Interlude - Ragnarok

“You are a fool Ragnarok,” states Amaterasu as his second in command and newest member of the Harbingers stares at him.

The second strongest of the Dozen Harbingers of the End Times is the most curious of their number.

She has a four metre tall white ethereal body with four arms and four feathery wings. Her eyes are pure black and she has black electrical energy covering her entire body. A lightning blue crown is inbuilt in her head with a forehead pillar that has a red and blue gem in it.

Amaterasu, also known as the Fallen Angel, has electromagnetic powers as her primarily abilities in addition to being an A Class Brick according to the human ratings of this Earth.

Or a 7^th Grade Warrior by the ratings of her former people.

A small smile forms on Ragnarok’s face as he muses over that thought.

Ragnarok himself looks far more mundane than the Fallen Angel. Three metres tall, he looks like a mix of human bodybuilder and business man in a classy suit.

We are both reflective of our origins...

“Why do you smile?” demands Amaterasu, her powers flaring as she glowers at him.

“Do you remember what happened on the world of your people?” replies Ragnarok, answering a question with another question as is usual for him, “In particular the fate of your predecessor?”

“Of course I do,” snap Amaterasu.

“Then it should be obvious why we restrain ourselves,” says Ragnarok simply.

“This world is nothing compared to my own!” snarls Amaterasu angrily, electricity pooling in her fists as she clenches them, “These primitive monkeys are nought when stood up against what my people were!”

“And yet your people are no more,” retorts Ragnarok, “Their world, their nations, their legends, their gods and their greatest accomplishments are gone with nothing remaining. What does that say?”

“Then why didn’t we stay to see that with our own eyes,” sneers Amaterasu, “Or is there a reason we fled with our tails between our legs before we could receive such evidence?”

“Don’t question me!” shouts Ragnarok, his patience beginning to fray as this topic comes up once again, “We both know how this goes. Amaterasu, just admit it. He is no more.”

Rather than responding with words, Amaterasu hurls a massive barrage of untamed lightning at Ragnarok, who simply ignores it as his power nullifies all supernatural power around him.

“The Honourless Hero was not my equal,” drawls Ragnarok as Amaterasu pants with rage.

“You’re right,” agrees Amaterasu as she starts to calm down, “He isn’t your equal. He is far greater than you can possible hope to aspire to.”

“Do not taunt me!” warns Ragnarok as he gets to his feet.

“I do nought, but speak the truth,” says Amaterasu in a calm and gentle voice, “I shall enter our current world. Do not try and stop me.”

“It isn’t your turn yet,” Ragnarok warns her, but the Fallen Angel has already teleported to Earth.

Not willing to go to the effort of retrieving her, Ragnarok sits back down.

She really knows how to irk me. A shame that she still holds to that false belief that not all of her people were destroyed. Her power and martial prowess are near perfect. Still time should break that troublesome spirit of hers. It has broken all of the others.

And yet she has found loyal followers in Behemoth and Leviathan. They are loyal to her just as Armageddon and Apocalypse are loyal to me. The rest of us are undecided and will simply follow the strongest and victorious.

Perhaps recruiting Amaterasu was a mistake after all. No matter. If she proves too troublesome, I will crush her personally. She couldn’t best him and he is certainly not my equal.

...

And I’m definitely more powerful than he is. More skilled too. And more experienced.

1.16 Devil Part 7

Damn it! Damn it! Just damn it!

We can still fight.

Can we Lion? Can we really?

Such sarcasm is unwarranted and unnecessary Leo. We still have things we can do.

Like what?

If we can kill some more of the creatures, we can make another shot. Plus we still have our guns and most of our ammunition.

Like they’ll do us any help.

And you’re forgetting what Drakvar gave us. From what he said when he handed the device to us, I am assuming it is a weapon to be used against Apocalypse or one of the other Harbingers.

But it is all pointless since Apocalypse is just going to kill us in a second before we have the chance to do anything to stop him.

But before either Apocalypse or Gears can do anything, there is a flash of light and a bright beam lances at Apocalypse. It strikes the Harbinger in the right eye, tearing through the flesh as the projectile, whatever it is, lodges itself in Apocalypse.

Then it explodes.

Gears blinks at this sudden downfall of good fortune as Apocalypse howls in pain, clutching his right eye with both hands.

Well, that was a pleasant and unexpected surprise.

A welcome one too.

Still, I don’t trust it. It seems too suspicious.

Is it really so strange that somebody else harmed Apocalypse? There are many others here fighting the Harbinger and it is likely that one of them is also capable of hurting him. They probably just waited for the opening that our attack provided.

I guess that makes sense.

Regardless of what just happened, we need to focus on how it affects us. Now is the time to strike. While Apocalypse is off-guard.

As he falls through the air, Gears grabs the device that Drakvar gave him. He aims it at Apocalypses and the metal parts form a floating ring at the end of the device, held together by what appears to be an electromagnetic field.

The machine hums and several orbs of bright blue energy with a white glow form in the ring of floating parts.

Any ideas on what those are or what they do?

I-I genuinely have no idea. I never seen anything like them. All I can tell that it is extremely advanced and uses electromagnetism in some manner.

Then let us find out what it does. Unleash its fury upon Apocalypse!

Gears pulls the trigger and there is a flash of light as the orbs surge forwards towards Apocalypse, moving faster than Gears can track even with his armour.

But the effects are clear to behold as the Harbinger tumbles out the sky. Without time to regenerate, the rapid succession of powerful attacks have taken their toll on Apocalypse.

The gaping hole where the right eye once was has been completely blown open with the majority of the right head now gone. The chest has been shredded with the left side torn away.

From the shoulder, the already injured left arm has been blown off and the limb is currently tumbling through the air as it falls to the ground. The leathery wings have also been torn to shreds while the legs and right arm have also suffered major damage if not as serious as wounds inflict on the rest of Apocalypse’s body.

Doesn’t matter if you regenerate and are fast if we actually get a good beating down you.

From our estimates, I say that Apocalypse will take at least a couple of weeks to fully recover from these wounds.

Excellent.

Gears smiles he realises that they now have a good chance of finishing off Apocalypse. Or at the very least, somebody else can kill the Harbinger.

But Apocalypse begins to fall, now truly looking like a fallen angel, a large circle of shining white light above the Harbinger.

What is that?

I don’t know for certain, but it looks like a portal to me.

Whose?

I don’t know.

There is a flash of lightning and Gears feels beautiful static in his head. Realising that the static is of hostile origin as he feels his body being to freeze up, Gears spreads it out amongst his companions, breaking its power and hold on him.

What was that static?

I have no idea.

According to Guardian’s records, it might belong to Ziz, the second-in-command of the Dozen Harbingers of the End Times. But it also says that she favours various songs and melodies.

Another Harbinger? But there is only supposed to be one per a month.

Perhaps the fact one of their own may die has caused them to break their own rules?

That sucks.

Bright white light and crackling blue electricity engulf Apocalypse’s falling body and rapidly pulls the Harbinger up into the portal.

As he also falls through the air, Gears thinks about his next course of action.

First of all I need to survive this fall with a badly damaged and half-functional suit of power armour that lacks flight capabilities.

Fire your remaining KEPs at key points to slow your descent and make a landing sounds good.

Sounds like a plan.

But Gears doesn’t get a chance to implement his plan as a familiar sight comes towards him. Bolt swoops in and grabs Gears out of the air.

“Rest down helt,” says Bolt as he heads for the ground, “You have earn it.”