CHAPTER 234: FRAGMENTS

When Raegar and Selene landed on a final branch that led to the grasslands, the sight below snuffed out any hope. Spilling from the forest, the horde of Creatures of the Night surged toward the school’s wall, a roiling tide of horror.

’Have the Runes been destroyed?’ he internally asked himself.

The towering humanoid monstrosity led the charge, its frame and glowing sockets cutting through the dark like a beacon of dread. Behind it, Nightwalkers skittered on all fours, their burning eyes darting wildly.

Forest Giants lumbered with earth-shaking steps, getting even more excited as they closed in on the guards. Watchers twitched their eyeless heads, sensing the air. Hollowborns rushed along in a strange and creepy run.

Selene’s grip tightened on his arm, her strained voice a whisper. ’’They’re heading for the school... Rae, what do we do?’’

His jaw clenched, eyes narrowing as he calculated their odds. The school’s defenses were strong, but this horde was a nightmare unbound. ’’It’s too late to warn them,’’ he said. ’’I’ll use my special ability as you follow behind and kill anything that I miss.’’

The Demoness agreed, giving him a determined nod as he whispered. ’’Fusion Overdrive.’’

Moments later, Raegar’s Aether surged, a radiant burst sending his power to that of a Tier Ten warrior. Following that, he jumped from the branch, landing on the forest floor with a muted thud, Selene at his side.

His eyes locked on the rear of the wild monster horde, their nightmarish forms a writhing mass of shadow and malice. Gritting his teeth, he raised his hands, Aether crackling at his fingertips.

Stormfire Bullets erupted from his palms, blazing orbs of electric flame streaking through the air. They slammed into the trailing Nightwalkers, igniting their forms in bursts of searing light, their shrieks swallowed by the storm’s roar.

Undeterred, Raegar thrust both hands forward, unleashing a Lightfire Blast, a powerful torrent of energy that tore through a cluster of Hollowborns. Their forms unraveled, their void-filled chests collapsing in a cascade of fading embers.

The horde faltered momentarily, some creatures turning their burning gazes toward the disruption. His Aether pulsed, deflecting a stray claw from a lunging Watcher. ’’Selene, stay close!’’ he barked.

Following that, Raegar burst forward as he fired more Stormfire Bullets into the ground, causing dust clouds to erupt as he cast Titanfall to target the leader that was barreling toward the school gates.

A massive metal rod appeared beside him and shocked Selene, whose eyes widened at the sudden appearance. He grinned at the Demoness before sending it into the sky for a later time.

After he did that, his Aether flared like a supernova, his energy shield pulsing with molten light as he charged headlong into the heart of the horde. The Creatures of the Night was a churning sea of claws, teeth, and malice.

But Raegar was a storm of his own, a whirlwind of death cutting through their ranks like a scythe through wheat. He wove through the chaos, his twin daggers flashing like lightning and fire.

A Nightwalker lunged, its coal-black eyes blazing and claws swinging, but he sidestepped, his blade slicing through its neck in a single fluid motion, black blood spraying everywhere and staining his clothes.

Seconds later, a Forest Giant swung a massive arm. Raegar ducked low, rolling beneath the blow, then sprang upward, driving both daggers into its chest. The giant groaned, collapsing as he vaulted off its falling form, already targeting the next threat.

The Watcher’s eyeless head twitched, its claws slashing toward him. He leaned back, the attack grazing his shield, then he countered using a Stormfire Bullet that blasted the creature’s skull into smoldering fragments.

Raegar leaped to a nearby boulder, dodging a Hollowborn’s lunge, its claws aimed for his chest and throat. When seeing this, he twisted midair at the last second, unleashing a Lightfire Blast, the torrent incinerating the humanoid.

Behind him, Selene mopped up the stragglers left during his onslaught. Her own Aether glowed, a dark, shimmering aura as she hurled bolts of Lightning, each one striking down wounded Nightwalkers and Hollowborns.

A Watcher staggered, half-severed by Raegar’s blade, and her Lightning finished it, reducing the creature to a pile of charred remains. Her eyes burned, every motion synchronized with his advance.

The horde’s rear ranks faltered, their numbers thinning under his slaughter and Selene’s skill. Yet the towering humanoid monstrosity at the horde’s head pressed on toward the school, its glowing sockets full of hatred.

Raegar’s chest heaved, sweat mingling alongside blood on his face. ’’Selene, keep them off me!’’ he shouted, his voice carrying over the cacophony of shrieks and roars.

Following that, the Demoness killed the weaker monsters as he sent Aether to her so she could continue fighting. While doing this, he noticed the horde’s leader carrying a group of students using strange magic.

His instincts ignited, propelling him forward in a blaze. He plunged into the heart of the monstrous horde, a deadly specter weaving through the throng of Nightwalkers and Hollowborns.

Raegar’s twin daggers danced, slashing through anything that dared draw near. Claws and teeth met only air or the sharp bite of his blades, and torrents of blood sprayed, painting the grass.

Breaking through the chaotic mass, he locked eyes with the horde’s leader, a towering, humanoid, its glowing eyes radiating power. As the creature let out a growl, he unleashed a barrage of Stormfire Bullets.

The projectiles hammered the creature, searing its tattered flesh and forcing a roar from its lipless mouth. He stood firm, Aether pulsing through him, ready to press his attack against the leader as the school’s walls loomed just beyond.

Raegar watched as the leader’s claws uncurled, releasing six battered students from its grasp. They crumpled to the ground, dazed but alive, as Selene darted forward with Chaos Aether coiling around her hands.

She corralled the students and rushed them toward the school, vanishing through a shimmering gate just as it began to seal. When the horde realized what had happened surged forward, encircling him and the leader in a tightening ring of snarling menace.

’Looks like I’m on my own,’ he thought, smirking. ’Well I can use the next level of skill if it gets any worse.’

Raegar faced the horde’s leader, its claws twitched, and its mouth split into a hiss that shook the air. His shield flared brighter, his twin daggers glowing as he braced for the fight of his life.

The leader struck first, its claw slashing down like a guillotine. He jumped to the side, the ground splintering where he’d just stood and shaking the ground thanks to the force, causing him to think. ’That was close! I have to be faster!’

He countered with a volley of Stormfire Bullets that slammed into the creature’s chest, scorching its flesh, forcing it to let out an enraged growl. The horde around them screeched in excitement, but he ignored their closing ranks.

Raegar leaped, twisting midair to dodge a second claw swipe that passed inches from his nose, and drove his daggers into the creature’s arm. Blood sprayed, but the leader retaliated, its other hand smashing toward him.

Moments later, he ducked low, rolling across the earth, then sprang up, unleashing a Lightfire Blast that engulfed the leader, forcing it to stagger, its body shuddering under the sudden attack.

The surrounding horde lunged, but Raegar was a whirlwind. He Flash Stepped to a nearby boulder, slashing a Nightwalker’s throat mid-leap, then vaulted over a Watcher’s claw, severing its arm with a precise strike.

A Hollowborn’s teeth grazed his shield, but he answered with another Stormfire volley, scattering the lesser creatures as he kept the leader in his sights. The abomination roared, its claws glowing with sickly green energy, and charged.

Raegar met it head-on, dodging a bone-crushing blow and slicing into its leg, aiming to slow it. Each movement was a dance of survival, his speed and skill pitted against the leader’s overwhelming power.

It surged forward, accelerating into a blur of predatory fury. Its jagged claws raked through the air, each swipe aimed at tearing him apart. He pushed his Aether to its limits, moving in a dance of evasion, dodging left, ducking low, twisting midair to avoid the onslaught.

Each desperate maneuver burned through his energy, his shield flickering as the strain started racking his core, sweat and blood covering him as his daggers found their mark but only left shallow slices.

Raegar dodged to the side, but the horde leader moved with unnatural speed, its massive fist a blur. The blow crashed into his unprotected chest, his Aether shield flickering out at the worst moment.

Bones cracked with a sickening snap, shards piercing his lungs. A raw, bloody scream tore from his throat, blood flecking his lips as he flew back, pain searing through every breath, the horde’s roars echoing around him.

He hit the ground hard, skidding across the earth for miles, each jolt sending fresh agony through his shattered chest. Blood dripped from his lips, but he forced himself to his knees, a defiant grin curling his face.