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Johnny 'Iron Consul' Caldwell

Kicking off the ground, Accelerates removes the floor from underneath me at such a pace I don't even have to dodge one of Mislo's arrows. The next one, I swipe aside with Blackburn, the projectile turning to ash before it hits the ground. And with a third steel-tipped arrow, I have it meet my bullet, the two breaking in the air and crashing.

In less than a moment, I join Blake's dwindling group of Undead as she prepares to summon another one. Darting between them while hearing their curses and grumbles, I slash toward Mislo. Several Undead join me, forced by Blake, but the Nahullo is swift.

Her bow spins around, deflecting Blackburn into an Undead's side. With her left hand, she throws out a series of short darts that spear into several hearts, killing the Undead. While she does so, I aim Fate Sealer for her head and fire repeatedly.

She's too slow to dodge or redirect my shots, and all six slam into her helmet. Lucky for her, though, even with Faithful Lead, she keeps the bullets from entering the gap in her visor. Instead, she's flung backward from the force, losing grip on her bow and landing on her chest. Fate Sealer individual bullets hit with the force of a cannon, yet the armor of the Councilmembers is rated far beyond that. Six will at most, ruin the helmet for her vision. I doubt it will perforate and kill her.

Striding forward, I Glitch Fate Sealer, reloading it as I trade some vision for six bullets. And just as I thought what would occur, Mislo sputters out blood as she tears off a broken and mangled helmet, revealing the face of the most scarred woman I've ever seen. The sight halts me only for a fraction of a second.

All over her face are the leftovers from stab wounds, cuts, blunt trauma, acid, fire, and even what looks like some kind of Blood Curse from a high Sigiled Occultist that runs along her flesh. It's horrible and shows just how long Mislo has been in this deadly game. Nearly a century, over twice as long as I've lived, she's fought continuously. Luckily Blake was here to help give me some distractions for my shots.

Each little hit here or there adds up with Fate Sealer as it slows thoughts, movements, and even one's very fate.

I don't give her a chance to recover or talk her way out of this. If I do, she'll make me pay.

Again, Fate Sealer levels for her head again, the hammer in the back ready to clack the flint that ignites the bullets within. I take only a part of a second to lock onto the area between her pale eyebrows adorned with acidic burns and squeeze the trigger.

As the Colt fires, Mislo glares at me with rage, frustration, and... disappointment? What is she disappointed with? Herself?

In the end, it doesn't matter. The lead pierces into her skull, shattering the front half of her head as she immediately falls limp into a pool of growing blood. Sighing with relief, I glance to my right, focusing on the point of light that beams inside the library from a shattered wall.

Outside, Lennon and Kwakiteh, whom I grow increasingly suspicious of every moment, battle against a massive Urayuli, the size of the inhuman monster almost rivaling that of the library itself. The man known across the Territories for his recent hunting of Angels for power dashes up the Urayuli's arm and cuts a vast line of blood along its neck before vaulting to the ground.

Lennon lands with a hand on the ground as his ruined blade finally shatters. I watch him breathe heavily as he tosses it to the grass bed, meeting my gaze. The man is almost five hundred feet away, and yet he still notices my eyes so quickly. How perceptive...

Opting for peace, I kick up a spare Claymore from someone who was among here, probably one that Mislo dropped, and throw it to him. Fanfire hastens my hands enough that the blade barely reaches him, and Lennon catches it swiftly while Kate busies the Urayuli, her sword certainly something beyond legendary.

Scoffing at the Angel as he dives back for the Urayuli, I wonder how he is still fighting. I thought he was famous for short bursts of energy. How is he managing this? He's either about to run out of steam, or he's changed since becoming an Angel.

Doesn't matter.

I shouldn't have to search for Wyatt and the rest. Sequester is likely fighting them underground, but I reckon they can win within the laboratory. With Earl's advantage in such a place, the five of them could probably take me without too much issue. I'd probably die to some unknown gas or effect while fighting Wyatt and Bonfire, with Virgil and Abraham ambushing me.

So, the first order of business is helping Clarence and that Mannequin thing to kill the Manipulator and the Fallen Nahullo that is here as well. The Mother Below's agents are becoming substantially more common as the months pass. Soon, that terrible future will come.

However, I figure if we kill enough of her hands and feet, perhaps it will delay her. That will make whatever we have to face when she does awaken a tad bit weaker.

So, I trudge northward to the back of the library, motioning for Blake to head back.

"Head to the train, Blake. I appreciate your help. I don't think I could have done it without you and your Unde--"

I twist my head to speak to her as I see the Undead dissipate. But as I do, my eyes reveal a man wreathed in a gambeson with golden inscriptions and a robe that falls to his feet, kneeling beside Mislo's body. Instantly, I Fanfire and position the sights of Fate Sealer on the Viceroy's head, even though I have no clue how he is here. I'm pretty sure he can summon himself, the opposite of what Abraham does. But isn't Mislo dead?

Irham appears to notice me, gradually floating an eye to peer at me. I wait to fire, hoping that he will prefer to retreat. Another battle, especially with how dark and blurred my eyes are, would be awful. Not to mention who it's against.

Blake, on the other side of Abraham's dad, moves her arms, preparing to fight again, but I wave her off with my eyes. And, knowing that Irham will hear me because Abraham's Allude is gone, I speak to Blake.

"Go, Blake."

Irham agrees with me with a slight chuckle, flicking out a dagger that he sinks into Mislo's heart after piercing through her armor. The woman's whole body flinches before falling eternally. Tough bitch. She wasn't dead yet.

"The Gunfighter is wise, girl. It is best you leave."

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Blake teeters back and forth, unsure of what to do, but I give her a Deadeye's Gaze, the Ether frightening her just enough that she retreats toward the library's entrance. I don't want her to hate me, but a push is needed.

Then, my focus falls entirely onto the Viceroy of the Nahullo, an 8th Sigiled monster of incredible power. The Noble Phantasm's strength primarily comes from stealing others and using their Phantoms in his wake. That doesn't make him any less substantially more capable of kicking my ass and burying me in a grave.

"It would appear you have grown, Johnny Caldwell. When we first met, you were bleeding, dying, and woefully inexperienced in the acts of the Angelic. Much has changed."

Irham rises from his crouch as blood drips from his dagger on the floor below. Then, he wipes the left edge on his forearm before following and doing the other. Once the weapon is cleaned, he sheathes the knife, not showing any of its capabilities, if it has any. Which, I'm fairly sure it does. I've heard rumors over my years that Irham possesses a stolen Lumen. The Soulful Gaze. It's never been confirmed, but I reckon it's true by the feeling I get from that knife. It brings a shiver to my spine.

I let him speak, keeping my blurred gaze focused on his face. But as my vision remains on his countenance, I keep my vigilance up. I can't get ambushed by a Phantom of his. Abraham's Nightmares appear out of nowhere within his sight or around him, so I can only assume Irham's apparitions are the same.

"I assume you know where my son is? Has Sequester killed him yet?"

I shake my head to both, but Irham doesn't like that answer.

"So disappointing. Can no one do as they promise? I'm constantly surrounded by incompetents and idiots, sometimes both. Are you ever burdened with the same, Johnny?"

His words, while insulting to the very people who died to accomplish whatever mission he gave them, still get a laugh out of me. It's only because when he says idiot, I think of Bonfire trying to cook his food with his Blaze and burning it all up.

Just trying to buy a little time for my saturation to die down or for Lennon to finish his fight, I continue the conversation.

"Not quite the incompetent part, but I do certainly know some fools."

The Viceroy nods, taking in the totality of the destruction within the massive library founded by Eli Weiss. As he does so, the Nahullo spins to see it all with his arms slightly raised.

"What a shame. So much knowledge that we must ruin to get the Fabricator. In the end, however, it will all be worth it. Mass producing the armor Councilmen wear is beyond important. Say, Johnny, is there anything you want down there? We could end this fight here."

Astounded by his shamelessness, I motion to the dead body of Mislo beside him with Blackburn. He can't be serious. This must be some kind of distracting ploy.

"What about Mislo? The other Councilmember that died? Do you not care for their deaths? Or do you only care that you now have their Phantoms?"

Irham twists his head from side to side before turning to me from his spin. He speaks with the most forced grief that I've ever witnessed.

"While it is terrible Mislo and Coutant have fallen, it is not a complete loss. You are right, I managed to take Mislo's Phantom, after all. You have no idea how long I've wanted a long-distance assassin, Johnny. Mislo was always too independent to force her for such missions. You wouldn't believe the promises I gave to get her on this one."

The faux care he expunges for his fallen comrades is disgusting, and I hate even the way he smiles about it all. What a vile man. He only wants power.

I may hate someone like Eli Weiss for his despicable deeds, but I know that in the end, for a fact, he does it for all of us. And I know that if the choice came between his life and humanity's, he would give it up in a heartbeat.

But this man? This waste of life? He's not human, so I can't judge him by our standards. But even for Nahullo, northerners who enjoy war and battle, he is beyond saving. I can't listen to him any longer. I think the only thing he believes in is power.

"So? How about we kill those slimy creatures over that there wall? Together, it'd be a walk in the park."

I don't answer him verbally.

I only pull the trigger.

Again and again.

But through the gunpowder, I find a once-famous demon blocking Irham's skull with a shield made of deep cobalt. The arm holding the shield lowers to reveal a horned and furred face with a grimace. These Phantoms are far more realistic than Abraham's Nightmares, and I'm sure they have more power, too.

Cursing, I step back, Glitching my Colt again, trading a little more sight for time that would have been spent reloading. But as I do, an idea comes to mind, Irham speaking from behind his wall of metal.

"How do you like this one, Johnny? Or... this one?"

A Phantom emerges to my right, standing upon a bookshelf as a bow is fully drawn, already aimed at my head. Instantly, the Phantom of Mislo fires as Coran sprints for me, holding the shield over his head. Waiting to attempt my idea and Glitch the Phantoms themselves, I use my Power on the spiraling arrow, having it return to the bowstring.

I smile as I hear a crash from the arrow getting stuck in the bow, but I don't have time to enjoy it. I sidestep the charging demon, slashing at it with Blackburn, but its shield bashes my sword off balance.

Focusing on the battle as I just bought a few moments from Mislo, I pivot around Coran, endeavoring to get as close to Irham as I can. The Viceroy is not known for his personal power. I only have to get close!

I tightly grasp my sword of black fire in my right hand, the flames licking my fingers with a searing intensity. With a quick twist, I deflect the spike from Coran's shield, giving me some momentum backward toward Irham.

With each swing of my sword, the black fire dances and sears through the air, clashing with the demon's shield in a shower of sparks. Coran, however, is unfazed by my flames and growls as he pushes me relentlessly. Several times I manage to put a bullet in his arm or leg, but I can't quite get one in his head. So, he is only partially slowed when Mislo returns to shooting at me. And she's not all.

From afar, she launches arrows at me without pause. The whizzing projectiles force me to dodge and weave, and my feet dance precariously on the rubble beneath me. I barely manage not to trip, but as another Phantom emerges, this one with a trident, I lean back too far to dodge.

Falling backward, I drop Blackburn for a moment and clench the side of a collapsed bookshelf. Mislo fires a volley of projectiles at me as I Fanfire my hand and force myself to flip backward. The archer's arrows fly past me, and I can feel the sinister power behind them as they put craters only feet away. These phantoms are not to be trifled with, but neither am I. I won't die to such vile things.

As I tumble backward, I unleash my own volley on the one with a trident I don't recognize, quickly ending them. I don't think Irham was expecting that evasion, but still, it was lucky to kill that Phantom easily, too easily, in fact. I hastily bring myself back to my feet as another pair of footsteps emerges in the room. Instantly, I Glitch Fatesealer, my eyes darkening to a worrisome level, and I aim at the noise.

But as I turn to look at the newcomer, my eyes narrow. Wielding an already ruined sword, with cracks and segments of it damaged all over, Lennon stumbles into the library.

"I've been looking for you, Irham. They say you hold the Phantoms of dozens of Angels. Is that true?"

Lennon's words pause the battle for just a moment, his arrival placing some worry onto Irham's countenance. Mislo still holds a bow aimed at me, while Coran stands only a few feet away. Carefully, keeping an eye on the situation, I retrieve Blackburn.

"That is true."

Irham replies simply, probably hoping that the confidence would scare Lennon off. Sadly for him, fortunately for me, I don't think anything could scare Lennon. Not truly, anyway. He's had enough friends die that even I would shiver at the graveyard he's buried.

And I've buried plenty myself.

"Bring them out then. All of 'em. I wanna see how many I can kill."

The absurdity and insanity of Lennon only continue to grow. I see why he's the Bladed Monster now. But underneath that madness, some genius still lies as he gains us some information.

"I cannot bring all of them out at once, sadly. I will, however, bring out more than enough to kill you."

I'm not sure why Irham's dropping that kind of information, maybe he's still hoping to scare him off, but it doesn't work. The good news, though, is that he is like Abraham. He has a limit. And once one dies, he can't bring them back, either. If he did, he would have brought that other one back. Not only that, but it likely takes effort to conjure a Phantom, which means it will take time as well.

If I Glitch a Phantom defending him the moment it is made, he cannot make another one for a little. That is how we win. I don't know how many more Glitches I have left, probably two or three, but it should be enough to at least make him retreat. The Noble Phantasm cares most for his own life, after all.

And so, I ignore the muscle pain and the weariness creeping into my bones. I already feel like I'm getting too old for this shit, and I'm not even fifty yet. By the Devil, Marshall. How did you do it? And Vincent... boy... I am nothing.

As Lennon opens his mouth to speak, Accelerate shunts me forward, rapidly gaining me speed with every consecutive step. Mislo reacts with a quartet of arrows, but I can't waste any more of my Power. So, I twist, deflecting one with Blackburn and shooting another with Fate Sealer as I duck a third. But the fourth lands square in my bicep, ruining the muscle in my sword arm as I nearly lose the limb.

Grunting, I continue forward, traversing the few feet to Irham as more Phantoms emerge. For a moment earlier, I thought he was toying with me, but he just needed time to get ready.

Four Phantoms pounce on Lennon as Coran chases me with Mislos arrow on my tail. Another Phantom attacks me, however, with a whip crackling of some purplish energy. Leaping over a lash, my whole body grows slower and heavier. Is that gravity?

He killed Annie!?

"You bastard!"

I can't help but scream out in rage, my throat going hoarse. A knowing smile emerges on Irham's face as I immediately point Fate Sealer at his face, but before I can pull the trigger, Coran slams into my side.

My bones crunch, and I know my organs are screaming for help as I roll and tumble over debris. Hastily, I curse, using a prolonged Glitch to bring me back right beside Coran. With eyesight so blurry I can hardly recognize my target, I aim behind me and shoot him in the back of the head, removing one more Phantom from the kill list.

But at the edge of my darkening vision, I see Annie Lightwater prancing around me with her whip.

That fucker.

He killed our best and only Pillar that could heal and perform miracles with her Ether on the sick and injured. I see why he has such a position within the Nahullo. That one assassination has probably killed more people than the last war they waged from disease, injuries, and starvation.

I grind my teeth as I swear to myself. He has to die. Abso-fucking-lutely.

Annie could've saved Amelia if she was alive at the time. Instead, I had to watch my daughter succumb to Ether sickness, wasting away inches from me.