Chapter 110: Kumite

Chapter 110: Kumite

Several things happened at once.

More, even, than James could keep track of.

Somebody started yelling.

He summoned Dikasts. The Avatar of Justice came pouring through space and time to flood James with its power.

You have Summoned Dikasts, the Virtue of Justice

15 of your Arete have been Claimed in His Name

You Are Invested with the Avatar of Dikasts:

+60 to all Stats (Includes Holy Zeal Bonus)

Benedictions Activated:

Holy Zeal | Dispel Illusion | Remove Fear

Even as the power of the Virtue thundered into him Jane crushed his throat, snapped his neck, pulping the muscles and bones between her talons, and tossed him aside.

But James had already summoned his first Heavenly Assault. White lightning blasted town, shot through with Gloria, to consume Jane utterly within its riotous center.

Serenity opened fire with her Sigs, both guns blamming out a blur of Smite-enhanced rounds into the heart of the lightning strike.The original appearance of this chapter can be found at Ñøv€lß1n.

James hit the ground, consciousness fading, blood bursting out of his ruined neck, but before Denzel could intervene with Martyrs Cry James burned an Aeviternum and healed up completely.

All in a couple of seconds.

Lying on his side James stared at where Jane had stood. The lightning disappeared as quickly as it had come, taking Jane with it.

Was she dead?

No. Shed transported herself to his crew.

Yadriel loomed massive in his demonic form as Jane appeared before him, blood-slicked and lithe, her hair hanging in crimson ropes. He howled and dove down at her. James dropped another Heavenly Assault, burning off a chunk of his Divine Pool. Jason flared his Nova. His aura blasted out, Bronze and bright, exploding out in every direction, expanding in a glorious sphere. Serenity swiveled and kept firing.

Jane laughed.

She leaped up and punched through Yadriel. Dove through his chest as if he were made of nothing more substantial than cardboard. Left a hole two feet wide behind as she flew upward, the blood burning off her body, leaving her pale and faintly charred from the attacks, to turn and hover overhead.

Kimmie pointed her hand at the demon. All right everyone. Lets kill this bitch.

Holy Zeal crashed into James like a cresting tsunami. His stats all jumped another +10 and his focus narrowed so that nothing was as important as slaughtering the demon.

Yadriel had dropped to his knees, but the white flare of Aeviternum swept over him as he healed himself.

Olaf raised their Circle of Protection, the sphere manifesting as it pushed Jane back, but she laughed and struck the glowing surface, shattering it and driving Olaf to his knees as blood burst out of his nostrils.

James rose to his feet. He was shaking. Too much power. Dikasts rode him, imbued him with might. The Virtue of Justices Holy Zeal was doubled by Kimmies, with both of their Indomitable Resilience Benedictions layering over each other.

James felt feverish. Like he was hopped up on cocaine, possessing far too much energy within his skin. He felt like he was going to burst.

Kerim! he shouted. Get my skeggox!

The professor shadow stepped away.

James sprinted toward his friends. It had taken him minutes to cross to the halfway mark of the cavern. He ran back in seconds, leaped, soared into the air as if shot by a cannon right at Jane.

Who opened her arms as if to embrace him, then disappeared.

No you dont, shouted Miriam, and her Benediction flooded forth, dispelling the illusion.

James twisted midair to hit a stalactite with his ass and the soles of his feet. Gravity seemed to have lessened. He hit the ribbed, damp stone and saw Jane flitting around, her invisibility dispelled.

Get the fuck outta here! yelled Jelly, flying into her from behind in a whirl of blades. Where the first Anima had busted up its sword-arms, Jelly managed to cut into the demon, his Gloria-infusion making him far more powerful.

Jane hissed and sped through the air toward Miriam.

James dropped a third Heavenly Assault on her, bringing his divine pool down to half. Serenity was hitting Jane with every bullet, turning in place like a gun turret. Miriam screamed as Jane flashed past her, claws tearing through her throat.

Just like that Miriams head sailed free in a gout of blood.

Denzel screamed in pain and her head flew back, re-attached, leaving her hale and whole.

Olaf busted out the Circle once more and raised his M4. Miriam did the same, as did Kimmie.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye. James saw the direction Jane was flying, and even as he began to fall, he shoved off the stalactite and flew to intercept.

The huge rock pillar cracked behind him from the power of his shove. He flew through the air and hit her in a Sacred Strike infused tackle, his Silver Aura flaring and searing her skin, the world crackling white as he wrapped his arms around her waist and knocked her out of her trajectory.

She screamed, more in fury than pain, and punched her fist through his spine and out of his stomach.

Yadriel bounded up and clamped his jaws on her left thigh and set to carving her chest and stomach with his sword arms.

Serenity cursed as she kept firing, her Smite-enhanced bullets punching into Jane over and over and over.

James ran forward even as Jane erupted in a crimson Nova of her own. Infernum-tinted power seared those around her, charred away their flesh, revealing bone, but Kimmie and Denzels Avatar-bestowed Mass Martyrs Cry caused them to heal back up, and their Mass Solace did the rest.

Again Jane screamed and flared her crimson Nova. This time Yadriel fell away to crash to the ground, insensate. Kerims arms burned away completely, leaving stumps that emerged from the shoulder, and with a cry he fell to the ground.

Jane swooped out of Jasons beam of Bronze. She was wrecked, her body charred and broken, but her hate yet burned bright in her eyes.

She turned, catching sight of James at the last moment.

Aflood with power and impossible might, he leaped. Faster than an arrow he hit her, slammed into her chest, and placed a palm against her brow as he called down another Heavenly Assault.

He unleashed the Sacred Strike point blank, right into her skull, his Silver Aura washing over her at the same time.

She screamed, writhed, and everything around them went electric white as the Gloria-infused bolt hit them both.

Jane lost the power of flight and they hit the ground. Jamess insane Agility allowed him to remain atop her, palm still pressed against her brow.

Without hesitation he used his last Aeviternum to call another Heavenly Assault and loosed another Sacred Strike right into her brow.

Draw on me for power! Called Jelly. James had stored four Aeviternum in the Anima the night before, and now he reached for that divine power.

Jane screamed.

James called down a Heavenly Assault, flooded her mind with a third Sacred Strike.

She bucked, went Nova and hit him with Infernum Lightning at the same time.

The strength of her attack killed James instantly.

But he blinked right back to life as both Kimmie and Kerim screamed and took the blow.

Another Heavenly Assault. A third. Another Sacred Strike right into her brow.

Jane bucked her hips, tore Jamess shoulders and arms and chest open, but his doubled Indomitable Resilience healed the wounds right back.

A fourth Heavenly Assault. James lost track of the number of Sacred Strikes. He just kept flaring them right into her face along with the constant burn of his Aura. He sank his fingers into her eye sockets, gripped her by the front of her skull, and started slamming her head into the rock, pounding her down as he unleashed each Sacred Strike.

Janes screeches rose in pitch. Jason loomed over them both, gasping, and went Nova one last time. Serenity stepped up and fired both Sigs at Janes head at point blank.

One last Heavenly Assault. James reached deep, took the last of Jellys power, and with a roar he raised Janes head and slammed it down into the cratered rock with all of his Strength 81.

The rocky floor shattered as Janes head burst.

With a cry James reeled back, rising to his knees as he stared in manic horror at the demon between his legs.

Serenity kept firing, pouring Smite into the demons ruined skull.

Olaf stepped up, the golden skeggox in hand, and with a roar he brought it up and around and then straight through the demons neck with impeccable skill.

The demons head was too embedded in the rock to roll free, but the neck separated and James felt the last of its essence flee its body.

Jason ceased his Nova, the burning Bronze fading away, and Olaf staggered back, his mustache and beard crimson with his own blood, leaving the skeggox buried in the stone.

Serenity fired another score of bullets into the ruined head that was pasted into the rock and finally put up her guns.

Everybody stood around breathing harshly, gasping, and only then did Kimmies Holy Zeal fade, allowing some form of clarity and lateral thinking to return to James.

Holy shit, gasped Kimmie. We did it.

James rose shakily to his feet. He looked around at his friends. They stood in torn and ruined clothing, wild-eyed, their bodies sooty and blood-smeared, their chests heaving, but alive.

Alive.

He grinned, unable to restrain himself, and then let out a primal roar of conquest. Olaf joined him immediately, hunching his shoulders as he thrust his fists together, and then Yadriel howled, Serenity let loose a primitive scream of victory, and then they were all bellowing and roaring their defiance down at the dead demon, the being whod held Belanger hostage, a creature they should never have been able to kill but whom theyd slaughtered as one.

Text appeared in Jamess vision:

Your rank is now Disciple 1

As the global first to reach this rank,

your new Benediction will be empowered with Gloria:

Shield of Faith

Dark Vision | Deadeye | Dark Energy Siphon | Aura Mastery | Inspiration

Empowering Light | Fortuna Aeviternum

You have 5 unspent points.