Outside of the weapon shop lied many wounded townspeople and soldiers. They dragged themselves across the road in a desperate attempt to escape from the wild creatures, slowly approaching them. In the end, their efforts proved futile. The Varvara eventually caught and converted them to their side.
Kyros was the first one to act. He clenched his hands into tight fists before he stormed out from the weapon shop, intent on confronting the creatures. Runa grabbed her spear and moved for the door, only stopping when she heard Sarra's voice from upstairs.
"Runa? What's going on?!"
"Sarra! Stay in your room and lock the door! Don't come out until I tell you to!" Runa hastily ordered. Afterward, the Huntress rushed outside and assisted Kyros.
"The vision came true," Kyros looked around as if his head were on a swivel. For every wounded person and destroyed building that he saw; immense rage swelled up inside of him. He directed that rage toward the numerous Varvara that approached from down the road. "You monsters! Stop destroying this town!"
One of the Lycan's let out a roar, signaling for the rest of the pack to attack.
Runa stepped forward and slew several of the attacking creatures with mighty swings of her spear. Then, she followed up with a vertical slash which launched a shockwave that sliced multiple of the monsters in half. Another Lycan lunged at the blue-haired woman with its mouth wide open, ready to tear into her flesh with its fangs. She pierced the Lycan's face with her spear, killing it instantly.
Meanwhile, Kyros moved swiftly across the battlefield. He struck down several Lycan's with fiercely swift barrages of punches and occasional kicks. Whenever the pack tried to surround him, Kyros' gauntlets ignited, consuming his fists in scorching flames. With a mighty yell, he charged the creatures and slammed his fists into their bodies, unleashing torrents of fire that burnt them to nothing.
Eventually, that entire area was Varvara free.
Runa nodded her head in satisfaction for a job well done. She rested her spear on her shoulder and turned her head in Kyros' direction. "Not bad for a military captain." She complimented him.
She figured that she'd have to babysit him throughout the fight. Kyros' powers didn't have offensive capabilities like hers. But, the man proved that he could handle his own.
"I wouldn't be deserving of my rank if I couldn't take down Varvara of this level," Kyros stated, pushing his chest out in victory.
Their moment of accomplishment shattered once the sounds of screams mixed with gunfire resounded in the distance.
"What's with the defenses of this country? Varvara keep popping up without anyone noticing," Runa noted. "I thought these War Dogs could handle something like this."
"Something must've happened." Kyros assumed.
"Well, whatever it is, let's deal with it," Runa said.
Kyros and Runa moved their attention to the front of the weapon shop when the door swung open. Out came Aion, carrying a giant hammer in his hand.
"What the hell is going on out here?! What's with all the god damn noise?!" He shouted.
"The town's under attack," Runa answered. "We gotta hurry up and move. More time we waste are more lives lost."
"I'm ready when you are," Kyros nodded.
"It's been years since I've been in a fight! Let's go and kill those damn Varvara!" Aion raised his hammer in the air and roared, letting his excitement explode.
"Aion. You should leave the protection of the town to us. We need you to stay here and look after Sarra until we get back." Kyros nervously told him.
The old man slowly lowered his hammer down to his side and blankly stared at the two before frowning. "Why should I be the one to sit here and do nothing? If anything, you greenhorns should be the ones sitting back and protecting the brat while I deal with protecting the town."
"Nothing against you or anything, but we would stand a better chance of protecting this place since there are two of us and only one of you," Runa stated.
"I could take both of you down with my bare hands alone. These pesky Varvara wouldn't stand a chance against me if I were to get serious." He bragged.
"We don't have time for this. Please Aion, stay here and keep Sarra safe from harm. You're the only one here strong enough to keep her safe." Kyros said.
Runa opened her mouth to interject but paused halfway through. It wasn't the time to make an argument.
Aion stroked his beard and looked at the two. He eventually gave in and sighed in defeat. "Alright, I'll let you guys handle things then." He turned his back to the two and returned to the weapon shop.
Once he left, Kyros and Runa took off down the road. Throughout their search around the town, they encountered many Lycan's. They quickly dispatched them and assisted in the evacuation of the townspeople and wounded soldiers. Soon enough, they found themselves in the town square.
Bodies of deceased townspeople and soldiers filled the area, as did Lycan's. The creatures surrounded a single person concealed in a dark cloak. Kyros rushed ahead and defeated the Lycan's while Runa stood behind.
When the area got cleared, Kyros approached the cloaked individual.
"Are you okay? Can you move?" He asked. "This area isn't safe. We need to get you out of here."
The cloaked figure raised their heads and removed their hood, revealing themselves to being a beautiful, young woman with dark hair and unnatural purple eyes.
"Thank you so much for saving me," She smiled. "I would have died if not for you. Those Varvara killed all these people."
Kyros put his arms around the woman and led her toward the evacuation point. "It's okay; you're safe now. Follow us. We'll lead you to the evacuation area."
Runa's intuition flared up like crazy the more she studied the scene around her. The corpses that strewn the ground were fresh. Color still resided in their horrified, deathly faces.
Many things bothered the Huntress about the scene. So many bodies crowded the town square, and yet none of them got turned into Varvara. About a dozen Lycan's surrounded a single woman, but she never bothered to unsheath the sword attached to her hip.
The enormous hole in the woman's story was the statement she made about the Varvara killing the people. If that were the case, the town square would be void of bodies.
Runa inspected the wounds of the deceased. Gashes and stab wounds riddled their bodies.
"A blade killed these people," Runa muttered. Her eye honed on the sword carried by the mysterious woman. She tightened her grip on her spear and approached. When she entered the woman's range, she thrust her spear, aiming for the back of the woman's head.
However, the woman unsheathed her sword and redirected the blade of Runa's spear into the ground. She followed up with a swing toward Runa's neck.
"No!" Kyros blocked the blade with his gauntlet. "What are you two doing?!"
"That woman attacked me! You saw her, didn't you?!" The woman desperately pleaded as she backed away from the two. Tears welled up in her eyes.
Runa pulled her spear out from the ground and pointed it at the woman. "She's the one that killed these people! Not the Varvara!"
"What?!" Kyros exclaimed.
"If the Varvara killed these people, there wouldn't be any bodies left! These people got cut and slashed by a blade! Her blade!" Runa revealed.
"Runa! Put your weapon down!" Kyros ordered. "Let's talk this through and--"
"No! There's no talking this through!" The Huntress refused. "When we came here, the Varvara never turned their heads in her direction! She's got something to do with this!"
"That's crazy!" Kyros shook his head.
While the two focused on their argument, the woman raised her sword. She performed a quick thrust, aiming for Kyros' back.
Runa shoved Kyros out of the way and blocked the blade with her spear.
"Nice try," Runa coldly said.
The woman smirked and proceeded to attack the Huntress with multiple sword slashes. They were swift and precise, forcing the blue-haired warrior on the defensive. Despite being pushed back, Runa kept her cool and blocked each strike.
The blades of their weapons clashed once again, but that time, the woman leaned forward and added more pressure to her sword. She gazed into Runa's eye. Her eyes beamed with malicious curiosity.
Runa gritted her teeth and kicked the woman away from her. She quickly recovered and scoffed, showing no signs of damage.
"You just couldn't make things easy, could you?" The woman pointed her sword to the sky. A bright light emitted from her hand as a wicked smile spread across her face. "Rise,"
On command, the bodies of the deceased slowly rose to their feet, surrounding Kyros and Runa.
"She's...an Exousia?!" Kyros exclaimed. He brought his fists up to his face and stood back to back with Runa.
"The power to raise the dead? That'll be annoying," Runa complained.
"I planned to kill you both as stealthily as possible. But, one of you had to be more observant than the others," The woman indicated to the bodies around them. "No matter, you two will join my ranks soon enough."
"You..." Kyros' eyes narrowed. His body quaked in a seething rage. "Why are you doing this?! You killed all these innocent people! Men, women, children!"
The woman tilted her head. Her eyes glazed over. "Innocent lives? These innocent lives are erroneous. Mere illusions constructed and fabricated by the vile Goddess, Shura."
That name.
It was a name that Kyros knew all too well. At that moment, he lost his sense of reason and rushed ahead. He closed the distance between him and the woman in seconds. Afterward, he engaged her in close combat.
Each fierce strike he threw was blocked and or evaded.
"What the hell are you talking about?!" He angrily exclaimed as he kept on the offensive. "These innocent people are erroneous? Illusions? Fabrications?! That's why you killed them?!"
The woman evaded another full punch thrown by the enraged military captain. She jumped back and gained some distance. "Correct. By eliminating these empty shells, I'm liberating you from the illusions cast by Shura. I'm returning what was stolen from Mother so that I may return to her side."
Through one ear and out the other. No matter what the woman said, Kyros couldn't acknowledge her reasons. He wouldn't.
Mercilessly slaughtering an entire town just because she thought of them as illusions--it was beyond insanity.
"This woman's fucking sick in the head." Runa proclaimed.
"You're telling me! Let's bring her down!" Kyros banged his gauntlets together.
"I won't let anyone interfere with my plans. I will set the grand stage for Mother," The woman swung her arm out. The bodies of the deceased moved in and attacked Kyros and Runa.
Kyros showed hesitance in fighting back. After all, the bodies that attacked him were once humble people of the town and country. Men, women, children, all were enemies at that moment because of that vile woman.
Runa held no reservation about defending herself. Sure, she held back on her ruthlessness. She smacked down anyone that got too close to comfort. She cleared a path and headed straight for the woman ahead.
The woman reached into her robes and pulled out two black orbs. She dropped them on the ground and smiled as plumes of black smoke obscured her from the Huntress' vision. Once the smoke cleared, Lycan's joined the woman's side.
"She can summon Varvara?!" Kyros exclaimed in shock.
Runa narrowed her eye. "So, that's how they've been getting in. You're behind all of this," She concluded as she readied her weapon.
"Everything I've done has been for Mother's sake. Everything must get prepared for her return." The woman proudly proclaimed.
"I'm putting an end to this madness!" Runa charged the woman with her spear at the ready.
The woman extended her arm out and ordered, "Get her."
The Lycan's snarled and complied with the demands of their master. They lunged at Runa and attacked in unison. However, they all met their end by her hands.
Runa raised her spear and attacked the woman once again. Their blades clashed a few times before Kyros joined in the battle. The team of fighters worked in tangent, showing enough precision with their weapons and fighting styles to avoid hitting each other. But despite their impressive display of teamwork, none of their attacks connected.
The woman's defensive capabilities outweighed their offense. When she spotted an opportunity, the woman leaped over the team and landed in the center of the corpses. With a snap of her fingers, the bodies rose once again.
"She can control Varvara, and she's an Exousia," Runa complained. "This doesn't seem fair at all."
"Can't always come across a fair fight," Kyros said. "We might have to fight fire with fire."
"You don't mean--"
"You might have to use your powers, Runa."
"Fuck that! I've still got some tricks up my sleeve!"
Another wicked smile spread across the woman's face once word reached her ears. "Ah, you possess powers as well, do you?"
Runa clicked her tongue. "Shit! Why'd you open your fucking mouth?! Now I'mma hafta kill her!"
"How does it feel, Huntress? Being betrayed by the Goddess, you blindly worshipped? You praised her as a savior of humanity, but now, here you are being forced to destroy it. It's quite ironic if you think about it."
"I'm an atheist," Runa revealed.
"And we haven't destroyed anything! You're the one that's been doing the destruction!" Kyros pointed at the woman.
"Isn't it only natural for me to destroy?" The woman shrugged her shoulders. "I have the power to do so."
"Just because you have the power to do so, it doesn't mean that you should! There are consequences for such actions!"
The woman spread her arms out and continued, "You're right. I'm one of those consequences. You and everyone else in this country will be judged by the future Goddess of Destruction in the making."
"Future Goddess of Destruction?" Kyros angrily repeated.
"Enough!" Runa pulled her arm back and tossed her spear across the town square toward the deranged woman.
The woman swiped her blade in front of her and deflected the trident. Her confident gaze moved to the Huntress as the spear lodged itself into the ground nearby. She took advantage of the situation and ordered the corpses to attack.
Kyros stepped forward and activated the Terra Vitalis in his gauntlets. He slammed his fists on the ground and sent a tremor throughout the area. Some of the corpses lost their balance and fell. Those that were left standing were knocked across the square when Kyros launched rocks at them.
The woman snapped her fingers again. Like before, the corpses returned to their feet.
"You can keep knocking them down all you want. They'll keep getting back up," Runa pointed out.
"If you have any ideas, I'm all ears," Kyros said.
Runa regretted the thought that crossed her mind. The team was outnumbered. The odds would never be in their favor as long as the woman remained standing.
The Huntress closed her eye and focused. A bright light emanated from her hand as she activated her powers. She channeled the energy coursing through her body into her legs. With that, she sped across the square and landed a hard punch on the woman's face.
The unsuspecting woman sprawled violently on the ground after taking the full force of the punch. She quickly recovered and stabbed her sword into the ground to recollect herself. But it didn't stop there.
Runa collected her spear and continued to showcase her impressive feats of speed. She raced around the square and ruthlessly dismembered the bodies of the corpses. That action brought her no joy, but she knew that it had to be done. Without the masses, the woman couldn't use her powers against them.
"Now, you're defenseless." Runa declared as she pointed her weapon at the woman once again.
"Give up!" Kyros demanded.
The woman stood and raised her sword, remaining defiant to the end. She broke her stance when a spotlight shined down on the area. All three combatants turned their directions toward the aircraft that hovered above them.
"An Icarus!" Kyros smiled at the sight of the aircraft.
"Reinforcements?" Runa wondered.
The Icarus aimed its gun turret at the woman and opened fired. The woman stood her ground and deflected the bullets with her sword. Once the gunfire ceased, the woman responded in kind with an attack of her own. She performed several slashes and launched dark projectiles toward the aircraft.
The Icarus got sliced into pieces. Kyros and Runa watched in horror as dozens of helpless soldiers plummeted to the ground below. The parts of the sliced-up aircraft crashed down around the town, engulfing the area in explosions. In just a matter of seconds, flames engulfed the town.
"No! No! This can't be happening!" Kyros panicked as he watched the carnage unfold in front of him. He turned his eyes spiteful gaze toward the cause of it all. "You won't get away with this!"
"It amuses me how you believe you can stop me," The woman shook her head and scoffed. "Now, blinded followers of Shura, continue with your meaningless efforts to stop me if you dare."