Holy War: Two Worlds and an In- Between

Chapter 33: The Hooded Stanger

"Stop it!" I screamed attempting to run off stage, "Don't hurt him!"

Summer's thin hand wrapped around my arm and pulled me back. She gave me a warning look with her eyes. I tried to pull away but she dug her long nails into my skin.

"Need I remind you that you are representing the castle in front of the whole kingdom?" She seethed as the crowd cheered Sir Itachi on.

My stomach churned as I imagined Allioni having to fight that man. The way that Sir Itachi stared him down with that sinister grin made me nauseous. I could barely fight the urge to climb the pillar and protect Allioni.

"But does he really need protection?" I thought, "The way he manhandled the Cyclopes a few days ago suggests otherwise."

Regardless, I couldn't imagine my poor Allioni fighting. The hooded figure didn't seem to spot me, or maybe he did and chose to ignore me. It seemed like something he'd do. I was convinced that Allioni was inside that hood.

"Shall we begin?" Sir Itachi asked. I stood still drawing in a deep breath. I silently prayed that it would all be over.

"You see, the people came for a show," Sir Itachi said gracefully hopping from one pillar to another, "so I shall give them what they want."

Itachi extended his arms out into a straight line horizontally to the east and west of his body. His eyes centered on Allioni before he brought his arms forward, pointing his fingertips at Allioni. On command, the pillars started shortening as they broke off into flat saucers and flew at Allioni.

There were about two dozen saucers flying at him, and he dodged all but one. The only one he didn't gracefully escape from was the one he caught in his hand and threw back at Itachi.

Unfortunately, Itachi was quick enough to dodge it. The strength of Itachi's power was demonstrated when the earth began to shake once again. That time, the pillars began to retract into the ground but then quickly detract throwing Allioni off of them.

I let out a heavy breath as I saw that he landed safely on the ground. My breath was however wasted when Itachi pointed his palms to the earth and brought the pillars back down. With the earth flat again, I began to worry about the safety of the town, but I also began to worry about why Allioni wasn't fighting back.

"Come on man!" Itachi began to mock, "Is that all you've got? One of my daughters could beat you!"

Allioni just stood there. Sir Itachi shrugged and held his hand over the ground. Sir Itachi stomped on the earth and a boulder levitated from the ground leaving a chunk of the earth missing. He then stepped back and threw the boulder at Allioni. That time, Ally didn't even move.

The boulder hit him in his core, and I could almost feel it for him. I had to resist the urge to run after him as he flew into a house at rocket speed. His body went limp for a moment and he just sat there, not moving.

Sir Itachi sauntered over to Allioni and looked down at him. The boy lying beneath the boulder was probably being crushed by its weight. The boulder even began to crumble into rubble.

I felt my own heart in my throat as I could no longer feel Allioni's heartbeat. Tears began to trickle down my eyes when the realization hit me. He was dead.

"I didn't even break a sweat!" Itachi announced to the town. The cheered for him like he did something good.

"Diana, what the hell is wrong with you?" Summer asked in a harsh whisper.

I didn't answer her. I couldn't divert a fraction of my focus from Allioni. I couldn't believe it. My friend was dead and lying on the floor and people were cheering on his murderer. My heart sank to my stomach.

While Sir Itachi was smiling at the crowd, a miracle happened. The rubble began to shake rapidly and the room grew still. Sir Itachi bent over to listen to see inside it. At first, he couldn't see anything but a glowing blue light. It seemed like nothing made them move.

I let out a sigh of relief as I saw a hand swiftly emerge from the glowing blue mess and grab hold of Sir Itachi's shirt. In an instant, Allioni was out of the rubble and collided his knuckles with Itachi's face.

The force behind the punch was so hard that Itachi flew down the street and landed near the stage. As Allioni charged toward him, I still couldn't feel his heartbeat. I was confused but more confused as to how his arm seemed to be surged with blue electricity.

My concern peeked when he neared the stage and Sir Itachi climbed to his feet. I could tell that he was looking for ways to keep him from his daughters, but he dug his own grave letting them come.

He stomped and a wall was formed in front of him. My heartbeat quickened as I realized how close we actually we to the fight. The girls looked a bit shaken but hid it relatively well.

There was silence for a while. There seemed to be no movement from Sir Itachi's opponent. That is until he jumped over the wall. The pair, standing face to face, made me sick.

Allioni took hold of Sir Itachi's throat with the electricity surging through his body. Sir Itachi shook as he was electrocuted. The girls didn't even scream. They just sat there in discomfort.

Just as I thought that Allioni would end him, Sir Itachi pulled something from his pocket and clasped it around Allioni's wrist. Almost instantly, the blue electricity that was surging through his body and torn cloak ceased. He let go of Itachi's throat and looked down at his hands.

Itachi laughed dryly as I began to realize what was happening. Itachi didn't put up walls to protect the girls. He did it so the town couldn't see that he was cheating. They couldn't see him putting on the bracelet that seemed to take away his magic.

Itachi was finally able to pull himself together and stand to his feet. His throat was still marked with bruises but it wasn't anything too drastic. Allioni looked at Sir Itachi and laughed.

"Well, here we are again old friend," the hooded figure laughed.

"Wait," I thought, "that doesn't sound like Allioni."

The voice didn't sound like Allioni. That voice was husky. It was almost like a deep hiss. It was very familiar, but not in a good way.

"I always knew that it was you," Sir Itachi said in a low disgusted tone.

"Well, I'm glad that I left a lasting impression," the voice chuckled.

"Wait, could that be..." I began to think. My own heartbeat picked up as the hooded stranger removed their hood.

"Indeed," Itachi said, "Lord Arlow of Alexandria."