Chapter 114: Rampage

White fire snapped out into a broad circle that encompassed their group. Strange, mesmerizing glyphs rose up in columns, endlessly scrolling like some heavenly Matrix code, and then a rushing roar filled James’s ears and the world fell away, like some kind of elevator-drop rollercoaster ride. For one delirious second they fell through space and time, everything distorting, and then with a slam they appeared in the Marriott lobby, all nine of them bending their knees and falling into half crouches as they entered a war zone.

Crimson Nem6’s were everywhere, Giger-esque and eight feet tall, their tongues lolling lasciviously as they leaped and raked their claws at desperate Blue Light fighters. Nem7’s were arrayed along the front wall, floating off the wall with their burning fists raised, hurling gobs of black and purple flame at the operators, while a central Nem8, huge and dominating the whole lobby laughed, not bothering to attack as Smite bullets bounced off his hide.

Then Crimson Hydra appeared.

The demons had to have their own spiritual sense, because as one they reacted to the nine arrivals.

The Nem8 ceased his laughter, sneered over one shoulder at James and his crew, then frowned.

“Fuck,” he said.

Five Heavenly Assaults hit all at once, each almost as large as the lobby even as someone’s Diamond Aura went Nova and two Seraphic Webs filled the space with huge burning tendrils of holy fire, all of them elevated by Gloria.

The demons ashed instantly.

The Blue Light operators froze, shocked, and as the brilliance of the strikes faded, Carvajal, the leader of Crimson Dragon, rose to his feet. “!Joder¡ James?”

“We’re back,” said James, engaging Mass Solace. His companions must have done the same; everywhere across the lobby men and women began to rise, their wounds healing over, some returning right from the brink of death.

Carvajal leaped over the counter he’d been using as a bulwark and strode toward them, eyes wide. “What was that? You just…” He snapped his fingers. “Killed them?”

“Yeah. We leveled up.” James looked at his crew. “Let’s clean the building. Carvajal, please guard Kimmie and Kerim. Denzel, Jason, Serenity, clean the parking levels. Yadriel, Miriam, Olaf, work your way upstairs. I’ll clean the ground floor.”

“You got it,” said Serenity, jogging for the elevators.

Everyone was speechless. They just stood there as James made his way toward the back corridors.

Demons spilled out to come rushing at him. Crimson Nem6’s, mostly, moving with terrible speed and roaring as they barreled down the hallway at him.

James finger gunned them down, extending Diamon Aura as thick as a pencil from the tip of his pointer finger, spearing each one through the end.

He entered the ballroom. The huge space was engulfed in battle, most of the soldiers and operators having retreated to the ASOCC corner where they were firing from within layered Circles of Protection as Nem6’s, Nem7’s, and another massive Nem8 were assaulting them.

James went Nova and cleared the room.

“James?” Star Boy stood up from behind his terminal, an M4 held awkwardly in both hands. “James, that really you?”

There wasn’t time. James sprinted across the room, crossing the ballroom in a flash, and sprayed a Sacred Strike over the hundred or so people gathered in the corner. Wounds healed, bones straightened, eyes blinked and pain disappeared.

“Hang tight,” said James. “I’m not done yet.”

He ran out of the ballroom even as people shouted questions after him, and ran down the hallway, dropping a Nova in each conference room as he went. He hit the second and third ballrooms, ashing every demon he found, and found Hackworth and the remnants of his command center in the final chamber.

“You all right?” asked James, popping his head in the door.

Hackworth lowered his gun. “James?”

“I’ve a lot to catch you up on, but only once we take control of the situation. I’ll be back.”

“Wait, what happened - do you know why -?”

James ran back to the lobby. People were filtering out of side rooms, eyes wide. James gave them a grim smile and shouldered open the emergency stairwell. Jumped down each flight of stairs to the landing below, then opened the emergency door to the first parking level.

He could feel the spiritual detonations as Denzel, Jason, and Serenity cleared the parking level below. They were making good time.

James jogged down the partitioned hallway, familiar now with the layout, and found Jessica with a large cluster of Fabricators.

“James!” She ran forward and hugged him tight. For a moment he just held her, but then they pulled apart. “Everything’s gone to hell! The Pits are opening -”

“I know. Trust me, I know. Listen. You need to absorb this.” James pulled out the last Reservoir Cube. “This will bring you to level 500.”

She blinked. “500?”

“Yes. But it’s a brutal transition. It’ll hurt like hell before it gets better. But you need to focus on the need to return, to continue fighting this war. Don’t be lured away by the siren call of power. Are you hearing me? You need to focus on the need to return, to be yourself.”

Jessica looked alarmed, her face pale, but she nodded jerkily. “Yes. Level 500. Remain myself.”

James placed the cube in her hands and closed her fingers over it. “I know you’ve got this. I need to go clear out New York real quick. I’ll be back when I can.”

“All right. Wait. Clear out New York real quick? What?”

“Gotta get me a Wing. Find a quiet space and tell people not to be alarmed when you start exploding. You got this.” James had a sudden urge to kiss her, to just pull her into his arms and hold her tight, but he fought it down and ran out of the large room toward the Wings.

The satphone was still clipped to his belt. “Crimson Hydra, listen up. I’ve cleared the ground floor and am taking a Wing out into the City. Do the same when you’re done. Serenity and Denzel, clean Brooklyn and Staten. Olaf and Miriam, take Queens. Yadriel and Jason, take the Bronx. I’ll handle Manhattan and Jersey.”

“Copy,” came a series of voices.

Most of the Wings were gone. A handful in rough shape were parked in the corral. “Jelly, which one’s best?”

“This one should do,” said Jelly, moving to one on the far left. Someone had painted a skull over the front and bright flames along the side, and strapped a shotgun and two pistols by the front. Jelly shifted into his teardrop shape and inserted himself into the head. James swung a leg over the seat and placed his palm on the machine. Its energy was low.

Do I need to drop some Aeviternum in it, or can we run it off my divine energy pool?

Normally Aeviternum, but I can act as an interface for your divine energy. Here, I’ll get the process going.

James felt the Wing connect to him and immediately begin to refuel. His Ruby regeneration rate was more than up to the task, however, so that his pool never dipped more than a tiny fraction below full.

“Then let’s get to work,” he said, and willed the Wing to rise.

He flew up the parking ramp and out onto the avenue. Chaos greeted him. Demons of all kinds were everywhere, moving in bands, some flying high up, others milling around, looking for new victims.

Nem3’s, lots of Nem6’s, groups of Nem7’s, and the occasional Nem8.

“Hey assholes,” James bellowed as he flew into view. “Head’s up.”

He dropped a Heavenly Assault on the block. The blast was huge, overwhelming, easily covering the lanes and both sidewalks.

The shrieks of hatred and horror from countless demons were immediately silenced. James accelerated, heading north toward Manhattan. Hit the next block and dropped a second Heavenly Assault.

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He pushed the Wing to go faster, skimming above abandoned vehicles, over countless corpses. How many had died in the first few minutes? How many had survived the Fourth Wave in the first place? The streets were abandoned.

Up ahead he saw an Apache helicopter wheeling through the sky, Nem7 demons flying after it, clearly enjoying the chase. They were perhaps a quarter of a mile away. The chopper was in trouble, but was giving as good as it got.

James drew one of the pistols holstered to the front of the Wing and activated Eye of the Needle, the sniper Deadeye Benediction. He aimed the gun, and immediately his vision leaped forward, magnifying as if through a sniper scope. Agility 274 meant he could draw a perfect bead on each Nem7.

He squeezed the trigger.

A bolt of glowing blue flew forth, so fast it was little more than a smear. It hit the lead Nem7 in the head and blew it apart.

The others recoiled, confused.

The Wing kept flying. James kept the pistol aimed at the crowd of flying Nem7’s, tracking them even as he dropped a new Heavenly Assault on the next block.

Eye of the Needle recharged. He squeezed off a second shot and killed another one.

The Nem7’s zeroed in on him and freaked out, dispersing and going to ground.

The Apache righted its course and banked, opening Smite-enhanced fire on the streets below.

James reholstered the pistol. The towers of Manhattan were looming into view in the near distance, glittering and pristine. A demon symbol hung off to the right, however, in north Brooklyn. The same demon symbol he and Serenity had first tackled what felt like a lifetime ago, when they’d first discovered the Nem2’s were using people to build their flesh forts.

It burned with shimmering black fire.

“All right, assholes,” James whispered. Manhattan could wait a second. He flew straight toward the hive, dropping Heavenly Assaults every block until he realized how inefficient he was being.

As an experiment he dropped three all at once; one directly below, one on each block to the side.

His divine pool dipped down by a tenth but regenerated by the time he hit the next set of blocks.

James grinned. He loved Ruby regeneration.

For the remaining ten blocks he hit all three; lightning strikes blasted down from the overcast sky, immolating hundreds of demons with each blast.

The hive loomed large. Its fire rushed silently every upward toward the demon node. James summoned his Angelus Armor, his Aureate Buckler, and then activated Empowering Light. He lit up like a miniature sun even as his stats bumped up by +15 each. Finally he activated Increase Arete, raising his pool by +50.

Looked like the Benediction had received an upgrade.

Just before he hit the hive he let loose.

Four Heavenly Assaults blasted down upon it even as he summoned Seraphic Web within the blocks it covered.

The dome of black fire rippled like a circus tent that had lost its moorings; even through the black flame he could see the tangled skein of his Diamond aura filling the streets and ashing the burning demons within.

Another four Heavenly Assaults crashed down from the sky, pounding the hive like a child stomping on an ant’s nest. James felt furious exaltation, and then a new demon arose from the hive’s center, its form blazing with black fire, massive and fell.

A Nem8 queen.

“You guys don’t waste any time,” murmured James.

The Nem8 had grown huge, easily some twenty yards in height, its wing span expanding to cover a whole block. James would have barely reached halfway up its shin. Black flame raged over its muscled body, and the obsidian spikes that flourished from its shoulders and brow were like volcanic detritus, scaled and gleaming. Its fists were huge, its knuckles spiked, its talons a yard long each, and deep cracks in the black stone revealed lines of burning magma within the depths of its arms.

“A challenge,” rumbled the demon, its voice deep and amused. Each beat of its wings sent hurricane force gusts sweeping through the blocks around the hive. “Come, little human. Test yourself against -”

James extended his palm and lanced it with a beam of pure Diamond aura even as he summoned Righteous Obelisk behind him and began dropping Heavenly Assaults upon it.

The beam cut through the black flame and crimson flesh, opening the demon up like a scalpel. The Heavenly Assaults drenched it in silver and gold flames, electrocuting it in place so that huge chunks of its stony armor shattered and blasted off its body, its flesh searing and charring.

The Nem8 teleported away but James tracked it with his Spiritual Exaltation, sensed it manifesting behind him. He wrenched the Wing around so that it drifted into the turn, and began dropping Heavenly Assaults on the Nem8 the moment it appeared.

The huge demon roared in fury and frustration as three Heavenly Assaults hit it all at once, further wrecking its shit. Again it teleported away, desperate, and this time James sensed it appearing above him.

With a grunt he hopped up, placed his feet on the Wing’s saddle, then leaped.

The Righteous Obelisk granted him a +25 to all stats. With the +50 from Empowering Light, his Power was now at 354.

The Wing bucked down as he launched himself off it and flew straight up, spearing through a hundred feet of cuttingly cold air and right into the Nem8 as it manifested, vast and crippled, its black flame aura guttering, a spell manifesting to heal its frame.

James crossed his arms before his head in an X and summoned Nova just before he hit the demon square in the chest.

“No!” roared the Nem8 queen in horror and then the world exploded into silver and Gloria.

James punched through the demon. It felt like diving into a mass of rotten curtains. He burst clear out the other side, Nova devouring the remains like a conflagration eating up an effigy made of straw and paper.

At the apex of his leap James turned, drew his knees up to this chest, and for a second he hovered a couple of hundred feet above the world, a great cloud of ash drifting away below him as the remains of the Nem8 queen dispersed over Brooklyn.

James laughed in sheer exhilaration as he began to fall. Jelly was guiding the Wing toward him, but James pressed his arms to his side and fell like a peregrine falcon, faster and faster. At the last second he veered, reached out, grabbed the Wing by one handle, and swooped down and under it. His momentum caused the Wing to barrel roll and drop with him. With a whoop he came up and around the other side, let go at just the right moment to fly a dozen feet up into the air, then dropped down onto the saddle as the Wing righted itself.

Without pause he extended his palm and hit the hive with Heavenly Assaults until it collapsed. Four strikes was all it took, and then the black flame extinguished itself, the central fortress collapsed, and the thousands of Nemeses within were exterminated.

James took a deep breath, his chest expanding mightily. He waited for a few moments, his divine pool regenerating rapidly, and when it was refilled he turned the Wing around and accelerated toward Manhattan.

Off to his left he saw Heavenly Strikes start to drop of their own accord, each as broad as a block. He could just make out Denzel flying alongside Serenity on her own Wing, the pair of them heading south.

James grinned, hunched over the Wing’s handlebars and willed it to go faster.

And faster.

And faster.

Deciding to push himself, he began to drop five Heavenly Assaults as he went, carpet bombing the demons as he flew toward the Manhattan bridge, the BOOMS constant and bleeding into each other, his divine pool dipping slowly, regenerating, dipping, regenerating.

The towers of Manhattan beckoned him on. Vast, a forest of glass and steel. Filled to the brim with demons of every stripe.

James laughed, flashed out over the East River, and with a roar of righteous fury dropped ten Heavenly Assaults along the entire shore of Manhattan as he blasted between the first buildings, a curtain of silver electric glory framing his arrival.

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