The sun had just begun to climb over the horizon, casting long shadows across the blood-soaked ground. Roman, now fully transformed with his black wings and glowing red armor, charged at Azrael with fury in his eyes. His katana glinted in the morning light as he closed the distance between them, slashing through the air with deadly precision.
With a swift and powerful strike, Roman severed Azrael's left arm. Blood spattered across the battlefield, painting Roman's armor in crimson. But Azrael only smiled, a twisted grin stretching across his face. He reached up with his remaining hand, scratching at his own face until blood flowed freely, as if the pain was nothing to him. Before Roman's eyes, Azrael's severed arm began to regenerate, flesh knitting together until it was whole once more.
Roman, unfazed, charged again, his katana aimed at Azrael's face. This time, the blade sliced through Azrael's skull, splitting his face in half. Blood poured from the wound, coating Roman in a torrent of red. Azrael's body wavered, then fell to the ground, seemingly lifeless.
But even as his face was cleaved in two, Azrael's voice rasped out, mocking. "It doesn't matter... while we fought, 80% of the population has already been slaughtered by our horde of monsters. You claim you're a hero... but who exactly are you saving?"
Roman stood over Azrael's fallen body, his breath heavy and his eyes cold. He looked down at the mangled creature and replied, "I'm no hero. I just live to follow the Union's orders."
Azrael laughed weakly, his voice distorted by the gruesome wound. "So... it comes to this... a world led by orders, with no meaning... no hope..." His laughter continued, growing weaker until his body began to burn. Flames consumed him, leaving nothing but ash.
Roman turned, his gaze falling on Nina. She stood over the lifeless body of Dolores, blood spattered across her cold, robotic face. The red glow in her mechanical eye flickered as she walked towards Roman.
"Are you alright?" she asked, her voice hollow.
Roman's armor began to fade, his wings retracting as the transformation wore off. The exhaustion of battle and the weight of Azrael's words pressed heavily on him. "I don't know," he replied quietly, the uncertainty clear in his tone.
The two stood there in the eerie silence of the battlefield, surrounded by death and destruction. The sun continued to rise, its light casting a harsh glow over the devastation. Neither spoke as they stared at the aftermath of their battle, lost in their thoughts.
And so, the chapter ended with Roman and Nina standing amidst the ruins, the echoes of Azrael's final words lingering in the air. The horrors they had faced were only the beginning, and the path ahead remained uncertain, shrouded in the darkness of a world on the brink of destruction.
END OF CHAPTER 48