Chapter 38: The Final Vengeance in the Darkness
The night at the Plaridel City Hall, once a symbol of authority, was now filled with cries of pain, rage, and despair.
The rebels of the Anak ng Bulakan, better known as Bagwis (Wing), continued to fight the Spanish forces, even as many lay exhausted and their bodies were covered in blood from the ruthless attacks of General Vicente Salazar's men. Meanwhile, the crystal monsters, like demons from another world, relentlessly continued their assault on Gilo.
At the center of the battle, Gilo bravely faced five giant crystal monsters alone. He managed to keep up with their attacks, but the weakening of his white flames was evident on his body. His Bagwis comrades were scattered around him; some lay lifeless on the ground. The smoke from burning police vehicles choked the air, mixing with the smell of blood.
"Gilo, our forces are weakening! You'd better save yourself and flee!" shouted Diego, his nearest ally, as he dragged a wounded rebel away from the chaos. His voice was ragged with fear and exhaustion. "We can't defeat them! Our people are dying!"
But Gilo's eyes burned with fury and resolve. He watched as Alonzo, one of his friends in Bagwis, was struck by a bolt of red lightning from a crystal monster. Alonzo's body convulsed before he fell, his eyes wide but lifeless. "Alonzo!" Gilo screamed, reeling from the sight. He knelt beside his friend's still body, his hands trembling as he touched Alonzo's cold shoulder. "You shouldn't have died... none of you should have died…"
In front of Alonzo's lifeless body, Gilo's rage suddenly erupted like an uncontrollable inferno. "You Spanish devils!" he roared, his voice thundering across the City Hall. "An eye for an eye, a life for a life! I will show you the true punishment for your sins against us!" He rose, his fists clenched, and his white flames blazed brighter than ever, forming a column of fire nearly as tall as the building.
In an instant, his body transformed. He was enveloped in white fire, like a living entity burning his soul. His body grew to five meters tall, his arms became powerful, and his eyes glowed with white fire. His form resembled a dragon shaped from the embers, its wings beating against the air. With every breath, he exhaled white fire, and everything it touched—police, barricades, even ordinary objects—began to turn to stone.
"I will turn your bodies as hard as stone, you demons!" Gilo cried, his voice overflowing with vengeance. He soared into the sky, his wings creating strong gusts of wind that scattered dust and debris. From above, he unleashed white fire upon the Spanish police below. They screamed in intense pain as their bodies crystallized and fell to the ground as lifeless statues.
In his desperation, a plan formed in Gilo's mind. "If I can't defeat their general, I'll just kill every Spaniard in Plaridel!" he whispered, his eyes burning with ruthlessness. "I will turn them into permanent stone, a monument to the sacrifice of every Bagwis who died tonight!" His fire intensified, resembling a storm of retribution, and even non-combatants began to flee in terror.
He flew away from the area, but in the midst of his attack, General Salazar merely laughed loudly from his position at the City Hall entrance, calmly observing the events. His mockery was filled with contempt, as if he cared nothing for his men. "An Indio playing with fire!" he scoffed, his voice filled with arrogance. "Your efforts are useless against me, sugo of Malolos! There are too many Spaniards in this town. Your energy will run out before you can turn them all into stone." His laughter echoed, taunting Gilo's every struggle. "Does he really think I care about the people he's turning to stone? Fool! Many more will replace them to live in Plaridel," Salazar thought.
At that moment, an unexpected attack struck the general's location. A colossal skeleton, fifteen meters tall, plummeted from the sky, its bones blazing with red fire. It swung a massive scythe at Salazar, unleashing a tremor and a burst of energy that shook the ground. Crystal spikes immediately sprouted from the earth, which Salazar used as a shield, and smoke filled the air.
"What madness is this?!" Salazar shouted, leaping back to evade another strike from the skeleton. His body was covered in red crystal, like armor protecting him. Using his power, he formed a crystal shield, blocking the skeleton's scythe. The impact of the attack rattled his bones, and he sensed its unnatural strength. "The power it possesses is not ordinary. I can feel the negative energy surrounding it," he muttered to himself.
The skeleton landed, its red fire blazing in the darkness. Salazar was stunned by the creature he saw. He had a bad premonition because he felt the immense energy emanating from it. "What kind of sugo uses such powerful magic?" he whispered, his eyes wide with shock.
Suddenly, he felt a powerful presence behind him. He quickly turned, but before he could react, a sharp spear pierced his chest. Hustisya stood before him, her eyes burning with anger and pain. "I finally found you, you devil!" she cried. "You will pay dearly for all your sins against the Filipinos!"
But instead of fear, Salazar smiled, as if delighted by his enemy's appearance. His laughter was cold and mocking. "A rat pretending to be a lion!" he sneered upon seeing Hustisya. "Did you like my gift to you in the plaza, Hustisya? I prepared it just for you!" The part of Salazar's chest where the spear struck began to crystallize.
After a few moments, sharp red crystal spikes emerged from Salazar's body, like daggers ready to stab. Before they could hit Hustisya, she vanished like the wind. In an instant, she reappeared on top of the giant skeleton's head, her red cape billowing in the strong wind.
Salazar, now encased in red crystal armor, was immediately surrounded by his five crystal monsters, ready to protect him. "Finally, you came out of hiding, Hustisya!" he roared, his voice full of contempt. "If you hadn't shown up tonight, I had planned to massacre the people in the squatter area and spread the rumor that the Filipinos started the rebellion in Plaridel!"
Hustisya's anger flared. "You are a wicked devil, Salazar!" she shouted, her voice like thunder booming across the area. "You don't deserve to live! There is no place for monsters like you in this world!" The young woman immediately charged, but she was blocked by the five crystal monsters, their bodies fast and unwavering.
Hustisya attacked, her bladed scythe blazing with red fire. With every swing, she tried to destroy the crystal monsters, but each time she broke them, their shattered bodies reformed as if alive. After a few moments, the monsters attacked back simultaneously, their arms releasing red electricity that caused explosions on the ground.
"I will destroy you!" Hustisya cried, her voice heavy with intense anger. She commanded the giant skeleton to attack. Its fiery bones blazing, it slammed into two crystal monsters. The force of the attack nearly collapsed a section of the City Hall wall, but the monsters quickly stood up, their bodies re-forming.
Hustisya seized the opportunity while the monsters were preoccupied with the skeleton and immediately charged, reappearing behind Salazar as he was distracted, her spear ready to strike. "Die, Salazar!" she screamed, but before her weapon could connect, a crystal spike erupted from Salazar's hand, blocking her attack. Although the crystal shattered, the blade of Hustisya's weapon failed to penetrate enough to wound Salazar.
"You won't hit me that easily, little rat!" Salazar laughed, full of pride. "I trained in combat in Spain, while you only know street brawls! An Indio stands no chance against a true warrior!"
Furious, Hustisya prepared to attack again, her eyes blazing red. "I won't stop, Salazar!" she shouted, her voice overflowing with rage. "I will kill you and your evil, no matter what!" Using her power, she levitated the debris around her—vehicle wreckage, stones, even fallen posts—and hurled them toward Salazar.
But Salazar merely smiled, and as he raised his hand, a massive wall of red crystal rose from beneath the ground. It managed to block everything Hustisya threw. Hustisya was undeterred and again controlled objects to attack. A flying car crashed and was crushed against the crystal wall like a toy. "Is that all you've got?" Salazar boasted. "Those childish tricks won't work on me, Hustisya!"
The young woman showed no fear despite her failed earlier attacks and vanished again like a ghost. Seconds later, she reappeared behind Salazar, holding her spear blazing with red fire. But Salazar's crystals were like living armor that quickly encased him for protection. The crystal immediately blocked Hustisya's attack, and red electricity instantly crawled up her weapon. The electricity knocked the young woman back, and she fell to the ground. Her eyes widened in disbelief that the electricity had hit her. She realized that because Salazar's power was superior, he could hit and wound her. She knew Salazar could also grab her if she wasn't careful. The three-second interval before she could use her vanishing power again, and the limitation of that power, caused Hustisya to fear getting closer, especially since her opponent was covered in electricity. She suddenly punched the ground in frustration.
"You're just a child I can play with in battle, Hustisya," Salazar said, his smile full of arrogance. "I admire your courage, but for me, you're just a stray rat in this war. Indio!"
Despite her setbacks, Hustisya refused to surrender. "Don't call me Indio! I will kill you!" she screamed, her voice a mix of anger and determination. She vanished into the air again and reappeared in different directions around Salazar—behind, beside, in front—to attack relentlessly. But with every attack, Salazar's crystals managed to block her spear as if they had a mind of their own.
Salazar punched the ground, which made countless crystal spikes shoot up. Hustisya managed to avoid them, but a moment later, she was shocked when a giant hand made of crystal punched her from behind. She managed to maintain her balance, but crystal spikes immediately erupted from the ground near her, giving her no choice but to vanish into the air to evade. Although she managed to avoid it, she did not expect Salazar to anticipate her movements. When she reappeared, Salazar's hand met her, and he managed to grasp the young woman's neck. Since Salazar was covered in powerful natural energy, the young woman couldn't vanish again like a ghost to escape. Salazar's grip tightened on her throat, and she couldn't breathe. "A rat like you is so easy to catch!" he laughed, his voice brimming with mockery. "Why don't you use your vanishing power to escape?"
Hustisya struggled, trying to break free from the chokehold, and kicked Salazar's face, but she was shocked to see Salazar's head turn into red crystal, like an unbreakable mask. "What kind of power does he have?!" she whispered, her eyes wide with surprise.
Salazar smiled, as if he had discovered her secret. "The powers of sugo like us have easily detectable weaknesses," he said confidently. "We can touch other sugo without harm, even if their bodies are made of fire or electricity. And in your case, Hustisya, it seems you can't vanish when another sugo is holding you!"
Hustisya screamed in fury, "I don't need to run, Salazar! I will kill you in this place!" In an instant, she released a powerful burst of energy, and a massive shadow appeared beneath them. From it, another giant skeleton emerged from where they stood, its bones blazing with red fire. It charged and engulfed both Salazar and Hustisya in its jaws.
It leaped out of the shadow and landed back on the ground. A few moments later, Hustisya reappeared outside the skull, her spear blazing with red fire. A red aura enveloped her as she prepared to strike. With all her might, she hurled her weapon at the skull where Salazar was trapped. The spear pierced and passed through the skull, causing a massive explosion and shrouding the area in thick smoke.
When the smoke cleared, Hustisya suddenly froze upon seeing a pile of red crystal wrapping around the skeleton's neck. She realized that Salazar had protected himself with his crystal against her attack. "You are truly a devil, you hateful beast!" she cursed.
After a few moments, Salazar emerged from the crystal, unharmed, full of arrogance. "I would be more impressed if you had something new to show me in this fight, Hustisya!" he laughed. "I'm just starting to enjoy myself, and I think this fight will be more fun with a little challenge!"
Suddenly, a plan formed in Salazar's mind. "How about I massacre every Filipino in Plaridel tonight?" he sneered, his voice filled with malice. "Wouldn't that be more exciting?"
Hustisya shouted furiously, "Don't involve the Filipinos in this, Salazar! This fight is between us!" Her eyes blazed.
But Salazar only laughed. "An Indio is an Indio," he mocked. "The sin of one Indio is the sin of all Indios. If I let the Filipinos in Plaridel who believe in a vigilante like you live, they will rebel and commit crimes in my town someday. So it's better to just kill every Filipino in Plaridel... Including you!"
His eyes blazed with immense energy, and he unleashed a surge of power. Simultaneously, crystals burst from the ground where the skeleton stood and gradually encased its body. As it was covered in crystal, almost a hundred crystal monsters emerged from it and immediately lined up like soldiers, their eyes glowing with red electricity and howling.
Salazar's laughter echoed throughout the City Hall. "What will you do now, Hustisya?" he challenged. "Do you see the crystal monsters in front of you? Can you stop them from killing the Filipinos?"
"Don't you dare do that, Salazar!" Hustisya cried. Hustisya knew it would be difficult to stop them, especially since her time using her power was limited, and once Salazar's evil plan began, it would result in the deaths of countless people in Plaridel.
Salazar laughed even louder, like a demon preparing for a wicked scheme. "Save them, if you can!" he mocked.
The night in Plaridel had become a stage of war filled with rage, sacrifice, and power. Hustisya, driven by hatred and determination, continued to fight for the justice of her countrymen. The battle grew more complicated; the fate of Plaridel rested in Hustisya's hands as blood and suffering threatened to be delivered upon its land.
End of Chapter.