Gradual Massacre by Gl1tch

[icybraker]

How does Angus know about German philosophy?

So I have no idea what's going to come out of the explosion. Somebody else write.

[Bloodshadow]

I suggest that Arcterael uses Divine Intervention to protect us from the bomb. That's probably the most powerful defensive ability we have on our team.

Also, no final boss? I was looking forward to a situation in which Jonathan has to use Demigod form. I say that the bomb somehow conjures up an uber monster; Arcterael would spend all his energy using Divine Intervention, so it'll be up to Jonathan to beat the monster.

All right, here are my suggestions on what's going to happen. Better ideas welcome.

Jonathan uses an attack to destroy the Sol statue, to find his Excalibur inside, being used as the statue's power source. He retrieves the Excalibur.

Angus does something extremely stupid and all the statues turn on him.

Arcterael retrieves his weapon. Then, with Angelic precognition, he senses that the bomb is going to explode. He immediately initiates Divine Intervention to protect us from the bomb.

The bomb explodes. It is a tachyon bomb that causes a dimensional rupture, causing a tear in the fabric of reality. Out of the rift in spacetime, Abaddon, Lord of the Abyss, emerges; he is a very powerful demon lord.

Arcterael is enraged by the appearance of a demon, but using Divine Intervention has drained him of energy, so he cannot fight. Having no choice, Jonathan enters his Demigod form and fights the demon.

After a bit of fighting, Jonathan will use "剑落太虚" (attack #5) to finish off the demon. He thinks that the demon is dead, but Abaddon uses the last of his strength for an uber attack. Big Bob and Rupert jumps in and blocks the attack; they are killed. Then, when Abaddon dies, we are transported to stage three, on the Moon.

[miniwally]

Well that just spoilt the story for me .

[icybraker]

It's not a spoiler. It's a proposed solution.

I'm fine with it, as long as the other characters don't mind not seeing as much action as you are.

[Bloodshadow]

All right, I think I can write something now.

Editing.

Jonathan was now in his Angelic form, magnificent white wings beating, and a brilliant white aura surrounding his body; an energy sword of condensed Light was held in his hand, its glowing white blade almost substantial. Floating beside him, the astral projection of Jennifer was also brighter and more opaque. The two of them were floating in mid-air, facing the grotesquely malformed stone statues of themselves. "Let's try this again, shall we?" Jonathan said. Conjuring blades of light from thin air, Jonathan hurled the weapons of Light at the statues.

The statues screeched in pain, as Jonathan's now-stronger blades of Light pierced their skins of stone and cracked their limbs. Gathering power into the light-sword in his hand, Jonathan increased its size until it resembled his Excalibur in Judgment form. He could feel it more clearly now, the calling of his weapon and a piece of his soul. The Excalibur was hidden inside the statue of Sol Invictus.

"剑破苍穹!"

Jonathan launched his massive sword composed of pure Light, a white claymore crackling with golden lightning. This powerful attack had once disemboweled the mighty Sphinx; the stone statues stood no chance against its power, even if the attack was not augmented by the Excalibur. The giant energy sword slammed into the twisted statue of Sol Invictus, piercing its stone chest like it was made of pudding; the resulting shockwave spread outward, blowing the statue of Luna Selene into pieces. From inside the Sol statue, a bright beacon of golden light suddenly lit up; with a cry of delight, Jonathan saw the silvery white form of the Excalibur soaring toward him, the weapon eager to return to its master. Gripping the Excalibur tightly in his hand, Jonathan felt complete once more.

"Hey, you stupid lumps of rock!" Somebody shouted. Jonathan's head snapped around, to see Angus screaming like a lunatic. "Hey!  You gods are all dead, you know that!  None of you even really exist!  You're all just a bunch of broken-down HAS BEENS!  No one with half a brain believes in ANY of you anymore!  You don't have followers, you have MEMORIES!  Nietzsche was right!  NIETZSCHE WAS RIGHT!!!"

Jonathan and Jennifer both tsked. The Gods are more real than you imagine, Jonathan thought. Of course, the orange-skinned troll had not seen any real Gods in his life; but if Jonathan told him that he was Sol Invictus, and the beautiful girl beside him is Luna Selene, then perhaps the troll would change his views. The Gods were very real indeed; Jonathan now had the urge to summon the other members of his Galaxian Pantheon: Mercury, Venus, Terra, Mars, Jupiter, and all the other Star Gods. But seeing as how the surviving statues all turned toward Angus, ready to wipe him out from existence, Jonathan decided to forgive the troll for his ignorance. And then...

"O, HOLIEST LIGHT OF HEAVEN, AID THY CHILDREN IN TIME OF NEED!" Arcterael was shouting, his arms and wings spread wide. Then, an intense, white light burst forth from the Archangel's body, a Light that made even Jonathan shield his eyes temporarily. "DIVINE INTERVENTION!"

"What are you-" Jonathan began to ask, but he never finished his sentence.

BOOM!!!!!!

For a second, something in Jonathan's memory registered. Something about the presence of a bomb. But all that was swept aside, as a violent shockwave of immense energy, several times more powerful than the one unleashed by Jonathan himself, washed over him. An instant before the explosion made contact with him, Jonathan's body seemed to be covered with a soft sheen of white light, as were the bodies of all of his teammates. Then Jonathan's senses went blank, as waves of fire and thunder and light and darkness obscured everything else in existence...



"Wake up!" The urgent sound of a girl's voice called out to Jonathan. "Don't fall asleep!" Teetering on the edge of unconsciousness, Jonathan struggled to comprehend the meaning of the words.

Then, suddenly, everything came back to him in crystal clarity. We were too late, Jonathan thought. The bomb had detonated. And Arcterael... He seemed to have foreseen the cataclysmic explosion. In the last second, calling upon the powers of Heaven, the Archangel of Hope had shielded his teammates with Divine Intervention. "Arcterael!" Jonathan shouted. He ran toward the Angel's direction, the astral projection of Jennifer floating behind him.

The Angel was kneeling on the floor, using his sword Dawnbringer as support; the light around him fluttered weakly, like a candle in the wind. He was heavily fatigued, but alive "I am... all right..." Arcterael whispered tiredly. "H-How are the... others...?"

Jonathan looked around. His teammates had all been knocked out, lying unconsciously on the stone floor; but they were unharmed. "You saved them," Jonathan whispered. "You saved us all."

"Good..." Arcterael smiled, and collapsed onto the floor; the fluttering light around his body dissipated. "But do not relax yet..." He pointed toward something behind Jonathan.

Jonathan turned around. The entire pyramid was gone, vaporized by the explosion; the once colossal obsidian structure was now nothing but broken rubble in the sand. But there was something else. Approximately fifty meters away from him, there was a patch of darkness, roughly the size of a man. The darkness seemed like a hole in space-time itself, a rupture in the fabric of reality; around the edges of the darkness, space itself was cracked, and the cracks were slowly expanding.

"...what kind of bomb tears a hole in space-time?" Jonathan said in disbelief.

Suddenly, Jonathan froze. From the abyssal depths of the space-time rupture, there came an aura of Darkness. It was cold and nauseating, like the chilling graveyard mist mixed with the stench of rotten corpses. "Ha ha ha ha ha ha..." A snide, sinister voice laughed. "You have survived the bomb. But now, you shall fall victim to Abaddon, Lord of the Abyss!"

Now, you guys can start waking up, and fight the boss. But just don't do my Demigod transformation yet; I want to do that myself. Quite a bit of fighting can go on until Jonathan decides that he has to use Demigod form.

[icybraker]

What the- Nanuuk was blinded. The universe was blanketed by sheer white light, exuding outwards from Arctarael's angelic form. What was that for?

A second later, it clicked. His hands flew to his ears a millisecond too late; an explosion unlike anything he had ever experienced ripped through the entire room. Lots of things broke. His eardrums pulsed in pain, but the worst was yet to come. A shockwave of devastating energy tore through the remaining statues and rapidly approached Nanuuk. HOLY MOTHER OF-

Nanuuk shone with a gentle light that encapsulated his entire body. It absorbed the shockwave and dissipated its effects, but could not fully withstand its whirling destructive forces. He was flung several meters in the air and was unconscious before he hit the ground.

Nanuuk woke up slowly, groggily. A twinge of pain arced up his left arm and he squeaked in surprise. Well, pain means I'm alive, at least. Hopefully. He rolled to his wobbly feet and spotted Arctarael and Jonathan's forms not far off. Like a newborn deer, he stumbled over to them, clutching his arm in pain. Just then, a spark of blue caught his eye. His head jerked to the right at the sign of the spark. Hmm...

Could it be? He broke off in a brisk jog towards the spark, which happened to be near a half-broken crevice of a wall. He knew it. He lifted the perfectly intact Glacius from the rubble, its reflective surface sending many blue sparks flying through the air. "Yes! Found it!" Nanuuk cried. Just my luck. Let's see if I still got it.

"Sanarus," he whispered. The orb on his Glacius seemed to pulse with a strange blue light, which concentrated onto a tiny point and flowed over Nanuuk's arm. He felt as though he had just plunged it into a pool of glacial water. When the light subsided, the pain was gone. "Yeah! I'd like to see someone challenge me NOW! Anyone? Huh? Yeah, I didn't think so; nobody messes with Nanuuk and his Glaciu-"

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha..." Where was that voice coming from? "You have survived the bomb. But now, you shall fall victim to Abaddon, Lord of the Abyss!"

Are you kidding me? More guys to defeat? Well, I'll take them. He spotted a humanoid shape not far off that looked to be composed entirely out of darkness. Strange, but manageable. He concentrated, and then uttered a garbled syllable. With a whoosh, several razor-sharp icicles flew with the speed of arrows, headed directly for the Abaddon person.

The icicles stopped a few feet from Abaddon and a shadow descended over them. When the shadow lifted, the icicles were no longer there. Nanuuk gulped. Uh oh. It was then that a chill crept up his bones; a chill of shadows, of darkness, and of an eternal void so abyssal, it threatened to suck the very soul from his body.

My oh my. Maybe I WON'T take him on, then... Nanuuk slowly walked backwards, fervently hoping that Abaddon did not yet spot him.

[Essence]

Angus blinked as the universe went white, only to turn into a roiling hellscape as a massive bomb detonated, ripping reality apart around him.  The statues went away...as did the ceiling, the floor, and really everything.  Angus saw a few glowing white orbs gently decending into the massive crater that was the remnants of the pyramid. 

As they landed, a man-sized black rip in space spawned an oversized man.   "Ha ha ha ha ha ha..." A snide, sinister voice laughed. "You have survived the bomb. But now, you shall fall victim to Abaddon, Lord of the Abyss!"


Fuck.  Everyone around me is fucking crazy.  First god statues, now some dude that thinks he's a REAL god?  Do these motherfuckers not know that no one believes in that crap anymore?

Angus sighed.  OK, then, he thought desperately, if there really are Gods out there, maybe one of you can show me a miracle.  Anyone?  Anyone?


Abbadon, Lord of the Abyss glanced toward Angus.   "A troll?  Excellent.  Minion of mine, power be thine!"  Abbadon gestured at Angus.  A coruscading field of energy burst from Abbadon's hand, surrounding Angus with flickering blue and black energy. 

Minion? was all Angus was able to think before the energy around him seemed to dive into his eyes, sweeping through his brain and rifling through his memories.  AAAAAAAAaaaaaaa....!

Then, the energy emerged from his mind and coalesced into solid form: a perfectly black suit of Trollish battle armor, locked and loaded with twin forearm-mounted autocannons with pneumatic braces and underslung grenade launchers, shoulder-mounted spray lasers designed to blind any enemy looking in the direction of the wearer, and...Oh, HELL YEAH!...a jetpack. 

Next to him, some further energies swirled outward into the wreckage and gathered together billions of particles from a wide range of rubble -- and brought them together to reform his backpack and all of it's contents (plus one new issue of Hustler for Trolls.)

Angus nodded slowly.  Well, someone has to die for the rest of us to move on, right?

That's right, Angus.  Aid me.  Your weapons are infused with Darkness -- these pathetic angels are nothing before you.  Prove that you are worthy of My gift.  ANNIHILATE THEM!!!


Angus grinned fiercely and stepped forward into the battle armor, which clicked shut around him.  An HUD tracking display shined onto the inside of the helmet, showing autotargeting crosshairs fixing on Jonathan and Jennifer.  Arcterael was nowhere to be seen, and the Marid was apparently cold enough naturally that the heat tracking of the suit didn't register him, though Angus could see him clearly.

Angus bent down and slung the backpack over one corner of the jetpack, vowing to enjoy his Turkey Ranch and Swiss once he was out of this mess.

"Hey, guys, guess what?  I'm a minion!" Angus shouted as he raised his twin autocannons.  "And so far, I have to say I like this job!"

[miniwally]

HELL YEAH!

Wouldn't it be funny if BS dies before the 3rd stage.

[Essence]

I doubt that'll happen.  Even if we decide to spend this round eliminating all but the active characters, we're still gonna spend round 2 killing off Big Bob, Abe, and Grydit.  Round 3, we'll start actually eliminating the active writers and we'll see how it goes. 

At least, that's how I see it breaking down.

[miniwally]

I doubt that'll happen.  Even if we decide to spend this round eliminating all but the active characters, we're still gonna spend round 2 killing off Big Bob, Abe, and Grydit.  Round 3, we'll start actually eliminating the active writers and we'll see how it goes. 

At least, that's how I see it breaking down.

It'll be a shame eliminating the writers...do you have to .

[Bloodshadow]

Round 2, we eliminate Big Bob. Then it'll be Grydit for round 3, and Abe for round 4. So it would be to round 5 that we'll have to start actual eliminations.

Also, Essence, your attempt will fail miserably. As you're about to see, Sol Invictus personally sealed away Abaddon ages ago, and he was about to destroy him this time.

Editing.

"Abaddon?" Jennifer asked, her eyes wide. "Didn't you..." She turned toward Jonathan.

"Yeah," Jonathan answered. "I sealed away that little bastard a long time ago." He ground his teeth in anger, as memories from some primordial ages ago welled up from deep inside his mind. "I can't believe that I'll have to do it again, when I don't even have my full powers..." Holding his Excalibur tightly, Jonathan sent a burst of white Light toward the demonic figure composed of Darkness.

The blast of light struck a barrier of black shadows and dissipated. Abaddon's head turned around sharply, his eyes glowing in a cold and remorseless shade of dark blue. "Well, well, well..." the demon said, his voice cruel and mocking. "The infamous Sol Invictus, and the fair Luna Selene. Today, I shall finally have the honor of destroying a God!"

You, destroy me?! Don't make me laugh, the dark voice of Eclipsis taunted inside Jonathan's mind. A mediocre, second-rate demon like you, trying to match the might of a God?! Jonathan shushed his inner demon, and looked at Abaddon with bright, piercing golden eyes. "You will not be destroying anyone, demon," he said. "I will seal you away again, just like last time."

Abaddon hissed viciously, the memories of his humiliating defeat at the hands of Sol Invictus coming back to haunt him. He was about to say something, but he suddenly noticed the large and trollish form of Angus Thermopyle. "A troll? Excellent!" Pointing his fingers at Angus, Abaddon unleashed a blast of solid darkness, a beam of black shadows crackling with dark blue lightning. "Minion of mine, power be thine!"

"NO!" Jonathan shouted. But it was too late. The bolt of darkness struck Angus fully on the chest. The blast did not seem to do any damage to him, but it sank into the troll's body and he screamed. "Dammit, his mind is being corrupted!" Jonathan cursed. He immediately began to prepare a purification spell, one that would purge the Darkness from Angus's being.

Angus stopped screaming. The darkness swirled around him, solidifying into a set of black battle armor. It fit the troll perfectly, transforming him into a machine of destruction. Two hand cannons were mounted on Angus's forearms, and a jetpack was hung on his back. But the troll's eyes... They now glinted with a dark blue sheen, one that was all but identical to the vile aura of darkness exuded by Abaddon. "Hey guys, guess what? I'm a minion!" The troll shouted. He pointed his twin autocannons at Jonathan and Jennifer, dark blue energy charging in their barrels. "And so far, I have to say I like this job!"

"You have gone too far this time, Abaddon," Jonathan growled through clenched teeth. "This time, I will not seal you away. This time, I will destroy you!" With a furious shout, Jonathan took to the sky, his Excalibur instantly evolving into its Judgment form with a burst of white energy.

Laughing maniacally, Angus aimed his twin darkness-powered autocannons at Jonathan, and launched. From the barrels came two blasts of solid darkness, spheres of concentrated shadows streaked with dark blue lightning. With a wave of his hand, Jonathan materialized two glowing swords of Light, and used them to intercept the incoming cannonballs of Darkness. The attacks slammed into each other, exploding into a shower of black-blue and golden-white sparks. Screaming wildly, Angus activated his jetpack. With a burst of dark blue flames, he took to the skies, his twin autocannons ready to fire again.

Argh, damn it! Jonathan thought. I cannot hurt my own teammate! And as much as he wanted to do so, Jonathan could not purify the Darkness inside Angus quickly enough; to do that would require him a large amount of time, during which Abaddon himself was sure to attack.

Instead of trying to purify the Darkness, why not simply break Abaddon's mental hold on Angus? Jennifer conveyed mentally to Jonathan. Darkness itself is not evil. If you can break Abaddon's mind control, then Angus will be back on our side!

Jenny, you're a genius! Jonathan cried. He began to gather his mental powers, preparing for a psychic attack on Angus's mind that would shatter Abaddon's control over him. Jennifer joined him; her astral projection vanished, and her mind melded into Jonathan's until they were unified as one. Jonathan's bright golden presence mixed with Jennifer's soft blue, and they formed a brilliant, pure white. Focusing their psyches into a sharp lance of psionic force, Jonathan and Jennifer sent their shared consciousness into the mind of Angus Thermopyle.

Angus screamed in pain. AAARGH! What are you doing?! He roared.

To free you from Abaddon's mind control! Jonathan and Jennifer said in unison. You're being used right now!

Do not listen to them! Abaddon hissed. In order for you to live, one of them must die!

No, you're wrong! Jonathan and Jennifer shouted. If we all work together, then nobody will have to die!

Jonathan and Jennifer's combined consciousness tore into Abaddons. Abaddon hissed in agony, trying to maintain his hold on Angus, but the collective might of two Gods was simply too much for the demon to handle. With an ear-piercing shriek, Abaddon withdrew his mind from Angus.

Angus screamed again, and nearly passed out. The dark flames in his jetpack extinguished, and he plummeted toward the ground. Waving his hand again, Jonathan materialized a circular disk of white light under the troll, catching him before he fell to his death. The troll was clutching his head, moaning in pain; Jonathan gently lowered him to the floor.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGHHH! CURSE YOU!!!" Abaddon howled in rage. "DIE! YOU WILL ALL DIE! BEHOLD, MY TRUE FORM!!!"

Abaddon's body, entirely composed of solid darkness, burst into black flames. Crackling with dark blue electricity, the demon's dark form began to twist and lengthen. Its body expanded, becoming longer and longer, until it resembled a grotesquely deformed sea serpent. A pair of black, batlike wings, burning with dark cobalt fire, sprouted out of the serpent's back. The snake was humongous, its body thicker than even Angus's muscular form, and armored with thousands of razor-sharp scales of dark sapphire. Three black horns jutted from the serpent's head like a triceratops, and rows upon rows of sharp fangs could be seen in its fire-spitting jaws. The snake's eyes were cold, dark blue, and it burned with a malignant, vengeful flame. "I am Abaddon, the Abysserpent," it said. "You will all perish!"

OK, Essence, you're now back on our side. Neither of us needed to die at the moment, and we'll need to work together to beat Abaddon. And you get to keep your new ultracool Darkness gear

Tomorrow is my last exam. After that, I can write all I want. I will show Jonathan's Demigod form tomorrow.

Also, Icy, you're free to join the fight if you want. Time to use that Savage Spirit ability to try to impress Jennifer

[Essence]

Pretty much exactly what I anticipated.   

I'm'a let Icy or Helios contribute before I step in again, though.