Chapter 60: God’s hand.
Amari’s breath hitched as the fight escalated, the raw power between Erling and Tobias making the air feel thick, suffocating. His pulse hammered in his ears as he turned to Apollo, urgency flashing in his eyes. "We have to go," he whispered, grabbing Apollo’s arm before bolting in the opposite direction.
Apollo hesitated for just a second, torn between running and watching. The energy between the two warriors was unreal—something out of legend. But deep down, he knew Amari was right. Staying here? That was asking to die. Without another thought, he pivoted and sprinted after Amari, their footsteps vanishing into the depths of the forest.
Meanwhile, Tobias rolled his shoulders, shaking off the stiffness as he faced Erling. The prince’s crystalline armor gleamed under the dim light, his expression cold, unreadable. But Tobias just smirked.
"You should be praying to your God," Erling warned, voice dripping with contempt. "Because if He doesn’t save you now, I’ll do it myself."
Tobias chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "That’s cute," he muttered. "But I don’t make moves without consulting the Lord first."
His smirk stayed, but before he could react, Erling was gone—vanished like a ghost. Tobias’s instincts screamed at him to move, to act—but there was no time.
A sudden CRACK shattered the quiet.
Before Tobias could process it, Erling reappeared out of thin air, closing the distance in a blink. A brutal backhand connected with Tobias’s face, the force rocketing him straight into the forest. Trees splintered, debris flew, his body tumbling through undergrowth like a broken doll tossed in a storm.
Pain erupted across Tobias’s frame, bones aching, but somehow—the smirk never fully faded.
Erling exhaled slowly, flexing his armored fingers, watching Tobias’s body disappear into the wreckage.
"This time," he muttered, voice like ice, "you don’t get up."
Tobias gasped, every nerve screaming in agony as he struggled through the dirt, dragging himself forward inch by inch. His vision blurred, his breaths coming out in weak, ragged bursts. His hand clenched against the earth, fingers trembling as he wheezed out a desperate prayer.