The Wielder of Death Magic

“Look what we have here,” a uniformed man walked and watched, one hand behind the back and another to his chin, he’d often stop, gaze, then focus away.

“Asmodeus,” exclaimed Kul, “-you know this guy?” she panted.

“No clue,” chains of light tied them both onto the side of a silver-plated truck.

“Demons in this day and age,” he continued, “-I heard your kind wandered the mortal realm without rest. Taking lives and feeding off the dark emotions – how pathetic can a kind be?”

“Lord H-H-Hondo, a-a-are t-they?”

“Restrained,” returned the man frankly, “-why be scared of a few demons?” a glance back showed a secret gleam in his eyes, one of angelic property. “-Now, my creed is to forgive and forget,” he stood before the truck, “-I’m willing to grant freedom on the condition of absolute obedience. Become my servants,” fingers to the forehead, “-what am I saying anyway? We beings, closest to gods, are the epitome of light and power. Demons and their misguided sense of self will never accomplish much in the grand scheme of things.”

.....

“Don’t get cocky,” returned Asmodeus, “-I decided not to unleash my powers,” a black flame burst to outline the corner of his eyes, *The foolish who dare stand in obstacle, there but one thing I wish to happen, break and fall. The dice falls, the number is 12,* two cubes rolled, *-probability is my whim, and my whim decrees for thee be shackled to the weight of fate,* the dices stopped, one face showed one, the other showed three, *-Ancient-Arts: Asmodeus’s luck.* The spell canceled.

“HA-HA-HA, Demon, did you really think the goodwill of lady fate would bless thee? Think again, foul beasts, luck favors the righteous, and the righteous shall always prevail.”

“Lord Hondo, please kill them,” groveled Esvalo, “-the bane of my life, I wish them to die quickly so that time can wash my hands clean.”

“Esvalo,” he side-glared, “-you dare order me around?”

“I am paying the stay...”

“Correct,” *cough*, “-no use in wasting time, is there?” The sight of as struggling Kul halted the hand movements, “-no use conjuring magic, once under the spell of the Star of Light, no dark entity will be able to escape.”

“Star of light, an ancient angelic art used in the war against gods and demons,” said Asmo, “-you’re a warrior of said time period?”

“Don’t frown at me, the art is a reflection of my faith in my leader and god. I participated in the war; after many deaths, we replicated the spell ‘Astral Binding,’ one a certain god used to fight back and eventually force the demons to retreat. My actions are done in necessity, life in the mortal realm is hard,” he grinned, “-to live one must kill, and kill I have so many times now.”

‘No luck,’ exhaled Starix, ‘-my abilities are locked.’

“Lord Hondo, please do something about them,” still grasping the ground on all fours, “-the stares are imposing,” he gulped. ‘-if they escape, I’m dead. No way will I survive such a ploy...’

“Alright then,” the truck moved over to the solidified Starix. *Arts bestowed upon me by the great god of war, heed my words, heed my presence, golden and shimmering in the light of the righteous, I summon the swords of Axel, guardian of the golden gates, come in hordes of thousands to slay my enemy,* countless golden-white weapons levitated outwards of his palm, *-Ancient-Arts: Sword of the Righteous – Usad Raol,* the fingers flicked, steams of light fired forth.

*Barrier to the left, barrier to the right, raise from the pits of darkness, Eloda and Cmia, devourers of light and guardians of the pits of hell, rise forth and swallow good and evil alike, gluttonous and unforgiving, quell thy rage for the time to feast has arisen, Death Element: Abyssal Barrier – Balo’s Stomach.* Two pillars rose, a dark tapestry went from one end to the other, purple colored sockets shone onto the attack, the flat symbols detached into the manifestation of the jaws of an ancient beast, each bite swallowed the swords. *Snap,* a mist of dark rose from the prior conjuration, “-never expected to see angelic arts used in the mortal realm,” a strong silhouette exited the fog, “-Lord Hondo, else known as Angel Axel, guardian to Axia, fallen goddess of the Veneo belief. The death of the goddess at the hands of the titans must have been a shock. Were you awakened from thy slumber or have thee been in hiding?”

“Who are you?” he stood, confused and most impressed, “-the aura is hidden, are you a god in human form?”

“No,” replied Igna, “-I’m a nightwalker,” they stood head-to-head. The sunny sky turned cloudy, exertion of heavily charged auras affected the feel-able surrounding, electrifying sensations spurted in small flashes.

“Doesn’t matter to me,” he watched closely, “-my goddess was recently reawakened. I know not the reason, and I care not, she ordered me to follow the will of Lucifer, hence my venture to the mortal realm.”

“Lucifer,” a swift glance backward, “-I see my companions are safe and sound. Angel Axel, we can do this the easy way, and talk it out, or,” a flash of white summoned from behind, he ducked and barely dodged the projectile, “-we can fight it out.”

“I’m right,” he proclaimed, “-you protect and harbor demons. Tis not right, the order doesn’t allow for such acts. Whatever you are,” a golden sword shone at his hip, “-I must rectify the error in thy ways. I shall face thee in the name of Axia, my goddess blesses me with her pure intention, her will, and her resolve. I will not retreat on accounts of a mere servant of evil.”

“Right,” bicolored pupils remained stern, “-should we take this someplace else?” a look around showed a C-shaped giant mall standing guard to the left.

“Why?”

“Needless property damage is a pain to pay. You live in the mortal realm, the importance of managing one’s finances is a must.”

“I see we have more in common,” the blade sheathed, “-let us find a better place to fight. Shall we call a temporary truce?”

“Very well,” he agreed.

A short flight from the niceness of the De Cosple stripe to the humid and cold exterior of Carter Lake, “-here we are,” said Igna. The trucks hovered to a gentle landing, Kul’s face reflected the urge to hurl.

“Stop,” said Asmodeus, “-I broke free,” he proclaimed, the dice landed on 12, the spell activated to only cancel the imprisonment spell, “-get off, Kul,” he gave a hand, the moment feet made contact to the asphalt, her glance shot back and the stomach caved.

“I must have weakened the spell by accident,” shrugged Axel.

“A lake is a good place for battle,” explained Igna, “-we’ll fight on the water.”

“Are you sure?” he smirked.

“Positively,” *Return to the everlasting age of ice, Mana Control: Ice Variant – Niflheim,* a storm of snow swallowed the lake bright blue, “-there we are, stable footing.”

“Impressive,” he clapped.

“About my companions?”

“I’ve lost interest,” said he, “-they’ll die sooner or later. My wish is to know thee better, unknown spellcaster. My orders were to guard Esvalo – if the man is safe, my duty has been accomplished. Tell me before we begin, the two demons are being hampered by an external component. The Prince of Lust and high-tier demon Kul seem weaker.”

“Met before?”

“No, tis my angelic sight,” pure and innocent returned to his visage, “-why are their strength being stiffened away so heavily?”

“For the simple reason to get stronger,” said Igna, “-they choose the path to absolute pain. Deprive their ability and return to zero, from there, restart training and begin anew. The climb upward is harsh and with peril unlike any other. Short-term weakness is nothing compared to long-term strength.”

“The spell of retrial is one known to only the Goddess of Chaos, Gophy.”

“Shall we begin?” they slid to the ice; ‘-angels are strange beings. A dead goddess was revived and the angel was sent by Lucifer. My mana supply isn’t half of the capacity, blood-arts lack blood. I might be fighting a lost battle. Best not alter reality, calling down the power of the Shadow Realm will blow my cover if any. Guess I’ll fight old school,’ he breathed, ‘-father, I never thought I’d be able to use your magic.’

*When odds are against you, no mana, nor hope of survival, choose the path of the warrior. Everything I’ve learned has been transferred into the artificial element. Remember, using the gift will transfer part of my memory. The shock might be too harsh to bear, use it only when the time is right. Hum the melody your mother and I used to sing when your sister had nightmares.*

‘I forgot about that,’ he chuckled.

“Will the master be alright?”

“No, angels and demons are opposite sides to the spectrum. The former has the advantage over the latter no matter the situation. He bested us singlehandedly.”

“The binding spell,” cringed Kul, “-goes to show we’re not the only ones of other realms here.”

“Let’s watch.”

The somber grayness dipped the battlefield in a melancholic hue. “-I am the Guardian Angel Axel, one of three charged to protect Goddess Axia. My allegiance is to the north – the face forward and advance through the ages without falter. What about thee, unknown warrior?”

“Igna Haggard.”

The golden sword unsheathed, “-right, let’s begin the dance,” he buckled and sprang forth, the flash slit his cheek, “-I’m sorry,” he slid to a stop, “-I lost my footing on the ice,” the latter cracked.

‘Fast,’ the heart raced, ‘-I couldn’t keep up.’

“Once again,” he blinked left and right, each passage drew blood, “-what’s the matter?” echoed afterimages creating an illusion of a crowd, “-I’m not even warmed up yet.”

*Tap,* Orenmir slid from its cover, a cry of extreme pain rattled the ground and broke the afterimages, “-don’t get cocky, angel.” *Clang, clang,* midair, along the dam’s edge, under the water, the pace intensified, each clash sent shockwaves, the reaction rattled from handle inward.

A long exchange had him in peril, Igna barely kept pace, *-crash,* the sword flew backward from an upward stroke, “-I got you,” grinned the angel.

*Blood-Arts: Crimson Threads,* a backward handspring gave an opening, Axel took the opportunity and rushed. A grid of red cleanly chopped off his hand, the resultant blood turned into dagger-shaped projectiles and impaled in a blink. ‘-Barely,’ he landed and grabbed the sword.

“Very nice,” said the angel, “-you cut off my arms and impaled me,” the wounds healed, “-sadly, I have the boon of regeneration. Long as my authority as an angel is active, there’s no hope of seriously wounding me.”

“I’d look again.”

‘My wounds,’ a puddle of blood rose into an orb, ‘-they’re not closing. Angels aren’t supposed to take damage, even if my arm is sliced, blood should never come out. Does it mean?” glanced to the torso, ‘-the daggers impaled my chest. He injured me...’ the easy-going persona swapped, “-HOW DARE A MERE HUMAN HURT ME, I’M AN ANGEL, THERE’S NO WAY YOU COULD HURT AN ANGEL...”

“Guess my cursed sword developed the ability.”

“Don’t look smug,” *Angelic-Arts: True form of Axel – Golden Wing of Immortality.* the wounds closed, “-try again, puny human.”

*I am he who slays without fear, I am he who shall be the last of what thy see. Heed mine call, thou whomst dared to fight the natural order, tis the day thou ought to be destroyed, Ancient Magic – Astral Binding.* Circles of various order and symbols summoned overhead.

‘Astral binding...’ the face froze, ‘-only certain entities can use the spell. For one who knows my identity and name, he must be a warrior of the divine age,’ *Angelic-Arts: Second From of Disruption – Ring of Loka,* closed fist to the sky, *Rupture.*

‘The spell broke...’ calculation of the battlefield halted, ‘-all road leads to defeat...’

“Ancient magic isn’t worth the repute,” cackled the angel, “-what happened?” he stood peering over his shoulder, “-did I move too fast?” Open palm to Igna’s back, *Arts bestowed upon me by the great god of war, heed my words, heed my presence, golden and shimmering in the light of the righteous, I summon the swords of Axel, guardian of the golden gates, come in hordes of thousands to slay my enemy, Ancient-Arts: Sword of the Righteous – Usad Raol,* Light tore into the stomach with a beam of shooting light swords, “-spirit, element, and body – be vanquished.”