FSE

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Heaven has been invaded. Worse, the heavenly kingdom is breaking apart inside. In the chaos, a new God is taking the lead and protecting his loved ones.

Chapter 59 - Saving Diana

Ira walked out of her portal and stepped to the side with a slight smile, making space for Killer as the huge male walked out of the white vortex, looking around himself curiously. He had by now learned to move at astonishing speeds, and to teleport with ease, but he had never visited Avalon before, and it was extremely complex to teleport to a specific place without having it visited it at least once in the past. To move to a new place, after all, he had to accurately visualize it in his mind... otherwise, he could end up appearing many miles away from his target. So he had asked Ira to open a normal portal, and to lead the way.

The place was peaceful and incredibly quiet, and in other moments it would have been beautiful, but at the moment, Killer couldn't help but feel that it was sinister, instead. A cold mist cloaked the whole area, and the only sound came from the quiet swashing of small waves against the shore ahead of them: they were standing on top of a long jetty made of huge blocks of stones, which stretched for a few dozen meters out into a huge lake. The mist kept the distant shores of the island of Avalon out of sight, but the sinister feel of the area was not caused by the haze, but by the complete, mortal silence.

Killer turned slowly back, looking behind his shoulders as the portal closed, and he made a grimace as his eyes moved over small, modest but nice homes made of stones and wood, all with their little garden, arranged around a small circular plaza with a well in the middle.

In the square, there were still the stands of a recent market or fair, but a lot of the fruit was already showing signs of rot, and a lot of clothes and small objects and other merchandise was scattered on the ground, abandoned as if by someone who had ran away, victim of panic. One wooden door nearby slammed hard against the frame, swinging open and closed with the wind, and a few shutters did the same, giving the village a sad, ghostly sound. Even the homes had all been abandoned in a hurry... and Killer made a grimace of distaste and rage seeing the evident signs of a shameless plundering which must had happened soon before the families of the village had left.

Killer knew why the angels and benevolents of the small village had ran away like that, probably taking barely moments to pick up a few of their things, or perhaps not even stopping for that. They were in the Second Sky, not that far away from the border, more or less imaginary, with the First Sky. When a few days earlier the Wall had been breached, and the demons and monsters of Hell and of the Middle Sea had swarmed and flooded into Heaven, marching in huge, savage hordes through the Meadows, the news of the disaster had moved quickly and soon reached the poor, defenseless people of Avalon.

Killer fatigued to imagine the panic that a family of benevolents had experienced in those moments: he was strong, massive, and he had been trained to be the best of warriors, ever since he was nothing more than a cub, so he had excellent control over his fears and over his Destiny. He could and would fight back everything that charged in his way... and most likely, he could and would beat any attacker back, if not into jelly. But benevolents were peaceful, pure creatures, completely defenseless without strong warrior angels looking out for them. With Heaven's army in tatters, the small village offered no safety and no future: staying in their homes, clustered together would only make them easier targets for the fury and for the bloody lusts of the demons.

In one moment, the lives of every family, of every single person in that village, and in many others, had been dramatically changed, overturned, shattered and turned into a nightmare of fear and uncertainty.

And Killer could hear the despair and the sobbing, broken prayers of many of those who had had to flee. He felt their voices echoing painfully in his mind whenever they thought of him, or begged for his help and his strength to keep them safe and protected. It was a torture, which in some moments menaced to drive him insane. Fortunately, he had quickly learned to... turn down the volume of the prayers somehow, relegating them in a corner of his head. But he still felt guilty for each and every prayer he could not respond to.

And only relatively few persons know of me, trust me, see me as a god they can ask the help of... how does Elelyon manage? His mind and soul must be ripped apart all the time by all this sorrow, all this desperation, all this faith that we can't really reward...

The number of people who believed in Killer, who worshipped him, who recognized in him the Savior, had been dramatically increasing in recent times. He had saved the people of the towns of Orion and Restford, and he had saved what remained of Heaven's army at the end of the battle of the Wall: that had made him immensely popular, and now the number of prayers continued to increase, giving him nothing but sadness, guilt and pain whenever he did not manage to muffle the sound of all those voices.

"They might have retreated into the Monastery... after all, there are not many other places able to promise any kind of security, these days." Ira quietly said, following Killer's gaze and looking over the ghostly, desert village, wondering on where all the people could have gone. The huge male nodded in silent agreement, then he wrapped his strong arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, squeezing her against his side as the cobra gave a little, loving smile.

"Let's find out, then. How do we reach the island?" The huge male calmly asked, before easily following along as Ira wrapped her own strong arm around his waist and walked forwards, her other hand holding her twin, sheathed katanas and her massive longbow. She had insisted to bring her weapons along, even if Killer had decided to leave Wyvern behind. They were not at all sure of what they would find waiting for them at Avalon, but they suspected that Paladins were to be expected. The real question was only about the consistence of the surveillance and defence: the presence of soldiers sent by Typhon was pretty much a certainty.

They were also not sure about what the angels inside the Monastery would do... the Healers would not fight, that was pretty much certain. But the fortress of Avalon was the home of two powerful Arkangels, the Ruling Princes of the Second Sky, Zachariel and Raphael. The two mighty monarchs, along with their personal divisions of angels and Arkangels, had taken part in the battle at the Wall: both had survived, but they were probably not yet in their best shape, following such a fearsome clash. And for sure, their personal army had had its ranks dramatically thinned.

The Healers recognized in Diana one of their leading figures, and as a consequence, they were going to look to Killer with favor... but there was no certainty on what the Monarchs would do. Killer hoped that a fight could be avoided, and had decided to go in unarmed, thinking that the sight of the gigantic, heavy blade of Wyvern resting across his back would have sent a very powerful, very wrong message. He did not want a war with Zachariel and Raphael: they were great warriors, and they were friends. Diana had always had only good wars for both Arkangels, so Killer hoped they would understand and collaborate.

Fighting them was an option that he wanted to avoid, if it proved possible at all.

Ira, though, had insisted on carrying her own weapons along: she was determined to protect him and help him break through the wall of Paladins that Typhon had almost certainly stood up to surround the Monastery. They would throw together a plan at the last moment: bringing a larger assault party would have only made things more complex and more dangerous. And anyway, Killer thought as he looked at the cobra with a little smile, he and Ira together made for a formidable force, one very, very hard to stop.

She smiled slightly up at him, as if guessing his thoughts, as she leaded him to a staircase that, at the end of the quay, descended all the way into the calm waters of the lake. Killer looked down with a slight smile, amazed by the clear purity of that water, which was completely transparent, letting him see the steps of the staircase going down for many more meters, before they vanished in the dark depths. It was like a lake high up on tall mountains, far away from pollution and from the tampering of people. It was beautiful in its simple, welcoming perfection, and it reinforced Killer's feeling that, in happier days, Avalon had to be a beautiful, quiet paradise.

"The monastery is well defended, and all the spells and protections casted by the Metatrons have now been activated... this place is often wrapped in mist on its own, but this fog isn't normal. It is the effect of an ancient protective spell cast over this area. If we tried to fly above the lake to reach the island, or if we swam or made our way with boats or other means, we would never be able to see the Monastery. We would lose ourselves in the fog, and there would be no way to get out. It is a labyrinth without walls: cold, dark and deadly effective." Ira explained, as they walked down the steps, before she hesitated for a brief moment as she added: "But if the defences haven't been updated and re-purposed by the Council, the barriers should recognize us as friends, and allow us to pass..."

The cobra silently lifted one booted foot, and moved it slowly over the calm waters, before lowering it through the surface. Killer looked confused for a moment, staring to the rippling water with uncertainty... before the muscular female looked up at him with wide eyes, urging him on with a tilt of her head, and he lowered his own foot into the water.

He blinked as he felt something indescribable delicately checking over his foot, a light pressure moving quickly over his toes as the water rippled... and Ira said quietly: "It seems okay. The magic just needs to evaluate who we are. I was taught that this is particularly advanced magic at work, possibly beyond the capabilities of the Metatrons themselves. Some say that God himself engineered this system: it should... read our souls and minds, and see if we plan good or bad things."

"Let's hope the Metatrons really can't control this, then. If they have changed the parameters and the spell reads my mind and sees I want to bring Diana out, lasers will cut us into pieces or something." Killer muttered, making a bit of a grimace, while Ira only shook her head lightly, smiling amusedly.

A moment later, they pulled their feet back as the water calmed down, both staring at the lake, Killer feeling awkward since he did not know what he had to expect... but it was the matter of a few seconds, before the surface of the lake bubbled and rippled violently as something emerged from the depths, until a wooden bow pushed out of the water, a small boat ripping out of the lake, rearing up for a moment before settling on the surface with a splash.

"Good. It worked." Ira said, as the boat slowly maneuvered towards the staircase, pulling up alongside the steps to make it easy for them to climb aboard. The muscular cobra female stepped into the modest wooden craft, sitting down in the single bench, dropping her swords and longbow between her legs and smiling at the huge male as he followed, grunting a bit as he struggled to fit inside the boat, his legs forced up uncomfortably by the lack of space.

"Elelyon could have used a larger craft." The huge male commented, snorting slightly as the boat smoothly turned into the wind, pointing the bow towards the middle of the lake and swiftly sliding forwards, almost flying over the calm, flat surface. In a moment, the quay and the village vanished in the mist, leaving Killer and Ira completely alone in the silence, broken only by the low noise of the water flowing under and around the hull of the boat.

Ira only smiled slightly at his comment, nudging him teasingly as she observed: "You like being uber-massive and towering over everything. So you have no right to bitch about tight fits."

"Oh, I don't bitch about all tight fits. Some tight fits can be a lot of fun..." Killer replied with a grin, winking at her teasingly, and the demoness's eyes glinted, her lips cresting in a knowing smile.

A short moment of silence followed, as Ira looked out over the calm lake, hugging herself a bit as the cool mist condensed in small drops of cold water all over her scales. But she knew all too well that it wasn't because of the cold that she was anxious and hesitant, and she just took a quiet breath before closing her eyes for an instant, asking quietly: "Lord Killer... do you think you will really take Disciples in the next few days?"

"Just Killer, Ira... please." Killer softly reminded, before he sighed as he took his own turn at looking out over the foggy distance, thinking for a few moments. "I don't know, Ira. On the one hand, I do feel the need for them... there's no point in lying. I like power, I have never enough, I always crave more. And I love being worshipped and served... having Disciples ready to take care of me, ready to satisfy all my wishes, of course attracts me." He paused, looking upwards in frustration before snorting as he admitted his worries. "On the other hand, I'm worried. I don't want to hurt any of you. I don't want to steal your freedom away, I don't want to change you... and I'm scared by what could happen, by what I could end up doing if I took you as Disciples. I really do love you, you know... and I want to protect you, not to damage you in any way."

He looked down at her with a soft smile, and Ira gazed back at him with affection, before holding her arm out for him, pushing her shoulder out to show him her new tattoo, the golden, tribal roaring lion head painted over her black scales.

He gazed over the drawing with a smile, before his eyes were drawn down the strong muscles of her arm, tracing over her large bicep... and Ira grinned as she caught his gaze, the female readily flexing her strong arms, making her powerful bicep bulge explosively, massive bands of solid muscle pushing under her scales, drawing hills and valleys of strength. The Seraphim laughed amusedly as she showed off, Killer giving a nod of appreciation... before she smiled softly and asked: "Do you think this is just a tattoo, Killer...?"

"No... I know it is a message." The huge male admitted after a brief hesitation, and the cobra nodded, but tilted her head slightly to the side as she corrected him, her tone and gestures almost the same as when she pointed out his errors when she was teaching him about magic, about the supernatural planes. "It is a message... and more. It is a way to thank you, and it is a promise."

Ira leaned against his side with a soft smile, resting her head against his powerful shoulder and looking quietly upwards, searching his gaze. "Killer... you know my story already. It is fair to say that my life was miserable, when you arrived. I could count on the fingers of one hand the people that I could trust and that would not look at me with hostility. And most of the fingers would still stay unused. For thousands of years, I've been a demoness trying to fit in Heaven... having to face endless prejudice, having to smash into walls of coldness and diffidence, again and again. The more I tried to fit in, the less I was given a chance to. Vesta did her best to get the Seraphims at least to look at me without prejudice... but never with much success. Then, you arrived. And never, not even once, you've treated me without respect. You never had any prejudice. I know you guessed my "secret" very early on... but it never changed the way you looked at me."

Killer smiled and shook his head slowly, shrugging a bit as he said: "Demoness... angel... what does it mean? You can find fantastic persons in Hell, and lots of horrible assholes in Heaven. Just look at Michael! It is not where you are born that makes the difference. You impressed me from the very first moment. You are strong, professional, wise and powerful... you all but became one of Heaven's greatest warriors, despite all the difficulties and prejudice you had to face. You are special, and I felt it from the very start. And yes, I... suspected you were a demoness. But that, sincerely, was intriguing, for me. It made you hotter to my eyes." He grinned amusedly, nudging her back playfully, and Ira laughed a bit, nodding, before she snorted as Killer added: "But, to my great surprise... you showed little sign of the lust I expected would eventually emerge."

"Well... four thousands of years I've repressed my nature of Passion." Ira admitted, nodding wisely and making a dismissive gesture with a hand. "I thought that being unimpeachable would eventually help me gain the respect of the angels of Heaven. Of course, I was wrong..." She snorted, making a grimace and shaking her head slowly, before she huffed: "At least it wasn't too much of a challenge to repress my lusts... before you arrived, there was nothing really alluring in Heaven. Some of your guys in the 30th Legion were hot, yeah... and Vesta, too. Never got into anything with her, but we've been close to it several times. But that was about it. It only got tough when you arrived."

"Oh, so I am irresistible, huh...?" Killer asked, looking amused as he observed: "Yet, you resisted pretty damn well."

"I'm strong, you said it yourself." Ira replied with a little grin. "But it has been tough, tough, tough to resist. Yes, Killer, I find you irresistible. You've given me the respect, affection and support that I never had, never in my whole life. You gave me love. You fought to protect me, and you fought with the whole of Heaven to get them to look at me without prejudice. I... can't even say how grateful I am for it all. And since I'm not very good with words... I got my tattoo. It is a way to say thank you. To say I love you. And to promise that I will forever love you, and follow your lead."

"I love you too, Ira." Killer replied simply, turning slowly around in the boat to wrap his arms around her waist, squeezing her close to his chest and nuzzling her lightly, before he kissed the tattoo softly. "And your promise means worlds to me." He paused, and then he gave her waist a playful squeeze as he leaned his muzzle over her shoulder, wondering teasingly: "Though I'm a bit depressed now. I thought you'd find me hot for other reasons as well."

Ira snorted and elbowed him playfully, the huge male laughing as her gentle blow slammed without consequence in his potent, thick abdominals, the hard muscle effortlessly repealing her. "You can be so fucking vain." The demoness muttered, but she was grinning widely, and she hungrily seized into his powerful arms with her hands, squeezing greedily over his massive muscles as she suddenly pushed back and sensually pushed her firm buttocks up and down the massive bulge in the crotch of his pants, making him release a grunt of hot, surprised pleasure. "It is tough resisting to you for other reasons as well, yeah...! You are huge. Massive muscles all over, and you've got such enormous strength, such over-the-top power. It gets me boiling hot. I'm attracted by it... I'm delighted by it. And even the education I got, down in Hell, makes me worship power, so... You are a dream come true, for any demoness... and even more so for a Passion like me. Then there is the fact that you are brash, packed full of testosterone, courageous to the point of being arrogantly certain of yourself and the fact that you don't shy away from a bloodbath. You are an unstoppable titan full of power... and I just adore that." The cobra paused, then arched her back as she dropped her head backwards to kiss his throat, her long serpentine tongue licking at his muzzle teasingly as she slid her sex slowly down the huge bulge in his pants, making him growl lightly in growing hunger. "And of course, there's that other fact too... that you measure your cock in fucking miles, that you've got balls that weight tons and that you blast out enough cum to drown the whole Hell of Lust."

"That sounds more like me." Killer amusedly replied, nodding seriously as slowly stroked her sides, sliding his strong hands up to her breasts and seizing into the massive, firm swells, pushing them together and rolling them roughly under his palms, grinning as he nuzzled her, amused to see a faint blush still there as he took charge and pushed forwards with his hips, pushing the massive bulge of his cock between her buttocks, teasing her.

"You brought me back to life, Killer. I don't care anymore if Heaven doesn't want me, if Hell calls me traitor... I love you, and you love me. That's the only thing that matters. I'm Ira. Demoness or Seraphim, I don't care. I'm Ira, lover of Killer. Disciple of Killer, if you'll grant me that honor." The cobra said, leaning back against his chest with abandon, stroking his hands with hers as he fondled her huge breasts, squeezing her strong, muscular body between his massive arms, hugging her tightly, both possessively and protectively at once.

"You are Ira, lover of Killer. Loved by Killer. I'll be glad to be your family, your lover, your master... and if you want to be my Disciple, you'll be. I'll be your God." The huge male replied, kissing her neck softly before adding: "But I want you to help me as I make you one. There are very serious risks, and... I don't want my greed, my lusts to warp you."

"I'll help you in each and every way I can, Master Killer. But have no worry, because I know what I'm doing. There is nothing that I crave more than being yours forever... I trust you completely, and I offer myself to you just as completely. Whatever change you'll want to bring to what I am, will be a blessing, for me: because each and every change will make me fulfill your wishes in a more complete way." Ira quietly promised, looking up into his eyes with firm, indestructible determination, until he smiled and nodded, leaning down to kiss her, hungrily wrestling her tongue back into her mouth as he squeezed her against his chest... and then, as he slowly pulled back, licking his lips to taste her for a moment longer, he promised: "I will grant your wish today, if that is what you desire."

"It is, my Master, my invincible God." Ira eagerly replied, closing her eyes with a serene smile. "You could not make me a greater gift than this."

"Thank you, Ira... it means worlds, to me." Killer quietly said, hugging her to his chest and leaning his head against hers, their soft smiles matching each other and speaking of their common happiness and of their complicity. They had no need to use any more words: they just knew, they could feel each other's emotions. And words would never be enough to express the feelings of their union anyway: what words could ever properly describe the endless love of Ira, ready to give up her body, her soul, her life, her everything to him. And what words could ever express Killer's own affection for her, as he promised to protect her and honor and her and love her, regardless of what the universe whole would have to say about it. Their quiet silence was worth countless poems.

Killer kissed her neck quietly, looking into her eye after a long period of sweet silence, as he breathed her perfume and as he lovingly stroked a hand down her powerful, rippling abdominals, the female smiling at him softly and tilting her head curiously to the side as her eyes urged him to ask the question that tormented him.

Killer sighed, amused by how easily she understood him, reading into his soul without effort, and then he calmly wondered: "What will Elelyon think, if I begin to seal my ties with Disciples, if I begin to erect sanctuaries imbued with my power, here, in the world that he created...? I feel like I'm betraying Him. I... never met God, but you and Vesta and the others have all told me that he is a loving, fair father. And it... it doesn't feel right. It's like I'm stealing his land and his loved ones away."

Ira hesitated for a few moments, looking at him with affection as she smiled a sincere, touched smile, turning back slightly to gently cup his cheek in one hand, caressing his features. "Elelyon is a good Father, indeed... I've not had many chances to see him, but every meeting is an important memory that I treasure. He is kind, generous and... good." She smiled, shaking her head slowly and looking amused. "Good sounds so weak a word, for Elelyon... but he is. He is good, and he's never wanted anything but the very best, for each and every one of us. Like a good Father, he spent every day of his life looking out for the world he created, and for the life in it. He protected the world to the very best of his possibilities, and always tried to nudge life in the right direction... But he learned early on that, even with all his power, he can never keep everyone safe and can never make everyone happy. Because the happiness of a man, so often, will make another man sad, for a reason or another. He's listened to prayers and curses all his life, and his greatest pain and regret in life is that, so often, he cannot respond to those prayers. He cannot grant the infinite lists of wishes that reach his ears."

"I can sympathize with that." Killer quietly said, nodding wisely as he looked down into the clear, cold waters. "I've been hearing the prayers of more and more people, lately, as the number of those who pray for my help grows day after day. And I've been suffering for it, a lot. I can't even imagine how hard it must be for him, sought after by many, many more hearts and minds."

Ira nodded wisely, before quietly continuing: "He learned the hard way that trying to help and satisfy even the most urgent and sincere of prayers often only ends up causing more and more impatient, greedy requests... while making so many more persons bitter, envious and angry. And he's suffered for it, every single day of his life. Yet, he never lost his smile and kindness. Once or twice, when we had the chance to trade a few words, he reassured me and comforted me, helping me greatly in surviving the worst moments of my life. His serenity and gentleness are incredible, and just a few words with him were enough to relieve me of even the worst worries."

"I'd like to meet him myself." Killer said, nodding slightly, before he added: "I hope I'll have the chance to, when he returns from... whenever he is now."

"He's been gone for a long time... when he departed, it was for a tough fight, it was easy to see it in his expression. But we never thought it would take this long, and... we are worried." Ira said, looking nervously out over the misty surface of the lake. "He refused all our offers of helping him. He said that the battle ahead was too dangerous and terrible for any of us to go with him... I don't think we quite believed him back then. But with how long he's been away, I now don't dare thinking of what he must have been facing. He wasn't exaggerating at all."

"And that's part of why I feel so bad... while he's away fighting a battle we can't even begin imagining, I'm here, taking over his world, and making his loved ones into my Disciples." Killer murmured, making a bit of a grimace as he muttered: "Gods. Spelling it out makes it sound even worse."

"No, Killer. While he's away fighting to keep us all safe, you are here fighting the other half of the battle. Without you, this world would have already fallen. Heaven, Hell, the Mortal Plane... without you, it would all lie in ruins already. The RA and the demonic invasions would have taken the Mortal Plane apart, Hell and Heaven would have probably destroyed each other, and Sikanjal would probably be ruling over the ruins. We can't even begin to imagine how things would look today hadn't you stood in the way of every threat, fighting it back." Ira corrected, thrusting a finger against his thick, powerful chest and looking up at him firmly. "You are the only thing that stands on the edge of the abyss, and your strength and sacrifices alone are what keep the world from falling into the pit, rushing to destruction. And Elelyon knew he could trust you to do just that." Ira paused, then snarled angrily as slammed her powerful fist against the flank of the boat, snarling: "The traitors, here, are Typhon, Michael and the Senators of the Council: Elelyon hoped that they would govern with wisdom, defending Heaven's values and vision and giving you all the help you'd need. Poor Elelyon... he is not just good, he is way too good: he always gives second and even third chances to everyone. But every chance he has given to Typhon has been thrown back in his face. Typhon is a greedy, manipulative bastard, and there is no changing that. And Michael... the greatest disappointment and pain for God, will be seeing what prideful, greedy maggot Michael has become."

"I don't want to add to his pain, Ira..." Killer quietly said, shaking his head slowly. "And yet... I want. You know me. I'm power hungry, lustful, and dominant by nature. I do want to take Disciples, I do want to rule over the world. Yet... I do not, at the same time."

"You are made of Light and Darkness at once. So, I'm not surprised that your lusts are uncomfortably balanced by the best of intentions." The demoness replied, looking amused as she turned around fully, wrapping her legs around his waist as she sat in his lap, her arms resting over his shoulders as she pushed her muzzle against his, kissing his lips lovingly. "But you should not worry, Killer. Elelyon is a Father, a god we respect and love for how protective and generous he is... but he is just that, an old school dad." The demoness grinned amusedly, licking her lips slowly as she added: "Elelyon is a chaste, shy father. If he was a mortal and we were really his daughters, you could even say he's a bit dolt. He's never had much of a sexual call, as far as I know... As a father, he's always been aware that we "daughters" would eventually find a strong, protective lover we'd devote ourselves to. And anyway, I never became a Disciple of his, nor did Vesta or any of the others. There is no betrayal... we won't turn our backs to Elelyon, we won't be without gratitude, but we have found the lover that we have all dreamed of, and that's you, Killer. We will devote ourselves to you... And I'm sure he'll understand, and be happy for us."

"I'll take your word for it, Ira." Killer said, squeezing her waist in his arms as he smiled amusedly and nodded, observing amusedly: "You've always informed me well, after all. But you skipped the part on the world."

"You ambitious bastard." The cobra grinned, before she explained: "Elelyon won't mind if you build yourself a few Sanctuaries. Don't be fooled by the Council, who's done everything it could to prevent you from getting stronger: I'm sure God would never have objected to it, knowing the extent of the challenges you face." She paused, and then she leaned forwards with a little growl, pushing her huge breasts against his chest as she wrapped her mighty arms tightly around his neck, grinning hungrily as she licked his cheek as she teased: "As for going beyond localized Sanctuaries, towards taking over whole worlds... well. Let's just wait and see. Unless you are scared of having to fight Elelyon to impose your rule over this world and others... but that would make you into a big fucking pansy, and you don't look like one."

Killer snorted amusedly at that, squeezing on a huge breast roughly, as if taking revenge, as he leaned forwards with a playful growl, his other hand sliding down her back to grab a firm buttock, before he slapped it hard, making her grunt in surprise, a bright blush gaining her cheeks as she blinked and arched her back.

"I'll show you who is the pansy here, when we get down to business." Killer teased, thrusting upwards with his strong hips and letting her feel the immensity of his flaccid cock, barely contained by his bulging, worn black jeans, and she licked her lips in anticipation, squeezing into his shoulders as she eagerly slid her crotch down the massive bulge.

"I can't wait, Master..." Ira purred, before smiling softly and nodding as she saw another unasked question in his eyes. "Yes, Killer... if you decided to take over the world, and Elelyon tried to stop you, I'd still follow you. I'll follow you whenever you'll head, Master Killer. In darkness or in light... and I don't care about anything else. I love and worship you, beyond any possibility of explanation... and I'll sacrifice any and everything to you and to your power: myself, my children, Elelyon, this world and the other worlds. If one day you'll want me to, I'll destroy a thousand worlds, just to amuse you." Ira clawed into his shoulders, letting out a groan of delighted hunger as she shuddered: she wasn't exaggerating, not one bit. She was ready to do everything, she was ready to give up everything, just to make him happy, just to glorify him... and Killer growled, squeezing her hungrily closer as his huge muscles flexed hard against her, the massive male gritting his fangs with a snarling grin as barely managed to repress the urge to savagely thrust into her, claiming her, pounding her, filling her, marking her... and Ira grinned widely, arching her back with a groan of delight as she saw and felt the fabric of reality trembling hard around him, almost tearing apart as immense, fearsome power radiated off him as his body lightly flexed.

"Ira..." He growled, squeezing into her breasts greedily. "You sure have a talent for teasing... a pity that you tried to hide it for all this time."

"Indeed." The cobra replied, nodding a bit and smiling in agreement.

The boat continued to swiftly ride over the calm waters, sliding over the surface at a good speed, propelled by nothing but ancient, powerful magic, and after a few more moments, Killer started to see the confused shape of a tall gothic tower beyond the mist, as the contours of a large island started to become apparent.

"We are almost there..." Ira confided, as she picked up her weapons and carefully stood up from the bench, stepping up on the bow of the boat as she threw the crossed sheaths with her Katanas on her back, easily snapping closed the silvery clasps holding the leather straps crossing over her chest. She then picked up the huge longbow, while Killer only leaned forwards carefully, looking upwards as the slender, tall turret became more easily visible, its dark-grey mass jutting with pinnacles and statues.

His attention shifted downwards as the shore of the island came into view: it was a rocky, vertical cliff, perhaps sixty feet tall, with a large, massive staircase leading up from water level. His eyes quickly scanned the whole length of the staircase, and then the edge of the cliff, searching for any sign of danger through the mist as the boat continued to bring them closer and closer.

Killer had enough experience of amphibious operations to know that the enemy had all the advantages: the small boat did not slow down at all, but continued to swiftly slide forwards, sending rippling waves spreading outwards in an inverted V shape and causing noise that, in the surreal silence of Avalon, suddenly seemed to be deafening.

If there was someone on sentry duty on top of the cliff, he was going to spot the boat much before Killer and Ira could detect him: the noise and ripples in the water would aid the sentry, while the mist mostly disturbed the senses of the liger and cobra.

This is where Alexis's powers make the difference... Killer thought, as he nervously watched the staircase as it drew nearer and nearer, before his senses screamed at him and he snarled, leaning forwards and slashing his arm up as his eyes caught a glint of light shooting at him. One instant, and his hand seized the long body of a massive arrow made of dark steel, the sharp, rigged tip burning with magic fire at merely inches of distance from his chest. He looked down at this with a grimace, then he effortlessly snapped the metallic dart in two, pushing his thumb against the long body and breaking it like it was a twig.

His eyes darted from side to side, scanning the top of the cliff, but the enemy intelligently hid behind the mist, exploiting his advantage... and he growled as he saw a full barrage of arrows hailing out of the fog, hissing down towards them.

Before he could react, though, Ira stood fearlessly on the very bow of the boat, one hand shooting up to seize the handle of Arctica, drawing the long Katana out and swinging it in a swift, elegant circular cut: the cobra's wrist moved with liquid grace as she drew the blade out over her shoulder, slashing it down into the water ahead of the boat and then swinging it back in a full circle, causing water to spray upwards in front of the craft, before the freezing energy of Arctica turned each drop of liquid into solid ice, a circular shield forming on the path of the arrows and stopping them all.

Killer looked at this with admiration, grinning as the cobra slammed the palm of her free hand into the back of the shield, causing it to explode into sharp, deadly fragments of diamond-hard ice: each cruel spike shot forwards with terrible force, pelting the top of the cliff and hitting at least some of the enemies, as shrieks of agony rose from beyond the wall of mist.

The boat moved closer to the shore, just as another barrage of arrows rained down against them, but this time Killer only slapped a hand outwards, sending a vortex of fire washing over the incoming darts, melting and consuming them all into dark smoke, while Ira slid her Katana back into its sheath and drew out her huge longbow in the same swift, fluid movement, her fingers seizing the serving and her bicep bulging with power as she pulled back the steel-hard string, her very energies condensing to form a heavy, massive arrow already nocked and ready to go.

She took aim at the top of the cliff, and her eye caught the sight of the enemy in a clearing of the wall of mist: there was a whole platoon of archers, hiding behind a wall of huge circular shields held up by a company of Paladins. She snorted, grinning viciously as she quickly adjusted her aim as one of the giant armored warriors shifted a bit, giving her a tiny opening between two thick shields... And she shot her arrow, licking her lips with dark pleasure as it sailed in the tiny breach in the wall of steel, smashing into the thick, heavy armor of one of the Paladins and exploding in a huge ball of fire, magma washing outwards and crashing over the line of warriors, sending the archers scattering with howls of pain and surprise as the flames washed over the area, greedily consuming everything they touched.

The formation started to break apart, one archer shrieking in agony as the fire invaded the solid, full-plate armor, turning him into a living torch as he charged out of the line, howling in despair and uselessly hugging and slapping at his own body, in a pathetic attempt to snuff the fire out of existence. Another archer backstepped to avoid his insane, shrieking comrade, and as he moved, he exposed himself, to the left of the wall of shields: he realized his error a moment too late, as Ira's hand pulled the string back once more and an arrow shot at him, piercing through his helmet from side to side and nearly ripping the head neatly off as the archer's whole body was slammed backwards like a doll.

One moment later, the arrow once more exploded in a sea of magma and greedy fire, sending incandescent liquefied stone washing over several of the other archers, sending two more down in blackened, incinerated husks.

The Paladins, however, were not so easily deterred: even as the magma stuck to their armors, melting them down gradually and burning at every inch of flesh exposed to the air, they continued to silently form a solid wall of shields and spears, protecting the last few archers and preparing to block the staircase with their bodies and blades.

Killer grinned as the boat began to maneuver towards the bottom of the staircase, the huge male stepping onto the bow of the craft and easily jumping to the shore, charging up the stairs with a smirk, the archers all turning towards him and nocking another barrage of heavy arrows.

The huge male grinned sharkishly as another of Ira's arrows caught the first archer in line, turning him into a ball of fire and magma which washed over a vast area, causing two more archers lined just behind to fall to their knees with howls of terror and agony as they were devoured by the flames.

The remaining three archers shot their arrows as Killer charged past the landing at the middle of the monumental staircase, but the huge male only laughed as he lashed out with a blast of telekinetic force which crushed the darts literally out of existence before slamming the archers back with enough violence to send them shooting backwards through the vast park surrounding the Monastery, their bodies splattering like jelly against the thick stone walls of the fortress.

Killer laughed mercilessly as the three warriors burst apart in a fine rain of blood and gore, before he stomped his foot into the marble steps, cracking them apart as a ripple raged through the island, the ground under the company of Paladins exploding upwards in a massive blast of fire and golden energy, burning a dozen of the massive warriors into nothing but vapor as the others were knocked sprawling like pins as huge slabs of rock exploded towards the sky.

The few Paladins not slammed off their feet swiftly closed the gaps between each other, planting their steel-booted feet into the ground and locking their massive shields together, thrusting their spears forwards as Killer ran towards them... but the huge male only dropped his shoulder and roared in a blood-lustful challenge, ramming hard into the shields and smashing through the line like it wasn't even there. The Paladin right in front of Killer was slammed backwards across the park, smashing through an ancient tree and crashing into the wall of the Monastery, a few hundred feet away, while the Paladin immediately to the right fell down on his back and was savagely stomped into oblivion as Killer charged over his body, the god's hand seizing another warrior by the helmet and lifting him high up into the air as the liger turned on the spot and hurled the Paladin hard into the mist covering the lake, sending the massive armored giant falling somewhere deep into the "wall-less labyrinth", from which he'd never be able to return.

The remaining Paladins flapped their mighty quadruple wings and shot high into the air, avoiding the massive slabs of stone rushing up against them, before they charged towards Killer, the huge male grinning gamely as the first giant in line was pelted by three huge arrows coming almost simultaneously from Ira's bow: they knocked the massive angel backwards, but the Paladin flapped his wings again and shot forwards all the same, his thick golden armor protecting him from the worst of the damage... before all three the darts exploded in a massive ball of fire, sending magma splattering all over the wings of the warrior, burning them into ashes and sending a few white feathers spiraling down to the ground, before the Paladin himself fell off the sky.

Killer stared in shock as the massive beast only flipped and landed in a crouch in front of him, burning like a torch and covered in incandescent magma but not giving off a single groan of pain, instead coldly swinging upwards his massive axe. The huge male leapt backwards with a grunt, swinging one arm up and quickly forming a sphere of blazing energy in his palm, throwing it hard in the face of the silent warrior: it exploded with a massive blast, slamming the Paladin backwards and shattering the pole of the axe and the front of the half-molted armor plating... but the liger frowned as the Paladin quickly pushed back up to his feet, even as his now bare chest and powerful abdominals, of a weird grey color, bleed from multiple gashes and smoldered as drops of magma fell on the flesh and quickly burned it into stinking smoke.

What the hell are they made of...? Not even a grunt of pain, even as his body is burned into ashes... Killer had no time to think further about it, however, as the other Paladins dived down from the sky and threw their huge spears down at him, forcing him to leap to the right as the first massive polearm sunk deep into the ground where he had been standing a moment earlier. He slammed his foot against the thick pole, leaping higher upwards and twisting to the side to avoid another spear, before he swung out his arm with a snarl, a long golden blade ripping out of the top of his wrist and slicing neatly through the pole of another pike, cutting it in half and sending the pieces falling down to the ground.

Killer landed on his feet, grunting as he seized the pole of one spear and easily ripped the weapon out of the ground, spinning it easily with an expert movement of his wrist before stabbing it hard upwards as a Paladin rushed down against him, slashing a massive broadsword down. Killer slid forwards calmly as time seemed to slow down, the large blade hissing down and missing his back by mere inches, while the spear stabbed right through the outstretched arms of the giant, and the long, deadly tip thrust right under the helmet, biting into the joint between it and the thick collar of the golden armor, inscribed with the symbol of the Heavenly Council.

The Paladin's body seemed to freeze over, growing stiff as the giant's own momentum carried him quickly down the pole of the spear, the weapon pushing through neck and skull as the angel impaled himself on the pike... while Killer dropped the spear and charged forwards with a grin, holding up his arm and using the long blade sticking out of his wrist as a real sword, slamming it hard upwards to meet the strike of an axe, snarling as sparks flew from the contact between the thick blades... before he let a wall of fire burst into being around himself, a vortex of magma wrapping around him in a column that rose towards the sky as another Paladin charged forwards with a pike. The heavenly warrior was swallowed by the cruel maelstrom of fire, and quickly consumed into ashes, but once more he failed to let out even a simple groan of pain, instead silently using all of his last strengths to try and push through the flames to land a blow on Killer's body.

I know, Paladins are special and have a superbly trained iron will. They give it all to accomplish their mission... but this is not normal... The liger made a grimace as the Paladin pushed through the flames, only to dissolve into a puff of ashes, as the huge male held up his arms in a ready position before leaping forwards against the nearest giant, the vortex of fire flowing down his arm and focusing into his fist as he shot forwards with lightning speed and smashed his punch home into the angel's abdomen, grinning viciously as a beam of magma and dark fire shot through the unfortunate giant as his fist tore all the way through the thick armor and the creature's body.

Another Paladin swung his massive axe down against him, but Killer easily sidestepped the falling blade, reaching up instead for the pole, seizing into the handle of the huge weapon and pushing it hard backwards, slamming the thick pole in the face of the giant warrior, denting his fully-enclosed helmet inwards as blood splattered out from inside it. The Paladin stumbled backwards, dazzled, and Killer drove his spiked knee up into the beast's chest, the golden spikes jutting out of his joint turning into deadly blades and growing longer for a moment as he rammed his blow on the target, piercing the Paladin's body from side to side, tearing his chest apart before ripping the spikes mercilessly back as he stomped his foot into the ground and ripped the axe out of the angel's hands as other enemies assaulted him from all sides.

The earth shattered and exploded upwards in a blast of golden, radiant energy, cracks ripping open through the park as the massive warriors were slammed upwards and backwards, blown off their feet, before Killer laughed darkly as he swung the massive halberd in his hands and chopped it outwards in a ferocious cut, chopping four Paladins in halves and sending their pieces splattering on the ground in a macabre lake of blood and misplaced guts, while the thick blade of the axe sunk completely into the broad, armored chest of another angel, who ground to a halt immediately as the blade pierced though him, before he collapsed to his knees. Even so, he somehow found the strength to slash out with his broadsword, cutting a swallow gash in Killer's massive, muscular thigh, which only made the liger snarl with anger as he lashed out a kick into the agonizing Paladin's face, knocking him down into the dirt and crushing his head in a splatter of red paste and flattened steel.

Ira leapt up from the staircase with a sharkish grin on her features, the muscular female holding her arms up and beckoning to the nearest Paladins to come, licking her lips slowly as five of the massive giants turned their attention against her and charged forwards, holding up their large, heavy shields. But the mighty female stood in front of them fearlessly, leaning forwards and planting her feet to make herself as solid as a towering mountain, as the first Paladin stabbed his huge spear forwards. She moved to the side almost imperceptibly, her hand shooting down in a flash-move and seizing the pole just behind the deadly tip, shoving hard outwards and sending the giant missing, overshooting her and turning back immediately, just to meet Ira's gloved fist, which smashed into his helmet and sent him flying backwards like a rocket, the helmet crumpling inwards with a sick, wet sound.

Her other hand had already shot upwards to draw out Arctica, swinging the Katana down in an elegant, fluid cut which chopped the tip off another spear, before she slashed the blade vertically upwards, biting into the front of one huge shield as it rushed against her. It immediately froze over, thick, clear ice wrapping swiftly around it and up the Paladin's arm, before she stepped forwards and drove her knee up into the brittle, iced-over shield, shattering it into fragments and sending the forearm of the giant falling to the ground to explode into slivers like fragile glass.

The giant stumbled backwards for a moment, and the cobra immediately leapt against him, grinning in dark amusement as she slid her strong arms past the sides of his head, before wrapping them around his neck as she launched her body into the air: she half-spun, twisting the head of the angel violently, until his spine snapped with a loud, sickening crunch, the body beginning to collapse even as she slashed her legs up in a kick, driving her knee in the face of a charging Paladin, and the heel of her boot crushing in the cheekbone of the following one, sending his head lashing out to the side as blood leaked out from beneath the helmet.

Ira spun elegantly in midair as she let go of the broken neck of the first paladin, the muscular female grinning widely as she stomped down on the chest and face of the second as he fell on his back, her foot ramming down into his skull as she swung Arctica down in a quick downwards slash, chopping the legs off from under the third Paladin in line as he stumbled to the side, sending him falling forwards just as her other hand reached for the handle of Vampira, pulling out the Katana and swinging it swiftly ahead of herself, slicing the head of the falling giant right off.

The fifth Paladin had nonetheless no hesitation, no reaction at all, only ramming forwards with his enormous shield, slamming it into the muscular female and knocking her flying backwards with a snarl of pain, as high-voltage electricity flowed through her body in a vicious blast.

She caught herself with a flap of her strong wings, flipping backwards and then shooting higher into the air as the giant swung his halberd against her. The Paladin looked up at her with silent, cold indifference, his four huge wings flapping once and launching him high into the sky as he pursued her and swung his axe hard upwards. She arched her back to lean backwards, out of the way, grinning as the blade hissed through the air in front of her face, before she launched herself forwards with a mighty flap of her wings, ramming her foot against the pole of the weapon and sending it rocketing painfully backwards, the arm of the angel giving a loud crack as he stubbornly held on to his halberd. Her other foot came down on top of his head, smashing hard down on his helmet as she stepped over him before diving down behind his back, launching herself towards the ground as she seized him by the throat, grunting as she bent forwards, flipping and dragging the giant up over her shoulder, throwing him hard down towards the island, before she grinned as she tossed a small sphere of glowing, hellish fire against him. It exploded as it rammed into his wings, burning them into ashes and ruined feathers, just as he tried to catch himself, and he went down like a meteor, crashing into the ground with a sickening crunch.

"Come to me, bitches!" Ira roared, holding out her arms as she grinned in dark delight. She felt free. She felt strong. She felt better than she had ever felt before in her life. Heaven and Hell had ceased to worry her, and she now had no hesitations and no worries. She was just Ira, lover of Killer, and he was her home, her family, her love, her guide and inspiration. She had no doubts. Not anymore. She knew that her strength, her hungers, her lusts, would only make Killer happier. She could vent her power, she could satisfy her needs... and take a bit of a revenge. She only laughed darkly as Paladins surged against her from either side, and she charged against them with eagerness, flexing her mighty musculature as she rammed both her feet into the chest of one of the creatures, knocking him down through the sky as she seized his head with a hand and balled the other into a fist, smashing it down into his face once, twice, thrice, crushing his head into mush and crumpled metal, as blood splattered over her face and huge breasts, painting her mighty arms crimson, before she jackknifed over his shoulder and half-spun to throw the corpse hard against the other warriors, sending them scattering in all directions and grinning viciously as she hurled a fireball against one, turning the Paladin in a living torch as magma exploded all over him.

A Paladin threw himself against Killer, ramming into his powerful body with the heavy, massive shield which crackled with lightning bolts, sending the electricity blasting into the liger's huge body, but the god only grinned darkly as he seized into the thick piece of heavenly steel, the supernatural alloy crumpling like paper under his grip as he laughed cruelly, tearing the shield in half like it was a sheet of wet paper, before he stabbed the two sharply-pointed halves down into the chests of two angels, piercing the solid steel through their bodies and sending both collapsing to the ground in broken, wasted heaps. Another Paladin charged at his broad back, ramming a huge war-hammer down on the liger's shoulders, but the huge male was left unfazed, Killer too busy seizing another warrior by the arms instead, lifting him clear off the ground and then ripping him in half with a roar, guts and organs spilling down to the ground in a macabre cascade. The giant behind Killer' back hesitated for a brief moment, as if in shock, but then he drew back his heavy sledgehammer, preparing to strike again, but before he could swing the weapon forwards, a thick, black tentacle-beast pushed out of the liger's back and wrapped its coils around the Paladin, imprisoning him in an unbreakable hold and lifting him high into the air before squeezing him hard, cruel spikes of bone and golden, incandescent speed pushing out of the tentacle's strong body and piercing through the Paladin from all sides, before the corpse burst apart in a thick splatter of gore.

Another giant warrior leapt in against Killer, hiding behind the huge shield and using it to stumble the liger backwards with a blast of white energy, before stabbing forwards with a long broadsword, forcing the god to twist to the side, sliding out of the way and then backstepping as another angel chopped down ferociously with a heavy halberd.

Killer snarled as both Paladins turned towards him, the second ripping his halberd out of the ground without a sound, without a grunt, only swinging it back to his arms as both giants charged at the liger again... and Killer snarled in frustration and rage, stomping forwards and ramming his shoulders into their chests, sending both skyrocketing backwards before violently braking to a stop as the liger seized their helmets, growling: "Who the fuck are you...?"

He ripped hard upwards, tearing the helmets off their heads, and the two Paladins recoiled somewhat as the thick metal frames ripped gashes into their checks and muzzles, while Killer froze for a moment, gaping as he looked over them, from one face to the other. They were absolutely identical: two reptile-like creatures covered in tiny but solid scales, which overlapped in a regular pattern to create a smooth, solid natural armor. Their draconic muzzles were lined with cruel fangs, with spikes pushing out of either lip and almost biting downwards and upwards into the Paladins' own flesh, and their eyes were empty, only glowing with a faint white light which was devoid of any emotion.

"Clones...?" Killer muttered, looking horrified, before he angrily smashed his fist in the flat of the halberd's blade as the first Paladin swung it against him again. The liger snarled furiously as he knocked the huge, heavy weapon flying off the giant's hand, before he seized both angels by the skull and tore both heads off, with a roar of distaste, hissing: "Clones...!"

Blood splattered everywhere, blasting out in a thick sprays as the liger tore the skulls and good part of the spines of the two giants right out of their bodies, which flopped down to the ground in a broken, useless heap, while Killer's eyes shot down to the vertebrae, searching between the gore and torn flesh and muscle... and quickly finding exactly what he had expected: collars wrapped tightly around the top vertebrae of the neck, with a small box containing sophisticate, miniaturized computers connected directly to the nervous system and brain thanks to a multitude of tiny cables inserted into needles that reached all the way into the marrow. The computer used small electrical pulses traveling up and down the nerves to control the brain and body of the clone via neural synapse. The system was incredibly sophisticated and extraordinarily effective, albeit dangerous: the computer expanded the brain's capabilities immensely, and it optimized the use of every resource of the body, massively increasing the strength, intelligence, speed, agility and resistance of the subject fitted with the device. The computer could also override independent thought, and even eliminate the subject's perception of hunger, fatigue, pain and fear: the subject eventually would fall apart if it went on and on for too long... but it would go down without a single lament, and fighting bitterly to the very end, ignoring wounds, damage, bodily needs and any kind of conscience or feeling.

Killer threw both skulls to the ground, his hands balling into fists as he let out a roar of fury, stomping on one of the skulls and crushing the bone into fine powder before he tackled a charging Paladin down into the ground, snarling viciously as he began to smash his fists down into the unfortunate creature again and again, each mighty blow shattering the thick armor and the body inside it like they were made of wet paper. He knew that infernal device: the RA, on the Mortal Plane, had introduced them well before Killer arrived in Heaven: even Riaku had had one of those devices planted in his spine. It was called "Spirit", an almost poetic name for a system which had absolutely nothing of suggestive and poetic: that collar was the ultimate product of technology for the enslavement of people, as it could turn any living being into a brainless, soulless organic weapon.

Riaku's system, fortunately, hadn't been built to completely override his consciousness, and he had managed to break free of the RA's control, pulling out of that insane organization... but those Paladins, on the other hand, had been engineered specifically for fighting and dying. They had been built for it, genetically assembled for the sole purpose of fighting the Council's wars.

"Ira, these things are clones! All of them! Bodies produced in series and fitted with a computer system acting as brain!" Killer shouted, even as he ripped the axe out of the hands of one of the Paladins, using it to chop down into pieces every fake angel that charged at him.

"That explains why they don't give a flying fuck about anything." Ira snarled, looking towards Killer and seeing what he meant, as he tore the spine out of another giant, the collar on the top vertebrae well visible. She swung Vampira out as a Paladin charged forwards spinning a spear, and she snorted as she easily decapitated the creature, before she seized the falling body by the neck and seized the damaged spine, pulling on it with a growl of both fury and distaste, with the latter growing even more bitter as the collar came into sight, confirming the full extent of the horror. "It also explains the ever increasing number of Paladins, when the original ones were so few."

"Sickening. Bringing to life countless beings... only to use them as mindless cannon fodder." Killer muttered, making a grimace of distaste as he added: "There really is no limit to the horror that Typhon is ready to embrace."

"I'm sure Lord Typhon and the Council would have preferred to avoid this cruel solution. But I believe they had no alternative, Lord Killer..." A warm, strong voice intervened, and both Killer and Ira looked towards the doors of the Monastery, staring as a massive, nearly 30-foot tall unicorn walked towards them, his long, silvery horn seeming to glow in the cold, weak light that came through the mist. The horse had long, smooth blond hair which fell over his shoulders, resting atop massive pauldrons of polished steel and falling down to the middle of his back. He had serene, handsome features, but his eyes with alight with flames of faith that bordered into fanaticism. He wore a full armor made of thick, well-shaped plates of lucid steel, with the chest and abdomen chiseled to follow and reproduce the profile of the unicorn's musculature. At the waist, held up by a thick belt of silvery leather, the angel wore a simple white loincloth which reached down to his knees, with a leaf-shaped plate of steel protecting his groin and other two elements of armor wrapping around his sides. His legs were bare, showing some of his bright brown fur, but the lower legs were wrapped into greaves of thick, beautifully-chiseled steel which reached down almost all the way to the large, heavy hooves, which had been completely plated over with bright steel. The unicorn carried a large circular shield, and held a massive longsword in his hand, letting the thick, long blade rest on his shoulder. Two lion heads crafted in gold, one on each pauldron, held up a long red cloak by biting into the fabric with their perfectly chiseled fangs, and two more roaring lion heads faced themselves off on the chest of the armor, one on each large pectoral, facing inwards.

"I've always wanted a cool armor like that." Killer mumbled, and Ira gazed sideways at him with a little snort of amused frustration, the muscular female shaking her head imperceptibly at the sight of how he never, never changed. He gazed back at her flatly, then arched his eyebrow slightly, asking a silent question, to which the cobra replied by addressing the unicorn with calm but firm voice: "Parsifal, Champion of the Heavenly legions, you can't support this madness."

"Lady Ira, I've served, protected and supported Lord God for all my life. At times it has been easy, other times it has been tough. But I do not dispute the orders of my God. He knows what is best for us all: so I use obeying silently, and silently dying, if necessary. My faith is unshaken and infinite." The blond unicorn quietly replied, bowing his head forwards and closing his eyes for a moment, before he looked up: "This is a tough task, that I've been given. I dislike the idea of leading... beings born only to fight and die... into battle. But it is an order of Lord God, and it is necessary to ensure the survival and safety of His Heaven."

"I've served and serve Lord God with no less loyalty, Parsifal. And if you think about it, this is an order of Typhon, not of Lord God." Ira replied calmly, walking a couple of step forwards. "You know Elelyon better than most... would he ever approve the generation of life only for the purpose of war?"

"Lord God!" The unicorn remarked, looking up sharply and shifting uncomfortably on the spot as the name of God was used so freely. "Lord God... and yes. This is an order of Lord Typhon and of the Heavenly Council, expressions of Lord God. We were told to always listen to the Council and to the Ruling Prince Typhon, in absence of an order coming directly from Lord God. I will not disobey. I will not betray my vows. I will not let my faith waver. I won't be weakened by doubt."

"I think you already are." Killer calmly intervened, looking up to the tall angel with a gaze full of respect and understanding. "More and more, you have been asking yourself if this is really Lord God's Heaven... or if it is being forcefully morphed into something else."

The unicorn almost recoiled, as if physically hit by his words. The giant hesitated for a moment, his bright golden eyes locking into Killer's sapphire... before they turned away, as if unable to sustain the piercing gaze of the liger. Finally, the horse snorted and muttered: "Heaven has certainly been changing, Lord Killer... a lot, since you were brought here."

"Don't lie to yourself. It changed well before that." Ira firmly replied, sheathing her Katanas and then crossing her muscular arms on her chest. "And you know that Lord God himself said that having Amon-Ra visiting Heaven was the only way to save it."

"He never said that Amon-Ra and Lord Killer were really the same person, though. That was a guess made on the content of goddess Azura's prophecies and texts." The unicorn replied, turning towards Killer with coldness in his eyes, looking over the huge liger with a grimace of mistrust and distaste. "Lord Killer has the power, yeah. But is he a savior...? Frankly, I doubt it. He is more of a conqueror. If not a monster."

This time, it was Killer's turn to recoil, the huge male liger making a bit of a grimace as he shifted his position nervously. How many times had he asked himself what he was going to be? How many times he had wondered if Black Killer existed, if there really was a separation between his good and evil side... or if he really was a monster, and he only told himself lies to dispel his worries and fears.

Ira, however, leaned forwards with decision, her eyes narrowing as she firmly declared: "Lord Killer is the Amon-Ra. There is no doubt on it. And we owe it to him, and him alone, if Heaven is still standing and still has an army. We would have been annihilated in the Meadows, otherwise."

"Lady Ira, I must stop you right there. The betrayal of the Meadows is inexcusable. The glorious Heaven of Lord God has been defeated and invaded because of it: filthy demons and sinners now rampage through its blessed lands, bringing Corruption in its gardens. There won't be another betrayal here in Avalon. My orders are clear: you must not pass. You won't enter the monastery." The unicorn boomed, swinging his massive sword in front of himself as he got into a ready position, the blade of his weapon aimed straight against Killer and Ira as it glowed and burned with white, holy fire.

Killer and Ira stood in front of him silently, both looking up at the knight with sadness in their eyes, as the cobra shook her head slowly, dropping her head forwards and gazing at the ground as she felt tears making their way up to her eyes. Parsifal was a famous, ancient hero of Heaven, one of the finest warriors ever to exist, and one of the closest protectors of God: he was a true angel, a loyal, honorable knight of the sky, and he should have been a friend, never an enemy... "Please, Parsifal... think about it. See what Heaven has become. See that, in this case, disobeying the orders is doing the right thing."

"I'm sorry, Lady Ira." The unicorn quietly replied, his voice warm and relaxed, yet veiled with sadness as the eyes of the champion turned to the cobra. "I see the same things you see. I have the same doubts you have. But God's last order to me was to protect Heaven as I would protect Him. And to follow the orders of the Council and of Lord Typhon as I'd follow His." The demoness looked up in shock as the champion admitted his worries and fears, and the massive horse smiled at her warmly, adding quietly: "I cannot ignore that order. My God showed me the way... and I trust my God above all things. But I'm sorry, I really are." The knight paused, and Killer closed his eyes for a moment, sighing in sad awareness of the tragedy that was unfolding before him, before he made one last try, calmly saying: "Please, Sir Parsifal, champion of God... We are not enemies. We should not be. And I don't want to be your enemy. We both fight to protect God's world... Please, don't try to stop me. There is someone in that monastery, that I love dearly. That I owe much to. She was stolen away from me... she is probably being tortured. And I won't abandon her. I don't want to be your enemy, but if you won't let me pass, I'll have to kill you. Don't make me do that, I pray you."

"I am sorry, Lord Killer." The unicorn replied, bowing his head forwards in sign of respect, his voice full of sincerity and sad resignation. "I can see why Lady Ira and Lady Vesta follow your advice and walk on the path you trace. We would have been good friends, in other circumstances... But I cannot let you pass, I'm sorry." The unicorn gave Killer a warm, wide smile, his eyes showing no sign of fear or hate, his expression only veiled by regret, somehow visible beyond the serenity of his features.

"Know this, my honorable friend. If I'll die, it'll mean that you are walking the right path. And I'll die happily, knowing that the world is in good hands. If God grants me his protection once more and I win, it'll mean that I was right all along in following his order. Either way, I think Truth will be revealed."

Killer swallowed, closing his eyes as a shiver went down his spine, as he listened to the serene, unshaken faith of the Champion, who spoke of his death with ease and quiet acceptation, like he was talking of the visit of a friend.

"It's farewell then, Sir Parsifal..." Ira quietly said, looking at the unicorn with a soft, sad smile, before she closed her eyes as she added: "You won't survive this duel for the Truth."

"Probably no." Parsifal agreeably replied, giving her a last smile. "I'm sorry, Lady Ira. Sorry that our only meaningful meeting will be the last. I know Heaven has not been welcoming and generous to you: but you are one of the greatest of Seraphims, and one of the most loyal of God's creatures, and I'm sorry that so few have understood it and treated you accordingly. It was an honor to meet you, at least this once."

Ira looked back at him silently, gaping slightly and looking confused, shocked, angry and desperate at the same time... before she found the strength to calm her conflicting emotions, to give him a last, quiet nod of friendship and understanding, before she turned her back on him, faster than she wished, fearing to seem rude and merciless, but even more scared to show him that two incandescent tears of frustrated sorrow were streaking down her cheeks.

Why won't he listen...? Why has it to end this way...? He shouldn't die. This should not be happening.

The cobra walked past Killer, trading with the huge male a sad look, before she snarled in anger as several white portals opened in front of her, all through the park of the Monastery, each vortex vomiting new platoons of silent, cold Paladins.

Ira immediately charged forwards, going into a slide that brought her behind a huge amphora sculpted in stone and placed in the middle of a flowerbed blooming with countless, colorful plants. She ducked behind the thick stone just in time to avoid a huge spear as it hissed above, while a dozen arrows smashed into the amphora, sinking deeply even through the stone, as the cobra growled and took her own longbow down from her shoulders, taking quickly aim above the edge of the sculpture and sending a dart knocking a Paladin backwards in a broken heap.

Parsifal looked at this with a grimace of distaste, before turning towards Killer with an apology in his eyes, as he quietly said: "I'm not responsible for their arrival. Please, pardon me for this infamy, even if it is not my fault... evidently, the Council does not believe I will be enough to keep you out of Avalon."

"It was to be expected." Killer replied calmly, before shifting into a ready position, looking over the tall, proud angel with sadness. He thought about asking Parsifal to think once more about things... but he knew it wouldn't bring to anything. The champion had made his choice, and accepted the consequences. Parsifal would give his very best, to the very end... even though the angel almost hoped to die, to be proven wrong. He doesn't like the Council's Heaven any more than we do...

"Go right ahead, I have the situation under control here!" Ira barked, even as she shot another arrow, nailing to the wall a Paladin which had tried to sneak around her, moving in the shadows of the tall wall of the Monastery and advancing from bush to bush across the park.

"Goodbye, Lord Killer. It was a pleasure to meet you." The champion said, before his cloak fell off as the golden lion heads on his pauldrons opened their jaws as if to roar, and the unicorn charged forwards, moving with liquid, astonishing grace and with such speed that he seemed to slide over the ground, as he leaned forwards and stabbed forth with his massive sword.

Killer winced as a blast of holy force shot out of the blade, ripping through the air and slicing a glowing wound into even the ground and the slabs of stone of the boulevard, the liger throwing himself to the side with a grunt and going into a roll, before he shoved himself back up to his feet at a safe distance, kicking a large spear out of the hand of the corpse of a Paladin and seizing it easily in midair, swinging it as he spun around, stabbing the long, heavy tip forwards as the champion came upon him, slashing his longsword out.

Sword and spear collided in a mighty clash, sparks flying off from the contact between the steel pole and the blade as the two males leaned against each other, Killer saying calmly: "Goodbye, Sir Parsifal. It was an honor."

The huge liger then pulled his polearm back, letting the pole slide down the length of the sword, until the barb at the base of the spear-tip hooked into the horse's blade, allowing Killer to drag it hard out to the side.

Parsifal grunted in surprise, gritting his teeth as his defence was moved out of the way and Killer's fist shot up towards his face, before the unicorn threw himself forwards and rammed his shield hard towards the liger, as the surface of it glowed with pure white energy.

Killer saw it coming and dropped his punch, spreading the palm of his hand and ramming it hard against the shield, blasting his own energy forwards in a golden explosion of power, the two males grunting as the clash of forces blasted them off in the opposite directions. Both males landed easily on their feet, skidding backwards several feet and digging trenches in the ground with their feet, even as the champion drew his sword back, and then lashed out hard with it, the blade glowing with holy fire as he sent blades of holy energy shooting against Killer, one after the other, as the liger threw himself to the side, dodging the first, before he leapt over the second, wincing at the explosions that went up whenever the deadly crescent-shaped blades smashed into the ground. A third blade rushed against him as he landed, and the liger stomped his foot down on the edge of a large shield dropped by a Paladin, knocking it flying up to his hands and using it to protect himself, the huge male snarling as he felt the blade of holy energy sinking deep into the thick steel before a massive explosion rammed Killer backwards... before he leaned forwards with a row, swinging the shield hard upwards and sending the energy of the explosion dissipating in violent, incandescent vortexes that rushed past him as he stabbed his spear forwards just as Parsifal shot forwards and lashed out with his blade.

The two weapons once more collided, sending sparks flying around them as energy crackled loudly over the two weapons, before the horse threw himself forwards to ram Killer with his shield. Parsifal grunted in surprise as the liger swung the spear hard down against the huge shield, planting his feet into the ground and leaning forwards with all his fearsome strength as he ground against the unicorn's thrust, anchoring himself and resisting even as the knight flapped his four huge wings powerfully... before Killer's bicep bulged explosively as he shoved forwards with a roar, forcing Parsifal to stumble backwards as the liger slammed the edge of his shield hard on top of the horse's one, slamming it downwards and out of the way.

Parsifal grunted as he kicked his feet off the ground, shoving himself backwards, but Killer grinned as he stabbed forwards with the edge of his shield, ramming it into the unicorn's muzzle, sending blood spraying out of the knight's mouth and tearing his cheek open before the angel could draw back to a safe distance.

The champion flapped his massive wings and threw himself into the air, quickly wiping at his face with the back of his hand, grinning a bit even as he spat a thick gout of blood. "You are much faster than I thought, Lord Killer. Despite your bulky musculature, you are very agile and swift."

"And you move with unbelievable grace, despite being a thirty foot colossus." The liger replied calmly, before flexing his powerful back as his own enormous black wings tore out of his flesh, spreading out in all their imposing magnificence, dark flames turning semi-solid and forming long feathers as sharp as razors and as incandescent as magma. "I claim first blood."

"Undoubtedly. But this is not that kind of duel, unfortunately. One of us will have to die." Parsifal quietly replied, his eyes tracing over the powerful wings of Killer, and then over his huge, muscular arms, taking note of the liger's monstrous strength. The unicorn smiled softly as he bowed his head respectfully forwards, before he dropped his large shield, and it flowed in midair in front of him, before moving out to the right side, as three more shields floated up from the battleground below, forming a circle of floating steel in front of the knight.

Killer looked at this silently, his eyes narrowing slightly as Parsifal's now free hand wrapped around the handle of a second sword sheathed at his side, and as the angel crossed his blades and assumed a ready position, several other blades floated upwards from the ground, adding to the constellation of steel surrounding him.

"I will not hold back, Lord Killer, much as I regret having to be your enemy." The unicorn promised, his eyes glowing with energy and his features becoming stony with concentration, and Killer silently nodded, before propelling himself into the air with an easy flap of his wings.

Swords that floated in midair, glowing with holy energy, shot at him immediately, and the liger gritted his fangs as he focused his sharp senses, tracing the position of even the blades that sailed past him, off to the sides, trying to surround him. A brief moment passed, enough for Killer to flex his musculature, preparing for the clash... and then the swords swung against him from all sides, hissing through the air as they shot forth at insane speed, becoming barely visible blurs. Killer leaned forwards with a grunt, swinging his shield up to cover his chest and wincing as a blade rammed into it with incredible violence, stumbling him backwards even as he lashed out with his arm and slammed the large shield down on top of another sword, knocking it falling to the ground as he spun his spear upwards, the tip clashing with another flying blade and shoving it wide off the mark, before the huge male swung the pole under his armpit, slashing the bottom of it upwards and knocking another saber backwards before it could sunk into his back.

Killer leapt backwards, swinging his shield out again and snarling as it clanged loudly against another sword, before one of the other blades chopped hard down against him, and he barely managed to knock it wide off with a slash of his spear, before he winced as two of the floating shields turned against him and glowed with holy fire, blasting burning rays of white energy against him.

Killer threw himself backwards, his mighty wings sending flames raining down through the sky as they flapped majestically, the huge male cocking his arm back and hurling the spear forwards with all his strength, before spinning and twisting to the side to avoid the first beam of holy energy, as he pushed out the shield in front of himself just as the second beam washed over him like a hurricane of white energy.

Parsifal only charged forwards with a flap of his four glowing wings, one of his floating shields shooting up and easily knocking the spear wide off to the side, and Killer saw him coming closer, before the incandescent holy energy of the beam broke apart like water, flowing past the shield and surrounding him, hiding the moves of Parsifal.

The huge liger snarled, shoving forwards with his wings but nonetheless sliding slowly backwards as a tremendous, incandescent and blinding light surrounded him, blinding him entirely: he couldn't see anything, and his other senses were all impeded by the tremendous force washing past him on all sides.

The huge liger winced in pain as a sword shot into his wing, the blade clanging loudly as it smashed against the steely, incandescent feathers, but nonetheless sinking deeply through... before melting down like butter, Killer self-consciously using that metal to quickly regenerate the feathers, healing the wound entirely.

The liger grinned at that, even as another blade slashed into his thigh, and another swung hard into his ankle, sending blood spraying out from the wounds... before Killer lashed out with his wings, wrapping himself into a vortex of dark fire which melted all the blades trying to get through, the incandescent molten metal splattering against his body but feeling no hotter than warm water as his energy pushed out of his body, surging like magma, wrapping over his musculature and quickly shaping into a solid, layered full-plate armor, with pauldrons shaped like roaring lion heads, the manes ruffled and fiery and every sharp lock of hair forming a deadly spike, as the eyes glowed with white, burning fire.

Spiked greaves protected his lower legs and the top of his feet, as elongated, finely chiseled plates covered his groin, back and hips, his abdominals and chest wrapped in thick golden plates which were sculpted to follow the godlike profile of his hard muscles.

Killer's dark fire greedily consumed the holy energy, dissolving the white light in a massive vortex of magma and darkness, but Parsifal fearlessly charged through, as his floating shields grouped up in front of him, forming a solid wall of blessed alloy.

The huge liger looked upwards just in time to see the huge wall of steel diving down against him from high above, and Killer threw a sphere of golden energy against this, gazing up to see the enormous explosion rattling the solid phalanx... but the wall didn't break up, shoving through and then opening slightly, just to allow a hailstorm of spears to shoot out from the space between a shield and another.

Killer shoved his shield against the falling blades, wincing as several of the enormous javelins pierced through even the thick metal, and he reached out with a blast of telekinetic force, knocking the spears flying off to the sides or breaking into pieces as he threw the useless shield away, snorting at the look of it: with a dozen spears pierced through, it looked more like a pin cushion than anything else.

Killer had enough time to blink in surprise as he saw the shields themselves rushing down against him, before one of them glowed with energy and smashed down hard into his chest, sending him plummeting towards the ground, before two of the others rammed savagely down into his arms, making him growl in pain as his bones creaked... but he nonetheless found the strength to seize the last one in his hands, snarling as he bent it on itself like a piece of paper before tossing it hard against Parsifal.

The unicorn slashed his swords outwards in a X, chopping the ruined shield into pieces like it was made of cheap tin, before the horse was over Killer, swinging both of his blades down for the end blow. The liger caught himself in midair, flapping his enormous wings to stop his fall towards the ground as he lashed out his enormous fists, grinning as long, curved blades pushed out of the top of his wrists, clashing against the unicorn's swords as they locked into a vicious clash, their blades sailing through the air and clanging together again and again, before the two giants leaned forwards in a duel of raw strength, grinning at each other from behind the crossed steel, their biceps bulging with power and almost bending their thick armors out of shape... before the unicorn grunted in shock as Killer swung his arms out with a roar, sending Parsifal shooting backwards to smash into the wall of the monastery, the angel sinking into the thick, ancient stone and sending cracks spreading all around him.

Killer charged forwards with a mighty flap of his wings, but Parsifal's shield shot up in front of its owner, protecting the unicorn from the liger's blade... before Killer's eyes bulged as the other two surviving shields shot against him from either side, their edges jutting with blades and turning them into terrible circular saws that tore through the liger's wings, making him howl in agony as he fell down from the sky.

Killer landed on his feet, his wings bleeding and flapping weakly behind him, feeling heavy and unstable even as they quickly began to regenerate... and the liger allowed both to disappear entirely, regressing into his body as he leapt backwards with a snarl, one of the saw-shields diving against him and barely missing, digging a deep, cruel trench in the ground before shooting upwards to follow the liger.

Killer swung his hands upwards, sending an icy mist spreading in front of him, grinning as the shield shot through it and immediately iced over, ceasing to spin as it became a heavy block of frost which the god easily punched into bits.

Killer landed on his feet again, looking out for the second shield, but Parsifal broke out of the wall and shot like a lightning down from above, his shield ramming into the liger's upper chest and knocking him onto his back. The angel swung his swords down in rapid succession, but the liger had expertly flipped over backwards and leapt back to his feet at a safe distance, leaning forwards instead to stab forwards with his wrist-blades. Parsifal's shield swung in again, and even though it dented inwards, it parried the blow again, the unicorn smiling as he said quietly: "My faith is my shield, Lord Killer. My faith gains me my God's protection."

"Not this time, Parsifal." Killer replied calmly, swinging his blades up to meet the unicorn's own swords in another clash... before the horse smiled sympathetically before vanishing from the spot as Killer lashed out again. The liger grunted in surprise as his blade rammed again hard into the floating shield, the angel gone, and he spun on the spot, snarling as Parsifal reappeared behind his back, his swords coming down against him.

Killer knocked the first sword out wide, but as he turned around, the last saw-shield shot under his foot and knocked him off balance, before it shot viciously upwards and tore through the golden armor, sending blood spraying out in a thick gout as Killer howled in agony, his leg torn viciously open from ankle to thigh.

"So this is how it ends, Lord Killer...!" Parsifal exclaimed, shoving his swords down against the fallen liger... but the unicorn's eyes bulged wide with shock as enormous black-fleshed tentacles tore out of the god's back and shot through the air, each one a greedy, cruel beast with a spiked body and tremendous fangs. One shot against the saw-shield, biting its way through even the holy steel, tackling the spinning scutum to the ground and destroying it as another dealt with the knight's own shield, while two more beasts wrapped around Parsifal's arms, biting savagely into his wrists and crushing his biceps, the spikes tearing through armor and flesh almost with the same ease as Killer roared and used his tentacles to lift the angel high into the air, before smashing him face-first down into the ground.

Killer pushed up to his feet with a snarl of pain, stumbling a bit as his horribly wounded leg trembled under his weight, the huge male panting and gritting his fangs as he first crushed Parsifal hard down into the earth, before lifting him high up again into the air, to smash him down again... but the champion, screaming in pain from a ruined, bloody face, vanished into thin air.

Killer snorted, his lips cresting in a grim grin as he vanished into motes of energy himself... and when Parsifal reappeared, swinging his swords out, the blades chopped only through thin air. The unicorn's eyes opened wide in surprise, the knight spinning around with a snarl, swinging his blades out as he sensed Killer's presence, but his blades clanged off Killer's own as the liger lashed out one fist, smashing it into the horse's face and sending the champion crashing down on his back, the giant grunting in pain as he bounced twice off the ground before ramming into the wall of the monastery.

Killer snorted and made a grimace, bending forwards slightly and moving his hand over the horrible wound in his leg, his palm and fingers glowing with his energies as he aided his regeneration, quickly healing the deep gash, even as his eyes surveyed Parsifal as the angel groaned and coughed out a mixture of blood and broken teeth.

"I can teleport as well, it is not that hard." The liger calmly said, grinning slightly as he gazed over the unicorn, who pushed to his hooves, panting and coughing hard, even as he cracked his neck gamely.

"You can do that and a lot more, Lord Killer, I can clearly see it, now." Parsifal calmly said, looking up at the enormous tentacles arching high up into the air, stretching up from the liger's back. He was not merely speaking of the tentacles, however, but of much more: there was in his voice a whole new tone of resignation to a fate that, now, looked wholly clear to the unicorn.

"We can end it here, Parsifal..." Killer quietly offered, but he didn't really dare hoping in a positive answer and only sighing a bit to himself as the unicorn shook his head with a soft smile.

"No, Lord Killer... there can be only one conclusion to this fight. Give me the honor of a warrior's end." Parsifal softly replied, walking towards the liger and getting into an easy ready position, pulling up his heavy swords and smiling at Killer from behind the blades.... Before he launched forwards in a last hurrah, swinging his swords out in a series of slashes, shoving forth against Killer even as the liger replied blow after blow, before leaning forwards, stabbing his wrist-blade through the horse's chest. The liger grunted in surprise, however, as the knight became a ghostly image which quickly vanished out of existence, before reappearing almost immediately at Killer's side, smashing into him and knocking him staggering sideways. The knight swung his swords hard against Killer, trying to stab him in the chest and in the back, but Killer lashed out with his arm, ramming his spiked elbow down into the unicorn's shoulder, piercing through the armor and tearing the flesh and muscle apart.

Parsifal neighed in agony, collapsing down towards the ground, but before he could touch it, Killer vanished from the spot and reappeared at his side, ramming a kick into the knight's hip, sending him flying through the park to smash back-first into the trunk of a huge weeping willow.

Parsifal groaned in agony, but shoved a hand into the ground and flipped forwards nonetheless, landing in a crouch and springing back up to his feet... but Killer appeared right in front of him, smashing his palms hard into his chest and sending the angel crashing harder back into the huge tree, cracking the thick trunk and causing it to fall over, several of the ancient roots ripping out of the ground as the unicorn's eyes bulged in pain, the horse shrieking in agony and his hands letting go of the swords in a spasm of pain, before his body went stiff as a golden, curved blade pierced into his chest, ripping out of his back and splitting the horse's heart in half on the way.

"It is over." Killer calmly said, looking up into the unicorn's eyes from where he stood, leaning forwards and with his wrist-blade stabbed right through the horse's body.

"Yes..." Parsifal agreed, sighing breathlessly, almost in relief, as his head dropped heavily forwards on his chest, his eyes already starting to glaze over, but a serene smile cresting his lips as Killer carefully guided the giant down, helping it lay down on his back, before he ripped his blade out, and let it fold back into his flesh as he kneeled at the angel's side.

"It is over... I was wrong. And I'm... glad of it. Now I know that Heaven is in good hands." Parsifal whispered, his features hardening as he did his best to restrain his pain and the violent spasms shaking his body. Somehow, the horse found the strength to lift one hand up, and Killer caught it without hesitation, squeezing on it respectfully. He wanted to say a lot of things, but none seemed adequate to the moment... he wanted to scold the angel for wanting to bring it out to the very end, but by now it was done, and there was no point in saying it again.

The liger swallowed painfully as he saw tears filling the unicorn's eyes, as blood leaked out of the angel's mouth, before Parsifal moaned: "Was... mine... a betrayal...?"

Killer hesitated. He did not have the answer: Parsifal, like Gabriel, had kept faith to the very end to the last of God's orders. But they had both seen the changes that had been inflicted upon Heaven by Typhon and by the Council, and they had both understood that they were the exact opposite of what Elelyon could have ever wanted. What was the bigger betrayal? Disobeying a direct order, but doing the right thing; or obeying to the end, even if it meant protecting changes that went right against God's plans?

Killer had made his choice, with Vesta and many others.

Parsifal had made his.

"No... you did not betray anyone." Killer quietly replied, and Parsifal smiled a bit. His expression told the liger that he probably didn't believe to his words, but appreciated them nonetheless.

"Promise... me... that... you'll protect... God's world." The unicorn groaned, arching his back in agony and coughing hard, blood spitting out of his jaws, before he painfully added: "Not... just Heaven. All Planes. Now I see... it is not just about Heaven..."

"I promise." Killer said firmly, squeezing hard on the angel's hand, and the unicorn gave him a weak, agonizing smile, before another spasm wrecked the body of the giant, and his eyes opened wide one last time, before the last breath rolled out of the horse's nose and mouth, and the champion's strong body flopped lifelessly on the ground.

Killer closed his eyes with a tired sigh, shaking his head slowly as he gently put the horse's hand down on his chest, setting the palm down over the terrible wound, as if to hide it. The liger hesitated only for a brief moment, before standing up, turning his back to the corpse: he wished he had time to care for the dead, but it was much more urgent to care for the living, as he looked out to Ira, seeing her battling against the Paladins which continued to advance, as more surged out of the portals opening every now and then throughout the park.

She gazed at him from over her shoulder, as if feeling his eyes on her back, and he saw her looking past him, over the corpse of Parsifal, sadness filling her expression, before she turned back to him and grinned as she rammed her fist down through the helmet of a Paladin, sending it flopping in a broken heap to the ground as she shouted: "Get to Diana, I can keep the uninvited guests out! Take all the time you need, I'm loving it here!"

Right in that moment, new portals opened in midair, and a new wave of Paladins surged out of them, making the cobra grit her fangs a bit as she corrected herself: "Ok, perhaps it is better if you don't take it too easy."

Killer snickered at that, even as he turned towards the enormous, thick double doors of the Monastery, running towards them and trying to decide if he should knock, or smash his way through. He was spared the need to decide, though, as the doors opened in front of him as a Healer Priestess dressed in a white tunic with hood pulled the heavy flaps apart.

"Please, Lord Killer, come in." The priestess said, looking up at the huge male with adoration mixed with fear. Under the hood, Killer saw the young, beautiful features of a black pantheress, with emerald eyes that glinted happily as she gazed up at him, even as he saw her shivering in fear. "We are sorry, Amon-Ra: we would have gladly helped you in the fight, but none of us has any chance against the Paladins, or against Parsifal."

"I don't mind..." Killer replied, immediately dropping the subject in favor of more urgent questions as he looked past her, seeing a group of other priestesses assembled in the huge, arched corridor. "Is Diana here?"

"Follow the corridor, climb the stairs, and turn to the right. Follow the gallery all the way down to the tower. She's been locked in there... and an Inquisitor has been sent to torture her." The pantheress replied, hesitating as she told the last part, and seeming to shrink in the shadow of the enormous door as the huge male growled furiously, balling his hands into fists as he snarled: "Maggots."

He closed his eyes, repressing his rage enough to ask: "If you want to help me, please head out and bring Parsifal inside. He deserves a more dignified end than lying down forgotten in the middle of the park."

"We will, Lord Killer." The Priestesses said, bowing their heads forwards before quickly walking out of the doors, heaving for the body of the giant as Killer sprinted in the other direction, charging down the long corridor, barely looking around himself even as he sprinted in front of loopholes from which machine guns and massive ballista aimed into the corridor. He charged past an enormous shutter of dark steel, which was half-way open and forced him to bow to squeeze through, and on the other side he saw four angels in chainmail armor and flak jackets, holding spears and assault rifles.

They all sported scars and bandages wrapped around this or that part of their bodies, and none of them looked eager to pick a fight... and most certainly not with the huge male. They were still all shell-shocked by the tremendous experience of the battle in the Meadows, and all they wished for was some peace, some time away from the battlefield. And they showed they had not forgotten who had gotten them out alive from the slaughter at the Wall, cheering for Killer even as he ignored them altogether to run right up the monumental staircase.

More angels and Healer Priests and Priestesses turned out from the rooms aligned on the left side of the corridor as Killer emerged on top of the stairs and charged down the long gallery clad in lucid marbles. On the right side, tall, enormous arched windows faced each door, letting in a surprising amount of light, even as the mist pushed against the glass.

Some of the angels and Healers clapped and cheered, others only stared at him in disbelief, but the huge male just went past all of them, giving them little more than a casual gaze as he ran towards the tower instead, before slowing down with a snort as two massive angels wrapped in elaborated armors walked out of a door ahead, and stood in the middle of the gallery, blocking it as they waited for him to come. Killer slowed down his charge, walking the last few meters that separated him from them, the huge male grinding his fangs in his mouth in impatience and frustration. There was no doubt on the identity of the two Arkangels: Killer couldn't quite tell which of the two was who, but he was absolutely certain that they were Zachariel and Raphael, and they were both dressed up in full armor, and both carried weapons. Of course, that did not necessarily mean they would fight him, but for sure it did not promise the best of outcomes.

Killer gazed over the two with attention, appreciating at least the fact that they had not worn their fully-enclosed helmets, holding them under their arms instead, letting him see their faces, which appeared serene, yet conflicted. He did not sense hostility coming from them, but even that was no guarantee that a fight would not ensue: Parsifal had been just as relaxed.

Looking over them, Killer thought he could actually recognize them, thinking back to what Diana had told him about her chief Arkangels: the one on Killer's left looked the most relaxed and serene, even though his eyes were shadowed by concern and, perhaps, a fair bit of fear. He wasn't eager at all to face the difficult situation ahead, and his composure told the liger that he had to be Zachariel. He was a bright-furred palomino horse, with long hair that was of such a bright blonde that it almost looked white. He was clad in full, thick body armor, with chiseled plates of silvery metal worn over a long tunic of chainmail armor. Parts of the full-plate protection were however covered by flowing white robes, decorated with geometric golden drawings, and the helmet held under one armpit showed two fall eagle-wings sculpted in gold, rising up on both sides of the head. His hooves were bare, but had been fully plated-over with silvery metal, and he had a weird reptilian tail, ridged with spikes on the top and ending in a deadly harpoon made of bone. This caught Killer's attention for a long moment, before the liger's eyes moved up to the waist of the warrior, where a large war-hammer hang from a thick leather belt decorated with small golden, conical spikes. The hammer-head itself had a spiked, cruel smashing front, and the rear end curved backwards and chiseled into the shape of an eagle, with the cruel beak working as a spike which could have smashed holes into even the thickest of armors.

Even with the vicious weapon he carried, however, the Arkangel seemed reflexive, thoughtful and pacific: in fact, beyond the armor, what really caught Killer's eyes were the four circular shields floating into the air, forming a semicircle floating above the angel's head, while the horse carried a massive, rectangular scutum with the left arm, the enormous shield easily hiding half of his body even as the Arkangel let it rest with the bottom edge touching the ground.

Hammer or not, the Arkangel seemed more concerned with things other than war, and certainly more rooted in strict self defence than in eager offence. That identified him as Zachariel, angel of Surrender, tasked by God to help Mortals, especially those lying in their deathbed, to let go of their ties and bonds with the mortal plane, to serenely accept the passage to the existence beyond death. He was a helper by nature, and one particularly meek and sensitive. That was not to say he wasn't an exceptionally skilled and dangerous warrior, but it made him far less likely to start a fight if it could be avoided.

That left the second Arkangel as Raphael, the patron of all Healers, the true angel of healing and the one person who had personally taught to Diana much of what she knew. His name, Diana had told Killer, meant exactly "God Heals", and he was a fearless, courageous warrior as well as an incredibly helpful person. His incredible skills as fighter helped him make his way to the injured in need of help, even on the most terrible of battlegrounds, even when the enemy made every possible effort to stop him. He was larger and taller than Zachariel, and rivaled even Killer, approaching the twenty feet in height. He was a huge black bear, with a thick scar marking his face, going down from the forehead and all the way across one cheek. His golden eyes looked at Killer with a weird mix of anxiousness and serenity, as if the Arkangel was trying to prepare himself for the worst, while still hoping the best outcome could be achieved somehow. He didn't look eager to fight, but he was very clearly far less reluctant to face that unpleasant option than Zachariel was, and his simple, functional armor of segmented, overlapping plates of thick steel suggested it, just as his enormous sword did. The bear in fact was resting both of his arms on the cross-guard of an enormous cleaver sword, one burly, muscular arm on each side of the grip, the weapon held point-down and showing in all its majesty, perhaps sixteen feet long and with a thick, cruel blade which would, much like Wyvern, add its monstrous weight to each blow, maximizing the damage inflicted to the enemy and chopping through even the thickest armor.

The Arkangels traded a quiet sideways gaze, before the bear cleared his throat awkwardly as Killer walked in front of them and didn't slow down, determined to shove past them if he had to. The angel hesitated for a moment longer, before bowing his head as he calmly said: "Please, Lord Killer..."

"No." Killer replied, his eyes cold as he looked first at the bear, then at the horse, facing their gaze without hesitation. "Don't even ask. Just please walk out of my way: I've already had to kill a valiant warrior today, and I don't want to spill the blood of two more."

"But Lord Killer, please. You have to be reasonable. The Council..." The horse quietly objected, turning slightly towards the liger and nervously tapping the fingers of his free hand on the top edge of his enormous shield. Killer, however, immediately held up a finger, gritting his fangs in distaste at the mention of Heaven's corrupt Senate: "Don't say it. I'm fully aware that they oppose everything I do. I don't care. It only gives me even better reasons to do what I think I must do. Do I have to remind you two that Gabriel, and now Parsifal, died uselessly, to follow an order that has been overtaken by events and evidence? You've seen with your eyes that the Council was fully ready to sacrifice the whole army in a pointless slaughter in the Meadows, just to stick to the line that Heaven is pure, Heaven is faultless, Heaven does not waver?"

Zachariel bit his lower bit in evident embarrassment, deeply uncertain about what he should do... and Killer felt some sympathy for him and his difficulties in making a choice. On the other hand, though, the huge liger was frustrated and furious in front of their lack of initiative, even as they progressively surrendered to the evidence of the facts. Killer was fully aware of how difficult it was to make difficult choices: he had to make the biggest and most complex of choices every day, when he struggled with himself and with his dark inner nature to decide if he should protect or if he should conquer and destroy. Yet, he had found the strength to make his choice, and he found the strength and will to stick to it, every moment of his life. He had accepted humiliations, pain, the torture of being separated from Alexis, and he had abundantly paid the price of his choice with his blood. It was time for the Arkangels to make their own choices.

"We remember it all very clearly, Lord Killer." Raphael said, nodding wisely before adding: "We would not be alive today, had you not teleported us all away from the battlefield. We owe you our lives."

Raphael bowed his head forwards respectfully at that, agreeing with his comrade, but the bear, after a moment of silence, looked up and hesitatingly said: "But even so, we have to invite you to restrain your fury. Diana will live, I promise it. She will be healed and helped to recover fully. It is true, the Council does not want her to stay near you... but, Lord Killer, I'm sure you can... be patient, and let it be."

"There's an Inquisitor torturing her right now, though, i bet." Killer spat with distaste, glaring up at the bear, who dropped his gaze, staring at the floor and visibly gritting his teeth, deeply conflicted and visibly humiliated by the liger's words. "Not for the first time, the cowards in the Council are taking sick glee in sending an Inquisitor to torture Diana... to punish her for coming to me, and, even worse and even more cowardly, to punish my disobedience by hurting her. They don't even have the guts to send the Inquisitor to me, they take their rage out on her. Is this the Heaven you want to listen to? If it is, we can't stand on the same side." The liger stopped, standing in front of the two Arkangels and crossing his huge arms on his chest, impatiently waiting for their reaction, grinding his fangs together and squeezing into his own massive biceps in anger and urgency. He wanted to give them a chance, to see if they had the heart and guts to finally make their choice.

But both Arkangels hesitated for several long moments, even as they looked at the floor in shame. Every instant that passed made Killer's blood boil at a higher temperature, his patience quickly running out... until he furiously roared: "You trained her!"

His powerful voice boomed down the long gallery, rattling the windows and seeming to shake even the floor, as the two Arkangels shivered and looked up in shock, their eyes darting from Killer's snarl to the worried, imploring expressions of the Healers and Angels pouring out of the rooms and gathering up behind Killer.

Zachariel looked over the building crowd, tracing his gaze over every face, reading every expression, seeing how most, if not all, parted for Killer, hoping in a genuine period of change for an Heaven that, they felt, had been corrupted and warped for too long. The Arkangel turned to look at Raphael, and the two communicated silently, just by looking into each other's eyes... before the bear nodded, and they stepped to the opposite sides of the gallery, to let Killer pass.

"Go, and bring her out. We shall go outside, and help Lady Ira holding the Paladins out." Raphael said, and Zachariel nodded with a wide smile as cheers rose from the crowd of Healers and angels, while Killer charged forwards, only muttering a hurried thank you that was stained with anger and disappointment at how long it had took them to make a decision, even when their adored student, sweet and gentle Diana, was being tortured.

The Arkangels, however, bowed their heads forwards all the same. They could understand the huge male's rage... and they more than contented themselves with the fact he had showed gratitude at all, before Raphael sighed deeply, closing his eyes, and feeling relieved, somewhat. He had basically declared war on the Heavenly Council, and huge challenges lay ahead... but nonetheless, he felt relieved by the fact that he had finally made his choice. And, truth be told, it was a choice he felt comfortable with. One, perhaps, that he had been on the point of taking in many more occasions in the recent past. He just needed to be nudged... or shoved... in the right direction.

Zachariel, who felt much the same way, noticed the sigh of his comrade, and smiled warmly, placing a hand gently upon the friend's shoulder, saying quietly: "We made the right choice. For too long we've denied what our eyes saw from the very beginning... Heaven has been corrupted under our eyes, and we didn't move a finger. But we can still save it, and we will."

Killer did not watch back, even as the two Arkangels leaded a thick group of angels out of the fortress, to bring assistance to Ira in her solitary battle, while other angels, many of which still showing fresh wounds from the battle at the Wall, ran into the rooms to dig up any weapon they could find. Even some of the Healers found the courage to pick up a spear or a sword, and charged out into the park, from where the noise of the harsh battle came loud and clear, sometimes rattling the whole monastery as flashes of energy and fire and magma sent their sinister, threatening light flooding the corridors of the fortress through the large windows.

The huge male only ran straight for the massive, closed double door at the end of the gallery, snarling as he dropped his shoulder and rammed through them like a tank, sending them exploding into the following room as the hinges were ripped right off the walls, while the foot-thick wood shattered in a hailstorm of slivers and splinters as the liger barreled through, his eyes darting from side to side and catching in the details as time seemed to slow down... he had entered an anteroom which sported a table, a few comfy chairs and a sofa arranged near a huge fireplace in the wall. It clearly was a restroom for the guard parties which took turns in their sentinel duty in the tower, which was accessed via another solid double door, guarded by four Paladins in full armor.

The quick gaze told Killer all he needed to know, and as his feet touched the ground, things moved very quickly, as his hand seized into one of the falling, enormous doors, the huge male swinging the colossal mass of wood upwards and ramming it against the first Paladin as he charged forwards to stab him with his spear. The twenty-five foot giant was slapped into the wall like a fly, crushed by the massive door even as the solid wood shattered into pieces with the violence of the impact. The warrior flopped to the ground in a broken heap, letting out a short-lived groan, just as Killer turned to face the other three Paladins as they charged at him in the restricted space. The huge male kicked the sofa hard towards them, sending the large piece of furniture shooting across the room, but the Paladin in the middle of the trio stomped forwards and lashed out with his large shield, effortlessly shattering the sofa in two halves that flew off to the opposite sides.

The same Paladin pulled up his shield and leapt against Killer to ram into him, stabbing his huge spear forwards, but the liger gamely stood in the way of the assault, grinning viciously as he seized the pole of the spear and dragged on it, stumbling the giant forwards and then lashing out his knee, smashing it into the Paladin's face, shattering his head with the thick, long spikes pushing out of his joint. The Paladin collapsed on the floor, in a lake of blood, while Killer stomped over the corpse and moved forwards quickly, swinging his arms out as blades pushed out of the top of his wrists as he charged right between the other two angels.

Killer grinned as he felt his blades slam into the thick armor, denting it, then cutting right through, before slicing easily through flesh and muscle, and again out through thick steel, before both of the Paladins collapsed on the floor as their heads fell off, splattering wetly down on the cold stone.

Killer grinned coldly to himself as he allowed the blades to retreat into his flesh, vanishing as they returned to be nothing more than energy flowing in his veins, as he walked towards the door leading into the massive tower, and slammed his palms into it, throwing it hard open, as the massive wood cracked and splintered under his monstrous strength.

The circular room immediately ahead of him was poor and bare, with the roof, walls and floor all made of massive but simple stone slabs. To the right, a narrow staircase leaning against the wall climbed towards the higher levels in a spiral which turned all around the tower, leading to multiple battlements, all with ample loopholes that would allow the garrison to strike at the enemy from behind cover. But in that moment, there were no sentinels: the room at the bottom of the tower was only occupied by a crude table made up by a huge block of stone, into which had been inserted solid, heavy chains ending in cruel, spiked manacles, which were locked tightly around Diana's wrists and ankles. Blood leaked abundantly from beneath each manacle, as the rusty metal cruelly bit into the flesh, as the inwards-looking spikes pierced their way deep into the Seraphim's flesh. Killer snarled in fury and shock at the sight of the black-furred tigress, lying in a lake of her own blood, completely naked, her abdomen torn open and her chest sliced neatly apart between her breasts, which were left bare themselves: one was covered in vicious burn marks, while the other had been sliced open, the skin peeled off her flesh and folded over backwards.

The inquisitor had torn Diana's fangs off her jaws, and pierced one of her own canine teeth savagely into one of her eyes. And she had been expertly kept conscious and awake, for every second of the terrible torture: her cheeks were streaked with hot, desperate tears as she turned her head weakly towards Killer as he rushed into the room.

Killer ran to her side, feeling his own tears rolling down his cheeks as he gritted his fangs in horror, guilt and fury at the same time, as he seized the manacle around her wrist and tore it apart with his bare hands, throwing the savage, cruel spiked device off to the opposite sides.

"Diana... I'm so sorry, it is all my fault..." Killer mumbled, bending over her and kissing her forehead lovingly, pulling her gently up as he wrapped a arm around her shoulder, gently silencing her as she struggled to form words... and as he used his other hand to tear the other manacle apart, he repressed a shiver of horror as he saw that her tongue had been cut in half down the middle.

Diana mumbled something, urgently, arching her back and pushing against him, even pulling up her just freed arm and shoving against his chest, even as blood sprayed out of her devastated wrist. Her eyes widened as she tried to scream to warn him, but Killer gazed down at her reassuringly.

He knew what was coming. His senses could feel it. But it did not matter. Not as two more manacles cut into the flesh of her legs, cruelly biting on her ankles. He seized into them with his hands, pulling on the thick steel and snapping it apart like paper... before a large hammer smashed into his muscular back, and he snarled in fury.

The Inquisitor gaped in shock and terror as the huge liger barely flexed when hit by the heavy warhammer, the heavy weapon bouncing off the thick musculature and all but denting inwards like it was made of cheap plastic, making the torturer stare in horror as he shook his head in denial, mumbling: "No... it is not possible... you... you can't be invulnerable... no one is..."

The Inquisitor's hands trembled in fear as he looked down at the giant, his eyes darting to the side, through the destroyed doors, to look over the corpses of the Paladins that Killer had so easily defeated... and he took a step backwards, repressing a shiver before forcing a smirk on his lips as he growled: "Even if you are, you cannot touch me! I'm Torques, Inquisitor of Heaven, protected by the authority of the Council and by the mighty powers of the Metatrons. You won't be able to lay a single finger against me!"

The Inquisitor laughed manically, even as he backstepped away from the huge male, lifting the hammer back up into the air and seizing the long handle with both hands, squeezing tightly into the pole, hard enough to make his fingers turn white, as he tried to find relief and confidence in his heavy weapon.

Killer, however, straightened slowly, standing up in all his majestic height and turning slowly towards the Inquisitor, walking coldly towards him as his body burned with energy and rage, growing even more massive and imposing, as his mighty bull horns pushed out of his skull, his eyes turned into pits of murderous, sapphire light.

Killer looked over the Inquisitor with endless fury, which grew even more terrible as he realized that it wasn't a demon that he was holding in his hand, but an angel. Inquisitors had always been a figure typical of Hell, not of Heaven. The Inquisitors were important figures, who had the ancient responsibility of using tortures of all kinds to punish the Souls confined to Hell for the sins they had committed in life. Inquisitors, of course, were also tasked with punishing the demons born in Hell, whenever they broke the rules of the Underworld. In their job, they were exposed to huge risks, since there were many souls and born-demons which could fight back, and indeed crush the Inquisitors under their feet, so they were given additional powers and a solid protection by the Scholars and Scribes, the masters of the Underworld.

In the times of Elelyon, when Heaven was still pure and respondent to God's vision, seeing an Inquisitor in Heaven was a very rare, if not unique occurrence. Under Typhon, it had become alarmingly common: he had often called upon Hell to obtain one of those merciless masters of torture. Killer knew that Diana had been tortured several times in the past, by Inquisitors coming from the Underworld: she had been savagely punished for each and every time that she had met Killer against the orders of the Council.

But of course, the war between Hell and Heaven had been worsening in intensity and extension, and as all the Provinces of Hell progressively joined the war, one after the other, Paradise was unable to hire the Underworld's tortures... and Typhon, evidently, had decided that it was time for Heaven to train its own punishers.

The Inquisitor was sixteen feet tall, with a body that wasn't thick with muscle like Killer's, but nonetheless was athletic and toned, full of strength. He was an eagle, Killer could tell from his bare feet, with the long toes wrapped in several thick, chiseled rings of silver and gold, and from the long, curved talons, all wrapped in a thin layer of gold.

The rest of the Inquisitor's body was hidden under thick, flowing black robes, over which Torques wore an elaborate armor of brown leather and silvery steel, with a thick chest-plate, three thick bells covering the waist and belly, and pauldrons protecting the shoulders. The face of the Inquisitor was largely hidden by a mask made of lucid silver, which covered even the beak of the eagle, as well as concealing the eyes behind crimson crystals. The mask even altered the voice of the Inquisitor, making it impossible for the victim to recognize its butcher: after all, the rule of the Inquisitors was that the torture, however terrible, was never lethal. At the end of each session of torture, the victim was healed, just to be tortured again the following day, again and again, for countless years for the worst sentences, or even, in the most extreme of cases, for all of eternity. The Inquisitor needed to be protected from any possibility of revenge.

Torques backstepped again, swinging his huge hammer out, slashing it from side to side, shouting in a mixture of rage and desperation: "Back, foul demon! Back, abomination! Don't move another step! Don't you dare!"

Killer, however, walked forwards without hesitation, grinning mercilessly as he hissed: "The mighty powers of the Metatrons do not worry me. And they will do nothing to stop me." The huge male smirked as he swung his hand out, smashing into the invisible barrier with the back of his hand and cracking the shield of energy like it was made of thin, fragile glass, sending it exploding in a hailstorm of shiny fragments and motes of energy, before his fingers rammed into the Inquisitor's hammer, slapping it effortlessly off to the side, sending the Inquisitor stumbling with a grunt of pain and shock as the eagle refused to let go of his weapon.

"Not possible...! It is not possible!" The Inquisitor squeaked, but Killer only shoved a hand into his chest, smashing him flying through the room like a rag doll. The eagle smashed back-first into the wall, letting out a groan of pain, before he slid down the wall... but the Inquisitor found enough strength to land on his feet and charge forwards with a shout of desperation.

Killer stomped forwards with a contemptuous snort, ramming into the Inquisitor and sending him crashing back into the wall, harder than before. The eagle's back arched painfully, and blood flew in a spray from his beak, before the liger viciously seized into the silvery mask and tore it off his face.

The eagle squeaked in shock and pain, shaking his head violently from side to side and trying to squirm away from the giant, his golden eyes wide with fear and seeming to glow in the white feathered face, before he squeaked loudly and seemed to all but climb up the wall, trying to crawl away from Killer as the liger shoved a spiked manacle against his throat, and pushed it closed, grinning in vicious rage and merciless revenge as the spikes, dripping with Diana's blood, now tore their way into the torturer's own neck, the Inquisitor gargling in pain and fear.

Torques struggled, shoving his feet against the wall and trying to kick his way off it, but Killer was like a towering mountain, and none of his efforts managed to budge the giant, as the liger effortlessly lifted him up along the wall, even as he choked him savagely with the cruel, too-tight spiked manacle.

The Inquisitor groaned in agony, blood leaking out of his mouth, but he somehow found the strength to lift his heavy, spiked hammer upwards, before swinging it down with all his strength. Killer, however, easily avoided the blow, tilting his head to the side and letting the heavy weapon smash hard into his muscular shoulder, ignoring the impact as if it wasn't even worth of his attention. He bent forwards with a snarl instead, smashing his head down into the Inquisitor's face, sending blood spraying up to stain his proud mane as the torturer howled in pain, trashing in Killer's grip and sinking into the stone wall as cracks spread through a large part of it, his hands spasming and losing their hold on the warhammer, which fell to the floor, clanging loudly on the stone.

Killer snarled down at the Inquisitor, glaring at him through bangs of hair made thick and sticky by blood. The liger's eyes glowed a cold sapphire, charged with indescribable hate and rage, and his body flexed with eagerness and power, his height increased by several feet and still growing, his muscles bulging with monstrous, fearsome physical power as his energy radiated from him with incredible intensity, Reality itself trembling around the god as he kicked the fallen hammer away and lifted the Inquisitor high above his head, holding him up singlehandedly, his fingers crushing the spiked manacle right into the torturer's flesh, as he rammed the eagle again and again into the wall, strangling him with ferocious strength and almost snapping him in two like a twig.

"S... stop..." The eagle groaned, coughing hard and sending blood splattering out of his mouth , while he was smashed hard into the wall, the liger punching through the thick stone blocks like they were biscuits, sending the wall collapsing into the corridor, exploding outwards into fragments and pebbles, Torques arching his back with a breathless cough of agony, before he weakly tried to reach up for Killer's wrist, seizing into the thick, muscular arm and vainly fighting to ease the cruel grip on his throat. "I... am... d-doing my job..."

"You are torturing an innocent who never, never did anything wrong." Killer snarled, his hand trembling as he struggled to contain his rage, feeling the urge to just squeeze on that neck, which felt so frail and vulnerable in his hand, as he grew to stand almost forty feet tall, his horns arching forwards and adding even more to his majestic appearance. A little squeeze, it was all it would take to snap the Inquisitor in half.

"B-but... you... you did..." Torques hissed, struggling to look down in the giant's eyes. Killer, however, only snorted contemptuously, leaning forwards and venomously answering: "Yes, I did... and I have no intention to avoid my punishment when I'll go to Hell. But I won't let this abomination go unpunished. I'll punish you, and those who ordered you here."

Killer turned around and hurled the eagle hard down to the floor, sending him smashing hard into the stone altar where Diana rested, the Seraphim weakly pulling back with a groan of fear as the Inquisitor rammed face-first into the rock, his blood splattering over the table.

Killer crossed the room with an easy step, seizing the head of the Inquisitor in one huge hand, pulling him up like he weighted nothing, and growling his order: "Heal her, disgusting piece of trash. And beg for her pardon. She is kind enough that she might even grant it to you... I certainly won't."

Torques nodded eagerly, bowing forwards over the Seraphim and trembling violently, his face warped by panic as he turned to stare down at Diana, begging for her forgiveness with trembling, weak voice, before he began to squeak frantically, again and again: "Pardon me, pardon me, please forgive me!"

His hands trembled violently even as they glowed with his magic, the ancient power of the Inquisitors, which allowed them to heal the bodies from the terrible damages they caused during the long torture sessions. Diana looked at the eagle silently, pushing herself up a bit, sitting up on the table as her wounds quickly healed, tears of pair and horror still rolling down her tears, but her frantic, broken breath slowly stabilizing and returning to normal... before she let out a sharp groan of agony as soon as her tongue healed, and her teeth grew back in their place, the female shivering violently and sobbing hard as she looked up at Killer and cried: "I... I did not want... you to see me in this state..."

"Shhh, Diana." The huge male lovingly silenced her, bending over her protectively and kissing her lips gently, then her forehead, his arm easily hugging her around the shoulders, squeezing her against his chest, letting her bury her face against his thick, muscular frame, feeling her hot tears rolling down his abdominals as he quietly caressed her long hair. "You have nothing to be ashamed of... Nothing to feel guilty about... It is all my fault. I should have put an end to this much earlier."

Killer went down to his knee, hugging Diana to his chest and rocking her lovingly in his arms as she sobbed quietly, crying all her tears out even as her hands softly moved over his chest and abdominals, touching him, caressing him, pulling him closer as she wrapped her arms around his waist, while the huge male gently leaned his head over her much smaller one, carefully covering her with his massive body, doing his best to protect her and to let her feel that he would forever stand between her and any and every enemy and danger.

Torques meekly worked to heal her ankles, his body rattling in terror as he constantly looked up to stare at the giant male, but Killer ignored him entirely, at least apparently, as the liger only hugged Diana to his chest. The eagle made no attempt to escape, or even move away at all, knowing that, no matter what the appearances; Killer was not going to let him go anywhere: trying to escape would have been terribly stupid, and he would have paid a tremendous price for trying.

He continued to babble apologies instead, as he did all he could to completely heal Diana's wounds, before he took one of Diana's feet in his hands and reverently, lightly kissed her toes, begging: "Please, please, noble lady, forgive me... Please, master Killer, be merciful...! See, I healed her... I healed... I... please, please forgive me..."

Killer glared at him in cold, merciless fury, seizing him by the skull and smashing his face hard down into the stone table, snarling as blood sprayed up in a thick splatter, the eagle trashing hard and clawing into the hard rock as he shrieked in agony, as the huge male liger ground his face down hard against the stone, making his skull and spine creak loudly.

"You lurid maggot... asking for mercy now that I'm here is easy, isn't it...?" Killer venomously snarled, his claws sinking into the eagle's skull as he slammed his face hard down again on the stone. "But you had only started, when I came here and stopped you. You were having a great fun, weren't you...?"

Torques did not reply, only breathing agonizingly, vomiting blood and other fluids as snot leaked from his nostrils, down the side of his beak, as he let out a loud whine of pain, his eyes opening wide as a terrible whistle filled his head as Killer nearly squished his skull.

"I'll have my own fun with you, Inquisitor." Killer said, his voice calm and cold, his lips cresting in a cruel grin. "You will dream of death. You will beg for death, pray for it, and crave it. But dying would free you of your punishment, and I will make sure you don't get such a comfortable escape."

The eagle opened one eye in shock, looking up to Killer in desperate denial, even as blood leaked down his cheek, rolling even out of his ears... before the liger's hand let go of his skull, replaced instead by incandescent, searing golden energy which wrapped around the eagle's body in thick coils, making him trash violently on the spot, howling in agony and crying in despair as feathers, muscles and flesh were burned into ashes and blackened, death meat, before the god's energies solidified into thick, heavy chains which bound Torques's arms in painful, awkward positions against his chest.

Killer snorted contemptuously as the eagle fell down on the floor, shrieking in pain and rolling from side to side, beating his feet on the ground as the chains burned into his flesh and squeezed savagely down on his limbs and bones. "You like to torture those who can't fight back, but you are not much at bearing pain and resisting to it." The liger spat, before he glared down at the eagle, and used his powers to lock Torques's jaws, muffling his screams down to a pathetic, shocked humming as the eagle failed to open his beak, the Inquisitor gazing up at Killer in shock.

The liger ignored the Inquisitor completely, gently nuzzling Diana instead, as she repressed her shivers and tried to rein in her tears, a sob still wracking her breath every now and then as Killer hugged her tightly and whispered sweet, loving words into her ears... He rocked her in his arms for many long moments, kissing her lips and cheek every few instants, squeezing her to his chest and telling her how much he loved her, and she progressively calmed, her sobs ending as she rubbed her face against his thick, muscular chest, draining her tears on his flesh, until she abandoned herself quietly into his loving hug, finally finding the strength to smile at him gratefully, kissing his broad pec It was a weak, trembling smile, but Killer thought he had very rarely seen a more beautiful and precious smile in all his life.

"Thank you... Killer, I knew you'd come. I knew you'd keep me safe." Diana whispered after a while, kissing his throat lovingly, and he smiled down at her with affection, squeezing her softly in his arms, before she hesitatingly asked: "What about... Raphael and Zachariel...? Had you to..? To...?"

"No. They understood that I only wanted the best for you... and they did nothing to stop me. They are ok. I think, at least... they are outside, with Ira, fighting back the Paladins that the Council is sending against us in waves." Killer replied calmly, and before he could add that they should probably go and help them in the struggle, Diana herself nodded and swallowed, pushing up to her feet as she observed: "Then we shouldn't keep them waiting longer. They will need your strength to win the battle."

Killer nodded, smiling at him in admiration and love, amazed once more by how she always thought about the wellbeing of the others, always doing all she could to help people out of even the worst trouble... and he stood up as well, his mighty bull horns scraping the roof as he stood perhaps forty-five feet tall, maybe even more, his body enormous and bulging with immense musculature, radiating fearsome physical power. His golden armor was still in place, having grown together with his body... and Diana stared at him in amazement for a few long moments, before putting together the will and strength needed to break her gaze away from the majestic glory of his body as she turned to pick up her clothes and armor.

The pieces of her armor, and her loincloth and other clothes had been thrown in a pile a short distance away from the torture table. As she walked towards this, her eyes fell on an open wooden case, composed of multiple wide expositors which would fold one on top of the other: each was filled with knives, blades, spikes and monstrous devices of complex torture, all neatly arranged and exposed. The handles of each instrument were clean and polished... but the Inquisitor purposefully always left the blood of his victims caked on the tips and blades. There were also countless small jars and vials containing an infinite variety of poisons and drugs and substances which could cause anything from paralysis to insanity, from searing agony to loss of memory, or even, worse still, the warping of memories: the Inquisitor was able to turn the sweetest and most precious of memories into the worst of nightmares... it made her heart miss a beat as she gazed over the infernal inventory of cruelty. Torques loved his job, there was no doubt on that. He was a coward of the worst kind... but a skilled, vicious torturer who, given the chance to "work" on a victim, could commit the worst of crimes and abominations.

For once, even Diana felt that forgiving was impossible, even as the desperate moans and groans of the eagle filled her ears and pleaded for her mercy, making her hesitate, as she tried to tell herself that even Torques had to have a noble side... or at least some kind of soul and inner goodness...

But suddenly, as she thought about it all, the large wooden case burst into dark flames which greedily consumed it and all the substances and instruments it contained, annihilating it all, as Killer's voice calmly said: "He will never have the chance to torture someone again. I will make sure he pays all his dues."

Diana hesitated for a moment longer, and then nodded, a little smile cresting her lips as she finally concluded that, for once, she was truly unable to forgive. She did not urge Killer to be merciful. She didn't even ask him to control his violence: what she had seen of Torques was enough to know that the eagle deserved all the pain and misery that Killer's strong hand would bestow upon him.

Diana's mind ached with the memory of Torques's maniac laughter and orgasmic delight as he bent over her to torture her and to mutilate her body: he had all but drooled behind his mask as he pierced her eye with one of her own canine teeth, his breath coming out in pants heavy and hot with lust. Torques was a monster, a dark creature that only enjoyed causing the worst possible amount of damage to his victims, while keeping them alive for the longest possible time.

His darkness was going to be punished and crushed by Killer's own... and Diana felt that it was only right.

As the Seraphim stepped into her loincloth and wrapped her short robe on her firm breasts, before swiftly wearing her armor, Killer walked across the room, ignoring Torques as the eagle groaned loudly and desperately, crawling away from him as the liger's huge foot came down near his head, making the Inquisitor fear that he would be crushed like a bug.

Killer only made a grimace as he realized that the room was taking on a thick stench of urine and feces, as in his panic, the Inquisitor's guts and bladder let go of their contents, soaking and filling his robes. His attention however went to a steel rack on the wall opposite to the torture table, where Diana's swords had been placed. Torques was a coward, not an idiot: Diana had been efficiently disarmed by the Paladins, and her weapons had been put well out of reach from the torture altar, and they had also been secured to the rack with a thick, heavy chain, enhanced with runes carved all over the links: the magic of the runes and the sheer thickness of the dark steel would have prevented the swords flying to their owner, even if the torturer had strong telekinetic powers or other special abilities.

The chains, however, snapped apart like biscuits as the huge liger seized them, easily freeing the large swords, which he took and offered to Diana as she walked up to his side, smiling at him with affection.

"Let's go, Killer. We kept Ira waiting for too long, already." The black-furred tigress said, her hands gripping tightly on the handles of her swords as the blade of one of the two immediately burst into eternal, magic fire.

Killer nodded, then looked down with distaste at Torques, kicking him hard in the side and sending the eagle crashing down with a yelp in the gallery, his body rolling over several times as he slid violently down the long corridor, as the huge liger ordered: "Crawl, vermin. You know the route."

Torques whined loudly, groaning and huffing through his sealed beak, as he pathetically dragged himself forwards over the cold marble, his hands barely able to move as his arms were squeezed painfully into his chest by the thick chains wrapped all over his upper body.

Killer and Diana walked past him, knowing that he had no chances to go anywhere anyway... and as the two emerged out of the Monastery's doors, the battle raging in the park suddenly seemed to freeze, as the attention of everyone was drawn towards Killer, the God standing at well over forty-five feet tall, his body bulging with immense muscles and radiating tremendous physical power, as his eyes burned sapphire and tall, mighty bull horns crowned his head.

Ira grinned widely at the sight of him, tearing her Katana swords out of the chest of her last victim as she licked her blood-stained muzzle and ordered to the angels around her: "Pull back, they are utterly fucked, now!"

Raphael and Zachariel, standing nearby, grunted in agreement, and the second, who was using his floating shields and enormous scutum to act as a mobile fortress protecting the raw combat power of Raphael and a large group of archers, repeated the order, his voice reaching all the angels busy in the battle against the Council's Paladins. They began to fall back in good order, retreating under the cover provided by the archers standing behind, while Killer walked forwards with a merciless grin on his features, his steps seeming to rattle the earth as magma and fire glowed up into each of his footprints, the ground cracking apart under his toes.

Ira folded her arms on her chest as Killer moved past her, and she laughed loudly as the difference between the Paladins, mindless clones which continued to advance against the immense liger, and the few real angels fighting on the Council's side, who all turned their backs and ran away, opening portals in midair and jumping into them in a hurry.

Diana walked quietly up to Ira's side, smiling up at the much taller and bigger female, the cobra smiling back gently and playfully observing: "Those guys sure got the message quickly."

"I don't think it is possible to miss it." Diana replied quietly, her lips crested in a little smile as both females looked at the back of the huge male, as Killer stood in front of the advancing Paladins... and then he stomped one foot hard down into the ground, roaring and flexing his immense musculature as he sent his tremendous force flooding into the island.

The angels assembled outside the Monastery, and those staring from the many windows of the fortress, gaped in shock as the promontory on the north side of the island simply exploded, cracking apart in a massive blast of golden energy which roared in a vortex rising towards the sky, throwing the Paladins into the air before burning them all down into vapor as the ground exploded outwards in massive slabs and boulders, which cracked down into smaller and smaller pebbles, the energy of the huge male crushing the very stone into nothing but fine powder as a ripple went through the whole lake, sending tall, enormous waves washing over the shores in the distance.

None of the Paladins survived. They were all burned down into nothingness, as a large cliff and the whole promontory crumbled and vanished, destroyed and erased even from history, as the water of the lake washed loudly into the deep crater, filling it and claiming the vast area, as Killer growled lowly, glaring down at the waves from on top of the cliff.

Raphael and Zachariel stared at the god in shocked silence, the angels around them silently gazing at the giant, astounded and uncertain about whether to cheer or not. But Ira and Diana walked without fear up to his sides, and Killer slowly turned back to face the Arkangels and the angels.

"I think that will make them think twice or thrice before sending more Paladins here." Killer calmly said, and his relaxed voice had an immediate effect in reassuring the crowd of angels, telling them all that, despite his threatening, majestic appearances, he wasn't going to attack anyone. "But if they do come, and you need help in defending Avalon, you can find me at Eaglenest. If it becomes necessary, you can evacuate the monastery and move into Eaglenest. It is very cramped at the moment... but I plan to do something about it, soon. It is secure, at least."

"What will you do, now...?" Raphael asked, and Killer replied calmly: "I have several things to do. But regarding this inner clash within Heaven, my plan is to make a last attempt to avoid a civil war."

"How...?" Raphael curiously asked, arching one eyebrow and looking skeptic, as he thought of the huge number of Paladins that Killer had annihilated, of the huge number of Council's orders that the liger had ignored and broken, and of the state of Typhon and Michael after they had grappled with the god. Raphael had not seen the two monarchs directly, but the voices had traveled very quickly through all of Heaven, and he had a pretty graphic idea of their conditions.

"I'm afraid I can't reveal it." Killer calmly answered, tilting his head slightly to the side. He wanted to trust the Arkangel of which Gaia had often talked with good words, but he couldn't afford to. His plan to go, accompanied by Vesta, and infiltrate the deep bunkers in which the Council was now hiding, had to remain secret. He couldn't reveal it prematurely and ran the risks connected with such a brash decision. What if Raphael was trying to gain his confidence only in order to get in the right position from which to stab him into the back? What if anyone in the crowd of angels was willing to sell information to the Council...? He could trust only his closest friends and loved ones, and no one else.

"I understand." Raphael said after a moment of silence, the bear bowing his head forwards. "I can only hope that, whatever your plan, it works."

"I hope so myself." The huge male liger said, avoiding to add the consideration that the chances of success were abysmally low. It wasn't necessary: Raphael and all the others were fully aware of it anyway. Killer looked towards the monastery, to see Torques still obediently crawling forwards, miserably dragging his stinking, ruined body forwards as the angels pulled back away from him with grimaces of distaste.

The huge male smirked a bit to himself, appreciating the panic-induced obedience of the Inquisitor, before rising one had and effortlessly dragging the eagle through the park with his telekinesis, grinning as Torques floated powerlessly in the air near him. Killer put his hands down on the shoulders of Ira and Diana and gazed down at them, asking if they were ready... and they smiled back at him, answering affirmatively.

"Then we shall head for Eaglenest." Killer said, announcing it to the crowd of angels, as well as to Torques, who squirmed and whined loudly, before the huge male seized him by the skull and teased: "Oh, yes, bitch... you will not like it in there. But I will. I will have a lot of fun with you."

Diana was still weak, and she still needed medical care, since the tortures had interrupted her healing, and she was still badly in need of having her blood and energies filtered and cleaned from the Unworld residues, so Killer wanted to see her in her bed, surrounded by friends, safe and protected from all harm. As for Torques, he would have been tossed into a cell for the moment being... Killer planned to make him pay in good time, when he was done with the many other, much more urgent matters at hand.

Moments later, after a brief farewell, Killer teleported himself, his girls and his prisoner away, leaving Avalon behind. It hadn't been a pleasant visit: the desolation in the town, the sadness of having to end Parsifal's noble life, the tragedy of Diana's suffering... they all added together to make his memory of Avalon painful and depressing.

But Diana was now safe, and two monarchs of Heaven had finally decided to side with the "rebels" against the madness of the Heavenly Council, and both those results were precious and of capital importance.