The Iron Pillars

Chapter 46

Brant and Aaron both roared at Dove when they witnessed him cripple Baird. Mobilized by rage, Brant leapt to his feet and charged, as did his armored comrade. Dove grinned.

The god hurled boulders at them. Too large to dodge, Aaron fell away quickly. But Brant ducked and wove his way through the onslaught of flying dangers. Wind whipped through his hair through the gaps between rocks, and he felt his body cool and the wound on his ribs subside. Probably wasn't his intention, he thought, but I think he just healed me!

Brant leapt out from behind a pillar and smashed a weighty hammerhead into Dove's jaw. Teeth clattered to the ground, along with a mouthful of blood. The god's eyes widened, as he evidently hadn't seen the blow coming.

Brant bashed the top of Dove's skull, dazing him long enough to land two more hits, one on either side of the god's ribcage. Then he gasped when the god's foot met his chest. Brant flew back into a pillar and dropped his hammer in the process.

A mighty wind flew into Brant's face, preventing him from rising or even breathing. He put up his hands to block it, but the gust only forced his palms over his nose and mouth. Brant panicked. He was now suffocating himself.

Then a trail of bullets rained down from above, and Dove screamed. Red liquid splattered from his shoulder. Brant frowned. Who can that be?

Ace leapt down from atop one of the pillars, his knee meeting Dove's temple. He managed to knock the god to the ground and make his artifact drop from his hands. Pinning him down, Ace stabbed Dove in the eye, a scowl painted on his face as he did so. The sorcerer screamed.

"This is gonna hurt me more than it hurts you." Ace mocked before retrieving a device resembling a spider. He clamped the eight spiky legs into the flesh of the god's neck before pressing a remote.

Ace stumbled away while the god erupted into a light show of electric sparks. His body contorted multiple times as his roaring voice flew out of slack lips. Brant leapt up while Dove was disabled, and he swung an axe blade down at his neck.

But the olive branch sped over, and knocking into the axe's head, it flung Brant off course. He tumbled into a pile of rocks, gasping and groaning when their sharp edges tore into his forearms. Casting a glance back, his heart sunk. Ace's device had shut off, and Dove now darted into the sky again. Yanking the dagger from his mangled eye and tossing it to the ground, he sped over to where Brant lay.

Brant hurried over, and changing his axe into a hammer, he slammed the sorcerer to the ground. While he raised the weapon for another blow, Dove sped away.

"No, you get down!" Aaron shouted when Dove sped his way. With a heavy punch, he sent the god tumbling to the ground again, and once more, his artifact flew from his hand.

Bullets scattered over the god's body as Ace approached. Then Aaron laid a heavy foot on Dove's chest, withstanding his greatest efforts to rise. Brant dashed over. When the olive branch began speeding over to knock him off course again, Ace tossed an impact grenade at it. The explosion sent it spinning into the pillars, undestroyed but still deterred.

Brant skidded to a halt before the subdued sorcerer. He raised his arms as high as he could, and with gritted teeth, he crashed his hammerhead down on Dove's head. A metallic ring and a crunch. Blood and large chunks of flesh splattered as the god's head exploded. Only a flattened pancake of mangled tissue remained attached to his neck.

Both Brant and Ace snapped to attention when the branch clattered just behind Aaron. Evidently, Dove had attempted summoning it again, but clearly not in time. Aaron shrugged, and with a sigh, he raised his stumpy metal boot, which now glowed bright yellow. He smashed the artifact under foot like an insect, smearing the green pulp with a wiggle of his heel.