NOVEL NEXT Chapter 34: The final trial
The air was thick with a choking atmosphere, like fog that clung to the soul, while the cold wind whistled through the area, whispering secrets and warnings to those present. Nyxander and Vacuros stood side by side, their bodies shining bright with Essentia energy, defiant, like heroes ready to save a crumbling world from the edge of destruction. Nyxander shifted; his eyes unyielding, fixed upon the primordial ape while his mind raced for strategy.
"What I'm about to say might sound commanding," he began, his voice low yet steady, like the rumble of distant thunder. "That beast is far from its prime. Its strength and stamina are nearly drained. Otherwise, none of your attacks would have even scratched it." Each word was deliberate, weighted with purpose, slicing through the tense air.
"Hm," Vacuros grunted in response, his neck cracking like dry branches as he rolled his head. He waited, stoic, for Nyxander to finish his thought.
"Okay, I'll take that as a yes," Nyxander said with a faint smirk. "The reason your attacks aren't landing with full impact is simple: every move the ape makes bends the law of space. When you try to land a punch, its fist is already ahead, carrying maximum force, while yours is still traveling through space, unable to fully gather strength. The same applies to the wound you inflicted on its shoulder. The space-bending shifted the void you lacerated, so only its skin tore slightly."
Nyxander took a quick look at Vacuros, as if gauging the understanding from him, then again veered his concentration on to the huge beast. "Here's what: absorb the attacks head-on so the momentum stops; it is upon that moment, then you strike when there's an opening; I'll be doing that based on how it's going."
Turning with the intensity of an intent stare locked with Nyxander, one sharp nod transferred, binding silently in the growing warmth of chaos.
"Now, let's go."
They charged forward as one; their footsteps rang like thunderclaps against the ice-cold ground. The beast, sensing their approach, let out a guttural roar and lunged to meet them, its right fist swinging with hurricane force. A gust of wind tore through the space separating them, howling with violent intent.
Nyxander dropped low, sliding on his back like a child losing balance on an icy hill. The movement was smooth, yet desperate. Vacuros, not the least deterred, launched his fist forward, and the collision of their punches birthed a shockwave that rippled through the air like the toll of a great bell.
Still skidding, Nyxander kicked the beast's right leg, sending it off-balance to one knee. Seizing the moment, Vacuros reached up and grasped the fur of its neck, hoisting himself upward. Twisting and leaping, he flipped over the beast's back, delivering an amplified punch to its head. The blow landed with a resounding crack, forcing the beast onto both knees, its roar of pain echoing like a thunderstorm in a canyon. Blood trickled from its neck, bright and vivid against its white fur.
In return, the ape counterattacked with a vicious elbow strike, shooting backward like a piston and slamming into Vacuros with bone-crushing force, sending him flying across the ice, rolling like a broken doll. Nyxander sprang into the air with a backflip, his left leg whipping out in a powerful kick that struck the beast's head with enough force to send it skidding alongside the fallen Vacuros.
Vacuros stood tall, his face grim as he marched to the beast struggling to rise. So determined was he that he had forgotten the beast's spatial-bending abilities to make its attacks come at him quicker than they should. Nyxander tried to warn him, panting hard; his breath was coming in ragged gasps, and words would not leave his throat.
But before Vacuros could even attack, the enormous hand of the beast shot out, grabbing his foot and hoisting him into the air. With a deafening roar, it slammed him onto the icy ground, shattering the surface into a large crater. Shockwaves ripped outward, a testament to the beast's ferocity.
The ape spun Vacuros in the air like a toy and slung him toward Nyxander, who was running to his aid. The two collided mid-air with brute force, Vacuros horizontal as his body crashed into Nyxander, pressing him downward. They tumbled through the air like fallen stars until they came crashing thunderously into the thick snow; the ground swallowed them in a jagged crater, like an animal's den torn open by predators, and left them sprawled out in a heap, dazed, the cold nipping at their bruised bodies.
Inside the large frozen crater carved by their colossal impact, Nyxander lay sprawled on the icy ground, his breath mingling with the cold air in thick, misty tendrils, while Vacuros rested on his abdomen, his chest rising and falling like the tide. They both rose, one after the other, their breaths heavy and visible, escaping their lips like smoke from a smoldering fire. The two stepped out of the crater, standing tall yet worn, their gazes locking like rivals eyeing a shared prize.
"Do you see it now?" Nyxander's voice broke the silence, a mix of exhilaration and weariness. "It's no exaggeration to say the beast is no longer at the ascendant realm, it's about to cross to the next shores." His words hung in the air, weighty with meaning, before he slightly turned his head. "This time, I'll lead. I'll attack using the void law. Back me up with your ability when needed." He clenched his fists, stepping forward with a resolute air.
Vacuros, hearing this, lingered for a moment, his gaze fixed on Nyxander's determined back. After a brief pause, he nodded, his voice low but firm. "Understood."
For the first time, Vacuros had spoken to him. Nyxander turned swiftly, his stoic demeanor breaking into a childish grin, his cool facade shattered by a rare moment of delight. Flashing a thumbs-up, he spun back around, facing the monstrous beast. Without hesitation, he charged forward.
Sensing his approach, the primordial ape let out a guttural snarl, its massive frame moving with surprising speed as it closed the gap between them. Nyxander's eyes glowed with a vibrant purple light, like amethysts burning with inner fire. "Aetherial Shroud Manipulation: Void Blade!" he roared. Two gleaming void blades materialized in his hands, their translucent forms crackling like the surface of a frozen lake under pressure.
The gap between him and the beast vanished in an instant. The ape's colossal right fist thundered toward Nyxander, a force capable of shattering mountains. Nyxander dodged, bending to his left in a fluid motion as the wind from the punch howled past him. In a single, calculated sweep, he slashed through the void surrounding the ape, severing its connection to the very fabric of space. The primordial beast staggered, its movements faltering.
Leaping high into the air, Nyxander spun with practiced precision, his blades tracing arcs of shimmering energy. Meanwhile, Vacuros had already prepared his strike, his voice low and commanding. "Lexis Severance: Void Disruption!" His attack cleaved through the space surrounding the beast's right shoulder, the wound cutting deep, a gash one-third the size of its massive frame.
The beast's howl tore through the frozen landscape, a roar of pain that shook the very ground. "Rrrroooorrr!" The sound reverberated like a storm's fury as its wound began to close with an unnatural speed, the torn flesh knitting itself back together in moments.
Nyxander, undeterred, seized the moment. With a sharp movement, he drove his blade through the freshly wounded shoulder, completely severing the beast's massive arm. The appendage fell to the ground with a heavy thud, sending a tremor through the snow-covered battlefield.
The ape screamed, its bellow piercing the cold air, but to their shock, another arm sprouted almost instantly, the regeneration swift and brutal. Before Nyxander could react, the beast swung its new arm in a savage arc, slamming him in the back with bone-crushing force. He was flung through the air like a broken doll, rolling across the snow to the left, leaving a trail of disturbed frost in his wake.
Vacuros moved to retaliate, but Nyxander, rising to his feet with a grimace, stopped him with a single raised hand, his expression resolute.
Both warriors now stood on opposite sides of the field, their breath misting in the cold air. At the center, the primordial beast pounded its chest with resounding force, its roar echoing like thunder across the frozen arena, a declaration of dominance, a challenge to its opponents.
Both warriors stared it down, their breaths steadying, their resolve hardening as the snow fell gently around them.