Broad Judgement

"But first, I'll end your rampage here."

Overseer Michael brought his great broadsword up, ready to swing it down. The action confused Reed, as the two were tens of meters apart. He scoffed at the situation's absurdity.

Michael swung down.

"—GUH!"

Reed's shirt was instantaneously slashed open, revealing a wide bubbling laceration. The wound produced an unbearable burning sensation, which brought a hellish pain to Reed's chest. He yelled in agony, as blood seeped out, bringing the scorching liquid out onto the rest of his body.

"I-It burns!!!"

Across the expanse, Michael continued to slash, and slash, finding justifying satisfaction in each one.

"The Blade of Retribution causes the wounds of sinners to burn severely, as they would in the depths of Hell. Therefore you subject Reed Regardius, are an established sinner!"

He continued to slice against Reed's bleeding chest, which undid the damage through instant regeneration every few seconds. It was a constant repetition of slashing and repairing, truly embodying Reed's immortal state.

"You'd be one hell of a soldier…" Michael was transfixed. But the straying thought brought his quick irresolution. In the blink of an eye, Reed was gone from his sights.

Michael looked around, then straight up; "You—"

Reed landed on his face, grasping onto the swole man's shoulders with an undeniable grip.

"Get off of me!" Michael yelled. He shook himself around, hoping to throw Reed off. But the boy would hold on until he himself could get his own justifying satisfaction. Due to having held on, his hands were unavailable to striking the Overseer's face, so Reed opted to use his head.

A large bang omitted from within their skulls, as Reed instigated a brutal head-on collision. Blood dripped down both their faces, and anger wiped it off.

Reed threw his head forward, hoping for another bash. But the action was quickly parried by an extremely dense surface that was caught between their heads. The impact rebounded Reed backwards, finally launching him off of the man. He looked up; Michael's suit had instantaneously equipped a white steel helmet mid-battle, protecting his head from further injury.

"You've done it now…. Prepare to meet your days' end!" Michael swung his great white broadsword down. Once again, Reed felt himself slash open, but this time, right across his face. The burning pain was so unbearable, he wanted to scream and shout. But he couldn't. Reed's entire mouth had gotten caught in the wound. But as expected, this healed within a delayed matter of seconds.

Overwhelmed by the pain of the situation, Reed's gaze darted elsewhere. But in the crucial moment, Michael threw his leg forward, his foot connecting with Reed's face, which sent him flying with a tremendous amount justifying strength.

Reed soared across the Garden's width, meeting its end through which he pummeled. The impact left a man-sized hole in the wall.

"Shit…" Michael realized what he'd done. "I'm not fast enough to catch up to him… Azrael!" He called out. There was no response.

He looked around, expecting his subordinate to appear by his side like usual. "Azrael! Azrael!?"

Still, no response.

"Don't tell me.... Reed did you in?" Michael began walking around, realizing he'd now be looking for two bodies; Raphael's and Azrael's.

Suddenly, the Overseer spotted something unusual. Not a dismembered body scattered across the floor, or one belonging to that of the numerous corpse mounds found around the Garden. It was half of a body sticking out from a wall perpendicular to the one Reed had crashed through. Michael recognized the black-accented pants, and the dark rugged combat boots.

"Azrael…?" Once again, no response. Michael grabbed an ankle, and pulled with his unparalleled strength. Azrael was then whipped out of the wall's crater, showering the area with dust and debris.

He threw his subordinate aside, looking at the unforeseen sight; Azrael unconscious. Michael observed his body. The majority of injuries were done to his head. Other than that, Azrael was still in good shape.

"It's about time you've met your match Azrael…" Michael turned away. "And how fitting. It only makes sense for an immortal being to be the natural enemy of Death himself. And being someone who's only ever delivered, but never received… to be struck successfully as many times as you have, must have been overwhelming."

Michael began walking away, pondering at the turn of events against his favor. "He's had no limbs removed by the Scythe of Absolution, and my Blade of Retribution can only go as far as inducing unbearable pain upon his being, before he regenerates it within a matter of seconds. Damn!" Michael punched his fist into a nearby wall.

"I need to catch up to wherever his body's landed before he recovers…" He then took a glance at the unconscious Azrael; "Tsk! I need your speed!" But Michael accepted the given situation. Azrael's body was undergoing a recovery after a shocking state of pain was induced, something the Overseer had never even come close to experiencing before. Azrael was the Angel of Death, meaning every single one of his victims could do nothing but accept their fates. Not a single person had ever stood against their inevitable end, until now. Reed Regardius was an individual bestowed with the sinful blessing of counteracting an irreversible death, and so the unexpecting injuries finally sustained to Death himself were enough to provoke a collapsing stasis.

"I'll just have to get you myself then…" Michael walked up to the wall. Reaching through, he pulled apart its aperture piece by piece, widening its entry for his giant body.

Exiting the scene, Matthew was finally left alone among a cemetery of Angels in the Garden. He laid against the floor, nearby, just as he'd always been doing. He'd been watching the entire event play out; Reed and the Angels, Reed and Azrael, and finally Reed and Michael.

"To think… he could take all of that on..." But more alarmingly, was the distinct sound of crashing coming from the auditory systems of the computer behind him. Matthew looked; the screen casting the view of a security camera in the bay displayed an individual who had just smashed through the area's walls.

"You've got to be kidding me," Matthew looked closely.

It was Reed, who'd just crashed into the bay. He now recovered, and began to sprint towards the facility's exit.