(October 1st, 2017)

Justin

"Wait," Alex said, discarding his cyborg body. I turned around and found myself at the end of Alex's golden fist. "This is for taking your damn time to come to your senses. Oh, and give me the damn keys. I don't want you to fly into a rage and stop to fight."

Holding my face, I nodded and gave Alex the car keys. "Th-Thanks. I believe I deserve this." I walked to the passenger seat and sat next to a smirking Alex, who was proud of punching me. He drove quickly but carefully. Fast enough to put distance between the demons and us, but not fast enough to hurl the vehicle out of control. I looked in the side mirrors and saw that no one was following us at the moment, so I breathed a sigh of relief knowing that I have gotten a few minutes of intermission.

"Mia is still holding off the demons back there. She'll dwindle their numbers with ease, I'm sure. I'm surprised she kept her composure after... what she saw," Alex stated, killing the silence between us.

"After seeing you and that little girl, I think she has learned to keep herself in check. I'm proud of her, you know?" I crossed my arms and looked at Alex, who smiled after hearing what I had in mind.

"We've been carpooling in this car for quite some time now. We've all learned and grew thanks to our experiences. I'd say you've grown a lot since your time in the capital. You're no longer afraid to do what's on your mind," Alex explained. "I also owe you for saving my sister and bringing my family back together."

"I was only doing what must be done," I replied to the thankful cyborg. "I am trying to make up for not helping you all those years ago. I've failed you back then. I... I can't believe you're not mad at me, Alex."

"Oh, shut up," Alex replied with a chuckle. "I couldn't be mad at you. You're my best friend, after all. Nothing that has happened to me is your fault, so stop feeling guilty already. It's no use crying over spilled milk."

The road was somewhat empty of vehicles. There was the occasional sedan or van, but they weren't plenty. Everyone is hiding around the city or elsewhere in bunkers or other safe areas. The streets were empty, meaning that traversing the roads was as easy and quick as it could possibly be, but that meant that the only vehicle on the road was us, and any demon will be able to see the car and hear the engine noise from miles away. I looked at Alex and suggested that I should drive as I can see in the darkness, but he stated that I will stop to fight the revenant or ram him with the car. I was not sure of myself, either. A part of me believed that I would keep my composure, but seeing Leoniros might make me lose my mind and smash the car over his head.

"Look alive! We've got company!" Alex exclaimed when he saw demons flying towards us from behind. I looked behind me and noticed the winged monstrosities fly in our direction. Being the only car on the road meant that there was no chance we'd be able to lose them. They screeched at us when we got close, making Alex lean his head on his shoulder and push his right ear against it while covering his left ear with his hand.

"Ooh, baby! It's time we try the big one!" I asserted enthusiastically, conjuring the massive railgun and aiming it at the demons. The scope started to scan the enemies and determine their weak points, suggesting their heads and the area between their wings.

And so I took aim of the massive weapon and fired a barrage of railgun rounds at the insufferable demons, blowing them to pieces as if they were cardboard, nay, papers. "WHOAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!" I roared, laughing at the fragments of demon flesh that littered the road as my bullets flew straight through them and into the sky like fireworks. With one foot at the door, I took aim once again and obliterated the remaining demons.

Suddenly, Alex swerved to the right, throwing me out of the vehicle as I was unbuckled. I slowed time in midair and looked at the car, only to see that Alex veered away from Leoniros, who was staring at me through decelerated time. He did not even pay attention to Alex that nearly hit him with the car. After the time deceleration stopped, our car lost control and spun over before a giant grabbed it and threw it away with Alex still in the driver seat. It ended up crashing through a storefront after it flipped twice in the air before landing upside down.

"You have a much greater chance of finding a Nephilim than emerging victorious against me, chosen one," The revenant smirked. "And finding one of those is a one in a hundred million."

"I-I'm fine," Alex stated through the earpiece. "Take cover and blow that forsaken creature to smithereens!" With Alex giving me the go-ahead, I realized that there were no people in the area and that I can go ham on this familiar. And so, I unleashed my railgun and blasted away.

The revenant dodged all my rounds with ease, but I sensed that he had struggled to outrun the bullets that killed his comrades. The decelerating of time allowed me to land a few hits... a total of five shots hitting his chest and shoulder pads. The force from the weapon propelled him in the opposite direction, and he headed straight to a wall. But before he could hit it, he spun in the air and proceeded to run vertically on the side of the building. In just five seconds, he made it to the top of the building. Using whatever magical ability he used last time, I sensed him looking at me once more, calling me and telling me to follow him.

"Ah, so this is the great dragon god that my master spoke of," A person spoke behind me. I turned around and met the gaze of a boy with silver hair and purple eyes. He wore a short-sleeved black t-shirt and a pair of black pants that were ornamented with chains and spikes. But what was the most striking features are the fangs that emerged from his mouth. "I'm Jace. Jace, the handsome vampire. But as I can clearly see, my devilish looks pale in comparison to yours, o dragon deity."

"Are you one of the harbinger's familiars?" I asked, staring at the teenager-looking vampire with eyes devoid of emotions.

"Indeed I am, my lord!" He replied while bowing down like a stupid jester. I took notice of all the runes on his clothes. He had similar runes to the one on Leoniros' outfit and sword, but he did not brandish a weapon. "Before I became a vampire, I was a practicing warlock. My mother and I were walking back from a theater show when she was mugged and killed in front of me. It was forbidden to use magic in the city where I lived, but I broke the law and used it anyway! I killed the thief and avenged her."

This man must have spent a long time living to be able to recall his tragedy the way he did, without any sense of sorrow or remorse. He spoke like a guy telling a silly joke to one of his friends and expecting them to be entertained by it. He even grinned at me as if the tale of his mother's passing was nothing but an inconvenient moment in his life, and that disgusted me. I maintained my composure, however, and continued listening to what he had to say.

"I ran away after that and found the harbinger. He offered me safety in exchange for my servitude and turned me into a vampire with a potion he had. And that's it! That's how I came to be one of the familiars! Cool story, eh?" The vampire asked, smiling, and waiting for me to respond.

"And all of that doesn't bother you?"

"Nope. I came to terms with it nearly a century ago. I focused on becoming a warlock and succeeded." The vampire looked at his fingernails while speaking, uninterested in talking about his own past. But when he spoke again, the harshness started to show itself in his attempt at sarcasm. "You know what, though? I used to pray for the gods to save me from my poor life every day, but all my prayers fell on deaf ears. But now you're here."

I took notice of the ring on his right pinkie finger that he fondled with as he spoke. It did not look like an ordinary ring with the purpose of adorning the wearer, but the glowing of the red runes around it indicated that it had a practical use. It was either a weapon or an enhancement item of sorts. Before he could do anything, however, he was stopped by the sound of the car being flipped back and restored to its undamaged state. Alex emerged from the shop, placing his bionic hand over his forehead to heal his injury.

"Justin, leave this guy to me. Depriving that revenant of the privilege of living should be your main goal right now. Don't let this pesky sanguisuge stop you," Alex stated, conjuring his gun. I nodded and proceeded to run after the revenant after taking my car with me. I jumped over the side of the building and used my temporary flight to traverse the sky to the roof. There stood the harbinger's familiar, looking at me with his katana brandished and his stand being as meticulous as ever.

"I apologize for leaving so suddenly. That warlock wanted to meet you. I thought you two are fighting," The revenant said. As if on cue, an explosion erupted a few feet from where Alex and Jace started fighting. The blast was followed by several gunshots and the sounds of energy beams. "But enough of that. It's my turn to fight you."

"I gotta say. You are one formidable opponent," I stated.

"You have my thanks."

"That said, I am still not gonna show you mercy for killing my friend. Zack was like a brother to me; nay, he was a brother to me. And you killed him, you undead freak." I conjured my sword and pointed it towards him. "I will not let this go unanswered."

"Then, let us end this, o chosen!" The revenant and I charged at one another, striking blades and dashing away with speed. I watched as he used his sword to discharge arcs of energy at me and create spectral clones of it that did just as much damage. His attacks were similar to the way the harbinger conjured the spectral weapons that floated around him, but Leoniros was significantly weaker. I focused on defense and tried as much as possible to avoid his attacks or block the ones that land while absorbing the energy. I kept switching between my arsenal of weapons and frequented the use of my sword and the railgun. He tanked most of the hits of my ranged weapon, but it seemed that his armor could not take any more hits from it. I watched as it started to crack.

With a swift move of his blade, Leoniros managed to cut a sizeable wound into my left calf. I fell on one knee once more and held my injured leg in one hand while trying to heal. I turned my head around to see that the revenant was holding the right side of his torso as blood gushed out from it. Before he could reach me, we were interrupted by the sounds of Mia and an archdemon fighting. As they clashed their weapons, the two demons flew past us.

"Justin? How are you faring?" Alex asked through the earpiece.

"I'm trying not to get my head sliced off my shoulders, to be honest. How about you?"

"This... this guy is strong. He is like a high-level warlock boss in an RPG. And he's a vampire, too? Man, that armored yobbo sure knows how to pick his loyalists." The sounds of gunshots and magic in the background of the conversation was loud enough to make it harder to discern what he was saying.

"Keep at it, Alex. I'll try to do the same on my end. Good luck."

As my leg injury healed, I turned around and looked at the revenant who cracked his neck. I swallowed as I aimed my railgun at him once more and fired. He dodged with little effort and managed to grab the gun, pushing it upwards. He punched me in the chest and propelled me in the opposite direction, nearly making me fall off the building. I held onto the edge and decelerated time before running alongside the building and jumping to the roof from the opposite side, the revenant's back fully visible. I conjured my railgun once again and fired, but he moved before any of the shots could hit him. It came to my attention that he was trying to push his own limits against me. The sweat that dripped down his face, the gritted teeth, and the cut on his face all signaled that he sees me as a worthy opponent. But to me, he was nothing but a murderer. The subhuman creature that slew my friend in front of my eyes. The anger and wrath fueled my drive to kill this contemptible revenant and bring peace to my friend's soul.

He leaped at me and tried to grab the gun, but I switched to the Deiform Wrath and punched his sword. The impact was strong enough that it sent me flying away and the revenant through the roof floor and down three stories. I used what little mana I had left and flown back to the roof. When my feet landed on the ground, I held my chest in pain. I grunted and spat blood on the floor but remained on both feet.

"D-Damn... That guy is strong..."

"Justin! This fight is too much for your body to handle. I suggest you fall back," Myzoroth spoke.

"No... They'll hunt us relentlessly until they... bring our heads on silver platters to the harbinger," I spoke between breaths. I looked at my hands and feet and saw all the cuts that the revenant made on me. If I were not as durable as I am, I would have been cut in half without him moving an inch of his finger.

"Justin! Are... are you alright?!" Mia asked, barely able to spit out words.

"A-Are you alright?" I replied. "You... you don't seem too well yourself."

"This archdemon... is a familiar of... th-the harbinger, unlike all the... other demons that we have faced," She informed. I held my head with my hand and tried to steady myself as my body started to feel weak and trembled. The world around me started to spin as I begin to feel lightheaded. "She's... pretty stro- AARGH!"

"Mia!! I screamed, but the piercing pain quickly stopped me from saying anything else. I puked blood once more.

"It's a shame, lord of the dragons," The revenant said as he emerged, levitating from the hole in the ground and landed a few feet away from me. While he stood straight, his injuries not fazing him. I was hunching my back as I was unable to stand straight anymore. My breath was audible to both of us, but he did not react to it. His eyes focused on mine as he looked at me with the void expression. "You and your team of crusaders were formidable foes indeed, but the truth is that we far outclass you and outmatch you in every way."

"If I had enough strength to pummel you right now, that would be all she wrote," I replied.

"I highly doubt that," The revenant replied. "You have pushed yourself far beyond the peak of your current strength. You are bleeding profusely. It's over."

"For a god, you sure bleed like a human," The archdemon flew in, holding Mia's unconscious body. She threw the crusader on the ground next to her and giggled, placing her bloody hand in her mouth and sucking the blood off her fingers."

Suddenly, a giant beam of energy emerged. It was fired directly over the building, and I watched as Alex fell on the ground, next to Leoniros. He looked at me, his eyes widened to see me in the defeated state that I was, clinging to the last bit of strength that I had. The blood poured from me faster than the tears that fell from his eyes. "Justin..." He spoke my name.

The vampire warlock flew to the top of the building. He landed in front of Alex with a smug expression, crossing his arms that were soaked with the blood of my cyborg friend. "Wow! We have defeated a god and his group of warriors!" Jace exclaimed. "Meridaethailenne! We did it!"

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me 'Meri?!' You're doing this just to grind my gears, aren't you?" The archdemon replied.

"That's a long-ass name," I said, making the other two look at me. "I bet they would have a hard time writing it on a gravestone after I'm done with you." The girl succubus resembled Mia to a degree. However, she possessed long black hair. Her eyes were more demonic than Mia's, which were simply human-looking eyes with red irises. Meri's eyes resembled a cat's slitted eyes, but the slitted portions glowed in a bright shade of yellow while the rest of the iris was red. She wore a full battle armor that showed off her succubus features. The armor reminded me of the harbinger's armor, proving to me that she is indeed a familiar of the harbinger.

"Someone has the guts to speak after they've been obliterated!" She replied. The smirk on her face was unbearable to look at. "Don't move that arm too much, it might fall off!"

The entire roof of this skyscraper was lit by the moon. I could easily see all the runes that were drawn on her armor and discern some of them from the ones I've seen on her comrades. As she walked towards me, my legs gave out, and I dropped on one knee, with my left hand steadying me. I started to cough blood as I held my chest with the other hand, hearing the archdemon laugh at my miserable state.

"That's enough, Meri. Back away from him," Leoniros ordered her. She did not listen to him, however, and continued walking towards me. The archdemon squatted next to me and held my face with her right hand, giggling to herself.

"My, my! What a sexy face! If you weren't the god of dragons, I would have taken you to sleep with me for eternity and have your girlfriend over there watch helplessly while tied to a chair." She licked some of the blood off of my face. "But too bad, you had to be what our master is fated to destroy. Don't worry, though. I shall spare you the pain and finish this quickly!"

As she tried to stab me with her sharp nails, I grabbed her right hand and hit her square in the face. I used what little bit of strength I had left to get back on my feet and grab her by the neck. "Good grief. It's a miracle that my girl is the only demon who's not an evil wench. Maybe if you weren't the familiar of the evil incarnate, I would have thought twice about bashing your head in. But you had to take it too far, hadn't you? No one mentions torturing Mia without getting away with it." I punched her one more time and sent her back, taking groggy steps backward before the warlock grabbed her and helped her regain her posture. She looked at me and wiped the blood from her nose and mouth before licking that same blood before laughing.

"Wow! I can't believe you can still pack a punch! I can't help but imagine what you'd do to me if you had your full power..." She hugged herself and bit her lower lip like a lascivious girl. "Ooh! I can't help it!" I could not find any hint of sarcasm in her voice, meaning she was not joking about wanting me to hit her. Her masochism was too intense that even Mia would think twice about approaching her to have fun. She clenched her fist and attempted to punch me again, only this time, I had no power left and fell on one knee once more.

"THIS IS THE END FOR YOU!" She shouted, only to be interrupted by a bullet that flew in front of her fist and grazed Leoniros' right cheek, making him grab it in pain as blood gushed out.

"I didn't think you'd give up that easily, brother!" The familiar voice spoke through the earpiece, making my heart pound with extreme intensity. I turned around and looked at the source of the bullet to see the winged white and platinum armor that glimmered under the light of the moon. Not a single word came out of my mouth, but the tears of joy that fell from my eyes were enough to express how I truly felt. "I don't want you to go to heaven as a deceased deity. We've already had one of those."

'H-How?!" The warlock exploded, staring at the winged armor with utter disbelief.

"Easy. Alex's healing did its job, but I fell unconscious before he could heal me. I awoke later and saw your giant beam, so I knew where to find my brother. But hey, do you blast a giant beam because you are compensating for something else? A 'fleshy' beam, perhaps?"

"My name is King Zachary Angelus Drakionis! I am the one hundred and twentieth monarch of this glorious kingdom! And I condemn you three to PERISH!" Zack conjured a myriad number of spears and sent them flying at the harbinger's familiars. The archdemon flew away while the warlock fired a dozen beams at Zack, who dodged them easily and dove at him with his royal sword in hand. The vampire jumped off of the building before Zack's sword could run him through. The king landed in front of me and held his sword against the revenant who smiled at the monarch.

"I am glad that an act of cowardice did not put an end to you, your majesty," Leoniros stated with a smile.

"Heh, heh... I knew... At the bottom of my heart... I knew it," I said before losing consciousness.

I opened my eyes to find myself floating in an empty blue sky where there was no ground below me or any surface around me. I was not using any of my powers, and so I knew that I was in a dream or something like it.

"O' chosen one..."

The voice that spoke was too familiar. I did not know who it was, but the deepness and intensity of this deific voice were not new to my ears.

"Who? Who is it?" I asked but got no answers.

"Claim thy armor and receive its power in the name of your heart. Fight for thy friends. Fight for thy family. Fight for the ones you love. Fight for the light."

I watched in utter disbelief as my armor started to float down from the source of light in the sky. It did not look the same as the last time I had the pleasure of looking at it. This time, it looked like a mixture of medieval fantasy and sci-fi technology. It was just slightly taller than me, but its big frame and broad shoulder plates made it seem bigger and more glorious. The mix of gold over red was wonderful, and it showed off the craftsmanship of the fallen god. The eye lenses resembled light blue gemstones that allowed me to see my own reflection through them. I reached out to it and watched as everything around me drowned in the light. And for a split second, I saw the image of a woman with short blonde hair and beautiful green eyes stare at me with tears and a sorrowful smile, making me feel an unfamiliar warmth as everything faded away and I closed my eyes once more.

I opened my eyes to find myself on the ground, with Alex and Mia lying unconscious on the ground. Zack and Leoniros were nowhere in sight. I watched as the area around me glowed in ethereal blue light as I felt something within me awaken. I clenched my fists and unleashed all the power and energy that I had obtained, finally conjuring my armor at my own will. I looked at my two unconscious best friends and said: "Mia. Alex. Thank you. If it were not for you standing by my side, I would have never found it within me to summon the armor. My strong love for the team we've become is what awakened my armor. I know that now."

In the distance, I heard Zack fire his sniper rifle and activated the heads up display in the suit, allowing me to analyze my surroundings. With our spirits linked as one, I called upon the aid of my friends and watched as Alex's gauntlet flew and worked itself into my hand, becoming a part of the armor. Mia's polearm conjured itself and flew into my left hand. Alex's weapons of choice, the handgun, assault rifle, rocket launcher, and sword started floating around me. I conjured my wings and flew towards Zack's location. Where the light of the moon cast the immense shadow of my wings onto the battlefield. Zack, weakened by the enemy, looked at me and smiled before closing his eyes and falling on the ground, losing his consciousness. All of Zack's weapons conjured themselves and flew towards me as well.

"At last..." Leoniros said. The warlock gripped his hair tightly and gawked at me with mouth agape. I used the gauntlet of Orunos and fired a beam of energy at the vampire, incapacitating him. The archdemon flew at me and tried to hit me with her weapons, only for me to dodge her and use Mia's polearm to repeatedly hit the armor, shattering pieces of it. Meri tried flying away and regrouping, but I was on her tail. I chased after her and used Zack's sniper rifle that floated around me. As it floated, it reloaded itself and fired at the archdemon, blowing a significant portion of her left wing. Meri fell to the ground and landed on the roof of another building. I called upon Alex's weapons and watched as the sword ran itself into the demon's chest. His firearms unleashed an unbelievable barrage of shots, turning Meri into swiss cheese before I stabbed her with Mia's polearm. The demon started to vanish into particles of crystalline red light.

"HOW DARE YOU?!" Jace screamed and charged at me with his magic, only to get riddled with bullets like his partner. I charged at him with the golden gauntlet and punched him, turning him into red particles of crystalline light as well. With one more enemy left, I flew to the sky and saw Leoniros flying in the air with two large pair of demon wings. He fired through them a barrage of demon energy, but I dodged and retaliated by aiming Zack's sniper rifle and shooting a massive hole through his wing. He remained in the air, however, with only one wing on his left side. He did not use his wings to fly, apparently. They served as weapons rather than a means of transportation. He charged at me with his sword and so I used my own sword to block his attacks, effortlessly dodging and blocking his swings. He seemed to have lost his temper upon seeing his friends vanish. His movements of the blade remained meticulous but increased in speed and intensity. I used all of Zack's arsenal and attacked the revenant with his sword, shield, polearm, and sniper rifle. I then followed it with a barrage from Alex's weapons and threw Mia's polearm at his chest.

"I gotta thank you, too. If it weren't for you, I would not have unleashed my armor."

The revenant stopped gritting his teeth and smiled at me as he floated in the air, the wounds throughout his body, unable to stop him from expressing his joy. He chuckled while coughing blood. "This... this is an honor... I can finally state proudly that I have faced a strong opponent. You are truly worthy of being a god."

The revenant continued to cough blood, but his eyes did not drift away from mine. Those eyes of his expressed his pride as a warrior and his gratitude for having battled me. Despite the dying body, the revenant smiled at me.

"I have no regrets. I have a code that I lived by and fought by. To have been defeated in this legendary battle means that it did not fail me as a warrior... even if I, myself, have failed. My code of honor allowed me to fight many warriors of legend and emerge victoriously. It also blessed me with the honor of dying at the hands of a noble and marvelous man with values as honorable as mine, if not more." He looked at the moon and smiled as tears fell from his eyes. He then looked at me again. "Lord Juxtynoktrios! I wish you the greatest luck on your journey!"

Leoniros took out a small container from the inside pocket of his jacket. He opened it and took out the scroll that was inside of it before handing it to me. I looked at the scroll and saw that it was a list of all the runes on him and his allies. "Here. This is yours, my lord. May it serve you well."

He readied his sword one final time, his hands not shaking or failing him in the last moment of this battle. "And now, let's end this..." We charged at one another, striking each other with our swords. I was faster than him, however, and managed to run my sword through his chest. He chuckled one final time before slowly vanishing into particles of light, just like his allies.

I went back to the rooftop where Mia and Alex were lying to find Zack already there without his armor, holding the two unconscious warriors together. He looked at me and laughed wholeheartedly when he saw that I have finally unleashed my armor. "If only our father can see us now..."

Using the gauntlet of Orunos, I healed the three from their injuries without even touching them, unlike Alex, who needs to touch the injured to heal them. I watched as the two opened their eyes and smiled at Mia's gasp upon seeing my armor, Alex's gauntlet, his and Zack's weapons, and her polearm, all in my possession. Alex remained dumbfounded while Mia got up and approached me, holding my right hand and staring into the eyes of the helmet. I wiped the tears off of her face and gave her back her weapon. Alex's gauntlet floated away from my arm and returned to its rightful owner, along with his weapons. Zack's weapons were the last to fly back, leaving me in my armor. Mia placed her hand on my chest and caressed the armor while I looked at her necklace and saw the glowing heartbeat.

"I could sense it even more now. Do you?" She asked, looking directly into my eyes through the helmet.

"Yes. I know what you're talking about now. Whoever it is, their intentions are pure. They want to help us succeed," I replied. The other three watched as I dematerialized my armor and got back into my civilian clothes. I did not expect that the three of them decided to disregard personal space and embraced me in a hug.

"You did it! You finally did it!" Alex exclaimed before laughing.

Mia spoke as well, saying: "You have your armor now, you blonde doofus!"

"You can fly like the rest of us now!" Zack laughed.

And with that, we returned back to the cafe. We entered the building and walked to the counter where we stood next to one another. The place was clean and totally not damaged as Alex took the initiative to fix it before we 'strategically retreated' from the battle. The walls were no longer broken though and the floor was clean as if they have just opened. The seats and tables were neatly organized and the glass did not have a single crack on them. Some employees were still hiding under the tables when we entered. They got out of their hiding spots when our arrival brought them reassurance. While they were sighing and relaxing from this traumatic experience, we were tired beyond belief. The faces that were devoid of all emotion were enough to make them refrain from interrupting us. The elf lady behind the counter walked towards us and said: "Thank the gods! You've saved our lives, you four! Thank you so much! Order anything and it is on the house!"

"Four glasses of fresh orange juice," replied with a tired monotone voice.

"Coming right up!" The lady left and returned with the four glasses, each containing the same amount of orange juice and ice cubes.

We opened the bottles and drank the juice in perfect synchronization, placing the glasses back at the counter in sync at the exact same time.