Zodiac Circle

Chapter 76: Goatee's Fate

"Capricorn Style, Builder Art, Demigod Mode; Goat Spirit, Ring Twelve - Black Demon Goat of Hell: Baphomet!" Goatee Bill immediately went all out against Gustav, so raged he was, like never before. He even added another incantation: "Black Zen, Muse Summoning - Eternal Partner, Ivy Steinbock!"

Ivy emerged, yelled a battle cry, and awakened her blue-to-green-energy Sheep spirit. Gustav first widened eyes but then chuckled:

"You are so desperate you even unleashed your wife?"

"No, I am not desperate," Goatee sneered from inside his Black Baphomet spirit, "I am willing to show you the true power of a man once he is assisted by his fellow woman... Muse Fusion!" instantly, Ivy's Sheep spirit roared and fused with Goatee's Black Baphomet, creating a giant, doubly bigger Spirit than any Twelfth-ring Spirit could ever be - the supreme Demon Baphomet with two sets of horns.

Gustav gasped, now getting slightly frightened, but then sneered and his Purple Snake spirit hissed, glistening forward at a full speed. The Baphomet spirit roared and charged forward, and the two Spirits clashed. Goatee's and Ivy's fused Goat spirit roared and stomped its hooves to the ground, squashing the Snake's body, while its horns tried to stab the reptile and make him disappear for good. Goatee yelled from inside the core of his spirit, letting out all the bitter rage and anguish he had kept in his heart for years. Ivy's shrill of a powerful muse fused with his thunderous voice indeed sounded like the horrendous squeal of the black depths of hell.

As all the opponents had gone all out, their Twelfth-ring Spirits had grown immense, and the Order building began demolishing. However, no one had time for that now - they all were engaged in fierce battles.

"Ah!!!" Gustav screamed at full force as his Snake was caught by Baphomet's horns, thrown off in the air, and smashed to the ground, but Baphomet Goat didn't have enough with just that - it stomped the Snake and squashed it, making it vanish. Gustav got so wounded by his part that he coughed out blood as he was hammered into the ground by the Goat.

"That is for Luna, you freak!" Goatee shouted with clear hatred, and took his sunglasses off, revealing, for the first time ever in his life, his deadly Black Orbs, and directed the energy-depleting gaze straightly towards Gustav. The downed man let out a painful yell as his Purple Zen around him began fading. "This is your end, Gustav! I swore I wouldn't let you get away with taking Luna from me!"

Gustav yelled in pain, but then, suddenly, let out a hysteric laugh. This got not only William stupefied, but his muse Ivy too who was still fused with him:

"What are you laughing about?" their voices sounded in unison.

Gustav still laughed for a while, and then grinned:

"You, Bill, you think a mere Steinbock peasant like you can defeat me, a noble Jaeger?!" he stood up, notwithstanding the energy-depleting gaze of the Black Orbs of Goatee were still directed towards him.

"Huh? But how's that possible?" Goatee gasped in astonishment - no simple Zodiac Master could resist the powerful gaze of the Black Orbs!

"It is quite simple, really..." Gustav grinned and closed his eyes, weaving a strange sign with his hands.

"Huh? What are you doing?" Goatee was perplexed - what did he intend to do, and why didn't his Black Orbs have any effect on him? Black Orbs affected anyone, save for Bearers or the other ones with the Black Orbs.

"A man supported by his fellow woman, you say? In the end, that woman of yours is nothing but an imaginary being created by yourself to make up for your loneliness. I will now show you true power!" Gustav reopened his eyes, shocking Goatee - he had the Black Orbs just like him!

"Huh? Impossible, you can't have the Black Orbs! They're given since birth. They cannot be acquired!"

Gustav hideously laughed:

"Oh, but these aren't simple Black Orbs like yours, or you thought I simply killed all the Bearers for nothing? Oh, no, what would it do me if I simply disposed of them? I instead consumed their powers - the supreme art of the Sneaker Class only powerful Ninjas can achieve! With these powers of the Bearers, my Black Orbs shall be invincible!"

Bill and Ivy fused with him both widened eyes in terror:

"You... You committed the taboo?!"

Yes, truly, he had committed the taboo of the Sneaker Class Zodiac Masters! The Sneaker Class was able to steal other people's powers (even the Bearers' ones if the Sneakers had achieved Ninja Rank final level and possessed the Ring Twelve spirit) and add it up to themselves, but, unlike Bearers, they did not do it for justice but for their selfish purposes (Bearers could not consume the taken powers, unlike the Sneakers), and once they stole powers, the Sneakers, unlike Bearers, could not return them back, so the Zodiac Council deemed this supreme craft of the Sneakers dangerous and tabooed it. However, it clearly seemed that Gustav had broken the law and had committed the taboo, taking away all of the Bearers' powers he had ever faced. So, that meant...

"Don't tell me," Goatee shuddered, "you... Luna?" 

upon thinking of this horrendous thing, his heart almost choked with inner anguish, but the evil Scorpio man's hideous laugh only confirmed his terrifying suspicions:

"Oh, my wife Luna? That woman was truly something... Yes, what you suspect is true. Actually, I got these precious eyes due to taking her abilities. After all, she was your sister".

Goatee's Black Orbs widened, and his whole body trembled with horror, pain, and rage. He let out a horrific roar of Baphomet, fused with the demonic voice of his muse:

"You bastard!" he wove powerful signs, pronouncing the mightiest incantation up his sleeve: "Capricorn Style, Builder Art, Demigod Mode, Black Zen, Muse Fusion - Cyprus Ray of the Baphomet Soul!" he locked on the target and shot a powerful ray of Cyprus colour - his Black Zen merged with Ivy's blue-to-green energy - while Ivy's spirit-like silhouette appeared behind him to give him her ultimate strength as his dream world guardian. Gustav got hit. Goatee clenched his fists with satisfaction that he had finally taken revenge on this horrendous man when the dust aerated and Gustav appeared standing as if nothing. "Huh?"

"Oh, you forgot so fast? I have just told you I can absorb people's powers!"

Goatee shuddered in shock - he meant he had absorbed his most powerful ray which had depleted all of his enormous energy?!

"No... No!"

Gustav chuckled and raised a hand towards him:

"Goodbye, William..."

The shot he had just absorbed from Goatee blew out doubly as hard and blasted Bill who was fused with Ivy. Bill yelled, getting hit.

"Luna..." was the last word he uttered as he fell, a tiny tear falling from his eye.

Goldmund, who was fighting with Fiorette, felt a slight choke in his heart. He widened eyes in fear and glanced aside, just to get terrorized - his father had fallen! And, his mother's presence could be felt no more! That meant...

"Mom! Dad!!!" he yelled desperately as he watched Goatee fall from the air, his spirit long vanished as well as Ivy herself.

"Where are you looking?" Fiorette finished her incantation: "Final Craft - Blast of Silver Mercury!"

Goldmund, caught off-guard, got hit and collapsed. The last word he uttered before blacking out was a sorrowful lament, 'father', for he could already feel, to his complete terror and anguish that, Goatee was no more...