¯s attack. ¡°Our army will never accept defeat!¡± The droid wrapped its arms around Xan and blew up. The explosion caused Xan to stumble. The other droids jumped on him and self-destructed one after the other. Each explosion rocked Xan¡¯s body vigorously. ¡°AHHHH!¡± He roared and rushed towards Damini with horrible burns over his body. Damini gripped her blades tightly and rushed at him. He swung his axe as if it weighed nothing. A storm of axe swings rushed at Damini. She used her speed and agility to evade the swings but not completely. The axe chipped away at her powersuit and it broke in seconds. Soon her flesh was starting to be sliced off her body. Yet, she didn¡¯t flinch. ¡°OHHHH!¡± Damini roared as she slashed and stabbed at Xan. Like her, his armour was quickly chipped away. Damini¡¯s slashes carved into his flesh. The two didn¡¯t retreat an inch as they weaved through the onslaught of attacks and aimed to cut down the one standing before them. ¡°Damini!¡± A change occurred with a shout. Damini leaped back and Chul instantly popped up in front of Xan. ¡°You dare interrupt our battle?!¡± ¡°Fuck your battle!¡± Xan¡¯s axe instantly severed Chul¡¯s right arm. Chul slammed his fist in Xan¡¯s mouth destroying his teeth as he stuffed something inside. It was a grenade. Chul pulled the pin and lost his other arm in the process of retreating. The grenade exploded in Xan¡¯s mouth turning his face into a bloody mess. Yet- ¡°Uaagh!¡± He chased after Chul with his axe. Damini slammed into him like a truck and blew him back. ¡°Alfa!¡± Two droids flew at him low from behind with blades to slice his legs off. Xan leapt over them and stomped them into the ground. He then blocked shots from two droids with his axe. ¡°?!¡± However, the droids under him clung to his legs. They exploded causing him to scream in agony. His legs were charred and barely holding up. Shots hit them and finished them off. As he was tumbling over he saw Damini appear above him. ¡°Gina told you earlier, didn¡¯t she?¡± Xan lifted his axe in front of him. Damini stomped his axe and forced him into the ground. She looked down at Xan and stared into his eyes as she stood on his chest. ¡°We came here to murder you.¡± She thrust her blades down and stabbed Xan in the face. She started rapidly stabbing him without mercy. Blood and flesh splattered as Xan¡¯s screams echoed out. The knights around him tried rushing to his side. ¡°Move!¡± Ryder blew them all away with broken bodies. Gina ripped through the rest with her whip and the droids helping her. Xan tried pushing Damini off but she was relentless. Even as her legs were being broken by his fists, she stabbed his face. Once she couldn¡¯t stand she fell on him and bit into his neck. She ripped his flesh apart with her teeth while penetrating his skull with her blades. Eventually, Xan¡¯s stopped moving and his screams were no more. Even then, Damini didn¡¯t stop. ¡°Damini, it¡¯s over.¡± Chul stood beside her. He watched as she continued to mutilate the body. He sighed and kicked her off him. ¡°The fight isn¡¯t over yet. Remember, the bastard deserving of your rage isn¡¯t dead yet. So don¡¯t use it up.¡± Damini lay on the ground without moving. ¡°Do you understand?¡± Damini silently sat up. Her face was covered in Xan¡¯s blood but traces of tears were there. She wiped her mouth and nodded. ¡°Good, then help me reattach my arms. We need to help Roxanne and Raphael. They¡¯re fighting Drax and he has something that can make our regeneration meaningless.¡± ¡°¡­Legs still need to regenerate. Give me a second.¡± Chul looked at her for a bit and sighed. He stood next to her and looked away as she wiped the tears from her face. Meanwhile, Raphael and Roxanne were facing Drax as Chul said. ¡°All this trouble for one outsider. All this death for one life. Whether it¡¯s you or Lady Kelz, I can¡¯t understand the need to throw everything away to satisfy your emotions.¡± Drax spoke while taking out his sacred artefact and activating it. Raphael and Roxanne readied their weapons. ¡°If you can¡¯t understand it¡­¡± ¡°Just ask our father when you meet him in hell!¡± Chapter 18: Reason To Fight Drax found himself facing Raphael and Roxanne while in the midst of a chaotic battlefield. (I can¡¯t hear Xan¡¯s voice anymore¡­) He frowned. ¡°Even though I told him not to underestimate them. I bet he didn¡¯t activate his Blessing when initially cornered.¡± He faced the two again. ¡°I know Lady Kelz should¡¯ve informed you on how our abilities work. So I guess your plan is to strike us while we¡¯re underestimating you, severely damaging us. After all, We can¡¯t activating Blessing while regenerating from a major injury.¡± He started walking towards them. ¡°Unfortunately for you, I¡¯ve fought Gustav Fernandez. So I won¡¯t underestimate you because you¡¯re an outsider. In other words..¡± His body flickered and he popped up in front of the two. ¡°There will be no opening to exploit.¡± Blue light flashed as he swung his sword. Raphael and Roxanne leaped back narrowly evading it. Drax chased them thrusting his blade at their heads. Raphael lifted his arm and blocked the blade with his gauntlet. Drax¡¯s eyes widened seeing this. Roxanne attacked his side with high-frequency blades. She cut the air as Drax vanished. He appeared above them. He stepped in Roxanne¡¯s back and forced her into the ground. He blocked Raphael¡¯s punch with a kick. Raphael¡¯s arm was blown back. Drax leaped at him thrusting at his heart. Raphael crossed his arms in front of his chest and blocked the strike. ¡°As I thought.¡± He mumbled. Roxanne sprung to her feet and shot him in the back with a grappling hook from her powersuit. She pulled the hook and lifted him in the air. She swung the wire to slam him into the ground. Drax twisted and cut the wire before she could. Raphael rushed at him as he was falling. Drax lifted his leg to block a punch from Raphael. He was propelled towards a wall. He twisted his body and kicked off the wall. He ricocheted off the wall and floored Roxanne with a lightning-fast kick. She practically bounced back to her feet in the same instant. She ducked under another kick and grabbed his leg. He thrust his sword at her chest. She released him and threw herself to the ground to avoid the blade. She rolled to avoid a follow-up strike. Drax threw a glance at Raphael who was about to pounce. Raphael froze in his tracks. ¡°You¡¯re both talented fighters as I feared.¡± He glanced at Raphael¡¯s gauntlets. ¡°Lady Kelz providing you with a sacred artefact was unexpected though. After all, you can¡¯t use its power, but it serves as an effective shield against the one I wield.¡± He glanced at Roxanne. ¡°Since only one of you has one, I take it¡¯s the only artefact she was able to steal before being banished.¡± He held his sword in front of him. ¡°You having the means to block my artefact doesn¡¯t mean you have the abilities to. At the end of the day, it all comes down to skills.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll agree with you there.¡± Raphael grinned. ¡°It¡¯s down to skills.¡± Raphael and Roxanne rushed at Drax in unison. Drax spun swinging his sword stopping the two from attacking. He kicked off the ground and flew at Raphael. He moved his head out of the path of a punch and slashed Raphael across the chest. Raphael hit him with a gut punch and forced him back. Roxanne kicked him in the back and forced him forward. He spun around and ducked under her sword swings. He lifted her off the ground with an uppercut. He spun around swinging an elbow. Raphael tanked the elbow to the chest and slammed his fist in his face. (So he¡¯s willing to take damage in order to attack me.) Drax stepped into Raphael¡¯s midsection. He turned and stabbed at the charging Roxanne. She lifted her arm and the blade penetrated her arm. Drax smirked. The blade extended towards her heart. Yet, it didn¡¯t reach. Roxanne moved back moments before it extended. (She knew the sword would extend beforehand?¡­Lady Kelz huh?) Roxanne threw one of her blades while moving back. Drax twisted out of the way. ¡°Wait, that wasn¡¯t aimed at any of my vitals!¡± He spun around. Raphael wielded Roxanne¡¯s blade and cut into his side. ¡°Ugh!¡± Drax backhanded Raphael away with a groan. He was cut in the back by Roxanne. He grabbed at her but she quickly retreated. Drax¡¯s blood leaked on the ground as the wound started sealing. Roxanne¡¯s arm was bleeding and showed no signs of healing as it dangled at the side. ¡°So you people aren¡¯t afraid to get hurt as long as you can kill me?¡± The wound on his body was gone. ¡°Gustav was the same. He recklessly came at me without care for his own life. As if he sought death¡­In the end, his wish was granted.¡± Raphael and Roxanne didn¡¯t say anything and locked on his every move. ¡°No reaction to the taunt? You people are more level-headed than I thought.¡± ¡°You talk too much.¡± A new voice came from behind him. There the rest of the siblings appeared and surrounded him. ¡°A man who talks too much when fighting is a man who doubts his reason to fight.¡± Chul said. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. (The knights aren¡¯t coming? Did they get taken out?) Drax looked and his eyes widened. The knights of the Silver Core were scattered all over the area with broken bodies. The droids were mercilessly attacking them even as they crawled. (I didn¡¯t underestimate them, but this is absurd. They might be low-level but they¡¯re still warriors. Are you telling me they got beaten even with Blessing?) Something popped up at his side, it was an orb. He moved back as fire erupted where he stood. He sensed someone approaching his side and swung his sword. The sword cut into flash and halted. ¡°?!¡± His eyes widened. The sword was grabbed by his attackers preventing it from cutting deep into their side. Drax locked eyes with Ryder. In that second, Ryder¡¯s image overlapped with Gustav¡¯s. He slammed his fist in Drax¡¯s face so hard the impact echoed. (I see, so that¡¯s what happened.) Drax hit Ryder with several fast jabs to the chin before delivering a heavy hook to the temple. Ryder let go of his sword. Drax spun around and cut down. Damini twisted her body to avoid getting cut. Her sneak attack failed. Drax kicked her away. He ducked under Roxanne and Chul attacking his flanks with sword slashes. He spun and slashed their stomachs. (They moved back simultaneously so the cuts were shallow.) Drax thought while smirking. ¡°I see, you really are Gustav''s children. You¡¯re not as strong but the spirit is there.¡± He laughed a bit. ¡°Tell me, Children of Gustav, what are you all fighting for? And I don¡¯t mean now, I mean all your life. What is the reason you fought to live all your life?¡± He put up a finger. ¡°Let me guess, you fought all your life for the sake of your father? Then, I am the same.¡± He cut an orb thrown at him and it exploded. He popped up in front of Gina. ¡°I fight for my people.¡± Blood sprayed from Gina¡¯s torso. She stumbled back with her eyes peeled open. ¡°Gina?!¡± Her siblings rushed towards her. They stopped when they saw a blue light coming from Drax¡¯s body. The gems in his body were shining brightly. He had activated his Blessing. Damini grabbed Gina and distanced the two of them. Drax laughed as he spread his arms. ¡°Come, children of Gustav! Come avenge your father!¡± ¡°Son of a bitch!¡± Ryker roared. He gritted his teeth as his body trembled. (The stress level is beyond what he can control. He¡¯s going to revert.) Raphael thought. A memory of the first day he met Ryder flashed in his mind. Baring the eyes of a cold-blooded murderer, he stood behind Gustav while facing him, Roxanne, Chul, and Gina. ¡°This is Spawn, the U.S. Military calls him my successor.¡± Gustav grinned. ¡°I call him your new brother, Ryder.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raphael sighed and then showed a determined expression. ¡°Ryder!¡± Ryder looked towards him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m here.¡± He grinned. ¡°Let¡¯s all go wild!¡± Raphael rushed at Drax who grinned and charged at him. He popped up in front of Raphael slashing at his neck. Raphael blocked it with his gauntlet. He punched Drax in the stomach. Drax kicked him in the chest. He stumbled back. Drax rushed at him again. ¡°?!¡± A fist flew from his side. Ryker¡¯s fist past him as he stopped. He stopped and thrust at Ryker¡¯s neck. Ryker caught the strike with his bare hands. Drax smiled and slammed his fist in his face. The air shook. Ryker punched him in the stomach creating a loud thud. The two started punching each other with fast and heavy strikes. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re actually keeping up!¡± Drax rose Ryker off the ground with an uppercut. ¡°You¡¯re almost as big of a monster as your father!¡± Damini and Roxanne appeared at his side. He swung his sword to block theirs. They stepped back and fired at him. His body flickered. He appeared in front of Roxanne thrusting his blade. Raphael kicked him away from her. Blood sprayed from his leg. (He cut me the moment I kicked him?) He grinned. ¡°You¡¯ll have to be this strong to kill our father!¡± The two rushed at each other. Raphael blocked two slashes with his gauntlets. He stepped in Drax¡¯s knee. Drax forcibly kneeled but slashed at Raphael¡¯s legs. Raphael jumped over the slash. He swung his leg at Drax¡¯s neck. Drax leaned back to evade the kick before rolling away and springinh his feet. Gina appeared above him swinging her whip. He caught the whip and slammed her into the ground. He blinked and orbs were before his eyes. *BOOM!* He was blown back by an explosion of water and electricity. He was shot in the legs the moment his feet touched the ground. Chul aimed at his head. A knife hit the gun nozzle and jammed the gun. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°I have other weapons too!¡± Drax juggled knives in his hands before throwing them at Ryder who was attacking from behind. Ryder swatted the knives away and shattered one with his teeth. (This one is the deadliest.) Drax thought as he met Ryder¡¯s charge. The two exchanged blows and stumbled back. They stepped in. Drax swung his sword down cutting into Ryder¡¯s shoulder. Ryder punched him in the throat crushing his windpipe. ¡°KEK!¡± Drax coughed blood but continued to cut into Ryder¡¯s body. Roxanne leapt from behind Ryder and hit him with a drop kick. The two hit the ground and quickly got to their feet. Roxanne charged at him with swift kicks and punches. Drax evaded them and aimed for her openings. His arm was caught between her elbow and knee. She jumped off her pivot leg and slammed her knee in the side of his face. He stumbled as she hit the ground. ¡°KEK! KEK!¡± Drax was still trying to heal his windpipe when Damini rushed at him. She threw her knives at him. He blocked them with his sword. She accelerated further and crashed into him. He was flung in the path of Chul who dropkicked his spine. Drax stumbled forward and was hit by Raphael¡¯s uppercut. He grabbed Raphael and slammed him into the ground so hard it cracked. ¡°Ohhh!¡± Ryder kicked him away. Drax rolled and got to his feet. He bent backwards to avoid Ryder¡¯s leg. He threw his blade in his stomach. ¡°?!¡± Ryder fell to his knees and his blood poured onto the ground. ¡°If I kill you, this will be a lot easier.¡± Drax grabbed the sword. A wire wrapped around Ryder and pulled him back before Drax could do anything. Gina held Ryder and slowly retreated. Her vision was getting blurry. (I lost too much blood.) Drax walked towards them with his sword in his hand. Chul and Damini rushed him. His body flickered and the two crashed into the ground with blood spraying out of them. Drax continued to walk towards Gina and Ryder. Roxanne and Raphael blocked his path. ¡°I guess we¡¯re back to you two.¡± He spoke with a smile. ¡°But you both look like you¡¯re at your limits. So let¡¯s finish this!¡± He flew at them and his sword reached their necks in an instant. Raphael blocked the strike with his gauntlets. The two locked eyes. Raphael smirked. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s finish this.¡± He pushed Drax back. ¡°Roxanne!¡± Roxanne popped up behind Drax holding something in her hands. (Is it a gun or a bomb? Either way¡­) Drax spun around. ¡°I¡¯ll take her head before she can use it!¡± Roxanne opened her hands revealing an arrowhead with runes on it. The arrow glowed a blue light. ¡°?!¡± Drax¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°A sacred artifact?!¡± He immediately called himself foolish for saying they only had one. The arrowhead fired a beam at his heart. ¡°Ohh!¡± He blocked it with his sword. (Wait! She can use an artifact?! If she can, then that means!) Raphael appeared behind him with his gauntlets glowing. ¡°I can use them too!¡± He slammed his fist into Drax¡¯s spine. A thunderous noise resounded as he was punched through the ground. He and Raphael crashed into the floor below and started crashing through several floors. (Shit! I didn¡¯t know Outsiders could use the artefacts! The Lord has never issued one to an Outsider before! But Lady Kelz actually gave away two to them! That blasphemous woman!) Drax cursed in his head as his body broke under the force of Raphael¡¯s fist. They crashed through all the floors until they hit the first floor. The force open up and crater in the earth which Drax laid in. His blood flowed out of his body stained the earth. Raphael collapsed beside him and was breathing heavily. ¡°¡­.You people don¡¯t know what you¡¯re getting yourself into.¡± Drax spoke with a weak voice as he looked at Raphael with dull eyes. ¡°Whether it¡¯s the Lord Zander or Lady Kelz, they¡¯re both stubborn gods who will do anything to get their way¡­.Entering a war between them is suicide.¡± He smiled. ¡°I¡¯m glad I don¡¯t have to take part in it when it¡¯s at its worst.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about any of that, I only wanted to carry out my General''s orders.¡± Drax let out a low laugh. ¡°People like you always end up dying like this.¡± He closed his eyes. ¡°You better pray you don¡¯t reunite with that General of yours.¡± Raphael¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Wait, what do you¡ª¡± He swallowed his words. He could no longer sense any signs of life from Drax. Still, he mumbled. ¡°What did he mean?¡­¡± Chapter 19: Calm Before The Storm This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Chapter 20: To The Promised Land Kelz stopped moving the pieces of the holographic puzzle and it disappeared. The gems stopped glowing and returned to their default blue colour. She turned around and faced Raphael. ¡°I finished reprogramming the gate. It will now connect to a teleportation array near my allies. We¡¯ve already disconnected the gate on their end so we don¡¯t have to fear an attack.¡± ¡°What if they fly down from the upper island?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible or did you not think of that possibility?¡± ¡°¡­.The latter.¡± Raphael nodded. ¡°Just as I was able to think of such a thing I¡¯m certain the Outsiders on your brother¡¯s side can do the same. This means we don¡¯t have all the time in the world. We should make our move. If we¡¯re lucky, someone will put the idea to send people down here to take us out while we¡¯re secretly in the Promised already.¡± ¡°I see, it will weaken their forces and create an opening.¡± Kelz pondered Raphael¡¯s words and grinned. ¡°This can work. Zagon will believe I¡¯ve completely captured this island without anyone to keep me in check. He¡¯ll definitely send an army, especially since he knows I have Outsiders helping me. He doesn¡¯t know our forces and will definitely think the worst. With this, the Holy Knights and Zagon will be distracted. Meaning we can go straight for the temple first and regain my powers before we fight them.¡± (As I thought, Kelz is highly intelligent. The problem is she lacks experience as a General. She needs good advisers around her.) Raphael thought while looking at Fayax and Brix. ¡°Kelz, can I speak with these two alone for a bit?¡± ¡°¡­.I don¡¯t see the problem.¡± ¡°Then, will you two follow me?¡± He turned around and walked away. Fayax and Brix followed him only after looking at Kelz and getting a nod. They followed him until they were on a vacant floor. ¡°What did you want to talk about?¡± Fayax asked after seeing that Raphael stopped. ¡°How long have you two known, Kelz?¡± ¡°Over a hundred years.¡± Brix answered. ¡°Have you always been her servants?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°What about the current Lord? How do you feel about him? Do you hate him?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what your goal is here, but we don¡¯t hate anyone. We¡¯re only fighting against him because we trust in Lady Kelz and what she believes in.¡± Fayax snapped at Raphael. ¡°So you¡¯re driven by loyalty? Then would you be willing to step down if it might seal Kelz¡¯s victory?¡± ¡°¡­What are you trying to say?¡± ¡°Kelz is inexperienced which is probably the reason she was betrayed. Her brother received guidance from Outsiders and was able to steal everything from her. In order to take back what is hers, she needs someone who can make up for her inexperience.¡± ¡°Is that person you?¡± Brix¡¯s eyes were bloodshot. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°You¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re angry. I¡¯m merely speaking facts.¡± Raphael cut her off. ¡°While Kelz was down here with you, her brother was learning all kinds of things from the Outsiders he took in. He learned how to be cunning, how to be deceitful, how to be ruthless, how to be cruel.¡± Raphael placed his hand over his heart. ¡°We from the outside are cruel, devious bastards by design. Do you think you can beat us in a war when we¡¯re willing to do anything to win?¡± Fayax and Brix were quiet. ¡°Kelz need to sink to their level or even lower to win. She needs people who won¡¯t hesitate to commit the most atrocious acts for victory.¡± He walked up to them and stared them down. ¡°This isn¡¯t a game! If people like me are involved, this will be an ugly ugly war! Something your people aren¡¯t used to!¡± He placed his hands on their shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m not saying that you should leave her side. Stay beside her and protect her as you¡¯ve always done, just allow us to help guide her. If you think she¡¯s being led astray then you can step up and protect her as always.¡± He looked them in the eyes. ¡°However, if you let your pride blind you from what needs to be done, then it¡¯s best you start digging Kelz¡¯s grave.¡± They locked eyes with Raphael for a while without saying anything. ¡°Alright.¡± Fayax was the first to speak up. ¡°We¡¯ll do as you say, however, we will be there fighting by Lady Kelz¡¯s side.¡± Raphael smiled. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want it any other way.¡± A few hours later. Raphael had gathered his siblings. ¡°How are your conditions?¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty much healed up.¡± Roxanne answered. ¡°I lost my arms and had my insides cut open. I¡¯m fine now but I¡¯m gonna have nightmares after I leave this island.¡± Chul mumbled. ¡°I¡¯m mostly fine, Damini and Ryder took the most damage.¡± Gina spoke while touching Damini and Ryder on their shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m good now. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Damini wore a strained smile. Ryder didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Ryder, do you want to sleep?¡± Raphael asked. ¡°I¡¯m good.¡± Raphael saw the dullness in his eyes. ¡°So you¡¯re willing to revert back to Spawn permanently?¡± ¡°¡­If it means we win in the end. My predecessor would approve.¡± (Father said he used something like brainwashing to stabilize his mind enough to be taught how to function as a person, and not a weapon. Once it wore off, his original personality would return but a bit more stable.) Raphael nodded. ¡°Alright, as long as you¡¯re on our side you¡¯re free to do as you like.¡± He faced the rest of his siblings. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get ready to move out.¡± Soon they gathered with Kelz¡¯s people in front of the Holy Gate. ¡°Alright, we¡¯re going to pass through the gate and arrive near the heavenly temple. Once we¡¯re there, I¡¯ll break into the temple while Fayax and Brix will lead the rest of you to where our allies should be.¡± The gate lit up after she touched it. She looked at her comrades with a wide grin. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± She walked through the gate with Fayax and Brix behind her. Her soldiers followed closely behind her. ¡°Gina, how many droids do we have left?¡± ¡°18.¡± Gina answered Roxanne while stretching. ¡°Revolving Cannons and railguns?¡± ¡°We all have one railgun each.¡± Chul answered while showing his broken guns. ¡°What about explosives?¡± ¡°We¡¯re all out.¡± Damini answered. ¡°So we have 18 droids and mostly melee weapons left?¡± Roxanne looked at Raphael. ¡°How should we proceed from now on? We lost our Powersuits as well. Although I doubt they would serve any good now.¡± ¡°We follow Kelz. There¡¯s a possibility her brother has seen through her plans. Her allies might betray her too.¡± ¡°It has been decades since they¡¯ve met. The current Lord could have full control over everything in the Promised Land.¡± ¡°So we¡¯re abandoning everybody who is going to meet her allies?¡± Chul asked. ¡°There¡¯s no reason for us to split up and risk our lives protecting them. Especially, in a strange land we know nothing about. As long as we¡¯re with Kelz, we can win. We just need to protect her until she can regain her abilities as Lord. Until then and even after that, we will slaughter all her enemies.¡± Chul nodded. ¡°I agree with you.¡± (Also, I need to confirm the thing with Gustav. If they turned him into our enemy, I got to prepare myself for the greatest battle of my life.) ¡°I¡¯m more scared of fighting him than Kelz or the Lord.¡± Raphael mumbled under his breath. He walked towards the gate and the others followed behind him. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± At the same time, Feng was inside his laboratory operating a supercomputer. On the monitor was an image of a man. He clicked on the man¡¯s arm and the screen was filled with data. ¡°This is more impressive than I expected.¡± He clicked on the chest. ¡°He¡¯s been revived and his injuries have all recovered¡­. But this body is insane.¡± He clicked off the body and brought several images of the same person but at different ages. ¡°He¡¯s absorbing God Essence at the same rate as a Royal with no signs of side effects. His body is quickly returning to its peak. I mean it¡¯s supposed to do that but not at this rate¡­¡± He paused and stared at the screen. ¡°Could the rumour about him being raised as a super soldier be true? It wasn¡¯t just another baseless rumour on the internet?¡± He removed the images and walked away from the computer. He walked over to the giant glass tank. Inside it a man was floating with wires and tubes attached to him. ¡°I¡¯ve modified Outsiders and Locals for years now and this is the first time I¡¯m nervous.¡± He remembered Drax¡¯s and Julius¡¯s warnings. ¡°My mind is telling me to abort¡­.¡± He grinned. ¡°But my heart as a man in pursuit of knowledge wants to know¡­.No, it needs to know, just what am I dealing with?¡± He placed his hand on the glass. ¡°Just what are you, Gustav Fernandez?¡± Chapter 21: Giovanni Delgado July 26, 2009. On this day a couple welcomed a baby boy in a local hospital in El Paso. This boy was named Giovanni Delgado. ¡°Gio, do you want to play catch?¡± The father, Rafael called out to his son, a 5year old Giovanni, who was sitting in front of tv. ¡°Gio?¡± He got no response from his son and walked up to him. He stood before him and blocked the tv. Even so, his son didn¡¯t react. Giovanni only stared in space with a blank expression. ¡°He¡¯s doing it again.¡± Rafael sighed and gently shook Giovanni. ¡°¡­.Huh?¡± It was only then did he reacted. Rafael showed him a ball in his hand. ¡°Do you want to play catch?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Giovanni¡¯s expressionless face lit up as he sprung to his feet. He grabbed the ball and ran outside. ¡°¡­He¡¯s zoning out more often now. There are also times he goes days without showing any emotions as if he¡¯s on autopilot.¡± Rafael frowned. ¡°Should I have him checked out?¡± The early years of Giovanni¡¯s life were pretty normal and peaceful. This was because of parents upbringing and the fact he was an obedient child. ¡°Gio, come inside. It¡¯s time for dinner.¡± Leticia Delgado called for her 5-year-old son. She went to the backyard in search of him and found him with his back turned and stooping down. She quietly approached him, curious as to what he was doing. ¡°Gio¡ª?!¡± She swallowed her words with a gasp. Before her, was the sight of her son looking down on nearly a dozen limbless lizards. The lizards wiggled in pain as Giovanni observed them. ¡°¡­¡­..¡± He silently picked up a lizard and started to twist its head. ¡°No!¡± Leticia slapped the lizard out of his hand causing Giovanni to look up at her. Her horrified face reflected in his dull green eyes. ¡°Giovanni, did you do this to these lizards?¡± She spoke with a trembling voice. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I was wondering if lizards can scream like us. Looks like these ones can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Just for that?¡± Giovanni nodded. ¡°Then why were you twisting the head?¡± ¡°Because I was done with it. Also, it looked like it was in pain, so I wanted to help it.¡± Leticia stared at Giovanni in shock for a while only to mumble- ¡°Is this how a 5-year-old should act?¡± Giovanni was later scolded by his parents whenever he did something similar. However, other than that he had a peaceful life. That changed one night when he was 8. He went to sleep and woke to a gun pointing in his face. ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Whether it was shock or because he was still half-asleep, Giovanni showed no reaction to the gun. ¡°Get up.¡± The owner of the gun was a man wearing a ski mask. Giovanni silently did as he was told. After standing up, the man grabbed his arm and dragged him out of his room. Giovanni was dragged downstairs where he saw his mother kneeling in the living room. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°Giovanni!¡± She cried for him while forced to kneel between two men wearing ski masks. ¡°Calm down, Mrs. Delgado.¡± In front of her was a man sitting on a chair with his legs spread. The man was the only one not wearing a mask. He looked at Gio and smiled. ¡°Gio, don¡¯t be scared and sit with Mama.¡± The man holding him pulled Giovanni and forced him to the ground. His mother immediately wrapped her arms around him and glared at the man sitting in front of them. ¡°I know you. You¡¯re Gustav Fernandez.¡± ¡°Oh? So Rafael shares information about me with his wife? I¡¯m sure that¡¯s breaking some kind of federal law.¡± The man, Gustav laughed. ¡°Well, since you know who I am then I¡¯m certain you¡¯ll be able to guess why I¡¯m here.¡± Leticia didn¡¯t say anything and just held Giovanni tighter. ¡°Won¡¯t answer? You¡¯re much fun, huh? I wonder what Rafael sees in you.¡± Gustav looked at Giovanni. ¡°You see, Gio. Your father and I are, we go way back. Me as a member of the Ramirez Cartel and him as a federal agent. As all friends do, we try to kill each other from time to time. As the years go by, we move up in our respective organizations. Now, I¡¯m one of the top executives of the gang and he¡¯s a renowned agent.¡± He smirked. ¡°We¡¯re both too good at our jobs, so I need to throw him off his game.¡± Gustav stood up. ¡°Rafael Delgado is a very dedicated man who never weavers. However, he¡¯s a man all the same.¡± One of the masked men handed him a gun. Leticia immediately hid Giovanni behind her. ¡°If I killed you, Rafael will become a demon set on revenge, however, that will make him easier to manipulate and predict. Even if he kills me, it will create the chance for my brothers to take him out. I¡¯m more afraid of my brothers dying than dying myself, so I don¡¯t mind becoming bait.¡± He pointed the gun at Letica. ¡°As long as he dies with me, then nothing else matters.¡± Peeking out from behind his mother, Giovanni saw the moment Gustav pulled the trigger. He saw a flash and then everything became dark. ¡°¡­¡­..¡± When he opened his eyes again everything was blurry. His body felt numb and heavy. He turned to his side to witness his mother¡¯s tear-stained eyes staring into his soul. These eyes had no signs of life but they were locked on him, as if they were afraid he would stray from them. Giovanni slowly lost the strength to keep him conscious and his mind faded into the dark. ¡°¡­¡­..¡± The next time he woke up, he was staring at a white ceiling. He stared blankly at the ceiling until someone called out to him. ¡°Gio.¡± He turned his head. His father was at his side. However, the look on his face was new to Giovanni. ¡°Gio, your mother is dead and you need to help me get back at the people responsible.¡± There was no concern or delight in his voice after his son woke up. Only tears ran down their cheeks as his gentle expression was replaced by a demon¡¯s. (Dead¡­) Giovanni thought of all the animals and insects he¡¯d killed and experimented on over the years. The image of his mother overlapped them. As with those insects, Giovanni Delgado''s first thoughts regarding his mother¡¯s death were¡ª ¡°She was finally at peace.¡± He shed no tears or showed any signs of sadness. That¡¯s when Rafael Delgado confirmed something about his son; the concept of empathy was foreign to Giovanni. He gritted his teeth and spoke with bloodshot eyes. ¡°Even better! I¡¯ll use that lack of compassion and create the perfect weapon to kill you, Gustav!¡± Over the next couple of years, Rafael trained Giovanni in everything he knew about warfare and killing. No, he went even further and hired former criminals to teach Giovanni everything they knew. He then changed his diet and fed him the latest supplements to create a strong body. At 8 Giovanni fired his first gun, he went on to shoot a hundred targets a day. He was taught how to disarm an opponent and kill them with their own weapon. Muay Thai, Krav Maga, Sambo, Eskrima, Systema, Kalaripayattu, etc. Giovanni was taught some of the most lethal martial arts in the world. Rafael did everything he could to create the ultimate killing machine. ¡°Giovanni, I want you to kill this man.¡± When he was 11, Rafael threw a half-dead man at his feet. ¡°This man is a member of a gang who burned down a house and killed two children years ago. He was released on a plea bargain and living his life guilt-free.¡± Rafael¡¯s face twisted with disgust as looked down at the man. ¡°Scum like him don¡¯t deserve second chances. So I want you to kill him.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± ¡°What? You don¡¯t want to?¡± ¡°How do you want me to kill him?¡± Rafael¡¯s eyes widened for a bit before he put on a stone face. ¡°Do whatever you want.¡± Giovanni nodded. With one swift motion, he pulled a knife from his waist and stabbed the man in the throat. He pulled his knife out and looked down at the man as he choked on his blood. ¡°¡­No hesitant, huh?¡± Rafael mumbled. His eyes slowly widened as he looked at Giovanni¡¯s face. There was a huge smile stretching from ear to ear. This smile sent a shiver down Rafael¡¯s spine. From that day, he never made Giovanni kill again. (It¡¯s good if he¡¯s cold and apathetic because that will make him a perfect soldier, however, if he ever discovers the joys of killing, I won¡¯t be able to control him.) He started teaching Giovanni to only kill when necessary. He taught him how to function as a person. Ironically, in the process, he started to regain his own humanity. (What have I been doing to my son?!) One day, Rafael had a mental breakdown in front of Giovanni, screaming and kicking while calling his wife¡¯s name. After observing him for a while, Giovanni called one of his father¡¯s colleagues. This colleague came and was shocked to find out what was happening. He helped Rafael come back to his senses over time by being there to help him organize his thoughts. As for Giovanni, his training was stopped when he was 12. Rafael later voluntarily checked into a mental facility and Giovanni was left in the care of his colleague, Ryder Shaw. ¡°Gio, I know you¡¯ve been through a lot, but I want you to know you can always open up to me and rely on me for anything.¡± This was first thing Ryder told him when he took him in. This was the beginning to his recovery. At least it should¡¯ve been. ¡°The funny thing about recovery is that it¡¯s meaningless if the so-called victim didn¡¯t want to be saved.¡± Giovanni said this as he walked into military school. At the age of 15, Giovanni Delgado entered military school where he would cease to exist. Chapter 22: Gustav Fernandez-Orgin ¡°This is my home.¡± At 12, Giovanni was put under the care of federal agent, Ryder Shaw. Ryder¡¯s house was huge but had a homely feeling. While Giovanni was looking around, he spotted a woman walking towards him. ¡°This is my wife, Gina.¡± ¡°It¡¯s so nice to meet you.¡± Gina greeted Giovanni with a smile. He flashed her a smile in return. ¡°We won¡¯t ask you to think of us as your parents, but I want you to think of this home as your own.¡± Ryder placed his hand on his shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, just relax and be yourself.¡± Giovanni¡¯s life with the Shaws was peaceful and uneventful. Ryder and Gina tried their best to make Giovanni feel at home. They showered him in love every chance they got. As for Giovanni, he was well-behaved and showed no signs of being affected by his past traumas. ¡°Gio is exercising again.¡± The couple watched Giovanni doing push ups in their backyard. His physique was nothing like a 14-year old¡¯s. ¡°To be honest, he¡¯s already stronger than me, faster too. In fact, I don¡¯t think the average adult can compete.¡± Ryder watched Giovanni with concern. ¡°His father taught him a lot of things and he continues to practice them. At first, I thought it was because of habit, but I think he genuinely enjoys it.¡± ¡°A little exercise isn¡¯t a bad thing. It helps keep him focused. He doesn¡¯t get into fights either despite his physique. It¡¯s just¡­.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think he¡¯s truly happy?¡± Gina nodded. ¡°I know what you mean. I didn¡¯t notice it at first, but that child is always wearing a fake smile. He doesn¡¯t cause trouble but he doesn¡¯t seem to be enjoying life.¡± ¡°Could his trauma be deeper rooted than we thought?¡± Ryder didn¡¯t answer immediately. He watched as Giovanni punched and kicked a sandbag. He wore a grin that grew wider with every strike. ¡°That¡¯s a genuine smile. After seeing that kind of smile, I realized he¡¯s faking it most of the time.¡± He turned and looked at Gina. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s trauma. We made him get psychiatric evaluations before we took him in. They found nothing wrong with him. We put him in therapy with some of the best therapists and none of them found anything off¡­.I¡¯m going to visit his father to see if he knows anything.¡± Ryder visited Rafael in the mental facility. They met in a room with guards watching them. ¡°You want to know why Gio wears a fake smile all the time?¡± Rafael smiled. ¡°That¡¯s because the boy¡¯s a psychopath.¡± Ryder frowned. ¡°How can you say that about your son when you¡¯re the reason he¡¯s like this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the reason? Ryder, my friend, I put that boy through a lot of things and I own up to that. I¡¯m a terrible father and a worse human being. However, I did not make that child into how he is.¡± Rafael leaned over on the table. ¡°Listen to me, Ryder. That child was broken from the start. He didn¡¯t shed a tear when his mother died, despite her dying in front of him. It¡¯s because he¡¯s like this that I tried to turn him into the perfect soldier. He didn¡¯t complain no matter how hard the training or how cruel I was. Those years I trained him I learnt what kind of being I was dealing with, and honestly I was afraid of him.¡± ¡°Afraid? Despite you being the abuser?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t get it, you just don¡¯t get it.¡± Rafael sighed and leaned back. ¡°Let me guess, he¡¯s obedient, well-mannered, and an easy child to manage.¡± Ryder nodded. ¡°He¡¯s not doing it to trick you or anything, that too is the real him. It¡¯s just that he gets bored.¡± ¡°Bored? Everybody gets bored.¡± ¡°Yes, everybody does. But that boy¡¯s boredom can only be satisfied by death and mutilation. Violence is the only thing he truly craves. I don¡¯t why he¡¯s like that, but that¡¯s just how it is.¡± Ryder remembered Giovanni only truly smiling when committing violent acts in training. ¡°¡­.I can fix him. We can fix him. You¡¯re his father, you owe it to fix him.¡± ¡°You want a broken person to fix someone who was never whole?¡± Rafael laughed. ¡°Listen, Ryder. My advice is this, he¡¯ll eventually get bored, so bored everyday life will mean nothing to him. It will reach a point where he¡¯ll lash out, not at you or Gina though. Strangely enough, the boy values family. He won¡¯t mourn you but, he will never hurt or disobey you. However, that¡¯s just family. Everybody else is fair game.¡± If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°¡­.Then what do you think we should do?¡± ¡°Turn him into a soldier.¡± ¡°What? You¡¯re still¡ª¡± ¡°Now, calm down. Gio craves violence; unless you sedated him he probably always will. If that¡¯s the case, we should try to control his violence and use it for good. Otherwise, he¡¯ll just turn into a serial killer. Put him into the army and have the government control him while he¡¯s still human. The boy¡¯s very talented and blessed with a unusual physique, which was further strengthened artificially by me. If he¡¯s left to his own devices, a lot of innocent people will die. At least if he¡¯s under our control, his violence will result in lives being saved.¡± Rafael paused for a bit. ¡°There is another option.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Put a bullet in his head.¡± Ryder¡¯s eyes widened. Rafael continued. ¡°Just so you know, if you take that option you¡¯ll have to put one in my head too.¡± He showed a bright smile. ¡°After all, I still love my son enough to kill for him.¡± ¡°¡­.I see that you won¡¯t be coming out here for a long time. You¡¯re still batshit crazy.¡± ¡°I know, right? I still dream about killing every cartel out there. The guards say I even giggle in my sleep.¡± Ryder stood up. ¡°So, are you going to take advice from a madman?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m taking the advice of a father. But in moderation. I¡¯m going to ask Gio if he wants to go to military school and see how he reacts. Then I¡¯ll act from there.¡± ¡°Good idea. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll love it.¡± Rafael started to clap while Ryder frowned. After he went home, Ryder spoke with Gina and told her everything Rafael told him. After thinking about it for a while, she agreed to try out the Military school idea. Once Giovanni returned home and ate dinner with them, they brought it up. ¡°Military school?¡± ¡°Yes, we were wondering if you¡¯re interested. I mean you¡¯re always training so we thought you would be more comfortab¡ª¡± Ryder swallowed his words after seeing Giovanni¡¯s face. He wore the widest smile he¡¯d ever seen. The smile was so genuinely happy it sent a chill down his spine. He frowned. ¡°Looks like a father will know his son the best.¡± He mumbled. Less than a year later, Giovanni was enrolled into military school. ¡°Remember, Gio. If you ever feel like you want to come home just give us a call and we¡¯ll come pick you up.¡± Ryder said while holding his shoulders. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Gina walked up to him and kissed his cheek. ¡°Please be careful and remember to call.¡± ¡°I will.¡± After they said their goodbyes, they left Giovanni and drove off. Giovanni watched them drive away before picking up his suitcase and walking into the school. ¡°Military school huh? Father must¡¯ve given them the idea.¡± He grinned. ¡°Father, you know me so well.¡± Giovanni¡¯s first year in the school was far from peaceful. On his first day, he broke the arms of his seniors because they harassed him. By the time he had finished his first week, he had complete control of the classroom. He ruled his grade two months later. By six months he was told to train alone because no one could compete. Soon he was training with the instructors. ¡°Mr and Mrs Shaw, I believe your son is beyond what our school is capable of teaching.¡± Ryder and Gina were meeting the principal in an annual parent-teacher meeting. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯ve never seen someone like Giovanni before. I¡¯ve fought him myself and it felt like I was dancing with death. That¡¯s why after some thought I believe it¡¯s best for everyone if he leaves this school and waits a year to join the real military when he¡¯s 17.¡± ¡°¡­.I understand.¡± Ryder spoke after much thought. ¡°We¡¯ll talk to him and decide his future togethe--¡± ¡°Sir, we have a problem!¡± One of the instructors burst into the office. ¡°Giovanni Delgado stole a truck and left the compound!¡± ¡°What?!¡± Ryder, Gina, and the principal screamed in unison. After much confusion, Ryder and Gina drove to the place they believed Giovanni would go. The mental facility housing Rafael. They immediately asked if anyone visited Rafael before they arrived and confirmed someone did. They met with Rafael using Ryder¡¯s authority. ¡°Rafael, you bastard!¡± Ryder punched Rafael the moment he walked into the room Rafael hit the ground and lay motionlessly. ¡°You fucker! You knew this would happen and yet you convinced me to send Giovanni there!¡± He grabbed Rafael by the collar ignoring his wife and the guards trying to calm him down. ¡°Tell me where he is!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Rafael looked at him with unfocused eye. ¡°Talk to me, Rafael!¡± Ryder shook him vigorously. Rafael showed a small smile. ¡°¡­.I was wrong. I should¡¯ve never raised that boy how I did.¡± ¡°Rafael, please tell us where Giovanni is.¡± Gina made Ryder release him before pleading with him. ¡°Giovanni?¡± He burst out laughing. ¡°You!¡± Ryder became enraged again and had to be restrained by the guards. ¡°Giovanni? Giovanni¡¯s dead.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ryder and Gina froze after hearing what he said. Rafael continued while laughing. ¡°Someone did visit me before you¡­¡± An hour before Ryder and Gina arrived, Rafael had a visitor. To his surprise, it was his son. ¡°Hello, Rafael.¡± Giovanni sat at the table wore a grin on his face. This grin made Rafael¡¯s skin crawl as he sat down across from him. ¡°How did you come here? You aren¡¯t supposed to be in contact with me.¡± Giovanni nodded. ¡°What you said is the truth, but did you know? A lot of the children sent to military school are troublemakers who have broken the law or are too much for their parents to handle. A lot of those kids come from wealthy backgrounds and have a lot of connections in the right places.¡± ¡°¡­So you used these connections to get you in here?¡± Giovanni shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s too small-minded, Rafael. You taught me better than that.¡± He pulled out an ID. ¡°I used them to create a new identity for me. Giovanni Delgado doesn¡¯t exist anymore.¡± Rafael¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Looks like you want to know how. You¡¯ll be surprised how effective blackmailing powerful people can be. Especially when you can expose how they sexually assaulted their children before sending them away to hide their guilt. Oh, don¡¯t worry. I know you hate people like that, so I¡¯ll bring them to justice in the future.¡± Rafael¡¯s body was trembling. He was reading the name on the ID. ¡°Gustav Fernandez¡­¡± ¡°Yup, do you like it?¡± Rafael slammed the table. ¡°You bastard! How dare you take the name of your mother¡¯s killer?!¡± Giovanni lifted his hand to stop the guards from approaching them. ¡°I took it because it¡¯s the name of the person who had the most impression on me. After all, he killed my mother in front of me and killed the kind man who used to be my father.¡± Rafael¡¯s body froze. He gritted his teeth. ¡°Is this your way of getting back at me? Are you here to just punish me?!¡± ¡°Punish you? For what?¡± Giovanni wore a confused expression. ¡°If anything I¡¯m grateful. You made me into who I am right now. The perfect soldier.¡± He stood up and patted Rafael¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Thanks for raising me, Father.¡± He playfully pats his cheek. ¡°Anyway, I got to get going before Ryder and Gina get here.¡± ¡°¡­Where are going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to spend a year in Mexico and then join the army when I¡¯m 17.¡± Giovanni, no, Gustav Fernandez walked away from the table. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m gonna avenge my mother. In fact, I¡¯m planning on making you proud and do what you¡¯ve trained me to do.¡± Gustav looked back at the shaking Rafael with a bloodthirsty smile. ¡°I¡¯m gonna kill my namesake and every other cartel I come across.¡± He turned his back and waved. ¡°Adios, Papa.¡± Ryder and Gina were frozen in shock after hearing Rafael¡¯s story. ¡°I should¡¯ve never trained him.¡± Rafael spoke with a trembling voice. ¡°I should¡¯ve never created that devil!¡± ¡°Gustav Fernandez formerly known as Giovanni Delgado went on to join the Great Cartel War where he was instrumental to the destruction of all of the major cartels by slaughtering an undisclosed amount of people. His true identity was revealed after his arrest, but he still insisted on calling himself Gustav Fernandez.¡± Julius sat inside Feng¡¯s lab reading a file. He looked at the giant glass tank with someone floating. The person looked identical to a picture of an 18-year-old Giovanni. ¡°You were really a menace back then. I just hope Feng knows what he¡¯s doing bringing you back.¡± Chapter 23: The Promised Land A light flashed and Raphael found himself in a golden room filled with glowing jewels. He looked around and all of his siblings were nearby. Kelz wasn¡¯t that far from them. ¡°We¡¯ve decided to go with you, is that alright?¡± Raphael asked. Kelz thought about it for a bit and nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t see any problem. Just stay outside the temple when I go in.¡± Kelz turned to Fayax and Brix. ¡°You guys go meet with Zander and the others. Try to be as discreet as possible and blend in. We¡¯ll regroup after I regain my powers.¡± ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am.¡± Everyone split up into groups as they exited the building. The droids were left behind and were tasked to blend in on their own and keep hidden. As for everyone else, they wore clothes that would allow them to blend in. ¡°Whew~!¡± Roxanne whistled in amazement. The scenery that opened up before them was one of beauty and glamour. There were skyscrapers in the distance that glistened a golden colour under the sun. There were flying beasts in the air soaring in harmony with aircraft. The trees didn¡¯t lose to the skyscrapers in size. They towered in the distance forming something like a wall around the island. The roads were filled with polished gems that twinkled like stars in the black roads. ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Kelz looked around with widened eyes. ¡°I take it that this place has severely changed in the time you were gone.¡± Raphael said to her. She slowly nodded. ¡°It¡¯s to be expected when so many outsiders are here. They¡¯ll definitely leave their mark.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± That was all she said before she started walking. They walked down the streets trying their best to blend in with their surroundings. (There¡¯s a lot of outsiders. More than I thought.) Raphael looked around. He noticed some people had blue hair mixed with different colors. Some had different ethnicitic features. (Mixed bloods? It¡¯s been decades so I guess it¡¯ll make sense they crossbreed.) He looked at Kelz. She was dressed in a cloak to hide her features. She walked in the middle of the group with the tallest of siblings blocking people from getting a good look at her. ¡°Still, there are a lot of people. It even feels a bit congested.¡± Gina mumbled. ¡°It''s like we¡¯re in a metropolis. Does this island have the resources needed for such a population¡­¡± Her eyes slowly widened. ¡°I see.¡± She glanced at Kelz. ¡°The reason you people appeared out of nowhere was because you were short on resources.¡± ¡°¡­.We weren¡¯t short yet, but we would be in a few decades. In less than a century, our resources would be completely depleted.¡± Kelz sighed. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°Our people have extremely long lifespans. We also don¡¯t normally kill each other, and because of this our population only increases. To prevent a population issue we rarely reproduce, like probably once a century for a couple. However, eventually, we reached a critical point. Before we start killing each other for resources, we returned to the surface.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯m seeing where this is going.¡± Roxanne spoke up. ¡°You can get resources from other countries around you, but there was a problem. How would you get resources? Would you trade peacefully or would you take them with force?¡± She glanced at Kelz. ¡°That¡¯s what caused you and your brother to fall out, you couldn¡¯t agree on a method.¡± Kelz slowly nodded. ¡°I wanted to slowly build relations with the rest of the world and establish some trade. However, Zagon didn¡¯t think it would be possible. He believed we would be exploited and could face destruction if we let our guard down.¡± ¡°So he suggested you take on the world and rob it.¡± Kelz nodded. ¡°While we were arguing, Outsiders attacked and we found out how superior we were. This made Zagon more desperate. He proposed we destroy the outsiders and conquer their countries, but I wanted to live in harmony.¡± (I can¡¯t say this out loud, but Zagon had the right idea. The rest of the world saw this new place as a possible treasure chest for the taking. Wars were going to start over who could claim it. If history has shown anything, the locals here would suffer if they had their way. Their godlike strength saved them.) ¡°Sadly, peace was never an option from the beginning.¡± Chul spoke what Raphael was thinking. ¡°I know that now. I acknowledged I was na?ve back then. However, my brother wants to commit genocide for our people. I can¡¯t allow that as his sister and the rightful ruler. I can¡¯t condone the massacre of innocents whose leaders put their lives at risk all for greed.¡± ¡°I see. That¡¯s quite honourable. I¡¯m an outsider, so your ideology benefits me.¡± Raphael said. (The outsiders here most likely betrayed their countries and are helping Zagon in order to obtain riches and power once the world is his. He and his people had the strength, with their help it¡¯s almost certain.) ¡°Are you mocking me in your head?¡± Kelz said while tugging on his shirt seeing him laugh. ¡°No, I was just thinking humans will always be humans.¡± ¡°¡­I see. Anyway, the temple is less than 5 minutes away. So be on your guard. There might be a battle if the shamans turned on me.¡± The siblings nodded. They arrived in front of a golden temple shortly after. Statues of a serpent and a Phoenix was on the top, with blue gemstones forming ancient writings on the sides. It was in a yard surrounded by a tall fence and with a huge gate. ¡°Can you just walk in?¡± Damini asked. ¡°Yes, the temple is for the public. Only the section where the ritual to become Lord is hidden.¡± Kelz moved to whisper in Raphael¡¯s ear. ¡°On the eastern side, there¡¯s a statue of a Saintess under a tree bearing purple fruit. Shift the statue and a stairway will appear in the ground. Use it to follow me if I don¡¯t make contact in 5 minutes. Attack everyone if I¡¯m not down there by 30 minutes.¡± ¡°I assume you¡¯ll take the normal route down there but you¡¯ll contact us first.¡± Kelz nodded. ¡°Do as I say if that doesn¡¯t happen.¡± ¡°Understood. Be careful.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Kelz headed inside the temple while the siblings headed to the yard. ¡°Are we going to go use the stairway immediately?¡± Raphael nodded to Gina¡¯s question. ¡°It¡¯s better to prevent a problem before it occurs than wait and see if it will happen. If things go well Kelz will figure out where we went and act accordingly.¡± ¡°And if it doesn¡¯t?¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll be prepared to act.¡± Raphael looked around a bit. ¡°Gina, tell the remaining droids to cover the temple grounds. Tell them to meet with Kelz if she comes out, report if anyone is following us, and anything suspicious.¡± ¡°Roger.¡± Meanwhile, Kelz was walking down the halls of the temple. The interior was luminous with markings of serpents and phoenixes made of blue gems on the walls and ceilings. The floor was made of silver marble with golden stars forming different constellations. (It¡¯s been a while but as I expected this place remains unchanged. I was worried Zagon would tear the temple down to prevent the birth of another Lord¡­I guess he isn¡¯t too far gone.) She walked until she arrived in front of a giant statue of a warrior sitting on a throne. A serpent and a Phoenix stood on his right and left respectively. She looked at the statue in silence. Soon after a man draped in azure robes approached her. ¡°Hello, High Priest.¡± Kelz spoke without taking her eyes off the statue. ¡°Praises to the child of the Phoenix and the Serpent.¡± The priest cuffed his sleeves together and lifted them in front of him. ¡°Do you know the reason for my visit?¡± ¡°Of course, to regain your throne as the child of the heavens.¡± ¡°Then are you willing to restore my mark and help me regain my powers?¡± ¡°As you will it.¡± The priest bowed his head. Kelz looked at him and narrowed her eyes. ¡°Then, lead the way.¡± ¡°Yes, my Lord.¡± The priest walked off. Kelz looked around a bit before following behind him. She didn¡¯t move to communicate with Raphael and his siblings. She smiled while staring at the priest¡¯s back. (Alright, let¡¯s see what you¡¯re planning, my cute little brother.) Chapter 24: Blood Ritual If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Chapter 25: Brother & Sister Let¡¯s go back in time, couple centuries back precisely. The location was thousands of feet under the Pacific Ocean. Within the dark depths of the abyssal waters was a gigantic bubble illuminating like a blue star in space. Inside this bubble were two islands, one floating above the other. On the upper island was a silver palace surrounded by a golden wall. ¡°Come on, we¡¯re gonna be late.¡± On the palace grounds, a pair of young twins were running with smiles on their faces. They held hands and ran past adults, greeting them. They ran through the yard and stopped once they reached a garden filled with silver and blue flowers. ¡°Daddy, we¡¯re here!¡± The boy shouted. ¡°I¡¯m over here.¡± A voice answered him and he pulled his sister as he ran towards the voice. They ran past some hedges and spotted a man sitting on a tree branch. ¡°Were you sleeping again, Daddy?¡± The girl asked. The man jumped down and landed before them. He picked them up and held them in his arms. ¡°What do you mean again? I¡¯ll have you know I work through the nights so there¡¯s nothing wrong with sleeping in the day.¡± He rubbed his cheek on theirs causing them to laugh. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s time for class, Zagon, Kelz.¡± The twins smiled. ¡°Yes, Father.¡± Minutes later, the twins were sitting on a blanket while the man stood before them. ¡°Today I¡¯m going to teach you some techniques that¡¯s been passed down in our family. One of you will become the next Lord after I¡¯m gone. I don¡¯t know who it will be, so I¡¯m teaching you both.¡± He lifted his hand in front of him. ¡°Are you two able to sense the God Essence in your body?¡± The twins looked at each other and shook their heads. ¡°I see, but don¡¯t worry that¡¯s normal. Only with intense training can you sense it. However, it¡¯s important you learn to sense it in order to reach another realm of power.¡± He clenched his fist. ¡°Once you¡¯re able to sense it you¡¯ll be able to circulate it, and even¡ª¡± The twins¡¯ eyes widened as a blue glow appeared around his fist. ¡°You can even project it.¡± ¡°Woah!¡± The twins¡¯ eyes sparkled. ¡°Once you can project your God Essence you¡¯ll be able to do a lot of cool stuff. For example¡­.¡± He gently punched out and the air shook with a boom. A fist mark appeared on a tree trunk meters away. ¡°Your attacks will become strong enough to shake the world. You can also boost your strength and healing powers using it.¡± ¡°Woah!!!¡± The twins couldn¡¯t contain their excitement as they sprung to their feet. ¡°What else can you do, Daddy?!¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Kelz asked. Their father smiled and a blue glow covered his skin. The blue glow spread and covered the entire garden. ¡°I can observe my immediate surroundings from a Birds Eye view. Also-¡± The blue glow disappeared and a light spread across the earth with him at the center. The light stretched beyond the eye can see in an instant. ¡°While not as accurate, I can observe the entire island and its people.¡± ¡°Amazing, Daddy!¡± ¡°You¡¯re really like a god!¡± The twins clung to their father. He happily rubbed their heads. ¡°These powers will be easier for a Lord but it should be possible even if you¡¯re not one.¡± (Although, only a few has ever been able to replicate a Lord¡¯s power. Even then, they were still inferior.) ¡°Then we both can be Lords?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± He stooped and hugged his children. ¡°You¡¯re both special, so the two of you can easily do it.¡± He stood up and looked down on them. ¡°However, being a Lord isn¡¯t just about power. You need to be able to guide and protect your people. You must learn to put their welfare above yours if needed, alright?¡± ¡°Yes, Father.¡± Decades later, the twins stood on a platform side by side. Behind them were thousands of people; some weeping, others praying. In front of them was a golden coffin with a dragon engraved on the sides with blue gems. The twins held each other¡¯s hands and stared at the coffin. There were no tears in their eyes, just a stern expression. ¡°Lord Zyon has crossed over to be with our Gods and the Lords before him.¡± The High Priest stood at the centre of the stage as his voice projected to the sea of people. ¡°Today we don¡¯t mourn him, today is the day we celebrate a great leader, a father, a god among men!¡± He slit his hand and lifted it towards the sky. ¡°Let us bleed for our brother and see him off to the heavens!¡± Everyone in the crowd lifted their hands with blood flowing down them. ¡°To the heavens!¡± They chanted while the twins continued to stare at the coffin. They stared at it whole day even as it was sealed into the Royal Crypt. Later that night the High Priest brought the two of them to the underground ritual site. ¡°As tradition, the ancestors will choose the next Lord.¡± ¡°What about our Uncles? Why aren¡¯t they here?¡± Zagon asked. ¡°After the passing of Lord Zyon, they¡¯ve all decided to go into their final hibernation. They wish to pass quietly on their own terms. After all, their life force was weakening because of age.¡± ¡°I see. So it¡¯s just us.¡± ¡°Yes, as your cousins weren¡¯t able to show any potential as Lord.¡± The High Priest pointed at the altar. The two held hands and slowly walked up the steps. They stood on the altar with their hearts racing. Blue flames surrounded them and a light shone down on Kelz. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She felt Zagon let go of her hand and turned towards him. ¡°Praises be to the Lord.¡± He kneeled with his hands cuffed in front of him. The sight of her brother kneeling in front of her stirred negative emotions in her. She pulled him to his feet. ¡°None of us are allowed to kneel before the other.¡± She gripped his hands tightly. Zagon could feel them trembling. ¡°The two of us are equal, one in the same. Didn¡¯t Father always say that?¡± Tears finally flowed down her face. Zagon smiled and wiped the tears away. ¡°Yeah, Father is right.¡± He rested his forehead on hers. ¡°We¡¯re one and the same. It doesn¡¯t matter what titles we have.¡± He gently pulled her in his arms and held her. ¡°We¡¯ll always be together.¡± These words played in Kelz¡¯s mind as she held onto the bloodstained blade embedded in her stomach. She looked at the wielder of this blade in the eyes. There wasn¡¯t any hatred or anger in them. They were the same eyes she had known since the day she was born. It was the same gentle gaze full of love. ¡°I won¡¯t ask forgiveness nor do I want it.¡± As Zagon pulled out the blade, her strength drained out of her along with her blood. Her body swayed and was caught by Zagon. He held her in his arms and rested his forehead against hers. ¡°I just want you to know one thing.¡± His voice began to fade and so did her consciousness. Yet, his words thumped in her head. ¡°You did nothing wrong.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Present time, Zagon walked down the halls of his palace with his hands in his pocket. ¡°You did nothing wrong, huh?¡± He mumbled before letting out a low chuckle. ¡°If so, why did you betray her? The one person who should always be on her side betrayed her, and yet she did nothing wrong?¡± He burst out laughing. ¡°Even you have a hard time believing that, so how the hell could she possibly?¡± He continued to walk until he arrived at the main entrance of palace. He looked at the scenery before his eyes. The tall buildings, strange flying vehicles, the clothes that he and everyone wore. ¡°You defiled the sacred land your ancestors created, the land your father preserved. You invited strangers into your home and with them betray your family. Everything has changed, this is no longer the promised land because of you.¡± He stretched his hand towards the sun shining down on him. ¡°Why did you do it, Zagon Tiama Octivinus?¡± He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. ¡°To survive!¡± He brought his hand down. ¡°Pride can be regained, tradition can be remade, honour can be earned. All is possible as long as we¡¯re alive, as long as my people live.¡± He spread his arms. ¡°I will do anything to protect my people, even decimating the outside world as long as they live!¡± His voice echoed across the lands drawing the attention of all in the vicinity. ¡°Come, My other half! Let¡¯s decide who is truly right!¡± A huge grin appeared on his face. ¡°It will be our first and last sibling squabble!¡± Chapter 26: Comrades ¡°My Lord.¡± Zagon was still standing at the palace entrance when a voice reached his ears. He turned around to a group of people kneeling behind him. At the head of the group was a man dressed in gold. He was a hulk of a man with a dignified expression on his breaded face. ¡°We heard your voice and came to see if we could be of any use.¡± Zagon smirked looking at the man. ¡°Xeroi, your old master has returned.¡± ¡°I only have one master and that is you, Lord Zagon.¡± ¡°What if I told you she regained her powers as a Lord.¡± ¡°¡­Then I would put my life on the line to be your shield.¡± ¡°You hesitated, but it¡¯s reasonable. She was the rightful Lord.¡± ¡°I will not comment on who the title should belong to, however, I will say this.¡± Xeroi looked up at Zagon. ¡°I chose to follow you because I agree with your plans to save our people. It might be a bloody path we aren¡¯t accustomed to and we might be biting more than we can swallow, even so, I will still follow you.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because a man who would tarnish his name and legacy for all eternity for the prosperity of future generations is worth following. Even if you will be loathed, I will still follow you, throwing away my noble pride in the process.¡± He clenched his fists tightly. ¡°My pride, life, and legacy are small sacrifices if it means our people have a future! You agree don¡¯t you, my brothers?!¡± ¡°Praises to the Lord!¡± The group shouted. Zagon looked down at them for a bit before smiling. ¡°Stand, Xeroi. Stand all of you.¡± He placed his hands on Xeroi¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m glad to consider you all my friends. No, my comrades. I¡¯ll be relying on you all in the future.¡± ¡°You can count on us.¡± ¡°Good, because Kelz is coming and she¡¯ll be out for blood.¡± ¡°Do you know her next move?¡± ¡°She¡¯ll definitely link up with our cousins. I subjugated them, but once they know she regained her Lord abilities they¡¯ll turn on me in a heartbeat.¡± ¡°If you know, why not destroy them now?¡± Zagon showed a bitter smile. ¡°Because I want her to gather her strength and come at me with everything she got. It¡¯s the least I can do after literally stabbing her in her back last time.¡± His grip tightened on Xeroi¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I¡¯ll crush her at her full strength and show her that she¡¯s wrong. So, Golden Corps of my Holy Knights, prepare for war.¡± ¡°As the Lord wills it!¡± Meanwhile, in the holy temple, Kelz was walking with Raphael and his siblings with the High Priest in front of them, leading them to something that would heal Melissa. They were about to achieve their main objective. ¡°Is it alright to give us the elixir now? What if we betray you?¡± Raphael asked. ¡°We¡¯re about to fight together with the possibility of death. A little trust needs to be established before that.¡± ¡°You say that, but I bet you¡¯re certain you can take us down now your powers are back.¡± Roxanne smirked. Kelz showed a sly smile. ¡°Well, I took that into consideration as well.¡± If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. She and the siblings laughed together. (The mood is good. Now that Kelz has regained her strength, the playfield has evened out a bit. The only thing that¡¯ll give Zagon the edge is his Outsider allies.) ¡°This war will be decided by Outsiders influence.¡± Kelz spoke Raphael¡¯s thoughts. She looked at him. ¡°That means you guys need to be better than those around Zagon.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, once we¡¯ve reached our payment, we¡¯ll carry out our job to the best of our abilities. That¡¯s Hell Militia¡¯s policy.¡± Roxanne answered, to which Kelz nodded. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± The High Priest spoke. They stopped in front of a door with the Phoenix on it. The High Priest placed his hand on the door and a bird cry resonated through the halls. The door slowly opened and he walked in. ¡°After everything we¡¯ve seen, I¡¯m not even gonna ask¡­¡± Damini mumbled. They followed the High Priest and found themselves in a room with a giant Phoenix statue in the centre of a pond. ¡°The statue is crying?¡± Gina muttered after examining the statue. Liquid flowed from the phoenix¡¯s eyes and filled the pond. ¡°That is Phoenix Tears, an elixir that grants a new body as if being reborn. There are no side effects, it¡¯s the perfect elixir.¡± Kelz walked up to the pond and placed her hand in her pocket and then into the water. ¡°We use it to baptize newborns so they obtain a stronger body, so it¡¯s perfectly safe for Outsiders. It doesn¡¯t do anything for those who already have God Essence in their bodies though.¡± She pulled out a vial of the glowing water and grinned. ¡°With this, you¡¯ve achieved your objective.¡± Raphael nodded. ¡°We¡¯ve secured the payment, so it¡¯s time for us to get to work.¡± After receiving the Phoenix Tears, Raphael and his siblings left the temple with Kelz. ¡°Is it ok to just leave that High Priest like that?¡± Chul asked Kelz. ¡°It¡¯s fine. The High Priest must always show loyalty to the Lord. Since he witnessed me being chosen, he won¡¯t dare to interfere or defy me.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Yup, so call back your soldiers and don¡¯t bother trying to erase him.¡± ¡°¡­I see your abilities as a Lord gives you omniscience.¡± Raphael said before glancing at Gina. She nodded. ¡°Alfa, abort.¡± Kelz sighed. ¡°Do you people think about anything besides murder?¡± ¡°We do. We think about kidnapping, arson, and occasionally torture.¡± ¡°¡­I can¡¯t tell if you¡¯re joking or not.¡± ¡°Then I guess being a Lord doesn¡¯t make you omniscient.¡± Raphael laughed a bit while Kelz smiled. That smile slowly faded. ¡°We have a problem.¡± ¡°Did your allies betray you?¡± Kelz nodded. ¡°I can currently see Brix, Fayax, and the others in restraints.¡± (We should be several kilometres away and she can still see the situation¡­.A Lord¡¯s abilities are no joke.) Raphael thought. ¡°So, do we prepare for a fight? If they betrayed you then everyone here is an enemy.¡± ¡°No need. They betrayed me because it¡¯s considered impossible to go up against a Lord. Especially Zagan who has Outsiders on his side. It¡¯s natural they¡¯d turn on me for trying to drag them into something they have no chance of winning.¡± ¡°Self-preservation, huh.¡± Roxanne looked at Kelz. ¡°So what do we do?¡± Kelz smirked. ¡°I¡¯ll just show them we have a chance.¡± After hurrying, the group reached a mansion in under an hour. ¡°Alright, let me handle this.¡± The siblings nodded. Kelz opened the gate and walked in. They silently followed behind her while being vigilant. They walked up to the door and it opened without them touching it. ¡°Kelz, it¡¯s been a while.¡± A woman appeared behind the door. Her azure hair had golden streaks in it like Kelz''s. It was tied in a ponytail and she was donning an alluring slit dress. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Zyna. Are you well?¡± ¡°I was until I got a surprise visit from your people. I thought you had given up after 40 years but I guess not.¡± ¡°How could I give up what¡¯s mine?¡± Kelz smirked. ¡°Speaking of, why don¡¯t you give my people back?¡± ¡°That depends.¡± Zyna returned the smirk. ¡°Did you regain your abilities as Lord?¡± ¡°So Fayax told you.¡± ¡°You know that boy won¡¯t keep secrets from me. I am his wife after all.¡± ¡°He probably said it to get you on our side. It¡¯s because you¡¯re his wife that he doesn¡¯t want you to fight me.¡± Zyna laughed. ¡°We say wife but I haven¡¯t seen him in 40 years. I could¡¯ve fallen in love with someone else during that time, an Outsider maybe.¡± She looked past Kelz and at the siblings. ¡°I see you¡¯ve gotten quite close with some of them yourself.¡± ¡°They¡¯re comrades just like you.¡± ¡°Oh, you still consider me your comrade even though I¡¯ve locked up your subordinates?¡± ¡°Yes, you didn¡¯t hand them over to Zagon after all. You waited until I came so that you could decide on who to stick with.¡± Zyna shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong. I didn¡¯t wait until you came to meet me, I made my decision the moment I heard you went to the temple. I just had to be extra sure.¡± She stepped away from the door. ¡°Come in, cousin.¡± Kelz smiled and looked at the siblings. ¡°Told you I¡¯ll handle it.¡± She entered the mansion with them behind her. ¡°You knew I regained my powers from the beginning, huh?¡± Kelz spoke to Zyna who rang a bell. ¡°You siblings had been special since we were kids, so I figured you¡¯d get your way somehow. Only you two could become Lords at the same time.¡± People started appearing in the hall. They all had golden streaks in their hair like Kelz. They looked at Kelz and kneeled. ¡°Praise to the Lord!¡± Zyna kneeled before Kelz while keeping eye contact. ¡°Welcome back, my Lord. We who share your blood are ready to fight in your honour.¡± Kelz grinned. ¡°Wait for me, my stupid brother.¡± At the same time, Zagon was talking to Julius. ¡°A new super soldier?¡± ¡°Yes, My Lord. It was created using a sample of an Outsider provided by Drax before his death. Feng is in the final stages, but before he finishes, I¡¯m imploring you to take a look.¡± ¡°Why? Does it frighten you?¡± ¡°The sample is a man who was viewed as an anomaly even in the Outside world. His strength rivalled a High-Level Warrior despite his old age. Taking everything in account, including his personality, he could become a real threat.¡± ¡°Or a great asset.¡± Julius remained silent. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not ignoring your views. In fact, I¡¯ve decided to take a look for myself to see if it¡¯s something useful or not.¡± Julius bowed his head. ¡°Thank you, Lord.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± (If things go in my favour we could use this new soldier to take down Kelz and her faction.) Chapter 27: Awakening Zagon left his palace and walked through the yard in the night. ¡°Xeroi, there¡¯s no need to follow me.¡± Xeroi appeared from behind a tree and kneeled. ¡°Are you sure, My Lord? We never know what those Outsiders are thinking.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just curious as to what kind of person would make Julius so shaken.¡± ¡°That man Julius was the first of the Outsiders to submit to you, he served as a bridge between us and them. That is commendable, however, he can¡¯t be trusted.¡± ¡°Because he was quick to betray his people?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s strange considering he was locked up and awaiting possible execution. Then again, I¡¯m someone who betrays others, so maybe that¡¯s why we get along.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Oh, sorry. Did I make it awkward?¡± Zagon chuckled a bit. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll be fine.¡± He resumed walking and waved. ¡°I¡¯ll see you in a few hours.¡± Xeroi watched as Zagon disappeared into the night. Zagon leapt and travelled hundreds of meters with every jump. He landed in front of rthe esearch facility a few minutes later. The guards there saw him and kneeled. ¡°Is Feng here?¡± ¡°He is, My Lord. We¡¯ll tell him you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°No need.¡± Zagon forced open the door and entered the facility. ¡°I¡¯ll go meet him myself.¡± He walked through the halls with confident steps. All who saw him made way and bowed their heads. ¡°Oh, Lord!¡± After some time, Feng appeared before him. ¡°What¡¯s with the sudden visit? If I knew you were coming, I would¡¯ve made preparations to welcome you properly.¡± ¡°Well, I suddenly felt like coming to see you.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Feng smirked. ¡°Julius told you about my new masterpiece.¡± Zagon didn¡¯t answer. Feng sighed. ¡°I want to say his concerns are unwarranted but¡­¡± ¡°Oh? You¡¯re admitting you might have a problem? Now I¡¯m even more interested.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it a problem though¡­I mean, I have no problem dying if it could result in the birth of something never before seen.¡± Feng wore a troubled expression. That made Zagon frown. ¡°Take me to him.¡± ¡°Only if you promise not to destroy him.¡± ¡°¡­.You¡¯re one of the few on this island who would tell me what to do.¡± ¡°Because unlike the others I don¡¯t fear you. Isn¡¯t that why you call me and Julius to have drinks with you?¡± ¡°Julius only treats me like an equal in private. You just don¡¯t care.¡± Zagon sighed. ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t destroy him. But I¡¯ll lock him away if he¡¯s too dangerous.¡± ¡°Seems fair, alright.¡± (He says that but he¡¯ll throw a fit if I actually lock him away.) Zagon thought as he followed Feng. It didn¡¯t take long for them to arrive in front of Feng¡¯s lab. Feng cut his hand and placed it over a scanner. The door opened and both of them walked in. ¡°So this is him?¡± Zagon stood before the gigantic tank filled with glowing liquid. He observed the person floating inside with tubes connected to him. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Tell me about him.¡± ¡°He¡¯s called Gustav Fernandez, but his real name is Giovanni Delgado. Before I came here he was a soldier famous for his crimes against humanity and was locked away. I don¡¯t know what happened for him to end up here, but he¡¯s a valuable asset. His body has a unique composition where his muscles and bones are superior to the average Outsider. However, the most noteworthy thing is he somehow is able to absorb God Essence at a rate similar to your people.¡± ¡°Julius said his strength was comparable to a High-Level Warrior, despite his old body.¡± Zagon observed the youth''s appearance once again before turning to Feng. ¡°Did you make him younger to see if he¡¯ll become stronger?¡± ¡°Not exactly. I simply wanted to revert his body to its peak condition to see if it would affect his psyche. All of us Outsiders use God Essence to regain or retain our youth. This caused some of us to experience a regression in or a stagnation in mental maturity. I want to see if it will be the same for him.¡± Feng paused for a bit. ¡°But it¡¯s certain he will have some mental issues because he died for a few minutes before his body was preserved using an artefact. As for what kind of mental issues it will be, we¡¯ll have to wait and see.¡± ¡°I understand, then what¡¯s the next step? Have you modified his body to make him stronger like the others?¡± Feng shook his head. ¡°I only restored his body and revived him so far. Other than the God Essence he consumed before death, he should be the same strength¡­.No, his restored youth should make him stronger than before but I don¡¯t by how muc¡ª¡± Feng swallowed his words. He stared at the tank with trembling eyes. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Zagon followed his line of sight. His eyes slightly widened. ¡°He¡¯s awake?¡± The person in the tank was staring at them. ¡°Impossible. The amount of suppressants flowing inside him would send elephants into a coma dozens of times over.¡± Feng spoke with a shaky voice which made Zagon frown. The person inside locked eyes with him but showed no hostility, and yet¡­ (What is this sense of dread?) He couldn¡¯t help but be on guard. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± The person looked away from Zagon and started surveying his surroundings. He examined the tubes and wires attached to him. He showed interest towards the liquid he was inside. He started pulling the tubes and wire out of his body and floated towards the glass. ¡°Feng, how strong is that glass?¡± ¡°It should be able to withstand several attacks from an armoured tank without cracking, so it should¡ª¡± *BOOM!* A thunderous noise resounded in the room. A large crack ran through the tank after the person inside punched the glass. ¡°Nevermind.¡± Feng mumbled. Zagon stood in front of him. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± The person looked at their fist with a deadpan expression. He slowly opened and closed it. He lifted his leg. It flickered and a crashing noise rang out. Liquids flooded the room and soaked everything. The person landed on the ground covered in broken glass and glowing fluids. His body flickered. A foot popped up in front of Zagon¡¯s face. He stretched a hand out and blocked the foot. The clash caused the room to shake. ¡°Hello, or should I say Good Morning?¡± Zagon spoke with a grin. The person stayed quiet and distanced himself while examining his body. ¡°Do you remember your name?¡± Feng peeked out from behind Zagon and asked. The person looked at him with no emotions on their face. He opened his mouth. ¡°The Blood Devil, that¡¯s what people call me before they die.¡± He pointed at the two of them. ¡°Since you¡¯re going to die, feel free to address me as such.¡± ¡°You¡¯re pretty cocky for someone who just woke up.¡± Zagon smirked at him. ¡°I can tell, you don¡¯t know where you are, because if you did you would be able to guess my identity from my appearance.¡± The person¡¯s body flickered again. Zagon sidestepped while holding onto Feng. A crash came from behind them. They turned around and saw the person embedded in the wall. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± He silently pulled himself out of the wall and started examining his body. ¡°From your movements and the way you¡¯re acting, I¡¯m certain you have no memories of the power you have or how you attained them.¡± ¡°So the mental issue is memory loss?¡± Feng¡¯s eyes started to sparkle. ¡°Is it temporary or permanent? Are there any other abnormalities? No, more importantly just how many memories did you lose?¡± The person didn¡¯t reply and quietly started flexing their muscles. ¡°Since you¡¯re unaware, let me inform you of your situation.¡± Zagon stepped forward. ¡°You¡¯re on an island that emerged from the ocean over 40 years ago. You might look young but you¡¯re actually in your 60s. The reason for your youthful appearance and newfound strength is the liquid on the floor, it¡¯s called God Essence. It allows you to touch the realm of god, and it¡¯s in all of us.¡± The person looked towards him. ¡°God?¡± He smirked. ¡°So gods exist?¡± ¡°Of course, you¡¯re standing in the presence of one.¡± Zagon placed his hand over his heart. ¡°I am the ruler of Paradise and the Holy Land, the Lord that rules over all in the name of the Phoenix and the Serpent. I am Zagon Tiama Octivinus, the god of you Outsiders.¡± Zagon pointed to the ground while looking at the person with disdain. ¡°You are in the presence of a god. Little human, bow.¡± ¡°¡­I refuse.¡± ¡°I see. So you won¡¯t bow.¡± Zagon appeared in front of the person. Zagon stomped his legs and forced him to his knees. ¡°Then maybe you¡¯d prefer to kneel.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± The person silently looked at him without saying a word. His eyes lacked any emotion and were cold. Zagon clicked his tongue and lifted his leg. He forced him to prostrate on the ground. ¡°You will learn to submit. You will learn to¡ª¡± ¡°One.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Two. Three. Four.¡± Zagon looked down at him in confusion. ¡°Why are you counting?¡± ¡°Five. Six. Seven.¡± ¡°I said, why are you counting?!¡± ¡°Eight. Nine. Ten.¡± The veins in Zagon¡¯s head started bulging. ¡°You!¡± ¡°Lord, remember your promise!¡± Feng shouted. Zagon looked at him and took a deep breath. He lifted his feet and turned away. ¡°Feng, he¡¯s your creation. You handle him and get him up to speed with how things work around here.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Feng moved towards the person. Zagon glanced at him. (He followed my movements with his eyes¡­Or was I just imagining it?) He thought to himself. Feng helped the person off the ground. ¡°I¡¯m Feng, the person who brought you back alive. I¡¯ll help you figure out what¡¯s going on. However, for the time being, could you confirm you go by, Gustav Fernandez or Giovanni Delgado?¡± The person looked at Feng for a while before answering. ¡°Giovanni Fernandez, how about that?¡± ¡°What?¡± Giovanni brushed Feng off. ¡°Call me whatever you want, names don¡¯t matter right now. Just tell me, what the hell is going on.¡± ¡°Oh, I will. But before that, you¡¯ll need to answer some of my questions firsts, and do some tests, and¡ª¡± Giovanni blocked out what Feng was saying. He just stared at Zagon¡¯s back. ¡°Twelve, huh?¡± Feng stopped talking the moment he witnessed a grin crawl on Giovanni¡¯s face. ¡°Thirty-six it will be then.¡± Chapter 28: Prologue To The End ¡°So, what you¡¯re telling me is that this is the year 2070 and I¡¯m actually 61 years old?¡± Giovanni was with Feng in his office. Guards wearing golden armour were next to Feng as he spoke with Giovanni. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Bullshit.¡± ¡°I know you find it hard to believe but it is the truth. From our conversations it¡¯s safe to say the last thing you remember was being in solitary confinement, right?¡± Giovanni nodded. ¡°I was in there for a year.¡± ¡°Then your memory stops at when you were 19. I knew you¡¯d have mental issues but losing 42 years of memories is unexpected.¡± ¡°That ¡°God¡± mentioned me dying. If what you said was the truth, how did I die? In fact, how did I end up on this island?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why you came here, I was never given that information. As for your death, you died fighting a strong warrior for reasons I also don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°I take it that warrior was your ally?¡± ¡°Why do you say that?¡± ¡°The tone of your voice. I can tell you¡¯re being careful with your words, like you¡¯re trying not to lie but not tell the truth.¡± ¡°Oh? You¡¯re intelligent as I hoped.¡± Feng clapped his hands. ¡°You¡¯re right, the man was an ally. He brought your corpse to me and I returned your youth and revived you.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because you had great potential to become the greatest soldier.¡± Feng smirked. ¡°From your files I learned you have a peculiar view towards life. You feel apathy towards most things and only truly love violence. Drax, your killer, mentioned you talked about violence and death as if they were art. He mentioned how you said dying fighting him, a godly being, was exhilarating. Does that ring a bell?¡± ¡°¡­.No, however that does sound like something I¡¯ll say.¡± (Alright, he¡¯s starting to relax.) Feng thought. ¡°I don¡¯t know but you obtained the power of the God Essence and became a superhuman. Using your new strength to fight against the godly race here, however, you don¡¯t remember right? Meaning, that wasn¡¯t the current you but somebody else.¡± He pointed at Giovanni. ¡°You, Giovanni Fernandez, didn¡¯t experience that godly level of violence. You didn¡¯t experience true battle that could shake the heavens itself¡­It was somebody else. Don¡¯t you wish to experience it?¡± Feng shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t you wish to experience yourself with a younger and stronger body? Nothing is holding you back anymore, you¡¯ll be able to clash with warriors stronger than your killer over and over again until you draw your last breath.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Giovanni silently stared at him for a while. ¡°Who would I be fighting?¡± Feng grinned. ¡°A civil war is about to break out among the people of this land. If you side with us, you¡¯ll be able to wreak as much havoc as possible. Also, that side has different values from you, they don¡¯t want violence, they want peace.¡± ¡°You make it sound like they¡¯re the good guys.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as good and bad in this situation. The main objective for both sides is survival. It¡¯s only the methods they¡¯ve chosen that differ. The other side wishes to be at the mercy of others, while we wish to take matters in our own hands and do what¡¯s necessary no matter how dirty our hands must become¡­.I think I know which side is more up to your speed.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Giovanni became quiet again. He stared at Feng with no particular emotion in his eyes or on his face. After some time, he spoke¡ª Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Tell me about God Essence and what it can do.¡± Meanwhile, Kelz and the siblings were inside Zyna¡¯s mansion. ¡°My Lord, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Fayax and Brix were kneeling in front of Kelz. ¡°We were unable to convince them on our own and were even captured.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. You were dealing with Zyna, I expected some trouble.¡± ¡°Why are you making it sound like I¡¯m a troublemaker?¡± Zyna frowned while sitting across from them. ¡°Kelz, while you don¡¯t see it as a big problem, your subordinates do. You need to recognize that or they will feel or even become incompetent.¡± Roxanne spoke up. ¡°So you¡¯re saying I should punish them?¡± ¡°That¡¯s up to you and how you want to lead. Do you want to be strict or nurturing? Both are good in moderation.¡± Kelz pondered a bit and turned to the two kneeling. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll share my honest thoughts. I was a bit disappointed you couldn¡¯t handle the situation on your own. After all, what would you have done if I hadn¡¯t regained my powers?¡± Fayax and Brix¡¯s shoulders twitched before drooping. ¡°However, I honestly believe you two are not only trustworthy but reliable warriors I can always rely on to watch my back. Because of that, I won¡¯t tell you to improve.¡± They looked up at her smiling benevolently at them. ¡°I won¡¯t tell because I know you¡¯ll do everything it takes to meet my expectations.¡± ¡°My Lord¡­.¡± The two of them looked at her with tears in their eyes. ¡°So she chose the method where they worship her¡­.¡± Gina mumbled. ¡°Kelz, care to introduce these new allies to me?¡± Zyna spoke up with a smile. ¡°Oh, these are Outsiders who came to this island to save a loved one. We made a deal where we¡¯ll help each other out. They can be trusted.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Zyna stood up and did a curtsy greeting. ¡°I am Zyna, a member of the royal family.¡± Raphael stepped out. ¡°We¡¯re Hell¡¯s Militia, it¡¯ll be a pleasure fighting alongside you.¡± Zyna nodded. ¡°Kelz, I don¡¯t mean to be rude but could you tell how strong our new allies are?¡± ¡°They¡¯re all around Mid-Class Warriors, however, they¡¯re able to fight against High-Level warriors using tactics and experience. Proof of this is when they decimated the Silver Order of the Holy Knights by themselves.¡± ¡°?!¡± Zyna¡¯s and the eyes of her people peeled open at hearing Kelz¡¯s words. ¡°You¡¯re joking¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not, they¡¯re just that good.¡± Kelz spoke with a proud tone as if showing off her new toys to Zyna. ¡°That¡¯s assuring to hear. Then I assumed you are the strongest since you seem like the leader?¡± Zyna asked Raphael. ¡°I would like to say I¡¯m the strongest but because of recent events I¡¯ll give that title to my youngest brother here.¡± Raphael pointed at Ryder. ¡°However, he¡¯s in a delicate state of mind so I advised he be left alone until it''s time to fight.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Zyna said while nodding. She looked at Kelz. ¡°I heard the plan from your subordinates. We¡¯re going to attack the research facilities first?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I want to stop the production of so-called Super Soldiers.¡± ¡°I periodically sent you updates of what was happening here, so you should already know some of our people alongside Outsiders volunteered to be test subjects. If we attack the research facility, we will be forced to fight them. Meaning we will kill our people.¡± Zyna¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Can you do that?¡± ¡°Yes, because they are my enemies.¡± Kelz¡¯s eyes narrowed as well. ¡°And I will destroy my enemies no matter who they are.¡± Zyna looked at her in silence before smiling. ¡°Good, because I can¡¯t put my life in the hands of someone who isn¡¯t prepared to do what they must to win.¡± She stood up and walked over to Kelz. ¡°Then here¡¯s a list of people we need to beat to obtain full victory.¡± Kelz took the paper and started to read it. At the top of the list was naturally Zagon, below Zagon was Xeroi. ¡°So Xeroi agrees with Zagon¡¯s ideology?¡± ¡°He¡¯s pretty much his right-hand.¡± Zyna handed a copy of the list to Raphael, who showed his siblings. ¡°Is this Xeroi guy strong?¡± Raphael asked. ¡°He¡¯s the head of the Golden Order of the Holy Knights. He¡¯s served my father, the previous Lord, from a very young age. I can say with confidence that he¡¯s the strongest outside of Zagon and myself, the Highest-Class Warrior.¡± ¡°I see¡­.¡± Raphael continued to look through the list. ¡°Huh? Feng Bao?¡± ¡°Do you know him, Gina?¡± ¡°Yeah, I learned about him in one of my classes. He was hailed as a genius in the fields of biological and chemical engineering. He was knowledgeable in lots of other fields. He¡¯s considered dead after going missing decades ago. I didn¡¯t know he came here.¡± ¡°He¡¯s third on the list.¡± ¡°Feng is one of those who spearheaded the rapid development of this island. He works with former generals to improve the military force to attack the Outside World.¡± Zyna explained. ¡°Fourth on the list is Julius Jensen, he was a former soldier who was the first to work with Zagon. He¡¯s pretty much the bridge between the Outsiders and us. He¡¯s well-respected and has considerable influence.¡± ¡°Raphael, Julius was the one who fought Gustav and me with Drax.¡± The moment Kelz finished talking, the atmosphere became tense. The siblings silently stared at the paper before them with beastly eyes. ¡°¡­Who¡¯s Gustav?¡± Zyna asked after sensing the change. ¡°The original leader of our group and our father. He was killed fighting Drax and Julius.¡± Raphael crushed the paper. ¡°As payback we killed Drax and destroyed the Silver Core who followed him. Only Julius is left.¡± Roxanne spoke with a sharp tone. Zyna became silent. ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Raphael straightened out the paper and looked at the list again. Specifically, Feng¡¯s name. (This guy should know what happened to Gustav¡¯s body.) He looked away from the paper and at Zyna. ¡°Tell me more about these Super Soldiers. Can they be made using a corpse?¡± At the same time, Giovanni was reading files on a desk. Guards were observing him from a distance. ¡°He actually gave me files on God Essence. I can¡¯t tell if he¡¯s a genius or an idiot. Passion is truly blinding.¡± He mumbled while going through the files. ¡°This information is truly detailed. It breaks God Essence down to the T. Because of this, it¡¯s gotten a lot easier to understand my position.¡± He wore a small smile. ¡°The reason for my death must be because of my lack of information, because there¡¯s no way I wouldn¡¯t be able to see the potential applications of this power.¡± He put down the files and stood up. ¡°Now then, let¡¯s find out how far I can go.¡± Chapter 29: Attack Commences! The Promised Land, night time. Figures moved under the cover of the night from all directions, heading towards the same destination. The figures stopped and surrounded a district of buildings. ¡°Is everyone in place?¡± One of the figures whispered. ¡°Yes, we¡¯re all ready.¡± They received a reply in their earpiece. ¡°Alright, Ladies and Gentlemen.¡± Raphael stepped out of the shadows and was illuminated by the street lights above. ¡°Let the madness begin.¡± In front of one of the research facilities, those guarding it spotted someone approaching them. They immediately pulled guns and fired. An explosion erupted. ¡°Attack first, ask questions later.¡± They looked down. Damini was crouching with blades in her hands. She sprang up and cut the guards¡¯ throats. ¡°As we thought, our attack was anticipated.¡± Explosions erupted and the guards were blown through the entrance. Figures emerged from the shadows weilding guns. The echos of explosions resounded through the night as Damini think back to a few hours ago. ¡°We will make the research district the site of the final battle.¡± Kelz said while looking at the map laid on a table. ¡°This district isn¡¯t a residential or a commercial area. It was built purely for military purposes, as such we won¡¯t have to worry about civilian casualties.¡± ¡°So we¡¯re attacking the research facilities to draw Zagon and his forces to one spot?¡± Kelz nodded at Chul¡¯s question. ¡°My brother doesn¡¯t want to kill our people, so he knows this place is the best for us to fight out. He¡¯ll be there.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, we¡¯re essentially walking in a trap.¡± ¡°A trap isn¡¯t correct, Damini.¡± Roxanne answered. ¡°It¡¯s basically like hundreds of years ago when enemies would know beforehand where they would run into each other but go there anyway. The battlefield has been chosen so all they can do is prepare to fight.¡± ¡°Then, what kind of strategy are we going with?¡± ¡°Nothing complicated.¡± Kelz answered with a grin. ¡°We just circle and destroy them with everything we got.¡± Present. Damini grinned as she saw soldiers dressed in all kinds of different countries'' military uniforms flow out of the building. They all had different appearances from the people of this island. ¡°So the traitors are all gathered here as well?¡± She pointed at the building and shouted¡ª ¡°Flatten this place and turn it into our battlegrounds!¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Soldiers from both sides clashed and everything erupted into a melee. It was the same everywhere in the district. Both sides attacked each other on sight. ¡°Prioritize attacking the buildings. We need to destroy their labs at any cost.¡± Zyna cut down enemies while giving out orders. She was donning a dress with armor protecting her vitals. She was using a sword resembling a katana to swiftly slay everyone in her vicinity. She evaded shots with miniscule movements, before accelerating towards her attackers. She severed their limbs and pierced their hearts in one movement. ¡°I expected her to be strong but this is ridiculous.¡± Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Chul said while watching from a distance. ¡°Of course, she¡¯s strong. She was the Vice-Captain of the Holy Knights. My wife is a big deal.¡± Fayax boasted beside him wearing a proud expression. (I thought he was a stoic character¡­.) Chul thought as Fayax handed him a serpent-shaped rifle. Behind him were a group of warriors with guns. ¡°Let¡¯s move out!¡± He shot out of the shadows with the warriors following behind him. They cleared a path to the entrance with a hailstorm of shots. Chul accelerated, firing his rifle. Blood and flesh floated in the air as he mowed down anyone at the entrance. He slid into the building with soldiers aiming at him. Bullets flew and took out those soldiers before they could attack. Chul sprung up and walked into the building. ¡°Enter every room and destroy everything inside. Set everything ablaze. If people are inside and are willing to surrender, knock them out and restrain them to be safe. If they resist, take them out.¡± He blew holes in soldiers as they turned the corner. ¡°Show no mercy or hesitation. Hesitate and it could lead to the loss of not only your lives, but the lives of your comrades.¡± His eyes narrowed. ¡°We are at war.¡± Elsewhere, Gina and Brix had invaded another building leading warriors and droids. ¡°Alfa, send a few of your droids to scout the area for Feng Bao.¡± Some of the droids ran off without saying a word. ¡°We need to destroy this lab before their main forces move in. If we can take out Feng now, that¡¯s a bonus.¡± Gina pulled out her bladed whip. (As long as Kelz doesn¡¯t move, Zagon won¡¯t either. In a battle of equals, attacking the other while they¡¯re distracted could be lethal, both sides will have to take this into consideration. But¡ª) ¡°Let¡¯s move before the Holy Knights are deployed.¡± At the same time, Zagon was observing the battles from his throne in his palace. He wasn¡¯t watching a live feed of it on a screen. He was seated with his eyes closed, and yet, he was able to see everything. To him, the battlefield was like a board filled with 3D models fighting against each other. Several of the models cut down those around them while entering a model of a building. After a little focus, he could see what was happening inside. ¡°So they¡¯re searching for Feng? Looks like their aim is to destroy the Super Soldiers too.¡± ¡°My Lord, do you want me to move out?¡± Xeroi kneeled before his throne. ¡°Not yet, let Julius and his people handle it for the time bein¡ª¡± Zagon stopped mid-sentence. The board he was seeing vanished along with all of the pieces. What replaced them was a face, one identical to his own. This face caused Zagon to smile. The face smiled back at him and moved its mouth. He didn¡¯t need to know how to read lips to know what it was saying. ¡°Hello, Brother.¡± He silently moved his lips before opening his eyes, no longer seeing the face or the battlefield. He stood up. ¡°Change of plans, Xeroi.¡± Zagon cracked his fingers. ¡°We¡¯re moving out in the next ten minutes. I owe her at least that.¡± Xeroi rose to his feet with a stoic face. ¡°Yes, Lord.¡± At the same time, Kelz opened her eyes with a smile on her face. ¡°Was he observing the battlefield like we expected?¡± Roxanne asked while standing beside her. ¡°Yeah, but I cut him off. He stopped now.¡± ¡°Meaning that he could be on his way here.¡± ¡°Ten minutes, he¡¯ll be here in ten.¡± ¡°How are you so sure?¡± ¡°Because he cheated.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Kelz showed a small grin at Roxanne¡¯s confusion. ¡°Since we were children, whenever one of us cheats in a game we would give the other a 10-minute head start in the next game to make amends.¡± ¡°And you think he¡¯ll do it even now.¡± ¡°100%.¡± ¡°Damini, Gina, Chul, listen up.¡± Raphael, who was stooping next to Roxanne, spoke into his communicator. ¡°We have 10 minutes until Zagon move out with the Holy Knights. Destroy as much as you can in 7 minutes and regroup. We¡¯ll prepare to face the main force together.¡± ¡°Roger.¡± Raphael stood up after receiving answers. ¡°Are you sure you should trust a childhood memory?¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have said it if you weren¡¯t certain. Also, I gave them a shorter time as a precaution.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Seven minutes huh? Is it time for me to move in?¡± ¡°Not yet, Spawn. We need to preserve our strength.¡± Raphael stopped Ryder from joining the battle. ¡°Let¡¯s just let them do their thing. Not just your siblings, Zyna, Brix, and Fayax are incredibly strong.¡± Kelz looked at the battlefield with eyes filled with confidence. ¡°Sir Julius, we¡¯re getting sieged from all angles.¡± A soldier came to report to Julius, who was in one of the buildings. ¡°Alright, tell Scorpion to get ready to move out.¡± ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Julius took up a case off his desk and opened it. Inside were syringes with glowing liquid. He closed the case and put it in his pockets before leaving the room. ¡°¡­.?¡± He received a call on his communicator as he walked out the door. He looked at the caller ID and it read Feng. He answered the call with a frown. ¡°Feng, we¡¯re in the middle of a war. What is it?¡± (He¡¯s gone!) Feng¡¯s frantic voice came from the call. ¡°Who¡¯s g¡ª¡± Julius swallowed his words after a certain face flashed in his head. ¡°What do you mean he¡¯s gone?! Wasn¡¯t he under surveillance by the Golden Order?!¡± ¡°I thought he was, but when I came to check up on him after the attack began, he was gone. Also, the guards assigned to him were dead. From examining them, they seem to have been killed in an instant. Their chests caved in and their hearts and lungs exploded.¡± ¡°What?¡± Julius¡¯s body stiffened. ¡°The guards assigned to him were some of the strongest of the Holy Knights¡­¡± He clenched his communicator almost destroying it. ¡°What¡¯s the possibility of him regaining his memories and joining his former allies?¡± ¡°Zero. Memories don¡¯t just come back like that, especially when it¡¯s caused by brain damage. He most likely moved for his own reasons.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Julius sighed in relief. ¡°Then we¡¯ll ignore him for now. I doubt he¡¯ll join either side because of his personality. If we¡¯re lucky, he might cause confusion in the enemy that we can take advantage of. Anyway, we¡¯re at war, so he¡¯ll have to wait.¡± ¡°But Julius!¡± ¡°I¡¯m heading in battle, I can¡¯t talk any longer. I¡¯ll send more guards to you.¡± He hung up and started gritting his teeth. ¡°This is why I was against using him! Fuck!¡± He cursed as he walked down the halls. ¡°Fuck everything!¡± Chapter 30: Time Is Short Chul and Fayax led the warriors through the building, destroying everything they came across. All enemies were filled with bullets and everyone who surrender was knocked out and restrained. They moved swiftly and efficiently under Chul¡¯s command. *BOOM!* The walls exploded, blowing the warriors away. ¡°Bombs? Are they destroying their own labs?¡± Chul scanned the area holding his guns tight. He blinked. A hand popped up in front of him. ¡°?!¡± Chul leaped back and fired his gun. A metallic noise reached his ears. The hand didn¡¯t stop and grabbed at his face. A light flashed, the hand was severed and fell to the ground. Fayax stood before him wielding a sword. Chul looked beyond and saw someone dressed in black tactical wear, donning a black scorpion helmet. ¡°Who the fuck is that?¡± Chul asked. ¡°No idea but¡­.¡± Several more people dressed the same way emerged from the hole in the wall. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of them.¡± Fayax held his blade tightly. The person who lost their arm pulled out a gun. Chul aimed his. Both fired at the same time. Their comrades rushed in as the two fired their guns. Fayax and the warriors ran on the walls and leaped at their new enemies. The scorpions welcomed them with fists, kicks, and weapons. Bodies were thrown all over the halls. Some breaking through walls. Some being buried into the earth. ¡°Seven minutes is all I got.¡± Chul charged in with his rifle. ¡°So I¡¯m going all out!¡± He fired his gun at his enemy. The black scorpion evaded the shots and returned fire. Chul cut the distance. He swung his rifle in the scorpion¡¯s face. The scorpion fired and pierced his stomach. Chul didn¡¯t stop. He clenched his fist and slammed it in the scorpion¡¯s chest. ¡°Ohhh!¡± Chul roared and forced it off the ground with an uppercut. The punch launched it into the ceiling. Chul aimed his gun and riddled him with bullets. ¡°?!¡± His eyes widened as the scorpion dug its fingers into the ceiling. It broke it apart and threw it at Chul. Chul dove out of the way. The scorpion launched off the ceiling and buried a kick in his midsection. ¡°Ugh?!¡± Chul was blasted away. His body bounced off the ground and the wall. He stabilized himself and got to his knees. A foot appeared inches away from his face. Chul flung himself back and rolled out of the way. He pulled two handguns and fired. He shot his attacker in the knees, forcing them to fall. He ran at him and grabbed his face. He lifted him off the ground and slammed his head through a wall. He held onto him and slammed him through another wall, shattering his helmet. ¡°?!¡± Chul¡¯s brows raised when a man with features similar to his but with blue hair was under the helmet. (A half-blood?) The man grabbed Chul¡¯s arm. Chul shot him in the head. Still he clung to the arm tightly. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that to kill you anyway.¡± Chul pulled out a grenade and forced it into the man¡¯s body. He kicked the body away and it erupted. ¡°Where the fuck these bastards came from?¡± He turned towards his comrades and saw a bloody battle in the halls. They were clashing with the scorpions using everything they had. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°Fuck!¡± Chul ran to back them. ¡°Get out of the way!¡± A shout stopped him. Flashes appeared before his eyes. With a boom the scorpions¡¯ bodies exploded into pieces. Fayax walked towards him with blood all over his body. ¡°I wanted to preserve energy but these guys were stronger than expected.¡± Chul could see his hands trembling. (Looks like his sword style takes a toll on him.) ¡°We need to hurry. I have a feeling these bastards are everywhere.¡± Inside another building, Gina and Brix had run into some scorpions as well. ¡°Die!¡± She swung her whip with lightning fast speed. The scorpions moved with speed matching and even surpassing hers. They cut the distance and fired their weapons. Brix appeared in front of them. She threw punches and the bullets and lasers bounced off her. She and the warriors leaped at the scorpions. She ducked under a sword slash and lifted her attacker off the ground with an uppercut. She jumped and broke several necks with kicks. She grabbed heads and slammed them together. She threw them over her head. Gina¡¯s bladed-whip wrapped around them. She slammed them headfirst into the ground. She ran, dragging the bodies and slammed into her enemies. Brix kicked a scorpion through a wall. Gina threw the wall debris at the charging enemy. The warriors cut down anyone that was hit. The scorpions grabbed the blades stuck in them. They punched the warriors in the face and disarmed them. Screams rung out as they started cutting down everything in front of them. ¡°I expected that you¡¯ll fight back.¡± Gina stretched her hand out and a droid gave her several belts with orbs attached to them. ¡°Brix, it¡¯s time to blow this place away!¡± She threw the orbs and explosions of Fire and Water erupted in the building. The scorpions rushed them without fear. A huge grin appeared on Gina¡¯s face. ¡°Come, you bastards!¡± At the same time, Damini was clashing with scorpions who came outside. ¡°Who the fuck are these guys?¡± The scorpions came out firing powerful machine guns and rifles. Several warriors were blown apart in instant. ¡°Alright, motherfuckers.¡± Damini started hopping in one spot. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Her body flickered. *Boom!* Bodies were blasted away. She reappeared rapidly, stabbing a scorpion floating in the air. She kicked off the body and landed on the ground. She rushed at the other scorpions. They rushed at her. She ducked under a punch and stabbed her attacker under the chin. She twisted her body to avoid a kick but was shot in the back. She spun and threw her dagger into a skull. She grabbed a gun off the ground and started firing at everything around her. Once the gun wasn¡¯t being effective, she used it to slap the nearest enemy. ¡°Hahahaha! Let¡¯s go!¡± She started smacking everyone around her until the gun broke. She was punched and kicked all over the body. She swayed left and right. ¡°Ahh!¡± She roared and lunged at the nearest person and ripped their throat open with her teeth. She used their body as a meat shield for shots and slashes. She lifted the body and threw it at them. She distanced herself with quick leaps back. She was breathing heavily while covered in blood. ¡°Need help?¡± Zyna walked up to her without a trace of blood on her or her sword. ¡°That would be great.¡± ¡°Alright, retreat for a bit. I¡¯ll handle this.¡± Damini nodded and leaped into the darkness. ¡°Now then, I don¡¯t know who you people are but you need to die.¡± ¡°The ones who need to die are you, Zyna.¡± Julius emerged from the building. ¡°It¡¯s you who are getting in our way.¡± ¡°Julius? Then I take it these are your people?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. They¡¯re the first batch of successful Super Soldiers. I call them Scorpions.¡± ¡°Do they have free will or their sanity? They don¡¯t seem to fear death.¡± ¡°They do. It¡¯s just that they¡¯re under the influence of a drug that takes away their fear of death and boosts their strength.¡± He took out a syringe from a box. ¡°Like this.¡± He injected the syringe into his neck. His eyes turned a glowing blue. His muscles swelled and his veins bulged. ¡°What the¡ª¡± Julius popped up in front of Zyna before she could finish speaking. He thrust his palm out. An explosive noise rung out. Julius¡¯s palm was pressing against Zyna¡¯s blade. ¡°As expected of Lady Zyna, you¡¯re a real monster.¡± Blood sprayed out of his body. His figure disappeared. Zyna swung her sword up and blocked a palm from above. He disappeared again. She spun around blocking a strike again. ¡°Impressive speed.¡± Zyna pushed him back and slashed at his neck. The world slowed down before Julius¡¯s eyes. He ducked under the slash. The world moves again. ¡°?!¡± The sword he dodged was still at his neck and even closer than before. He moved back and blood sprayed from his chest. This caused his eyes to widen. ¡°Why are you surprised? I¡¯m the best swordsman on this island.¡± Zyna grinned. ¡°I have to at least be this good to have that title.¡± Julius smirked. ¡°I¡¯m really envious of such talent.¡± The scorpions surrounded Zyna. ¡°This is a waste of time, you¡¯ll never¡ª¡± ¡°Hello, Zyna.¡± ¡°?!¡± A new voice entered Zyna¡¯s ears. She spun around and her eyes peeled open. Standing before her was Zagan and the Holy Knights. Zagon showed her a gentle smile. ¡°Ten minutes are up.¡± Zagon stretched his hand out towards her. Zyna¡¯s body froze; her heart stopped as the weight of the world fell down on her. As the hand slowly approached her, all thoughts left her mind. All except one word¡ª DEATH. ¡°Hold on there.¡± The word disappeared as a familiar voice reached her ears. This voice caused her body to relax. Someone gently pulled her away from Zagon as they stood between them. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you great your twin first, my adorably scummy brother?¡± Zagon smiled looking at the face identical to his. ¡°Hello, my na?ve and stupid sister.¡± The two Lords wore smiles as they spoke in unison. ¡°I¡¯ve come to kill you, my other half.¡± Chapter 31: War Zagon and Kelz, the current and former Lords of the Promised Land. The two stood face to face as leaders of their respective factions. ¡°You¡¯re here faster than expected.¡± Kelz spoke with a smirk. ¡°Ten minutes is a short time.¡± So did Zagon. ¡°I bet you moved out the second it reached ten minutes. That¡¯s petty.¡± ¡°Ten minutes is ten minutes.¡± (There it is. Whenever these two are together, their mental age always reverts back to when they were children. Even now, they¡¯re treating everything that happened between them like a game.) Zyna watched the two with her heart racing. Despite the carefree air around the Lords as they talked to each other, tension continued to build for everyone else. No one moved or dared to breathe, even those who had made it inside the buildings. Everyone felt it on a molecular level. They felt the dread and overwhelming power the two possess. (It¡¯s as if the God Essence inside me is cowering. It¡¯s like I couldn¡¯t escape them even if I ran to the ends of the earth.) Raphael thought while looking at the two from afar. ¡°I see. So this is how it feels to be in the presence of gods.¡± ¡°Xeroi.¡± ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± ¡°Zyna.¡± ¡°Yes, Kelz.¡± Zagon and Kelz spoke in unison. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the rest to you.¡± They vanished with a boom. Explosions erupted all over the district. Raphael looked around in confusion as the very island itself started to tremble. ¡°The fuck?!¡± There was a ring of blue light surrounding them. This ring was like walls erected towards the heavens. (That¡¯s God Essence, right? They¡¯re fighting while running around the district? Is the God Essence oozing out of them creating this ring?) Zyna thought while looking around. ¡°Should you be looking away, Zyna?¡± Xeroi put on some plated gloves. ¡°You¡¯re standing in front of the Holy Knights with no competent comrades around you.¡± Zyna turned towards him with a smirk ¡°Oh, I¡¯m fine in that regard.¡± A flash as Xeroi swung his hand and deflected a laser. Meanwhile, Zyna leaped back and landed beside Raphael, Roxanne, and Ryder. ¡°Outsiders huh? That¡¯s great.¡± Xeroi¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°I wanted to see the faces of the people who destroyed the Silver Core.¡± ¡°Oh, that?¡± Raphael grinned. ¡°They were quite lacking. Perhaps you should¡¯ve trained them better.¡± ¡°¡­I suppose I should¡¯ve.¡± The holy knights pulled their weapons and stepped forward. ¡°Purge them in the name of the Lord.¡± The knights charged at them and Zyna stepped forward. ¡°You and me have a date.¡± Xeroi popped up in front of her. He punched at her face. His punch was blocked by her blade. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m a married woman.¡± The two kicked each other simultaneously and was forced apart. They charged at each other again. They clashed blowing the other back before charging again. They then moved through the battlefield clashing at high speed. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Run wild, Spawn!¡± Raphael roared as Ryder kicked off the ground. He clashed with a knight¡¯s spear. The spear was blown back by Ryder¡¯s punch. Another knight attacked his flank. ¡°Fuck off!¡± Roxanne hit him with a flying kick. The knight stumbled and two other knights rushed at her. Ryder accelerated and grabbed them by the face. He lifted off the ground. The knights used their legs to lock his arms. They threw themselves back to fling him to the ground. A knight kicked Ryder in the back as he stood up and fired several shots at his body. ¡°Oi.¡± The knight spun around. His severed hands fell to the ground still holding his gun. Raphael¡¯s bloodshot eyes appeared before him. ¡°Don¡¯t touch him.¡± Raphael cut through the knight¡¯s armour and into his body. The blade stopped in the middle of his torso. Even so, the knight grabbed Raphael¡¯s neck. Several knights attacked Raphael from behind. ¡°Ohhh!¡± They were hit by their comrades'' bodies that were thrown by Roxanne. Ryder appeared behind the knight choking Raphael. With a swift motion, he twisted the knight¡¯s head to face behind him. He released Raphael who forced his sword to finish cutting through his body. The knight¡¯s torso hit the ground. ¡°?!¡± Ryder grabbed Raphael and threw him overhead. A large knight appeared swinging down a giant club. The club hit the ground. Shots fired at the knight from behind Ryder. The knight spotted Raphael aiming at him. He kicked off the ground. Ryder met his charge. The ground shook as Ryder¡¯s fist clashed with the club. The two started attacking each other with quick strikes and swings. (Shit, Ryder is preoccupied with that one.) ¡°We¡¯re still here.¡± ¡°!¡± Raphael spun around. He was punched in the face. His body was blown back and bounced off the ground. He looked up and saw scorpions and knights attacking from above. They were kicked away before attacking him. ¡°I¡¯m back for round 2, fuckers!¡± Damini shouted. She blasted off the ground the moment her feet touched it. Scorpions and knights rushed at her. She grabbed blades lying around and cut a scorpion across the eyes. A knight fired at her head. Her body flickered as she dodged the bullet. She popped up under his chin. Her blades moved and pierced his heart and head. She noticed Scorpions and knights surrounding her. An explosion blew them away before she could act. ¡°Get away from my sister!¡± Gina appeared with warriors and droids behind her. She threw explosives and swung her whip. The knights and scorpions scattered. ¡°Ahhhh!¡± Roxanne roared as she blew away enemies with punches and kicks. She took a scorpion¡¯s helmet and slapped a knight. She took punches to the gut but didn¡¯t falter. She cracked a knight¡¯s skull with a headbutt. She spun around and crushed a scorpion¡¯s eyes. She was stabbed in the legs and forced to stop. Knights jumped and kicked her in the chest. She held her ground and grabbed their legs. She slammed them on the ground. More enemies surrounded her. ¡°Don¡¯t move, Roxanne!¡± A shout caused her to freeze. A light flash before her eyes. Bodies around her exploded into pieces. Fayax appeared holding his blade in his hand. ¡°Roxanne, are you okay?¡± Chul appeared next to her firing his rifle. ¡°We took longer than we wanted to regroup because of these scorpion guys. Give me an update?¡± ¡°War is in full swing.¡± Roxanne pulled out the swords embedded in her legs. ¡°If Kelz didn¡¯t increase the God Essence in us using her abilities, we would¡¯ve die already.¡± ¡°Die!¡± A roar echoed through the battlefield. Ryder shattered his opponent¡¯s club with his bloody fist. He stepped in and slammed his fist in his face. The face caved in and bones crushing could be heard. The knight fell dead without a face. ¡°Alright, everyone¡¯s here.¡± Raphael sprung to his feet. He glared at Julius who was staring at him. ¡°So you¡¯re the bastard¡­¡± Raphael gritted his teeth. ¡°¡­So you¡¯re his comrades.¡± Julius took out a syringe and stabbed it into his neck. ¡°Then I won¡¯t be taking any chances.¡± His muscles tightened and his eyes started glowing once again. ¡°Let¡¯s gooo!¡± The ground shook as he kicked off the ground. Raphael met his charge. They punched out. Raphael¡¯s hand was blown back, busted up. ¡°?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m on a different level.¡± Julius punched out. Raphael blocked it with both arms. The arms broke and the fist hit his chest. ¡°Guh?!¡± His heart stopped for a second before beating again. Raphael was blown back with arms dangling by his side. ¡°Raphael!¡± Damini rushed towards Julius. He turned his head and vanished. He popped up in front of her. He thrust at her throat. She bent her back to avoid it before peddling back. Julius chased her with strikes aiming at her vitals. She twisted her body to avoid a strike and kicked him in the head. She grabbed her ankle and crushed it. ¡°Ahhh!¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± He grabbed her mouth. Raphael popped up above him and kicked him away. ¡°You recover quick.¡± Julius said while fixing his broken jaw. Raphael swung his arms and cracking sounds were heard. His arms were fixed. ¡°As the oldest, it¡¯s my job to protect everybody else. Especially, the youngest.¡± Raphael¡¯s eyes were bloodshot. (Listen, Raphael. If I¡¯m gone, you¡¯ll need to protect everyone.) He recalled a memory with Gustav. ¡°You¡¯re the strongest but that¡¯s only because Ryder is under control. If things get difficult, don¡¯t be afraid to make him run wild. However, if you¡¯re still having problems, you¡¯ll need to return to being the strongest.¡± ¡°You make it sound easy.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t but you¡¯ll need to do it. To be fair, the only reason you¡¯re weaker than Spawn is because you¡¯re too level-headed. Sometimes in war you need a madman to make the difference.¡± Gustav pointed at him. ¡°You¡¯ll be that mad man when I¡¯m not there.¡± ¡°How?¡± Raphael smirked while facing off against Julius. ¡°Roxanne!¡± Roxanne looked in his direction. Raphael put his hand in his mouth and yanked out a tooth. Roxanne saw this and her eyes widened. She gritted her teeth. ¡°Hell¡¯s Militia, listen up!¡± Her voice resounded across the battlefield. ¡°As of this moment, I¡¯m taking full command and this is my first order! Stay clear of Raphael!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Julius wore confused expression. His opponent just ripped out one of his teeth and then his ally took command¡­ ¡°Tsk.¡± He rushed at Raphael. ¡°!¡± He stopped and leaped back. Bullets flew past him. Chul aimed his rifle at him from a distance. Raphael took something out of the tooth and swallowed it. ¡°Ugh!¡± He groaned as his body started heating up. His mind became cloudy, yet he could hear Gustav¡¯s voice. ¡°I¡¯m going to follow the Norse warriors, the Berserkers¡¯ example. We¡¯re using Hallucinogens.¡± ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Raphael burst out laughing. It was a bone-chilling laugh with no compassion. ¡°So you¡¯re using drugs too?¡± Julius grinned. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s¡ª¡± Raphael kicked off the ground with enough force to crack it. Julius met his charge with a kick. Fist clashed with leg. Bones poked out of their arm and leg as blood sprayed. The two showed a crazed grin. ¡°Let the madness begin!¡± Chapter 32: Madness Raphael and Julius clashed at speeds, throwing kicks and punches at each other. Julius¡¯s fists slammed into Raphael¡¯s body over and over again. Raphael held his ground and kicked Julius in the stomach. Julius stumbled back. Raphael stepped in his chest, spun and kicked him across the face, spun again and slapped him across the face. Julius stepped in and smashed his nose in with his fist, hit him in the eye with his elbow, and chopped his windpipe. ¡°Guh?!¡± Raphael held in his throat. Julius kicked him so hard he flew into the building. Julius chased after him. ¡°?!¡± He was hit by a flying door. He threw the door aside. A size 12 boot slammed in his face. He crashed to the ground. He rolled to his feet and ducked under a hook. He hit Raphael with an uppercut. Raphael was forced off the ground. Julius grabbed a spear on the ground. He leaped and thrust the spear at Raphael¡¯s head. Raphael bent his back and the spear flew over his head. Raphael swung his foot and broke the spear. Without missing a beat, Julius stabbed him in the stomach with the pole. ¡°Die!¡± Julius roared as he forced Raphael to the ground. Raphael grabbed the other half of the spear beside him. He stabbed through Julius¡¯s chest. ¡°Guh?!¡± He vomited blood on Raphael. ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡± Raphael started raising off the ground causing the spear to pierced through his body completely. He ignored the damage he did to himself and rose of the ground with a roar. He forced the spearhead through Julius until it came out his back. Julius showed a pained smile. ¡°Probably if you weren¡¯t high you wouldn¡¯t have missed my heart. I can regenerate my lungs with ease!¡± He slammed his fist in Raphael¡¯s face. Teeth flew out of his mouth and fell in a puddle of blood underneath them. Yet, Raphael didn¡¯t flinch. ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± He sprang up and sunk his teeth in Julius¡¯ neck. ¡°Wha¡ªAhhhhh?!¡± Julius screamed in agony and horror as Raphael ripped his flesh apart. Bloodshot eyes, bloodstained mouth, the current Raphael was like a mad beast devouring Julius¡¯ flesh. ¡°Damn youuuu!¡± Julius¡¯s scream echoed across the battlefield. Elsewhere, Raphael¡¯s siblings had moved away from his battle and were fighting the scorpions and the knights, along with Brix and Fayax. Ryder was mowing through enemies with beastly ferocity. He grabbed a knight by the head and threw him into a group of his comrades. He leaped and stomped a scorpion into the ground. A knight charged at him. Ryder kicked at his neck. The knight ducked under the kick and grabbed his leg. He lifted Ryder off the ground and swung like a weapon. He used Ryder to swat some of Kelz¡¯s warriors. ¡°Son of a¡ª¡± Ryder was forced to swallow his words. The knight leaped into the air with him. He positioned Ryder with his head facing the earth. They fell towards the earth. Ryder struggled to break free as his head approached the ground. The knight¡¯s strength was superior to Ryder¡¯s. He couldn¡¯t break free in time. ¡°Ryder!¡± The knight was kicked in the back before Ryder¡¯s head hit the earth. The two flew to the side before hitting the ground and separating. The knight got up. He was greeted with a kick to the face. His body bounced off the ground. ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t ask for your help.¡± Ryder sprung to his feet, facing the knight. ¡°I don¡¯t care to be honest. I¡¯m your older sister, so shut up and let me help you.¡± Roxanne stood beside Ryder. ¡°Gustav and Raphael believe you¡¯re stronger as Spawn, but I don¡¯t. After all, Spawn and Ryder are the same. They¡¯re both my youngest brother!¡± She rushed at the knight. Ryder quietly followed behind her. She threw a kick, the knight blocked it. Ryder came at him low from his flank with a fist. The knight evaded the strike with a step back. Roxanne chased with a strike to the throat. The knight blocked with his arm. Ryder aimed a low kick at his legs. The knight jumped over it. He kicked out to keep Roxanne at bay. He landed on the ground and hit the rising Ryder with an elbow. Ryder fell on the ground without being able to stand. Roxanne kicked him in the chest and forced him back. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°You are not bad for Outsider who just arrived.¡± The knight bowed. ¡°Allow me to introduce myself. I am the Holy Knights Vice-Captain, Xavier.¡± ¡°Leave your introductions to the devil when you arrive in hell!¡± Roxanne and Ryder rushed Xavier again, who wore a bright smile. Meanwhile, the others were in intense battles with the knights and scorpions. ¡°Let¡¯s gooo!¡± Damini flew into a group of enemies. She evaded slashes and strikes with swift movements. She ducked under a blade swing and slit her attacker¡¯s throat. She kicked off them to avoid the swing of a mace. She threw her knives at the nearest enemy and rushed them. As the knives were dodged, she jumped and spun in the air. Blades came from her boots. Blood sprayed as she ripped open throats with kicks. She picked up the weapons on the ground and rushed at her enemies without fear of attacks. At the same time, Gina was coordinating with the droids to take down as many enemies as possible. The droids charged at the enemies non-stop even when their limbs were ripped off. They slashed, stabbed, and beat anyone they caught. Gina swung her bladed-whip, ripping open skins. She threw explosives in every direction. Explosions played a violent melody and the whip waltzed to their rhythm, causing blood to fly. Basked in the light of the flames, she conducted an orchestra of carnage. As for Chul, he threw away his rifle and walked with handguns in each hand. A scorpion rushed at him and had his brains blown out. Chul broke out in a sprint firing his guns in every direction. Knights popped up in front of him. He leaped back fired. The knights evaded the shots and came at him. He ducked under a kick, rose up and slapped a knight with his gun. He spun around and blocked a punch with his gun. The gun broke apart. Chul stepped in and hit the knight with an uppercut. He was kicked in the back by another. He spun around and buried that knight with a kick. He twisted his body and elbowed a scorpion in the face, breaking his helmet. Chul pulled the helmet and slammed his fist in the scorpion¡¯s face over and over again. He threw the scorpion at a charging knight. ¡°You motherfuckers seem to think I¡¯m nothing without my guns.¡± Chul slammed his fists together with a crazed look in his eyes. ¡°Allow me to show you how wrong you are!¡± ¡°They¡¯re more help than I could¡¯ve ever hoped.¡± Brix spoke before sending a knight flying with a punch. ¡°I know, it¡¯s reassuring.¡± Fayax¡¯s figure flickered. Light flashed and he reappeared behind a group of knights. Heads flew off shoulders and blood gushed into the air. ¡°We can¡¯t afford to let them show us up, can we?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± The two flew at their enemies. Brix crushed them with swift and powerful kicks and punches. Fayax¡¯s blade moved at a blinding speed cutting down everything in its path. The two combined together and pierced through the sea of enemies leaving a trail of carnage in their wake. Elsewhere, sparks flew and explosive noise reverberated. Zyna and Xeroi were moving through the battlefield like beams of light. Zyna¡¯s blade flew at Xeroi like a murder of crows, attacking from multiple directions at once. Xeroi used his plated gloves and countered the strikes with swift punches. Sparks flew between them as he parried every strike. He rushed at Zyna with his arm pulled back. Zyna leaped back. He punched out. *Boom!* The air shook when Xeroi''s fist extended. Zyna swung her sword down. A light flashed and two trenches formed at her sides after cutting the force of Xeroi¡¯s attack. She kicked off the ground, clenching her sword. Xeroi lifted his fists in front of him. Zyna swung her sword and Xeroi punched out. The sword and fist clashed. The ground underneath them cracked open. Xeroi punched at Zyna¡¯s stomach. She positioned her sword in front of her stomach. A deafening noise rung out. Zyna¡¯s feet were forced several inches into the ground. Xeroi punched out again. Zyna ducked under the punch and slashed at his stomach. ¡°?!¡± Xeroi¡¯s eyes widened as the hand he placed to catch the sword was ignored. The sword changed directions mid-swing and flew towards his chin. He bent his body and evaded the blade. Zyna stepped in and placed her hand over his heart. A blue glow covered her hand as she twisted it. *BOOM!* Xeroi¡¯s body flew back with a thunderclap. He burst through a building. ¡°Cough!¡± Zyna fell to her knees vomiting blood. (That bastard. He kicked me the same time I hit him with a shockwave. He sent a shockwave to my organs too.) ¡°Impressive shockwave.¡± Xeroi burst out of the building and walked towards her. Blood was flowing from the corners of his mouth. ¡°I thought only I and the Lord could use shockwaves. I guess you can¡¯t underestimate the Royal bloodline.¡± He fastened his gloves. ¡°You¡¯ve improved greatly since you left the Holy Knights. I assume you trained in anticipation of Lady Kelz¡¯s return.¡± ¡°I did, but I still can¡¯t see myself defeating you.¡± Zyna stood up and gripped her sword tightly. ¡°You say that, yet you seem intent on fighting.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Zyna pointed her sword at Xeroi. ¡°I just need to prove myself wrong.¡± ¡°I see you¡¯ve developed a sense of humor in these last deca¡ª¡± A blue light flashed between the two of them. Hurricane-like winds hit them and nearly blew them away. They held their ground, but they were the only ones. ¡°Ugh?!¡± All around them people from both sides were blown away. Many crashed into trees, some were flung outside the district. *BOOOM!* A thunderous noise shook the district. Buildings exploded one after the other. The ground burst open, trees were uprooted, and people were ripped apart. ¡°What the fuck?!¡± Roxanne shouted. She and Ryder were retreating out of the district as fast as they could. They weren¡¯t the only ones, everyone tried their best to escape. All except for Raphael and Julius who were still fighting despite the situation, as well as Zyna and Xeroi. The Lords¡¯ right hands looked upon the destruction happening around them. ¡°Looks like they¡¯re finally getting serious.¡± Zyna sheathed her sword. ¡°As unfortunate as it is, we most likely won¡¯t be able to finish this fight, Zyna.¡± Xeroi took off his gloves. ¡°I agree. All fights are meaningless compared to the one between the Lords. After all, if our leader loses, we¡¯ll die soon after, so why bother?¡± Zyna smiled. ¡°It¡¯s in the Lords'' hands now.¡± Chapter 33: The Two Gods A string of explosions erupted through the research district. Flashes of blue appeared everywhere, followed by more explosions. To see what was going on, let¡¯s slow down time for a bit. ¡°Come on, Lord! Is that all you can do?¡± Kelz ran backwards while taunting Zagon. ¡°Says the woman who¡¯s running away!¡± Zagon accelerated and threw a kick. Kelz blocked the kick with her arms crossed. Blue glow covered her arms. She punched out and blue light rushed at Zagon. He thrust his palm out. The light dispersed before hitting him. ¡°Glad that you¡¯ve gotten a hang of emitting aura. It must be good to be Lord for 40 years.¡± Kelz said. ¡°Passive aggression? Really? That¡¯s beneath you.¡± ¡°Well, sorry. I¡¯m not the type to stab someone in the back!¡± Kelz flew at Zagon with a stomp. He ducked under it and grabbed her leg. He threw her with a spin. She crashed through several buildings. ¡°?!¡± The next instant, giant pieces of debris were inches away from Zagon¡¯s face. He swept his hand in front of him and the debris were reduced to dust. A blue light shot through that dust. It scattered just as it was about to reach him. He looked around and found himself trapped in a ring of light. The light formed into fists and charged at him. Zagon twisted and turned his body to narrowly evade every strike. ¡°Clench your teeth!¡± Kelz popped up in front of him. She slammed her fist in his face. However, she was simultaneously kicked in the gut. The two were forced apart. ¡°How did you do that?¡± Zagon asked while fixing his jaw. ¡°Don¡¯t know. I thought about hitting you everywhere all at once and that happened.¡± ¡°The hell? Are you a genius or something?¡± ¡°Well, I am the rightful Lord.¡± Kelz puffed out her chest proudly. ¡°Yeah, and the ancestors chose me to replace you, so¡­¡± Kelz¡¯s smile dropped. ¡°I hate you.¡± ¡°Bullshit, how can you hate this beautiful face?¡± ¡°We have the same face.¡± ¡°And aren¡¯t we pretty?¡± ¡°You got me there.¡± As this odd exchange between the two happened, time resumed. The two were standing in a wasteland of burning debris under the moonlight. ¡°Zagon, I won¡¯t ask why you betrayed me because I understand your reasoning. However, I must ask.¡± Kelz looked Zagon in the eyes. ¡°Zagon, are you okay?¡± Zagon¡¯s eyes widened before narrowing. ¡°We¡¯re fighting to the death and you¡¯re asking something like that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because we¡¯re fighting to the death why I¡¯m asking.¡± Kelz pointed at Zagon. ¡°You aren¡¯t the type of person who can betray someone without a care. Especially, not your other half.¡± Zagon flinched in front of Kelz¡¯s intense gaze. ¡°I ask you again, Zagon Tiama Octivinus. Are you okay?¡± ¡°¡­That doesn¡¯t matter. We¡¯re enemies fighting for different things. So¡ª¡± ¡°We¡¯re fighting for the same thing. The paths we chose may be different but our end goal is the same.¡± Kelz clenched her fist. ¡°I know this because I can feel your emotions. You can feel mine too, can¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­.We¡¯ve always had somewhat a spiritual connection where we occasionally get affected by each other¡¯s emotional state. That has only gotten stronger since we¡¯ve both become Lords. So much so, we might be able to communicate telepathically if we try hard enough.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. So here¡¯s a question.¡± Kelz spread her arms. ¡°Do I hate you?¡± Zagon remained quiet for a bit before answering. ¡°As absurd as it is, no, I don¡¯t feel any hatred towards me for what I did.¡± ¡°Because I don¡¯t. Even after everything you¡¯ve done, I still love you. You¡¯re still the person I love the most.¡± Zagon frowned with a face of disgust. ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re like that, why¡ª¡± ¡°Why you betrayed me? I know.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Kelz brought her hand to her side with a small smile. ¡°I¡¯m not fit to be a ruler, especially in these times where our people could be facing extinction.¡± ¡°If you know then¡ª¡± ¡°But neither are you, Zagon. Don¡¯t get me wrong, you have the talent and determination to do whatever¡¯s necessary, however, your mind and soul can¡¯t withstand the pressure. The weight of trampling on countless lives to save countless more, your shoulders can¡¯t bear it. You¡¯ll crumble before you reach your end goal, and when that happens all the things you¡¯ve sacrificed will be for naught. This was why I asked if you were okay. You¡¯re already showing signs of crumbling from just betraying me.¡± The smile on Kelz¡¯s face slowly faded. ¡°It¡¯s for this reason why I must kill you. I will end your misery and save the lives you will waste.¡± Zagon burst out laughing. ¡°And then you will lead our people? Your method will only cause their demise. We need resources, but so do the outside world. However, we¡¯re different from them. We have the power to threaten their existence. They showed us what kind of beings they are, when they sent people here whose first thought was to attack us when they saw how different we were. They fear us for being us and they would rather destroy us rather than try to understand us. Why? Because we might try to destroy them, even if it¡¯s a baseless assumption.¡± ¡°¡­.My biggest mistake was allowing you to interact with the Outsiders called Julius and Feng. You should¡¯ve never learned the history of the Outside World. You should have never been burdened with knowledge of how dark human nature was.¡± ¡°What nonsense are you spouting? Are you saying we should¡¯ve remained clueless and ignorantly interact with them, only to get deceived?¡± Kelz shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m saying only I should¡¯ve been burdened with this. I was chosen as the Lord. Only I should be corrupted while you remained pure¡­.That alone would¡¯ve made me happy.¡± ¡°But this is reality. I¡¯m corrupted and glad to be. For now, I see what I must do and the path I must walk.¡± Zagon lifted his fists. ¡°I must create a bright future by plunging into hell. I will build the foundation with corpses. You, my sister, will be the first and I¡¯ll be the last.¡± ¡°You talk big despite not being up to the task. This is why you must die.¡± Kelz¡¯s eyes turned cold for the first time. This caused Zagon to flinch. ¡°But don¡¯t worry, my foolish brother.¡± She started walking towards him. ¡°I will lead our people to salvation as their Lord.¡± With her every step, the ground shook and the tension rose. ¡°For those who desire it, I will grant them peace.¡± The flames around them reflected in her eyes. ¡°And for those seeking war, I will give them Divine Retribution.¡± Zagon¡¯s body tensed up with every word she spoke. ¡°For I am the Lord, and I will shape this world in any form I see fit.¡± ¡°?!¡± Waves of chills ran up Zagon''s back. The woman before him wasn¡¯t the girl he betrayed all those decades ago. Standing before him was someone determined to create any form of salvation she desires, no matter the cost. Before Zagon realized it, a smile crawled on his face. ¡°This is the sister I love.¡± He stomped the ground and the earth cracked. ¡°And the woman I must kill!¡± The two kicked off the ground creating hurricane-level winds. Punches clashed and a thunderclap erupted between them. The earth burst open and buildings were blown away. ¡°I will conquer everything to ensure survival!¡± Zagon roared. ¡°Then I will create a world where we can live in harmony!¡± They pulled their arms back and roared in unison as they punched out. ¡°And I will destroy anyone that stands in my way!¡± The entire district shook as two forces of nature clashed. The two started trading blows after blow while roaring at the top of their lungs. Zagon kicked Kelz in the stomach and sent her flying. He flew at her gathering essence around his fists. He threw a barrage of punches from a distance. Blue fists made of essence flew at her. Kelz gathered essence around her feet while flying through the air. She thrust them down and she was blasted into the air, opening a crater in the process and evading the fists. Kelz gathered essence beneath her feet and started kicking down. Zagon saw dozens of blue feet flying down at him. He moved around evading the bombardment of attacks. Footprints appeared in the ground before the earth was burst open. Zagon stopped and started punching up. Blue fists clashed with blue feet. Blue light exploded in the sky illuminating the night. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do this.¡± Kelz twisted her body upside down. She kicked the air and blasted towards the earth. She started spinning while gathering essence around her feet. She swung her heel down. The blue fists of light shattered and an explosion of blue light covered the sky. Zagon looked at this explosion and blinked. ¡°?!¡± He opened his eyes and a heel cloaked in blue light was inches away from his face. Time halted and the world became still. Yet, this heel slowly but surely moved towards his face. Zagon¡¯s body disappeared and the world moved again. *BOOM!* The heel crashed into the earth and the district shook as large cracks opened up in the earth. These cracks spread and swallowed up trees and corpses lying about. ¡°Tsk!¡± Kelz clicked her tongue. A foot appeared next to her head. She flung herself to the ground. The foot flew over her head with a boom. She rolled to her feet and blocked another kick with her arms. Her feet dug through the earth as she tried to stop herself from flying back. Her ankles snapped several times before regenerating stronger than before. Zagon popped up above her, swinging down his heel. She crossed her arms overhead. *BOOM!* A crater opened up underneath as she blocked the kick. She punched him back and created some distance. The two flew at each other again. ¡°What an insane fight.¡± Zyna mumbled seeing the destruction happening around her. She and Xeroi were watching their respective leaders fight to the death. ¡°Goddammit, die already!¡± She turned her head to see a bloodied Julius and Raphael glaring at each other while breathing heavily. (So they¡¯re still others.) She placed her hand on her sword while looking at Julius. ¡°¡­¡­..¡± She shook her head while taking her hand off it. ¡°Wise decision.¡± Xeroi mumbled while taking out his phone. ¡°Feng, where are you?¡± ¡°Xeroi! I¡¯m glad I finally got to one of you!¡± Zyna heard Feng¡¯s voice over the phone. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t evacuate?¡± ¡°How could I when I couldn¡¯t find my masterpiece?!¡± ¡°Masterpiece? Ah, you mean that outsider Drax brought.¡± What Xeroi said caught Zyna¡¯s ear. That¡¯s when she recalled a conversation from earlier. ¡°Gustav Fernandez?¡± ¡°Yes, he¡¯s our original leader and father. Drax took his body and we fear this Feng person is going to do something with it.¡± Raphael said to her. He and Kelz spoke to her privately. ¡°I see. They might revive him and turn him into a soldier.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. If that were to happen, it will be a problem. Not because we couldn¡¯t fight him, it¡¯s because of how fearsome he could become.¡± ¡°¡­Was he that strong?¡± Raphael nodded. ¡°Even at his old age, my siblings and I couldn¡¯t beat him unless we ganged up on him.¡± This memory caused Zyna to look at Raphael again and then at Xeroi. ¡°Did you find him?¡± Xeroi asked Feng. ¡°That¡¯s what I was calling you about! Xeroi, you guys need to get out of there! After examining the knights¡¯ corpses I¡¯m certain he¡¯s on a completely different level!¡± Feng¡¯s frantic voice caused Zyna to tense up. Her instincts were telling her something horrible was about to happen. ¡°Feng, what are you¡ª¡± ¡°Get the fuck out of there! All of you! He¡¯s already there!¡± *BOOM!* A devastating explosion erupted in the opposite direction of Kelz and Zagon¡¯s fight. This explosion caused everyone to freeze. Whether it was the Lords fighting, Raphael and Julius going for each other¡¯s throat, or those who evacuated to escape the fight. Everyone stopped and looked in the direction of the explosion. Eyes widened at the sight of body parts raining down from the heavens. A sea of flames had opened up with bodies lying under debris. What was once a group of buildings was now burning rubble with limbs sticking out. The sounds of footsteps echo in this silent world of ruin. These footsteps, despite being far, were clear to everyone watching. Soon a silhouette appeared in the sea of flames. This silhouette walked through the carnage with light and gentle steps as if merely on a scroll. Their figure soon became clear as they basked in the light of the flames around them. ¡°So there were more than one god? They look identical too? A man and a woman? So twin gods.¡± His voice rang in everyone¡¯s ears, as if he was next to them. Giovanni looked in Zagon¡¯s and Kelz¡¯s direction with an apathetic gaze. ¡°This looks interesting. Let me join in.¡± Chapter 34: Devil Basking in the flames around him, Giovanni stood in the centre of a world of carnage. His eyes were locked on Kelz and Zagon. He took a step forward and vanished. ¡°So I can move hundreds of meters just like that?¡± ¡°?!¡± Zyna and Xeroi¡¯s eyes widened. They turned their heads to see Giovanni standing between them. They instantly distanced themselves and readied to attack. (Impossible! He can move that fast?! Who the hell is he?!) Zyna¡¯s body was tense. Her instincts were screaming at her to avoid the thing in front of her. (What the hell, Feng?! What is this?!) Xeroi was the same. The sense of dread he was getting from this entity was unbelievable. Without even fighting it, he was certain. This being was on another level. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Giovanni turned to Zyna and then to Xeroi. ¡°I don¡¯t really have interest in the two of you, so you don¡¯t need to be so alarmed.¡± Despite his words, the two didn¡¯t relax and focused on his every move. ¡°No way¡­¡± Meanwhile, Raphael was out of his state of madness. Yet, he was wondering if he was still hallucinating. He stared blankly at Giovanni who was looking in Zagon¡¯s direction. ¡°Raphael!¡± He was forced out of his daze by Roxanne¡¯s voice. She and the rest of his siblings and allies came running. His siblings blocked off Julius from Raphael. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± However, Julius wasn¡¯t paying Raphael any attention. He was staring at Giovanni¡¯s back. Fear stained his expression and his body was visibly trembling. ¡°Dammit, Feng!¡± Julius growled Feng¡¯s name with bloodshot eyes. This caught Raphael¡¯s attention. ¡°Is that guy Feng?¡± Gina mumbled. ¡°He kinda looks familiar.¡± Chul added. Raphael gently moved Roxanne out of the way and walked forward. ¡°Julius, answer me honestly. Is that Gustav Fernandez?¡± ¡°?!¡± Raphael¡¯s question sent shock through the battlefield. Even Kelz, who was a distance away, was visibly shocked. ¡°I was with him the longest, so I¡¯m familiar with his younger features. I¡¯ve also seen one of the few pictures of when he was young and they look identical to him.¡± ¡°Raphael, what are you talking¡ª¡± ¡°My Lord!¡± Julius cut Roxanne off with a shout. ¡°I¡¯m begging you, please keep your promise!¡± Zagon looked at Julius'' frantic expression and then at Giovanni. He opened his mouth to speak but¡ª ¡°What promise?¡± Before he could speak, Giovanni popped up in front of Julius. He looked into Julius¡¯s eyes as if trying to suck the life of them. ¡°From your tone and body language it¡¯s clear you¡¯re hostile. So I¡¯ll ask again, what¡ª¡± ¡°Ahhhh!¡± Julius roared and punched Giovanni in the face with all of his strength. A loud thud resounded as the fist hit his face. Yet, Giovanni didn¡¯t flinch. He didn¡¯t even blink, his eyes never moved from looking into Julius¡¯s. ¡°Dammit!¡± Julius leaped back and pulled out several syringes from a box. ¡°Don¡¯t do it, Julius!¡± Xeroi shouted. Zagon prepared to move but he was blocked by Kelz. Julius stabbed the syringes in his arm and injected the fluid. His skin reddened as his body became rapidly bulkier and vascular. His eyes became bloodshot until the point of bleeding and his hair and nails lengthened. ¡°OOOOHHHHHH!!¡± Julius let out a beastly roar into the night sky. ¡°You¡¯re too noisy.¡± Giovanni swung his hand to the side. A blue light flashed and Julius¡¯s roar was silenced. Julius¡¯s torso slowly slid off his body and hit the ground. The lower body quietly tumbled over. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°.........¡± Silence covered the battlefield once again. Julius, who was exhibiting unmatched ferocity, was killed with a simple swing of his hand. ¡°Julius¡­.¡± Zagon mumbled Julius¡¯s name. He started grinding his teeth as his whole body tensed up. He blasted off the ground with such force, Kelz wasn¡¯t able to stop him. She quickly followed behind him. ¡°I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s really Gustav, but I can¡¯t allow him to be killed again! Especially when it seems he¡¯s not on their side!¡± She and Zagon flew across the battlefield and charged at Giovanni, who turned towards them. In that instant, the world slowed for the two of them. Giovanni vanished from their sight. He popped up in front of the charging Zagon. Giovanni slammed his fist in the center of Zagon¡¯s face. *BOOOOM!* A deafening noise erupted as Zagon¡¯s body was blown away with devastating force. The earth burst open and shockwaves spread out. A trench was ripped open in the earth as Zagon¡¯s body flew. He flew outside of the district and crashed through several buildings in the distance. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Kelz froze in place with shock staining her face. She wanted to look behind her but couldn¡¯t look away from the person in front of her. Cold green eyes that looked at her with pure apathy. Everyone around her was the same. Nobody could look away. Giovanni¡¯s existence had commanded their attention with a single action. (Huh? What just happened? Zagon was blown away? Huh? With one hit? Huh? How?) Kelz¡¯s mind was in chaos. She couldn¡¯t process what she had witnessed or what was happening. ¡°Zagon, I know that isn¡¯t enough to kill you so get back up already.¡± Giovanni spoke while clenching his fist. That¡¯s when everyone saw it. Giovanni smiled. He flashed a smile overflowing with malice. This smile made all who saw it skin crawl. ¡°Goddammit!¡± An explosion erupted with the sound of Zagon¡¯s roar. Debris was reduced to dust as he charged back into the district. He stopped some distance away from Giovanni. He had a glare filled with hatred. ¡°Giovanni Delgado. Gustav Fernandez. Giovanni Fernandez.¡± Zagon gritted his teeth as he spoke the names as if spitting them out. ¡°I don¡¯t care what your name is. I¡¯m going to eradicate every one of them!¡± ¡°Enough talk. Come, God!¡± The two kicked off the ground with overwhelming force. Zagon threw a punch carrying the force of a speeding truck. Giovanni stopped. He parried the punch with one arm and countered with a palm strike to the chin with the other. ¡°?!¡± Shocked, Zagon threw a hook on reflex. Giovanni stepped back and evaded the hook. He stepped in and kicked Zagon in the stomach. Zagon bent over holding his stomach. Giovanni kicked him in the face so hard it straightened his body. He followed up with a kick to his temple and floored him. This exchange happened in less than 5 seconds. ¡°¡­..Huh?¡± Everyone was once again shocked. They blinked a couple times and Zagon was lying out on the ground. None was more surprised than Kelz. Unlike everyone else, she was able to see every movement. ¡°How is he able to keep up with Zagon, a Lord?¡± Zagon sprung to his feet and looked at Giovanni with more shock than anger. He was genuinely confused about what was happening. ¡°From your expression, I take it you thought me sending you flying was some kind of fluke. A miracle born from me catching you off guard and you losing yourself in anger.¡± Zagon didn¡¯t reply but that was an answer in itself. ¡°Hehehe¡­¡± Giovanni put his hand over his mouth in an attempt to suppress his laughter. ¡°Pfft! Hahahahaha!¡± He failed. He burst out laughing without holding back. ¡°My apologies. It¡¯s just I can¡¯t get over seeing that look on people¡¯s face.¡± He wiped a tear from his eye. ¡°The look of confusion before the fear sets.¡± ¡°What?¡± The veins in Zagon¡¯s body started bulging. ¡°Zagon, let me tell you a little secret.¡± Giovanni flew at Zagon. Zagon rushed at him with a kick. Giovanni changed directions with a jump to the side. The kick missed. He pounced at Zagon and punched him in the liver. ¡°You¡¯re still stronger than me.¡± Giovanni whispered in Zagon¡¯s ear. Zagon tried to swing his elbow. Giovanni caught the elbow before it could gather momentum. He punched Zagon in the back of the head. Zagon¡¯s brain rattled. ¡°Despite this, you¡¯ll never defeat me.¡± Giovanni stepped on the back of his knee and forced him to kneel. ¡°Do you know why?¡± He grabbed Zagon¡¯s hair and flung him to his back. He then stepped on his throat crushing his windpipe. ¡°You people gave me God Essence and returned my body to peak condition.¡± Giovanni showed Zagon a gentle smile as he dug his heel in his throat. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have done that.¡± Giovanni moved back when Zagon grabbed at his ankle. Zagon sprung to his feet holding his throat. In a few seconds it healed completely. ¡°You bastard¡­.¡± Zagon¡¯s eyes were completely bloodshot as he growled. ¡°Zagon, let¡¯s say someone was born with stronger and more flexible muscles than the average person. Their bones were also denser and their five senses are top notch. In other words, they were born a physical superior human.¡± A smirk appeared on Giovanni¡¯s face. ¡°Now what if their father trained them to be the ultimate soldier to kill all of his enemies, and as a result they discovered their talent for warfare and martial arts?¡± He started chuckling as he spoke. ¡°Now what do you think would happen if you gave that person otherworldly powers? What if that person was already trained to control their body to the fullest? What if that person was able to control the source of their new powers and focus it wherever they wished? Add the fact they were given data on the capabilities of their new power. What would you get?¡± Giovanni spread his arms. ¡°A being that has the potential to oppose the so-called Gods.¡± ¡°This still doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± ¡°A lot of things don¡¯t make sense when it comes to me. You¡¯ll learn to live with it.¡± A devilish grin appeared on Giovanni¡¯s face. ¡°Or maybe you won¡¯t be living at all.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky! I¡¯m a Lord!¡± ¡°And I¡¯m someone who defies Gods.¡± Giovanni wore a small smirk. ¡°I guess that makes me the Devil.¡± The two moved at the same time. Zagon punched Giovanni in the face. His face burst open and blood gushed. Zagon¡¯s eyes light up but his mood quickly plummeted. Giovanni¡¯s wounds healed in an instant. Giovanni hit him with an uppercut to the chin. Zagon stumbled back. ¡°As you can see, I¡¯m still not on your level. I can¡¯t afford to take too many hits from you. But¡ª¡± Giovanni leaped over a sweeping kick. He kicked Zagon in the face and floored him. ¡°I can make up for the difference with experience and technique. After all, people strong as you normally end fights in an instant. You don¡¯t have experience brawling or fighting with everything you got.¡± Zagon got up and gathered essence around his fist. Giovanni popped up in front of him. He chopped Zagon in the throat. Zagon started choking. He grabbed Zagon¡¯s arm and broke it at the elbow. ¡°Ahhhh!¡± Zagon¡¯s scream was silenced with a boot to the temple, but he held his ground. This caused Giovanni to frown. He hit him again with swift kicks aiming at the temples. Zagon collapsed to his knees. ¡°Ah, there it is. The one emotion you lacked.¡± Zagon looked up and saw a pair of cold green eyes looking down on him. He could see his expression reflecting in these eyes. It was an expression he never saw on himself before. It was¡ª ¡°Fear.¡± Giovanni displayed a merciless smile while looking down on Zagon. ¡°You are in the presence of the Devil.¡± Zagon¡¯s body trembled as Giovanni leaned over and looked into his eyes. He watched helplessly as Giovanni said the one word that would shatter his world. ¡°Little God, Kneel.¡± Chapter 35: Evil The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Chapter 36: Menace There was a lot of pressure on Raphael¡¯s shoulders. What he says could cause the deaths of many or possibly save their lives. Yet, he didn¡¯t seem nervous at all. ¡°You look confident.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been at your side for over two decades.¡± He grinned at Giovanni. ¡°You might not have spoken much about yourself or the past, but I¡¯m still certain I have you figured out.¡± ¡°Alright, then first question. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Raphael.¡± ¡°¡­Did I name you?¡± Raphael noticed a small pause from Giovanni. ¡°No, I was named by my biological parents.¡± ¡°Where did we meet?¡± ¡°Tunisia. You were deployed by the U.S government to help control the riots from the military-led coup. You found me holding on to the decomposed remains of my parents.¡± ¡°I see¡­I now understand why I would adopt you.¡± ¡°It was on whim.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Giovanni answered immediately. ¡°It seems I struck a deal with the US government and worked for them going from war zone to war zone. If that¡¯s the case, I was close to the answer I sought and met you who had a strong will.¡± ¡°I was your entertainment. Someone you could observe for reasons undisclosed to me.¡± Giovanni nodded. ¡°Did I name any of you?¡± Raphael nodded. ¡°You named the youngest three. Gina, Ryder, and Damini.¡± Ryder stood beside Gina and Damini. His eyes were bright for the first time since Gustav¡¯s death. ¡°Gina and Ryder, I can understand, why Damini?¡± ¡°You said I was a fast crawler as a baby.¡± ¡°Enough said.¡± Giovanni nodded as if understanding. ¡°Are any of you my biological children?¡± ¡°No, but you do have a biological daughter, Melissa. She¡¯s the reason we came to the island. Her life was about to be in danger, so we came here to find a way to get her a stronger body without risking the chance of dying from digesting God Essence.¡± ¡°Her mother?¡± Raphael shook his head. ¡°We don¡¯t know. You hid it pretty well and never told us no matter how much we bugged you. Melissa seems to know, but won¡¯t say.¡± Roxanne answered. ¡°We did make a bet on who it was though. The winner will be decided when one of you talks.¡± Chul answered. ¡°Makes sense. If I chose a partner, it must be someone pretty unique, probably some kind of criminal.¡± Giovanni nodded. The smoke from the explosion finally cleared and Zagon and Kelz appeared in damaged clothing. Giovanni pointed at them with his thumb. ¡°So we came here and got caught up in their mess and that¡¯s why we¡¯re here.¡± Raphael nodded. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Then, did we get what we came for?¡± ¡°Yes. Kelz gave¡ª¡± ¡°Then why are you still fighting for them?¡± Raphael swallowed his words. He didn¡¯t answer immediately and looked at Giovanni''s deadpan expression. (He¡¯s wondering why we delayed bringing the medicine back to Melissa, just to help Kelz out, risking our lives in the process. This is a fundamental question and the answer is something the current him might not accept because of how much he changed.) ¡°Because she did good by us, so we must do good by her.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Giovanni didn¡¯t say anything and kept staring at Raphael. After a while he spoke¡ª ¡°Why did you feel the need to fulfill your end of the bargain?¡± ¡°Because we must always return the favor.¡± ¡°Alright, I believe you.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Raphael was confused by the sudden acceptance. ¡°Your answers were correct in your point of view and you showed no indication of doubting them. So I believe you.¡± Giovanni pointed at him. ¡°What I taught you was something necessary for blending in society. Following it will make life better. I did it to look normal to those around me.¡± ¡°Then¡­.¡± Everyone¡¯s face brightened up. ¡°I will destroy this island and its people.¡± ¡°¡­.Huh?¡± Giovanni¡¯s words caused everyone to short circuit. ¡°W-Why?¡± ¡°Why?¡± It was Giovanni¡¯s time to look confused. ¡°Do I need a reason other than wanting to do it?¡± ¡°?!¡± Chills ran up Raphael¡¯s spine. His heart started racing and his palms became sweaty. (I made a mistake. I¡¯ve gotten so used to Gustav Fernandez, the father, that I forgot how Gustav Fernandez, the Blood Devil, really was. He was a menace with no moral compass. All he cared about was getting the answer he was seeking.) ¡°The 62-year old me who came here had obtained his answer, but I didn¡¯t. His journey has ended, but mine is just beginning.¡± Giovanni clenched his fists. ¡°This power I receive just opened a world of new questions that I must answer.¡± He showed a grin. ¡°No, let¡¯s stop the pretense.¡± His grin grew into a diabolical one overflowing with venom. ¡°I just want to test out how far I can go. Just how much destruction and mayhem I can cause before I die. I just want to see my limits.¡± He stomped the earth and large cracks ran through the ground. ¡°The chance of the lifetime! An even fight against gods to the death! This is will be the peak of my life! So come at me with everything you got!¡± His voice sent chills down everybody''s spine and rocked them to the core. He quickly looked at Raphael. ¡°Oh, you guys are family, so you¡¯re exempt from this death battle. However, if you still wish to fight I won¡¯t stop, but I won¡¯t kill you. Consider this as giving you a slight handicap. So what do you say?¡± ¡°If you raised us the answer should be obvious¡­¡± Raphael and his siblings readied themselves for battle. The rest of the warriors from both sides did the same. Giovanni was standing in a sea of enemies. Yet, his grin only became wider. ¡°Then let me give my children some advice.¡± ¡°Come at you with the intention to kill, right?¡± Giovanni chuckled. ¡°You really are my¡ª¡± He lifted his hand and blocked a kick from Zagon. The ground underneath him burst apart and chunks of earth flew about. ¡°Aren¡¯t you impatient, Zaggy?¡± ¡°Why would I wait for you to kill me?¡± Kelz popped up at his side. She threw a punch at his side. Giovanni raised his knee and blocked it with his leg. ¡°Good. This is how it should be!¡± He forced the two of them back. ¡°Xeroi!¡± ¡°Zyna! Raphael!¡± The two Lords called out for their Generals. They glared at the smiling Giovanni as they roared in unison. ¡°Prepare for war!¡± ¡°Yes, My Lord!¡± The warriors roared, turning their full attention on Giovanni, who welcomed them with open arms. ¡°Come, Gods! Let me send you all to hell!¡± Zagon and Kelz rushed at Giovanni again. Blue light gathered around their fist and leg respectively. Zagon punched out while Kelz threw a kick. A barrage of fists and feet made of light flew at Giovanni. He punched the earth and caused a dust cloud to cover the battlefield. Kelz and Zagon immediately gathered essence at their feet and spread it out. A map of their surroundings popped up in their heads. ¡°Shit!¡± They spun towards each other. Giovanni popped up between them with his hands stretched out towards their chests. (A shockwave to the heart?!) It was too late to move back. A light flashed between them. The sound of metal clashing rang. Zyna and Fayax popped up and slashed both his arms. Kelz and Zagon was able to escape. Giovanni grabbed at their necks. Gunshots rang out and pierced through his arms. Xeroi and Brix flew out of the dust and attacked him from back and front. ¡°Heh!¡± Giovanni grinned and leaped into the air. Roxanne appeared above him. He stretched out towards her. A whip was wrapped around his leg and pulled him. Roxanne was out of his reach but he was quickly in hers. She punched down and slammed her fist in the side of his head. He crashed into the earth. The whip pulled his leg again and threw him into the air. Chul aimed a rifle and fired at him. ¡°I see.¡± Giovanni twisted his body and kicked the shot into the earth. He pulled the whip and Gina was dragged into the air. ¡°I trained you guys, so you know how I fight, right?¡± She released her whip and threw explosives in the air. They exploded before reaching. On the ground, Raphael and Ryder lifted Damini and threw her with explosive force. She flew through the smoke and slashed Giovanni with her daggers as she shot past him. Blood sprayed from his neck as he landed on the ground. Kelz and Zagon popped up at his sides. (He has a serious wound. He has to focus the essence inside him on healing. That means his defense and offense will be weakened.) ¡°That¡¯s a good plan on paper.¡± Giovanni shot to the right at Zagon. He hit him in the chest, stomach, and side. He spun around and kicked Kelz under the chin. Zagon fell to his knees gasping for air and Kelz flew into the distance. This entire exchange happened in an instant. Everyone froze when they saw the two Lords incapacitated in a blink of an eye. ¡°The problem with your plan is you underestimate how much control I got over the Essence in my body.¡± The cut on Giovanni¡¯s neck healed in an instant. ¡°You¡¯ve also underestimated how fucked you are.¡± Chapter 37: Desperate Battle One Lord on the ground, the other blown away. Giovanni stood in the center of such a scene with a smile on his face. It didn¡¯t take more than a second for Zagon to get to his feet. ¡°Zagon, I must ask.¡± Giovanni spoke to Zagon with a casual tone. ¡°Is this the best you can do?¡± Zagon¡¯s pupils enlarged before starting to tremble. ¡°¡­.What?¡± ¡°I just wonder if this was the best you could do. I mean, I have a lot of stuff I want to try out with the Essence in my body. I can¡¯t do that if I¡¯m not seriously pushed to the limits. Right now, you guys barely qualify as a proper workout.¡± All the emotions vanished from Zagon¡¯s face. He silently looked at Giovanni as a blue glow emitted from his body. The glow grew wild as veins bulged all over Zagon¡¯s body. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go again.¡± He took a fighting stance. Giovanni silently did the same. The two moved at the same time. They cut the distance and threw punches. The punches missed when they moved their heads. Zagon tried to lift his leg but Giovanni forced it down with his foot. They stepped back and threw kicks. A deafening noise reverberated as legs clashed. Giovanni leg was forced back. Zagon stepped in and slammed his palm over his chest. *BOOM!* A shockwave hit Giovanni and opened up a crater underneath him. ¡°Now that¡¯s better.¡± He grabbed Zagon¡¯s arm, pulled him in, and headbutted him. Zagon slammed his fist on the side of his face. It felt like he was punching a mountain. Giovanni didn¡¯t budge. Even so, Zagon was able to pull his hand away. (What the hell is up with his defenses? Did he focus all his essence in his skin or something? Can we do that?) Zagon thought before attacking Giovanni. ¡°Raphael.¡± Kelz popped up beside Raphael. ¡°You¡¯re planning to attack again, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, we know his habits pretty well, so we can always get in a good strike. Are you planning on centering your attacks on us creating openings?¡± ¡°That¡¯s one plan, but we need a more efficient one.¡± She turned to Brix and Fayax. ¡°Lead all of our troops to evacuate all the residents to the lower island. The scale of this battle is going to go up big time.¡± ¡°Yes Ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Xavier, you take the Holy Knights and Scorpions and do as she says. Also find Feng and bring him along with you.¡± Xeroi ordered. All of the warriors left, leaving Xeroi, Zyna, and Hell¡¯s Militia. ¡°Did you tell them to leave to ensure the Knights don¡¯t die?¡± Kelz asked Xeroi. ¡°Xavier would be a great help, but I need him to stay alive in case I die. You sent away Fayax and Brix for the same reason, right?¡± Kelz nodded. She looked at the Zagon and Giovanni fighting. ¡°Zagon is holding his own better.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because Gust¡­Giovanni is drawing out his strength.¡± Roxanne said. ¡°He angers you and then provokes you into a drawn-out battle where he fights on your level while slowly increasing the intensity. This causes you to subconsciously push yourself to match him by tapping into your potential. It¡¯s something he always did when he was training us.¡± ¡°He¡¯s training a Lord?¡± Xeroi couldn¡¯t believe his ears. ¡°Honestly, both Lords are stronger than him. The reason he¡¯s able to beat you two so effortlessly is his techniques. He¡¯s a very skilled fighter who knows to beat stronger opponents by using their strength against them.¡± Ryder said. ¡°Well, there¡¯s also the fact Giovanni was always a freak of nature when it comes to fighting. His kinetic vision, reflexes, movements, footwork, and agility were monstrous from the beginning. When he adds techniques polished from countless battles, you get the monster in front of you.¡± ¡°You make it sound like we can¡¯t win.¡± Zyna spoke with a frown. ¡°We can, but it will require the Lords evolving beyond what he can handle with his techniques.¡± Raphael looked at Kelz. ¡°Basically, you and Zagon need to make up for your lack of combat experience with brute force. It¡¯s easier said than done, especially when he¡¯s your opponent; so the rest of us will help out until you two are able to reach that level.¡± The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Are you guys alright with fighting your father?¡± Kelz asked. ¡°We¡¯re just following his orders.¡± Chul answered. ¡°I don¡¯t know if he expected to return to his old self eventually, but he said if he ever becomes our enemy, we should kill him without a second thought¡­.We¡¯re just following orders.¡± The others slowly nodded. Kelz looked at them at sighed. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do this.¡± She rushed at Giovanni to back up Zagon. ¡°Zyna, to have a shot of winning we will need to use our Blessings.¡± Zyna nodded at Xeroi. The celestial stones in their bodies started glowing. Their muscles became more defined and a bit bulkier. They vanished from where they were. At the same time, Giovanni was fighting off Zagon and Kelz. A sword appeared coming at his neck. He ducked under a slash. He crossed his arms in front of his face and blocked a kick from below. He stomped the ground. An explosion erupted with him in the center. Giovanni flew out of the smoke clouds. Zyna and Xeroi chased after him. He stopped and faced them. Zyna¡¯s blade moved at blinding speed, releasing a storm of slashes. Giovanni danced through the slashes avoiding every one of them. Chul aimed his rifle and fired. Giovanni was shot in the ankle and started tumbling backward. Xeroi slid in behind him and punched the back of his head. Zyna swung down on his neck. *Clang!* A metallic noise resounded. Sparks flew from Zyna striking him. Zagon popped at the side and kicked him away. Giovanni flew through the air and crashed through a mountain of burning rubble. Kelz chased after him and leaped into the air. She thrust her palm down. A shockwave hit Giovanni and forced him into the earth. ¡°He isn¡¯t fighting back? Or he can¡¯t fight back?¡± Raphael mumbled. ¡°He went on the defensive the moment he was shot in the ankle.¡± Gina watched as Zagon and Xeroi stumped Giovanni deeper into the earth. He grabbed Xeroi¡¯s foot and slammed him in the ground like a doll. He sprung to his feet. He ducked under a spinning kick from Kelz and grabbed her leg. Zyna popped up at his side and slashed at his neck. Zagon attacked his side simultaneously. There hits landed but didn¡¯t budge Giovanni. In that time, Kelz was able to pull free. She attacked with several kicks before retreating. ¡°Again, he didn¡¯t move and took the hits unfazed¡­.¡± Roxanne mumbled. ¡°His leg wound is healed, which is expected, but did anybody else notice how easy Kelz was able to escape his grasp when he took the other attacks?¡± Chul asked. ¡°He didn¡¯t move an inch when that happened either.¡± The siblings slowly came to realize something. ¡°He can switch from assault to defense mode by switching where he focuses his essence.¡± Ryder said. ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s physically weaker when focusing on defense or healing, something we tried to confirm before but it didn¡¯t work.¡± Damini added. She shook her head. ¡°It work,ed but he chose to discard his defenses to take out Kelz and Zagon in an instant. He can¡¯t do this anymore with the addition of Zyna and Xeroi using their Blessings.¡± She grinned. ¡°That means we¡¯re beginning to see a path to victory.¡± ¡°Aim for the gap between him switching from attack to defense. We do that and we¡¯ll be able to deal severe damages.¡± Giovanni blocked Zyna¡¯s sword with his arm. He stepped in and blew her away with a palm strike. Zagon and Kelz sandwiched him with shockwaves. Xeroi rocked him with an uppercut. Giovanni grabbed his face and slammed him into the earth. Zagon punt Giovanni¡¯s head. It was as if he kicked a mountain. Giovanni stood up and swung his hand. A blue light flashed and a large cut appeared across Zagon¡¯s chest. Zyna flew at Giovanni¡¯s legs and slashed his hamstrings. She circled and rained down slashes on him. He froze and sparks started flying when the slashes connected. ¡°Alright to ensure we get the most damage possible¡­¡± Raphael kicked off the ground. Meanwhile, Giovanni moved again. He caught Zyna¡¯s sword and stepped in her stomach. Zagon attacked his flank. He created some distance. Xeroi and Kelz rushed him. He stepped in with blue light gathering around his fists. In that moment, the world slowed. Raphael stood between Giovanni and his attackers. (If we know how to defeat him, he¡¯ll definitely know too. We¡¯ll only have one chance and we need that chance to be as big as possible! I¡¯ll risk it all to create that chance!) He locked eyes with Giovanni who was in mid-swing. (It¡¯s one of the rules he won¡¯t break no matter what! You won¡¯t harm those you acknowledge as family!) Giovanni¡¯s fists changed projectory towards the ground while Kelz, Zagon, Xeroi, and Zyna were closing in on him with various attacks. Time resumed. Giovanni¡¯s fists hit the ground and various attacks hit him simultaneously. An massive explosion erupted and blew Raphael out of the way. His body bounced off the ground. All the air was forced out of his body and he was on the verge of losing consciousness. He lay on the ground with his vision dyed in his own blood and his ears ringing. ¡°What about Giovanni?¡± He looked over. Giovanni was lying in a crater. His body was charred and covered in cuts and impressions. A pool of blood formed under him. ¡°Did we¡ª¡± Raphael swallowed his words. He didn¡¯t know why but his instincts were screaming at him¡ª RETREAT!!! An explosion of blue light erupted with Giovanni at the center. It blew everyone away and the earth shook as if trembling in fear. ¡°Hahahahahaha!¡± A chilling laugh echoed through the area as a silhouette appeared in the center of the light. ¡°Using my own code against me, a great plan. I really thought I died back there.¡± His voice was coarse and low. ¡°Also, I read about the thing called Blessing but I never thought it would be this hard to deal with. Those two have combat experience too, so they¡¯re a pain to deal with.¡± The silhouette clapped as the light faded. Giovanni appeared clapping with a gentle smile on his face. ¡°Bravo, you¡¯ve brought me the fight I¡¯ve always wanted. I¡¯m so grateful. So allow me to repay you the only way I can.¡± The smile on his face faded and a blue glow covered his body. ¡°I¡¯m gonna focus everything on fighting and nothing else, so I don¡¯t disappoint you.¡± Giovanni took a step and the earth trembled. A heavy pressure fell on Kelz and Zagon. ¡°?!¡± Before they could figure out what was going on, Giovanni vanished. They turned their heads and saw him standing behind them. They opened their mouths, but before they could speak they felt hot liquid fall on them. They turned their heads. Their eyes widened at the sight of Xeroi and Zyna with chunks of their bodies missing. Their blood sprayed in the air and fell on Kelz and Zagon. The two fell lifelessly before their masters¡¯ feet. They blinked. ¡°I¡¯m gonna focus everything on fighting and nothing else, so I don¡¯t disappoint you.¡± Giovanni was once again at his original spot. They turned to their sides and saw Zyna and Xeroi standing beside them. A look of confusion covered their faces. That confusion disappeared when Giovanni took a step. They moved in front of Zyna and Xeroi. A loud noise resounded as they shielded them from Giovanni¡¯s lightning-fast attack. ¡°Oh? You predict that?¡± Predict, that word echoed in their mind. Not only that, the two Lords were able to know what the other was thinking. (Zagon, did we see a vision?) (I think so¡­.Are we using telepathy?) The two looked at each other in shock. They were sent flying by swift kicks from Giovanni. They twisted in the air and landed softly. ¡°Ugh¡­Alright. Looks like the precognition thing doesn¡¯t automatically activate.¡± (Well, at least we got telepathy down.) Kelz answered Zagon in her mind. ¡°That¡¯s enough for now.¡± Zagon grinned. ¡°It¡¯s proof we¡¯re evolving.¡± Kelz grinned as the two took the same fighting stance. They were so in-sync their breath was the same length. ¡°Nobody else get involved.¡± They spoke in unison and pointed at Giovanni. ¡°We¡¯re gonna evolve into True Gods and defeat him together.¡± Giovanni¡¯s eyes widened before a smile appeared on his face. ¡°Really? Then let¡¯s start the final round.¡± Chapter 38: Desire To Win ¡°What should we do? Leave it to them?¡± Roxanne asked Raphael. ¡°Realistically speaking, they have the best shot at killing him and they seem certain¡­¡± Zyna and Xeroi retreated to their side in an instant. ¡°Let¡¯s move. This fight is about to get even more destructive.¡± Zyna said. ¡°The citizens should¡¯ve been evacuated by now. That means they can use their Lord abilities to the max.¡± Xeroi added. Raphael nodded at his siblings and they all started retreating at full speed. A blue glow engulfed Kelz and Zagon. Their eyes sharpened as they faced the enemy in front of them. Giovanni took a fighting stance and released a low breath. He took a step forward and vanished the next second. Kelz and Zagon thrust out their palms in unison. *BOOM!* The earth burst open as Giovanni¡¯s kick clashed with their palms. He was blown back by a shockwave. The two ran after him, gathering light around their fists. They punched out and two giant blue light fists rushed at him. Giovanni slid on the ground trying to stop himself. The fists fell down on him. He thrust his palm overhead. A shockwave hit the fists and propelled them back. Zagon and Kelz popped up at his flanks while his arms were overhead. They punched out and a shockwave hit his sides. He was sandwiched between the two forces. ¡°Ugh!¡± With a groan, he swung his hands down. Blue light flashed and cut through the invisible force. He jumped in the air and evaded kicks from the two. He gathered Essence at his feet and shot down. Kelz and Zagon flew back. The ground lifted in waves before breaking apart. Dust clouds covered the area. A blue light flashed and Kelz was cut across the torso. Zagon clapped his hands and strong winds blew away the clouds. He blinked and a foot was inches away from his face. Kelz punched out and hit Giovanni before he could hit Zagon. He was blasted away. Zagon chased after him as he bounced off the ground. Zagon aimed a kick at Giovanni¡¯s head. While aiming the kick, he noticed Giovanni pointing his hand at him. ¡°Heh.¡± Giovanni grinned and flicked his finger. A sharp force hit Zagon over the heart. His kick missed and he stumbled back. Kelz shot past him with a flying kick. Giovanni was kicked in the chest and stomped into the ground. A crater opened up underneath him. Giovanni opened his mouth and light started gathering in it. ¡°?!¡± Kelz saw this and retreated. Giovanni immediately sprang to his feet and laughed. ¡°You actually thought I was gonna shoot a beam?!¡± ¡°¡­Considering everything else you did, I wouldn¡¯t call it a stretch.¡± ¡°I guess right.¡± Giovanni vanished and popped up in front of Zagon. ¡°HA!¡± He released a shout and a blue beam fired from his mouth and blasted Zagon away. ¡°Cough! Cough!¡± He started coughing as blood drained from his mouth. ¡°That hurt like a motherfucker! I¡¯m never doing that again!¡± ¡°Good to know.¡± Kelz appeared above him and clapped. Two giant blue hands slammed together with Giovanii in the middle. ¡°You can do that?!¡± Giovanni shouted with excitement as he stumbled back and forth. ¡°You¡¯re not the only genius here.¡± Zagon popped behind him wielding two swords made of Essence. He slashed Giovanni across his chest, forming a X wound. ¡°We can make up things as we go along too!¡± He thrust the swords at the center of the X. Giovanni vanished before it could hit. ¡°So we¡¯re making this a competition?¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. He appeared a few hundred meters away. ¡°I like that!¡± He swung his hand to the side and an orb of blue light appeared behind him. The orb doubled and doubled and doubled. The night lit up as hundreds of orbs appeared behind Giovanni. ¡°The fuck?!¡± The twins couldn¡¯t believe their eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s turn this party up!¡± The orbs started firing beams like machine guns. A storm of beams rushed at the two Lords. They thrust their hands in front of them and a wall of blue light appeared in front of them. *Boom**Boom**Boom**Boom**Boom* Numerous explosions erupted, destroying everything. Even flying outside the district and destroying buildings without discrimination. ¡°What the fuck is this?! How can he do this shit?!¡± Zagon cried while trying to maintain his shield. ¡°I mean, he should¡¯ve exhausted the Essence inside him by now!¡± ¡°He might be absorbing the Essence in the surroundings!¡± ¡°What?! You mean like Blessing?! That¡¯s impossible!¡± ¡°Father did tell us the Lord¡¯s abilities can be emulated only on a smaller scale! Maybe it¡¯s something like that!¡± ¡°That¡¯s bullshit! He¡¯s a human!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering for a while, but what if he¡¯s getting help from our Gods?!¡± ¡°Why would the Gods do that?!¡± Their conversation became more strained as the number of orbs behind Giovanni began to grow in number and size. ¡°Lord Octivinus said he wanted to watch an entertaining battle! What if he helped him so¡ª¡± (I¡¯m gonna need to stop you right there.) A familiar and divine voice echoed in their head. ¡°Your Holiness!¡± (Normally I would stay silent and observe but I can¡¯t allow you to tarnish my name.) Octivinus'' voice had a slight annoyance in it. (I indeed wanted to watch an entertaining battle with my wife, but that person¡¯s intervention is an anomaly. In fact, his entire existence is an anomaly. He¡¯s something that can only be considered a glitch in the system.) ¡°Meaning?¡± Kelz spoke with caution. (He¡¯s strong not because of any divine intervention. He¡¯s just that powerful.) ¡°Fuck¡­¡± Zagon cursed. (Anyway, if you two want to win you need to evolve even further. After all, a normal Lord can¡¯t beat him.) ¡°You mean?¡± (Become Gods. Right here, right now. You should know what I mean.) ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t that a legend?¡± (Whether it stays a legend is up to you two.) The two silently looked at each other and nodded. They deactivated their shields and the beams rained down on them. ¡°Hm?¡± Giovanni saw this and lifted his hand. The beams stopped before dispersing. The orbs disappeared soon after. The area was covered by smoke. ¡°I can¡¯t sense their Essence?¡­They¡¯re either dead or...¡± A big grin crept on his face. ¡°Or they¡¯re gonna do something incredible.¡± Blue lights appeared in the smoke. The lights shaped like a pair of eyes. Another pair appeared beside it. Giovanni¡¯s smile dropped when another two pairs of eyes appeared above them. However, these eyes were hundreds of times bigger. These eyes weren¡¯t of humans, but beasts. ¡°CAAAAAAW!!!!¡± ¡°RAAAAAAH!!!!¡± Two deafening screeches reverberated and shook the entire island. Giovanni was hit by shockwave after shockwave and had to fight to keep himself grounded. The earth and the heavens trembled in the face of these screeches. The smoke cleared as the shockwaves continued to spread out. Giovanni¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°The fuck I am looking at?¡± Before him was the scene of a giant bird made of blue flames. Beside the bird was a giant winged-serpent also made of blue flames. The bird floated above Kelz while the serpent coiled around Zagon. The four of them glared at Giovanni. ¡°The Phoenix and the Serpent? The gods of this place?¡± Giovanni mumbled. The bird and serpent turned into streams of flames and flowed into the twins'' bodies. Their Celestial Stones emitted a blinding light until it seemed as if they were releasing blue flames. Blue tribal markings appeared on their skin, forming a Phoenix or serpent over their hearts. Their hair grew wild and resembled blue flames burning majestically. They had turned¡ª ¡°They had an anime transformation?!¡± ¡­Basically what Giovanni said. ¡°I read about this in Feng¡¯s documents! Unlike their subjects, Lords don¡¯t use Blessings because they¡¯re always in an awakened state! However, there are legends of a special type of Blessing that allows a Lord to reach a state of Godhood!¡± Giovanni¡¯s grin was from ear to ear. ¡°The Imperial Blessing!¡± He burst out laughing. ¡°I don¡¯t need to fight you to know you two are on another level.¡± He lowered his center of gravity and gathered essence around his feet and hands. ¡°Let¡¯s get¡ª¡± ¡°We¡¯ve already started.¡± Zagon¡¯s voice suddenly came from behind him. ¡°You¡¯re just too slow to realize yet.¡± *BOOM!* The spot Giovanni stood exploded with blue flames. He screamed as he was caught in a pillar of flames. When the flames disappeared he fell to his knees. ¡°To endure this long against us is a great feat.¡± Zagon spoke while looking down at him. ¡°However, we have officially a stage beyond your understanding.¡± ¡°¡­You know, I think you would learn by now that I¡¯m the last person you should get cocky with.¡± Hundreds of blue orbs surrounded the two of them. A snap resounded and they vanished without a trace the next instant. Giovanni looked towards Kelz who had her hand stretched out. ¡°While it¡¯s true your Essence Manipulation skills are unprecedented, they are now inferior to ours.¡± She pointed her finger at him. Light gathered at her fingertip. The light flew at Giovanni, growing terrifyingly in size. He was hit by the light and devoured by a devastating explosion. When the explosion faded, he stood there with his skin charred black, his clothes burnt away, and his hair burning. He coughed and smoke came out of his mouth. ¡°I¡¯m amazed.¡± Zagon appeared beside Kelz as if fading in. ¡°He actually blocked that and survived.¡± Behind Giovanni was a thin stretch of land in the center of a gully. Him blocking the attack caused this. Giovanni was breathing heavily with blurred vision and ringing ears. ¡°I¡¯m¡­alive? I thought¡­I was a goner.¡± The pain he was feeling caused a delay in his speech. ¡°I need to think of a way to survive¡­.Wait, survive?¡± His eyes slowly widened. ¡°Why is the first thing on my mind is to survive?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that human instinct?¡± Kelz said. ¡°Everyone wants to survive. It¡¯s always their top priority.¡± ¡°Not me. My top priority is something else.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± Zagon asked. A grin crept on Giovanni¡¯s face. This grin seemed to belong to the devil himself. The sight of it set off alarms in the twins¡¯ heads. ¡°My sole priority is to win¡­¡± Blood started flowing from his eyes like tears. Yet, Giovanni¡¯s gaze remained focused. All it saw was victory in its grasp. ¡°No matter the cost, I will win.¡± Chapter 39: The Phoenix, The Serpent, & The Devil ¡°No matter the cost, I will win.¡± Blood gathering in Giovanni¡¯s eyes until it flowed down his cheeks like tears. An intense blue glow covered his body. ¡°Shit!¡± Zagon lifted his hand and swung it down. A giant blue slash flew at Giovanni. The slash cut through the earth as it travelled to its target. The slash hit Giovanni. It stopped, distorted, and then disappeared. ¡°What?¡± Ignoring Zagon¡¯s confusion, the glow around Giovanni grew more intense by the second. The blood oozing from his eyes continued to flow. The whites in his eyes reddened as if severely bloodshot. Blood started oozing out of his skin before evaporating. However, the blood on his limbs returned as quickly as it came. The evaporating blood caused a blood-colored vapor to appear around his limbs. ¡°What the hell is happening to him?¡± Kelz gathered essence in her palm, the essence turned into blue flames. She threw the flames and they swelled into a giant fireball. Just like the slash, the fireball stopped, distorted, and disappeared. ¡°Did you see it?¡± Zagon nodded. ¡°The fireball was deconstructed back into Essence which flowed into his body.¡± ¡°Then he really is absorbing the surrounding Essence. But he¡¯s doing it at a crazy rate his body can¡¯t handle. What¡¯s the play here?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I¡¯m not waiting to find out!¡± Zagon vanished with a flash, he appeared in front of Giovanni throwing a punch. ¡°?!¡± His hand was assaulted by a hellish heat that burnt away the flesh on his fist. He retreated and his hand healed in an instant. ¡°His body is producing such heat. How are his organs not cooked?¡± ¡°With that much Essence flowing inside him, he must be regenerating new organs.¡± Kelz¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°The pain he must be feeling is unimaginable¡­To go so far to win.¡± She watched as the glow reached the point of being blinding. It then slowly faded leaving a different Giovanni behind. His face had red markings coming from his eyes, caused by his blood drying up. His eyes were permanently bloodshot with a shade of blue mixed in with his natural green color. His limbs were jet-black from dried blood, leaving only his torso in its natural brown colour. Blood-colored vapor continuously emitted from his body. Kelz showed a face of disgust and said- ¡°Truly a devil.¡± Giovanni grinned and showed teeth stained black from blood. ¡°Quite a fitting title considering how badly I¡¯m gonna violate two gods.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see about that.¡± Kelz lifted her hand overhead and a blue fireball formed in her palm. Zagon did the same and blue static danced in his palms. ¡°Ok, the fire I can somewhat excuse but electricity? Really? Isn¡¯t that cheating?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from the guy challenging literal gods!¡± Zagon and Kelz threw lightning bolts and fireballs at Giovanni. He clenched his fists and took a step in. ¡°That¡¯s what Devils do!¡± He threw a punch at a blinding speed. He punched the air and waves of shockwaves clashed with the fire and lightning. An enormous explosion erupted, swallowing a large section of the district. Kelz and Zagon flew back from the explosion. A flaming Giovanni flew out of it. ¡°We defy the Gods until the end!¡± He punched out and Zagon threw a kick. Invincible forces clashed. Giovanni¡¯s arms were blown back, twisted and disfigured. ¡°And it¡¯s God¡¯s job to send demons back to hell!¡± Zagon slammed his fist in Giovanni¡¯s face. The punch forced Giovanni¡¯s body into the earth. A crater opened up in the earth. It continued to stretch as Giovanni was forced deeper into the earth. Giovanni¡¯s body ached as he was crushed under godly pressure. He gritted his teeth and punched upwards. Zagon was forced off him by a shockwave. Giovanni sprung to his feet. ¡°?!¡± He was forced to block a flying kick from Kelz. He was blasted back. His feet skid on the ground. Zagon popped up above him with fire flickering in his palm. Giovanni was devoured by an explosion of flames. A burning hand flew out of the flames and grabbed Zagon¡¯s face. ¡°I didn¡¯t power-up to get my ass kicked!¡± Zagon was hit point blank by a shockwave to the face. His face visibly sunk and became disfigured. ¡°I put my life on the line to have the fight of the century!¡± Giovanni threw Zagon into a charging Kelz. She caught him before she was sent flying by a kick. She cut through the air like an arrow. She glared in Giovanni¡¯s direction and pointed down. A downpour of Essence slammed down on him. He was flattened on the ground. ¡°OHHHH!¡± He roared and forced himself to stand. ¡°Thanks for your effort.¡± Zagon popped up in front of him. ¡°Here¡¯s your reward for working so hard!¡± He slammed his leg into Giovanni¡¯s chest. The leg ignited and burnt his flesh as he forced him back to the ground. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°?!¡± Zagon felt his leg sever the moment Giovanni hit the floor. He looked down to see Giovanni holding his leg. Zagon punched out. Giovanni thrust his palm. Invincible forces clashed and forced them away from each other. Giovanni twisted midair and slapped Kelz with Zagon¡¯s severed leg. He landed on the ground and lowered his center of gravity. He flew at Kelz who fired lightning bolts at him and forced him back. ¡°I can make up for their physical prowess but I can¡¯t handle their new abilities.¡± He leaped back to avoid Zagon punching down from above. His leg was partially regenerated. ¡°So even a God can¡¯t regenerate limbs instantly? That¡¯s good to know!¡± Giovanni kicked off the ground with overwhelming force. Kelz crashed into him while covered in blue flames. He stumbled back for a second before avoiding her punch to the head. He hit her with a jumping knee to the chest. He flattened her with a kick to the temple. His leg was scorched until the flesh was peeling off. He ignored it and flew at Zagon. Zagon gathered lighting around his fist and punched out. Dozens of beams rushed at Giovanni. He maneuvered through the beams and cut the distance. He pulled his arm back. Zagon did the same. As Giovanni was gonna throw a punch, a chain made of blue light warped around his arm. Kelz pulled the chain preventing him from punching out. Zagon slammed his fist in his chest. A burst of flames and electricity hit without mercy. Giovanni¡¯s skin was burned away, exposing his flesh. Zagon moved to follow up with another attack. Giovanni stepped on the ground. An explosion erupted with him in the center. Zagon was forced to retreat and Kelz chain was destroyed. Giovanni flew out of the explosion at a blinding speed. He shot past Zagon and flew out of the district in an instant. This puzzled Zagon and Kelz. ¡°Is he running?¡± Kelz asked after some hesitation. ¡°Him? No way.¡± Zagon started chasing after him. Kelz did the same. They instantly left the district and entered the residential areas. ¡°He¡¯s heading to the House of the Lord?¡± Zagon mumbled before his eyes slowly widened. ¡°Wait, does he know about the Sacred Artifacts?!¡± He sped up and so did Kelz. Giovanni swung his hand and the roof of the building was blown off. He leaped and landed in the building. Kelz and Zagon arrived shortly after and rushed towards the house. A light flashed the moment they touched the ground. *BAM!* They were blown back with large cut across their torso. Blood sprayed as they looked at Giovanni standing before them. He held two swords in his hands. (They¡¯re not sacred artifacts? Just normal swords?) Kelz thought while looking at the swords. ¡°I can¡¯t keep up with your new abilities so I needed a weapon to even the odds. I learned there was an armoury, here so I came to get some good swords.¡± (Wait, could it be he doesn¡¯t know about Sacred Artifacts?) Zagon thought. (If that¡¯s the case, we can grab them and use them to end this quickly.) Kelz answered telepathically. The two were about to make their move but froze. Giovanni¡¯s eyes were locked on them. His gaze emitted an intense pressure. A scene of them losing their heads, the moment they took a step forward, flashed before their eye. Whether it was a precognition or a warning from their instincts, they didn¡¯t know. However, one thing was certain. Giovanni with weapons was on another level than without. ¡°I¡¯m getting real fed of this shit!¡± Zagon suddenly roared. ¡°We¡¯re Lords using Imperial Blessing! Literal Gods and this guy always somehow finds a way to keep challenging us?! This is bullshit!¡± ¡°Scream all you want, but it doesn¡¯t change your reality.¡± Giovanni pointed his blades. ¡°My body can¡¯t handle much more, so this is my last stand.¡± He showed a bloodthirsty grin. ¡°We won¡¯t be seeing each other again after this, rejoice.¡± ¡°We¡¯re getting rid of you this instant!¡± The twins fired blue flames and electricity at Giovanni. He swung his swords and cut through them. He kicked off the ground and flew at them. Zagon generated a bolt of lightning and flew at him. Zagon swung the lightning like a blade. Giovanni¡¯s swords clashed with the lightning. Electricity danced around them and destroyed the surroundings. Giovanni was forced back. Kelz created flame spears and fired them at Giovanni. A blue glow engulfed his blades. He swung his blades at a blinding rate. Blue slashes clashed with the flame spears. Zagon appeared at his side, thrust a lightning bolt. It pierced into Giovanni¡¯s side. ¡°Ugh?!¡± He was sent flying with a scorched side. Kelz pointed two fingers into the air. Lightning bolt fell from the sky and hit Giovanni. He held his ground with smoke coming off his body. He showed a huge grin. Static started appearing on his blades. ¡°Wha¡ª¡± Before Kelz could finish a word, Giovanni¡¯s blade was in front of her. It cut down and a bright light flashed. *BOOM!* A burst of electricity pierced through her and scorched everything behind her. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head. Smoke flowed out of her mouth and nose. ¡°Giovanni!!¡± Zagon crashed into him and dragged him into the air. ¡°You can fly?¡± Giovanni looked at the wings made of blue light on Zagon¡¯s back. ¡°Shut up!¡± Zagon flew hundreds of meters into the sky before diving with force rivaling a meteorite. He released Giovanni who crashed into the ground with devastating force. Flames gathered around Zagon turning him into a giant fireball. The fireball crashed into Giovanni. *BOOOM!* Shockwaves spread and flattened all the buildings around before waves of fire followed behind. The crash site was reduced to a hole filled with burning rocks. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Zagon groaned while on all fours. There was a deep cut across his torso that was barely holding together. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Giovanni looked down on him with horrible burn scars all over his body. (Zagon, are okay?) Kelz voiced played in Zagon¡¯s head. (What do you think? That guy cut the fireball I was in as I crashed into him. My own momentum increased the damage. I can barely keep conscious. My regeneration has significantly slowed down too.) (I¡¯m the same. I think it¡¯s all the big attacks we used. Even so, Giovanni can¡¯t be better off.) Zagon looked up. Giovanni¡¯s eyes were unfocused and his breathing was abnormally slow. (He¡¯s on his last leg. Get over here and help me ki¡ª) Zagon¡¯s legs were severed in a flash. ¡°Aaaahhh?!¡± He turned around to see Giovanni thrusting his blades at his back. He rolled out of the way and used wings to float. Giovanni silently lifted both swords. He vanished and reappeared behind Zagon. Dozens of cuts appeared all over his body. The cuts all looked like burns. There was a heat haze surrounding Giovanni¡¯s body and swords. Despite this, Zagon could feel a merciless coldness coming from the silent Giovanni. This coldness honestly terrified him. ¡°CAW!¡± A giant bird made of flames hit Giovanni with its talons. He blocked the attack with his swords. Flames spread from the bird and engulfed him. ¡°Zagon, this is our last chance! We¡¯re gonna hit him with everything we got!¡± The flames grew and spread across the island. ¡°Don¡¯t care about anything else! Don¡¯t think about what happens after! Give your all, right here right now!¡± The desperation in his sister¡¯s voice and face stirred Zagon¡¯s will to fight. Electricity started dancing around them. Soon lightning bolts started raining down from the sky, destroying everything it struck. A sea of flames and a downpour of lightning. The island had turned into a hell scape. At the center of this all, Giovanni was silent. He forced Kelz off him and silently pointed his swords at them both. A blue light engulfed the three of them. The flames gathered around Kelz and formed a gigantic phoenix. The lightning gathered around Zagon forming an enormous winged-serpent. Giovanni¡¯s body was covered in his evaporating blood. The blood vapor created the image of a devil around him. ¡°CAW!!!¡± The Phoenix let out a cry. ¡°RAAHH!!!¡± The Serpent let out a roar. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± The Devil silently welcomed them with open arms. The Phoenix and Serpent struck with desperation and resolve. The Devil swung down its cold blades. Fire and electricity clashed with an invincible force. Shockwaves spread across the island and flattened everything. The island trembled as if crying under the pressure. The invincible force cut through the flames and lightning, almost severing them. The flames and lightning started mingling. They helped and reinforced each other against the force. Together they started to push it back. A clash of desperation erupted as the cracks ran across the island. The combo of flames and lightning pushed back the invincible after much struggle. The invincible force shattered under the weight of their attacks. ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Giovanni looked on as Kelz and Zagon slammed their feet in his chest. His eyes focused and a smile appeared on his face. ¡°I guess it¡¯s my lost.¡± He spoke as his chest sank in and was torn apart. ¡°It was fun.¡± (Hey, Abomination.) A heavenly voice rang in their heads. It was Octivinus. He spoke but they didn¡¯t get to hear what he said. *BOOOOM!* A godly explosion erupted. It blew everyone away. Kelz and Zagon slammed into the earth. They looked up and saw Giovanni¡¯s body flying through the air. He flew until he was off the island and plummeting towards the world below. (Congratulations.) Octivinus¡¯ voice once again played in their heads. (Son of the Serpent, Daughter of the Phoenix, you have defeated the Devil.)