The knight fought bravely, and with every ounce of strength he had saved within. He refused to take the final step into the afterlife, swinging his twin blades with the intensity of an entire army. Though nearly blinded by the blur of his vision, his aggressive onslaught met no match during the battle, as he pushed forward against the giant with an indominable will. Joining their fight, was a powerful demon of crimson armor, one that had been left behind to provide him assistance.
Stubborn to the very end, the gladean knight refused any aid provided by the beast, forcing the conflict into a multi-sided battle. Daemon, specter, and knight fought for control of the battlefield, destroying everything in their path in an attempt to eliminate the opposition. The order’s champion demonstrated an impressive display of might despite his injuries, one that shook the minds and bodies of his adversaries—unaware of the strength that he still carried within him.
He blinked all around the field with the ability that had been bestowed upon him since birth, teleporting himself towards and away from both the specter and the daemon. His last reserves of energy demolished the ground and echoed across the region, forcing the giant and the horned creature into defensive stances.
Through the course of the fight, his dominating performance eventually brought the daemon to his knees, and with not a second thought behind his assault, the knight moved to confront the specter next. It held back against him, aware of his lethal wounds, and obedient to the command of the amber eyed woman. The knight had reached the peak of his limits, yet continued to push for greater heights even with his life on the line. His overwhelming assault managed to land a mortal blow in the specter’s chest, increasing the pressure on the beast until its options ran dry—forcing it to retreat into the spectral gear as a cluster of crimson particles.
Its sudden disappearance allowed the knight to refocused back on the giant. He clasped the grip of his swords, his quick and shallow breaths announcing the agonizing state of his body. His vision darkened, but with the bright glow of his inner power guiding his assault, the knight rushed against his opponent once again.
Their blades clashed with tremendous force, emitting a bright flash that nearly blinded them both. His weakened arms could not resist the pressure behind the daemon’s counter, however, with an intimidating roar and aggressive push that tore his flesh like paper, the knight repelled his opponent before slicing his legs with a swift attack—bringing the giant down to his knees once again.
His growling opponent on the ground, and with a clear opening to strike, the order’s champion rose one of his blades in the air to deal the final blow of the battle. He grinned with great satisfaction at the rare sight, enjoying the horror that filled the crimson eyes of the daemon. It was the knight’s decisive strike, one that would win him the battle, and humanities freedom from the clutches of the giant’s corrupted mind.
Loki hit the dirt, his motionless body kicking off a cloud of dust on impact. The azure swords in his hands had vanished before they could reach their target, failing to put an end to the Paradise’s monarch. The gladean knight had utilized every ounce of energy in his reserves, and with nothing to be corrupted by the Deadlands, he collapsed lifeless on the ground before being able to finish the fight.
“Ngh…” King forced himself to stand through painful groans. He was covered with cuts and dirt—painted all over with the red of his own blood. His fast and quivering breaths relaxed slowly, as the inert body of the gladean knight relived the dread of his throbbing heart. “Guk… It is over…” he whispered to himself. “One more… only… one more…”
Center of the Deadlands: 936, December 31st, Monday, 8:00 AM.
Eight hours since the last day of 936 began, Claire and her team found themselves struggling for their lives against the assault of a daemon. Although severely wounded, held down by his pain and fatigue, Bloodhound was itself in no state to engage in combat at full force. The group relied heavily on the spectral gear, provided with an endless supply of energy thanks to the demonic influence of the Deadlands.
The spectral bike, aided by smaller specters that served to distract its foe, spearheaded the assault against King while protecting its wielder from harm. The lieutenant crouched on one knee while unleashing an aggressive barrage of crimson bullets against her opponent, making use of the distraction to wear him down slowly with the help of her team. Scott offered what little assistance he could with his rifle, supported by Eric on the side—who had taken a hold of the young medic’s taser and charged darts. Providing her team with the best care possible, Tori exhausted her last medical supplies to keep them all conscious and in fighting condition—leaving Bloodhound with no resources to rely on.
In the fight, unable to contain him any longer, Claire’s spectral bike met the hand of the daemon in a powerful impact that fractured its body in half. The motorcycle’s pieces were flung away in a violent spin, allowing King to fend off the group of specters with no distraction.
“They protect her…” the thought crossed his minds. “How is that girl…”
Through his wondering thoughts, the giant managed to defeat every specter that got ins his way with relative ease, lying them to rest with a series of swift slashes from his azure sword. He attempted a frontal charge while enduring the continues assault of the lieutenant’s bullets, burning and fracturing his flesh with the heat of their power.
Every explosion created by her projectiles slowed down his advance, forcing him to retreat slightly for every step forward. Refusing to surrender however, the daemon utilized his frustration as fuel to push forward with his assault, enough to eclipse the spectral gear’s overwhelming power. King stomped the ground furiously, and with an intimidating roar that thundered across the battlefield, he initiated his offensive with a straight rush towards his opponent.
“…!” Claire’s eyes widened at the sudden cry of the giant, watching as her gear could no longer holding him in place.
“Eat this…” Eric stepped next to her while aiming Tori’s taser at King, unleashing an electrified dart that flew in the air with great speed.
The giant did not bother to avoid the projectile, feeling the piercing needles of the dart incrust themselves in his shoulder. A crackling noise from the object discharged a wave of electricity that crawled through his body, yet even with tensed up muscles, King did not slow down his advance towards Bloodhound.
“Let me!” Scott announced as he loaded a round in his rifle, quickly releasing the bullet with a loud bang that echoed across the battlefield. “Oomph!” he managed to resist the weapon’s absurd recoil, following with his eyes the white trail of smoke that his projectile had created.
Its speed and power combined split the air on its trajectory towards the target, however, even with the strength to bring down an elephant, the daemon proved tougher than any living creature that its caliber could handle—shattering into pieces on impact with the man’s body.
“Ngh…” King grunted at the ignition of Scott’s bullet breaking with his abdomen, leaving a large bruise on his skin.
“Just… die…” Claire growled while showering the giant in a rain of crimson steel. The glowing ring in her hand urged her to prevail, yet her attempts to stop the indominable giant felt hopeless. “Is he… not ready yet?” she thought of the horned specter, who had yet to emerge in the battle despite the severity of the situation.
Bloodhound failed to put a halt to their foe’s assault despite their best attempts, and was forced to meet the giant face to face. “The god cannot save you from me,” King claimed, proceeding with an immediate swing of his gigantic sword. “It’s over, girl…”
Unable to react in time, Claire shut her eyes while avoiding her gaze from the bright light of the daemon’s blade—every other member of Bloodhound freezing in shock. Her heart nearly pounded out of her chest, but the clashing sound of steel that reached her ears forced the lieutenant to open her eyes in an instant. Unpredictable and unexpected, the arrival of reinforcements drew a gasp out of Claire and every member of Bloodhound—gazing upon the warriors that had just saved their lives.
“Hya!” a fiery redhead shouted with a smirk in her face, her foot meeting the powerful steel of the daemon’s sword. The sheer force behind her kick flung King’s arm away, forcing him to stumble backwards with clumsy steps. “Go!” she commanded.
Immediately responding to the girl’s call, a man of similar clothing rushed into the fight from behind Claire and her team—creating a gust of wind that raised a cloud of dust form the dirt. He pressed his fingers tightly into a clenched fist—the veins in his hands popping out with the energy gathered at its core, and with a thrusting motion of his arm towards King, the man propelled his opponent away with a punch that shook the Deadlands itself.
“Argh!” the giant cried in pain, as the fist of his new opponent had struck him near his open chest. He landed away from his adversaries, bouncing off the dirt with a violent spin that forced the weapon out of his hand.
Near Bloodhound—where the group panted with sweat drenched faces, their dire and defeated expressions suddenly lifted at the sight of the pair that had joined them in their struggle. They met their relieved faces with a smile of their own, comforting the demoralized heart of the hunting hound.
“Gal… Maulik…” Tori whispered while tears formed in her eyes.
“Damn…” Scott dropped on his back, gasping for as much air as his lungs could accept. “Too many… close calls… today…”
“Could you not have arrived… any sooner?” Eric sat down with crossed legs, dropping his head with panting breaths.
“You two…” Claire smiled at the pair, her shoulders dropped, and a smile of relief she simply could not hide. “I didn’t know you were nearby…”
“Hehe!” offering a confident chuckle, Gal rubbed her nose with a smile of pride—enjoying the attention of being the hero. “We will always be where we are needed!”
Maulik in the other hand, nodded at her with a neutral expression, glancing at her worn out team before proceeding. “You have any way out of here?”
“I’m afraid not… our truck was destroyed by King...”
“I see… have you encountered our master yet? We came looking for him.”
“Ah…”
“Maulik!” Gal interrupted their conversation, bringing the group’s attention back to King. “This guy’s tough!”
“Dammit…” the young hybrid stood next to the girl, both fists clenched tight while he looked at Claire from over his shoulder. “Can you fight? I hate to admit it after you seemed so relieved by our presence… but I doubt Gal and I will be enough to stop him.”
Clenching her jaw before huffing through pursed lips, the lieutenant responded with a determined nod before stepping next to the pair of hybrids. “I’ll do what I can…”
Now with their spirits revitalized by the presence of both Gal and Maulik, Bloodhound prepared to engage the monarch of Paradise one more time. While the redhead girl smirked with confidence—eager to test herself against a foe her master had warned her about, her companion’s mind wondered about the whereabouts of Ninigi—watching the worried expression of Claire from the corner of his eye.
END OF CHAPTER
