NOVEL NEXT Chapter 134: The Brink of Desperation
The afternoon light hung at its zenith, its brilliance casting long shadows over the Northern Frontline. The light reflected off the jagged, metallic surface of the mutant, glimmering like shards of broken mirrors. Its guttural groans, sharp and grating, rippled through the air, like steel scraping against stone. The ground beneath its heavy steps was scarred with thick, snaking cracks that sprawled out like the roots of an ancient tree, evidence of the oppressive gravity tethering it to the earth. Yet, despite the weight that threatened to shackle it, the mutant dragged itself forward, step by torturous step, its eyes locked onto Lumina.
Lumina stood her ground, fingers trembling as they pulled back her bowstring, the tension humming like a taut wire. Her eyes locked on the mutant, whose distorted metal face twisted with anguish. "Why... did... you... abandon... me?" it groaned, its voice metallic and strained, echoing with a haunting sorrow. Thin fractures spread across its metallic skin, spider-webbing with an ominous clicking sound, each crack glowing faintly with suppressed energy.
"We didn't, trust me," Lumina replied, her voice fragile but resolute. "Get it over yourself. Don't let your mind be controlled by those ruffians." Her words trembled with desperation, the bowstring creaking as she held her aim steady.
As if tethered to her words, clarity flickered across the mutant's eyes, dull metal irises gleaming with a sliver of sanity. His body, once rigid and monstrous, softened. The grinding tension that had held him captive seemed to ebb away. Lumina exhaled, relief softening the lines of her face as she began to ease the tension on her bow. The gravitational pull that had shackled him to the earth lightened, and he straightened, the cracks in his body pausing their expansion.
"It's alright. Just relax," she whispered, her voice soft as a breeze, fingertips loosening on the string. But before peace could settle, a low hum vibrated through the air, a whisper of demonic energy that crept back into the mutant's core. The nullification effect of the divine arrow that had once pierced his ear faded, and with it, sanity unraveled.
The madness returned, flooding its eyes with crimson malice. Lumina's grip faltered, caught in the momentary calm, and she barely saw the iron fist arcing toward her.
It struck like a thunderbolt. The metallic knuckles collided with her crossed arms, bones snapping under the sheer force of the blow. A sickening crack echoed through the air as her body lurched back, blood spurting from her mouth in crimson arcs. The shockwave rippled through her veins, disrupting her inner essence, scattering her focus like leaves in a storm. Her feet stumbled backward, barely keeping her upright as she gasped for breath, her vision swimming with pain as agony rippled through her veins.
Her gaze snapped upward, locking onto the mutant's cold, expressionless eyes as he hovered forward, his right fist still half-cocked, ready to deliver another crushing blow. Lumina's eyes widened, pupils shrinking with terror as the looming specter of death shadowed her form. The world slowed, silence smothering the battlefield like the calm before a storm.
Then, in a heartbeat, reality shattered. A gust of wind, sharp and sudden, swept past her, and in the blink of an eye, Dunstan appeared. His arm coiled around her waist like a serpent, and with a flicker of motion, they vanished from sight. Time snapped back into place as the mutant's fist crashed into the ground where they had stood, splintering stone and dirt in a shower of debris.
Dust settled slowly, whispering across the fractured landscape. Lumina's heart thundered in her chest, her breath ragged as she clung to Dunstan's grip, the lingering echo of near-death still trembling through her limbs.
Dunstan gradually came to a halt, gently freeing his right arm from Lumina's waist as she found her footing, regaining her balance. Together, they cast their gaze upon the mutant from their new position, its monstrous form towering in the distance. For a brief moment, silence hung heavy in the air, only to be shattered as the off-gravitational surge resumed with ferocious intensity. An invisible force gripped the mutant, yanking it downward with a relentless pull, causing the very ground beneath its feet to groan and tremble. Cracks spiderwebbed across the earth, the creature's feet sinking into the soil as though it were mere sand.
Immortals standing nearby exchanged wary glances, their eyes flickering back and forth from the mutant to their surroundings. Suspicion brewed in their minds, searching desperately for the unseen hand responsible for this mysterious force aiding them from the shadows.
The mutant, feeling the oppressive weight upon it, tilted its massive head skyward and unleashed a bellow that rippled through the atmosphere. Its roar carved through the air, sending waves of resonance cascading outwards like ripples on a pond. The very fabric of space seemed to quiver and twist, warping as though caught in a violent tempest. Immortals winced, clutching their ears against the unbearable sound, backs hunched and eyes squeezed shut from the sheer force of the reverberations.
Without warning, jagged fissures ruptured within the cracked space of the mutant's body. Cracked spilling forth a web of flexible metal veins, glinting ominously under the fractured light. The veins writhed like metallic serpents, lashing out in all directions with feral intent, seeking to ensnare every onlooker. Eyes that had just been squeezed shut now flew open, wide with shock and dread, as the metallic tendrils came hurtling toward them, swirling through the air like vipers poised to strike.
Just when despair began to creep in, when hope seemed like a distant memory and survival a mere fantasy, the world around them shifted. Darkness swallowed the scene, devouring the light and casting everything into an eerie, weightless silence. It was as if they had been plunged into an independent dimension, where sound was muted and time stretched, moving like syrup over frozen ground.
The battlefield stretched wide and broken, littered with jagged craters and shattered stone, a wasteland sculpted by conflict. Smoke and dust danced with the wind, interchanging their ghostly veils over the carnage. The Celestials stood scattered and weary, each clinging to their positions, breaths labored and shoulders sagging under the weight of fatigue. It was a scene hanging on the razor's edge between fortune and ruin.
Kal knelt amidst the chaos, his right knee pressed into the fractured earth, his left foot bracing against the splintered ground. His armor was in tatters, nothing more than ragged fabric clinging to a body riddled with scars and bruises—a testament to the countless collisions he had endured. Yet, his eyes still burned with defiance.
Centric and Seraphina fought ahead, locked in a desperate struggle against the Primordial Beasts. Their movements were heavy, strained, but unyielding. Each strike they landed was barely more than a whisper against the colossal hide of their enemy, but it was enough to divert its attention, enough to keep it occupied, even if just for a fleeting moment.
Above the turmoil, Hung hovered mid-air, his wings beating with visible strain, feathers bent and frayed. His body was worn, movements sluggish, yet he danced through the Primordial's swipes and blasts with sheer willpower. His wings had not yet healed, but there was no time for rest, no sanctuary in battle.
Further back, Vega stood tall atop the Aether Glide, her hands orchestrating the movements of Astros who were maintaining the Celestial Convergence Formation. Her voice rose above the din of war, rallying the subordinates to hold their ground as the Primordial's onslaught pressed closer.
Suddenly, the world shattered. A beam of searing light ripped through the air, its path a line of ruin. It scorched mere inches past Kal, singeing the ground and hurtling straight for Vega.
"Vegaaaa!" Seraphina's scream tore through the chaos. Vega turned, eyes wide with the reflection of her fate streaking toward her. Centric and even Hung, lost in their own battles, turned their gazes to the impending strike, dread painting their expressions.
The force of the blast sent Kal spinning back, his body rag-dolling across the jagged ground. Dust and debris spiraled around him, blurring his vision as he caught a glimpse of the explosion's destination.
But Vega did not flinch. Her eyes closed gently, surrendering to fate. And then, like a shadow cutting through the dawn, a figure leapt into view. Vega's eyes snapped open as she felt herself shoved from the Aether Glide, the ground rushing to meet her. In that split second, she saw Seraphina's face, resolute and unyielding.
The beam sliced through the air, claiming Seraphina's left arm in its path. Blood sprayed, a crimson arc that splattered across the broken ground. Seraphina staggered, teeth clenched, her right hand gripping the bleeding stump to stem the loss.
Vega scrambled to her feet, her fractured leg barely holding her weight, but she pressed on, limping toward Seraphina. She threw her arm around her waist, pulling her close, eyes wild with disbelief. "Are you insane?! Why would you do that?!" she shouted, her voice cracking with a mixture of anguish and anger. "You should've thought it through! Now we've lost another hand at the frontline!"
Seraphina turned her pale, sweat-slick face towards Vega, eyes glassy with pain but resolute. "Sorry... my body... acted before I could think," she whispered, each word broken by the raw agony that pulsed through her.
The battlefield seemed to pause, the grim reality of their struggle crashing down upon them. Morale hung by a thread, frayed and brittle. Hope felt distant, until it didn't.
A thunderous boom erupted from the rear of the Primordial Beasts, shaking the ground with the force of a cataclysm. Eyes snapped toward the sound as even the Primordials parted, creating a path to the chaos. Through the rising dust, the massive body of one of the Primordial Beasts floated unnaturally, its tremendous weight suspended as if gravity had been denied its right. It hovered for a breathless second before crashing into the earth with the power of a divine judgment. Dust and debris erupted skyward, a volcanic plume of destruction.
When the dust settled, Nyxander emerged from the haze, his silhouette framed by the settling chaos. Behind him, his six subordinates appeared like phantoms, their presence unwavering.
Nyxander raised a hand, his voice carrying across the field. "Golden Stalker! I'm back!" His shout cut through the tension, and he waved toward Seraphina.
As if waiting for his return, Seraphina smiled, a smile so genuine it momentarily eclipsed her pain. "You idiot, what took you so, Kuff...Kuff..." she tried to call out, but the adrenaline had worn off, and the pain returned with a vengeance. Blood trickled from her lips as Vega tightened her hold.
But it didn't matter. Hope had returned.