Arthur's world was submerged in a sequence of attacks from all directions.
Claws scraping against the plates of Djinn of War. Tentacles trying to grab his limbs. Jaws closing seconds later in places where he had been standing. Substances of all kinds launched in his direction.
Each of the attacks had the potential to be a devastating blow to his mission. Yet, the ones that managed to impact him were the weakest.
Jaws of some Awakened Nightmare Creature failing to penetrate Djinn of War. Claws slipping and creating sharp sounds upon impact with the armor. But there were also many that never even launched a single attack.
A tentacle from a Fallen Nightmare Creature heading toward him at great speed, but before reaching its destination, was cut by the sharp blade of Dawn's Ballad.
Another Fallen placing itself in his path with its large claws and multiple rows of fangs in its jaw. Dawn's Ballad cutting through its body like butter.
[You have slain a Fallen Beast, Brood of the Devouring Cloud.]
Yet, there was no sign that the battle would stop anytime soon.
Arthur needed to find the Tyrant controlling the swarm as quickly as possible.
'Where is it?!'
Only allowing himself to spend time on the Fallen, Arthur moved within the swarm using Godstep and a mix of his abilities to cripple their movements.
Although he had already stopped using the charm Sunny lent him, he found himself in the center of it. Making every action he took had to be extremely calculated, without being able to afford a single gram of distraction.
Godstep bringing him to and from the correct aetheric pathways in the direction of the Tyrant. Yet, the creature was not easy to find.
His aether sense was distorted, the countless creatures around him blending together into an indistinguishable mass, making it impossible to distinguish any single presence from the others.
The Tyrant also wasn't stupid—using the advantage the swarm gave it, it hid among the countless creatures, avoiding entering Arthur's grasp.
'How's the game of hide-and-seek going?' Regis joked through the bond.
Arthur shifted his grip on Dawn's Ballad, driving it into the throat of a humanoid beast. The creature thrashed around the blade and collapsed to the ground, yet he didn't saw it since he was already moving on to the next one.
'Bad,' he replied dryly while dodging two tentacles.
Raising one leg, he used the other to generate speed and dodge the grasp of the first tentacle. The second headed toward his back, but the aetheric pathways opened before him, escaping the attack.
Appearing a couple of meters further south, the number of creatures was still ridiculous, and being in the center of the swarm, the chances of dodging all the attacks directed at him were nil.
A dry blow at shoulder height made him lose his balance slightly, preventing him from dodging some jaws that closed around his forearm.
Using an Aether sword manifested by his Awakened Ability, he drove it into the creature's forehead.
[You have slain an Awakened Beast, Brood of the Devouring Cloud.]
Another took advantage of the moment and launched a cloud of gray ashes in his direction. The ambient Aether solidified slightly, making the cloud impact the creature next to him—but that one used the antennae running along its back and produced a sharp shriek that lodged in his mind before being melted by the cloud of gray ashes.
Arthur staggered, and some tentacles held him by the ankle.
Using an Aether spear, it embedded itself in the stomach of the creature that sent the ash cloud. Then another bit his hand, using its multiple rows of fangs and burning saliva to tear it from his arm.
Arthur gritted his teeth as the pain of having a hand torn off reached his system.
Static Void activated around him, freezing everything for three seconds.
Dawn's Ballad in his remaining hand removed the head from the body of the creature that cut off his hand. A purple Aether spear embedded itself in the forehead of the creature with tentacles, and finally, Godstep moved him a few more meters south.
'This can't continue like this.'
A new hand grew in place of the previous one. Arthur focused his Aether Sense to feel the Tyrant, but the next moment, a new set of jaws closed around his newly regenerated hand, tearing it from his arm again.
He gritted his teeth again.
Tired, he looked at who had been the culprit.
The creature was short, barely reaching his abdomen, with dark skin and bone plates covering its scrawny body like a suit of light armor. The goblin did not look too formidable, but it had a wide mouth full of sharp, triangular teeth. It was also missing two fingers on its right hand.
'You son of a bitch!' Arthur couldn't help but let out an insult.
King's Presence activated over the small goblin, bringing it to its knees. Yet, when Dawn's Ballad went to cut it in half, a sharp shriek reached his brain, making him stagger and look up.
Out there ahead of him, a towering being was being besieged by a mob of abominations. Six segmented legs, a tail with a long stinger, torn and broken leathery wings… and three terrifying circular maws swaying on the ends of long necks.
As he watched, one of the monstrosity's maws shot down, biting into the body of a powerful Nightmare Creature. With a violent twist, the creature came undone, rivers of blood and viscera spilling onto the blood-soaked ground. At the same time, the other two maws shredded a couple more abominations, swallowing large chunks of them whole.
The tail stinger shot forward with blinding speed, piercing another and pumping poison into its convulsing body.
Arthur watched the scene with a furrowed brow and clenched teeth.
He had found the Tyrant of the Devouring Cloud.
However, he had a big problem.
The more Nightmare Creatures the Tyrant killed and devoured, the more invigorated it seemed. The gruesome wounds on its wings were already healing, and very soon, the monstrosity would be able to take flight.
The curtain of Destruction over them was still present, but for a creature like the Tyrant, escaping it wouldn't be very difficult. Using the rest of the swarm for that, it could achieve it in a matter of seconds.
Arthur couldn't allow that.
Looking at the Tyrant, King's Presence deactivated, and when he looked at the small goblin, it was no longer there. It hadn't died, but it had escaped Arthur's grasp.
Either way, it wasn't the moment to pursue a small vendetta. His mission was in front of him.
'Sylvie, I found the Tyrant! Start the second phase of the plan!' he notified between breaths.
Above him, a swarm of brood-beasts broke away from the dark mass of the Devouring Cloud, dodging the purple flames and plunging downward to protect their ruler. At the same time, the Tyrant moved its wings, trying to get away from the approaching threat.
Arthur definitely couldn't allow that.
The Godrunes trait of Djinn of War activated the next moment.
The purple lines delimiting the plates began to vibrate with an intense purple color, and like someone throwing a match onto a pile of dry grass… purple flames began to grow from them.
The flames moved like serpents through all the purple patterns, each time gaining more speed and intensity.
A dark smile found its place on Arthur's face, and Godstep activated again… carrying him into the Tyrant's path.
----
The more time passed, the heavier the weight on Sylvie's body became. Every second felt like a small stab in her heart.
Her golden eyes absorbed the scene before her with surgical precision.
The purple flames consuming everything in their path. The arrows, bullets, and all kinds of projectiles that didn't stop falling on the swarm of Nightmare Creatures… and below it, Arthur was still searching for the Tyrant.
'Sylvie, I found the Tyrant! Start the second phase of the plan!'
She blinked.
The voice she heard sounded tired. The words came out between heavy breaths.
Sylvie didn't hesitate, nonetheless. The moment she heard Arthur's voice, she sprang into action.
Running forward, she began to take her transformation, and at the same moment, Jet moved behind her. Yet, neither Sylvie managed to transform nor Jet managed to climb onto her back.
Sunny shivered and turned to the black waves.
Just as he did, the water parted, and something… someone… appeared from below it.
Sunny froze, staring with wide eyes. His face paled terribly.
There was a man walking out of the ocean, water streaming from his armor. He was tall, with a powerful build. His hair was dark, and his bloodless face… was empty, not a hint of emotion hiding in his hollow eyes.
Instead, there was something different in them. Something vast, alien, and terrifying.
The man slowly emerged from the water and took a steady step forward. The empty gaze of his glassy eyes fell on him.
Stunned, he whispered in a faint, trembling voice:
"…V—Verne?"
Sylvie and Jet stopped upon noticing Sunny's reaction, and following his gaze, both froze.
Behind the first figure, the dark waves stirred, and more figures rose from the water. Men, women… dozens of them, hundreds even. They marched forward like an army of the dead, silent and emotionless, their eyes drowning in darkness.
The people from LO49 who died at the hands of the Terror were marching toward the gates connecting to the wall's elevators.
Watching the scene, all those present—except Winter—frowned…
The defenders of the city had also spotted the new threat. Powerful beams of light fell from above, illuminating the silent horde. A moment later, a hail of bullets was supposed to tear into it…
But it didn't.
The spotlights moved on, as if not noticing anything. Instead of an obliterating barrage of heavy rounds, all that came were a few sporadic streams of rifle bullets.
The armaments on the wall of the port fortress were silent.
Sylvie felt a chill run down her spine.
'The hex…'
Behind the slowly advancing figures of the drowned residents of LO49, the black water seethed and boiled again, releasing even more thralls. Nightmare Creatures… thousands of them… were rising from the waves, all moving with the same silent, harrowing dispassion.
Sylvie didn't manage to react in time, but Jet did.
"Everyone alert!" she shouted. "Sylvie, Sunny, and Dale—go find the Nightwalkers, help prevent the thralls from reaching the port." A beautiful War Scythe appeared in her pale hand, frozen details on its edge. "Rey and I will proceed with the plan. Move out!"
Sylvie snapped out of her shock and used her transformation into a majestic dragon, but instead of heading toward the back of the swarm, she flew toward the port.
Sunny touched Dale's shoulder, and both appeared on her back.
Reynolds nodded at Jet's order and held onto the edge of the wall with one hand. Then, his feet began generating flames on their own, and a dry explosion propelled him forward.
Jet followed his example, but using simply her physical strength to achieve the same result.
Both set out to carry out the next phase of the plan.
----
On Sylvie's back, Sunny frowned and asked.
"Where are you going? We have to kill the puppets!"
Sylvie didn't respond and continued on her way. The other Irregular shrugged and then shook his head.
"There's no time for that. The real enemy is the Terror, not its puppets. Both of you need to go… find someone from the House of Night at least. They need to find the creature and destroy it, before it's too late."
Sunny blinked.
"What about you?"
Dale turned to the advancing horde, lingered for a moment, and shrugged.
"I'll stay and make sure that they do not breach the wall of the port."
There were a lot of words left unsaid, but they both understood the implication. Dale was best at stationary defense, Sunny was swift and elusive, and Sylvie was the strongest of the three. Their roles were decided for them by that simple reality, and there was nothing to discuss.
The heavily armored Master took a step forward, raising his shield and mace.
"Go, don't linger."
Then, Sylvie lowered her altitude slightly, and Dale jumped from her back, falling with his mace already prepared to crush the skull of one of the puppets.
From above, she could see a large crowd of terrified refugees filling a large courtyard below. They had come here to board one of the ships and escape the doomed siege as soon as Bloodwave returned, but got stuck in the middle of the battle instead.
Ignoring the grim sight, she flew across the battlement toward the citadel of the fortress. Sunny, from above, looked around, hoping to see someone from the House of Night among the defenders.
He got lucky sooner than he had expected.
The wall of the port fortress had towers rising above it at set intervals, each serving as a bunker. As they passed through one of these bunkers, observing the complicated machinery of the rail gun housed within, he noticed a familiar figure standing near a targeting interface. Tall, handsome, with black hair that sometimes seemed inky blue…
"Naeve!"
Sylvie headed there and immediately abandoned her transformation, helping Sunny grab her shoulder and Shadow Step toward the Nightwalker, who looked up from the terminal with a surprised expression.
"Lady Sylvie, Sunless… What are you…"
Sunny waved a hand, interrupting him.
"Long story. Are you free from the hex? Can you see the monsters?" He realized something, then looked around with a bit of confusion. "Actually, never mind. How are all of you able to see them?"
"That doesn't matter now," Sylvie interrupted. "This battle can't be won unless the source of the hex is destroyed. The Terror of LO49… we need to find and kill it. Staying on the defensive will only allow that fiend to propagate its influence throughout the city, killing countless people and growing its army."
The Nightwalker stared at them for a few moments. His tired face paled a little.
"But how are we going to kill it between the three of us… Uncle hasn't returned."
Sunny hesitated for a bit, then sighed.
"I don't know."
"We'll figure it out later." Sylvie didn't try to give any words of encouragement. "It's not going to be easy, but while it's distracted with us, its army won't grow, and if we're lucky, Bloodwave should return soon."
Naeve regained some of his color and nodded.
"Well, alright. Follow me, then. That Terror is one of the priority targets, anyway. Let's hunt the bastard down…"
No more words were needed, and the three of them began to run across the wall of the port fortress, the battle growing louder behind them. Sounds of screams rose into the night sky, and the battlements beneath them shuddered. Ignoring all of it, they rushed forward.
As they ran, Naeve yelled:
"Have any of you ever fought in the water?!"
"No!" Sylvie replied quickly.
Sunny spared him a tense look, remembering something. "Once!" he replied after a few seconds.
The Nightwalker let out a nervous laugh.
"How did it go?!"
Sunny gritted his teeth.
"I'm alive, aren't I?!"
The three continued running, and soon they were already on the pier. Naeve took his midnight blue coat off. Beneath it was a black wetsuit, an armor Memory already weaving itself from silver sparks of light.
Sunny dismissed the Puppeteer's Shroud, and a harness made of a fisherman's net wrapped around his torso. Then, a large and beautiful white pearl appeared in his hand, and he placed it on his tongue and closed his mouth.
Finally, a piece of an icy blue crystal inlaid in a frame of dull metal appeared, hung around his neck on a black string—a charm to protect him from the lethal cold of the winter ocean.
Sylvie had it easier than the other two.
Due to the mission they were going to have in Antarctica, the Queen prepared specific armors for different situations. One of them was precisely having to venture into the cold waters of the ocean.
The silver armor with gold details covering her body was dismissed the next moment, and a new one appeared in its place.
This one was a suit completely clinging to her body, navy blue in color. The surface of the suit had a texture with small hairs that made it possible to swim underwater at great speed.
The suit formed a silver helmet around her head, while it had the drawing of two lungs on the visor.
The Memory had come from a maritime Fallen Terror that inhabited the waters near the Citadel of the Lake of Tears. Then it was modified by the clan's enchanters, and finally, Arthur made a final modification so it could swim at great speed.
Contemplating the vast expanse of black waters, the three let out a deep sigh.
A pale smile appeared on Naeve's face.
"Ready?"
Sylvie nodded while Sunny shook his head. Then, both jumped.
The ocean grasped them in a cold embrace a moment later.
----
Reynolds parried an attack and then swept his sword in a vertical arc. The blade struck the Nightmare Creature's thick hide and bit deep; as it did so, it heated up, searing the flesh it touched.
[You have slain an Awakened Beast, Brood of the Devouring Cloud.]
He took a breath and looked up slightly.
In front of him, Jet dodged a tentacle by giving a small jump and then twisting her body. Then, her long War Scythe cut the creature in two, leaving small frozen marks on its body.
Before falling, another attacked her in the air. But Jet moved her War Scythe toward the ground, using it as support to deliver a kick to the Awakened creature's head.
The creature's neck twisted unnaturally from the force of the kick, and it was enveloped in a blaze of orange fire the next instant.
Another message reached Reynolds's ears.
[You have slain an Awakened Beast, Brood of the Devouring Cloud.]
But he didn't focus on that and continued with his task of forcing a path toward Arthur.
The mass of the swarm held together a vast number of creatures, despite the web of amethyst flames hovering over them. Winter's work with her arrows—feeding the flames—was yielding magnificent results; even so, the number of creatures remained enormous.
He couldn't yet see Arthur in the distance, but he knew he was there somewhere. In fact, the very next instant, the swarm of creatures began to behave strangely; their movements appeared erratic.
It signaled the end of the Tyrant commanding them.
However, Rey frowned. The swarm was moving erratically, yet it remained a force to be reckoned with—implying there was something they hadn't taken into account when devising their plan.
A new idea began to form in his mind, and instantly he saw Jet's icy blue eyes, which signaled that she was thinking the same thing.
'A new Tyrant was born.'
Hacking and struggling his way through, Reynolds advanced across the mass of abominations toward his companion. Jet nodded, and both started to work together to find the new Tyrant.
Reynolds spoke, his voice sounding slightly tired.
"We will have to fight our way through."
Jet agreed.
"I'll clear the way, you follow."
Both rushed forward, fighting their way through the tide of frenzied Nightmare Creatures.
Reynolds used his longsword to cut and penetrate the creatures' bodies, then set them on fire from within. The corpses fell to the ground with dry thuds while leaving a burnt smell in the air. His fighting style perfectly complemented his abilities, showing his experience with every movement of his sword.
Jet, using her War Scythe and strength, moved to the front with her brutal and domineering battle style. Honed and perfectly sharpened to achieve a single purpose: to deliver swift death and utter devastation to her enemies. While it lacked flair and refinement, one could feel the lethal weight of thousands and thousands of deathly battles.
There was an awful beauty to her mesmerizing savagery.
A few moments later, they had found the other Tyrant of the Devouring Cloud.
The Tyrant was in perfect condition, with a mountain of corpses at its sides. Many had limbs torn from their bodies, while others were simple parts thrown on the ground.
A current of orange flames erupted from Reynolds's body, forming a prison of fire over the figure of the Tyrant and both Ascended. Making it so that before it could escape, it would at least suffer some damage.
But the Tyrant didn't try to escape.
The creature barreled forward like a speeding train, its six legs turning countless stones into rubble and dust. Jet met the attack of one of its legs head-on, and with her beautiful and cold War Scythe, severed one of the creature's limbs. Making it topple heavily to the ground while letting out an agonizing scream from the damage to its soul.
Reynolds barely managed to dodge the massive body, but the next moment, the Tyrant's stinger was already shooting through the air, aimed at his heart.
He blocked the terrifying jagged spike with the flat of his sword, at the same time turning his body to cushion the blow slightly. The impact pushed him a few meters back, his feet leaving two grooves in the stones. The monstrosity struggled to stand up, and at that moment, Jet's Scythe severed another of its legs, and the Tyrant produced the same sound as before.
Three long necks of the Tyrant twisted like snakes. Two maws attacked in Jet's direction, while the third flew toward him. Staring at the repulsive fleshy circle full of razor-sharp fangs, he shuddered and realized that the thing could swallow him whole.
Even with his big size, the Tyrant was very exposing.
Reynolds shifted his standing and dashed aside, narrowly dodging the maw, then lashed out with his longsword. As a bloody wound appeared on the abomination's neck, a deafening wail slammed into him like a hammer.
Somehow, Jet managed to dodge the two maws that attacked in her direction thanks to her great speed and agility. Moving with great skill on the battlefield, she began to draw strange patterns with the blood on the floor.
Reynolds stopped for a moment—that wasn't an action Jet would do at all…
'Did she change?' he asked himself.
Watching Jet draw a kind of rune on the ground, he smiled slightly.
She had definitely changed in the last three months.
Jet continued moving erratically across the battlefield, moving the blood of the creatures to draw something. Then she did something strange.
Grabbing the corpse of one of the creatures, she held it with the edge of her War Scythe and, with her remaining hand, extracted the Shard from the Fallen Creature.
The Tyrant's stinger headed toward her at great speed, but at that moment, he used a current of orange flames to interrupt its path. His sword then traced a vertical arc, and the blade cut the stinger in half.
The Tyrant let out a sharp shriek that echoed across the entire battlefield.
At that moment, Jet finished drawing the rune on the ground and immediately held the Shard in her hand, inserting it into the correct place in the drawing while crouching.
Soon, the rune began to glow with a slightly weak purple light. Yet, its effect was anything but weak.
The rune activated, releasing a beam of light toward the sky. Watching it from a distance, it seemed it could reach the moon and even beyond.
The Tyrant stood completely still in its place. The blood from its wounds failed to leave its limbs, and it seemed as if everything within that drawing was anchored in reality.
Reynolds saw Jet smile darkly, and a small laugh escaped her pale lips.
Jet began to laugh faster as she stood up.
"Oh, this is wonderful," she said upon noticing that what she had done was a success.
Slowly, she began walking in the Tyrant's direction, and her War Scythe changed into the form of a bec de corbin.
Taking a firm stance in front of the Nightmare Creature, Jet shook her head and brought her Aspect Legacy toward the Tyrant's three long necks.
The Aspect Legacy that had the soul of a Corrupted Tyrant stored within made it equivalent to a Transcendent-rank Memory of the fifth tier.
The bec de corbin impacted the three necks and cut through them as if they didn't exist.
Bringing an end to the Fallen Tyrant leading the Devouring Cloud and finishing one of the present crises.