096

 

96.  Generations of Doom

 

Immortality.

 

The quest for Nirvana.

 

Eons of sacrifice, ages of torment. Everything in order to bring about the awakening, the coming of his immortal kin.

 

His brothers.

 

His blood-splattered victims.

 

A rise to power. The many enlightenments, the many revelations, the many hours spent in meditation.

 

All just to see the same scenes over and over again. Royal lords acting no different from disease-infested beggars. Exalted shaman like zealous heretics.

 

The tainted world, and everything in it. 

 

A shimmering empire, crowned in prosperity, health, and a loyal citizenship spanning to the edge of the world. Cities filled with people, lively with trade and entertainment. Everyone clad in silk of different shimmering shades. Silver. Gold. Colors matching their gilded empire.

 

A snap of thunder, a swipe of lightning. Arched towers hit the ground, flattening throes of screaming people. Their houses, their carriages, their livestock. Everything laid to waste as a swarm of black clouds smother the sky. The clumps of precipitation fusing together, a black smudge on the horizon. Spires of lightning falling, destroying the land, poking holes in the earth.

 

"Lu Dongbin has made a mockery of the immortals."

 

An insurmountable force charging from a stone wall that spreads the length of the continent. Chopping, maiming everything in their path. No survivors.

 

He Xiangu commanding them. Her wrath produces genocide.

 

"Zhongli Quan was wrong to ascend to the heavens! All of his work has been for naught!"

 

Li Tieguai bringing his assault of lightning and thunder to an end. Ground crackling in pain under an electric funeral. Han Xiang Zi producing a massive tidal wave to wash the dead into a deep grave. Cries of murder still loud and echoing.

 

"Don't you see what this world has become? The advent of the immortals has brought forth nothing but death and carnage."

 

High atop Penglai Mountain, agony.

 

"Wait, what are you doing, brother?"

 

The flood. Blood. Rocking the dying body of Lan Caihe to the very core of its being. The immortal soul splinters. A geyser of life lost.

 

"That's impossible! We...we are the Eight Immortals! You, too..."

 

The being named Cao Guojiu, eclipsed by death.

 

Nirvana.

 

Two orbs cleaved, red truth covering all.

 

The universe and its sin.

 

Thread looped through skin, blackness.

 

Void.

 

Images of the past rushed through the blind eyes of Zhang Guo Lao as he remembered his long, torturous time in the world and all the tragedy that had come with it. With the faces of the other seven immortals flashing through his mind, he grit his teeth and finished the summoning process.

 

"Qin Long, God of the East." Fading into presence above Rose, Madeleine and Saffron was the long, emerald-eyed dragon. Floating in the air, it wrapped around the entire chamber twice with its astonishing length.

 

"Bai Hu, God of the West." A slender, agile-looking tiger with gorgeous white fur came to life quite close to Madeleine and Saffron, who both jumped back toward the north wall. Its ice blue eyes shimmered in the chamber's dim light, and it let out a thundering roar, rocking the crumbling cavern.

 

"Zhu Que, God of the South." Below the platform where Zhang Guo still stood appeared a phoenix with reddish-orange feathers and a long, shimmering mane of green tufts that trailed down its back.

 

The second to last jade orb around Zhang Guo's neck finished glowing, leaving him with a final pulsating jewel. As he concentrated, Rose, Saffron, and Madeleine could see his psynergy aura warp and condense.

 

The entire cave rocked violently, and Zhang Guo's final beast appeared.

 

"Xuan Wu, God of the North." The giant turtle that Rose had ridden during the Belmarcian Tournament materialized behind her. Its size alone crushed much of the chamber's walls and destroyed the mountain of rubble blocking the rest of the passage.

 

"You are completely surrounded." The Boar stood triumphantly over his four creations, protected by a sublime jade aura. He looked neither excited nor strained. "Rejoice, for your deaths are imminent."

 

"Five to three..." Saffron eyed the behemoths. "Marvelous."

 

Xuan Wu's massive clubbed feet crushed the ground as it charged forward. Rose looked over to Saffron, who was busy blocking quick strikes from Bai Hu, and then ran in front of the mad tortoise.

 

The Horse summoned blue psynergy into her hands and spread out her palms, releasing a a towering mass of foam and waves toward Xuan Wu. It crashed forward into the tortoise, halting it for the time being.

 

Madeleine leapt towards Qin Long, weaving in and out of the serpent's mass, and used the dragon's body like a springboard to evade its whip-like tail.

 

By the time Bai Hu lunged toward Saffron, the warrior was already in the air, psynergy crackling along his platinum armor. The phoenix chose that moment to strike and swerved down with red talons bared just as Saffron's jump reached its zenith. The talons hit the swordsman hard in the back, and he went sailing downwards.

 

At that moment, Qin Long ripped its body away from Madeleine and swam through the sky toward the falling warrior. The dragon caught Saffron in its jaws, putting him moments away from being crushed to pieces by the beast's massive fangs.

 

Saffron outstretched both arms and lodged Rosencrantz between the dragon's teeth. The serpentine beast's muscles were strong, but Saffron strengthened his grip on the blade and continued to fight the monster in its own mouth. The dragon roared, flailing its head madly as it tried to dislodge the Dog, but Saffron would not budge, bellowing out in refusal.

 

The bestial noise made Rose crane her head back in surprise. As she did, Xuan Wu's massive horn swooped down and stabbed into Rose’s back like a hook through meat. As rage, fright, and pain painted her face, Rose quickly reverted her body into bloody water and trickled down along the beast.

 

Saffron's sword ripped through the lips of the dragon. He’d freed himself from the jaws of the beast, and a stream of blood followed him as he alighted on the ground. Bai Hu and the phoenix both moved to converge upon him, but the nimble warrior dodged out of harm's way at the very last second.

 

Madeleine waited for an opening, then shot a blast of pink psynergy at the phoenix. The attack missed, but she at least managed to agitate the bird and draw it away from Saffron. By that time, Rose's water had pooled underneath Xuan Wu's neck. With an azure spark, the water shot up as a geyser toward the soft area between the monster's head and its shell. As the tortoise roared in pain, Rose transformed back into her body and leapt over the beast's thick neck. Utilizing the momentum from her jump, she instantly switched back into a concentrated cyclone of water. The geyser crushed down into the top of the tortoise's neck like a hammer, and its giant body fell to the ground.

 

As Xuan Wu's head heaved to breathe through its ruined esophagus, Rose reverted back into her damaged body yet again and leapt onto the creature's forehead. Xuan Wu shrieked in pain as Rose's fists dug into its eye sockets, and gooey yellow fluid spurted up from the deep cavities. As Rose pulled her gory fingers up, the beast got back up to its feet and began rampaging, crashing into wall after wall as it desperately tried to dislodge Rose from its back.

 

Not far off, Saffron twirled his blade around and expertly parried both Bai Hu's fangs and Qin Long's bloody jaws. Tightening his grip on Rosencrantz's hilt, Saffron outstretched his free hand and charged up a psynergy blast. The tiger leapt forward yet again, and this time Saffron surprised it by releasing the potent yellow orb at point-blank range. Psynergy ripped through the tiger's skin, cascaded along its soft underbelly and sent blood splattering across the floor.

 

Saffron looked up just in time to see Qin Long swooping down toward him, and he grinned in anticipation. As the dragon spread its bleeding jaws open, Saffron yanked the broken hilt of Guildenstern out from his back and positioned it opposite the brandished Rosencrantz. Qin Long's massive body had already picked up a great deal of momentum before it could process what was happening. Saffron centered the bulk of his psynergy into the blades, accentuating their sharpness, and cleaved the dragon’s head in two as it fell onto him. A torrent of blood splashed over the warrior, allowing him to bask in the warmth of his slain prey.

 

Once its head split open, the rest of Qin Long came thundering down. Saffron stood his ground, now painted red in dragon blood. Quickly, he shot a glance to Zhang Guo, and although the monk could not see the mad expression on the man's face, he could feel the lunacy writhing in Saffron's feverish aura.

 

"What say thee, monk?!" Saffron shrieked. "How many more shall die before thou granteth me the joy of a duel between men?!"

 

Zhang Guo merely shook his head and let tears roll down his face. Raising his hands, his aura resonated with his beasts’

 

*************

 

pain rippled through Vance's body as Bruce punted him back across the plateau.

 

"Vance!" Winslow lifted his battered body up and struggled to keep his aura strong. "Hold on!"

 

Vance immediately leapt to his feet and screamed at Bruce. "While we're wasting time doing this, both Rose and Eden are suffering! Why can't you understand that?!"

 

But Bruce had no ears to listen. If anything, it seemed as if the Tiger was dying for someone to finally take out all his frustration on. As Vance ran toward him, the Tiger clapped his hands together and released a cyclone of flame from his body. Within seconds, fire enveloped the cramped platform and left Vance and Winslow little room to dodge.

 

As flames crept up his body, Vance frantically puffed up his own aura in order to protect his skin. Meanwhile, Winslow lifted his body above the burning ground and tried to circle behind Bruce.

 

"Too slow!" Bruce turned around and launched another flare from his hands, which engulfed Winslow and sent him careening back.

 

An explosion of violet psynergy rocked out through the cavern, and the circle of fire that embraced Vance transformed into dark smoke. Vance was visible: his jacket and jeans were in tatters, and red burns speckled his body. As Vance absently placed a hand on the short, black crop of hair that remained on his head, the pain from his wounds disappeared.

 

"You son of a bitch!" Vance shouted. "Do you know how long it took me to grow that out?!"

 

Vance pulled down his hand and let an explosion of rage accompany the scream

 

*************

 

that exploded from Grayson Lee's mouth as his body finished reconstructing himself. He lay in the middle of a cavern deep within Pandemonium, struggling as mind-numbing pain exploded through his body. Blood splattered his naked flesh, and gored human body parts lay strewn on the rock around him...but Grayson was not dead. Slowly but surely, as he grew accustomed to his new power, Grayson’s body continued to regenerate itself.

 

A smug, triumphant grin had just returned to Grayson’s face when shimmering psynergy burst through the ceiling of his chamber. Shock only caused him to freeze for a millisecond, and the Snake rolled out of the way just as the radiant being descended into the darkness.

 

As the light faded and his eyes readjusted to the dim chamber, Grayson found himself face to face with Zeigfried. The Apostle was outfitted in a brand new cassock, and whatever wounds he had suffered at the tournament complex were now nowhere to be seen.

 

"Oh my..." Grayson's eyes went wide in surprise. "What a surprise to run into you here, Father."

 

"So this is your little hideout. Never did I expect my gambit with that tournament would teach me so much I didn't want to know. It's a good thing the Daughter's aura burns so brightly, or you very well may have escaped God's judgment yet again."

"Oh, I see," Grayson laughed. "But it's all fine by me, Father. I no longer have anything to fear."

 

"It pains my heart to find you here, my son," Zeigfried said, glaring at the naked man in disgust. "You owe me an explanation, Grayson."

 

"Still, good to see you in fine condition." Grayson's teeth gleamed through the blood that lined his lips. "I was worried about what may have happened to you after that unfortunate terrorist incident."

 

"What in God's name were you doing at the tournament, Grayson?" Zeigfried snapped. "You were supposed to be infiltrating the Dark Zodiacs...but now I know the truth. You've been working with them all along!"

 

"I destroyed them...just as planned," Grayson said innocently. "Wasn't that what you tasked me with so many moons ago?"

 

"Yes, until you stopped communicating with me," Zeigfried raged. "Where have you been?!" He eyed Grayson's gory body once more. "And in God’s name, what happened to you?!"

 

"Please, relax, dear Father," Grayson said, raising crimson hands. "I assure you, all is well. I've had many complications over the last year, but I bring you good tidings. In fact, I was preparing to deliver them to you once I finished my extermination of the brigands here."

 

"Good tidings?" Zeigfried raised an eyebrow. "Of what?"

 

Grayson's green eyes gleamed. "I have conquered the Daughter."

 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Zeigfried's aura began to rise. "Why didn’t you tell me about Her sooner?!"

 

Grayson laughed. "What, and ruin the surprise?"

 

"You have no right to touch Her," Zeigfried said sternly. "The Daughter is a gift from God sent to enhance us in our battle against evil...a glimmer of hope in this desolate world."

 

"As you say, Father," Grayson said, nodding his head. "I only hope my service this time can restore some of your trust in me, which I so foolishly damaged with my previous mistakes."

 

"Do not worry," Zeigfried said. "If the Daughter returns to our hands, your sins shall be forgiven. When the Zodiacs fall, we’ll have over half the clocks in our possession...it's only a matter of time now. Soon, the human race will be redeemed. This is all merely a test to see whether we are truly worthy of the full scope of the Lord's mercy."

 

"Absolutely, Father," Grayson said. "I would have it no other way."

 

"Still, I must ask, Grayson," Zeigfried began, "where are your clothes? And why are you covered in blood?"

 

"I found myself caught in a furious battle with one of the remaining Zodiacs," Grayson explained. "I had to flee...but all is well."

 

"Good," Zeigfried said, as he began to calm down. "I have to admit, I'm relieved, Grayson. You've given me many reasons to doubt you over the years. But now it's all behind us...please, show me to where you're keeping the Daughter."

 

Grayson could no longer resist. Convulsing with glee, the Snake threw his head back and began laughing right before Zeigfried's eyes.

 

"Grayson!" Zeigfried's eyes grew wide. "What's going on? Grayson?!"

 

"For all your supernal wisdom, Father, you are truly a fool," Grayson spoke slowly. "After everything I've done, how could you possibly keep giving me so many chances?"

 

"B...because," Zeigfried croaked. "Grayson, you and I...we share the holiest of bonds. We are father and son. You have so much potential, and my own blood flows within you. I could never disown you – I believe in you!"

 

"I used to be afraid of you," Grayson said with a smirk. "But not anymore. Because I have something special now, Father. Something very special. Can you guess what?"

 

Zeigfried watched in horror as Grayson sliced one of his thumbs once. After a few moments, green and gold psynergy rose up, creating a brand new thumb in its place.

 

"No..." Zeigfried croaked, shaking his head. "No...you didn’t...you couldn’t have..."

 

"I learned from your mistakes, Father," the Snake hissed. "Isn't that what every good son should do?"


Next: Madness to Bite