-huff
-huff
-huff
In midst of a ruin cathedral, a beautiful lady was sitting on the ground. Her white hairs were sticky from sweat and her porcelain skin glistened with it.
Selina was breathing heavily.
Lucas had drained most of her energy during their training, but for some reason as the time passed she was feeling stronger... little by little.
Sunny was nowhere to be seen, same could be said for Lucas.
'My body hurts... that damn bastard, had he need to be so hard during the training.' Selena thought.
Lucas was quite a teacher... Sunny would have agreed on it.
After all, during his four weeks of stay in the academy, he had been beaten and slammed on the ground more than their batch of sleepers.
But it was worth it in a sense.
She could see and understand flow of the combat, if she learnt more and absorbed the knowledge from Lucas training...
Selina eye's glinted in a gleeful manner.
She could perhaps change the entire essence of battles.
But it would take time.
Selina stood up.
In that same time, Sunny returned from the hidden chamber.
Selina wanted to start a conversation with him, but she couldn't find anything to discuss on. Suddenly, she felt her body grow a little stronger.
She was getting this feeling from time to time.
Her eyes widened.
'This can't be...'
She opened her runes.
Everything was the same except one thing...
Void Fragments: [896/1000].
The last time she had checked her fragments, was a day before they reached the Dark City. At that time the counter was at eight hundred ninety and now...
It had increased.
Wren was reaping lives.
The lives of humans, how did Selina knew it?
It was because she knew Wren wasn't the type to stand and wait, not after gaining power equivalent to crush fallen nightmare creatures.
She knew it because she had seen the dark glint in his eyes when he had said that he was going to follow Nephis's plan.
He wasn't.
"Sunny...maybe you should follow me." Selina said and started to move towards the exit of the ruined cathedral, her pace increased at each step.
With that Selina dashed out of the entry of the ruined cathedral.
Sunny was momentarily stunned.
But it wasn't the time for him to doze off, he shook his head and without wasting any time followed Selina's direction
***
The pristine floor of the Bright castle... pristine enough to reflect one's own face but now, it was tainted in blood.
Lying around were corpses of castle guards and hunters.
Each person was killed in a brutal way, some had lost their heads and limbs, some had died from torn out limbs, head and... hearts.
Some died from getting their heads crushed.
Two people were fighting a menacing figure head on.
It was Tessai and Gemma.
Tessai was confronting the menacing figure directly with his twin axes, while Gemma provided him cover from his back.
Both of them were exhausted.
However the menacing figure in front of them was like a herald of destruction, there wasn't any sign of exhaustion on them.
It was like the person in front of them doesn't breathe.
It was like the menacing figure wasn't a human.
-Clang!
Wren's pristine black jian clashed with Tessai's twin axes, exhaustion was visible on his face and Wren needed to take an advantage of it.
Using the clash as a leverage, he kicked at a vital point no man ever want to get hit on, Tessai had an expression of horror, sweat was glistening his face as he was able to hardened his skin at correct time.
The force however wasn't stopped by it, a few tears escaped from his eyes and the grip on his axes loosened.
Using the opportunity, Wren undoed the darkness manifestation and absorbed the true darkness in his hands.
Then... he struck a elbow straight at Tessai's chest who was still in a trance like state, the elbow strike empowered by pure darkness created a huge blow.
Tessai was thrown back, his twin axes dropped on the ground during his fall, since it took Wren a lot of his mental energy to control pure darkness, he had ignored Gemma's presence in the battle.
It was going to be fatal for him.
In the moment of oblivion, Gemma launched his arrow with precision, it was aimed at the small gap between his armor and mask.
It was aimed at Wren's neck.
The arrow struck at it's target, Wren stood motionless for a moment, then his whole body stiffened and he fall on the bloody platform of Bright Castle.
Gemma didn't waited and launched himself towards the stunned body of Wren, he knew he wasn't dead and couldn't give any possible chances for the menacing figure to rise up.
Even if it shouldn't be able to.
Gemma was a little closer to the motionless figure than he should be, Tessai who saw it from the ground struggled to speak, there was a huge wound on his chest.
"Don't..."
But Gemma didn't listened.
He drew his arrow, but before he could aim it on his half dead target, the menacing figure shuddered and then it... moved.
Under Gemma's surprised eyes...
Wren used his hands to lift his body and then spinned his right leg backwards.
His shin connected with Gemma's left ankle.
Gemma's world shifted, the grip on his arrow loosened causing the arrow to launch in an unpredicted direction.
He was spinning in mid air.
Then something grabbed... his head from the side.
It was two dark clawed hands, before he knew his head was already rolling down the floor covering his vision in blood and then... in darkness.
[You have slain a dormant beast, Gemma.]
Wren had torn his head out.
Now Tessai was the only one remaining.
"You are a waste of space." He mocked the cowering figure of Tessai.
Wren walked towards the limping figure Tessai.
His bleeding wasn't stopping for some reason, even after hardening the damaged skin of his wound.
He had no choice but to run.
Even if it was worthless to try.
"Where is that confidence from before? About bringing my head to that puny bitch..." Wren voice was cold and dark.
Each step Wren took made Tessai shudder in fear.
Before Tessai even knew, Wren was already standing in front of him. He bent down and stared at Tessai through his fearsome mask.
"Go away..." Wren spoke before walking away.
Tessai was overwhelming with joy.
He stood up with huge effort and moved towards the door with a limping manner.
'I will kill you one day...' His eyes blazing with anger.
But little did he knew what was going to happen with him next.
Tessai body suddenly started to swell up.
"A-ahh... what's happening... WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH M-" He started to scream before...
-Plchk!
His body exploded in smithers.
"At least be useful for the Shadow realm." Wren muttered.
His next target was the Bright Lord's Reaper.
Harus.
***
Wren was standing in a huge hall.
'This place is where that... justice bullshit take place.' He thought boredly.
He started to walk.
-swish!
Then something or someone moved... Wren vision was engulfed in darkness.
Not that he couldn't see it.
He was blind for some reason.
Or it was someone using their aspect.
Then...
Something lunged toward him, it was a fist.
Wren tilted his head dodging the blow and then jumped few metres back.
Darkness was his weapon, his domain to command.
And yet...
Someone dared to use that against him.
Wren couldn't see anything true but the darkness hidden in the hall, the darkness of his armour... it told him everything.
In front of him was a strange, pale man with a bony face and glassy, emotionless eyes.
His usual twisted spine was straight now, and the man in front of Wren appeared bigger, he was around Tessai's height.
A heavy chain was wrapped around his arm— from wrist to elbow.
The hunchback was a little surprised.
Wren smirked behind his mask.
Then darkness flowed from both his hand, the part of his armor dissolve and materialized into chains.
It wrapped around his arms in a similar manner like Harus' chain did.
Both of them stared for a moment, Harus was aware of the fact that his opponent can see despite being blind.
-swooosh!
Both of them dashed toward each other's direction.
-clang!
Their armed fists collided.
Harus kicked at Wren's chest to gain momentum, throwing his opponent back Harus gathered strength in his legs and dashed.
-whip!
Suddenly a dark chain moved towards him like a whip, he ducked but it was his worst decision.
The dark chain changed it's trajectory and moved downwards.
As if it possessed a mind of its own.
The chain wrapped itself around Harus' neck with a strong grip.
"Gahh..." Harus groaned.
He grabbed the chain with his hand and tried to break it.
But before anything good could happen for him...
His body started to lift.
Harus gaze diverted towards the figure of Wren.
The menacing figure was lifting him using the chain, the monstorit was going to swing him.
Feeling desperate, Harus used more strength to break his shackles.
He succeeded.
Or that what he thought so...
The broken chains were new as before, and were crushing his throat.
-swing!
It seemed his fate as a ragdoll was sealed.
The chain swinged him.
-crash!
Harus' back was struck on a nearby pillar, the pristine pillar wasn't damaged much although same can't be said for Harus.
Blood was flowing out of him.
He couldn't even groan in pain.
His spine was completely crushed.
The chain wrapped around his neck dissolved, it crushing grip was gone not that he could tell it properly.
Lying on the ground with his broken spine, Harus grimaced.
'Please forgive me, my lord.'
The menacing figure was walking towards him, each step of its foot created a deep sound, honestly the monstority in front of him looked more like a nightmare creature.
Or perhaps it was one.
Standing in front of his limp body, the menacing figure bent down.
"Even on the verge of death... your loyalty is still burning." The figure whispered.
Harus could only listen.
"People feared you, Harus... your aspect, your strength but they didn't admired your loyalty."
The menacing figure sighed.
"But I do."
If Harus could express his emotions, it would probably be shock and... a little happiness.
"Your Lord will die today... by my hands. I don't know if you could tell it or not but go away and live. I am not leaving you alive for no reason, use this loyalty as a fire to survive and grow stronger."
Suddenly darkness started to flow towards his body.
"This is my gift for your loyalty, use it wisely."
The figure stood up and started to walk away.
Harus body started to heal.
But he didn't moved...
He didn't wanted to.
His expressionless face was hidden in a shadow...
No one knew what he was thinking.
The darkness disappeared after healing his body so did the menacing figure.
***
The cohort and Selina with few other followers of Nephis were standing in front of the doors leading to the inner settlement.
A pool of blood was within their feets.
It was already vile enough for them to puke at it's sight.
The castle guards were brutally killed.
But the cohort wasn't ready for the thing that came next.
When the door opened...
-swoosh!!!!
A very nasty and vile stench of blood permeated the area.
It's odour was so bad that many puked from it.
Nephis felt a little hesitation, stepped forward.
Each step was a labor for her.
Sunny and Selina were walking together, the river of blood was enormous and dark.
"W-what happened here?" Kai said stutteringly.
He knew the answer, everyone from the cohort did.
Selina covered her nose.
Each breath made her nose toxicated by the stench of blood.
She looked around.
Corpses.
That was all she could see.
Some had lost their limbs, while some didn't had their heads.
There were few who had their had hole in their chest.
All of them died in a brutal manner, but what worse was that they were not killed by steel but...
Hands.
The killer killed them with his brutal strength, he had ripped apart them, mangled them.
Selina shuddered.
'What a monster have you become, Wren.'
As they moved further, the pool of blood became thicker, whenever their gaze settled upon it, their twisted reflection could be seen.
Then something disturbing happened...
A head was on the floor and a huge patch of blood and flesh staining the walls of the Bright Castle.
The head was none other than of Gemma, the leader of the hunters.
Many of Nephis followers gasped.
"What?"
"The leader of the hunters is dead?"
"Wasn't he almost immortal with his aspect?"
"You fool, how can one regenerate with their head ripped off?"
Mumbles could be heard.
Nephis turned around.
"Silence." She shouted.
Listening to her voice, all the mummurring died out.
"We don't know who did this... this unknown person might be our ally or enemy in disguise. My followers I wish w-"
-Boooommmmm!
A large explosion interrupted her, instinctevely Nephis drew out her memory, her followers followed her suite.
A large smoke flowed out of the hall where the right of challenge happened.
From that smoke something flew out.
Nephis raised her sword.
The smoke surrounding the object cleared.
It wasn't an object.
It was a person, whose body was...
Cut in half.
The unknown person was covered in golden armour.
It was none other then the Bright Lord, Gunlaug.
-Screech!
The golden armour screamed as it slided against the half tainted floor of the hall.
It slided until it reached below Nephis's feet.
The golden armour echo slowly disappeared in myriad of sparks.
It slowly revealed the bright lord's face.
Without his armor, Gunlaug was surprisingly handsome. He had a short beard and long blond hair. He looked surprisingly young, no older than twenty-seven.
Although his eyes had lost it's colour.
The Bright Lord was already dead.
-step
Someone started to come out from the smoke.
Everyone's instincts warned them.
A menacing figure clad in a strange armour and wearing a fearsome mask walked out of the darkness.
"Ah... The audience is already here."
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This chapter is done, tell me would you like a fight with gunlaug in next chapter or a convo with nephis. I guess Harus and others felt a little out of their usual character. Anyway do share your views on this chaps, and tell me were the fights good?
Bye Bye~~