Chapter 25: Deus ex Machina

Everything was going smoothly according to plan, but it was not meant to last. The raiders, once so impossibly terrifying, was now just a distant fear. The knights were faced down by a threat they could never hope to vanquish. The Adjudicator, possessed by the souls of his own people, was trying to hold himself back in vain.

But they were not alone in this endeavor. As the executioner and her aide was here to help. Jaren stepped up to face the enemy, ready to fight. But the warden found himself alone.

"X, what are you doing?"

The man called out to his companion, who was stepping back. Was she planning a flank, or some sort of devious prank? Or not. The executioner answered callously.

"If I fight this behemoth, all that await me is death."

Jaren could not believe what he had heard. Not once had he seen her shy away from a fight, even when they were hopelessly outnumbered. He had witnessed the executioner jumping into hell itself and escaped with just a sliver of life left.

Knowing that her aide deserved an answer, X replied. "I am an acolyte of death itself. It's my talent to dole it out, but I also know when it will come for me. If I fight this guy, I will die and so will you."

It was that simple. Dying was not something X expected when getting out of bed in the morning. Her life was to kill, and that would be impossible to do under a tombstone.

Hearing that explanation, Jaren simply sighed. "Then run off on your own then."

"You are not coming then?" The executioner asked, her lips stretched into a mysterious grimace. Her question was not met with an answer. Jaren instead instructed the deformed medic to evacuate immediately, none shall stay to help him.

X was amused at her companion decision. She had picked him after witnessing his handiwork, the endless torture of inmates. It was a job for the Warden, yet he did so with excessive cruelty, to inflict countless pain without a single shred of empathy. It was not out a desire for sadism, the Warden was simply good at his job.

Jaren did all of it, because he wanted to serve. As part of the Knight Order, it was also his duty to protect the innocent, and that he shall do, no matter the cost.

As the Warden gazed forward, what faced him was doom. Rohan had finally lost control of himself to his own power. Thousands of voices constantly screeching, whispering and begging not just for revenge, but for life itself. And they directed him to take lives from others in a futile attempt to take it for themselves.

"rUn…" The Adjudicator murmured.

Jaren heard him loud and clear and his answer was brief. "I'm afraid not."

With a harrowing screech, carrying a thousand echoes, the Adjudicator charged forward. All of his sense of deliberation lost, Jaren was no more than a mad man. It unleased the power the man had always restrained. He rushed forward with steps most heavy, each one cracking the earth underneath. Yet, the acolyte could move faster than a predator chasing its prey.

Saying that the Adjudicator's speed was a surprise was an understatement. Jaren knew Rohan was faster and stronger than he let on, but not like this. Gathering the energy within his charger, the Warden unleased a bolt of electricity. An useful tool for torture, it was also deadly if the voltage was cranked up, enough to burn a person to nothing but ashes.

And Jaren was not holding back, no, he went beyond.

The electric hit Rohan straight on. In an instant, every blades of grasses and trees around were reduced to nothing by the blast. The Adjudicator was hit by a bolt with a power of a dozen lighting strikes.

Yet, the acolyte shrugged off the attack like it was nothing.

Even through the blinding sparks, Jaren could see what happened. Spirits, countless spirits in anguish covered Rohan, tormenting him with every whisper. But they also absorbed the lighting and be destroyed, only to be reformed once again.

'An infinite barrier!' Jaren grasped at the implication.

It would absorb all sorts of arcane, making the acolyte impervious to spells. The only way around was to create a strike powerful enough to pierce through the shield. But the blast just now was already Jaren's best.

He was simply not strong enough.

'Fine then, guess I will have to do this the old fashion way.' Even when faced with such an insurmountable challenge, the Warden did not despair, it was the Knight's way.

Once again invoking his charger, Jaren sent the power coursed through his own body. His muscles soon twitched with an uncontainable power. He was still weaker than the acolyte in a physical bout, but that was never the deciding factor.

The Adjudicator raised his fist to deliver a devastating blow, enough to destroy a man.

Jaren simply stood and waited patiently. As the punch was right in front, he quickly dodged to the side. A lighting whip shot out from his left hand, the Warden immediately wrapped it around his opponent extended arm. Mustering all of his mind, Jaren pulled the whip back, using Rohan's momentum to his advantage. The acolyte tumbled forward and before he could regain his footing, Jaren retaliated.

Another whip shot out from his right hand. But this one, he used to strike his opponent directly in the eye.

The crazed Rohan was startled as blood spurted out of his face. For the first time since the destruction of his home century ago, the Adjudicator was hurt. If he could bleed, then he could be slain.

Such a realization drove the spirits insane. They screeched out in terror, a thousand voices pierced through Rohan's mind. He thrashed about uncontrollably with his burnt eyes closed.

Using this opportunity, Jaren swung the whips around one of his opponent's leg to pull him down. Rohan reacted with instinct, pulling back. He had fallen for the Warden's feint. Jaren immediately rotated behind his opponent with footwork most nimble. He then pulled in the opposite direction, once again using Rohan's momentum to his advantage. This proved successful and the Adjudicator was sent tumbling to the ground.

One whip immediately was released, twirling around both of Rohan's arms, pulling them up. Jaren stepped down on his opponent. Just like that, in one fell swoop, he had pinned down his opponent. The other whip was wrapped around Rohan's neck, chocking him.

'If I can't pierce your skin, then I will just need to do this!'

The spirits were sent into complete chaos. No matter what they did, their host was still trapped, slowly being choked into unconsciousness.

The fight would have ended there, if not for a twist of fate.

As they panicked, the spirits accidentally let Rohan's mind slipped back in. It was just a single moment, but that was enough. The Adjudicator did not understand what was going on, but the man knew he was in danger. And his briefly lucid mind immediately came up with a way of escape in an instant.

Rohan pressed his right knee and head down, all the while trying to lift his body up. The whip pressed on his throat even harder, but it was worth it. Despite all of Jaren effort to pin his opponent down, the Adjudicator was successful in lifting his torso.

'How could he muster such strength?' The Warden could not believe his eyes.

"RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

Letting out a primal roar, Rohan flipped his body around, the whip now tightened on the back of his head. At the same time, his hands also swung down, dragging Jaren towards him.

The Warden reacted in a split second, letting go off the whips to back off without dispelling them. Rohan easily torn off his limb bindings with ease, but it was enough time for Jaren to get out of range. Or at least that was what he expected. The Adjudicator jumped back up and slammed his shoulder right at the retreat.

It was like nothing Jaren had ever felt before. It was as if he was hit by a boulder falling down from the heaven. The man was flung back, his organs ruptured while his bones shattered. It was a killing blow… for any mere human.

"Hah hah." Jaren groaned, clutching his chest in pain, but he lived.

To be adept at torture, one must have a deep understanding of the human body. And the Warden was an excellent student indeed. With his knowledge and magic, Jaren held his body together with pure arcane. But the moment his charger gave out, it would be his end.

So this was where he died, not that Jaren ever expected to survive, facing against Rohan.

Still, the man could lie down in peace, knowing that he did so to protect others. As a mage trained under the Knight Order, their doctrines had been drilled into his mind. The people's lives must be put above all. In a world where mages like him were despise, Jaren would die to protect those who hate him.

That did not matter one bit to him.

"Hah hah… heh heh…" The Warden groaning soon turned into a smile.

Having already made peace with death, the only thing that went through his mind was simply… joy. Engaged in a bout of mortal combat, faced with death door. All that Jaren wanted to do was to laugh. Now that he was going to die, there was no more responsibility to hold him down. No longer bound by duty, it was finally time for him to enjoy… life.

With the biggest grin on his face, Jaren charged into his enemy. The clashed with Rohan throwing out one devastating swipe after another. But all of them were skillfully dodged by the Warden, who calmly observed, waiting for a chance to strike back.

Jaren could not wipe the grimace from his face. Was it out of the thrill of the fight or maybe the man was just amused at his own enjoyment. Nevertheless, he was having the time of his life. And it was time to deal the finishing blow.

'Huh, maybe that X had rubbed off on me after all.' The man thought to himself.

Ducking under a swipe, Jaren charged a devastating light attack. He then slammed his palm up straight into his opponent's face. The bolt with a strength of a dozen lighting strikes was sent straight up Rohan's nose.

The Adjudicator tumbled back, smoke emitting from every orifice on his face.

The blow had reached his very core, shaking yet. But alas, Rohan still stood tall. The injury was unprecedented but in the grand scheme, insignificant.

"Guess this is it." Jaren murmured as his end finally arrived.

He had spent all of his remaining power in that bolt, there was nothing left to keep his body in one piece. Everything happened in an instant, like a mighty flow through a broken dam. All of Jaren's muscles were pulled apart, tearing themselves from the inside out. His bones could no longer hold up and they simply crumbled, grounded into pieces.

The Warden died a messy death, his body reduced to a mess. But his mind was in peace.

From afar, the Executioner watched her partner's final struggle. Never thought the day would come when she could see him smile like that. So even Jaren could enjoy the thrill of battle after all.

"You died a good death." X said. "Too bad it is for naught."

The Warden had bought plenty time for the remaining Knights to escape. But with such a big group, it was impossible for them to get away from judgement's reach. Unless there was a miracle, their odd of survival was null.

As X stalked Rohan in his pursuit, her eyes widened as she saw a single man standing in the mad Adjudicator's way.

Was this the miracle, or something else more sinister?

The deformed medic retreated with his man, they move as fast as possible. But with a group this big, it was becoming grim. Of course, he realized that immediately. Yet, the medic could not think of a single way to navigate out of this situation. His people was going to die, and there was nothing he could do.

But then a ray of hope appeared in front of them, in the form a wandering carrying a young girl in his arms.

It was the Doctor with a now unconscious Kid. He approached the Knights, handing her over. "Take her out of this place, she deserves more." The medic nodded. With the confirmation that his wish would be carried out, Doc headed back to face with his pursuer.

'But how?' The medic thought to himself. 'Isn't Rohan bullet-proof?'

That was the truth. But the Doctor was not going to use any guns. As he took a few steps, Rohan appeared in the distance. The spirits plaguing the Adjudicator, they saw their mortal enemy and went into a fiery rage, revenge was the only way.

Faced with such an enemy, Doc simply muttered to himself.

"I know I have rejected my own blood… But please, grant me power, just this once."

Deep from within, the Doctor drew forth something that he never thought would be unleased again. The only time he had to rely on this power was when the world ended.

The spirits could sense a change within their enemy, but they could not comprehend it.

From the top of the Doctor forehead, a glimmer could be seen. It was a signaled from thing to come. A horn, made of steel, pierced through his skin, showing his progeny.

And thus, the two clashed, in mortal combat.

The medic could not believe what he was seeing. The Doctor was returning, after going away for such a short time. He had somehow bested the Adjudicator. With this, they were saved. Now, the Knights only had to reach the extraction point.

They all had to hope that Snowdrop's group had completed their mission.