The Knights were battling the Disaster with everything they had.
At this point they were desperate. They were all ignoring the pain and repercussions of extended duress.
The creature was fast. Too fast even.
Hestia had to maintain her focus on its movement or her vines would remain behind it. A less experienced Knight would have lost, but not Hestia.
She realized at the start that relying on her vision would be detrimental. She used her extensive experience and wit to predict the creature's movements. Only that way did she manage to restrict its movement.
Without her vines the others had no chance of fighting back. They wouldn't be able to defend or counter attack it.
But even with the vines the Disaster struck.
Ding!
Crack!
Old White was an old hand at his work. He provided the team with shields. At very high speed.
The activation of his techniques were almost instant. The shields shattered when struck, but were enough to keep the creature at bay.
Ilmar moved as soon as the shield shattered. His technique made use of his peculiar Blessing. He met the creature midway in the air. His hand turned into a flexible stinger. It shot out.
The creature dodged.
Ilmar was prepared. His arm turned soft and elastic. It stretched out and struck the creature's arm. The stinger pierced into the arm.
The Disaster landed on the floor and shrieked loudly. It was getting agitated.
Right then Yrva opened her mouth and spat blood-like liquid at it. The liquid was sticky and wrapped around the creature.
As soon as the creature moved its talons to cut them, they flowed and solidified again. The liquid burnt its hide and weakened its strength. It was not by much, but every bit helped at this point.
Bam!
Duter used his hammer to hit the creature with all his might. He hit it on its head. It was a Heartless' weakest part.
Duter was gasping for breath. He would soon lose all strength.
His hit caused the creature to stumble backwards. The hit had cracked its skull, but a Disaster didn't die so easily.
The creature was not stupid. It knew that if it kept its pressure a bit longer, the humans would die. They were strong. It was its ideal prey to offer to its deity.
Suddenly it looked in the direction of its nest. It sensed a fluctuation of energy.
Dark energy.
It was the energy infused with the Heartless.
Something had happened.
It shrieked, completely enraged now.
The Knights noticed its strange behavior immediately.
"Its not paying attention."
Duter eyes burned. It knew if they let such a chance slip, they might not get another one.
'I don't have much energy left. There is only one way.'
Determination filled his eyes. He activated his mark, but not the usual way. He pulled a dagger out his belt and cut the flesh with the mark.
Old White was the closest to Duter and saw it. He looked in shock at Duter.
"What are you…?" He was startled beyond belief. What Duter did was akin to destroying his future. He wouldn't be able to ascend higher on the path of Blessing.
"If we hold back now, there will be no future at all."
The moment he cut his mark, his flesh around it burnt. The energy doubled.
'I need to be quick.'
The creature sensed danger. It turned to look at the direction of Duter.
Duter jumped towards him. A beam of light wrapped around his hammer. The energy released was extremely high.
To the others watching it looked like a miniature sun shone on the dark lands below.
It would strike the creature.
"Die!"
Duter shouted.
The creature snarled and went on its fours. It looked at the incoming human.
It pressed its talons on the ground.
Crack!
Web-like cracks appeared on the ground.
Duter saw his hammer close in on the creature.
"Now!"
He swung his hammer. It would strike.
The creature looked up. Its eyes were cold and deep.
Duter's eyes opened wide. The creature would kill him.
…
Hex was feeling his heart beat wildly in his chest. Every muscle burnt. Everywhere was hurting.
"Kill."
"I can see the creature already."
He pierced his sword in the neck of the demonic Heartless.
"I feel tired. I want to sleep. But not yet. That one is still there."
He turned towards the Knights. It was time to join them.
Right then he saw it.
Duter was frozen in the air. The Disaster has struck. Its talons pierced into Duter.
"Nooo!"
Blood flowed from the corner of Duter's mouth. But the Knight smiled. He raised his head and faced the Disaster.
"F-fuck y-you."
He roared and smashed his hammer against the creature's chest.
Bang!
Hex saw the miniature sun explode against the Disaster's chest. The flash of light blinded them.
When the light faded, Hex hurriedly ran towards Duter. He was the first one to reach him. Or rather his corpse.
Duter's body was burnt and in tatters. Blood and flesh lay everywhere. Only his face remained whole. Hex saw the same smile he had seen this morning.
"How…"
Screech!
Hex saw the creature stand up. Half of its body was missing. But it was alive. It looked at Hex. Then suddenly it jumped and ran towards the group of Knights. They were on their knees.
Even before Duter jumped towards the creature they had been out of energy.
'Everyone is dead.'
'Everyone will die.'
'Why am I alive?'
Hex felt the subsiding pain in his chest roar up again. The madness he barely managed to contain was spreading through his head.
His eyes fell on the creature. It was already breaking through Hestia's vines.
'Why is that…thing alive?'
Suddenly all feelings disappeared. Time seemed to have frozen.
Hex let go of all thoughts and worries.
There was but one thought.
'Kill it.'
'Kill it.'
'Tear it up.'
The glyph ignited.
Boom!
His heart struck loudly against his chest.
All energy coursed through it.
Hex fell on the ground. His limbs elongated. His teeth turned into fangs.
Streams of red light turned into a cloak.
The cloak wrapped around him. The form of a bear appeared.
ROAR!
Hex roared like never before.
It was not humane.
It was the most animalistic sound, coming through his soul.
His gaze never left the creature.
Bang!
The ground beneath his feet shattered. Hex disappeared from his spot.
He appeared behind the Disaster instantly. The creature was about to hit Hestia.
Bam!
His fist struck it with strength beyond humanly possible for a Squire. It sent the creature flying.
He followed behind it.
'W-Was that the boy?" Old White asked, trembling. He was behind Hestia. He thought he would die.
Hestia looked worried at Hex battling the creature.
The creature had lost almost its whole body, but it was at the Disaster stage. It wouldn't die because of something so 'minor.'
Hex was faster than it. His body was burning energy. The light was vaporizing. It would soon fade.
But Hex didn't care.
He was going all out.
'Kill.'
'Kill.'
There was but one thing in his mind. It made his heart beat wild. He couldn't see, but the heart was crystalizing with each second.
"DIE!"
Hex roared. He gathered all his energy in one punch. The cloak retracted and converged around his fist. It shone brightly.
BOOM!
The ground beneath them shattered. Hex spat blood. His bones shattered.
Hex fell on the floor. There was not even an ounce of energy remaining in his body.
The air filled with dust.
"Did he kill it?" Old White asked. His body was shaking. He wished the Disaster to have died, but he found it difficult to believe that a newly Blessed Squire unleashed such power.
Hestia sat beside the unconscious Yrva and the barely breathing Ilmar. She watched the dust settle with her fist clenched.
'Is it dead? Could Hex really kill that thing?'
Hex lay on the floor, his vision becoming blurry.
Screech.
"What??"
The Knights watched in horror as the creature jumped up. It had only its head, leaning on one arm. Its body had disappeared.
But the creature survived.
Hex heard it shriek but there was nothing more he could do.
The creature shrieked again. Its eyes were blazing with fury. It saw Hex on the floor.
Screech!
It jumped towards Hex. It would kill the human kid.
Hex saw it fly toward him.
"This is it huh?"
He didn't want to die. But he had no regrets.
The creature was near. Its smell entered Hex's nostrils.
Hex saw it bare its fangs. He was about to die.
He felt peaceful. He would rather not die, but he didn't fear death.
Its teeth touched his neck.
"From Dust…"
A hand appeared, grabbing the Disaster.
"...to dust."
The voice, devoid of emotions, said.
Hex saw the creature turning to dust, blown away as specks of dirt.
Looking up, he saw the blurry figure of a golden haired man whose voice he recognized at once.
"M-master…"
His vision turned black.