While half-asleep, Lennox and Theo heard Kira's shout with a worried voice. "Hey... Twinkle and Theo, quickly wake up!."
Slowly waking up, Lennox rubbed his eyes, still barely awake. He quickly got up and helped Theo off the ground since he had more sleep and he didn't, Theo was tired.
Walking toward Kira and yawning, Lennox asked, "Ahh!... Kira, what's wrong?"
"We are under attack," Kira said urgently.
Hearing the urgency in her voice, Theo woke up. "What? How do you know this?" he asked.
"Well, I used my skill called Shadow Convert, and I'm able to see through the shadows for a couple of seconds before it cuts off for a while," Kira explained. "But because it's currently dark, I'm able to see for 15 seconds, 5 seconds more than I'm usually able to."
"That's a good skill," Lennox said, "but where are the Bramblethorns?"
Kira walked over to a partially destroyed wall, previously barricaded with a table. She pointed outside, her gaze fixed on the darkness that enveloped the sky and the streets. Despite the pervasive darkness, a couple of streetlights persisted, casting eerie pools of light and exposing multiple looming bramble thorns. These thorns, however, appeared more formidable than the ones they had encountered before, presenting a new and heightened challenge.
"They about 50, maybe more!" Lennox said in a panic, spotting the Bramblethorns.
"Well, that's not the worst of it all," Kira said.
Lennox and Theo looked at Kira with interest. "Huh, what do you mean?" they asked simultaneously.
"Did you realize that looking at them, they look bigger and stronger with more bush and vines?" Kira explained.
"Yeah, what are you saying? That they're gotten stronger?" Theo asked.
"Well... that's the evolved version of the Bramblethorn," Kira revealed.
"Admit... so that's extremely bad, then," Lennox said. "So how do we deal with them?"
"Yes but...This is the good part. You can still use fire and air against them, but it will be more challenging as their bodies are tougher," Kira explained.
"Even with our power, we won't last long. We will be overrun," Theo said. "Do...we have enough time to come up with another plan?"
"I already came up with one, because there is no other exit besides toward them," Kira said, moving toward the tables on the side, blocking off the broken window and walls. "I suggest we throw the furniture at them as they get closer."
"That could work. Let's do it," Lennox commented.
As Lennox, Theo, and Kira started picking up furniture, they noticed that the Bramblethorns shot their vine whips into the stone wall and started pulling themselves off the wall, surprising everyone with their strength.
"Hurry! If they make it up, there will be too much to fight in such a small space," Kira said urgently.
Theo, alerted by the warning, swiftly turned around, spotting a Bramblethorn about to launch an attack. he clenched his jaw with determination. "Not today." With the chair still in his hand, he unleashed a decisive strike, slamming it into its body. The chair crumbled, and the Bramblethorn disintegrated into a soil puddle.
After neutralizing the immediate threat, Theo, turned back around, activating his hand claws. A confident smile played on his lips as he prepared for the next onslaught. In a lightning-fast move, he sidestepped a Bramblethorn's thorned whip, simultaneously swinging his left elbow. His blade slammed halfway into its body.
However, his blade got stuck in the hard soil, leaving him momentarily vulnerable. Reacting with agility, Theo kicked the Bramblethorn he had just struck, pushing it backward. The force of the impact sent the bramblethorn crashing into another Bramblethorn, creating a chaotic chain reaction, as another bramblethron came up from behind and held him in a bear hug.
"Woah," Theo exclaimed in shock, Quickly assessing the situation, Theo thought on his feet. Utilizing his control over the air, he pushed his body off the ground, executing a swift double kick that sent both the Bramblethorn holding onto him and the approaching one stumbling backward. As they fell to the ground, Theo, using his retractable blade, thrust it backward into the body of the one he had just kicked off. Employing a deft kickflip, he propelled himself back onto his feet, disengaging from the entangled Bramblethorn.
Without a moment's hesitation, Theo lunged towards the other Bramblethorn, his agile form a blur. With a sweeping left kick, he targeted its knee, causing it to drop down. Seizing the opportunity, he sliced through its neck with his blades, swiftly decapitating it.
Meanwhile, Kira, stationed by the window, continued her relentless barrage of arrows at the approaching Bramblethorns. The realization dawned on her that there were more of them than she had initially counted. "So far, I have destroyed over 20. How many more are there?" she pondered.
As she contemplated a plan to navigate this dire situation, she deftly counted her arrows and quivered her bow, launching arrows into the oncoming horde. Some arrows merely grazed the Bramblethorns, doing minimal damage, while others proved lethal. Thankfully, Lennox's fiery onslaught on the side illuminated the street, aiding in finishing off the wounded and weakened Bramblethorns.
Despite the challenges, Kira persisted, her Shadow Arrows adding a layer of strength from the darkness of the night. She understood that even if they decided to eliminate the Bramblethorns until the last one, they had to be mindful. The bramblethorn, devoid of souls, possessed a strange resilience, but they could be replaced or regenerated.
As Kira swiftly turned to shoot at a Bramblethorn, she caught a glimpse from the corner of her eye of Lennox's fiery onslaught against another Bramblethorn approaching from her side. Reacting in the blink of an eye, she sidestepped and shot an arrow through its head, putting an end to the threat. However, a lurking danger emerged from behind, and before she could ready her bow, it attacked.
In a split-second decision, Kira transformed her bow into an improvised melee weapon, swinging it with unexpected strength. The blow landed with a solid impact, knocking the Bramblethorn aside. To her astonishment, the bow not only withstood the force but also vibrated with an unusual energy that coursed through her hand.
With another Bramblethorn closing in, undeterred by the previous encounter, Kira swung her bow again, this time intentionally. The weapon crashed into the creature, shattering its form. As she moved forward to face the next looming threat, she marveled at the resilience of her bow
Amidst the chaotic building, Kira, despite having the upper hand, found herself in a hilarious predicament. She wasn't particularly skilled in hand-to-hand combat, so she decided to employ her unconventional tactics.
Kira grinned,"Let's get creative."
With a determined look on her face, Kira lifted her bow, her eyes scanning the building. Spotting an opportunity, she aimed carefully and pushed one of the Bramblethorns forward with the tip of her bow. The Bramblethorn lost its footing, stumbling like a clumsy giant, and crashed back into Lennox, who was mid-swing attacking another Bramblethorn.
Lennox, caught off guard by the unexpected collision, was propelled forward and slammed into Theo, who was bravely fighting by his side. The impact caused Lennox to let out a surprised yelp, "Whoa!" as he collided into Theo, who cried out in bewilderment. The two, now tangled together, lost their balance and crashed onto the ground in a heap of bush and soil.
As they lay there, struggling to disentangle themselves, Kira stood nearby, her eyes widened. "Oops. Well, that wasn't exactly what I had in mind." she said with surprise at the unintended chaos she had caused.
The Bramblethorn, seemingly dazed from its encounter with Kira's bow, tried to regain its balance, only to stumble again, adding to the absurdity of the situation. The building , once filled with tension, now echoed with laughter as Lennxo tried to get up and Theo kept laughing.
Amidst the chaotic building, Kira found herself muttering, "Note to self: maybe I should stick to archery lessons," a playful smirk dancing on her lips. Determined to rejoin the fray, she couldn't help but stifle a giggle as she glanced at the Lennox and Theo entangled on the ground.
However, the focus shifted to Lennox and Theo, who, despite being knocked down, executed a synchronized roll to untangle themselves. Glaring in unison at Kira, they accused,"You caused this." they both said in union But their attention quickly diverted as two formidable Brablethorn adversaries materialized before them.
Theo unleashed a swift kick, toppling one Brablethorn to its knees. Seizing the opportunity, he drove his weapon through its head with precise determination. Dodging nimbly to the side, he avoided the soil that rained down after the kill. Meanwhile, Lennox conjured a fireball and hurled it at the second Brablethorn. The explosive impact obliterated the creature but sent flames cascading toward Lennox, who shielded his face and agilely rolled to the side of the fiery rain.
Brushing off the soot and rising, Lennox confronted another incoming Brablethorn. With a calculated kick, he avoided its whiplike attack and seized both of its hands. Igniting his palms with fiery intensity, he plunged the flames into the creature, watching as it burned from the inside out.
As the fight raged on, fatigue began to weigh heavily on Lennox, Theo, and Kira. Their elemental prowess drained their stamina and their bodies began to pain, but they persevered. The once numerous Brablethorns dwindled with each strike.
After a couple of minutes, Theo finally killed the last Bramblethorn, sloppily slashing its arm and head off. They all fell to the ground, exhausted"Finally, it's done," he said, panting.
"I'm so tired."
"I never want this to happen again."
While Lennox, Theo, and Kira were catching their breath and slowly feeling like they might pass out from tiredness, as the sun rose, they all suddenly heard a loud sound of heavy breathing that trembled the earth, lifting tiny rubble off the ground.
"Woah... what's that?" Lennox asked in shock as he felt the ground shake beneath him.
"Don't worry, just focus on resting for now," Kira said with heavy breathing because she rarely chooses to be in a close-up fight. so she never had a good strength.