CHAPTER 14: CHAPTER 13: BLOODY ENDING (5)

Half of the beasts charged toward the masked man all at once.

The other half scattered into chaotic attacks against the villagers and the remaining survivors who kept running in terror through the ruins of the village.

The beasts quickly surrounded the masked man from every direction.

Above them, the attacks of the Great Autumn Spirit kept falling. They were faster and more violent, and the longer the fight went on the sharper they became.

One of the beasts lunged at him from behind. Its claws almost reached his neck, but he twisted half his body and fired a shot that tore its head apart before it touched him.

He retreated quickly, bending under the strikes of the Great Autumn Spirit. She was trying more to restrain him than kill him.

She was resisting. She had no desire to hurt the villagers. She knew that if the masked man fell, every soul in this forest would be doomed, humans and spirits alike.

Even so, the black substance was drowning her awareness, blocking her from thinking clearly.

He reached into his leather bag and pulled out a large bullet. He reloaded fast and fired it into the cluster of beasts gathered around him.

The moment the bullet hit the first one, it exploded into pieces. The blast shredded the rest along with it, scattering them across the area.

But more waves of beasts rushed at him, relentless.

He kept weaving between them, avoiding claws and strikes while firing with precision.

Whenever he felt completely surrounded and escape was impossible, he opened different vials from his bag and drank various doses.

A red dose made his attacks far stronger, even without the gun. He could now kill beasts with his bare hands.

When the last one fell, the Great Autumn Spirit was still unleashing her attacks on him.

He sprinted toward her and leapt, dodging a whip of vines that nearly sliced him in half.

He pulled from his bag a bottle containing a golden dose and threw it hard at her. As usual, she raised a wall of vines to block it, but the golden light burst across the entire area.

He rushed forward, trying to take advantage of the moment, but this time the spirit did not weaken.

She raised her hand and a thick mass of vines lashed out, striking him and hurling him through the air before slamming him into a wall.

He lifted his head and stood again. Then he looked around at the village, half destroyed, the ground filled with corpses and beasts feeding on them, and a few survivors still trying to live through the night.

He pulled his coat back from his arm, revealing layers of bandages. He began removing them despite the intense pain.

His arm was burned to the bone and the skin was rotting. He took out a green dose and poured it all over his hand.

Then he charged again. The spirit attacked, but he stepped back. When a new wave of vines rose to pierce through his chest, he raised his injured hand.

A golden light burst from it, stronger than before, burning the vines instantly.

His body staggered as if he might collapse, but he steadied himself, lifted his gun with the other hand, and fired directly at the Great Autumn Spirit.

She tried to form another barrier of vines, but the golden light burned it away.

The bullet almost hit her chest. She flew into the air, dodging it just in time.

The bullet struck a beast behind her and its explosion wiped out everything around it.

...

Meanwhile, Oliver and the others were running at full speed. The beasts were now charging at them, something that had never happened before. These creatures had never come near Oliver or tried to harm him earlier.

They ran between houses and broken streets while the sage kept glancing back every few steps, watching the masked man clash with the Great Autumn Spirit.

Most of the beasts were strangely drawn to him, while a few scattered around the edges of the village hunting whatever villagers remained.

The sage watched the masked man leap over a group of vines and said,

"Is that man even human?"

Till, hovering above them, answered,

"He looks human or maybe he is a hybrid like Oliver."

The sage snapped,

"Wait, there are hybrids? And they are this strong? Fighting the Great Autumn Spirit like that?"

"I have not met many in my life," Till replied, "but I am certain they are not supposed to be this powerful."

Oliver shot them both a look while still running.

"Can you two stop talking? This is not the time. Just run."

They kept running until they reached the edge of the village.

A small group of villagers had gathered near the massive barrier of poisonous plants and black thorns surrounding the entire area.

A woman held her small daughter close. A middle aged man sat leaning against a tree trunk, his entire body wrapped in bandages, dried blood covering his face, and one eye hidden behind a dressing. A boy of eight was crying nonstop beside him.

Oliver tried to climb the barrier. The moment his hand touched one of the sharp plant knots, the thorns punctured his skin and blood dripped from his palm.

He was about to continue climbing, but Elinor grabbed him and pulled him back hard.

"What do you think you are doing? You want to tear yourself apart?"

"I am trying to find a way out. There is no other path."

The injured man spoke,

"Kid, trust me, do not. I tried before you."

He pointed at his missing eye.

"These thorns are not natural. When I climbed, they wrapped around my chest and neck. I survived only because I cut part of them with my knife before they ripped my throat. But I lost my eye in the process."

Oliver stepped back immediately. The sage retreated too, and Till floated away from the thorns.

When the woman saw Till hovering, she screamed,

"What is that insect doing here? Kill it before it turns like the others and opens our stomachs!"

She grabbed a stone to throw at Till, but Oliver caught her hand and hid Till inside his coat.

"Till is not a monster, and she is not going to turn into one."

The woman pointed at the pile of bones nearby, clutching her daughter tightly.

"And why are you so sure? Look what her kind did. They tore my husband apart."

The sage stepped forward.

"I understand your fear, and I feel the same. I hate these flying pests. But that little one is our only chance."

"What do you mean?"

"Once we leave the village, how do you expect us to survive a single night in the forest? The beasts outside are worse. We need someone to guide us or at least someone who knows where to step."

The injured man laughed.

"You’ve become optimistic, sage. But we are not leaving. We are going to die here. Still, I agree with you. No point wasting energy killing one of the Autumn Spirits that has not turned yet."

He pointed toward the battle behind them.

"Our only hope is that man."

The woman asked,

"Do you think he can win?"

The man exhaled slowly and shook his head.

"Let us hope so. It is not like we have any other choice."