Burning blue eyes scorched holes into Lina's soul as she stared at the heartbreakingly beautiful Angel of Vengeance. It was beautiful, but hauntingly empty. There was a thick black liquid, possibly Xellos' blood, splattered on its creamy skin. The same fluid dripped from its silken, silvery-violet hair. The Angel was far too similar to him, as if it was mocking him when it created its body.
"Who are you?" The Angel asked coldly.
"Who are you?" Lina snapped in return.
"I am the Angel of Vengeance." It replied. "I am the destruction of humanity."
"What?" She placed her hands on her hips.
"I am the Angel of Vengeance." It repeated. "I am the destruction of humanity."
"No way!"
"Who are you?"
"I am Lina Inverse! The beautiful and genius sorceress!"
"Then.... Good-bye, Lina Inverse." The Angel's eyes glowed with golden light, which rapidly spread to its fists. Lina braced herself for impact, knowing that it probably wouldn't do too much good anyway. A shadow fell over her as the energy blast came at her.
"Xellos!" she cried, opening her eyes.
"Lina, please, run..." The Mazoku's negative energy field flickered against the power the Vengeful Angel generated. "He doesn't realize what he's doing!"
"Sollex!" The Angel of Vengeance yelled, flying up higher above the weakened Juujinken Priest and preparing to dive bomb him. "I thought I killed you... I'll have to finish you now."
"Zelgadis, stop!" Xellos yelled, hurling a black cone at the Rune Mage. "You're going to hit Lina too!" If the Angel heard, it didn't change its course.
"Zelgadis?!" Lina screamed, seeing her familiar chimera friend in the Angel's cold eyes.
"There is no Zelgadis!" The Angel hissed. "There is only the Angel of Vengeance!"
"No!!!" She pushed Xellos aside, quickly casting a Dragon Slave. Tears filled her eyes as the red light faded away, leaving no sign of the Angel. She glanced around, only to be dive-kicked from behind.
"Foolish girl," the Vengeful Angel snarled. "You're far too slow to fight me."
"FIREBALL!" The sorceress yelled, throwing a pyrokinetic sphere twice the size of a basketball.
"Isa." It called on the Rune of Primal Ice, which eagerly devoured the flame.
"ELMEKIA FLAME!" Blinding white light shot forward at breakneck speed.
"Purisaz." A shield of thorns formed in front of the spell, absorbing it and then dissipating. With only one punch, the Angel sent her sprawling to the ground.
"Damn it!" She sat up, wiping a trickle of blood from her mouth. "It feels like I got hit by an ox-cart!"
"Prepare to die, Lina Inverse." The Angel hovered over her, looking down with its stone-cold eyes.
Xellos, appearing behind the Angel, smashed it over the head with his staff. The red gem shattered, and the Angel turned under the shower of fragmented jewel. Gold glowed in its sky blue eyes.
"Shit!" The Mazoku's eyes widened.
"Sollex..." The Angel growled.
"I promised you I'd take care of Lina-chan, remember?" The Juujinken Priest summoned more ebony cones. "This is one promise I intend to keep!"
"ASA!" The Angel's aureate power ripped a large hole in Xellos' abdomen. Black liquid splattered onto the Vengeful Angel's face. The dark clad Angel kicked the Mazoku sharply, brushing off the dust from Xellos' earlier attack.
All at once, the crimson jewel shards shot forth similarly colored laser-like ropes, which wound around the Angel and held it captive.
"What the - ?" The Angel cried out, struggling against the ruby bonds.
"I'm not... going to let...you hurt Lina-chan!" Xellos snarled, trying to get to his feet. The Angel replied with a snap kick that sent its opponent reeling back.
"RAGNA BLADE!" Lina cried, lunging forward with the black energy blade. The Nightmare magic easily sliced through the Angel's body, tearing a jagged hole in its chest. The Angel's eyes widened, and then it slumped lifelessly to the ground as she let the sword dissipate.
"I didn't..." Lina's ruby gaze was filled with horror. "I didn't want to do that..."
"It had to be done." Xellos, moving to stand beside her, placed his hand on her shoulder. "The Angel would have destroyed all humanity otherwise."
"That doesn't make it hurt any less." She buried her face into the Mazoku's shoulder.
"I know." He sighed and gently smoothed her hair. "I know."
"This isn't over!" Suddenly standing, the Angel of Vengeance rushed them. The golden aura hit them hard, and sent them sprawling to the ground.
"ZEL!" The red-head screamed. "Why?! Damn it, why are you doing this?!"
"There is no Zel." The Angel snapped angrily. "There is only the Angel of Vengeance!"
"Stop it!" Xellos yelled. "You're breaking her heart! Don't do this! Zelgadis, don't let them do this to her! Don't let them kill her with your body!"
"There is no Zelgadis!" It reiterated, sounding more and more desperate. "I am the Angel of Vengeance! I am the one chosen to end human cruelty! My body is an honor to the Caster - "
"HA!" Lina shouted. "How can you be so cruel?! I did nothing to you, and you destroyed my best friend! And then you taunt me by taking a form so similar to his, and using it to fight me? How dare you be so hypocritical?!" Somehow during her rant, she managed to get closer to the Angel. At the end of her speech, she hauled off and slapped it across the face.
"Lina!" Xellos called to her, but she wasn't quite finished.
"I don't believe one word of the crap you said, bub." She glared at the stunned Rune Mage through her tears. "You were the Rune's link to the physical world, and I'm willing to bet everything that they changed your body to give them control over you. Remember me, Zelgadis, or I swear I'll..."
"You'll what?" The Angel's glacial blue-eyes were mere slits in response to her threat, but there was confusion and pain behind the ice.
"Zelgadis, if you forgot me; forgot everything we went through together, forgot what you mean to me, I swear, I'll blast you right through the Seas of Chaos via L-sama." She faintly growled.
The Vengeful Angel looked shocked, and then it lowered it's head. Laughter bubbled over its marble smooth lips, even as its golden aura stretched out to fill the sky.
It was still laughing when that aura exploded.