8 An End Of An Era

It has been two hours since Kuhn Lau's departure. Frustration clouded Nicholas as a conflict unfolded in his mind, leading to a self-introspection, questioning himself repeatedly while also seeking a solution to his current situation. 

Kuhn Lau's words played like tape in his head, fattening his guilty conscious into obesity, moreover nourishing it with the willpower to consume him.

"If truly you are a Divine Guardian, then you should not only protect the talisman but also the people of Cairo. Unless you aren't, you'd prefer to sob till dusk."

He looked around and caught a glimpse of a fine delicate vase. He snatched it with sheer force without notice and threw it on the floor.

"Who does he think he is? I am Indistructo, a warrior of great virtue. Just because I chose to back down from a fight doesn't mean that I don't live to honor that name!"

He sat down and drowned himself in a stream of thoughts. It didn't take long for him to realize that Kuhn Lau was right. After all, he is a powerful being. He could pulverize Black into atoms if he so desired.

The underlying problem is that his situation was that of an elephant that had its leg bound by a rope tied around a tree. It couldn't escape as an adult because external factors convinced it that it couldn't break free as a calf.

"Kuhn Lau is right. I allowed Bastard to inflict suffering on the lives of thousands of people. I have to do something about this!"

He arose to his feet and caught a glimpse of a photograph of Nina. He gently took it and shunned an endless gaze at it. Her picture testified of a triumphant spirit that had once resided in her. The presence of the blissful nature was evident from the spectrum of her dazzling white teeth. And through the sparkling windows of her soul.

"My darling Nina, how could I have allowed this to happen to you? I've allowed that Bastard to walk over me. In the end, however, I did nothing to retaliate. I allowed him to take you away from me? I've been nothing but a fool!"

A tear instantly dripped off from his left cheek.

"My eyes have been opened. I promise you this; I'll never let you go again! Nor allow any other circumstance to separate us once more! I will make that son of bitch pay for what he did to you!" He snarled.

He placed the picture on a nearby table and lowered his posture, allowing his knees to kiss the floor. He closed his eyes and plunged his fist against the floor, a black aura emanating abroad his body, cushioning him inside like a cacoon. The emanation enclothed him with a black suit. The suit is composed of synthetic material, similar to a set of kevlar plates. The garment also strapped him with a black tactical plate around his ribs. As for the finishing touch, a black cape cascaded down, stretching toward the width of his heels.

He looked up and opened his eyes. He then flew out of the room with incredible speed. His speed limit kept increasing per minute until he eventually reached a maximum speed of mach three. The ground instantly cracked at the force of his might; finally, the crack trailed after him like a stray dog, splitting the street in half.

***********

Black's mansion

Kuhn Lau glared at him, wherein Black smirked at him, delighted that he had cornered them.

"Indeed, I am the most intelligent being in this country," he pondered.

"Your move, warrior. If you dare move an inch, I will pull the trigger."

Kuhn Lau's clenched fists shrieked with frustration. Now cornered, his next move determined their fate. Furthermore, Black's finger stemmed just a few inches from the trigger.

"With that said, I can pretend that none of this happened and gladly grace the hostages with the gift of life only if you pledge your undying allegiance to me! So what do you say?"

Frustration was evident in Kuhn Lau's voice.

"You are a fool to think I would pledge my loyalty to you!"

In turn, Black leaned closer to Anubis. After that, he glanced back at Kuhn Lau and shrugged with a devious smirk.

"Well, I tried using words; he preferred violence. Let's end this, shall we!"

Just as he was about to press the button, an explosion erupted from behind; this resulted in a catastrophe as a horde of his subjects were rendered unconscious. They were scattered across the floor as some were bleeding, and others were wincing and holding their shoulders with despair. The force of the explosion propelled him off his chair. The detonator slipped from his hands as soon as he fell flat on the floor. He crawled up to his knees and stretched his right hand towards it.

Kuhn Lau saw this and exerted a current of water from his hand. The current swept the device away, thus rendering it useless as the water particles turned off its software.

Black clenched his fist and frantically hammered the floor, "Dammit it all!"

Kuhn Lau pottered towards a feeble Black, slowly making his way up to his feet. Just before he could clench his grip around his collar, Anubis and some of his men fired at him.

"Don't let him touch the boss!" He shouted.

A rain of bullets came wailing with force. Fortunately for him, they shattered into shards when they touched his body. Suddenly, Anubis turned his attention to the other two; they trembled and held onto each other.

"Eh, this would be a great time to hide!" Suggested Pete. In response, Nina spontaneously nodded. Without notice, they gushed away with terrifying speed and hid behind a column while Kuhn Lau turned his attention toward a deranged Anubis.

While all the commotion took place, Black eventually got up to his feet and withered away like a grain of pollen, blown away by the gust of the wind. He got into an elevator which therefore transported him to the roof.

Before Kuhn, Lau would engage with the remaining subjects. Nicholas emerged from the midst of the dust, just behind the small group of soldiers.

"Hey, fellas, would you mind turning around!" He taunted as they diverted their focus away from Kuhn Lau.

"Sorry for taking your spotlight, Kuhn Lau, but I'll take it from here!" He said with confidence.

Nicholas stretched his hand forth and fired an ultramarine laser beam. The beam of light pulverized them to smithereens.

Both Nina and Pete came out from hiding and stood beside Kuhn Lau. Nicholas pottered towards them with a smile. Nina jolted towards him with terrifying speed and embraced him.

After that, she smiled at him. He looked down at her with a smile and saw the sparkle of light shining extricate from her moist eyes.

"You came?"

"Of course I did; you are my everything. What can I be without you?

Pete watched from afar with bitterness. He then gazed at the floor for a brief moment.

Pete greatly wished that it was him and his beloved Bianca. As fate would have it, it denied him the opportunity of falling in love, even if he was at its doorstep. His gentle nature denied him the chance to grow envious of them. As a result, he smiled at them.

Kuhn Lau stepped forward and spoke.

"Are my eyes deceiving me? Tell me, Nicholas, what has changed your mind?"

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and replied to his inquiry.

"As you said, Kuhn Lau, I cannot call myself a Guardian if I can't defend the city and its people."

He grinned at them like a Cheshire cat. The two men shook hands to show respect for one another.

"Good to have you back."

"Umm, guys, sorry to spoil the broth, but where has Black disappeared to?" Pete asked with concern.

They heard a loud thunderclap from outside. The sound was like a roar echoing from the mouth of a hurricane. They all jolted with speed til they got out. Much to their surprise, the sound was caused by the blades of a rotorcraft, completing a 360-degree angle. It was not just any rotorcraft but rather an Airbus H225 Super Puma. The aircraft made its way toward the helicarrier, slowly decreasing its altitude.

"Even in defeat, Black still would prefer to cower away than to submit with honesty," said Kuhn Lau.

"Leave this to me. I've got a score to settle. In the meantime, head to my apartment."

He glanced at his wrist, even though he did not have a watch, "We'll meet there in a couple of minutes."

Black had finally reached the rooftop, and as soon as he arrived, he made haste towards the helicarrier. However, something peculiar occurred; the chopper was nowhere to be seen. He looked around and analyzed his surroundings.

Nicholas emerged from the shadows, slowly ascending like an angel of the Lord. Black turned around, and much to his shock, the mighty Indistructro looked down at him from the sky. Spontaneously, he fell to the ground, quivering with fear.

"No, how is it possible?!"

"Going somewhere? Well, I suppose that won't happen anyway. Since I just turned your ticket into a ball of shame."

He took out a ball-like object from behind his cape. It was composed of steel, and though its shape resembled a ball, it was not fully spherical.

Black gasped with astonishment and muttered, "No, don't tell me that he turned my million-dollar chopper into a dodgeball. I'll kill you!"

Nicholas bounced the scrap of metal on the tip of his palm repeatedly.

"Oh, so sorry, I didnt realize that was your chopper. Well, you know what they say? Karma is a bitch, wouldn't you agree?"

Black furrowed his eyebrows and snarled like a ravenous beast, ready to rip a carcass to shreds. He rose to his feet, grabbed his pistol, and centered it toward him.

"You Bastard! I'll make you pay dearly for that!"

He fired several bullets at him, and as soon as he realized his efforts were all in vain, he gasped with astonishment.

"What kind of sorcery is this? No one should withstand the force of a bullet!" Nicholas descended towards the floor while his foe took a few steps back.

He clenched his fist as a black aura coated it. The black emanation covering his fist was the Iron fist of Unmei.

"Thats because I'm not just anyone. I am Indistructo!" He replied to his inquiry.

Using ten percent of the iron fist's force, he punched the roof of the building; this resulted in the massacre of the building, which ultimately imploded into rubble.

To Be Continued

Fun Fact

The Iron Fist of Unmei is a proficient technique that Indistructo acquired through training. The gods once used this fist's fury to demolish the worlds of merciless slaughters. Though Nicholas knows how to use it, the power of his fist has not reached a level where it rivals that of the gods. Instead, he is still far down the ladder. With this said, his fist can obliterate a city as a whole at full power.

Pete: Hey Nicholas (He clears his throat)

Nicholas: Yeah, Pete?

Pete: Do you think that you can use the Iron Fist of Unmei to defeat Slicer?

Nicholas: Sure, Pete, only if the readers can add their votes and comments. I mean, those votes and comments can thwart his plans.

Pete: (places his finger under his chin) You heard the man. Add your votes and comments to give the Iron Fist the juice it needs to defeat Slicer.