The goddess' voluptuous breasts were bare, only kept together by a jewel-studded band on her collarbones. Her eyes were beastly, like a wild cat, and so were her nails."How I missed you," the old man replied, biting down on his lip. He rose from his seated position to greet the goddess like a lost lover. "I forgot what a ravishing woman you are!"Ixchel descended from her half-moon chair. Only then did Tyler realize she was at least twelve feet tall. A flimsy, purple and gold-embroidered cloth barely covered the goddess' hourglass hips.Butch was a giant of a man, but Ixchel had to kneel to embrace him. "My ferocious tiger…" she purred affectionately. The two kissed each other wildly for almost a minute before separating.Tyler turned his eyes away in shame. There was no way he could tolerate watching his old master make out with a goddess. Public displays of affection should be banned for old people."Where have you been, Butch?" Ixchel asked, tugging on his long white beard playful
Tyler narrowed his eyes. "Are you talking about a divorce? Is that even a thing among gods and goddesses?""Yes," Ixchel replied with a sly smile. "You can call it anything as long as rejection happens. Forever. Are you very attached to Tezcat?""You even dubbed the girl with a modern human name," the goddess added with a snigger. "Normally, we don't allow our partners to cross such boundaries. I can't imagine how hard she must have already fallen for you. But nothing is forever."Tyler furrowed his brows with concern. The jaguar goddess' repetition of the word 'forever' raised many red flags. He also wondered if love could really blossom between a couple formed from a divine shotgun marriage."Modern names are like leashes, son," Butch chimed in. "Goddesses usually live in their dominions, coming down only to bless and protect their followers and devotees. Sometimes they entertain themselves with humans but never stoop to their levels.""If Tezcatlipoca really accepted your given nam
Goliath's maniacal cackles echoed throughout the hilltop in El Abyssium. His evil aura expanded like a dark, suffocating blanket, striking terror into the hearts of Natalie, Gina, and Britta. They were frozen in place and time, but their proximity to Kat allowed them to perceive what was happening.Even the Green Monk's followers were overcome with despair. They had been led to believe all these decades that their lord and savior was a benevolent god who'd shower them with rewards after coming to power. Their fantasies were rudely shattered when it was revealed that Goliath was a horseman of the apocalypse—the bringer of the world's destruction.The old biblical villain had sacrificed innocent lives for centuries to resurrect himself. After taking damage from Indra's Vajra, he didn't even think twice before consuming dozens of his followers to regenerate. Humans were indispensable pawns and feeding stock for the monster.Kat was most devastated by the recent chain of events. Goliath h
Kat landed safely on the ground, instantly turning into her pink panther form. With breakneck speed, she circled the villain, looking for an opening.Goliath was a very powerful being, but his somewhat mortal body limited him. After Tyler cut off his penile arm, he was instantly weakened and had to eat his followers to regenerate.Kat's beast paws were strong enough to damage the old man's mutated body. If she clawed at him repeatedly, he would eventually run out of regeneration juice. A beheading at that stage would probably be fatal—she hoped.Kat found a sudden opening and bounded towards her target. She pounced at his retreating tentacle to lop it off with her claws.Boom! Goliath's monstrous tentacle mutated instantly, turning into a blunt arm. It lengthened and shot out, landing a heavy punch into the goddess' midsection.Blegh! Kat crashed into the ground, cracking the hill surface. She tried to get up instantly, instead retching blood. Her internal organs were all damaged, and
"No, this is impossible!" Goliath screamed in agony, struggling to recover his damaged body. "I banished you from El Abyssium! There's no way you could enter my dominion without permission!"Tyler offered him no answer. However, a realization dawned upon Goliath on scrutinizing the shimmering portal behind the young man."That looks like a time recall portal! It can't be! I can't even imagine how you managed to find a gate and a copious amount of energy. No human being could achieve such a miraculous feat alone by himself!""He isn't alone," a voice boomed on the hilltop. Another figure exited the mystical doorway and came into view. Goliath's jaw almost dropped to the ground in disbelief. The stranger was none other than another Tyler Grant.The ancient man's eyes darted back and forth between the two identical individuals. They were spitting images of the man he knew as the new Seraphim King, Tyler Grant. They did not even differ in their mannerisms and voices. What was going on?Th
Tyler shook his head in frustration and turned to leave. "I must go back and rescue Yara first," he said urgently.Britta caught up to the young man, grabbed his shoulder, and turned him around. "You're not leaving until we have a proper talk!"Tyler rudely slapped her hand off his body. "You saved me once, and I rescued you back! Now, we are even and don't need to see each other's faces again!"He was really pissed at Britta for dragging Natalie, Gina, and Yara into the El Abyssium mess. They wouldn't have to go through the Goliath trauma if it weren't for her. Thousands of innocent lives would have been saved as well.Moreover, Yara was still missing, but Britta insisted on talking. Did the Salvatore girl really possess a human heart? Did she think the world revolved around her?"Is this about the other girls and the armies of Sapphire City?" she retorted. "I didn't invite them to come to the battlefield! Your friends did!""So, is it my fault?" Tyler demanded impatiently. Was the h
The gates of Montserrat Prison clanged open to release a prisoner. A tall man in ordinary clothes walked out, having served his three-year conviction term."I can finally be with my family again," Tyler said aloud, shielding his eyes with his hand from the bright noon sun. He didn't turn back to look at the prison facade. Montserrat was a maximum-security prison, home to the most heinous and dangerous criminals in the world. But Tyler never belonged to this living hell. He eyed the uncharacteristic tattoo on his own right bicep, the six-wings, called the Seraphim sigil. It was not a prison souvenir but one given to him by Butch Salvatore, one of the other inmates serving a life sentence.Butch was an eccentric old man who claimed to be the leader of a mysterious group. Most other inmates considered Butch a deluded old psychopath and avoided him, but Tyler befriended the man and showed him kindness.One day Butch invited him to his practice sessions."I suffered a near-fatal attack
Ruth grabbed her son's arm with her trembling hands. "Come in, son. The house felt vacant without you."Tyler nodded and pushed her wheelchair inside. The house's interior was in a worse condition. The paint was chipping off the walls, and most furniture was missing. Did his parents sell everything to meet the expenses? Was their financial ruin so devastating?Ruth took some time to rein in her emotions before she began speaking again."Things fell apart when you were convicted, son. The Coopers were not content with just throwing you into prison. They vented their anger on our family. They usurped your dad's business and ensured he wouldn't be hired elsewhere.""That's not the end of it. The Coopers demanded compensation of two million dollars from us. We gave away all our savings, but it was not enough. We sold our jewelry and furniture. Yet, we could pay back only a small fraction of what we owed them."Tyler clenched his fist as anger bubbled in him. The Coopers had gone too far fo