Chapter Twenty-One: No More Killing
Taylor's Unit, Swindon.
Blades, spears and all manner of fiery ethereal weaponry clashed in bright violent clashes in the street. Blacks and white flames merged as one in the literal heat of combat between the remainder of Taylor's unit, against yet another wave of Cyturion's. There were only five Arturion's left including Taylor against forty or so battle fresh and deadly Cyturion's. Taylor's swords crossed over the other before relieving a man of his head from his neck, then proceeding to knocking the corpse to the ground with a harsh kick.
Amazingly enough they had been able to hold their ground. If it hadn't been for Taylor dispatching five or so Cyturion's at a time, they would have been overwhelmed long before that. He came across a massing of seven or eight after taking out the male Cyturion moments previous, they were clearly apprehensive about approaching him but they seemed prepared to fight if they had to. Not giving them time to decide Taylor threw his blades up so they pointed to the very heavens, and out from them shot a ball of fire each.
They rose and rose into the sky until the clouds swallowed them whole and out of sight. The Cyturion's grinned and began to advance assuming that the attack wouldn't bring any real threat, it was their grins that faded as they were met with Taylor's own. The two spheres of sky blue flames were being controlled from Taylor by the use of his Gladius’; he'd never been taught to do such a thing he was merely experimenting. With incredible force the two projectiles came crashing down onto two of the encroaching Cyturion's, impact was followed by a stupendous boom as fire crawled over the remaining six like snakes through grass.
Every inch of flesh was consumed filling the air with their screams along with the putrid scent of charred skin. It burned at the rim of his nostril's detesting and twisting his senses until it was almost all he could focus on. That was until he saw him; he walked through the chaos of battle as though he thought himself a god. Marcelo was clad from head to foot in black, the clothing he wore was tight clearly meant so he wasn't hindered during battle and in doing so showing off almost every part of his body normally hidden.
Their eyes had already met the moment he came on the scene, his own were brimming with maddening glee as he stared down his prey eager for the taste of revenge. Neither spoke at first they only held their glares with the other, all others nearby stayed clear of the confrontation and allowed them to have their own separate fight without interruption.
"I've been looking for you Mr Roth; you have proved very elusive and from what my forces tell me very deadly. Seeing as you and your little group have successfully managed to kill over a hundred of my troops" surprisingly he sounded angry, Taylor wouldn't have expected him to care at all about the men and women under his command.
"Ha. Now are you angry that you've lost people or that you just can't stand the fact that you've been upstaged by so few of us?" quizzed Taylor, it was the funniest thing he'd done all day teasing Marcelo. Others would call it stupid but he didn't care anymore, he wanted the man angry.
"You are walking a very fine line boy, this is making me want to kill you even slower than before. Heavens knows Samuel deserves to look down and watch you suffer!" then he began to bound toward his prey.
Blood red tongues of flames rippled to life over his arms all the way to his hands until in his hands were formed a pair of twin machetes. Both blades were swung in from the right at a horizontal angle aimed for Taylor's rib cage; he brought his own short swords into their path blocking the incredibly strong blow. Their weapons clashed with devastating effect sending a shockwave of energy off in all directions, effectively knocking down several Arturion's and Cyturion's alike.
Taylor pushed the machete's back then slammed a kick into Marcelo's abdomen, it had meant to wind him but it all it did was amuse him as it had little effect. He'd forgotten about the man's freakish strength and it seemed he was able to take a hit. Rolling away he barely evaded a slash from Marcelo as he countered the kick, getting to his feet Taylor got into a comfortable stance with both blades held high ready for anything to come afterwards. Nothing did, and Marcelo had begun to pace the blood red of his eyes remained glued to the sky blue of Taylor's.
He wanted to drag the fight out, to savour his vengeance but Taylor had ideas of his own. In one swift move Taylor threw one of his Gladius' at Marcelo, it flew end over end as it cruised toward its intended target. Just before impact Marcelo went to deflect it away with one of his blades but instead of the weapon soaring away safely it passed right through the machete, and embedded itself into his right shoulder blade. A roar of pain and anger ripped out from his lungs as the fire burned deeply into his flesh, instead of bearing with the weapon in his body he gripped it by the hilt and yanked it free tossing it aside.
Taylor's attack had worked perfectly, the key to maintaining a flames strength in the form of a weapon was to make sure it was solid. All he had to do was intentionally lose his concentration for a moment to weaken its density. A sickly looking wound was the only remaining sign that the blade had been there, the flesh had blackened and all the arteries and veins sealed from the heat. Despite their fire sealing wounds they still took a lot out of a person, it was a shock to the system. But Taylor wanted to do more than shock him at the very least he wanted him dead and gone.
"I see you've learned some new tricks, it's not like they're going to help you and I am done playing with you" growled Marcelo and charged at first then materialised from sight.
As expected he sprang up from behind him, but instead of a blade he was met with a flaming fist causing him to back away rather than block. The attack had so much power behind it, it would have likely taken his head clean off not the way he wanted to go out. Another fist came his way, and this one wasn't going to be dodged. In Taylor's right hand he formed within an instant his Scutum, and the timing couldn't have been any more perfect as it was met by flesh and flame merged as one. A violent set of vibrations shook the shield and worked their way up Taylor's arm until they managed to travel all the way to his collar bone.
The attack wasn't over yet though; a flurry of blows rained down on the shield causing it to shake and the flames to shift in such a way to suggest it was struggling to retain its form. Which Taylor was having trouble doing, he poured more power into it but the exhaustion he'd felt back in London had caught up with him. One punch was all it took to finally break his defence, it broke through the shield like a rock through glass, and Taylor looked down in horror as the fist travelled through striking the centre of his chest.
The blow sent him soaring back at least five feet into a nearby car, his back arched as it collided with the bonnet of the vehicle sending unimaginable pain spiking through his spine not to mention the agony that resided in his chest. Marcelo had definitely annihilated a few of the bones in his chest cavity and it had made it difficult for him to breath, each one taken was sharp, short and full of pain. Taylor had been able to get himself into a sitting position on the bonnet of the car as he attempted to regain his breath, and composure. His enemy didn't seem to want to let that happen though.
Instead of a fist it was a machete that came tearing in determined to severe his head from the rest of his body, but Taylor was able to summon the strength roll along the car out of the way. He watched as the blade bite into the metal going through with ease slicing through several of the cars inner workings, likely rendering it unusable. Taylor knew he had to go on the offensive at some point but the unbearable pain in the front and back of his body didn't quite see eye to eye with him on that idea.
Instead of advancing Marcelo twirled the machete in his hand and as it twirled it grew in size and shape, until it was a great sword the blade itself was wide and the hilt thick and strong to look at. The monster of a sword bore down on him in the form of horizontal slash; Taylor dodged again leaving the blade to slice clean through the middle of the car windows. Glass shattered and fell to the tarmac of the road; the shards glinted in the sunlight which began to grace the scene that was already filled with so much illumination. The great sword came in for the kill again stabbing in for Taylor’s gut, this time he didn’t dodge it but parried it off to the side and lunged forward with his own sword.
The Gladius dug deep into flesh right up to hilt, Marcelo coughed harshly as he noticed the blade had punctured the left side of his stomach. Taylor tore the sword free cutting its way out Marcelo’s flank causing what was sure to be a fatal wound. Blood poured thick and fast before the wound was able to cauterize from the heat. There wasn't a chance for him to attack again before a flaming machete sliced into his own side, he felt the blade burn through flesh and muscle before hitting bone.
Taylor stepped back before planting a kick directly into Marcelo's mid drift knocking him and his weapon back, the machete was torn out violently and painfully further widening the wound in his side. Blood gushed out from within his flesh as the blade was removed, and Taylor was unable to stifle to scream that begged to be released from his throat. He'd never suffered such a vicious injury not even when he was hurt during his fight at the church, attempting to retrieve Urson.
The two of them locked eyes once again, both clutching their wounded flanks with a single hand as the pain continued to sear through their nervous system lighting them on fire. A smile cracked through the serious stone of Marcelo's features as he processed the similarity of conditions.
"Such an amusing turn of events, maybe we are both destined to kill each other. But I hope that for my sake that is not the case, I do after all have plans that I must see fulfilled" he said.
"Plans? What plans are these? asked Taylor, he shuddered to think what someone like him had up his sleeve for the future.
"Seeing as you are going to be dead in a few minutes I'll tell you. You see Noran and I have come to a agreement which is mutually beneficial to the both of us. In exchange for my help in eradicating your kind and the human race, he is going to grant me full rule of South America. I will be able to turn it to ash and allow the new civilisation to rise again from beneath, and on top I get to kill you" he'd now stood up straight with his wound sealed he was able to gain more movement.
"Ha, can't say I'm all that surprised. A man like you is only interested when there's a way to benefit yourself, at least I fight for some kind of a noble purpose" said Taylor as he leant against the car he'd collided with minutes previous.
"I prefer to fight for myself than to be some self-righteous jumped up little babaca" the last word was clearly Portuguese, which Taylor recognised as asshole from his time in Rio.
"Now name calling isn't fair now is it Marcelo? I really don't care about your reasoning, you can justify the genocide of billion's however you want it's still not right" he replied standing up straight and forming his Gladius' in his hands.
"Have it your way little one. If you want death, then I'll gladly hand you your own head burnt to ash!" he screamed as he did his entire body was coated in blood red flames, but it wasn't like when they materialized...it was something different, something dangerous.
He shouldn’t have been able to but at that moment Taylor felt the power rolling off of Marcelo in great tidal waves of heat, he'd somehow gained "The Sense" and instantly wanted it to go away. The sheer power weighed down his shoulders causing his knee's to buckle so that he was half way into a forced crouching position. His hands shook sending vibrations throughout his whole body; large beads of perspiration fell fast over his body as the heat seeped into him.That wasn't the end to the terror that gripped him though; he looked over to Marcelo to see what almost wanted to make him run.
His arms were spread out wide whilst his flames were spreading out further and further with each second that past, the flames took time to shape into a pair of wings. They grew until they were as wide as the street they stood upon touching the very buildings that ran along both sides. He brought his wings forward flapping them, and with each motion they gained speed until finally Marcelo took off into the air. During his ascent as with the wings his flames spread out along his legs until they were triple the size of his legs, and just as thick.
The flames eventually formed into a pair of feathery legs with talons attached to bird like feet, the rest of the body had moulded into something similar. That was when Taylor recognised what it was; it was the eagle that he'd used during their fight in Rocinha but on a much larger scale. Whilst he was coming to terms with the reality of this new threat, the monstrous eagle controlled by Marcelo was getting ready to attack. The wings pulled back thickening in density as they did, growing larger until they were brought down directly toward Taylor.
From the wings came a wave of blood red fire, it was so large he couldn't accurately judge how big it was. Using all his concentration he focused his power into his shoulder blades causing a pair of sky blue wings of his own to take form, they weren't as menacing but he knew that they would have to do. With one flap of his wings he was airborne just in time to watch as the wave of red crashed into the spot where he'd been standing, it exploded outward tearing through building after building knocking several down in the process kicking up a sandstorms worth of dust.
The destruction went on for miles, with luck there weren't any civilian's left hiding nearby to get caught up in the blast. It reminded Taylor of the blast that rocked the town only a short time before, the people must have been scared to within an inch of their lives with everything that had gone on. His thoughts were dragged away from state of the settlement below to Marcelo who was on the offensive yet again. Taylor could just barely see him through the flames of the eagle, he was within its centre moving his body so his creation could mimic them.
He flapped his arms as did the eagle, propelling it through the sky toward Taylor with its giant beak leading the charge. Luckily it seemed that he had speed on his side so dodging the giant creature was easy enough for him, as it passed him he forged a great sword into the grasp of his hands. With a heavy slash he attempted to damage it's wing as it passed him but the blade was deflected, leading to him being knocked back by the force of it. He had to remember to flap his wings to slow him instead of using his feet as he would on the ground.
The sound of another type of wings filled the air, they were metallic in existence and when Taylor saw them he knew that someone had made a catastrophic mistake. Roughly a mile away a pair of what looked to be attack helicopters were closing in on their position, the prime minister's patience had clearly run thin. He looked over to Marcelo and his fiery puppet to see their sights had been firmly set on the helicopters, and with a burst of speed began to speed toward them. Taylor's heart started to pump at a ferocious pace as he beat his own wings in an attempt to reach the helicopters first, but he was too late.
The eagle closed in on them as they began to open fire, first they sparked up their machine guns in an effort to bring it down but of course it didn't work. The bullets went into the fire only to be melted within milliseconds halting their progress indefinitely then they launched their missiles. They detonated on impact with Marcelo's eagle which only knocked it back by a couple of metre's, it continued its assault regardless of the arsenal being brought down upon it.
Bloodied talons dripping with flaming embers tore into metal as it took each craft in one of its feet, the cockpits were crushed in seconds but the men piloting them...their screams seemed to carry on for far longer. The helicopters were held for a few moments before the grip from the talons which were almost as long as the cargo they held loosened their grip, allowing them to fall to the ground below to explode in two balls of flame as they made contact with the town below.
That was when Taylor noticed how high up they were, it was at least a few hundred feet and even for someone not afraid of heights it made him anxious anyway.
Marcelo was oblivious to everything though, he resided within his creation a smile on his face but his eyes were closed. The eagles eyes sharp and keen were fixed directly on its prey, it appeared that Marcelo was using the birds eyes as his own to fight. "That'll be my target then, the eyes...if I can get close enough that is" thought Taylor as he tried to rack his brains for a way to pull off his plan. He didn't have to wait long for opportunity to rear its head to present itself, the eagle soared for him yet again and an idea quickly formulated in his mind.
He took his left hand away from the hilt of his blade and seconds before the monstrous beak of the eagle reached him, his Scutum burst to life in his hand slowing the attack in its tracks. Taylor peaked over the top of his shield just enough so he could get a clear view of the eyes, then with a grunt he thrusted his great sword into the right eye of the eagle. A screech so ear splittingly excruciating that it even caused Taylor to back away, removing his sword in the process.
In the midst of eagles reaction to the blow it bashed his shield with the side of its head knocking him aside with incredible force. He managed to slow himself with his wings but the fire of the birds head had penetrated the flames on his arms, and singed his flesh so it was bubbled and mangled like plastic. The smell was putrid and foul to his nostrils it was nothing compared to the pain that rippled through his nerves though, setting his sensing on fire causing him to be twice as aware to his surroundings. He removed his focus from the wound to Marcelo's eagle which seemed to have recovered from the injury he'd just inflicted upon it.
But what caught Taylor's attention more so was that within the centre of the fiery animal Marcelo's eye was blackened and bloodied, as if he'd been stabbed directly. "So that's the chink in the techniques armour, he receives the same damage that the eagle does" the realisation forced a smile and instilled him with new confidence.
"It's about time we find out who's going to die, Marcelo!" shouted Taylor and he let his shield explode into a shower of embers so he was able to hold his sword in both hands directly in front of him.
"I couldn't agree more, boy. In the memory of Samuel Araujo you will die" the eagle’s beak opened and from it Marcelo's voice was projected, it was by far the most bewildering thing Taylor had ever seen and he'd seen a lot in the past six months.
At the exact same moment they flew toward the other, Talons and blade at the ready both eager for the taste of flesh. The gap between the two lessened by the second, and the anticipation of the moment began to build in both their hearts as the moment finally came to pass. They were inches from the other, Taylor's sword grew in length and it's density increased as with everything he lad left within him he put all his strength, his fears, and his hope into that sword. His eyes captured the moment as the tip of the blade pierced the breast of the eagle and into the flames, and dug deep into Marcelo's own chest.
That was when Marcelo's undamaged eye opened and the flaming eagle that had enveloped his body dissipated, only to fall in a shower of blood red embers it was such a beautiful scene. The flames falling all around the two men as the result of their destinies were finally brought to a head, and it was then that a man would be allowed to rest in peace.
"I don't hate you Marcelo, so I can only hope that where ever you go after this that you'll see Samuel. I wish it hadn't come to this, I really do mean that" said Taylor,
"Ha..the crazy thing is...I actually believe you. Maybe being so righteous isn't such a bad thing after all" he spluttered his words as blood filled his lungs, and dribbled from his lips. Slowly and carefully he pulled the blade from Marcelo's chest and watched as the corpse of the last living descendant of Culhuthe the king of the Cyturion's fell from the sky to the fires below.
Taylor closed his eyes and revelled in the feeling of a great weight being lifted from his shoulders as the body fell from sight, but never from memory.
"No more killing" he whispered, hoping that Marcelo's life was to be the last he would ever have to take.
AN: So there you have it! That is the final chapter of Rise Of A King, this chapter took so long as I just had to make sure it was as perfect as I could possibly make it. I hope everyone who has followed this book has enjoyed every step of the way as I have, this means so much to me and I thoroughly look forward to releasing the prequel "Flames Divided" in the next few months.
Following this chapter will be a short epilogue to set the beginning of the next book so head on over after you're done here!
All The Best FN.