Chapter 98: Final Pulse

Amphere Harrison

"Hraaaaah!" I screamed, the battle's first casualty falling as a hapless rifleman failed to pull the trigger, met instead with the flat, deadly edge of my photon blade. The four remaining Arcadians, undeterred, charged at me, their swords gleaming menacingly in the dim light.

I took a step back, but their relentless assault showed no sign of ending. Bullets rained down from all directions, a deadly hailstorm of projectiles. I darted and weaved, narrowly avoiding the deadly barrage. Each bullet that couldn't be evaded met the swift parry of my trusty blade. The Arcadian riflemen ceased their fire, realizing their futile efforts, but not before leaving their mark.

I felt the searing pain of impacts in my right bicep, left hand, left femur, right foot, right shoulder, and a graze along my neck. Twelve bullets had found their mark, but none had pierced my vital organs.

"VIVA ARCADIA!!!" Five determined swordsmen advanced, their blades slashing, hacking, and thrusting. My nimble footwork and quick reactions allowed me to sidestep, parry, and block their every attack. But as one wave of Arcadian melee fighters subsided, another surged forward. Three blades reached my back, but my spine remained untouched.

Suddenly, a sharp object sliced through my left kidney. I rolled in the dust, blood spewing from my mouth. The pain of losing an organ was secondary to the relentless assault that surrounded me. Six dragonoids leaped at me, their intent clear: to pin me to the ground with their swords.

Summoning my last reserves of strength, I spun, limbs and body parts moving in a desperate dance to evade the sword stabs of these relentless foes. Fueled by adrenaline, I unleashed a flurry of punches, kicks, and powerful strikes, sending them tumbling away. The swordsmen who had previously attacked me now lay defeated, a testament to my unwavering resolve.

I struggled to catch my breath, my body still trembling from the relentless onslaught. Suddenly, I found myself exposed, a direct target for a hail of machine gun bullets. It felt like a never-ending storm, an onslaught of about two hundred bullets in just ten seconds of open fire. But unlike any of my past battles, I couldn't feel pain anymore. My limbs had gone numb, yet somehow, I could still move them.

"Die!" The shout echoed from behind me, and in an instant, a sword's edge pierced through my chest, striking my heart with deadly precision.

With that backstab, all the other dragonoids charged forward, their focus on thrusting their swords into my already wounded torso. About ten swords pierced my heart, causing blood to splatter in every direction—onto the ground, my feet, the faces of the Arcadians, and their leather uniforms. Then, in a macabre display of synchronized brutality, they withdrew their swords from my broken body.

This was it—the end.

I felt all my strength draining away as I collapsed to my knees. My eyelids grew heavy as I closed them, and I found myself in a completely white void.

[Amphere Harrison – K.I.A.]

"I told you to stay alive, no matter what... Totally!"

It was the voice I had longed to hear. When I opened my eyes, there she was—the woman I loved, Airi. Her face, adorned with a scarlet cascade of silky hair and passionate ruby eyes, was unmistakable. Before I could utter a word, she gently shushed me and placed her hand over her chest, smiling radiantly.

"Activating Final Pulse."

I stood on my feet once more, clutching the photon sword tightly. As I assessed my body, I realized my heart was no longer functioning, yet I could still feel its warmth. Was this Airi's gift to me?

The dragonoids surrounding me wore expressions of bewilderment and shock. "It can't be!" one of them muttered. "His heart has been shredded to pieces. How is he still alive and standing?"

"Are you all just going to stand there, or are we going to fight?" I shouted with arrogance, each syllable accompanied by blood spewing from my nose and mouth. The stinging pain of the blood in my eyes didn't matter. I was certain that I still possessed the power of the Eye of Deus within me, even if I couldn't wield it as before. It would be enough to deal with most of them.

I clutched my chest and cried out, "Overloading Vesryn Pulse!"

Instead of summoning multiple-headed giant dragons, I could now only control their heart rates. I stopped most of their hearts briefly, causing fatigue to set in. I may have overdone it, as some dragonoids fell with their hearts completely stilled. Yet, a few survivors remained, resolute in their determination to continue the fight.

Swords clashed, rifles fired, and blood flowed. I no longer felt pain even when I was directly caught by the enemies' attacks. My bones had become harder than steel, allowing me to shield myself from their blades with my arms. My internal organs were battered as bullets passed through my body. This was what it felt like to be a zombie.

As minutes passed, more and more dragonoids were brought down. Some lost their will to fight and fled cowardly from the area. But there were still Arcadians who fought with unwavering belief and commitment. I dashed forward, paying little heed to the projectiles that struck me, and continued to wield my sword, delivering powerful kicks and punches to my opponents. I hoped to minimize casualties, but I knew I had already taken the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, of them.

Airi... I had a reason for bearing this burden. I wanted them to direct all their hatred towards me, not the Alterran Empire. I hadn't come this far to let Dragunov's post-war plans tarnish the imminent peace. I wanted them to channel all their anger onto me.

I aimed to become the ultimate villain in the eyes of the dragonoids. And when I'm gone, I will carry all their sins, burdens, and abhorrence to my grave.

Finally, I found myself standing amidst a mountain of corpses. The chaotic noises had ceased, and my vision began to blur. I could feel my legs, no, my entire body losing strength. I glanced at the broken photon sword, its reflection mirroring my weary face.

"So, this is how it ends..." I chuckled softly. "Everything went according to my plan."

I felt myself collapsing to the ground, unable to move anything—not my fingers, not even my eyeballs. My gaze drifted toward the serene, clear blue skies, marred only by the massive floating metal behemoth that darkened the heavens. I could hear the distant roar of an engine. It had to be the S.S. Liberty.

"Amphere!" A twelve-year-old dragonoid appeared at my side, Gazelle, tears streaming down his cheeks as he held my right hand. "Hang in there! We'll carry you to the airship."

"Heh... Too late," I miraculously managed to move my lips and reply, my strength rapidly waning.

"No, Amphere! Stay with us! You don't have to suffer the same fate as big sister Airelina!" Gaz pleaded desperately, his voice breaking with grief.

Sadly, I knew this was my time, but the words never made it past my lips. Gaz continued to scream, shout, and cry, but I had already slipped beyond the reach of sound. Everything turned silent, at least from my perspective.

Summoning every last ounce of strength, I moved my left hand and touched Gaz's blind eye. I smiled faintly. Two seconds later, my hand became still. In that moment, he regained sight in both eyes.

Involuntarily, my lips moved. My lungs expelled clotted blood through a cough, allowing me to utter my final words.

"I...have...finally...created...a world...of...freedom..."

I closed my eyes.

The next time I opened them, Gaz was no longer by my side. Instead, a woman with star-like eyes welcomed me. Her cheeks bore a genuine smile, and her long scarlet hair had a butterfly-like bow, a symbol of utmost importance in my life. I instinctively raised my hand.

"Airi... please let me fly with you once again."

"Totally!" Airi laughed.

Her warm hands clasped mine, pulling me up into the skies. She unfurled her white angel wings, and together, we soared towards a paradise where absolute freedom and unending happiness awaited.

[Amphere Harrison – K.I.A.]