Chapter 16: Not Yet...
Tatiana swung her flanged mace with bone-crushing force, veins bulging in her hand as she struck.
Swiipe-!
The tyrant retaliated in an instant, its bony claws sliced through the air, aiming to cleave her in two.
She ducked with fluid grace, the attack whistling past her hair.
Step~
A swift roll carried her just out of reach as another set of claws shredded the space she stood moments prior. Springing to her feet, she spotted a gap in the Tyrant's hardened exoskeleton.
Her eyes glimmered faintly as she struck out with devastating force.
Baaaaang!!!
The attack collided with the tyrant's hide, the impact sending it reeling backward in a cacophony of ear-piercing shrieks.
Naeraza wasted no time.
Lunging forward without hesitation, his spear plunged into the grievous wound inflicted upon the Tyrant by Tatiana. The result could be expected- The Tyrant was continuously pushed back, and with the rising flame unit joining in the siege, they were able to hold their ground against the tyrant.
...If even barely.
***
The young soldier supported them from a safe distance.
Whoosh!!
Whisssh!!
Arrows rained down from the sky, each one piercing through skin and hide, embedding deep into the tyrant's flesh.
This elicited a loud roar from the nightmarish creature, a roar so powerful it rattled their skulls and momentarily dulled their senses.
And in that brief moment of disorientation-
It moved.
Like a whirlwind of death, it ripped through their ranks, tearing warriors apart in a desperate bid to strike down the young soldier.
But-
Slasssh!
"Diee!!"
The rising flame unit intercepted, casting aside all sense of fear and reason, they fought without a care for their lives.
They no longer fought to survive. Instead, they fought to kill.
At that moment, the world around them faded into insignificance.
Nothing else existed and all that stood before then was the monster who had taken everything away from them.
All that remained in their eyes was the...
Tyrant.
Their heart was overwhelmed by a piercing ache, and their chest felt heavy with a variety of emotion, until all that remained was~
...A single, all-consuming killing intent.
Like a tidal wave, it surged, threatening to swallow them whole.
***
Seeing an opening, Tatiana rushed into the fore-front of the chaos, easily weaving and ducking through the Tyrant's attacks, she struck relentlessly from its blind spot, each injury eliciting a deep sense of anger from the creature.
Then-
Its gaze shifted.
Murderous intent, condensed to its purest form, locked onto her.
Ba- dump. Ba- dump.
Her surroundings seemed to vanish in an instant. The world constricting around her.
Her breath hitched, her shoulders stiffening as a terrifying pressure descended on her.
'Crap!'
A chill crawled down her spine.
Tak-
Trembling, she immediately moved to retreat. To regroup.
But before she could take a single step-
Thud-!
It was already there.
Its cold, piercing eyes bore into her soul, sending chills slithering down her spine.
It had arrived before her no longer than a few seconds, but to her, it felt like an eternity, each breath she took felt like a battle.
"Huff... Hufff..."
Each breath felt like an endless struggle.
Then-
Whoosh-!
It struck.
...Was this the end?
A claw tore through the air, engulfed in a burning whirlwind, it hurtled towards her at a terrifying speed.
Tick...
Tick...
Tears welled in her eyes, dripping onto the blood-soaked ground.
In that instant- time seemed to have slown down, as memories flashed through her mind.
Being pulled from the slums by Napoleon.
The warmth of friendship.
The unbreakable bonds she had forged.
Groundbreaker. Napoleon.
And~
Her fiancé.
Her gaze flicked to Naeraza. A soft smile gracing her lips.
Her fingers twitched around her flanged mace, the will to fight flickering within her.
But, as if her body had been immobilized by an unseen force~
...It refused to move.
S-she couldn't move.
***
"Hu...hu..."
Naeraza stood frozen, his limbs locked in invisible chains as time ticked excruciatingly slow.
"Huff... Huff..."
His breath came in short, ragged gasps and-
Despair.
Thump. Thump.
It flooded his heart. Crashing over him in waves.
Tears burned at the corner of his eyes, as a desperate, helpless agony tore through his heart.
Various primal emotions warred within him, each one threatening to consume him.
Until-
"Noooo....!!!"
It came.
A raw, desperate roar tore from his throat.
Without thinking, he lunged forward, every ounce of his strength converging into a single act-
Baaaaang!!!!
'He did it!'
Slamming into her, the impact sent her flying backward.
Crash-! Crash-! Baang!
She tumbled through the air, her wide, tear-filled eyes never leaving him.
Drip-! Drip-!
Tears fell to the cold ground.
At that moment, time came to a stop- or so it seemed.
And then-
'No... No... Why!?'
Rage. Sorrow. Madness.
They pierced right through her heart, each one hollowing her further.
Her eyes remained locked on him as the hands.... the hands of judgement inched closer to him.
***
Thump... Thump...
Naeraza's heart pounded in his chest.
He could feel it. See it, even.
Death.
...It wasn't so far away.
"Huff... Huff..."
With each breath he took, it crept closer.
Every single moment- every single second, stretched into an endless eternity.
Yet~
Thump... Thump...
Even in the face of death. Even as death inched closer than ever.
Naeraza simply smiled. He smiled at her- the most beautiful thing he'd ever known.
Trembling~
Memories flooded his mind. Every moment spent together. Every laughter. Every fleeting touch.
Every memory flooded his mind. Each one carving a deeper smile on his face.
And as the moment lingered, that smile grew-
It grew into a beaming smile.
A smile that shattered the dark. That erased the darkness.
...If only for a single second.
Drip-! Drip-!
Tears slipped from his eyes now, falling freely until-
Splatter!
'Nooooo.....!!!'
Crack-!
She felt something inside her snap~
Thud-!
Falling to her knees.
Badump. Badump.
She stared at Naeraza- or at least, what was left of him.
Her hands trembled, her breath caught in her throat.
Drip-! Drip-!
Tears mingled with blood, fell onto the floor.
Krrrthc~!
A sharp, unrelenting agony tore through her chest, twisting deeply like a knife.
***
And slowly- I felt it.
I saw it.
Anger.
No, not just anger.
It was something darker.
Something beyond mere rage.
I recognized it in an instant.
Madness.
It took root within her, coiling around her heart like a serpent.
Like a blazing flame, it spread through her, rooting itself deeper within her. Wild and consuming- it devoured every last shred of sanity she ever held.
And then-
"Aaaaaargh....!!"
She lunged forward, her scream raw and desperate.
A piercing pain flooded her mind, drowning out all semblance of reasoning.
But-,
Thump. Thump.
My heart pounded in my chest.
I couldn't let her die.
A sharp, icy glint flashed in my eyes.
Not yet...