Chapter 185: A Desperate Plan
The battle raged on with increasing intensity, the four warriors forming a tight circle as they fought back-to-back against the seemingly endless tide of undead. The ground around them was littered with the remnants of their enemies, but still more kept coming, emerging from the forest, from the underground tunnels, from shadows that seemed to spawn them from nothingness itself.
Arthur’s world narrowed to the immediate threats around him—the reach of his blade, the positioning of his feet, the rhythm of strike and parry that kept him alive for one more second, one more heartbeat. His shadow powers were beginning to flicker more frequently now, the constant drain of energy starting to overwhelm even his enhanced reserves.
A creature wearing the tattered remains of a wedding dress lunged at him from his blind spot, its bouquet of dead flowers still clutched in one skeletal hand. Arthur spun just in time to catch it with his blade, but the impact sent him stumbling backward. His foot caught on the corpse of a previously defeated creature, and he went down hard, his back hitting the muddy ground with a wet thud.
The bride-creature loomed over him, its veil trailing behind it like a shroud as it prepared to deliver the killing blow. Arthur raised his odachi desperately, but he was off-balance and couldn’t generate enough force to penetrate the creature’s skull.
Just as the thing’s claws descended toward his face, a massive arrow whistled through the air and struck the creature center mass, the impact so powerful that it literally tore the thing in half. The upper portion of its body flew backward in a spray of dark fluid, while its legs remained standing for a moment before toppling over.
"Thanks, Myah!" Arthur gasped as he scrambled back to his feet, his muscles protesting every movement.
"Don’t mention it!" came the reply, followed immediately by the sound of another arrow being nocked and drawn.
the tide of creatures seemed to be growing stronger rather than weaker. Fresh hordes were emerging from the distance with each passing minute, and the underground tunnels continued to disgorge more of the shambling dead. Arthur could feel his strength waning, his movements becoming slower and less precise with each passing moment.
Cara’s light was beginning to flicker more frequently, her usual perfect control starting to slip as exhaustion took its toll. "We need to find a way out of here," she said, her voice strained with effort. "We can’t keep this up much longer."