GOD FORMULA

04 The God Killer

As Griffin looked around in confusion, he felt the temperature rise. He turned around just in time to see a searing ball of fire shoot towards him.

Boom! The flame attack hit him square on the torso, disrupting his flight system. Griffin went into a tailspin, dipping below the clouds. Aegis recovered in a few seconds and brought him back up.

[Recalibrating Flight…] [Successful]

[Damage is marginal. All systems are active and functional]

"Where did the attack come from?" Griffin spat, searching for the source in panic. A fireball was an elemental attack that the adamantine armor neutralized. But the very idea of an enemy at this elevation above the clouds was ridiculous. Who was the culprit?

His question was answered shortly.

[High energy signatures detected]

The mattress of clouds parted ominously as a figure emerged from under it. Seven feet tall with reptilian features and energy crackling around him. It was Dagon! 

He levitated effortlessly, a feat that looked much cooler than Griffin's machine-enabled flight. The Prince hovered midair with folded arms, his battle robes striking a rude staccato against the wind draft.

"It's amusing to see a human fly with the help of silly trinkets!" he hollered. "But you must be delusional to think you can escape me!"

Griffin was dumbfounded. How could Dagon fly? He knew of elder black rakshasas with enormous power who could leap into the air and stay a few feet off the ground for a few seconds. However, a seamless flight up in the skies was a legend and a myth.

Feats like levitation and midair maneuver were inconceivable even for advanced magic users. No mage or cyborg had achieved this milestone yet. Aegis had made Griffin the first among all species to fly. Or so he thought. 

Dagon could fly, and he was good at it. Nevertheless, it was foolish of Griffin to have underestimated his opponent. The latter had been playing with him, acting much weaker than he really was.

"Don't you see how useless Aegis and God Formula are in your hands?" Dagon asserted. "You are a mere human, while I am a Gehennian god. Only I deserve to wield such power! Open your eyes and see that only I can unlock its full potential!"

Griffin considered his enemy's words for a moment. "Then let me pose the same question, Prince. What do you wish to achieve from Aegis and God Formula?"

Dagon waved a dismissive hand. "It's a pointless query. Naturally, I shall take my rightful place as ruler of the star system and then explore other solar systems to establish interstellar colonies. The entire universe will be within my reach."

"And if they refuse to accept your rule?"

"If they don't kneel, they will burn."

"You will bring war and suffering to all the worlds and galaxies, Dagon? THAT is your purpose?"

The Gehennian Prince scoffed. "Small sacrifices are necessary for the greater good. A mortal like you, whose body and mind cannot last for more than a century, is incapable of comprehending matters of galactic scale." 

Griffin let out a heavy sigh. "Now that I understand your motivations and intentions, I have made up my mind. I would rather die than hand Aegis over to you!"

Dagon broke into derisive laughter. "I grow weary of your insolence! You wish to die? Great! I shall now fulfill your wish and execute you for your sins. Brace yourself!"

Dagon drew his sword from its scabbard. The Zweihander was a double-edged greatsword, six feet long and one foot wide. Up close, it was much more intimidating to look at.

It had a fearsome moniker—the God Killer. The weapon was one of the seven TrueForge swords of the universe, whose origins were unknown—god-level artifacts. Dagon had inherited the Zweihander from his father as a family heirloom dating back millennia. 

Right now, he wielded the weapon with ease and expertise. Dagon pivoted in midair and launched towards his target. This time, he meant to end the battle.

Griffin had to think quickly. His priority was completing the three God Formula equations. He reviewed his HUD.

[MP: 3203/99999]

[HP: 9501/99999]

[Loading Equations: 3/3…… 52% ]

The first two equations had been processed. The third was almost halfway done. Now all he had to do was buy a few more minutes.

"Aegis, let's give our reptilian friend a taste of Evanescence."

Digital crosshairs appeared at the center of Griffin's HUD. It focused on Dagon and locked on. A large dial appeared around the crosshairs.

[Select Mana Input]

Evanescence was a pure energy attack, just like Dagon's earlier one on the ground. However, it was much more powerful, depending on the amount of mana used up.

Griffin tweaked the dial until it stopped at 99% and hit confirm. It was time to go all in. The command took half a second to execute.

[Evanescence] [99%]

[Discharging!]

A halo appeared around Griffin. Then, energy converged and shot out as a dazzling, booming beam towards Dagon. The latter swerved out of the way and flew towards his target, staying safely just above the discharge. The tassels of his robe licked the beam and smoldered into ash.

Before Griffin could make another move, Dagon was upon him. He swung down the Zweihander with all his might. 

Clap! A shockwave radiated out as if a massive fuse had gone off. Even the hilltops and the oceans on the planet below felt the tremor.

[Wake up!] [Wake up!] [Wake up!]

Griffin had passed out from the impact. Aegis's loud AI voice roused him. He opened his eyes moments later, finding himself plummeting towards the ground.

[Warning!] [Critical damage to core] [01:00 min left to Aegis Shutdown]

[MP: 0/100000]

[HP: 23/200000]

"So this is the end, huh?" Griffin asked himself bitterly. "I think I aimed too high. Universal peace and god-like power were ambitious goals. I ran out of time and life. Well, at least I could see two sunsets from the sky. That is as close to paradise as somebody like me could get."

Griffin saw a figure up in the sky plummeting towards him. It was Dagon. Even after taking the devastating attack of the Zweihander, Griffin's adamantine armor had survived, even though his AI devices were failing.

Dagon was coming for him to end what he started. He had dived headfirst, his greatsword pointed downward for the killing blow.

Below, the ocean awaited Griffin's corpse. Or whatever would remain of it once the rakshasa's attack hit. Perhaps there would be no dead body, since everything, down to the bones, would be blown into smithereens and dust.

Griffin closed his eyes again, having resigned himself to death. Then, suddenly, Aegis' interface came alive.

[Loading Equations: 3/3… 100% ] [Successful!]