High above Central Sanctum, the Angel of Kaedmon was preparing the final nail in the coffin for the Hybrids of Westerweald.

His thoughts swirled with only raw hate – something human that had bubbled to the surface, proving that, indeed, there was still a piece of himself tucked away in his newfound body.

And that fact only enraged him even more.

The veins on his arms popped, singing with power, and began to turn from varicose blue to lambent white.

[Angel Annihilation]

Effect: 5000 [DIVINE] DMG in a 300ft area.

The light that burned from his arms bathed the entire central cavern in light, and threw the shadows of the city buildings across the walls of the tunnel.

The Hybrids that still lived below could do nothing but watch as the angel of death delivered his God's judgement upon them.

He threw out his lightning-wreathed arms, aimed the attack straight at the castle gate, and was about to let the Lord's Light fly when something small and sharp sliced pricked his hand.

His aim was knocked off-kilter, and his attack dissipated. Once more, darkness claimed Sanctum.

And the angel looked down to see a small sliver of silver dripping from his left wrist.

The little blade that had nicked him was still spinning in the air, swirling like a boomerang right back to the creature that had sent it flying up at him.

Artorious turned, his frustration only mounting at the sight of the wound, and then he saw what had just emerged from the portal chamber at the very edge of the city.

From out of the middle portal that had just been activated, two creatures emerged. One: a green, bipedal little beast with lithe arms and grassy blades affixed along their lengths. Atop its head it carried a woven green helm – something composed of the twigs of the forest of Triant above. This creature Artorious recognized: a Salamandrike.

And it wasn't alone. It rode atop a giant, disgusting-looking steed. A rat with eyes the likes of which should not have belonged to one of its kind. The little critter rose up, carrying its Salamandrike Host with it, and let fly a bellow that shook the entire city with power.

And the civilians who still remained uttered whispers of hope as they recognized who had come to battle Keadmon's angel: Theo, Lord of all Ratkin, bane of undead and eater of bones. And the Salamandrike that had faced down the evils of Dr Haylock with the Archon and lived to tell the tale.

Artorious watched, dumbfounded, as the pair strode into the city, giant rat and tree-lizard in perfect harmony, both ready to face down the threat that had come to their once-leader's home.

"A rat and a lizard," Artorious muttered, utterly bemused. "I set the power of a God against the Archon's people and he sends you in his stead."

It was too pitiable to evoke even laughter from his lips. And yet the Salamandrike raised its blade against him, kicking into the sides of the giant rat to force it forwards into the city, both of them bellowing a battle-cry of freedom upon their monstrous lips.

"So be it," Artorious sneered down at them. "Let us see what the Archon's valiant defenders have in store for me."

He swept his blade through the air, sending two arcs of [Azure Edge] towards the little yipping demons. He watched as the arcs of light cut clean through two buildings and sent them tumbling down to crush the insects as they sprinted to avoid them. Smoke billowed from the remains, kicked up and coursing through the city streets.

The pitiful creatures were nothing more than distractions, Artorious thought. Just like everything else in this den of slime.

Yet, as he turned his attention back to the castle, he felt something in the air, coming from below. A distinct whoosh of power sliced upwards from the ground, and with a sharp about-turn Artorious saw two black arcs of power flash through the smokescreen towards him.

Twilight Edge, he thought. How..?

He blocked the attacks with one swift parry, collecting the energies of the dark-magic based attack on the blade of his sword and purifying them instantly. As he did so, however, he felt something else suddenly flash through the air at his back.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

He turned to meet the thread of sapphire light that had just been launched at him from a decayed market stall, tanking the blow in his abdomen, feeling his blood run cold as he appraised what had just soundly struck his angelic form.

Spectral Snipe, he realized. From…there!

He traced the fading line of spiritual energy from the shot and let his [Azure Arc] fly again, cutting clean through the marketplace and disintegrating all the goods, stalls, and the tiniest specks of dust the evacuating Hybrids had left behind.

He'd gained no Spirit Cores. That told him the little nuisances were still out there, somewhere. No living matter could have survived that attack. Which meant…they must be repositioning themselves.

He channeled the grace of Keadmon into another ability: [Eyes of Raziel]. Instantly, the entire battlefield was bathed in white, pulsing light. Every pulse indicated movement. Every single beating heart out there was instantly known to him.

And there, on the perimeter of the city, he saw them: the pair of them sprinting with impossible speed, probably the result of an S-Grade [Skitter] skill while cloaked by [Stealth].

They were attempting to get a good vantage point on him. Him! The Angel of Kaedmon Himself.

He would show them the folly of their strategy.

Gripping his blade with both hands, he channeled [Angel-Arm] through the divine steel, feeling the entire ceiling of the cavern above the city vibrate with the sheer power behind his attack. Then, seeing that both rat and lizard had suddenly come to an abrupt halt behind him, he turned swiftly and let the beam of radiant death fly.

The attack struck true, piercing through five stacked hovels and melting them apart. The spear of light found its mark, blowing an entire new tunnel system into the dark abyss as it hit the ground, vaporizing the tiny stalks of Mooncarrot that were growing at the city's southern reaches, tearing through the banners of the Archon that clung to that side of the city.

When he lowered his arm, Artorious saw nothing but a pall of smoke and dust covering the entire Southern perimeter.

He let out a sigh of resignation. Employing the powers of the Lord against such trivial beasts was heresy in and of itself. But this journey had been long, and this battle was beginning to drag on far longer than he felt was necesa-

SLICE!

The feeling of pain radiating down his forehead came after the strike that had just been made against him. His brows knotted in confusion, and his left hand came up to touch the blood that was tricking down from his head,

His blood…

He checked his HP to be sure of what had just occurred:

Artorious, Angel of Keadmon (LVL 200)

HP: 4675/5000

Slowly, with the calmness of a gathering storm, his head turned towards the teetering building to his right.

Standing there were the two creatures who dared to oppose him, perfectly well, panting with the exertion of having played their little gambit.

[Summon Illusion]…Artorious thought as he watched his own silver blood trickle down his fingers. They really are their Master's servants…

The trick brought back a memory he'd tried to suppress. The frustration building in his gullet, forcing itself up through his whole shaking body like a torrent of vomit, was beginning to bring back aspects of his human life. Like when the Archon had summoned an illusory form of his childhood self, plucked from his own doubtful subconsciousness, and forced him to look at it. Forced him to look at himself as a child that was terrified of the world it had been born into, and of the role it was born to fulfill in that world…

He looked at the snarling faces of the lizard and the ratling and saw the same sneer of their master. Ethan Hawke…Demon Hat…wearer of a crown and weilder of power that he'd done nothing to deserve. He'd suffered no indignities. He'd endured no torments. He'd had nothing but the undying, unshakeable support of all his little minions down here. And entire society that did nothing but worship the ground he walked on…

That's why…you all have to die.

He closed his eyes as the rat and lizard made their next series of attacks. They bludgeoned him with [Twilight Edge], [Roar], [Spectral Snipe] and even a [Dive] attack that brought the tiny creatures within striking range.

But he did not strike at them. Instead, he watched them calmly. Collected. Present. He watched the fury in their eyes as it flared, and then gradually began to subside as the reality of their situation began to sink in.

He did the same thing when the other Hybrids arrived on the scene – the ones that he'd been fighting against this whole time. The ones who'd rescued the Archon and started him off on his path of destruction.

"Keep him away from the throne!" The Hopla Mage shouted above the din of their attacks. "Hit that monster with everything we've got!"

Monster, he thought, allowing himself a small chuckle.

He took the crushing magic that they sent against him, letting them throw all their little tricks his way, letting them think they were wounding him. Letting them continue the fight they so desperately needed.

"He's not budging!" he dimly heard someone shout.

"Exactly! " someone replied. "Keep up the pressure! All we need is to buy Ethan time! Just stop him from moving!"

Ethan, Artorious thought. You place so much trust in him, don't you?

He kept his eyes shut to the world even as a series of boulders were torn from the cavern walls and smashed against him, forming a crushing cocoon that got tighter and tighter around his body.

But he barely felt the pain. More than anything, right now, he just felt numb.

It won't ever end for you, will it? he thought, looking at them through cracks in the stones that held him captive. You won't ever understand that you, and your Archon, were never meant for this world. None of this would ever have happened if you'd just understood that. If you'd just…stopped.

He felt the light of Kaedmon flow through him again.

That is why I must end it all for you.

His entire body began to glow with divine power. Through the cracks of his stone prison, the Hybrids saw light.

There is only one destiny for your species now.

When he finally opened his eyes again, they burned with the divine light of death.

Extermination.

[Angel Annihilation] Activated.

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