Chapter 13: Wings of the Fallen

Alex thought he was going to die when he was dragged beneath the pile of corpses. But underneath the pile was a giant hole.

All over the walls, the floor, and the ceiling, in every direction, there were corpses with half their torsos sticking out of the walls. The entire tunnel was made of pulsing flesh, just like the building above.

The corpses restrained him, grabbing his arms, legs, and body. He couldn’t move as they slowly pulled him through the underground tunnel toward some unknown location. Alex struggled with all his strength, but he couldn’t break free from their grasp. There were simply too many of them.

What’s going on, he thought. I thought they would kill me. What is happening here. I don’t like this.

He tried again to pull his hand free, but it wouldn’t budge. Their grip was too strong as they passed him along to other limbs jutting from the fleshy cave walls and dragged him deeper and deeper.

Eventually, Alex grew exhausted and stopped fighting, wondering what waited for him at the end of this tunnel.

Meanwhile, Celeste ran through the hospital as fast as she could, trying to reach the entrance. Then she stopped and said, "This is going to take too long. Let’s see if I can break through this flesh. I tried breaking through it before, but I didn’t have Masamune or Excalibur fully powered. Let’s see what Full Force Strike can do."

Celeste turned toward the wall of the hospital and flooded Excalibur and Masamune with power until both blades were at their limit. She swung down as hard as she could with both weapons. A golden light and a bright blue light slammed into the fleshy wall.

But nothing happened.

The flesh absorbed the impact and spread the energy throughout the entire structure, causing the whole building to shake.

But still, no damage was done.

"Damn. This flesh must all be part of Legion. I just better hurry."

She turned to continue running, but her path was suddenly blocked by the twisted, grotesque man. Its body had fused with the other one she fought before. Celeste immediately charged Excalibur and Masamune again, not wanting to waste any time, and rushed forward as the creature launched both its heads at her, jaws wide, trying to bite her.

She swung both blades in a wide arc, slicing the heads clean in half. They hit the floor with a wet splatter, collapsing into mush. Celeste pressed on, leaping over the monster’s warped body, stepping on its back, and vaulting past it as its form collapsed to the ground, struggling to reform once more.

Celeste finally made it out of the building, but she still needed to reach the pit Alex had fallen into.

She paused and muttered, "Forget it. I don’t care right now. It’s not like we can be in any worse of a situation. We’re dealing with Legion."

She spread her wings wide as they glowed with golden radiance, then took off into the air, hovering above the ruined medical hospital. A moment later, she landed on the ledge overlooking the pit.

Celeste raised Excalibur and filled it with as much divine energy as the blade could handle. Then she leapt from the ledge toward the center of the pit, aiming to annihilate it completely.

But just as she jumped, a massive hand slammed into her, knocking her off course and sending her rolling across the roof of the hospital.

The abomination loomed above her.

From the side of the building, the grotesque man crawled up onto the roof and merged with the creature. His head burst from the nest of tentacles hanging off the abomination, and his arms sprouted from its shoulders, twisting together into an even more horrific form.

Celeste spat out blood and stood, glaring at the fused monstrosity. She knew exactly what she was facing.

"Legion. Where did you take him."

Legion laughed with all five of its heads, the overlapping voices of men, women, and children echoing together.

"Ha. So you know what we are. Angel, what are you doing down here."

Celeste refused to answer. "Where did you take him. Tell me now."

Legion laughed again, its mouths twisting in unnatural harmony.

"That thing is too precious. Once we noticed it had Nephilim blood in it, it was only a matter of time before we assimilate it into us. Then we will become even more powerful."

Celeste shouted, "Then it looks like I’ll just have to destroy you."

Legion laughed loudly.

"You. Destroy us. I can already tell you don’t have your full angelic powers. You’re in Hell. There’s no way you can defeat us, for we are many."

Celeste charged at Legion, channeling more of her strength as she pushed the power of both swords to their maximum.

She swung Excalibur first, and Legion raised its deformed arm to block. But the divine blade cut straight through, severing its arm and part of its torso.

With her other hand, she brought down Masamune, slicing one of the three front heads clean in half. Thick, black, tar-like blood sprayed across the roof.

Two elongated arms, the arms of the grotesque men that had merged with Legion, lashed out from its back, clawing toward her. Celeste quickly dodged left and right, avoiding the grasping, hooked hands.

But then something happened that Celeste didn’t anticipate.

The heads attached to the tentacles on Legion’s back lunged forward as she was mid dodge, each one clamping its jaws around her wings.

"Ah." Celeste screamed in pain as they bit down hard, lifting her into the air and holding her there.

She tried to swing Excalibur and Masamune, but one of the many arms on Legion’s body struck her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her.

She gasped for air as Legion’s hands seized her wrists, ripping Excalibur and Masamune from her grasp. Both blades clattered across the rooftop.

Now she hung suspended in Legion’s grip while its torn body began to regenerate.

Legion wrapped a massive hand around her waist, pulling her closer as its three main heads glared at her. The voices of Legion spoke in a unified, mocking chorus.

"Weak angel. There’s nothing you can do when you can’t show your full strength down here."

All three of Legion’s faces twisted into smiles.

"Maybe we should try assimilating you too. We have never absorbed an angel before. I wonder what kind of strength we will gain from you. We better make sure you can’t escape."

Then the two grotesque heads biting into her wings clamped down harder.

A sickening snap echoed through the air as both of her angelic wings broke, leaving only jagged, bloodied stumps protruding from her back. The monstrous heads began tearing into the shredded remains, chewing and swallowing the fragments down their throats.

Celeste screamed.

Legion laughed again. "Now there’s no escape for you. You will become one with us as well."

It turned toward the pit, preparing to drop her in just as it had done with Alex.

Celeste gritted her teeth.

Fine, she thought. Looks like I have no choice but to use my holy power. It might alert every demon in the area, but it’s either that or death, and I have to save Alex.

Her body began to glow.

Unlike Excalibur’s divine light, this radiance was pure holiness. A brilliant aura surrounded her as light poured from her form, flooding the rooftop with blinding illumination.

As the holy light radiated from her body, Legion’s hand began to burn. Smoke rose from its flesh. It screamed in pain and was forced to drop her.

Celeste gathered a massive orb of brilliant holy light in her hand and thrust it forward.

"Holy Wave."

A radiant surge of sacred energy erupted from her palm, engulfing Legion entirely. All of its heads screamed in agony as its body writhed and twisted in the consuming light. Legion’s flesh began to crumble, its form disintegrating until nothing remained but drifting ash.

The ashes scattered through the air like dust in the wind.

Celeste collapsed to one knee, gasping for breath. She had used a bit of her holy power to destroy this body of Legion.

She whispered, "No. I can’t stop now. Alex needs me."

Forcing herself to her feet, Celeste walked over and picked up Excalibur and Masamune, then sheathed both blades. She looked around and could already sense greater demons approaching, drawn by the holy power she had unleashed.

She winced in pain as blood continued to pour from her back where her wings had been torn away. Quickly, she raised her hand and cast a healing spell. The bleeding stopped, and the wounds sealed, though her wings did not regenerate. Her back still throbbed with raw sensitivity.

Celeste untied the jacket she had been wearing around her waist, the one that belonged to Alex, and slipped it on, rolling up the sleeves. The jagged bones that once supported her wings pierced through the fabric as she zipped the jacket up.

She stepped to the ledge and stared down into the pit of corpses below.

"It’s time to go all out," she said, her voice steady.

She leapt into the pit, charging holy power in her hand once again.

"Holy Wave."

Radiant light erupted downward, flooding the pit with divine energy. The corpses screamed as the fleshy walls ignited and burned to ash. Celeste fell through the blazing tunnel, driving Excalibur into the wall to slow her descent until she landed at the bottom.

Before her stretched a long tunnel lined with half-built bodies, all of them turning their hollow eyes toward her with silent anger.

Above, several greater demons descended around the ruined hospital. Their claws scraped against the rooftop as their wings folded behind them.

"Where is that radiant energy," one of them growled. "I felt it here just a moment ago."

Another demon sniffed the air and said, "This is Legion’s territory. I wonder if he’s already dealt with it."

After a few moments, the demons gave up their search. One by one, they spread their wings and flew off, scattering across the sky to hunt elsewhere, just in case whatever had produced the radiant energy had already fled the area. Soon, all the greater demons split off in different directions, leaving the hospital in silence once more.