Moments later, Burt, Serbent, and Echo had found Jin and Apollo. Echo was praying for Apollo's death when Burt got out of the car and said:
"Jin, what happened?"
Jin stopped praying and replied:
"Langress Mcloucht killed Apollo."
Burt closed Apollo's eyes and said:
"Unfortunately for him, they must have run away by now. Damn it!"
Jin replied:
"Captain, what's our plan now?"
Burt said:
"Just pretend nothing happened. Remember, no one on the Heroic side believes what Langress says, he puts himself at a real disadvantage."
Jin replied:
"But what about prince Josh and the guy who always follows Langress?"
Burt said:
"Assassin them when possible, we won't let anyone know about our secret mission."
Everyone said in unison:
"Yes sir!"
They then took Apollo's body and quickly left. Back with the silly trio except for one guy who still has brains, Langress drove ahead and looked happy and excited about having a brand new sword. Josh and Will were driving behind, they always looked very suspicious about Langress's new sword. Josh and Will thought to themselves:
"What the hell is it really?"
Langress turned to look at their doubtful faces and said:
"Hey, what's wrong with you two? I'm fine, I don't want to leave you guys so hurry up."
Josh and Will were forced to drive faster next to Langress, but they still couldn't stop their suspicions. Moments later the trio returned to the base and they were surprised by how many AVF soldiers were at their base and set up a makeshift base outside. And as always, the first to receive them was always Bryant and Arenyx with their angry faces. Langress said with boredom:
"Here we go again."
Langress got off the motorcycle and said calmly:
"Yo."
And as always, Bryant yelled at Langress first:
"You know what I'm going to say, don't you. I can no longer accept much of your disorganization and stupidity. Are you trying to sabotage all of our efforts to protect humanity?"
Langress made a mockery of Bryant's voice as a joke, Bryant couldn't take it anymore and burst out:
"Now I understand why you're on the side of New Hope and all the Hybrids have to die, because you're the one who was the most careless to ruin it all."
Langress suddenly felt so angry that he punched Bryant in the face and sent him flying away and hitting the wall. Langress drew his sword and said angrily:
"The fuck you said?! Say it again."
Bryant tried to sit up and spit out the teeth broken from the punch, he tried to crawl away in fear as Langress approached. Josh and Will got off the motorbike and they ran to Langress, Josh said nervously:
"Real shit is happening already."
Arenyx pointed his gun at Langress's head and said:
"Stop this shit now."
Langress immediately grew claws and scratched Arenyx's face. Arenyx cried out in pain and tore off the skin of half of his face that had been scratched off. Langress went on and said sarcastically:
"Don't worry, Hybrid like you will recover soon."
Several Heroic soldiers immediately surrounded Langress and pointed guns at him. Langress simply said:
"Okay then, who first? Huh, tell me."
No one dared to speak up upon hearing Langress's challenge. Langress continued:
"Useless people, just killed a single person and couldn't do it."
Langress just walked past the soldiers to go to Bryant. Langress said in a haunting voice:
"You say I'm the reason the New Hope faction fell? Let me tell you again, it's thanks to me that the New Hope faction survived. Yes, just me, the New Hope faction will last forever. What a bunch of useless people just waiting and sending all of us, the Hybrids to war like pawns for each of their bloody battles. We've been mercenaries from the beginning and protecting humanity is just a bullshit and noble excuse of the New Hope faction to let those selfish people go to Heaven."
Langress thrust his sword down to block Bryant's path and continued in an even more terrifying voice:
"Then let's see after so many of our deaths, can you go to Heaven now?!"
Langress immediately pulled out his sword up to stab Bryant but suddenly Jonathan ran to his defense and sincerely said:
"Langress, please stop your rage and madness."
Langress also suddenly hesitated, he said:
"Go away Jonathan. This has nothing to do with you."
Jonathan replied:
"You can kill all the bad guys, but please don't get your hands stained with innocent blood."
Langress said:
"You can't understand everything. You haven't been through this terrible thing."
Jonathan replied:
"I've been through it before. I had to kill a vampire infant thirty years ago. It looked innocent but there was nothing I could do to protect it. So I became a priest and suffered this obsession forever."
Langress became hesitant and stepped back, he dropped his sword to the ground and couldn't help but be shocked at the terrible truth. Josh quickly knocked Langress out and he fell to the ground. Jonathan helped Bryant to his feet and Bryant said:
"Thank you Father, for saving me."
Jonathan replied:
"Heal your wounds and rest. My apologies but I need to go now."
Jonathan quickly left for the church in the base. Josh and Will looked at him with concern for Jonathan's mood. Will thought to himself:
"Father Jonathan?"
Moments later in the infirmary, Langress slowly regained consciousness and looked up at the ceiling, he said wearily:
"Ah fuck, it feels like someone just hit my head really hard."
Langress looked to the left and saw many soldiers resting, they were all very badly injured and had to bandage their amputated limbs. Langress thought to himself:
"Worse than I thought."
Then at the top of the hallway were Dr Anita, Josh and Will, who were observing Langress's Devil's Blood Tachi. Langress slowly sat up and walked over to them before they even realized it. Anita said:
"So, you mean this sword is slowly transforming Langress, becoming more aggressive and cruel?"
Josh replied:
"Yeah, don't you see Langress's recent strange behavior?"
Anita shrugged and said:
"His attitude is already harsh and toxic"
Will was searching the Internet, suddenly he held out his phone for Anita and Josh to see, he said in panic:
"What the hell? Look at it. You guys have no idea how bloody and horrible the history of this sword is."
Will showed them how much horror information about the sword, he said:
"See, an entire clan has been horribly slain, the heads of hundreds of people have been cut off by it. And if that symbol is still on the end of the blade, then a demon dwells in it."
Langress replied suddenly:
"What the fuck?"
Will screamed in fear and fell to the floor. Josh and Anita were startled and he said:
"Uhh, nothing. We just really liked your sword and were looking at it for a bit."
Langress replied:
"Yeah, whatever. Remember to put it away when you're done looking. Anyways, do you know where Jonathan is?"
Anita said awkwardly:
"Out of the corridor, turn left and go straight to the end. There's a room with a cross above it, that's the base church."
Langress replied:
"Sure."
Langress said nothing more and left to go there. Josh pulled Will up into a chair and said:
"Geez, I can't even feel him nearby. Will, you fine?"
Will replied while his voice was still trembling:
"I'm..fi...ne."
Langress walked down the corridor with hateful and angry eyes on him, everyone just wanted to make way for him because they didn't want any trouble to mess with him. But Langress was as stubborn as ever, he didn't feel any remorse or guilt for his violent and cruel actions, and he didn't have time to care about that. Langress went on arrogantly and whistled like a joke to everyone around. At the black tower at the Predator base, Baphomet and his generals, including Astaroth and Lucilith, were dining at a long table,
with a lot of luxurious and expensive dishes and of course a glass of fresh blood. From the moment Astaroth was awakened, there was not a day when Lancerlord had been able to trust or respect him, not even an honor given to him. Astaroth's presence was too redundant and unnecessary in destroying the Heroic and Langress factions, rather Lancerlord must be the only one who can confront Langress. While everyone was eating normally, Baphomet could only drink blood but he was busy thinking about more plans, Lancerlord kept looking at Astaroth eating and drinking freely with cold and gruff eyes while he did not touch anything. Lucilith knows that but she doesn't say anything because she doesn't care about him anymore. Suddenly Astaroth said calmly:
"Lancerlord, wine please."
Lancerlord's face turned even more angry, but Lucilith said coldly:
"Lancerlord, just listen to him."
Lancerlord tried to hold back his anger, then stood up and took the bottle of wine over to Astaroth. Baphomet understood that to Lancerlord this was nothing but humiliation. Lancerlord just like that placed the bottle of wine blatantly beside Astaroth and left. But Astaroth continued:
"Why don't you pour me wine? Do it now."
Lancerlord grew even more enraged and everyone knew he could no longer hold it. But suddenly Lancerlord picked up the bottle of wine and poured all the wine on Astaroth's head, an act so reckless and stupid of his that surprised everyone and worried for his life. Lancerlord threw away the bottle of wine and said:
"Enjoy it."
Astaroth remained very calm and continued to eat well, which also angered Lancerlord because he wanted to be able to kill Astaroth at any moment, even now. Lucilith took a tissue and wiped the wine from Astaroth's hair, she said seductively:
"Oh darling, the uglier your hair, the hotter it gets."
Astaroth smiled satisfied and said:
"Then I guess you'll want it when my hair is covered in blood."
Lancelord said nothing and returned to his seat with a gruff face. Sitting down and grabbing a fork to stir foods on his plate, Lancerlord didn't seem to want to eat anything. Suddenly Astaroth said:
"So The Betrayer, tell me more about your achievements, please."
Lancerlord put down his fork angrily and dejectedly, he replied grudgingly:
"Once again, my name is Lancerlord Ambyx, speak it right."
Astaroth said mockingly:
"I prefer your name The Betrayer. You must have done something to get that name, right?"
Lancerlord replied:
"What do you know?"
Astaroth said sarcastically:
"I was told by someone that you killed all your comrades and brothers in the rebel faction a thousand years ago, to be able to join the Predator faction you really did an impressive thing."
Lancerlord understood this was Astaroth's trick to make himself attack first so he said calmly:
"Kill a lot of people, have no mercy for both your enemies and your men and always leave one to tell and haunt my nightmare forever. That's all."
Astaroth replied:
"Like that guy named Langress Mcloucht? You must have been so close that you let him be the last survivor."
Lancerlord said:
"You just need to know that he's the last man in the world I want to kill. Not a prey for your game. Now shut up."
Astaroth replied:
"You let him live after he woke up, why?"
Lancerlord replied:
"It's not your problem. Go and focus on your job, if you want to kill him, kill him right next time and then retreat in cowardice like today."
Astaroth was enraged, he was attacked by AVF soldiers this morning and retreating was his greatest disgrace only after being defeated and sealed by the Mesopotamians. Astaroth remained surprisingly calm and said:
"Then you must really want to kill him, why don't you kill him tomorrow? I'm very interested in that and would gladly leave him to you."
Lancerlord, knowing that Astaroth considered himself a coward, he replied in concern:
"About that..."
Astaroth understood that Lancerlord had something to do with Langress, he provoked him:
"Ah I knew it. You know you were never powerful enough to face Langress. Honestly, that reckless guy was really too daring to confront me even though he was so weak."
Lancelord stood up and angrily said:
"Then I'll kill Langress, once and for all! And you'll be out of here forever with your slut!"
Astaroth smiled evilly and replied:
"Good, that's the spirit. I can't wait for that battle."
The more Lancerlord was inclined to fight Astaroth immediately, but Baphomet promptly said:
"Lancerlord, sit down and stop talking rudely to our guests."
Astaroth looked pleased and Lancerlord threw all the plates away, then he said angrily:
"You should just die."
Lancerlord angrily left to his room on the eighth floor. Neither did the others in the room risk confronting Astaroth, Mimic, Locker, and Robzin having seen one of his "Stare of Death" and saw their nightmares and death under Hell. Astaroth's Stare of Death was an ability he didn't need training to have, it's been there since he was born, with just one glance, the victim will witness all the most terrible things happen to them. But that didn't matter to Baphomet, more than a dozen times looking into Astaroth's eyes of Hell, he was still as strong as he was probably seeing all the worst in the world. Back to Langress, he had arrived at the church. Langress slowly opened the door and entered the church, this place had two rows of long wooden armchairs on either side and left a path in the middle leading to a pulpit. Above the wall was a large cross and glass doors decorated with angels. There was a man sitting in the front row and praying, Langress slowly approached him. When he got close to the man, it was really Jonathan. Langress was about to start a conversation but he decided to shut up so he could finish his prayer and then sit behind him. A moment later, Jonathan opened his eyes and stood up, he turned back to see Langress and said:
"Oh Langress, it's very rare to see you here."
Langress replied:
"Nothing, I just wanted to tell you that..."
Langress hesitated, but Jonathan calmly said:
"What is it Langress?"
Langress again decided not to speak, he said:
"Nothing, forget it."
Jonathan sat down across from him and replied:
"Then I'll wait until you say it."
Langress crossed his arms and looked at Jonathan, who looked so calm and patient that irritated him and said:
"Fine. I want to ask you, is your story true? Did you really kill an infant?"
Jonathan pondered a bit and then said:
"Yes, I did. I had to actually do it."
Langress said:
"What happened on that day?"
Jonathan sighed heavily and replied with some concern:
"It was a night like any other hunt, I participated in a hunt as usual. The mission that day was to catch a bunch of vampire criminals and I quickly found and killed them all. But until I accidentally heard the cry of a newborn baby in my bedroom, I was so shocked that I had never seen this before. A baby, he still didn't understand what was going on and just smiled at me like his father. But the requirement of the mission is always to kill everyone, no one is spared and the child must be killed. If I hadn't, the other hunters would have killed the child as well. And then... I won't tell that again, but I felt so guilty after that night, I decided to become a priest, I just want to baptize everyone and serve God as a man of peace. But I will never forget and forgive myself for that sin."
Suddenly, the sixty-year-old man burst into tears and collapsed, Langress was surprised when a man who was strong, tough and brave before his blade of death cried like a broken man. Langress slowly tapped Jonathan on the right shoulder to comfort him, then he said:
"I'm sorry."
Langress said sorry, he didn't even know the meaning of the word sorry and he just understood it would make things better. Langress said:
"I've always thought selfishly for myself. But I don't think there are people who suffer more than me."
Langress looked up at the cross and continued:
"You have lived a very good life during those painful years. You are much braver than I am. All I have left is hatred and rage within me to be able to continue living."
Langress clenched his right fist and stood up, but his left hand still wouldn't let go of Jonathan, he said:
"This is my only way to end it all. I will have to keep fighting and slaying in chaos to escape this eternal nightmare. I will kill Lancerlord."
Jonathan wiped his tears and stood up, he replied:
"I understand that and I can't stop you, Langress. But I just want to say that hatred and revenge will bring nothing better, but more suffering. As you embark on a journey of vengeance, dig two graves, one for your enemies, one for yourself."
Langress nodded and understood what he was going to do. Then Jonathan took Langress's cross necklace out of his neck and put it in his palm, he said:
"I was once taken over by greed and evil and regretted it forever. I just hope you don't become someone like me again."
Langress looked at the crucifix in his palm, he still didn't understand what it meant and only knew it was a very sacred symbol. At the same time, Lancerlord was in his room. After being bitterly angered, he took out a cross necklace from under his pillow and picked it up. Langress and Lancerlord were now face to face with each other, both knowing that the upcoming battle would be a fateful battle between them and nothing could stop them. They raised the cross and whispered together:
"God, please forgive me."
For Langress, God meant nothing to him but this time he asked God for forgiveness not because he was religious or asking for forgiveness for his sins, but the deliverance of his wicked self. And for Lancerlord, his plea for God's forgiveness was his hope of regaining his name and who he was and that he still wished to be freed from his sins. That day had come, the day Langress and Lancerlord would have to meet again for a fateful battle. Langress and Lancerlord were topless and they were arming them with a lot of weapons. The song "Black Sun" composed by Kenta Matsukuma was played in this heavy, painful, hateful and tragic atmosphere. Langress wore a dark red shirt then wore a crossed dual back brown scabbard. He sheathed two long-bladed daggers into his scabbards and wore mechanical gauntlets on his forearms. Langress then wore a black belt and tied his right hip with a chain of five silver mechanical knives and then wore a control bracelet on his wrist. To the left of his belt, he tied a vial of holy water, a small silver cross that could draw a small knife and a rope with hook. Langress checked the power control armcuff on his left upper arm and then put on a black leather jacket to hide all the weapons inside. Then he wore a leg holster on his right thigh and tucked into a dagger then he put on boots and fastened them. Langress wore a black fingerless glove and his fingers clenched as if he were very angry. Then Langress put on knee guards then put the Devil's Blood Tachi into the guitar case and he looked at it coldly then closed the case. Finally Langress put on Jonathan's cross necklace and his eyes were filled with determination and hatred. On Lancerlord's side, he wore a black shirt then crossed dual back black scabbard. He sheathed two short swords and put on his gray coat. Lancerlord then put a belt and knife holster around it to bring in six daggers. He continued to wear two knife holsters on his thighs and inserted two daggers. Lancerlord put on his boots and fastened them then he wore a gray fingerless glove and his fingers clenched in anger. Lancerlord wore one shoulder armor and one arm shoulder on left hand and knee guards. Lancerlord then picked up Langress's Alpha God sword and looked at it, he knew he would never be worthy of its choice and that one day, the sword would return to its true owner. He simply tied the sword with a piece of cloth at his left waist as not a single scabbard could hold the blade. Finally, Lancerlord put on a necklace with a silver shield with the sun in the center and a sword embedded in the shield, the symbol of the former New Hope faction. His eyes were filled with tragic and angry. Langress and Lancerlord were ready for this battle. Langress went outside the base and got on his motorcycle, no one around not even Bryant or Arenyx wanted to ask where he was going or stop him. Langress didn't care and was about to drive away but Will suddenly sat on the back seat of his motorcycle and said:
"Let's go."
Langress replied:
"Really? Are you sure you want to go? It's going to be a dangerous trip."
Will nodded wryly even though he was scared, he said:
"Yeah, I'm sure. I'm also carrying Boss Luca's weapon for defense."
Josh was also present, he said:
"This is your own problem so I won't interfere. And I need to deal with mine too. So I'm here to say good luck to you,"
Langress smiled lightly and replied:
"Alright then, let's go."
Langress and Josh started their motorcycles and drove away, Langress and Will drove into New York City and Josh drove out of New York City. Lancerlord walked out with six of his vampire soldiers, they were mere soldiers then he said:
"Let's move."
Lancerlord spread his wings and flew away with six soldiers behind him. Astaroth stood outside on the balcony and smiled triumphantly at Lancerlord while hugging Lucilith's waist. While Lucilith was a little sad for him. Jonathan was in the church and he was praying for the fateful battle, he said:
"May God forgive them."