Titans of Ages Current

Part 10: Act 2: Smiling Jack Assembly

"Luciere! Please tell me you are seeing this!"
It was horrendous, an atrocious vision."yes, Ba-al, I see it all too clearly. "
Looking down, I witnessed no roads, for they were packed with millions of soldiers. They were identical, no single unit's appearance varied from the next. Each one smiled, as though it knew nothing else but joy, and laughed at the sound of the intercom, feeding then the voice of their master.
Click
Shit.. Here we go. What will it be this time, Zher?
"Ah yes, the parade! Are you suprised Jack? You should be, because it took me a very long time to create all these clones! I had to abandon my pride of making an exact replica of you, so I tweaked the genes and omitted your ability to copy others. On the other hand, they have an eighty percent control over gravity within an aria of a two meter radius. But I did not stop there!
Luciere! They have your ability to conduct energy and make it into their own! Whenever they are shot, hit, blown up, rammed, crushed, sliced, stabbed, or set ablaze, you have made them even more ferocious!
Vlad! These beast only feel joy, however they did take a lesson from the scion of wrath! They have your strength, and your bloodthirsty habits. A remarkable addition indeed!
Although I failed to collect proper samples from Belaphegor or the leviathan, I made up for it with Ba-al and his genes.
Their skin are lined with teeth, ready to gnaw and tear flesh from bone! They have an insatiable appetite, and are ready to feast! They have a rather unique internal structure. A spinal cord attached to a full-body nervous system ruins through every limb. And the only way to stop just over of them is by breaking all six of their spines. Unfortunately, it only takes a second to kill a shini or a gogori. Maybe you should run..
But you can't now, so enjoy yourself, and ask yourself this: was it worth it?
Hahahaha! "
"That sick fuck! Just wait till I sink my teeth into him!"
"Shut up Ba-al! That's what he wants us to do. His plan requires us to come after and fight him"
Ba-al punches the glass that makes up the ground we stand on. "Damnit! It's like he is one step ahead of us! Maybe Etrius is working with him."
There are too many maybes, too many uncertainties. Etrius wanted Alrach slain. At the same time, Derkeszher wanted him resurrected. Who's playing into who's hands...
"Ba-al, when did Buenos Aires become a circle?"
"Wherever the IAC stepped in."
"Let me reiterate. WHEN THE FUCK DID BUENOS AIRES BECOME A SOUL TRAP?"
"The fuck?"
I lifted Ba-al onto my wings and flew to the edge of the dome. I let him hang from my legs so he could witness that which I spoke of.
Sure enough.... A blood rune.
The circle barrier is a cover up to hide the streets. The streets are aligned into lines that evoke blood magic. More importantly, it clearly reads.

'Rise, and take these souls as your own'

Shit! He has is screwed royally! The streets are filled with soldiers. Beings made of flesh.. And of blood.
If a trail of blood connects itself through every street, then every person with a soul would be pulled into the spirit realm to feed Alrach!
"Look at the dome itself! It's a soul catcher rune!"
"Shit your right, Ba-al. Etrius must know this! I hate to say it, but we have to warn Jack and the others!"
"Well, where are they."
"My guess, wherever the loudest explosion is heard."
Boom!
"Let's roll!"
I snag Ba-al by his arm and drag him off the tower. We are immediately met by millions of bullets crashing into the dome. I quickly materialize my armor to deflect the heavy rounds of fire.
Although efficient, I feel my load had been lifted from me. I turn to check on Ba-al, only to find I s holding just his severed arm. I could see him falling into the mass of hive-minded killers.
"YOU BITCH! THROW ME MY ARM!!!".
I complied. It was the least I could do, he's gotten out of worse... I think.
I can't turn back now, I'll just have to put my misguided faith in him.
But with all that new power, how could they take him?
Thus is the way of life, you must leave your comrades to pursue each new stage, and my new stage is warning Jack.
Failure is not an option, we are all too familiar with Zher's utilization of souls. He's truly a sickening being. Who can look at the souls of the fallen, and make use of the blighted state of once fierce warriors, and innocent bystanders who were forced to live through this dark age.
He's a coward, no self-respecting being would take advantage of all the suffering that the squall wrought into this world. Using fear, uncertainty, and confusion as the gears for good machines. Even if he was not with them, he's no better than Etrius or Tamiel!
But he bears a fault. One that has been passed down from tyrant to tyrant for millennia.
In order to command authority and hold power of this magnitude, you give up something in order to do it. In this case, Derkeszher abandoned his sense of humanity. He lost his regards for his own race, and even this realm at that. He's a being that is willing to throw everything away for the sake of control.
I peer down each road in horror, the sight of so many duplicates with such formidable capability is overwhelming. Many people are going to die, even now I have to be on guard. I am forced to glide over roof tops and close to walls. Down below, muzzle flashes blind me, bullets slam into my gold armor with a clang, then fall back to the earth. Even though the metal that protects me is enhanced to be impenetrable, it fails to alleviate the pounding worry that invest my body with each impact of a round. What's worse, they got by the thousands.
I can only imagine what the others are facing.
Damnit! What am I doing? When did I become so soft as to worry myself about these trivial matters? For so long out was just me against the world! Now look at me, I'm putting my faith into another being to do what I myself should have finished!
When did I fall from my own grace? All the power and skill I fought for, was for naught? As my own strength rages and peaks, my will feels not of my own...
My own... Will.... I came here with one endeavor intended. I am here to kill that fucker Tamiel! The circumstances are dire, but you know what? I don't give a FUCK! The others will wait!
I am going to take back what that snake stole from me! My PRIDE!
But it wasn't just him. That bastard Oragnik forced me to question my ability, and fear the risk of my power! But that was my fault for being so careless!
Even so it was my weakness that drove me into that state of mind. There was an ever present fear of being manipulated and controlled.. Or worse.
Fear! Such things were below me for so long. I once commanded the respect of countries, and put the very same fear into those people as what resides in me.
But no longer! I will get my pride back! I will absolve my uncertainty! I will kill Tamiel!
All this time I didn't stop to realize what was happening. I was floating at the top of the barrier, sparks conducting into me. My rage is drawing energy from the very source of my imprisonment. The mistake the others made, I won't make it. I will not find power to exploit, rather I shall find exploitations of my own. To embrace not change, but redirection, shall be my boon!
I look down to the mass of duplicates... Each one the ideal target to practice on.
Bullets strike my plated armor, sparking as they ricochet off. The pelting sensation feels almost full in the wake of my revelation. I find the resolve to raise the spear over my head. Lightning struck down into the blade, as I felt it's power run through my body.
My wings, my eyes, my hands, they all began to spark blue and gold. I look into the eyes of the wretched smiling marauders with intent to kill. They resumed their barrage of attacks at me. The arcs surrounded my body, vaporizing the shrapnel that pesters me. Nothing could stop me!
I feel my body heave down as I dive with the guile of a mighty storm to attack the legion. My descent was speedy, as lighting is.
"I'll vaporize everyone of your miserable assess!"
I begin to drop the spear onto the swarm. Their hands each pointed to me as my sight behind to fail. I can no longer keep a sense of weight or momentum. I feel my sight leave me as im sent sail through the air.
I regain my focus and my control on my descent. They are definitely Jack clones, only new could master gravity in such a manner. They laughed and taunted me, their smiles seemed sinister and malicious. Hatred festers in my heart as I feel something snap within me.
Lighting strikes me as I scream over it, "THERE WILL COME A DAY WHEN YOU ALL KNOW MY NAME, WHEN YOU AM FEAR MY PRESENCE"
CRACK
"WHEN THE WORLD WILL ACKNOWLEDGE MY POWER,"
CRASH!
"WHEN THE LAND TREMBLES AT MY FEET!"
SNAP
"WHEN THE SEAS ARE SPLIT AND WAVES ARE OVERTURNED WITH THE MOTION OF MY HAND!"
BOOM!!
"WHEN THE SKIES PART BENEATH MY WINGS!"
I drop myself again for the strike, this time with the full force of lightning! I feel new and greater energy swell into my own, and channel it into my rush.
I strike down with thrice the voracity for destruction than before. I press against their barrier as even the lighting the constituted my aura could not surpass the force of an 50G wall of force. I was thrown back into the airspace. This time I kept my senses.
There is only one thing to do...
I have to put my fears behind me and put all my strength into my next charge!
I push my spear onto the heavens, "ELECTRICITY IS THE SOURCE OF ALL CREATION! IT IS THE ENERGY THAT GIVES IS LIFE, IT IS THE FORCE THAT HOLDS ALL MATTER TOGETHER. WITH IT, I AM UNBEATABLE, INDESTRUCTIBLE, UNRIVALED, RELENTLESS, POWERFUL!! AND I WILL NOT LOSE TO THE LAUGHING FACE OF SECOND HAND FAILURES!"
I feel the shockwaves run through my body as I dive down. They anticipated my descent and had but all their effort into a single 160G wall of force.
Resolve to win, control your power, do not let it strive to control you!
I hit the barrier, and the ground cracks beneath their feet. I feel my body entwining with the forces. If I keep this up I will be crushed!
But that isn't enough to break me or my will! I press harder, as the ground begins to rip apart. Pieces of asphalt begin to ride from the pressure waves above them.
I saw them, smiles forced, blood dripping from their eyes and mouths. Arms had begun to snap, and legs were crushed into the street.
More! Push everything you have into this Luciere!