Kael's lungs burned as he ran through Raven Town's outskirts, each breath was difficult. The thunderous roars behind him grew closer. The leader's massive corrupted form demolishing everything in its path.
The bastard was particularly angry this time. Kael had made him crash into a wall again, after all.
Chaos reigned around him. Villagers fled in terror as corrupted beasts moved through the streets. The few remaining guards shouted orders with trembling voices, trying to organize a defense against the endless wave of monstrosities.
"Kael, you can't face him alone. You need the elite guard—now!" Neo's voice cut through his thoughts.
"I know," Kael gritted his teeth, scanning the horizon. "But getting to them isn't exactly easy."
The elite guard force was somewhere in that forest, completely unaware of the destruction unfolding here. He needed to get their attention, and quickly.
Coming to a halt near a fallen water tower, Kael's mind raced through possibilities. "Neo," he whispered, "if I can create a big enough signal, something they can't ignore..."
"You'll need a blast, something visible from miles away," Neo finished his sentence.
His gaze landed on a heap of discarded fragment-powered devices near the ruined buildings. Their cores pulsed erratically, unstable energy waiting to be released.
"This will have to do," he muttered, moving toward the pile.
The leader's voice boomed behind him. "You can't run forever, boy!"
Ignoring the taunt, Kael examined the devices. He selected an orb with a cracked surface, its energy signature wildly unstable.
"That one's pretty unstable," Neo warned. "You'll only get one shot."
"That's all I need." Kael's voice was grim.
He positioned the orb on top the other devices, creating an improvised explosive. With a piece of twisted metal, he struck the orb's surface.
The reaction was instantaneous. Energy crackled and sparked, the devices' hum growing to a pitch that could turn one deaf. Kael turned and ran, his heart felt like it was about burst from his chest.
"Brace yourself!" Neo's warning barely came before the explosion.
The blast tore through the air with a thunderous roar, shaking the very ground. A brilliant beam of light shot toward the sky, lighting up the battlefield and the distant forest.
Kael stumbled but managed to maintain his balance, glancing back at the towering beam. "That should get their attention," he managed to say.
"It will," Neo agreed. "Now you just have to survive until they arrive."
The leader emerged from the smoke, his corrupted form fully revealed. His arms had transformed into grotesque cannons, flesh fused with metal and crystal. His body, except for his head, was nothing but exposed muscle and twisted flesh. The dark fragment in his chest pulsed violently, radiating waves of corrupted energy.
"You think that little light show will save you?" The leader's voice had become inhuman, a rough growl that barely resembled speech.
Kael raised his blade, forcing his hands to steady despite their trembling. "It's not about saving me. It's about stopping you."
The leader charged with terrifying speed, his massive frame defying logic. Kael sidestepped at the last moment, his blade finding purchase in the leader's exposed flank. The strike, though deep, seemed to have little effect.
"Is that all you've got?" the leader sneered, swinging one cannon-arm in a devastating arc.
Kael ducked beneath the attack, feeling the shockwave ripple through the ground. He countered with a precise strike to the leader's leg, attempting to slow the monster's movement.
"You need to wear him down," Neo advised, her voice steady in his mind. "He's burning through energy fast, but you have to outlast him."
"Easier said than done," Kael muttered, evading another devastating blow.
The battle continued, each exchange pushing Kael closer to his limits. His movements grew sluggish, his strikes less precise. Yet the leader seemed to feed off his own rage, his attacks becoming even more ferocious.
Kael used every trick in his arsenal, using tight spaces to his advantage, debris as cover, striking at the exposed fragment whenever possible. But the leader's corrupted form seemed to ignore pain entirely.
"You're just delaying the inevitable," the leader taunted, his voice full of mockery.
Kael held his breath, focusing entirely on surviving. When the leader swung again, he used a nearby rubble pile as a springboard, launching himself toward the fragment in the monster's chest.
The leader caught his blade with one hand, crushing the metal effortlessly. He yanked Kael forward, slamming him into the ground with bone-crushing force.
Kael gasped for air, his vision turning blurry. His body refused to respond to his desperate commands to move.
"Get up, Kael! You can't stop now!" Neo said, with panic in her voice.
The leader towered over Kael, his cannon-arm pointed at Kael's face. Dark purple energy gathered within the barrel of the cannon.
A cruel smile twisted the leader's face. "You fought well, kid. But it ends here."
Kael's fragment pulsed weakly in his palm as his mind raced. He couldn't die, not here, not when the town needed him, not when Lira was still out there somewhere.
As the leader prepared to deliver the final blow, Kael's fragment suddenly flared to life, energy surging through his battered body like lightning.
He rolled aside just as the blast struck, the ground erupting in a shower of debris where he was laying.
Staggering to his feet, Kael picked up a new blade from one of the death guards' body. He met the leader's gaze with renewed determination.
"You'll have to try harder than that," he said, trying to hide his exhaustion.
The leader roared and charged, his fury reaching new heights. Kael braced himself, his fragment energy coursing through his veins as he prepared for another round.
As they clashed, Kael caught glimpses of movement in the forest. The elite guards were approaching. He just needed to hold out a little longer.
But his body was reaching its limit. Every movement felt like moving through thick mud, each breath was difficult.
"You're almost there, Kael. Just a little longer." Neo's voice provided the support he needed.
Kael nodded, maintaining his focus. The leader's attacks grew more out of control as his energy reserves depleted. Seizing this final opportunity, Kael launched himself into one last, desperate assault.
He leaped high, channeling everything he had left into a strike at the leader's fragment. The leader, not to be outdone, sent a powerful punch of his own.
The leader stumbled backward, his body releasing steam, but he was still standing.
Kael collapsed to his knees, his vision getting darker. He could hear several heavy footsteps approaching them, but his body had finally reached its limit. As his consciousness slipped away, he fell face-forward.
Neo's gentle voice followed him into the darkness. "Rest now, Kael. You've done enough."