66. Agony
Vance and Eden both shrieked as they watched their friend's arm splat
to the ground. The blood was too much to bear, and Eden unconsciously turned toward
Vance's chest. The Albavitrean continued to watch, although not by choice – he simply
couldn’t move.
"Dear me, dear me, dear me, ladies and gentlemen!" Trunculo
interjected. "Mephistoclessia and Cliff are really pulling out all the stops
here! But who's gonna come out on top? That still remains to be seen...so keep
your eyes glued to the screen!"
"This..." Cliff grunted through gritted teeth. "This
isn't over..."
"Oh, is that so?" Mephistoclessia spread her tendrils out along
his body. "And what are you going to stop me with? Your bare fist?
Don't make me laugh."
Cliff fell to his knees, but struggled to keep from collapsing. She
hasn't caught on yet...she hasn't figured out that I can absorb her psynergy...in
that respect, I still have the upper hand!
Mephistoclessia cackled as her psynergy threads whipped Cliff's body, lacerating
it from every angle.
Bear it...Cliff grunted
in pain as he held his shotgun close to his body and absorbed all he could get.
All I need to do is bear it. If I can take this for just a little bit longer...this
meaningless, insignificant pain...then I'll have a chance at redemption!
The Rat loomed over the fallen Knight
*************
Captain, floating high above the streets of Enmetropolis.
Cecilia's wide-ranged gravity blasts had destroyed the residential district
around her, but Ravi had continued to match her blow for blow. Most of the
citizens had fled, but there were still some stragglers seeking cover. Ravi scrambled
around trying to protect them, which had distracted her from the real danger at
hand. Now, she climbed out of yet another of Cecilia's gravity craters,
standing back up to face her foe again.
"You knew about the seven limbs of Yoga..." Ravi called up,
as she folded back her hands and placed them at the base of her spine. "But
do you also know about the seven chakra seals?"
"Seals that can be manipulated and opened through intense training,
allowing the energy flow of one's body to speed up and become more
powerful," Cecilia answered proudly. "I'd certainly love to sample their
effects."
"Muladhara....I release you!"
A red light exploded from the base of Ravi's spine, and she leapt upward
with astounding speed. Before Cecilia could react, the yoga master dealt a firm
kick to her stomach, and the Sheep went flying into a nearby building. Cecilia
exploded through windows, plaster walls and finally burst out through the opposite
side. After straightening herself out, Cecilia re-activated her anti-gravity field
and came to a stop in mid-air.
Now that she’d experienced the heightened abilities of her opponent, Cecilia
could no longer keep up her coquettish demeanor. Her thin lips were taught, and
her eyes were wide, frantically scanning the area.
As Cecilia continued searching, Ravi flipped off the roof of the building
and came sailing down with a heel outstretched. Cecilia tried to dodge, but
again she was too slow, and Ravi caught her hard on the chest. Soon, both of them
were sailing down toward the ground, with Cecilia desperate just to keep her ribcage
from shattering. After a second, the two women went crashing into the pavement.
Ravi stepped off Cecilia's stomach. The Sheep’s glasses lay cracked and
broken across her distorted face as she desperately gasped for air and coughed
up blood.
The Knight frowned. "I see you blocked most of that with your psynergy.
What pushes you on, Cecilia Schroeder? Why do you continue to fight a battle that
you know is wrong? Why waste your life like this?"
"You...wouldn't understand..." Cecilia sputtered.
"Try me."
"I want to know the secrets of the universe..." Cecilia whispered.
"I have to...it's been my only true dream, as long as I've lived...I want
to see the space-time continuum with my own eyes..."
"Even if it means the death of countless people?" Ravi's
voice was cold.
Cecilia grinned with bloody teeth. "What have any of those people ever
done for me?"
Gravity warped once more around the two women, and Ravi was knocked off
balance. She could feel Cecilia's suffocating aura expanding through the street
as she struggled to keep her body still, heavy force weighing down her shoulders.
Ravi's bones began to creak and whine under the pressure, and soon, Cecilia picked
herself up.
Ravi withstood the
*************
pain as Mephistoclessia's relentless attacks continued to flay Cliff's skin.
"He just won't give up!" Trunculo shouted. "Look at him,
folks! What willpower...it seems as if our friend Cliff Walden is far from finished!"
Just a little more. Cliff
closed his eyes, feeling the power within his shotgun rise and pulsate. I need
to make sure I have enough to finish her!
"This is terrible," Edward sighed. "They should have
rules against torture!"
Strangely enough, Phileas didn't jump in with any detailed commentary this
time. The doctor was staring down intently at the arena, sweat pouring down his
forehead.
Below, one of Mephistoclessia's threads had just finished slashing out
at Cliff's Achilles tendon. Cliff cried out and fell down to his left knee, but
continued to absorb the excess psynergy from the attack.
This is it... Cliff
struggled to stay up as his vision faded. I’m out of time!
"I'm so tempted to cut the rest of your limbs off..." Mephistoclessia
laughed, "but I don't want to rush things."
"You lose." Cliff's voice was firm as he lifted his shotgun
up and pointed the nozzle at his enemy's stomach. "Now die!"
The barrel of the shotgun ripped to pieces as it exploded a second time,
releasing the combined psynergy from all of Mephistoclessia's attacks. A sizzling
beam hit the unprepared Zodiac head-on, and she was thrown backwards like a rag
doll.
"Once again, Cliff pulled another trick out of nowhere!"
Trunculo shouted. "Could this be the end for Mephistoclessia?!"
Cliff slowly crawled over to his enemy and crouched over her smoldering
body. His blast had hollowed out most of her abdomen, and her limbs were in
pieces.
"You've been absorbing...my psynergy?" Mephistoclessia croaked.
Cliff wiped the blood out of his eyes and stared down at his opponent.
"I'm a sinner just like you...the only difference is that I have hope. I
don't just let my pain, sorrow, and suffering pile up inside me, I release it,
and use it for something better. You've lost, Mephistoclessia!"
Cliff brought down the stock of his shotgun onto Mephistoclessia's mask
and shattered it to pieces. Small white shards trickled off gnarled, rotten
bones, until Cliff finally got a clear view of the woman's true face.
"No..." Cliff stammered, unable to wrap his mind around what
he was seeing. "No...this can’t be!"
Cliff stared down at a warped human skull – two black, eyeless holes,
followed by a triangular hollowed-out nose and a putrid, gaping mouth. His eyes
swam over her body, but beneath all the holes in her outfit, it was all the same.
Everywhere he looked, he saw nothing but decayed, lifeless bone. The rancid
smell of rot flooded Cliff's senses, and he swooned.
"A corpse..." Cliff gasped. "But if this is a corpse, that
means..."
Silently, Mephistoclessia's severed arm flew up from the tile and went sailing
toward Cliff's back. As the vice-captain started down in disbelief, the
grotesque hand dug its way through his inner organs.
Soon, the naked, blood-splattered hand of Mephistoclessia burst out of
Cliff’s chest. It slowly bent four of its five fingers, leaving none but the middle
one pointing up at his face.
"An eye...for an eye..." Mephistoclessia's skull rasped, as
Cliff's body began to shut down. The vice-captain of the 4th division
of Dimensional Knights fell backwards, and then both fighters were still.
*
From the top of the stadium stands, Grayson Lee watched the battle end.
Soon after Trunculo called the count, a hunched-over figure in black came scurrying
up to the Snake. It looked like a person, but Grayson knew that whatever lurked
beneath the cloth was nothing of the sort. Well, that wasn't entirely true. It had
been a human once, until it was devoured by the prolific Dr. Phileas. Now, it was
just one of the corpses he had synchronized himself with.
Grayson traced the path of masked psynergy leading from the corpse all the
way to the doctor himself, who sat far on the other side of the arena. This
psynergy, while minute and difficult to detect, was actually a powerful psychic
link that allowed Phileas to control the dead bodies he devoured.
"I know that was your favorite. It's unfortunate," Grayson said
to the puppet, "but don't fret. After the tournament, you'll have a variety
of new specimens to choose from."
"We loved each other." A ghostly voice emanated from the dark
figure. "She dedicated herself to me, before the sickness took her...she
has served us well."
"He hid a frightening ability from you," Grayson said with a
smirk, "but you still managed to come out on top. I'm impressed."
The corpse shifted toward Grayson and the black robes swayed downward,
as if emulating a strange sort of bow. "Why thank you."
"That goes for all your work as of late," the Snake went on.
"You've been a very busy worker bee, doctor, and I was wondering...if time
permits, would it be possible for me to stop by and greet your guests?"
The black cloth quivered. "Absolutely. Please, come right this way..."
*
Vance grasped the handle of the door that led out to the arena and gave
it a sharp jerk.
"Dammit!" Vance shouted, trying to force the sealed door open.
"Cliff's dying out there! Aren't they going to do something?!"
"What an amazing finish!" Trunculo stood up from his seat and
clapped his hands slowly as he surveyed the damage. "Both of these warriors
have fought their very hardest! But Mephistoclessia was the one who fell first,
so that means that this round's winner is...Cliff Walden!"
The crowd was still shocked by the recent turn of events, so there were
very few cheers to be heard. The holographic screens all zoomed in on the
disgusting corpse of Mephistoclessia, showcasing her gory glory.
"We'll take Mr. Walden away immediately!" Trunculo snapped his
fingers, and soon a medical team with a stretcher came out of a door. "Hopefully,
he'll be A-OK by the time the next match begins!"
Cliff was carried hastily away from the arena, and Mephistoclessia's
corpse was scooped up and deposited into a metal bin.
"Before the fourth round begins, I'd like to call out my friend Bruno
Mathers!" Trunculo announced. "Bruno has developed a very unusual power:
the ability to materialize stone from his own two hands! Bruno's more of a lover
than a fighter, though, so he now makes his living as our official Arena Repairman!
Let's all give a round of applause for good ol' Bruno!"
Dr. Phileas was among the small group of audience members who actually clapped
for the burly man in a spandex wrestling uniform who appeared on stage. Bruno
crouched down next to the platform, placed his hands on the edges, and began to
concentrate. A hard, stone-grey aura rose from his body, and soon, the damaged
tiles on the platform began to regenerate.
"Now then..." Trunculo continued, "let's commence with
the tournament! I'm gonna call out our next contestants right now. #3109 and #4003!"
Eden wiped the tears from her eyes and slowly turned to face the arena
as she heard her number called. "Cliff...what's going to happen to Cliff?"
"Eden," Vance said slowly. "You don't have to go out there
if you don't want to. We could leave here right now and–"
"Vance!" Eden shouted, staring at him with angry eyes. "How
can you say that? Cliff fought his hardest out there! How would he feel if we just
gave up here?"
Vance faltered. "But..."
"I'm going, Vance," Eden said firmly. "We have to win
this...if only to prove that Cliff's sacrifice wasn't in vain."
*
The committee room was quiet as preparations for the fourth battle began.
Roufas and Van Kaen silently watched their captives, who were more than willing
to stay quiet and behave themselves.
Suddenly, Roufas felt a presence and whirled his head around. Facing him
in the doorway was a man he had not seen for over a decade. Long ago, the two had
been something like friends. Together, they had discussed many topics: the clocks,
the Space-Time Continuum, the Church, and even the Albavitreans.
"Tao Fukunaga," Roufas said, recognizing the old man instantly.
"It's been a while."
The leader of the Guild of Dimensional Knights closed the door behind
him and stared at Roufas. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
"Your Knights are hard at work," Roufas said. "I should
have known you’d pop up."
"We had Knights in here guarding the committee, too..." Tao
said, giving the room a forlorn look. "But I see you dealt with that already."
"What’s your point?" Roufas asked. "What have you come
here to say?"
"There's something I want to warn you about," Tao said.
"Will you listen to me?"
Roufas glanced over to Van Kaen. The beast was on standby, ready to move
in and kill at any moment. "I can only assume you haven't come here to fight.
You couldn't possibly be that foolish."
"We're both smart enough to know that fighting amongst ourselves will
solve very little," Tao answered. "The plans we’ve each set into motion
have become too great for either of us to control...and they will not stop, regardless
of whether or not we survive this day."
"Ominous words. Get to the point."
"I'm grateful for what you did for my allies several nights
ago," Tao said.
Roufas's voice was ever listless. "It simply wasn't the right
time. I didn't do it for you."
"If not for me..." Tao ventured. "Then perhaps,
Victoria?"
Roufas kept his old eyes focused on Tao, but did not reply.
"So be it," Tao nodded softly. "Either way, I'd like to
thank you. Therefore, I've come here to warn you about a very imminent danger
that concerns you."
Roufas raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"An Apostle is on his way to Enmetropolis as we speak," Tao explained.
The color drained from Roufas's face. "But I thought this was
supposed to be a trap for us. A way for the Guild to take care of their dirty work.
Unless..."
"I did not call for them," Tao went on. "I would never willingly
summon them anywhere, I assure you of that. No, what I fear is that this trap was
meant not only for the Dark Zodiacs...but the Knights as well."
"One of yours betrayed you?" Roufas asked. "Azuka...the
Yamatoan Empress?"
"Well-informed as always," Tao said, studying his old peer's
face. "If she did, I'm convinced it wasn't on purpose. You see...I've been
lying to the Church. They aren’t supposed to know that we acquired the
Daughter."
"Whatever for?" Roufas asked in a mocking tone. "You
sold yourself to them. They guard you and keep you safe. Why would you bite the
hand that feeds you?"
"A wise warrior keeps his enemies closest," Tao shot back.
"I don't know why you've never understood this, Roufas, but it was the
only way to keep the clocks from truly falling into their hands. Earning their
trust and searching for the clocks in their stead is the only way to stand up to
their tyranny."
Roufas was firm. "You're assisting them. Benefiting them."
"Only by appearance. Look, Roufas, even after this time, even after
you've amassed your elite team, do you stand any chance against them? No! You
still hide in the darkness, cowering in fear, unable to match their might."
"Watch your words, Seneschal," Roufas growled. "I'm still
a killer, you know."
Tao sighed. "The point is...I lied to them about many other things,
as well. I told them that I utilized my authority as a keeper of the royal shrine
in Yamato to do the most thorough search possible, and that in the end, we found
no clock in the dimension."
"I knew it..." Roufas' eyes glimmered. "So there really is
a clock there."
"It was a safety measure," Tao insisted, pleading to Roufas with
his eyes. "In order to make sure the Church could never get their hands on
every last clock. I had to."
"And Azuka told them about it." Roufas stroked his goatee. "I
see."
"I never told this secret to anyone – but Azuka is of royal blood.
She knows all their secrets. And just like I hadn't wished to involve her in my
trouble, she too kept us all in the dark when she went to the Church for help.
Somehow, they must have led her to reveal the information."
"Tao," Roufas said suddenly. "What do you plan to do if you
collect all the clocks?"
"Destroy them," Tao declared. "I don't care if they're holy
vessels – I'm convinced they will bring nothing but death and destruction to the
world. Up until now, we didn't possess technology capable of destroying them...but
with Eden..."
"So that's why you want her," Roufas said. "It's all coming
together now."
"Roufas..." Tao moved closer to the Rabbit. "I beg you.
Let's put aside our petty differences and band together here. It's our only choice
to survive."
"I thought you were only coming to warn me," Roufas sighed.
"You must take me for a fool, Tao. Us, join forces with you? After all we've
worked for, you want us to help you destroy the clocks? The relics that Victoria
and your brother dedicated their lives to finding...the gateways to our universe...you're
just going to blow them to bits?"
"It's the only way to bring about true peace."
"It will change nothing about this foul world," Roufas
retorted. "No, the only way to truly change this world, to truly topple the
Church...is to reboot the world itself. With the power of the clocks, the Dark
Zodiacs are going to create a new world, where all are equal."
Tao shook his head. "You're being deceived. But if you didn't
listen to me ten years ago, you won't listen to me now, will you? Why can't you
see it? Grayson is lying to you, Roufas, just like he lied to Victoria!"
"I think you've overstayed your welcome, Tao," Roufas muttered.
"Begone."
"This is your last chance," Tao pleaded once more. "The last
chance for both of us. Unless we do something fast – take responsibility somehow
for all the people we've gotten wrapped up in this – I feel like we'll both die
in vain, without ever accomplishing what we originally set out to do."
Next: The Ethereal Star
