Chapter 8

The air in the cave was thick with anticipation, heavy enough to choke. I sat on a smooth slab of stone near the entrance, Kovu resting across my knees. My thoughts where running fast, what I would do, what I needed to do to get us out of here. I know I planned to fight Azazel but would I have a better chance now than when I first fought Butchex?

Lilith sat near the fire, her eyes weresharp, as they stared into the flames. Beside her, Eve fidgeted, casting nervous glances toward the entrance, she wore a similar outfit to Lilith though more modest and not ripped. We had each been eating the fruits from the two trees, though they'd each managed only one fruit from each tree, their bodies unable to handle more. 

As for me, I had consumed my 10 baskets of fruit easily. Every last peach and apple from those cursed trees. I had Raphael store the remaining 20 baskets for a latter use.

"Are you ready?" Lilith asked, her voice low but steady.

I met her gaze, the flickering firelight reflecting in her crimson eyes. "As ready as I'll ever be."

She nodded, but her lips pressed into a thin line. "Do be careful, I do not want to loose you."

"I know," I said, gripping Kovu's hilt tightly. "But do not worry, I will win. I know it."

It wasn't long before he came.

The air outside the cave crackled, a strange, oppressive energy washing over us. Eve gasped, clutching Lilith's arm. I stood, hefting Kovu onto my shoulder as I moved toward the entrance.

A blinding light filled the clearing outside, forcing me to shield my eyes. When it faded, there he was.

Azazel.

He was stunning in the way that only something otherworldly could be. His armor gleamed like molten gold, etched with symbols that seemed to shift and writhe when I looked too closely. His wings—four of them—spread wide behind him, glowing faintly. His face was sharp, angular, and impossibly perfect, but his eyes… his eyes burned with cold contempt.

"Adam," he said, his voice a deep, resonant boom that seemed to echo in my very bones. "And you must be Lilith. The traitor, the Almighty sent me to remove." His gaze slid to Eve, who cowered behind Lilith. "And you must be the future mother of humanity."

"Azazel," I said, stepping forward. Kovu's blade glinted in the light spilling from his wings. "Plans changed, we are leaving the garden. All three of us, either you let us all go or I will stop you myself."

His eyes narrowed at the weapon, a flicker of unease breaking through his arrogance. "That sword," he said slowly, "where did you get it?"

I smirked, raising it slightly. "It was a gift. You'll get to see it closely soon enough."

He scoffed, his wings flaring as he turned his attention back to Lilith. "You will come with me, Lilith. The Lord has decreed it. Your place is not here, playing house with these mortals."

"She's not going anywhere," I said, stepping fully in front of her.

Azazel's laughter was sharp and cruel. "You think to stop me, mortal? You are nothing but dust and blood. I am an archangel, the wrath of Heaven made flesh."

"And yet," I said, leveling Kovu at him, "you seemed to be scared of this sword."

His jaw tightened, and for a moment, I saw it. Fear. He masked it quickly, drawing his own weapon—a sword that seemed forged from pure light, humming with divine energy.

"Scared?" he sneered. "Hardly. I simply pity you for thinking that… thing will save you."

"Only one way to find out," I said, planting my feet and raising Kovu in a ready stance.

Azazel tilted his head, studying me. Then he grinned, a predatory flash of perfect teeth. "Very well, Adam. I'll humor you. When I'm done, perhaps I'll take your sword as a trophy."

I smirked back. "When I'm done, you won't be alive to take anything ever again."

Azazel moved like a hurricane, his wings cutting through the air with a force that made the earth tremble. He loomed above me, his glowing sword raised high. I gripped Kovu tightly, the greatsword thrumming in my hands, its dark aura swirling around me.

Azazel toward me, a streak of golden light. I barely had time to bring Kovu up, the clash of our blades sending a shockwave that tore through the ground beneath us. Sparks flew as his holy sword pressed against mine, the glow of his weapon clashing violently with Kovu's.

"How does it feel, Azazel?" I growled through gritted teeth, forcing him back a step. "To be hend back by a mortal?"

His eyes narrowed, his wings flaring as he leapt into the air, putting distance between us. He raised his free hand, and a sphere of pure light formed above his palm, radiating an unbearable heat.

"You will burn, mortal!"

He hurled the sphere, a miniature sun that tore through the air toward me. I ran forward, the ground cracking beneath my feet, and transformed mid-stride. My body rippled, shrinking and reshaping until I became a black panther. I darted to the side just as the sphere exploded, the blast throwing up a wave of fire and rubble.

From the smoke, I leapt at him, transforming mid-air into an falcon. My talons slashed at his armor as I soared past, forcing him to whirl around, momentarily off balance.

"You're quick," he admitted, his voice colder now, "but speed will not save you."

He spread his wings wide, golden feathers dislodging and hovering in the air around him. With a sharp gesture, they shot toward me like a barrage of arrows.

I shifted again, my falcon form twisting into that of a serpent, my body elongating and coiling low to the ground. The feathers whizzed past, embedding themselves in the earth and exploding in bursts of light as I launched upwards and coiled around his arm ausing him to start punching himself.

"Why you hitting yourself? Why you hitting yourself? Why you hitting yourself? Why you-" Azazel managed to grab me and throw me off him as I spun through the air I transformed into a triceratops and landed on the ground before charging and thrusting my horns up and throwing him into a nearby tree.

Rising back to my human form, I extended my free hand, and transformed some light into spear and threw it at Azazel puncturing one of his wings.

Azazel vomited some blood. "Light manipulation?" he hissed. "You dare to wield the power of Heaven?!"

"Why not?" I said, grinning as the barrier dispersed. "Your buddy Butchex wasn't using it anymore."

Azazel's roar was primal, his wings beating furiously as he charged again, his blade glowing brighter than ever. He came at me with everything he had, a whirlwind of divine fury, his strikes fast and relentless. I parried each blow, Kovu meeting his sword with a clash that shook the air.

"Do you feel it, Azazel?" I taunted between blows. "That little twinge of fear? That realization that maybe—just maybe—you might just die?"

His face twisted in rage, and he slammed his sword into the ground, creating a shockwave that sent me flying. I hit the dirt hard, coughing as dust filled my lungs.

Azazel stood over me, his sword raised, glowing with an intensity that made my eyes water. "This ends now, Adam!"

I smirked, blood trickling from the corner of my mouth. "Not yet."

Before he could strike, I transformed again, my body exploding into the form of a tiger. My claws raked across his chest, shredding the golden plates of his armor and sending him stumbling backward.

"You insolent worm!" he bellowed, golden blood dripping from the gashes.

I roared, leaping at him, only to shift mid-air into a rhinoceros. My massive horn struck his shield, shattering it like glass. The impact sent him sprawling, and I shifted back to human form, Kovu in hand, ready to finish the job.

Azazel staggered to his feet, his wings battered and uneven. His divine glow had dimmed, his movements slower, more desperate.

"You… you cannot defeat me," he rasped, his voice shaking.

"Watch me," I said, gripping Kovu with both hands.

He raised his sword one last time, pouring all his remaining strength into a final strike. His blade descended like a meteor, a column of light trailing behind it.

I met him head-on, Kovu clashing with his sword in a blinding explosion of light and darkness. For a moment, everything froze, the two of us locked in place, our weapons grinding against each other.

And then Kovu roared.

The greatsword's aura surged, swallowing Azazel's divine light. His sword shattered in his hands, and he screamed as Kovu's blade sank deep into his chest.

Golden blood poured from the wound, and Kovu drank it eagerly, its dark aura pulsing with newfound strength. Azazel fell to his knees, his wings crumpling around him like broken glass.

"You… cannot… win," he whispered, his voice fading.

"I already have," I said coldly.

With one final swing, I severed his head from his body.

As his lifeless form crumpled to the ground, I raised my hand, the shadows around me stirring. "Predator," I whispered.

The darkness obeyed, surging forward to consume Azazel's body. His golden blood, his broken wings, his very body—all of it disappeared into the void.

When it was over, nothing remained.

I stood there for a moment, Kovu resting against my shoulder, its blade now glowing faintly with an unsettling mix of gold and black. The power in the air had shifted.

Turning back toward the cave, I found Lilith and Eve standing at the entrance, their faces pale with a mix of awe and fear.

"Alright," I said, wiping blood from my face. "Who's ready to get out of this prison?"