"Please, I'm begging you, listen to me carefully. We can save humanity. Right here, on this rooftop."
Warren-Angel-had just experienced the most terrifying five minutes of his life. He'd narrowly avoided getting shot (again); he'd accidentally inhaled a little of his knockout gas; he'd gotten smacked around by two huge goons. Angel had been in a panicky haze, struggling to use his wings in the cramped office. And then he'd been fighting with Daredevil. He didn't even know how it started, he just remembered a constant stream of attacks and the terrifying red eyes behind them. And now the silver-and-black man was back. Angel was shaking, but he aimed both guns at him, keeping his distance.
"I knew all this would happen. In fact, I saw it happen. A being of light fighting a being of darkness. I thought they were memories, but they must have been visions, instead."
The silver-and-black man wore what looked like a space helmet, which featured a thin black visor, and his uniform had a metallic shimmer to it. His hands were glowing silver. Was he an alien, or a robot? His voice sounded like something coming out of a radio.
"What I'm about to tell you...you'll think it's some crazy cult thing, but it's actually just math. Playing the odds."
Some invisible force seemed to be pressing Daredevil against the rooftop, and he was struggling to get back to his feet. It looked as if he was trying to do a push-up. At one point, the effect seemed to be wearing off, and the silver-and-black man shot another energy ring at him. Daredevil was physically slammed against the hard surface.
"Most religions and mythologies...they have light and dark, good and evil. Right? They usually have the same ending, too. Light defeats darkness, the world ends, and humanity goes to a better place."
Between getting gassed and getting pounded on, Angel still felt woozy. He blinked, continued to aim his weapons, and tried to figure out what this guy was saying.
"Think about it. Ever since we found out about Thor, we've known that at least one pantheon is real. Magic is out there. There are probably other pantheons, other gods."
"Okay, s-slow down, I want you to tell me who you a-"
"I don't know what you are. You could be human, a celestial being, or something completely different. It doesn't matter. The important thing is, you're the closest thing the world has to an actual angel. And he's the closest thing we have to an actual devil."
Daredevil glared at the silver-and-black man, grunting.
"Do you really think this is a coincidence? An angel and a devil show up at the same time, in the same city, right as the world is on the edge of nuclear war?"
"Uh-"
"Those end-of-the-world situations I talked about...some of them have to be real, right? If Thor is real, if magic is real, it makes sense. I think that we can 'trip' one of them. If light defeats darkness, the whole process will be activated, and we'll all go to a better place."
Daredevil laughed. "He wants you...to kill me..."
Angel looked at him, looked at the silver-and-black man, and struggled to speak.
The silver-and-black man nodded and said, "That's right. Think of it as a ritual-a sacrifice. One death, and we could save billions."
Angel was feeling more coherent. He tightened his grip on his weapons, and he flapped into the air, creating more distance between them. "You're crazy!"
"No, what's crazy is the idea that we can save ourselves. As we speak, there are men-brilliant, well-meaning men-who are trying to build our future. I worked with them. They have incredible things planned for us, but it won't be enough. We're human, and we'll find a way to screw it up, just like we always do. This is the only way to break the cycle."
Suddenly, the silver-and-black man created an energy ring in his right hand, gripped it, and floated into the air, until he was level with Angel. Angel cursed under his breath, and his innards turned into a lump of ice. He'd never fought someone that could fly...
"But you have to be the one that does it, Angel. I'm the Halo Knight, and I'm here to help you, but I'm not the light. You are."
"...you're out of your mind, 'Halo Knight.' I'm not gonna kill another superhero!"
"He attacked you, and he'll attack you again. I've seen it. The light and the darkness fight over and over, and it doesn't end until the light does what needs to be done."
"No, I attacked him," Angel said, suddenly remembering. He heard sirens approaching.
Halo Knight made an angry noise, and he fired another energy ring, which kept Daredevil pinned to the rooftop. "You're the only one that can do this! Whoever you are, whatever you are, you were born for this! You can save all of us!"
Angel didn't know what he was, or what he'd been born to do. He felt doubt slithering through his mind. But he looked at Daredevil, and he knew enough to make a decision.
"Okay, let me get this straight," Angel said. "I don't even know you, and you expect me to murder someone for you-a hero-because you think that it might have a good side-effect. And this 'good' side-effect is that the world will end. Is that about right, Halo Maniac?"
"You're...you're not..." Halo Knight was clutching his fists, and he kept shaking his head. "...you're not him. You're not the light."
Daredevil shouted a warning, but it was too late. Halo Knight hit Angel with one of his energy rings-and it had the exact opposite effect as the ones that had hit Daredevil. Instead of making him plummet to the ground, it sent him spiraling up into the air. It was some sort of gravity thing. Angel fought against it, but it was like the tide, dragging him away. Daredevil couldn't get up, and Angel couldn't get back down...
To be continued...