Chapter 11

Approximately 300 years ago

Deceit was sprawled out on the ground, in his beast form. His body was covered in strange markings, which faded away after a short while. Blaze and Omnipotence appeared from thin air, standing over him.

“Are you okay?” Blaze asked.

Deceit twitched, and opened his eyes.

“Where' Silene?” he asked. “I could use some surgery right now.”

“You actually want Silene to cut you up?” Blaze asked. “You must really be in bad shape.”

“Deceit, what have you done to yourself?” Omnipotence asked. “Your aura... you can't have...”

“I did what needed to be done,” Deceit said. “Whatever you do, keep it secret. We can't have this getting out into the open.”

He looked at his clawed hand and sighed.

“I'm still in hideous form, aren't I?” he asked, reverting to his human form.

“That's the first time I've ever heard you show distaste for your true form,” Blaze said.

“I know,” Deceit said. “This human form's kind of grown on me.”

“Come,” Omnipotence said. “Silene should still be in town. We can catch up to him if we get moving now.”

Present day

Deceit and Lord Strain battled ferociously. All John could do was watch, awe-struck. Deceit's speed was blinding, far faster than anything John had ever seen before, and he knew for a fact that Deceit's mind could move just as fast. Strain wasn't nearly as fast, but he was close enough to defend himself from Deceit's assault. Deceit lashed out viscously with his claws, and Strain parried Strain slashed heavily with his sword, slicing Deceit's chest. The skin around Deceit's wound turned a greenish gray, and began to fester. He cried out in pain. Lord Strain spread his wings and took to the sky. He lifted his left hand, stretching his fingers out. The claws on his gauntlet shot out like projectiles straight at Deceit. He dodged them, and leapt into the air with his powerful legs. He clashed with Strain in midair, slashing wildly with his claws.

John was distracted from the fight by the sound of coughing a little while away. He turned to see David lying on the ground, looking horribly ill. John searched the ground and found the bottle of Elixir. He grabbed it and started running over to David. Something caught his leg in mid-sprint, causing him to trip and drop the bottle, which rolled across the ground, just out of David's reach. John rolled over and looked up, seeing Akuma standing over him.

“I'm not finished yet, kid,” he said. He raised his sword, and jabbed it into the ground. John rolled out of the way just in time, and ran to grab his ax. He got it, and turned to face Akuma.

Meanwhile, Kaiser continued his battle with Bill Dawson. Their swords of darkness clashed repeatedly.

“I don't understand,” Kaiser said, blocking an attack from Dawson. “How are you able to merge with the Avatars to this extent?”

“The ritual that cult performed on you was incomplete,” Bill said. “It was an ancient ceremony used by the ancient Egyptians using black magic, which the tried to replicate with technology. They were never fully successful, however. Only I, who have studied Egyptian spells and tombs, was able to perform the ceremony successfully, and become at one with the Avatar known as Anubis.”

Bill swung his sword heavily, knocking Kaiser over. He raised his sword, ready to strike him down. However, Zero appeared between them and blocked Bill's sword with its staff.

“How are you still standing?” Bill demanded. “I saw you get struck by Lord Strain's blade. You should be able to move, let alone fight.”

“I am an amalgamation of dead souls,” Zero said. “You'd be amazed how quickly I can recover from something as trivial as a simple plague.”

Kaiser got up and moved quickly, getting behind Bill. He raised his katana and swung it. Bill jumped out of the way, but got sliced across his left arm. Kaiser took the chance to attack, summoning a whirlwind of black feathers.

“Kestrel Feather Storm!” Kaiser yelled, swinging his blade and sending the feather flying at Bill, hitting him with a razor-like barrage.

Bill almost collapsed, but managed to remain standing. He raised his blade, which transformed into a jackal-like head, which shot toward Kaiser and dug its fangs into his shoulder. Kaiser collapsed, screaming in pain.

“Good work, Anubis,” Bill said, recalling his sword.

“Why?” Kaiser demanded. “Why work for him?”

Bill laughed out loud. “Lord Strain may be the Terrorspawn of disease, but he is not what plagues this world,” Bill said. “Humans are the true disease, and we seek to cure this world.”

“You're speaking of genocide!” Zero said.

“Not quite,” Bill said. “Those who serve under us shall live on, to become the Adam's and the Eve's of a new world. A world shaped in our image.”

“You're insane,” Kaiser said.

“That may be so,” Bill said. “But at least I'm on the winning side.”

With that, Bill faded away into the shadows.

Deceit and Strain continued fighting. New caws appeared on Strain's gauntlet, and he fired them at Deceit. He dodged most of them, but one hit him in his left forearm. It became consumed by disease, but he ignored it, digging the claw out with his fangs and spit it out. He jumped into the air and swung his claws at Strain. As he flew through the sky, his heart beat so strong it caused him pain. He fought through it, but the chest pains still worried him.

What is this? He thought to himself. Is this a symptom of Strain's plague? Or is it finally happening?

Akuma and John remained locked in battle. John tapped one of the orbs around his wrist, causing his ax to be replaced by a spear. Akuma jumped backwards and summoned a satanic seal.

“Satanic Seal 1, Fireball!” he exclaimed, launching a ball of flames at John.

John dodged out of the way and charged with his spear. Akuma raised his falchion, and the two of them clashed. Akuma swung wildly, knocking the spear from John's hand and throwing him off balance. He fell to the ground, and Akuma stood over him, sword raised.

“It's over!” Akuma yelled, excitedly.

“I don't think so!” David said, charging in with his morningstar and hitting Akuma so hard in his chest that he went flying.

“You're okay!” John said.

“Yeah,” David said, as a red aura surrounded him. “Thanks for rolling the Elixir over to me.”

“What's happened to you?” John asked. “How'd you get so strong?”

“I'm the Horseman of Rage,” David said. “I'm naturally a lot weaker than you are. However, the anger of other people empowers me.”

“You bastards!” Akuma exclaimed, getting to his feet.

David raised his morningstar into the air, as Akuma began charging.

“The Earth shall tremble with the anger of all mankind!” David yelled, as he slammed his morningstar into the ground.

The Earth shook, and a fissure appeared between them. Akuma tripped and hit the quaking ground. Pillars of rock rose, and collapsed on top of him, pinning him.

“You can control Earth?” John asked.

“To an extent, yes,” David say.

“I must say, I'm impressed,” Lord Strain said.

John and David turned around to see Lord Strain hovering in the sky above them, holding deceit by the throat.

“Deceit!” John exclaimed. “What did you do to him!?”

“Even he can't resist my plague for long,” Strain said, hurling Deceit at them. He crashed into both of them knocking them to the ground.

“Shit!” John said, trying to get back up. “Deceit, are you okay?”

Deceit let out a blood curling scream, as a red light poured from his eyes, and glowing green symbols appeared all over his body.

“No!” Deceit cried. “The seal! Not here! Not now!”

“Oh shit!” Akuma said, summoning a satanic seal beneath himself./ “I've done enough damage around this Popsicle stand! I'm Out!”

He vanished into the seal.

“Was he running from something?” David asked.

The symbols rose from Deceit's body and began circling the sky above them. There was a blinding flash of red light, and a new being appeared there. It was tall, at least 20 feet, and was dressed in a nice suit with a blood red tie. It had no facial features at all, yet it still seemed to be gazing everywhere at once.

“Nyasient'e,” Lord Strain said, staring into the emptiness where the creature's face should have been. “So this is where you've been.”

The creature vanished, reappearing in front of Strain. It reached out with a branch-like hand, and grabbed Strain by the throat. They both vanished.

“What... what the fuck was that!?” John asked, quivering in fear.

“You know the story, right?” Deceit asked. “How the Horsemen shall ride, and Hell follows after?”

“Yes,” David said. “What does that have to do with that... thing?”

“That thing, Nyasient'e,” Deceit said. “That was Hell.”