NOVEL NEXT Chapter 88: Shattered Throne
One of the flanking Cerberus rose atop a spire of shattered stone and mangled wiring, its skull twitching as it studied Berserkrios, who quietly matched its gaze. This Cerberus was larger than Berserkrios, its body enshrouded in a writhing mane of twitching remains. It let out an alien chitter, an offbeat call summoning another from the shadows.
This Cerberus didn't bother to scale any rubble as it made its way across the plaza, cautiously avoiding puddles of writhing mesh like a disgusted child. Similar in size to the first, it was sleeker, lacking victims clawing through its mane, giving it a slender appearance.
Berserkrios stared at the odd creatures. They reminded him of Rak'da: long snouts, razor claws, and tails that spasmed in the shadows. Yet, they clearly diverged from the infected Rak'da he'd encountered before. They had pointed ears that mirrored his own, and their skin was a pale gray, draped in black shrouds of writhing tendrils. Their claws were grotesquely oversized, and two crystalline spires jutted from their shoulders. Most striking of all were their elongated tails, which split at the end into a second set of jaws lined with jagged, bladed growths.
Unlike most Caused, their skin was scaly and intermittently broken by tufts of coarse hair. But what drew his shattered gaze most was the strange shimmer that danced along their limbs—patterns that only revealed themselves at certain angles, as the faint light of the abyss refracted across their bodies in glints of soft pink. The twisting glow would vanish the moment it slipped beneath the veil of their cloaks, swallowed by shadow.
The third Cerberus lingered at the boundary between gray and black, larger than the other two, its figure imposing a needling pressure that flashed every alert chemical within the Coarseblood's brain.
The Caused that had once filled the arena had seemingly melted into the shadows, escaping into the farthest reaches of the atrium. Unfortunately, not all of the once feral monsters had been lucky enough to escape, as some remained cowering in the rubble.
Mera and Vidrago stared down intently at the alien encounter below, their gazes catching a faint glimpse of Berserkrios below them.
Gira/Berserkrios's Kyyr receptors processed their? No—its presence as he instinctively stepped back.
There's more than one? Berserkrios growled within.
Vaal shuddered within, equally confused. "There was definitely just one presence! How are there three?"
Bladed tendrils violently erupted from the floor beneath the Coarseblood, tearing through tile like blood-struck sharks. The Coarseblood barely outpaced the tendril when a ripping claw crashed down from above, tearing through the third floor, a wave of dust crashing down as the Slender Cerberus crashed down in a plume of dust, its wicked claws fast as they drove Coarseblood towards the ripping tendrils. He desperately evaded the assault, leaping upward through the shattered opening the S.Cerberus had created, barely dodging the tendrils.
The Coarseblood dropped on all fours, desperate to create distance. Within, Gira's mind was trying to process what to do—What are they? He watched the S.Cerberus scramble up to the third floor, its limbs flailing wildly as it slammed down on the ground, tearing through tile as it charged towards a fleeing Berserkrios.
It's fast! Gira growled within as it ripped towards them.
In a grotesque motion, the S.Cerberus tore its own arm off mid-stride, skidding to a halt before twisting violently to fling the severed limb like some fucked-up boomerang. The Coarseblood barely had time to react, tumbling aside as it grazed his shoulder.
Struggling back on his feet, he caught the arm swelling into a cancerous tumor of toothy growths and writhing tendrils.
"IT'S AN EXPLOSIVE!" Vaal roared, snapping the Coarseblood out of his fixation on the grotesque growth. In that instant, the mass erupted in a visceral explosion of splattering guts and splintered bone, showering Berserkrios in a hail of shrapnel. He snarled in agony as jagged fragments embedded themselves painfully into his side.
Not far behind, the S.Cerberus was already regenerating its severed limb. The nub bubbled grotesquely midstride, spilling out a mangled mass of flesh that struck the ground, painfully contorting until it formed into a new arm.
Gira looked back with an unnerved growl as he kept running.
That regeneration is insane!
Vaal pressed a hand against his head. What are we dealing with? They're clearly of a higher grade of Kyyr. He glanced through their periphery at the gaining Cerberus. But what makes those three so different?
The S.Cerberus seized Berserkrios by the tail, jerking the Coarseblood forward and slamming his jaws hard against the stone floor. The beast raised a claw to deliver another blow—but Berserkrios swiftly regained his senses, twisting desperately to evade the strike. Bracing himself, he drove his legs upward, kicking the S.Cerberus squarely in the gut. The creature merely staggered, absorbing the blow as blood erupted from beneath its claws. Abyssal Kyyr surged through its body as it bared its fangs and lunged again, unleashing a ferocious volley of strikes.
There was no pause in the onslaught. Berserkrios dodged as best he could, but the strikes were landing more often than not. A vicious swipe tore away the brittle armor around his wrist, exposing raw flesh beneath. He clenched his fangs, narrowly slipping past another claw—then snapped his jaws forward, sinking his teeth into the Cerberus's wrist. Bone crunched as he crushed it, buying a precious second to stagger back.
But the Cerberus roared, unfazed, and lunged again—swinging its mangled limb with wild fury. Its claws sang through the air, still dragging ragged sinew that refused to let go.
The Cerberus didn't relent—it drove its mangled wrist straight into Berserkrios's gut, hurling the Coarseblood backward with a choked snarl. Before he could recover, the beast spun and slammed him with a brutal strike, knocking him clean off the third floor.
The Coarseblood didn't even reach the plaza before the Cerberus clad in a whimpering shroud caught him by the leg from below. The sudden weight of the Maned Cerberus dragged Berserkrios straight down, slamming his spine into a mangle of wire and rubble.
Berserkrios let out a breathless howl as the M.Cerberus crashed down from above, its jaws crashing down on his neck. Berserkrios flailed in agony as he began to pummel the M.Cerberus's skull as the cold hands of dozens of people tenderly caressed his face as it chittered in delight.
Mustering his fading Kyyr, a small bony spire erupted from his neck, piercing through the Cereberu's skull, causing it to flinch as the top half of its skull melted into a black sludge. Gasping, Berserkrios dragged himself away, one hand clamped over his bleeding neck, barely able to staunch the flow.
A shadow fell over him—the S.Cerberus crashed down from above, almost crushing Berserkrios under its weight. It stared down at the struggling Coarseblood, raising its foot to stomp on his skull—
But a sharp hiss came from the shadow's edge as the largest of the three Cerberuses growled.
The S.Cerberus pulled back, chittering towards the M.Cerberus, which had just finished reforming its face using the skulls of dead rangers.
It hissed, pushing the S.Cerberus out of the way as it grabbed the struggling Berserkrios by the arm. It pressed its talons against his spine as it pulled back on his arm. The Coarseblood clenched his fangs as he felt the ripping pain against his arm.
The M. Cerberus glanced back at the largest Cerberus with an expectant snarl.
It stood like an old statue frozen in place, its writhing visage bubbling as it studied the cracking body of the Coarseblood. It let out a low growl as it stomped out of the shadow.
It appeared larger than the other two—due to the massive crystalline spikes jutting out from its shoulders. The twin spikes were translucent with sinewy black veins spiraling within and twisting into spiraling patterns.
The M.Cerberus released Berserkrios—only for the large Cerberus to drive its claws into his back.
He let out a painful groan as the Cerberus raised his body into the air, the weight of his scales dragging him further down its thick, long claws. The Cerberus chittered expectantly as the Coarseblood convulsed in agony as the claws tore through his guts.
Berserkrios's roar was peeled back into an undulating wail that permeated through the atrium and straight into the ears of the rangers huddled on the eighth floor.
Mera covered her mouth in horror as she watched the faint figure of the Coarseblood flail in agony.
Vidrago next to her had a bewildered look.
Serfet joined them at the railing, staring down as Berserkrios slipped further down the claws, his blood trailing down the pale arm of the Cerberus. Its jaws were wide open as its spiraling tendrils ripped into the Coarseblood, lapping all his blood.
His amber eyes glimmered in the dark as Kyyr flooded him. "I've got to help!" He spun in place and walked over to a concerned Lisk'Ha. "Give me your M.K. Blade!" he said with a commanding bravado.
"Are you insane?" She said with an edge of concern, awkwardly stepping back.
Serfet shook his head, closing their distance, ripping the M.K. Blade off her hilt.
"Serfet, are you insane? Stop!" Lisk'Ha complained as she trailed after him.
He ignored her, his hand tightly wrapping around a Kyyr Booster in his pocket. "I should've given this to him earlier…" he grimaced, staring down at the dying Gira. "Fuck. I'm not letting him die because of me!"
"But those things are abnormal!" Lisk'Ha cried out as she watched Serfet jump onto the dusty railings.
Serfet smirked, "It's been a while since we worked together… so let me remind you who I am." He raised the M.K. Blade above him and ignited it! The amber flame erupted like a wildfire, twisting into a raging blaze. The flame hissed and twisted as rising blood evaporated into the flame. He took a deep breath, the fire surging with his lungs as it coalesced into a glowing saber. "Mera, give me a Retina!"
Mera stared at Serfet, her breaths rapid, her senses fraying at the edges. Her fingers restlessly brushed against her leg, but from below the wailing of the Coarseblood below echoed. She took a deep breath, brushing her fingers across her face as a crystal mask formed in her hand. She shakily handed it to Serfet.
"Thanks," he said with a soft smile, turning to face the gore below, the glow of his blade garnering the attention of the abyss. The Abyss stared into him and Serfet stared back.
Vidrago felt the ire of the dark waft through him and towards Serfet. His aloof glare softened as he glanced between blazing light and dark.
Serfet took a deep breath. His M.K. Blade's fire grew brighter as he jumped off his body, spinning in a twisting display of confident fire.
The Cerberus growled low as it lowered Berserkrios, its claws struggling to pry free of the Coarseblood's stubborn body. Gripping his arm, it wrenched him loose with a violent pull—the force tearing Berserkrios's arm clean off. His body flung across the air, slamming into a nearby wall.
There he slumped, like a corpse on a ruined throne, embedded into the blackened stone. His chest split open, revealing his massive heart pulsing ever slower.
The M.Cerberus didn't wait for Serfet to land as it clambered up the walls before launching itself at Serfet like a striking serpent.
"Thoughtless beast." Serfet's eyes flashed as his Kyyr focused into his eyes and brain.
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The M.Cerberus's face split open into a web of tendrils and human skulls interwoven in a mesh of teeth that aimed for Serfet's legs.
But before they could clamp down, a blaze of flame erupted through the tendrils. The M.Cerberus recoiled in shock as searing pain tore through its face—its jaws numb, sensation wiped away. From within the burst of fire, Serfet emerged unscathed.
Using the momentum of his blade, he propelled himself forward, crashing down onto the Cerberus's exposed throat with a brutal stomp. As they fell together, Serfet drew a steady, fleeting breath.
"A flaming rive against your abyss. Perish," he whispered—and with a single clean sweep of his blade, he decapitated the Cerberus in midair.
As they fell, Serfet gracefully rode the flailing corpse, cushioning his fall as the M.Cerberus's body collapsed on a pile of jagged rubble. He felt flesh against his legs—twisted, melted hands reached out from its convulsing body. A wave of anger washed over Serfet, his blade's flames twisting violently as his amber eyes locked on the S.Cerberus that was clutching the still-writhing skull of the M.Cerberus.
"You monsters…" he lunged toward the S.Cerberus, but mid-step he felt his body jolt to a sudden stop. He stumbled and crashed to the ground. Whipping his head back, his heart froze—
The M.Cerberus's corpse had erupted into a mess of spiraling tongues that clung to his foot with a deathless grip.
How? That thing's got no head!
The tendrils dragged him back, his chest and stomach painfully bouncing against the bone and shrapnel that decorated the floor. Serfet gritted his teeth as he spun the blade, slicing the mangle of hands and tendrils off.
His Kyyr senses flashed—just in time. Serfet twisted aside as a glob of raw meat hurtled past him, splattering against the floor near the M.Cerberus.
The beast shuddered to life as it slammed its neck into the glob of flesh.
"What the—?!" He snapped his gaze back at the S.Cerberus that was leaking flesh from its throat. Serfet's stomach sank. "It can't be." he watched as another glob escaped its throat, awkwardly plopping against the moist ground as it writhed to life, forming a fetal creature that screeched to life—
SKKRCH!
The S.Cerberus crushed the half-formed creature under its talon, reabsorbing the mass.
These things… He turned back to the M.Cerberus. The new flesh writhed on its swinging neck as a bird-like visage erupted from the white flesh. Overlapping beaks jutted out, revealing empty white eyes that blindly stared into the dark.
It can't be…
The overlapping beaks were crushed by the tendrils, reforming the grotesque mass back into the houndish form.
They're Karakites?!
He held the flask in his pocket tightly as he leapt back, putting distance between himself and the three Cerberuses.
How did abyss get access to Karakites? They were under high guard by the Court of Dissipation and—us. The towers are set to crash. The forest's infection wasn't properly documented. Properly—
No—
Purposefully?
The M.Cerberus let out a bone-rattling howl, cutting through his spiraling thoughts.
Serfet stared at the monsters, his heart pounding.
I can't be certain… but the sudden spike in the infection rate. This storm. Those things.
He shook his head sharply, forcing the thoughts aside. The Cerberuses were closing in, circling like wolves, but the blaze of his blade cut a searing line through their creeping darkness.
Planting his feet firmly, Serfet scanned the area, every muscle primed.
"I have to help Gira first," he muttered, tightening his grip on the blade as the flames flared brighter.
Berserkrios felt the tender warmth of the nearby flames caress his fleeting senses. Within his throne, the incoherent screams of a distraught Vaal echoed through his mind.
The horrid pain came in waves, flushing through every bone in their body as the burning pain of exposed flesh held them tight.
Gira and Berserkrios began to blur a line of —who or what—and amidst the pain, their hearing muted but their gaze wide and awake bore witness to a dance of flame and flesh.
Flashing flames lit up the atrium as the two Cerberuses wove around a focused Serfet, his blade twisting at the perfect angles to dispel their imposing attacks.
With his senses honed to the limit, Serfet could feel the shifting tides of the Abyss itself. He weaved through the M.Cerberus's lashing tendrils, narrowly evading the globs of screeching flesh hurled by the S.Cerberus, his focus unbroken.
Serfet's gaze was solid, unmoving in a terminus of absolute focus. It was nothing like what Gi/Berser/ra/krios had seen back at Trant or the Pool Room.
Dancing fire carved through the darkness, but the Cerberuses remained undeterred. Even against the lashing flames, they emerged unscathed—their bodies melting and reforming whenever the fire dared to hiss against their scales.
Above, Aria had joined Mera and Vidrago at the railing, watching the fire cull the shadow as, amidst the swallowing abyss, Serfet shimmered in a haze of flaming Kyyr.
Serfet could feel the heat rising within and throughout every muscle in his body. His brain cast between his sharp movements, adjusting his blade and form to every opening in the dark. Yet the beasts didn't relent. Every slash that dared to connect would be met with the monsters literally blending into shadow.
He mellowed his breathing, his rising anxiety being swiftly dispelled by the howling fire of his blade.
If I attack, they melt; if I relent, they'll overwhelm. But my aim isn't to kill.
He cast a fleeting glance toward the Coarseblood. Slumped like an ivory king on a throne of shrapnel and rubble, Berserkrios was embedded deep in the stone—motionless. But beside him, cloaked in stillness, lingered an expectant shadow: the third Cerberus, unmoving, watching.
What's their aim? A low shudder ran through his gut as the tower beneath them groaned, beginning its slow descent. His eyes widened. Do they know?
The two Cerberuses crashed into one another, their liquefied flesh passing through each other like ghosts against stone. In perfect unison, they slashed at Serfet—he barely managed to parry, the impact rattling through his arms as he shifted position.
Grimacing, he sliced globs of flying flesh as he used one of the resting remains of the stone vines as a perch against the darkness. But if they knew… he thought as he dodged more shrieking globs. Why ascend the towers at all? Why have any of the Caused ascended? A sudden eruption of bladed tendrils tore through the stone below him. Without hesitation, Serfet launched himself upward, vaulting onto the second floor just as the writhing mass lunged for him.
The S.Cerberus was quick to follow, lunging up to the second floor in a blur. It skidded to a halt, then twisted sharply, swinging its thick, muscular tail in a wide arc.
Serfet ducked just in time as the tail ripped through the storefront behind him with a deafening crack.
A pained screech echoed from behind Serfet as a group of hiding Caused were sent flying behind him.
"Oh great," he muttered, clicking his tongue, changing his stance to defend against the Cerberus and the Caused.
The S.Cerberus let out a thunderous roar—Serfet braced himself—but the attack never came. Instead, the monster barreled past him, crashing into the dazed Caused behind. In a savage frenzy, it sank its jaws into the nearest throat, tearing violently as the Caused writhed and clawed helplessly against the larger beast.
The M.Cerberus also joined the slaughter, ignoring Serfet entirely. It lunged at an escaping Caused, its tail-jaw snapping shut around the victim before slamming them into the stone with brutal force, before ripping into the flailing Caused.
Serfet didn't linger, taking the opportunity to jump back down to the plaza.
Cannibalism. he thought grimly as he caught himself mid-fall, dragging the M.K. Blade along the wall to slow his descent. Hitting the ground, he sprinted across the broken plaza.
There, looming over Berserkrios, stood the third Cerberus. One claw was pressed delicately against the Coarseblood's chin, tilting his head up. The monster was eerily calm as it seemed to study the bony frame, examining Berserkrios's snout with a conscious focus.
Serfet's frown deepened. Keeping silent, he circled the creature, Kyyr surging into his eyes as he scanned for any sign of weakness.
It's been bothering me this whole time—why haven't they killed Gira? The Caused didn't breach the tower until Gira used his Kyyr. Were they sent after him? But then why are these three killing the other Caused? Are they acting independently? A black streak climbed up his Kyyr Retina. I almost forgot… He pulsed Kyyr into the crystalline mask, giving him a faint glimpse into the Cerberus.
His M.K. Blade waned like a candle against a storm.
A stygian chill coiled itself around Serfet's soul, a viscous miasma drowned his every sense under the primordial weight of the abyss. A malign force beyond his mettled frame pressed into his self. He fell back, his blade sputtering to a stop as he stared into twin voids swimming within the core of the Cerberus. An amorphous black of confused sorrow and agony.
Terror seized him. With a sharp, panicked motion, Serfet ripped the Retina from his face, gasping as cold sweat broke across his skin. The sounds of dying Caused clattered in his ears, growing louder, harsher—as the Cerberus slowly turned, fixing its abyssal gaze on him.
"NO!" Serfet screamed, scrambling back as the Cerberus tilted its head. He fumbled for the M.K. Blade, his hands trembling violently. The Cerberus bared its fangs, the coiling black around its jaw twisting into a poor attempt at a smile. The twin spikes on its back sparkled in a pink arc of electric Kyyr.
"Sweet Symbols!" He scrambled to his feet as abyssal Kyyr ripped through the air. Beyond the tower, the twisting tide and shuddering clouds rumbled to life. A jagged bolt of pink lightning cracked through the storm, smashing against the glass with a deafening roar. The baleful light snapped across the Cerberus's spine, and its body began to glow, the electric Kyyr coiling around the twin spikes.
It lunged.
In a flash the Cerberus was upon him, its body crashing down like a falling storm.
Serfet, moving on instinct, ignited the Kyyr in his blade and blasted himself backward—but he couldn't outrun the strike. Lightning sheared through the left side of his leg, the abyssal Kyyr burning into his flesh. He barely managed to pulse his own Kyyr in time, shielding the limb from complete ruin.
The force hurled him across the floor, tumbling through shards and broken metal. His streetwear tore apart against the debris, every scrape biting into his skin until he crashed hard into a twisted pile of shrapnel.
"AAAGH—" he choked, the scream ripping out of him as he gasped for air.
The Cerberus didn't hesitate. It ripped through the debris, closing the distance, its claw crackling with violent, electrified Kyyr as it raised it high for the killing blow.
Shreeeeee…
A shrill, whistling hiss split the air, drawing the Cerberus's attention skyward. A frigid strike crashed down onto its raised claw. Vidrago flashed a wild smile from atop the creature's wrist. The Cerberus hissed furiously, flicking Vidrago off with a violent jerk, but as it turned back to strike down Serfet—
Hshhhh—KRK!
A sharp, pained roar tore from its throat. Ice spread rapidly from the impact point, crawling up its arm like a festering plague.
Snarling, the Cerberus didn't hesitate—it melted its own shoulder off in a burst of searing energy, letting the ruined arm collapse to the ground. From the severed limb, jagged ice spikes erupted, rising like frozen thorns.
As the Cerberus reeled in pain, Serfet was pulled out from under the Cerberus and straight into the arms of a smiling Vidrago.
"Hey there, champ! Having a rough time?" Vidrago said with an annoying smirk.
Serfet's fear was immediately washed over by the smug smile of Vidrago, who was holding him princess style. "Ugh… Not a word of this to anyone!"
"Mhm~ Sure!" Vidrago sang as he scampered away, still holding Serfet in his arms. He leaned in with a whisper, "I've got an idea..."
Reluctantly, Serfet listened as they hid behind a pile of rubble. Vidrago finally set him down.
"But that big one's crazy fast." Serfet said, wincing in pain as he slunk back down.
The Cerberus roared in anger as the other two Cerberuses finally returned from their cannibalistic exchange. Serfet and Vidrago watched with a mix of awe and disgust as the S.Cerberus hacked up more flesh from its throat, letting the writhing mass coil around the largest Cerberus's severed shoulder. Slowly, the flesh began to mold and twist—reforming into a new arm.
Vidrago's eyes flashed—a wild mix of fear and excitement—before he turned back to Serfet, grinning. "Got any better ideas?" he whispered.
Serfet looked down at his numb but mangled leg. He let out a sigh. "Are you sure you can handle it?" he muttered, pulling the Kyyr Booster from his pocket.
Vidrago gave a cocky shrug. "Just get ready for the cue." He smirked. "Time for me to save my damsel in distress."
He flicked his gaze across the plaza—toward Berserkrios, still slumped like a ruined statue, his bony frame trapped in stone, ribcage split wide to reveal the slow, struggling beat of his heart.
Serfet shook his head, gritting his teeth as he forced himself upright. "Don't get yourself killed."
Vidrago giggled, "I'll try my best~"
Vidrago felt his body shudder in anticipation. His excitement mixed with fresh terror and newfound anxiety as he ran out from their hiding spot, charging all his Kyyr into his body as a starlit haze blossomed through the air. The icy sparkles mixed with the rising rain as all the Cerberus turned to face the lone figure charging into the crackling abyss.
Serfet, meanwhile, stumbled through the rubble, dragging his numb leg across the broken plaza. He could barely feel it—only the dead weight slowing him down as he fought to move into position.
What a greedy plan... he thought grimly. Realistically, we only need my end to work. He gritted his teeth, forcing himself forward. But of course that freak would find a way to edge death.
Vidrago slid his slender body into a defensive stance. From what I saw, they like to combine ranged attacks with active traps. He pulsed his Kyyr, sensing a shift—pressure gathering to his left. Right... but that big one— his eyes flicked toward the largest Cerberus—it's got incredible Kyyr control. He risked a glance at the other two, now slowly circling him. Can those two do it too? The smaller one creates mass, the medium one uses traps, and the last one can directly control the abyss. Are the abilities unique to each of the three? Vidrago glanced at the slowly shifting shadow of Serfet. Sweet Symbols, let's find out~!