Jules grabbed the jail cell’s handle. He paused and looked at Wrath.
The demon smiled at him. Jules smiled back.
Then he raised the white stone in his hand. His blood was smeared all over it.
"I'm sure you've seen Rukia's Holy Sacrament?"
Wrath’s smile faded.
Jules squatted down low, until his quads were perfectly parallel with the ground. He lifted his chin—and then both of his middle fingers. One hand still clung on to a piece of rubble from Patience's Altar.
"FUCK!!!" Jules bellowed. "YOU!!!"
Maintaining eye contact with Wrath, Jules pulled the handle.
“That was one hell of a gamble, kid.”
On the other side of the door, Kaizen leaned against the threshold with arms crossed and cheeky grin.
“Gotta find the loophole."
"Right." Kaizen glanced at Wrath, looked him up and down, and flicked his chin up. "Sup, man?"
Wrath betrayed nothing.
“You’ve been hiding a lot from me," Jules said. "Still.”
"I have.” Kaizen didn't straighten up or change his posture at all, as if to say, what're you gonna do about it, kid?
“We’ll have a conversation later. A long one. I expect answers, but I also expect you’ll hide more answers than you give.”
“I will.”
Wrath grunted.
“But for now, have you seen the newest stakes?” Jules asked.
“I saw.”
“Are you ready to fight?”
"I am." Kaizen pushed off the door with his shoulder and wrapped an arm around Jules. "Ready to kill."
Jules looked back to Wrath. “I’m ready to go back now, please.”
Kaizen turned and whistled to himself. “Deal’s a deal.”
“CUNNING. YOU SHOW PROMISE, JULES TIDESHAPER.”
Blinding light emitted from the jail cell. Jules shielded his eyes. When he opened them, he was back in Marina Veridia, on his knees in front of the Judas Priest Zeke and gazing at the moon again.
He didn’t hesitate.
? Integrate ? [-?71,600 // ?174,501 ERROR ERROR ERROR]
Jules and Kaizen merged into one. Jules’ shorter auburn hair grew out somewhere between his and Kaizen’s longer hair. Their radiated a piercing, cold blue. White samurai armor draped over Jules’ frame. Muscles engulfed his torso and three remaining limbs, though his entire sword arm still missing, along with his left hand.
Jules felt the sensation of a different type of energy, familiar, slightly painful, but refreshing at the same time. Kaizen's chi rushed into Jules and refreshed a significant portion of his Ryoku Pool.
[?121,500 // ?174,501 ERROR RESOLVED]
Zeke lowered his sword down to Jules’ neck. He stared into the Judas Priest’s white and hollowed eyes.
Black and white flames burst from all around Jules in an inferno. It pushed the self-proclaimed angel and his weapons away. Jules shoved his left arm down to his severed hand and mended it through rising steam. As soon as it was the least bit movable, he reattached his sword arm.
“How long will this take to mend?”
Kaizen asked the question, and Jules replied from the same mouth, as if answering himself aloud.
“Faster than usual, though it’s hard to tell. Two minutes, three.”
“Ah, I see."
Jules felt Kaizen’s disappointment.
"I’d hoped to play with our new toy a little longer than that.”
The Judas Priest ravaged the men he’d landed amongst for their armaments. He invigorated the weapons with Holy energy, and they turned matte black like his warhammer.
“Let’s see what you’ve got, Kaizen.”
“Give me full control and witness—”
“No.”
“Ha, smart kid. Better safe than sorry!”
Shrouded in white flames, Kaizen launched himself to the Priest and kicked him in the chest. They folded the ghoul in half. Jules braced himself for pain that never came.
“I’ve mastered Holy magic, Jules. He’s too weak to harm us.”
“Well I’ll be damned.”
“Careful what you say—I’ve mastered Dark energy, too.”
White flames darkened and shifted to black. The angel slashed and attacked with all his weapons at once.
Jules and Kaizen dodged a great sword and ducked under an ax. They blocked some type of club and disarmed the Priest of a claymore, but a pike grazed their side. It's tough to move as one…
Their fight took them through the crowd. Some bystanders were burnt and ran around on fire, others were flattened to the ground—but Jules and Kaizen were able to recover the Sound of Fury in the chaos. Peace requires sacrifice…
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
? ? Flames of Hell ? ? [?46,500 // ?174,501]
Jules' Seal seared them, and Kaizen launched a stream of black fire from his palm at the Judas Priest, who deflected a portion of it off to the side and onto more screaming men. The angel absorbed the remaining fire into his Third Eye.
“That medallion, Jules."
“Left hand healed.”
They shifted the Sound to their left hand and could now block Zeke’s attacks, instead of just dodging blows.
“Jules, time to integrate with Rukia.”
“Into the body!? I'm at capacity with you—”
“No, you idiot, into the Sound.”
“I still feel Wrath.”
Their eye twitched in annoyance.
“Then be careful, kiddo.”
“Who do you speak to, demon?” the Judas Priest cried. Kaizen blocked the warhammer with the Sound, but it sent them rolling away.
Rukia—Get ready.
Ohhh, Jules… It hurts…
"Can it, fox—I know when you're in real pain!"
Tee hee. Can't fool Kaizen. Does hurt though…
Jules tried to align a semi-wounded Rukia with the Sound while Kaizen got their shared body to its feet.
Alright, don't let Wrath in, and don't let Kaizen take control—
The Judas Priest jump-attacked them from on high. One, two, three, fourteen strikes followed, and Kaizen deftly deflected or blocked each one, even with his off-hand.
“Right arm done.”
“Now, Jules!”
Jules hesitated.
If I fail now—Katarina and Cyrus skirmished in the crowd, back in action—they die. In that moment, Wrath’s presence washed away.
? Integrate ? [?16,500 // ?174,501]
Rukia, still semi-wounded, disintegrated and flowed into the Sound again. Jules felt her sigh of relief—an end to her mild agony.
Kaizen spun and slashed at the Priest’s stomach. Though the Sound was still just a stick of wood, the connection smacked like a clap of thunder. The ghoul dropped all of his weapons and hurdled through the crowd, who still watched in awe. As if they’re trapped.
“The Sound’s not working properly—”
“We have another problem, Jules.”
Judas Priest Zeke was back on his feet.
"So this is the true power of the Sins… It's seems we've been too lax."
Its six arms and hands were spread out in some ritualistic pose, and the Third Eye shined bright with the stolen moonlight.
? ? Black Sabbath ? ?
Screams erupted from the military, and then the Pirates, until the cries and pleas for help reached Cyrus and Katarina. Some men fled, others trampled and stampeded over their brethren, a few fell to the ground, lifeless. Hydromage, Iron Maidens, Navigators, Jones’ Pirates, the Royal Navy—it didn’t matter their Faction of their master.
They were all lambs for the slaughter.
One-in-ten men fell, then three-in-ten, and the bodycount climbed higher.
CYRUS
“What is going on!?” Cy laid Selene on the ground and pulled her and Envy in close to him.
“The Soul Harvest…” Whiskers whispered.
“Get over here—now!” Cy shouted.
Whiskers ran to Cy but was trampled underfoot.
? ? Move your ass! ? ? [?27,399 // ?298,080]
Whiskers flew through the air, and Cy caught his bum midair.
"MMRRWOOWR!"
“Thorn—Maddie!” Cy called.
He met Thorn’s eyes; they turned gold, and so did his jacket.
“Thorn, no!” Maddie reached out for the old man.
“It’s the only way, Dear. My time has finally come.” Maddie struggled against Thorn's grip and punched him. Gold tendrils shot from Thorn’s Vessel and enveloped Maddie and her crew in a warm, protective blanket. His back was still exposed, outside the barrier.
“Thorn, you bastard!” Maddie sobbed into his chest and beat it with her fists. August and John wrenched her away from Thorn.
“What are they doing?” Envy shouted.
“His Vessel…” Cy looked at Selene. “It must be like mine, one of protection.”
Cy covered Whisker’s eyes, and he and Envy watched in horror as Thorn’s body withered away, but not like all the others. His flesh didn’t turn pale and dry like theirs, his life aura didn’t steam away; no, his body dissolved into the golden energy of his blanket that shrouded his comrades.
Thorn fell to one knee, his muscles decayed. The golden light stopped, and then his body crumpled away like all the others. His soul left his body and headed for Zeke. Maddie shouted and tried to claw her way between her crewmates. Salty Pete landed by her and squawked in grief.
Selene’s soul began to lift from her body as well. Cy acted fast. He pulled her close to him and sandwiched her and Whiskers between himself and Envy.
“Cy, what're you—”
“Hope this works, Kat!”
Cy skewered them with Tensa through each of their chests.
JULES
Kat and Cy are OK — and with Selene? No, no time. Maddie and…oh no. Thorn.
Rage fueled Jules, refreshed him.
Judas Priest Zeke stopped his invocation. The Soul Sacrifice was complete. Now it was a true battlefield, littered with corpses and rot.
The Priest’s four extra arms receded back into him. He removed his hat and his cloak. His metal mask remained, and so did the Third Eye.
Jules spoke first.
“I will kill you.”
? ? You will try. ? ?
That voice doesn't sound good…
Blades shifted out from Zeke’s gauntlets underneath his palms. They sprinted at each other, each with greater speed than before. They hacked and slashed at each other, and Zeke’s amplified Holy damage hurt Jules again.
“Kaizen—”
“Right.”
A tornado of black and white flames spun around the Sound, and Kaizen pierced the Priest’s left shoulder. The Sound shredded through Zeke’s entire arm. The resulting dust shifted back to Zeke and reformed the arm, which attacked again.
Cyrus ran toward them. Jules repositioned himself so that Zeke was between them.
“Push!”
Jules commanded it, and they obeyed. The Sound erupted in Rukia’s white flames and shoved Zeke backwards. He stabbed Jules in the heart, and Jules felt his life slip away and his arm wither. He gripped Zeke’s neck and pulled the Priest and the blade in closer.
Jules thrust the Sound into Zeke’s heart—or where it had been—and his eyes lit up a bright, purifying white.
? Wrath ?
For the first time in his life—not for some mere Rune or complicated Script—Jules activated his Seal, like it was always meant to be used. The black ink that filled the heptagram on Jules’ chest turned bright white.
[No Ryoku Consumed.]
Zeke’s own wrath flooded Jules’ mind.
All of his rage, his unyielding fury and hatred and vengeance and zeal and righteousness—all of it fled the Priest’s body.
Jules contained it, he purified it and he absorbed all of that wrath into his Vessel, which he ripped out of Zeke.
The metal mask cracked, then fell. The Third Eye sagged down his forehead, until it dropped down around his neck as the medallion again.
Zeke’s face returned to his ghastly body, and Jules saw the regret in Zeke’s eyes, his humanity restored.
"Jules."
Jules hesitated. Kaizen tried to pull back, but Jules held fast. Zeke pressed his blade into Jules’ Seal—
But he stopped just skin deep. He withdrew his weapon and let his arm flop down.
Zeke and the Judas Priest were defeated.
"Now, Cy."
Cyrus obeyed Jules' order and plunged his Vessel through Zeke’s back. Tensa's blade emerged from Zeke's chest and pierced through the black medallion. It fractured into three pieces and fell to the ground. Blood trickled from Zeke’s mouth.
“Do it, Jules.” Cy held Zeke and his sword in place. They locked eyes.
Do it, Kaizen urged.
Kill him kill him slice his fucking head off—
“No.”
“Jules!" Cyrus pushed Tensa's tip through Jules' chest as well, as a warning.
“Zeke, I have a few questions to ask you.”
It all happened in slow motion.
Zeke’s eyes went cross before his head fully separated from the neck.
The lifeless mouth bit its own tongue as the decapitated head flew through the air. It spun around and around and around until it struck the ground and rolled a dozen feet.
“NOOO!!!”
Jules dropped to his knees. He watched Zeke’s wobble into a resting position. His body, whatever remained of it below those gray robes and armor, dissipated from existence like flowing ash, along with his head.
Only the fractured medallion remained.
Jules gazed up at the executioner.
“We won, Jules,” she said.
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100
PART 1 OF 2
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