BOOM!
A deafening explosion echoed through the temple as a section of the ceiling erupted inwards. A fiery orb plunged down towards the terrified crowd below. Even before it landed, the sheer heat radiating from the inferno was already very hot.
"Down! Everyone get down!" Major Gareth's command ripped through the air, laced with urgency.
Many were already scrambling for cover, their instincts kicking in as they desperately tried to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the descending fireball. Others, however, stood frozen, their faces etched with terror, paralyzed by the sight of the unstoppable force hurtling towards them.
Kyoji reacted instantly, grabbing Ethan's hand and yanking him along. He knew running wouldn't be enough; they needed cover, and fast. Without a moment's hesitation, he dragged Ethan towards the towering altar, its bulk their best chance for survival. They dove behind it, crouching low just as the world exploded behind them.
BOOM!
The force of the impact was staggering. An inferno of heat washed over them, burning and crushing everything in its wake. People and mutated creatures alike were reduced to charred remains in an instant. Even sheltered behind the altar, Kyoji could feel the searing heat scorching his skin, blistering and raw. Beside him, Ethan was screaming, his own flesh seared by the unimaginable temperatures.
Throughout the temple, agonized cries filled the air. Those caught in the inferno were burning, their screams cut short as some succumbed to the unimaginable heat. The very walls of the temple seemed to shudder, weakened sections crumbling under the onslaught.
Slowly, the initial wave of heat and destruction began to subside. But just as a semblance of calm descended, a terrifying roar, raw and powerful, shook the very foundations of the temple, sending chills down their spines.
Peeking cautiously from behind the altar, Kyoji was met with a scene of utter devastation. The interior of the temple was an inferno-ravaged wasteland. All that remained intact were the altar they hid behind, the statues of the nine gods, and a handful of the chosen - reinforcements who had arrived earlier, their bodies protected by shimmering blue force fields. Everyone and everything else had been obliterated.
Thankfully, some of the 'chosen' had reacted with incredible speed, shielding terrified students with their own bodies and preventing a greater loss of life. Still, casualties were unavoidable. Not far from Kyoji, someone lay trapped beneath a fallen stone block, blood pooling around them, their fate uncertain.
Tearing his gaze from the carnage, Kyoji focused on the epicenter of the blast where the fireball had landed. A massive crater, cloaked in smoke and dust, had formed. Unflinching, he stared intently, waiting for the debris to settle.
As the smoke cleared, a horrifying sight was revealed. Within the 25-foot crater, a monstrous creature was taking form. Its body, a grotesque sphere of what appeared to be thick, gnarled bark, pulsed with a network of glowing red veins that pulsed like molten lava.
Suddenly, the creature began to shift. Five thick arms, two on each side and one sprouting from its back, ripped free from its bulbous form. A shapeless head which had no discernible features, only a single, baleful eye that stared out from the center of its shapeless mass emerged next.
Finally, massive legs tore free, propelling the creature upwards until it towered a full 30 feet above the crater floor.
As the creature fully straightened, a gaping maw split open across its belly, and it unleashed another earth-shattering roar that echoed through the shattered temple sending shiver down everyone's spine.
The roar wasn't the only thing that sent shivers down their spines. The beast radiated a terrifying aura—heavy, fiery, and utterly oppressive. It felt like a weight pressing down on them, stealing their breath and filling their lungs with dread.
The temperature in the ruined temple had skyrocketed with the creature's arrival. The air within a five-meter radius seemed to shimmer and distort with intense heat.
"Wh-what… what is that?" Ethan stammered, his voice trembling. He was drenched in a cold sweat, fear clinging to him like a shroud.
"A powerful mutant," Kyoji replied, his voice flat and cold as he locked eyes with the creature.
'A very powerful Corrupted mutant,' he added silently to himself, his mind racing.
"Wh-what are we going… to do?" Ethan asked, terror edging into his voice.
Even without extensive knowledge of the mutant classification system, Ethan wasn't foolish. The sheer destructive force the creature unleashed with its arrival told him everything he needed to know. This was no ordinary beast; it was something far more dangerous, something that sent a primal fear coursing through his veins.
"We're going to survive," Kyoji stated, his eyes scanning the devastated temple as if searching for something.
His gaze snagged on a distant corner where another mutant lurked amidst the debris. This one was a grotesque, almost shapeless mass of flesh, resembling a slab of meat riddled with spike-covered tentacles.
The mutant was currently still classified as Twisted, but Kyoji knew better. He knew it was teetering on the brink of evolution, about to ascend to the dreaded 'Corrupted' level.
Kyoji's mind raced. He knew that the moment everyone was focused on the fiery mutant in the center of the temple, this second mutant would strike, unleashing a devastating attack that would claim countless lives before reinforcements could arrive. He had to stop it. He had to stop it now.
"Come with me," Kyoji commanded, grabbing Ethan's hand and pulling him away from the relative safety of the altar.
"Where are we going?" Ethan asked, fear and confusion warring within him. Why would Kyoji drag him away from their only cover? To Ethan, the rest of the temple was a death trap—engulfed in flames, teeming with surviving mutants, and overshadowed by the fiery creature at the heart of the temple.
Kyoji, however, knew better. He remembered the area surrounding the nine statues of the gods being particularly vulnerable, a killing field during the coming fight.
He couldn't reveal that to Ethan, though.
"We're going to survive," he repeated, his voice firm.
"But—"
Ethan began to protest, but Kyoji cut him off.
"Do you trust me?"
The question surprised Ethan. He hesitated, brows furrowing as he searched Kyoji's face. Finally, he nodded.
"Yes. I do."
"Good," Kyoji said, his grip on Ethan's hand tightening.
"Then trust me with your life and follow me."