Chapter 51: The Marionetist
No matter how many times they struck, the Jesters wouldn't take damage. Nely's rapid attacks, Atlas' brute force, Ned's precise strikes, none of it mattered. Every hit landed, but nothing stuck. The Jesters twisted their bodies unnaturally, bending, snapping, reforming as if reality itself refused to let them be harmed.
Nely gritted her teeth, leaping back as the Grinning Jester swiped at her with a monstrous claw, its fingers stretching like tendrils of flesh.
"Damn it! Why won't they die?!" she yelled, barely dodging another strike.
Atlas' gaze locked onto the one who stood untouched, the Card Jester. He was the center. The others, as terrifying as they were, were just his game pieces.
The three of them moved together, pushing forward with everything they had. Nely dashed low, sweeping her legs in an attempt to break Card Jester's balance. Ned went high, trying to strike him with a blade of pure Neba. Atlas charged dead center, fist pulled back for a devastating blow.
But the moment they got close, the other four Jesters reacted at once.
The One-Eyed Jester flickered, appearing between them, forcing them to avert their gazes or risk blindness. The Long-Legged Jester weaved through them, striking at their legs, making them stumble.
Then a crushing force sent them flying back. Ned, Nely, and Atlas barely had time to react before they were hurled through the air like ragdolls, their bodies colliding against the twisted walls of the nightmarish dimension.
Pain shot through them, knocking the breath from their lungs, but they had no time to recover, the Jesters were already moving.
The Jesters moved for the final blow, their grins widening. Atlas struggled to move, Ned and Nely braced for impact, their eyes darting for an escape that didn't exist.
Then, from above, something dropped.