Part 19.3
"I know," Ba'al stated, spinning on her left heel, looping her arm around Cora's right, and leading the way. "You know, you're the only one of my immediate bloodline that didn't succumb to dirtying yourself with that taint of theirs. I'm pleased to know that my light still shines in one so radiant as yourself," she praised, laying her hand on Cora's forearm. "Since the two of us serve he who is Suriel Zol, master of this domain, I think it wise for you to become my handmaiden, with it my protection even outside this paradise. I know my husband; he will send his angels after you, no matter how powerful you are to many of them, even you will fall to their blades. Suriel Zol, while powerful, he isn't a god, technically. He can't be everywhere at once like we can," Ba'al clarified as Cora shot her a questioning look.
"Were you there when Ira fought, you know who?" Cora whispered.
"No, while I wished to lend my aid to the fight, yet it wasn't worth the risk of revealing myself to my husband," Ba'al said matter-of-factly with no remorse for not aiding in saving reality.
"Is God that strong?" Cora inquired.
"Not without aid, he isn't; otherwise, he'd be like all the other gods out there, like I am," Ba'al stated in an roundabout way, informing Ira she knew about his plan. "Now, this is the daughter of my little thinker, hmm?" she mused, staring up at Nanael as her golden eyes ran over her body. "I can see that mind of yours, Nanael; your mother taught you well," Ba'al mused, seeing through her innocence at the vast mind beneath it. "And I thought I told you to remain on the stone," Ba'al uttered as she spun around. Ira just stood there with an aloof look on his face.
"Don't make me get the duct tape again, Gran," Ira spoke in an athortative voice, recounting how she looked strapped to the ceiling of his temple as he sat on his throne. The looks of death she hurled at him from her eyes as he just enjoyed the sight.
"You dare..."
"Gran, before you start, would it be fair to see what dancing is like with father?" Anael asked, stepping up and taking charge for her sisters' and her pleasure.
"Dancing?! What is this dancing you speak of? Ba'al asked, confused.
"If you step out of the way, you will see," Cora offered; she was a little startled when Ba'al took hold of Nanael's hand, not in a forceful way but in a nurturing motherly touch when she asked Nanael to stay with her. A smirk rose on the corner of her lip as Tracy Chapman's 'Give Me One Reason' began to play all around them, copying the dance style of Liana Blackburn as she danced to entice her son with the body she had in her youth. She ensured Ira's eyes were exactly where she wanted them on her hips and womanly curves as she poured all her sexual experience into that dance to show him that not even his father earned this right.
However, she wasn't expecting Rikbiel to join in when the song got to a slow transition part, nor was she expecting how sensuous her moves were as she rubbed up against her son. She knew what effect it was having on Ira when she ran her breasts up his chest. For a second, Cora thought Rikbiel would kiss Ira, given how she was looking at her son; then, out of nowhere, she disappeared. Cora thought that was a strange thing to do, yet said nothing, getting back into the grove; she wasn't about to waste what little time she had with her son. She knew his fight was far from over. However, she did hope she could at least take his mind off things for a short time as she danced her seduction of the being who is Suriel Zol.
"You must teach me this... dancing, as you call it, it seems to have an immediate effect on Suriel Zol; I think I shall try it," Ba'al said, peering up at Cora as she still held Nanael's hand to help with transitioning to the new phase of her life. All her other daughters were just the same when they were created. "Suriel Zol, walk with me for a minute," she said, waving her arm for Ira to join her side like she owned the place.
"Girls, you do what you need to do; I'll be back," Ira called out to his children as Ba'al led him down the steps. Smiling back at his mother when his daughters surrounded his mother, "So, what's this about Gran?" he asked as they ambled towards the cliff of New Atlantis that overlooked the pyramids that rose in the distance.
"I know what you and that demigod have planned," Ba'al said bluntly, feeling Ira's gaze on her for her to continue. "I don't say that to stop you, far from it," she spoke, reaching up and taking hold of his hand as she turned her gaze to Ira's face. "I wish to help my new Lord in this task, for I know where Nu is and where it's rested ever since we reshaped the cosmos with it."
"Okay, and why are you telling me this, Ba'al? What's your interest in this matter?" Ira asked, wiry of her motives.
"I have something to gain if Nu is taken from the Heavens, a return to an equal balance of power, without Nu maintaining his grip on of all reality lessons greatly. Even without Nu, Yahweh is a power not to be trifled with, given the eons of basking in its waters. So, why shouldn't I aid in this adventure of yours?" Ba'al stated, returning his question.
"Okay, and how do we breach Heaven in the first place?" Ira asked, playing along.
"Oh... that..." Waving off his question as she balanced along the cliff's edge, "the answer is staring right at you," Ba'al said offhandedly. "But he needs time to build that large of a power surge to breach the walls of Heaven. So don't go running off just yet, say three months that will be the time for this excursion of yours," she offered.
"And why are you helping... him of all people?" Ira asked, referring to Andrew and their dislike for one another.
"Bah, so his god's return to power is not a big deal. It just restarts everything; maybe this time, it won't turn out like the last. We'll just have to wait and see who comes to test Yahweh's hold on reality," Ba'al said, like Titans clashing wasn't something to be taken lightly. "Plus, with Nu, you and that demigod can clean up another of my husband's mistakes that has seemed to have gotten out of its cage," she said ominously.
"Care to explain?"
"No, you already know what I mean," Ba'al stated coldly in a stern tone, telling him she was not pleased with his need to make her appear slow.
"The Djnn, I take it that's what you're referring to?" Ira replied with a pointed look.
"Yes, who do you think released the Sisters in the first place? As my daughter has stated to you, it was too heavily warded against Heaven and Hell, not so much when that Pharoah stole it from Solomon's temple. If it had stayed in the temple, the Djinn wouldn't have mustered the courage to step foot in it. Yet once it was carted off, it was just a matter of waiting to free them. The Sisters are a distraction; the Djinn are who you must focus on. Given how their only goal is to bring everything into nothingness from which they were formed by Yahweh. You have grown strong, Ira," flashing him a motherly smile as the sun haloed her head as she peered at him, "you are not strong enough to handle nothingness.
You will need help, for your vampire friend knows that being very well. With Nu, the three of you might just be strong enough to reforge the seal that once bound them. I told you, Suriel Zol, I seek to aid my new Lord, that's granted me, my fine temple, in this paradise," she said, the base of her temple hovered below it when she gestured towards it. "I seek to benefit you in my wisdom as I once did for Yahweh. If you're strong, then I know I needn't fear Yahweh's wrath. But worry not once this mess is dealt with; I don't see too many hardships for you and this realm."
"Thanks," Ira said with hopeful wishing.
Ira reclined against the back of his desk seat as Ms. Nunes went over something he had already stopped listening to as his doppelgangers searched for the Sisters. So he might be cheating when he acted like he already knew the answer to her question as the little imp on his shoulder whispered it to him. Starting to notice the looks he was getting when he was starting to get too much attention directed at him. Then, his mind wandered off to how the mortals in his school would take the news that a new god walked amongst them. A guileful smirk rose on the corner of his lips as he leaned on the nook of his hand, picturing the horrors and amusement if that ever happened.
"What's got you all murdery?" Beth asked, poking Ira in the arm. A sudden wave of fear washed over her; in that blink of a second, she saw his demon as he peered at her.
"Oh, just things, you know," Ira said vaguely, rolling his hand.
"Mr. Roderick," her book slapped the desk of the student she was standing next to, "you do not disrupt my class," Ms. Nunes said, looking away from his sinful gaze, feeling her cheeks heat. Clearing her throat as she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "If it happens again, I'll have you stay after class." She glanced out of the corner of her left eye, pleading with him to do that very thing so she could get her fix as she went about her lesson.
"Hey, can we talk for a bit? Please?" Beth asked; she didn't need to ask. She already knew he had just gotten done fucking Ms. Nunes.
"Okay, what about?" Ira inquired since he didn't taste a lie in her words. He hasn't gotten used to that; he didn't think he'd ever get used to that.
"Our baby," Beth said, placing her hands on her stomach. "Will you come around more often when she's born? Yes, I know the sex; you probably do, too. Mom was the one that told me since I'm not that strong. Anyway, I know I royally fucked up those months ago. I should have told you upfront, but how do you tell someone you actually liked you're a succubus?! So I did what I did to make you hate me so you wouldn't feel the pain, or try to, of what I had to do to survive. I know you might not want to be friends or even talk to me after all that, but please put all aside for our baby. Hate me all you want, Ira, but please don't take it out on her."
"I wasn't planning on it; what you did is on you, not her," Ira said, pointing at her stomach.
"Good, I was worried," Beth exhaled loudly as she walked with Ira to his next class. "I would apologize to you, but that's not in our nature; I know you know that," she uttered, seeing his reluctant shrug and a nod. "So I can't imagine what you're going through, and I assume the reason you're here and not off doing what gods do," noticing his cocky grin as she continued on, "is because this is like the only place you can have some normalcy in your life. I get it; I went through the same thing when I first came into my powers, weak as they were at the time. And... and dude, you were like a normal teenager... What? A few months ago? And wham! You got all this?" she stated, waving up and down Ira's body. "I would want something normal, too. So I don't even want to know what it's like up there; allow me to help comfort you, even if it's only with my body."
"And you've adhered to my command?" Ira asked; the power of his station reverberated across the cosmos.
"Of course, we always heed our Prince's command," Beth answered with a slight curtsey.
"We'll see how it goes then."
"Yes, Ira," Beth said, smiling as she now had a way in. Not that she was going to use it. Of course, she was; she is, after all, a demon; she just won't use it for personal gain like she did the last time at Ira's expense.
Ira's roar thundered throughout the sky as he did battle with Jealousy and Power as the Sisters thought to team up to take him on and to keep the city from suffering from the battle that was taking place. He had hoped to have a quiet day just to hang out with his friends. He was not expecting to be facing off with two Titans, as he's come to learn, that afternoon. Recounting why Five Finger Death Punch's 'Wrong Side of Heaven' was playing in his head as his image played along the surface of an asteroid-sized ball made of the void between realms, he was about to hurl at the Sisters.
"You sure there isn't a way for you to kill them?" Ira asked once again as he and Samuel stood in front of Alyda's office door.
"Nope, can't, but you can," Samuel retorted with a sneaky smile and to keep himself off the front line in a manner of speaking.
"Alright, it's better than what I've been doing," Ira relented with a sigh. "Need to speak to you about something, something big," he whispered to Samuel, patting his friend's shoulder at the silent sigh Samuel always did in such situations.
"Guess it must be big if you're telling me about it," Samuel answered, which Ira nodded as Alyda's office door opened.
"Well, now Vikki, you didn't tell me you were bringing two interesting men to my office," Alyda cooed as her ruby eyes ran down both Ira's and Samuel's bodies, something she would give anything to experience. She knew she would be in Heaven for a demon.
"Sorry, Alyda, no time for the finer things in life," Ira flirted as he returned her ogling. "But this isn't a social call; something important is going on, and Samuel here was wondering if you could translate some ancient Hebrew for him?"
"Of course, Ira, you knew I could, given my field of study," Alyda replied in a professional tone as she slid her glasses on, for show, to play into some of her student's fantasies they had about her. "Please, come in; no need to conduct this out in the open," she said, welcoming them into her office. "Now, what is it that you need to be translated?" Alyda inquired as she strolled back to her seat behind her desk. Shooting Samuel a smirk when she teased his sexual energies with her own as her finger briefly brushed along his as she took the papers from him.
"Well... from skimming it, it does date to the early Iron Age, say maybe 600 BC or so; this shouldn't be a problem for me. If you give me a week, I can have this translated by then," Alyda said, looking up at Ira and Samuel as she had a vague sense of what it was about. "If this says what it says it does, I need to do some cross-references before I give a detailed translation if this thing is powerful. I know you're in a hurry, but something like this can't be rushed."
"A week, you say?" Ira asked, to which Alyda nodded along. "How about three minutes," he mused as he brought his fingers up and snapped, sending them into a time bubble the same one his grandmother taught him in.
"Remind me to use that the next time," Alyda said lustfully, licking the corner of her lip when they reappeared within her office. "Here you are, Samuel, a full translation to a language you might know. I hope whatever it is helps," she spoke with a friendly smile on her face. "Ira, I expect to see you whenever this is finished?"
"Oh, that's definitely going to happen; I'm going to take Sam home," Ira said, looking over at his sister. "I'll see you at home," he uttered as he and Samuel walked out of the room.
"Okay, what does this mean?" Ira asked, staring down at the map. Three red orbs hovered over and moved in ways even he thought were impossible.
"Can't say, Ira, but seems they don't want to be found as much as you want to find them, or they're constantly on the move so as not to be caught by you," Samuel offered with a shrug after Ira shot him a look. Lightly patting Ira's back when, he groaned as he hung his head. "So what's this 'something big' you need to tell me," he said, rolling his hand.
"Well, what do you think of him?" Ira asked, pushing himself off the table, referring to Andrew, who they had just returned from seeing.
"I don't know, first demigod I've ever seen," Samuel said offhandedly. "Why are you bringing him up?"
"Well," ruffling his hair with his right hand, pondering on how he would tell his friend he needed his help to save the world again, "you know about Ba'al, right?" Ira asked, getting a nod out of him.
"The strange impish creature that's flying around your place, yeah, what about her?" Samuel inquired, noting how Ira pressed his lips together, trying not to laugh.
"She told me something; you remember when I left you that day to see who might have let the Sisters out?"
"Go on," Samuel uttered with a roll of his hand.
"Well, I did learn who were the ones that freed them in the first place..." Pausing for dramatic effect, "It was the Djinn."
"Okay, why are you telling me this?" Samuel intoned; he had a feeling he wouldn't like where this was going.
"She told me you, me, and Andrew are going to be needed to reseal them in the prison Yahweh threw them into after he had created them," Ira answered. "And it will need the three of us to do so since, by then, he will have Nu back. Let me ask you, Sam, what does nothingness mean to you?" he asked, studying his friend's face, looking for any signs of recognition on it. He wasn't worried if Samuel couldn't handle the stress of what he was saying; he knew he could. It was his worry Samuel would say no. Ira didn't miss how that question seemed to pique his interest.
"Depends on how you define this 'nothingness,'" Samuel uttered, throwing up air quotes.
"Just off the top of your head," Ira threw out.
"Nyx," Samuel uttered without a thought.
"Wasn't she the one that gave you that ring?" Ira asked, referring to their battle with Onoskelis.
"Yeah, okay, so it seems something major is going on if it involves her; I'll contact Hekatê and see if she has any words on this matter. What else?" Samuel said, rolling his hand, knowing there was always more.
"Just that you would know what nothingness was or is in this case," Ira said, going over everything he and Ba'al spoke about.
"Hmm...?" Samuel hummed as he stroked his chin, deep in thought. "Sounds like Tartarus if they were created out of nothingness."
"Wait, wait, wasn't that the place Zeus threw the Titans, as in one of the primal forces?" Ira stated what limited knowledge of Greek mythology he had.
"The very same," Samuel nodded, "but Tartarus isn't just a place. It's a primal being like the other four; Gaia laid with it to create the Giants to have her revenge on the Olympians for Zeus's audacity in killing her son Kronos," he clarified when Ira had a blank look on his face.
"Okay, so we're talking something on par with those beings, and Yahweh... slept..."
"Not necessarily," Samuel countered.
"Explain."
"If they were made from Tartarus's flesh, then he wouldn't have to sleep with it to create these Djinn," Samuel informed him.
"Why does everything have to be so damn convoluted and difficult?!" Ira groaned, getting a chuckle out of his friend as they stood in Samuel's study. "Did I say something funny?"
"Yeah, your sister said pretty much the same thing."
"Don't you get used to hanging out with her; you're my friend," Ira teased, trying to bring some levity to the dire situation they were facing.
"You know it's good to share, right?" Samuel joked.
"Sure, you say that now," Ira said, gesturing to the other side of the house where his family members were gathering.
"What?" Samuel uttered amusingly at Ira's gesture. "I've already told you, you could if they wanted to, that is. If they haven't, I wonder if you can't get it up around them."
"That's just cold, man, so cold; no wonder you're my sidekick," Ira grinned like a fool at the snort it got out of Samuel. "Anyway," bringing their attention back to the forefront, "we can't move against the Djinn for another three months. That's what Ba'al told me, said it would take that much time for Andrew to build that kind of power to breach Heaven. How Yahweh won't see or sense that happening is beyond me," he said with a shrug. "But let's use this time to build what power we can so we won't be constantly a step behind them if it comes to blows, which I believe it will. Plus, Kelly and Charlotte aren't going to let you go wandering off again on another world-saving adventure..."
"Damn right, I'm not," Charlotte said, cutting in. "Ira, I'm sure you can handle this without Samuel's help, can't you? Hasn't my husband done enough to keep the world safe?" she asked with worry.
"Sorry, Char, not this time; Tartarus is involved, so I might not have the option of sitting this one out," Samuel explained, seeing how she was not amused.
"We still have to deal with that problem of yours before we can even think about taking..."
"Well, Char... can I call you Char," Ira flirted, flashing her a smile that he knew got many women's panties moist.
"Do you want your dick to shrivel up into a dead husk?" Charlotte shot back; she knew she was being irrational, yet her hormones were all over the place.
Ira looked over to Samuel and expressed in a silent look of: 'Damn, dude! She just cut me to the quick!'
"Charlotte, there's no need to get angry at Ira; this thing isn't going to take place for another few months. That'll give me plenty of time to deal with... them," Samuel stated ominously.
"Sorry, I didn't mean anything by it, Ira, just my hormones are all over the place," Charlotte apologized.
"No, I get it," waving it off, "have a few myself, just they don't bite my head off... although that might actually happen one of these days. Do you think I can regrow a head if that happens?" Ira asked quizzically, looking over at Samuel.
"And I would know why?" Samuel shot back.
"I don't know; maybe one would think you would be wise with all these books at your fingertips," Ira joked, waving his hands around the room. His grin reached to his ears when he heard Kelly's laughter at the expense of her brother.
"We'll talk about this later as a family," her stern gaze told Samuel it wasn't up for debate, "Ira, it was good seeing you again; maybe try not to bring the end of the world with you next time," Charlotte said, waving to Ira as she went off to perform her high priestess duties for her family.
"Only if you come back here with Kelly and flash me those perfect breasts I know the two of you have," Ira called back, going for broke, wondering how his friend would take that. It seemed to him that Samuel wasn't paying him or his antics any attention. His eyebrows rose when the two of them appeared in the doorway. He honestly didn't think they would; his heart raced as the two of them looked at one another as if they were having a silent conversation between the two. He felt himself responding as their hands reached down to the hem of their shirts. His eyes widened at the sight before him as he gazed unhindered at their bare breasts. "Damn," he muttered low, getting a chuckle out of Samuel.
"Now you better uphold your promise to us," Kelly said, straightening out her shirt once she and Charlotte fixed their bras.
"Next time I visit, no end-of-the-world stuff," Ira nodded like a teenage boy who's seen his teenage wet dream exposing herself for him.
"Good, Sammy, dinner will be ready soon, so don't you go doing spells," Kelly spoke, waving goodbye to Ira as did Charlotte.
"I should get back; lots to do. Oh, thanks for watching out for my sister since I can't do it myself," Ira said, getting a nod out of Samuel.
"Think it worked out for both of us; Kelly likes her, and well... she needs a friend her age," Samuel said, rubbing the back of his head.
"If she gets too difficult, you let me know, and I'll straighten her out. I know how self-centered and narrowminded she can be when she wants something," Ira stated, pointing at the door where Kelly and Charlotte once stood.
"Yeah, I got that too, but she is a demon or part; it comes with the territory," Samuel replied with a wave of his hand at Ira.
"Come on, man, I'm not that bad," Ira bemoaned.
"Oh, the things Anael tells me," Samuel sighed cryptically.
"Now you're just pulling my chain," Ira uttered with a smirk as he shook his head. "I know since I can't help her due to the cosmic rules and all, you'll be a better teacher than I will in this matter since you helped me and all."
"You better uphold your end, or I got the tiniest box you're going to enjoy for a month," Samuel said, grinning evilly.
"You wound me, man, so cold, you uncaring vampire," Ira sniffled mockingly at his friend's jest.
"I'm already dead, remember?" Samuel uttered the last word as he waved his friend goodbye. Hoping whatever came up in the next three months wouldn't be too dangerous for him and his family. How little did Samuel know what was to come would make the world realize the old magic was still alive and kicking.
Ira reappeared high in the skies of Portland. His nostrils flared as he breathed in the scent of home. His body moved on its own as his head jerked back in time as a seizing bolt of godly energy came streaking centimeters away from his face. His sword appeared in his right hand on instinct as he used the flat of his blade to block Jealousy's attack while an orb appeared in his left hand using his own might to hold Power's thrusting hand back from her fingers, or what he took as fingers, so they wouldn't plunge into the depths of his gray matter.
"Well, Daughters of Atlas," he noted how that caused them to falter for a bit, hearing them exhale as his six wings pushed them back from his body, "my dance card is already full; sorry to disappoint, but I have no room to fit you in," Ira baited them, smirking when he dodged the lunge from Jealousy. "My dear, if you're not careful, I'm going to spank your ass if you have one beneath that thing," he taunted, even though he knew that was a dangerous thing to do given how he was evenly matched by the each one of them. One-on-one, he might have the upper hand, yet fighting two Titans wasn't a fight he wanted to be in; nevertheless, he was, and he meant to win. His wings extended, with a powerful thrust of them sent him soaring into the clouds so those in the air wouldn't get caught up in their battle. He might be a demon, but he wasn't that kind of an asshole.
Five Finger Death Punch's 'Wrong Side of Heaven' played in his head as he launched his attack at them once they neared the space he had decided to use for their battlefield. Unbeknownst to Ira, down on the ground, very few people stared up at the sky when they sensed his massive power and the light show that was happening high above them. Vikki reached over and took Bridgett's hand into hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze as they stood out in the quad of their school, looking up at the sky. Sue and Rita shouted out their encouragement as they stood on the roof of the building their classes were in, promising Ira anything he wanted as long as he came back alive. Anael and Azza squeezed into each other, knowing their father wouldn't want them to head off to join him when he gave them the task of watching out for his sister. They both knew if they could, Hell would have used the opportunity to take Bridgett as their prisoner, and who knows what horrors they would inflict on her if they did. They both knew their father would raze Hell just to get to the ones responsible, even if it meant going to war with Hell. They knew Ira wouldn't win, yet that didn't mean Hell would either. Alyda just stood in her office window praying that Ira returned to her ever-welcoming bosom as the battle raged on.
Ira floated a few feet away as he recuperated from the last tussle they had. He knew this could go on for eternity given how they were gods, while he, he knew eventually, his own would be overtaken. He wasn't about to allow that to happen. His red burgundy eyes glanced to and fro when the surrounding area suddenly went dark. A darkness he knew very well. He'd felt it enough on his skin when he was in Mor's domain to know it intimately. He sensed a familiarity within those growls as they echoed around him and the Sisters as their padded feet raced around him. The hairs on his body stood on end as the image of sparks jumping off the blade - of what he didn't know - that was grinding on a stone wall. Ira got the sense that it was coming towards him, and it was a massive one.
Looking down when, he saw Aamon sniffing his right leg before those red eyes of hers peered up at him in her demon form before she darted back into the shadows. A flash caught his attention. So faint that even with his angelic sight, he was having a hard time catching it, which were followed by immortal wails when Aamon's and Angra Mainyu's poisoned imbued claws tore through their flesh and armor. A rush raced through him as the essence of Hell filled that space. He's only felt this level of force was when he once was a Dominion class of angel, then he felt her taint, the ugliness that soiled her body to forever bind her to Hell, the Seventh Circle. If Ira didn't know any better, he could have sworn he felt the blade of her scythe as she stood in the open gateway that led to her domain. His demon took joy out of the wails of the damned, and his angel wanted to free those souls from their fate.
Ira swallowed hard when he noticed that coy, knowing smirk on her lips. His body went on alert when he could have sworn he felt her pressing her body against his, to the feel of her breath on his ear as she whispered sweet nothings into it. He wondered how she did it since she hadn't moved from her spot in the gateway. Wondering why she wasn't showing off her body like the rest of the fallen had done when they first appeared before him. Although he couldn't say why, however, he sensed shame at what he couldn't say. Nonetheless, he knew why they had come at that moment; it was time he needed to muster all his strength to imprison the two Sisters. Since the darkness wasn't something the Sisters couldn't peer through, given how he noted how the two of them looked as lost and as confused as he was when he first set eyes on it.
Using their disorientation, he began to strike out using guerilla tactics to weaken the Sisters even more than what Aamon's and Angra Mainyu's poison had already done to their immortal bodies. Darkness flowed over his wings as he flew skyward. His wings unfurled as arcs of electricity raced across every feather. His angelic light pulsated as he pointed his sword to the Heavens. His angelic essence floated off his wings in small dark orbs as he tapped into his full power. He had been holding back since he didn't want to damage the Earth using a Seraphim's power. He just hoped he was quick enough to end this with one swing of his sword. Ira hoped that with this sudden surge, the Sisters would give up relatively easily, or that was his hope. As his power reached its zenith, he felt his sword morphing in his hand. Noting Aamon's and Angra Mainyu's form darting away and how Mephistopheles circled her wings around her, knowing what he was about to do.
As his energy reached its peak, his demonic essence darkened his holy light as he fused the three powers that dwelled within him. Ira felt sort of like Zeus as he threw his spear at the spot between the two Sisters. He just hoped this would be enough to weaken them enough to subdue them to imprison them within the ring. The explosion danced along his eyes as he watched how it encompassed the Sisters. His daughters and Mephistopheles waited in the wings to see what would come of them. However, Ira wasn't going to wait; he needed to act before they could gather what strength they had left. Feeling the sting of his power as it prickled his skin as he took the Sisters by their faces.
"Yield to me! Submit to me!" Ira's voice thundered within that still-growing bubble of the explosion. "Submit or die," he said coldly with deathly undertones as he peered through his fingers at their shadowy faces. "You know you don't have the power to kill me. Yet I have enough to see you destroyed and cast your essence to all the corners of the cosmos. I wonder how many eons will it take for you to reform your bodies, oh Daughters of Atlas? A wise choice," Ira mused as they were pulled into the ring of Solomon. "Run, Aamon and Angra Mainyu!" he shouted as he was unable to handle the sudden surge of the power of two Titans all at once. Tossing his head back, his wings extended to their max as his angelic light surged forth from his eyes and mouth. Beams of light shot out from every feather on his wings. Feeling his body being torn into pieces as, he fought to rein in his power as it began to encapsulate him.
"Worry not, Suriel Zol, I am here," Mephistopheles cooed, using her own powers to force Ira's own backwards as her hands touched the bubble of energy that surrounded him. "Tell me, Suriel Zol, are you this weak being to allow these Pagan gods to do you in? Are you so weak this is as far as you can go? After all of this, you would be undone by your own power?" she spoke; it was taking everything she had to hold him back, yet she could feel she was losing as Ira's power began to push her back.
"No..." Mephistopheles took a dry swallow as two red glowing eyes peered at her from the depths of that power-infused bubble. "I am not," Ira growled, pressing down on his runaway power as he began to claw it back in. Mephistopheles quickly raced away as the palms of her hands were beginning to smoke from touching something far beyond what even she, the Lord of the Seventh Circle, could muster. Blowing on them as her golden eyes watched as the whirlwind of cosmic energy stretched to three stories tall as Ira wrestled with his own power.
Anael and Azza couldn't take it watching from the sidelines anymore as they took to the skies to aid their father. Interlocking their fingers together as Azza gave Anael the boost of speed she needed to reach their father in time.
"Father!" They cried out as one. "You can't give in; we need you!" they spoke. Their voices trembled as it felt to them their father's power was running haywire and soon to doom him and the rest of them. Anael looked over at Azza as she darted towards Ira, holding out her hand using her own Seraphim powers to contain her father's power enough so that Ira could get a handle on it. Azza flashed Anael a smile when she soon joined her.
"We will lend aid," Aamon and Angra Mainyu said, offering their own might to the cause as the four daughters of Suriel Zol fought to save their father.
Azza's eyes darted to her right and left, noticing how Anael and Angra Mainyu were reaching their limits. She was sure Aamon was as well. Still, she would not leave him even if she was the last one standing. She would follow her father into death if it came to that. She knew the sorrow the loneliness her mother felt being away from her own father, just like she felt whenever she was apart from her own.
"Father..." Were Anael's soft words as she reached her limit and her body gave out.
"No!" Azza screamed out as she watched her sister's body just helplessly falling away. "Father, if you can hear me, save Anael! Hmpf!" she grunted as a shockwave propelled her backwards.
Ira felt his skin flaking off as his out-of-control power threatened to consume him. He was vaguely aware of those outside of the little bubble that had sprung up around him and how it had turned into a whirlwind vortex, then how he felt some outside force trying with all its might to restrain it. He had no idea how gods dealt with this kind of power. He assumed that since they were born with it, they didn't have the struggle he was currently having as his human side was slowly overtaken by it. However, Azza's cry did shock his mind into focus. In his mind, he saw Anael just falling away towards the ground, sensing that she had taxed her powers to the limit, feeling her immortal life ebbing away, something he didn't think possible given what they were. He was not about to let his daughter die just because he was having trouble containing the power that was now cruising through him. In his mind, he felt his demon dancing in glee, drunk on the power; his angel half hummed as it began to harmonize with his newly acquired power. Smacking his other halves for getting so intoxicated with the power he now possessed that the maelstrom that had overwhelmed him was now nothing but a summer breeze as his resolve to save Anael centered his being.
"Father..." Azza's voice was but a whisper as she watched the halo of light pulsating around his body. Her body heated when she could have sworn she felt his touch on her left cheek, yet she knew he hadn't moved; in the blink of an eye, her father was gone. So taken aback, she failed to sense Ira down below her as he raced to catch Anael in his arms.
"Father is strong, sister," Aamon said, peering over at her twin.
"Indeed, sister, it is why we are mighty," Angra Mainyu nodded.
"We'll leave Father's care in your hands... sister," Aamon said, trying not to sneer the word. She knew her father would not like that, and truth be told, she didn't want to have him rip her essence to shreds like he had almost done on the day of her birth. That was when she felt his true power, a power that all demons wished to have and lusted after. She herself was amongst them; nevertheless, she knew well enough she or her twin wouldn't stand a chance against their maker. "Come Angra Mainyu, Mother will want to know about what has transpired," she said when Azza just gave her a nod. They both knew if their father wasn't there, they would be at each other's throats, a fight she knew they wouldn't win, and she hated Azza for that since she was supposed to be Ira's strongest child.
"Ardat Lili is so going to be jealous," Angra Mainyu grinned wickedly.
"Yes, we must rub their noses in it," Aamon spoke, taking hold of her sister's hand as the two of them faded from reality.
Ira's wings pushed him at speeds he wasn't used to as the ground below him grew larger in his eyes. His mind willed Anael to open her eyes, to use her wings, to say that she was alright. However, that wasn't what was happening as he watched her unconscious body fall, and still, he was out of reach. His red burgundy eyes glowed in a shimmering radiance as he poured all his power into his muscles. Praying he didn't blow himself to pieces as he blinked out of existence only to reappear, hovering beneath Anael, using his powers to slow her fall, looking down at her weakened body as it lay in his arms. His wings extended, morphing into his Nagdaium' ReGenesis form; his smoky halo flared as his angelic essence shone down onto Anael's form, fortifying her with his own might, hoping he was quick enough to save her. A smile formed on his lips as he felt Anael stirring.
"Father?!" Anael whispered weakly as her eyes fluttered open, feeling his light penetrating her body. She couldn't help herself as her arms wrapped around his neck, burying her face into his neck; her tears of joy reamed her eyes as she poured her love for him into Ira. "Please, Father, don't ever leave us," she uttered low, feeling so content being cradled in his arms.
"I wasn't planning to, Anael," Ira said softly as his thumb brushed along Anael's back, knowing she would need to go to his realm to recuperate for a while. His eyes glanced up as he noted Azza flying down them, turning his head to the right as she swung around him and pressed her body into his back, becoming very intimate with the shape of her breasts.
"I'm so happy you're back with us, Father," Azza said sweetly as she rested her forehead against the back of his head. Her arms instinctively wrapped around him, hugging him tightly; again, she felt that strange heat flooding her body being that close to her father; she just couldn't fathom why that was. What that feeling meant to her, or why it was happening in the first place. She felt her face grow flush when she saw her sister's eyes smirking at her like Anael knew something she didn't; it was maddening to her!
"Azza?"
"Yes, Father?" Azza muttered, feeling her heart racing when Ira spoke her name with such softness, such love that it only made her press her breasts tighter into his back.