Chapter 20 – Two down, one to go

    He spaced out for a moment without closing his eyes or changing his smug expression, attempting to take a breather from the intense depletion of his resources, both in the spiritual and physical sense of the word.

    Outwardly, he might have looked as if he enjoyed the whole process of taking over the three dimensions, putting on a mask of egocentricity and supreme confidence. It was this mask that fooled the gullible ones now in front of him, and tricked them into following him with the promise of a land where there would be no more painful losses… losses that many of them had been burdened with.

    But he knew that he was on the brink of a breakdown… for the demands on him were gradually taking its toll. He knew it well…

    Of course there were demands… hundreds of them! He had to strive to maintain a strong control over the mind of his General ZOK, or Tanya, and yet not brainwash her into a puppet that could not think on its own…

    He had to tame the countless armies of underground creatures at his beck and call, their compliance simply fuelled with a grudging fear of his power, and what he could do to them with it.

    But most of all… he had to manipulate the creature possessing his General AKU, or Celestine now… for she was the most difficult to convert, and thus required the most dominant of influences.

    This was not what he wanted.

     His inability to get things to work his way further depressed him, sapping him of yet more energy.

    As he returned to the present, he realized with a slight shock that Damien Silvergrace was already directing a rather intense attack at General ZOK.

    He did not think that she could survive, or avoid the attack.

    Now he was faced with a dilemma…

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    She tried to avoid the white mass that was aiming for her, turning at an acute angle to her left to dodge the attack.

    However, as soon as it swooped past her, the mass of CHI U-turned towards her, as if it had a life of its own and was determined to achieve its target.

    It went in her like a knife through melted butter, and stopped moving abruptly.

    Seconds ticked by. The CHI appeared to have settled in her body without creating further damage.

    Just as she was about to shrug it off as an empty scare on Damien's part, the blood started rushing against its regular flow, finally bursting out from every known orifice on her body… the corner of her eyes, her mouth, her nose, her ears… all had sprays of red shooting out from within.

    She looked like a cross between a monstrosity in a B-grade horror movie, and the unfortunate victim mauled by the said monster.

    Like a plant without its life-giving sap, she fell in a limp, crumpled heap upon the ground.

    A mist-like substance seemed to lift away from her body, drifting towards the direction of the one sitting on the throne.

     "D…Damien?" Tanya whispered in a wan voice, her strength unable to support a normal toned one.

    From its sound, he knew that she was no longer the soul-less being he had been forced to attack.

     "Tanya… I'm sorry I had to do this…" He crouched onto the ground and cradled her body in his arms, careful not to aggravate her injuries further.

    She shook her head in lieu of a vocal response.

    Lifting a hand, she touched his cheek tentatively, afraid that he would reject her again.

    Haven't you already gotten used to it? But it doesn't change the fact that you love him.

    He did not turn away this time… for her pleading look locked his gaze and refused to let his head move one bit.

      "Run… this place is dangerous… Redrumiel is dangerous… find C…elest…ine… and the Great Lord…"

    She struggled to get the words out… then her hand fell back to lie forlornly upon the ground.

     "NOOOO!! Tanya… don't close your eyes… look at me… I'm Damien… don't give up on me now!"

    Her eyes and mouth remained closed, her whole body still except for a line of tears trickling from her eye.

    He held her close to him, trying to feel the warmth that she possessed… but her body was frigid and hard as a rock.

    All hope of her survival was lost to him.

    Oh well… it is such a pity to lose yet another General. Not to say that she's indispensable, for I can always train another… but all the waste of effort!

    Damien could recognize the scorching, torrid wave in his stomach… it was fury in its most unadulterated form.

    He could not remember when he had harbored this kind of fury… but even if he did… it would not come this close to overwhelming his self-control as it now did.

    Never before had he desired to kill someone with such a bloodlust.

    No… killing him would make his life too easy for him. He deserves something much worse…

    I shall make him wish that he was never born.

     "Be prepared for my attack, evil one. For you have unleashed the fury in me!" He spat out his warning with a wrathful glance at Redrumiel.

     "Do you truly believe that you can take me down with YOUR degree of skill, and spiritual enlightenment? Do not deceive yourself… you have seen what General AKU did to your Lord. My power is greater… infinitely greater than that. Do you still think you're my match now?"
    "One never knows if he did not try, can one?" Damien replied coolly, but he did in fact have a slight reservation about his rash move… a tiny one that was nowhere near to influencing his decisions.

     "Very well, if you wish to get killed, I will not stop you. Show me what you have…" He gave a supercilious grin, while crossing his arms in front of his chest as if anticipating a show of some sort.

    By then, his opponent had already silenced himself, drawing his breath in preparation of his attack.

    He found himself in a seriously disadvantaged situation, for his opponent had already witnessed his finishing blow… but he had never seen this Redrumiel move even a finger, much less seen his attacks.

    But I cannot just abandon this place… not with the vow of avenging the wronged ones hanging heavily on my conscience… and even more so the fates of these Angels under his control! Oh sweetest Hyne, and my dearest Lord… tell me what I should do!

    No one answered his question… perhaps an indication from Hyne that he should attempt to solve it himself.

    What if I combined my attacks… with hers? The first time I've tried imitating her attack… but after the decades of observation and secret practice… I would have thought that it had some degree of likeness…

    Damien Silvergrace's combo Ouiji:

    Lunar Dragon Beam of CHI!

    As before, the Emerald Dragon appeared above his head after his concentration of CHI…

    A myriad of silver-golden rays of light gathered to fuse with its CHI ball… originating from the pock-marked moon hanging above their heads.

    The fusion of light and Chi grew rapidly, blinding all present in the room.

    The swift Dragon headed for Redrumiel's direction, and expelled the ball towards him.

    He looked open-mouthed at the Dragon.

    But it was all a show he had put up.

    For just as the ball was about to reach him, he pointed into the air with a finger.

    An invisible, yet impenetrable shield formed a diaphanous wall before him, and swallowed the ball whole.

    Inside the vacuum of the shield, the CHI and light fizzled, like that of a firecracker losing its fuse.

    His mocking laughter erupted, its sound escaping the thick walls of shield and reaching Damien's ear.

    He could only punch the ground in exasperation, and despair.

     "Too bad, young Angel. Come challenge me another day when you have honed your skills better than this. You have a long way to go."

    Damien looked up in bitterness…

    He's right… I'm no match of his…

    He decided to take his dish of revenge cold… when it was best taken.

    As he left the gloomy place behind, a nagging thought latched onto his mind.

    Why is he letting me go so easily?

     I would have thought that he was merciless towards those who oppose him…?

    What, is his ulterior motive?

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    My Ulterior Motive?

    Would I be so foolish as to divulge to loose-mouthed human-mortals what it is?

    If you have not guessed by now, you will never know the true meaning of my actions…

    HAHAHAHAHA!!!

   Prepare to die……

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    These few days… the one inside seems to be shouting a whole lot more fiercely, and for prolonged periods of time. It may be getting out of hand… one does not know what causes her to be in such a state of agitation… could it be the wanton slaughtering of her beloved human-folk… no, human-mortals, as the Lord likes to address them. One shall enjoy provoking her with more of such acts. For the essence of one's being is to cause hurt… fury… hate…

    For I am an end product of all these negativity… give them to me… feed me… the more you hate, the stronger I become… hahahahaha!