He raised his head and looked at the president. "You came too late. The blade is complete; only the final sacrifice remains."
He pointed the blade at Wu Heng.
"Your soul will complete this final creation."
Wu Heng looked at him without speaking. He raised a hand, and the power within him surged once more.
In the distance, Isaac emerged from the crowd, drenched in blood.
Thomas followed behind him, the Hunter Blade covered in golden blood. Karim crouched atop the ruins, his twelve scorpion tails hanging motionless.
Elena stood on the ice, which had already spread to the foot of the altar.
Michelle crouched beside her, all six spikes extended and locked onto Metatron's heart. Kyle's figure flickered in and out of sight within the void.
Nine people stood behind Wu Heng.
Five hundred thousand demon hunters stood behind them.
Metatron's laughter echoed through the heart of Heaven. It was not triumphant laughter, but the laughter of someone certain of victory.
He raised a hand, and the holy weapon spun in his palm. Dark red light flowed through the cracks in its blade, crawling like a living thing across the edge and devouring the lingering soul fragments in the air.
"You think surrounding me will do anything?" His voice was not loud, yet every word reached everyone's ears clearly. "I've spent thousands of years in Heaven. I've seen enemies ten thousand times stronger than you. What are you supposed to be?"
A barrier appeared around him, and then he snapped his fingers.
Crack.
The sky split open.
It was not the slow fracturing of the Heavenly Barrier, but a violent tearing. A massive gash burst open in the center of the firmament, golden flames burning along its edges.
The flames spread outward like living creatures, igniting the clouds, the