XV.   God And His Soldiers.

"I can't risk losing this job because of a scene that you are making," Elfric hissed, his bi-colored eyes darkened. Feeling the heat from his chest where the seal now resides. But, it wasn't pain…it was power. He felt his strength coming from the seal and coating him, he felt it in his veins. In his blood and he wasn't going to hold it in.

Ash struggled to get up on his feet, particles from the asphalt were falling down his red coat like rain. The broken asphalt beneath his feet cracking under his weight as he wiped the blood that was rolling down his chin. Jake was still unmoving as his eyes dived deep within Elfric's violet eye.

"I believe it was a mistake to hold back thinking you were mundane," said Jake. "From this point, don't expect any leniency. We will give you a quick death."

Elfric couldn't help but chuckle and twist the corner of his mouth into a sly smirk as he glared at Jake. "Try me," muttered he. The challenge was accepted by Jake this time, faster than Ash has been he leaped forward with his sword held sideways ready to slash through him. The force of the leap caused the ground to crack under his weight.

Part of Elfric was screaming for him to dodge but the other was pushing him forward to take the blow headfirst…and he chose the latter and found no reason to take back his decision.

'Elfric you have to move,' he heard Orathan advise him. 'He will cut you in half he isn't normal!'

Elfric ignored and stood his ground. "You said this is my power now and I should command it," Elfric mumbled under his breath in those deadly split seconds. "That's exactly what I'm planning to do."

He felt something else inside him urging him to do just that. Something other than Orathan, something telling him that he has got in him to make this work.

He delicately raised his arm, violet flames exploded around his frame coating him like a shield in the same color as his violet eyes. The sword came to a jolt the moment it touched the invisible mass. Jake felt his arm rattling from the force of the collision.

For the first time since their encounter, there was some sort of emotion displayed on his face…disturbance. His perfect plan of accomplishing his mission was failing miserably in front of him. The flame that he saw in those violet eyes lagged his mind, all he felt was a sensation that he thought would never feel again.

Not since the moment that he came out of that capsule as the first successful modified human from the Gotham Family. Before him, he saw everything that he thought was crumbling to the ground.

That fierce violet gaze held power that he didn't believe any human could possess let alone have full control over like this extraordinary teenager.

"He is sealed with the devil," Crane told him before they left. "He won't be normal. Whatever's inside him will not allow him to die easily so you might have trouble. But rest assured, he still doesn't understand the full potential of what he has."

Lies. It was either lies or Lord Crane had no idea about this either. This teenager was human, this gaze, the determination. Back there in Lord Crane's office, he showed them the footage of what this boy has done to the other guards. One word could fully cover the gravity of what they saw. Calamity. For a few minutes, Hell's gates were open on earth.

Zeph had every right to crumble to the ground in fear. However, this was different. This wasn't what he saw back then on the screen.

"Having all the fun without me!"

In the corner of Elfric's left honey-colored eyes, he saw Ash dashing at him but he doubted that it was to support his partner. It was only to satisfy his feeling of being superior, only for him to be slammed to his knees a meter before Elfric.

"I didn't allow you to move," Elfric growled, his own voice was foreign to him.

"W-What the…What the fuck is this!?"Ash growled back like a beast in a cage. The attempt to lift even a finger was an impossible task for him which poked something in him to explode…literally.

Elfric stood still as he saw the aura break from within him.

"Ash!" Jake yelled, losing all composure. "We aren't qualified to go berserk yet! You will explode." He somehow lost all hope of breaking into the barrier and stepped backward. This was a lost fight.

"I WILL NOT RETURN TO LORD CRANE WITH A FAILURE!" Ash yelled out, forcing himself to his feet. His body was almost on fire, burning the sleeves of his redshirt. Numb to the heat emitting from his own body, he launched at Elfric again.

Shifting his complete attention to the man on fire, figuring that Jake was dazed to even move a limb. "Right," Elfric replied to Ash as he turned halfway to face him. "You aren't going to return to him a failure…" he paused while looking down at his own feet feeling the power pulsating through him.

His head lifted up in time to look Ash in the eye, taking hold of his head. The momentum seemed to only have an effect on Ash's body alone.

Staring deep in the devil's eyes he started seeing the terror of defeat that can't be undone. The fury was replaced with terror as he saw his end…

"You are going to return to him dead," Elfric whispered in Ash's ears. If Ash was numb to his body on fire, then he felt the shivers that went through his limbs as the words pierced through his eardrums.

"Y-you..you are a devil," Ash almost cried out, but it was too late now. He felt him smirk next to his head that was firmly in the grip of his hand.

"Well too late," Elfric breathed out. "Now die."

Ash's body fell limb to its knees. Blood seeping down every corner of his body. Elfric's arm was still stretched out ahead of him with the blood dripping down his fingertips to scatter on the hard ground to mix with the pool of blood that was now beneath Ash.

The loud thud that came from behind grabbed Rick's attention. Glancing over his shoulder he saw Jake on the ground, his face pale and lifeless as he saw his partner fall to his doom. Even from this distance, Rick could hear his pantings.

'Well,' Orathan finally said after enjoying the show. 'I never thought that you had that much willpower in you…are you going to kill him too?'

"I would have," said Elfric. "But I changed my mind." He walked smoothly towards Jake, the flames around him gone into thin air. Jake couldn't understand who the hell he was talking to but it was obvious it wasn't him.

Jake didn't dare to move a muscle as he watched Rick kneel to his eye level. "You have seen what I'm capable of," Rick stated. "Now you know why you should stay away from blocking my path again. Deliver the message to Crane. Now…scatter."

Jake did just like he was told, an opportunity like this will not come again. He stumbled to his feet and disappeared just like how he showed up after carrying the dead body to Crane just like Rick wanted. He left Rick standing there amidst the mess that they created.

Broken hard asphalt with blood in every corner for at least a diameter of 10 meters. He took in the deep harsh smell of the blood and dust in the air, he found himself calmer. An advantage that came with the job, he believed.

"H-how did I do all of this?" Elfric stuttered, it was an ironic question to ask after everything that he has done.

'This power is your,' replied Orathan. 'What you want it does. But, you need to be strong enough to contain all of it…which you are. At least for this much amount.'

"This isn't everything that you have?" Rick wondered as he allowed himself to stumble to the ground to catch his breath.

He heard the chuckle echo in his head, something that he won't be getting used to anytime soon. 'This is nothing from what I have, Elfric Woods,' Orathan stated. 'My power could coat this world in destruction if I wanted to.'

"And what's stopping you?"

Orathan hummed. 'I'm still under restriction from higher entities,' he explained.

"You mean God?"

'Yes, and all his soldiers,'