When Zachariah had told her to come out here at the last minute she had been very worried that she might have been too late. The Cannibalâ€™s file, from what she had read, obtained when the hacker had shut down Razielâ€™s facility, had some pretty nasty things written in it which had worried her.  She was just glad that her sister was alright. Bloodied, but still alive. Seeing her sister like this enraged her but she knew that God would shun such hatred towards His children despite the fact that the Cannibal had chosen to become a monster. The very fact that she had come here to save her sister and wipe the scum that was once one of Razielâ€™s most powerful bio-weapons off the face of the Earth was enough of a victory for her. She need not allow anger to cloud her. It was the smaller things that mattered, that was what their leader had taught them and that was what she stuck by today.<br/><br/>â€œAbout time someone got me out of thereâ€¦â€ Lucian snorted. The medic smacked him in the back of the head and told him to shut up in a mutter; this was a very important moment and must not be interrupted by such comments. The woman who had come to everyoneâ€™s rescue scowled at his ungratefulness and then returned her attention to her sister.<br/><br/>â€œSister,â€ she said as the men holding the Cannibal stood him up, pinning him against the wall of the alley. â€œThe Cannibal must die, but God has chosen you to do the job. You cannot die hereâ€¦ Zachariah needs youâ€¦ we need you.â€ She pulled her own pistol out of its holster and helped her sister stand. â€œTake this gun, my sister; it is Godâ€™s will that you end this man for what he has done to you.â€ With that she had carefully placed the gun in her sisterâ€™s hand. Her sister might not be in fighting condition but she knew God would guide her bullets to their target. She knew that she needed to help support her; it was like a team where she, her sister, and God would strike down this menace. They were victorious. Her only hope was that Zachariah had not fallen in combat. Morale was already low so she hoped that this would at least lift a few spirits.<br/><br/>The Cannibal was too weak to fight these people and break out of their restraint. His wounds burned and even though he had eaten earlier it still, as he suspected, had not been enough for him to recover on the spot. He was breathing heavily, eyes flashing with anger when he watched that bitch being brought to her feet by her comrade. Baring his teeth, he snarled. As soon as he did, he felt someone kick him in the back of the leg, he grunted, if he was not being held up he probably would have dropped to his knees. A low curse escaped him and he thought back to his leaderâ€¦ this, the fact he had not been given any back of of his own, was proof that Raziel or anybody else in the organization no longer wanted anything to do with him. Admittedly the thought made him sad for he had once considered Raziel to be like a father to him. He had been the one person who had not shunned him for being a cannibal.<br/><br/>He had been abandoned, no matter how much he tried to deny it. He was alone. Too weak to do anything else, deciding he didnâ€™t care at this point, he clenched his jaw and accepted his fate.<br/><br/>------------<br/><br/>What Maverick was seeing around him once he had been brought to his feet both angered him and brought sorrow. He had failed at keeping things together, it was eating at him, and the thought brought him more pain than any of the sounds he was currently suffering. Many of his comrades were either dead or wounded. He cursed himself for not being more competent, the moans of pain making him feel terrible and leaving him wishing he could have done more. Ivan was probably feeling the same way. No matter how badly he wanted to do more he knew there was nothing he could do now other than try to rest. He was in very bad shape, he should be dead, but God had given him another chance at living and he was not going to throw away such a thing. When they moved him and a few others to an area that had been set up for people who were as bad off as he was he did not protest.<br/><br/>This had been indeed one of Godâ€™s many miracles that seemed to be happening today.<br/><br/>Then he noticed something was missing. Where was Zachariah? Part of him wanted to call out to him but he no longer had his earpiece on him. It was frustratingâ€¦ he couldnâ€™t haveâ€¦ Had heâ€¦ noâ€¦ His heart sank and he looked around, wondering if he should or should not be concerned that their leader was not amongst the wounded. Zachariah was not dead, was he? There was no way he could be, he had been chosen by God to lead them in defending the Holy Land from evil there was no way He would allow him to fall so easily even to a bio-weapon. The damn things were powerful but if God Maverick figured that if he had been given a second chance then He would be out there defending Zachariah. That seemed like the only thing that made sense to him, but still worry clenched his heart and would not let go of him until he knew if the man was safe. That man had been everything he wished his father had been, he had to know if he was safe.<br/><br/>â€œWhereâ€™s Zachariah?â€ His voice was hoarse, distant as he tried to hide just how much pain he was in. â€œDonâ€™t tell meâ€¦ have we lost?â€ Maverick was being dead serious; with how everything looked he couldnâ€™t help but wonder if they really had lost. He felt like punching something, preferably more of those damned bio-weapons. If he was able to stand he would have Ivan pinned against the wall while he asked his questions. He swallowed hard as he anxiously awaited Ivanâ€™s response hoping that it was not too late.<br/><br/>Azrai had grinned knowing that Shizu was grateful. â€œNo. I should haveâ€¦ done a better job, you are hurt and need rest.â€ There was a slight pause, â€œOnce this is over, I shallâ€¦ show you what it truly means to be free.â€ He said with a nod, calming down a little though he still wished to disembowel some more of those weapons. It was not entirely wrong when she thought about him not accepting her words. Azrai had wanted to defend her and prevent this from happening. He was beating himself up not only for everything that had happened but because Shizu had transformed into her full Oni form and had to suffer from it even if it had not been for long. The only good thing was that she had been able to keep her mind in the end and not turn on her allies. In the back of his mind he prayed that she would never have to transform like that ever again, that when this was over she could be given the life she deserved. She would be rewarded her freedom and the organization would protect her. God would protect her, stand by her even if she was Oni, he would ensure that.<br/><br/>Throughout the years he has killed so many in His name and has made quite a few enemies. He has always told himself to never get attached to those he worked with during a mission aside from the few friends he had, the people he trusted. With Shizu it had all been different. He cared about her more than he has ever cared about anyone during an assignment. Defending someone, helping someone obtain their freedom, was a nice change from the usual work he did. Sure, it could have gone better than it had, he should not have been so stubborn when Ivan and Elias had tried to warn him about this, but in the end he had no regrets. He was going to make sure Shizu got her freedom. What would they do once this was over? He knew he would be going back to his life as a hitman, it was the only source of income he had, but what about Shizu? What she would do with herself? Well, keeping his promise to her and teaching her what he could about the world was first, of course, but he was not able to do much more for her after that.<br/><br/>He could give her a place to sleep but would she even want that? Maybe that would seem odd if he asked herâ€¦No, that wouldnâ€™t do. Ivan and the others might not approve and right now he was getting ahead of himself anyway. This was not over yet.<br/><br/>Azrai felt a tear trickling down his cheek, leaning against one of the men who had come to aid their escape. He was crying mostly from pain since he had to keep himself from doubling over from with every last bit of self control. He was also angry. The reason for the tear was also because Shizu had been hurt pretty badly by these abominations. In the back of his mind he wished he could have been there to prevent those injuries, wishing he could have done more from where he had been sniping. Her Oni form was still burned into his mind but thankfully was mostly drowned out by the fact that she had not fallen into the hands of the enemy. He didnâ€™t even want to begin to think about what would have happened if that had been the case. Silently, he made a promise to both himself and to Shizu that she would never have to fully transform for anything ever again. Nobody was going to use her power but her.<br/><br/>From the looks of things Zachariah had his hands full and did not need anything else to worry about. Azrai was going to make sure that, with whatever strength he had left, he would defend Shizu until the end. She deserved her freedom and he refused to let them have her. If Raziel wanted her then he was going to come pry her out of his cold, dead hands, heâ€™d be damned that he would allow himself to die in the hands of bio-weapons. His vision was becoming increasingly blurry and blood was trickling out of his mouth. With every step he took, his legs were feeling weaker, but he had to make it back; his head hurt pretty badly as well, he must have hit it when he was tackled off that building and had not realized it. Now that Shizu was safe he felt he could rest. But he could not rest, not until this was over, he needed to continue fighting.<br/><br/>As Azrai and Shizu were taken further away Zachariah had not once taken his eyes off his once dear friend. He could feel the liquid he had taken from the vial still trying to work its magic. When he had drank it he had been well aware that his cheap knock-off concoction would never work the same way as the real serum. But it would at least be enough for him to stand up to him and that was really all that mattered to him. His intention was never to become like Raziel, he would never turn against God as he had, being able to stand up to him would ensure that he would not fail .When he had been punched he had staggered back a few feet, his jaw exploding in pain and most likely fractured if not dislocated from the impact. More damage should have been done, his face should have been smashed in badly from such a powerful blow, but he was still intact. To be honest he was astonished that the liquid had worked even this well. He stood a chanceâ€¦<br/><br/>Raziel was pissed about his wounds which pleased him greatly; he needed the man to lose his cool. At first he was not sure he would even take his old friend by surprise like that. He smiled as the man yelled at him, wondering what was happening. For being a work in progress he gun he had been working on since the first time Raziel had tried to take him down was doing its job a lot better than he had expected it would. That was why he showed no fear when he had been lifted into the air and did not struggle to free himself from his grasp. Looking deep into his eyes, â€œYou say this, but who is God truly favoring now?â€ he spat in an icy tone before he had been head butted and thrown, grunting in pain as he hit the ground. Zachariah had almost expected a foot to slam into his stomach but Raziel was more focused on getting Shizu, he was determined to have her, he was determined to not have that happen. That man has always been impatient, willing to do whatever it took to get what he wanted.<br/><br/>Tensing, he tried to get to his feet as quickly as possible but he had been too late. Raziel had already taken aim at the group leading Azri and Shizu away.<br/><br/>When the gunshots sounded Azrai growled under his breath again and held Shizu close to him, moving her out of the way as quickly as his feet would allow. Several of the guards around them had been hit, a bullet grazing his arm as well. The wound burned badly as if some sort of poison had been injected into him, the pain was enough to make him let go of Shizu and drop to his knees, hand clasping over where the bullet had hit him. Blood, darker than it should be, seemed to leek through in between his fingers. What was this? It burned so badlyâ€¦ It felt like he had actually caught on fire and the fire was burning him up from the inside, working its way out. There was something wrong with this bullet even he could sense that. Everybody that had been hit seemed to be experiencing the same thingâ€¦ â€œShizuâ€¦ do not touch itâ€¦â€ he managed to mutter before everything went black. Warning her just felt like the right thing to do.<br/><br/>Zachariah felt a sense of dread when Raziel blindly shot towards the group defending Azrai and Shizu, his jaw tensed and he took in a sharp intake of air. Azrai had been hit, he could not see if Shizu was hit, some of his men and women had been hit as well, several others gathering at the scene from both sides to witness this battle. Narrowing his eyes he swiftly grabbed for his gun, which had been knocked from his grasp, a sort of newfound energy flowing through him, and aimed high, hoping the bullet would hit its target then finally got to his feet. He was well aware that Raziel was not like his soldiers, he was far â€˜greaterâ€™ than they were in every way shape and form. Taking him on up close was risky so he did his best to keep his distance, dodging when he needed but not without suffering a few blows here and there. There was a part of him that was nervous, he would not deny Razielâ€™s inhuman strength had him worried, and heâ€™d be terrified if not for one thing.<br/><br/>He could see the man was bleeding badly; whatever bleeds will also die. Lingering in the air the chemical aroma was getting stronger and stronger and the yellow liquid continued to pour out of Razielâ€™s wounds. If Raziel thought God was on his side he was wrong.<br/><br/>â€œShizu will have her freedomâ€¦ If you think youâ€™re going to have her, you have another thing coming, brother. It is Godâ€™s will that I rid the world of you and all of your abominations, you will not have your â€˜Liberationâ€™ you speak of, and when you die I doubt God will even allow you entrance to His Kingdom in Heaven.â€ Zachariahâ€™s voice had bellowed out in a more powerful octave than he had expected when he spoke. He stood his ground when he fired another shot, his eyes gleaming boldly despite the liquid still making him feel like he was about to vomit. â€œGod will never side with someone like you, who destroys the lives of others for personal gainâ€¦â€ Then there was a click when he went to take another shot. Groaning he pulled a clip off his belt and reloaded the gun, taking a step back as he did so, continuing to take steps backward as Raziel advanced closer still, this was the last clip so he needed to make it count or else everything would have been done in vain.<br/><br/>He fired another shot at Raziel after moving out of the way of a bio-weapon charging him, having no choice but to waste a bullet on the woman. At the sight of their leaderâ€™s transformation the bio-weapons became rowdier and their thirst for blood intensified greatly. â€œYou will never have the Holy Land for yourself, did five years ago teach you nothing? I knew it was a mistake leaving you alive. It is human nature to make mistakes; I intend to fix mine here today,â€ he said confidently. Years ago he might have sounded sad. That sadness had long since been replaced by determination five years ago. God was on his side and not Razielâ€™s. God has guided him and performed many miracles today for him, not Raziel. The gun was working and Shizu has not fallen into the hands of the enemy. Zachariah was going to be victorious. He was going to bring peace to the Holy Land once again and Shizu would have her freedom. The facility was going to need to be rebuilt, he knew, but that was alright.<br/><br/>A lot of good people supported the organization, have been for years, all he had to do was subtly reach out to the people that were loyal and send his soldiers to do Godâ€™s work whenever someone tries to stir up trouble and he would have enough money to rebuild again. Deep pockets were but a dream that would never come true. That was how it has always been, poor ever since he started this organization. It was a dream started by two people, two brothers, who were chosen by God to defend the Holy Land. But when the organization grew the brothers drifted apart from each other and their ideals began to differ slowly. A small part of him still blamed himself for Raziel heading down that dark path but now was not the time to think about the past. He could spend all the time n the world thinking about the past and everything he regretted but it would get him nowhere. He was going to end this while he still could.<br/><br/>All of his faith was in these last three shotsâ€¦ He took a deep breath and took aim again. No sooner had he done so another bio-weapon had stepped out of lien and charged him, unable to contain his energy any longer, without his leaderâ€™s consent. He hit the ground hard and turned his attention to the bio-weapon, grabbing him by the throat and throwing him off. The weapon quickly recovered and got on top of him, pulling Zachariah down again before he was able to get to his feet. The bio-weapon was holding him down, trying to get the gun out of his hand.