Ch 9: A Hero's Return

Just as Alastor seems incapacitated, Malum arrives to reclaim Vas Initio. Freezing everyone in place somehow, Malum gives Alastor the time he needs to recover. Can anyone stop them now?

            The Dark Gravity Zone faded, and able to stand properly again, Richter said, “Well that was unpleasant. Is everyone alright?” Awakening as Marcyl was still healing her, Mythra sat up with a groan and said, “I’ll live, not that I know what happened.” Relieved she was alright, with a smile Amy said, “Just another close call, nothing new.” Walking up to Alexander and the others, Fox was grinning smugly as he called out, “Hey, I resent that! Me and my partner here had it all along! Alastor didn’t stand a chance!” Glancing over at Fox in irritation, Serius muttered, “This partner business again?” As Fox just laughed it off, Alexander started to walk over to where Vas Initio laid. As he drew near it though, he stopped as a dark vortex opened beneath it. Unable to make it in time, he could only watch as Vas Initio sank into the dark vortex, and then a chill ran up his spine as he heard a creepy laugh. A voice called out to him, “Sorry, did you want that? Well, I’m afraid I have other plans for it.” 

Looking around frantically, Alexander thought, “I know that voice!” Sensing the strange fluctuation of EDE, Alexander turned to see Malum appear in the doorway of the ruined main school building, Vas Initio in hand. Staring at him in disbelief, Alexander quietly said, “Malum, The Duke of Lies…” Stepping out of the doorway and into the faint light being cast by the rising sun, Malum grinned creepily and said, “Hello Alexander, are you enjoying the outcome of our deal?” Leveling his sword at him, Alexander said, “Don’t patronize me! I still cannot believe I let myself be deceived all those years ago by a monster like you!” Waving a finger in the air, Malum said, “I clearly stated that whether or not there would be a price was completely up to you. Still, you both took the risk and offered yourselves body and soul, bursting with blind confidence! You got exactly what you deserved…”

            Gripping his sword’s handle tightly, Alexander cried out in rage and rushed at Malum. However, the villain simply held Vas Initio up before him, his creepy grin widening in triumph. As the burning sphere flashed brightly, Alexander stopped in place, suddenly unable to move from sheer terror. Then as the rest of Angelorum Lux were rushing to Alexander’s aid, Malum turned Vas Initio on them, and as it flashed again they all stopped, feeling as though they were paralyzed with inexplicable fear. Struggling with all his might to move, Fox said, “So… can anyone tell me why it feels like I’m suddenly watching one of those alien invasion flicks? That’s about the only thing that makes my hair stand on end like this…” 

Suddenly sensing another fluctuation of EDE, Alexander shifted his eyes in its direction to see Alastor step through a dark vortex. Still unable to move, Alexander muttered, “Things just got much worse.” Walking up to Alastor, Malum said, “You’ve lost your touch, you know?” Glaring at Fox briefly, Alastor turned to Malum and said, “Do not underestimate me. I was merely caught off guard.” Looking at Vas Initio as he stood there holding it in hand, Alastor added, “If you don’t mind, I would feel much better if you were to hand that over to me.” Offering Vas Initio to Alastor without hesitation, Malum quickly replied, “Of course…” Taking it from him, Alastor summoned up a dark vortex, and an anomaly rose up out of it. Turning to the anomaly, Alastor presented it with Vas Initio and said, “Take this to the Vinculus immediately.” Forming its bladed arms into humanoid arms and hands, the anomaly took Vas Initio from him and disappeared into the dark vortex it had come from.

            Forming his Ravenclaw blades, Malum said, “I’d say it’s time to conclude our business here, wouldn’t you Alastor?” Reforming Acerbitas Desiderium, Alastor looked at Alexander and the others, still frozen in place. Then he looked over to Marcyl’s group, whom Malum had not bothered to paralyze, and staring at Marcyl, he fixed his eyes on her scepter. Walking past the others with Malum in tow, Alastor said, “Not yet. There’s still a minor detail involving the rest of Vas Initio’s power.” Addressing Marcyl, Alastor called out, “If you are able, I strongly advise you to hand that item over to me, girl. It does not belong in the hands of a child like you.” Moving in front of Marcyl, Pyro raised her hands to snap her fingers as she shouted, “Go to hell!” Laughing creepily, Malum said, “I’m afraid we’re both already there. You’ll be joining us if you’re not careful!” 

As Johnny started to try and get up, Marcyl moved over to him and said, “No Johnny, you’ll hurt yourself!” Gritting his teeth, Johnny replied, “So what?! At this rate we’ll be dead anyway! Johnny Spark never goes down without a fight!” Awakening where she laid on the ground, Elizabeth looked up. As she saw the scene unfolding, Alastor and Malum closing in on Marcyl and the others, her eyes went wide. As she struggled to get up though, she suddenly sensed something. Turning her head in the direction of the aura she sensed, Elizabeth looked to the skies and saw a winged beast flying through the sky towards them. Staring out at the oncoming creature, she squinted, trying to see the people riding on it as she said, “It can’t be…”

            As they were closing in on Marcyl and her friends, Alastor and Malum sensed the aura as well. Turning their eyes to the air to see the cloud serpent, a beast with a white, scaled serpentine body and wide white feathered wings, they saw Xanth, riding upon its back clad in his black leather armor once more, level his trident at them. Evading just as Xanth’s purple Deathbeam carved a path of destruction across the ground where they had stood, as Alastor and Malum gathered EDE and prepared for battle, Alastor muttered, “What is it now?” Then the shadow of the cloud serpent passed over them, and leaping from its back, having been riding behind Xanth, Grey came down on them with blades drawn and True EDE aura ablaze as he shouted, “BASTAAAAARDS!” Both of them leaped away from each other as Grey struck, but channeling EDE into one of his blades, Grey recovered quickly and pivoted his body in Alastor’s direction, swinging his blade horizontally as he said, “Ein Soph Aur!” 

Charging Acerbitas Desiderium with EDE, Alastor raised it before him, blocking the mighty energy wave with its handle. No more able to stand against its driving force than Malum was before, Alastor went skidding backwards on his feet, and as he crashed into the side of the ruined main school building, he continued to struggle against it as he thought, “It’s the same energy as the sword enchantment that defeated me before! True EDE! And what is this aura of EDE interference? It’s as though it’s specifically targeted towards my air pressure barrier!” Malum leaped at Grey with his swords before he could turn around, but was quickly knocked from the air by a powerful kick from Xanth as he came around on the cloud serpent and leaped off to join Grey in battle. Bouncing across the ground, as he managed to flip back onto his feet, Malum muttered, “Quite the entrance…”

            Staring in disbelief at Grey standing back to back with Xanth, Pyro said, “He actually showed up!” Staring at Grey as well, feeling overwhelmed with joy and relief, Marcyl merrily said, “Yup! Told ya told ya! He’s here to save us just like he said!” Grinning, Johnny said, “Well he is my fated rival after all, though I have to admit his skills are impressive!” Walking over to them, Elizabeth said, “Yes, he might have made a better teacher than a student. We should leave this to them, let’s get you all out of here.” 

Meanwhile, over with Alexander and the others who were still frozen in fear, Amy was struggling to turn her head to look back, saying, “Alexander, I can’t see! Is it Grey?!” In a position where he could see from the corner of his eye, Alexander said, “Yes Amy, calm down. He’s just fine for the moment. It is Grey we’re talking about after all.” Still trying to move as well, Fox said, “That’s our hotshot for you, always showing up at the last second to steal the spotlight.” Rolling his eyes, Richter sarcastically said, “Yes, it’s a crime isn’t it? Here you were, putting on such a grand performance as you stood frozen in place like this!” Groaning, Mythra said, “I don’t care who’s in the proverbial spotlight, somebody just find a way out of this! My nose itches!” Concentrating on his senses in an attempt to figure out what was happening, Serius said, “I sense another aura with him. Just who else has come to our aid?” Grinning to himself, Alexander said, “I’m not sure you’d believe me if I told you.”

            Seeing Elizabeth leading Marcyl and the other students to safety, Alastor gathered his strength and finally deflected Grey’s Ein Soph Aur into the air. Raising his hand, as shadowy walls of darkness formed all around the area, Alastor called out, “No one is going anywhere.” Standing back to back with Xanth, Grey said, “Looks like we made it. Good thing the mechanic had a phone that could communicate with Effretia. So, think you can handle Malum for me? This other guy feels even more dangerous!” Glancing back at him, Xanth confidently replied, “Who do you think you’re talking to? I am the Son of Theraph! I fear no foe.” 

Smirking, Grey simply nodded, and both broke away from each other to launch their attack, Grey shouting, “Void Energy, Level 3!” Rushing at Alastor as his Void Energy erupted around him, Grey chanted, “Ego Voco Vos, Verus Acies!” His twin swords transforming and shining with radiant silver power, Grey felt even more strength surging through his body as his EDE control was boosted even further. Turning as Grey charged at him, Alastor quickly opened a dark vortex before him and said, “Vortex Cannon.” Shooting from the dark vortex, a powerful beam of Corrupted EDE shot out at Grey. Quickly Grey charged a sword with EDE, and charging straight at the beam he sliced into it, splitting it in half vertically. Breaking through as the halves trailed past him, Grey swung his blade and unleashed the stored energy as a wave of True EDE that sailed at Alastor. Deflecting the wave powerfully with his scythe, Alastor blocked with his weapon’s handle as Grey struck out. As they locked eyes, Alastor said, “It’s been awhile, Mr. Greyson. Though I suppose you don’t remember me, do you? We had such history together, it’s truly a shame.” Grinning defiantly, Grey replied, “Mind giving me your name then? Then I’ll know whose a*s I’m kicking!”

            Breaking away from Malum and jumping back, Xanth stabbed his trident into the ground and said, “Demonfire!” Shooting across the ground, three waves of demonic fire shot out at Malum, but raising a sword, he quickly chanted, “Hiems Ardua Monolitus.” Shooting from his blade’s tip, a thin blue line of icy energy struck the ground just in front of the oncoming flames, and as a great blue rune circle formed, a towering ice pillar rose from out of the ground. The streams of Demonfire exploded against the ice pillar, and slipping into a dark vortex while the pillar blocked Xanth’s view of him, Malum chanted, “Ego Voco Vos, Nox Acies.” Cracking near the base from Xanth’s attack, the pillar swiftly toppled over and came crashing down at Xanth, who hurried out of the way just before it smashed into the ground and sprayed ice everywhere. Predicting his surprise attack, Xanth turned about to block as Malum struck from behind, his blades glowing with the power of darkness. Blocking and evading over and over, as he finally knocked Malum away with a counterattack launched with all his demonic strength, Xanth said, “You’ll not best the Son of Theraph this day or any other!” 

Leaping back as Xanth charged him and swung his trident powerfully again, Malum laughed creepily as he said, “The Son of Theraph? Could such an irony even be possible? You do realize what your father was, don’t you? A Revenant in the service of Alexander of the Dark Crusade, he brought death to countless people in their name!” Starting to spin his trident, Xanth said, “My father was a man of honor and pride, his power unrivaled amongst my people! The day he was deceived and inducted into the Dark Crusade was the day his legacy ended, and in his name I shall take revenge on those who are truly responsible!” Spinning his trident before him, Xanth shouted, “Dreadwind!” The powerful winds around his trident became a mighty cyclone that tore its way outward at Malum, who quickly raised a blade and shouted, “Devil’s Summoning!” Shooting from his blade, a beam of burning darkness shot out to meet Xanth’s Dreadwind. The two attacks clashed in the air between them, struggling to break through.

            Ducking as Alastor swung his wicked scythe in a horizontal sweeping strike, Grey lunged forth with a counterattack. Leaping back and then into the air to avoid, Alastor channeled Corrupted EDE into his scythe and swung it down at Grey, who jumped back quickly as the scythe blade smashed through the ground and an explosion of darkness engulfed the area. As Alastor pulled his scythe out of the crater his attack had made in the ground, Grey started chanting, “Pluvia Eversio…” Channeling more energy into the scythe, Alastor swung it in the air and unleashed a wave of Corrupted EDE, but deflecting it with a spinning strike from one of his swords, Grey aimed the other blade and finished chanting, “…Vultus Terra! Additio Verus!” Shooting from the tip of his blade, arrows of nature energy cloaked in silver light raced across the distance at Alastor, but the villain merely flew out of the line of fire and into the skies on the wind itself. 

Using telekinesis to direct the arrows after Alastor, Grey flew into the air after them using his aura as he chanted, “Cesso, Certamen Quod Nisi Vestri Negandum Vires Super Totus Pro Vos, Valde Verus Mico!” Weaving through the air away from the arrows as they veered and swerved in pursuit like homing missiles, Alastor thought, “These arrows emit the same EDE interference! It’s specifically interfering with my air pressure barrier! Just like the way his True EDE based Additio nullified Dr. Nova’s Psycho Reject! Does this True EDE somehow adapt to his opponent?!” Finally Alastor turned and raised his hand, unleashing a barrage of wind blades at the arrows. Meeting in the air, the attacks met in a chain of explosions, but a single arrow slipped through and struck Alastor dead on. Upon impact the arrow not only exploded, but unleashed a sonic boom that amplified the impact and overloaded Alastor’s eardrums, stunning him. 

As he sailed through the sky, Grey appeared above Alastor in a blur of speed and struck with a crushing dropkick, sending him crashing through the already damaged roof of the main school building. Lying amongst a heap of rubble on the third floor, Alastor looked up through the broken roof as Grey aimed his sword down at him and chanted, “Iacio!” Forming around the tip of Grey’s blade, silver colored rune circles appeared and merged into a single silver rune circle, and erupting forth from it came a massive orb of True EDE, power crackling all around it. As the powerful attack came down on him, the red glow in Alastor’s eyes intensified as he shouted, “I WILL NOT FALL TO ANY POWER!”

            Struggling to maintain his Dreadwind against the might of Malum’s Devil’s Summoning, as he continued to spin his trident Xanth raised his hand and channeled demonic magic into it as he shouted, “Combustion!” The air of his Dreadwind became flammable gas and exploded into a fiery inferno, causing Malum’s attack to detonate as well. Using a burst of wind to speed through the flame and darkness of the two explosions, protected by his incredibly resilient skin, Xanth leaped out of the chaos and brought his trident down. Barely stepping aside, Malum was knocked away as an explosion of fire burst forth when Xanth’s trident struck the ground, losing his mask in the process. Getting up, Malum had his back to Xanth as he said, “Impressive. You use demonic magic to bypass your fire magic’s incantations and instantly detonate your gases, just like your father before you…” 

Pulling his trident from the crater his attack had made in the ground, Xanth said, “You seem rather weak for a servant of the Nameless One.” Laughing quietly, Malum said, “So quick to judge! My powers may be limited for now, but I still have a card or two up my sleeve…” Dropping into a battle stance, Xanth said, “Gather all the power you like, you will still answer for my father’s fate!” As Malum turned around, his form shifted, rippling like water and rearranging in an instant. Standing before Xanth now was an older looking demonfolk man with thick, twisted horns and bat-like wings which seemed shrouded in glowing blue and purple mist. His hair was long and gray, his eyes were violet, and he wore on his head a dark crown. Clad in a suit of black leather armor with a collar that looked like the bottom jaw of some carnivorous creature, in just one hand he held a large two handed sword with black blade and a guard that looked like the skull of some form of horned beast. Staring in shock, Xanth whispered, “Father…?” Raising his sword at Xanth and channeling EDE into it, Theraph said, “Hello, son…”

            As his massive orb of True EDE halted in its descent, Grey could sense a mighty aura of darkness erupting from Alastor. Struggling up off the floor of the main school building’s third story as he held the silver energy orb off with his bare hand, Alastor leaped from the hole in the roof and flung Grey’s attack aside. Looking up at Grey with intensity, Alastor muttered, “Haste.” As Alastor sped at him in a blur of speed, Grey quickly said, “Accelerate!” Moving as a blur of speed as well, Grey met Alastor in the air and both began to clash again and again. Then with a spinning strike, Alastor knocked Grey back and raised a hand, forming a spiral of corrupted swords that took aim and shot at Grey. Dodging and deflecting the swords, Grey started to chant, “Tripudio, Quinque Gladius…” 

Suddenly stopping in his chant as the skies darkened, Grey looked around to see dark vortexes forming, surrounding him on all sides and blocking his view from every direction. Then he heard Alastor shout, “Vortex Annihilation!” Power crackling within them momentarily, out of every one of the dark vortexes a beam of Corrupted EDE shot at Grey. Just as it seemed Alastor had won though, a swirling vortex of silver power erupted around Grey as he activated his Flux restriction ability, absorbing all the beams into it. The vortex collapsing back into his aura, Grey muttered, “That was almost too much…” Suddenly Alastor appeared before him in a blur of speed, and barely raising a sword to block, Grey found himself at a disadvantage as Alastor attacked furiously again and again. Clashing with Grey again and again, Alastor said, “No one shall stand in the way of the Second Truth! Not even you Mr. Greyson!”

            Alastor’s dark aura surging even more, Grey struggled to block and dodge his furious blows. Suddenly sensing the strange fluctuations of EDE, Grey broke away from Alastor as two dark vortexes appeared above him in the air on either side. The corrupted beams of Alastor’s Vortex Cannon shot out of them, piercing the air where he had been. Then Alastor quickly disappeared into a dark vortex, but seeing this, Grey concentrated on his senses in order to predict where he’d come out. Turning as soon as he sensed the strange fluctuation, Grey saw a vortex open, but as a beam of Corrupted EDE shot out of it he flew aside, having barely seen the energy gathering within it beforehand with the sixth sense of his silvered eyes. Dodging more and more Vortex Cannons as they opened, suddenly Alastor appeared from one and swung his scythe at Grey, unleashing the dark wind around it. 

Caught off guard, Grey was engulfed in the dark wind, black wind blades slashing at him. Taking several hits before finally blowing the dark wind away with a psychic shockwave, Grey raised his blades to block but was overwhelmed by Alastor’s strength as he brought Acerbitas Desiderium down in an overhead swing. Plummeting towards the ground, Grey tried to stop his descent, but appearing from a dark vortex yet again, Alastor sent him crashing hard into the ground with a downwards flying kick enhanced by a blast of pressurized air. Crashing hard into the ground, reeling in pain from Alastor’s attacks, Grey rolled away in an attempt to avoid as Alastor fired spheres of Corrupted EDE after him, and was blown bouncing across the ground as the spheres exploded. 

Struggling to his hands and knees, as Grey looked up, he saw Xanth standing frozen as Theraph was about to attack, and he quickly shouted, “LOOK OUT!” Coming to his senses, Xanth leaped aside as a purple Deathbeam shot from the tip of Theraph’s blade at him. Just as he’d struggled to one knee, Grey threw himself aside as swords of Corrupted EDE peppered the ground where he’d been. Rolling back to his feet, Grey came out next to Xanth, who had also just risen as well. Landing on the ground, dark aura ablaze and scythe at the ready, Alastor closed in on them from one side as Theraph closed in from the other. Glancing back at Grey as they stood back to back again, Xanth said, “You have my thanks for bringing me to my senses, but this does not bode well…” Channeling EDE into the scythe blade of Acerbitas Desiderium, Alastor said, “It’s over Mr. Greyson. Neither your friends nor that depleted trinket around your neck will save you this time.”