Myths and Gargoyles by Jamie Hawke (interesting books to read in english txt) 📕

But my attention was directed toward an ominous presence overhead, where a hawk flew, screeching out in a way that caused all of the gods to look up in reference to their leader, to Ra.

“I got this,” I said with the rush of our recent victory running through me, and leaped onto Roar’s back. His wings spread wide and he ran, pounding and then took off into the sky. Excalibur at the ready, I stared at the god above, totally wondering what the hell I was getting myself into.

We circled each other, him sending wave after wave of attack my way in the form of solar blasts. The only reason I was able to survive was thanks to Roar and the high amount of water I could call on up here. It was like riding waves, the two of us diving around Ra, always on the move, trying to get in hits. I’d shoot with my sword, sending gleaming blades of light his way, then come in for a strike, but couldn’t land a damn thing.

Each of his attacks left the air below scorched, and with each miss of mine I started to lose confidence.

“What do we do here, Roar?” I asked.

He roared.

And actually, that was the answer I needed. We didn’t need to charge up here and beat him as if I were his equal. We had a team, sure, but they were pretty damn occupied below. What I needed was to get him down to my level, and the best way I could figure making that happen at the moment was to roar as loud as I fucking could.

“Come and get me, you son of a bitch!” I shouted, flying past him and then guiding Roar toward the nearest pyramid, the one that had been hit earlier and had a good chunk of it missing. Chancing a glance back to see if he took the bait, I saw him following, and grinned.

Maybe this would result in my death, but hey, I hadn’t died so far. As far as I knew and hoped, it simply wasn’t my fate to die. More strikes came my way, but we had a destination now and made it, me jumping from Roar’s back and dismissing him, turning with sword raised.

There was only one way this could work, so as soon as Ra was within range, I activated the skill that would cancel out both of our powers. It was like I was squeezed dry, suddenly empty. While before I could sort of sense everything going on around me, feel my powers as one can smell and hear and see… now it was simply me. Nothing else.

Judging by the confused look in Ra’s eyes as he fell to the platform in front of me, the way his hawk wings vanished and the glow around his hands faded, it had worked.

With a rush, no powers here, only me versus him—man to man—I collided with Ra as he once was, as he was before he became this god. The man Arthur had known once as Pinocchio, with just hints of Torrind, the agent, whose body he’d taken over before that, but all of Ra fading. He was screaming, clawing, biting. Doing anything he could to try and fight me off, but even without using powers, I’d grown strong and learned a thing or two.

His strikes were easily blocked, my punches landing well. I kicked him back toward the edge of the platform, then came in for another kick that sent blood flying into the open sky. When he turned back to me, however, he had a wild, excited look.

“You thought it would be so easy?” He rotated, throwing himself over.

For a second I stared in confusion. But of course it wasn’t going to be that easy, and I realized this when I ran to the side and looked over, watching as other gods flew into him, giving themselves to him so that a moment later wings sprouted out—otherworldly, unholy wings that seemed to be made of skin and exposed flesh. He floated up toward me, long horns growing from his forehead, shoulders, back, and even a tail.

While he might not have been truly evil before, this creature he was devolving into clearly was.

“I have to ask myself,” he said in a thick, burning voice, “why bother with you when killing everyone on your team first would bring me so much more joy?”

He spun back toward the ground, where Huera was flying about in the fight, to where I could see Sharon the wolf engaged in battle against a Cerberus. And then he dove, bursts of lightning crackling as he prepared the attack.

“Roar!” I shouted, and ran and jumped, hoping my lion would be there. Air flew past, my panic rising as I descended, and then suddenly Roar was there, beneath me, catching me and continuing the dive. My sword flew to my hands, and I slashed in the air, sending blasts of light at the creature that had been Ra.

His back arched and he howled in pain, turning as we plowed into him, sword slicing, tearing. But for every strike, his body would grow back. Every time a limb went missing, another of his gods would join him, become absorbed into his body and a mutated lump would appear.

“You winning here is not how this day will go,” Ra shouted, coming back with a barrage of attacks that sent me spinning, head splitting in pain.

“If I can just kill you, I’ll be happy.” I charged back in with Roar, him clawing and biting as I leaped, sword up. With all my might, I thrust Excalibur into Ra as I fell.

The momentum and gravity brought me down, sword continuing to tear through Ra until he was cleaved in two, light bursting forth and taking me. Only, I wasn’t falling anymore, and as my eyes began to see in the brightness, a form lunged at me.

A short, wooden boy! Hit