The bullets ripped through Satan’s chest and sent him tumbling back into the arms of Twining. This quick attack prompted the entire affair to turn violent.
Lazarus and Morgan both drew their weapons, which contained the same sort of bullets used by Samantha. The sounds of gunfire echoed off Ernst Hill but the painful delivery of the silver-tipped cylinders did not fully stop their enemies — Twining pushed Doctor Satan back to his feet and bellowed for the other members of the Circus to attack. The serpent woman grabbed hold of her pet and threw it toward Samantha, even as bullets tore open gaping holes in her breasts and stomach.
The decaying, hooded figure snarled like a tiger cat and jumped into the air, leaping straight toward Morgan. She landed atop him, her angry cries intensifying as more bullets ripped through her body. Where she held onto his shoulders, he felt an intense sensation that made him think she was somehow sucking the water from his flesh. He felt stiff and old, like he was being mummified like old Princess Femi had been.
What happened next was enough to make Morgan cry out in joy, despite the fact that it left him a gory mess. The hooded woman suddenly exploded into a dozen or more chunks of bone and blood.
From the shadows emerged a trio of forms, the sight of which drew an audible gasp from Doctor Satan. The Darkling led the way, a large rifle in both hands — it was this that had fired the explosive shell that had blown apart the hooded woman. Just behind him were Eidolon and the true Abby Cross, each of whom moved with deadly purpose. Eidolon held a pistol in each hand while Abby’s eyes were glowing with eldritch energy.
The Darkling had suggested looking in his various safe houses around Sovereign, gambling on the chance that his former pupil might have holed up in one. Upon discovering Eidolon and Abby, it had not taken much in the way of convincing for them to join up — especially the young witch, whose revived passions were now moving deeper and deeper into the realms of unleashed fury.
“Doctor Satan!” she shouted above the fray. “I’m going to drive you back to Hell!”
Eun Jiwon stood in the mayor’s study with arms folded over his chest. He was staring out the window, watching the well-manicured lawn and the police officers patrolling it.
The study was well furnished and very masculine, with leather-covered wood furniture, several bookcases and a large oak desk. A fireplace was burning, the crackling sounds giving everything a peaceful air.
The clock in the corner of the room chimed, alerting him that it was midnight. He wondered how things were going on Ernst Hill and he again chafed at not being there. He knew that Lazarus was right and that he might be needed here but he hated the thought that Morgan and Samantha might be in danger and he couldn’t help them.
“Can I get you a drink, Mr. Jiwon?”
Eun shook his head, not looking at the mayor. “No thanks.”
Byles took a seat in a leather chair, clinking the ice together in his glass. “My family is asleep but I still think I should have put them someplace else — perhaps out of town.”
“We talked about that,” Eun said, moving away from the window and sitting down across from the mayor. “There’s no guarantee that Doctor Satan wouldn’t go after them — and if they’re away from me, I can’t protect them. Rather than split Assistance Unlimited up even more, it’s best to just keep them here.”
“I understand… but I still don’t have to like it.” The mayor downed the last of his drink and set the glass down on the table beside him. “So how long do you think we have?”
“Before what?”
“Before this lunatic makes his move. Lazarus seemed pretty convinced that he was going to.”
“There’s no telling. Maybe — Wait. Did you hear that?” Eun stood up, hurrying over to the window. He looked out and saw nothing… absolutely nothing. The guards who had been so visible before were now gone. “Mr. Mayor, get down on the floor behind your desk. Now!”
Byles stood up, hurrying across the room. He had just ducked down under the desk when he heard Eun utter an oath under his breath. Peering over the rim of the desk, the mayor saw Eun drop into a fighting crouch. There was a dark shape outside the window, growing ever larger as it dropped from the sky — and then it was in the room, having slammed through the glass. Shards of the deadly shrapnel flew all around Eun, who ignored them all and somehow emerged unscathed.
Standing on the carpet near Eun was a six-foot tall creature that resembled nothing less than a human/bat hybrid. Saliva dripped from its mouth and its leathery wings were attached to manly arms.
“Thhhheee mmmmmmayyyyyooorrr,” it hissed. “I muuuuust feeed!”
Eun’s disappointment over not having gone to Ernst Hill was now forgotten. From the blood that dripped from the monster’s claws, he thought he had a good suspicion what had happened to those guards outside.
The bat thing struck first, raking its claws through the air. Eun ducked under them but he felt them brush through his hair and realized how close he’d come to being struck.
Thinking it best to strike quickly, Eun delivered two quick rabbit punches to the monster’s gut before springing back and delivering a spinning leg kick that slammed into the creature’s nose.
With a screech of pain, the bat creature jumped forward and smashed its body against Eun’s. It knocked the young Korean to the floor, where he was forced to quickly throw up a forearm against the thing’s neck to prevent its snapping jaws from closing on him.
The mayor, always a man of action, had come to Eun’s aid, however. He smashed an expensive sculpture of a man on horseback atop the bat thing’s head, knocking the creature off his perch. As the monster rolled away from the unexpected attack, Eun sprang back to his feet.
Giving the mayor a quick nod of thanks, Eun warned him, “He wants you — so go! Find the other guards in the house and stay with them!”
Byles nodded, tossing the sculpture at the bat and then hurrying out of the room.
Eun grinned as the monster turned to face him. The fury and hate that was displayed in the creature’s eyes was matched by the joyous rapture evident in the young Korean’s… this was what he truly loved: the visceral thrill of combat, the knowledge that it was only his skill and heart that would decide the outcome of this battle.
With a sudden cry, Eun charged his foe. He feinted to his left before striking the monster from the right. He gave in to his natural instincts, allowing his mind to go into automatic. He ducked and parried each of the creature’s attacks, though the thing’s claws left deep cuts in his forearms.
Slowly but surely the bat monster began to slow, giving in to both exhaustion and the steady beating it was receiving from Eun. When he sensed it was sufficiently weak, Eun reached forth with both hands, grabbing the beast by its oversized ears. Using his firm grip to yank the thing’s head forward, he drove it straight into his raised knee, repeating this assault three more times before he finally released the creature.
It staggered, swayed… and then collapsed. Spying the fireplace poker, Eun rapidly seized it and raised it high. He drove it through the monster’s chest, straight into its demonically powered heart.
Eun stood there, savoring his victory.
Ernst Hill or no, he’d earned his keep tonight.
Doctor Satan was furious.
He had anticipated this evening as being one of the crowning moments of his glorious existence. He would reclaim the lovely Abigail Cross and continue his debasement of her… he would stand triumphantly over the corpses of Assistance Unlimited… and then all of Sovereign would bow down before its new king.
Unfortunately, none of that was looking likely.