High above the burning estate, the air grew thin and cold. Vanderznak hovered with powerful beats of his wings and held Zareth dangling before him like a mouse caught in the talons of an owl.
"Now, where were we?"
Vanderznak leaned in close. His golden eye dilated as he inspected the black scales creeping up Zareth's neck.
"Incredible. Despite the added dosage, you are still able to maintain the suppression. I never knew Priests were this resilient. Maybe I have to procure more Priest specimens for future experimentation."
Zareth spat a mouthful of blood onto Vanderznak's face. He muttered a curse that was lost in the wind.
Vanderznak wiped the spit away with a growl. "What was that?"
Zareth lifted his head. His human eye burned with defiance while the mutated one remained a void of black oil. "You talk as if you are going to live through the night."
"Oh? And who is going to stop me? Certainly not a crippled Priest."
Vanderznak scoffed and shifted his gaze downward. Through the smoke and flames, he spotted the Preservation Wing and the small figures scrambling near the drain. His eye locked onto Laviss, or more specifically, the boy she carried.
"I've enjoyed my time with you, but I'm starting to get bored. Besides, I've located the most important variable in my plans down there. Simply put, you've outlived your usefulness, Priest."
He tightened his grip on Zareth's torso.
"Now succumb to eternal slumber!"
With a grunt of exertion, Vanderznak tossed Zareth high into the night sky. He then crossed his wings and slashed them outward.
SWISH! SWISH!
Two massive, crescent-shaped air blades materialized from the force of the swing. They screamed through the air and crisscrossed toward their target to bisect him.
"AARGH!"
Zareth roared as the pain of the mutagen spiked in his chest. He watched death approaching in the form of compressed wind.
'Screw it! I don't care if I become a monster. I can't die here!'
His determination surged. It acted as a spark for his dormant power.
"Pons…"
Just as the blades were about to sever his body, his toenails ignited with a brilliant flash of blue fire.
BOOM!
Zareth kicked the empty air. The explosion propelled him sideways and he dodged the lethal cross-slash by inches.
Vanderznak watched the evasion with shock that quickly turned to annoyance. "You are clinging to life like a cockroach, aren't you! When will you…"
He folded his wings and rocketed toward Zareth. He raised a massive claw to crush the Priest's skull.
"Stop defying me!"
Zareth didn't have time to counter. He raised his heavy, mutated left arm to block.
WHAM!
The impact was meteoric. Zareth blasted out of the sky and crashed onto the slate roof of a nearby manor. Tiles shattered and wood splintered under his back.
Before he could recover, a heavy purple foot stomped onto his chest.
CRACK!
Ribs gave way. Zareth coughed a spray of blood that painted Vanderznak's shin.
"Die!" Vanderznak pushed down, intending to crush the heart.
Zareth's hand shot out. He grabbed Vanderznak's ankle with a grip born of desperation.
"I told you before," Zareth wheezed as blood bubbled between his teeth. "You won't live to see the dawn, you bastard!"
He squeezed. His Gospel amplified his grip strength tenfold.
SNAP!
The tibia in Vanderznak's left leg shattered.
"SCREEEE!"
Vanderznak shrieked in agony. In retaliation, he flared both wings and brought them slamming down to flatten Zareth into paste.
Zareth saw the wall of flesh descending. He curled his legs inward.
"Infernal Ongle!"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
He fired his toenails like high-caliber bullets. The explosive projectiles struck the sensitive membrane of the wings and detonated on contact.
Vanderznak recoiled and stumbled back. Smoke poured from gaping holes in his once-glorious wings. He flapped them frantically to test their integrity. He stayed aloft, but his flight was jagged and rough.
"Damn you, Priest! You've wounded my perfection!"
Zareth rolled to his feet. He swayed, dizzy from blood loss.
"Count yourself lucky. You live to breathe another minute."
He glared at his prey, but internally, his monologue was grim.
'This bastard. If I wasn't so distracted with suppressing this mutation, Infernal Ongle could have blasted him open. I can't afford to extend my Gospel in combat like this. I can already feel my heart tearing apart. I must persevere until I kill that madman.'
Zareth looked to his right. An ornamental iron spike decorated the roof's ridge. He grabbed it with his human hand and wrenched it free with a grunt.
CREAK-SNAP!
In his grip, the heavy iron decoration looked like a crude mace.
Zareth kicked the roof tiles. Fire erupted from his feet and launched him forward.
Vanderznak saw the blur coming. He tried to ascend, but his damaged leg and perforated wings slowed him down.
Zareth cocked his arm back. He didn't swing the mace; he threw the sharp, broken end like a javelin.
THUNK!
The iron spike buried itself in Vanderznak's chest.
"GAAAH!"
Vanderznak's altitude dropped. Zareth collided with him in mid-air. He grabbed the scientist by the throat with his mutated arm and drove him downward.
CRASH!
He slammed Vanderznak against the rooftop. He didn't stop there. He dragged the scientist's face across the slate tiles and shredded purple skin before he tossed him toward the tallest building in the compound; Carl Blackthorn's private quarters.
SMASH!
Vanderznak hit the wall and stuck there for a moment, embedded in the brickwork.
Zareth kicked the air again. He soared across the gap and punched Vanderznak through the masonry. They tumbled into the lavish interior of the tower.
Inside, Zareth was a demon on the hunt. He landed on a Persian rug and advanced on the groaning scientist. He raised his mutated fist to deliver the final blow.
Thump-thump.
His heart skipped a beat. Then it stopped.
"Guh…!"
Zareth grabbed his chest and fell to his knees. The strain of using the Gospel while fighting off the mutagen was too much. His vision swam in a sea of red static.
Vanderznak pulled himself from the rubble of a bookshelf. He saw the Priest falter. A cruel, bloody smile stretched his mouth.
"Kuhahaha! Look at you! Your body rejects your ambition!"
He bolted toward the kneeling Priest.
Zareth tried to raise his guard, but his limbs were heavy as lead.
Vanderznak's massive palm clamped over Zareth's entire head.
"Let's go for a ride!"
He launched them both through the window. Glass shattered outward as they plummeted toward the central courtyard.
Vanderznak nosedived. He accelerated with gravity and used Zareth's body as a battering ram.
KABOOOOOOOM!
They slammed into the cobblestones. The impact created a massive crater and sent a shockwave of dust and debris rolling across the estate. The explosion of earth and stone scared away the nearby henchmen, who scrambled for cover.
"This… this is a different scale entirely!" one henchman yelled as he dove behind a fountain.
Near the stables, a carriage burst forth.
"Go! Go! Whip them!"
Carl Blackthorn screamed at his driver. He had just witnessed the monster crash into the ground mere yards away. The sight of Vanderznak; giant, purple, and radiating death, nearly stopped his heart.
"Move faster!"
The driver lashed the horses. They galloped toward the main gate in a frenzy while Carl cowered on the floorboards of his luxury escape vehicle.
…
Near the Preservation Wing, the shockwave rattled the teeth of Wenamor and his group.
The henchmen who had been closing in on them faltered. They stared at the cloud of dust rising from the courtyard. The sheer violence of the battle between Zareth and Vanderznak had drawn their attention.
Wenamor shouted, "Now is our chance! While they are distracted!"
"Keep firing!"
Jerrick unleashed another burst of flame to keep the confused goons at bay. "We have some breathing room, but it won't last!"
Laviss ejected a spent casing from her rifle. She wiped sweat from her eyes.
"We need to get the rest of the children inside! Move them!"
She turned to help guide a straggler, but as she twisted her torso, she paused.
Her back felt light.
"The boy…"
She reached behind her. Her hand grasped only empty air and the loose straps of the rope.
"He's gone!"
Panic flared in her chest. She spun around and scanned the chaotic scene of shadows and firelight.
"When did he…? I didn't even feel him slip the knot!"
She looked toward the tunnel, toward the burning generator, toward the crater where the monsters fought. The boy was nowhere to be seen.
"Laviss! What are you doing?" Wenamor called out. He grabbed a child and pulled him toward safety. "Don't stray!"
"The boy is gone!" Laviss shouted back. "I have to find him! He might be in danger!"
"We cannot search for him now!" Wenamor's voice was desperate. "If we break formation, we all die! The henchmen are regrouping!"
Laviss gripped her rifle. She looked into the dark corners of the estate, torn between her duty to the many and her fear for the one.
"Damn it!"
Reluctantly, she turned back to the tunnel entrance. She knew Wenamor was right, but the knot in her stomach tightened. She had a feeling the boy wasn't lost. He was hunting.