The Holy Sword, Iglesia (91)

Judah and Kawa backed up slowly from the man with the golden aura.

He held his hand up in the air. "My name is Allaneir, and I call upon the heavens to bless me with the power of Iglesia!"

Allaneir's aura began to swell, and a bright light emitted from his right hand. It formed into a long weapon. On one end it was a double-edged blade. On the bottom end was a narrow spear. The sword's pole was about two inches in width. It was red, with golden trim all over it.

Judah held out his right hand. "Judgement Cross."

The upside-down golden cross formed.

It caught Allaneir's eye. "A Holy Sword... you too are one of the chosen ones? Interesting... I've never had to fight another one of my own."

Kawa shuddered. "Judah, what is that weapon? It's a Holy Sword isn't it?"

"Iglesia. The Sword of God. I didn't know it was in someone's possession."

Allaneir smirked. "And I didn't know the Judgement Cross existed at all. Most see it as myth. A flipped golden cross made out of Holy Blaze that is only capable of killing those with darkness in their hearts."

Judah pointed his cross at Allaneir. "Holy Swords get stronger the more righteous its user is. The fact that you're doing work inside of a group like this tells me all that I need to know. I'm here to help my friend regain control of his city."

Allaneir kept up his calm demeanor. "There is no one here more righteous than me. I'm working towards making the world a free place. A world where you can do anything you want to. If you two are trying to stop that, then I won't hesitate to cut you down."

Judah dashed towards Allaneir. They clashed swords.

Kawa held her hands out. "Enhance Speed."

Judah glowed green for a brief moment, then got twenty percent faster than he was before. He was able to push Allaneir back.

Allaneir slid back on the ground and scoffed. "Enhancements? So distasteful. Iglesia: Three Wave Strike." He stuck his blade into the ground. A golden shockwave emitted, tearing it apart.

Judah guarded with his cross. Kawa stood directly behind him.

A second wave came out, twice as strong as before. Judah was able to block again, but this time he was pushed back a considerable amount.

Then the third wave. This one was ten times stronger than before. The ground severely cracked this time, and Judah and Kawa were blown away from the force completely.

Kawa grabbed on to Judah's shirt as he stuck his cross in the ground for leverage.

Allaneir took his sword out of the ground and started whirling it in his hands. He didn't give Judah time to recover. He dashed straight towards him and thrust his blade at Judah's face.

Judah tilted his head to the side, grabbed Kawa with his free arm, threw her behind him, and while still mid air, kicked Allaneir in the face before falling to the ground.

Kawa stood up. *"I'm just getting in the way! I can't use high tier magic because the destruction will be too widespread! How can I be useful in this situation?"* she thought.

Allaneir rolled back and landed on his feet. He ran at Judah again, who was still on the ground.

With a downward swing, Allaneir brought the weapon down at Judah.

Judah guarded with his cross.

Kawa held her right hand out. "Magic Art: Water Spear!"

*pssh!*

Allaneir was knocked to his right. He looked at his abdomen. He was bleeding from the side. "A small price to pay for the greater good."

He looked at Kawa. With a single quick step he was aiming his weapon at her throat.

Judah was there before Kawa could blink. He blocked the weapon with his arm, and impaled Allaneir with his cross. "Magic Art: Crushing Sound Wave!" His eyes started glowing.

Allaneir was sent back with a loud boom that was reminiscent of thunder. He landed into an empty house.

Kawa looked at the gash on Judah's arm. "Judah! You hurt yourself!" She rushed over to him. He held his hand up. "Don't worry about it. It's not important now." He held his cross up.

Allaneir flew up and out of the wrecked building. He and Judah clashed, swinging their swords across each others' multiple times.

Judah jumped back in the air. He waved his hand a few times. Several invisible strikes hit Allaneir, but no damage was done. "Tch, he's covered in Holy Blaze. Hand of God won't work."

Judah clapped his hands together. "Magic Art: Hydro Bomb!" He extended his right arm. A blue magic circle formed and shot out a large ball of water.

Allaneir thrust his sword into it and the water burst everywhere. He then stood up straight. His gold flame grew stronger. He pointed his Iglesia at Judah. "A mere cross made out of Holy Blaze cannot stop an *actual* weapon."

Judah brung his Holy Sword back out. "The Judgement Cross is a manifestation of my will. I truly want to help bring this country back together, and the first step towards that is for Arbok and Titania to work together."

Allaneir chuckled dryly. "Work together? How about we all fight to the death? That sounds more like fun."

Kawa frowned. She didn't like Allaneir. She looked at Judah, who was clearly wearing down. She knew that he was nearing his physical limit.

She didn't know Judah as a very good up close fighter. He was a talented wizard.

Kawa's enhancing spell wore off already. She thought about letting herself fight Allaneir to let Judah rest.

Judah took off his shirt. "Kawa, stop. I know what you're thinking. It's written all over your face. Stay out of this for now. This man is a Holy Sword user. It's only natural that I be the one to defeat him."

Kawa looked genuinely worried. "But!"

Judah frowned. "No buts!! How can I become king if I lose in a battle like this?"

Judah looked at her from the corner of his eye.

She blushed as she held her balled up hands halfway up her face.

Judah looked back at his opponent. "Watch me Kawa. Don't look away."

Allaneir had a lazy smile on his face as he spun his blade around. "I like the spirit kid. I'll make your death nice and quick."

Judah got into a stance. "Same to you."

That rubbed Allaneir in the wrong direction. He got into a stance.

Seconds passed.

fwoosh!

They crossed blades again, Judah's cross rigid as steel as he countered all of Allaneir's attacks.

Sparks of Holy Blaze went up in the air as they constantly traded blows.

The ground below them started caving in as neither of the two let up.

Kawa was watering at the eyes. *"I've never seen Judah so... motivated. He's really putting his all into this."*

Judah yelled at the top of his lungs with every strike.

Allaneir was able to slip past Judah's defense a few times, giving him shallow cuts all over his body, and two on his face.

Judah blocked the next attack with his cross, and used his left leg to kick Allaneir in the body. He followed up with a big swing to the chest, but he missed just barely.

A gash appeared from one side to the other of Allaneir's chest.

Blood spilled all over the ground.

"I meant to cut you in half." Judah said.

Allaneir laughed darkly. "So I'm only alive now because of a mistake? Imagine that huh? How pathetic of me." A wicked look was in his eyes. "I want you to try that again."

--

Jack shook his head. He looked around himself. He was engraved deeply into a mountain.

The force of his body breaking into the rock created a sort of cave. He charged his energy and quickly flew out of the cave, but at the opening he was immediately met with Akasan's foot.

Akasan brought the bottom of his heel on top of Jack's head.

You couldn't even see Jack's body as it hit the ground.

Half of the entire mountain crumbled.

Akasan screamed out in rage. The fire from his body was superheating the air around him.

Jack appeared on the side of him. His hat was gone. Jack's hair was black and straight with a few waves at the ends. It flowed freely all over his head down to his neck.

"Don't get cocky!!" He punched Akasan in the face and sent him into the half-destroyed mountain, breaking up the rest of it.

Dark energy was pouring out of Jack.

Akasan quickly came back out of the mountain. He was visibly angry. "What did you do to her?!!"

Jack's eyes narrowed. "Who?"

Akasan got angrier. "Don't play stupid with me!!!" He punched Jack in the face.

Jack tried to counter but Akasan was too strong.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO KAGAMI?!!!!"

*fwoooom!!!*

 Jack hit the ground.

A large crater formed big enough to swallow up a city. Blood came out of his mouth. He quickly recovered and flipped over to land on his feet.

Akasan appeared over him and brought his leg down over Jack's head.

Jack raised two arms to block. He was sent deep into the Earth's crust.

Jack yelled out, breaking all of the ground from his position on up into pebble-sized pieces. He rose into the air with his metal claw and swiped at Akasan, who blocked with his arm.

Jack was caught off guard. *"He can touch my claw without getting cut?!"*

Akasan yelled out as he grabbed the claw with his right hand and punched Jack in the stomach with his other hand. That way Jack was forced to endure the full effects of Akasan's fist. "WHY IS KAGAMI DYING?!!! HUH?!! TELL ME!!! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!!!!"

Akasan's eyes glowed purple as he grabbed Jack by his vest and threw him back into the ground, creating a sinkhole nearly a mile wide. He chased after him, with crimson flames overlapping the fire from his Star Form. He unleashed a devastating Crimson Flare, which went on a streak that was longer than the entire hole before exploding into a red cloud of energy.

Jack's clothes were torn to shreds. He clapped his hands together. "Dark Art: Thousand Hand Devil!!"

Hundreds of pitch black arms reached out of the gargantuan hole and latched on to the sides. Black mist came up out from inside as a black monster made out of dark energy leaped out of the hole and onto the wall of it. It only had one eye, but it was an Eye of Realms.

Akasan didn't flinch at all. He nose-dived straight towards it.

From inside Jack clasped his hands together and yelled out.

A mass of arms, hundreds of them, came out of the monster and attacked Akasan, hitting him all over his body.

Each arm connected with the force of a missile going at the speed of light.

After nearly four hundred hits, Akasan was in limbo mid air for a few seconds.

Jack was breathing heavy. "Not enough."

The four hundred arms that hit Akasan plus another six hundred then all turned into claws of dark energy and started slashing him. "Thousand Ripper!!!"

The arms made countless cuts all over Akasan's body, though they were very shallow because of how much mass his body was holding.

It was such a dense body to cut through that Jack had to expel extra energy just to make a solid hit.

After it was over, the arms retracted back into the monster.

Jack watched as Akasan wasn't moving mid-air. His head was tilted back with his mouth hanging open, like he was unconscious.

Jack noticed Akasan's finger twitch and immediately outstretched another hundred arms to attack him. But they all missed.

Akasan disappeared.

Jack felt a hot energy. Akasan was on the wall of the hole behind him holding something in his hand. It was a star. It looked just like Sirius Star, only the color was orange, and there was a ring around it.

Akasan had a raging look in his eye. "Magic Art: Planetary Star." He pushed it into Jack's monster of dark energy.

Jack felt himself burning up from the inside of it.

Akasan yelled out more, and the star suddenly grew in size a thousand fold, spinning slowly as it burned up the entire wall of the crater.

Jack's monster was completely obliterated.

The attack subsided, and a mark was left in the rock that was charred black.

Akasan's Star Form ran out. He was back in his regular form. He looked around.

Jack's hand broke out of the middle of the enormous charred spot in the rock. He climbed out. His shirt was burned away, and so were the bottoms of his pants. He was bleeding from several areas.

Jack raised his right arm. "I never thought that I'd be doing this against you..." He stuck two fingers into his left eye.

Blood gushed onto the ground.

Jack ripped his eye out and threw it into the abyss. He reached his hand into a realm portal and pulled out a jar full of a clear fluid. There was one eye inside of it. He opened the glass and put the eye in his empty socket.

Jack groaned for a moment. Then red lightning started flaring all over his body. He lifted his head up, pushing his hair back and opened his eyes. His right eye was the Eye of Realms, and his left eye was all white. It rolled around in its socket until the Eye of Destruction set in.

Jack started chuckling. "I hope you've still got something left Akasan. Because if not, you're going to die."