The Blinker's power was strange but at the same time, simple. It could blink between distance, however, it required eye contact from its prey, which needed to blink to be activated.
In the lightless world, Zyro felt time slowed down. Aware of what he brought upon himself, he deliberately intended to perform the single blink as fast as possible.
Yet for him, that brief unseeing moment felt like eternity. Probably due to adrenaline acting up.
Numerous thoughts race in his mind, flashbacks of his experiences in the past 19 years - the life in streets of cyberpunk city, Catalyst world changing arrival, chaos within doming iron shelters, soldier training recruits and life within STELLAR as it wanders through the vast galaxy full of stars. Bringing with it an explosion of dark emotions - regrets, grief, despondent, and longing as he recalls everything in an instant
What seems so long are truly short.
When he regained his vision, in the blurry, and slowed moment he saw the Blinker one eye closely. So close that he could view vivid details. As it turns out, the monster eye wasn't a bottomless hole as it seemed from afar. But a giant black pupil with a sunken eye socket, devoid of white. It lacks the glossy surface of a regular eyeball.
There were more interesting details about the eerie creature bodily structure. However, as expected, the instant he opened his eyes. The Blinker black beak was already striking his right chest where the heart is located.
Not even a second past, yet that's all it took for it to reach him. The Blinker beak was like a bullet shot from a gun. Too fast and too lethal. With the might of a mighty dark spear, darting it's aim for his heart.
However, when the Blinker pointy beak touched the knight's shrouded chest plate... a crack resounded.
Zyro's expression behind the helmet was a subtle treacherous grin, instead of despair.
'Got you!'
The Blinker felt something amiss, but it was already too late.
BANG!!
As if the Blinker pushed a destructive button, a devastating force was unleashed from the clothed chest plate it tried to penetrate. A deafening explosion occurred right between them, blasting them apart.
Zyro felt a crushing pressure send him flying backward. Sending agony reverberating all over his body, but it happened so fast, he didn't even have time to feel it enough to matter. The last thing he saw was rapidly blurring leafs of trees, before all his senses went blank.
Shockwave of the sudden explosion scattered around the source. Making countless leafs flutter, branches sway and nearby dwellers run away from the origin of the booming sound. Creatures survival instincts tend to avoid extremely loud, and mysterious noises. Primarily due to its unknown nature, and noisy things often suggest power. So whoever heard the ear-piercing explosion rather avoid its maker.
Zyro's body was lifted mid-air, thrown by the detonation from his chest. His mind was blank, as his body flew like a rag-dull a few seconds before losing momentum. He plummeted and awkwardly rolled in the grassy ground with the grace of a metallic puppet without its strings. Bits of armor plating fell at random as the friction soon stopped his poor, armoured body from rolling.
Time passes, as he lay there akin to a lifeless corpse in the middle of the jungle. His clothes on the front side were terribly torn, exposing Shroud of Night shredded chest plate.
This was one of his worries. Zyro wasn't certain if the Shroud of Night is capable of protecting his life from an explosion of that degree. The armor was built for stealth, which sacrificed defense for elusive agility and lightness.
Whether he lived or not was a gamble. Similar to sleeping, unsure if he'll ever wake up.
Truthfully, Zyro wished to lose.
However, fate had different plans for him.
In oblivion, his awareness returned. Albeit, barely. It was blurry and fogged, as if his in a lucid dream. Conscious yet, not completely.
As someone who has undergone similar near death experiences, Zyro was no stranger to this cloudy feeling.
'Not... Yet... Huh...'
Normal people wouldn't keep their cognizance for long and utterly faint. Only to be awakened after days of care and rest, some didn't. But for Zyro, regaining control from this foggy state is a piece of cake.
As long as his heart continues beating.
'Be it then... I'll continue.'
Using his will power, Zyro rigorously concentrated to keep his mind intact. Soon, the familiar taste of agony pulled him from that foggy state.
His eyes jolted awake, feeling his head throbbed crazily. Zyro's view was spinning, as he stared through the glass visor full of cracks, so much that the outside word wasn't visible anymore.
As soon as he inhaled oxygen. An extreme urge to puke something blocking his airway dawned on him. A painful act he can't refuse, or else he'll be drowned by his own blood. The Shroud of Night was unbreachable, but also trapped everything inside.
Zyro moved his hand, only to be assaulted by torment with every action he made. Still, he persisted, gritting his bloody teeth as he took off the full helmet. Only then, was he allowed to cough plenty of blood.
But the suffering within him only grew, for every ragged breath he took made the broken ribs within stab through inside flesh.
He cursed the world without stopping, till he managed to compose himself by adjusting to the feeling of constant agony.
Pain was a nemesis his born with. Nothing unusual as long as you tolerate its annoying pesters.
It took a while for him to stabilize his ringing mind, and recovered enough clarity to control his limbs normally. By resisting tearable, constant pangs that come along with it.
After analyzing his body condition, Zyro can't help but wince at the result. Even though the armor had tanked most of the damage, his ribcage was certainly fractured in some areas, causing internal bleeding. Fortunately, his bones aren't normal, it was scientifically altered by military tech with platinum grade modification as a requirement to be deemed worthy of boarding STELLAR. Therefore, his skeleton was superior to native humans, if not, Zyro's bones would not be intact till today. Sadly, the recent stunt of his had finally exceeded his upgraded skeleton limit. It was cracked, but not dislocated. Still, the injury is severe enough to be considered fatal.
Shakily raising his upper body, Zyro coughs blood again.
If left untreated for a long time, the bleeding inside will cause his organs to fail. Resulting in the death of him, which can only be fixed by sophisticated modern surgery.
"I'm alive, Cough! Cough!... aren't I?"
Grunting, Zyro struggled to stand up as his cracked ribs moved in the process. Stabbing his chest inside, like twisting sharp shards of glass.
It hurts, terribly so, yet Zyro steel his will to stagger forward. His mind was blurred by pain with every step he made. Not even noticing the Shroud of Night torn chest plate and other missing parts. His chest was bare, the garments previously covering him were reduced to tattered rags, most were blown away, some silks far from the upper area remain messily hanging to his waist. While the pants are mostly fine, albeit, ripped everywhere.
The armor beneath had it better. Except from the chest section, which had lost its smooth dark steel plating. Revealing dug-up complicated arrangements of mini parts, wirings, dented metal frames and protective foams and frames. Layers of cover were ravaged, except the unbreachable thin rubber. However, it still allowed the shockwave to break the wearer ribs.
Tiny shattered fragments lay on the way, scattered everywhere. Zyro can't care less, ignoring the constant torment poking his flesh, he persistently keeps trudging forward.
The pain made time seem slow, prolonging his suffering further. But Zyro continues, making a trail of dropping bloods.
Not long, he caught sight of someone approaching. It was a blonde boy in poor clothing. Of course, he recognized the kid. Pert hastily running to meet Zyro.
The young Aster face was ashen from fright, as if he had seen something he shouldn't. His sprint, as if chased by a ghost suggests so, too.
"Thank the heavens you're alive, after that loud bang. I ran as fast as I could, and, and. The Blinker. It..."
Zyro cut him short in an even voice. Indifferent to his battered state.
"It'll die."
Finally seeing his companion up-close, Pert was momentary speechless, unconsciously giving him a worried look. However, Zyro seemed to read his mind and didn't give him time to express his concern.
"I'm fine, Cough!" Zyro covered his bloody mouth before continuing.
"Actually, more than expected. Change of plans, I'd rather have you clean the evidence than assist me."
The kid hesitated, before nodding with a forced smile.
"Yes, sir"
Soon, Zyro found himself near the Blinker. Who faced the previous explosion head on with its bare head.
Moments ago, the notorious monster had stood mighty, befitting of its achievement and peerless ability. Now, however, the dark legend was reduced to a mere injured beast.
Laying beside the inclined rock, near the tunnel hole. Apparently, it appeared that the Blinker was blown away for quite a distance, as well. Unlike the knight, who flew without hindrance and landed on a graceless roll. The monster had it worst, it was blasted to hit an unmoving boulder behind its back. Causing it to hit a rough wall of hard rock before terribly falling on solid ground.
However, what had done it the most damage was headbutting a powerful explosion. Resulting the Blinker beak to break. The tip part was nowhere to be seen, leaving a torn mouth which revealed gruesome innards, spouting plenty of dark red blood. Its brain was shaken by the strong impact of the abrupt knock-back. The fearsome segmented limbs frenziedly twitching.
Studying it closely, the monster's true size wasn't that frightening. When standing, the Blinker is nearly two meters despite its hunched stature. Its body mass looked light, due to the visible bone outline. Considering it's a beast specializing speed, the Blinker slim build was understandable.
Even though it had sustained such grave injuries, the monster was true to its name for staying alive. Heck, he even had a feeling that it could recover if given enough time.
Trudging forward, he looks at the injured beast dead in the eye without blinking.
As he did, Zyro voiced in triumph. His expression is cold.
"You know, a hunter once told me... There's only one thing more dangerous than a cornered animal."
The ragged dark knight halted before the monster bloody head and extended his armored left arm. Which releases Insidious ashen fogs, flowing down for the Blinker to inhale.
Cruel contempt burns in Zyro's lightless eyes.
"That's the man that cornered it."
That was Zyro's parting words to the defeated.