El Tigre: Evolution
"Ah, just in time Rivera! We're about to see how the story ends!"
-Diego Luxe
Chapter 21
El Tigre and Frida stood nervously on the elevator platform as it rose through the levels of LuxeCorp.
"It's not too late," El Tigre said, breaking the silence between them. "You can go back. Your dad's worried about you."
He's always worried about me, Manny. You know that." She then noticed the look of concern on her best friend's face. "Manny…"
"Frida, this is big. I don't want you to get hurt."
Frida rolled her eyes. "Please, I can take care of myself. Super awesome demon powers, remember?"
El Tigre loosened up a little. "So…you're not worried about that one lady scrambling your mind?"
"Ha!" Frida snorted. "My brain is totally unscrambilificatible." She gave her friend a light punch on the shoulder. "Relax…we both have superpowers now. What could possibly go wrong?"
CRASH!
The lights flickered and the elevator platform lurched as a figure landed between El Tigre and Frida. It spread its impressive wingspan, knocking the two to opposite sides of the platform. It was the female Alado.
"Mind if I drop in?" she giggled.
"Frida?" El Tigre called over to the blue-haired girl. "Weren't you the one who told me to NEVER SAY THAT?"
Frida laughed nervously. "Yeah, sorry."
"I see you've got your wings, chica," the Alada noticed. "Do you know how to use them yet, or are they pretty much just for show?"
The platform came to a stop. They were at the level of Luxe's office.
"Manny, go!" Frida cried. "She's mine…" she finished as she and the Alada squared off. El Tigre opened his mouth to argue, but then just nodded and hopped off the elevator, rushing to the office.
He stopped at the keypad lock, growled with frustration, and just kicked the door down. He entered the office, and the figure sitting behind the desk turned in the swivel chair to face him.
"You? Where's Luxe?" El Tigre demanded of the black-haired Alado Tres. The Alado put his feet up on the desk and pointed upwards.
"He's on the roof of this particular tower. Numero Uno is with him to make sure he doesn't screw things up."
"I take it you're dropping the act, huh?" El Tigre asked.
Alado Tres snickered. "Heh. All Luxe needs to do is read one spell, and BOOM…we get El Santo Oscuro back. And the world will burn!" He began to giggle madly. Suddenly, he was interrupted by a loud CRASH!
"What the-?" Alado Tres cried.
"That seems to be happening a lot lately," El Tigre observed.
The CRASH! was caused by Antonio smashing through the office window, wings beating furiously. As the shards settled, Alado Tres smirked.
"Well, well, if it isn't the traitor…"
"My only betrayal was to my humanity," Antonio fired back.
Tres grinned even wider. "And all those people you killed?"
Antonio didn't respond. Instead he turned to El Tigre. "Trina says there should be a secret elevator behind that mirror that leads to the roof. I'll handle my old friend."
El Tigre didn't have to be told twice as he moved the full-length mirror aside, revealing the secret elevator. He hopped in. As the mirror slid back into place, he caught a glimpse of the fight beginning, and the two winged combatants went tumbling out the window.
El Tigre sighed. He didn't like leaving Frida and Antonio to fend for themselves like this. He just pressed the "up" button, hoping it would all be for the best…
Then he stepped out onto the roof. He felt a chill go up his spine as he did. Luxe was standing in the center of the roof with the open Tome before him on a raised dais. He did not notice El Tigre right away. Nor did Alado Uno, who had his back turned to the feline super, his attention on Luxe.
"All you have to do is read the spell, sir," Uno coaxed. "And all the power of the Tome of Torment shall be unlocked…for you…"
"Yes…" Luxe whispered as he poured over the evil book.
"LUXE!" El Tigre shouted, making his presence known. Luxe looked up and Alado Uno turned to face him. Luxe smiled.
"Ah, just in time Rivera! We're about to see how the story ends!"
"It's not over till the fat lady sings, Luxe!" El Tigre declared, indignant
"Defiant until the end, eh Rivera?" Luxe quipped. He motioned to the Alado. "Kill him."
In the blink of an eye, the Alado shimmered in front of El Tigre and backhanded the super. El Tigre went flying back into a handspring, gracefully turning the blow into a back flip, landing on his feet.
Meanwhile, Luxe began to read:
"Glorossa managra taevus mortera…"
El Tigre reached out a hand. "Luxe! No! It's all a lie!"
But once again, Alado Uno appeared in front of El Tigre and struck him, this time in the gut.
"You have interfered for the last time, boy!" Uno growled.
"Khartos domus vorexi untaren…"
El Tigre staggered back, holding his stomach. "N-no…"
Luxe's reading pace increased. He was becoming excited. He was nearing the end of the spell.
"NO!" El Tigre lunged past Alado Uno and at Luxe in a last ditch effort to stop him, but to no avail; the Alado grasped his tail firmly and pulled him back.
"Naeris tomai soriya KANAGA GLOROSSA!" Luxe finished triumphantly. Everything grew silent. Then everything went to hell.
A beam of scarlet energy burst forth from the pages of the Tome and shot into the atmosphere, piercing the heavens. The sky turned blood red.
Luxe was almost speechless "Such power…" El Tigre could only look on in despair.
A vortex began to form where the beam of energy met the sky. It was then Luxe found his voice. It was a little on the weak side
"What is happening? This isn't right…"
Alado Uno began to laugh. "Finally, the new god returns!"
Luxe stormed over to the white-haired demon. "What's going on? I won't let you ruin all my years of hard work just-"
"YOUR work?" the Alado interrupted. "Who told you of the ultimate power that lay within the Tome? Who guided you all these years? Who found all of the lost pages? WE DID, LUXE! We said you would find true power, and now you will indeed witness…true power…"
Luxe had the look of man who realized he was no longer in control. He just shook his head.
"Is it too late to say I told you so?" El Tigre chimed in.
Suddenly, thousands of lights began to fall out of the vortex and scatter across Miracle City.
"El Santo Oscuro's demon army," Alado Uno informed the horrified humans. "Soon they will cover the earth." He turned back to the Tome. "And here is the man of the hour…"
Luxe and Tigre also turned their gaze to the Tome. A dark figure was floating in the crimson beam. It hovered out and landed in front of the Tome. The air around this figure was cold. It had long black hair, with lightning bolt-like streaks of whites through it. Its eyes were the deepest black. It wore a black cape that covered black-gold armor. A large, wickedly curved scythe was slung across his back.
This was El Santo Oscuro.