Chapter 294

Phibsborough, Dublin, Ireland - 10:57 AM

Phibsborough, Dublin, Ireland - 10:57 AM

As it turned out, Glaraphel’s senses weren’t nearly as precise when it came to Angels as it was with Demons. The Power flew through the air, ignoring all attempts I made to talk him into slowing down, and only responded with one word answers when he deemed them necessary, which wasn’t often. That was fairly annoying, but he was worked up and I could understand that.

Dublin was an absolute mess from above. Several buildings were burnt out husks of their former selves and the streets weren’t much better. The roads had been cleared with the vehicles shoved aside except for certain areas where the double decker buses had been strategically placed, either to form choke points or block off alleyways and buildings.

Given that the obelisks were farther apart here where the western United States were represented, there were few shadows on the streets. Those that were foraged through the buildings in relative peace, but the moment we passed overhead they scattered. Glaraphel got a few stunned stares at first given that he was an Angel flying over the city, but that didn’t keep anyone long.

It was one thing to be opportunistic when the city was mostly empty of monsters for the event, and quite another to be stupid about it. The fact that they were hiding from us even if they took a moment to do a double take at the Angel was pretty smart.

We continued northwest, moving into Phoenix Park where we flew over one of the obelisks. This one was in the middle of a roundabout and belonged to Wyoming. There were several turrets that started aiming for us despite our altitude. Someone, and I was guessing they belonged to Aaron’s champion at this point, was expecting long range combat.

It didn’t matter at the speeds we were traveling, though. We were going to be out of range before they could properly fire on us, but I wasn’t going to leave them here so that they could potentially cause trouble in the future. Focusing on the turret’s barrels, I Dropped and Bent them six at a time. The metal warped and strained under my efforts, but they weren’t destroyed right away. We moved on swiftly, but I knew the next time they fired would be their last.

Glaraphel’s agitation seemed to grow as he dove towards the ground. He was following the street as if he were now certain where his enemy was. Imprecise or not, his senses were coming in handy. We had traveled several miles from where I had summoned him to get here, and searching by asking Sara which direction she couldn’t tell me about would have taken ages.

The sound of a gunshot rang out ahead of us, and a flare streaked into the air. I immediately focused on it, trying to determine whether it was an attack or skill. It didn’t seem like it; the ball of light drifted lazily towards the ground. Not only was it completely harmless, but it seemed to be a regular flare from before the system arrived.

Whoever fired it into the air must have wanted to make sure they had my attention.

My eyes focused on the one who shot it as I slowed down a little bit, letting Glaraphel overtake me. The person was covered in shadows that roiled off of them like mist. It was different from the darkness enveloping the Dublin natives. The event made them more silhouettes of themselves while stripping away all features and color, this person was simply covered in it.

The shadowy figure didn’t seem worried about the impending fight, simply standing there. It took a few moments before they threw the flare gun into their inventory, but other than that all they did was wait for the Angel’s arrival.

Whoever they were, I hope they were a worthy enough challenge. Aaron’s champion had clearly been told to shroud themselves and, considering Absolute Awareness should have allowed me to see through magical obscurement like the one they had on, they were taking it seriously.

There were a few things that were powerful enough to obstruct my vision. The Shroud of Ahriman was available this early, though rare, and could be used to hide in darkness.  Another one was the Helm of Hades, also known as the Cap of Invisibility, but they were clearly visible. They could have also simply built up stealth and shadow skills, fusing them together to create something like  Indomitable Privacy, which was the antithesis of Absolute Awareness.

The idea that Glaraphel could sense them while I couldn’t did give me something to think about. It might have been because my heritage as a Half-Angel remained dormant. I briefly wondered if all of their plans would have been for naught if I had awakened already or used Break Free to tap into that side of me. That was something I planned to save, but it was always an option.

Still, I had to give them credit. Whatever they were using kept me from identifying them, if I knew who they were, and their gear on sight. I continued my approach even as I let Glaraphel go ahead. There was still hope that I could see through the shadows with my awareness aura. It would help me glean more information about who Aaron’s champion was.

I stopped the moment the enemy was in my aura. Or rather, the moment they should have been in my aura. Even though I could see their shadowy self clearly with my eyes, They were absolutely invisible to my other senses. Normally, something hiding from an awareness aura left a void behind. Hard to see if you didn’t know what to look for, but they were completely missing.

That put a grin on my face. Aaron had done a fine job setting up what he had thought would be a challenge for me. All the better to imagine his face when I kick them down to the dirt. The only thing left was seeing how they handled the Angel.

Glaraphel’s sword, already flaming due to his wrath at feeling one of the Fallen, was readied for a strike. I moved so I could see better, not wanting the Angel’s wings to block my vision. The blow came swiftly, fire left behind on the arc of the weapon’s swing, and the champion lifted a hand.

They caught the strike with little pushback. So they were either very sturdy or were wearing gauntlets capable of blocking attacks. Possibly both.

Their next move was quick and clinical. Taking a step forward, their fist slammed into Glaraphel’s abdomen. The Angel was forced back a few feet, doubling over from a blow that had dented his plate mail.

High Strength. Definitely over 100, probably closer to 150. I would make the safe bet that it was higher than mine.

Thankfully, Glaraphel’s kind didn’t need to breathe so he was able to rebound quickly. As quickly as he was shoved away, he returned. The enemy took another step forward, chambering the same punch and letting it fly. This time, the Angel’s wicker shield appeared in his hand, and he caught the attack.

I arched an eyebrow as Glaraphel was knocked off balance and he had to land on the ground before he spiraled in the air. He lashed out with his sword, catching the shadow at multiple angles. They parried with their forearms, not allowing themselves to get pushed back in the slightest. My ally attempted to shield bash them in the face, but it was met with a headbutt that sent the angel backwards again.

The parrying was another tally for gauntlets, or at least bracers, but that last strike definitely put them in the sturdy camp for me. They didn’t recoil from the headbutt and I didn’t hear the sound of metal hitting the wicker shield.

Glaraphel was the first to disengage, flying backwards with a sweep of his wings. In the same action, several of his feathers lashed out, filling the space between him and his enemy. I leaned forward, looking forward to seeing how they would deal with that.

I arched an eyebrow as their hands moved like blurs, catching the feathers that were aimed for their vitals but ignoring the rest. A few stuck in their chest and arms, those they didn’t deem important enough to stop, and a quick flex sent them flying. I noted a distinct absence of blood on the projectiles and the ground. They must not have pierced deep enough.

Armored, then.

Glaraphel flew back in and continued to trade blows with the Fallen’s champion. I noted my own style in the Power’s strikes, and it was clear he had taken notes on my fight with the Soul Shearer. Admittedly, not much of what I had done translated well to sword and board combat, but what little bit I saw was fairly polished. I had a lot to say about him, but the Angel certainly put everything he had into whatever he was doing.

My evaluation of Aaron’s champion almost lowered, however. Their moves were mechanical and stiff, likely relying on some ability. I had once chastised Kayla for relying too much on Dagger Mastery in combat. The primary purpose of those kinds of abilities was to boost accuracy and damage, but they didn’t move your body for you. Instead, they subtly injected you with the knowledge and instincts of how to properly attack with the weapon at hand.

The enemy’s movements were sterile and lacking in creativity, as if they had gotten their experience straight out of a box. Aaron’s champion was very strong, sturdy, and dexterous, but that wasn’t anything special in this day and age. If they were wearing gauntlets like I expected, then it could be some form of Unarmed Mastery along with Armor Mastery, which would allow them to shrug off more attacks.

My evaluation was almost lowered because I knew that they were beyond capable with a sword. The Uranium Rex back in Los Alamos had been taken out by someone wielding a blade, which was no mean feat when your opponent was basically Godzilla. They weren’t using one, relying solely on hand to hand combat.

Any abilities and skills were being obscured, too, thanks to the shadows. This dude was just a mixed bag. I was looking forward to pushing them.

Glaraphel roared in rage, becoming frustrated that none of his strikes were landing the way he wanted them to. He was letting his rage get to him. I couldn’t tell what the other guy was feeling, but I had to assume they were calm and collected. Their movements sucked, but they still worked.

I decided that the champion was a man. Even with their roiling, mist-like shadows and mechanical moves, it was easy to tell where his center of balance was. I focused on his shoulders and hips, watching the way he pivoted, and doubled down on my assumption.

The halo over Glaraphel’s head flickered twice before it disappeared completely. It reappeared around Aaron’s champion waist, much larger now, as the Power readied himself to end this fight. The cutting edge on the enlarged band would be immaculate as it came down to a single point in space.

Shadow guy had reacted immediately after the first flicker, grabbing the faceplate of Glaraphel’s helmet. There was a split second delay before the skill activated, which was how I had managed to survive in my fight against the Power. I had simply Lifted myself out of the way. It had still cut my feet, but that was better than being bisected.

They chose a different path. The champion ducked, bringing Glaraphel with him. I watched with wide eyes as the Angel attempted to resist, but were pulled into their own attack as though their Constitution stat didn’t matter.

The halo closed.

Kneeling, Aaron’s champion held Glaraphel’s head in his hands for the split second it took for the Angel’s body to pop away back to Heaven. The halo laid on the ground, no longer glowing. There would be a period of time where he couldn’t be summoned anymore while he reconstituted behind the pearly gates, but that wouldn’t be much of a problem when—

The champion raised his foot, gently placed it on the halo, and pressed down. It shattered into motes of light that slowly traveled upwards towards the sky. I stared as they suddenly changed direction, heading towards the shadow man as if he were breathing in. They each disappeared into the dark void of the abyss that was his face.

I stared as my mind worked through what I had just seen. Glaraphel shouldn’t be dead-dead. His halo was just a part of him, and he could survive without it. Hell, he did that just fine when I was carrying it around in my inventory. In all my time, the only thing I had seen eat Angel Essence like that was Demonic in nature.

Then again, I never came across a Fallen before. Not Aaron, and certainly not someone who was likely a Half-Fallen the same way I was half Sara. This was whole new territory for me.

<<<>>>

[[Patron Message]]

Stop grinning like an axe murderer and prepare yourself. Can’t believe you wasted this chance to fight as a team. I know you like challenges, but this time I can’t approve. I also can’t give you a quest given the situation, so you’ll have to do this yourself.

Be safe. If you decide to Break Free, don’t let your halo be crushed. It’ll be bad for you.

<<<>>>

I checked my expression to see that Sara was right; I was grinning. Something as interesting as this didn’t come around every day. This was both a dangerous situation as well as a terrible one, and I knew better than to play around too much. Especially after Sara’s warning.

Then again, death wasn’t permanent here. Beating him to within an inch of his life and getting him to renounce the Fallen’s ways would be a better long term solution than sending him home with a loss and a complex. I had justice on my side, anyway, and all Aaron had was a grudge against his sister and, apparently, other Angels if the halo stomping was any indication.

Snapping my fingers, I dismissed the message. The noise caught the enemy’s attention. Not what I had planned for, but I’d take it.

The shadow man wiped his lips with his sleeve before turning to me. “Thanks for the meal, you fucking psychopath” he said, his voice distorted by clearly masculine. Glitched as it was, there was a clear amount of vitriol in it.

“Oh, has my reputation preceded me?” I asked as I started approaching. That was another tally for someone I knew, which made hiding from me all the more important. If I knew who they were, I probably knew their build. “I don’t know about the fucking psychopath part since you just ate that Angel, apparently,, but don’t—”

As I was mid-sentence, the shadow man reached into his inventory and pulled out a black Harley Davidson. He mounted the motorcycle in an instant, the engine already running, and he started driving east. I had to move onto the grass to see the fight better since my awareness aura couldn’t pick him up, which gave him the perfect avenue to escape.

“Yeah, sure. Alright. Make me chase you. Fine,” I muttered to myself. Summoning the Vague Sword from my inventory, I raised onto my Heelies and chased after them.

This was going to be fun.