Gareth had just left the Cathedral and was starting to feel a certain sluggishness and ache in his body. His eyelids were heavy weights, his bones boulders.
He was definitely not in the mood to dematerialize, so he decided to take a cab. He got of close to the docks, his flesh dead weight.
The day had come for him to experience pain that drove men insane. In fact, he wanted nothing more than to turn around and leave this accursed place.
Standing close to the Hudson river were Takezō and Juzō. Two Japanese identical twins. Bald headed and had a snake tattoo running up the opposite sides of their faces.
"Yo Juzō, look who approacheth. If it isn't the God of destruction himself, the king of the fucking vampires" Takezō called out.
"I wonder what brings him to these parts Tak" Juzō replied.
Gareth walked up to them, his death stare penetrating them, probably the effects of his current mood.
"Where is it Tak" Gareth asked in a dark voice.
"Here you go my lord" Juzō tossed him a bag. Gareth, without hesitation opened the bag. Inside were seven vials filled with what appeared to be blood.
"I'll send you the cash as per youzh" Gareth muttered.
"No problem sire" Takezō replied.
"Stop right there!" a loud voice came from behind them. Turning around, Gareth saw what seemed to be a middle aged man with leathers on, he had a scar running across the bridge of his nose, and two more scars running from the top of his hairline down to just below his left eye. He had long, brown hair, and a dark brown bushy beard with white streaks.
Gareth's eyes flashed red, and he immediately knew who this guy was. With a snarl, he tossed the bag back to Juzō. He flashed his eyes red again and said "Meet me at the new location in an hour."
The two twins leapt away in the opposite direction the mysterious man had appeared from.
"Paladin, if you do not turn around right now, you and your little buddies are gonna pretty much die." Gareth was not having this. His body was aching badly, his vision was starting to blur. 'This can't be good!' he thought in a panic.
A deep voice came from the man, and it uttered only two words, "Get bent."
Gareth looked up as a giant man came smashing down on him. Dust clouds rose up, blocking the view from the outside.
A few seconds later the large guy comes out flying backwards. He plants his two axes on the ground to stop the momentum.
"He's not weak." Jakob declared. The other paladins started coming out to formation. Jakob, Adnan and Wade were the attacking group. Theo and Bo were support, luna also supported from a mid range distance, while Arthur and Jasmine were sniping long range.
Gareth walked out of the dust cloud, his eyes glowing red, and looked to be very pissed, "You all should run while you still can." he said.
Using his nails, he slashed his forearms, but something strange happens. Instead of the blood to gush out like usual, his blood sort of climbed out. It looked like it was alive slithering up his forearms as he walked forward. It covered his entire hand from the forearm up and hardened instantly, looking like gauntlets.
Gareth let out a sigh, and charged at Jakob and delivered a blow, or at least had the intention of being one. Jakob slightly tilted his head, making Gareth miss entirely and smashing his jaw with a punch of his own, making him skid back.
The other paladins were not slacking either, Wade the giant of a man slammed a giant axe on Gareth, but he barely blocked it with his forearm, the blow having so much force, it created a crater in the floor.
Bo, seeing this as an opportunity, threw his chain at Gareth, wrapping it around his ankle. He pulled him and slammed him into a wall
Adnan charged, his blade gleaming with determination. Simultaneously, Wade positioned himself on other side . They began their assault with synchronized precision, forcing Gareth to defend against both the scimitar's swift strikes and the earth-shaking swings of the axes. It was a relentless onslaught that tested the limits of his gauntlet's strength.
Meanwhile, Bo with his thick swords attached to chains coordinated his attacks, creating a deadly dance of whirling steel. The chains twisted and twirled, threatening to ensnare Gareth. He had to keep his focus split between the scimitar-wielder, the giant axes, and the chain-sword duo.
In the midst of this chaos, Theo seized an opportunity. He darted forward, exploiting a brief opening in the gauntlet's defenses. His strikes were precise and unrelenting, forcing Gareth into a defensive stance.
As the battle raged on, luna strategically circled Gareth, maintaining distance while keeping up a relentless hail of bullets from two pistols. The energy shield of the gauntlet flickered as it absorbed the gunfire. The hero struggled to find a moment to counterattack amidst the constant barrage.
High above, Arthur and Jasmine remained hidden, their scopes tracking Gareth's every move. With keen precision, they waited for the perfect moment to strike, aiming for any weakness they could spot in Gareth's defenses.
Gareth found himself pressed on all sides, the teamwork of his opponents a well-coordinated symphony of combat. It seemed the odds were insurmountable, as the team of eight exploited every advantage they had devised.
But this was where the lone fighter's true strength emerged. With a burst of inner power and a keen tactical mind, he analyzed the pattern of attacks and detected a flaw in the teamwork. In a sudden, dramatic shift, he countered Adnan's strike and used the momentum to disarm Theo.
As he did so, he unleashed a burst of energy, shattering the thick swords attached to chains and sending the chain-sword duo sprawling. He dashed and with one well-placed punch, he knocked luna off balance, disrupting her coordinated assault.
The gauntlet's energy crackled with renewed vigor as Gareth dashed towards Wade's axes. In a dazzling display of acrobatics, he disarmed one of the axes and used the weapon to block the other's attack. With a powerful strike, he sent Wade flying.
Now, it was just Gareth and the snipers high above. He dodged their shots, and picked up two stones. As they shot him one more time, he quickly weaved and threw the stones, smashing the platform they were one with a huge bang.
However, just as Gareth caught his breath, Adnan, Theo, and Bo slowly rose to their feet. They hadn't given up yet. In a moment of profound teamwork, they formed a defensive triangle, protecting each other's blind spots.
With newfound determination, they advanced towards Gareth, weapons at the ready. The dock's lights cast eerie glows on their faces as they moved in unison, proving that they were still a force to be reckoned with.
Gareth, now weary but undeterred, knew that this final confrontation would be some sort of a breeze. The battle raged on into the night, the clash of steel and bursts of energy illuminating the dock. Each strike and parry was executed with precision, as both sides pushed themselves to the brink.
The remaining teammates fought with a fiery resolve, coordinating their attacks flawlessly. Adnan aimed for Gareth's legs, forcing him to leap and dodge. Theo used his weapon's reach to keep him at bay, while Bo launched surprise attacks from unexpected angles.
But Gareth, fueled by a relentless spirit, refused to yield. His gauntlet's energy surged, and with unparalleled agility, he countered their tactics. With a dazzling display of combat prowess, he disarmed Adnan, disarmed Theo, and finally knocked out Bo.
Before Gareth could catch a breather, he noticed Jakob, Luna, Wade, and even Adnan getting up again. His body was in pain, and he was slowly losing composure.
His gauntlets started to glow red with energy as he was about to charge at them. This time, all the paladins were fully clad in their heavenly armor. Each glowing with an otherworldly power.
Pop! One moment Gareth was standing, ready to attack, the next moment his body was falling to the ground, headless.
With a thud, Gareth's body lay lifeless on the floor. In the distance, Jasmine held a sniper in the midst of debris.
Gareth's attack seemed like it did a number on her, but she managed to do an amazing comeback.
Everyone seeing this started to relax. The mission had been a success. Adnan said a small prayer, as he prepared to carry Gareth's body.
"Guys, isn't it weird?" Bo started "There's no blood, coming out of his head, even though he was just decapitated".
That was surely odd, usually a pool of blood would surround his body by now, but there was nothing.
That was when blood started to come out of his neck, but not in pools. The blood started branching out of his neck like veins. That's when the most horrific thing thing they've seen happened. Gareth's head was growing back.
It happened in a flash. Gareth's head started regenerating. Vein, muscle, flesh and hair.
Before they could even react, Gareth's aura exploded. It was like nothing they've ever seen. The pressure was so much it threatened to push them backwards.
His blood started covering his entire body and hardened into armor.
"Now, I'm gonna fuck you up!" Gareth yelled.