Rogue Adventures - A Tale from Neverbeen Universe

30

Another explosion made the ground tremble as Gene watched Raphael power up even more. He shivered, for even he could feel it. Raphael had changed so much, Gene couldn't believe he was still the same person.

'Raphael, please. Stop. Don't fight your friends and family,' he still tried to reason with the Daemon because that was all he could do to contribute to the battle. But maybe Raphael didn't hear him, or he chose to ignore him. It was both impressive and terrifying how Raphael could fight six people at once and still seemingly overpowered them.

If this situation wasn't so serious, Gene would have hummed the theme of a boss battle of one of the video games he liked so much. But he would have never guessed the enemy was Raphael. It still seemed like but a weird nightmare to him. Hopefully this nightmare ended soon!

Gene watched how Phobos threw a magic blast at Raphael, but the attack was dispersed by a black flash — an invisible shield, which activated upon entrance within its purview and attacked. Gene observed closely, analyzed their opponent. Next Rhaleigh drew his swords and teleported, but again a black flash deflected the attack and shocked the Daemon.

"Ouch," murmured Gene sympathetically. That surely hurt.

In the meantime Rhagkal had created an illusion doppelganger and both of them held a thorned spear each while Thanatos drew his scythe; Azrael joined them. "Let's attack him together," he said as he lifted his scythe.

"Wait," Gene interjected. "He is protected by a shield, which attacks anything or anyone within its range. We first have to take that shield down, or our attacks won't even reach him."

"I'll take fucking care of that!" Phobos growled. Ayumu stepped closer and stated: "I'll help you, Old Man." He clicked his tongue in annoyance, but nodded. They stepped forward and concentrated, each of them trying spells to break Raphael's shield while the others waited for their chance.

'You don't believe I'll just stand by idly and let you do that, do you?' Raphael's voice seemed even lower, as if the darkness had taken hold of it also. He shot two blasts of dark energy at the pair. Ayumu swiftly threw a shield over herself, but Phobos teleported to her side, grabbed her and teleported again. The blasts tore deep holes in the ground where they had just stood. It seemed as if these holes were torn from the very fabric of the universe and left nothing, absolutely nothing behind.

"You can't get hit by these blasts, under no circumstance," Gene warned.

"No shit!" Phobos spat and teleported again as Raphael shot another energy blast at them, then teleported towards where Thanatos, Azrael and the two Rhagkals stood. The black flash of his shield shocked all of them and as Raphael punched him cloaked in darkness, Azrael was the first to go down. Dark sparks flashed over his body, and Rhaleigh managed to teleport Azrael out of there when Raphael aimed another blast at him to finish him off.

Thanatos sustained a little longer, blocked Raphael's strikes with his scythe, however the constant shocks from Raphael's shield were visibly wearing him down. Rhagkal threw his spear at Raphael, but he teleported and the weapon skewered the Reaper instead. Thanatos gasped, his white shirt stained red.

'So Reapers do bleed. I've always wondered,' Raphael grinned ferrally. Rhagkal clicked his fingers, the spear disappeared and reappeared in his hand. Gene observed, it had not been attacked by Raphael's shield. Maybe this was a hint, a weakness; maybe it couldn't attack illusions. But maybe Phobos and Ayumu were finally able to weaken its defense.

Unfortunately Raphael also noticed how the pair had started murmuring their spells and banishments, and he interrupted them by firing another energy blast at them. Phobos teleported right on time. Ayumu seemed unperturbed by what her boyfriend was doing; she continued her spell as she trusted him to have her back.

'Lord Rhagkal,' Gene addressed Raphael's father, 'try to attack him with your doppelganger again. There is a chance it might get through his shield.' He just hoped Raphael wouldn't hear his thoughts. Rhagkal nodded and charged. And just as Gene thought, the shield didn't activate; he just didn't know if it was because of Ayumu's spell or Rhagkal's illusion. Raphael evaded Rhagkal's spear thrusts and the older Daemon managed to drive him a few feet back, until Rhagkal had to dissolve the illusion as Raphael almost blasted it into the next dimension. He created another right away.

Rhaleigh followed Rhagkal's example and made one of himself. Gene didn't know he was also capable of that, but maybe it ran in the family. He just hoped, Raphael didn't possess that ability; one of him was hard enough to beat. The doubled Daemons then attacked together, while Ayumu and Phobos continued their spells and banishments.

Gene in the meantime ran to Azrael, checked on him and lifted him up to carry him to Thanatos. Luckily Azrael was a lightweight.

"Are you okay?" he asked Thanatos; he didn't know if normally lethal wounds affected Reapers in the same way as other beings. Gene at least wouldn't have survived this spear injury. The gentlemanly Reaper nodded.

"More or less. Unfortunately it seems I've ruined my shirt," he stated evenly. Gene sighed, relieved, then turned to watch the fight again. Maybe he could glean some more useful information.

For now it seemed the two Daemons and their illusions were doing okay; their quadruple attacks kept Raphael covered. Or so it seemed. Until Raphael teleported and fired an array of dark energy blasts at his opponents. Rhagkal and Rhaleigh barely managed to swerve; their illusions were blown to naught and nothing.

"Oh no," Gene groaned, because Phobos and Ayumu were Raphael's next targets. Phobos teleported them away from the blasts. However, his diverted attention gave the other Daemons time to create new illusions of themselves, and of Phobos and Ayumu. Together Rhagkal and Rhaleigh attacked Raphael again, reinforced by their doppelgangers, while the fake Phobos and Ayumu joined the real ones and copied their spells and banishments. Gene could only root for them.

'Please, Raphael,' he tried to reach out to him again, 'stop fighting.'

But the Daemon didn't listen; he teleported all over the place to counter Rhagkal and Rhaleigh, then formed a giant energy blast and fired it at them. Gene's heart stopped. Was this the end?