Incident 27 (21 page)

I acknowledge your
will.

What
was that? Someone had spoken to him using telepathy, but it wasn’t anyone he
knew. It didn’t look like Arcturus had heard it, either, since he still had
that arrogant smirk on his face.

Suddenly,
Ev felt like himself again. He sensed god-energy flowing through him like
before. Was he back to normal?

Only
one way to find out. Directing energy to his legs, he charged in low and
launched his fist as deep into Arcturus’ gut as it would go. As it turned out,
that was pretty deep. Arcturus displayed shock for a split-second before going
flying into the far wall of the court, smashing it and revealing the locked
room beyond.

Ev
stared at the destruction in amazement. “I did it,” he muttered softly.

For
a while Arcturus just sat there on his rubble throne between the two rooms.
Finally he said, “She means that much to you, huh?”

“Huh?”

He
slowly got up and stared at Ev. “Maya Brünhart. How else could you have found
the strength to hit me like that? You care deeply about her, far more than you
ever cared about me. Well, if that’s the case, I don’t need you here!” He
conjured his katanas. “I’ll just kill you and make a perfect Ev Bannen to be my
friend.
He’ll
never turn against me.”

“I’m
not afraid, Arcturus. I’m going to stop you and get the real world back.”

Arcturus
twirled his swords. “I think you’d better take a good look at yourself. I have
deadly weapons at my command, while your conjuring skill is practically
nonexistent.”

He
was right, of course. Ev had no weapons other than his own body. But he would
find a way to win, no matter what.

With
a single dash, Arcturus cleared the space between them in an instant and swung
a katana at Ev’s throat. Ev managed to dodge it, but he got nicked in the
process.

Unfortunately,
that was only the beginning of the onslaught. Arcturus slashed repeatedly, each
time drawing a little more blood. Ev couldn’t even get close to him and so was
on the defensive, either jumping back or rolling to the side. He knew sooner of
later Arcturus would deal him a fatal wound instead of these superficial cuts.

He
managed to get far enough away to generate some wind in Arcturus’ direction,
but the older man easily shrugged it off. “Is a slight breeze the best you can
do, Ev? I seriously overestimated you.”

Ev
decided to change tactics and employ a maneuver he had used in the Tower of Babel. He wrapped a high-speed pocket of wind around himself as a shield.

But
Arcturus merely sliced downward from across the court, sending a far more
powerful air current at him, cutting through his shield and knocking him on his
ass.

“Time
to end this,” Arcturus said. He lunged forward, moving one arm back and the
other above his head. He intended to slice Ev down the middle.
Dammit, I
need something to protect myself, but I can’t conjure any weapons. Think, Ev!
Think, think, think, think, THINK!

But
there was no time to think. Arcturus reached him in a split second and down
came his katana. Ev closed his eyes and instinctively raised his arms to block
it, desperately wishing they were stronger.

The
blade came down on them, and there was pain, but surprisingly, they did not
separate from his body. Ev opened his eyes to find they had become metal. No,
not quite; a pair of silver gauntlets extended from his elbows to enclose his
hands. He had done it; he had finally conjured something that was strong and
uniquely his. This was the result of focusing on defense instead of offense.

Using
his new tools, he shoved the katana back and it cut into Arcturus’ shoulder.
The other man fell back to ponder this new development cautiously. “So you
finally managed to conjure something useful. But don’t think for a moment it
will let you beat me. I’m the only god in this world.”

“I
don’t care,” he replied. “I’m going to beat you and get everyone back!”

They
collided, this time as equals. With his gauntlets and vastly improved
confidence, he blocked every attack Arcturus threw at him and responded in
kind, even managing to get in a few punches which sent him on the defensive for
the first time in the fight.

* * *

How?
Arcturus roared inwardly as Ev pressed the advantage.
I took
away his powers! So how can he be so strong in this world,
my
world?
I merged with the Ark, so it should obey my every command.
He seethed
with a building rage.
Damn you, Ark! Do as I say! Take. Away. Ev’s. Powers!

But
Ev remained strong, and Arcturus had to face the possibility he was not as
omnipotent as he thought. His carefully laid plans were falling apart before
his eyes, and he didn’t have the luxury of stepping back to analyze the
situation. Ev Bannen was seriously trying to kill him, and a slight trembling
began in his soul at the prospect he might actually succeed.

* * *

Ev
felt the power surge through him. Perhaps “power” wasn’t the right word; it was
more like focus. His entire faculties were devoted to this one battle. Nothing
else mattered.

Arcturus
suddenly threw down his swords and came in low, tackling him. The force of the
attack propelled them through walls, ceiling and out of the building entirely.

They
continued to trade punches in midair.

They
soon landed in the middle of Cherub Field, creating a large gash in the
artificial grass as they skidded to a stop.

Ev
got to his feet first, with Arcturus a second behind. Ev decided to press the
advantage and deliver the killing blow.

From
out of nowhere, Maya jumped in the way, her arms outstretched. “No, Ev! Don’t
kill him! He’s your friend.”

He
spat a gob of blood. “This is low, Arcturus.”

Safely
behind her, he replied, “I’ll do what I have to in order to save this perfect
world. You wouldn’t hit the woman you love, would you?”

“Never.”
He backhanded her out of the stadium. “But that’s not Maya.”

Arcturus
simply shrugged, as if this was a normal thing to happen. “It was worth a try.
But let’s see you deal with
this
.” He raised one hand into the air, palm
outstretched. He then closed it into a fist and threw it down in Ev’s
direction.

The
sound of a large engine hit Ev’s ears, and he looked up. “Shit.” From out of
the sky fell an airplane. Not a passenger plane; no, it was a full-sized jumbo
jet. It struck the field like a 317-ton cannonball, exploding instantly and
causing massive chunks of flaming earth to rise into the air like volcano ash.
Ev dropped to his stomach and just barely managed to avoid getting sliced in
half by one of the wings.

After
several moments of sheer chaos, he rose, covered in dirt and choking on smoke
from the countless fires that now covered the field. It was so dark and dense
he could have sworn night had fallen. He couldn’t see Arcturus through it.

Without
warning, the ground shot up like spikes. He ran like hell to avoid them, but
they followed him across the field to where Arcturus was now waiting for him
with a proud look on his face. “Now you know what it’s like to be an athlete,
Ev! You should thank me.” He also had his katanas back.

“Like
hell!”

When
he got close, Arcturus swung at him with both blades. Remembering how he had
just tackled him out of the civic center, Ev decided to return the favor and
hit him full force. They sailed clear out of the stadium and across Seraphim City.

* * *

The
next thing Arcturus knew, he was lying on the roof of a collapsed car. He
gingerly got off it and looked around. They had ended up in the middle of Treadwill Bridge over Jaxon Harbor. He could see the Nibian Sea to the east.

He
was tired, not just physically but emotionally as well. No matter how hard he fought
for peace, something always seemed to get in his way. It was as if the very
concept ran contrary to the fundamental laws of the universe.

The
Ark was supposed to help him realize his dream, but like everything else in
life, it obviously had its limitations. Or perhaps it had a will of its own and
didn’t want peace. No, that couldn’t be it.

What
was it...?

“Arcturus!”

A
few hundred feet across the bridge, Ev had risen to his feet.
He’s the final
obstacle. All I have to do is kill him and this world will know eternal bliss.
“Let’s finish this, Ev!”

* * *

Ev
ran across the bridge, bounding over any vehicle that got in his way. Most of
the cars had stopped to gawk at this scene, but a number of others charged
through to get the hell away from here.

He
had to end this now. He was getting weak, and he didn’t know how much longer he
could keep this up. Worse, he didn’t know how much longer everyone in Gehenna
had. They could be dying this very moment, so he pumped his legs as hard as he
possibly could.

Up
ahead, Arcturus began throwing cars at him. Deflecting them would only slow him
down, so he focused on dodging them. He leapt, rolled to the side, and slid
under them. These cheap tricks were
not
going to stop him.

When
Ev got within thirty feet of him, Arcturus picked up his katanas and charged.
Time seemed to slow down as each man prepared for the killing blow. Arcturus
swung his swords and Ev his fists. Metal impacted metal, and both shattered.

Ev
knew his equipment was broken, but he couldn’t take his eyes off Arcturus’ one
remaining sword which, while partially broken, still had a sharp edge which was
now pressed to his throat. Both men locked eyes, knowing the battle had been
decided.

Arcturus
collapsed backwards to the ground. Ev knelt beside him. All he could say was,
“Arcturus.” When their weapons broke, the force of the impact caused metal
fragments to become lodged in Arcturus’ chest.

“You
broke my heart, Ev. Literally.” His voice imparted a bittersweet quality.

“I’m
sorry,” Ev said. “But it had to be this way. You wouldn’t listen.”

“You’re
right. I...should have seen it sooner.” He coughed up some blood. “The Ark certainly saw it. It wanted to know which of us had the greater resolve, so it restored
your powers. It understands...violence cannot be avoided. No matter where you
go in this world, it’s kill or be killed. The cycle will continue for eternity.
I wasn’t lying about Zero Grade’s plans. War is coming, and soon. But at least,
now,
I
can be at peace. I’ll find Quandisa and...ask for her
forgiveness. Thank you...Ev.” He closed his eyes and slowly evaporated like
ephemeral snowflakes falling in reverse. Then the flecks of light recombined
into the Ark.

The
same voice from earlier spoke to him.
You are my master now. What do you
wish to do?

He
didn’t need any time to think about it. “Return the world to the way it was.”

As you wish.

The
entire world around began evaporating as Arcturus had done. He turned his head;
his parents were standing behind him. “You’ve made us proud, son,” his faux
father said. Within moments they, too, disappeared.

It
was a sad yet profoundly beautiful sight. As he watched, he thought about how
this perfect world had to die. It was a damn shame, but Arcturus had been right
about one thing: as long as people had free will, no world could be perfect.
And yet, if you made everyone soulless puppets like he had done, it would be
even worse.

What
was the answer?