Protectors- Wrath of The Stranger

Chapter Eight: A New Level of Strength

Crimson light flooded the entirety of Western Australia, and even those who had not seen the news reports on the battle with the alien were driven to checking the news, searching for the source of the shining light. The entire world took notice of the Protectors and their battle with a God. The red energy bloomed like a lotus, petals showering from the levitating form of Noctum. The Stranger's cold could not be felt any more, the thin air that had suppressed their lungs blasted away by the hot, lush air that emanated without bounds from the energy. At the centre of the beautiful flower, Adam hovered, eyes blazing with powerful fire,

"You..." Apis boomed, respect in his voice, "you will not return, my power will kill you,"

The sound of Noctum's neck snapping again sounded, but the rush of crimson energy drowned it out,

"Power like yours is nothing anymore," Adam replied, his voice almost divine in magnitude and rage, "I will give you one last chance. Walk away, and I will let you leave,"

Apis began to sweat, the god feeling true fear for the first time ever. It was intoxicating, smothering, brutal, but his warrior instincts kicked in, repelling the fear, bringing his blood to the boil, ready for the bloodshed that was about to occur,

"Get underground," Noctum boomed, not even turning to look at his friends, "this new power burns, and I don't want anyone to get in the crossfire,"

He landed on the ground, veins of red power boiling under his skin. Even as the others scrambled for shelter, he stared down at his hands, intensifying and reducing his aura with ease,

"I'm gonna be honest, Apis," Noctum said, staring down The Stranger, who was advancing towards him, "my power may be great, hell, the Chrysalis would have killed me if I didn't possess the power of invincibility, but it hurts, really badly, so bad that I'm not sure if I can humiliate you before I kill you,"

"Noctum," Apis replied, his head tilted downwards, "a god's essence is almost impossible to destroy permanently, and I haven't even reached the peak of my power yet,"

Apis began to intensify his aura, the raging cold colliding with the blazing heat. As the powers collided, the release of explosive energy between them was brutal, causing great chunks of earth to float,

"Your power is similar in strength to mine," Noctum admitted, "but I still have a hell of a lot of potential to waste, whilst you are at your limit,"

Apis lunged for Noctum, who dodged backwards, avoiding the punch. The vacuum wave that followed pulled him into the fist, and Apis began to laugh,

"It's over now, I only need one more punch to end your life," 

"Why do you always underestimate me, you fucking fool!" Noctum bellowed, head butting Apis in the face,

The bull-man's nose shattered easily, black blood splashing all over Noctum's face. He roared in agony as Adam chuckled, relishing the feeling of the blood evaporating on his boiling skin,

"You're not the only one that can do that!" Apis roared, slamming his powerful horns into Noctum's nose,

The red blood mixed with the black as Noctum's nose also shattered, spraying The Stranger, who licked it off his face, a demonic glint in his eyes. Noctum batted him away, chasing Apis down with a vengeance, the bloods mixing and evaporating on his skin. Their fists collided, sending a shockwave around the flat plains. Apis reeled backwards, aiming a cross jab at Noctum, who caught the fist, flipping The Stranger upwards. Apis send a vacuum infinity at Adam, coating the vacuum with energy,

"I'll tear you to shreds," Apis laughed as he spun, fists pushing the air aside,

Noctum's brow creased with concentration as he sped towards the razor sharp aura. Then he punched back, creating his own vacuums, which had no effect on The Stranger's attack,

"A vacuum plus a vacuum is still only a vacuum!" Apis boomed, expertly guiding Noctum towards the shredding power, "even if you can copy my abilities, you haven't mastered them at all,"

"I'll push myself beyond anything you can comprehend!" Adam yelled, the fire in his eyes burning white-hot, "You won't even see me coming!"

Apis felt the blow before he saw it. Noctum's fist was buried deep in his gut, having landed a brutal haymaker in The Stranger. Noctum followed up with a spin-kick, sending Apis spinning towards the ground. He grabbed The Stranger by the legs, pushing their bodies toward the ground at his maximum speed, slamming Apis into the ground. The shockwaves raised the dirt from the ground, the sound of it falling like a smattering of raindrops as the earth was rended by the strength of two clashing deities,

"You... are... a... worthy... foe," Apis grunted, rising from the ground, black blood dripping from his form, "tell... me, what... was... that... attack?"

"I'm creating my own spin on the vacuum wave," Adam replied, throwing his head back to crack his neck, "I push the air between us aside, virtually teleporting short distances. I'm surprised you didn't think of it,"

"I have been trying to perfect that move for a long time," Apis replied, sweating again, "you really are something special,"

He clapped his hands together, the energy that he had gathered in secret, creating a massive explosion. 

"Not even I could have survived that unscathed," Apis thought aloud,

"Well, it's a good thing that I'm fast, isn't it?" Noctum asked, tapping Apis on the shoulder,

Before The Stranger could react, Adam brought his knee up, snapping Apis' left horn with the vicious kick. The god felt true agony for the first time, doubling over as midnight liquid streamed from the wound, pouring down his face,

"Get up," Noctum said coldly, "I'm not done with you yet,"

Apis stood, barely remaining composed. He dropped into a fighting pose, lowering his centre of gravity. Something was different this time, there was no sadistic pleasure, no jovial destruction. Apis was deadly serious now. His aura flared to the same level as Noctum's as he tossed energy at the vigilante. Noctum jumped upwards to avoid it but was caught by a vacuum wave, which pulled him into Apis' fist,

"You are wrong, Noctum!" Apis bellowed, "you think that it is my body that makes me strong, but it is my will
and my warrior spirit!"

He launched Adam, delivering a kick to his neck, blasting him in the gut, and landing an uppercut. Noctum blasted Apis, mimicking the movements of his foe, and the two continued to battle across the lightening sky. The cracks of their fists sounded like thunder, the blasts of energy like hurricanes, rending the world in two.

Below the ground, in a magically sealed base camp, the remaining Protectors watched through Draedon's drone, also broadcasting the video to the world news,

"This battle is incredible," Spirit breathed, watching as Noctum had a smidgeon of brain-matter knocked from his skull,

"To think, we might actually have a chance of victory," Zavant said hopefully, "The Stranger might fall today,"

Even as the words left his mouth, Noctum ripped some intestines from Apis' abdomen, tossing them aside before landing a roundhouse to the broken horn. Noctum's aura blasted a hole where the spike had been, causing Apis to lose brain matter as fast as Noctum had,

"You can not surpass me in this short of a time!" Apis boomed, "the unfairness!"

"You want to talk about fucking unfair," Noctum replied, "I spent the best part of the last year haunted by visions of you, taking everything from me. I only just built a family, I will never let you hurt them again,"

"Those visions..." Apis pondered, sending shivers down Noctum's spine, "you have seen into the future, the true future,"

Armed with the knowledge of his imminent victory, Apis seemed to swell again, his aura overpowering the heat from Noctum,

"Now I know that it is my destiny to win."

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CHAPTER NINE: BRUTALITY OF THE BROKEN ONE
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