Apparent - Part 1

"Malique, finish him!" The call echoes through the wrecked wall, but it fades away, leaving disappointment and doubt in its wake. Gabriel, now pinned down, remains kneeling on the floor a couple of meters away from them. The trump card they were waiting for, their last hope, seems to be nothing more than a fairy tale.

Lucifer gazes at Malique, his mind filled with incomprehension. The mortification on Malique's face communicates to Michael, still pinned down, that hope is futile. Though his eyes meet Lucifer's, Malique seems distant, lost in some trance-like state.

Malique's defeated posture makes him appear powerless, his shoulders slumping and his hand lacking motivation. It is a preposterous sight for an Angel like him. Was his resolve never that strong?

"This is a lie, right?" Malique suddenly responds, his voice filled with fluctuating uncertainty as he surveys the chaotic scene. "This must've been God's trial, right?"

Lucifer flinches slightly, appalled by this display of incredulity. He grits his teeth, realizing that he must endure this moment of frailty.

"Hu... Hahahaha!" Gabriel can't help but crack a laugh at this shameful display. Despite his severe wounds, he remains true to himself. "Two on-one isn't enough, so you had to resort to three. Weak."

"Silence, you traitor!" Lucifer chastises, attempting to force his finger-claw into Gabriel's head instead of freeing it from his wicked body. Despite exerting all his strength, Lucifer can do nothing.

"Who do you think you are to order me around?" Gabriel's voice drips with disgust, as he stares into Lucifer's soul. Lucifer realizes that something is amiss.

[Flap!]

In an instant, Gabriel uses his wings to toss both Lucifer and Michael aside, separating them. Lucifer crashes into the wall behind him, while Michael slides down the aisle, caught off-guard by this surprise attack.

The finger claw that was thought to be stuck is suddenly free as Gabriel tears his arm, just enough to keep it intact. He is indifferent to whether his arm will be severely damaged.

"Playtime's over, you dumb bitches," Gabriel curses as he flies upward, his arms failing to support him properly. Unleashing his ace in the hole, he undergoes the same transformation that Lucifer and Michael had before the fight began.

[Zoom!]

As a "Fallen Angel," Gabriel doesn't expect much from the mutation. There is no fancy armour to protect his corrupted skin, only an ashen-grey torn-up cloth to cover his sinful body. It's fitting, to say the least.

The same fate befalls his wings. Feathers fall one by one, and the remaining intact feathers gradually turn grey. Those that pluck themselves in madness bleed from existence, turning coal-black and perishing.

"Not bad," Gabriel praises himself as he examines his transformed body. Lifting his healed hands, he observes the pulsating veins under his skin, overflowing with power. "All according to plan."

Michael stands, his breathing heavy as he deals with the pain in his neck inflicted by his enemy. The relief of being able to breathe normally is short-lived as he sees the malevolent figure waiting for him.

"What the...!?"

Gabriel moves with incredible speed, pulling out a special weapon he acquired in this new form. This weapon can take the form of anything its user desires—a "morph weapon," if you will.

In a blink of an eye, Gabriel summons a staff from his hand, lengthening it until it pins Michael to the wall behind him. But it doesn't end there. Gabriel swiftly changes the staff's tip to mimic a spearhead, piercing through Michael's abdomen.

[Shluuck!]

To keep Michael in place, Gabriel extends the back end of the staff, creating another spear that anchors the whole weapon on both ends. Whether Michael tries to pull it outward or inward, the staff remains immovable.

Not satisfied, Gabriel lifts his hand from the staff and transforms it into a harpoon with six blades on the head. He lengthens the blade, making it cover the entire weapon. Now, Michael cannot touch the weapon without encountering a sharp blade. Gabriel devised this devious method in seconds to render Michael helpless, as he prepares to play with his toys.

"Now stay there as you're supposed to and watch me finish this guy," Gabriel instructs Michael, his body impaled and blood dripping. He points Michael backwards when he notices Lucifer stealthily approaching.

"You think it's going to be that easy?" Lucifer dashes towards Gabriel as his concealment is exposed.

"Of course." An eerie voice whispers into Lucifer's right ear, and he instantly recognizes its familiar tone. Gabriel, the only monster, teleported behind him without warning.

[Crack!]

Gabriel delivers a devastating kick to Lucifer's knee, shattering the bone abruptly. The impact ricochets from right to left, grounding Lucifer immediately.

"Aahhh!" Lucifer screams in pain as it courses through his body. Before he can collapse to the floor, Gabriel grabs his right hand.

[Snap!]

Gabriel holds Lucifer's arm and forearm separately, placing his foot on Lucifer's elbow and wrenching the limb to break his hand. As Lucifer's expression turns to horror, Gabriel relishes in his torment.

"Ack!" Not allowing Lucifer to cry out in pain, Gabriel hoists the shattered Demon over his head and slams him onto the ground. To finish it off, Gabriel steps on Lucifer's still functional left hand.

"Lucifer!" Michael shrieks in despair, instinctively grasping the blade holding him up. Trembling, he winces at the sting as blood drips from his hand.

"Haha. Care to tell me the taste of your own medicine?" Gabriel's taunts met with a silent death stare. "Wow, intimidating."

"Gabriel, stop all of this madness!" Malique tries once again to end the insanity with mere words, shielding himself from the harsh reality. "The Gabriel I knew and respected wouldn't do all of this."

"Oh, Malique. So naive," Gabriel responds, looking at Malique, weary of hearing the same philosophy. "If that's what you think, you never truly knew me."

Malique realizes he has heard those exact words before. Yes, when he and Michael were forced to fight the berserk Lucifer. Could it be that Gabriel was controlling Lucifer, wearing a false mask at that time?

"Figured it out?" Gabriel smiles creepily, transforming his face to mimic almost anyone present, finally settling on Malique's face. "You see... This is reality."

"You're lying." Malique hysterically clutches and scratches his head, his body shaking like a leaf after witnessing a disturbing scene.

"Then tell me, is this fake?" Gabriel creeps closer to Lucifer's hand, plucking one of Lucifer's finger claws, causing blood to splatter as the nail is ripped off.

[Pluck!]

"AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!" The cry pierces Malique's ears, and he desperately covers them, terrified. The unsettling sight follows—a cry filled with agony as if Malique is having a heart attack.

"Tell me, Malique!" Gabriel raises his voice to compete with Lucifer's painful wails. "Is this fake!?"

[Pluck!]

"Noooo.....!!!!!! AAAAAHHHHHH!"