Chapter 20: Monster of a Man
Aimlessly, their feet took off and they sprinted down opposite paths. Jethro felt his blood pumping inside him, his ragged breath scraping in his throat.
He felt the beating heart of his Red Lizard and its silent trembling in his pockets, but he could not stop running.
Risking a glance back, a surge of relief rushed through him as he realized that Decterion wasn’t pursuing him. But that relief turned bittersweet instantly when he realized that the baneful conqueror had appeared beside Padva, who had chosen that exact moment to look back towards Jethro.
Jethro’s eyes flashed with horror and his lips separated to form a yell.
However, when Decterion’s blade came swinging down, he was interrupted by something hard and fast, slamming into his left flank and knocking him slightly off his lethal trajectory.
The sword cut the air before Padva, and when she realized what had happened, she gasped lightly and stumbled backward in shock, collapsing onto the rough stone.
Decterion paused for a moment before adjusting himself and turning around, his hair whipping across his impassive face.
He looked at the mechbeast that had struck him. "A Doomsday Panther," he muttered coldly. "Scarcely more than a cub. Yet strong enough to displace me."
His cold blue eyes lowered to Padva, threat imminent. "This one... I might just keep."
With a lash of light, he sped into action, his blade striking towards them. The Panther roared at the same time before it pounced. The blade caught it by the side, tearing through the Vincintine skin and drawing blood. But when the young beast landed on its feet, it did not stop or cry.
It vanished, catching Decterion by surprise.