Chapter 6: The Dragon and the Damsel
Billy takes off her coat as the wind carries it like a dandelion seed, and it falls to the ground.
Billy enters a defensive stance.
She angrily stares at Saint Kong.
“My Pops would be ashamed,” smirked Saint Kong. “Prepare to be decimated, fool… I will defeat you blokes, and soon, all will know the legend of the true son of the Saint King. I will be… Saint King… And I will rule the Multiverse, yeah?!”
“No…” Billy enters the form. “Dad would never be ashamed… and you will NOT be Saint King.”
“Heheheheh… I will defeat you, and they will remember me as the greatest warrior in the Multiverse. Thought you’d be bleeding stronger.”
“Thought you’d be stronger, too,” smirked Billy.
“HA!!! Don’t be foolish. I’m just here for the fight and the glory…”
“And I’m just here because I wanna get home.”
“Home? Father… got home, you’re saying?”
The audience began whispering to each other.
“Then, it’s true… Father has passed lately, then, don’t you think?”
“Yeah.”
“You really are my sisters, ha, bruv?” asked Saint Kong.
“The prophecy has been fulfilled,” smiled Billy.
Saint Kong looks around, seeing the people whispering. “Well, we won’t survive unless you give ‘em a show…”
“Then a show I’ll give them…”
Saint Kong smirks. “I like the cut of yer jib, yeah? Same with the daughter, or so she seems.”
“She is…”
Saint Kong looks down and sighs. “Then let this be a fair fight… Gimme all you’ve got, bruv.”
“Ready…” said Billy.
Saint Kong charges and Billy instantly transforms into the silvery aura form, knocking him out.
“You already HAVE Maxentius Sancti!?”
“Damned straight…” growled Billy. Billy jumps up and does some leg stretches while facing her. “Well, do your worst…”
Saint Kong charges up and spins, kicking Billy over and over, but Billy blocks with ease before ricocheting the energy from his kicks back into Usog energy and blasting flames back into his face, which turns into ice that freezes him all over, before hammering the ice into his face and shattering the material, knocking him to the ground.
He spins and tackles her over and over, forcing Billy to kick him in the kneecap before striking him upright.
Billy smirks, crossing her arms. She opens her fingers consecutively, thumb to pinky, as she creates 10 orbs that orbited her hands, fusing into one glowing orb of flames. She threw the spinning beam of fire toward Saint Kong, burning him alive.
Saint Kong falls to his knees as Billy is pushed by the audience to kill him. Billy snaps her fingers and takes away the flames from his body.
“You... spared me… mate…” He falls face-first into the ground, knocked out. “What a bloody awesome fight… Run… They will kill me. Let them... Kill me…”
“Hey! Hey… You can’t uh… just spare him…”
Happy, with the kids in his arms, finishes boring the hole in the dungeon. “Billy!” he boomed from underneath, as he crashed out of the ground and knocked Kwagz out.
Happy’s massive fluttering wings buzzed in the air, humming. “COME ON!!!”
Billy grabbed Saint Kong while carrying Grub, and they both flew up and away, where giant Crowmen broke free and chased after them all.
Reaching Manila Bay, Billy kept on flying away, only for the Crowmen’s King, Kwagz, to block his body before them. Billy and Happy stop dead on the tracks before the gigantic flying Owlman before them.
He hoots and twists his head. “Now… Look… I need content. Why won’t you.. Hoot… Go back…? Kindly? Hoot…”
“Fudge.. OFF!!!” Billy throws a heavy punch and knocks him away, but the Owlman spins and nearly cuts Billy. Billy began to power down, seeing her aura fading. “Crap… I’m losing aura! I’m losing power!”
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Suddenly, an explosion occurs that causes the Owlman to have a shard of shrapnel drop into the Owlman's chest, as he falls down into the abyss below, forcing the Crowmen to weave away and charge toward the Owlman immediately.
Billy roars as she fell down with Grub in her arms. She screams as Happy tries to catch her, zooming down and flapping his wings faster, only for an animatronic to catch her and drop down, landing perfectly.
The animatronic with giant moth wings sighs, tending to the girls.
Happy points his rifle at them. “MacJovial?“
“No,” said the animatronic, flapping her wings. “They call me Moth.”
“Okay, Moth,” said Happy. “Who do you work for?”
“Their father…” said Moth. “Beatle Saint King.”
Happy slowly puts his gun down. “Who sent those two morons to kidnap these two? Your grandchildren, if you may.”
“Come…” she said, putting the girls down with Happy.
“You won’t force us in?”
“Of course, not. I’m not my husband,” she joked.
That evening…
Grub opens her eyes, seeing a beautiful hotel filled with trinkets, devices, and cleaned objects, all hoarded but orderly, almost as if the animatronic Moth is the only one cleaning everything.
“Where am I?” asked Grub, pulling her fists up.
The animatronic speaks. “This place is called Biringan. It’s a sacred Hotel in Manila, connected with a former Mall, known as SM Supermarket, which we turned into a public market, among other things. For years, Morningstar’s armies ruled over this land, and this is the only place in Ortigas capable of acting as a fort against her armies… A sanctuary… Hospital… Nursing area.. Market… home… All in one. This giant mall we built stretches from Ortigas to EDSA, the last beacon of freedom here in the Philippines.”
“Who are you?” asked Grub.
“I am M.O.T.H. Mother of the Houses. I am an Artificial Intelligence powered by a Soul and thus existing as the fundamental servant of all the people in this place.”
“A slave?”
“Not exactly. I get paid… with family time…” said Moth. “My son hid me here years ago. To keep me alive and safe. He’d visit every day, and lately, however, he didn’t visit.”
“Who’s your son…?” asked Grub.
“His name was Beatle Saint King.”
Grub tears up, as the animatronic holds her cheek. “Welcome, Apo.”
“Hello po,” Grub teared up. “Lola…”
Billy sighs, writing into her laptop.
“What is that confounded device you’re scribblin’ in?” asked Raphael.
“Dad’s laptop.”
“Ah… Apologies, yeah?” Raphael the Saint Kong gently pats the laptop with his hands. “Mmm… I miss ‘im.”
“We all do…” said Billy.
“Didn’t even get the chance to see him again, yeah?” he teared up.
“So, Kuya,” smiled Billy, wiping a tear from her eye. “What did you do for a living?”
“I was the Greatest General of Philippine History, defeated various Western countries that tried to colonize weaker nations, and vanquished ‘em like PACHANG BAKOOCH and shit, yeah? Like… Like literal fuckin’ Murricans and Europeans blown up, yeah? Like, kicked ‘em out of their homes and shit they were doin’ so I just slaughtered all of ‘em, and those pricks at the White House for God knows how long…”
“How’d Beatle adopt you?”
“I… was in a British Circus… Created by Colossus… Turned into a weapon… He saved me… and beat up all ‘em blokes and kept me alive…”
“I was a non-verbal kid lost in a Military Base… I survived by eating rations and Chicken Nuggets in the Base.”
“Heh… Gotta love ‘em nuggets.”
“Damned straight.”
Grub is fed some soup, softly given every sip of the spoon.
“We can’t have my grandkids kill the other from a petty squabble, now, can we?” asked Moth.
“How did you become…. This?”
“After I was killed, Beatle used Usog Arts rooted from Praed Shivus so that he could rebuild me.”
“I thought Praed Shivus was a cult thing.”
“Indeed.“
“Why didn’t he just resurrect you?”
“I opted not to. I was in pain as a Human… I had severe arthritis and various skin diseases; my sons thankfully didn’t inherit.”
Ladybug enters the room.
“Uncle Bug!?” smiled Grub, as Ladybug smiled and patted her head. “Hey Mom. Happy seems to be more stable.”
“Why didn’t Dad tell me… No… Why didn’t any of you tell me my grandparents are still alive!?”
“Well, Grub, that’s the thing, little bro. I mean, you were never interested in any of Kuya’s lessons…” said Ladybug, eating some puto. “Kuya just wanted you to live your own life. He didn’t want any of you to be burdened by anything he was and force yourselves to prove to be like him.” Ladybug flipped a coin, and it went heads.
“Uncle Bug, please…” said Grub. “I feel… guilty… that I didn’t care.”
“And to Kuya, that was a good thing. You weren’t a part of this terrible world he lived in.”
“I hated him.”
“And he loved you regardless.”
She smacks her lips, and smiles. “So, Goliath…”
“Oh boy…” said Ladybug. “So, you met our Dad, huh? Have you met Mommy, yet?”
Suddenly, Dr. Honeybee, a tall 13-foot woman, enters the room.
“So… You raised… Dad…” said Grub.
“Yeah. Honestly… getting himself killed over this unforgiving world… Tigas ng ulo that kid is.”
“You… didn’t support him?”
“No, I did. He’s our son, after all. Right, Moth?” asked Dr. Honeybee while she prepared some potions from her trinkets. She grabs a vial and tucked in some paper that she blew flames into, which turned into liquid.
“Mhm,” said Moth, handing her some more potions. “But the kid always causes a scene when he doesn’t get what he wants. Never understood him. He saved creatures we called pests. He cried when he felt something wasn’t right. He’d throw tantrums when he knew the world hated him. But, he kept going. He was really lazy, rude, drank like there’s no tomorrow in his 20s, spoiled as he was, and God was he stubborn like his father.” Moth smiled as she poured the last bit of potion. “And he was COMPETENT. And always saw the patterns in the world no one else could. I used to think anyone could do what he do, but I was wrong. Oh! And his temper!”
“Mhm…” said Dr. Honeybee, mixing the liquids.