Driving down the highway, Maria couldn't help but think about her family. She has contemplated what she should do. Why is this even worth it anymore? The grander scheme of things taking shape and forming a bigger picture was becoming clearer than she could ever realize. Of course, her brother didn't know that or his wife or his fucked-up son. Even the rest of the Four Horsemen that she has appointed.

  Her sister that she has a great deal of respect and remorse. Even the Daemonic Triad, or so it seems, under the surface.

  Her deep thoughts would take her out of that car, rolling down the highway and finally heading to their destination.

  All Lord Caliber had to do was make two more left turns, and they would be—

  WHOOSH!

  Nobody expected any gust of wind as there was not a cloud in the sky nor any wind advisories. However, it did topple over a 2500 kg car, sending it flying and twisting in midair about 28 times, skipping it down the street like it was an empty soda can.

  Miraculously, it looked over about 28 times and didn't land upside down or on its side. But it didn't mean the car was completely totaled because it was. Steam was coming off the engine, the bodywork was destroyed, and the glass was broken out.

  A few seconds later, the driver and passenger exited the car. Maria miraculously climbed out of the car first and was on her feet... For a moment, she puked everywhere and collapsed unconscious. Kenny was unlucky as he sprawled and stumbled out of the car. He rolled on the ground with cuts and bruises all over his body and face while writhing in pain.

  Shellshocked from the experience, Kenny got on his knees, bewildered by the experienced, as he looked around with wide eyes. There were no innocent bystanders, but he could hear those around him speaking at a distance as they were just as surprised.

  But it wasn't a matter of what caused this. It was a matter of who, and everyone else, had already discovered who it was.

  It didn’t take Maria long to figure out who did it, but Kenny figured it out the hard way as he watched a dark-skinned woman in a yellow and purple dress holding a yellow and purple Sabre Rapière.

  On shaky legs, as if he were a baby calf, the shivering Lord Caliber stared at the confirmed Crucis Sentinel before him. Calmly, walking towards him with an expression of anger and disdain.

  Out of breath and trying to regain his composure, Kenny breathed out the words of his executioner, “A-Alpha...”

  Alpha Crucis' voice boomed that echoed throughout the streets, "KENNETH LEE BOUTONNIèRE. IN THE NAME OF THE SEVEN HEAVENS, REPRESENTER OF THE CRUX, I HEREBY CONDEMN YOU UNFIT TO LIVE!" Readying herself in her fencing stance, she made an incantation, “ALPHA DIVIDENDO CYCLONE!”

  With her Sabre Rapière, she made an upward slash motion that created numerous wind gusts. The air channeled the area they were in. But out of instinct, Lord Caliber dodged and rolled out of the way.

  But his Rolls-Royce Phantom was not so lucky as the gusts were like metal sheet cutting blades that shredded the once beautiful car into ribbons. Of course, one of them hit the engine, and it exploded, sending Lord Caliber flying from the blast into a glass plate window of the bus stop across the street.

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  Rolling around in the class, now bleeding from his head, hands, stomach, and back, Lord Caliber tried his best to fight through the pain with tears in his eyes.

  Now hovering in the air with her air current control, Alpha Crucis towers over him, watching him crawl across the broken glass like a slug crawling on a salt field.

  "ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY GUN OF THE THIRD REVELATION!" Alpha Crucis mockingly wailed. "The dissidents and the degradation you have hidden in the dark have now been brought to the light! You will never claim another innocent! No more!"

  Pointing her Sabre Rapière at his broken body, she swooped down and performed a lunge—

  AMPELOS!

  A patch of green vines burst out of the sidewalk and wrapped around Alpha Crucis, binding her and preventing her from attacking Lord Caliber.

  Fortunately and unfortunately for the sentinel, she recognized the voice and aethereal cast, “MARIA!” Alpha Crucis shouted.

  Alpha Crucis used the rest of her cast to slice the vines off of her easily. At a cost, she had to descend from the air. Luckily, she landed on her feet.

  Knowing Maria, she is advanced with green magic. The vines quickly regrew, regrouped, and pursued her. She defensively sliced through the vines using her Sabre Sabre Rapière and wind magic.

  While Alpha Crucis was busy, Maria staggered to the heavily injured Lord Caliber. She took out her EpiPen and injected his arm.

  She was in pretty horrible shape herself. At that moment, Maria should have left him to die. I guess, in a way, he still loved her nephew.

  “Now get your ass up and get to the safe house!” Maria wanted.

  Alpha Crucis cut the remainder of the vines by aiming at the roots and obliterating them with a small wind tornado. The shredded leaves and vines danced in the swirling air as Alpha Crucis' hair blew into the wind as if she were a goddess of the wind.

  "I still owe you for Glenda, Holy Mother!" Alpha Crucis called out. "You have no problem saving a lecherous rapist, but you don't have time-saving for your so-called followers from Hell.”

  “Still the vengeful little girl you’ve always been,” Maria echoed.

  Alpha Crucis mocked, "I'm not even going to try to find you! I will deal with you later! Lord Caliber is the one I want!"

  "I or We? Knowing mama bear Lycka, she didn't tell you to go after my nephew!" Maria advocated while confidently exposing herself out in the open.

  She was right behind Alpha Crucis as she turned around and faced her then successor/confidant, now Archenemy.

  With a confident smirk, Maria looked at the scowling sentinel, "You have indeed grown into a fine young woman. I surmise that little goth girl cultivated your hatred into something more productive,” She complimented.

  “Shut your mouth, you festering cur!" Alpha Crucis growled. "You're just buying time for him to run like he always does!"

  "And what if I am?" Maria baited. "You could end the Third Revelation regime right here and now by killing me."

  Alpha Crucis scowled, “says the woman who used my people as foil and fodder for her selfish needs.”

  "Don't act like you are above everything; you are not special! Always going after the traumatized and broken. We are nothing more than pieces of chewing gum being sucked out of all the flavor and spat out when they are done with us." Maria defended. "Do not blame me for stepping outside of it all and seeing the bigger picture for what it is."

  Alpha Crucis already lost her patience as she pointed her Sabre Rapière at her, “If you want to die, Maria--?”

  “If you want to die, Alpha Crucis, then stay!” Lord Caliber’s voice echoed the woman behind them.

  They both turned around to see the bloodied face of Lord Caliber, wide-eyed and smiling from ear to ear.

  Maria was terrified at the new development, “I told you to get fucking lost!” She yelled.

  “It’s obvious he wants to die for the cause,” Alpha Crucis mocked.

  It could be a two-on-one situation. However, both Maria and Lord Caliber are seriously injured. And with him being hopped up on a cocktail of painkillers and steroids, it's safe to say that this fleeting bout of confidence will have a temporary effect.

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