Protectors- Wrath of The Stranger

Chapter Seven: Tremors

Kinetic flew backwards with the force of the blast. The sound was jarring, so loud that it made the noise of a grenade sound like a bubble popping. The earth shook with the force of it, and Kinetic felt the blinding agony of it all. It was the strongest one that Jones had ever created, powerful enough to rend apart the entire street, and Kinetic knew that his insides did not have the same abilities as his skin, so the blast would kill him. He smiled.

Noctum watched as the blast erupted, the bright flash covering the entire street as it shook greatly. He could make out what had happened, using the power of his fiery Aura to blow away the great cloud of dust and rubble that rose from the scene. A coin that had been stuck to the ground was melted, reduced to fluid by the heat and power of the explosion, while road had gone flying all around. The ICBC building was somehow intact, despite half of its foundation being completely missing. Noctum figured it had to be some sort of security measure, put in place after Jones had managed to destroy the entire city within a single day. He was not surprised at the outcome of the fight, he had known who would win from the start.

Spirit saw the flash of the explosion first, reacting quickly with a time-stop. She dragged the others through the frozen time's thick air, barely managing to hold it for a second. Just before the powerful blast engulfed them, Shaine and Wraith raised a dome of shadows, shielding them from the brunt of the attack. The cloudy dust that swirled around the decimated street was powerfully thick, keeping the trio from seeing past a meter away. That's when the dust was blasted away by Noctum's blazing Aura, revealing the entire scene. Zachary, now fully recovered, gasped, then dropped into a fighting stance, ready to fight the survivor. Ready to fight...

Zavant had made it to Uluru, and began scrounging. No amount of search parties had been able to find the Artificial Chrysalis, but then again, none of the people who had gone looking were Noctum Prime. Zavant had one last ability, the ability to regain his durability when he was nearby to the orb. He stabbed himself in the leg, only burying the knife a quarter of the way, then began to apply pressure, only small amounts at a time, but just enough so that he could feel it getting harder to push it in as he got closer to the Artificial Chrysalis,

"Almost there," he muttered, as the knife snapped, then he realised where it was,

Underneath him, the sand shifted, leaving a small hole in the endless dust, the same hole that they had entered decades ago. Zavant thought about that time, reminiscing about the good old days, before jumping down, landing in the cavern below. Lying there, where the Chrysalis once was, in all its electric blue glory, was the Artificial Chrysalis. Zavant felt his body tense up, as he regained all of his old powers, becoming Noctum once more in all but mind,

"I have really missed this," Zavant smiled sadly, knowing that his end was near, "pity I can't live to see the world they make..."

He sat on the damp ground of the cave, staring at the orb that would go on to kill him, contemplating taking the easy way out, running away and grabbing a drink. It was so tempting just to walk away, to be safe from the demons that threatened to take it all. He could disappear, go to a small island in the Bahamas, start a family, even. He knew that he would never be able to live with himself if he did that, so instead, he stood up, his voice echoing to the heavens,

"Adam Oughton is dead!" He roared, "Noctum Prime is dead. I am Zavant, and when I go to hell, I'm going to go down in a blaze of glory!"

Somewhere, high above, The Goddess smiled sadly, knowing that Zavant was finally going to die, just as he was destined to didn't feel as good as she thought it would,

"Good luck, Zavant," She whispered, "you truly are the penitent, but you are also the warrior, and nothing will take that from you,"

He reached out to grab the Chrysalis, the power of the bottle of whiskey driving him onwards,

"Goodbye," Adam Oughton said, thousands of kilometres away,

Kinetic rose from the floor, spotting the bloody mess that was once his half-sister. He knew, from the moment he had planted the seeds of doubt in Jones' mind, that he would kill her, and not him. The golden Aura no longer clung to him, as with her death, it was gone forever,

"I did it, Johnathan," Jones said shakily, "I killed her. What now?"

Kinetic sped behind Jones, leaning in to whisper in his ear,

"Now, you die,"

Kinetic broke his neck before the shock could even register on his face, killing Jones Blakk instantly. Then he looked upwards at Noctum, who had begun to fume, his Aura glowing with the power of a raging inferno,

"Pity Lochlan isn't alive to watch this, nor Hannah. They died for nothing, as it was I who dealt the finishing blow,"

Noctum's attacks would have done far more damage than Jones', if any of them were able to get past Kinetic. The countdown had begun, and there wasn't much time left for any of them. In Mongolia, sensing the death of the High Priestess, a great roar came from the Cryo-Chamber, shaking the mountainside as if an earthquake had hit. But this was no earthquake, it was something worse, much worse, something horrible, something that had the potential to do far more damage. God roared, in that moment, knowing that His time was drawing nearer.

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CHAPTER EIGHT: THE FALL OF NOCTUM

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