Slowly opening the large, iron door, Persephone stood face-to-face with two stunningly beautiful women, one of which she immediately recognized.
"Melody... it seems you're alive," she mused quietly.
"I'm not so easy to get rid of."
"Apparently." Turning to the other woman, she condescendingly asked, "And you are?"
"Selena. Grand Vizier to King Farzan of the Water Jinn."
"Ah, I see... the Council is not too happy with me, it seems. Well, I told Melody, and I'm telling you: leave my Master alone, or else," Persephone threatened.
Giggling momentarily, Selena replied, "You must realize that, while Melody here is too gracious to blatantly start a fight with you, I will grant no such consolation."
Before Persephone could reply, an enormous blast of water instantly threw her backwards into Edward's home, landing her flat on her back. She immediately flipped herself up onto her feet, ready to face her advancing attacker.
"Persephone, you have declared yourself an enemy of the Council of Four, and have attempted to kill a direct representative of theirs," Selena calmly stated. "You are no longer worthy of the magic you wield, and as such, I am here to remove your power from you."
"You may try," Persephone scoffed.
Igniting a fireball in each of her hands, Persephone immediately retaliated, peppering the ground around Selena with several rapid blasts of flame. Selena deftly avoided harm, flipping into the air and summoning up her blue armor to increase her defenses. Landing gracefully near Persephone, Selena immediately drew her sword and prepared to counter.
"Selena, hang on!" Melody shouted, rushing into the room. Seeing that her sword was still sitting on the floor from earlier, Melody sprinted directly towards it, diving once she was close. Persephone noticed this and ran to try and get to it first, but was tripped up by Selena, allowing Melody to snatch the weapon up before Persephone could get close.
"Now we're talkin!" Melody said gleefully.
Selena said, "Persephone, please stop resisting and come with us. You could not beat Melody alone earlier, and will have no chance of success against the both of us."
"I went easy on her," Persephone shot back. "Believe me, I am capable of
far
greater feats than either of you could possibly imagine."
"I don't know, I can imagine quite a bit," Melody muttered to herself with a smirk.
Charging their weapons with immense magical power, the two Water Genies fired off simultaneous blasts of energy, which collided together on Persephone. The force of the blast was so great that both Melody and Selena were flung back against the walls of the chamber, gazing upon the thick cloud of smoke resulting from their attack. They waited patiently for it to clear, unsure of how successful their efforts had been.
*****
"Jesus, what exactly is this weapon you were talking about?" Mike asked as they walked through the halls of the armory.
"You'll see," He replied. "Our destination is just up ahead."
As the two men turned a corner, a man in a black suit greeted them. Tall and slender with a soft, boy-like face, the man did not at first appear to be that imposing. However, underneath his strawberry blonde hair and delicate-looking skin was the soul of a fierce warrior and protector.
"Michael, good to see you again," Jesus said with a smile.
"You as well, though verily I wish it were under better circumstances," Michael replied in a very proper, almost Shakespearian style. Glancing at Mike, he continued, "Very few individuals I have ever known show the combined amount of confidence and humility that I now see in your eyes. If I am not mistaken, you must be the famous Mike Braxton, are you not?"
"Yes, sir," Mike replied, a bit stunned by Michael's gracious complement.
Shaking his hand, Michael said, "I am very pleased to know you, my friend. Are you ready to learn how you can contribute to the battle we must now wage against the one known as Edward Baldwin?"
"I am."
"Then step this way, please."
Jesus and Michael led the way down the hall, eventually reaching a large security door. Michael approached a panel on one side of the door, touching it with his hand. This caused an image of a harp to appear on the panel. Michael touched the strings in the picture in a very specific order, causing a green light to appear above the door once he had finished. Jesus then approached the panel on the other side of the door. Placing His hand on it, a pole began to extend out from the panel, piercing straight through His palm in the very hole that a nail had been in over two thousand years previous. A moment later, a second green light appeared above the security door, causing it to unlatch and slowly open.
"Obviously, this is a highly restricted area," Jesus said to Mike. "Only an archangel can use the panel that Michael used, and this panel will only work when used by Myself or Dad."
Stepping inside the security door, the trio found themselves in what appeared to Mike to be a research laboratory. Various screens and tables lined the perimeter of the small room, while in the center stood a small platform surrounded by a glowing force field. Michael approached the platform and began working on the screen next to it.
"How we lookin?" Jesus asked.
"All diagnostics are green, and the weapon appears to be operating at prime capacity. All it needs is the proper operator," Michael replied.
"Excellent." Turning to Mike, He said, "Mike, you are about to witness something that no human has ever laid eyes on. The object on the other side of this field is one of immense power, designed specifically to allow humanity to combat Lucifer's influence over the Antichrist. I present to you, the Armor of God."
As he finished speaking, the force field lowered, gradually revealing a set of sleek, silver, full-body armor. Contoured to perfectly mold to the body of the wearer, it appeared to be extremely lightweight, yet also incredibly strong and durable. The boots were made of the same metal as the rest of the armor, aside from the soles, which were rubber and textured like hiking boots. Mike's eyes moved upward, tracing the lines of the suit before arriving at the breastplate, appropriately bearing the symbol of the cross. A metal belt, inscribed with an inlay resembling the Crown of Thorns, adjoined the two halves. The gauntlets were separate pieces, allowing for maximum flexibility, and appeared to have small, circular panels of some kind on the wrists and knuckles, though Mike was unsure what purpose they served. The helmet was quite fearsome looking, having the appearance of a lion, the wearer's face resting in the mouth of the beast. Finally, the armor was completed with a simple yet elegant knight's sword, sheathed on the wearer's back. Though it appeared to be very lightweight, Mike could easily tell that the weapon was one of incredible strength, putting even Melody's scimitar to shame. On the blade was inscribed these words: "For thou art with me."
"Woah..." Mike marveled, taking it all in. "I thought the Armor of God was just a metaphor?"
"Well... yes and no," Jesus replied. "The qualities and attributes described in the 'Armor of God' passages in the Bible are required to fully use the physical armor, so the meaning behind the metaphor is still relevant."
"Indeed," Michael said. "This weapon is the only means for a human to combat Lucifer's power directly, and the only method of stopping Edward. However, it cannot be wielded by just anyone. Before one is allowed to use the full strength of the armor, it will test the individual, ensuring that they are one with the iron will and unbreakable spirit needed to stand against Lucifer himself. Mike Braxton, will you submit yourself to the trials the armor may present to you?"
Nodding, Mike said, "I will. Melody can't do all of this herself; she needs help. If this gives us a fighting chance, I'll do whatever it takes."
"Then step forward, brave human," Michael replied.
Approaching the armor, Mike ran his fingers along the smooth surface of the arms and legs. As he did so, the cross in the center began to glow slightly, beckoning him to touch it. Upon doing so, the armor seemingly came to life, disassembling itself and beginning to latch its various parts onto Mike. First was the boots, followed by the leg parts and belt. Piece by piece, the gauntlets and arm parts attached themselves to him before the breastplate finally flew forward, fitting perfectly around Mike's torso.
"What's happening?" Mike said, struggling. "I... I can't move!"
"Until one has passed the trials, the armor's power cannot be wielded," Michael explained, approaching with the helmet in hand. "Believe in yourself, valiant Mike, and you will find success. Are you ready?"
Tentatively, Mike nodded in the affirmative.
"Then let us begin," Michael replied.
As soon as the helmet was placed on his head, Mike suddenly felt a surge of power coursing through his mind. His vision blurred, and he felt as if his brain was on fire. He tried to fight it off for several seconds, before finally blacking out.
*****
Persephone knelt on the ground of the abandoned junction station, her presence completely obscured by the thick cloud of smoke. Though she was strong, the Major Genies she now faced in combat were easily as powerful, if not more so. Reaching out to her master, she asked him for his help.
Master, it is Melody. She and Selena are attacking, attempting to remove my power from me.
Damn. They're persistent, aren't they?
They are strong, Master. I need your assistance to beat them back.
Perhaps it is no longer enough for me to simply enhance your innate fire magic with my Lord's power... perhaps... you need something more.
Melody and Selena stood on opposite sides of the room, eying the cloud of smoke warily. Until they knew whether or not their combined attack had taken Persephone out, they weren't letting their guards down for even a moment. As they watched, the cloud slowly began to spin, being sucked into some sort of vortex in the center of it. Soon, the cloud began to disappear, revealing Persephone to be alive and well within it.
"Knew it wouldn't be that easy," Melody muttered to herself.
The pair again felt Persephone charging up an enormous amount of magical energy within her. However, rather than being engulfed in her normal fire, she now began to radiate flames that were black as tar. A thin, sinister smoke trailed off from her in several directions; she seemed to become the very essence of darkness itself.
