Chapter 25

Aian was up watching the bracelet in amusement.

"I didn't know the bracelet has an inbuilt alarm system," she goaded.

"You are picking up all the wrong quirks of humanity," Howard said.

The wailing stopped immediately making him look at the goddess curiously waiting for an explanation. She just threw him an ambiguous smile.

The rest of the Hunters entered the room. "You better arm yourselves immediately, we are about to be forcefully transported."

Blinding light covered them all and they vanished from the room. They reappeared in a green expansive field that stretched as far as the eyes could see.

The field was covered in grass and only a single tree stood in the distance. The sun was directly overhead which was strange considering it was just a few seconds ago that Howard had woken up.

[No wonder I could not trace the remaining items, His aura is blocking theirs, oh you can't see, pathetic eyes you lot have. Illuminatia Visionis.]

The whole team lost their eyesight but unlike the last time, the figures before them didn't turn black but rather they glowed brighter than the midday sun itself.

The others let out gasps as their eyesight adapted to the lights. Howard was the only one who remained calm and Aian noticed it.

[You expected this didn't you?]

She chuckled and looked at the myriads of angels looking down at them from their lofty positions in the sky.

Seven of them floated to the ground, tucking their wings behind them. Howard's eyesight found the sweet spot and he could see them clearly.

They were all golden in colour but he suspected it was their aura rather than their natural colour; over six feet in height dressed in immaculate white robes that flowed down to their feet but not touching the ground.

Around their waists were thin golden belts that held sheathed swords. It was these swords that the seven angels unsheathed and pointed it at Howard and the team.

The humans looked at each other and without a word six PSI or their equivalent were activated. Howard's bracelet warmed up and it started vibrating sending little energy pulses up his arm and down to the rest of his body.

Kuronike's hammer let out a bellow and changed its colour to an incandescent blue.

Violette equipped her daggers in both her arms, undoing her eyepatch but not opening her eye. A third dagger appeared above her head hovering menacingly, the sharp point aimed at the angels.

Winjoy stood motionless but Howard and Aian knew she was casting invisible shields around them all. Aian using her sight managed to count thirteen coloured shields that Winjoy cast in under a second.

Frank equipped a sword in each of his hands and took a fighting pose. Even Juma had taken a defensive pose and Howard wanted to see what he could do.

Aian stepped forward and looked at the forefront angel. He raised his sword menacingly.

"How dare you look at the presence of God?" His voice reverberated through their skulls painfully. Each word feeling like a sharp blow in their minds.

The god of time shook her head in disappointment. She flickered out of view and when she reappeared she was behind the angel. Her hand through its torso. She ripped him in half and pulled out a cloth to clean her hand that was covered in a thick golden fluid.

[This is how you use Voice]

Howard felt all the air leave his lungs as an indescribable force hit him hardly. He felt his mind was about to rip into million pieces until a warm golden light covered him.

He looked up to see Winjoy muttering in his direction her hands outstretched. He wondered why the others weren't affected as he was.

He then took a frightened step back as an angel's body dropped down before his feet. Its head black and smoking, charred beyond recognition.

The remaining five angels aimed for her but were stopped by Violette who used Murder of Crows technique. Kuronike followed with a whirling toss, decapitating an angel at once.

One angel had his head cleanly sliced off by an unseen force. Winjoy lowered her hand a satisfied look on her face. Frank plunged his swords into one and ripped it apart just as Aian had.

An angel swung its golden sword at Howard who parried it with his bare left hand before grabbing the sword and shattering it. The bracelet formed its ethereal sword and he plunged it deep into the angel whence it burst into black flames.

Juma stood still staring at the last angel but it never made a move. He raised his hand and it mirrored his movement.

Howard wondered if Juma had some kind of possession PSI. He snapped a finger and the angel dropped down to its knees as if prostrating before him.

The platoon of angels in the sky dived down, starting to go on the offensive drawing their swords, but stopped and they all prostrated to the ground, however they weren't bowing to him.

The hairs on Howard's hands all stood straight and a wave of foreboding washed over him.

The sky ripped open in seven different areas as heavenly aura permeated through the air. The centre most rip had the heaviest aura and Aian countered it with her own seeing how her team was being subdued.

Howard was faring quite well as the bracelet countered the aura. He watched as the centre rip widened further than the rest. He lost his sight momentarily as Aian once again adjusted their metaphysical sights.

When he could see again, Howard could clearly see the golden throne that was covered by seven six-winged angels. Each angel was aloft by a pair of wings as the others were used to cover their faces and feet.

Six of the seraphim hovered around the throne's six positions while the last was positioned distance away from the throne and it was this one who gazed at Aian and her Hunters.

The remaining six rips each had three lead spiritual creatures, and dozens of angels behind them.

"Is this how the Assyrians and the lone angel showdown happened," Violette whispered to Kuronike.

"There are exactly a million, two hundred and ninety-five thousand Spirit creatures in the vicinity excluding the one on the throne." Aian told them.

"Now this is the presence of God," Aian said out loudly looking at the seraphim. "To answer the question asked by the incapacitated low ranking minion, I can because I can."

The seraph beat its wings once looking at Aian. Through it's wings. "You are a cosmic entity but you dare stand before His Holiness?"

"I'd like my pantheon's armour back please," she said stressing at the end. "Give it to me and we shall be on our way."

"Such insolence," the seraph said angrily, its wings beating slightly faster.

Aian sighed and looked behind the seraph to the throne, "Your mouthpiece isn't very good at communicating. Then let's see, my team shall fight seven of yours and I won't take part."

Violette wondered why Aian would send them to the slaughterhouse until it hit her. She activated her PSI and so did Kuronike.

A reverberating clang rung throughout the air as Howard once again stopped an ethereal sword from running through the six. He blinked and saw a different class of angels had surrounded them.

Two of the newcomers focused on him leaving one each for the others. His bracelet grew warm and the feeling spread over him, encasing him in an avatar.