"No!"
Matt had to forget about Arc and Serendice for now. He launched an incredible beam at the entranced shell that was Szanod's body. Once the smoke and snow cleared away, Koorittou lay on the ground and Szanod stood up.
"Foolish angel. I can see it in his eyes even now. He's made his choice. The dark tentacles reached out for Koorittou, but they found Matt in his new body instead. Matt felt the suffering of all those defeated by Szanod, but it brought him no pain. He knew that these people had been condemned by the wisdom of his Lord, and he did not doubt the decision. He stood there as the tentacles wrapped tighter and tighter around him. They attempted to crush him. As the entirety of Matt's body was consumed by the darkness, a single ray of light shot from the top of the mass. Then, more rays began to appear from between the cracks of the tentacles. A loud yell could be heard from within.
"EEEAAAGGGHHH!"
The darkness exploded and disintegrated while what remained of the tentacles withdrew into Szanod's body. Matt stood there, arms flexed, his aura pulsating around him with incredible power.
"Listen to me Koorittou, do not let Szanod distort your mind! No matter what happens, no matter what you or anyone else has done, you must NEVER GIVE UP HOPE! In my world, demons such as yourself who have done far worse fight side by side with angels against evil forces. Stand now, Koorittou! Believe in yourself! Believe in all that is good in you and the world around you! Believe in God! Believe in hope! Do this, and redemption will be yours."
He turned then to Szanod. "Szanod. I have pressing matters to attend to, but I can't while you're attempting to corrupt my friend. If you have any good inside you at all, help me find Arc who is still buried under here somewhere, and if I'm right, he's in great danger since Serendice is down there too. We need to make sure they're both okay before this battle can resume. Of course, if you don't care about that, then I suppose I must indulge your lust for battle."
With that, Matt took a fighting stance facing Szanod.
"Make your choice, and make it well."
Last edited by Eldaire; 11-11-2003 at 05:50 PM..
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