Written By: Epicstu Wyyvernwriter

“We all heard his call, but only those who truly believed listened,” said the preacher unto his congregation. “Our Lord, Edward Michael Dimir, has called us into his church upon this day. Upon this bright and sunny day because the bright of this day is a lie. Yes, I say unto you a lie. For this brightness is a darkness and that darkness has infected our world.  Fear not my children, fear not. Edward Michael Dimir is and always shall be God. There is nothing Searl or is cults will ever be able to do…”

He went on like that, the preacher of our church, while the rest of us coward beneath the safety of his words. We could feel the rumble and hear the sounds of the cults of Searl ransacking just outside our old wooden church’s walls. He was right. We had been called into these pews. Drawn here, but was it to be saved or was it just to die. I could not help but only wonder until that dreaded knock came at the doors. Knocks followed by slamming, followed by orders given to, “break them down!” 

“Pray with me, children of the Blizzard,” the preacher beckoned as wood could be heard snapping and breaking. “Our God will not allow them to harm us.” They were almost through now, “have faith.”

I cried, huddled together with my family, but then I heard of voice. “Stephanie,” he knew me by name. “Why do you not believe? Just open your eyes and you will see how much I care for you all.” I did and when I did, I was no longer in the church. None of us were. We were in a place of mountains and teal-hued snow with forests and streams. It was not cold, or I didn’t feel cold anyway. I looked further and saw many beings of every shape, size, and color too numerous to count. Some strange and others impossible, but all wore his symbol on their robes. I looked down and saw I too was wearing robes bearing his symbol, a Fennec Fox cloaked in a blizzard of teal-hued snow.

“Am I? Are we Dead?” I asked.

“No,” he answered. “It is safe here for you. When this is over, I will return you all to where you came from and help you rebuild that which you have lost. For now, know that I fight for you just as I fight for her.”

*          *

The wooden church’s doors crashed open and Searl’s cultists, bearing a symbol like a brightly burning sun, stormed in to find, “there’s no one here!” “Yeah, this place is empty!”

“No it is not,” Edward Michael Dimir was on bended knee before a shrine to Zesrial.

“It’s him!” they shouted. “It’s the Fennec God,” they exclaimed. “We will take him for Searl! Deus vult!”

“Knights of Searl,” then Edward spoke in such a way that caused all Searl’s followers throughout the whole of the Multiverse to stop what they were doing and listen. “I give you this choice, but only this once. Drop your weapons and get out of my way, or bring everything that you have to bare against me.”

“Any who lay down their arms will be executed,” Searl responded in kind. Few dropped their weapons and stepped aside, but all those who did were turned to snow of teal-hue. Sent to the Realm Edward had created and set aside for the protection of his believers before any ill will could befall them. “Clearing the field was foolish, now there is only you. Kill him, and bring me my Wyyvern Shieldwall of Deceit!” he ordered his legions of followers across the whole of the Multiverse.

“Oh, I am not alone,” Edward smiled. Then a sphere with a blinking red light fell before the cultists assaulting the church.

The sphere blinked faster and faster and faster and faster and faster and faster and faster until… “It’s a bomb!” It opened. “Ahahahaha! It was a dud!” spiders burst forth from it. “Ahh! It’s under my armor.” “Mine too!” “Get it out!” “Ahh!” screamed the cultists as they were eaten alive. “Burn!” shouted Searl Knights throwing flames out of massive cannons. “Burn spiders! Burn! Ahahahaha! Ah!” A bullet carefully placed through each pyro Knight’s helmet visor made quick work of them as Scoundrel walked towards them casually and undeterred by their still massive numbers. Emily, his trusty revolver, dropped a shell with each shot fired from her custom crafted chamber. He slammed the hammer with the palm of his hand six times in a row before reloading the weapon faster than the last few shells could hit the ground and repeated the process. Searl Knights wielding shotguns and massive shield marched in formation surrounding them as Searl Knights wielding massive hammers crashed through the remaining church walls. The riot Knight’s shotgun blasts were returned back as they fired through portals, they could not see, at themselves as their shields crinkled like paper around their bodies crushing them. Nightmares filled the heads of the hammer Knights under the cackling laughter of Wizard. Flailing their massive two handed sledges about wildly at things that were not there, one by one they were dispatched quickly, quietly, and efficiently by House and Gentleman. Robed Searl Knights wielding his holy magic shined light upon Wizard’s trickery and healed their fallen brothers and sisters.

“Where the Hell is Ranger?” questioned Scoundrel when suddenly arrows hit the Searl’s mystic Knights with wet thuds as Ranger landed among his comrades drawing his claymore.

“Bloody good timing,” Gentleman commented.

“You couldn’t have gotten here ever so slightly sooner?” Nid argued drawing her poison syringe dagger from the arm guard holding it and its extra poison vials.

“I wasn’t going to come at all,” Ranger replied.

“What changed your mind? Nid asked.

“Well, I couldn’t let you guys have all the fun, now could I?” Ranger replied as the Knight’s of Searl surrounded them.

The Knight suddenly ceased their advance and projected a barrier around the six and Edward who still knelt before the altar of Zesrial there. His head bowed and eyes shut. “What is he doing?” Scoundrel questioned.

“I think he is praying,” Wizard replied. 

“Oh, the irony,” Scoundrel rolled his eyes. “Wake up God Fox! Time for you to show off your powers.” A light grew above them as one of Searl’s uncountable Void Battle Cruisers charged up its Realm destroying beam to end them all in one destructive blast. “Any time now! Wait, where did he go?” Edward had disappeared and the beam fired, but stopped and vanished before it could reach them. They looked up and saw the Void Battle Cruiser split in two and Edward fell back to them from orbit landing on his feet before them. Pieces from the cruiser, he had just tor in have, still crumbling from his six-inch retractable claws as teal-hued snow blew around them. “I will never question you again,” Scoundrel commented in bewilderment as Void Fighters froze, fell from the sky, and shattered as they impacted the ground with no explosion.

“Mercy!” the Knights of Searl pleaded. “Mercy, Edward, please!”

“I offered you mercy,” Edward said unto them as one by one the fires of Hell called them to their eternal fate. “You said no.” Edward and the six Leon Aventisses by his side went on to clear that entire Realm of Searl’s influence. One World at a time. One Solar System at a time. One Galaxy at a time. One Realm at a time they exterminated Searl’s followers wherever they could be found. They fought them on and beneath land. They fought them on and under seas. They fought them in the empty vacuum of every space, across asteroid belts, and upon the very stars. Under the Blizzard’s protection no element of nature could cause his Leon Aventisses harm. Although they searched for other Leon Aventisses to join their cause, they found no one.”

*          *

“See,” Zesrial said unto Searl. “You cannot hope to win. He is coming for you.”

Searl grinned, “oh, I am counting on it.” His wicked laughter could be heard the Multiverse over.