CHAPTER 77: CHAPTER 76 : BLOOD IN THE STREETS (2)

The night sky burned alive.

The Hybrid launched upward, dragging Volt with it, talons buried deep into the dragon’s armored scales.

Volt roared, his three throats harmonizing into a sound that cracked windows across the street. Every clash of scale and claw rattled the world below. Lightning and blood smeared across the rooftops as the two titans spiraled higher.

From the ground, I could only watch in awe and rage.

My talons flexed against the pavement, itching to leap, but my wings were shredded from earlier skirmishes. I could barely stay aloft for minutes, let alone join Volt up there.

All I could do was trust Ye-Rin.

"Volt!" Ye-Rin’s voice tore through the storm. Her boots pounded against a bent lamppost. She launched herself with a feral cry, vaulting into the night like a spear thrown by the gods.

Her fingers brushed cold, sparking scales—then she landed on Volt’s back, teeth gritted. The current danced up her arms, but she refused to let go.

"Not leaving you alone, you big oaf," she snarled, lowering herself flat against his ridged spine.

Volt answered with a guttural rumble, arcs of lightning streaking from his maws.

The Hybrid noticed her immediately. Its jagged wings beat furiously, and with a shriek like torn iron, it reached for her.

Ye-Rin’s response was to laugh. A harsh, wild laugh. "Come on, then!" She swung her Drake Cleaver Axe in a two-handed arc. The blade erupted with Infernal Bite’s stored fire, slamming across the Hybrid’s talon.

The monster shrieked, ichor spraying in a foul rain that hissed as it hit Volt’s hide.

"In-Ji!" I barked.

Already she was moving. Her body looked barely held together, sweat and soot caked across her face. But her eyes—those hunter’s eyes—burned sharp.

"Keep them busy, huh? That’s my job." She slammed a fresh magazine into her M1911. Her stance wavered but didn’t break.

Crack!

The first bullet streaked upward, grazing the Hybrid’s wing joint.

Crack-crack-crack!

Three more followed, pinning the beast’s movement, forcing it to contort mid-air.

"Come on, ugly... dance for me," she muttered. Each trigger pull drained her, her shoulders locking up with the recoil. Her lips bled from where she bit them to stay conscious.

Ye-Rin shouted above, "Nice shot, In-ji!"

In-Ji snorted, reloading again. "I’m not doing this for praise—just don’t fall, damn it!"

Seo-Yeon’s scream split the air.

She stood amid twisted husks of vehicles, arms spread wide like a conductor calling her orchestra. Her telekinetic power roared to life, veins glowing violet across her skin.

"Move..." she whispered, eyes flickering with madness. Then she roared: "MOVE!"

The earth groaned as six cars tore themselves free from the rubble. Glass shattered, metal shrieked. They hovered for a breathless second before circling her like vultures.

"Ye-Jun!" she cried, her voice cracking. "Tell her to duck!"

I looked up. "Ye-Rin! Get down!"

Ye-Rin didn’t question me—she flattened herself against Volt.

The first car ripped upward, colliding into the Hybrid’s wing with a crunch that echoed like a snapped tree trunk. The beast staggered mid-flight, ichor dripping onto the rooftops below.

"Not enough!" Seo-Yeon’s face twisted, blood running from her nose. She launched another car, then another. One smashed into the Hybrid’s ribs, another clipped its tail.

But the third... slammed against Volt’s flank.

The dragon roared in pain, his body convulsing mid-air.

Seo-Yeon gasped, collapsing to her knees, clutching her mouth as blood dripped from her lips. "No—no, no, I didn’t—"

"Focus!" I barked at her, grabbing her shoulders. "He can take it. Don’t stop now."

Her eyes were wild, tears mixing with the blood. But she nodded. The remaining cars swirled faster, ready to be unleashed again.

Elsewhere, Mi-Sun faced hell.

Three Behemoths thundered down the street toward her, each step like a boulder smashing pavement. Their tusks gleamed with gore, their eyes burning hunger.

She raised her Dark Scythe, crimson light flickering around her.

"Curse... of Withering..." Her voice trembled, the words gnawing at her strength.

"Curse... of Rot..." Blood ran from her nose, dripping onto her robes.

"Curse... of Silence."

The curses exploded outward like invisible chains. The behemoths faltered, their strides slowing, confusion clouding their eyes.

Mi-Sun’s legs buckled, her scythe the only thing keeping her upright. She coughed bile, her chest heaving.

But she raised her head, eyes gleaming scarlet. "If you move... if you breathe... I will make sure you choke on it."

Above, chaos reigned.

The Hybrid roared, spinning mid-air. It seized Volt’s side again, claws digging through armored scales. Lightning burst free, searing through the night like wild firecrackers.

"Volt!!" Ye-Rin’s voice cracked with panic. She raised her axe again, flames licking its edge.

The Hybrid slammed a wing into her. The impact sent her flying from Volt’s back, spinning through the air.

"Ye-Rin!!" I shouted, sprinting forward.

She tumbled—then barely caught one of Volt’s jagged scales, dangling by one arm, teeth clenched in defiance.

"Not that easy!" she spat, pulling herself back onto his spine. Her knuckles bled, but her grip didn’t falter.

Volt’s three heads screamed in unison, their thunderous cries shaking the rooftops. But his flight faltered. His body convulsed, electricity spilling uncontrolled from his wounds.

The Hybrid laughed. A guttural, monstrous sound. Its wings beat once—twice—and then it shoved downward with all its might.

The two titans plummeted.

The sky itself seemed to tear open as they crashed into the street. The shockwave sent cars tumbling like toys, shattered windows exploding outward in glittering sprays.

I covered my face with my wings, my body nearly lifted off the ground from the impact.

When the dust settled, Volt lay broken.

The dragon’s body twitched, his scales cracked and bleeding radiant light. His breaths rattled like broken thunder, his tails limp against the ground. Sparks of unstable electricity leaked from his wounds, scorching the asphalt.

"Volt..." Ye-Rin slid down from his side, landing hard on her knees beside him. Her hands shook as she pressed against his scales, as though she could hold him together by will alone. "No... no, stay with me."

The Hybrid loomed above them.

Its wings spread wide, jagged shadows crawling over the ruined houses. It hunched low, grinning with jagged teeth, eyes burning with sadistic hunger.

For the first time that night, Volt looked mortal.

Ye-Rin’s scream tore through the battlefield, wordless and feral, as she raised her flaming axe toward the monster.