But only moments after his daggers drove into Daken, the beast’s thick tail smashed into Ethan’s side and sent him soaring, daggers in hand. Ethan twisted his body in mid-air and landed crouched down. Ethan immediately avoided three blinding bolts of lightning, which were fired off one after the other. He heard them loudly crash and erupt against the concrete behind him as he moved side-to-side. With Veila guiding him, Ethan was faster than ever before.
Following his instincts, Ethan leapt to his right just as an explosion combusted where he had stood. As he landed, he felt the explosion’s heat as its deafening blast rang in his ears. But it did not faze him. Ethan launched a chain of five throwing knives at the beast. A second explosion abruptly erupted right in their path. Four were destroyed by it, but one plunged itself into Daken’s shoulder. Another electrical current poured into Daken in an effort to fry his insides.
Daken did not howl in pain, but his eyes showed it. Ethan charged at him. The monster fired a bolt of lightning. It missed. He made another explosion detonate inches from Ethan. But The Guardian avoided it as he continued his charge. Daken fired a stream of fire. It passed under Ethan as he masterfully leapt over it.
Coming to his foe, Ethan jumped and dodged Daken’s deadly swipe. The Guardian again drove both his daggers right into the monster. The two of them roared. Daken’s was of pain. But Ethan’s was of a lion. Their snarles engulfed the entire base and drowned out the flames. Pushing forward, Ethan drove the daggers deeper and deeper into his foe’s flesh.
The beast suddenly grabbed Ethan by his face and forced him back in order to pull the daggers out. Daken’s talons crushed down on Ethan’s skull, suffocating him. Momentarily lifting Ethan into the air, Daken violently slammed Ethan’s back into the ground. The concrete floor cracked under the impact. The crash was enough to kill any normal man. But Ethan took it again. Daken showed no mercy. Ethan was raised up and thunderously smashed onto the ground a third time.
As he was lifted into the air by his face a fourth time, Ethan tried to stick his electrically charged dagger into Daken’s thick arm. But he never received the chance. His chest was blasted at point-blank range by a bolt of lightning.
For a moment, Ethan thought he was dead. Everything went quiet. The insurmountable pain abruptly disappeared as his body grew limp and numb. He couldn’t think straight. Had Daken not held him by his face, he would have shown his pain.
When sensation returned to Ethan’s body, he found himself soaring through the air. The pain flooded back in. He had lost both his daggers. But his flight ended when he violently crashed against a parked jeep. A pounding thud sounded off as he collided against the vehicle. Had it not been for Veila, he would have broken his spine. But instead, he collapsed on all fours as the jeep loudly turned over on its side.
Ethan looked up as Daken came upon him. He rolled to dodge Daken’s first talon. Then he instinctively leapt back onto his feet to avoid the second. Ducking, Ethan barely kept the next swipe from taking off his head.
But his luck did not last.
Daken’s sharp talons deeply cut across Ethan’s chest. Then his back. Blood flowed from the wounds. Ethan tried to unsheathe a new dagger. But before he could, Daken grabbed both of Ethan’s biceps. Bringing his head down, Daken’s sharp teeth viciously bit and tore into Ethan’s shoulder.
The wounded Ethan let out a blood-curling howl. It was more than just a bite. It made Ethan suddenly feel as if his insides were being devoured by merciless flames.
The Guardian struggled against the pain. His arms held by Daken and the beast’s teeth still cutting into him, Ethan managed to unsheathe a small knife from his belt. With the flick of his wrist, he launched it towards Daken. The blade cut into the monster’s leg. Daken was immediately struck with another electrical current.
The beast impulsively let go of its prey. But with a powerful back hand, Daken sent Ethan sailing through the air once more. Ethan roughly landed on his side and rolled over several times before coming to a stop. His entire body was consumed with pain. Blood seeped out of his multiple wounds. But as soon as he arrived at a halt, an explosion combusted directly to his right, knocking him in the opposite direction.
With his cape and hood catching, Ethan instinctively unhooked them. He heard the beast’s malevolent voice high above the blaze. “I was alive ten thousand years before your kind ever crawled out of the mud.”
Another explosion caught Ethan.
“And you—”
Daken was relentless.
“A human—”
One more blast left Ethan almost unable to stagger back to his feet.
“Think you can best me?”
A final explosion left Ethan barely able to move as pain rang in every corner of his body. Unable to feel most of his body after the pounding and pummeling, he was seemingly covered in his own blood. It seeped out of his deep wounds and onto his tactical suit.
For a moment, he thought it was over. He could barely move, feeling all his strength depleted. He could not beat this monster. Even with Veila, Daken was too much. It would end in fire… just as it began so many years before.
Lying on his stomach, he slowly raised his weak, quivering eyes. If he was going to die, he would at least die staring the fiend in the face. But before his gaze ever came onto Daken, they caught something else: a corpse right in front of him.
Katrina. His wife.
Her face stared right at him. Even in death, it still held a beauty—a light. The serenity and glow of her face remained. Even now, as his entire world ended, he sensed her love.
There was a moment of peace as Ethan focused on Katrina’s face. The memory of that fateful night on the rooftop flashed through his mind. He remembered the night when he stood trapped in the thunderstorm, lost in the abyss of his darkness. She was there. She rescued him from the storm’s darkness, rescued him from himself. She believed in him when nobody else did—stood by his side when the world abandoned him. She carried that belief to her grave. When she had lost everything else, she held onto this belief. She died holding onto it.
How could he lose?
Slowly, Ethan’s eyes changed. The fear and helplessness dispersed. They began to shake with more fury than ever before as the memories flashed through his mind. Katrina’s warmth replaced the pain. Her laughter replaced the flames. And her gentle touch replaced the cold grip of death.
From his stomach, Ethan crawled onto all fours. His gaze fell upon the monster as it stalked towards him. Ethan’s blood covered face quivered with a rage that Daken had never seen. And his voice possessed the same anger. “Haven’t you heard the legends?”
Daken watched Ethan stagger onto his feet.
“I’m no ordinary man.”
With his newfound strength, Ethan launched numerous throwing knives at his foe in quick succession. Daken fired off a stream of fire, catching most of them midway. The few that hit their target erupted against Daken. The loud explosions did nothing but slow down Daken for a brief moment as he walked right though them.
But out of the smoke, Ethan charged at his foe. He held his final two daggers. Coming at Daken, the monster took two swipes at him. Ethan ducked to dodge the first one before leaping over the beast. In midair, he firmly plunged both daggers deep in Daken’s back and left them there. They unleashed their entire electric current into Daken as he deafeningly howled in pain. As the monster turned around, Ethan powered up his two thick gloves with an electric current.
The Guardian leapt over Daken’s tail as it swung at him. One of his foe’s talons flew over his head and the other cut into his leg, but Ethan did not slow down. He stepped in close and let out a fury of punches on Daken’s torso. Each one loudly sounded off and released a charge into Daken’s body just as the daggers and knives did.
Daken was forced to stagger backwards a little with each blow as pain consumed him. He finally knocked The Guardian back and fired off several bolts of lightning from nearly pointblank range. The Guardian weaved side-to-side,
avoiding each and every one of them as he quickly and efficiently launched his remaining throwing knives one by one until his arsenal ran dry. Less than half of the knives hit Daken, but the ones that did left their mark. The daggers that were still plunged in Daken’s back ran out of their electrical juice, but the throwing knives were fully ready. Some exploded against the beast’s snake-like scales while others electrocuted Daken. And with each strike, Daken’s roars increased.
The two warriors battled. Surrounded by fire and under the eyes of the world, they fought with every ounce of strength they possessed. With each blow, they only seemed to grow more relentless. Every blow from Ethan contained enough power to kill ten men. And every one of Daken’s strikes set Ethan’s insides on fire.
But they kept battling.
Ethan would come in close and let out a barrage of blows while taking a beating of his own. However, the pain just made him fight harder. It gave him strength. Every time he was knocked back, he dodged Daken’s ranged attacks as he closed the distance and came upon the monster once again.
Today, Ethan would not lose. He couldn’t.
Dodging an explosion, Ethan landed next to a jeep. He staggered back to his feet as Daken charged towards him. Keeping his eyes on the beast, Ethan took a step towards the vehicle as he muttered under his breath. “We’re on the home stretch, Veila. Don’t let up now.”
“I must kill you!” Daken howled.
When the monster was too close to stop, Ethan grabbed the jeep by its front end. He felt Veila’s strength coursing through his veins. Mixed with his, he was stronger than ever before. Releasing a mighty roar, he lifted the large jeep off the ground. With no mercy, Ethan smashed the vehicle against his foe.
The collision shook the very compound itself. Daken stumbled and Ethan took advantage of it. Leaping in the air with the vehicle raised above his head, Ethan let out a deafening cry as he brought the jeep down on the beast. It was the howl of a lion determined to slay its enemy, and it rang in every corner of the base. Daken collapsed and Ethan stood above him with the jeep once again raised high up.
“Shut up!” Ethan roared.
Again, the jeep violently crashed down on the monster.
“Shut up and just die!”
The jeep was ripped into two when it crashed down on Daken for a fourth time. Ethan breathed heavily as his wild eyes stared down at his maker. For a moment, he thought the beast was dead.
But he was wrong.
Daken’s tail suddenly blindsided The Guardian and sent him skidding several feet away. Jaw tightly clenched, body consumed with unbearable agony, Ethan staggered back to his feet. His foe did the same. Ethan could barely stand, his legs numb, and he felt his vision blurring. But he would not quit now.
“Ethan,” Veila’s voice echoed through his head. “We’ve weakened him.”
“Then let’s finish this.”
Ethan charged at his foe. As he did, he reached into his belt and produced a handful of pellets. Daken barreled towards him as his talons elongated into sharpened blades. He stuck them out to impale Ethan, expecting Ethan to leap and avoid them.
But he didn’t.
The Guardian ran straight into the talons. They violently bayoneted Ethan right through his stomach. However, when Ethan roared, it was not a cry of pain. Instead, it was the snarl of a warrior—the roar of a knight’s final charge. He ran as deep as he could into Daken’s talons. The beast let out its own dark howl. But it was just what Ethan wanted.
Within arm’s length of Daken’s face, Ethan shoved the small pellets right into his foe’s mouth. And with the energy he had left, Ethan let out one final snarl.
“Burn in hell!”
In the next instant, the pellets mercilessly and violently exploded in the monster’s mouth with a blinding blast. Ethan collapsed on the ground, right next to Daken. But as he stared at the beast’s eyes, for the first time they were not devilish.
They were dead.
***
The world watched as Ethan killed the beast. Had Villanueva not expected the battle, he—like most of his staff—would have been in complete shock. But as he witnessed The Guardian fall alongside his foe, he immediately turned to the general at his side.
“Order the air strike.”
The general wordlessly stared at the screen.
“General!”
He looked over at the president. “Sir?”
“Blow the camp to the stars.”
“But… Ethan—”
“Do it general.” Villanueva took a deep breath, afraid to say his next words. “Grant a dying man his final wish.”
***
Deafening blasts roared throughout the base. A shower of missiles rained down, and their explosions blinded out the early dusk rays. With their master dead, the army of invaders no longer possessed their powers. They were now helpless against the arsenal of missiles that showered onto them.
At the center of the base, Ethan was lying in a pool of his own blood. With every passing second, he felt colder. His body grew less responsive. It started with his fingers and toes, but began to slowly trickle inward. He felt his heart beating faster than ever as it tried to keep the blood flowing through him. But all it did was make more blood gush out of his mortal wounds.
With the last of his strength, he crawled across the battlefield, leaving a river of blood behind him. He still felt Veila’s presence all around him. She protected him from the endless shells and explosions. Although she was weak, she possessed the strength to survive this.
But Ethan knew he would not.
The dying Guardian stopped at the side of a corpse. The rain of missiles continued as explosions erupted all around him, but he did not even flinch. Staring at the face of his dead wife, Ethan yanked off his gloves before taking her cold hand into his and running his other hand through her long hair. The hand was soft, her hair silky. He embraced the corpse. Ethan held it tightly against him, knowing that it was only a matter of time before he joined her. Leaning forward, he gently kissed her forehead.
Ethan had come to trade his life for hers. But—as fate always seemed to do—it did not happen as planned. Instead, they had both sacrificed their lives for the world. After putting the good of others before themselves all their lives, they did the same with their death. A fitting end to their legacy.
He rested his head next to hers and let her face engulf his vision. “We did it, Katrina… we did… it…”
“Ethan,” Veila weakly said his name.
Keeping his eyes on Katrina, Ethan let out his own whisper. “Thank you for everything.”
“No. Thank you, Ethan.”
Veila continued to softly speak, but he was too weak to hear it. He had lost all feeling in his body. As blackness consumed Ethan’s vision, Katrina was the last thing he saw.
Ethan died in the same way he had been brought to life by Daken all those years ago: surrounded by flames.
Chapter 20
In Peace
The funeral of Ethan Daniels was not an event carried out by just one nation. His passing was not mourned by one country. Instead, it was the world that lamented his death and celebrated his legacy. For this one day, the entire world was united.
Crown City shut down the day of his funeral. The procession travelled from one side of downtown to the other. Clad in black, hundreds of thousands of people clogged the streets. Under the dark skies, they solemnly marched behind his casket. It remained as silent as possible; the only thing heard were the procession’s footsteps.
Jonathan Daniels stood at the front of the crowd. Next to his wife, he walked a single step ahead of the casket as it was carried by six men. One of the men carrying the casket was Adam Wise. Directly behind the casket, Villanueva somberly marched and Princess Amelia walked only a few paces behind him.
And if people looked to the rooftops, they could see Crown City’s new Guardian marching alongside the procession with his eyes glued to the casket. Under the mask were William’s tear-filled eyes as
he watched his brother-in-arms laid to rest.
Ethan was buried alongside his loved ones: his father, mother, sister, grandfather, and wife. The people watched with tears as he was lowered into his grave. Crowds consumed the entire graveyard and the vast sea of people surrounded the cemetery. This was the same graveyard Ethan had visited so many times. His first visit had been filled with anger. With each passing visit, the rage in his soul had slowly lessened, replaced with some small measure of peace.
But now, he was making his final visit here.
Every major network around the globe showed the funeral as it unfolded. Every nation had seemingly been touched by The Guardian in some way. Ethan’s body, his wealth, his mind, and his spirit were used to make the world a better place. His actions and symbol had brought countless criminals to justice. His example and fortune had led to the elevation of millions of destitute people around the globe. His death would merely inspire tens of millions more to follow his example. And through the funeral, one thing stayed certain:
The legacy of Ethan Daniels would not be forgotten.
***
In The Guardian’s lair, three men stood under the dim lights. Only two weeks ago, they had buried their friend and brother. Ethan’s war was over, but his legacy remained. People still tried to figure out who the monster Ethan battled was and what had occurred. Every day, the reel—along with countless other videos of The Guardian that were accumulated over the years—was viewed around the globe. But tomorrow night, Jonathan would hold a press conference where he would tell the world everything Ethan had done. The world would then truly understand Ethan’s journey.
They would finally fully comprehend the hero who had inspired so many.
This was a meeting none of them wanted to have. Since the funeral, William had retreated to this sanctuary without stepping foot outside. The world still thought him dead, and he was faced with a choice. And that choice was what this gathering was about.