Klaus fell to his knees, his breath coming in ragged and sharp bursts.
"Huff... Huff..." he inhaled and exhaled, one breath at a time.
Each inhale and exhale echoed louder in the oppressive silence.
The adrenaline within him moments prior, drained from his system like water slipping through a sieve.
And,
***
A frown tugged at my lips.
I just couldn't shake the unease- the nagging feeling that something was slipping away from me.
No.
I was forgetting something.
Not just one thing, but many- each of undeniable importance.
The thoughts slipped through my mind like sand spilling from an unclenched fist. The harder I tried to grasp them, the faster they vanished.
'What's happening to me?'
I clenched a fistful of my hair, a desperate attempt to anchor myself to reality.
I shook my head, trying to- wait. What was I even trying to do?
The thought slipped away before I could grasp it.
'Focus, Klaus. Focus!'
I tried again. And again. But it was like my mind was trapped behind an invisible door- the harder I pushed, the more it resisted.
Minutes stretched endlessly, each one feeling like an eternity compressed into a single breath.
What am I forgetting?
I sighed, frustration tinged with a quiet desperation.
'...Maybe it didn't matter.'
I mean, what's the worst that could happen?
Shaking my head, I reminded myself.
A few seconds.
That was all the rest I could afford.
After all, the nightmare was far from over.
If anything, it was only just beginning.
***
"Huff!" I let out a sharp breath, savoring the brief moment of reprieve while it lasted.
But after only a few seconds, I forced myself to regain focus.
Surveying my surroundings, I noticed the slaves were dead- but more and more of them were undergoing a nightmare-inducing metamorphosis.
'...Curse this nightmare!'
I gritted my teeth as a deep sense of dread settled within me.
My gaze flickered to my fellow slaves- the short one and the scholar. Their faces were pale, stricken with fear as they frantically worked to untangle the runic chains binding them, clinging to a desperate hope of freedom.
But, unfortunately-
Clang! Clang!
I shook my head.
Runic binding chains weren't something that could be undone with mere struggle. If they were, I'd already be doing the same.
With an exasperated sigh, I knew I had to act. I had to do something.
That soon became obvious. It soon became clear.
But,
"Huff… Huff." As I stared down at my hands.
What could I possibly do in such a state?
And just as despair slowly crept towards me.
"Huff… Huff…"
Just as it ignited within me.
S-slowly eating me from the inside.
Click! Click!
My attention was garnered by-
My eyes widened.
Several slaves I'd previously tagged as dead… deader than dead even, slowly rose to their feet.
Their bones cracking and reforming themselves, in an unnatural, bone-chilling transformation.
***
'More larvae!'
I grimaced.
'Damn it…!'
And then~
One...two… three of the beasts snapped their heads towards us, their fangs dripping a vicious, white fluid.
Drip!
Drip!
A heartbeat later-
They lunged towards us.
Ba- dump! Ba- dump!
The scholar and the short slave froze, their heartbeat pounding like war drums in the suffocating quiet.
Thump… Thump…
'Crap!'
My mind raced,
'Think. Think! Klaus!'
Eyes darting to my surroundings, in an attempt to find something.
Anything that could serve as a weapon.
But there was not a single object I could make use of.
There was absolutely nothing.
No,
My eyes lit up.
'...There was one!'
Filled with a sense of defiance.
I gritted my teeth and forced down the fear and unease swiftly rising within me.
'How can I afford to be scared of some pile of crap and shit!'
T-hat… that was unacceptable!
Filled with a surge of vitriol, I wrapped the runic binding chains around my knuckles, and raised my fists into the air.
'Come at me you bastards…!'
Step~
Step~
The three larvae dashed towards me.
Tok~ Tok~
Each step sent them hurtling forward, their claws gleaming… almost as if in anticipation.
The two slaves stood frozen, paralyzed by sheer terror.
Ba- dump! Ba- dump!
And then-
Slaasssh! Slasssh!!
It was over in an instant.
Their heads were torn off their bodies with unnatural precision, sent soaring through the dark, endless void.
Before finally crashing to the ground.
Rolling to a stop~
Right at my feet.
A look of confusion and despair still etched on their faces even after they were long… dead.
Ba- dump! Ba- dump!
A grim expression slowly settled on my face.
These certainly weren't just larvae.
No- these were nightmarish abominations, twisted creations born from the deepest recesses of fear and dread.
...Perhaps something even worse.
And now-
They were staring right at me.
Cold, dark pupils locked onto me, cutting through the distance like knives.
My heart pounded against my ribs, every instinct screaming at me to run.
To hide.
To do anything to escape these horrors.
But~,
Thump... Thump...
There was nowhere left to run.
Just then-,
The larvae lunged at me, their claws gleaming like obsidian blades in the dark.
Thump... Thump...
I braced myself, their nightmarish forms now fully visible and closing in fast.
But before the blows could land-
Ba- dump! Ba- dump!
My heart hammered in my chest, a paralyzing fear clinging to me.
Whoosh!!!
A sharp wind sliced through the air and-
Splatter!
Three heads flew, spinning through the darkness.
The monsters crumpled to the ground with a deafening crash, their headless bodies erupting in a black, endless tide of ichor.
"....!?"
I blinked, trying to process what had just happened.
Then, from the corner of my eye, I noticed a figure beside me- pale, their expression unreadable.
Slowly, I turned my head to the left, each second dragging on like an eternity.
There, standing still, was the handsome young soldier.
He took a few quick, measured steps forward only to stop abruptly.
And then~,
He turned towards me, locking eyes in a moment heavy with unspoken intent.
Without a word, he tossed something in my direction.
"...Save yourself!" he was already moving.
His voice barely audible over the cacophony of ear-piercing screams and deafening clangors that echoed through the suffocating darkness.
But,
Step~
Step~
The words hit me like a bolt of lightning.
***
Before I could even blink, the valorous young soldier had vanished, charging headlong toward the monster- the tyrant itself!
'...Good luck.'
I nevertheless wished the reckless soldier well, though I doubted that would change the fate that awaited him.
Easily catching the item he'd thrown at me with relative ease.
I lowered my gaze at the item clutched tightly in my hands.
Thump... Thump...
My eyes widened in shock.
What I was holding-
'I-... it's a key…! A fucking damn key!'
Thud!
I immediately dropped to my knees without any hesitation whatsoever, my trembling fingers fumbling desperately with the lock.
Each second felt like an eternity, but at last-
Click!
The lock snapped open with a sharp, resounding sound.
'Hah!'
A fleeting smile tugged at my lips as a wave of relief washed over me.
I was free at last.
And honestly, it felt indescribably great.
I let out a light smile, but then-
A cold, chilling wind crept into my bloodied wrists and bloodied back, a harsh reminder of the brutal reality I was still trapped in.
And just then-
A cold glint flickered in my eyes.
Anarzel was currently preoccupied, locked in combat with a horde of larvae.
I knew this was my perfect chance to take him down.
Backstabbing?
The thought didn't even faze me.
Only self-righteous fools held onto such naive ideals.
And me?
I was no self-righteous bastard.
But-
Shifting my gaze.
A grim look crept up my face.
Everywhere my eyes landed, there was nothing but carnage.
Headless bodies, shattered bones, mangled organs.
…It seemed endless.
Step~
Step~
Clang!! Claaang!!!
The tyrant was unstoppable.
Easily killing its way through the horde of experienced warriors.
Crack!!!
Tatiana shot forward with an explosive burst of energy, the ground beneath her shattering into pieces.
Appearing before the distracted Tyrant, she swung with tremendous force. The wind howled violently as the flanged mace struck the nightmarish creature with devastating force.
Baaaaaang!!!!
The tyrant was shoved back by the strike, digging a long ridge along its path of retreat as blood seeped out of its wound.
For a brief, harrowing moment, its eyes flickered- piercing, and filled with a concentrated beam of murderous intent and unbridled rage.
And then-
Slash! Slash!! Slasssh!!!!
Its ever swift-strikes came faster and stronger.
It became filled with something darker. Something more menacing.
Zzzzrrr!
An ominous, bone-chilling presence rippled through the air, thick with a concentrated beam of killing intent.
Slash! Slash! Riippp!!!!
Bodies were being ripped to shreds at an astounding pace, screams of agony and pain piercing through the endless night.
"Roaaaaaarrr!!!!"
Roaring and leaping.
Everywhere it passed by,
…Carnage rose in its wake.
***
The young soldier now positioned at a rather safe distance, watched 0with a grim expression.
With his arrows drawn, he dealt deadly blows to the monstrosity- buying Tatiana the precious moments she needed to land devastating strikes.
But even then-
"Huff... Huff..." breathing became a struggle.
It felt as though invisible hands were tightened around his neck, choking him with every breath.
And-
Fear.
~ Ahead of him.
It slowly crept towards him.
• A looming silhouette.
A terrifying ethereal presence of the nightmarish entity seemed to bleed into the very air around it, its cold ethereal eyes staring at the world beneath, with unheld disdain.
Fear.
I-It wasn't just creeping towards him- it was devouring him, slowly, from the inside out.
Slowly, relentlessly, it sought to overwhelm him.
'Haunter…!'
The young soldier's eyes widened, a chilling realization settling deep into his bones.
He finally understood.
Why, even the Emperor- mighty and revered- had been unable to defeat the Tyrant.
With its supernatural abilities amplifying its "Haunter" abilities to nightmarish extremes, the creature didn't just inspire fear- it manifested it.
This wasn't mere intimidation.
This was an unfathomable, oppressive dread that seeped into the very core of those who faced it.
It wasn't just the terror of being hunted.
I-It was the slow, creeping certainty of inevitable doom.
A force so overwhelming that even humans of the same sequential level could do nothing but tremble in its presence.
"...It all makes sense now."
The young soldier muttered, his voice barely audible as a grim expression darkened his features.
Taking a deep exhalation.
He steadied his stance, his bow angled toward the dark, lightless sky. With a swift motion, he drew a crimson arrow, his grip firm as an eerie chill radiated from his body.
Then-
Whoosh!
Closing his eyes for a fleeting moment, he seemed to map his surroundings with an almost instinctual awareness, as if seeing without sight.
And then-
Whiissssh!!!
A third arrow sliced through the air.
"....!"
Klaus's gaze followed its trajectory, his breath caught in his throat.
Three crimson arrows streaked through the void in perfect formation, their speed nothing short of being surreal.
His lips parted slightly in awe.
The young soldier's archery was nothing short of exceptional. Even in the clan, few could rival such mastery- at least, when it came to sheer skill with a bow.
Each arrow maintained an unwavering distance from the others, a testament to the young soldier's flawless precision.
Whooosh!!
Blitzing through the dark, lightless void, they rapidly inched closer to the nightmarish monster still inducing a wave of carnage and terror in its wake.
***
Tatiana and Naeraza fought valiantly, their strikes precise and unyielding, but,
Clang! Clang!
…It wasn't enough.
The creature roared, its massive claws cleaving through flesh and bone with terrifying ease.
Slasssh!!! Slasssh!!! Riiip!!!
Bodies were torn apart, their screams swallowed by the chaos unfurling around.
The tyrant!- like a monster summoned from the depths of hell, continued to sow discord and carnage- on the land above.
***
The young soldier continued his assault from a safe distance, his arrows piercing the beast's hide, each one buying the others a few precious seconds.
'But I knew a losing battle when I saw one.'
And sure enough, the tyrant's milky white eyes finally locked onto the young soldier.
Thump… Thump…
In an instant, the world seemed to shift- growing colder, darker, as an oppressive presence bled into the very air.
A suffocating silence slowly crept in.
And worse-
H-he could feel it.
A crushing weight pressing down on him, tightening like invisible chains around his chest.
"Huff… Huff." his breaths grew labored.
Each inhale a battle. Each exhale a struggle.
"hu… hu."
A slow, insidious dread coiled around his chest, squeezing tighter with every passing second.
Still,
He gritted his teeth.
Fear crept in, but he forced himself to shove it aside.
Drawing his bowstring taut and loosing yet another arrow.
Whoosh!
Whiisssh!!!
Each shot brought the group a silver of time, but I could see it- the cracks forming.
From their rapid, strained breaths, to the rather "subtle" echoes of their heartbeat.
…It was rather obvious.
T-hat-,
Thump!
Thump!
…They wouldn't last much longer.