Storm of Swords
Team China and Team North America were sitting in the back of the Diner while Michael and the main characters worked to block all of the entrances to the diner.
During this time, both teams were introducing themselves. Tie Ta made it a point to telepathically tell the team not to reveal anything about the Dark Universe. Team China didn't question their Captain and did as he said.
Team North America was comprised of sixteen players and five newbies. Kelly and Malcolm were a couple and the leaders. They are cultivators and magicians. The second in command is named Barbos. Barbos specialized in a Transmuter Nen. Next was the resident Kage level kunoichi, Aria. A werewolf, Jax. Next was an Actress turned Pandora - A woman with a stigmata implant, Banita Sandhu.
Two Brawlers name Stan and Anna. A sniper, Danielle. And the names went on, but Tie Ta took his leave as he didn't feel like remeeting Team North America. Instead, Tie Ta went to the roof. He wondered what Zhuiyu had planned for the plot to come. He hoped whatever she chose was fun and ballsy.
Tie Ta stared into the darkening skies and smiled to himself. Even during the apocalypse, the stars manage to stay beautiful. Tie Ta stretches his mind, and his voice fills the minds of Team China.
"This is why I wanted a Team Leader. Be wary of Team North America and protect each other. I will be back as soon as I can." Tie Ta then took to the skies.
Team China shared glances, but there was nothing they could do about the eccentric Captian.
Tie Ta soon landed near the middle of the Mojave Desert. He then put out his canopy tent and laid down a magic barrier for his privacy, though he didn't know how well it would hold up against the angels.
Once he entered the tent. Tie Ta put two tables together, then laid out the filleted bodies of three higher angels. Pulling a chair from his storage ring, Tie Ta took a seat with a singular thought.
'Ken Kaneki eats one vicious ass Ghoul and gets a partial Kakuja. I wonder what will happen if I eat Angels.'
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-1st POV-
It was late in the desert. The wind was howling, and the walls of my tent were making loud flapping noises. It started getting cold, and dust still managed to find its way into the tent. The desert sucked.
Anyway, I have recently stepped into Tempering Marrow. In order to reach the eight inner gates, I have to refine 100 percent of my marrow. Painful, but worth it. The only problem is that GOD is a dick. He upped the prices on cultivation resources for me.
But naturally, I have an eccentric mind and figured I'd eat an angel. Divine beings, immortal, intense power. Maybe I could use that power to temper my marrow instead of strengthening and nurturing my kagune.
Looking over the angel buffet, I couldn't help but reminisce about the times when I gorged myself on cheeseburgers and fries. Chicken and broccoli, duck and steamed buns, Spaghetti and meatballs. The food of humans, something I no longer am. And even now, the thought of such meals conjure horrid tastes that make me want to gag.
Reaching out and taking the chunk of Angel flesh, I bit down and tore it in half with my teeth. Firm yet chewy. A swirl of flavors and power accumulated throughout the life of the winged being. But what stood above all was the subtle sweetness that coated my tongue, followed by the warmth that surged through my body.
I could feel my ghoulish features appear, and then I feasted.
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Three angels devoured. Marrow sucked from their bones. The energy I received from them coursed through me. Though I was pleasantly surprised when the energy made me light-headed, and the Qi in my dantian became tumultuous, while it felt like my blood had come to life beneath my skin. Angels must have body, life, and soul energy.
I dropped to the lotus position and mentally recited the Hymn of Ypdona. The chaos in my dantian found order, but the energy continued to rage. Forcing the energy into my bones, it seeped into the marrow and began the tempering process.
It felt like my bones were being charred from the inside out after my Qi had just finished drilling its way inside. The pain made it hard for me to breathe, and thinking became nearly impossible. Holding on by a thread, I continued to recite the Hymn of Ypdona and guide my energy along the tempering process.
A few hours after sundown, I couldn't' bare much more and decided to stop. Examining my body, I could see that only a tenth of the marrow in my body had been tempered. Drenched in sweat and impurities, I did a quick stretch and went back to cultivation. I had to push on. If I wanted the best this mission had to offer, I had to push on, even if the pain drove me mad.
The more progress I made, the less effective the angels became. I was forced to eat more and more of them. Before I knew it, all of the corpses that I collected were gone. In the end, I only manage to temper 72 percent of my marrow. So close, but with the amount of energy I need, I knew I was further away than ever.
Rising to my feet, I dispelled the gunk from my body and changed into a fresh pair of clothes. Focusing my senses on the Diner. I was relieved to see that my team survived the night. But, before the sun reared his head over the hills, I could feel the pressure descending from the heavens.
As opposed to the movie plot, the descent of the Archangel Gabriel was behind schedule. But that could be attributed to the fact that he was not alone and brought a group of higher angels along with him.
I promptly took to the air and arrived back at the diner at the same moment that the higher angels surround the building.
Looking towards my team, they all had melee weapons in hand. It was clear that at some point during the night, they had run out of ammunition. I was also pleased to see that all of the characters were still alive. Unsurprised that Charlie was still pregnant.
Surrounded by the enemy, one would think that I went on guard, but I didn't. With a big strong team like North America standing behind me, I glanced at the Archangel Gabriel then walked to the diner.
"Kelly, Malcolm." I said, "I think those guys are here for you."
I pointed to the winged people dressed in armor from head to toe. I then looked at Bob Hanson and said, "You have any coffee back there. I need a little kick."
"Y-yeah. Top shelf in the kitchen." Bob stammered.
"Ahh, fantastic," I replied.
At this point, I think even the angels were staring at me with questioning looks. But hey, fuck it. When in war, do what you want. Death is as common as breathing.
As I put on a pot of coffee, I listened to the conversation outside.
"Why do this, Brother?" asked Gabriel, vexed with hurt.
"It is our place to guide humans. It is wrong to exterminate them for our failure!" Michael replied.
"Failure?! Us, we never fail! We are perfection. What is happening was always fated to happen. You know this. We all know this. Father and Lucifer fought because of it! Now it is time to put an end to this scourge. Step aside, and you will not be punished for consorting with these... Abominations."
Michael chuckled to himself. " I'm merely protecting the child. These monsters are here to protect the people. I am not consorting, merely doing what I feel is right. Which happens to be parallel to the plans of these monsters."
"So be it!" Gabriel sneered, "End them."
Meanwhile, I'm in the kitchen drinking a coffee from the pot as Kelly and Malcolm launch forward to block the first wave. The Kunoichi Aria then leaped into the air as she slapped her hands together and shouted, "Lightning Release: Black Panther!"
"Hmm, they are strong," I murmured while watching the massive purple lightning attack the winged beings.
'Zhuiyu.' I called out with my mind, 'Get everyone in the trucks.'
'What about the other team?' she asked.
'If Charlie dies, we all fail.' I replied, 'Now, go. And tell Ouyang Di to stay with me.'
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After a well-fought escape, A few angels attempted to follow my team to get Charlie. However, Ouyang Di went into Stages 1 and 2 of the unlocked mode. He then conjured a torrent of tribulation lightning that knock them from the sky.
I can see that Team North America was a bit confused. I figured it was because Ouyang Di hadn't shown his full strength yet. Even the angels were shocked. To counter-attack, Eight angels began to conjure their magic.
"Two-part spell. Sealing and destruction, light-based magic." I commented as Alpha Stigma shinned in my eyes and mimicked their magic.
Chains made of light crashed down on us. I barely managed to counter when Ouyang Di followed up with magic he could only use in his unlocked mode.
"Death by the ten thousand cuts!" his voice boomed.
The space around the angels rippled, and their bodies were cut to pieces. I have to admit; even I was surprised when I saw the angels die. I looked down to Team North America and the winged Angels with a devious smile as I point at them.
"Hadō #99. Goryūtenmetsu," I barked.
My Psionic Reiryoku exploded, and five crimson dragons of destruction crashed down on the battlefield, killing Team North America's five newbies and smashing two higher angels into the dirt.
"Captain!" Di shouted as he tossed an angelic sword at me.
Instead of catching the sword, I reached out with my TK and redirected the curved blade to sheath itself in the chest of one of the downed angels. The second attempted to escaped though I clipped her wing before she could flee. Going for the killing stroke, I suddenly felt a damning presence appear behind me.
Pah!
The Diner was destroyed by the shock wave, popped like a balloon into shreds. I glared at the man that attacked. His face was unforgettable. I had seen it many times before during my study of the movie. Even in the heat of battle, it will never elude me.
"Gabriel," I said with a growing deranged smirk.
"You will die here, monster," Gabriel replied.
That's when I felt it. My enemies no longer underestimated me. After my battle against the first angels, they must have learned. Cracking my bones was the power of an Archangel.
Boom!
At breakneck speed, I was cast from the sky, sent crashing into the desert. Like a bomb, I hit the ground. When I rose to my feet, I shook myself loose with a sigh that expressed my annoyance.
'Brother Di, Have you ever heard the saying of a borrowed blade?' I asked him telepathically.
'I understand." Di replied.
I then used a movement technique but was suddenly intercepted by an angel with long golden locks and beautiful eyes. She looked at me with searing rage as her hand twisted and accumulated cyan lighting with every revolution.
"Uriel, no!" Gabriel barked, " He can steal magic."
I looked at Uriel and then at Gabriel. Two Archangels. I was cutting it pretty close. Without much thought, I combine my Houtian level cultivation with my spiritual power. With a flurry of flash steps, I engaged Uriel.
But Gabriel was quick on his toes, evidence to his eons of battle experience. I was soon caught in a deadlock between the two archangels. A constant exchanging of crushing blows cracked my bones and held a speed nearly out of my reach.
With a well-placed knee to the gut by Gabriel and an elbow to the back by Uriel. I heard a loud pop. Then I couldn't feel a thing. Falling from the sky, I saw a blur of two bright lights.
Kelly and Malcolm had finally entered the battle.
When I hit the ground, all I could move was my head as my spine healed. Team North America was giving the angels hell. But they couldn't kill them fast enough as the angels made a fool of us all.
Ouyang Di was even reaching his limit. After his trick with the spacial blades, the angels took measures to avoid the attack. The splash of warm blood coated my face as the wings of an angel bisected the two brawlers, Stan and Anna, from Team North America.
We were losing. In the sky, Kelly and Malcolm were doing worse than me. Using my spiritual power, I lifted myself from the ground and hovered. Stretching my mind, I latched on to every angelic sword that lay next to a dead body. I then called the angelic swords from my storage pendant.
Like a small tornado, the swords swirled around each other. Sending them flying like a flock of mad birds, I attacked the angels and used Team North America as blind spots.
Shunk!
The first blade blew through Banita's chest, then through an angel.
Shunk! Shunk! Shing!
The storm of swords laid waste to the battlefield. Ouyang Di appeared behind me, and I told him to pull energy from the Belt of Beloth the Wise.
"How much?" he asked.
"All of it." I roared.
Di connected with the belt, and I could sense his power coming back to him, allowing him to maintain his unlocked mode for a while longer.
"Scorch the earth! Pluton!"
Black eldritch circles appeared on the battlefield, then combusted in tar-like flames. The screams of Team North America and the Angels rippled across the desert. As angels and players attempted to flee, I cut them down. Those that I missed were hit with spatial blades conjured by Ouyang Di.
With an audible pop, my spine had finally healed, and I could once again feel my body.
"Captian, you shouldn't play games. You should draw your Zanpakuto and call forth your kagune," said Di.
"No," I replied. "I still have a ways to go before I have to go all out. I nearly died today. Next time, I'll do better. "
I look to the sky and see four figures staring at the massacre, teary-eyed. While the black flames controlled the field, my storm of swords slaughtered our prey.
I raise a hand, and Di snuffs the flames to reveal the massacre. Hovering over the carnage, I pull angels and players alike into my storage pendant.
The storm of swords then calms and begins to revolve around me like planetary rings.
Gabriel, Uriel, Kelly, and Malcolm all glared at me. I finally called for my Zanpakuto. The moment it appeared, it joined the ring of swords, going unnoticed. Ouyang Di stepped behind me and then chanted incantations as a stream of buffs were placed on me.
I watched as the group of four spoke amongst themselves, then vanished in separate directions. Following them with my senses, The North American couple went south while the archangels went towards heaven, I assume, as they disappeared without a trace after breaking the atmosphere.
"What now, Captain?"
"We go back to the team, recoup, then get ready for another fight," I tell him.
"You know the next fight will be an all-out war." said Di, "Zhuiyu wants us to bring together the survivors and fight against the angels. She should be close to the nearest survivors camp now."
"Then that's what we do."
"We will be outnumbered." Di protested.
I hold out my hand, and a gold bracelet appeared with a golden scorpion attached to it. However, the scorpion was a bit different as it had the head of a dog. "This will help our numbers," I say.
"The Bracelet of Anubis." he gasped. "Where did you find it."
"The Oasis of Ahm Shere. It was hard to find the oasis, but once we found it, the sands of Egypt offered it to me. Come on. We should get going."