The Godsfall Chronicles

Book 5, Chapter 53 - Open Confrontation

Cloudhawk was too arrogant! It was a brazen slap in the face!

The mighty demonhunters by Arcturus’ side could no longer take it sitting down . However, in this moment they felt more fear than anger .

This monster couldn’t be left alive! Today, he destroyed a portion of their grand stronghold in one attack . Tomorrow, he could raise his hand against Skycloud City itself!

Cloudhawk was only in his early twenties, yet he already he commanded such h.e.l.lish power . In another twenty or thirty years who would be able to stand in his way? Even their ill.u.s.trious Governor may be outmatched!

“Let us elders handle this one . ”

“Aye, we’ll slap the arrogance out of him . This heathen can’t be allowed to take another breath . Every day he lives is an affront to the dignity of our realm . ”

Arcturus remained seated . That threatening aura had gradually waned and he was again that calm, inscrutable enigma he always was . He did not immediately agree with the proposal of the angry elders . When he responded, it was in quiet, measured tones .

“Cloudhawk could only galvanize an attack like that with immense external aid . He cannot reproduce it . There are other formidable enemies waiting in the wings . It would be foolish to heedlessly press the attack just to cut Cloudhawk down . If we are not prudent, we will lose not just a portion of Sanctuary, but the entire fortress . If that were to occur, all of Skycloud would feel the aftermath . ”

Obviously, Cloudhawk was merely the tip of the spear . Their main force was watching, waiting for the right opportunity to strike .

Although Cloudhawk’s opening a.s.sault was terrible and destructive, it didn’t destroy their fortress outright . Deploying all their strongest to deal with him would be premature . They would have nothing left to counteract the coming demonic and wasteland forces .

“He’s a spent bullet . ” A masked figure beside Arcturus shared their determination . Their voice was strangely neutral, making it impossible to tell whether they were male or female . Such was the case with Ja.n.u.s ‘Many-Faced’ Umbra – ever a mystery . “Oren has already ordered his demonhunters to surround him . The rest of our soldiers will rally and come to their aid in short order . Cloudhawk and this small group are alone, outnumbered, and surrounded . ”

Indeed Cloudhawk was only peering down his nose at them because the army was still recovering from the shock of his attack . The traitor would be singing a different tune when thousand of Elysian troops were bearing down on him .

The hot-blooded members of Arcturus’ entourage looked at each other but had no recourse but to hold position . Skycloud’s elder warriors had been gathered to counter forces from Nox and Nucleus . Arcturus was right, wasting their strength on Cloudhawk would leave an opening for the wastelanders to mop up . The fight had only just begun .

So be it! There were enough mighty foes for Cloudhawk to throw himself against already . Oren and Zoren in particular were a lethal pair .

In addition the Court of Shadows also skulked the field . When factoring in Oren’s Demonhunter Corps, the combined forces were numerous and formidable . If they charged forth together, a whelp like Cloudhawk was as good as doomed .

They watched from above as their forces began to surround the invaders .

“Drunk, you and the others deal with them . Clear landing zone for our main force . ” Cloudhawk shouted his orders then snapped his eyes toward Oren . “Leave this wrinkled b.a.l.l.sack to me . ”

The drunk looked out over the devastation that had taken hold of Sanctuary and sighed . It’d gone to far . There was no looking back .

He had not been in favor of the attack, of killing Elysians . But he owed his life to Cloudhawk, and Dawn was the honorable War G.o.d’s granddaughter . What was happening here was a tragedy, but one he had to partake in .

Cloudhawk had opened the path with his meteor . He made the sky split and the earth quake . Under his power a portion of the Sanctuary had collapsed . Skycloud’s iron defenses had been overcome with a single, stupendous blow .

Now, while the Elysians were reforming, the rest of the wasteland forces took advantage of their disarray to move in . Airs.h.i.+ps arrived and deposited their forces upon the meteor . Speed was to their advantage, for if they could act before the defenders could rally the wastelanders would carve through the fortress like a hot knife through b.u.t.ter .

Oren raised his hand toward Cloudhawk . “You conceited child . ” That familiar gravitational effect fell over the area . Cloudhawk felt as though he’d been tied to a fleet of airs.h.i.+ps that were lifting him into the air . He floated a dozen meters into the air .

“Die!” Oren reversed the energy and flung Cloudhawk toward the ground with a hundred times the force of gravity . This sudden change would reduce an iron-skinned mutant to meat paste .

Yet just as Cloudhawk was about to impact the ground, he blinked out of existence and vanished from view . Oren’s power crashed into the earth, leaving a crater a dozen meters deep . He’d dug out a grave but there was no corpse to put in it .

“Where did you run to?!” Oren lashed out at any trace of his foe . Meanwhile, Cloudhawk teleported just out of reach, dodging half a dozen attempts . He would appear for a moment then vanish again . Oren’s reactions were a tenth of a second too late each time, so while the earth around him continued to buckle under the strain none of the craters sported Cloudhawk’s mangled body .

This man had risen in the Crimson One’s place to take up the mantle of Knight-Commander, but Cloudhawk did not fear him .  

Cloudhawk dodged again . When he reappeared, he did so behind Oren . He couldn’t just waste time playing with his target, he needed to fight back .

His right arm came alive with blazing green flames, like a hand groping from the pits of h.e.l.l . Castigation Fire – one touch and Oren would be burned to ash .

But the Knight-Commander was a hardened veteran . He had been ready for Cloudhawk’s counterattack so he had the gravity around him under control and ready for action . The moment he sensed danger, Oren was flung up into the air fast as a bullet .

Cloudhawk did not abandon the attack . Two streaks of silver light gave chase like angry serpents .

Oren responded, increasing gravity around the Silver Serpents and causing them to slow . But while his focus was on the silver light, he heard Cloudhawk’s mocking voice in his ear . “Tossing and turning – is that all you can do? Enough games!”

Two silver streaks fused into one . The screaming serpent became a roaring dragon with ten times the threat and momentum . It pierced through Oren’s gravitational field as though it weren’t there, faster than the eye could follow . A flash, quick as lightning, pierced through Oren’s chest and exited from his back . Blood gushed from the wound it left behind .

He was the Knight-Commander… yet defeated in this brief exchange . The gas.h.i.+ng wound looked bad enough to portend death .

Had Cloudhawk’s combat abilities really grown so much, so quickly? Oren was a lauded member of the Cloude family, an important member . If he died here, the impact would be dire .

From his perch, Arcturus narrowed his eyes .

Oren’s vision began to fade when suddenly a streak of light approached from behind . Power enveloped him, followed by an unexpected scene . The gouts of blood and broken flesh were sucked back into the Knight-Commander’s body . In a matter of seconds the deadly wound in Oren’s chest was healed entirely .

What incredible healing power! This was practically resurrection! This was the incredible power of Archbishop Zoren Leclair .

Zoren – with his white hair and kind face – struck a dignified picture . In his hands he clutched a glowing mirror, the relic that s.n.a.t.c.hed Oren from the jaws of death .

“The Rekindling Lens!”

Cloudhawk knew of this relic . He remembered reading about it in the relic records back in Skycloud . The Rekindling Lens was a one-of-kind restorative relic .

Among military circles, Zoren’s name was not widely known . However, there were few amongst Skycloud’s citizens who did not praise him . This was not merely because of his high status in the Church of Brilliance, but mainly because he was an unparalleled healer .

No matter how grave the injury or how foul the sickness, the Rekindling Lens could restore the victim to health . It was limited only by failures of genetics or wounds that damaged a person’s deepest essence . Even if one teetered on the precipice of death they could be returned to full health, as Oren’s plight had revealed .

“You think you can kill me?” Oren recovered quickly . He pulled forth a long staff and swung it toward Cloudhawk . Paired with the power of his glove, even this simple staff bore limitless destructive power . One blow, with gravity greatly amplified, could do as much damage as a hundred strikes .

Cloudhawk quickly dodged out of the way . The staff struck, and the ground where Cloudhawk had stood exploded into a mess of dirt and stone .

Cloudhawk’s mind worked as he dodged . With Zoren here, killing any Elysian soldier was much more difficult . He had to deal with the Archbishop first if he wanted to put Oren down for good .

But the enemy demonhunters were starting to close in .

A hundred figures clad in long white robes dashed into Cloudhawk’s field of view . They glared at the traitor with grim faces and Cloudhawk could hear their relics hum . It was a dangerous change in circ.u.mstance, even for Cloudhawk .

“Boss! We’re here to help!” The sound came from a strange mixture of troops atop the rocks, split into three groups . On the left was the Wendigo King and his warriors from Nox . On the right was the Dark Atom’s genetically modified soldiers led by Coal . In the center were the intimidating mutants, Cloudhawk’s own Goshawks .

“You think this motley group of barbarians can stand against my demonhunters?” Oren’s smile was thick with disdain . “The very height of stupidity!”

“Is that so?” Cloudhawk spoke over his shoulder to his men . “Kill them . ”

The Goshawks answered with a thunderous war cry . Out in the wastes, it was the strong who earned respect . They had watched Cloudhawk summon a mountain from the sky and use it to obliterate their enemy . In their minds he had risen to near G.o.d-like status .

Never had these twisted mutants experienced anything like it . It was a great honor to join this powerful man in his a.s.sault on the Elysian realms . So, without hesitation, they rushed headlong toward the demonhunters, indifferent to the threat of death .  

Did they not understand the power a demonhunter wielded? Yet what followed was a revelation that left the Elysians speechless .  

The mutants drew out twisted rods of black metal, foul facsimiles of exorcist rods . All of a sudden, the battlefield was alive with a surge of power that washed over the dignified demonhunters .

These didn’t just look like exorcist rods . They were exorcist rods! The Elysians stared at the encroaching mutants, stupefied .

It was a scene that shook them to their core, no less staggering than Cloudhawk’s meteor shower . It was an a.s.sault on the bedrock of their faith, an affront to all they knew of the world – demonhunters were the greatest warriors in the world because the G.o.ds had blessed them with the power to wield relics . Only a few were awarded this holy honor .

How… how were these monsters doing the same? It took the demonhunter knights by surprise . By the time they recovered the unflinching wastelanders were already upon them . The damage was done .

The power of the psychic pearls was inferior to the power of these demonhunters, but having no fear of death empowered a man to incredible heights .

Zoren stared in open shock . “Impossible… impossible!”

His disbelief was the perfect opportunity . The air s.h.i.+mmered beside the old priest and a figure appeared . A grim streak of metallic light gleamed from the sword in his grasp .

Oren glimpsed it from the corner of his eye and shouted to his ally . “Careful!” But it was too late .

In his moment of distraction Cloudhawk had appeared within striking distance of Zoren . He brought Ardent Wrath down upon him in an arc of green flame . The Archbishop of the Church of Brilliance was cleaved in two .

The Rekindling Lens was in enemy hands! Cloudhawk immediately reached into it with his mind . The lens’ healing light washed over him and in that moment he could feel his wounds vanish like dew before the morning sun . However, although this was a legendary artifact it was limited to healing only ordinary wounds . It could reach into the deeper parts of a person and erase those ills . But that didn’t matter now . At least it brought Cloudhawk back to fighting form and robbed a great advantage from the Elysians .

Staggering, unthinkable events were occurring one after the other . Arcturus watched the scene with furrowed brow .

“Do not be distracted, proceed with the execution . Dawn must die . ”

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