Chapter 44 — The Bells of Liberty
The storm had swallowed Liberty City whole.
Lightning forked through the sky like cracks in the world's shell, and in the heart of it, two auras collided — light and shadow, divine and infernal.
Asha moved like a phantom of light, her twin blades dancing in arcs of gold. Each strike tore through the air with holy precision, each motion a prayer of justice. H.I.M met her blows with raw, monstrous power, his every movement shaking the stone beneath their feet.
The rooftop of the abandoned cathedral groaned beneath their fury. Gargoyles shattered, windows burst. The rain hissed as it met their clashing energy.
Asha ducked under a violent swing, twisting her dagger and slashing across H.I.M's chest. The impact lit the sky — blood and aura exploding together. He staggered back, one knee to the ground, his breath shallow. For the briefest instant, it seemed the light had won.
Then… everything changed.
The air thickened, heavy as molten iron.
The rain stopped mid-fall.
The thunder froze in the clouds.
Asha blinked — something was wrong. The world itself seemed to bend around him.
H.I.M slowly lifted his head, and when he did, Asha felt something pierce her very soul.
His eyes were not human anymore.
They burned crimson and black, endless voids swirling behind them.
The wound on his chest no longer bled — it smoked, it pulsed with infernal life.
The wind howled through the cathedral spires, carrying a voice — two voices layered in one, one calm and sorrowful, the other deep, ancient, and cruel.
> "You asked what I am…"
Asha stumbled back, the light of her daggers flickering.
> "What… are you?" she whispered.
The echoing voice thundered across the skyline.
> "A man born from rage… and vengeance."
A wave of darkness exploded outward. The stained-glass windows of the cathedral shattered into a thousand pieces. Every bell in Liberty City began to ring — low, mournful, and endless.
And when the wind cleared, Asha's light was gone.
H.I.M stood alone atop the broken tower, cloak torn, lightning coiling behind him like the wings of some dark seraph. His aura stretched across the skyline — a storm of shadow devouring the heavens.
Down below, people dropped to their knees, clutching their heads as the bells tolled. The city had felt evil before… but never like this.
---
Miles away, John Stellman awoke in the mansion, drenched in sweat. The night outside his window glowed red with stormlight. Gina, wrapped in sheets, stirred beside him, sensing the terror flooding through him.
He stood slowly, the sword resting against the wall calling to him.
> "He's done it again," he said through clenched teeth. "Another life taken. Another piece of him lost."
Gina rose and grasped his arm.
> "John… don't go yet. Please."
He looked at her, torn between duty and the fleeting warmth they had just shared.The beautiful romantic feeling they just happened to indulge in. But the pull of vengeance was stronger. The moment of peace was over.
He whispered, almost to himself,
> "The bells are tolling....liberty city is not safe anymore its never been safe.
---
Far above the mortal world, the Supreme Lords of Liberty gathered in the mirror chamber once again.
The obsidian mirror flickered, revealing the ruins of the cathedral — the fallen light of Asha still fading across the stone.
The Lords were silent for a long time.
Finally, one spoke, his voice trembling:
> "The Huntress is no more…"
Another, voice shaking with disbelief:
> "He destroyed one of Heaven's finest. That power should not exist."
The oldest Lord stepped forward, his silver eyes dimming.
> "Then the age of concealment is over. We can no longer treat this as one man's curse."
He turned toward the city — toward the storm still flashing above the skyline.
> "A devil walks among us."
And far below, on the tallest skyscraper, H.I.M stood with the storm at his back, the bells still ringing.
Lightning struck behind him, painting his silhouette across the heavens — not as a savior, not as a hero…
but as a fallen god who had become the very monster he swore to destroy.
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