The Cannibal simply lay there as his body continued to try to heal itself, breathing hoarse. His coughing had not stopped and he seemed to be getting worse before getting better. Air was slowly beginning to replace the blood in his lungs but his suffering remained. A snarl from deep in his throat escaped him when he noticed the woman slowly dragging herself towards her gun. His arm moved slowly, trying to reach for her to stop her, but he was still feeling too weak even if all he had suffered were a few bullet wounds. Bullet wounds hurt like a son of a bitch and took awhile to heal, he was glad he had only received a few. But even then they were slowing him down. . Whatever she had done to him when she shoved her fingers into his chest wound was really taking its toll on him. He wondered if these wounds would ever be fully healed even after he had finished regenerating.<br/><br/>Suddenly he just rolled on his back and started laughing for no particular reason. His laughter, mixed with some coughing, echoed around the area they were in.  There was something he found funny about this, something very ironic as well. Ever since society had cast him away because of what he was he had a feeling he would be killed by the hands of someone one day.<br/><br/>Even if he had not met Raziel and accepted his gift he knew he would have been hunted down like a dog. In a way this was better than that. No matter how he looked at it this was extremely humiliating. He was supposed to be great; he was supposed to show the rest of those inferior bio-weapons what they were missing out on. But here he was defeated by some wound that should not have bothered him well aware he might not survive. Try as he may he just could not drag himself to his feet, almost as if he was not even trying anymore. It was partially true that the determination to satisfy his leader at the start was not as strong in him anymore. The Cannibal could be very prideful, pride was often his downfall, but right now he wasnâ€™t sure what was running through his mind. If only he could as for guidanceâ€¦ if he could reach out and find strength, but what would he reach out to when he knew his leader probably didnâ€™t want anything to do with him.<br/><br/>When his laugher died down he managed to slowly drag himself against the wall of the alley. He closed his eyes and winced as he rubbed his chest gently. The woman was so close to her gunâ€¦ Making one final attempt to end this he grabbed her leg and pulled her towards him. At least allow him to finish what was startedâ€¦ He was going to end her here and now.<br/><br/>------------<br/><br/>Carefully taking the gun off Ivanâ€™s hands Zachariah took in a deep breath and checked to see how many rounds were left in it. Hopefully it would be enough to stop Raziel otherwiseâ€¦ no. It was going to be enough, it had to be enough and nothing else would be acceptable, God was on his side and he knew He would allow him to strike down evil. This gun was still very unstable but he knew that it was all they had now that Azrai and Shizu have slipped from their grasp almost completely. It was no use trying to control them now. Refusing to allow his mind to linger on the thoughts of those two he turned back to the situation around him knowing that he was needed. Everyone had faith him him just as he had faith in God. He knew he was going to have to get back out there, he was going to need to take care of Raziel himself and stop Azrai and Shizu from doing anything stupid, he had a lot of weight on his shoulders but he refused to buckle under it.<br/><br/>He winced as more of his men were being dragged out of the battlefield; some dead while others were unconscious. Some were simply injured like Ivan was. In all his years of leading this organization he had never faced a battle of this scale. In every essence this was definitely a war. Looking over his shoulder he could see people slowly becoming curious. He was worried that they would try to get caught up in this mess, he refused to have that happen, and he did not want that to happen. It was bad enough their city was being destroyed. If any more died today he was not going to forgive himself, he refused to fail God and he refused to fail the organization. Kill to stop the killing. Society, human nature, was such a strange thing. Should he fail here he would never forgive himself and he may as well resign as a Soldier of God; he would no longer be fit to lead Godâ€™s army.<br/><br/>Just as Zachariah was about to give Ivan some orders two more people stepped off the battlefield. He swallowed hard as he noticed the man being carried in was Maverick. The man looked to be in pretty bad shape, most likely unconscious though that was wishful thinking, there was a chance he might have lost him, he was worse than Ivan. His confidence seemed to waver some right then and there.  With Maverick out of commission he had no choice but to get back out there and jump into the action himself before all was lost.<br/><br/>When he received word that Elias had jammed Sanctus Unumâ€™s communications and that this battle was not being seen by the public it did boost his confidence. That was how he was able to even get into the mindset of going out there again. He had his own wounds he was dealing with, his cracked ribs were hurting like hell, but nonetheless he had to do this.<br/><br/>â€œIvan,â€ he spoke in a stern tone. Zachariah was not someone who spoke in a stern tone unless he was being absolutely serious. He was calm and authoritative yes, and he was very stern when he was barking out orders, but when he spoke softly, especially if he was being stern while speaking softly, he wanted people to pay attention to him. A few people around him turned their heads to pay attention. â€œI need you to take care of things back here for awhile, while Elias continues to ensure this stays out of the media. I will head out into the battle again and take care of Raziel myself.â€ He knew that some people might object his decision but he was doing what he had to do in order to save the Holy Land, and it wasnâ€™t like he would be surprising them. At the start he had mentioned he wanted to deal with Raziel himself and now was the time for him to do just that before anything else was lost.<br/><br/>He was mostly worried about Azrai.<br/><br/>â€œZachariah, you canâ€™t be seriousâ€¦â€ A young woman inquired. It surprised him that she was the one who would protest. She was a strong person, this particular woman, had a bit of a thing for her leader, but for the first time she seemed truly terrified.<br/><br/>â€œThings are about to get very ugly and I cannot risk lose any more of my soldiers.â€<br/><br/>â€œI understand but...â€<br/><br/>â€œI want you to keep tending to the wounded.â€ With that Zachariah went out into the field to go confront his old friend. Everyone seemed to watch as he stepped out while others, those who were able to keep fighting, awaited his orders. It was time that he revealed more of his plan. The looks on their faces let him know how much the anticipation was eating at them, when orders were given to them they nodded, saluted, and went off to carry out Zachariahâ€™s plan. Deep down he was aware that not everyone was going to come back alive. He had to hurry. He made his way towards the middle of the action at a brisk pace.<br/><br/>â€œEven though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.â€ Over and over this popular verse amongst others, mostly belligerent, violent verses, though not exactly in order other than the order they popped into his head, were muttered quietly, â€œI will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against meâ€¦â€ There was no emotion in the words, and even less in those dull, grey eyes of his as he gazed out towards the battlefield looking for Shizu. He had an idea of where she was and was determined to get to her.<br/><br/>It felt good to cut these weapons down one by one. To think such abominations could stand against a man who had been chosen by God to defend the Holy Land, it was laughable.<br/><br/>Blood splattered the walls of the buildings as the weapon that had been shot barely had time to scream before her cold body dropped to the ground. A maniacal laughter, extremely uncharacteristic, came from deep in his chest as he kicked the corpse as hard as he could. These weapons were in Azraiâ€™s way, slowing him down, yet they died so easily that they were hardly an obstacle. As powerful as they were, and he would not deny their power, he felt they were more of an annoyance than anything. He was barely aware of just how badly he was injured as he staggered towards where Shizu was. The more bio-weapons he killed the more he was worn down but he refused to let them get the best of him.  He had made a promise to Shizu and no matter what happened he was going to keep it even if he had to die trying. More weapons got in his way and more were cut down. They were going to have to try harder than this to take him down.<br/><br/>Suddenly a shot rang in his ears. A low growl rumbled in his throat and he darted off in the direction it had come from. When at long last he saw Shizu that state of mind he had been in seemed to fade for a moment. She seemed to be so sad. For a moment he could feel a bit of sorrow begin to swell up in him as well and heâ€¦ he felt afraidâ€¦ Well aware of what she was, he always told himself he would not show fear. Seeing the death that surrounded him he couldnâ€™t help it. He had been so hell bent on protecting her that he completely disregarded how truly terrifying her form would be. It was at that time that he had also understood why that village had locked her away, had tormented her and tried to kill her as long as they had. Honestly he was not sure what he should think about itâ€¦ But what he did know as the fact that he was more aware of himself now. He truly hated seeing this.<br/><br/>In his heart he felt bad that she had to get involved in this knowing that she truly was a sweet girl. He recalled their time together in Japan and when she spent the night with him back at his apartment. Then, he had not seen a killer but someone who was sick of being abused, a sweet girl who had been deprived of what it truly meant to live. It angered him that she was being used as a weapon no matter what side she was on. More than anything Azrai wanted to stop it. He wanted to grant her a normal life where she would not be abused. Perhaps he was not the one who would be able to accomplish this to the extent she needed but he would try. He was not even going to pretend he would be able to help her as much as he wanted to, but at least he would try. When this was over he would speak with Zachariah... But did he dare mention such a thing? It was obvious they were aware he had become attached to Shizuâ€¦ butâ€¦<br/><br/>He was pulled from his thoughts when he noticed a man approaching Shizu. Just as quickly as he been pulled out of that protective mode he was thrown right back into that state of mind. His hand gripped his gun so tight that his knuckles turned white. This man, he was sure, was the enemy; he vaguely recognized himâ€¦ that had to be Raziel.<br/><br/>Taking in a deep breath, he growled and took aim at the man.<br/><br/>Zachariah had made it to the scene just in time to see his old friend had already found Shizu. Those who had been aiding him were told to remain where they were instead of following him. He needed to do this alone. It was bad enough that Azrai had seemed to have made his way here as well. Taking a good look at the man, he looked horrible; he was bleeding badly and looked like he had been through Hell and back. What made it worse was the fact that his wounds from before seemed to have opened up, it was a miracle that he was up and moving around. His face turned pale when he heard a shot fired and he wasted no time making his presence known. As much as he did not want to do it, he tackled Azrai to the ground, calling a few of his men over to take care of him while he dealt with Raziel, then getting up and dusting himself off.<br/><br/>Already he could hear protests from the man as he started to swear at him in Hebrew a slew of unpleasant things. He didnâ€™t blame the man for being so angry, but he did not want to take any risks. Just Azrai being here was enough to show him he very well might have already failed. Had he shown up even a second too lateâ€¦<br/><br/>â€œRaziel, my old friend, itâ€™s good to see you again. How long has it been? Five years?â€ Zachariah began as he slowly approached Shizu and his old friend. He kept the prototype gun tight in his grasp, prepared to use it, keeping in mind the vial in his pocket in case he truly needed it. The vial was his absolute last resort and something told him he was going to need it. The look on his face was serious yet calm, unwavering, he spoke softly yet there was a low growl in his voice, â€œI am only going to ask once for you to stand down, my brother.â€ Using the word loosely, acknowledging that they were both children of God, related because God loves all of His children. There was no need to be casual. Maybe he didnâ€™t have the strength of a bio-weapon but the organization, the Holy Land, and God were all counting on him to get done what needed to get done.<br/><br/>He knew Raziel was not going to stand down, but he figured he might as well give him the chance anyway. Only because God was merciful and would not want to see his children fighting did he throw it out there. Sometimes his God was a violent God, too, and that was why he was more than willing to spill blood to save the Holy Land. Even if that meant he would have to end the life of the man who had once been a dear friend, a brother to him.