Page 64 of Helsing: Demon Slayer
The Defender skidded to a halt, its headlights catching the gleaming obsidian of Abaddon’s armor and the horrifying crown-topped human head. Behind him, the rhythmic chant reached a crescendo, fueling a surge of blackened locusts that spilled across the road in a writhing tide. They swarmed toward the SUV, their wings emitting sharp, metallic clicks that pierced the night like daggers.
András snarled, launching himself from the vehicle before Ryan could react, his harmonic energy igniting in a radiant arc as he slammed his palm into the ground. The force sent shockwaves through the writhing mass, scattering the Locusts momentarily, their screeches blending with the chant as if enraged. Beta followed without hesitation, the shimmering bond between her and András intensifying to a blinding brilliance as she joined the fray.
Edvard dropped to a knee behind an open door of the Defender, his tactical gear flaring in response to the harmonic threat. He launched a swarm of gnats, the nanodrones that Miró had created as a force multiplier against a larger number of enemy combatants. They locked onto the multi-modal harmonic frequencies of the Locusts, bombing them with stinging harmonic rain designed to disorient.
Ryan protected Dianne instinctively as the swarm closed in again, forcing him to scramble for something—anything—that might hold thedaemonlocusts at bay. His chainmail flared into brilliance, shielding both him and Dianne in dense protective harmonics. He scarcely had time to note that the chainmail’s strength had far exceeded its designed limits before Abaddon took a single step forward, his voice booming over the din.
“Bring them to me!” Abaddon’s funereal voice echoed around the windswept mountains. The Locusts shifted direction almost as one, their focus now locked onto the Defender. The chant transformed, turning throaty and violent, each word striking Ryan like a hammer to the chest.
The vehicle trembled as the swarm battered against its exterior, the windshield spiderwebbing under the relentless assault. Ryan braced himself, adrenaline surging as he prepared to fight—for Dianne, for the team, for survival—knowing full well that even Demon Slayer wasn’t enough against the Angel of the Abyss but refusing to let that stop him.
The Defender’s occupants braced for the worst as Abaddon’s towering form loomed, his obsidian armor glinting in the flickering green and amber light. The rhythmic chant of the Locusts became unbearable, reverberating in the bones, each syllable heralding doom. The Locusts surged forward, their spiked forms like a relentless tide of oil.
And then, cutting through the chaos, came a new sound—a commanding chorus that rose like a beacon and echoed from the surrounding slopes. The deep, resonant power of Gregorian chants filled the air, piercing the oppressive gloom. It was not the soul-crushing chant of Abaddon’s horde, but a harmony suffused with strength and light. At the sound, the Locusts abruptly halted, screeching in agony, their heads thrown back and their maws gaping.
From the ridge above the road, they appeared—twelve mounteddonatsin black tactical gear, their modern armor gleaming with harmonic sigils. At the center rode Elias Klum, his steely gaze fixed on the battle, the white cross of the Order emblazoned over his breastplate. Thedonatsbore harmonic shields that glowed faintly, their chant gauntlets emitting bursts of pure light with every verse they uttered. Blade-like ribbons of radiant energy unfurled from their bracers, rippling and snapping like living strands of polychromatic lightning.
Behind Elias rode a mid-twenties male who bore a strong resemblance to Olivia and Dianne, Michael Markham, whom Dianne had called a ‘tech-finance bro.’ Olivia and Dianne’s younger brother still wore the rumpled polo and khakis he’d traveled in, now overlaid with a shimmering tunic. He looked dazed but determined, gripping his mount’s reins with one hand. At his hip hung a mysterious shining orb and tucked in his belt was a chant gauntlet, far too advanced for him to understand, but carried, nonetheless.
Thedonatscharged, their harmonics amplifying, each note lashing the Locusts with devastating precision. Waves of light tore through the swarm, scattering the insectile forms into fragments that disintegrated into the air. Elias led the charge with unerring focus, his harmonic ribbons slicing through the Locusts like divine blades.
Abaddon roared, his wings unfurling to their full span, blocking the road entirely. A tempest of blackened energy erupted from him, sendingdonatsreeling. One fell from his horse, injured but alive, and Michael, dismounting, instinctively scrambled to the knight’s side.
Grabbing the injureddonat’s blade-like ribbon, Michael flicked his wrist as he’d seen the knights do, and, to his surprise, the ribbon responded. It sparked to life, glowing faintly as Michael slashed at an approaching Locust, driving it back just long enough to help thedonatto his feet.
Abaddon stepped forward, his crowned head tilting as he took stock of the unexpected resistance. His voice broke and reformed as he spoke, as if he couldn’t contain it within a single rasping tone. “You delay the inevitable.”
At his words, a wave ofdaemonlocusts sprang forward.
But Elias and his knights formed a protective phalanx, their chants reaching a crescendo. With each verse, their harmonic shields grew brighter, forming a dome of light that the Locusts could not penetrate. Elias himself turned to face Abaddon, his chant amplifying, harmonics sparking from his gauntlets and ribbons as he focused all his energy.
András and Beta, seizing the moment, harmonized their own energy with the knights’ chorus. Together, the combined harmonics created a blinding pulse of light that shot outward, engulfing the Locusts in a searing wave. Abaddon staggered, his form faltering, the crowned head flickering as though losing cohesion.
Edvard, not to be left out of the combat, sent his gnats repeatedly at the Dark Lord of the Abyss, their tiny forms blazing briefly as they expended their harmonic energy in bursts that tore through the shadowy aura surrounding Abaddon, disrupting his focus and forcing him to shift his attention toward the relentless swarm.
With a final cry of defiance, Elias brought his harmonic ribbons down in a sweeping arc, striking the Angel of the Abyss with a blow that shattered the remnants of his shadowy form. Abaddon let out a guttural howl before disintegrating into the void, his presence extinguished.
The battlefield fell silent, save for the sound of the horses’ heavy breathing and the faint hum of residual harmonics. Michael looked down at the ribbon still glowing faintly in his hand, his face a mix of shock and exhilaration. Ryan stumbled out of the Defender, Dianne at his side, to meet their unlooked-for saviors.
They walked with Edvard toward theElioud, who stood beside the gathereddonats, András sharing handshakes and hugs with the human knights while Beta scanned the pre-dawn landscape with her enhancedElioudvision.
Elias remained on horseback in the faint afterglow of thedonats’harmonic weapons, his face half in shadow and gleaming with sweat. Ryan gave the knight a sharp nod of thanks as he and Dianne came nearer. The older warrior nodded once in return.
Ryan glanced from Elias to Michael. “Finance bro, huh? If Elias doesn’t recruit you to the Order of Malta, I’ve got a place for you on my security team.”
A sheepish grin washed over Michael’s face. He handed the ribbon back to thedonatto whom it belonged, the ribbon still twitching slightly. “Guess I’m more versatile than I thought.”
As Michael spoke, Dianne watched him with such affection and joy that Ryan would have been jealous if the younger man hadn’t been her brother. As it was, the transformation on her face made something raw and vulnerable open inside him.
“That makes two of us,” she said to her brother. “I’ve had a few moments these past couple of days where I rose to the occasion, too.”
Michael turned to his big sister, bending to catch her up into a tight hug. She squealed and gripped him around the neck. “Di, thank God you’re safe.”
Ryan, conscious of not belonging in their family reunion, stepped back and surveyed the landscape around them, his nerves still humming in the aftermath of battle. His side ached worse as the adrenaline from the attack receded. WhateverElioudmagic Beta had performed had faded. He too faded. He’d need Dr. Armand’s brand of medicine soon.
Dianne came up next to him, slipping her hand into his. “There you are.” She didn’t say more, but he felt her worry. And her hurt. She’d taken his distance for what it was.
He didn’t pull his hand from hers, but neither did he draw her closer into his side where she belonged, where her presence would soothe the fierce ache from the wound that Abaddon’s vessel had given him.
