Rex
Ogoad Corporation headquarters
Readington, New Jersey city
United States
Terra, Gaea solar system
Milky way Galaxy
Neutral Free Zone
March 8th 2019
Blackearth Virus!
What exactly was this phenomena that was afflicting both the people of the mundane world and the Hidden world? In truth, the Blackearth virus was the virus that Fallen Star had released in major parts of the world as part of their Project Starseed experiment. Only they didn't account for the interference of a god-like being known as the Beast King. What was once suppose to evolve the Terrans, had led to the creation of more Abominations on Terra. It had to be noted that Terra was a low-level world with a poor concentration of World energy, as such it was not a place worthy enough to draw the attention of the Abomination hordes. That was until the arrival of the beast King and his faction. Now, the planet was brimming with Infernal energy through the virus, and Abominations were being spawned across the world. Such a thing was an unprecedent event that has never happened before. Normally there were only two ways for one to become an abomination. Either by falling into depravity or by being infected by Infernal energy. Infection by Infernal energy normally stemmed from one's soul being infected by Infernal energy leading to the dissolution of the connection between one and the Odyllic itself. Thus one is cut off from the will of the Universe and thus unable to wield Odic energy itself. The Blackearth virus follows the route of Infection by tainting the physical body with Infernal energy, deteriorating not just one's body, but both the mind and the spirit. This was exactly what was happening across the planet of Terra, though thanks to the interference of a certain group, none of the human population was aware of what was happening. All they knew was that some kind of pandemic had occurred and now some countries were putting the cities that were infected on lockdowns.
The city of New York was one of those cases. As a major hub of the United States, the place was home to 8.34 million people, not many were able to fall victim to the virus and thus get infected. Only a minority in the thousands got infected, and not all of them became infected by Infernal energy. Those who were able to resist the corruptive influence of Infernal energy were taken by Fallen Stars, under the guise of Ogoad corporation, a pharmaceutical company known among the public for their innovative improvement in medicinal drugs. But underneath the Shadows this company was a font used by Fallen Stars to collect those with promising signs of success. When Rex thought about the third power within the Hidden World apart from Golden Dawn and the Seasonal rulers, this corporation was what he had in mind. Standing in the air, watching his prey, Rex watched as it attacked the van bearing the symbol of Ogoad corporation, an Octagram star symbol with it's eight pointed sides. The vans had just pulled up to a hexagon six floor glass buildings, with a thousand acres of lands with auxiliary buildings. They were coming straight from New York after acquiring the latest group of humans that had fallen victim to the virus without getting infected by Infernal energy. As soon as the van reached the gates of Ogoad building, Rex's prey had unleashed it's attack on them. Luckily, or unluckily as Rex saw it, the guards that patrolled the building attacked the intruder, brandishing Adamas weapons. It was obvious that the guards were no ordinary humans, as they were Od sensitive, born with Internal sight that allowed them to see through the Grey that camouflaged the Abomination that was attacking them. Like the citizens of the Hidden world that were non-humans, Abominations were bound by the Grey, unable to interact with the mundane sides, unless of course the Abomination was strong enough to break through the line that separates both spatial sides. This Abomination was especially strong, it's body consisted of pure Infernal energy, swirling mass of black energy that looked like vines forming a grotesque shape. The Abomination didn't take long in massacring the entire team of guards, blasting out black spikes from the ground and impaling all of them. Even the drivers in the van's weren't exempt from the attack.
Balial, the Infernal Devil that had manifested from the merging of various Lesser and Medium rank beast Abominations, and had escaped from Emily back in Cedar Lake, approached the van and ripped off the door. The Devil wickedly grinned with it's black features at the sight of the unconscious humans strapped to stretchers. There were four of them, three females and one male, each undergoing a metamorphosis. There was a convergence of World energy wrapped around them like a cocoon though it was transparent. Balial ignored the females, turning to the male and feeling delighted at the thought of taking the body for itself. Balial's original body was still in the Infernal plane, while he had sent it's consciousness to manifest in Cedar Lake and forming a body by forcing those Beast Abominations to merge. Now Balial was nothing but a lump of Infernal energy with a consciousness. At first it was okay to be in such state in Cedar lake thanks to the Dimensional encroachment, but now that the ambient Infernal energy was gone, Balial needed a way to sustain his reserves of Infernal energy. And that was by taking possession of the mortal body before him. Normally any mortal body would do, but there was the risk of Balial's Infernal power burning the meat suits so he had decided that an Awakened body with an Awakened soul core would be strong enough to sustain him. That was why Balial was here. He planned on taking that male body for itself. As the black, vine shaped hand approached the body, Balial froze as a presence descended behind it.
"I never thought we would meet so soon again, Pendragon" Balial said.
"Ah! You remember my name," Rex said. "See, it wasn't so bad learning my name,"
"To think you would hunt me across the stars," Balial said. "You Paladins are persistent,"
"Sorry, but I didn't come to this planet for you," Rex said. His hand was in his pocket as he observed the Abomination that he was meeting for the second time. Rex's first meeting with Balial hadn't been a coincidence as it must have looked back then. Rex hadn't just happened to be on the base when he got the alert of the Infernal invasion on Avalor's colony. The reason he had gone there was to retrieve a family heirloom from his family's planet, and with the information he had at that time, Rex had quickly disposed of Balial's manifestation. "Since I didn't get to kill you before, I hope to do so now. It's a shame your real bodies not here, but if I can destroy your consciousness, then you're as good as dead." Balial pulled it's grotesque finger from the male, knowing full well that if it had attempted the possession ritual, he would be vulnerable against the Pleiadian attack. If he wanted any chance of getting that body, he would have to kill this Paladin. Four bat shaped wings sprouted out of Balial's back and with a flip, he shot towards Rex, the wind bellowing in all directions. A black lance made of Infernal energy tore through right for Rex's face. He nimbly moved his upper body backwards, his fist going downwards on the Devil's head but Balial got out of the way with a flip of it's wing. A wave of force shattered the ground where Balial's head had been. Balial saw it and knew if that fist had made contact with his head, a part of his consciousness would have been shaved off. The aura around Rex's body was no ordinary aura. The density, the quality, and even the quantity of Od he had released to wrap around his body was different from the normal Od Balial would have expected.
Strength force Variance. The bastard was going all out already. Balial's thought process was interrupted as Rex's body disappeared from his position and then appeared behind him. With a right upward jab, Rex sent Balial through an acre of trees. The land on which Ogoad Corporation was on was quite large and expansive, with a plot of forest that surrounded it. Rex decided to use the forest as their battlefield. Balial crashed through numerous trees, a quarter of the right side of its face was gone, a blight of white light assaulting his consciousness. Balial's body was made up of energy, as such he did not have any pain receptors and could not suffer from physical pain or exhaustion. But now his consciousness was being filled with so much mental pain that he was out for half a second. Regular Odic attacks such as the punch Rex used should not have even fazed Balial as his Infernal energy could easily disperse the power within it, but with the Strength Force variance that Rex had deployed, Balial was in a world of trouble. He felt the mental pain lessen as he regenerated the part of his head that had been taken out. At the same time, Balial felt a rush of anger, hatred, and contempt for Rex for putting him through that experience. If that punch had squashed his face completely, his mind would have been destroyed.
"Never...Never has an ant put me through so much," Balial spat. He flicked his fingers, and rows of more black lance fired out at Rex. The silver-white hue of color layered on Rex's fist changed to bright red, the temperature increasing so badly.
[Flame Creation-Dragon claw] Rex created an inferno of burning claw marks that cut through the black lances, the red-colored fire burning at such high temperature yet none of it affected the trees that were around them. Fire force Elemental Variance. Those who practice the Mystical arts like the Arcane arts, were also able to tap into the Elemental energy of the world itself, but the difference between the Elemental energy and that of the one Sorcerers use were different. Like the Strength Force, the Elemental Force that Rex utilizes could burn the Infernal energy that made up Balial's body. Even knowing this, Balial still attempted melee combat with Rex, thrusting the lance in his hand toward him. Rex used his left fist to parry the attack to the side, then with his Fire force-infused fist, he released an explosion that damaged Balial's arm. Balial didn't scream nor did he show any sign of being hurt. Instead, he jumped aside as his right arm regenerated. Balial knew he couldn't afford to be wasting his energy healing himself. Unlike in Cedar Lake, he did not have an ambient source of energy to channel from. The reserves of energy it had currently was all he could muster with its current body still in the Infernal plane. If he ran out, his consciousness would be completely vulnerable.
I can't use Word soul magic as it consumes a lot of power. In that case, I'll just use the Elements just like him. Balial quickly thought up a counter-offensive move, manifesting another Black lance. He made a slashing movement with the lance, releasing a burst of black wind that was corrosive, the Infernal wind tore through the upper area of the trees to get to Rex. Rex used Rapid steps to evade the gush of black wind blades that were infused with the Devil's Infernal wind force. Yes, even Abominations were able to use Od Variance. Just like how Rex's Odic force Variance could ignore the Infernals' defense, Infernal Od Variance was also deadly to mortals. Even with the best healing spells, healing a wound from it would be extremely difficult and Od consuming. Red burning Fire force sparked within Rex's fist, the energy forming flames which he then morphed into a greatsword. Rex then hardened the flaming sword with his Strength Force Variance and then coated the sword with Sword force. Balial felt a surge of power within the flaming sword that Rex held, a power that could burn his existence into ash. As Rex stabilized the power within the Sword he had formed, he coated his Validus technique around his body with Fire force. Balial sensed the temperature rise further, a heat similar to the core of the planet surrounded Rex, and yet the trees didn't burn up. A testament to his Odic control. Balial swung his lance, creating a vortex of black wind that tore through countless trees, twisting and corroding them as it headed for Rex. Rex flew up in the air, keeping a distance from the whirlpool of Infernal darkness. Up in the air, his Flaming sword released a deviation of the Flying crescent slash technique.
[Burning Disk slash] A red disk of flames cut through the path of the black wind vortex, both Elemental forces clashing against each other. One would expect that the wind would strengthen the Fire due to the oxygen, but none of the scientific laws that govern the world worked in that instance of two elemental forces clashing. Instead in that instance, what happened was that the stronger Odic energy Variance-which was Rex's fire-burnt the Infernal winds, incinerating every molecule of Infernal energy. The disk of fire carried an explosive sharpened power thanks to the combination of Strength Force and Sword Force. The explosion was like dropping a cluster bomb on a city block, tiny sharp blades of Sword Force Variance infused with Fire Force spread in every direction. Balial had summoned a barrier of dense concentrated Infernal Wind Force to protect himself but even that was not enough. Half of his left arm was gone, his left ribs wiped out, his mind stung with so much pain.
"Those fire of yours...humph! Humph!..." Balial found it hard to breathe...something that should not even be an issue to him as he was an energy being, the heat of Rex's flame too powerful even for him. "They're no ordinary Fire force," Balial was right. As an Upper rank Devil and a Herald of a Demon King, it was safe to say that Balial was a powerful Abomination. With just a thought, he could devour worlds, and yet ever since his attempt to cross into the Physical plane, his path had been obstructed by this mortal before him. Even now that he was about to gain a powerful body to be able to display his true power, that same mortal was in his way. And why was it that even in his limited state, Rex found it easy to fight Balial. That was because Arexander Pendragon was no ordinary Pleiadian. Both his physical, mental and spiritual power were at the peak of the Supreme rank, and the affinity to the Fire elemental Force was extremely high. And thanks to his special bloodline, the flames he could summon were also not ordinary.
"Dragon Fire Force," Balial said. "The blood of dragon flows through your veins. A Dragonkin." Balial knew that with his Infernal wind Force, he should have no problem protecting himself, yet the flames of this mortal had burnt his Infernal energy. Only Dragon flames could do such a thing.
"It's in my Family name," Rex said. That was true. Pendragon. A family of Pleiadians that were said to be descended from Dragon slayers who also happened to possess Dragon blood. This Family had hunted Dragons for millennia, maybe even more to the point that their legend had traveled across the stars, that it had even reached Terra itself. It was from this stories that the Mythological legend of Arthur Pendragon and Camelot had entered Terra's history. And not just Terra, but other countless civilizations across the Neutral Free zones that were as primitive as Terra. This was what it meant to be a Named Family in the Divine Federation. To possess not just might, but also fame itself. It was the same for the Haravok family, Sinclair family and the Karajan family.
"Huh! Ha! Ha! Ha!" Balial couldn't resist laughing. "So the Dragons are all but gone, and now your kind have turned your attention to my people," The Dragons were all but gone, whether they were extinct or not was not known. The remaining Dragon slayers had then turned their attentions to the hunting and slaying of Abominations across the Cosmos. Abominations were depraved insane entities that did not belong on the Physical plane. As a Pleiadian who was raised to despise them down to his bones, Rex had grown up hunting and killing Abominations. He would have loved to go to Cedar Lake and kill all the Abominations there but he had been unable to. Now he could get a satisfaction from killing Balial.
"You were born as an Abomination weren't you," Rex said. "You didn't fall under depravity but was born to it." This was another difference between Balial and the Beast King Sirius and his faction. One had been born and raised in the Infernal plane and the other fell to corruption. "You're probably what... five or six generations.."
"So what!" Balial said.
"Nothing. It's such a shame I can't fight you at your strongest." Rex said. "I'm sure it would have been a worthwhile battle." And with that Rex raised his flaming Sword and made one movement with his foot.
[Seven headed Dancing Dragon style- First movement art: Roar of the Dragon]
And with that there was an enormous increase in the air pressure that was around them, trails of red light so fast that even Balial was unable to dodge all of it. The ground gave in, pieces of dirt, grass and the earth flew up from the force of just that one movement of Rex. Balial felt his body crash through thousand trees, white stinging light flash through his mind. When he hit the trunk of a great thick tree, he finally came out of it. He looked at his body, seeing the damage he had suffered. He had lost one one arm, a leg and a part of both his upper and lower body. He was only able to stay up front thanks to his wings that kept him up.
"You survived," Rex said from above. "You've got good durability to be able to survive all those slashes." The Seven headed Dancing Dragon style was a Sword art that focus on a series of slashes as a combo that relied on quick and precise attack. As more slashes are stacked on another, the power of the combo increases with more power and force. The wielder must be able to perform two hundred and ten slashes with just one movement. And there was seven movements in total to accumulate the final lethal strike. If the Slashes were not complete, the attack would lose momentum and power. But if one could perform all seven movements.... well let's just say that the power achieved was enough to bring down Worlds. The fact that Balial had survived just the first movement in his limited state spoke volume of his power. The Devil had tried his best to evade all the slashes, the hot burning slashes that packed a lot of explosive power. It was very obvious that if Balial had a physical body like Mortals, he would be dead by now. He narrowly even survived because he had burned through his Infernal reserves to boost his defense. And now the amount left was not even enough for him to use his Word Soul Magic to heal himself. In that case...
"I'll bring you down to the nine hells with me, Pendragon," Balial roared. There was a quake in the Odyllic, some sort of turbulence, and Rex sensed the shift in the flow of Infernal energy within Balial. His body swelled up, like it was gaining more mass and weight, and then like a balloon, his body popped. There was a massive black explosion that moved to consume all life in the immediate area. Rex flew off to the direction of Ogoad corp, landing by the van where the humans were in their metamorphosis. He activated his bloodline ability before the explosion could push past the forest area. Red pentagon shaped forcefield sealed the explosion from going beyond, the barrier containing the force and the black flames shrank and fell on Rex's palm.
"Whew! That was close," Rex said. That explosion had been more powerful than it looked. Enough to destroy the entire area including the Ogoad corp building. It had something to do with the fact that it was performed through Sacrificial magic, an act that was taboo to the natural laws of the Universe. Rex squeezed his fist with pure draconic fire force. The Infernal energy burnt away, the tension in Rex's body reducing. "That bastard gets to live another day, huh" Balial's consciousness had disappeared from the location, leaving behind the explosion. Right now, he should be nothing more than a wandering ego unable to maintain itself in the physical plane. A cracking noise drew Rex's attention to the space by the building's gate. A thin black line divided the space, and someone dressed in a dark golden cassock robe, with a white veil that covered the face, walked out of the portal.
"Tch! I didn't make it on time," A sweet melody voice came out of the person as they walked up to Rex. A look of familiarity on Rex's face showed that he knew the newcomer well.
"Your prediction turned out well in the end," Rex said. "The bastard still got away like a roach," Rex brought his attention to the Van with the little kids inside, the two girls and the boy around fourteen and fifteen. They were in the process of metamorphosis, undergoing a transformation that would allow them to awaken. He sighed and turned away from them as his Internal sense picked up on the arrival of Ogoad corporation guards to their location. Not wanting to deal with them, Rex moved and grabbed the Priestess, using Rapid step cross the distance between Readington and then to New york city in just an instance. The Priestess had coated herself in Od to prepare her body for the insane speed, though there was no pint to it, thanks to Rex's Od that he extended towards her. They appeared on top of a skyscraper building, far away from the scene. The Priestess turned to face the city, a look of solemnness on her face underneath the veil.
"This place is soon to be a city of bones and blood," The Priestess said. Rex said nothing, giving her the space to handle whatever emotions she was feeling from the Visions she had seen. "How soon are you going after Delacroix,"
"Hmm, not long now," Rex said. "Leon should be with Samantha Sinclair. Sophia has sent Titus to retrieve her. Are you sure it's wise to let him in on this,"
"Leon must be the one to kill him," The Priestess said. "Your role is to lead him towards that path." Rex shrugged not caring if he killed or not killed Delacroix.