Story of Kings

Chapter 17

Another ring of steel sounded out as Kane once more came face to face with a group of angels, twisting and snaking his way through the small group of three to continue his escape. Amidst the brief encounter, Kane slipped the sword he had picked up in a prior engagement through one of the angel's ribs and relieved them of their pike. The surviving two immediately began to pursue along with the rest of the groups he had encountered but like the rest, they found it impossible to keep up with him. For those in the air, all they could do was keep track of the direction he was traveling as Kane only spent the briefest of moments in the open streets before he was embraced by the shadows of back streets and alleyways again, his direction changing in unpredictable directions at various intervals.

Then there were angels on the ground who simply couldn't keep his pace. They realized quickly he could hide from them with nothing but the shadows for cover and after a few ambushes on Kane's part, they were forced to slow themselves lest he slaughter a squad of them. Even the angels with sensory abilities were forced to slow as they, too, quickly realized he could hide from them as well.

With his strategy, Kane had ensured that the weaker angels couldn't tax his strength so he could focus on evading or killing the stronger ones, though he knew he couldn't keep it up much longer. Soon enough, Archangels and Thrones would begin to conjugate and converge on him and once that happened, he was dead, then to make matters more dire the glowing black tears in his chest were beginning to worsen. Even restraining himself to a minimal use of his abilities it was still taking its toll. Any way he looked at it, Kane knew he had to make an exit soon but that was something he had already planned for. He had told Ruhden he didn't plan on dying that night and Kane wasn't a liar.

Exiting the last alleyway on his way to his destination, Kane allowed himself an honest smirk. Before him was a large park confined within the walls of the city, it covered multiple blocks worth and while there were clearly defined paths, the park was practically a small forest within the city. Perfect for losing the angels in, and there was a hidden entrance to the underground sewer system too. Kane had spied a map of the various entrances on a map in Ruhden's office and had taken note of any that would make a useful exit. It was an old grate that had been covered up but only on the surface so Kane would be able to make use of it.

Dashing across the street, Kane was immediately dove upon by four angels who had been waiting along the edge of the park for him, aloft in the air. With years of fighting angels, though, Kane had expected the tactic. He had known full well they would be able to predict his path towards the park in an attempt to lose them so when the angels descended upon him, he was ready. All it took him was a quick moment to calculate their movements to pick his target and launch the spear he carried through the air, skewering one of the angels, taking it out the sky and creating the opening in their formation that Kane needed to slip through into the trees beyond. As he bound over the fallen angel, Kane also made sure to swipe their sword from the ground.

Once in the cover of the trees, Kane once more slowed and upon finding a suitable place to hide, he waited. The spot was nowhere near the sewer's entrance, but he thought it prudent to remind the angels to slow down, especially in the park. He would need an extra amount of time unhindered to use the secret entrance unnoticed and without a trace.

Kane didn't have to wait long in the shadows, soon a large team of seven angels broke the tree line in pursuit of him. They were vigilant and on the hunt for him, but it was clear they couldn't detect him as they brazenly came forward, eyes darting about in search for him, but eyes trained in the light will never see what lingers in the dark. Kane made his move as an angel passed by, slipping his stolen sword between their ribs then quickly pulled it back out and brought it around to slash another's neck out, both dead before either hit the ground. The other five angels immediately turned upon hearing their comrades fall but Kane had already moved on, using nothing but his trained skills in stealth to avoid the angels, his power too weak and diminished that none had a chance to detect his ethereal presence. Within the span of a few moments, three more of the angels dropped all without detecting their prey. Kane did count himself lucky, these angels were all young and hadn't experienced the Demon War, all of them had only engaged in 'mock' wars with other god-kings and their armies which had always taken place in ideal locations, plains or rolling hills. None of them were used to guerrilla warfare and while Kane wouldn't normally engage his enemies in that fashion, he had become very adept with the style back in the Demon War and refined it within the sentry. The demons weren't useful for much, but they knew fear, terror, and how to fight and Kane wasn't so proud that he couldn't see the value in that.