Читать книгу GATES OF DIVINITY - TOI BLASIER - Страница 13

All of Heaven was a battlefield, angels and fallen angels were savagely cutting each other down. The brilliant light of Heaven dimmed by the countless celestial combatants blanketing the entire sky in combat as well as on Heaven’s terrain. Eviscerated celestial bodies littered the heavenly arena like leaves during the autumn season. Amid it all, both sides fought passionately for what they believed to be righteous. The angels fought with grace and stoic precision, while their counterparts “The Fallen”, fought with raw savagery.

Archangel Raphael cast his healing powers onto one of the angels that had fallen in battle, but it was too late. His injuries were too severe. He took a step back and looked up to the sky and observed that the multitude of bodies falling from the sky looked like the ash from a volcanic eruption. His thoughts were quickly interrupted as a body fell before him and a Fallen was in pursuit to deliver a killing blow. Raphael reacted instinctively and severed the Fallen into two halves with his sword. Deep down inside it brought Raphael tremendous grief knowing that the Fallen were once his brethren as well. “Oh brother, how you have all fallen…” he whispered somberly. He reached down and began healing the angel that had just crashed in front of him.

In the great banquet hall of the Palace of the MorningStar, in the circle of Pandemonium, two figures were seated at the table holding each other in contempt. “I don’t understand why Lucifer would not want his Grand General by his side on the battlefield!” Satanachia griped. “How about you just shut up and eat this feast that I have prepared.” Lucifuge Rofocale chastised. “How can you think about food during a time like this?” Satanachia inquired. “We are not a part of this war, not to mention, we do not even have the means to get to the gates. We do not have wings, you simpleton! That is why it’s an angel affair because they can fly out of here unlike us. So, put a sock in it and be done with this obsession!” Lucifuge Rofocale asserted. “I hate you, you dumb goat!” Satanachia exclaimed under his breath. “What was that?” Lucifuge Rofocale demanded. “Never mind. Nothing.” Satanachia mumbled. Then, The Grand General had an epiphany. Asteroth was participating in the war, but he left his dragon in Hell. “Satanachia, what are you thinking?” Lucifuge Rofocale interrogated. “Don’t worry about it. This does not involve you, nor your silly little hat.” Satanachia stated flatly. “You will start showing me some respect, Grand General! I am the Prime Minister, and I will not tolerate your insolence any longer!” Lucifuge Rofocale proclaimed. Satanachia ignored him and rose out of his seat and began heading for the exit. Lucifuge Rofocale sprang up and seized him by the upper arm. Satanachia instantly reacted by backhanding him to floor. Without pause, he continued to exit the palace. “Beelzebub will be hearing about this!” Lucifuge Rofocale called out desperately.

Satanachia headed straight for Asteroth’s dragon. He made his presence known to the beast as a formality and then mounted it. Once the two understood each other, he rode the dragon all the way to the gates of Hell, where the beast would go no further. He dismounted and leapt onto the gate and began to climb it to the top. He perched at the finial and reveled in the sights before him. He seemed to be completely unnoticed at this point and would use that to his advantage. He spots Archangel Michael near the gates of Hell and realizes that a better opportunity could not have presented itself. He wastes no time and lunges for him. Before his feet even left his perch, someone did notice him and acted. Zophiel had spotted him early enough and launched a spear at him, piercing him through the shoulder and knocking him off the gate and into a deadfall back into Hell.

As the war raged on, Lucifer was engaged by three angels at once. Lucifer possessed a thirst for victory that heightened his skills in combat. The match of three on one was no contest for Lucifer. He cut them down with swift finesse. As their bodies crumbled into a bloody heap, the Archangel Gabriel had been revealed at the ready. Gabriel raised his sword to Lucifer to invite him to commence combat with him. Lucifer cracked a smile as he relished in this moment. “Let’s go, pretty boy.” Lucifer stated in a snide tone. They faced off for but a moment and commenced their engagement. Gabriel maintains a defensive posture as Lucifer advances with a series of evasive maneuvering. Gabriel realizes he made a mistake assuming evil would strike first, and that Lucifer’s initial plan was simply to close the distance between them. He quickly disrupts Lucifer’s strategy by going on the offensive. Lucifer is quick to realize this and alters his approach only to create an even playing field between the two. As the two duel, they appear to be evenly matched as their fight takes on the appearance of a dance than it does combat. Their swords create a continuous rhythm of clashes and clangs that can only be described as the music of battle. The two effortlessly anticipated each other’s moves and they remained in a stalemate for a lengthy time. The only thing either one of them could rely on is who would get complacent first. It was not a matter of if, but when. Their fight continued with a considerable series of thrusts, slices, kicks and punches, but to no avail, the fight remains stagnant. Gabriel is the first to get frustrated and comes up with a plan. During their flurry of attacks and parries, Gabriel takes a deliberate step back while he is on the offensive to confuse his opponent. Leaving Lucifer open for a well-placed thrust kick to the gut, followed up by an uppercut elbow to the chin and a calculated thrust punch to Lucifer’s face as it rebounds back from the uppercut. Lucifer stumbles back a few steps and Gabriel drew his sword back for an over-head strike to finish off Lucifer. The first angel suffers no fools and knew what was coming. He effortlessly sidesteps Gabriel’s overhead strike and with prudent calculation stomps on Gabriel’s sword, breaking it at the hilt. Lucifer was sure to follow up his kick with a swift upward strike of his own blade. Gabriel’s surprise at the turn of events cost him on his reaction time. He still managed to evade Lucifer’s fatal blow, but his sword still struck him. The tip of his sword lacerated his face from his left cheek to his brow. Gabriel immediately grasped his face as his head whipped back to reveal Archangel Michael standing behind him. Lucifer walked past Gabriel like he did not matter anymore to face off with Michael. As Lucifer stepped up to him, Michael explains “This is not going to go the way you think.” To which Lucifer simply scoffs. Their gazes meet and in a nonverbal acknowledgement they initiate their battle. The beginning of the battle starts off with graceful strategy on both sides in an almost rhythmic exchange of attacks and counters. Their precise parries and ripostes created a sound that could almost be described as sub-atomic ringing. Continuously they battled with neither one gaining an advantage. In due time, Lucifer’s frustration began to increase. The more he got frustrated the more mistakes he began to make. With every little mistake he made, Michael was sure to leave him with a nick on his body. Each wound served as a reminder for Lucifer that Michael had an opportunity to end him. Lucifer refused to be toyed with and lost his temper. He stepped away from the fight and glared at Michael. “I can keep this up for eternity, can you?” Michael assured his opponent. Lucifer dropped his sword and raised his arms out. The expression on his face turned from ire to maniacal rapture. The blood from the wounds on his arms began to vine towards the palms of his hands. He stretched out his fingers and three Fallen from each side of him answered his call. Michael patiently waited for Lucifer to concede this fruitless endeavor. The Fallen angels joined hands with Lucifer, and he absorbed them through the blood vines that had formed on his arms. What Michael observed next was ungodly. The physical forms of the Fallen angels began to deconstruct and merge with their master. The indistinguishable mounds of flesh and bone began to twist and wrap around each other and take on another form. The mass began to take shape into a large beast. As the transformation progressed, all the skin tissue stretched and ripped revealing countless areas of exposed musculature. The whole surface of the body thus far appeared to be covered in coagulated blood. The bulbous body appeared to have four legs and began sprouting seven long necks with crowned dragon heads. Finally wings sprouted out of the back of the seven headed dragon, eclipsing the light from all in close proximity. Michael stood impassive and unamused. He glanced to his left and right and gave a resolute nod and his fellow Seraphim stepped forward from behind him. Gabriel pulled a sword from one of the corpses to replace the one Lucifer had destroyed earlier. Michael now stood before the great dragon with three Seraphim on either side of him.

The dragon initiated the fight by flapping its massive wings into a forward motion that raised it off the ground and causing a strong gust of wind directed at the angels. They extended their wings out to slow the push of the wind and to stabilize their footing. Upon securing their balance, the dragon dropped down and created a shockwave that did knock them off-balance. The dragon seizes this opportunity right away and charges forth to initiate an immediate attack on the recovering angels. The seven heads of the dragon waste no time attacking. They attempt to overwhelm the angels by using all seven of their heads to snap them from various vantage points. Steadfast, the Seraphim hold their ground and deflect every variable attack the dragon attempts. After a few more attempts by the dragon, through the power of nonverbal communication, Michael nods an approval to the Seraphim that only they understand. Once the dragon gives pause, the Seraphim sheath their swords and stand quietly before the dragon. The dragon perceives their actions as surrender and each head wastes no time swallowing one of the angels. They bring their heads back up and begin to ingest the angels, but then they all pause again, and their eyes widen. It appears like they are choking and then all their sounds are muted as a sword protrudes out the side of each of their necks and slices all the way around. It takes a few short moments before each head slides off with a wet gelatinous slough. The angels emerge out of the dragon’s neck into the air with raised wings and swords victoriously and glide back down to the ground. A gurgling sound emanates from the dragon’s abdomen and movement can be seen beneath the cobbled flesh. Michael walks over to its stomach and swiftly slices it open. Lucifer pours out with the visceral liquid and innards and rolls over and gasps in exhaustion. “This is not the end, brother.” Lucifer defiantly mutters. “It is for you, Lucifer.” Michael assures him. Lucifer forces himself out of the remains of the dragon and only has enough strength to push himself up off the ground with his arms and gives Michal a defiant look. Michael takes a few steps back “Your sentence begins now.” He said unfeigned and calmly. Next to Lucifer, the ground opens, and Abaddon emerges and slams his massive metacarpus on top of Lucifer. Michael gives Abaddon an approving nod and he reciprocates as he returns through the hole in the ground. When he lifted his large hand back up, Lucifer was nowhere to be seen and all could only presume that he had already been sent to the bottomless pit.

The remaining Fallen angels were caught up in mass confusion as they did not understand what was going to happen next. Chains and shackles shot up from below them and immediately bound them. The chains tighten around them in unison and pulled them into Sagun where they were to remain bound until their judgment day. Thus, began the thousand years of peace.