A golden bus began to arrive at the main parking lot of the campus, the seats filled with special allies called by Claudio. Inside, a man with long single braid dressed in dark robes stared out the window, noticing a few skirmishes going on within the campus.
"Ahh, it seems they couldn't wait. Who exactly is our target? What's his name, Nox Winters or something like that?" The man asked, glancing over at the seat next to him with a grin.
The woman dressed in a hot pink body hugging kimono sitting adjacent from the man stared at herself in the mirror, applying on make up and fixing the shoulders of her kimono. "His real name is Nox Exzodia, and apparently he's the Messiah, but he's one proclaiming to not only be Ascea, but doing the same thing Yesha did long ago.."
The woman in the seat behind the hot pink seductress leaned over the seat with curiosity, gasping softly in shock. "Yesha? Why are you mentioning that guy's name? Wait, how did you hear about it?"
"How did you?" The woman in hot pink asked sassily, glancing back at her ally then went back to applying on her beauty products. "Anyways... apparently from what Claudio told me, Nox may be the true Reincarnation of Yesha. In other words, he may be the real Ascea."
"What a bunch of blasphemy. To say he may be the Son of God? He's nothing more than a Messiah Class Hero just like August Eyica was. Ascea isn't real, and Yesha died long ago rightfully," The man clad in light black armor proclaimed in the back, looking up at the others with his arms crossed.
"Either way, we're getting a hefty amount of money for this. However, looking back at the data sent to us by Leonidas from over the days...it might not be a stretch to see why people believe he's Ascea," The robed man said, looking at his phone at the videos of my various battles across the campus.
"Near identical moveset to Yesha, but then again...he could have just done his research and trained for it," The man said, standing up from his seat with a smirk.
"Iscariot, you aren't nearly as strong enough to deal with Nox as you think you are. Besides, you know Peter goes to this campus," The armored man said, looking up at the robed man with caution.
"He's right, y'know Judas... you're thinking of taking on a Messiah, someone Peter is aligned with. Ahh geez, you're probably after Peter himself aren't you? You're still on what happened between you and Ava? Is that why you came here with us?" The woman sitting behind the seductress probed, pointing at Judas with accusation.
Judas rolled his eyes at the woman as he made his way off the bus, rolling his shoulders as soon as his feet touched the ground. "It's deeper than that, you imbeciles... I'm being sure to get all the information I need on this new Messiah, so the mistake my ancestor made... can't happen again."
"You know that plan is even more stupid right?" The hot pink seductress asked, chuckling softly to herself as she watched Judas walk away from the bus. "And he calls us imbeciles...hmph."
The campus was filled with battles between my Council and the Holy Resistance Heroes, both sides clashing and the V.J.I Council holding the line for me to make my way to the Tree of Life. My 13 butterflies were used to summon Spirit Heroes to assist the council, evening out the playing wield at the cost of my ability to freely warp around.
Peter ran through a group of Rouges, striking each of them down with vicious spins of his spear while Ava teleported around, striking down any scattering Heroes that flanked their side. Andrew stuck close to Peter, using his staff to grant continuous healing to his brother.
Once the chaos began to slow down for the three of them at the Sagittarius Department, Peter finally caught his breath and looked around, noticing my Spirits helping in taking down Leonidas's forces. "Man, it's really getting chaotic now..."
"Right, and yet there's still no sign of the main group. Claudio, Leonidas, Reinhart, and Delilah are missing," Ava said, glancing around the area on high alert for any hidden strikes.
"Delilah is said to be with Chester and Queen under strict watch, Reinhart and the others...I'm not too sure about. Either way, we should focus on making sure to clear everyone one," Peter said, turning over to Ava with a determined smile.
Ava looked at Peter with a smile then glanced past him after noticing a purple flash, gasping loudly as she noticed a purple bolt of lightning headed toward Peter's back. She rushed forward with a tackle, saving him from the piercing bolt of dark energy.
Ava sat up and glanced up quickly, her eyes widening as she noticed Judas approaching then the let out a panicked scream, falling back on the ground and scooted away quickly. "J-Judas!?"
Judas smirked as he approached then stopped in front of the trio, his gaze strolling between Andrew, Peter, then Ava last. "It's been years since we last met...since all of us...were together as one. All those years ago, you did something to me that was unforgettable, Ava.."
Peter stood up onto his feet and turned to face Judas with a stern expression, ethereal blue energy flashing around his body with hidden fury. "Ava did nothing to you, Judas. All she did was choose me over a traitor like you."
Judas glanced at Peter and scoffed at him with a smirk, walking toward him and shoving him back. "Is that all you see the Iscariot Family as? Just a bloodline of traitors?"
Peter stared Judas up and down then smirked at him back, scoffing lightly as well and dusted himself off. "Your ancestor betrayed Yesha for 30 copper, even less if he could! It was never about the money with your blood...you all deny it, and you still do. Your bloodline is cursed by The Devil, and because your ancestor died unrepentant, your line is cursed by God as well.."
Judas's eye twitched with slight annoyance at Peter's comment, purple lightning crackling around his body as he began to lightly chuckle. He threw an impulsive strike, the strike surprising Peter and connecting to his jaw. As Peter was recovering, he struck him with a knee to the gut then blasted him away with purple lightning.
"You think you have me a figured out huh..? You read the Four Gospels of Old Covenant in The Chronicles and think you have my story all figured out!" Judas roared, dashing after Peter then propelled himself toward him with another strike.
Peter recovered just in time to catch Judas's fist, grunting softly as he slid back slightly behind the force of Judas's strike. "My ancestor...the first Simon Peter may have denied Yesha three times, but he was repentant! I denied Nox was Lord as well myself when I first met him...then it became clear. I didn't look at August, I looked at Yesha Himself!"
Peter knocked Judas away with a powerful pulse of his aura, the Mark of God manifesting upon his right hand and his spear transforming into his Polaris Rod. "That was the proof I needed to know that Ascea is real! Yesha became the Nexus after His sacrifice, and through many incarnations, Henosis, August, Misaki, Ryoma, Hisumi, then August one last time..."
"He chose Nox, that's why their origins are identical! Nox is the Son of God, Ascea!"
Judas scoffed at Peter's remark and summoned a black bident shaped in the form of a bolt of lightning then got into his stance. "Your resolve and conviction is as strong as Simon's...but in this generation, this lifetime...I'll be sure to do what the First Iscariot couldn't."
Peter and Judas rushed toward one another, clashing weapons and releasing a powerful pulse of energy around one another. Peter grunted as Judas began to overpower him surprisingly, but he didn't give into the pressure, rolling out of the way of the weight then launched Judas back with a critical spinning kick.
Judas grunted as he went flying through the air, but recovered only to see Peter teleporting in front of him with a powerful kick, driving them both to the ground with heavy impact. Judas stood up slowly and coughed lightly, looking up to see Peter standing strong in front of him.
"There's a glaring difference between us. Our strengths may be near equal physically, but Spiritually...you're weak. That's your curse," Peter said, staring at Judas with pure conviction coursing through his blood.
"Weak..? Oh, I'll show you weak!" Judas roared, manifesting his purple aura around his body and launched himself toward Peter with a surging blow.
Peter tensed his body and released a pulse of ethereal blue energy toward Judas, the energy strong enough to knock him away as if he were caught in a wind storm. "You just don't get it do you? Then again, you never truly understood Yesha's teachings and it shows now."
Judas landed upon one knee then looked up at Peter, panting softly and standing up on his feet. He couldn't deny the true strength of Peter, taken his walk with God was unbreakable, but he knew Peter had to have a weakness. He glanced around the battlefield, his eyes flashing as he hatched a devious plan.
Generating his black bident above his hand, he launched the black bolt down the battlefield, purposely missing Peter to confuse him. Peter glanced behind him quickly, gasping as he noticed the weapon headed straight toward Andrww.
"Andrew!" Peter yelled, teleporting toward his brother and standing guard in front of him, groaning in pain as Judas's weapom pierced his back.
"Peter!" Andrew gasped in horror, looking up at his protector and caught him as he began to fall onto one knee. "Hey, hey, are you okay?!"
Ava rushed over to Peter, falling onto her knees beside him and placing her shaking hands upon his back and shoulder. She glanced over at the weapon, trying to grab it but it immediately seared her hand, the energy rejecting her body. "What the hell is that..?"
"Energy opposite to the aura Nox possesses. Not Rebirth Energy, something darker..." Judas chuckled, approaching the trio with a sadistic grin on his face.
"It's Nether..! How...how did he get that..?" Andrew asked, his voice tinged with fear and discomfort, his gaze shifting between Peter and Ava.
"His bloodline is cursed...as I've said before..! Nether is the opposite of Iridescent Energy or Aether, and—" Peter began, groaning as Judas ripped his weapon from his back, his body falling on its side in searing pain.
"You talk too much, but while I have you down...I can take this chance to finish off the Simon Peter Family with you," Judas said, his smirk widening as he stood over Peter's aching form.
As Judas swung down with murderous force, a dagger intercepted his strike, Andrew grunting heavily under Judas's weight to protect his brother. Judas scoffed at Andrew then kicked him away and turned his attention to him, menacingly walking over Peter to reach Andrew.
"Two fishermen, soon to be lost in the seas of Sheol. I actually liked you Andrew, so it pains me to have to strike you down," Judas said, thrusting his bident toward Andrew.
Quickly, Ava sprang into action to save her future brother in law, grabbing Judas's arm and teleporting forward, using the momentum to toss him forward. Judas grunted as he rolled backwards along the ground then recovered onto his feet with an amused expression.
Judas dashed toward Ava and jabbed his spear toward her twice, but Ava evaded each one and went for a disarming strike, but the Nether properties of his bident repelled her arm. Seeing the opportunity for a counter, Judas landed a flurry of thrusts against her body then knocked her away with a swing of his weapon.
"It didn't have to be like this. Zebedee, John, Matthew, Alphaeus, Thaddeus, Philip, Simon the Zealot...I didn't have to split the Apostles had this Jezebel hadn't come between our brotherhood and what our mission was!" Judas exclaimed, turning around to look at Peter, pointing at Ava with accusation.
Peter scoffed at Judas as he stood up with a light grunt, picking up his Polaris Rod from the ground. "Here you go again, playing the victim like you always do! Don't you get tired of always being on the wrong side of history? Like c'mon man...even your ancestor's reincarnation, Archer...he followed the same damn path and betrayed August!"
"Ava did nothing wrong, it was your jealousy, your envy! What? You're mad that Ava saw past the illusion you tried to sell her?" Peter asked, pointing his weapon at Judas with condemnation.
Judas scoffed at Peter and glanced away from him for a moment, a frustrated smirk forming on his lips as he licked the inside of his jaw. "So you admit Ava committed Adultery? She cheated on me for crying out loud! And not with anyone! She cheated on me with you!"
Ava gripped her robes tightly and lowered her head, the guilt she had forgiven herself for feeling from years ago beginning to resurface. "I'm sorry...but...you were being claimed by Terminus and...I couldn't deal with it anymore."
"Who-o-oa! And here I thought you were collecting information upon the Messiah. Seems like the petty drama tends to be a standard amongst the Apostle Class," The hot pink seductress laughed, watching the chaos from a bench on the sidelines.
"Mua..." Judas groaned, lowering his head and placing his hand upon his hip.
Ava glanced at Mua and Judas, raising an eyebrow and cleared her throat lightly. "You have a girlfriend...and you're still obsessing over me?"
"Oh no! Ah~fufufu!~ I am Claudio's Head Wife, or as you all know it as girlfriend number 1. I'm just an associate of Judas's, please continue the drama. I just love it!" Mua squealed, her pink demon tail wagging with excitement.
"Casanova..? Oh she means that Solomon wannabe," Andrew mumbled, sucking his teeth as he continued to heal Peter with his staff.
Peter looked over at Mua then at Judas, exhaling deeply and looked over at the Tree of Life in the distance. 'Nox, get there safe...I don't know what Leonidas has planned... but it's dangerous.'
------------------
Moon-li blocked a straight kick from the last Monk she was facing off against, moving around the Virgo Courtyard as fast as she could to evade the rapid blows from the Monk. Eun-Song dashed toward the Monk, vaulting over Moon-li as she ducked under the Monk's kick then struck the Monk's face with a kick to his jaw.
The Monk leaped backwards then tightened the blindfolds over his eyes, a pure white energy flowing around his body as he activated his aura. He got into his stance, his body becoming a blur as he rushed in front of Eun-Song with an explosive strike to her face, knocking her across the courtyard into a leafless tree.
"Myong..!" Moon-li grunted then turned toward the Monk, gasping softly as she noticed the Monk approaching her.
The Monk launched a heavy blow to Moon-li's stomach, but she managed to evade the strike then he followed with a roundhouse kick, but she managed to block it as well. "You're faster than I anticipated...that speed is extraordinary for a human like you.."
Moon-li grunted as she barely managed to push the Monk away from her then glanced back at Eun-Song and rushed toward her without thinking of anything else. "Eun-Song! Get up!"
The Monk chuckled at Moon-li's worry for her best friend, cracking his knuckles and rushed toward her at top speeds. "Your alliance with the Dark Lord is what led you to your doom! If only you ran while you had the chance!"
"Eun-Song!" Moon-li screamed out, leaping over Eun-Song's body and guarding her from the Monk's attack.
Just as the Monk launched his strike, the back of a gloved hand blocked the attack, divine flames flaring around the figure. Moon-li looked up slowly, her eyes widening as she noticed Yang-Ru protecting her, tears forming in her eyes.
"The Holy Resistance is the enemy I see. You all still hold on to the Old Laws given to the Eyicans for a short, unique period of time that was meant to mold something greater. I remember you, you're a Monk from Squad V..." Yang-Ru said, pushing the Monk away then summoned her Ruler's Gem, Phlogiston's Gem.
The Monk grunted as he felt Yang Ru's Spirit Energy rapidly growing stronger, the Mark of God appearing upon her shoulder, the Phlogiston's Gem shining a bright red light that twinkled like a star. "Wait... you're...a Ruler? Lieutenant Yang Ru, I wasn't—"
Yang Ru scoffed at the Monk and looked at her Gem as she transformed into her Ruler Form, her hair becoming white with fiery red highlights, her clothing becoming a phoenix qipao dress, Pheonix wings manifesting from her back. "It's too late for the apologies, Rowan. The Infinity Council has spoken..."
"Let all who set foot in this Zone to disrupt sanctification be the first sacrifices to Lord Nox's newborn daughter, Clover the Dark Lord of Nature!" Yang Ru declared, summoning her ancestor's gaunlets, The Immortal Pheonix.
Moon-li gasped as she stared at Yang Ru's divine form, the heat radiating from her body washing over her and Eun-Song with a gentle warmth. She felt calm in the presence of Yang Ru, as if she knew everything would be alright, so she stuck by Eun-Song while she recovered.
"Who would've known...the Infinity Council were hiding within the Holy Resistance," Rowan scoffed, bracing himself for Yang Ru's divine power.
"All 12 of us have been here...our mission is yet complete until we see through to Ascea's Millennium Reign on Earth! The reign Terminus managed to delay by having Ascea reincarnate into August," Yang Ru replied, getting into her stance and placing one hand behind her back while her right arm was exposed.
Rowan dashed toward Yang Ru, launching a swift strike but Yang Ru launched a counter before his could land, the blow launching him away then she propelled herself toward him with a flap of her wings. Rowan recovered with both feet planted on the ground, blocking and evading each of Yang Ru's strikes.
He went back onto the offensive with a flurry of blows, none of his attacks landing true due to Yang Ru's speed. She countered him with a sweep kick then knocked him into the air with a back kick, suspending him in the air and launched him across the courtyard with a Phoenix Drive, her fist driving through his chest with explosive energy.
Rowan groaned heavily as his body bounced and rolled backwards through a wooden table, his back crashing into one of the battle buses. The golden tail kitsune sitting on the roof of the battle bus blew a bubble with her churchwarden then looked down at Rowan with a giggle.
"Yikes, she really gave it to you huh? This is why Claudio said to not prioritize the Virgo Department~ Ahh, you humans never listening to my master, nya..~" The kitsune hummed, going back to blowing bubbles.
"Then why don't you help..?" Rowan groaned softly, standing up with the support of the silver bus next to him and glancing up at the kitsune. "You Love Demons always just watch and never do shit to help. Why does the Holy Resistance even work with you?"
"Because we're Ascended Demons~ Mhm! Ascended Demons possess Holy Aura so we can bypass the strict rules they have placed, plus Claudio has a very good relationship with one of the highest officials!~" The kitsune answered then hopped off the roof of the bus and wagged her tail.
"I guess I can go out there and show you how it's done! Lucky Love Demom powers awaken! Miss Fortune is on the prowl!" The kitsune roared, dashing toward the courtyard with high energy and leaped toward Yang Ru with her claws extracted. "Kitsune Crush!"
Yang Ru effortlessly evaded Fortune's swipe with a twirling duck, striking Fortune with a powerful back fist upon her stomach and blowing her back with spiritual force. Fortune groaned in deep pain as she was knocked away like paperweight, her body falling on the ground on her side, her hands clutching her stomach.
Moon-li blinked at Fortune then looked back up at Yang Ru with a raised brow. She looked back down at Fortune, noticing she was missing then gasped and quickly looked around. "Miss Yang Ru, she's missing!"
Yang Ru exhaled softly through her nose as she closed her eyes, using her Spirit Sense to scan the area of Fortune's Spirit. Once finding it, she pivoted around into a swift roundhouse kick, forcing Fortune to become visible to dodge her attack.
"Whoa!!" Fortune exclaimed as she leaned back to dodge Yang Ru's kick then she leaped backwards and summoned three talismans, launching all three toward her in a panic.
Yang Ru caught all three then used her flames to burn all three into ashes before they could activate, scoffing at Fortune and crossing her arms. "You're a lot weaker than your ancestor. Aren't every generation of Love Demons supposed to be stronger than their predecessors?"
Fortune cleared her throat and rubbed the back of her head, glancing back at her single tail and looked back at Yang Ru. "Well...I am Mammon's granddaughter so I am supposed to be Lucky and Fortunate as it says in my name. But...I am less fortunate than most."
'A one tailed Kitsune Love Demon..? Yeah, she's Jinxed and she doesn't even know it. Speaks about how low Claudio's bond is with Fortune...' Yang Ru said mentally then turned back around to the Tree of Life behind her.
"If you're worried about the Tree of Life, you shouldn't be too worried since I saw Nox take a detour. He's not there yet," Fortune said, going back to blowing bubbles with her churchwarden, losing interest in a defeated battle she ran into.
"What? Where is he then..?" Yang Ru asked, looking over at Fortune with revelation.
Fortune shrugged her shoulders, not knowing where I went herself. Yang Ru knew she wasn't going to get any information from Fortune, so she just gathered Moon-li and Eun-Song, taking them to the unharmed Dormitories so they could rest.