But Tropic noticed something.
The strikes from the other blasters did little more than annoy the
Beast but when a bolt of flame from Tropic’s hands struck, the monster
howled. Tropic frowned and remembered back to the first battle in
Perez Park. He had hit it then too and immediately thereafter it had
raced into the forest. He squinted at the Beast and thought.
Blighting
fired another bolt into the thing. The arcing tendrils of electricity
surrounded it and it bellowed angrily into the misty green sky. All
around, her teammates attacked relentlessly, desperately trying to
whittle the Beast down, wear him out so that he could be defeated.
She flew in closer, firing continuously.
"Blight! You’re too close!"
She heard WillowWind call out to her and started to backpedal away
from the Beast. "WATCH OUT!"
Too late! She spun around and the Beast
was almost in front of her. Blighting moved backwards as fast as she
could but the animal’s clawed hand was already moving. The uppercut
struck her high in the chest. The thing’s talon stabbed deep and sliced
up finally exiting from under her chin.
The heroine hung there, hovering,
as she watched the scarlet spray arc from her throat. Time stood still
and sound ceased. Then Blighting’s eyes rolled back in her head and
she plummeted to the earth like a stone. She landed with a hard, wet
smack, dead before she hit the ground.
Everything stopped. The heroes
of Top Ten stared in open mouthed horror at their fallen friend.
"ATTACK!!"
Lord Nikon’s scream was loud enough to shatter glass. And Top Ten
unleashed an onslaught that caused the very earth to shudder. Those
closest to the Beast assaulted it with renewed vigor. Fists and feet
struck in a blur, claws scraped over the thing’s skin, bony spines
flew at it in rapid succession. Nearby the Controllers turned the
ground to tar and quicksand. Fire imps and forms of living stone beleaguered
the Beast at every turn. Swords clanged off the monster’s hide, their
bright blades reflecting the flashing blasts of fire and ice, electricity
and energy. A mental onslaught flowed forth as Dr. Silver, Umbral
and Serridus tried desperately to get inside the monster’s mind to
cause it fear and pain.
The Beast laughed, swinging his huge fists.
His great forked tail swished back and forth trying to sweep the heroes
from their feet. It saw the healer, Cadecus, over the body of the
fallen girl. "She is but the first of many," his voice rasped, echoing
above the battle. "You should be honored I have taken her!" he said
with glee.
Cadecus cradled Blighting’s limp body in his arms. He bent
close, trying to find anything, just a spark of life, that he could
grab, hold on to long enough to pull her back. But there was nothing.
Blood covered her chin and the front of her uniform was soaked with
it. The healer sighed heavily and lay her gently on the ground, folding
her arms across her chest. Absentmindedly, he took the corner of her
cape and wiped the blood from her face. He stared for a moment, thinking
she looked asleep. He frowned and turned back to the Beast. Gritting
his teeth he gathered himself and rushed forward, emanating his regenerating
power.
Cyber-Blade saw Cadecus out of the corner of his eye. When
the healer placed Blighting back on the ground he knew then that she
was gone. His face contorted into a mask of fury. Even though he and
she fought constantly, they were teammates. Colleagues. Friends. And
he liked her, truly. His eyes blazed as he saw the Beast fighting
his friends. He watched as it tossed Ryuuhoshi aside and Kunai leapt
over it’s swinging tail.
"BASTARD!" Cyber screamed and rushed forward,
his katana flowing in a tight arc and striking the monster in the
leg. The sword bounced off the thick skin harmlessly but Cyber kept
attacking. His blade moved so quickly it left a trail like the light
of a sparkler on the Fourth of July.
The Beast looked down in annoyance
at the insect repeatedly stinging it. It growled and sent it’s balled
fist earthward, trying to drive Cyber into the ground like a nail.
Cyber saw the blow coming and at the last moment slipped out of the
way.
The katana wielder realized he wasn’t doing enough, or even any
damage, here at the thing’s leg. When he saw the Beast’s fist coming
at him a thought popped into his head. "Oh, this is crazy," he mused.
He slid out of the way and, when the animal raised it’s hand, Cyber-Blade
leapt forward and grabbed hold of the thing’s little finger.
He flew
up, still gripping the Beast’s finger, and when it reached it’s apogee
he leapt off, landing on the monsters chest, his left hand buried
in devil son’s right trapezium. Cyber grunted and, yanking hard with
his left and pushing off with his feet, suddenly appeared directly
in front of the Beast’s face.
"What?" the monster exclaimed in surprise.
"Screw you, bitch!" Cyber hissed through clenched teeth and drove
his katana into the Beast’s right eye.
"YEARRGGHH!!" the Beast bellowed
in pain and shock. Green magic fire erupted from the orb and lit up
the thing’s face. It’s hands flew up trying to grab it’s attacker
but Cyber-Blades super reflexes kept him one step ahead of it.
Cyber
jumped down, his hand sliding down the Beast’s body to slow his fall.
The thing’s hand grasped for him but he jumped this way and that,
somersaulting away and finally landing at the Beast’s feet. He smiled
to himself as he rolled out of the way of the things open hand.
And
into the path of the thing’s sweeping tail. It hit Cyber in the back,
swatting him uncontrollably into the air. The Beast reached out and
caught him with his right hand. He held Cyber-Blade in front of his
face, regarding him with his one good eye.
It smiled for a just a
second as it felt the rest of the assembled heroes throwing themselves
at him, desperate to rescue their teammate. The Beast said simply,
"Join your friend." Then with both hands pulled Cyber-Blade apart,
dropping both halves of the dead hero to the ground.
Top Ten watched
in horror as Cyber hit the ground. They renewed their attack. But
one among them thought "This isn’t working."
Padre Ares raised his
arms, his eyes flaring brightly, and from his blazing fingers he cast
forth living bits of flame. The fire imps danced expectantly in front
of him, waiting to be turned loose on the great dark figure before
them. "Wicked filth!" Ares shouted at the black demon. "You do not
belong here!" The imps leapt forward, surrounding the Beast, joining
the heroes as they battered the monster.
The Beast looked down at
the dark controller. He felt something pulling at him and realized
the hero was trying to siphon some of his energy, his power away.
The spawn grinned a wide sharp toothed grin. "And what do you know
of belonging, fallen priest?" He swept the ground in front of him
with his tail, knocking away the fire imps and causing the team to
leap and roll out of the way. "If these here knew your true past would
they be so willing to call you friend?"
"They know and do not care,
son of evil!" Padre shouted and moved closer, conjuring more imps,
using all his powers of fire and mind to combat the animal.
Umbral
Fist struck the Beast again and again, his dark powers having little
effect. He felt the heat as Padre Ares fire imps gathered at the thing’s
feet near him and joined the little fire monkeys in their attack.
Umbral had been able to jump over the Beast’s tail as it swept the
imps away and as he regained his footing saw Ares coming closer.
Umbral
raised his eyes skyward, looking at the Beast’s horned head towering
over him. It’s eyes were glued to the Padre. Umbral turned his gaze
to the priest, his brow furrowing, wondering what his teammate was
doing. Fire sprang up around Umbral’s feet into a cage of living flame,
surrounding the legs of the monster.
Padre concentrated, blocking
out the chaos around him, his eyes narrowed to slits from the effort.
Umbral stared at the Beast. The Beast eyes bore down on Padre Ares
and then it lifted it’s huge fist high in the air.
Umbral gasped,
knowing what the Beast was going to do. Ares was still deep in concentration
and never saw the fist come down. "PADRE!" Umbral screamed, leaping
over newly created imps and some of his teammates.
Ares opened his
eyes, his concentration broken at the urgent calling of his name.
He turned to the sound and Umbral was in his face, pushing him away.
Padre fell and heard behind him a enormous thud and, almost simultaneously,
what sounded like twigs snapping. He looked back and he breathed in,
in shock and horror.
Umbral Fist had been quick enough to save his
friend but the superhero had taken the brunt of the Beast’s hammer-like
blow. Umbral lay there facedown on the muddy battlefield, crushed
by the monster’s fist. Padre Ares ran to him, sliding to his knees
as he neared. He turned the limp body over and Umbral’s sightless
eye’s stared up into the swirling green mist above. The dark scrapper
was gone.
Top Ten attacked with even more urgency, unleashing their
tremendous powers in a concerted effort to end the battle. On the
ground, swarming around the Beast’s legs, the mighty blows of Ryuuhoshi,
Kunai, Buttercup, Blue Fox Sly, Ebola Zaire and TuxedoGin struck the
monster at an almost continuous pace. Nearby Valya, Johnny Cognito,
Dr. Silver, Padre Ares, L33t On3, Mr. Heaven and Serridus assaulted
it with imps of fire, familiars of rock and frost and turned the very
ground to tar, ice and quicksand. Their mind powers hoped to slow
the Beast down and give Miyaka, Temptations and Aeroxon a chance to
hack the enemy down.
The sky around the Beast’s head was lit with
flashes of power as the blasters struck hard and fast. General Scrap,
Elendil, WillowWind, Tropic, Deep Phreeze, Captain Denmark, Lord Nikon,
Novak and Flint Fingers peppered the thing with explosions of fire,
ice, energy and electricity.
Everything did nothing.
Tropic swooped
in, looking at the dead bodies Blighting, Cyber-Blade and Umbral dotting
the battlefield. "Enough," he whispered to himself and flew straight
at the Beast, hurling blast and blaze. A ball of fire struck his foe
directly in the chest, the strike flashing out in a huge circle, reflecting
sickly off the green misty sky.
The Beast howled in pain, shocked
that anything could hurt it. It scanned the sky frantically for it’s
attacker. Finally it’s fiery green eye fell on Tropic. "YOU!" it bellowed.
"It will not be!" it shouted and turned it’s full attention to the
red-skinned hero.
Tropic pressed on coming closer and closer, his
hands shooting fire. He dodged a swipe of the thing’s tail, his body
spinning through the air, evading the monster’s swinging fists.
Aeroxon
struck at the monster again, his broadsword clanging against the hardened
leg of his foe. He looked briefly into the sky and saw Tropic weaving
above the Beast’s head, fire blazing from his eyes and hands all the
while avoiding the powerful blows the monster swung. Aero gritted
his teeth and thought, "Get out of there, Trop!" As soon as the thought
finished, disaster struck.
Tropic spun and twisted through the air
firing rapidly at the Beast. The fists of the animal missed repeatedly
and Tropic was able to strike it almost at will. He flipped away from
the thing’s sweeping tail and directly into the path of a gigantic
hand. It struck him backhanded and the fiery hero rocketed away, tumbling
uncontrollably through the green sky. He fell back to earth, hitting
the ground hard and bouncing back into the air. He came down again,
his limbs flailing as he rolled across the muddy field, clumps of
grass and dirt tossed into the air as he churned past. Finally he
slowed and he reached out, his hands finding some purchase in the
earth.
The red-skinned hero stopped at last, rolling back on his knees.
But his momentum was too great and he kept moving until he fell flat
on his back, his dazed fiery eyes staring briefly at the sky. Tropic
rose unsteadily to his feet and the world began to spin. He dropped
to a knee, gathering his strength and watched as the battle raged.
He had finally come to a stop on a small hill about a football field
away from the monster. About sixty yards to his right he saw General
Scrap and TuxedoGin taking a moments rest, trying to build up their
energy so they might attack again. Tropic heard a loud screeching,
like metal twisting, and turned his attention to the fighting once
more.
Among the heroes in the thick of the fray, Temptations hacked
and sliced at the Beast with the same result as the others. No damage,
no cuts, not even the inkling of stopping or even slowing the monster
from it’s course.
The warrior woman gritted her teeth and swung the
heavy sword with abandon. She knew the stakes. She knew they could
not fail. But Temptations was becoming more and more frustrated. She
had defeated the Kronos Titan. She had defeated the twisted Praetorian
"heroes". She had even rescued Statesman. And now some overgrown Behemoth
Overlord was going to stop her?
"Enough!" she hissed and spun in a
large circle, her blade flashing in front of her. At the end of the
circle, Temptations put all her power, her strength, into the blow.
The broadsword landed hard against the Beast’s thigh, the blade wailing
in protest. Temptations stared at the Beast, her teeth clenched, and
saw not a mark at the point of impact. Then the warrior looked at
her sword and gasped.
The mighty blade was broken, split in two by
the force of the blow and the armor like hide of the demon. She gripped
the hilt tightly, her eyes drawn to the what was left of her sword.
It came to two points, the depression between them appearing to her
like the bottom lip of a mouth screaming.
She looked from the blade
to the Beast and then back once more to her broken sword. The warrior’s
face seemed to crumple in on itself and then Temptations threw her
head back and screamed her outrage to the world. She rushed toward
the monster, her eyes narrowed to slits of grim determination.