Angelos Odyssey

4-2

Artemis’ body begins to expand while shrinking in mass, and, as it does, his torso lengthens alongside longer arms and legs that narrow as they grow. Artemis flexes, showcasing hundreds of vibrant veins that cover his entire figure, and spikes protrude from each vein while his stomach narrows and forms a smaller ribcage than before. All the damage I’ve dealt him looks as though it’s being absorbed into the new body that he creates in order to erase all signs of injury.

“Eonsuri is the elemental spectrum of zol, and I used it to calcify my tissue and organs. Jeigon is the Spectrum of Power, and so I used Shioya to bend my arms and legs in order to accommodate plates of bone wrapped around what’s left of my flesh; in other words, my body moves with the use of my aura. Finally, Roukilis is the Spectrum of Covenants, of bonds. I’ve bonded my life to the will of my God, and so, with the full calcification of my body, all that’s left is my spirit. If I do not fight you at full strength, Tavon, my spirit will fade and my body will become nothing. Right here, right now, I’ll ask that you give me everything you’ve got. When these people see you die, I want them to know that it took the will of a god to bring down a murderer.”

Shioya As he’s speaking, I take off my weighted thermal and let it strike the ground at my feet with a heavy thud.

“Artemis, the first time we met,” I say to him, “you made me feel weak. But now…” I take a deep breath as adrenaline forces its way through my body, “I think I’ve got this.”

I hop from one foot to the other, loosen up, and, without another word, I dash toward Artemis—

Just as he extends one long, narrow blade my way and launches two shards of bone at my face! I dodge with a sidestep, sprint, move my head down as he cuts through the air over it with a s***h, pursue while he backs away, strafe left as he shoots another shard at my head, and throw a haymaker right as Artemis puts one arm up to block; his arm inflates with jagged spikes, I switch—midair—from a haymaker to a chop that’s swift and precise enough to strike his forearm with a resounding crunch, and he swings out with the same arm, causing me to swing my head back before throwing my body into a backflip.

Artemis goes on the offensive. He charges at me with one arm of bladed bone hanging low. I meet his charge, but, before I can swing, he thrusts at my head. I deflect and push his blade to the side; his arm erupts with dozens of spikes that tear open my forearm. He swings, I step back; he thrusts with his left bladed hand, I deflect and tear open my other forearm. Upon seeing the blood run down my wrist, I hesitate.

Artemis takes advantage of this, projects spikes out of his side, turns, and launches them at me!

I try to dodge, but, as I strafe to the right, sharp bones slice through my left cheek, rip through my shirt, and cut open a gash in my left side. Anger makes my blood run hot.

At that very moment, Titus steps in front of me and holds up his hand for me to stop.

“All right now,” he says while shaking his head and looking down, “you’re doing too well. That guy over there is a member of Noboros. If you keep going, Inen will come find you and end you with the fury of the entire syndicate. Don’t do it, Knight Killer. You had your time in the sun, and Sygdom’s not going to put up with it.”

I try to move past him, but I take one step and he aims his pistol at my chest. “No,” he says. “You don’t leave that spot without telling me that you’ll throw the fight.”

Once again, Grandmaster Jia strides up to me and says, “If he’s telling you what I think he’s telling you, then do—”

Titus cuts him off by shooting me in the chest.

“What the hell are you doing!” I hear Hadrian shout and feel the aura around my body intensify as the impact from the bullet rocks me backward.

The muscles on my chest tighten as what feels like fire spreads through it, and the bullet ricochets off to the dismay of Titus. Titus points and prepares to fire another round; an ivory blade intercepts him. Artemis stops midswing, with his sword less than an inch from severing Titus’ arm at the elbow.

“Tell your boss that there’s something I’ve been waiting to show everyone here. It’ll be worth the wait. Let him live.”

Titus breathes in deeply, snorts, and walks back toward Sygdom without another word.

At the same time, I hear someone grunt behind me as they direct a swing my way. I crouch down, just barely, and a spear zooms over my head at the speed of sound. I’ve got enough awareness to feel another attack coming, so I step to the side just as a newcomer thrusts her spear at my back.

Kiyoko appears with a scowl of pure malice and screams, “You’ll throw the match right here or I’ll strike you down! Give up, i***t!”

She unleashes a flurry of thrusts so rapid that strokes of white heat sear the skin on both sides of my face as I dodge. Blood flies before my eyes. Kiyoko bends, spins on one heel, rotates her spear in a whirlwind arc around her back, and swings at my head. When I duck to evade its edge, Kiyoko leaps and kicks me in the chest.

Before I can get my footing, Artemis shoves me out of the way and launches one of his sword arms at Kiyoko. Kiyoko blocks, but Artemis’ bone-studded blade breaks the staff of her spear in two, forcing her to discard the weapon before sidestepping the attack altogether.

Artemis draws his arm back into his body with the strength of his zol. “Don’t interrupt,” he says. “I’ve made a vow, and, if you break it, I’ll help him kill you instead.”

Kiyoko throws both pieces of her spear to the side and clenches her fists as she shouts, “He’s not worth your time, fool! Let me kill him here!”

Thokozani walks up to Kiyoko and lightly puts her hand on Kiyoko’s shoulder. “Tavon’s a reckless person,” she says in a low voice, “there’s no need to rush. He’ll get himself killed eventually.”

Kiyoko brushes her off while taking one step toward Artemis as she demands, “I want to deliver the final blow. Keep him alive long enough for me to end him, or I’m coming after you next.”

Kiyoko turns to leave, and Thokozani follows. Artemis looks down, muttering under his breath, “And you will perish.”

She turns back around, exclaiming, “What was that?”

Artemis waves her away, “This is my last fight, dear. Allow me this, if anything at all.”

Kiyoko leaves without another word, and then Grandmaster Jia walks up to us with a flustered look on his face and says to me, “That’s it. I’ve had enough. If you want to kill each other that badly, go ahead and keep fighting. I want to see how far you push each other.”

As the Grandmaster takes his leave, I hear Titus speak over the crowd:

“All right, contestants,” he speaks in a controlled tone which shakes at times to betray his unbridled anger, “the big boss is looking for some more action. One of you should’ve already been dead, so he thinks that you’re both holding back. If this fight doesn’t conclude within the next five minutes, fellas, we’re gonna add in some ‘helpers,’ you feel me?”

bothArtemis and I both nod before he takes a few steps away from me and comes to stand facing my direction as his eyes seem to wander off for a moment. Artemis breathes in deeply, kneels, and says a short prayer. When he comes to stand, Artemis looks straight at me, and then his aura erupts around him in a shade of grey that darkens the bigger it becomes.

A spike in the shape of an ivory tree branch, with a sharp, curved end, sticks out of Artemis’ chest. He grabs its curved end and flings it at my head fast enough that it slices through the middle of my ear as it soars through the air behind me, leaving a trail of grey in its wake. Another spike juts out from his back, and he grabs that one before also flinging it my way. Another extends from the back of his shoulder, and Artemis throws that one, too. Artemis throws yet another, and I strafe to the right to dodge it; one more, and I dart left; one final one, and my abdomen’s nearly slashed open as I sidestep to the left again. Trails of tau stream out from Artemis’ body and extend to wrap around what looks like jagged boomerangs.

Artemis draws his arms in at the waist, extends his hands into razor-sharp, elongated blades, and he says to me, “Let’s go.”