Chapter 7: Mission Survive
[Thump!]
"WOAH! What the Fuck was that!? Fucking watch it!" a loud noise startles a Demon somewhere in the crowd.
"Is that an Angel!?" another Demon asks.
"It's Malique! The Angel that beat us last time!" a third one responds.
"Let's kill him right now!" someone suggests.
Malique hits the ground hard and feels almost unconscious. The other Demons rush towards him, their thundering footsteps growing louder by the second. He realizes he let his guard down and now pays the price.
"Stop!" A loud voice echoes through the crowd. Malique looks around in confusion.
"Huh!?" he mutters.
"This Angel here is Alphaeus' prey! If any of you want to slay him, they must do it after Alphaeus has his way with him!"
It is Sorkan, the Demon that Malique had knocked down before, who stands in front of him, creating space for a duel.
"Fuck off!" Malique protests. "Who do ya think you are to create such a rule!?"
"Calm down everyone, we swear that each one of you can get a go at him," says Arnokan, another one of Alphaeus' underlings, giving a mischievous gaze to the crowd as they ease off with a malicious smile.
"This is your chance," Sorkan tells Malique, grabbing his hair and disrespectfully kicking him in the face. "Hahaha! How does it feel to be on the receiving end?"
Sorkan maniacally laughs while stepping on Malique's face after he tries to rise again. He wants to swear so badly that God forbids him to do so.
Sorkan bows down to Malique and tosses him to the side. He was about to give Malique another kick when Alphaeus suddenly interrupts.
"That's enough, Sorkan," he says, entering the circle by gliding down from the tower top. The shining light from the sky blinds Malique's sight as Sorkan moves away from shading him.
"Tch, he's all yours," Sorkan says to Alphaeus.
"Can you stand?" Alphaeus whispers to Malique after Sorkan merges with the spectator. The sincere look on his face weirds Malique out.
"Since when does a Demon show sympathy to an Angel?" Malique glares at Alphaeus as he works his way up. He can sense that none of them will interfere with the duel they are having now. "Why the one versus one? Is this kind of honour or just an ego in disguise?"
"That's because you view us Demons as nothing more than trash," Alphaeus says, his wording packed with meanings. Not just Malique, almost all Angels have this thought thanks to their upbringing. Trash, scum, traitor, and lots of other nicknames were given to them by the Angels.
"So now what? The battle to the death?" Even though Malique says 'death', he is still unsure if such a thing will happen in the afterworld. As seen by himself this whole time, the sinner in Hell is kept alive even after being killed countless times for their retribution.
"Haha... That's the spirit. Looks like someone is more excited about the fight than the challenger himself," Alphaeus says, embracing himself pridefully while glancing at Malique through the lower lid of his eyes.
"Don't lump me with the likes of you!" Malique exclaims, clashing with Alphaeus once again over their differing beliefs.
"Again, with your beliefs? You know what, let me smash that thought of you with this hand of mine," retorts Alphaeus, bracing himself for Malique's charge.
Malique charges forward at full speed, manifesting his sword as he goes. He calculates the distance between himself and Alphaeus, timing the materialization of his sword for a quick pincer attack. If he can finish this early, Malique plans on making a run for it, using the defeat as a distraction to buy himself some time. The Demons of Sins are also on his tail, so he cannot afford to stall any longer.
"Cling!" Their weapons collide, but Alphaeus holds Malique's sword at bay with his gauntleted hand. Malique quickly realizes his mistake, as a gauntlet is perfect for close-quarters combat. With that thought in mind, he quickly dissipates his sword and takes a step back.
"Oi, oi. Is this your best?" Alphaeus taunts, his gauntlet still holding Malique's sword.
"A gauntlet!? Crap! I better create some space!" Malique thinks to himself, preparing for any counter-attacks.
"Oh? Seems like you've got some brains to use as well. *Clap x2*" Alphaeus judders Malique's eardrums as he claps his gauntleted hands together. Malique is unsure if this is meant to be a compliment or not, but he keeps his eyes on Alphaeus, looking for any opening to strike.
"I've got all the basics to retain to heart. If you think this is going to be easy, then you better... EH!?" Malique exclaims, caught off guard as Alphaeus suddenly disappears before his eyes. "Impossible, no one can do that!"
"Rule number one in a fight is to never lose focus," Alphaeus chides, suddenly reappearing just an inch away from Malique. "You've got a long way more to learn if you can't remember that right."
[Crack!]
Alphaeus delivers a powerful blow to Malique's ribs, sending him tumbling to the ground. Malique grimaces in pain, knowing that he needs to quickly regain his focus if he hopes to survive this fight.
"Bleurgh!" Malique gasps for breath as a right hook lands squarely on his rib, possibly cracking it, and causing blood to spill out of his mouth. Alphaeus' movements are too fast for Malique to follow, and he takes a solid hit to the chest before he can react.
Malique is propelled straight into the crowd encircling the two fighters. The Demons in the front row dodge out of the way, causing Malique to hit the Demons next in line. Frustrated, they hold him up and take turns hitting him. Each blow resounds with a sickening noise.
[Bam! Knock! Smash!]
Malique realizes he is in trouble. With a jab to his jaw and a kick to his stomach, he feels himself losing consciousness with each hit. Despite his best efforts, he cannot stay awake. The poison in his body also reacts to the beating. He thinks of Gabriel and Michael, but cannot seem to form the words.
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU ALL DOING!!!" suddenly, Alphaeus's voice booms across the field, filled with pure rage. The force of his words echoes across the field, leaving the spectators silent.
"We're beating the shit out of this asshole. Can't you see?" the Demon that Malique had bumped into is blunt and manages to stare down Alphaeus.
"Are you fucking blind!? Can't you tell that this is sacred single combat!?" Alphaeus does not mention it in words, but anyone who knows the courtesy of war would know what to do in this situation. "This is the reason why the Angels see and treat us this way!"
"Fuck you! I don't care about respect, and neither do any of us! Let us have some fun too," the same Demon arrogantly orders Alphaeus. He glances away for a second, and then an idea comes to him, and he lashes out. "Well, aren't you being selfish conquering this insect all to yourself?"
"Tell me, why did you have so much hatred for him?" Alphaeus questions the Demon before demanding an answer.
"To be honest, I don't hate this scum at all," the Demon shrugs it off. "Everyone knows how he kicked our asses when he had the chance. If hating him is called payback, why not?"
"Yeah, he's right!" other Demons start to support him.
"Really? Aren't you guys the ones who attacked him first?" Alphaeus leaves the crowd speechless.
"Who cares anyway?" the Demon laughs it off. "If you're still trying to be a smartass, then explain how come the things you did to him differed from what we're doing. You're thrashing him too."
"That's because I have multiple reasons to do so," Alphaeus delineates his story. "He, alongside other Angels, killed my comrades, friends. Unlike you, a Demon innate after the Great War, who didn't writhe from that horror."
"Shut up. The respect and bullshit you're spitting piss me off."
"That's because we were once an honourable kin."
"Honorable? Us? You're fucking with me?" the Demon shoots a dumbfounded face at Alphaeus. "You mean that we were once a kind and genuine Demon? Empathetic without seeking a reward for our behaviour? *Bleurgh* I felt sick hearing it."
"Looks like negligence grew in each of you after the notability disappeared in your heart..."
"Keep on blabbering, old geezer. I'll just finish this trash myself," the Demon finally displays his weapon, which looks a lot like a sickle, and points it directly at Malique's throat. "Haha, time to slice his trachea open..."
[Crack!]
Before the Demon can sever Malique's collar, his soul has already severed its ties from his body. The reason is that his soul cannot fit into the body as a pair of fists flatten the skull, sculpting something that appears like a fruit, gnawed around it. Without the essence of life, the body collapses to the ground.
Alphaeus has reached his limit. He may not be Sathanas, but when angered, the veteran can also be a bona fide killer throughout his life. An invisible dark cloud of fear is forming on top of the horde as they see the slaughter. Alphaeus makes a deadly head tilt and mutters a single word that strips the spine of every Demon that hears it.
"Next?"
Weekly Power Status
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