Legacy First Trilogy Box Set: Books 1-3 of the Legacy Series Page 15

  Helpless, I closed my eyes and prepared for the end. I murmured an apology to everyone and found myself thinking 'fuck it all’.

  How befitting of me. Maybe they could chisel that on my tombstone.

  But once again, the universe wanted to prove me wrong. It was just dumb luck that it actually worked in my favor this time.

  Turns out it wasn't my time yet, because right before the asmodaii could shish kebab me, a sword of light sliced through it. The demon exploded in a shower of light.

  My savior was literally an angel. It was a glowing humanoid figure clad in armor. And not the modern Kevlar kind either. This guy was in full medieval armor, like he had just stepped out from a Knights of the Round Table reenactment.

  Its face was a sculptor's wet dream. You couldn't tell if it belonged to a male or female, only that it was very pretty. A pair of pointy, elf-like ears held back long, flowing, golden hair which shone brighter than the sun.

  The whole figure was clad in a halo of pure white light, as if it had its own personal spotlight. The light wavered and I realized those were its wings. Unlike the wings on Gil's angels, this one had a wingspan that was nearly ten meters wide and the wings were made from pure light. It was hard just trying to look at them.

  The angel sheathed its sword and the wings wrapped around its body, before shrinking down, and it stopped burning out every retina in a five mile radius.

  The newcomer held up the palm of its hand.

  Anima particles rushed into it, forming an ever-growing ball of light. The angel's gaze shifted towards me and it thrust the particles into my chest wound.

  I felt myself on fire. I heard a roar shake the entire ship and I realized it was me. The shadow rose and covered the height of the ship, destroying demons and monsters at random.

  The angel kept shoving anima particles into me as I lay there with my power going out of control. Of course, from a distance, it must have looked like the angel was torturing me. Which explained why Amaymon's fist crashed into the angel and sent it flying.

  "The fuck you doing?" he roared.

  From the sky, angels descended like blazing meteorites. They were all in full armor, hacking through demons with swords and shields. Four of them landed around Amaymon, who stepped over me protectively.

  "Enough!”

  The angels scattered as their leader—the one who was shoving anima particles inside me—walked up to us without so much as a scratch. Its wings flared once more and I felt an ocean of power emanating from it.

  Oh, crap. This was the Virtue, I realized. This was the guy that was supposed to counter the sin of Lust, an archangel from Heaven itself.

  Well, you're too late now, buddy.

  "How do you feel, wizard?" he said. I suppose I could call it a guy; he sounded manly enough. His appearance, on the other hand, made me question my sexuality.

  I immediately stopped convulsing and twitching. My shadows retracted and I felt more powerful than I had in years.

  "I feel great," I said. I tried extending the shadows consciously and my power responded.

  All systems were back online.

  "I don't know what you did, but thanks," I said.

  Amaymon pointed a finger at him. "Who are you?"

  The archangel's melodic voice emanated. "I am Jehudiel, Virtue and Archangel of Heaven." He smiled at me. It was a smile devoid of any real emotion, but hey, at least the guy was trying.

  "You are very welcome, Erik Ashendale," he said. "The basis of your power is Life magic, the same kind found in anima particles. It is only natural that you would be compatible."

  What?

  Me, have Life magic?

  Then, I remembered Lilith's final words, when she said we were alike.

  Did that mean that I was some sort of god? I waved the thought away. Gods tended to have better lives than mine and not have to worry about taxes or annoying neighbors. If I were a god I wouldn't have had such a hard time in the past three days.

  The angel must have read my thoughts. "You will come to understand your power soon, Erik Ashendale," he said. The way he smiled made me think he knew something that he wasn't telling me. Something I should know.

  "This is your legacy," he added. "You are the root of it all."

  There it was again, the word 'root'. Mephisto had used that, too. What the hell did it mean?

  And why does everyone insist on being so damn cryptic?

  Jehudiel put his helmet on. "It's time," he said.

  I followed his gaze towards the mass of anima particles. I could feel the massive scale of the creature even before it crossed into our plane.

  "Dude, you should see your face right now," Amaymon whispered.

  I ignored him. Instead, I turned to the angel and asked, "What is that?"

  "An Alpha. One of the original demons. Lilith's spawn," he replied. "You must have damaged her too much for her to create just one."

  Ah hah! Point for Erik. Suck on that, demon lady.

  Jehudiel's wings flared. "That abomination contains what remains of the sin of Lust. It must not be allowed on this plane," he said. "Only once we destroy it will order be restored to this dimension."

  Amaymon snorted. "Angels. Always with the order."

  At that precise moment the particles parted and revealed a monstrous nightmare.

  "Holy crap," I muttered.

  "Hey, we got an angel in the house," Amaymon mocked.

  "Do not mention the Lord's name in vain," Jehudiel berated.

  I did not have a comeback. I was too stunned looking at the Alpha as it emerged.

  The Alpha was larger than the ship we were on. Its torso was a solid barrel of muscle with thick, slimy skin like a squid's. It had a pair of humanoid arms, each knotted with thick muscles. Each finger ended in a thick, black hoof. Its head was a grey blob with a pair of pitch-black, saucer-like eyes. Dagger-like teeth jutted from its mouth. Finally, a pair of bull horns emerged from either side of its head.

  The Alpha's lower half was just a set of eight tentacles, each as thick as a telephone pole. Just one slap of those things and the ship would capsize. Its suckers had rows of teeth in them, which could probably rip off the metal sheets of the tanker.

  I remembered seeing something like this once in a painting. It was the monster from Shinto mythology: an Ushi-Oni. Think of it as the love child between a Kraken and a Minotaur and you wouldn't be too far off. Even by mythological standards, this was one ugly dude.

  Jehudiel gently laid his hand on my shoulder. His touch was electric and warm.

  "You and the two demons must keep it occupied," he said, "while my legion and I eliminate the hell-spawn."

  "Why don't we trade places?" I shot back. But the archangel had already vanished.

  Amaymon slapped my shoulder playfully.

  "Looks like it's just you and me against Big Ugly over there," he said. "You got any bright ideas?"

  I shrugged. "Not a clue. You?"

  "Same."

  I groaned. "We are so fucked."

  Chapter 27

  Keep it occupied he says.

  Easy for Jehudiel to say. He's an angel. He's got wings and armor and his own personal laser light show. Not to mention friends. Angel friends, with shiny broadswords and nigh infinite cosmic powers.

  All I had was a short sword that was looking more impotent by the second, and a familiar who was probably more curious to see how the Ushi-Oni would flatten me.

  The sky darkened as a giant tentacle loomed closer and closer.

  Amaymon had already disappeared. I felt my leg muscles scream in protest as I threw myself sideways. The giant limb whipped inches from my face and the ship let out a dying groan and metal screamed. There was a deep dent on the deck. I wondered how many more of those the ship could take. Three, maybe four more hits like that, and we were looking at the ending of Titanic.

  A second tentacle loomed over and I sprang into action. No point in trying to stop something so heavy. I would be wasting too much energy. Inst
ead, a shadowy mass shot straight for the tentacle, deflecting it into the water. The splash made the ship lurch violently to one side.

  Amaymon tore a chunk of metal from the ship and hurled it at the Ushi-Oni's head. It caught one of the horns and snapped it off.

  Meanwhile, wind gathered violently around the beast. Mephisto hovered above the Ushi-Oni like a phantom. His arms were spread eagle and he strained to contain the beast. The wind was so powerful it shredded the beast's rubbery skin. Black ichor oozed from the monster's gaping wounds.

  Two of its tentacles fell off and completely shriveled up.

  "Amaymon, pin it," I yelled.

  The demon gave me the thumbs up and clawed at the air. He lifted upwards and I could hear his yell despite Mephisto's wind.

  "Rock the house, baby!”

  There was a shudder like a violent earthquake. Whatever Amaymon was doing, it was affecting the whole seabed. Then, giant spikes of stone jutted from the water like icebergs and impaled the Alpha. I shuddered to think of the damage he caused to the planet's tectonic plates in just that one instant.

  But this was priority. I could worry about the planet after the giant spawn from another dimension was vanquished.

  I stood at the very end of the ship’s bow and extended my shadows into the water.

  I knew for a fact that I could use magic freely again, that I didn't need Djinn or channels. My shadows represented my intention and my magic. They were me, and whatever they touched became a part of me and my magic.

  I know, it was confusing to me as well. But at that moment it felt as natural as breathing.

  My magic extended to the water. I willed it upwards, transmuting it into a solid state. The water spray morphed into a series of thick icicles that shot at the Ushi-Oni from every direction. It worked. The beast screamed as torrents of ink-black blood gushed out from it.

  Our assault ended when Mephisto landed on the deck with a thump and was actually wheezing on all fours. Suddenly my body felt as if I had just run a marathon and swam for my life after being chased by dinosaur sharks. I realized that I was back to my old self: no more black skin, or claws, or shadows.

  I was back to a human being and had absolutely no advantage in this situation.

  The beast groaned as our spells vanished. The rocks were sucked back into the seabed, the wind had vanished into literal thin air and my ice evaporated before you could say 'global warming'.

  I saw light around the Ushi-Oni as a legion of angels descended upon it and subdued the beast.

  "Wonderful job," Jehudiel said as the archangel helped me up. His touch instantly made me feel better, stronger.

  But there were no anima particles I could absorb. Whatever powers I had before had now completely receded back into my subconscious, far from my grasp, and I was left alone with a short sword and a battered body.

  "Do not worry," the angel said gently. "You have weakened it sufficiently. One more spell and our mission will be over."

  He reached inside his armor and extracted my modified flintlock gun. "I borrowed this in order to prepare our magic."

  I snatched the gun away and checked the clip. Empty. What good was a gun without any bullets?

  "Heaven entrusts you with its magic," Jehudiel said. He grasped my hand and light emanated from our grip. I felt something small and solid being pressed into my palm, and opened my hand to see what it was.

  A bullet.

  I stared at it. There was power in the thing, ancient power.

  "So, I'm supposed to Rip Van Winkle the bad guy with this?" I asked.

  The archangel cocked its head.

  That's it. If Heaven doesn't have a sense of humor, I'm booking my ticket for down south.

  "It's a bullet, you moron," Amaymon yelled. "Just shoot it before the giant monster flattens us."

  Amaymon: resolving self-esteem issues since whenever he was spawned.

  Jehudiel smiled. Oh, that joke he got.

  Douche-bag.

  "Have a little faith," he said.

  I raised my gun. "I'm not that good with faith. That's why I carry a gun."

  Jehudiel's expression remained unchanged.

  "Okay, then," I said. "Let's try it your way."

  Despite its weird shape, the bullet fit perfectly inside my firearm.

  I aimed the gun at the Ushi-Oni but something stopped me. It was like I was getting instructions downloaded directly into my brain. This wasn't a human bullet; you don't just point and click and expect the thing to die. This was Heaven's magic, a spell created by Jehudiel himself. This thing was designed to destroy every trace of the Sin of Lust and completely eradicate Lilith from the world.

  It was magic designed to destroy and repair at the same time. Definitely not a human concept. This was power that no human could conceive, much less create.

  I immediately understood what I had to do.

  It was like we were all connected telepathically. As soon as I was ready to shoot, the angel soldiers disappeared from around the Alpha and lined up behind Jehudiel. They had no emotions, at least not human ones, but I could sense some curiosity emanating from them. Here was a human doing Heaven's will. One screw up and we're all monster chow.

  No pressure, Erik.

  I pointed the gun upwards and pushed all my magic into it. This was not just an angelic matter anymore. This spell melded human and angel magic for the purpose of eradicating evil. It all sounded very Power Rangers for a moment, but I really didn't mind. For once, I let go of all my cynicism and just accepted the fact that I was doing the right thing, for the right reasons.

  And everything else can just get bent.

  I pulled the trigger. The recoil was a giant explosion that jarred my entire body and dented the metal floor of the deck beneath my feet.

  The bullet itself was a mass of light that rocketed into the sky. We all followed its trajectory, even the Ushi-Oni. It reached the clouds and expanded, tracing light all over the sky.

  I felt the connection with the entire sky. I looked down and saw a string of black going from my body all the way into the sky. I was now in control of this Armageddon-level spell. I had willed it to life and now I gave it purpose.

  The sky swirled and grey clouds condensed into a swirling mass. Thunder and lightning resounded all over the place. I dropped my gun and focused entirely on the spell, causing black shadows to coalesce inside my right hand as I squeezed it into a fist.

  The clouds above clashed together and took on the shape of a giant fist—a giant, titanic imitation of my hand. I flexed a finger and the cloud fist mirrored the movement.

  Jehudiel smiled. "The Hand of God," he commented.

  Turns out Heaven had a sense of humor after all.

  I pulled my fist back and thunder clapped louder than ever with every inch the cloud fist moved. I began feeling giddy with sheer power and felt a painful grin stretch on my lips.

  "Harry Potter can kiss. My. Ass!" I yelled in ecstasy.

  I punched forwards, towards the Ushi-Oni, with every intention of erasing its presence—and that of Lilith—from the universe.

  The gargantuan fist shot forwards, descending on the giant demonic creature. As it fell, the clouds swirled and morphed into a giant spinning lance. The weapon, made out of grey clouds, flashing lightning and roaring thunder, crashed into the Alpha and implied it.

  I felt the absolute nature of the magic inside the spell take effect. There was no cry of pain or anger. The Ushi-Oni was summarily shredded on a subatomic level until less than a second later it was destroyed once and for all, leaving behind only silence and a disturbing memory.

  The battle was over. I was certain of that now. No more Sin, no more Lilith, no more end of the world.

  For now.

  All that remained was a whole bunch of questions.

  Ah, screw it. I'll save the questions for later. Right now, I needed some sleep. Maybe I should take the week off. God knows I deserve it—and in this case that can very well be literal.

 
; The angels began disappearing one by one.

  "Our task is done," Jehudiel said. "I thank you for your cooperation, Erik Ashendale."

  I nodded. It wasn't over, not by a long shot.

  There will be repercussions for Lilith's death. The whole balance of power had shifted, leaving a void in the universe. I knew Jehudiel wasn't telling me everything, just as I knew he was hiding an ace up his sleeve.

  Freaking angels and their mind games. No wonder they get along so well with my sister.

  Mephisto came up to me. "Master Erik," he said. "I have orders to escort you to the pier. There, you will meet with Master Gil."

  "What about the girl, Abigail?" I asked.

  "She has been delivered to your office address and is presently waiting for you there," the demon replied.

  His form shimmered and a black dog took his place. "Please, follow me," he instructed as a portal swirled open in front of him.

  I groaned. The last thing I wanted was a conversation with my estranged sister. But I suppose that was to be expected, since she was involved in this after all. Not just with the mission but also with the mysterious powers I had gotten. I was sure it had something to do with the family curse and if there was one person who could get to the bottom of that mystery, it was Gil.

  "Fine," I said. "But I ain't getting in there."

  The dog cocked its head.

  "He gets sick from portals. Dude's got a very delicate constitution," Amaymon whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear.

  Mephisto let out a short bark. "Then, how do you suppose we travel back?" He exposed his vicious canine teeth. "I don't suppose you would be partial to me hurling you across the ocean, would you?"

  Amaymon elbowed me gently. "Or I could just shove you in again."

  "Fuck off," I replied as I picked up my gun and holstered it. Djinn rested comfortably in its sheath.

  I turned to Jehudiel. "Think you could do me a favor?"

  He nodded and laid his hand on my shoulder. All I heard was the gentle flapping of wings and the world spun as we disappeared.