Resolve
Chapter 3
-X-
Judas and Shin stood together for the longest time, until Judas looked at Luca. Luca knew that it was time. He went to Rei and hugged him as well. "Please, get out of here while you still can." Rei looked at Luca, knowing as well what was to come.
"We said we'd be there with you… and we'll stick to our word…" said Rei. He looked to Shin who nodded, agreeing with the purple haired angel. Luca passed his hand over Rei's cheeks, moving a strand of hair in the process.
"Rei, I can tell that you are not completely sure about this…" he said gently. He was so close to Rei, that Rei couldn't help but to blush. He pushed Luca away from him gently.
"I am going to stay by your side Luca." His mind had been made and when Judas looked at Shin, he made it clear that he was with Rei. They were going to go through with the plan that both of them still had doubts about.
"Alright then," said Judas grabbing Shin in a bridal position and flying into the air with him, "let my demons and we go to attack the palace." Luca flew into the air, Shiva in his hands, and Rei right beside him. Rei and Shin exchanged worried looks. They hoped to God that they'd be able to truly keep their feelings down. In truth, they hated the idea of offing Zeus, and making Heaven a place where Hell's demons roamed free.
-O-
Heros jumped out of the way as the blade of the sword flew passed him at amazing speeds. He moved away from his father, completely keeping away from Pandora who stood watching in the corner, lest he decide to do something dangerous. Zeus swung again, raising his hand high above his head and bringing it down with tremendous force. The floor shook under him, causing a large fissure to occur.
Heros tried to move, but even with the grandeur of the room, the closed space that he had to fight with just wasn't enough. He looked down at his father, feeling the danger and the intent to kill strongly floating from him. The sword stood faced at him again, and he wondered what he was going to do. That sword was passed down from generation, ever since Heaven was created by his thrice times great grandfather- it had only skipped one generation, and this was because of a disastrous event that happened in Heavens unrecorded history- and it was a sword of so much power that he thought it wasn't even real. Having to face such a magnificent weapon would certainly be tough, Heros thought, but he knew he had to get the weapon away from Zeus. If Zeus continued to wield it, it would be the end of Heaven.
Heros moved himself quickly, grabbing whatever he could find to defend against another attack that his father had presented to him. He took a fire poker, holding it out, attempting to parry the blow from the Sword of the Ages. The fire poker had broken in two, but even with that small delay, Heros was able to run outside. Outside may have been better for him, but that also meant that Zeus had all those advantages. The moment Zeus walked outside, he flew up into the sky. "Once I get rid of you, I will be able to purge Heaven of all those who have sinned!"
Heros took to the skies, his large wings lifting him off of the ground with much grace. He flew toward Zeus. He wasn't going to continue the game of tag. If he wanted this fight to be over, he would have to start battling and he knew he could beat Zeus. His fist was extended, and he moved an inch away from his original trajectory, spinning in the air to get added strength to his punch. His fist was aimed for Zeus' face, but the man had blocked it quite easily. Heros sneered, and turned around so that his other hand had punched, but still, Zeus foresaw that attack. He laughed as he pushed his son to the ground. While Zeus had created an opening pushing the man down to the ground, Heros took that as his chance to bring his foot up and uppercut the man with his leg. Heros moved out of the way, hearing the sound of cracking bone as Zeus fixed his jaw. Blood leaked down his chin, and there was a look of death in his eyes.
A distinctive aura began flowing out of Zeus after that attack that Heros had landed on him. Pandora sensed it, and he walked over to his Lord, asking him to calm down. Zeus had turned his head sharply, glaring at Pandora before swinging the sword at him. The sword wasn't even close to Pandora! It seemed the intense force of Zeus' hatred had caused his power to become tangible. Pandora flew head first into the palace walls, creating a huge body shaped crater. Heros returned his attention to Zeus after the god lifted the sword toward him again.
The Sword of the Ages was the only things obstructing the path to Heros' father, the only thing that made Heros cringe as he thought of the multiple ways to get that sword from his father. He decided finally on all out attacks. If he could even get Zeus to loosen his grip on the hilt of the sword for even a moment, that'd be enough for him to take the fight into his hands. With one final breath, the angel looked at his father and ran.
Zeus laughed out loud, depending on the power of the sword to keep Heros at a distance. To him, his son was just attempting suicide and for such a sin, he surely had to punish him for that, thought Zeus. Zeus turned his head to Heros just as he reached the right of him. Zeus turned his whole body with him, taking the sword along for the ride as well, and then Heros executed the same action a second time, but on the other side. Heros saw, much to his advantage, that the sword kept his father on one side just a tad bit too long for his own good; that the sword was too heavy for such quick movements.
Heros repeated his earlier actions, gaining speed every time. He would hit Zeus with punches that packed enough power to kill a human. With each and every attack, Heros noticed that his father was getting not only irritated, but also impatient. The need to attack with the sword had lessened, and soon, soon, he would be fighting hand to hand. If that happened, Heros knew he would win. Hand to hand combat had always been his strong suit, thanks in part to the Goddess. She had countless times told him that he would need his combat skills in the future, and it was now he knew why. His father had always relied on something to fight with… a weapon of some sorts, and it was this lack of flexibility that would be his downfall. Heros was hoping, praying in his heart that he had the power to defeat his father once and for all.
Zeus' son attacked again, and it was this last punch to the cheek that had gotten Zeus to let go of the sword and catch Heros arm as he headed to the other side. Heros smiled, and Zeus glared at him, almost wanting to ask him why in the hell he was smiling. Heros looked up to his father. "You are finished, Father." With those words, Heros turned around and threw himself onto his father's torso. He grabbed his father's neck into his hands and waited for any sign of resistance. Even though he was an angel who only wanted peace, Heros was willing to kill his father in the name of a new god. The moment this was all over, he would take over and vow that Heaven become a place of peace like when his grandfather and kin before him had ruled. He looked Zeus in the eye, giving him a final goodbye as he clenched his hands and twisted his father's neck.
-O-
Goh flew through the sky, his jumps as high and as fast as if he was flying. The angel stopped only for brief intervals, destroying all demons that were both in his way and wreaking havoc unto the angels that were weaker than them. He jumped back into the air, questioning the earlier surge of energy that he had felt. It was two bouts of energy actually: one that seemed to come from the palace, and the other one that seemed to emanate from a little ways farther than where he stood. He hurried, afraid for not only Heaven, but for the other two Beasts that chose to go with his now enemies. He wanted to make sure that he was able to avoid a fight with Shin and Rei, but like Heros, he knew where his priorities lied. Heaven was supposed to come out the victor, no matter what had to be done. He didn't want to follow this philosophy of "by any means" but it seemed he would have no choice.
Goh finally ran farther having felt the remnants of power from a familiar presence. It was when he went to earth on a mission that Zeus assigned only to Judas. Judas was to destroy a wolf and his clan for disobeying Zeus' orders and when Goh found out about it, he decided to tag along. It was this same wolfen leader, Kamui, that he felt in the air. He was there when the wolf had declared his vengeance to Judas, the Saint's Beast's leader.
When Goh got just it bit farther, he saw in the air, the four angels, and he quickly jumped, increasing his speed so that he was near them. "Hey Judas! Luca! Stop it!" the angel yelled. Judas looked back, and after catching the look in his eye, Goh knew that he wasn't going to stop until he reached the palace.
The demons that followed after Judas stopped to attack Goh, and he made quick work of the first few, continuing in his pursuit of his former allies. Though soon, as the numbers increased exponentially, the dual-eyed angel had no choice but to stop and fight. He watched with angry eyes as the angels went to the palace. He had to stop these demons and talk to Judas before he got close to Zeus. There was no telling what would happen if a war occurred again, and not to mention, Heaven was still recovering from the damages of the previous war too. If things got anymore worse, there would surely be no peaceful Heaven to return too at all. Judas and those following him had finally gotten far away from the limits of Goh's sight. He turned to the demon minions before him, preparing himself as they jumped him.
-O-
Judas and Luca looked at each other, both of them with a smile of accomplishment over their faces as they neared the palace. Outside, they saw the bodies of their minions littering the floor, as well as another sight that seemed to have peaked Judas' interest. Heros was looking at Pandora hover over what looked to be the dead body of Zeus. Judas flew lower, stepping onto the bricks of the palace's courtyard lightly.
"He is dead, exactly as you see," he said sadly. He hadn't shed one tear at all for his beloved lord and savior Zeus, but he was definitely taking the blow to heart. He looked up at Judas, a smile on his face that didn't seem to meet his eyes. "What are you going to do about this new god?"
Judas turned to Heros, who had stepped up from where his original location was, but still keeping a large distance between him and the angel. "So Heros, I would have never thought you of all people would kill Zeus. You saved me a hell of a battle," laughed Judas, "but sadly, I will have to take the position from you now."
"Why?" said Heros preparing himself for an attack. He knew Judas; he was once his role model. "Zeus is no longer God! Isn't that what you wanted?!"
"Yes, but who's to say that you won't fall into the same boat that your father did? You know what they say: "the apple doesn't far from the tree…" "
"Judas," said Heros walking to the Sword of the Ages, "what happened to you? You are nothing like I remember!"
"I am sorry to disappoint, but I will not take that risk. For everything that I had to go through to get here… I will take over this place and turn it into Hell."
Heros was hurting on the inside. His companion, one of the angels who had been his trainer and been there whenever things had troubled him, was here as an enemy and now that Heros had Heaven resting on his hands, he could not afford to give Judas a chance. "No, I am sorry. I will not let you take or destroy Heaven no matter what. I will stop you right here!"
"Oh so the student wants to fight the master huh? Let us see how good you've gotten Heros."
-O-
Gai had just punched the last of the demons, when another stood up again. It let out a fierce yell, instigating the other demons to yell as well. It looked at Gai, almost as if he were taunting the angel, before opening his mouth wide. Gai, being an angel of animals, was super sensitive to the feelings that the demons possessed. As they all opened their mouths, he felt that he should leave the place, and this sensation filled the air around him. He ran to the demon, intent on defeating whatever unnerving feeling he was experiencing. As he neared the demon, Gai was frozen stiff; his animal instincts already commanding him to take shelter away from the demons.
Bright flames were produced, and when they had filled the entirety of the demons' orifice, they let the searing flames go. Just like what had happened in the village, flames consumed the bright green grass, filling the ground with black ash. The air was polluted, the grey smog clearing out the view of the afternoon sun. Gai tried to stop the flames, but it was useless, and he knew this. They devoured and ravaged the small area until not a thing was left. Gai watched in horror as the animals he couldn't save burned under the intense fire. Even when nothing had been left—the green completely devoured—the flames searched for some other type of sustenance to satisfy their cravings. The sweltering flames raced off onto the next green pasture, further increasing their destruction. Gai ran before the flames had anytime at all in finishing him off. He raced off to find the rest of his friends. He knew enough to know that these destructive flames would only lessen and possibly disappear after the others ordered it. If not, he thought, the Heaven that they all knew and grew up in, would most definitely become a living hell.
-O-
Goh ran killing the demons swiftly, hurrying back to the palace. He was sure wherever Judas and Luca were, they were already on their way to Zeus, and it was his job to stop them. Goh had kept on running, not even stopping to gasp in surprise when he saw Judas go after a man whom he knew to be Heros. He was also trained by Goh, whenever he and Judas trained the kids together. Heros moved forward, a giant sword in his hand, attacking Judas with all of his might. Judas laughed and grabbed the sword with his bare hands.
"What?" said Heros in awe. He had just witnessed the intense power of the sword in his father's hands, yet either he couldn't wield the power of the sword yet, or Judas had just been on another level. He tried to pry the weapon out of Judas' hands, but he couldn't. Heros stared into the eyes of the man, realizing that he was in fact a changed man. Judas smiled and picked Heros up by the skin of his shirt. "Judas..."
"You better pray to someone, Heros, because there will be no mercy from me." Heros, though on the verge of tears, continued to struggle in the hands of Judas. He was not going to go down without a fight, not while he was the new god of this reign.
Judas took the sword and positioned it closer to Heros, and before he could impale the large object into the man's body, Goh ran up and caught his hand. "Let him go, now."
Judas, didn't look at Goh, except, he kept his view on Heros, and the fear that he had elicited from the man. "Goh, what do I owe this pleasure?"
"What are you doing Judas?! This is not what we wanted for Heaven. When we said things were bad, and we needed to change some things, this is not how you should have gone about it!" Goh looked at the group that had come with Judas. They could not meet his eyes, they were so ashamed at what had passed. He turned away and shifted his focus back to Judas. "Let Heros go, or else I will make you."
Judas dropped Heros to his feet. The boy was so shaken, that he couldn't even move away from Judas. Goh, apologizing for his friends, walked him over to the safe side of the palace, and then went right back to Judas. "Goh, how do you intend to stop me?"
-O-
Gai ran his fastest, disregarding the demons that congregated, destroying the beauty of Heaven, along with their flames. He ran all the way to the front of the palace, where an angel he was all to familiar with, was protecting a group of other angels that were getting attacked by demons. He jumped into the battles, taking the demons out for the angel. The angel, a guardian whom has chased after Gai countless times for stealing the Godess' mirror, turned to him, thanking him.
"Hey, aren't you supposed to be watching over the Goddess?"
"Yes, but she wanted me to protect those that were unable to protect themselves."
"I see... where is the Goddess?"
"I am right here Gai. I have something to tell you." The Goddess walked over to Gai, taking no time in greeting. Even when Gai, turned to bow, the Goddess told him to forgo all formalities until the war was over. "Gai, go to Goh and Heros. They will need your help."
"Goh and Heros? What is going on?"
"Just in case Judas is too much to handle, they will need all the help that they can get. Hurry to them, you will find them on the other side of the palace." Gai ran from the royal woman, bowing regardless of what she had earlier ordered.
"Should I go and help him?" asked the guardian.
"No, this is something that only he and his friends can do. If we interfere, I fear that those who need to change their decision will not. Let us go." He followed after the wise woman, and took his place next to her as they both exposed their arms to fight off the wave of flames and demons that was nearing them.
-X-
A/N: The story is almost done and let me tell you, I had a hard time with this battle as well as Kamui's battle. I always thuoght Kamui deserved another shot at Judas, and I think I did that scene well!