Chapter 21 - The Termination

The Termination

    The ringing didn’t stop.

    No - it kept going, and going, and… going. The ringing began to fade, but also seemed to become part of my subconscious. Well, never getting that out of my head.

    Then, I opened my eyes.

    At first I was puzzled, my mind not being able to comprehend what was above me. There was some light shining down from the bleak, gray sky; the sun hadn’t made it’s great entrance in a while. But below the sky, yet right over me, debris floated over me, the smaller particles making a dome shaped film. A huge wall loomed over me, also stopped by the film. It was almost like a building had collapsed over me, and a protective shield had formed over me…

    *Protective Shield.*

    Then it all came back to me. The assassination, the entrance, the fight, the gifting… everything before my concussion came back to me. The gifting stuck with me.

    Testing whether I was right, I reached out with my right hand towards the invisible film over me. As I thought, the film seemed to *move*, wield itself at the shape of my hand. A similar shaped hand reached out from the dome-shaped film. Or should I say - *my* protective shield.

    I knew what was going on now, and realized what I could do now. I thought back to the small lecture given to me by Herrera about shielding.

    *They are simply magnificent. The shield can take one of two forms; one, a steady spherical shielding that deflects or blocks in an outside manner, and a more powerful and volatile form that construes itself around the user, which can either damage, crush, vaporize, or erase matter on command, or simply reflect. Both shields are devastating. The first is limited, but protects its user from mental attacks and is always on the user, and can also absorb certain energy and light attacks very well.*

*The second shielding activates on the users command, or can also activate automatically in a sense of danger, and even in harsh and dangerous environments. It can be placed on other people and objects if the user wishes to do so. The shield can also be “gifted”, if the user wishes to give it to others for protection. Both are limited yet extremely powerful. They can both be used in terrifying ways. They are nearly impossible to mitigate, control, remove, shut down, or even see sometimes. Fight someone with a shield only if you wish to die.*

    Only if you wish to die…

    I looked up again. I was pretty sure I was shielding. But if it was as simple as Herrera said it was…

    *Vaporize.*

    The debris seemed to simply vanish, being crumbled into dust, which was then erased. It created a hole in the wall, allowing me to see the sky for once. The ground hadn’t been damaged, and I imagined I could be as specific or as broad as I wanted in terms of what I wanted to destroy. It was exhilarating, really.

    As soon as I wanted the shield to stop vaporizing, it did. There was in fact, an entire building that had been on top of me. At least from the hole I had made, I could see that the rest of the city was in pretty similar condition. Buildings crumbled, streets non-existent, craters everywhere.  As I climbed out, I saw what had caused the destruction.

    I felt as if I had been knocked out for hours. It had really only been a couple minutes, and it hadn’t been enough for round two to begin.

    Drako, the water dragon as I knew him now. Rifle gone, hair burnt in some areas, clothes tattered, he was a different man now then when I met him. He had been a quiet, lonely, starving man. Now, he glittered in the little sunlight there was amongst the debris of a ruined city. Here he was, facing the most powerful Gifted we knew who existed on the planet.

    Eliza.

    Call her The Solar Goddess, The Phoenix, or Hell’s Angel, she had the power to wipe out entire cities in mere seconds.

    Drako and Eliza were on equal footing, at least on power from what I knew. Both were the direct weakness to one another. Both had extremely efficient healing and augmented strength. Both bolstered powerful shields that negated and reflected attacks. Both had an extensive array of weapons to use against one another. They were also able to fly, like anyone else who was Gifted. No clear winner would come from this.

    I did have a much more powerful shield than them.

    They stood buildings apart, probably a mile or more, in a clearing that most resembled a quick attack from Eliza. Despite the distance, it almost seemed like they were in a heated conversation. The tension in the air was undeniable. It grew and grew, and it was only a matter of time till someone broke the silence.

    Drako broke it first. Turning to his side, he lifted one hand in the shape of a gun. His hand started pulsing, like it was brimming with carefully contained energy. Then, he fired a super accurate beam of water towards Eliza. I didn’t dare breath as I watched it traverse across the expanse of their field, not losing, but gaining power, speed, and momentum. It got stronger as it got closer to her, and it almost seemed like it would be a direct hit. When it did reach her, the beam simply evaporated.

    I was shocked. The beam carried enough destructive power to wipe out entire buildings in its path. It carried so much force, the water had left a trail in the ground, despite it being only 2 fingers wide and being a couple feet off the ground. And Eliza had simply smirked, as she turned the beam into a simple mist.

    This was the power of the True Gifted. Those whose power and abilities crush other Gifted with little to no resistance. Capable of dishing out city destroying power, and receiving city destroying power. This would not be an easy fight for either.

    Eliza seemed bored, impassive. Seeming to not even bother with him, she even *yawned*. She had murdered hundreds of Gifted, and Drako was only just another one. Her record was impeccable, and she had never lost a fight.

    Then she lifted off the ground, and debris around her shattered and exploded as she flew towards him. A show of strength, no doubt.

    This was where it began.

    Drako also flew towards her. Not to be outdone, the debris around him were covered in a frosty layer, before imploding and shattering from sheer force. Both had their shields active, as they both approached the halfway point.

    The power they radiated was terrifying, and despite my shield, I could *feel* it where I stood. Their clash in power could wipe out the planet, and I was just like a mile or so away from the epicenter of it all.

    Drako blasted multiple balls of water and ice at Eliza, all to no avail. Eliza was weakened by water, ice, and cold substances. but only if they could touch her. In order to do so, Drako would have to overwhelm her excellent defensive capabilities. He continued to fly with one hand forward. sending ball after ball, attempting to see if there was a weakness in her shield. From what I could see, there was no immediate weakness, her shield not taking any damage.

    Seeming frustrated that he couldn’t kill her in one hit, he sent another ball towards her. This ball was not water; it was much smoother and translucent, seeming to react to the light in odd ways. As the ball got closer to Eliza, her shield seemed to power up for a second, as though if she was powering it up in case of a powerful attack. The sphere got close to her, then expanded in mere milliseconds, engulfing Eliza in a moment.

    I gasped. The sphere around her was made of ice, it would seem. He was probably planning on making it implode and shatter in on her, causing significant damage. As he closed his hand, Eliza burst out of the ice sphere in a magnificent show of fire, her body glowing white, sending out flash-heated ice everywhere.

    Eliza seemed to be tired of waiting, and she prepared her own attack. Around her appeared 3 fiery rings, which she sent towards Drako. The rings rotated in on themselves, making dodging or blocking the rings difficult. The two True Gifted were still flying towards each other, so Drako was going to have to respond while flying mid-air.

    Drako stopped for a mere second, taking on a stance I had only seen once. Lifting his arm in the air as he had shown me, a large dragon burst out from his arm and raised a couple hundred meters off of him, before circling back down. I had only seen this attack one time, and it was responsible for the nickname he was given. The dragon’s face came before him, staring straight at Eliza.

    Drako lowered his arm, pulling it back. He seemed to absorb a large amount of the energy he had given the dragon, then sent it out in a spectacular show of strength.

    “The Great Dragon of the Endless River!” He pushed his arm forward, sending all the energy in a single, dragon shaped blast.

    The dragon was truly a facade, made only to make the attack look cooler. It was a vortex of rapidly spinning, highly pressurized water energy, capable of massive overall damage. The dragon itself was nothing more than a show, and if you’re going to be powerful, why not make your attack look that much better?

    The attack simply demolished the fiery rings, not even slowing for a second. The beam kept going, now more than halfway to Eliza now.

    Eliza was having none of it. Creating a ball of fire, which shone in an orange-red look, crafted from a liquid-like substance, much like magma. The ball grew a little larger, till she sent it out in a very similar beam from her hands, which were both facing Drako.

    The beams collided and crashed into one another. They created a massive shockwave, knocking down any buildings that might’ve survived Eliza’s initial blast. They created an enormous crater, getting bigger as both Drako and Eliza poured more and more energy into their attacks. The ball in the middle which resulted from the attacks meeting in the middle was much too powerful. Eventually, it would explode in a massive blast that would undeniably destroy a couple miles of area across, not to mention the damage caused by the concussive wave. It would be devastating.

    Drako may be losing himself slowly as he used more energy, but he wasn’t gone yet. He knew the loss of any remaining life that would occur if the ball of energy did indeed explode. In a simple gesture with his unoccupied hand, he made a massive shield around the both of them. The shield was made of solid ice, and was much bigger than the field in which they stood in. It probably spanned a dozen miles across. Drako was trying to be safe. If the shield failed, the blast would not destroy as much as it would with no shield present.

    I knew it was coming, but there was nothing I could do to prepare for it. If my shield failed, there would be nothing to protect my body. From what I knew, I did not enjoy the benefits of excellent healing or regenerative processes. I would die instantly, and there would be no way for me to stop it.

    I hunkered down back into the hole I had made into the wall. I summoned a shield or five as a precautionary measure, not knowing how powerful my shield was, or if it could withstand such massive damage at one time. I was terrified, and I closed my eyes.

   Despite having my eyes closed, I saw when the blast happened. My eyelids illuminated to a bright red-orange, and I could feel the distinctive shake that came with huge explosions. Soon it was dark again, and I looked up.

   My shields had not been damaged in the slightest. None showed any wear or tear, no sign of there being any effort to protect me. So basically, my shielding was *that* powerful.

    I dismissed all the extra shields, only maintaining the one always around me. I started to walk out, before realizing that Drako’s shield had survived, with less success than my own. It was a bit cracked, and seemed to have suffered damage. There was dust everywhere, though, so I couldn’t see the extent of the cracks.

    As the dust cleared, I saw the crater was now much larger than before. Drako stood where he had been, and I saw that he was a little hurt, but was recovering quickly. His clothing was even more tattered and singed than before, but he was in one piece. Caving a couple hundred meters, Eliza now floated over the center of the crater, and when I saw what she was doing, my heart nearly stopped.

   There was a reason why she was called The Solar Goddess, why she was hailed and respected so fervently. She was magnificent and breathtaking when she wanted to be, and it was her form when she truly wanted to use her power that stole everyone's breath.

    Eliza glowed as she had before with Drako’s icy ball attack, but now it was more subtle, showing her perfect features and giving her a godly aura. Her hair now glowed brilliantly yellow, flying backwards and outlining her calm face. She crossed her arms over her chest and closed her eyes. Behind her, a sun-like corona appeared. The circle had eight perfectly spaced points, which seemed to have a little flame around each of them. Directly in front of her, a glowing sphere of energy materialized, to which each point on the corona focused upon.

    The air stilled, quieted. The air seemed to ignite, slowly heating up. The sky glowed red, hell seeming to have arrived to earth. Three circles of fire now circled under her, spanning about 100, 50, and 25 meters. Debris around her that shouldn’t have been on fire, set on fire. Some debris even melted, creating a hot liquid. Eliza’s hands were now glowing brighter, the corona shining like the sun. Drako seemed mostly unfazed by this, except he was now sweating.

    I realized now why he was so much more hurt than Eliza after that initial blast. It wasn’t that he was any weaker. On the contrary, he could be much stronger than she was. But he was using a *massive* amount of his energy to create a shield that could defend against Eliza’s attack. It was difficult for him to survive such power with his own efforts so divided. He would die with the next attack, of this I had no doubt. And he was going to let it happen.

    Drako knew what his power entailed. Everyone else was so quickly consumed by their power, so quick to succumb to a lust and need for more. He didn't want to become like them, like the other Gifted. His own philosophy made it such, where he’d rather die by protecting others, than ever let out the true beast that hid within him, undeniably gnawing away at his self control.

    He could be okay with dying, but I wasn’t. Draco had to live.

    The shield was allowing the energy to magnify in; any energy that would have escaped was being reflected back, slowly heating up the area and burning him alive. By now, Eliza’s energy ball resembled the sun, and Drako was struggling to breath. I could see his chest contract deeply, most likely with labored breaths. He was slowly dying, and I didn’t have much time.

    I didn’t know what to do, or think, but in the next moment, I had summoned a shield around Drako. He probably couldn’t see it, as he hadn’t reacted in any way. He did seem to relax a bit, his breathing becoming steadier. My shield *worked*. It actually and honestly worked!

    The ice shield above him reformed, gaining back some of the energy it had lost. I could only hold the shield around him for so long, because he wouldn’t be able to use direct attacks if there was a shield around him. But he did just as I thought, and began charging up his own attack.

    This attack, was different. He put his two hands in front of him, as if he was in prayer. He began chanting something under his breath, closing his eyes and stilling his breath. He began to form a small point of energy, miniscule in its size, but most likely not in power. The point of energy shifted from blue to white, to black in color. It seemed to shift and change in its state, varying from visible to invisible as well. As he continued chanting, hundreds upon hundreds of those points were summoned above and below both him and Eliza.

    What was this attack? I had *never* seen anything like it. Each little point probably carried an enormous amount of energy. And then, the points began moving in odd directions; most went up, some went down, others began moving between Drako and Eliza and spinning in place…

   The points then began to make sense, and I smiled at the theatrics of it all. It was a sort of cyclone, hurricane looking attack. The points moved up and down the spiral in the middle, spinning and destroying anything they touched. They would go back to the top, which was now resembling clouds, and restore the energy they lost. The real treat though, was the energy point directly in front of Drako.

   Like many other attacks, the entire cyclone was just for show. Sure, it did damage, but the point in front of Drako was extremely focused, so much so that it threatened with bursting from the unstable energy. It was also very, very cold. So much so, I could almost be certain it was near absolute zero. So cold, it could potentially freeze Eliza, ending her life in an instant. The energy was not evaporating nor exploding instantly, and it made me wonder just how much energy he was pouring into this plan. How much was he holding back?

    For now though, holding back wasn’t an option. His life hung on a thin thread; Eliza could kill him instantly if his attack didn’t work. Or, if my shield failed.

    By now, there weren’t hundreds, but thousands of points of energy, spanning from the ground to several hundred feet above them. The points formed a massive spiral that obscured the view from Eliza to Drako. Drako concentrated the point even further, and the fact he could even keep it in place, much less actually control it, was beyond my comprehension.

    Eliza was not holding back either. The ball in her hand was now white, so bright it might as well be the actual sun. The corona had grown to include 16 points of energy focusing beams. The ground below her began caving in, shattering and dissolving from the energy the ball sent out periodically. Even inside my shield, I could feel the intense heat, feel the power they both radiated. It was almost time for their true power to shine out and demonstrate who was truly the strongest True Gifted.

    Drako sent out his attack first. The cyclone moved in, and it was truly magnificent that he could control every single point and command them with simply his mind. The cyclone hadn’t taken significant damage yet, but I imagined it would in a quick second.

    Eliza was ready to attack. Raising her hands, she shouted exuberantly, “Here, mere gifted who has tested my strength, prowess, and authority. Undermining my self control and attacking my two associates, you are granted the honor of not only dying by my hand, but also by my strongest attack. Behold mortal, the power of the Legendary True Gifted! Take this!”

    The attacks name would make you think it was a powerful blast and explosion, that would wipe out the Earth within seconds. It was in fact, an extremely concentrated beam of ridiculously powered and heated energy, carrying the energy that the sun would make in a couple seconds. If that doesn’t terrify you, then maybe its devastating effects would.

    The ground below the beam didn’t shatter or explode. It simply seemed to be erased, gone faster than the human mind could possibly compute. It created a huge gash that continued to cave in deeper the longer it was exposed to the beam, and the already huge crater may find itself cut in two. Any point of energy from the cyclone was immediately erased.

    There was no way that my shield could protect against that. None. His attack would do nothing. But he lifted only one finger, and pointed it at her. Then, the point of carefully concentrated energy traversed the space between them in no time at all, almost seeming instantaneous.

    Her attack was simply cut through. Her shield dissolved instantly. Her eyes grew wide as she saw what happened, and was going to try to stop it, but it was too late.

    I couldn’t even breath. I couldn’t blink. Not after I saw what happened next.

    A hole burst through her chest. The beam stopped as soon as it passed through her, dissolving again. Blood began pouring from her injury, and she clutched the hole, staring at Drako with frightened eyes. Then, they lit with fury, igniting with a rage so powerful she seemed to tremble in place.

    Then, she became a literal flame, her body outline still there, but becoming incorporeal all the same. She went back to her original self, the hole in her chest healing slowly.

    She summoned hundreds upon hundreds of the same attack she had utilized against him, almost instantly. So she was holding back this power? How much of her was just for show? What was her true power?

    Drako didn’t seem interested in this. He just swiped his finger right, and then, what happened next shocked me even more.

    The point of energy had seemed to be going from invisible to visible at times, and I thought it was just a property of the energy, being as powerful as it was. Now, I realized that maybe there had been something more. Suddenly, dozens of the same attacks that he had used against her, became visible, and had been planted around her. They moved in on her the moment that they became visible, and all I heard was Eliza’s piercing scream.

    Her body was being smashed through and penetrated on all sides by Drako’s attacks. She screamed deep cries of pain, obviously knowing that she could do close to nothing against the attacks. Only her head was partially intact, but the rest of her was mangled and nearly torn apart. It was awful to see, but Drako had *done* it. He had hurt the invincible Eliza. I realized now, she was not as powerful as I initially thought.

    He flew towards her, and landed right in front of her. She sat down on the floor now, in the destruction she had caused. It had been naive and stupid for her to think Drako would give up just because she showed her terrible powers. He was a calculating one, someone who thought everything thoroughly. He had seen her weakness, and I had too.

    While Eliza was charging her attack, she put all her focus into her attack, her mind considering her shield a distraction, something unnecessary. Her shield was weakened significantly, and became more like a traditional shield than a sphere of protection. The shield was easily overloaded, and since he had used precision, he had been able to get through her attack, and conserve much of the energy the attack had in the first place. Once it broke through her attack, the shield would be no problem, and the attack would get through.

    She had made the same mistake twice, and now her reconstructive and healing powers could not keep up. They were failing. She would bleed out soon. The fight was over, Drako had won.

    I looked towards the woman I had once loved, and realized I could no longer harbor such feelings for her. She had changed, and killed hundreds upon hundreds. In one swift blow, it was finished.

    Her suffering ended quickly.

**Next - Chapter 22**

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