Infinity Guardian

Chapter 16: The Empress and An Unwanted Nemesis

The lift rises towards the observation room. Inside was a feeling of dread and anxiety, they wield their weapons ready to attack when the daunting door of the eerie elevator. Infinity Guardian's palms sweat profusely while he staunchly grips his sword. 

The doors open flooding the elevator with an incandescent bright light. Infinity Guardian peers through the light to see radiating silhouette with the dark emptiness of space behind her, exasperated by a thick glass panel. As the blinding light fades down to a bearable level, Infinity Guardian dashes from out the elevator like a gazelle to point his sword at the figures throat.  The others exit the elevator and proceed to surround them in a semi circle, blocking the figure's escape.

"Greetings Infinity Guardian I've been expecting you, though I envisioned a less aggressive encounter from a intergalactic peace keeper." The figure says.

"Call off your armies Empress, NOW!" Infinity Guardian commands with a sense urgency and misplaced authority. 

The Empress smiles, her old shriveled body now visible in the normal light. Yet she still has a heartwarming beaming smile. Her robes drape to the floor and her now crooked wing sag behind her, she keeps herself up straight using a exquisite old cane. 

"I don't have that kind of authority John." She replies, still smiling comfortingly.

  "You are the ruler of the Paladinus Caeli are you not?" Infinity Guardian asks back in an accusatory tone, while pushing his sword closer to her throat.

"Elected leader. We chose to elect our leaders after being ruled and imprisoned by the Baraxians, like your leader Empathy. After the most powerful of them, a false god, was killed by God Slayer and his gang of freedom fighters we formed our own empire, run democratically. After that the false god created you, Alexander Debaseman and Magnus Clentinus in his dying breath. Along with the next Infinity Guardian after you. Those who helped defeat him where cursed as dark Baraxians (Doomsdayans), Manipulate is one of them. Their kingdom continued after that without a ruler. Then came the Dark Ages, which was wars for around a millennia. The Doomsdayan's leader "Doomsday Warlord", you may know him as Zeus, was imprisoned on the planet Doomsdaya. To you we would be angels and they'd be gods. Although no one of them actually created the universe, they are just greater beings. " She says this to an astonished look on John's face. "Ah Vannessa didn't tell you the full story? Oh and by the way Alexander Debaseman is being held prisoner on this ship, has been for a few centuries when he killed one of our previous leaders."

"Enough of these foul fabricated lies of deceit!" Captain Vannessa shouts as she stabs her straight through the heart before Infinity Guardian can react.

The Empress only looks at John without saying a word before blood drips from her mouth and she collapses in a heap of white robes stained red with her blood. John stands paralyzed with shock looking at the empress' corpse. 

Vannessa walks to the throne and activated the microphone. "Call off the attack now or you will all be incinerated!" She announces to every ship in the fleet.

The ships in the fleet begin to disengage from the Infinity Court fleet. 

"Mission successful." Vannessa says to Admiral Targe and Empathy through her communicator.

"Wait so Bioseus set Alexander free when he freed the prisoners?" Metallic asks, breaking the silence.

Infinity Guardian and Vannessa's eyes go as wide a barn owl when they make the realisation.

The elevator door opens...

"They did it! I can't believe they did! Congratulations Vannessa, you will no doubt be promoted, give my thanks to Infinity Guardian. Sorry I doubted you Empathy." Admiral Targe says in an upbeat tone. Until he hears no replies for a few minutes. "Vannessa? Empathy?" Targes asks with worry only to hear the crackle of gunshots and muffled shouting through a seemingly broken communicator.

Vannessa drops her communicator on the floor at the sight infront of her. Metallic and the soldiers turn to face the sight in shock, closely followed by John. Alexander Debasemen stands in the elevator holding a blooded infinoguard at Bioseus' throat. The blue glow is stained purple by the blood, which illuminates Bioseus' terrified face. Alexander kicks the corpse of the soldier into the observation room in-front of the gaping group.

"Let him go!" Infinity Guardian shouts with unconstrained fury. His hands, eyes and sword glow a blindingly bright neon.

"I see I've hit your soft spot Infinity Guardian!" Alexander replies gripping to Bioseus even harder. Bioseus goes to speak but Alexander pulls his blade closer. 

The standoff as John glows brighter and brighter, ready to pounce, with Alexander moving his sword closer and closer to Bioseus' throat. At the eruption point John soars forward faster than a cheetah while Alexander slits Bioseus' throat and pushes him away to parry John's charge just in time.

Their swords clash resulting in a momentary blinding flash with superheated blood being flung across the room off of Alexander's steaming blade. Alexander draws two handguns with his lower set of arms and proceeds to blow the brains out of two soldiers. Simultaneously he draws another sword with his off hand slicing into John's flesh. John cries out and proceeds to begin swinging blows at Alexander as hard and fast as he possibles can, still glowing as bright as the sun. With absolute speed and mastery Alexander effectively parries John's volatile attacks. He continues to fire swiftly at Vannessa, Metallic and the soldier. He takes down the final soldier but Vannessa takes cover and the blaster gunshots are unable penetrate Metallic's indestructible skin. 

Even with all of his strength and fury, John's assault seems ineffectual. He is eventually cut down by a Alexander's superlative swordsmanship. 

"Well you put up more of a fight than Magnus at least. Maybe give it a thousand years and you may be on par with me. Though unfortunately you won't live that long." Alexander tells him confidently. Before he can plunge his sword into John, he falls to the ground as hard as a cannon ball hitting the deck when Metallic rugby tackles him like an adolescent bull. 

Metallic pins him down and begins pelting him in the face as hard as a bulldozer, which dents floor with a fist print on the occasional miss.  Alexander's now crooked face bleeds all over the floor. Metallic eventually stops when the body seems to go limp. He tries to stand to check on his injured friends but has a neon blue blade stabbed deep into his body. Alexander grips the hilt.

"How? I'm ... indestructible!" Metallic wheezes.

"Infinity beats barax." Alexander grins a his bloody mouth, now missing numerous teeth. His hands glow blue he pulls out his sword, which sends molten metal everywhere. He punches Metallic with his glowing fist which sends him flying to the other side of the room. Vannessa jumps up a begins parrying with Alexander as John's final line of defense. She lasts much longer than the other attempts due to her legendary spear mastery. But like all she is eventually defeated by the former Infinity Guardian. He knocks her out with his glowing fist and he moves back to finish off John. He swings down at John's throat but his concentrated combat with Vannessa resulted in him being oblivious to the elevator door opening. Alexander's blade meets John's glowing blade. But John isn't wielding it because he's on the floor. 

Alexander looks up to see the old wizened face of Empathy, behind him an army of Infinity Court soldiers. 

"I'll kill you another day! You better watch your back!" Alexander warns menacingly before slipping into a portal to escape the wrath of Empathy.