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Chapter 37: The Battle at the Heart of Plaridel
The night in Plaridel was shrouded in chaos, like waves crashing against the shores of a dying town. City hall had become a battlefield, where the rebels of *Anak ng Bulakan*—known as *Bagwis*—fought with unyielding courage against General Vicente Salazar's forces. The sounds of gunfire, shouts, and the pounding footsteps of warriors echoed through the darkness, while flames and smoke from destroyed police vehicles clouded the air.
At the heart of the battle, Gilo, the sugo of Malolos, stood defiantly before five towering monsters forged from red crystal. They glowed with crackling electricity, their crimson eyes blazing, their movements swift and terrifying. Each was like a living statue, unshaken by the rebels' relentless attacks.
"Gilo, fall back!" shouted Diego, one of the *Bagwis* leaders, as he slashed at a crystal monster with his machete. But the blade merely glanced off its diamond-hard surface, as if striking an unyielding wall. "We can't take these things down!"
"We won't surrender!" Gilo roared, his voice brimming with fury and resolve. His body erupted in white flames, forming dragon-like wings and a tail that blazed around him. This white fire was no ordinary flame—it didn't burn like natural fire, but those engulfed by it would gradually turn to stone over hours, depending on their exposure. The fire also fortified Gilo and his comrades, granting them resilience, but at a cost: it drained the user's energy, weakening them over time.
"Give me space!" Gilo commanded his men. With a sweep of his hand, he unleashed a powerful surge of white fire, striking the first crystal monster. "Take that!" he shouted. The creature staggered, its body enveloped in the white flames, but instead of crumbling, the crystal flared with brighter electricity, as if resisting the attack. Within seconds, the fire dissipated, and the monster stood unscathed.
"Impossible!" Gilo whispered, his eyes widening in shock. He tried again, summoning his energy and unleashing an even stronger wave of white fire. "Let's see you handle this, monsters!" The flames engulfed two of the creatures, and for a moment, they seemed to falter, cracks forming across their bodies. "Now you're done!" Gilo bellowed, charging forward and slamming his fist into one of the monsters. His punch landed with force, but the crystal reformed, as if it were a living entity that refused to die.
Behind them, General Salazar stood surrounded by his armed men, wielding rifles and batons. His sneer dripped with mockery, taunting Gilo. "Is that all you've got, sugo of Malolos?" he jeered, his voice like poison piercing the rebels' hearts. "You can't even reach me! You're nothing but filthy Indios!"
Gilo's rage ignited. "Don't call us Indios, you demon!" he roared, charging toward Salazar. But before he could close the distance, the five crystal monsters blocked his path. One unleashed a bolt of electricity, striking the group of rebels behind him. The warriors collapsed, their bodies convulsing in pain, while others were knocked unconscious by the electric surge.
"Gilo, watch out!" Diego cried, struggling to stand despite his wounds. But Gilo stood firm. In the midst of the chaos, he fought alone against the five monsters. "I won't lose to a demon like you!" His white fire flared again, enveloping the first monster, and with a powerful strike, he brought it down. The crystal shattered on the ground, but within seconds, its fragments reassembled, like an unending nightmare.
"This won't end!" Gilo shouted, his voice thick with frustration. He tried again, unleashing a torrent of white fire that engulfed three monsters at once. "Vanish!" The creatures froze, cracks spreading across their forms, but they rose again, their eyes glowing with fiercer electricity. One charged at Gilo, its crystalline arm slamming into him, sending him crashing back several meters.
Gasping for breath and feeling the weight of exhaustion, Gilo clutched at the blood trickling from his head. "Diego, evacuate our men!" he ordered, struggling to stand despite the pain coursing through his body. "We can't keep this up!" He knew his white fire protected his comrades, but it wouldn't last—the energy of ordinary men drained quickly under its power.
"Gilo, I'm not leaving you!" Diego replied, his voice faint as his body weakened from the electric strike. The other rebels fought on, but the crystal monsters seemed invincible, their attacks sowing greater chaos.
Amid the battle, Salazar's laughter rang out. "Keep fighting, even though you have no hope! Accept that you're no match for my power, Indios!" he mocked. "Plaridel is mine, and there's nothing you can do to change that!"
Salazar's words were like fuel to Gilo's fury. "You won't kill us here, Salazar!" he roared, unleashing an even stronger surge of white fire that engulfed all five monsters. They froze momentarily, their bodies beginning to petrify under the fire's power. But before they could fully turn to stone, their electricity flared, countering the effect. One monster struck Gilo with a powerful electric blast, sending him crashing to the ground. His men gasped in shock as their leader fell.
"Gilo!" his comrades cried, stunned by his collapse. Gilo struggled to move, disbelief etched on his face at the damage his body had sustained. The *Bagwis* members faltered, seeing their sugo of Malolos on his knees, his body weakening, though his eyes still burned with courage.
"It's not over yet," he whispered, forcing himself to stand. He knew he had to defeat the monsters, or the *Anak ng Bulakan* would lose all hope.
**Meanwhile, at Georgia's house in Plaridel's squatter area**
In her room, Georgia rested, her body weary from the previous night's events. Her heart was heavy with guilt for the suffering in the plaza caused by her actions as Hustisya. As she lay there, she overheard her grandfather talking with a visitor in the living room, their voices thick with fear as they discussed the news from city hall.
"Have you heard, pare? Rebels attacked city hall!" the visitor said, his voice laced with dread. "They say it's the *Anak ng Bulakan* causing the chaos. There's fighting at city hall, and people are scared it'll get worse!"
Georgia's grandfather sighed deeply. "The people of Plaridel are suffering," he said, his voice heavy with sorrow. "If this fighting continues, more will be caught in the crossfire. Our town is no longer safe."
Georgia sat up on her bed, her mind reeling from what she heard. She recalled a moment when Gilo, the leader of *Anak ng Bulakan*, had urged her to join their cause. She had refused then, unable to fight the Spanish or join the rebels, especially since her family lived in Plaridel. All she wanted was to protect her loved ones, but now, hearing the chaos, a new spark of hope ignited in her heart.
"If the rebels are fighting, maybe I have a chance to save the captives in the plaza," she whispered to herself. Her eyes gleamed with determination, though her heart still wrestled with doubt. She knew every step she took as Hustisya carried a heavy price, but she couldn't stand idly by while her people suffered.
She stood and prepared herself, but before she could leave her room, her grandmother's voice stopped her. "Georgia, where are you going?" she asked, her voice filled with worry.
Georgia turned to her grandmother, forcing a smile. "Just to the store, Lola," she lied, hiding her true plan. "I'll be quick."
Her grandmother believed her, though concern lingered in her eyes. She closed her eyes briefly, silent. She knew Georgia was planning something but also understood she couldn't control her granddaughter's choices. "Be careful, apo," she said. "Come back soon. We'll be waiting."
"Yes, Lola," Georgia replied, hurrying out of the house. As she ran, she told herself, "I won't take long, Lola. I'll free the captives and come right back. I promise, I'll return."
Her feet swiftly crossed Plaridel's dark alleys, her heart pounding as the distant sounds of shouts and gunfire from city hall grew louder. She knew her decision would bring danger, but the anger and hope in her chest burned stronger than her fear.
**Meanwhile, at the warehouse where Ifugao trained**
Outside the old warehouse, Jana and Apyong were conversing as Ifugao stood before them, bowing in gratitude. His body was exhausted from the intense training, but his eyes shone with determination.
"Thank you for everything you've taught me," Ifugao said, his voice brimming with sincerity. "I promise I'll do my best to succeed."
Apyong smiled, his expression soft yet purposeful. "You don't need to thank us, Ifugao," he said. "What we did was for our own benefit too. Don't feel indebted, especially since you'll use what you've learned to fight Filipino rebels."
Ifugao smiled, unfazed by Apyong's words. "Whatever your reasons for helping me, I believe I should be grateful to those who've aided me," he replied, his voice full of earnestness. He bowed again in respect and said, "I'm leaving now."
In an instant, he leaped high, his body soaring like a bird over Plaridel's rooftops. As he departed, Apyong smiled, his eyes alight with hope. "Ifugao is so young, so innocent," he said, his voice tinged with admiration. "I'm eager to see the heroism he'll show in the future. I'm certain this young hero will change many lives."
Jana responded, her voice laced with doubt. "I hate to ruin your faith in him, General," she said. "But to me, Ifugao still has so much to learn, especially in combat. He's not ready to win, especially against a general."
Apyong smiled, undeterred. "You're right, Jana. The generals' skills far surpass this young sugo's," he said. "But when it comes to the potential of his power, he can hold his own." He turned, gazing at the battered warehouse—its roof and walls nearly collapsed from the force of Ifugao's training. "Ifugao can surpass every general, once he unleashes his true power."
**Minutes later, as Ifugao traversed Plaridel**
Ifugao moved swiftly across Plaridel's rooftops and poles, using his powerful leaps to reach the plaza in just half an hour. From above, he saw the chaos below—panicked townsfolk, running police, and smoke rising from the explosions at city hall. He knew much had transpired in the town, but his mission was clear: save the captives in the plaza.
When he landed in the plaza's center, he was struck by the horrific sight. Hundreds of crosses stood, each with a Filipino bound to it—children, elders, women, and men. "What happened here?" he whispered, his fists clenching in rage. Some were barely alive, their bodies bloodied and nearly motionless. Others had no life left, their eyes dull, while the survivors wept and pleaded.
"What kind of monstrous punishment have they inflicted on these Filipinos?!" Ifugao muttered, his heart breaking at the tragic state of his people. "This is unforgivable."
As he walked, he noticed a woman standing in the plaza's center, before a cross where a young girl, no older than seven, was bound, bloodied and lifeless.
"Georgia?!" Ifugao whispered, his eyes widening in shock. He recognized her instantly but couldn't fathom why she was there. He tried to approach, but he froze as a dark aura began emanating from Georgia's body. "What kind of presence is this?"
The aura was like black smoke, slowly enveloping her surroundings. It felt familiar—like the dark presence he'd once sensed from Alfredo, a sugo filled with rage and power. "It's terrifying. I feel intense anger in this aura, just like Alfredo's," he thought.
As time passed, the black aura grew stronger, flaring like a fire that engulfed the plaza. The air grew heavy, and the ground seemed to tremble under the weight of her presence.
"Georgia, what's happening to you?!" Ifugao shouted, but his voice was drowned out by the roaring wind. He didn't know what to do, his mind reeling at the sight. "Georgia! Can you hear me?!" He froze as Georgia screamed, her voice raw with anger and pain.
"You beastly Spaniards! You demons!" she cried, her eyes blazing red and black with aura. "You punish the innocent! You degrade us Filipinos in our own land! Enough! I'll show you true justice!" She vowed, her voice thundering across the plaza, "I'll avenge every victim of your cruelty until my last breath!"
With her cry, her body transformed. The black aura thickened, swirling around her like a dark storm. Her eyes burned red, her hair whipped in the wind like flames. In an instant, her form changed—her clothes became a red cloak, her skin glowed with dark energy, and her presence grew overwhelmingly powerful. Georgia had transformed into Hustisya, the sugo of Plaridel.
The ground beneath her quaked, and from her shadow, a colossal figure emerged—a giant skeleton, over fifteen meters tall, its bones ablaze with red fire. The skeleton was like a god of death, its eyes glowing with the same crimson as Hustisya's. She stood atop its head, her cloak billowing in the fierce wind that raged like a tempest across the plaza.
"Impossible, Hustisya?!" Ifugao whispered, his eyes wide with shock. He noticed the energies from the bound captives on the crosses being drawn into Hustisya's body. "What's happening?"
Their souls, like faint wisps of smoke, flowed into her, amplifying her black and red aura. Her power surged with the energy from the captives, and moments later, the skeleton sprouted wings of red fire, lifting it into the air.
"Georgia… how… you're Hustisya?"
Ifugao murmured, his mind in turmoil. The realization that Georgia and Hustisya were one hit him like a blow to the chest. "Why didn't I see it sooner?" he asked himself, his voice heavy with regret. "How did I miss this?"
The giant skeleton soared toward city hall, where the rebels and Spanish clashed. Hustisya, perched on its head, was like an angel of death, her eyes blazing with fury and purpose. Her presence struck fear even into those who merely glimpsed the flying skeleton, frozen by the sight.
Ifugao remained in the plaza, still reeling from the revelation. His heart was heavy with doubt, but he knew he had to follow Hustisya. "I need to know what she's planning," he whispered, and with a powerful leap, he pursued the flying skeleton toward city hall.
The night in Plaridel bore witness to a war that would decide the town's fate. On one side, Gilo and the *Anak ng Bulakan* battled the crystal monsters and Salazar's forces. On the other, Hustisya, fueled by rage and power, approached to deliver her own brand of justice. And in the midst, Ifugao, still grappling with his role, was ready to face whatever lay ahead.
The battle had begun, and Plaridel had become a crucible of blood, fire, and power.
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