"I am JUDGEMENT!"
Ambrose clenches his fist and approaches. With a steely gaze he stands in front of Judgement and asks.
"What have you done with my son?"
Judgement tilts his head to the side and confusedly looks around. He shrugs his shoulder and laughs as he points to himself. With sarcasm dripping from his words he says.
"HAHAHA I'm right here Father? Don't you recognize your boy's face?"
Ambrose shakes his head and an overwhelming physical force bursts from his body. Calanthe's hands glow with a dangerous light as she prepares herself.
"You are definitely not him."
Judgement snarls and thunder booms overhead.
"What's so good about him anyway? He couldn't save everyone! He isn't cut out to be a hero. He should be what he always has been!"
Ambrose drops into an offensive stance as his body tenses in preparation. He looks to Judgement and pointedly asks.
"And what has he always been?"
Judgement smiles and answers easily.
"MY EXECUTIONER."
Ambrose bursts into motion and lands a devastating blow to Judgement's face that shatters the earth around them.
Calanthe moves to shoot her explosive blast. However, when the dust settles, she hesitates as she sees what's happening. Ambrose's eyes widen as he feels as though his fist hit an immovable object. Blitz's eyes light up in fear.
Judgement's face is impassive as Ambrose's fist is on his cheek. He grabs Ambrose's wrist and mocks the man.
"Have you not eaten father? Your punch seems a little sloppy today. Let your son show you how it's done."
Faster than thought, a titanic blow smashes into Ambrose's face.
The force of the punch sends Ambrose hurtling into a distant mountain. Calanthe chooses that moment to fire a condensed beam of explosive force that simply shatters on Judgement's body. Judgement looks to Calanthe and opens his arms.
"Oh mother. Won't you give your son a hug?"
Calanthe snarls and sends out a large ball of destructive energy as she shouts.
"Damn you!! Give me my son back!"
The destructive ball explodes and rocks the earth. Judgement, however, pierces through the smoke unharmed and sends out a kick towards Calanthe. Blitz reacts in time and picks Calanthe up. He places her on the ground a distance away and goes back to run in a circle around Judgement.
Calanthe keeps shooting condensed beams that only slightly singe Judgement's hair. Blitz sends out multiple blows within a second that only hurt his hand instead of doing damage. He shouts to Calanthe.
"This isn't working!! He doesn't have his barrier up! We nee--uuurk!"
Judgement manages to catch Blitz by the throat and lifts him up to eye level. Lightning strikes around them as Judgement's eyes light up with power.
"You annoying worm. FOR YOUR SINS, I JUDGE YOU. YOU HAVE BEEN FOUN-ahh!"
An extremely focused laser beam slices across Judgement's chest leaving a shallow wound. Blitz takes this chance to escape his current predicament. He vibrates his body and produces enough force to open Judgement's hand. He looks around and widens his eyes as he once more takes Calanthe to a safer distance.
Ambrose comes hurtling through the air and lands a haymaker to the unprepared Judgement. The ground craters underneath him and Judgement leans back, dazed.
Judgment takes a step back and Calanthe seizes the moment by sending out an extremely focused beam of concussive force that unbalances Judgement further. Blitz then appears behind Judgement and uses his body as a roadblock to trip him, causing one of his legs to flail in the air as his other leg desperately tries to hold his balance.
Ambrose steps forward and uses all of his strength in his next punch.
'Sorry my boy, but your father will get you back. Even if I have to knock sense into you.'
With a twist of his body, Ambrose releases a full power blow that lands squarely on Judgement's face.
Judgement is sent flying through the air and Calanthe charges up another blast. This time, she places considerable power into it. A large ball the size of a mountain shoots out and impacts their still flying foe.
*KABOOOOOOOOM*
Fast Forward then runs and generates a sonic boom that clears away the smoke from the explosion. What the trio see is disconcerting. Judgement floats in the air with only his hair being slightly singed, and his cheek slightly bruised.
Silence dominates the scene until Judgement screams in rage.
"YOU INSOLENT WORMS! FOR YOUR SIN OF HARMING THIS GOD, I SENTENCE YOU TO OBLIVION!"
Judgment raises a hand and lightning strikes it. The world shakes as the lightning strikes Ambrose, Calanthe, and Blitz before they can think.
"AAAHHHHHH"
They all shout in pain as Judgement grins. More lightning bolts strikes the trio. Blitz is hit the hardest and drops to his knees, but judgement doesn't stop and continues electrocuting him.
Ambrose desperately looks up and pleads with Godfrey.
"Please my boy! Stop this! You are stronger than whoever this Judgement is! FIGHT!"
Calanthe screams with tears in her eyes as she does the same.
"Please come back to me, my child!"
Blitz shouts in desperation.
"Please stop electrocuting me!!"
Judgement merely claps and laughs mockingly.
"AWWW, you all are so sweet. Sadly for you, this isn't a story where the hero wakes up and saves the day. BEGONE YOU WORMS."
A colossal lightning bolt materialises in Judgement's right hand and he raises it up high.
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Inside Godfrey's mind space
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Godfrey has chains wrapped around his wrists, ankles, and neck. He struggles desperately to escape, but the chains remain solid and unbroken. He screams out his anger.
"YOU WOULD DARE CHAIN ME!! I AM GODFREY!! THESE CHAINS WILL NOT HOLD ME!"
Silence answers him.
"DAMN IT!!"
He closes his eyes and tries to feel for any signs of lightning in his body. Nothing. Not a single drop of lightning energy.
"...str...er..."
Godfrey's eyes snap upwards at the whisper.
"...stronger....ment..."
Godfrey strains his senses as hard as he can and voices explode all around him.
"...FIGHT!!!"
"Come back to me, my child!!!"
"Please stop electrocuting me!!!"
Godfrey hears his parent's desperate pained plea, and a third voice in agony. His muscles bulge and strain against the chains.
"You would dare...harm...my PARENTS??!"
The chains creak and fracture as Godfrey pulls with a herculean effort. He feels that, if he breaks these chains, then his lightning would be no more. However, Godfrey gnashes his teeth as he continues.
"You judge unfairly! You care only for giving out a sentence, regardless of whether or not it is just. I REJECT YOU! Let your lightning disappear!"
Without warning, something sparks within his soul. A long forgotten feeling. The more Godfrey fractures the chains, the stronger the spark becomes. Godfrey almost doesn't recognise it.
He delves into his soul and touches that newborn spark. It shakes a little and almost sings out to him in the beautiful melody of lightning.
*crack* *bzzt* *crackle*
"This...is divinity? How? I searched my soul and there were only fragments. Enough to use for my Divine Sense..... This feels different. It is full of potential."
Godfrey looks to the chains that bind him and see that they are starting to crumble. With one final pull, the chains snap and lightning explodes forth.
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Mars Landscape
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Judgement rears his arm back and prepares to throw the lightning bolt, but his left hand comes and grips his right wrist.
"What?"
He tries to move his arm but it doesn't budge. In fact, his whole body relaxes and is no longer in Judgement's control.
'DO NOT RESIST ME! LET ME GRANT YOU GODHOOD ONCE MORE! LET ME GRANT YOU MORE POWER THAN YOU COULD HAVE EVER IMAGINED!'
Godfrey crushes the lightning bolt in his hands and smiles to himself.
'No.'
The lightning storm recedes and Godfrey's parents release a breath of relief now that lightning no longer strikes them.
'HOW ARE YOU DOING THIS? I REJECT YOUR WILL!! I REJECT YOUR CONTROL! JUDGEMENT IS NO LONGER YOURS TO COMMAND! SO HOW?!!'
Godfrey looks to the sky and smiles as he ignores Judgement and speaks.
'I see now where all my rage came from. It was you. You manipulated me into doing what you wanted me to do.'
'SO WHAT? YOU ARE GODKING!! WHY DO YOU CONCERN YOURSELF WITH THESE WORMS? THEY ARE PUNY AND DIE WITH A WAVE OF YOUR HAND!'
Godfrey descends onto the ground and smiles at his parents.
'You and I have missed the point of being a god and a king. We have had countless lifetimes to learn, but only now do I realise that it is not so different from being a hero.'
His parents rush to him and smother him in bone crushing hugs.
'As a god,we govern the laws of nature and must rise above our instincts of control. In order to serve.
As a king, we head a vast kingdom and must rise above our greed and ambition. In order to serve.
As a hero, we must rise above our fears and self-doubt. In order to serve.'
Godfrey's parents are confused as he remains silent. He just points to his head and closes his eyes.
'BIG WORDS GODFREY! BUT YOU FAILED!! AT BEING A GOD, A KING, AND A HERO.'
'As a GodKing yes, but not yet as a hero. Did I not save my parents?'
'How about all those people you failed? They're dead.'
'Even as a god, I couldn't have saved everyone. A hero does his best, sometimes his best is not enough. It is his job to pick himself up and keep going.'
'how about...no...please...I don't want to go!'
'The world does not need your judgement to save it. Leave that to the heroes.'
'...'
Godfrey opens his eyes and smiles as he picks both of his parents up in a hug. He joyfully spins them and speaks.
"Mother, Father, I have returned."
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END