Chapter 11

As the battle raged through the streets of San Francisco, Melody and Salim led their forces brilliantly. The three beasts had been slain, and all that remained was to mop up the last of Edward’s army, then deal with Edward himself. Standing back-to-back, the pair found themselves surrounded by the demonic forces, but merely grinned at each other and combined their powers of water and fire. Upon doing so, a thick cloud of smoke covered the battlefield, blinding and disorienting the monsters and allowing Melody and Salim to quickly eliminate them all with their lightning-fast attacks.

“Nadir, status report,” Salim called out.

“Less than a quarter of Edward’s forces remain,” Nadir replied. “A small troop is attempting to attack city hall, but my men have them contained. A few minutes more, and this army will no longer be a threat.”

“Excellent,” Melody marveled. “Salim, look out!”

At her warning, Salim dove out of the way of a brute attempting to crush him with his club. Though he avoided harm, the shock from the attack sent the King Jinn flying against a nearby building. Melody immediately leapt into the fray, distracting the monster while Salim recovered. As she attacked his backside, the monster turned to swat at her, but to no avail, thanks to Melody’s agility. The brute roared in anger, but Melody simply confused him further by using one of Selena’s favorite techniques: duplicating herself into a dozen or more clones to surround the creature.

“Impressive,” Salim marveled as he picked himself up. “I see you have been training. The mirage attack is a difficult feat.”

Giggling, Melody replied, “Oh, this is far different from the mirage attack.”

Instantly, the group of Melodies charged for the monster, which soon discovered each and every one of them to be real, and incredible powerful. Melody had managed to create physical clones of herself that, thanks to her immense focus, retained overall power of half that of the original Melody. The brute swung its club and arms as best it could, taking out one or two of the clones and causing them to disappear in a puff of smoke, but was soon overwhelmed, falling dead to the ground from the multiple sword slashes it had to endure.

“And stay down!” Melody shouted, pulling herself together again.

“You, my dear, are nothing short of spectacular,” Salim marveled as he rejoined her.

“Thanks, but no time to celebrate yet,” Melody replied. “We need to find Edward and put a stop to this.”

“Agreed.”

Mike, have you managed to track down Edward?

Silence.

Mike? Mike, can you hear me?

Still nothing. Melody was now extremely worried for her husband. Reaching out with her mind, she worked to sense his location, finally managing to pick up a faint signal out over the waters of the San Francisco Bay. Concentrating with her all, she was able to pinpoint his location as Alcatraz Island.

“There he is!” she exclaimed, taking off at top speed.

“Wait, Melody!” Salim cautioned, but she was already gone.

Melody rocketed over the waters with scimitar at the ready, knowing Mike would likely need her help in confronting Edward. Nearing the island, she spied the figures of Mike and Edward, both clad in fearsome-looking battle armor. However, just as she was about to make her landing approach, she suddenly ran into an invisible barrier, stopping her dead in her tracks just before the shoreline.

“Mike! Mike, are you ok?” she called to him.

“I’m fine, Melody. I’m ... I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about this, but this is the only way.”

“What are you talking about?” Melody asked, afraid of the answer.

“It’s me and Edward ... to the death. It’s the only way to keep him from hurting any more innocent people. If I win, we stop the Antichrist. If he wins ... I go straight to Hell.”

“No! You can’t!”

“It was the only way to get him to agree to the duel,” Mike replied. “I love you, Melody.”

With tears in her eyes, Melody could barely choke out her reply. “I love you, Mike.”

“Enough talk!” Edward roared. “Are we going to do this or not?”

Drawing his sword, Mike replied, “You bet your ass.”

Mike, it’s Jesus. We’ve begun charging the Armor of God up to full power. The process should take about ten minutes. At that time, you will be able to sever the connection between Edward and Lucifer. Whatever you do, just stay alive until then. Understand?

Got it. Give me regular time updates, please.

Will do.

Removing his helmet, Edward tossed it aside, revealing his handsome face and flowing blonde hair once more. “Take yours off too,” he said. “I want to watch the life leave your eyes as I kill you.”

After only a moment’s hesitation, Mike tossed his helmet over to where Edward’s laid, the lion and the bull appearing to stare each other down. Now wearing his typical grin of confidence, Mike pointed his hand towards the sky, summoning up a set of loudspeakers to float over the island. The speakers soon began to blare the intense sounds of One-Winged Angel, one of Mike’s all-time favorite pieces of video game music.

“What the bloody hell are you doing?” Edward asked impatiently.

“Just gettin’ psyched up for this,” Mike replied coolly. “It’s kind of fitting, after all. You’re the Sephiroth to my Cloud Strife, the Bowser to my Mario, the Ganondorf to my Link.”

“Heheh ... maybe so, but this isn’t a fucking video game, boy.”

“Lucky for you,” Mike shot back. “If it were, you’d already be dead.”

Enraged by Mike’s insult, Edward rocketed forward at top speed, attempting to impale Mike on his Katana.

“Die!”

Mike easily defended by summoning his Shield of Faith, deflecting Edward’s blow and turning to face him as he passed. Though he could have counterattacked, Mike was determined to play cautiously, knowing that time was his friend in this battle.

“Gotta do better than that,” Mike warned.

“I plan to.”

Edward went on the offense once more, slashing with his katana from every direction. Mike deftly defended, countering his blows and keeping himself in prime position with his precise footwork. With their power levels practically equal, Mike knew that Edward’s rage would have to be his advantage. Keeping his typical composed demeanor, Mike continued to block his slashes, giving ground where necessary to try and disrupt Edward’s momentum. Soon, however, he began to easily see Edward’s strategy as they approached the large, circular hole in the ground that Edward’s army had originally emerged from.

Trying to push me to the edge ... very clever.

Realizing that he would need to go on the offensive to survive, Mike deflected another of Edward’s attacks before somersaulting over his head, attempting to attack his backside. Edward was ready, however, and used the superior length of his blade to lock Mike’s sword up long enough for Edward to turn to face him once more. Mike could clearly see the anger building in his eyes as his weapon began to ignite with searing hot flames.

Eight minutes left, Mike, Jesus said in his head. On cue, the cross on the armor’s breastplate began to glow faintly, emitting a radiation-like energy as it powered up. Mike was certain that this was the collateral damage that Jesus had mentioned previously; each combatant’s armor was the only protection they had from the waves of energy. Still, Edward seemed far too focused on Mike to notice.

“Yah!” Edward roared, swinging his fiery sword at Mike. Drawing on the armor’s power, Mike evaded his attempts, being extra careful of the flaming trail left behind by the sword with each slash.

“Alright, try this on for size,” Mike replied. Focusing his mind, he charged up his sword with the power of lightning, focusing all the power of the element into the blade. His sword crackled and snapped with the sheer force of the energy it now contained, ready to obliterate anything it made contact with. Mike now dashed around the island at nearly the speed of sound, building up his momentum in the process. Edward, however, was more than ready, and turned himself intangible just as Mike attempted to run him through.

“So predictable.”

That’s right, toy with me, you bastard, Mike thought to himself. You’re only helping me out.

Mike turned to face his rival, his sword still fully charged with power. The two champions charged for each other nearly simultaneously, their blades locking into a furious stalemate in the process. As they clashed, the energy of each of their weapons attempted to discharge into the other, but both men had enough willpower to force the invading energy back. This energy began to bubble up around the pair, forming an enormous feedback loop of power, until the bubbles burst at the same time in a fantastic explosion, blowing both Mike and Edward back onto their backs.

“Holy ... shit...” Mike panted, regaining his composure. His lip bled a little, but other than that he looked no worse for the wear. Looking around, he saw that both he and Edward had dropped their swords in the explosion, both weapons having flown to opposite sides of the island.

Six minutes left, Mike heard. The cross began to glow more brightly, continuing its journey towards full power.

“Alright then, let’s see how good he is without his sword.”

Mike launched himself straight for Edward, charging raw spiritual energy in his hands all the while. Edward had just picked himself up off the ground and barely had time to assume a defensive stance as Mike approached him. Managing to dodge Mike’s first tackle, he ignited his own fists with flames to counter. The pair was soon embroiled in a heated bout of fisticuffs, attacking and redirecting at close range at blinding speeds. Though Edward believed his superior height and reach would be his advantage, he soon discovered that Mike, despite his short stature, was not to be underestimated. Thanks to his rigorous training under Michael, Mike had developed a unique style of hand-to-hand combat that involved rolling with his opponent’s momentum to redirect their attacks. As such, he constantly kept Edward off balance, counterattacking with lighter, yet still damaging punches of his own.

Picking up on Mike’s technique, Edward decided to try and use his reach to greater effect, lunging forward and wrapping Mike in a bear hug. Mike struggled for a few moments, but Edward’s grip was far too strong to break with the armor’s strength alone. Thinking quickly, he channeled the power of wind through the armor itself, spinning both Edward and himself around in tornado-like fashion as they rose into the air. Edward hung on for dear life, but was soon flung off through sheer momentum, barely managing to land his feet on the ground. As Mike came back down, Edward continued his grappling, reaching for Mike’s throat to strangle him. Mike was ready this time, and slapped his arms away with precision chops to Edward’s elbows. Edward staggered momentarily, but quickly recovered, resulting in the two champions’ hands locked together in a struggle of brute strength.

“Yes ... yes that’s it,” Edward taunted him. “Keep pushing, don’t give up. That’ll make it all the more sweet ... when you bow before my master’s throne!”

“That’s where ... you’re wrong, Baldwin! Even if you win ... I will NEVER bow before Lucifer!”

Now drawing upon as much power as he was able, Mike’s entire body began to shimmer with a glowing blue light, symbolizing his immense will and spiritual determination. As he and the armor began to synchronize their greatest energies, Edward slowly began to lose ground, finding that he was being pushed back by Mike’s strength. Edward responded in kind, trying to draw out the maximum amount of power from Lucifer that he could handle in his pre-Antichrist state. A sinister black smoke began to envelope him, and his strength was once again on par with that of Mike’s.

Four minutes left! Don’t give up; you’re more than halfway there!

While previously the armor had merely emitted a form of radiation, its power was now so great that it could hardly be contained within the armor. As such, the cross on Mike’s chest now began to spray sparks and small bolts of lightning every so often, randomly striking around him and scorching the ground with each flash. This did not go unnoticed by Edward, who finally pieced together Mike’s strategy.

“You sneaky little bugger ... you’re trying to delay me, aren’t you?!”

Ah shit ... he’s on to me.

Until this point, Mike had intentionally avoided allowing the battle to go airborne. While Mike would normally have the advantage in aerial combat, the gaping hole in the ground from which Edward’s army had emerged from made this strategy inherently risky, giving Edward an easy target to try and direct Mike into. Now that Edward had figured out Mike’s delay tactics, however, Mike saw little other choice. Delivering a swift kick to Edward’s groin, Mike immediately disengaged and took flight, summoning his sword back to his hand as he went. The invisible barrier that he and Edward had erected prevented him from leaving the island, but extended upwards indefinitely, allowing for plenty of room to maneuver vertically.

“Get back here!” Edward shouted, flying after Mike at top speed.

As Edward took off, he also summoned his katana back to his hand, tossing it directly at Mike as soon as he held it. Mike weaved through the air, but the sword stayed right on his tail like a homing missile the whole time. For a moment, Mike thought that he could use this to stall Edward out, but was quickly proven wrong when Edward teleported directly in front of Mike, cutting him off as he was chased by the katana. Mike tried to slow up, but to no avail, and was hit hard by a double-fisted overhead slam from Edward, who then deftly caught his katana and threw it once again after Mike.

Mike winced in pain from the blow, but had no time to lick his wounds. Opening his eyes, he saw that he was now hurtling straight down towards the hole in the middle of Alcatraz Island. Within the hole was not rock or lava as he had expected, but rather a portal resembling a black hole, from which seeped the same dark smoke that now enveloped Edward. Slowing his descent, Mike could feel an invisible force trying to drag him downward into the portal, as well as an ominous voice.

If thou wilt worship me, all shall be thine...

Snorting, Mike resisted the pull of the vortex and stopped his fall just above ground level. “Sorry, but it’s a little too hot for me down there.”

Then ... thou shall surely perish...

Hearing something approaching him from above, Mike immediately summoned his shield, blocking Edward’s katana in its attempt to skewer him. Still, the sword flew on, circling around for another pass. Drawing his own sword, Mike tossed it into the air, causing it to lock with Edward’s blade in a stalemate.

“Enough!” Edward roared, rocketing down from above in an attempt to tackle Mike and send him through the portal below him.

“Argh!” Mike grunted, struggling against Edward’s momentum with all his might.

“Stop trying to resist ... this is destiny! Yours and mine!” Edward growled.

Two minutes, Mike.

“I ... don’t ... believe in destiny!” Mike shouted, launching himself upward just as he was about to be drawn into the portal, separating him from Edward in midair. “God gave both of us our lives, Baldwin. He gave us the power to choose what path we take.”

“Pathetic dribble from an archaic deity!” Edward sneered defiantly.

“Oh, really?” Mike replied. “Look at yourself. For all your jawing about destiny and fate, you’re still trying to control something that simply can’t be controlled. Sure, Lucifer may be helping you. Hell, he may even need you. For now. But what happens when he doesn’t need you any longer?”

“That won’t happen!” Edward shot back. “I am his prophet, destined to rule this world and bring glory to his name! All shall know the great Lucifer as their savior!”

Mike defended against an enraged haymaker from Edward, catching his arm and gripping him into a chokehold. Edward struggled, trying desperately to summon up more power, but was completely maxed out in his purely mortal form.

One minute left!

Holding on tightly, Mike whispered to Edward, “Listen to me, and listen well. I think deep down, you know the truth about your master. Lucifer has, through his entire existence, done nothing but use others as tools to further himself. There isn’t a single individual he’s worked with that he hasn’t betrayed in some way. What makes you any different?”

“Shut up ... shut up ... SHUT UP!”

“I’m not finished!” Mike growled, twisting Edward’s arm tighter. “Edward, you are standing at the edge of the abyss. One more step, and it’s oblivion for you ... for eternity. But here’s the crazy thing about God and Jesus ... it’s still not to late. Even you, with all the evil you’ve done, can still have a chance at redemption. If that’s what you want ... I’ll help you.”

Now beginning to laugh, Edward replied, “You’re seriously going to waste your breath with THAT spiel?!”

Thirty seconds!

“It’s who I am ... I had to know I at least made an attempt.”

“Pathetic.”

In their exchange, Mike inadvertently loosened his grip ever so slightly, feeling disheartened that Edward had rebuffed his offer. Edward instantly pounced, breaking free and summoning his sword to his hand. With a pair of punches to the gut, he knocked the wind out of Mike and tackled him to the ground, landing at the edge of the crater.

Fifteen seconds!

Edward straddled Mike, pinning him down with all his strength. Mike attempted to get Edward off of him with a blast of energy from his hand, but Edward was too quick, and simply swatted his arm down to the ground. Taking his katana in hand, Edward pressed the blade to Mike’s throat, drawing the first drops of blood from his victim. Mike struggled with all he had, feeling the intense heat of the sword against his skin, but to no avail; he was completely at Edward’s mercy.

“So long, Mike. It’s been fun,” Edward said politely.

No ... no, no, no. I won’t let it end like this! There’s got to be something I can do ... I just need more time. Wait ... time! Could that work? It’s got to; it’s my only chance...

As Edward prepared to slit Mike’s throat, Mike concentrated with every ounce of will he could muster, praying that the Armor of God was powerful enough to affect time, even for the smallest bit. At first, nothing appeared to happen, but as Mike opened his eyes, he saw that Edward’s mouth, curling into a smile, had slowed down to a snail’s pace.

“It worked!” he screamed, still wincing in pain from the sword at his throat.

Mike knew he hadn’t a moment to lose. Racking his brain, he remembered that the Sword of the Spirit was a part of the armor itself, and had to be under the same rules of time change as the rest of the armor. Easily slipping his hand out from Edward’s grip, Mike’s sword flew into his palm as fast as it ever had. Though the pain at his throat was intense, Mike knew he was in the clear if he could just get Edward off of him. With every bit of strength he had, Mike slammed the flat, hammer-like pommel of the sword into Edward’s forehead, throwing him backwards as time instantly returned to normal.

“What the fuck?!” Edward screamed in rage and confusion.

“If you thought that was bad, then you’re really gonna hate this,” Mike replied, his voice raspy from the cut on his throat.

NOW!

Suddenly, the Armor of God pulsed with a surge of power, the cross on the Breastplate of Righteousness shining as brilliantly as the sun. Despite the incredible amount of energy, Mike felt completely in control of it all; it was as if he held the power of God Himself in the palm of his hands. Wasting no time, Mike faced Edward, ready to unleash the full power of God upon Lucifer’s champion.

“AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!” Edward screamed in fury, charging for Mike with his katana raised overhead.

Mike gave no reply, not even in his facial expressions. Drawing the armor’s full power into the cross on the breastplate, he fired off a beam of white light directly into Edward’s chest. The holy power stopped Edward dead in his tracks, coursing through his body and purifying his spirit. When it was all said and done, the Armor of God finally fell silent, its power level returning to normal as Mike and Edward stared each other down.

“Well? That the best you got? Come on then!” Edward jeered.

Mike said nothing, merely sheathing his sword on his back in reply.

“I said COME ON!!!”

“It’s over,” Mike said quietly, ignoring the pain in his throat.

“Over?! The bloody hell are you talking about?!”

Shaking his head at Edward’s boasting, Mike replied, “I’ve just severed the connection between Lucifer and yourself. You will never become the Antichrist now.”

At first staring in disbelief, Edward soon cracked his signature grin, saying, “You’re fucking bluffing, mate.”

“Am I? Your power is decreasing with every breath you take, Baldwin. By now ... you aren’t even a challenge to me anymore.”

“We’ll see about that,” Edward sneered, charging to impale Mike on his sword. Mike, however, merely grabbed the blade with his hand, twisting it in just the right way to loosen it from Edward’s grip and toss it aside. Now barehanded, Edward swung a haymaker at Mike, who merely caught Edward’s fist in his hand, causing Edward’s eyes to widen in shock. Try as he might, Edward could no longer draw strength from his master. Having had enough, Mike kept a firm grip on Edward with his left hand while punching him twice in the gut with his right and finally finishing him with a hook across the jaw. Edward landed hard on the ground, his face bloodied and bruised. He coughed and hacked, spewing up a few spurts of blood, along with a couple of teeth.

“Mike!”

Looking up, Mike saw his wife flying towards him, the barrier around the island having dissipated following Edward’s defeat. “Melody!”

The couple immediately embraced in a tight hug. They said nothing, but simply enjoyed the warmth of each other’s touch once more. After a few minutes, they finally parted, allowing Melody to see Mike’s injuries.

“Holy shit, you’re hurt!”

“Ah, it was worth it,” Mike replied.

“Here, let me fix that for you.”

Cupping his face in her hands, Melody drew her husband close and kissed his lips lovingly, pouring her magic into him in the process. Mike had never felt more powerful in his entire life, and that included the incredible surge of power he had felt from the Armor of God a moment before. As they finally separated, Mike could tell that his injuries had completely healed.

“How’s that feel?” Melody asked with a wink.

“Which one? My body or the kiss?”

Laughing, she playfully slapped his chest in reply.

“MURDERER!”

Mike and Melody turned sharply at the voice and found Selena straddling Edward, her scimitar at his throat.

“Selena, don’t!” Mike shouted, rushing forward.

“This is for Farzan!” Selena screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks. As she raised her sword overhead to strike, her wrist was suddenly caught by Mike’s hand.

“Selena, please don’t do this,” Mike pleaded.

“Stay out of this, Mike,” Selena seethed in anger. “This piece of garbage must face justice.”

“And he will, Selena. I can promise you that. But this isn’t justice, and you know it.”

Selena said nothing, but still struggled against his grip, trying to break free. Mike knelt down before her and stared her straight in the eyes.

“Selena ... do you remember the day we met?”

Stunned by his question, Selena’s arm fell loose by her side, remembering that afternoon so many years ago. “How ... how could I forget?”

“Do you remember what I told you? The story about my ex?”

Nodding, she replied, “You held such power over her. She would have done anything to be with you again, and you could have made her. You controlled her fate ... yet chose to do the right thing, acting in the interest of the greatest good possible.”

“Exactly,” Mike said. “Selena, you called me that day a person of ‘outstanding moral fiber.’ I didn’t really know then what you meant by that, but in my years together with Melody, I found the answer. It doesn’t mean being perfect; that’s impossible. It does, however, mean that we have to always act and decide as best we can with the information we have available. We have to try to do the greatest amount of good possible, based on what we know. Selena, you know, just as well as I do, that this isn’t justice, it’s revenge. You know just as well as I do that if you go through with this, you’ll be starting down a path of self-destruction. Above all, you know that this is not what Farzan would want.”

Selena said nothing in reply, merely shaking her head in trying to reconcile everything Mike was saying to her.

“Selena,” Mike continued, “There are so many things you know for sure in this situation. Now, you have to make a choice. It’s your turn to prove that you also are an individual of outstanding moral fiber. You know the decision you have to make, and you know what will result in the greatest amount of good.” Standing, Mike finally said, “If you’re hell-bent on taking your revenge ... I won’t stop you. But deep down, you know that taking revenge won’t change anything. It won’t bring Farzan back, and it won’t ease your pain.”

Looking down at the pathetic shell of a man that was Edward Baldwin, Selena saw what he had been reduced to. He was beaten, bloodied, crying, and helpless, now completely at her mercy. As much as she despised him for all the pain and suffering he had caused, this was not the man that had killed Farzan. That man had already been destroyed at Mike’s hand, reduced to this state, his true nature, that of a sniveling coward. Still, she felt the irresistible urge to strike him down once and for all. A part of her believed that she would be doing the world a great service in doing so.

Do it, she heard a strange voice say. He deserves it. He deserves this and so much more. You have the power ... you are justified ... do it. End it now...

“You are a monster,” she spat at Edward, seething with righteous anger. “You deserve to suffer for your crimes, not only against me, but against all Mankind. Nothing would please me more than to choke the life out of you in this very moment.”

Raising her scimitar overhead, Selena’s hand trembled as she gripped her weapon tightly. As she was about to plunge the blade into Edward’s throat, she took a deep breath ... closed her eyes ... and threw her sword across the battlefield.

“But I won’t. I hate what you are. I despise what you stand for. For all of the evil you have done, I refuse to become ... a monster like you.”

Putting on as brave a face as she could, Selena stood and walked towards Mike and Melody, now joined by the remainder of the Council of Four. Finally unleashing her anguish, she wept again and again as her friends gathered around her to console her. At the end of the day, she knew she had done the right thing.

“Oh, Selena ... I had such high hopes for you...” came a deep British voice.

The group turned to see a man standing between them and Edward. He was tall, slender, and would have been considered handsome by any standard, with his medium-length blonde hair and clean-shaven face, were it not for the look of depravity in his eyes. He wore nothing but black, and was dressed in a Mao suit, giving him a powerful, commanding presence despite his slender frame. Melody and the Council of Four had no clue as to whom this man was or where he had come from, but Mike and Edward knew all too well.

“M-master...” Edward croaked from the ground. “You ... are here! I knew you would come! The time ... is now! We can do it ... we can ... fulfill our vision!”

“My vision, Baldwin,” the man corrected him. “You have had ample opportunity for it to be our vision, and you have failed me at every turn. It is true that I needed you. After all, I had invested far too much time and effort into you to start again from scratch. Still, one must always know when the battle is lost. It is basic risk management; salvage what one can, and melt down what one cannot.”

“Master?” Edward said, his voice a mixture of confusion and fear.

“We had a contract, Baldwin. I upheld my end, gave you nearly unlimited power, even allowed you to command my forces. Still, your own incompetence did you in, and as such, our agreement is null and void.”

“No ... no, no, no Master, we can still do it! I just need ... more time!”

“I’m afraid the time is up.”

With a snap of his fingers, the black portal within the crater began to emit a number of tentacles made smoking black energy. Slowly, they crept out of the hole in the ground, making their way towards Edward’s broken body. His eyes grew wide with sheer terror as they approached; in those final moments, he truly wished that Selena had killed him after all.