As they stepped through the portal back to the Overworld, the base was in a state of disarray. There were dead bodies of angels and humans alike lying everywhere. Swords, spears, guns and other sorts of weapons littered the floor that was already dyed red with blood, leaving the base with a certain odour. One of the walls of the base centre now has a giant hole. The cannonballs there hinted that it was caused by bombardments from the outside. Confusion rushed into their heads. What was going on?

The corner of Ferdinand's eye caught something, it was Oberon. "Oberon!" Hope was glinting inside him. Perhaps he knows what has happened while he was out rescuing Miranda.

"Hey, there's still two of them here!" Oberon shouted as soon as he saw them, then a squad of seraphim came into sight. Ferdinand's confusion started growing.

"Oberon?" Ferdinand doubted. Deep in his mind, he had a bad feeling - what if he's betrayed them?

"Oberon?" the black man replied rhetorically. "My real name is Jerimoth."

Ferdinand sensed the compass pointing south. The feeling that they've been betrayed was pulsating ever so strong. "What do you mean?"

Jerimoth turned around and stripped off his shirt. On his back were two scabs where an angel's wings would've spurt from. "A year ago, I was on a campaign to expand our reach south, beyond the Central Mountains. But unfortunately, while I was out fighting, I was flanked by a demon, and using its great strength, he ripped off my wings with its bare hands. And so, without my wings, I would look human. And since that they're humans who are always causing us trouble, like you. I went on to spy on them and wait for the right time to strike so that no one in our imperium would dare challenge our authority." He put his shirt back on. One of his men handed him a sword and a gun. "And now, it's time for you to join the rest of your rebel friends in death."

Ferdinand and Miranda sensed that a skirmish is imminent and unavoidable. Ferdinand drew his blades while Miranda took up a sword lying nearby.

"Get them!" Jerimoth ordered. The seraphim soldiers fired their rifles. Miranda immediately put up a barrier in a split second that deflected the bullets.

They split up and so did the soldiers who pursued them. Jerimoth followed Ferdinand up to the mezzanine with a couple of his men, while the rest were after Miranda.

"You have no where to run, Ferdinand," he said, pointing the gun at him. He pulled the trigger but missed. "You two get the girl, I'll handle this one." The two seraphim left him alone with Ferdinand. "Just because I let you beat me the last time doesn't mean I'll do it again."

Ferdinand remained silent, his blades all the ready. When Jerimoth charged, Ferdinand backed away and parried the attack. He parried strike after strike while Jerimoth was gaining grounds, forcing Ferdinand to back off until he was only a few feet away from a wall. Jerimoth quickly jerked, grabbing his forearm and with a strong force spun him around. Ferdinand reacted quickly by running up the wall and performed a backflip that landed him behind his opponent before executing a spinning hook kick that knocked Jerimoth to the ground. He followed the attack with a kick to the face, but Jerimoth managed to grab his kicking foot and with the help of the other hand, threw him down the mezzanine.

Ferdinand land rolled to absorb the impact of falling. He looked up at Jerimoth who then jumped down from above. They continued to exchanged blows with no clear victor as none of them were able to land a scratch on the other. Their ears caught the sound of clashing steel, their eyes focusing on the enemy as if it displayed their upcoming movements and they intend to counter it.

Jerimoth eventually managed to defeat Ferdinand by knocking him to the ground, pointing his sword at him. "It's over, boy."

But just before either of them could do anything, they heard a loud bang. Ferdinand looked behind his opponent and there stood Miranda with a gun in her hand.

Jerimoth fell to the ground as Ferdinand jerked up. He panted and looked at them both. "Not today." He thrust his hands forward and sent Miranda and Ferdinand flying to the other side of the room. He quickly got on his feet and made an exit through the massive hole in the wall.

Miranda and Ferdinand ran across the room to see a tank parked just outside. They rushed in and saw Jerimoth with a gun, but not just any gun - a portal gun. Jerimoth pulled the trigger and opened a portal in which he slipped through before it closed on Miranda and Ferdinand, denying their entry to the world of the angels. The two of them reentered the base. Ferdinand went to the dining area to fetch a couple glass of water - one for him, the other for Miranda.

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See I told you there would be a fight scene. By the way, this chapter was the first one that went through major editing. So if I still missed anything leave a comment, they're always much appreciated and so are votes. If you enjoy this story, consider adding it to your library so you'll be notified when new chapters are updated. Anyways, that all for now, stay tuned for the adventure continues....

I dedicate this chapter to AlyseArmstrong may you enjoy this sequel as you've enjoyed the first book

-Zyrofern