Chereads / The Hand of The Wicked / Chapter 10 - Chapter Ten

Chapter 10 - Chapter Ten

 Noda and Uyeno ran through the corridor, seeing Marino ahead. He was pointing a gun at some random girl. "Noda, stop," Uyeno said. Something was wrong. Marino's face was disfigured, and his fingers were replaced by…claws? Uyeno realized what it was. "NODA, RUN!" he yelled.

 The thing's face twisted into a gruesome, razor-sharp smile. Both it and the other figure melted, morphing into one, its eyes hollow and sockets deep. Horns solidified around it, curling upward until sharpening at the tips. Its legs formed, feathers and scales twisting and growing faster than anything Uyeno had ever seen. Its head split, curling until a second had formed, just as gruesome and terrifying as the first. Lumps grew out of its back, bones splitting the surface of its skin. Noda had already charged past it, so she looked back and watched as the seventy-plus-foot-tall creature reared up and feathers split its bones on its back, forming into wings. It screeched, and Noda instantly knew what it was:

An Exoling.

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Uemura snapped awake, frightened. A score of guards ran past her cell, a general screaming at them to 'follow orders' and 'get the burglar in custody.' Once the guards finally vanished, Uemura turned around and sat on her bed. She wished Marino were here, but only thinking about him made her cry.

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Its gaze was unmoving. Without fear- and that was both reassuring and unnerving. Uyeno slowly unsheathed his blade, energy crackling about it. Noda seemed completely frozen. She couldn't bring herself to move in the wake of this beast. Its contorted smile grew bigger. It was studying them. Learning. This species had been extinct for centuries. A demon of the ancient world.

Uyeno knew how these things fought, and it brought back some not very pleasant memories. But he knew that they would never make the first move.

"Noda…" He said, shakily. Noda barely mustered a yelp in response. 

"Stay away from its claws."

Uyeno gave her no time to respond this time, lunging forth. Arcing his blade in the air, Uyeno swung down, aiming to sever its head from the base. In a flash, the Exoling darted to the side, diving clear out of the way. 

Noda was still unmoving. Uyeno gritted his teeth. Pivoting on his heel, he turned back to the Exoling. It darted forward, its claws digging into the ground. 

Once they charged, they wouldn't stop.

Uyeno gripped his sword- and in a display of orange sparks, it burst into flame. 

Uyeno's Awakening: Divine Edge

Via the complete alteration of his Ryu, or life energy, Uyeno can completely depressurize matter.

Uyeno dug his feet into the ground, before exploding forward, blade cocked behind his back. Like an atom bomb, the Exoling's claws met his blade- opposite force clashing. Its twisted smile grew greater. It was far stronger than him physically…but that wouldn't matter soon. Under the force of his awakening, its claw had already begun to shrivel. It wouldn't last much longer-

Uyeno's vision grew blurry, darkness pooling in around his peripheral. He coughed a spray of blood, his eyes wide and bloodshot. Wearily, he looked down. Its claw dug right into his stomach. Noda watched in horror as the Exoling slammed Uyeno down. The Exoling howled with laughter and threw Uyeno across the room. Noda screamed, and the Exoling's pitch-black eyes locked on her. She stood frozen with fear, and the Exoling crept toward her. Noda shifted, and the Exoling stopped. Determined, Noda felt two small tugs in her gut.

Noda's Awakenings: Wildfire and Below Zero

Using Ryu, Noda can summon and control water and fire and their respective temperatures.

 Fire erupted from Noda, shooting three hundred feet into the air. Water coated the ground around her, solidifying into ice. Noda balled the fire up and hurled it at the Exoling, heating it up as it went along. When the fire hit the Exoling, it was 135 degrees.

 The Exoling screeched and roared in pain and anger. It charged, but slipped on the ice. Noda summoned more water and formed a shield around the Exoling, freezing it and filling it on the inside with water. The Exoling bashed against the ice, cracking it, and Noda set the water inside to one hundred degrees Fahrenheit while keeping the ice frozen at the same time. The Exoling screeched again and bashed the wall to no avail. The crack that had formed before started to spread and Noda concentrated on it, keeping it from spreading even further. The two tugs in her stomach grew painful, and Noda lost focus for half a second-just enough time for everything to go wrong. The ice shattered, gushing the boiling water across the floor and unleashing the Exoling. Noting its freedom, it leaped into the air and spread its enormous wings. The wings made a loud crashing sound as they collided. Then, it turned and glared at Noda.

~TO BE CONTINUED~