Unranked

Epilogue

I had to stay between them and Armaros. For better or worse, she was on my side.

Eistibus was glowing with energy as if any moment he would shred his human form and take his pure form. And why wouldn't he? Even with Joshua on his side, he wasn't making any progress.

My main worry though was Joshua. I glimpsed his true form before, and it scared me. My teacher was, after all, the one who trained Lucifer and I haven't seen him fight. Much less at full strength. If he were to take his pure form, I wasn't entirely sure I would win.

Help, I pleaded Harry. I can't handle them both like this.

Don't worry, Nine, He responded immediately. You have power and if you want, at any moment you can release it.

Will it be enough? Even if Joshua joins? I know it sounded weird but if you think about it, we rely on our inner voices to convince us all the time.

You doubt yourself. Remember the fights, Is all he said.

Images flashed in my mind: me summoning my fire powers for the first time to fight Armaros. The grey energy that peeled off me to defeat Kushiel and his lackies, how every word I said manifested into reality.

And finally, the fight with Naamah where all of my powers consolidated into one fighting force.

As the images passed through my mind, sparks flew off Draco making Eistibus jump back.

"You wish to play, huh?" Eistibus lifted his staff to the sky and his form melted away.

A globe showing the universe replaced his head, a metallic arch floating above his shoulders. His human body now a shrewd up green mess of limbs. Nothing but a blue cloak with what looked like a Astro cloud covered the muscle. The bottom of his staff was now split like a pitch fork.

"Why here of all places?" I found myself asking.

"This is the only entrance to Hell in Chicago." Armaros answered, finally finding her voice.

"So if you were to decide to come with me, you'd have to come here." Isabel elaborated.

I shifted my feet, the ice cracking yet somehow getting more solid. On a normal day, it would be preparing for the weight of all the Chicago residents that would be spending their time here. Now though, it was repairing itself wherever we stepped.

This magical place an entrance to Hell? Yeah, right.

"Enough talk." And Eistibus charged me. Staff met sword.

I immediately started losing my footing against the floating angel. I yelled, pushing back with flames forcing Eistibus back. Even though too far, I swiped at Joshua. Immediately, flames roared to life chasing down its target. I didn't have time to admire my handiwork though as Eistibus shot God light at me.

Instincts took over as I threw Draco high and went low, sliding under the blast. I swept my legs under Eistibus before he could react, the ice hissing wherever I touched. I jumped up, catching Draco and slashing with all my weight down at his head once again.

I planted my sword into the Eistibus' staff, unable to pull it out. Flames curled off me and my sword along a wall of energy he had erected to protect himself.

"Snap!" I shouted over the roar of my flames. Instantly, black energy spilled off me and seeped into our surroundings, and Eistibus staff snapped in half.

I found myself flying upward, rising so high I almost thought I would reach Alto. An explosion is all I thought. When I snapped the staff, it released an energy explosion.

My ascent switched to a descent. I fell fast, the wind ripping at my clothes and hair. My thoughts were wild but one word pushed through.

"OBEY!" My fall immediately slowed, flipping me over and landing me on my feet. Well, I guess I couldn't call it landing as I was still way above the rink.

I had somehow gained control of the wind. I looked at my feet and saw mini cyclones enveloping my feet. Something I hadn't noticed while I was rising was that the entire world had taken a grey tinge. I realized very quickly that my power to control things with my words had a much bigger limit than I initially thought.

"Okay, down slowly. Please." It felt weird talking to wind but it obliged, descending and, for some reason, spinning me slow enough.

As soon as I neared the rink the dust filtered out as if it had to be somewhere else. The entire rink was destroyed, leaving a giant crater with a bottomless hole in its center. Remnants of my flames burnt here and there in clumps. Everything probably would've looked better if it weren't a faded grey.

I settled on one side of the crater. It was bigger than what I had initially thought, easily the width of one of the surrounding skycrapers.

The air shimmered next to me and Isabel appeared, unscathed. She inspected me with new interest.

"That was...unexpected." Is all she could say. I was about to respond when the air shimmered on the other side of the crater.

A wounded Eistibus and a scraped up Joshua and Armaros appeared. Eistibus was back in his human form and from what I could see he was perfectly fine. But he was clutching his stomach as if he had been impaled there.

"Curse. You." He stammered out.

"Enough of this. Stay out of my way, Armaros." Joshua ordered before shifting.

His skin sunk and gave way to his bones. His arms were still the same but where his chest and face should've been was just bones. Red eyes flashed from within his skull as he hefted his saber.

"I'll give your head to God, that's my promise." And he leaped over the width of the crater as if it were a puddle.