Coming of the Seraph
Chapter 10
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"Ho hoooo. How many centuries has it been since we've had guests? We know who you are oh, unfathomable Lord of Darkness." Black to gold ombre eyes passed slowly over the fallen angels. "How can we ever express our gratitude for reuniting us with our daughter?" The Council's attention shifted in unison to Azreal, who kept her focus on the Aries.
"Have you slain your brother, child?" Verchiel, astral governor of Leo had a raspy voice that was muffled further by the bandages wrapped tightly around his jaw and the right side of his face. He blinked a single rust colored eye and stood from his seat, loudly shaking his large white and brown mottled wings.
"He is not dead." Malahidael's low tenor reverberated in the large day lit domed room "We will see to our son when the Fallen are vanquished."
"Do you truly think you possess the power to defeat us?" Hamael growled; behind his enormous frame, a scaled dark sea-green tail twisted in frustration, and his glowing white eyes narrowed beneath the dark worn cloth obscuring a body that only their Creator could envision. On all fours the Capricorn dashed at the fallen angels, large clawed arms extended in deadly intent. They met Lucifer's sword, and he failed to see the spike-tipped tail snap over the angel's head.
"The tail!" Azreal snarled as she struck it back, with main force she kicked the beast in the head and stepped onto it's back; shoving Tenkahane through the base of Capricorn's skull. It sunk into the polished white marble with a spray of viscous blood. With a single twist, Lucifer snapped the tail from the spine; tearing through ligaments and flesh to collect the poisonous appendage.
"Come and see." Azreal challenged, pointing her sword at Malahidael; the scarlet lines brushed against his sharp cheekbones crinkled as his smile widened. Blood was sprayed across her face and dark droplets streamed down her neck to the dark feathers of her long black coat. They had seen this vision countless times over the centuries following her fall from grace, but that blood had always been her own and those silver eyes had been serenely shut in death. Now the Angel of Death had taken her place beside the Black King and that warm red liquid belonged to one of their own.
"...Well." Eleven angels said in perfect unison. "Whatever shall we do?" The circle of voices overhead was as disorientating as Azreal remembered and her back briefly made contact with Lucifer's.
"Isn't it obvious?" Lucifer pulled the black cloak from his shoulders, they wore the same antagonistic smile. "You'll attack us with everything you can."
The Zodiac Angels howled together at his threat and closed in on the fallen angels. They tore through the group with ease, snagging the ink black arms of Taurus's governor first. Asmodel was slammed through glass and stainless steel into one of the meditative alcoves the Zodiac Angels used for musing into the future. He kicked at the Devil with bare feet and Lucifer wasn't given enough time to enjoy the angel's pointless struggle before they were followed by a wave of screeching angelic monsters. With his curved black blade, Lucifer eviscerated the naked torso of the black creature. Entrails spilled onto the white cloth secured around his torso and the jeweled fabric was stained dark red.
"Foolish little Seraphs." Ambiel screamed, as Azreal pushed back the horde of encircling angels. They stepped out of the alcove and landed together to greet Ambiel's challenge with cruel smiles. Silver tipped wings were flared out to their fullest and they felt her focus on them despite the empty white space of her eyes. She was Gemini, an air sign and her magic was much like the Elemental Angel who embodied the same school of magic. Her fair skin and the white veil of her habit contrasted heavily with the dark mulberry stain on her lips. She opened her mouths and the action was followed shortly by the the unmistakable sound of both jaws unhinging. Gemini screamed, and the air wave was amplified a thousands times over until the glass around them shattered.
"Don't let her do that again." There was blood dripping down Lucifer's neck from his ear, and she instinctively checked her own to find nothing.
"Take the top head, I'll get the lower." Azreal said breathlessly and their charge was met halfway by the Gemini who slid two ether daggers from her black habit and deflected the first round of blows. Ambiel inhaled again, and before she could use her magic a second time Lucifer's blade sword sliced through the mouth of the false head.
"YOU KNOW NOTHING DARK ONE!" She shrieked and plunged both daggers into Lucifer's chest. He kicked the astrological being back as Tenkahane swung down on the angel's extended arms. Lucifer pulled the knives from his chest, the holes closed over almost instantly. Azreal swallowed painfully, wishing that the burning ache in her ribcage would do the same. She stood over the writhing governor of Gemini, her pained and powerless screams brought the others rushing forward and Lucifer restarted the battle without her.
"Poisonous little witch!" The angel whispered loosing blood fast, her already pale skin was blanched to near perfect white. "You've shared the secrets of the Grand Cross." Lightning silenced the already dying woman, and Azreal held onto the Gemini's neck until the habit began to smoke. The neck snapped first and the fallen angel put a gold studded boot on the dead angel's shoulder to rip it free of the body.
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Hamaliel's spine was broken by the pommel of Azreal's sword in three consecutive blows, with an agonized sob the paralyzed Virgo collapsed to the ground, a black leather boot smashed through the gem encrusted mask hiding a woman who's Renaissance beauty had been touched with their Creator's vision. She was completely hairless, and had flaky rose-gold around her mouth and large olive green eyes; there was blood from her broken nose oozing down her cheek. She was unable to see who owned the hand that dragged her limp body to its knees, she could only watch Lucifer's black sword change shape into a five sharp claws that fit over his fingers like a glove. Hamaliel watched the sharp black points tear into her chest, through flesh and bone until her screams died to gagging noises as her lungs filled with blood and in silence the governor of Virgo drowned in her own blood.
Water stained with blood was suddenly soaked into the fallen angels calves, and they realize too late why the remaining members of the council have tucked themselves into the higher alcoves. Manuel was the only one left standing with them and he stood solidly on top of the water.
"This ends now." The fury in Cancer's black eyes froze over the water and trapped the devil's in place. Manuel roused the gold wings that stood in the place of his arms and shards of ice sprayed in the direction of the rebel angels. Azreal slammed the false edge of her sword into the ice at her feet as the Zodiac Angels above lunged for them both. She was free in time to be caught by Malahidael's four talon tipped arms and he slammed her into the wall with enough force to leave significant cracks in the stone. He towered over her and even hunched over he stood at least a foot taller. Tenkahane clattered to the ground at her feet and she kicked at his chest, glaring hate at the governor of Aries.
"You will not see victory today, Azreal." The talons on her arms dug into the stone wall and the second pair of buried into the flesh of her forearms.
"I do not need to see the future to know that you are defeated, Malahidael." She heard his ribs crack and focused her kicks on sending the broken bones into his lungs. He coughed blood onto her face and for a moment his grip weakened just enough to to allow her the chance to slip free. Azreal grabbed the first of four arms and twisted the limb with practiced efficiency, satisfied with the loud snap of his joints dislocating. Aries' howled in pain as Azreal knelt to grab her sword and she buried it deep in the tall angel's midsection. She sidestepped the giant and crossed the Observatory to fight off the flock of angels overpowering the Lord of Hell. Lightning fended off the creatures with agonized screams and she pulled Lucifer to his feet.
"Aries... Take Aries next." She pointed at the giant Malahidael, two of his remaining arms were closed around the exposed muscle of his stomach. The last arm was swirling hot blue fire that he whipped in their direction and its Lucifer's black smokey fire that that collided with the fire sign's magic.
"You said its inside his skull?" Gray eyes watched the cruel smile work over her features as she nodded. She had learned long ago that Lucifer's darkness could be as hot as Michael's fire, and with Malahidael's powers in retrograde it wasn't difficult to burn the flesh off the astrological leader of the Zodiac Angels. That blackness also kept the remaining Zodiac Angels back long enough for Azreal to slip Tenkahane through the charred remains of his neck, severing the necessary skull from his body.
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Verchiel slammed into the circular stone opening of the Observatory and felt the warmth of blood soak into his feathered head, the sky above him was suddenly obscured by the flash of Azreal's gold armor and her heel connected with the top of his head. He landed in front of Barchiel who twisted miserably against the wall; Tenkahane was buried deep in their conjoined stomach, pinning them in place. Lucifer threw Manuel to the ground and the hideous sound of leg bones breaking made Azreal cringe inwardly. She grabbed the black straps holding Verchiel's withered and useless arms across his chest, and hauled him up high enough to smash his head against the pommel of her sword. It sunk deeper into the wall and Barchiel screamed, clinging to one another in tears. Leo's rust colored eye was little more than a bloody mess now and his muffled scream was not as loud as the shriek from the mouths of Scorpio and Pisces. As Azreal pulled the sword from the wall, the upwards motion of her sword split the twins from the waist up and they fell dead to the ground. The pommel came down on the Leo again until sound of his skull cracking offered her manic satisfaction. She discarded Verchiel's body and turned her attention to the corpse of the conjoined twins, their hands clasped together in a growing pool of blood. A single moment of regret seized up her throat, and she reminded herself that the choice had been hers from the very beginning. And once again, she'd chosen him.
"Azreal!" Lucifer yelled in time to alert the woman of the body that slammed into her, she was sent skidding across the floor and looked up in time to dodge the fire that Advachiel sent after her. Lucifer's sword is through the angel's arm before more flames can be summoned against the woman who's on her feet in time to catch the blade end of Libra's halberd ax. They exchanged short blows and the wooden handle of the long ax snapped against the ether in her blade. Tenkahane buried itself deeply in the withered old face of Heaven's supreme judge.
Silver eyes found her companion hunched over the dead body of Advachiel, tearing out the eyeball that had Enochian etched around the ruby red iris.
" Take Canbiel. Manuel is mine." Azreal found Cancer on the ground and already Lucifer was crossing the blood stained Observatory to confront the birdlike angel of Aquarius. With their brothers and sisters, dead the two remaining angels had lost their nerve to fight the fallen angels.
"Azreal." Manuel lay on his back, blood splattered on his naked chest, his legs twisted to painful angles.
"Tell me which wing it is Manuel." Azreal pressed, she grabbed his chin and stared into his black eyes. "If you tell me, you won't have to suffer having both of them ripped out. And I will give you death as my last kindness." She frowned at his laughter and watched Lucifer sever the beak from Canbiel's body.
"You have never been kind, child." He said as Lucifer appeared in his vision. Azreal's expression hardened and she grabbed the angel's wings, her heelless boot crushing his chest to keep him still. She tugged at the base of his wings until the shoulder joints dislocated with a loud painful pop. Cancer screamed her name as she sliced through his wings, and she stifled the manic pleasure she'd taken in it.
"Kill him. We need to start collecting the pieces before the Messiah arrives." And the Devil obeyed.
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"Even if they defeat Ezekiel, killing the Zodiac Angels would be nearly impossible. They are far older and far stronger than either of them. And they aren't stupid enough to attempt to force it open with their astral powers, that would only-" The first thing Uriel's eyes spotted was the collapsed section of walkway and then moss green eyes found the figure of the Keeper in a pool of blood.
"Land immediately!" The Earth shouted and headed to the hatch. Setsuna was the first one out and he dashed across the broken walkway to the still form of the angel he'd met several days ago.
"OI! Setsuna don't fucking run off!" Katou yelled, slinging his katana over his back and chasing after the Messiah. Uriel and several soldier's in medic uniforms crouched beside the Cherub, one of the medics called for a stretcher and the other pulled on sterile latex gloves.
"Major concussion, and several lacerations in the abdomen. He needs to be seen by a healer immediately." The medic explained as he assisted his partner in securing Ezekiel's neck.
"Hey he's waking up!" Setsuna shouted as one aquamarine eye cracked open, the other side of his face was too bruised and swollen to allow the lid to move for more than an involuntary twitch.
"Ezekiel!" Uriel moved into view of the secured angel. "You're severely injured. Don't move."
"They're dead." Ezekiel said through a mouthful of blood. "They've killed them and taken them... You need to get to the Gate." Their eyes went wide and the Cherub was left to the medics as Uriel ordered for one of the smaller airships to take him to Raphael. The three men entered the Observatory, finding blood, broken glass, and the lingering incomparable aura's of both the Zodiac Angels and the fallen ones. But there were no bodies to be found amongst the wreckage.
"That fiery glow of his is all over this room." Katou muttered darkly, filling his senses with the density of Lucifer's aura. He could feel that woman's too, but she didn't matter in his book and he disregarded the potent cold sting of her power.
"If this is Lucifer's and Azreal's doing then the Zodiac Angels are in Rosiel's possession. We have to go now, we can't miss our chance to enter!" Uriel turned on a heel, his false voice echoing in the large room as he demanded for their departure.
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"Lucifer. Retrieve my sisters body, she's going to come with us..." Rosiel's voice now had the light airiness of near childhood and an arthritic finger beckoned the Angel of Death closer. "Stay with me, Azreal." The Inorganic Angel passed her a bronze key and she handed it to Lucifer. He disappeared as Rosiel stood and the thin Inorganic madman took shaky steps towards her.
"How many ribs did you break, my pet?" A feverish hand rested gently on the corset beneath her feathered black cloak and she fought the inherent urge to make the removal of those fingers as painful as possible for him.
"Two. Maybe a third." Azreal flinched as his fingers found the fractured ribs, the woman hissed and her hands flew up to stop the probing digits of the Inorganic Angel.
"And you still managed to kill your brother and the Zodiac Angels. Imagine what you will do to the Messiah when these are healed." Time magic wasn't difficult for him, even in this hideous state; and it didn't take much to set the bones back into place and to heal the wounds she'd taken in the last battle. Azreal said nothing at first, enjoying the sensation of painless breathing for the first time in hours.
"You can thank me by killing the Messiah. I'm afraid Lucifer has been unable to kill the man who shares the face of his beloved. So I can only depend on you now, my pet." Rosiel's smile crinkled his nose as he watched Death's expression run blank.
Beloved. An awful clarity dawned on her and pale coral lips repeated the word in silence.
"Go now. Prepare the Grand Cross." Rosiel ordered, and she silently disappeared
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Azreal was perched above the Gate to Etemenanki, silver eyes darted frantically between the barren stretch of black earth and the unconscious woman thrown over Lucifer's shoulder like a prize. She scowled at the approaching group, taking their time in approaching the enormous doorway that would take them to the Creator.
"This place..." Setsuna's light brown eyes swept over the barren landscape, he couldn't fight the overwhelming familiarity he felt at the chill seeping into his wool lined jacket. "What happened to this place...?"
"Does this place look familiar?" Azreal pulled his attention from the enormous circle of power she and Lucifer had built to house the pieces of her caregivers, the Enochian on their bodies glowed with the immense reservoir of planetary power that had been given to them at the dawn of time. The planets had aligned themselves and brought Atziluth into the material realm, and it had opened for them as it had many times in the past.
"You did all this?" Setsuna's focus fell to the mutilated bodies ceremoniously scattered across the ground again, then his eyes lifted to Lucifer and the body slung over his shoulder, and finally back again to the woman balancing precariously on the enormous stone mask hanging over the Gate.
"Do you remember, or not!?" Death screamed, and Lucifer's voice made her name an ice cold warning; she glared down at him, furious beyond words.
"I'm not asking if YOU remember!" Azreal spat. "I KNOW that you remember!" The crazed woman turned her attention back to the Messiah.
"Do you remember your escape from this Paradise, Alexiel?!" Just like that, memories that couldn't possibly be his own surfaced as if they were; and he remembered the dead earth around him as a field of tall grass and wildflowers in an unimaginable variety. He remembered a figure in clean white running its hands across the soft tips of the grass and the distance roll of thunder.
Afterthoughts
I don't think I did half bad. I understand why Yuki-san didn't panel that into the story, it was insane to write it. I can't imagine drawing it.