V.I.R.A.L

Iris was chasing after Riley tugging Jehovah along the way, taken back. "Mortem? But how is that possible? Alton destroyed her during the fall of Victoria, right? He did stop her?!"

Riley looked at both sides of the street, running ahead nodding. "That's right, he should have. From what I've heard from others, Mortem fell that day…. But you see, Mortem is a cunning, manipulative bitch who never knows when to give up. She probably had backups ready to preserve her until she found the perfect vessel. If that feeling was anything to go by, she's gone and done it."

"As if Alton wasn't enough to worry about. Are you getting involved now then?"

"What sort of question is that?! Of course, I am. Get the kid out of here. Things are about to get messy."

Jehovah took serval deep breaths struggling to keep up. "I…. I can fight too."

"What? Why the hell would you, of all people, fight your own kind?"

"The way I see it…." Jehovah whispered, standing up catching her breath. "I'm dead to the Garden; they'd only kill me if I ever went back. My best chance is with humanity now. I may not be a fighter without my Stage, but I know Mortem. I know her weaknesses."

"Try me."

Jehovah pointed to the sky, hovering towards the blood moon. "That blood moon isn't the real moon. It's her power source feeding her energy through negative emotions. If we took out or even blocked out the source of her power, Mortem would weaken enough for you to take her down."

"I like a plan when I hear one. Could you do it?"

Jehovah shook her head, coughing. "No…. One of you would have to do that."

"You want someone to remove that wretched thing from the sky, correct?" Riley and Iris turned, finding Alice standing on the rooftop looking at the blood moon. "Consider it done."

"Alice! You're alive."

Alice looked to her sister deflated as she hesitantly replied. "Please don't call me that…. Alice was a failure who couldn't even save Eve…. I only go by Maya now."

Alice flew off, jumping between portals, ready to fight. The name startled Iris to the core as she began whispering. "Maya…. That name."

"Is it important?"

"It was our mother's name."

"My lady, we don't have time to chit chat with these peasants. If we are to stop Mortem, we need to move now."

"Right, you are Haggis. But don't underestimate these two. Are you going to wake up from this nightmare of yours and do the right thing?"

Riley held her hand out as Iris took a while, but her mind was made up as she took it, nodding. "Time to take the fight to them."

****

While the fighting had begun, Stag was still coming to grips trying to pull herself together. The frozen burns across her body began to ache as she was drowning in her self-pity. No one had seen her face in years, so for Zinnia to barge in and see it so suddenly had affected her poorly. Staring at her broken skull mask, she had the shards of bone in her hand, knowing she had to stop Gale. It was her responsibility to make sure this never happened to anyone else anytime soon. That's why she kept fighting; that's why she became Stag in the first place. Standing up and tying her hair into a ponytail, she went outside to fight another battle to the death.

"The true power of Mortem…. The grim reaper of the Garden."

The others came rushing out as Gale swung his scythe around, cutting the veil protecting them from Alton's world as monarch began to fall, returning to the scrap yard. Gale's eyes were blood-red as night fell and the blood moon began to rise. Screaming with almighty rage, he slashed the sky as meteors began crashing down over the city as the revenge of Mortem had begun.

Sam and Harmony met with Zinnia and Tempo as Mortem's attack begun. Zinnia was still devasted seeing another one of her dear friends corrupted by the Garden. "First Percy, then my father and Alton. Now, Gale! How much more will the Garden take from me?!" Zinnia rushed in, swinging her katana around, striking Gale. He, in turn, called on his shadows, cutting Zinnia off, slashing her arms, forcing her to drop the katana. His scythe dug down, sending her tumbling to the ground.

Using this, he began stomping on her, laughing. "You never learn, do you, Zinnia? Our power is outmatched!" Flinging her against the floor, she was pushed back as Gale rested against his scythe, taunting her. "Such playthings should know their place."

Zinnia was torn from the scythe as blood scattered across the floor. Sam jumped in from behind, swinging her leg down with a blast of fire. Spinning around, Gale took the attack head-on, pushing himself against Sam. This, of course, threw her off, unaware of what Gale's abilities were meeting for the first time. Gripping onto Sam, he threw her over his shoulder, launching her into a pile of scrap metal. "Mortem!"

Zinnia ripped back, pushing Gale back, making him look surprised. "This feeling. The smell, there's no possible way. Where the hell did you get that kind of power?!" Twisting his body around, Gale went to cut Zinnia in two with his pure strength. The moment he connected with Zinnia, a crack in reality appeared. Because of this, he wasn't even given time to stop himself as he made contact, vanishing into another realm of existence. "Damn it…."

Zinnia stepped back, coming to her senses, turning around, finding Stag approaching, not wearing her mask having her look on full display. Coughing covering her mouth, she turned to Zinnia. "No one gets hurt. I save everyone."

"Stag, you came back." Zinnia smiled, whispering in her ear. "Your real look is much better. You look super cute."

Going slightly red, Stag sneezed, wiping her nose. "Stag thanks you. This my fault. I snap Gale out bring him back. Wait here." Stag crouched down, jumping into her cracked reality meeting with Gale. He turned, standing on the handle of his weapon staring down at Stag with a cocky smile. "Stop."

"So, the beast speaks? Did you enjoy having me as a mere doll, one which you could boss around?! Well, answer me, animal!"

"Stag did not. You are Gale."

"Give me a break—your way in over your head here, Stag. You're nothing more than a mistake that should have died with her own people. You belong nowhere.!

Stag crouched down as her claws grew as a purple aura went around her. "Stag won't let you hurt anyone."

Gale raised his head in a mocking tone laughing to himself. "Then put your money where your mouth is reject. I hope you don't break so easily like the others."

Stag lunged forward at high speed. Gale readied himself, swinging his scythe around to counter Stag, only for her to curl around, throwing him off. Standing up straight, she lunged past Gale, slashing him to pieces over and over with increasing speed. Now behind him, Stag spun on the spot pinning him down scratching his face. Gale smashed her off, looking to counter her while Stag was in the air. Moving his hands together, the shadows sharpened, ready to take Stag's head clean off. As he attacked, Stag swung her arm down, making a crack in reality. As Gale's attacks hit, the attack was bound back, sending a shock through his body. Falling to his knees, he began to bleed, laughing to himself. "Give up."

"This body is still new to me…. No matter, I still haven't lost yet. In fact, I've already won." Gale taunted as Stag went in to finish it. Lowering his head, Gale took a deep breath snarling. "Deadman's Requiem."

Stag's eyes widened as in that minor second, Gale had already far suppressed her in speed and power as she took a punch to the chest. Holding her their Gale extended the attack sending her back. Walking forward, Gale vanished, appearing where Stag would be striking her one last time, taking down the former number four streamer. The exit began to wither and die as Gale dragged a beaten Stag back out to the others. Throwing her aside, everyone was startled as the stench of death lingered off Gale.

Zinnia held her katana up, trembling. "Oh no…. Deadman's Requiem. Everyone keep on your guard. Gale is more powerful than ever!"

Tempo laughed at this shaking his head. "No matter how much more powerful this mortal has got, they are no match to the power of Fairy-Tale!" Holding his hand up, a beam of light began to propel around into a disc. Throwing it forward directly hitting Gale, the area exploded as Gale was left seemly unharmed. "Impossible." Gale crouched down as the ground began to crumble and break. Holding his scythe, he propelled forward at unmatched speeds. Tempo couldn't counter this nor avoid the killer move.

Luckily for him, Harmony had him covered as she thickened the air creating a barrier to stop him. Twirling her hand around, Harmony mocked him as he was enclosed in a ball of air. "While I'll commend you on your strengths, Mortem, you are a fool to go up against not only serval powerful Anti-Humans but two of the Ten Judgement so carefree. You were asking for this. Struggle all you want. You cannot escape my prison as I suck the air from your lungs dry until you pass out."

Gale began losing all air in his lungs, forcing him to stop breathing. He didn't put up much of a fight waiting until the last possible minute. Just as he was about to pass out, the final part of his power kicked in as he shattered the shield to pieces. Crashing into Harmony, he smashed her backwards. Sam came in with one last attack, this time actually doing some damage pushing him back with a flaming punch.

Gale slid back, panting blood dripping from his hands. "It's over."

Gale raised his hand, still exhausted with a smirk as the darkness swallowed the area wholly. His power increased tenfold as he cackled. "For you, that is. Tremble in fear at my power! Deadman's Counter!" The unstoppable attack would have indeed killed everyone on sight if it wasn't for a portal opening up sending the attack elsewhere. Alice appeared standing in front of Gale, looking up at him. "Alice Hawthorne. You dare stand in my way?"

Placing her hands on her hips, the darkness broke as hundreds of Safeties of Vanguard, Scarlett and Ragnar admit others appeared far outnumbering Gale. "This is your only warning. Alton forbids you to go any further. Surrender, and he'll consider letting you live."

"Surrender? I surrender?! Never. I'll bury you all where I stand."

The Safeties went in for the kill as Alice stepped back, shaking her head. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

Gale held two scythes out, gritting his teeth. "Only those who fight will ever be free. This is who I am. I'll take down anyone who stands in my way. I am Mortem, the angel of death, and all of you are the stepping stones to my freedom!"