141

 

141. The Ruin Impediment

 

Paralyzed by his own powerlessness, Vance watched Averyl and Grayson continue their dance of death in the parking lot of the Zexaron Headquarters. Launching mounds of shrapnel and debris at each other, they both reveled in the destruction, playing with obliteration like children would sand.

 

"I hope you're enjoying this." Grayson's eyes intensified as he grinned. "Because this is the closest you will ever come to your impossible revenge, Averyl. I no longer feel mundane pain. In the past month, I've killed myself over a thousand times in order to speed up my regeneration, numbing my body and transforming it into an unstoppable vessel of destruction!"

 

"What is he talking about, Averyl?!" Vance shouted. "How can he regenerate?!"

"Yes..." Grayson cooed. "How is it possible? Please, enlighten us, Averyl."

 

"I...I don't know," Averyl replied bluntly. "Vance...you're out of psynergy. There's nothing more you can do here. You need to run!"

 

"No!" Vance retorted. "I'm not just leaving you here like this!"

 

"You know, I've become rather bored with you, Averyl," Grayson's emerald eyes slowly coasted over to the pack of wounded fighters. "In fact, I think it's time to say goodbye."

 

Averyl reared his colossal legs up, quaking the earth as he took a single step to clear the gap. "Bring it on."

 

Crushing into the ruined earth next to Grayson, Averyl came down with blades, onyx bludgeons, and a purple lightning storm of psynergy. But as his trunk-like leg made contact with the Snake, he felt nothing but powerless.

 

"I'm done with you, I said." Grayson's voice was curt and short. "Now out of my way."

 

With a single arm, Grayson tossed all of Averyl into the sky and then took pursuit. A column of green psynergy throttled the phantom, as Grayson's body flew around every inch of the monstrosity, ripping off piece after piece. Blades and weapons rained down over the fields of Fulshear, until Averyl exploded in a geyser of blood.

 

"Now then." Grayson alighted. "Let us con–"

 

As Averyl fell, his face darkened and he changed direction. Re-absorbing what transmogrifications he could, he hardened his body into a massive throwing weapon and let his psynergy blaze.

 

Despite the smattering of gore on his body, Averyl crashed hard into Grayson, shattering through gold-and-green psynergy. The Snake stomped on the ground and prepared to strike back, but his hand was knocked away by the burst that came next.

 

Everyone backed away as the dark blast twisted the makeup of Earth's space. Out from the mutilated contents of Averyl's arm came a diamond spear, which Grayson blocked desperately with his palm. Right on cue, another Averyl erupted from the diamond spear and ripped straight through Grayson's arm in an explosion of purple psynergy that left his entire side mangled.

 

"You really can't die..." Averyl gaped. "Why?!"

 

Everyone watched in bizarre wonder as the second Averyl climbed out from Grayon's mutilated ribcage, furiously trying to kill the man faster than he could react. More diamond spears erupted from his body, skewering Grayson and felling him.

 

"So be it..." Averyl went on, mad eyes flashing. "If mundane pain doesn't faze you, then we'll come up with something even more extraordinary...I'll slice apart every last molecule of you!!"

 

As Averyl raved, he continued to spawn endless clones of himself, transforming myriad arms and legs into crystalline blades.

 

"We'll cut off his legs inch by inch, then grind his bones in front of his very eyes!"

 

"We'll feed him poison and watch his body decay!"

 

"We'll flood his body with oxygen and then watch it pop!"

 

Averyl's clones spouted off a cacophony of cruelties as they continued to chop Grayson to pieces. They pierced him head to toe in just about every place possible, then swung their blades to and fro, tenderizing the meat.

 

Again, Vance watched as the man who wronged his mother, kidnapped Eden, and attempted to destroy Earth was brutally murdered in front of his very eyes – and it gave him chills.

 

"As long as I keep cutting..." the original Averyl spoke, "you'll keep regenerating, yes? Using up more and more psynergy by the second. There will be an end, Grayson... there will–"

 

"Be no end," Grayson boomed. "I will never end, for I am psynergy."

 

Out from the remains of Grayson's body, an aureal entity leapt out. Long golden hair floated behind a sleek, ethereal body, as Grayson was reborn once more. Like a streak of light, he ripped through Averyl and everything else he had materialized. By the time Grayson had all his flesh back on his bones, Averyl was wide open and ready to feel the Snake's fist head-on.

 

Vance saw reality crack as Grayson connected with Averyl's body, just as crushing as when Vance had been punched in the gut at Caskett's house. A horrible screeching sound echoed, and Averyl's body was sent tearing through both space and time in a torrent of blood. With a single punch, Vance's uncle disappeared. He was simply no longer there, as if his existence had been removed entirely from the dimension of Earth.

 

"The end." Grayson brushed his hands off and turned back to Vance nonchalantly. "And now it's your turn, trash."

 

Vance's heart froze. Averyl was gone – not a trace of him was left, save for the vestiges of his psynergy that dissipated in the atmosphere. Bleeding and shaking in fear, Vance's allies stood up to shield him, but none of them looked confident.

 

"Wastes of life." Grayson frowned. "Begone."

 

Grayson aimed his finger and shot a green ray straight through his first target: Wendy Caskett. As she fell to the ground, Bruce charged forward, but a mere wave of Grayson's hand was enough to pound the Tiger into the dirt.

 

Averyl was right. A single voice entered Vance's mind and silenced all else. If we don't run now, we're all going to die.

 

Winslow desperately tried to pull metal scraps toward himself, but it did nothing. He too was shot down into a pool of his own blood, whimpering desperately as helpless despair gripped his heart. Frank was also ripped from his feet next, leaving Vance defenseless and alone.

 

Silence blanketed the area. Vance and Grayson stood two meters away from each other – father and son, completely alone.

 

"Just you and I now," Grayson said. "How does it feel?"

 

What am I supposed to do? What can I do? He beat us all...even Averyl. We're helpless. What can stop him now? He's such a liar that there's no point in asking him anything, either. I want to stop him so badly...but I can't. I'm just going to die.

 

No! Vance desperately pulled his mind back from the edge of despair. I can't give up. If we escape, and regroup, then...

 

Vance frantically looked to his allies. Wendy and Bruce were on the ground, but Winslow was nowhere to be seen. Then, he sensed a faint, tawny aura from behind Grayson.

 

"Get away from him." Crawling on the ground, Winslow reached out and dug his hand into Grayson's ankle and yanked as if he was trying to rip it off.

 

Grayson stared down at his assailant as if he were an ant. "Get your wretched fingers off me."

 

"No!" Winslow raged. "Get away from Vance!"

 

Grayson snapped his fingers, and green psynergy exploded up from the stone, ripping through the Rooster's body and splaying flesh in all directions. A bloodcurdling scream erupted from Winslow's throat, and the the Snake laughed maniacally.

 

"No!!" Vance screamed. "Winslow!!"

 

Vance stared at the ground in horror. What had once been Winslow's body was now an unrecognizable mess of viscera. Despite the rage and mortification that welled up within his heart, one thought burned stronger than any other.

 

Vance looked to his side. Wendy lay crumpled on the ground, barely breathing.

 

If I keep fighting, she'll die.

 

He thought back to the night he and Wendy had shared in the cabin – about how safe he felt with her, about how much love she'd shared with him.

 

And not just her. We'll all die. Just like Winslow.

 

Vance could feel his heart pounding as he looked back up to his adversary. Grayson had both his arms raised, concentrating green energy in his fingers as he prepared to finish the task at hand.

 

He was just a stupid kid...just like me, a stupid kid in over his head. Tears welled up in Vance's eyes as he tried to push Winslow out of his mind. He wasn't innocent – he killed people. But I wanted to believe he could be better. Now he'll never get the chance.

 

Grayson smirked and pointed his fingers straight at Vance. "Goodnight, son."

 

There's no way. I won't be able to outrun him. I'm wide open. It's over–

 

Grayson grimaced, as two arms reached up from behind him and pulled his arms back. Edward's face was just barely visible behind Grayson's, lower lip trembling as his body emanated with a colorless aura.

 

"Dad...?" Vance gaped.

 

"Run..." Edward murmured through a strained throat. "Run, Vance. Run as far as you can."

 

Another look of incredulity surfaced on Grayson's face as he tried to rev his own aura in return. Green psynergy burst out for a moment, only to be devoured into Edward's invisible void.

 

"Edward, what's gotten into you?" Grayson smirked. "Think about what you're doing here. This isn't wise..."

 

"He proved you wrong, Grayson," Edward shook his head. "You really had me convinced...but you were wrong. You aren't invincible. Vance can beat you...and so can I."

 

Grayson's eyes flared, and a vein in his forehead began to throb as he attempted to physically resist his business partner. "You pathetic hunk of lard! I'm going to–"

 

"Vance, you need to run, now!" Edward shouted, as his whole body began to quiver. "This is your only chance!"

 

Edward's words were soon drowned out by a booming roar that escaped Grayson's throat, followed by a miasma of green-and-gold psynergy.

 

"Save you friends, save Frank..." Edward's voice could only be faintly heard through Grayson's booming power. "...and recover. You can stop him. I know you can...I love you, son..."

 

Doing his best to push the pain out of his mind, Vance dove to the side and scooped up Wendy into his arms. Nothing but pure adrenalin carried him now, causing his muscles and body whined with fatigue.

 

"Bruce! Grab Frank! We need to get out of here!"

 

Panicked, Bruce did as he was told. "Where the hell are we going to run to?!"

 

"Anywhere! Just follow me!"

 

Vance and Bruce ran through the debris, gazing around with wild eyes. The walls of the structure had caved in along with the metal walkway, rendering it an impassible labyrinth of carnage.

 

"This way!" Madeleine called, peeking her head out from a hole in a faraway wall. "I did my best to protect this gate. It might be our only way out of here!"

 

"Hey, Earthling, wake up!" Bruce barked frantically, as he grabbed Frank's waist with one hand and slapped him with the other. "You need to teleport us all over there, now!"

 

"I'll... try..." Frank moaned.

 

"Please, Frank!" Vance cried out. "It's the only chance we have!"

 

Frank howled in pain, and in the next instant, the four of them flew toward the shapeshifter.

 

"Phileas came out of the gate in here while I was shutting all the other ones off," Madeleine said. "I decided to leave this one open just in case things went south."

 

On the other side of the rubble, Edward let out a pained wheeze as his body was finally thrown to the ground. New psynergy poured out from Grayson as he stood tall once more, gripping an orb of gold-green energy.

 

"As a parting gift, let me enlighten you to the final secret, my son," Grayson called out."This power...this regeneration of mine...it's all from–" he began, only to be cut off as a thunderous palpitation sounded from the heavens.

 

Clouds boomed, the earth quaked, and then the sky opened up.

 

Grayson stared up in wonder as a white hole widened in the blue space, cutting through the atmosphere. Off in the distance, shrill voices singing hymns could be heard.

Soon, from within the circle a being descended, surrounded by winged cherubs.

 

"Father..." Grayson whispered.

 

The word echoed in the back of Vance's consciousness, but he decided to pay no heed to it. Despite the rising urge to turn around, he kept running, cradling his hemorrhaging girlfriend in his arms as he weaved through the office's passageways.

 

And so, Vance saw not a glimpse of Father Zeigfried Harknett Abaddon, 7^th Apostle of the Church of Holy Truths, as he descended from the sky on six wings, surrounded by a host of angelic servants.

 

"Grayson!" Zeigfried roared. "It is time for you to face the wrath of God!"

Next: Gloria in Excelsis Deo