Chapitre 11: Celestial Violence
Stark was grabbed by the arms by one of the graceful and divine angels, who still cast a few envious glances his way. These looks weren't just directed at him; in fact, everyone who seemed to have undergone a great change upon awakening received them.
'Angels were supposed to be humble and sweet, why the hell do they seem more like the fallen ones?' As they ascended higher and higher, their expressions hardened. Suddenly, in the leader's hand, amidst a sea of sparks, a tool manifested, one Stark had never seen before.
It resembled a gyroscope, with several golden rings swirling and moving in chaotic motions around a radiant red stone. The stone began to shine more intensely as the surroundings darkened.
On the sun's surface, a massive shadow appeared, an enormous feline. It had dark fur and a powerful, large jaw, its ears were short, and its mighty paws could sweep the entire world out of existence. One of its eyes gleamed with a vibrant gold hue, while the other shone silver. A cosmic map was visible on its black fur.
The creature was magnificent, and instead of instilling fear, it inspired awe with its majesty. Its body coiled over the sun as its mouth devoured it mercilessly.
"Charia…" Stark recognized that being. He had heard many legends and stories about the celestial jaguar that devoured the sun and the moon. The indigenous people used Charia to explain solar and lunar eclipses. They said the moon was always revived by the sun, and that on the day the jaguar killed the sun, it would mark the beginning of the end of the world, as it would devour all the stars in the universe, plunging everything into deep, infinite darkness.
Before the darkness took over, Stark was certain he caught one last glimpse of the creature. It looked directly at him, its eyes piercing through all layers of his existence, emanating a deep feeling Stark couldn't comprehend.
Disturbed cries began to rise from the land, their rage evident toward the creature that had stolen the ever-radiant sun from their world. This was their home, and they would do anything to reclaim it.
"We've drawn their attention with this last move, but they won't be able to see us!" The leader shouted from afar. They were at extreme altitudes and still feared what might be below. Stark was starting to get scared.
'What the hell could hit us so high in the sky? They're just animals…' As if answering his question, a thunderclap emerged, not from the heavens but from below, its upward trajectory rapid and bright as it struck a golden barrier held by an angel. The shield lasted less than a second, impaling the first of them.
What they had forgotten to mention was that even though they couldn't be seen, they could still feel the energy cutting through the sky. For the most powerful among them, their presence couldn't be more apparent.
From afar, Stark could see something glowing in the darkness amidst the clouds, lightning tendrils crawling down the mountains, illuminating a large, hairy body similar to a goat's, heading toward them. Its hands bore onyx claws.
The demon Stark had faced before was nothing compared to this one, which was the size of a mountain. A massive spear made of lightning formed, arcing through the air, shattering the sound barrier into a thousand pieces as it flew.
"Evasive maneuvers!" The leader shouted, gritting his teeth, the fear of death growing in all of them. To be hit meant certain death. The bolt passed through their midst, the fierce wind it created knocking some of them off balance, though they quickly regained control. The smell of burnt flesh filled Stark's nose.
With a loud eagle screech, a shadow materialized beside them, between the black clouds. Its figure was red, with more than seven eyes as black as the abyss. Its beak was long and curved, its body at least the size of a blue whale, and it clearly wasn't here to play.
On top of it were spiders the size of men, with only four sturdy legs that appeared to be made of marble and covered with wide rock slabs. Each of them manifested a single large red eye, firing beams of light that threatened to destroy everything without hesitation.
They continued with evasive maneuvers, but it wasn't working. Stark shouted to the angel carrying him.
"Throw me on top of it!" The angel hesitated for a second, unsure how to react. It was risky to involve Stark in the fight, but if they continued like this, they'd be taken down anyway. Clenching his teeth, the angel flew over the bird, dodging lasers as Stark rolled among the dozens of arachnids.
Taking a deep breath, he exhaled forcefully, gaining as much momentum as he could. He could feel the new strength within him, far superior to his old self—his body clearly possessed power greater than that of an Olympic athlete.
In one stride, he closed the distance between them, his powerful punch aiming at one of the giant red eyes, which was already glowing, ready to finish him off. But before it could, it was smashed. The others immediately moved to attack, not caring that their ally was caught in the crossfire.
Stark lifted the already injured spider with both hands, using it to block the deadly rays. Its body was reduced to shreds, green blood oozing over the bird's feathers. Having avoided the barrage, he lifted the creature again and hurled it toward the others, following up with a whip-like kick that sent them hurtling toward the sky below with no support.
One of them lunged at him, trying to strike with its sharp stone legs, but Stark's sharp reflexes made him dodge at the last moment. Grabbing one of the legs, he yanked it with force, crippling the creature.
Using the leg against his attacker, he pierced its chest, the sharp limb going through its back. His eyes soon searched for the next target, only to realize he was already alone in the air.
"Is it over already?" He shook his head—there was still a big target left for him. Grabbing another of the marble legs, he made his way to the front of the large bird, and with a single downward motion, he drove it through the bird's skull, piercing its brain. The creature plummeted at high speed as Stark was rescued.
"Damn, I wanna do that again!" His eyes gleamed with excitement, while the angel above him chuckled.
"I think I can grant that wish sooner than you think…" Looking around, Stark saw dozens of similar birds, with the same creatures pursuing them. A few lesser demons, similar to the one he had fought, also appeared. These were only slightly larger than him.
"Now we're talking!" His desire to test himself and prove his capabilities had finally surfaced.
"Next round, damn it!" The angel hurled him into the air. A demonic creature charged at him, its horns glowing with bestial fury. Stark faced it head-on, grabbing the black horns and pulling them toward his knees, breaking its head with one blow. Another demon gathered lightning in its hand forming a spear, ready to strike him. In the ecstasy of his joy, Stark didn't even try to dodge. At that moment, one question crossed his mind:
"Can I catch it?" He welcomed the lightning spear with one hand, spinning on his heels, redirecting its force and sending it back to hit the demon's head, effortlessly piercing through it.
His hand suffered minor burns, but far from being bothered, he let out a loud laugh, his bloodlust spilling across the sky, making both allies and enemies tremble.
"I can! Is there anything I can't do?" The monsters swarmed around him, trembling in fear. A great hunter had been born, now taking his first steps on a long path filled with blood and death. His crimson eyes gleamed in the darkness.
"Come at me all at once!" He had lost track of time as he jumped from bird to bird, their feathers initially of different colors but gradually stained with red and green.
"Why the hell do these weird spiders have green blood?" he wondered, sitting cross-legged atop one of the birds. He had taken a piece of one of the goats, its meat surprisingly delicious and free of toxins. The sun rising in the horizon.
The largest one he had faced was about three meters tall and had worn him out a little, now serving as his meal. Its black horns were collected, as well as many others of his companions and stone tablets from the spiders and he held them tightly in his hand like a trophy.
The bird he was sitting on seemed terrified of him, resorting to submission. After so much carnage, it had simply decided to stay quiet. Stark didn't mind sparing a creature that was serving him.
The angels around him were impressed. Their once envious glances now held deep respect, as well as reverence. They circled him, while the other chosen ones had cowered throughout the entire battle, praying for things to go well. Stark, on the other hand, had jumped into action. The boy who had challenged him earlier was standing with his mouth agape, staring at him. Stark didn't miss his gaze.
"I warned you not to make enemies. If you want, I can share my breakfast with you… Right Tweety Bird?" He petted the bird.
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État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone