Chapter 99: Thunderfist

I wasn't really sure what I was seeing here.

The guy from inside the tank was now radiating a tremendous amount of power... As if he had strength comparable to the other Enforcers.

The guards pointed their weapons at him as he stepped forward and unleashed a barrage of bullets.

The man smiled and waved his hand.

They bounced harmlessly off of his skin

"Lots of speed behind bullets. A lot of force. Nothing I can't handle though. Let's see here..." He picked up a bullet and flung it at one of the soldiers.

As soon as it made contact with him, his head exploded.

The other soldiers stared at the man in shock.

At the same time...

"MIZIK WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON OVER THERE!?" Iris shouted in my head.

"Umm...we found a guy inside the Abyss Engine. He's really powerful apparently."

"It feels like...like it's..."

"ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE MYSELF! ENFORCER SEAT 3 JALLAH O'BRIEN, USER OF THE ASPECTS OF LIGHTNING AND KINETIC ENERGY! DESIGNATION: THUNDERFIST!" Jallah shouted mightily.

"ENFORCER JALLAH!?" One of the soldiers shouted in fear.

"MIZIK! IS JALLAH ALIVE!?" Iris shouted again in my head.

"Yeah! That's definitely him! He just shouted his name and rank!"

Before I could speak, Jallah disappeared in a flash and reappeared behind the soldiers.

As lightning crackled around him, all of their heads exploded.

And as soon as they went down, he started looking for a pair of pants in his size...

"I'm not about to keep fighting in my underwear..." He said.

"I don't believe that I'm seeing. How is this possible!?" Alice said aloud.

As Jallah pulled on a pair of pants and fastened them, another group of soldiers showed up and started shooting at him. Their bullets bounced harmlessly off of him and he fired several bolts of lightning in their direction.

"Ugh...could I at least put some shoes on too?" Jallah said as he casually slaughtered the enemies. Then he turned to me. "Yo, umm...Tyranus?" He said.

He remembered my name. I like him already.

"Yeah, now would be a good time to leave. I'm still recovering from that nonsense I just endured, so...what's the plan of evac?" Jallah said.

"Iris is coming to get us as soon as the Abyss Engine's interference field fades completely," I said.

"The...Abyss what?" Jallah said.

"It's a long story. Just trust us, okay?" Alice said with a smile.

"Well, sure! You saved my life, so I owe ya one! Just stick close and I'll do my best to protect you!"

He isn't aware of our strength, it seems.

After a while, the guards stopped charging into the room.

Perhaps they realized that running in was a truly terrible thing to do now that Jallah had been set free.

Moments later the lights started flashing red and a message played on the intercom.

[WARNING! SUBJECT TF-J HAS BEEN RELEASED! ENFORCER JALLAH O'BRIEN, THE THUNDERFIST HAS BEEN SET FREE! THE ABYSS ENGINE IS DOWN! EVACUATE! I REPEAT! ALL PERSONEL EVACUATE!]

"Well, that's fun. Maybe we can take a break for a second then?" Jallah said.

"I don't think so," said a familiar voice.

At once, two figures appeared in a flash of red light.

It was Kazuma as well as the man with the iron jaw I'd seen watching us earlier.

"Draiko and I are here to stop you from releasing Jallah, you...wait...you two!? What the hell are you doing up here!? HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE!?" Kazuma yelled at us.

I smiled at him.

"Because we're a little stronger than your troops gave us credit for," I said.

"YOU DAMN TRAITORS! WHO ARE YOU WORKING FOR!?" The other man, presumably Draiko, shouted angrily.

"Umm...hey Tyranus? Alice? I don't know who this other guy is, but...that's Overlord Kazuma. I'm still not at full combat capability, but I really couldn't kill him even if I was. Is Dante still around? We'll need him to fight Kazuma!" Jallah said.

"We know. We already met Kazuma a while ago..." I said angrily.

I could feel my rage boiling over as I glared at him.

Vengeance would be proud if he saw me right now.

"You met him and lived? That's pretty cool, but who are you two, really?"

"Alice, I think it's about time we show them who they're dealing with."

"Agreed," Alice said with a smile.

I raised my hand and altered our appearances to our original looks.

As soon as Kazuma saw us, he looked on in indignant rage.

"Enforcer seat 6, Isabella Iratus. User of the Ultra Aspects: The Centurion and The Priestess! Designation: Divine Crusader!"

"Enforcer seat 7, Mizik Iratus. User of the Ultra Aspects: The Warlord and The Archmage! Designation: Warmage!"

Jallah's eyes went wide for a moment.

"T....two...TWO ULTRA ASPECTS EACH!? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU!?" He shouted.

Kazuma was visibly taken back by this as I readied Justice.

"By Novak...this is going to be rough..." Kazuma said.

"I owe you for the suffering you caused me, you bastard Psycho Demon!" I growled.

"Kazuma, I don't know about this..." Draiko said as he reluctantly readied himself for battle.

"Just shut up and kill the pink-haired woman. It'll be a good test for your Vampire Aspect," Kazuma said.

"Jallah...stay back. We'll handle the rest," I said.

"Yes sir. Understood. I have questions, but I'll ask later," Jallah said meekly.

I activated the chains from Justice and Isabella changed Honor into a battle-ax.

Kazuma changed his form and grabbed me with his psychokinesis. He tried to rush me, but Isabella had already placed a barrier over me.

I threw my chains at Kazuma and swung him through the wall of the building. At the same time, Draiko became cloaked in a shadowy mist. He bared his fangs and bat wings sprouted from his back.

Unfortunately, he didn't seem to comprehend that Isabella was the worst possible match for him.

She shot forward and hit him with Honor.

Hard.

He immediately lost the arm that he used to block and was launched far through the back of the building.

"Isabella, stay close to me. Let's go after Kazuma!"

She nodded and the two of us jumped through the hole that Kazuma made.

Well...the one I made using Kazuma...

While in mid-air, I felt Kazuma's power grip me and I was flung hard into the ground. If not for Isabella's barriers, that would have probably broken a few bones.

I needed a way to get rid of that troublesome power if I was to fight him directly.

He grabbed me again and I shot through the air towards him. I used the force to thrust Justice at his hand.

There was a loud clash as my sword impacted his claws. I saw the armor on his hand shatter and I wrapped my chains around his neck.

He teleported out and tried to strike me from behind. I dodged it using magic and he kept slashing at me.

I dropped myself to the ground and Kazuma followed.

"HOW ARE YOU SO FAST NOW!?" Kazuma shouted.

I'm an Enforcer! Shouldn't that be obvious!?

Draiko returned and now Isabella was dealing with him nearby. At the same time, Jallah jumped out of the building and landed lightly on the ground.

"BLOOD PRICE!" I shouted.

Justice was cloaked in a red aura and I flashed around Kazuma striking rapidly.

He exploded into hellfire and tried to stab me in the throat with his claws. I dodged them with ease and cut his hand off.

He flew into the air and stayed for a moment, clutching his arm.

"How...how did garbage like you awaken two Ultra Aspects!?" He said angrily.

As he spoke...the ground shook violently.

Isabella had changed the size of her ax and created a massive crater.

I knew she was holding back with that thing at the moment.

If she wanted to, she could have knocked down the entire tower.

Which gave me an idea...

Before I could contact Isabella, Kazuma grabbed me again. This time, I was ready.

I reversed the energy of the psychokinesis and slammed Kazuma into the ground.

Then I activated Guillotine.

Justice glowed brightly and a massive flat blade on a chain appeared in the air. It shot down at Kazuma and he barely dodged it in time. He leaped back over to me after his hand regenerated and slashed at me with his burning claws.

I responded by dodging and cutting his arms off. Then I threw my chains around him and forced him to the ground.

"WHERE IS MY SWORD, YOU DAMN DEMON!?" I yelled angrily.

"Tch...Novak has it...! You'll never see it again!" Kazuma growled.

"Fine. Have it your way," I said.

I pulled him to me and grabbed him by the throat with my free hand.

Then I punched him across the face hard enough to send him back several feet.

"THAT'S FOR HITTING ON MY WIFE RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME, YOU ASSHOLE!!!" I roared.

Kazuma laid on the ground and glared at me. His arms were already regenerating, so I had to be quick.

I contacted Isabella. It was time to escape.

"Isabella! Knock down the tower! Shield us and bring it down!"

"Of course, love! My pleasure!"

"LET'S BRING IT ALL DOWN!!! GIGA CRASH!!!" Isabella shouted gleefully.

Isabella smiled and raised her ax. It increased in size and she slammed it into the side of the tower, creating a shockwave as it hit the ground and foundation. The resulting tremor ruptured the ground and caused the tower to collapse...along with several other buildings in the area.

Kazuma's eyes went wide and so did Draiko's and Jallah's. I jumped over to Isabella and Jallah ran over to us as the building fell on everyone.

After it had collapsed, I decided to clear the rubble with a bit of magic.

And by that, I created an exploding tornado of fire to clear the area.

Once the debris was clear, I could see a badly-wounded Kazuma clutching an unconscious Draiko by his remaining arm and flying in the air.

I smiled at him as I began swirling my chains around Justice. I raised it into the air and they flared out powerfully.

"RIGHTEOUS EXECUTION!!!" I shouted.

Several guillotine blades fired at him as well and he was skewered in mid air.

His limbs and wings were cut off and several chains went through his torso.

However, before I could actually kill him, he disappeared and landed on the ground nearby.

Another man was standing there.

"That was a close one... You nearly killed my greatest soldier," the man said.

"Hey, Tyranus? Or is it Mizik? I don't know... We really need to leave right now," Jallah said.

Thank you for remembering my name.

"No, I don't think I'll be allowing that. You've caused far too much damage to my beautiful city."

The man was wearing a black suit lined with gold. His hair was neat and pure white. His eyes blazed with bright blue flames and at their center of his pupils, a golden light shined.

"Ah, where are my manners? I am Novak, Avalon god of Domination."

Novak reached his hand out and healed Kazuma and Draiko.

At once, they both bowed down to Novak. After that, they stood and readied themselves for further battle.

"Novak? You're really Novak?" I asked.

"Yes. Did you think I wouldn't come here after you destroyed my Abyss Engine and knocked down a few buildings? Do you have any idea how much damage you've caused?" Novak said.

"I don't really care, Novak. You're a bastard and Iris already has claim to this world," I said.

"Listen to you spouting such heroic nonsense... Iris is weak and could barely hold onto this world before I came along. Don't you know that weakness is an unforgivable sin? Power is everything, you fool. Why...where would you be without it? You'd be dead. That's what."

"Novak, the Abyss Engine is no more. Cut your losses and leave while you still can," Isabella said.

"I think not. Since my Overlords can't seem to do the job, I'll just execute you myself!"

Novak raised his hand and a flaming whip appeared in it.

There was a tremendous amount of power radiating from him.

A moment later, there was a flash and Iris stood in front of us.

"Oh, thank goodness I arrived when I did! You really should learn to play by the rules, Novak," Iris said.

"Me? Play by the rules? Aren't you the one that teleported your Enforcers halfway across the damn world using your supreme form while still in transit? I heard about your trial. Sounds like the Creator was just being merciful as usual," Novak said angrily.

"But I didn't kill anyone, did I? Unlike your damn demon! The laboratory in Olan had a lot of innocents in it. And let's not even BEGIN to talk about the collateral damage caused by Elizabeth. How many people do you think got cancer from being in close proximity to her? And also, here you are about to massacre my beloved Enforcers because...oh...they knocked down a few little buildings and broke your new toy...boo hoo!" Iris said mockingly.

"How does someone so insufferable bear the title of goddess of balance? Oh, that's right! Your body is in perfect balance! Right down to that wall you call a chest!" Novak said angrily.

Iris narrowed her eyes and just stared expressionless.

"Really? Resorting to that? You know what? I'd get angry, but I'm more in the mood to celebrate. This is our victory, Novak. And it's a decisive victory. The decisive victory! Our win today means the beginning of the end of this stupid war you started. I'll give you one warning: leave Ignitus and never return! If you don't, my Enforcers will raze this country to the ground and slaughter every last one of your pathetic Overlords! "

"I will fight to the death, if necessary. You won't have me, Iris. Ignitus is mine and you'll have to pry it from my cold, dead hands!" Novak growled.

"So be it. Then the die is cast. Don't say that I didn't warn you, Novak," Iris said coldly.

She backed away from Novak and stood between the three of us.

"Mizik, Isabella, and Jallah. We're leaving."

She snapped her fingers and we were surrounded by bright light.

A moment later, we were back on the Hammerhead.

"Ah, Lady Iris. And you've brought those two. And...a-and..." Leiso stammered as she laid eyes on Jallah.

"Hey, Leiso! How's it going?" Jallah said with a cheerful smile.

Leiso ran over and punched him.

"YOU DAMN IDIOT! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING GOING TO NEXUS ALL ALONE!? WHAT DID YOU THINK WOULD HAPPEN!?" Leiso screamed.

Jallah rubbed his face and slowly stood up.

I saw tears in Leiso's eyes as she looked at him.

"You were...one of the best we ever had...and you almost got yourself killed...you idiot... How are you even standing here!?!?" Leiso said.

"That's a hell of a question... Hey Alice...or Isabella? Can you heal my face?" Jallah said cheerfully.

Isabella healed his face and then the hatch leading to this room flew open.

Rune was standing there with a look of desperation.

She dropped to her knees as soon as her eyes met Jallah's

His expression turned soft and he slowly approached her.

"Hey, Rune...it's been a while, hasn't it?" He said.

"J...Jallah...? Is that really you...?" Rune said as she trembled.

"Don't worry Rune, I'm real. You can trust it," Jallah said as he placed a hand gently on Rune's tear soaked cheek.

"JALLAHHHHH!!!" Rune wailed as she held onto him tightly. She continued crying as he gently stroked her hair.

"It's okay, Rune. I'm not going anywhere now. I'm going to stay right here with you. You don't have to let go of me ever again," He said with a warm smile.

I felt Isabella reach out and take hold of my hand. She had tears in her eyes and held me close to her.

"I'll leave you two alone for a while. But later Jallah, I have a lot of questions for you. I'm sure you're wondering about them as well," Iris said.

She walked towards the door and motioned for us to follow. Leiso came with us and after the door closed, I could still hear Rune weeping.

"So the Abyss Engine was powered by energy stolen from Jallah, it seems... Interesting..." Iris muttered.

"Do you think they can get it rebuilt?" I asked.

"Hmm...I'd like Carlos' opinion on it, but personally, I would doubt it."

"Then when do we begin the assault?" I asked.

"I haven't decided yet. We have to call a meeting of the other Enforcers first. After all...this is a time to celebrate. One of the greatest Enforcers to ever live has returned to us. Jallah O'Brien...the Thunderfist..."

"Do you think he's going to want his job back from Gavin?" Isabella asked.

"I think it's more likely that Gavin will simply give it to him without being asked. He and Jallah were good friends, you see... Well...to be honest, Jallah was beloved by everyone. You've done us a truly great service, Mizik and Isabella. Thank you."

I could see Iris trying to hide the tears in her eyes as she spoke.

"Happy to help. You've given us some pretty amazing powers, Iris," I said with a smile.

"They are amazing, aren't they? And hey...since Jallah was seat 3..."

"I will happily take seat 7. I'm sure Mizik doesn't mind taking seat 8, right?" Isabella said as she looked over at me.

"Not at all. It's just a number, so I don't care."

"Awesome! Hyaaa!!! I'm so excited!!! I have eight Enforcers!!!" Iris squealed.

"Lady Iris...?" Leiso said.

"Oh! Sorry, Leiso! If you don't mind, tell your men to bring the Hammerhead home. I need to call a meeting together for everyone immediately," Iris said.

"Yes, Lady Iris."

And just like that, Leiso was gone.

This had been one hell of a day. But now that it was over, I felt like I badly needed to rest. I could see Isabella yawn out of the corner of my eye.

"Don't worry, you can rest at HQ. As soon as Leiso gets back, I'll transport everyone."

And after she got back, Iris contacted Jallah and transported all of us to Torantis.