Tang!
Ting!
BOOM!
Tang!
Ting!
Ting!
Slam!!
The stadium shook with the ferocity of the battle, and the students watched with wide eyes, their hearts pounding in their chests. Every clang of metal, every burst of energy, kept them on the edge of their seats, unsure of what would happen next.
Aether was a blur of motion, his sword flashing as he deflected the incoming sharp limb attacks with lightning speed.
Ssshhhnnnggg
Each deflection sent sparks flying through the air, the tension building with every clash. Victor was right there, moving with deadly precision, his eyes locked onto the Monster’s every move. As soon as Aether parried an attack, Victor struck with unyielding force, driving his blade into the Monster’s muscles where the mechanical limbs connected.
Tang!
The Monster’s limb froze, its mechanical systems momentarily jammed. But before it could even react, Aether leapt onto the immobilized limb with the agility of a cat, sprinting up its length with his sword at the ready. His blade cut through the sinewy muscles as he ran, sparks and dark fluid spraying out.
Victor was already in position, anticipating Aether’s next move. With a powerful lunge, he drove his sword into the joint where the limb connected to the Monster’s body.
Ting!
BOOM!
Another limb crashed to the ground.
The students gasped in shock and awe, unable to tear their eyes away from the spectacle.
But the fight was far from over. The Monster, now visibly shaken, glared at the two enemies with a mix of fury and disbelief.
Perfect synchronization!
That was the only one who could describe their movements!
The friendship between Aether and Victor was evident in every move they made, each trusting the other completely.
Truly a magnificent Friendship!!
“What the hell is happening?!” The Monster roared in frustration, its voice echoing through the stadium as it launched itself at Aether and Victor once more. But this time, it was different.
The Monster’s movements were wild and desperate, a stark contrast to the calm, focused attacks of Aether and Victor.
Slam
Ting
Slam
Ting
The two dodged with practised ease, their movements almost a dance as they weaved around the Monster’s furious assault.
The Monster was sure Victor was really weak before, that even the monster played around with happily but now….. it felt something totally wrong about Victor even after losing his arm, Victor was still able to fight it without sweating a beat.
The Monster snarled and summoned its minions… twisted, mechanical creatures that surged forward, surrounding Aether and Victor in a wave of gnashing teeth and sharp spider claws.
“Stay close!” Victor shouted as he slashed through the first wave of minions, his blade cutting through them like a hot knife through butter. Aether nodded, his own sword flashing as he parried an attack.
The Monster watched with a predatory grin, its eyes narrowing as it focused on Victor, ‘This is getting interesting…’ it thought, its sharp teeth gleaming as it licked its lips, “I really want to taste you~,” it hissed, opening its massive maw, revealing rows of jagged, mechanical teeth that seemed to grind against each other with a terrifying screech.
TANG
The sound of the Monster’s bite echoed ominously through the stadium, sending chills down the spines of everyone present. The Monster’s gaze locked onto Victor, who was cutting down minions with brutal efficiency, “You’ll be next,” it growled, pushing through the throng of minions toward its real target.
“A-Aether!” Helena shouted with a trembling voice as her blood flowed through her nose.
Aether noticed the Monster approaching and gave Victor a quick glance. They didn’t need words…. just a nod of understanding. With a burst of speed, Victor used Aether as a springboard, launching himself high into the air.
Slightly he used small flames burst to push himself faster… that nobody noticed and, propelling him faster as he flew toward the Monster and,
Gulp!
The Monster blinked, momentarily stunned as Victor dove straight into its open maw. For a split second, it looked like Victor had been swallowed whole. The students gasped in horror, some of them screaming in fear, while others watched in stunned silence.
“Your saviour just gave up on his life… when are you guys going to do that?” The Monster asked with a grin and opened its mouth as it tried to bite off the barrier.
“W-What should we do now?!” a student cried out, their voice trembling with panic.
“V-Victor just died?!” another whispered in disbelief, the fear spreading like wildfire among the students.
Helena bit her lip, her eyes darting to Aether, who was still locked in battle with the relentless minions.
The Monster, however, seemed unfazed by the students’ panic. It turned its gaze to a small spider which started to shine with rainbow-coloured crystal.
A wicked grin spread across its face, “The time has come…” it muttered, its eyes gleaming with anticipation as it looked toward the dome, which was cracked under the pressure of the Principal’s power.
The Monster knew what awaited outside, and whether it killed the students or not, it understood that its own end might be near….. But it also knew that achieving Kennedy’s lifelong ambition was within its grasp. The thought made it grin even wider, but then—
Cough, Cough
The Monster’s grin faltered as it began to cough violently, its massive frame shuddering….. It clutched its crumbling stomach, feeling something shifting inside. Its eyes widened in horror. “VICCCCCTTTTO—”
SPLASH!!
The Monster’s body melted in a grotesque of flesh and mechanical parts, like how tomato sauce poured out!
The sound was sickening, a wet, disgusting noise that made the students gag. The air was filled with a nauseating stench, and the students recoiled in horror as they saw the dismembered body parts scattered around.
For a moment, silence hung in the air, thick and heavy, as everyone tried to process what had just happened. It was as if time itself had frozen.
Splash!
Victor emerged from the gore, drenched but very much alive. It took the students a second to register what they were seeing, and then—
“YYYAAAAAYYYYYYY!”
A wave of joy and relief swept through the stadium as the students erupted in cheers, their fear dissolving into pure elation.
They had done it….. they had defeated the Monster that had nearly killed them all!
Aether, who was still fending off the remaining minions, looked up in surprise. The moment the Mechaflesh Arachnid died, the minions began to crumble, their mechanical bodies melted into flesh meat with metallic parts.
He let out a sigh of relief, a small, amused smile playing on his lips, ‘Looks like it really was a simple matter,’ he thought, realizing that the stored Arachne energy had done the trick, just touching at the Monster’s core was enough to short circuit everything!!
Shaking his head, Aether walked toward the barrier, “It’s finally over, Helena,” Aether said, his voice warm and gentle, offering her a reassuring smile.
However,
“…”
Helena, who was kneeling on the ground, staring blankly at the floor, didn’t respond.
Aether frowned, “Helena?” he called out, his voice laced with worry…. but there was no response.
Aether’s frown deepened.
“What’s going on?” Aether’s pulse quickened, a sense of panic rising within him. He knew the battle was over; there was no immediate threat, yet something was clearly happening to Helena.
“Helena, snap out of it!” Aether shouted, his voice filled with desperation, but still, there was no response.
A certain boy…. of course, Celestia, appeared beside Helena, his expression just as concerned.
“Ms. Helena?” he called softly, trying to reach her, but her face remained fixed on the ground.
The boy’s frown deepened, and he gently shook her shoulders, hoping to wake her from whatever trance she was in.
Thud!
Helena collapsed, her body falling limply to the ground. The boy’s eyes widened in shock as he quickly checked her breath, his hands trembling.
/She is not breathing, Aether/
Aether felt a cold chill run down his spine as Celestia’s words echoed in his mind.
Then he quickly moved to check Helena’s pulse…. and,
/…. N-None…. I-I think she—/
“STOP IT!!” Aether’s voice cracked as he shouted, his eyes blazing with fear and anger.
He glared at the boy, refusing to accept what he was hearing. His gaze flicked back to his mission tab was… Blinking!!!
‘Thank goodness!’
“She’s alive…” Aether muttered. Everything had been going so well, and now this…
His thoughts were a chaotic whirl of confusion and frustration. How could this be happening? Helena had been fine just moments ago. What had gone wrong?
‘She was doing fine…’ Aether raked his hands through his hair in agitation, his mind racing. He had believed that once the Monster was defeated, everything would be okay. But now… freewebnoveℓ.com
/Aether… I think the Arcane energy is coming back./
Aether’s eyes widened.
He focused inward, trying to sense the Arcane energy, and there it was…. a small, almost imperceptible amount. It was faint, but it was there.
Only those with high levels of sensitivity to Arcane energy like Celestia or those like Aether, who had a deep connection to Arcane energy.
/Is it a backlash?/
/… Most likely/
