Angel Monarch-Chapter 327: Full of Energy

Bran rushed towards the middle of mayhem caused by the two Stellars' battle. Behind him, his friends gradually left the area through the portal made by Vicky. They even took the dead with them too… At least what's left of them...

While most tried to save themselves and others, Melinda watched with teary eyes as her best friend rushed to his death.

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She tried following him, so he wouldn't be alone in his last moments, but the others held her back. Simultaneous screams and sobs escaped her as they dragged Melinda through the portal.

While most continued running away as fast as they could, Damien scanned the area near the dying machine.

He didn't believe for a single second that Harold had died from Bran's attack. Agnes stood nearby, anxiously looking at the unfolding battle.

"Come on Damien! Let's leave before it's too late!" She shouted, trying to make her voice sound over the constant loud noises and explosions.

As if mesmerized, Damien didn't seem to hear anything. Even when Agnes tried physically pulling him away, he continued standing firm, his eyes focused on every minor movement across the battlefield.

He watched as Bran joined the fight between the two Stellars with great curiosity.

Bran rushed in from the side and punched Amygdala with impossible force. The impact carried through her body and broke the metal floor behind her.

The blow did not really hurt her. She only took one step back, then looked at Bran with annoyance and anger.

Amygdala took one step towards him, but she had no time to react because soon Napoleon's attack arrived as well.

He held a long curved saber made of some dark, shiny stone, maybe obsidian. He was about to cut off Amygdala's head, but her hair suddenly shot out, grabbing and halting the blade's movement.

A smile spread across Napoleon's face, as the blade became scorching hot, burning Amygdala's hair. She grunted with hatred and used more hair to suffocate the flames.

She then took one step towards Napoleon and was about to slice his throat open using her elongated nails. But before that, Bran stepped in and, with a concentrated energy blast, he sent Amygdala flying.

Her laughter echoed inside the crumbling chamber, as she stood on air. Above, the Abomination was getting closer to fully awakening. Its roots started absorbing the upper floors of the facility, while its shrieks reached even to the lowest depths.

The malfunctioning machine was also in awful shape. With each passing second, more pipes burst open, leaking dark, grayish energy. Exhaust filled the air, and at places fires appeared. It was close to blowing up.

Both Napoleon and Amygdala were well aware, but their attention stayed focused on fighting each other. This, combined with Bran's suicidal assaults, made everything much harder for them.

As the fight went on, Bran became paler. A constant layer of cold sweat persisted on his body, and a small dark light grew in his chest. The energy slowly overwhelmed him. An Ascended body couldn't possibly hold a Stellar's energy reserves.

He fought hard against the pair, but sadly, his control waned. He got closer to death's door with each passing moment. Each surge of energy drained him more, breaking down his body slowly and painfully.

While he screamed internally, he also felt confident and oddly at peace. Most everyone had already left, except Damien and Agnes. Bran had a feeling they wouldn't leave this place alive, either.

Neither Damien's presence nor Agnes's lingering held no mystery for him. He knew why both stayed. Their story's conclusion was unfortunate, yet Bran lacked leisure for any deeper reflection upon their issues.

After barely dodging Napoleon's sword, and kicking Amygdala in the side, he took one step back and fell. The metal floor suddenly began shaking below his feet, but the earthquake was strange, unnatural.

His eyes widened as realization hit him. As fast as he could, Bran rolled forward. Behind him, where he stood, the ground broke apart, creating a sinkhole into some dark abyss.

Napoleon laughed as Bran nearly fell, then immediately cursed when Amygdala attacked. Her hair elongated and grabbed onto Napoleon's arm.

The chilling, fear inducing aura thickened, and Napoleon's fingertips began to wither. He didn't scream in pain, just ground his teeth with an angry expression, and began hacking at the black hair.

Bran took the momentary respite to gather his thoughts. The energy inside his body turned even more unstable as he summoned enough power to blast both Stellar away.

Black energy condensed in Bran's hands, and with a deep breath, he released two devastating beams of power. Both Napoleon and Amygdala got hit in the chest, sending them flying in each direction.

The energy wasn't nearly enough to kill either, but that wasn't Bran's plan at all. He felt his life waning and wanted to give one last chance for everyone to safely escape.

While the two Stellars tried to reorient themselves, Bran fell to his knees. The dark glow in his chest grew brighter, and even spread through his limbs, reaching for his face.

He tried standing back up, but it was too late for that. A laughed one last time as the scorching energy began boiling his body away bit by bit. Still, he didn't scream or cry, even through pain and suffering he laughed.

Why would he be sad in his last moments? Fate might've cut his life short, but he wouldn't change anything about it.

Despite facing hardship and suffering during these two years, he cherished every moment wholeheartedly… Especially the end…

A wide smile spread across his brightening face as he remembered Sera's beautiful face. Bran wished he could've kissed and hugged her one last time. He wanted to say a proper goodbye, explain everything, and beg for forgiveness.

His laughter slowly died down as the sadness finally hit him.

He would never again see Sera's grumpy face after waking up. He would never again hear her joyous laughter when with her daughter. He would never again feel the touch of her sweaty skin after they made love. He would never again smell her distinct burned metal scent. He would never again taste her red lips.

This was the end. Bran's sole regret in death was not spending more time with Sera.

He should've confronted his feelings sooner, and acted upon them even when Sera couldn't reciprocate it. He felt so stupid, thinking he could live without her, and now it was too late to rewrite the past.

His breath shook as he took one last deep sigh. His lungs burned away as the energy expanded. His eyes, staring towards the mostly obstructed sky, vaporized.

Bran shook his head in denial as a lone tear boiled away from his blistered face.

The last mental images inside his head wasn't about Sera. Instead, he remembered the day a year ago, when everything changed.

He and a few other Angelic Order members explored a city ruin near New Athens, when they found a small shrivelled creature. She looked humanoid, similar to an extremely old hag.

The creature managed to kill a few members before Bran caught her. They placed her inside a cage, and after she calmed down, she began spouting nonsense… At least that's what they thought at first…

She told a man that he would never truly die, and she was correct. He was one of the first people Kim turned to stone, immortalizing his image forever.

The hag also predicted for a Sister, that after enduring lots of pain and suffering, she would eventually take her own life. The hag was right again. The woman was already pregnant by that point, but her child died at birth. She soon killed herself afterward.

She prophesied everyone's death, and eventually everyone who was there for her capture died… Everyone except Bran…

His prophecy was much stranger than the others'. The hag smiled, especially wickedly as she read his future like an open book.

In Bran's last moments, the Oracle's words echoed in his mind:

'The Earth shakes, the sky rumbles.

The Machine whirrs as Europe crumbles.

Death walks the streets, taking the frail.

His Scythe reaps as their hearts fail.

You walk with the Angel, running towards death.

But it follows you close, taking your last breath.'

'The Earth shakes, the sky rumbles.

Abomination wakes as your feet stumble.

Ravens fill the air, as ashes cover the dead.

Europe is aflame, with its streets painted red.

You see, the Angel fall before her greatest threat.

You take a step forward with a heart full of regret.'

'The Earth shakes, the sky rumbles.

The cries of pain die when you fumble.

The Angel is dead, the Phoenix still lives.

But Life takes just as much as She gives.

While your heart fills with love, you finally remember.

That Fate doesn't care when your flame turns to ember.'

'The Earth breaks, the sky fills with smoke.

Death goes back to slumber, as the raven croak.

The Angel flies high, while her enemies die.

The world shakes before her silent, sad sigh.

The battle was won, justice delivered.

But it cost a lot, and so her hand quivered.'

'Madness consumes, likes darkness the light.

Even the Angel loses something to blight.

She walks alone now, as you finally perish.

But in her stomach, she finds something to cherish.

Her heart fills with sorrows.

Where heaven lies, hell soon follows!'

As the old hag's monologue ended inside Bran's mind, he could've sworn a croaking laughter echoed from somewhere. But instead of feeling more sadness, Bran began chuckling as well, and within the next second, his body turned to ash.