Meanwhile,
"Why don't you worthless insects just die! That fucking bastard is duelling my sword! I can't even fucking use it to slaughter you bunch!"
Gruffold had small cuts and wounds all over him, and he was livid. But that didn't dull his fighting style one bit. Rather, his anger sharpened it.
Matrix was no longer able to cast protection barriers, he was just using weak ones foothold on air. He was that much injured. Barn wasn't any better. However, he was not letting go. Using tricks and tactics, he irked Gruffold to no end. Since he was injured, it was difficult for him to properly evade the flashbangs and half assed illusions.
Still, Barn was very skilled at healing. He was healing them very efficiently. As he could use Astra, his light conjuration was amplified by it. Although it couldn't hold a candle to Malay's Astra prowess, it was still threatening.
Barn was aware of Sephir's plan. He was repeatedly chanting in his mind these words. [Only a moment more... only a moment more... only a moment more...] He was doing that to ignore the pain enough to make him lose consciousness.
His patience was finally rewarded.
["Now!"] Sephir's much awaited strong voice sounded inside his head. He fled to the opposite direction, as if running away from Gruffold. Matrix did the same.
"So you finally decided to run away huh? Bunch of cowards."
He turned to see Nahem being kept busy by Jeryl.
"I'll start with killing you!!!"
As soon as Gruffold said that, he felt something wrong.
[Where the hell's the other guy! Weren't there four of 'em?!]
But it was too late. He turned back to find an orange beam of concentrated fire heading towards him at breakneck pace. The heat was intense enough to start cauterizing his skin wounds, making him grit his teeth in pain. Even
Just as it was about to hit him, it converged and struck Nahem.
He didn't even notice how and when it got there.
["Shit! His weapon's sacrificing itself for its master. My
Hearing Sephir's panicked voice and the ear splitting rumble generated, everyone snapped back into focus.
Jeryl declared ["Gruffold's shocked! Everyone! Run for your dear lives! I'll give them a parting gift before escaping!"] Saying this, he hurdled a black spiky ball at them before fleeing.
Gruffold looked at his weapon, his long time partner suffer unrepairable damage. The segments were melting, Nahem's shape was getting distorted, its gem was getting cracked.
But it survived that beam of utter destruction. And it protected it master too. Tendrils of smoke were coming out from it. The gem was shining dully.
"Nahem... you saved me yet again... thank you... come to your partner here."
He stretched his hand out in its direction. Nahem glided towards his hand, albeit slowly. As it was halfway near him, a black spiky ball closed in on the gem and exploded with a terrible impact.
*Booooommmm!*
"Ah!" Gruffold was pushed backwards. And when he opened his eyes...
He saw that his beloved weapon partner's gem core had shattered into pieces. Attracted by gravity, the fragments, the pieces of thread and sword segments started falling down. And the culprits had already escaped.
"Eh?! N-nahem. Come to me."
Stretching out his hand, he beckoned his sword to come. But this time he didn't receive any response from his partner who had been by his side for over a decade.
The realisation hitting him, Gruffold fell down on his knees. His partner was gone. Forever. And who destroyed it? Those bastards, those traitors. Yet again they took away what he held dear. That time indirectly, this time directly. Right in front of his very eyes. His eyes moistened up. Whole body shaking, a pained voice came out of his choked throat. He felt strangely breathless.
His whole world started to crumble in front of him. Gruffold's surroundings started turning darker as his vision was covered by a red film of pure rage.
"No... th-that c-can't b-be... N-nahem... n-no yo-you can't be g-gone....
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
He tried to reject reality. And he wasn't done yet, and only one thing could allow him to vent out his anger. Shredding his opponents to pieces
"YOU...YOU WILL PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!"
he roared, and his raspy, crazed voice mingled with pain and despair echoed throughout the city.