Adam

Chapter Nine (9): - “What do you fight for?”

  Banks stood glaring at the black bodies of the three men, he had burnt them to black crisp, if that was even a thing.

  “I knew that last guy was a barrier calvary” he said to himself “always the most annoying guys”.

  The lights flicked and the glass bulbs exploded to shards, shutting off the lights in the lobby. He turned around and saw three silhouettes take form in the darkness.

  He was still in his black suit and tie, complete with cover shoes to match. “You still have a thing for making entrances, don’t you, glassman”.

  The backup lights came on; solar powered LED lamps that had a soft glow.

  Glassman stood there with Adam and Jerry by his side.

  “Banks” he said calmly, then his gaze moved to the three dead calvaries, their bodies were vaporizing. “Did my ice calvary not even put up a fight?” he kissed his teeth “I knew I should have come with Scatter instead. But he’s no good when it comes to stealth”

  “Neither was this one” Banks interrupted “He glared at me. You know how easily I get pissed. You won’t get what you want today, glassman. I’m not letting you get past this floor”.

  Now Glassman laughed “Banks. Same old Banks. Cocky and proud and foolish Banks. What makes you think you can stop me? Huh?”

  Banks didn’t reply, he loosened his tie and folded his sleeves.

  Glassman dropped his shoulder “I don’t expect you will answer this, but tell me, who let you know that we were coming?”

  Banks paused, then smiled “As if you’d ever get that information from me. Enough chatting…” he pulled the tie and wrapped his right palm with it, then pulled out a long, iron cord from pure space.

  “Come at me at once or one after the other, I’m fine either way”.

  Adam studied the man they called Banks ‘he can use the pocket space too’ he thought to himself ‘he’s the only person aside from me that I’ve seen with this ability…’

  “Adam” Jerry said with a smile “Lend me one of those flashy daggers of yours. I’m about to get into a heated fight”

  Adam took out one dagger from his own pocket space and handed it to Jerry.

  The latter stepped forward “The almighty Banks” he said casually “I used to be in the side-lines when you were still in your prime. Scatter and I. Ever since you left, I’ve dreamt of this day”

  Banks let out a flaming aura from his body. It didn’t burn anything, but the intense heat swept across the entire lobby. Then the tip of his suit, at the shoulders and hem, began flaming.

  The tie he had used to wrap his palm set ablaze and the long iron rod and caught fire.

  Banks kept holding it as though nothing had changed “So that means we used to be comrades” he said and glared at Jerry “Good. My old comrades all piss me off!”

  He roared and raised the cord, then whipped it straight at Jerry.

  Jerry didn’t move, in fact, he let the cord strike him, whipping him diagonally and burning a line straight through him in half, then striking the floor and setting it ablaze instantly.

  The flame roared like an explosion and it engulfed Jerry completely, and booming with rage like Banks himself.

  But all of a sudden, Jerry stepped out of the flames completely unharmed, then to Banks greatest surprise, another one, a clone of Jerry, stepped out as well.

  ‘What’s this?’ a voice creeped in his head “You’re a clone” he said aloud “those guys are even more annoying than barrier users”

  “My default cloning is a dozen on instant contact” Jerry replied “But I’ll play a game with you, every strike makes a new clone. Let’s see how fast you can keep up”.

  Then the two of them attacked.

  Although jerry only has one dagger, as he spilt into extra clones, each one has his own dagger similar to the original.

  Banks refuse to panic, he launched the cord again, ripping everything in its path and setting them above striking jerry. But each he struck each clone, they simple broke in two extra clone, like 2 side of a book.

  Suddenly, there was shredding sound and one of the clones had sliced a diagonal line on Banks chest. Blood poured out and Banks staggered backwards.

  The clones were smiling, it was evident that their opponent was on the losing side. Banks stared at his own blood for a while, unaware whether to be confused or irritated

  ‘What is this petty way of fighting?’ the voice creeped again “Is this what the missionary has been reduced to?” he glared at jerry “Is this your idea of direct combat? Is this how you ridicule the very foundation of the CCA? Where is your pride?”

  “I don’t have any” Jerry replied “not everyone can survive with your kind of pride on their neck”.

  Banks scoffed “I see” then the open slashed healed completely “I knew it you would be even more annoying than those barrier calvaries”.

  The tie around his fist transformed completely into fire and he let the cord go. Surprisingly, it hovered mid-air and began transforming completely into a cord of burning flames “if you have no pride, then I have no business with you, just die”.

  In a breath taking instant, the floating cord of flames had rocketed toward the clones on its own, though now it wasn’t just a flaming cord, it had transformed into a raging; a fiery mad dragon.

  Before the clone could react, the dragon reached from above, and consumed him from the head, swallowing him whole and setting ablaze in a profound explosion. The smoke cloud rose fast, then dispersed slowly.

  When it cleared a bit, they realized, the cloned had been completely destroyed.

  Adam’s eyes bulged out ‘his fire power tripled in seconds!’ he screamed inside his head ‘and now that cord is a literal fire dragon?! How?’

  “He’s using his real fire power now” glassman explained, almost telepathically reading Adam’s mind “His outstanding abilities was what made Banks the strongest fire user in the missionary, and one of the most dangerous fire users in the country. But that doesn’t make him any less of a problem”

  As the smoke died down, the fire dragon hovered mid-air, then suddenly multiplied into dozens.

  Jerry’s eyes widened in surprise “Don’t be surprised” Banks declared calmly, with an aura of superiority “My unfair advantage. My fire dragon has the ability to use the techniques of the last opponent it devoured. I’m not playing this game with you, clone. Like I said, die”

  All the dragons shot themselves at the clones, moving with almost rocket force and speed. All the Jerry clones flew into alarm, they were being forced into the defensive. But the real Jerry smiled, so long as they had Adam’s dagger, they could deal enough damage.

  Thinking with a singular mind, all the clones attacked their fair share of dragons, brandishing the daggers expertly.

  They collided, fire breathing dragons and electricity crackling in daggers. Cutting, striking; fire exploded and electricity crackled everywhere, striking the dragons.

  Then, as one of the clones dug his dagger into the head of a dragon, electricity exploding in a rage, Banks flashed into existence before its eyes like a glitch and crashed a punch straight into its face.

  Something set ablaze within it and even before the clone could be blasted back, fire exploded from inside it and it blew up instantly like a bomb.

  All the other clones turned around in surprise, but that was the only moment he needed, dozens of clones just like him appeared everywhere and assaulted Jerry’s clones. And in one strike each, the clones exploded their opponents like ticking bombs.

  The flame roared and covered half the lobby, blowing up even the ceiling and the decking just above them, thereby revealing the second floor just above.

  Jerry stood, almost traumatised at what had just happened ‘he didn’t just copy my technique…’ he said to himself ‘but he destroyed all my clones on instant contact! They were supposed to multiply when struck, how did they get destroyed?!’

  “Don’t let this break you” Banks said and stepped out of the flames “After all, you had no pride to begin with. So you have nothing to lose”.

  Before Jerry could even think, the opponent was standing next to him, fist touching his chest. ‘When did he get here?’ he asked himself when he felt Banks presence ‘why am I frozen to the spot? Am I, paralyzed by fear?’

  “I told you before” Banks said coldly “Die”.

  Jerry felt something tick like a time bomb and instantly felt the intense pressure from the flames pushed outwards. His face swelled and the skin became so thin with lines stretched all over that the flames were visible.

  Then he managed one word “B…anks”.

  The next instant, he blew up in a rocking explosion, throwing flames all over Banks and burning at his suit quickly.

  Adam watched as his dagger clanked on the floor and came to a quiet stop not far from him. Then electricity crackled around it and it vanished.

  Banks took a step forward “Like I said earlier, glassman…” dozens of fire dragons appeared in the air, facing Frankenstein and Adam “…I’m not letting you get past this floor”

  Frankenstein didn’t budge “Jerry wouldn’t have wanted to go out any other way. You two were very different, but he idolized you and waited for a day to face you. Dying by your hand, would have made him smile. But tell me Banks, how did you destroy his clones and kill him?”

  Banks glared at them for a while “Fine. I’ll explain” he said calmly “Since Jerry had an insane affinity for regeneration, so much that he transformed it into cloning by regenerating both parts of his body that were separated by an attack, destroying a clone from external force would be impossible. I simply set his ablaze. When I lit his internal organs, he and his clones were destroyed instantly”.

  He glared at the two of them “The same fate awaits you both. Die!”

  The dragons roared and raced at them instantly, opening their in an attempt to consume them whole.

  Electricity flashed briefly through the lobby in a brilliant crackle and Banks saw it just briefly before it happened.

  Dozens of lines flashed through the dragons and past them, then Adam appeared behind him like a stun. In that heartbeat moment, electricity bolted through all the dragons and they exploded instantly, rocking the lobby once more.

  Frankenstein smiled “Did you think you could touch me? Meet my junior hand man. Adam, the storm bringer and 4^th lightning king”.

  Adam stood behind Banks, standing a safe distance away and backing him with two daggers in his grip. “Don’t make this hard on yourself” he said slowly “Just give up”.

  Just as Banks made to move, a large X cross slash ripped open his body, slashing his chest and blood gushed out. It was a delayed hit. Adam had already inflicted the damage, faster than his opponent could see or react, it only took effect a bit later.

  Banks coughed out a mouthful of blood, his eyes changing blood red. His stance slacked and he quaked, his knees buckling as he staggered very briefly.

  “So you’re a lightning king?” he asked calmly, almost betraying no pain. “The fourth one in the entire world. That title alone rings fear in the heart of all calvaries. Aside from single class abilities possessed by only one user in the world at a time, the lightning kings are the rarest of calvaries to exist. Their power makes them stand out, they seem to exist on a higher plane than other calvaries”

  His wounds began to heal slowly, leaving behind a scar. He turned around calmly, glaring at Adam who was still backing him. “To me however, you and I are the same. We were just bred to kill”.

  Adam turned around, facing the hefty man “I’m nothing like you” he said in a lethal tone.

  “If we’re different” Banks continued “Then what makes us different is what your dead friend called, my pride” his injuries healed completely and an aura of fire began exuding from his body, burning at his clothes quickly.

  “It is pride that you call it” he continued “but I call it grit, determination, and unbreakable will. It is pride, as you call it, which makes me stand out among a world of calvaries. I take pride in myself, because I dared to refuse. I refused to be a killing machine, a tool of absolute destruction and anarchy. Tell me something, lightning king, why have you let another lightning king use you for an undignified end?”

  Adam’s eyes widened and his heart skipped a beat. He remembered Kabir’s words “…what that sacrifice is made for however, must be a dignified end”

  “Do you know why I fight, lightning king?’ Banks asked as his shirt burnt off completely. His trousers were almost gone too.

  Bright yellow rings had appeared on his arms and legs, exuding intense heat along with a fiery aura. “I fight for freedom! For the right to stand among people and also be called a human. Most of all, I fight because I refuse to forget what I am! I am a human who has tasted death and power, but a human nonetheless. Tell me storm bringer, what do you fight for?”

  Frankenstein gritted his teeth, Banks was getting to Adam “Adam!” he yelled “Finish the job!”

  Adam looked at Banks, he was stark naked now, the flaming aura had gutted away his clothes, and the bright, burning yellow rings on his arms and legs were getting hotter.

  “If you’re unable to answer that question” Banks continued sombrely “Then even if you are stronger than I am, even if you kill me here and now, I have already won this fight. Because I am a free man!”

  Adam was looking for solidarity in himself. ‘This man’ he thought to himself ‘he has a deep understanding of freedom. Everything about him, even his aura alone burning his clothes to ash, signifies his freedom. He’s an inspiration’.

  Electricity crackled around him and his dagger sparked violently “Banks. You are right” his voice was also sombre. “You’ve won this fight. You’ve inspired me. However, your innocent blood must be on my hands tonight. I won’t stop, not until I’ve shown the world the kind of freedom you inspire. I’ll free this world as the 4^th lightning king. I promise you that”.

  Banks smiled “Then let my purpose be fulfilled. Let me be used to a dignified end!”