"Something's wrong", the girl said cautiously. The cloner's friends immediately sensed an oddity "Prepare yourself". They both sprang to their feet, their expressions shifting from confusion to alarm as they searched for their missing companion. They had survived till now despite the harshness of the purges so they knew when something was wrong in any situation.
Omen's movements were swift and calculated. He had to act quickly before they could regroup and defend themselves. Kiba had left to take care of Jacobi and Kan but accidents were prone to happen. As he remained hidden in the foliage, he assessed the situation. The regenerating girl was already on high alert, her eyes scanning the treetop
Omen decided to strike decisively. With the cloner out of sight, the other two would be his focus. He planned to take down the regenerating girl with a single, lethal strike, and then deal with the remaining purger
"Come closer Indianna, I have a really bad feeling" Preto's instincts were sharp, but even he struggled to keep up with the invisible threat. His panic-fueled escape was cut short as the ground erupted beneath him, sending a dark, shadowy figure into view. The demon-like being, cloaked in swirling black mist, emerged with an unsettling grace.
"What the hell!" Preto, desperate to survive, tried to regain his composure. He could barely make out the shadowy figure's form, his vision distorted by the black mist. He tried to counter the shadow's attack, but each move was hindered by the blinding fear and the unfamiliarity of his foe's abilities.
The shadow demon moved with deadly precision, its form shifting fluidly, adapting to every evasive maneuver Preto attempted. With every failed attempt to escape or counter, the figure seemed to grow more menacing, its dark aura pulsating with malevolent intent.
'what on earth is this? I thought we were still on Aeltheron; did we teleport to another dimension in reality.'
Omen, having observed the chaos from his hidden vantage point, assessed the situation with a detached focus. The real challenge was dealing with Preto, whose defensive capabilities were becoming evident.
Omen's shadowy form glided silently through the treetops, closing in on the scene with lethal intent. His strength and speed made him a terrifying adversary, and with the chaos already disrupting his enemies, he was prepared to finish what he had started.
…..
Preto's heart raced as he maneuvered around Omen's relentless attacks. Each movement was a desperate dance for survival. His precognition allowed him to anticipate Omen's strikes just moments before they landed, dodging with precision. Omen's black mist oozed from his form, swirling with an ominous intent that made Preto's skin crawl. His premonitions blazed like flares in his mind, screaming a single, terrifying truth: contact with the mist would mean instant death!
But then, the ground beneath them trembled violently. Preto's eyes widened in horror as he realized what was happening—a massive sand wyrm was surfacing. The earth split with a deafening roar, and the wyrm's enormous mouth burst forth from the depths, sand cascading off its monstrous form. Its jaws opened wide, revealing rows upon rows of rotating, razor-sharp fangs. Preto tried to leap back, but the wyrm was too fast. Its gaping maw clamped down with terrifying force, its circular teeth spinning in a nightmarish blur.
Preto didn't have time to scream. The wyrm's jaws decimated his corpse with a horrible crunch, cutting it at its midsection. Red blood spewed everywhere as the bottom half of his entire body vanished into the monster's mouth, devoured completely in a single mouthful. His top half, still twitching in astonishment, slumped to the ground, his pupils wide with the shock of his unexpected, horrible death.
The girl beside him was paralysed with terror, her gaze fixed on Omen. "No! No..." she whimpered, her voice barely a whisper of terror. Her plea was cut short as Omen moved with inhuman speed, his hand flashing out to grasp her face. With a savage yank, he ripped the lower half of her face off. The ripping sensation of flesh and bones was nauseating, and blood splattered in a wide arc across the icy snow.
Omen gripped the horrible remains of her jawbone, teeth, tongue, and ripped skin. The girl's gaze were filled with dread, and her scream turned into a gurgling, frantic noise that was swiftly smothered off because her lips were incapable of forming words. Blood streamed from the destroyed lower section of her face, spilling down her chest and breast in viscous rivulets.
Omen's black mist split around his face, exposing his features beneath—a stark contradiction of appealing yet dreadful, his eyes pools of complete black null and void His smile was one of pure malevolence, a twisted expression that sent shivers down the girl's spine. He watched her silent scream, the terror in her eyes the only voice she had left.
He laid a hand on her head, and a dark energy pulsed from his palm. Her body began to deteriorate immediately, her flesh shrivelling and ripping as her essence was completely drained. Her pupils shrank into their sockets, her flesh tightened over her skeleton, and her hair became brittle and grey. Her skull crumbled to dust in his grasp, vanishing into nothingness.
Omen stood amidst the carnage; his smile still etched on his face as he disintegrated as well. The real Omen came down from the tree and fully observed his work.
"Good", he muttered darkly with a smile.
Meanwhile, The tall, lean boy with long golden hair remained composed, his gaze fixed on the tree line ahead. Tame stood beside him, his expression troubled as he stared into the distance, eyes narrowed in concentration. "Malek is coming, but he's… alone?" Tame's robotic voice was uncertain, carrying a mix of confusion and concern.
Anna sat a few paces away, her legs crossed, glaring at the android with unmasked contempt. She loathed him. If it weren't for the staggering array of weapons he could deploy, she would have killed him without hesitation. Yet Omen had proven to be an easier target—she still marvelled at how the frail boy had managed to endure as long as he had with nothing but the ability to see in darkness. It would have been kinder if he had died early on; at least then, his struggle would have ended.
"Isn't that a good thing, Tame?" Mia interjected with a sly smile. Though she was the smallest of the group, her innocent appearance belied the twisted mind of a powerful witch. Her eyes glinted with mischief as she spoke, her tone almost playful.
Tame grunted in response, his unease growing. "Maybe. But it feels… off. Malek is never alone."
Just then, the ground began to vibrate ever so slightly, a rhythmic resonance becoming more potent with each passing second. The tall boy tensed, his muscles clumping in apprehension From the dense darkness of the forest, Malek appeared with purposeful tranquilly, his towering structure looming larger with each step. At three meters high, Malek was a gigantic figure of raw power. His skin, a profound, dark red, appeared to glisten with a faint, eerie glow. Thick muscles reverberated beneath his skin, every motion fluid and accurate, like a predator on the hunt. His dark metal armour was bulky and imposing, encompassing most of his body, safe for his arms and bare feet. Enormous gauntlets wrapped his hands, the metal glittering with a dreary shine. His helmet, styled like a howling wolf, covered his face, revealing just his penetrating yellow eyes through the holes.
He hesitated at the forest's edge, his breath evident in the chilly air as he scanned the surroundings. Without warning, Malek's massive frame tensed, and he launched himself forward in an explosive leap, the ground beneath him cracking from the sheer force.
The tall boy and Tame barely had time to react. Malek bridged the gap between them in a second, his body a whirl of red and black metal. He fell with a deafening bang, and the earth underneath him buckled as if under the weight of a smashing boulder. His gauntleted hands swung with deadly speed and precision, aiming directly at the tall boy's skull.
The boy ducked just in time, feeling the rush of wind as the massive fist whooshed past him, barely missing his skull by inches. Tame sprang into action, his own movements a blur as he tried to flank Malek, but the red-skinned giant was quicker. With a vicious backhand, Malek sent Tame sprawling, his body skidding across the snow like a ragdoll.
Anna watched the chaos unfold, her lips curling into a sneer. She hated Malek, but his strength was unmatched, his speed astonishing for his size. He was a force of nature, a hurricane of muscle and metal. The only one she knew who could take him on was Jacobi and the latter had refused to join her team.
Mia, on the other hand, seemed almost delighted by the sudden violence. Her smile widened, and she began to mutter under her breath, her eyes glowing with an eerie light as she prepared to unleash her own brand of chaos.
Sorcery!
Malek's attention was wholly focused on the tall blonde boy no. He swung his gauntleted fists again, each blow aimed to kill. The boy weaved and dodged gracefully, but Malek was relentless, his attacks a ceaseless barrage of deadly intent.
"How long does that witch need to activate her damned sorcery!', he pondered in annoyance, if this fight dragged on he was sure to be crushed. Gold rolled away just in time, narrowly avoiding the force of Malek's fist as it slammed into the snow-covered ground, sending shards of ice and chunks of earth flying into the air. The impact was so powerful that it left a crater beneath them, the earth cracking and splitting like shattered glass. Snow and dirt erupted around them, momentarily blinding everyone in the vicinity.
Malek's dark red skin seemed to glow with an inner fire as he launched himself at Gold again, his killing intent almost suffocating. However, as his massive figure surged forward, he came to a halt in midair, clutching his head in agony. "Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!" His eyes widened and his body trembled as if some unseen force was tearing at his mind. The intense pain in his head was severe, like it was shredding his skull in pieces.
Malek's gaze darted around in a desperate attempt to break free from the mental onslaught, eventually resting on the source of his anguish—the mind-controlling witch.
He pounded the ground again, this time with such power that a large boulder broke away. He flung it at the manipulator with brutal speed. She barely had time to react, the rock colliding with a shockwave that sent her flying back, breaking her concentration for just a moment.
Freed from the mental assault, Malek turned his attention back to Gold, who had been using the brief respite to prepare his counterattack. As Malek leapt forward again, Gold unleashed a brilliant stream of light, blindingly bright and searing with intensity. The light surged toward Malek with the force of a solar flare, aiming to scorch him on impact.
But before the light could reach him, an invisible barrier shimmered into existence around Malek, absorbing the brunt of the attack. The light refracted off the barrier, scattering harmlessly in all directions. High above, Freya hovered in the air, her form radiant and majestic, her powers shielding Malek with a flick of her hand. Her eyes were cold, calculated, as she watched the battlefield unfold beneath her.