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Join Date: Jul 2008
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Having seen that Death Mask was about to murder Thunder Man, Brennon was forced to call out to the villains before Seraph had completed the ritual. As he continued to read the words, Brennon began to wonder why he was yet to feel any different. He had believed that since Seraph was an angel he was best suited to make the ritual work. But Brennon was not aware that Seraph was actually a fallen angel and that he was not truly pure of heart.
"What now?" Rook asked, drawing a bolt from his quiver.
"We fight, but remain within the circle. We cannot disrupt the ritual."
"Shouldn't it have worked by now?" asked Time-Rider desperately.
"Yes, but I don't understand why it hasn't. Something has gone wrong."
Time-Rider unholstered his ray gun as he began to take aim at Manslaughter. The villain narrowed his eyes at him.
"I don't know what you are up to, but it won't work. You can't hit what you can't see," said the Russian confidently.
"We'll just have to see about that, chum!" replied Time-Rider, deciding not to put his pistol on stun.
Manslaughter darted forward, with the intention of knocking Time-Rider's block off before he even had a chance to put his finger on the trigger.
Suddenly his legs began to move more sluggishly, and while all his surroundings seem to almost freeze with him, Time-Rider remained unaffected. Time had slowed down to the point where Manslaughter could no longer utilize his super speed to its maximum.
Time-Rider squeezed the trigger, and watched as Manslaughter tumbled over in a heap. He let time resume its normal pace. What good was super speed against someone who could control the speed of time?
She-Beast raked her claws across Seraph's chest, and the angelic warrior crashed to the ground on his back. Brennon slashed at her ribs in retaliation. The ritual had been interrupted, and now they were left with four.
"Can we still form the Spears of Heaven with just four?" asked Rook.
"No, there must be five," replied Brennon, parrying a blow from Death Mask.
"Black Centurion is the only one left," said Kreuzritter.
"He has to take Seraph's place. But how?" asked Rook.
"Time-Rider, I need you to use your abilities to slow down time, just long enough so that we can reach Captain Mysterious and Black Centurion," explained Brennon.
Time-Rider nodded and did as Brennon asked. He was able to focus his power so that he and the other heroes were able to move unhindered. It was putting a huge strain on his brain, causing a great deal of pain in the back of his head.
"Stand and fight!" shouted Captain Mysterious. Black Centurion rocketed through the sky as he continued to avoid the sorcerer's blasts of energy. Finally he was struck in the back and crashed landed near where Brennon and the others were fighting.
"Quickly! Create a force field!" ordered the swordsman.
Black Centurion complied and lifted his hand. A dome of purple energy formed around them. Brennon knew Andrew North was a good man and a true hero. If anyone deserved to be a member of this team, it was him. He quickly read the words from the page. Captain Mysterious slashed at the force field with Zandrexyn, and with each swing of the sword, the dome became weaker.
"My power's running low!" Black Centurion said, falling to his knees, but kept his hands up.
When the force field was shattered, Brennon had already reached the bottom of the page. A beam of golden light appeared out of the dark clouds and shined down on the circle of heroes. Each of the five felt new power surging within their veins. Brennon, Kreuzritter, Rook, and Time-Rider were blessed with super strength and enhanced speed while Black Centurion's suit was fully recharged. He felt more powerful than ever.
The blades of Kreuzritter and Death Mask clashed with a loud ring of steel. "I'm glad now that I didn't kill you that day in 1943," said the villain, as he sliced a gash into the Germanic knight's leg. Kreuzritter staggered but his endurance didn't fail him. "Because if I did, I wouldn't be able to humiliate you and damage your foolish honor twice."
"Today I restore my honor by slaying you, varlet!" Kreuzritter shouted back. After several long minutes of fighting, Death Mask gained the upper hand and managed to disarm the knight. It would seem that the power he had been given by Captain Mysterious was more than what Kreuzritter had been granted as a member of the Spears of Heaven. But before Death Mask could launch the killing blow, two tech-bolts pierced his chest. He stumbled backwards. Time-Rider fired a blast from his ray gun that knocked him back a few more feet.
Black Centurion launched a full-power blast that engulfed She-Beast. She shifted back into human form and her naked body toppled to the ground. Captain Mysterious lunged at him, Zandrexyn leading the charge. The metal-clad warrior brought his arm up to block, but the blazing blue sword cut through his armor like cheese. As the armor had been grafted to his body, it felt like having his bones mashed and broken into pieces. He cried out, and fell on his back. Before he could rise, the sorcerer had discharged an energy bolt at his helmet. The darkness took him.
Death Mask tried to raise his sword arm to strike out at Kreuzritter, but the opportunity did not come. Twin swords plunged deep into his stomach. Brennon yanked them out violently and turned to Captain Mysterious, not even waiting to see the villain collapse in a pool of blood.
Captain Mysterious swung his blade through the air and while the action seemed harmless, it was hardly that. A thick wave of blue energy erupted towards the heroes in a lightning-fast movement. Rook and Brennon were slammed to the ground by the great force. The energy that had flowed through them left them both momentarily paralyzed.
Kreuzritter retrieved his weapon and roared with anger as he stampeded in the direction of Captain Mysterious. Their blades collided together, and for a brief moment Kreuzritter was forcing the villain back on his heels. But perhaps the slight turn in the tide of battle could only be credited to the element of surprise, as the sorcerer quickly regained the advantage.
Kreuzritter could feel his hands burning. Just being near Zandrexyn was a painful experience. He wanted to pull away, but knew he couldn't. He had to hold on. Finally Captain Mysterious's strength won out and the knight was consumed with blue energy. When he noticed that his armor had become lighter he realized that much of it had been melted away by the sword.
Now that he had a clear shot, Time-Rider fired his ray gun at the sorcerer. Captain Mysterious's focus had been broken by Kreuzritter's attack and was unable to defend himself. He grunted and clutched at his shoulder. For the first time in the entire battle, he had been wounded.
Captain Mysterious reached forward with one hand, and an unseen forced yanked Time-Rider from his current position and pulled him into arms-length of the sorcerer. Before he could stab the time-traveling hero, Rook shot his sword-arm. Captain Mysterious's aim faltered and the blade only penetrated his shoulder.
The sorcerer's gaze settled on Rook. A murderous gleam came into his eyes. He telepathically drew the tech-bolt of his arm and hurled it back at the archer. Rook dropped to his knees in pain.
"Enough!" shouted Captain Mysterious suddenly. "Brennon! This battle is between us alone! It is you who rallied the heroes of Earth together to fight me! So it should be the two of us that settle this little dispute of yours! Tell your allies to stand down! Why suffer unnecessary casualties? Your friends are half-dead as it is."
Brennon glanced around at the other Spears of Heaven. Time-Rider and Black Centurion were severely beaten. Neither was conscious. Rook and Kreuzritter were battered and bloody, and barely able to stand.
"You have all done your parts," Brennon said. "I shall fight Captain Mysterious alone. Zandrexyn is my responsibility."
"You're wrong, Brennon," replied Rook. "It's our responsibility."
Kreuzritter nodded in agreement. "He is right, my friend. We do this together."
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