章 39: Chapter 36: Ghost Rider vs Sabbac 1
"talking"
'thinking'
"Ghost Rider/Sabbac"
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Edgar's Mental Palace, present day
"Why didn't you tell him?" asked Ezio to Zarathos.
At this moment, they were all in the great hall in Edgar's mental palace, while a holographic screen showed the event that was happening right now in Azarath.
Edgar had left a short while ago. And now, it was too late to leave, as the enemy forces were there. Sabbac, as soon as he sensed Edgar open a portal, would attack or prevent them from leaving. There was only one option left... fight.
However, even though Zarathos had said he didn't want to worry Edgar, and so hadn't told him. Ezio and the others, who knew him well, knew that, if Zarathos had wanted to, he would have warned Edgar long ago to leave that place. Ezio could not understand why Zarathos had endangered Edgar and, therefore, the girl Raven, and that is why he had asked him.
Zarathos, who was just solemnly staring at the screen, replied.
"I didn't tell him, because this is his final test. I want to see if he is capable of defeating Trigon's son with all the training we have imposed on him"
"Sabbac is not just any opponent, Zarathos, and you know it. His magic is complicated. Besides, he knows how to fight us. Several of us have already faced him several times and he has learned from those experiences and always becomes stronger" said Lagertha interrupting Zarathos. Edgar had done his training well, but he lacked experience in real combat. It was good to put him in situations so that he could adapt to fighting with his power, but this... this was too much. Sabbac was a fearsome foe for all of them, on the same power level as them.
(AN: both are considered universal threats)
"I know. and I know he's gained experience fighting Riders over time. But if Edgar doesn't overcome this experience, then there's no point in him fighting someone more powerful like Trigon. He's practically saying he's not ready. And that he may never be..."
"...I hope you know what you're doing, Zarathos" Moctezuma finally said. Of all of them, he was the least communicative. But, even if he didn't say it, he had grown fond of Edgar over the months. He was very talented. He would hate for him to be hurt or defeated by this demon.
"Me too Moctezuma, me too... now, quiet, it's about to start the fight"
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Azarath, present day
A blackish portal materialized right in the center of Azarath. From it, 10 figures dressed in red robes emerged.
Two of the subjects had skin so pale that it reflected the sunlight, with blood-colored eyes and fangs protruding from their mouths. The two of them were vampires, a human sub-race that, in order to gain power, had made a deal with demons to have superhuman abilities in exchange for blood consumption.
Two others were feral looking, with predatory yellow eyes. They were werewolves. Another sub-race that had lost all humanity by bringing out their animal side and becoming predators that only craved human flesh.
On the corners were 4 men who had a sickly skin tone. They had black lines covering their faces and no hair. They were dark magicians. Such magic corrupted the mind and body of the user. And from their appearance, one could tell that they were elites in their field.
But, the two figures that stood out were the ones right in the center of the group.
One of the men was tall and muscular with white skin, and wore a robe different from the others with a snake-like character, more specifically that of a cobra. His costume also featured sharp nails that could cut through skin like butter, and where he could secrete a venom so powerful that it could paralyze a person's heart within minutes. He was Kobra, Sabbac's right-hand man.
And finally, the man right in the middle. He looked like a young man of about 25, with no noticeable or outstanding features. He had dark skin, middle-eastern features and a hint of an overgrown beard covered his face. But what stood out about him were his blood-colored eyes. The difference with vampire eyes was that these eyes of the man seemed to glow in a sign of power.
Moreover, this young man emitted a bestial power, a power so great that it sent shivers down the spine of the people around him. This indicated only one thing. This man had a very powerful latent power. He was Sabbac, or the body he was using at this time to keep himself on Earth.
Being a demon, and to prevent him from returning to hell, he chose to get avatars. People who were willing to give him their bodies, because of their fanaticism or fanaticism to his father.
Sabbac, with such avatars, could exercise his power quite well, to the point where he could reinforce the abilities of all his troops that dated back thousands. However, the more power he wielded, the more his human body or avatar deteriorated, causing him to have to find another one in order to stay on Earth. To date, he had lost count of how many Avatars he had acquired since he had been on this planet, but they numbered in the hundreds.
And that's what made it more dangerous. He could be practically anyone. From a powerful figure, to a total stranger. And that's why his organization had grown so large. No one really knew where they were hiding, or how many and what their total forces were.
"Sis, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. Now come, and say hello to your brother" Sabbac said with a smile, as he opened his arms in welcome. He then proceeded to take a good look around the place.
He had to admit that this place looked beautiful. A rather large pocket dimension, full of well-built huts that gave a sense of tranquility and serenity.
'Maybe I'll use this place for my new base in the future' thought Sabbac. He didn't dislike the idea of using this place as his new lair. But of course, first he had to prepare for his father's coming, that was the main task.
"This place is beautiful, little sister. I can see why all those women gave their lives to defend this place, honestly it's totally worth it. don't you think so, Kobra?"
"It's definitely a beautiful place, my lord" Kobra said with a cocky smile.
Speaking of the tragedy that happened some time ago, Raven clenched her fist in anger. Edgar sensing this, only squeezed his hand comfortingly, which made her calm down noticeably. However, this was seen by Sabbac, so he continued his tirade.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought this up, sis. I'm sure it brings back bad memories to you. The truth is that I didn't want it to happen that day. I told my troops that if they offered no resistance, there would be no conflict. Unfortunately, those women did not listen to the request of my men and such a misfortune arose that left you alone, my dear sister" Sabbac had a sad expression, as if he truly regretted the deaths of all the acolytes of Azarath.
But Raven, who was a sensor, and could feel his true emotions, could sense that it was all a lie, and that he was actually happy about such an event. Oblivious to this, Sabbac continued with his pitiful performance.
"But, don't worry, sis. I am already here. You won't be alone anymore. You just have to come with me. With your family"
Raven was furious. She was about to speak, but Edgar spoke before her
"She's not alone anymore" Raven let go of her feelings of anger, and began to feel joy at Edgar's words. Raven now remembered that Edgar was right. She was no longer alone. And from his tone of resolution, she knew that he would do anything so that she never would be anymore.
Sabbac, who had only been concentrating on Raven, had paid no attention to the handsome gentleman beside her. After all, you never notice when you step on ants while walking.
However, now that He saw him better, He could sense that this man was not simple. Even that he had some familiar power within him. This alone made him curious. With a smile he turned to Edgar.
"Forgive my manners, I should have introduced myself earlier. I have had many names throughout history. My faithful and beloved followers call me My Lord, but you may call me Sabbac, and you are?"
"I don't care what you call yourself. Now turn around and get out of here, before I kill you" Edgar said menacingly, which made Sabbac's friendly face change to one full of rage.
"How dare you, you bastard. Just for that, I'll give you the most painful death possible. Scott kill him. Vlad, bring the girl"
Sabbac instructed one of the werewolves to kill Edgar, and one of the vampires to bring Raven. Quickly, both men, followed their master's instructions, and ran to accomplish their task.
The werewolf moved at a thunderous speed, and menacingly bared his fangs and claws in order to kill this insolent man who dared to insult his master.
However, contrary to all his expectations, he could not register when his gaze that was looking at the man as he jumped, suddenly already looked up from the height of the ground. The strange thing, was that he could see in the distance his body still standing and inert, however, this same one no longer counted with the head.
'How curious' was all the werewolf thought as the light of life left his body.
Edgar did not remain idle and ran to intercept the vampire that had arrived with Raven. He quickly reached where the vampire was and grabbed him tightly by the arms and with a strong pull bent the vampire's arms at a totally unthinkable angle. He then proceeded to grab his neck and transformed his hands into skeletal ones. Quickly the vampire began to burn like a bonfire with Edgar's hellfire.
Zarathos had allowed Edgar to use his demon phase. Since it no longer mattered the condition of the barrier, since it had already been shattered by Sabbac's forcible intrusion.
"AGGGGGGHHHHHHH" the vampire screamed in great pain as the fire quickly consumed his entire body. But his screams ceased in a couple of seconds as his body turned to ash.
All this had happened in a few seconds, and it made everyone look solemn and even afraid of Edgar's abilities. Everyone except one....
"Hahahahahahahaha, damn, what good moves, dude" Sabbac started laughing like crazy while clapping his hands. "I thought you were just an ant, but I didn't think you were actually a lion. Damn, you had me fooled hahahahahaha ha.. ha...ha" Sabbac gradually shortened his laughter until his amused countenance changed to a serious one.
"You know, the ritual we did to enter this place was an improvised one compared to the attack years ago. That's why I didn't bring a large force, since they only had to bring my sister, who was alone in this place. However, when they were going to enter this place, I had this feeling that it would not be so simple, so, to avoid mistakes on their part, I decided to come with them. And it's a good thing I did, because now I can realize why I had this feeling. I don't know what a damn Rider is doing in this place, and why he's so hell-bent on protecting my sister, but I'm telling you, buddy, if you stop my sister from coming with me, I'm going to tear you apart"
"Raven. do you remember the contingency plan we planned in case something like this happened?" Edgar, without turning to Raven, asked her in a low tone. But she, who was behind him, heard him very well. She just nodded at the question.
"Good. I want you to follow him. Oh and Raven... This is the last lesson from me. Trust in yourself, trust in your power and don't be afraid. You can handle them"
Raven left the fears and doubts she felt, and nodded with total resolution at these words. Then, she began to run as fast as her little legs would carry her to one of the farthest cabins. The one her mother had used to hide her 6 years ago, which had a special hiding closet.
Sabbac and his forces saw this, however, they did not move or chase after her, as, at this point, they were a bit in shock about the other thing they were seeing.
A skull with a blue fire that had dark speckles on it could be visualized, right in the center of the place. Everyone, except Sabbac, who saw this fearsome figure, began to feel fear.
This being denoted a power like that of their Lord. Even, the mages, who had more affinity for the energy of the world, could swear that it had more power. However, Sabbac, who did not flinch at this image, only stepped forward and said to his troops.
"Bring my sister. He is mine"
Sabbac began to emit a red energy from his body, as his red eyes began to glow brighter. Quickly, he moved at a speed that was not visible to the human eye, and struck Edgar sending him flying towards one of the nearest huts. The hut, from the power of Edgar's projectile, began to collapse.
"How disappointing-" but he couldn't finish the sentence when Edgar teleported right behind him. Sabbac wanted to turn to intercept, but it was too late.
Quickly, Edgar landed a kick from behind on Sabbac that brought him to his knees. He then delivered a combination of two punches to the face, which made him bleed. And finally, using his heavenfire, he touched Sabbac's human body, which made it start to burn like a bonfire.
The fire began to melt Sabbac's human skin. Even a bit of bone was starting to show because of this. Sabbac, however, never really complained or showed pain. Only, he moved his hands and grabbed Edgar's skeletal arms.
Edgar was surprised by this. At first his heavenfire (blue fire) was rapidly melting the skin, but now he could feel that the energy he was emitting no longer affected Sabbac's skin as before. He could feel that there was a barrier that was preventing him from damaging Sabbac's skin.
But the biggest surprise was when he felt that Sabbac's grip on his arms seemed immovable. He could swear that the force he was exerting on that grip far exceeded that of Superman. Despite the melted skin, Sabbac continued on as if nothing was happening. More red energy kept pouring out of his body.
"I'll take a guess. You thought it would be that easy, didn't you...well, it's not"
Sabbac, began to emit more red energy from his body. Quickly the melted human skin began to transfigure into a red skin.
Sabbac, who was kneeling, began to rise. His body, which was about 5'9" in height, began to grow at an impressive speed, reaching a height of over 8'1".
When the transformation was over, what remained was a muscular demon, with large horns on his head and a pentagram on his body. His red eyes glowed menacingly, as he exerted an all-out force that kept Edgar where he was. The blue fire was beginning to diminish due to the red energy emitted by Sabbac, causing it to leave almost no marks on his body.
Simply put, Sabbac's red energy was counteracting Edgar's heavenfire, making it unaffected.
"You see, I have fought several of your kind over my long time. And I have learned that, although your heavenfire can harm me, my power allows me to resist enough to not get severely burned" Sabbac commented to Edgar with a smug smile.
This was due to its magic. Reinforcement magic may not sound special. But in reality, if used in the right way, it can be quite dangerous. And Sabbac, who had years of experience, knew how to use it quite well. Not only could he strengthen others, but he could also strengthen himself. Making his already powerful body reach another level. Using his full power, known as berserker mode, he could rival his father's strength, speed, and endurance, making him a formidable opponent.
Right now, his energy was reinforcing his skin, to a point where the blue fire could not affect him as it should. Sure, if Edgar exerted more power he could get past this barrier, but the problem was that Edgar couldn't last long with this transformation. The more energy he expended, the less time he could maintain it. However, Sabbac still wouldn't let Edgar keep burning him. So he moved.
"Now. Don't disappoint me" Sabbac said as he threw a strong punch reinforced with his energy. The power of the punch was such that it launched Edgar several meters into the forest, crashing into several trees and knocking them all over in the process. In the end, he ended up braking with the tenth log he collided with.
However, Edgar was unable to react when Sabbac arrived almost in the blink of an eye and delivered a hard knee to his face that shook the earth slightly. A small crater formed due to this blow.
Edgar teleported back and positioned himself behind Sabbac, but Sabbac who had already foreseen this, turned around just in time and punched him hard in the torso. However, Edgar did not fly with the power of the punch as Sabbac grabbed him before he was propelled and, with full force gave him a 360 spin and threw him at full power right where the crater was. An earthquake was felt right on the spot as Edgar collided with the earth.
"How weak you are. Are you really a Rider?"
However, Edgar, who was lying down, grabbed a piece of wood that was nearby and transformed it with his fire into a sharp object bathed with his fire. Then with full force, he embedded it right into Sabbac's foot.
"AGGGGGGGHHHHHH" Sabbac screamed in pain. His foot had been completely pierced with this piece of wood.
Edgar took advantage of this, and jumped towards Sabbac's head. He grabbed his head, and began to exert more power from his heavenfire. Finally, the fire was beginning to damage Sabbac's skin, as blue lines began to seep through little by little, beginning to melt his skin.
'Good, more power' thought Edgar. Right now, he was exerting all his power in order to burn it and it was working.
Unfortunately, if he kept this up, his transformation would be interrupted, as his body was still not used to withstanding so much power. Sure, he would still continue with his demonic transformation, but hellfire couldn't hurt Sabbac like his heavenfire. He needed to finish him off fast.
Edgar turned and grabbed him tightly as he exerted his fire. Edgar positioned himself right where his empty sockets could look directly into Sabbac's eyes and said.
"Look at me" Edgar exerted his power and used on Sabbac his stare of punishment.
Here was the first big difference between angelic power and demonic power. And why Carter preferred the demonic phase.
In the demonic phase, one had the stare of penitence. A gaze capable of showing all the sins of a person, and, if there was repentance, this gaze took the person's soul and took him to the fifth hell, the level of punishment, leaving a soulless vessel behind.
However, in the angelic phase. The look became the stare of punishment. A look that, although it did not take any soul to hell, it exerted a physical pain on the person similar to all the pain and suffering it had caused, generating what can be known as a punishment from heaven. If the person's mind surrendered to the pain, he or she could be left with a completely vegetable and vulnerable body.
Each look had its advantages and disadvantages, but, in case of demons, who do not feel remorse for their acts and it is likely that the stare of penance does not work, the stare of punishment is perfect against these beings.
"AGGGGGGHHHHHHH" Sabbac cried out in pain, when, like in a movie, thousands of scenes of all the suffering and pain he had caused began to generate physical pain like he had never felt before. And how not to, since he had made millions of people suffer throughout more than a millennium of existence.
Little by little, the pain began to numb his mind. He was surrendering to the pain. In addition to this, Edgar never stopped generating his heavenfire, burning him. It was a combined attack in order to finish him off.
This would have finished anyone by now, but Sabbac was not just anyone. He was one of the strongest demons for a reason.
Quickly, he redirected his reinforcing power to his mind. He knew this was the key if he wanted to endure this unbearable pain. This made the unbearable pain start to become bearable, and his rationalism returned to him. Then, he began to strengthen his already powerful foot and moved.
With all his power, he exerted tremendous force on his foot and with a heavy stomp cracked the ground with a powerful shockwave. A strong earthquake, which caused several trees around him to fall down, was generated. This caused Edgar to lose his grip on his face and, therefore, his stare.
Sabbac, who was angry at Edgar's attack, lashed out with all his power. At this point, he was upgrading his body to Trigon's level and becoming Berserker. He didn't care anymore. He needed to teach this damned rider a lesson.
Sabbac grabbed Edgar and punched him hard in the face. The blow was such that he managed to dislocate his jaw completely. He could even swear that a small crack was forming in his almost indestructible skull. That's how powerful the force was.
If Edgar could say it, he felt that the force exerted by this demon was almost triple what he had felt with Superman, who was the strongest opponent he had ever fought.
Edgar was taking powerful blows. Blow after blow caused Edgar's fire to go out briefly, and made the earth rumble. Cracks were even beginning to form in the sky from the power wielded by Sabbac at this time. This indicated one thing. Azarath was beginning to destroy itself internally.
"DAMN YOU, RIDER" Sabbac threw a right punch.
"I WILL KILL YOU" he landed a left punch.
Punch after punch, they left after-effects on Edgar's body, which, even with his transformation where his resistance became inhuman, Edgar could swear he was beginning to feel unimaginable pain.
In the end, he was only able to get out when he used his power to teleport. However, Sabbac, who was already in berserker mode, moved to meet him. Edgar could only start dodging by teleporting. Sabbac's speed and strength had reached a point where it was impossible for him to attack him head-on.
Every place where Sabbac passed by was completely destroyed leaving aftermaths on the ground, in the trees or even in the sky. The beautiful forest of Azarath was already completely destroyed, and the sky, which already had cracks, was beginning to crack even more.
"DON'T RUN AWAY, RIDER!"
Edgar was teleporting when suddenly, his power failed him, causing Sabbac to reach out and grab him.
This only indicated one thing... Edgar's angelic phase energy was almost depleted.
'Holy crap' thought Edgar.
"HA, I'VE GOT YOU" Sabbac grabbed him. And began to pummel him. Each blow made Edgar's fire go out. However, Sabbac noticed. Edgar at this moment, was no longer igniting with blue fire, but with orange. This only made Sabbac grin evilly.
"DAMN. YOU'RE NOT EVEN ABLE TO CONTROL YOUR POWER WELL HAHAHA. WHAT A DISAPPOINTING RIDER YOU ARE"
Edgar started to use his hellfire to get out of the beating. But Sabbac didn't even put up any barriers to defend himself anymore since this fire didn't affect him in the least. In the end, Sabbac put an end to his martyrdom and threw him hard against several trees. Of the few that were still standing.
Edgar struggled to his feet. His fire was no longer even visible at this point, as his head had been extinguished. At this moment, his mind was racing at full speed trying to think of what to do against this monster.
But in the end, after several seconds, Edgar stopped thinking....
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Edgar's Mental Palace
"Damn it, at this point he's going to lose. You need to take control, Zarathos" Carter spoke worriedly.
He had been one of the other Riders who had fought Sabbac long ago, but right now, he could swear that Sabbac had become more powerful. That even if he fought with all his experience, he couldn't beat him.
And that was true. Sabbac never stood idle in this long time of hiding. He began to consolidate his power through his thousands of followers. Making his power incredibly powerful on another level.
Everyone was worried at this time. Everyone knew that Sabbac at this time had surpassed all expectations they had ever had. But the most worried was none other than Zarathos.
He hated to admit it, but he had been wrong. Edgar was no match for Sabbac. Nor for any of the other Riders.
They were right. He had to intervene and get him out of there. His life was the most important thing. There was only one problem though. In getting him out of there, Zarathos had to let Sabbac take Raven. There was no other option. Then, in the future, Edgar would have to go looking for her.
However, Edgar's body was already at the limit of its angelic power. What Zarathos was going to do would cause his body to suffer unimaginable after-effects. This would be the cost of using more power than he was used to.
"You guys are right. I'm going to intervene-"
Zarathos was about to use his power, when he suddenly noticed something, which made him stop and open his eyes wide in surprise.
'That monster... He made it!' thought Zarathos. At this moment, he was looking at the scene of Edgar who had stood up and lit his fire. But what made him pause was the color of the flames produced.
"Zarathos, are you going to act or not?" Ezio interrupted. Zarathos had stood still. He needed to intervene at that moment to save Edgar's life.
"No. Edgar doesn't need my help anymore. Right now he has the fight won. Take a good look"
Everyone had a look of disbelief on their face. They didn't see anything different. However, it finally dawned on them when they saw his fire.
"His fire... it's brown" Lagertha said in amazement.
That's right, at this moment, Edgar didn't have a blue or orange fire, but a light shade of brown.
"What does that mean?" Carter asked doubtfully. But everyone had the same question, since they didn't know or had never heard of this fire.
"It means that Edgar opened the door to a new phase. A phase that none of you or perhaps no one else could reach but him"
Zarathos had told Edgar long ago that he was the one who had the most soul affinity with him. That with 100% affinity he could even get to exert his full divine power. But this he told him almost as a game. For Zarathos, this was impossible. However, contrary to all his expectations, here he was.
At this moment, Edgar had combined both phases and had opened up a new phase, a more powerful one.
The divine phase ....
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Edgar's mind was racing at an astonishing speed trying to think of some strategy to use against this monster.
Sabbac surpassed him in strength, speed, endurance, and now with his demonic phase power, even in power.
Edgar could only think of opening a portal to Raven and taking her away. But he knew that as soon as Sabbac sensed that he did this, he would run at full speed to meet her, which would put the girl in even more danger.
At this point, Sabbac was in Berserker mode. He did not average his strength or speed. She could hurt his own forces and he wouldn't care. It was too risky for Raven.
'What to do, what to do…' Edgar didn't know what to do. His logical mind couldn't give him any answer to his question. There were no ways to defeat him. All his logic said so.
"Don't think. Follow your instinct" Lagertha's voice rang in his head interrupting his thoughts.
"Don't think. Follow your instinct" now it was Ezio's voice.
"Don't think. Follow your instinct" he finally heard Carter's voice and Moctezuma.
"Follow your instinct"
"Follow your instinct"
"Follow your instinct"
The combined voice of the four began to generate a chorus in the mind of Edgar. Quickly Edgar began to relax, and stop thinking.
'They're right' he thought, 'I must follow my instinct'
Edgar lay there, limp. Without the fire in his head. Smoke was coming out of his body due to all the power exerted. Suddenly, this one raised his head and....
"SHUUUUUUU" light brown flames materialized.
Sabbac, who sensed the sudden change no longer attacked recklessly. He could feel that this fire was different. It was special. More dangerous than even his blue fire.
At this moment, Edgar was using his demonic energy to boost what little angelic energy he had left, giving way to a combined phase.
What Edgar didn't know was that this was the first step he needed to break through his limitations and become something more. Something more dangerous. Something more powerful. A new phase that would catapult him to Trigon's level.
At this moment, following his instinct, Edgar had begun his transformation to the divine phase...
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