MAB86 - I'm glad you enjoyed that bit of teamwork, and I hope continue to enjoy it below. This chapter was tough to get out, I had the battle in my head but it was just getting it written down :) . It's a little shorter than my other chapters but hopefully the action-packed fight makes up for it :) . As always thank you for taking the time to read and review :) .
(And as I said to MAB86, sorry this is a little short, but for some reason writing this battle out was taking more time then I thought. It was originally going to be the first part of a larger chapter (the second part returning to the main fight with Ogun). Perhaps I should have stuck with that idea, but I wanted to get something out, and I hope it, and the return to the fight with Ogun next chapter will work as companion chapters. Anyway, we return to see how Scott and crew are getting on, so I hope you all enjoy reading it :)
Chapter 21
The demonic monstrosity howled in rage, as it's pushed itself against the titanic winds that tore against it and the combined force of Piotr's steel form wresting against it's centipedal form and Rachel's telekinetic claws gripping it's numerous taloned legs. It's large arms attempted to rake the steel champion wrestling with it, to be met by blazing ruby-red blasts of unleashed concussive force as Scoot knocked back each strike, slash and grab, as magical blasts burned into the creature courtesy of Illyana, scorching the thick fleshy hide of the demonic creature with crackling bursts of power.
Ororo's lightning blazed forth from the tempest she had summoned. Careful not to strike the monster directly, as she remembered the battle with the beast on Krakoa, the searing lightning instead struck the numerous pieces of wooden debris scattered across the battlefield and town, setting them ablaze. Ripped up into the air by her hurricane winds, they were launched speeding as a hail of burning missiles to join Illyana's assault, riddling the monstrosity's skin, embedding themselves burning into it's massive body, smoking black blood trickling from the wounds. However, despite the extensive surface damage, it was having little effect, the demonic creature's hide was too tough, the damage too superficial.
With an earth-shaking roar, the creature vomited forth a blast of blood-red hell-fire that blazed down in a raging inferno at the them from it's fanged maw. The firestorm broke on combined power of Rachel and Illyana, the glowing blue shield of Rachel's telekinetic shield re-enforced and imbued with Illyana's magical power holding the raging blaze at bay.
As the inferno continued it's searing assault upon Rachel and Illyana's defences, Scott signalled a quick command to Illyana and Rachel across Rachel's psi-link that united the X-Team. Answering Illyana reached towards Scott, the strain on her face obvious as she muttered an incantation Scott was unable to hear over the roar of the hell-fire tempest surging around them. But as a glowing pentagram appeared above him pointed in the direction of the demon's horned crowned head, he cried now! to his daughter through the psi-link, as Scott let loose the full unchecked fury of his optic blast through the glowing blue pentagram. Rachel responded instantly opening a small opening in her shield as the blinding ruby red, interwoven with Illyana's summoned magical energy, became searing electric blue as it tore through Rachel's opening.
The electric blue burst through the fiery torrent, blasting it aside, the inferno suddenly cut off and vanishing as the combined assault slammed home, striking deep into the creature's fanged fire-breathing maw with a thunderous crack of power, it's teeth and lower jaw bursting apart in a blinding burst of blue energy. It's reeled backwards as it let forth an ear-splitting scream of agony as blue fire blazed it's throat and upper mouth, it's horned head thrashing back and forth and it's multiple legs scrabbled backwards.
Piotr dashed forward, the ground rumbling as his steel legs thundered across the seared ground between him and the screeching monstrosity. As Rachel flew in sync above him, the Russian hero linked both shinning metallic fists together, and the X-Man known as Colossus slammed home a shattering double blow at the base of the monster's torso, just as Rachel let forth a pulverising psi-blast of telekinetic force, the united forces slamming home with wet and resounding crack of shattering bone. The creature was flung backwards to be caught by a focused tornado, winds of incredible speed and power crashed into the merged demonic monstrosity, adding to the titanic force of the double blow, sending it smacking into the ground behind it in an explosion of earth and dust as it's massive body tore a large trench through the open parkland.
Ororo rose into the air, white eyes flashing with lightning, hair flaring wildly in the wind, as the Weather Witch's tempest hammered home upon the massive twisted monstrosity with shattering force. Breakneck hurricane winds crashed down upon the creature as it twisted and thrashed upon it's back, it's multiple legs flailing helplessly the air, it's taloned arms slamming into the ground as it held itself against the raging tempest, slowing slowly attempting to force itself up.
With a cry coming from deep inside the monster it raised it's head towards Ororo, it's four eyes growing dark, becoming windows into the endless void. The darkness in them deepened as the massive beast struggled against Ororo's titanic tempest.
Illyana shouted out in warming, her hand glowing with yellow energy, as rays of pure, destructive nothingness shot forth, just as golden disc portal jumped into existence just in front of them, catching the deadly blast. The exit portal glowed into existence just slightly lower down than the first, the rays of pure destruction shooting out to sear into the creatures chest and it was engulfed for a moment in absolute darkness, as a second and more deafening howl of pure agony tore through air, that pure blackness writhing and thrashing. Then it vanished revealing the massive creature melted and twisted into nothing more than a skeletal form melted and corroded bits of flesh steaming off of it, black gore oozing down it's body.
Throughout it's remaining form blood red hell-fire pulsed through the skeletal form, still holding it together, as it still struggled, slowing turning over under the unforgiving onslaught of Ororo's tornado winds, it's fiery talons clawing into the floor as it began to put it's way towards them.
'Enough of this,' Scott said. Looking to Rachel he continued, 'pin that thing down would you, Rach?'
'My pleasure, Dad,' Rachel said, raising her hands, she pulled and raised lampposts and telephone poles from earlier battle high into the air, gripped by the strength of Rachel Grey-Summers telekinetic power. They rose to hover just above the monster like a series of spears, before Rachel thrust them down with herculean force like a hail of arrows, piercing through the skeletal demonic form with a loud crunch, punching deep to stake the monster into the ground below. The merged demon hissed, no longer able to roar, it's blood-red hell-fire pulsing in anger as it attempted still to pull it's form forward, tearing it's own body as it sought to pull itself free from the impaling impromptu stakes.
'Ororo,' Scott called and the two shared a brief look as Scott communicated to the team over the Rachels psi-link, and the Weather Witch extended her hand towards Piotr. Summoning a powerful gust of wind beneath Piotr the metallic juggernaut rose into the air until he was hovering just above the shattered monstrosity's head, waiting.
Then Scott motioned Illyana, and a glowing disc formed above him, it's exit portal appearing within Ororo's tempest, just above the massive creature. Scott let forth the full fury of the concussive force of his optic blast, tearing upwards through Illyana's portal, to slam down on the monster's skeletal form with colossal force driving the demonic creature back into the ground with pulverising power, bones cracking and snapping under it's raging torrent.
At that moment, Ororo cut the tempest and shot Piotr down with an almighty blast of hurricane winds, to crash down upon the what remained of the melted skeletal remains of the demonic monstrosity's head. Punching home a steel meteor, Piotr slammed it's skull to the ground as Rachel grasped the rest of it's form with claws of crushing telekinetic force.
'Now, Illyana!' Scott cried, as Piotr the Colossus grabbed the demonic monster's head between his gigantic steel hands, locking his legs around it's thrashing neck holding it immobile. Piotr's sister reached out a glowing hand in from of her, a second glowing portal forming before her and leapt down into the portal to appear in front of her brother, stabbing her Soulsword downwards. With a blaze of mystic energy, the magical blade thrust home with a loud crack, piercing through it's skull. The hell-fire within the skull blazed forth, struggling forth against the power of Illyana's blade, before wavering like a guttering candle, to cut out and vanish as though blown out by an invisible wind. The Russian siblings stumbling slightly as the skull and vertebrae crumbled and decayed to dust before them, the blood-red hell-fire retreated before the Soulsword's cancelling power. It rushed back into the centre of the damaged beast, every part of the twisted body falling to pieces as the pulsing hell-fire withdrew inwardly.
'X-Men, withdraw and reform!' Scott ordered, Ororo and Rachel flying back towards Scott as Illyana formed a portal bringing her brother and herself back beside Scott as the X-Men reformed into a defensive formation.
The hell-fire burned and pulsed as a tight fireball within the small section of chest cavity of the once massive monster, surrounded by the dust, decay and rot of it's former body. Then hell-fire flared forth, the remaining ribs and vertebrae of the chest cavity shattering in the burst of flame, that became five smaller balls of flame shooting towards the X-Men. Rachel raised a screen of telekinetic force to shield them, as Ororo let loose a horizontal tornado to blast the fireballs back, but the flames, becoming ghostly and insubstantial, past through to them to leap at the five X-Men.
The five arms instinctively rose to shield themselves as the ghostly balls of flame hit them. However they then passed straight through them, shooting back into the air, leaving the X-Men apparently unharmed. The ghostly fireballs looped back towards the ground before them, coming to a sudden halt just before the ground ahead of the X-Men. The flames became substantial again, pulsing deep blood-red flames as they hovered in the air before them.
Then with a collective chittering laugh, the flames burst into five pillars of flame, raging forth until they dissipated and withdrew inwardly, disclosing five new figures on the battlefield. The X-Men stood for a moment astonished as they found themselves facing five corpse-pale versions of themselves. Clothed in tattered, decayed versions of their uniforms, with wide gaping mouths grinning malevolently back at them, full sharp misshapen fangs, the doppelgängers eyes blazing with blood-red hell-fire, with the exception of the demonic Cyclops, whose visor flared hell-fire forth instead.
'Mirror magic,' Illyana muttered, 'we're going to have to fight ourselves.'
'Much better,' the demonic Scott laughed. 'We should have taken this approach from the beginning. Prepare X-Men, you're lives, and then your souls shall be ours!'
'I don't think so,' Scott replied, 'we've trained for years facing each other, learning our strengths and weaknesses. There's a difference between taking our forms demons and becoming us, and it's time you learnt the difference. X-Men, let's take out this copy-cat trash!', and as both Scott and his demonic mirror's optic blasts tore across the battlefield, the X-Men leapt into battle against their demonic duplicates.