The last song of the ancestors

Spin Bomb had a strange feeling about running side by side with a copy of himself. It was like those Nordic legends about the doppelgänger. A walking replica that came to bring bad news. I wanted to believe otherwise. From the start, the plan devised by the elders had sounded absurd to his ears. It was like a NeTV prank.

Judgement Stone was a deserted place. All that surrounded it was a barren sea, with islands of small stones here and there. It looked fragile, but ideal for leaving traps along the way. In cases like this, the defender had the advantage of knowing the terrain and being prepared for the not-so-subtle enemy.

The formation line of Akachi's group followed a double column. At the spearhead came a pair of Mashal. Then two Spin Bombs, then his master Feruzi, Akachi and finally Fadala. It was impossible to tell the real thing from its copy. She thought that Fadala, as a sniper, could handle protecting his friend Akachi.

Before they could get around the staircase to the second floor, the plasma mist began to rise from the ground. It became denser and denser, and it was difficult to see an inch in front of their noses. There was no time to lose, they continued running up the stairs until Nkechi's cynical laughter began to echo in the air. Mashal signaled for them to stop.

“Damn it! I can't see the path anymore.”

“It's no use, your path ends here.”

In the distance, a few steps up, came a dozen Nkechi and Durojaiye. The posture of the sage women showed self-confidence.

Feruzi noticed that Jabir was not with them. That didn't mean there was another sage hiding.

“Fadala!”

“Leave it to me.”

The pair of morticians leapt into the air and aimed their pistols at their opponents. But before they could fire, a rapid sequence of action took place.

“Minor Force Statute!”

From the rock wall, an implosion occurred. Shards of stone were thrown in all directions. A wave of heat filled the atmosphere. Everyone raised their arms to protect their faces. The dust subsided. The scene was terrifying. The Sage of the Law had hit the Fadala duo in mid-air. His arms had pierced the gunman's chest.

His hands pulsed with a mass of yellowish energy, which shot out electrical discharges.

“Looks like I caught a big fish, huh?”

“Actually, it was you who was caught.”

Mashal motioned with his hands, and the two Fadala began to crack like a piece of pottery. They began to crumble in the air. Inside, there were several handmade bombs made by Spin Bomb. Each one bore a seal of Striped Point Magic. Hakim still had time to look at the artisan.

She snapped her fingers in silence. But he could read on her lips 'Boooooom'. The magical symbols glowed with intensity. They exploded at point-blank range over Hakim. His body, surrounded by flames, fell to the ground. He smashed into a rock far away from the Judgement Stone.

In the distraction caused by the explosion, the zimba that had modified the appearance of the real Fadala was extinguished by Feruzi. He had disguised himself as a copy of Mashal. Right in front of the enemy, he had no difficulty in drawing his pistols and firing at Nkechi. One of the shots hit her in the stomach.

“Compact Serpent Scales.”

The other shots hit Durojaiye, who had coated his body with his Axé scales. The purple plasma mist cooled with the attack.

The real Akachi, Mashal, Feruzi and Spin Bomb jumped over their opponents and managed to escape. The Sage of Evolution was furious. Their opponents had tricked them.

“Friend, go, I'll kill the undertaker.”

“Wait, Nkechi. I don't know why, but your plasma mist doesn't work on him. That assassin managed to hit you without flinching. My defense can handle his bullets.”

“Damn it, I'm going to get that little bastard. I'll slaughter him in front of his own father.”

With his hand on the bullet wound, Nkechi climbed the stairs and left Durojaiye behind. The androgynous-looking Sage saw all the plasma mist accompany the other up the stairs. A wind whistled sharply between Fadala and the sage in front of her.

These shaped Axé plates are harder than my projectiles. They won't be able to pierce through. In a melee attack, it can modify its structure to make it padded to absorb the impact.

“You look worried. A handsome man like you can get expression marks, uhuhuhuhu.”

Durojaiye took an affected pose like a ballerina and laughed loudly with one hand in front of her mouth.

Fadala grimaced in disgust. The smile was feminine, but the voice was too deep. It sounded like a record scratched by a budding DJ.

“Sorry, you're not my type.”

“How rude! That's no way to treat a lady.”

Before the mortician could shoot the sage. She ran at speed towards him and punched him in the kidney. The Ilê Apanyan member was thrown against the rock wall. His body created a crater.

He reasoned that her Ofó was like armor that granted physical enhancement. Her speed had increased considerably, as had her left jab. She tried to grab him by the scruff of the neck, but he used his pistol shots to throw himself to the left and escape the deadly grip.

“You don't look like much of a threat, sugar.”

“I was just warming up.”

Fadala pulled out a firework sword and threw it in her opponent's direction. She dodged, but noticed that the bomb had no fuse.

A distraction!

Fadala hit his enemy with a kick that hit her under the chin. Despite the weight of the armor, he managed to lift her off the ground. Fadala fired a few ricocheting shots, which hit the fire sword. The explosive changed its trajectory, swirled in the air and came into line with Durojaiye.

What are you trying to do?

Before she could realize it, Durojaiye was hit squarely in the shoulder with a double pistol butt. At that moment, she understood what her opponent was trying to do. Fadala was trying to hit her joints. The rigidity of the Compact Serpent Scale would not allow her to absorb the impact in that area.

“Flexible Serpent Scales.”

Durojaiye caused his armor to inflate like a balloon. The mortician was thrown a distance. But before he hit the ground, he fired at the firework sword falling on his opponent. Scablunnnng! There was a huge explosion. Durojaiye turned into a ball of red flames bouncing up the stairs.

The gunman tried hard to get up. He leaned one hand on the wall. He felt a pain in his pelvis. It was his kidneys complaining about the consequences of battle. He felt the muscles in the area vibrate. On his feet, limping and struggling to breathe, the mortician tried to maintain his posture, but the pain from Durojaiye's blow reminded him to slow down. He walked, leaning on the rock. Raising his head, he heard a strange sound coming from the floors above.

“I have the impression that this isn't over…”