A Machine's Purgatory

SAILING INTERNSHIPS: ANGELIC ANTICIPATION

Two nights of searching and V1 couldn't find anything. Credit where it was due, the Hero Killer was very good at hiding. Sliding and jumping across rooftops in the dead of night, the lights of Hosu coloring the dark, V1 couldn't help but be reminded of the city in Lust. The only real difference being the variations of color and the noise of the city that was absent in the circle of Hell. There was also the biggest difference of the giant corpse being missing, spreading destruction across the city. Maybe V1 could get used to this after all.

It stopped moving for a moment when the lights started to dim. They didn't do that yesterday, something was up. The bustling of the city was replaced with screams as smoke filled the air, and for a moment V1 had thought the Streetcleaners had found their way here. Then it looked down. Gray skinned giants wreaked havoc among the streets as weaker pro heroes did their best to fight back, the giant's brains exposed as their limbs healed from any injury sustained. Wonderful, a Nomu invasion. The terminal entry needed to be updated anyway. V1 surveyed the chaos below and noticed a Nomu that stood alone, the perfect starting point.

V1 jumped down onto the road, firing three magnets into the Nomu as it slammed to the ground. Firing saws to orbit the Nomu and prevent any others from helping, V1 attached the Jumpstart's cable to the Nomu's brain. Pouring nail after nail into the head, the cable eventually overloaded with energy and exploded, the Nomu's head bursting into small chunks that decorated the road. None of the other Nomu had noticed V1, so it took the opportunity to look for any civilians that needed help. The streets were bathed in the orange glow of fire as another, much larger Nomu held the attention of many pro heroes. Civilians were watching the fight in awe, so V1 started to shuffle them away, having to grab the collar of a young boy who almost tripped in the rush.

V1 noticed that Endeavor, with Todoroki out of sight, was torching the hulking Nomu with his fire quirk, so V1 decided to help by adding fuel to the flames and drenching it in the Firestarter's oil. The Nomu's flesh started slowly melting, but instantly regenerated itself after only a second, allowing the damn creature to keep living. Thankfully it couldn't move from how often it had to heal, and thanks to the heat from Endeavor's boosted flames the heroes couldn't get close, a weakness V1 didn't have. Charging the Jackhammer's gauge to the second level, it dashed towards the Nomu, flying upwards toward the sky while the Nomu's legs were torn from its body and painted the ground it once stood on. Before V1 slammed back down, it saw a faint glimpse of a golden light, one that it had already seen.

V1 wasted no time, rocket riding onto a nearby roof and swiftly dashing towards the light. If he was here, then tonight would get even worse for the machine.

Five hours left. Nineteen hours ago, the holy light was ripped from Gabriel's body after being defeated by the infernal machine. When the Council was first formed after His disappearance, Gabriel was the first to carry out any order they wished. When Minos rebelled and built the City of Lust, Gabriel was the one who struck him down. When Sisyphus united the sinners of Greed and rebelled against Heaven, Gabriel was the one to cut his traitorous head. After all he had done for the Council, all he had devoted to them in place of God, one mistake leads to him losing the Father's light? They called him a heretic for his loss, but now Gabriel understood the truth: The Council were the true heretics, for they had disfigured the Father's will into their own, twisted vision. A vision of Heaven under their beck and call, a Heaven that claimed to do good while persecuting those they deemed evil.

Well, their evil lips have been silenced, so there was no reason to dwell on the past. Gabriel was tempted to take back the Father's light, to reclaim the part of him that will now be forever lost, but it was a spur of the moment decision to go without it. He decided he can't live knowing he had been a pawn to the Council, played so easily by the promise of following God's will. So now here he is, waiting at the base of Treachery's mountains for the machine to arrive. But it hasn't, and Gabriel is feeling worried. Not for the machine's sake, Gabriel would never, but he was worried that the strands of fate had shifted. It was an alien feeling, one that Gabriel had only felt once before. Only felt during the last time anyone in heaven saw God before His disappearance. Gabriel leaned against the stone of Treachery's mountains and sighed. Why did everything have to become so complicated after God's departure? Was it because He grew tired of the humans? Or was heaven not enough to keep Him happy? Was Gabriel enough?

He leaned forward and the charm around his neck made a light thunk as it hit his armor, prompting Gabriel to look down at it. When he first rescued the ferryman, they insisted on repaying the favor in any way it could. Since then, they had constructed many tributes in the form of statues of the Holy Mondana, much to Gabriel's worry at the time. They even gave Gabriel a miniature one, and the angel happily accepted, turning it into a necklace that he had hidden from everyone else to remind himself of why he served. If the Council found out he would surely be forced to destroy all the tributes, but... well it wouldn't be a problem anymore. Now they would just rot like the rest of the sinners down here, Gabriel included.

He jumped as a sizzling sound rang out across him, the stone he leaned on just a second ago splitting apart to reveal something foreign to Gabriel. Though he didn't recognize the location, his brain immediately gravitated to the two wounded people near him. The two wounded humans, weren't they executed by the machines just days ago? Two others fought a figure with many blades along his back, but there was something off. The bi-colored boy was spewing ice out of his right hand, and the bushy-haired one was emanating lightning while jumping at ridiculous speeds. No matter. God may be gone, but Gabriel never strayed from His teachings. As the two fighting were brought to their knees by the sinner, Gabriel decided then was the best time to act. Warping behind the sinner, the alleyway was bathed in the glorious, golden holy light as Gabriel's battle cry reached the ears of his opponent.

"Behold, the power of an angel!"

Y'all are eating good, hot damn. I wrote this chapter like two days ago and I've been waiting for it to get out of my mind so I can re-read it and see if it passes my cringe or not-cringe test. Thankfully it passed, or I would've cried (not really).