Chapter 440: Saviour Born of the Lake
The roar of the Bake-kujira echoed across Lake Shinji and to the land. It was no longer the lone threat it had been moments ago. It was neither stronger or weaker, it was...
Booker felt it first. His vision dulled and his breathing grew labored as though the weight of the atmosphere had doubled. His finger, squeezed tight on the trigger, suddenly left.
"Fuck, I feel..."
Matty dropped to his knees, gasping. "J-Jules...!"
"M-Matty, are you okay!?" Jules didn’t seem affected.
Why was that...?
Booker grit his teeth. Her phoenix. Its light was shining upon her. Its healing light was apart of her and protecting her. But not Matty and Booker. "The plague...!"
From here, he could see the signs spreading. Boats and rowers slowing.
Astrid, who had moments ago been dashing across the humongous skull and fighting the monsters, stumbled. She caught herself quickly and kicked into a hoard of monsters, slashing them fast and quick. Her pink sword trembled in her grip, the vibrant aura of the great metal dimming like a candle struggling against the wind.
Kurōtarō the giant paused mid-swing. His massive nodachi hung limply at his side as he leaned on one knee, his broad shoulders heaving. Even from this distance, through the sniper scope, Booker could see the faint sheen of sweat on the samurai’s face and the slackening of his typically ironclad posture.
They were closer to the Bake-kujira. Far, far closer and the effects struck them hard.