Chapter 283: Arrow One
———Histon———
<9: 39 AM>
“...All of you… owe me one.” Kenni weakly said as she lowered her arms.
*Thud* *Shine* *Shatter*
Her body broke into molts of light and disappeared, showing that she had sustained fatal injury and is out of the game.
My eyes lingered in the sky for a few seconds and saw the count now down to seventy six. Seventy six. What caused that explosion? No way she had enough energy to create an attack that massive, right?
That bird woman that attacked me then quickly gets toward the frontline despite one of her wings still looking like it’s not functioning.
*Dash* *Strike* *Launch*
She intercepted someone rushing towards us at high speed, knocking her away once they both collided.
There are burnt scars, and she is missing her right arm, or at least she should have, but…
*Swing* *Leap*
“Whoa!” She summoned the scythe and then swung it with that new arm of hers. Why can it extend like that!?
“Absolutely monstrous.” Luik remarked, trying to keep her cool considering the situation.
Instead of healing up her missing right arm, if that’s even possible at this point, she uses that threads superpower of hers to basically form the missing arm for her to use instead.
*Dash* *Clash* *Swing* *Evade*
Luik and the others ran in to try to finish her off. I don’t really know how much power she has left in the tank, but her movement is a lot more sluggish already, it feels like.
*Clash* *Clang* *Strike*
I don’t see anyone from that Perfect Class around. Were they taken out already or are they simply too injured and tired out to even fight? I don’t really know, but the rest of us have to deal with the problem left behind now.
*Strike* *Bang* *Slash*
More people start to fall as Emmie still manages to overpower them despite the state she is in. Damn it! Why can’t you go down already!?
*Dash* *Swing* *Block*
I ran in to help and she can still intercept my attack even with other people keeping her occupied even now.
*Weave* *Wrap*
“Guh!?” Suddenly multiple of those threads appeared out of the ground and constricted our movement before we could continue putting in the pressure. How in the world does that ability even work!?
*Leap*
She then suddenly jumped away to create a large amount of distance between both sides as all of us quickly overpower these strings trying to hold us down.
*Weave* *Shine*
Suddenly what looked like a massive wall of light appeared between both sides. What the hell is she trying to do? It’s so comically big that I don’t really know where it began or ends.
“Move!” Someone yelled out before running away. What is-
*Push* *Crack* *Bzzz*
The wall of light moved towards us so suddenly!? I don’t know what’s gonna happen but I need to run away quickly!
*Dash* *Slice* *Dice* *Shatter*
Just before I could get out of the way of the wall approaching, I can see that it seems to have a grid-like pattern to it. Anyone who didn’t move fast enough had the wall go through them and cut them up into very small chunks. It’s an instant-death technique.
*Leap* *Swing* *Evade*
She then quickly closes the distance between the rest of us who are still alive and quickly resumes attacking.
This isn’t looking good. That one attack alone killed more than thirty of us! We only have around forty-something people!
*Dash* *Swing* *Evade* *Swing* *Evade*
I ran in to help the others warding her off. Why can’t she just go down already!?
*Wrap* *Shock*
“Uagh!” I screamed out with my left arm suddenly wrapped in those strings and suddenly it lit up and electrocuted me.
*Kick* *Punch* *Strike*
“Gruk!?” She then delivered multiple hits to everyone surrounding her and sent everyone including me flying.
*Strike* *Crack* *Wrap* *Lift*
She then suddenly struck the ground and sent the debris flying into the air, and then those pebbles were covered in those light threads and began floating.
*Shoot* *Strike* *Clack* *Smack*
“Ugh! Ack!” She then launches those tiny pebbles toward us, the speed of those little things are way too fast for me to react in the state I’m in and I’m being peppered by those surprisingly tough tiny rocks.
*Dash* *Swing* *Grab* *Crush*
Luik then ran in and attempted another surprise attack, but Emmie grabbed the sword with that temporary arm of hers and crushed it with ease. Did Luik not bother to amp up her weapon before she attacked? Did she already fully run out of gas as well?
*Strike* *Slam*
Emmie then quickly hit her with a punch to her face and another that sent her down to eat the dirt.
*Dash* *Tackle*
Before Emmie could make her move to finish Luik off, Malk ran in and rammed into her. Everything is looking so much more sluggish. Everyone is really at the end of their rope. Where the hell is the healer?
*Swing* *Block*
Evalyn also joined in and the two began fighting Emmie while the rest of us are still reeling from that pebble storm. Where in the world were those abilities earlier in the fight?
*Bang*
Evalyn then gets shot point-blank by her scythe and quickly collapses, but barely alive.
*Leap* *Swing* *Parry*
Kist then jumped in with the karambit in hand, using that tiny thing to try to keep up with the massive scythe his opponent has. It looks so ridiculous but he still manages to keep her at bay for a while with Evalyn slowly retreating, but she is clearly already out of the fight.
*Morph* *Stab* *Kick*
Emmie then faked him out and instead of swinging down the scythe that he anticipated and would intercept, she pulled it away before morphing that fake arm into a blade and stabbed him right in the shoulder before kicking him away.
*Strike* *Swing* *Evade*
Malk managed to get a strong hit on her back, but she quickly turned her attention back to him and summoned back her scythe and started putting the pressure on him.
*Dash* *Swing* *Clash*
Qyunda then jumps in and tries to help her partner, but it’s really looking like she also doesn't have much to offer as well.
*Leap* *Clash*
And then Curin jumped in to help those two. Can we please have anyone else coming in to help?
*Clash* *Clang* *Parry*
…It really doesn’t sound like we have anyone else. This is hella bleak.
The three of them manage to keep fighting her to a standstill, which is better than nothing, and I would imagine that the fake arm can’t keep functioning forever. Regardless of whatever application it has over a normal arm, the fact that she only pulled it out now makes it clear this is a more desperate move, not something she would default to.
*Swing* *Slash* *Strike*
As I was thinking that, Qyunda managed to cut it off and left her with only one arm again, and even used the sword in her other hand to get a somewhat weak hit on her torso.
*Smack* *Strike*
The other two then get their own hits in. Nothing lethal, but enough to stagger her and keep racking up the damage. All of them are near their limit, so it’s not much, but we’re near the finish line… Freaking hell. I really want to join in, but I can barely move as is.
*Dash* *Strike*
Suddenly Galed, that eagle lady, joined in and struck Emmie with the edge of her shield.
*Bang* *Crash*
A gunshot rang out and her body was sent flying. I don’t know where it hit her, but I can see blood gushing out and leaving a small trail.
…Is it actually over? Finally? It’s been an hour of nonstop fighting. It felt way too long for comfort. It’s one against hundreds, and yet we were the one on the backfoot the entire time. Most of the city was torn to shreds, looking more like we’re in a war zone.
Suddenly Qyunda’s movement stiffened and her eyes widened, no longer relaxed as she noticed something… Emmie is still standing and holding something in her hand. I can’t tell it from where I’m standing.
*Gulp*
Before either of the three could move, something happened and all of them seem extremely shocked, like-
*Rumble* *Crackle* *Rumble*
“W-What in the!?” What’s happening!? What is this power I’m sensing!? Where is this coming from!?
“Bastard…” Galed muttered as suddenly our sole enemy casually walked towards them.
No blemish in sight, her protective dress fully recovered, and the searing hot feeling of sensing her power is terrifying.
“What even happened?” I can’t help but ask despite not having anyone nearby to answer.
“Items, obviously.” Huh!? When did Lynda get here? I thought you already died!
“Items?” I repeated that word in confusion.
“She hadn’t used any throughout the entire fight. Maybe she couldn’t with how we keep sending in people to keep her busy. That one solitary moment where it looks like she was actually defeated. Even a second too late, and we’re already doomed.” She explained. I didn’t even think about that. I already used up all of the pills I have, so I just thought everyone already exhausted their supplies, otherwise we wouldn’t look so desperate in the late game.
“It looks like none of you have any strength left to spare. How unfortunate.” Emmie remarked with that usual monotone tone of hers. “It was still a valiant fight, that much I can give that to all of you.”
“Lynda, you got anything left?” I weakly asked. I know I’m sounding real delusional but if there’s anything left we gotta pull it out.
“Hell no. You gotta be crazy for thinking that.” She answered with a hoarse voice. “We have nothing, none of us have anything left to do or even say, really.”
We’re seriously out of options? No healing items, no healer, no secret weapon, just nothing?
“I suppose I should make this easy and end this quickly.” Emmie said with the same tone but that doesn’t stop the sentence from being quite a terrifying implication.
*Dim* *Crackle* *Rumble*
“Augh!?” Suddenly her power seems to increase multiple times over as her body is covered in black and red aura, with sparks of those colors appearing like tiny bolts of electricity as well. The pressure from her power increasing is sending us tumbling and flying. She’s not even touching us and it still feels like we’re hit with a sucker punch.
*Weave* *Shine* *Flap*
As if that wasn’t enough, she also suddenly weaved out three pairs of wings to put on her back. Can she also do that this entire time!?
“Well then. It’s time to end this. That was quite fun.” She said while looking at all of us with a smirk, at least I think she does, it’s so hard to tell her expression apart from each other.
*Flap* *Zip*
She then quickly flew up into the sky and stayed too far for any of us to reach her.
*Swing* *Dim*
She drew something into the sky. What looks like a crescent moon painted black, and then filling the gap with red light to make a full moon.
“If you want to see a destructive spectacle, then gaze your eyes upon this and etch it into your memory.” Her voice rang out throughout the entire area despite being so high up in the sky it should be impossible for her words to reach us. “[Artemis Arrow].”
*Dim* *Crackle* *SHOOT*
From the middle of the moon painted in the sky, a giant arrow emerged out and shot downward.
…I don’t really know what to make of this. I really don’t. It’s a massive-scale destructive spell, no doubt, but I can’t really do anything about it. None of us can.
*Rustle* *Shine* *Shatter*
Its presence alone seems to paint the entire area in its red light. Every building in its proximity seems to disintegrate into nothing as they can’t even handle being close to it at all.
We can’t do anything but watch as it made its way to the ground and-
*BOOM*